In the evening, Huan Wen came home from the government office. When he saw Huan Xi from a distance, he laughed loudly:
"Xi'er, you recommended Jingxing (Xi Chao) to me, and it was a great help. With his help, my father can rest easy."
Obviously, during the period when Huan Xi entered the court, Huan Wen and Xi Chao got along very happily.
Huan Xi said with a bitter face:
"My father is satisfied now, but my son is going to Liangzhou, alone and alone. He is really worried."
Huan Wen knew that this boy was asking for favors from him, but he was soft-spoken and short-handed when taking advantage of others. Huan Xi reluctantly gave up his love and recommended Xi Chao to him. Naturally, Huan Wen was not stingy. He asked:
"If you have any requests, just say so. As long as I can do my best as a father, I will definitely grant you."
Huan Xi was not polite and said with a smile:
"My child does have a merciless request. I hope my father can give me five thousand soldiers to embolden me."
Huan Wen did not agree immediately, he pondered:
"Liangzhou originally had 30,000 defenders, which was enough to defend against the enemy. Now you are asking me for 5,000 soldiers. Do you think Xi'er wants to achieve something?"
Huan Xi said seriously:
"Shihu is cruel and unkind, and will cause disaster sooner or later. In the future, when his father launches an expedition to the north, my son can also send troops to Guanzhong as a response, instead of suffering from a shortage of troops and missing the opportunity."
Huan Wen couldn't help but nod, and sent troops all the way to Wanluo and all the way to Guanzhong. This was exactly the strategy proposed by Zhuge Wuhou to Emperor Zhaolie when he faced Longzhong.
He waved his hand and said:
"Okay! My father promised you five thousand elite soldiers. Xi'er, if you have any other requests, just ask them all."
Huan Xi was overjoyed when he saw this and asked:
"Please also ask the father to allow the child to use Liangzhou's taxes for himself."
Since Huan Wen conquered Shu, the imperial court has never received a grain of rice or a foot of cloth from the six states of Jing, Yi, Liang, Ning, Yong, and Si.
All the taxes that should be sent to Jiankang were intercepted by Huan Wen in Jiangling and used to raise troops.
The six western states now only respect the title of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and have gradually formed a semi-independent relationship with the imperial court.
Huan Wen recruited soldiers and allocated resources on his own, which was beyond the central government's ability to recruit.
Huan Xi's lion opened his mouth and not only asked for five thousand elite soldiers, but also wanted to swallow the taxes of the eight counties of Liangzhou.
This made Huan Wen hesitate for a moment, wondering whether he should agree to it.
Seeing him like this, Huan Xi stretched out three fingers and said boldly:
"Three years, only three years, the child will definitely win Guanzhong for his father. If he fails, he will return the taxes to Liangzhou."
Huan Wen didn't know where his confidence came from. Could it be that he saw that the expedition to Shu went smoothly, so he thought that the Northern Expedition would be easy.
"Jie Hu is fierce and brave, and should not be underestimated."
Huan Wen warned with a straight face.
Huan Xi did not waver, he insisted:
"My child is not a reckless person, but I ask my father to trust me and give me three years, and I will definitely repay him."
The father and son looked at each other for a long time, but Huan Xi never flinched. Huan Wen said helplessly:
"That's all, since you sincerely ask for it, as a father, I will comply with your request.
"You can use the taxes from Liangzhou for your own use, but you cannot use them to satisfy your own selfish desires and settle for pleasure.
"As for the three-year agreement, I should just treat it as a joke as a father, lest you be in danger due to your eagerness for success."
Huan Xi felt warm in his heart, but he still secretly swore in his heart that he would regain Guanzhong within three years.
That night, Huan Wen held a banquet in his mansion to welcome Huan Xi and Huan Chong.
Guests gathered, and even Xie Yi, who was secretly estranged from him, came to the banquet under his wife's persuasion.
The news of the Queen Mother's decree to register the marriage of Huan Xi and Xie Daoyun had already reached Jiangling before Huan Xi arrived.
Since she couldn't refuse the marriage, in Xie's mother's opinion, she should ease her relationship with Huan Wen, lest Xie Daoyun be angered by her parents-in-law in the future.
During the dinner, Xie Yi and Huan Wen seemed to have reconciled, but they both knew that once the rift appeared, it would not be so easy to fill.
The two are at odds with each other. It's hard to say who is right and who is wrong. They all have their own reasons.
The next day, Xie Yi and Huan Wen agreed that after two years, when Xie Daoyun turned eighteen, they would take her from Jiankang and marry Huan Xi.
Xie Yi immediately asked Huan Wen to resign, hoping to be relieved of his post as Sima of Jingzhou.
He had a free and easy temper, and felt uncomfortable living in Jiangling. He had no regard for power and position and insisted on leaving.
Huan Wen had known Xie Yi for many years and knew his temperament, so he didn't force him to stay.
On the same day, Xie Yi took his wife back by boat and left. Before the couple left, Sima Xingnan took Li Yuan to Jiankang early in the morning to visit the bride.
After seeing his mother off, Huan Xi took Zhu Xu, Deng Xia and others and went straight to the military camp to select the five thousand soldiers accompanying him.
Who would be willing to leave their hometown if they were not forced to do so? Fortunately, Huan Xi was willing to give a large sum of money to settle down, which attracted the attention of the soldiers. Huan Xi successively selected 3,000 elite soldiers who had followed Huan Wen in his expedition to Shu.
When Huan Wen heard the news, he felt heartbroken and immediately called Huan Xi to him:
"You don't need to ask about the remaining two thousand soldiers. My father will order someone to select them for you.
"You can live peacefully at home. Once we have gathered five thousand soldiers, we will set off immediately. There is no owner in Liangzhou, and the position of governor cannot be suspended for a long time."
Huan Xi did not push the envelope. He followed Huan Wen's arrangements and no longer personally selected soldiers.
After all, Huan Wen would not find some old and weak men to make up the remaining two thousand soldiers.
Even if they are not the elite soldiers who conquered Shu, they are certainly no different.
Now that Huan Xi has received the tax from Liangzhou, he can also use it to recruit troops. With these five thousand people as the skeleton, he can expand the scale of his tribe, and with the assistance of Zhu Xu, Deng Xia, Huan Yi and others, in time, he will be able to build a strong army.
Soon, Huan Wen mobilized five thousand soldiers for Huan Xi, and the families of these soldiers would follow Huan Xi to settle in Hanzhong.
Huan Xi ordered Zhu Xu and Shen Jin to go ahead and lead the thousand troops raised by Shen Jin to Hanzhong to prepare in advance for the resettlement of the soldiers and their families.
Huan Xi himself went with five thousand soldiers and their families. After bidding farewell to his father, he went north from Jiangling to Xiangyang.
Xiangyang was originally the seat of Yongzhou overseas Chinese. In order to occupy Xiangyang, Yu Yi, the former governor of Jingzhou, was afraid that the court would not allow it, so he petitioned to move the town to Anlu (Anlu City, Hubei Province).
Yu Yi marched eastward with 40,000 troops, which aroused panic among the ministers, who issued official letters to stop him. Yu Yi then took retreat as an advance and requested to move the town to Xiangyang, but the court had no choice but to agree to him.
It is unknown whether Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty later moved his capital to Luoyang or was inspired by it.
Even if Yu Yi moved to Xiakou again later, the Jingzhou Army's control over Yongzhou had been established.
Huan Xi was warmly received by the governor of Yongzhou in Xiangyang. Although the two were equal in position, they were both governors of the same state.
However, the governor of Yongzhou always put himself in a low position and served Huan Xi with the courtesy of an official, which fully shows the power of the Huan family in the six western states.
