Jiankang, Taicheng.
Chu Suanzi put his hand on his forehead, feeling a headache because of the memorial sent by Huan Xi.
She didn't know whether she should hope that Huan Xiguang would return to his old capital, or hope that he would fail.
It is not surprising that Chu Suanzi has such entanglements.
With the current power of the Huan family, it is difficult to control it.
If Huan Xi were to occupy Guanlong, and Huan Wen was supporting Jing Yi, their father and son would already have half of China's vast territory, and the imperial court would be in dire straits, and the entire Jin family would be in danger.
Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Chu couldn't help but sigh, she was just a woman, why should she shoulder such a heavy burden.
When she was worried, the eunuch who had been ordered to summon Cai Mo to the palace came back to reply. Empress Dowager Chu cheered up and asked:
"Is Tucai Situ outside the palace?"
The eunuch replied fearfully:
"Situ said he was old and sick, and was embarrassed and unwilling to come."
When the Queen Mother Chu heard this, she was extremely disappointed.
After He Chong's death, the imperial court was jointly assisted by Cai Mo and King Sima Yu of Kuaiji. Empress Dowager Chu naturally trusted Situ Cai Mo more than her son's former rival for the throne.
However, since Sima Yu reused Yin Hao and tried to use Yin Hao to fight Huan Wen, Cai Mo was greatly disappointed and believed that the court was entrusting an unworthy person, so he repeatedly claimed that he was ill and refused to go to court.
Empress Dowager Chu couldn't understand why Cai Mo and Yin Hao couldn't work together to help the court since they had never had any personal grudges before. Now that the country was facing a national crisis.
'Could it be that Cai Situ was afraid of the Huan family and didn't want to antagonize him? '
Empress Dowager Chu thought to herself.
After all, Yin Hao had been raising Wang for ten years and enjoyed a high reputation among the scholars. He was praised as a figure like Guan Zhong and Kong Ming. How could he be said to be entrusted to someone other than someone who could resist Huan Wen?
Since Cai Mo was determined to ignore government affairs, Empress Dowager Chu no longer had any expectations for him. She ordered the eunuch to summon Sima Yu, the commander-in-chief, to ask him about his countermeasures.
Sima Yu was already prepared and said:
"Now that Shi Hu is dead and the country of Zhao is in chaos, the Huan family and his son intend to take advantage of the opportunity to make the Northern Expedition. If they lose, it will damage the strength of the Jin Dynasty. If they win, their power will become even more rampant. I also ask your majesty to issue an edict to prevent the Huan family from sending troops. .
"Wang Pao, the governor of Yangzhou in the State of Zhao, witnessed the civil strife in the country and sent a special letter of surrender. I wish you a long life and a prosperous life. I would like to offer it to your majesty.
"Your Majesty can order General Chu Pei to lead the Northern Expedition. If we can win, we can not only regain the Central Plains, but also frighten the Huan family. This kills two birds with one stone. Please agree to your Majesty's permission."
Empress Dowager Chu was overjoyed when she heard this:
"Where is the surrender? Please submit it to me as soon as possible."
There is no doubt that if the governor of Lian Yizhou felt uneasy in the face of the chaos in Hou Zhao and wanted to surrender, you can imagine what kind of chaos the north has become.
If his father could regain the Central Plains as the head coach of the Northern Expedition, as Sima Yu said, it would also be a deterrent to Huan Wen and his son, so that they would not dare to push too hard.
Sima Yu hurriedly presented the surrender form. When the Empress Dowager Chu saw it, she no longer had any doubts. She immediately ordered her father Chu Pei, the general of the Northern Expedition, to be the commander-in-chief of the expedition and supervise the military forces of the five states of Xu, Yan, Qing, Yang, and Henan. All the Northern Expedition.
He also issued an edict to the Western Domain, prohibiting Huan Xi from sending troops to Guanzhong, and Huan Wen was conducting military campaigns in the Central Plains.
Once the news came out, Chu Pei became famous. Everyone thought that Chu Pei could easily pacify the Central Plains due to the chaos in the north.
But there was one person who was full of worries. It was Cai Mo who was staying at home on the pretext of illness.
Cai Mo and his close associates said:
"I naturally have no choice but to celebrate Shi Hu's death, but I am worried that this will also bring disaster to the court."
The close followers were puzzled and asked:
"Why did Situ say this?"
Cai Mo sighed:
“Only the most outstanding figures, the heroes of the world, can regain the Central Plains and China.
"If one is not virtuous and has no talent, he will only waste the people and money and waste the country's power."
The implication is that Chu Pei has little talent and is difficult to use.
There has never been an airtight wall in this world. Previously, He Chong and his cronies commented on Huan Xi, which was well known throughout the city. Now Cai Mo's words have also reached the ears of Empress Dowager Chu.
The Queen Mother was furious about this. She wanted to rely on Cai Mo, but he claimed that he was ill and could not come.
Now she regards her father as her handsome man, but Cai Mo is making sarcastic remarks. This is not directed at Yin Hao, but at herself.
Yin Hao had long held a grudge against Cai Mo. Seeing that Empress Dowager Chu hated Cai Mo for slandering his father, he took the opportunity to say to Sima Yu:
"This old man is flattering the Huan family and is not loyal to the country. I must kill this old thief to thank the previous emperors of the Jin Dynasty!"
King Sima Yu of Kuaiji also hated this man deeply, and he immediately ordered to Shangshu Cao:
"The Empress Dowager summoned her several times, but Cai Mo was arrogant and arrogant. He ignored the emperor's orders and showed no courtesy as a courtier. Someone should discuss Cai Mo's crime!"
Since Cai Mo took the initiative to stay away from the court, power has been controlled by Sima Yu, Yin Hao and others. Now he has offended the Queen Mother by making a mistake, and Sima Yu and Yin Hao have long had murderous intentions towards Cai Mo. The ministers have come forward one after another to count Cai Mo. Please punish him for his crime.
When Cai Mo heard about this, he was horrified. With the help of his disciples, he quickly went to Taicheng to kowtow to the Queen Mother to plead guilty, and then went to the court to wait for punishment.
At this time, Xun Xian, the governor of Xuzhou, entered the court. Xun Xian was once a subordinate of Yin Hao, but he always hoped that Yin Hao could have a good relationship with Huan Wen and ease the conflicts.
Seeing that Yin Hao wanted to execute Cai Mo to establish his authority, he quickly advised him:
"If Cai Situ is executed, Huan Wen will definitely raise his troops to hold him accountable and denounce Duke Yin for killing the auxiliary ministers. The current turmoil in the north is a golden opportunity to regain the Central Plains.
"Yin Gong should be preparing his troops in the north of the Yangtze River, waiting for the opportunity. How can he get angry with an old man and delay national affairs."
Yin Hao thought so, so he let Cai Mo go and no longer used the topic to play on.
The news that the imperial court prohibited the Huan family from sending troops to the Northern Expedition was also known to Huan Wen, who had already arrived in Anlu.
Today is different from the past. The original expedition to Shu also did not get the permission of the imperial court. However, the imperial court was beyond its reach at that time. Afterwards, it was discovered that it could not recover the army that invaded Shu, so it could only acquiesce in the matter.
Nowadays, Huan Wen is managing the Central Plains under the eyes of the imperial court. With a piece of imperial edict, Huan Wen can only hate his teacher.
However, the court could not restrain Huan Xi.
Since Huan Wen's army of attacking Shu could not be chased back, Empress Dowager Chu could only sit back and watch Huan Xi march into Guanzhong.
Huan Xi had previously made a grand display in Baozhong and sent troops to the border, making a gesture of taking the Chencang Road.
When Shi Bao moved to Chencang to resist, Huan Xi left Zhu Xu, the commander-in-chief, to lead the troops in Baozhong. He also sent a message to Zhou Fu, the governor of Yizhou, asking him to station troops at the border of Yi and Liang to prevent Qiu Chi from sneaking into Liangzhou.
Then he personally led Wang Meng, Quan Yi, Deng Xia, Huan Yi, Shen Jin and other close associates as well as 11,000 soldiers, and marched day and night to Xixiang.
The three armies have not moved, and grain and grass go first. Although Baozhong has accumulated a large amount of grain and grass, Xixiang is also secretly accumulating grain.
When Zhu Xu led 40,000 state and county soldiers slowly northward from Chencang Road, Huan Xi finally arrived at the entrance of Ziwu Road.
