The Yanming of the Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms

Chapter 8

On the second day of the court meeting, all the ministers returned to the list after the ceremony.King Yan said: "Last night, my king has received an urgent report from Liucheng, and my elder brother Murong Han has arrived outside Liucheng."

All the ministers in the hall were in a commotion, and the Prime Minister Feng Yi stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty is holy. My king clarifies the world with his majestic posture, and capable people in the sea compete to join him. Our country of Yan is prosperous. Congratulations to my king."

"What Prime Minister Feng said is very true, passing on the lonely will." King Yan was overjoyed when he heard the words.

"Murong Ke."

"My son is here."

"I will send you as the envoy of the king, and go to Liucheng to welcome Murong Han."

"As ordered."

"Murong Ba."

"My son is here."

"Thirty miles away from Thorn City, you use the king's support, prepare six chariots and six horses, complete the axe and brocade curtains, and gather the three armies to meet Murong Han."

"The internal history is Gao Xu."

"The minister is here."

"Prepare the prison equipment, prepare the ritual and music chime bells, Huang Zhong Dalu, I have to take a bath and change clothes alone, and make an oath to the heaven with Brother Han, and pray to the gods."

"Take orders."

"I don't understand!" Murong under the hall commented, "I have doubts, for a person who has been away for seven years, it is a waste of government money, and I don't agree."

The hall sighed, obviously there were not a few ministers who held this opinion, all the ministers whispered to each other, and there was a lot of discussion in the hall for a while.

"Everyone thinks it's not worth it for Gu to do this?!" King Yan suddenly said, and the officials in the hall fell silent instantly.

I saw King Yan pressed his hands tightly on the imperial case and said: "Brother Gu is not rebellious, but has encountered suspicion. Although he is in another country, he often sneaks into Yan's plan. When King Kuang Xian was there, he took the lead and made countless contributions. He also attacked the thorns in the three families. When I was in the city, I counted one as ten, and I was brave enough to be invincible. I made great contributions to the Yan Kingdom. I did this, but it is not enough to show his merits. How can I talk about extravagance and waste.”

Former military advisor Murong Ping continued: "Of course, I still have doubts."

"My brother, please speak." Yan Wang signaled, "But it's okay to speak."

Murong Ping stepped forward and said: "Murong Han has established great achievements, but the previous kings have already conferred rewards, and now he returns to the country suddenly, it is forgiven not to pursue the previous responsibilities, but my king wants to be so grand."

General Zhechong Mu Yugen also echoed: "It is indeed a blessing for Murong Han to return to the country, but he was rewarded suddenly without any meritorious service, and I am afraid that the ministers will not accept it."

After the two men spoke, the court was silent, and all the officials were silent.I have no idea how to proceed with the welcome matter discussed just now.

Murong Hao pondered for a long time, then suddenly got up and said: "Brother Judgment, General Zhechong, what you said is not unreasonable, but why did Brother Han go to another country, why?"

Unexpectedly, King Yan's question aroused the doubts of all the officials, who didn't know what King Yan meant.

The King of Yan said to himself: "The solitary method is severe, and the kindness is seldom rewarded, so that everyone is dissatisfied and the surroundings are in turmoil."

The King of Yan looked at Huangfu, who was often serving Huangfu on the horse, and said, "Fortunately, I have been serving Huangfu's true words and changed the course. However, a big mistake has been made. I reward Brother Han not for the achievements of the past, but for yesterday's fault."

Hearing this, Murong Ping and Mu Yugen hurriedly knelt down and said: "I don't mean this, I criticize the original intention of the Lord and the Lord, look at my Wang Ming."

The Prime Minister Feng Yi watched the changes in the court, and at this moment he felt that the time was ripe, he stepped forward and said: "My king's elder brother, Murong Han, has made great achievements in his conquests, and his reputation has grown greatly. He is feared by far and near. Goguryeo has not dared to invade it for several years." Feng Yi turned around and said to the generals, "Be kind to accept, love Confucianism, from scholar-officials to soldiers, everyone is happy to follow it."

Si Li Yang Wu also stepped forward and said: "If Murong Han returns to the country, this one person can defeat a strong army of ten thousand people. Although there is no reward for merit, it is not an exaggeration."

Murong Hao's eldest son and young master stepped forward together, "Respectfully invite Father to welcome Uncle Wang back to the country."

So far, the ministers have nothing to say about the matter of welcoming Murong Hao.Everyone in the country of Yan is ready to welcome the ceremony.

The envoys to Jiankang that day had also crossed the ocean and entered the Yangtze River at this moment.

Yan envoy Liu Xiang boarded the bow and looked out, only to see the vastness of the river and the indistinct scenery on both sides of the river.When the boat arrived at Jingkou, I saw a mountain standing impressively on the bank of the river.

"Boatman, where are you now? Is this mountain famous?"

"Returning to my lord, I have now arrived at the southern Xuzhou prefecture: Jingkou. My lord asked me that this mountain is called Beigu Mountain. Visitors from the north, after passing this mountain, go down to the capital of Jin, Jiankang."

"Boatman, I only heard that there is Xuzhou, how come South Xuzhou?" Ju Yun asked.

"My lord doesn't know. Now, the Jin family has lost the Central Plains. The Central Plains clans who live here don't forget their homeland, and they don't change their native place in the Central Plains. In order to distinguish it from Xuzhou in the Central Plains, they call it South Xuzhou. The place, In addition to South Xuzhou, there are also South Qingzhou, South Jizhou, and South Youzhou." The boatman propped up the boat and gradually sailed towards the Jingkou Wharf.

"That's right, among my generation of people, there are quite a few people who traveled to the south. We originally exchanged letters with them, expressing the intention of recovering the Central Plains. Now, there are fewer letters from our nephews and nephews in future generations." After the chaos, the roads were cut off. I never thought that I would be able to return to Jin in this life.

"My lord, I see that this Central Plains family lives here. The scenery here is pleasant, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and it is also convenient for water transportation. The Central Plains expatriates, I am afraid they don't want to go back." Deputy envoy Ju Yun persuaded.

"If the north can be solidified, the country will be solidified forever. I am afraid that the Jin family will never go back to the land of the Central Plains." Looking at the mountain, Liu Xiang was filled with emotion.

"Your Excellency, we will land in front of you." The pier on this bank has already appeared in front of Liu Xiang and Ju Yun, only to hear the person punting the boat shout, "Liaodong will bring the boat to the shore..."

There is nothing like this in the southeast, a land of prosperity and gentleness.

This Jiankang city is the capital city where the Jin family crossed to the south, the largest metropolis in the south of the Yangtze River, and was called Jinling in ancient times.Because Qin Shihuang visited here in the south, the alchemists who accompanied him hoped that he had a royal spirit and feared that he would be the emperor, so the first emperor opened the Qinhuai River to vent the royal spirit, and filled it with thatch, so it is called Moling.

However, this place is a place where tigers occupy dragons, and Zhongshan and the Yangtze River are solid. Zhuge Kongming said: "The terrain of Moling, Zhongshan, dragons, stones and tigers, this is the emperor's house."

Yan envoy Liu Xiang and deputy envoy Ju Yun disembarked from Jingkou and traveled by land.It was March, and the spring style in the south of the Yangtze River was extraordinarily charming, even more pleasant than that in the north.

Ju Yun didn't feel intoxicated, and said to Liu Xiang: "Liu Changshi, the grand scenery here is a hundred times better than that of Yan Kingdom."

Liu Xiang looked at the beautiful scenery here, but he was not delighted, and said slowly: "It's a pity that this great river and mountain can be guarded by the Jin Dynasty. The land of the Central Plains is completely exhausted. If the government does not cultivate Qingming, no matter how good the scenery is, it will be destroyed." It fell into the hands of Yidi in Jiangbei."

Before departure, Liu Xiang had written a handwritten letter to his brother-in-law. Knowing that the Yan envoy was coming, the court of the Jin State ordered officials from all states and counties of the Jin State to meet the Yan State envoy at the side of the road. Food and lodging were prepared along the way, and horses were all available. , all show the prosperity of Jin.

Ju Yunzan said: "After all, it is the Central Plains who is dressed in the south, and this Jin family is still graceful."

But Liu Xiang shook his head and said: "Although the Jin Dynasty has reorganized the government in the south of the Yangtze River, I can see that people in the country are talking about it. You can see the beautiful spring, it should be the busy farming season, but there are many barren places in the fields. "This team of envoys from Yan traveled to Zaiguan Road, and all they saw were refugees from the north, walking in twos and threes by the roadside.This great land was occupied by the family members who came first and could not be cultivated.

Ju Yun replied: "Liu Changshi, the lower officials admire him when he sees a little knowledge. However, after all, the Jin Dynasty occupies half of the south of the Yangtze River. The original plan in the north may not be feasible, but it can still protect itself."

"Strength and weakness are different, and the offensive and defensive transitions are not in a moment. Although we are Han people, we still respect the Jin Dynasty. But you see the Yan Kingdom, the monarchs and ministers are united, and the capable people of all ethnic groups compete to stop. Although my Lord Yan is called Rong Di , but his generosity is no longer comparable to that of the Sima family. If this situation goes on for many years, it will be hard to predict."

"Liu Changshi, why worry too much, this time I just ask for the title of King Yan for Lord Yan, and the rest is fate." It is expected that Ju Yun has been intoxicated by the beautiful scenery, and the rest are ignored.

Not long after, the two of them, together with the mission, arrived in Jiankang. They abandoned their horses and boarded the boat, and went down the Qinhuai River. On both sides of the river, there were towering pavilions, restaurants and teahouses. Filed in, pedestrians crowded shoulder to shoulder.

Although it is said that in the early years of Emperor Cheng, Su Jun and Zu Yue were in chaos in the Jianghuai River, and the Hu bandits were large, but after several years of restoration, it is a scene of prosperity again.In addition, there are many people traveling south, so it is difficult for Jiankang City not to prosper.Ju Yun lives in the north, and has never seen the scene here before, so he can't help but look back everywhere.

The boat passed the water gate and arrived at the inner city of Jiankang. At an open pier, I saw Si Cheng and Zhuge Hui of the post house had been waiting here for a long time.

"Brother has been in the bitter and cold northern region for many days, the journey is difficult and dangerous, but it is not easy, younger brother will guide him, please..." After speaking, Zhuge Hui led everyone to the post to rest.

In the evening, Zhuge Hui went to the post house to meet Liu Xiang because of the meeting tomorrow. The two went to a room, served tea, and sat facing each other.

Zhuge Hui said: "Now I heard that Murong Hao, the Duke of Liaodong, raised his troops in the northern border and defeated the strong enemy in Pingzhou. His power is growing. It is gratifying to congratulate."

Liu Xiang replied: "Since the Yongjia rebellion, the people have been exiled, the Central Plains has been depressed, there is no smoke for thousands of miles, hunger and cold have fallen, and there have been gullies. Ri Zhang."

Zhuge Hui took a sip of the tea in front of him, put down the teacup, and said slowly: "Brother has been in the country of Yan for a long time, and I am afraid that I will gradually become infected with Hu Feng. Now that the Central Plains have been lost and people are dying, it is all the Hu's fault. If the Hu people attack each other This will be of great benefit to the Jin Dynasty, this Murong tribe of Xianbei, because of its inferior position and weak power, has served China in the world, and has been given the post of Duke of Liaodong." Zhuge Hui said quietly, "You have told me that you are going to be an envoy this time. , I want to ask for the title of King Yan and General for Murong Hao. My brother secretly thinks it is impossible." But Zhuge Hui said seriously, "This is a high position that cannot be taken lightly, and Huayi is different, strong and weak are different, this is the king of Yan , How can it be the same as the Jin clan."

Liu Xiang only drank the tea in his cup, corrected his posture, and said: "Murongxian, the former master of the Yan Kingdom, had already asked for the title, but it was not a holiday, and it was not in time. Today, the king of Yan, with the gift of a heroic sage, Conquering Guang Xianye, destroying and strengthening Zhao in the south, frightening Goguryeo in the east, opening up [-] lands, and increasing households by [-]. Following the merits of Wu's elucidation of Guang, there is Gao Xibo. Today, there are powerful ministers in charge of the Jin Dynasty. In the past, there were Wang Dun, Su Jun, The rebellion of the ancestors, there is a strong Zhao outside, although the current emperor of Jin is as humble as a valley, he edicts the virtuous, persuades farmers to teach farming and mulberry, and checks the household registration. However, from my point of view, the courtiers of the Jin court are all pregnant with ghosts, with two heads and two ends, not the same God can cheer up."

"There is a saying in the past that having a king in Yidi is not as good as losing Huaxia, but utensils and fame should not be taken lightly. Farewell!" After saying that, Zhuge Hui shook his hands and left.

In the early morning of the second day, both Liu Xiang and Ju Yun were dressed in fancy clothes, and were led by the captain of the imperial city to the gate of the imperial palace.Just wait for ten quarters before the end of the night leak, open the Xuanyang gate, and open the palace gate at Pingdan, and five quarters after the day leak, the emperor will come out to receive congratulations.

I only heard the decree from the servant: "Announce the envoy of Liaodong to see you." I saw that from outside the imperial city, along the line of the central axis, the gates of the palace were opened one after another.The waiter passed the order gradually.

Liu Xiang and Ju Yun walked slowly into the imperial city. Umbrellas and guards of honor were in place on the royal road. Music was played and chimes were rung. All the officials in Jiankang City, big and small, who were more than Qianshi officials, went to court.

Outside the main hall, after stopping for a while, I saw the emperor sitting on the throne.Liu Xiang straightened his clothes, stepped forward and said: "My minister Liu Xiang, under the order of Murong Hao, the Duke of Liaodong, went to the court as an envoy to meet Tian Yan, and was summoned to meet him. I am sincerely and terrified. My minister Liu Xiang would like to pay respects again."

"The envoys will meet you."

"Proclaim"

Under the watchful eyes of all the officials in the Jin court, Liu Xiang stepped into the hall.

Although the Jin emperor had been on the throne for many years, the south of the Yangtze River was in turmoil and the Central Plains fell.Although he bears the name of a heavenly kingdom, he cannot appease the barbarians, clear up civil strife, and comfort the people.Don't talk about Shi Zhao, even Li Shou and his ilk in the Cheng Han Dynasty are quite contemptuous.

Nowadays, Emperor Jin is not very old, but he has the style of a wise monarch, accepting advice with an open mind, restraining himself from the province, and gradually recovering the country.I also heard that the envoys from the extreme north came to show off their national power and show off, so I am very pleased and valued the visit of the Liao envoys.

Among the courtiers: Taiwei Xijian, Zhongshu Ling He Chong, Shangshu Ling Zhuge Hui, Yu's brothers: Situ Yuliang, Zhongshu Supervisor Yu Bing, Fuguo General Yu Yi, young officials such as Huan Wen also listed in the court, and even The old lady Fu Wangdao has already taken her seat to go to court.The royal family: Sima Xi, king of Wuling, and Sima Yu, king of Kuaiji, were also present.

After the hatchback ceremony, Emperor Jin invited the envoy of Yan to take his seat.

Liu Xiang sent Ju Yun, the deputy envoy, to present the household registration album, all kinds of treasures to the emperor of Jin.

The servant took the present, and the Emperor Jin asked with concern, "Is Murong Town's army safe?"

Liu Xiang said to him, "Thank you for your concern. You are safe. Murong Zhen's army is respectful to the ministers who go to the court. They bathe and change clothes, and fast for five days. On the day when the ministers are dispatched, they will pay homage to the court."

Emperor Jin nodded, deeply thinking about it.

"I heard that Murong Hao was in Liaodong, taking in refugees, setting up prefectures and counties, and reclaiming acres of land." The Jin Emperor immediately said, "He also conquered Goguryeo in the east and rejected Yuwen in the west. The weather is quite prosperous."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, the Duke of Liaodong, Murong Hao, is diligent and righteous, guarding Liaodong for the state of Jin, and diligent and loyal to the royal family. Today's chaos, Huo's position is low and powerful, not enough to control the surrounding neighbors, it may be inconvenient. Therefore, I ask the emperor of Jin to canonize me in Liaodong. You are the king of Yan, the great general." After saying that, he bowed to the ground.

Hearing this remark, there was a commotion in the court. Looking at the past dynasties, there were many people who received the title of general, but those who received the title of king were only the clan of Jin.Seeking both together is unheard of today.The officials whispered to each other for a long time.

I saw a writer Lang stepped forward and said: "In the past, the ancestor of Murong, Mo Huba, made great contributions to begging Gongsun Yuan from King Sima Xuan, and then moved to Liaodong. His grandfather, Murong Shegui, went to pay homage to the Xianbei Shanyu with the honor of Quanliucheng, but the story: the general is not on the sidelines, and since the Han and Wei, he has never been named a king with a different surname!"

"Yes, yes." All the ministers agreed.

I saw that Liu Xiang was neither humble nor overbearing: "Since Liu and Shi were in chaos, north of the Yangtze River, they have been cut into a military service. I have never heard of a man among the Chinese public officials who can fight with arms and smash the vicious rebels." So far, the people in the court hall The ministers all looked ashamed, "Murong Zhenjun and his son did their best, keeping the dynasty in mind, beating the crowd with the few, killing the powerful enemy repeatedly, making Shihu fearful, and the people who migrated to the frontier scattered in the Three Wei Dynasty, flocking the country for thousands of miles, using thistle The city is the northern border. The meritorious service is so great, but the land in the north of the sea is not considered a feudal city, why is it!"

Liu Xiang cupped his hands to the Jin Emperor with a festival stick in his hand and said: "In the past, the emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty did not love the princes Yu Han and Peng, so he was able to become an emperor; Respect what he does, cherish the country where the holy dynasty is loyal and righteous, so that the world has nothing to persuade and admire."

Zhuge Hui, who now occupies a high position in the Minister's Order, is the head of all the Chinese officials in the court. At this moment, he stood up and said, "The Barbarians and the Didi will attack each other, which is the benefit of China. Only weapons and fame should not be taken lightly." Turning his head to Liu Xiang He shouted, "If Murong Zhen's army can get rid of the stone tiger, it will recover a stone tiger, so what can the imperial court do!"

Liu Xiang left his seat, got up and reported to Emperor Jin: "Woman still knows about the death of Zong Zhou. Now the Jin family is in danger, and the monarch's position is Yuan, how can you not worry about the evil heart of the country? The merits of Xiangshi Mi and Li are not good. Standing up, how can Shaokang return to summer! If the battle between Huan and Wen is unsuccessful, everyone will be left behind. Murong Town’s army is waiting for death, with ambitions to kill and rebel, and the king even sings evil and confusing words, avoiding loyal ministers. So the world is not One, good from the king's ears!"

All the ministers in the court hall were in an uproar, and one minister said: "This little boy from Yi Di wants to become king, this is unheard of."

Another minister threw his wat board angrily, and said angrily: "Hua Yi is different, Liu Shi must not forget that you are also a Han Chinese, don't you know that barbarians can only be subdued but not virtuous."

Seeing that the situation was becoming more and more unmanageable, the ceremonial officer of the main hall whispered to Emperor Jin, who bowed his head, the ceremonial officer straightened his body, and said loudly: "This is a big matter, we will discuss it another day and retire from the court."

After returning to the post house, Naju Yun asked Liu Xiang: "Now that the Jin Dynasty has declined, the Central Plains cannot be conquered from the outside, and the powerful ministers cannot be suppressed from the inside. The four barbarians have risen together, and there are so many people who call themselves emperors. Why do I, King Yan, work hard?" Canonized by the Jin court?"

Seeing the words, I saw the waiter at the post station come in, and said to the two of them: "Situ Yuliang, he died later today."

Both of them were shocked, and it took a long time before they came back to their senses.

"It's a pity, Yugong." Ju Yun couldn't help sighing, "The Jin court has been run by Yugong for the past few years. Now that he is dead, I am afraid that no one can shock the officials. When the former king asked for the title, the person who promised Tao Shixing is no longer alive, and now there is a change of courtiers, how difficult it is to ask for a title."

But Liu Xiang said: "Although Jinzuo is declining today, the destiny has not changed. My country of Yan wants to establish the north and enshrine Jinzhengshuo, so that I can caress the refugees and recruit talents." Liu Xiang got up and paced, and finally spit out a sentence, "This name Still indispensable."

"I see the court of Jin, and there are a lot of discussions in the court. For the current plan, I should first go to the king of Yan," Ju Yun said, "We have to stay here in Jiankang for a while."

"Your intentions are very good, I'm going to edit the book now." As he spoke, he asked Ju Yun to prepare his pen and ink. Before he picked up the pen, Liu Xiang said quietly, "Since the Yongjia Rebellion, this scene of the Central Plains has not been seen for a long time. It seems that we can I have seen all the four seasons of Jiankang.”

It was April, and the spring in this northern country was getting stronger. Murong Ba led the crowd to wait outside the city of thorns. On this official road, there were supporters on both sides, with complete rituals and music, and umbrellas standing tall.

Not long after, I saw dust flying in the distance and horses neighing.Gao Bi had sharp eyes and said, "Murong Ba, Uncle Wang is here..."

(End of this chapter)