Huan Wen's army stayed in Stone City for many days.
It's not that he doesn't want to march eastward, but he is waiting for the Jiankang court's reply. It is best to fight without bloodshed. He should retain more energy and have more strength to fight the Liang Kingdom in the future.
After waiting for almost a month, Xie An finally came slowly.
"The country is in turmoil, Jiangdong can no longer be in chaos. Da Sima is a famous person in the world and has a reputation at home. He should put the overall situation first." Xie An still said the same old words.
Huan Wen stalled at Stone City, and Xie An had a 70% chance of convincing Huan Wen.
"Does Anshi know why the Northern Expedition failed so many times?" Huan Wen today is obviously different from the past.
There were many reasons for the failure of the Northern Expedition. Before Huan Wen, Yu Yi, Chu Pei, and Yin Hao all failed, and they failed miserably.
Seeing Xie An frowning and saying nothing, Huan Wen said: "It's not that the officers and soldiers failed to obey orders, it's not that the weather doesn't agree, it's not that people's hearts are not aligned, it's that the imperial court only wants to stay in Jiangzuo. Since the imperial court has made mistakes, I should correct them!"
"Da Sima..."
"Jingxiang has been lost, how can Jiangdong survive alone?" Huan Wen's eyes were as sharp as a knife.
"The imperial court has agreed to establish King Langya as emperor and confer Grand Sima the title of Duke of Chu. I hope Duke Ming will think more about it."
Huan Wen stared at Xie An, "I would like to ask An Shi, can Sima Yu, Sima Yi and others turn the tide and resist the Northern invaders?"
No matter who takes the stage, the outcome is the same, they are all puppets of the gentry.
Huan Wen was forced into a desperate situation and had no way out.
Jingxiang was conquered, and the balance of the Jin Dynasty for decades was broken.
Xie An frowned, then relaxed his brows, and his tone was calmer than ever before, "How will the Grand Sima arrange the Jin Dynasty?"
Since we can't dissuade, we can only talk openly and strive for the best interests.
How to settle the Jin family is actually how to settle the Xie family.
"Anshi is quick to speak, your majesty and the princes need not be surprised, everything remains as usual." Huan Wen was overjoyed.
As long as Xie An nodded, half of the resistance was gone.
"The two dynasties of Wei and Wu took over the affairs of the Han Dynasty, and the fourth dynasty of the Jin Dynasty took over from Cao Wei. Although the great Sima was a man of great talent and strategy, he secretly thought that he should serve as King Wen of Zhou. If there is an emergency, there would be a change. He might as well lead the Duke of Chu and take charge of Jiankang first, and then proceed. A matter of surrender.”
Xie An said slowly.
"Cough——" Xi Chao coughed at the side.
Huan Wen's eyes sharpened again, "You do extraordinary things in extraordinary times. You don't have to follow the precedent. The northern captives are preparing their troops and will go south soon. It's not because I want to be in high position. It's actually for the sake of the people of Jiangdong and the plan of Jiankang. The only way is to do it." Only when I have the power both internally and externally can I resist Liang's thieves, and I will act as a true man and do my duty."
Xie An glanced sideways at Xi Chao and was silent for a moment. "Since Da Sima has this ambition, his subordinates should serve him."
"If I were Han Gao, Anshi would be like Xiao He. No famous person from Jiangdong could be better than Anshi." Huan Wen was overjoyed.
This sentence is equivalent to a promise to Xie An.
"Da Sima, please wait for a while, and your subordinates will go and deal with themselves." Xie An bowed his hands and retreated.
Huan Wen kept walking out the door, whispering a lot, even Xi Chao was excluded.
After sending Xie An off, Xi Chao looked downcast: "Da Sima holds fifty thousand soldiers. I am a swordsman and he is a fish. Why should we look at other people's faces? When the army comes to the city, Jiankang will surrender."
"I not only want them to surrender, but I also want them to be convinced. Without the support of the nobles, I won't be able to sit down for a long time!" Huan Wen wanted to try his best to get the support of the powerful nobles.
At that time, Wang Dun was much more powerful than him, but his success fell short due to the joint efforts of the powerful nobles.
"There is only one way to convince them." Xi Chao made a gesture of wiping his neck.
Once a general has achieved great success and his bones are withered, if he wants to rise to the top, it is impossible to fight without losing blood.
"I am a swordsman and he is a fish. What can they do to me? I will give them another chance." Huan Wen had a murderous look on his face.
After waiting for a few more days, there was still no news from Jiankang.
But at this time, the Beifu Army had returned from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and was heading straight for Stone City. The Guangling Beifu Army also entered Jiankang City.
Huan Wen, a member of the Beifu army, did not take it seriously, but the powerful attitude of the Jiangdong nobles became ambiguous. Chu, Wang, Xun, Yin and other noble tribes gathered together, and they actually put on a fight to the death.
"The matter is urgent. We cannot stay here for a long time. We must go to Jiankang as soon as possible." Xi Chao said urgently.
Before he could respond, a scout reported outside: "Report, Xie An personally led an army of 30,000 to welcome Da Sima to the capital!"
The 30,000-strong army was dispatched, which was said to be a welcome, but in reality it was a coercion.
"I thought they could understand the overall situation, but I didn't expect them to be so stubborn. It doesn't matter. The people Li killed in the Northern Kingdom were like rivers of blood, and they were like today. If he could kill someone, wouldn't he be able to kill him? Send an order to all the troops to defeat the traitor army. Follow me straight to Jiankang."
Huan Wen's last bit of patience was worn away. Recalling the contempt and disrespect these people had for him in the past, Huan Wen felt furious.
It was indeed his personal desire for power to take over Jiankang, but it was also to reverse the situation. Replacing him might be able to change this half-dead situation.
Jiangdong will be destroyed sooner or later by relying on those people, so it is better to let Huan Wen come.
Boom, boom, boom...
War drums beat in Stone City.
Huan Wen took Huan Shiqian as the vanguard and led 3,000 cavalry to rush out of the city.
"A man cannot be famous for a hundred years, but he will be infamous for ten thousand years!" Huan Wen led 20,000 elite governors.
The soldiers all moved forward enthusiastically, even more excited than Huan Wen.
Entering Jiankang, there are countless gold, silver, money, silk, beauties and farmhouses.
In an instant, a beast was released.
Huan Wen made up his mind, but the Jiankang court didn't expect that Huan Wen didn't say a word and just took the knife.
In fact, Huan Wen was forced into a desperate situation and could not enter Jiankang, and his soldiers immediately fell apart.
After losing Jing Xiang, they, like Huan Wen, became lonely ghosts.
The two armies met, and Huan Shiqian took the lead, charging into the former Pao Ze. Blood flowed like a river, and no one could stop him for a while.
The only thousands of Beifu troops who could fight were protected under a large banner with the word "Xie".
Huan Shi Qian seemed to be in an uninhabited territory, and his soldiers moved forward bravely. The Jin army could not resist. The battlefield was completely one-sided, and it collapsed within an hour.
Although Huan Wen was repeatedly defeated in battles, he was at least someone who dared to do the Northern Expedition. Except for his two defeats at Hefei, he achieved great results in the other two Northern Expeditions. He killed Fu Chang, defeated Yao Xiang, and even invaded Luoyang.
"Does Anshi want to fight or surrender?" Huan Wen personally led 20,000 elite troops to approach Xie An's troops, leaving the other noble tribes to disperse.
"This man has ulterior motives and has deceived the lord several times. He cannot be kept." Xi Chao suggested in a low voice.
"No, if you want to govern Jiangdong, you must have this person!" Huan Wen has always admired Xie An.
However, these words made Xi Chao look depressed. He made suggestions for Huan Wen, but he did not expect that he would not be as good as Xie An in the end.
"Xie An is willing to surrender, and I hope that Da Sima will show mercy to the people of Jiangdong." Xie An drove his horse out, walked slowly to Huan Wen, and knelt down to worship.
"The people of Jiangdong are also my subjects, why do you need to say more?" Huan Wen laughed.
On the battlefield, Huan Shiqian's army went straight to Jiankang City in the northeast.
The end of the year is eventful, and this book is coming to an end. It will be finished before the Chinese New Year. I am grateful for accompanying you along the way, but I didn’t write it well. My ability is limited, and I feel ashamed...
(End of chapter)
