Northern Dynasties

Chapter 572
The reason why Hou Jing was able to occupy Shouyang City was the suggestion of Liu Shenmao, the lord of Matou in Huainan.And Liu Shenmao took the initiative to attract Hou Jing, a defeated general, to enter the country because of his personal conflict with Wei An, who was in charge of state affairs at the time.

Although Wei An's talents are mediocre, he was born in a famous Jingzhao Webster's family. He has an arrogant and strong personality, and he is harsh on his subordinates.So much so that Liu Shenmao, the general, would rather lure Hou Jing into the country than be humiliated.

There are more than one similar personnel conflicts in Huainan.There is also the governor Shi Xia Houju appointed by Hou Jing, who also has a deep grudge with the former governor Zhenyang Hou Xiao Yuanming.If Xiao Yuanming hadn't been the commander in chief of the Northern Expedition and was defeated and taken prisoner by the Eastern Wei Dynasty, they would probably be incompatible with each other.

There are so many personnel grievances here, of course, not because the people here are bad-tempered, but there are quite profound reasons.

Since the Five Husbands and the Clothes went south, the Huainan area has often been the center of the war between the northern and southern regimes because of its geographical location.In the last years of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Xiao Baojuan, the Marquis of Donghun, was jealous of his ministers, and Pei Shuye, who was guarding Shouyang in Huainan at that time, surrendered to the Northern Wei Dynasty.

A few years after the establishment of Nanliang, Emperor Wu of Liang Xiao Yan led the army to the north with his younger brother Xiao Hong, the king of Linchuan, with the intention of recovering the lost land in Huainan.As a result, Xiao Hong was defeated in the battle of Luokou and fled back. Instead of regaining the lost ground, he attracted the retaliation and attack of the army of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Fortunately, Wei Rui and other generals Zhongli defeated the Northern Wei Dynasty.

However, the loss of Shouyang made the defense of Huainan region unstable. A few years later, Emperor Wu of Liang Xiao Yan decided to build Fushan Weir in the hope that Shouyang would be flooded to regain this strategic location.

It was not until the rebellion broke out in the six towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty that Nanliang recaptured the important town of Shouyang after several years of fighting by famous generals Pei Sui and Xiahou Tan.At the same time, Emperor Wu of Liang appointed Xiahou Dan as governor of Yuzhou to guard Shouyang. A few years after Xiahou Dan passed away, he appointed his younger brother Xiahou Kui to guard Shouyang. The two brothers guarded Shouyang for nearly ten years.

When Xia Houkui was in the state, his family had as many as 2000 people and more than [-] horses, which deterred Huainan for a while and became the most prosperous at that time.

Since Pei Shuye went to Beitou, Nanliang had paid a painful price to regain Shouyang, an important town in Huainan, and of course it was not for the purpose of letting each family grow themselves based on this powerful city.

In particular, Pei Shuye sent a letter to ask Xiao Yan, who was the governor of Yongzhou at the time and was in Xiangyang, for advice before Beitou. In the hands of the powerful generals.

Therefore, after Xia Houkui passed away and the situation in Huainan gradually stabilized, Xiao Yan no longer regarded his clan as the governor of the state, and instead entrusted state affairs to the clan.Therefore, after Xiao Yuanming left office, he appointed Xiao Fan, King of Poyang, as the governor of Nanyu Prefecture to enter the town of Shouyang, but Hou Jing preempted him.

In addition to Shouyang, today's Xiaoliang clan in Huainan has Poyang King Xiao Fan guarding Hefei as the governor of Hezhou, Nankang King Xiao Huili guarding Guangling as the governor of Yanzhou in the south, Hou Xiaozhengbiao of Fengshan as the governor of Xuzhou guarding Zhongli in the north, and the governor of Nanqiao Prefecture as the governor of Zhongli. Fengcheng Hou Xiaotai and others, the famous cities of Huainan in Jiangbei and Huainan were almost all out of the hands of outsiders.

Governor Shi Xiahouju was the son of Xiahoukui, the former governor of Yuzhou. After his father died, he led his troops to live in the village and served as the state's assistant defense.

When Zhenyang Hou Xiao Yuanming entered the town of Shouyang, he was also cited as the long history because of his powerful family.However, there was a huge power and interest conflict between the clan's entry into the town and these local tycoons, so Xiao Yuanming and Xia Houju also had deep grievances and had been at odds for a long time.

These Xiao family clans are located in different places, and their military and political talents may not be enough to defend, but when it comes to greed and amassing, they all have very creative ideas.It's not that their bloodlines are mediocre, their family education is mean, and all of them have no moral integrity, but it's because of the social atmosphere of the upper class in the Southern Dynasty.

The world style in the Southern Dynasties was exaggerated and unrestrained, and the upper class people loved extravagance and pleasure, and their strong desires were not restrained in the slightest because of the Buddha's admiration for mystery.

Therefore, even if an official has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in corruption while he is in office, once he resigns, he may not be able to spend a few years as a sensual dogma.After the money is spent, it will not be as convenient as it was when he was in office, so it is the consensus of Nanliang officials to take advantage of the power and risk his life to cash out money.

The ethos of the officialdom is like this, and the similar ethos of the royal family is doubled.Therefore, these clans in the town often try to make money in different ways, and they don't care much about the real military and political affairs.No matter how much corruption there is, the old Bodhisattva will not blame him, but if he really wants to work hard, he may be trapped by Xiao Yuanming, the Marquis of Zhenyang.

Being too harsh on the local powerful forces in the border towns, and being too indulgent to those ineffective clan descendants made the local forces more alienated, and the clan dignitaries became more arrogant and lawless.Of course, there are also local tyrants who collude and collude with the clans in the town, making it difficult for the people in the territory to live.

This is the truth of the so-called peaceful world in Nanliang that the old Bodhisattva ruled for half his life. No matter the clan aristocrats or civil and military officials, they all only value their own selfish interests and indulge their own selfish desires. The lowest working class.

As long as their blood is not drained for a day, they cannot be exempted from the obligation to support these moths!Of course, now we have to add a group of speculators and careerists with wolfish ambitions and cruel tyranny.

Linhe King Xiao Zhengde's enthusiastic reply greatly encouraged Hou Jing and his subordinates. After Hou Jing found out the fact that Lord Liang planned to betray him, although Hou Jing had already decided to stand up and resist, he would never sit still , And began to actively raise funds to form new forces.

However, he still didn't have a clear idea on how to restart his new career in this Southern Liang border. Now Xiao Zhengde's response undoubtedly pointed out a direction and provided him with a choice.

As one of the people who suggested that Hou Jing contact Xiao Zhengde, Xia Houzhen seemed particularly excited. Right now, he stood up from the banquet and danced into the wine, saying, "Congratulations to the king! Inspired to serve, the armored soldiers have no shortage of money and food, and now they are named Wang Neiying, and once the dynasty is righteous, great things will be helped!"

In the old days, Xia Houyu was exploited and oppressed by Xiao Yuanming when he was in office, but now he is attached to Hou Jing and entrusted with state affairs.

After Hou Jing heard the words, he also took the wine with a smile and drank it all. He said in his mouth: "There is a breakthrough in the matter, and it is fun, but if you want to be happy, you have to wait until the big thing is over. Changshi has worked hard for me recently. Classic military records and materials are on standby at any time, don’t slack off!”

After Xia Houju heard the words, he accepted the order, and at the same time he was not without curiosity: "Now that I have to reply to the letter from the king of Hehe, do I still have to wait?"

Without waiting for Hou Jing's answer, his confidant Wang Wei said at the table: "Since the general trend is the trend, it cannot be changed overnight. Today, there are not enough swords and food, and it is still too hasty to act rashly. Harvest the grain in the middle of the year, and the army wins Long-term food, it’s never too late to use it again!”

Liu Shenmao, the former garrison lord of the horse head and who recruited Hou Jing to occupy Shouyang, heard that it would be delayed until the middle of the year, so he couldn't help but frowned and said: "Since we are plotting something dangerous, we should act quickly and take it by surprise. There is no perfect reason, if you don't start early, I'm afraid it will be controlled by others."

"Your Majesty has not ruled the state with Liang's law for several months. Liang's mastermind has not moved. Naturally, he has his scruples. Your Majesty has raised all the people to vote, and he has not wronged Master Liang. If Master Liang kills rashly, he is making fun of the world! What's more, even if he sends disciples Come to attack, who do you want to make? Hefei's anger has not subsided, and the Yiyang army is frustrated..."

As one of Hou Jing's most important advisers, Wang Wei has assisted him in Henan for many years, and his vision and knowledge are naturally broader than those of these powerful military leaders trapped in Shouyang. Although he has not been in Liang for a long time, he can see through many The political laws of the Liang Dynasty.

Although Lord Liang is old and dope, he values ​​his reputation very much. The defeat in the First Battle of Hanshan has ruined his wisdom for half of his life, and he may not be able to bear the flaws in his reputation in a short time.

Although the urgent peace talks with the Eastern Wei Dynasty exposed his stern nature, but if he completely abandons Hou Jing, he still hesitates.

Because this is tantamount to a complete admission of the failure of his previous series of decisions, especially making people feel that he is rebellious and capricious, so adopting a tolerant and conniving attitude towards Hou Jing may not mean that he wants to pursue Zheng Boke and Duan Yuyan.

And even if Lord Liang wanted to take back Shouyang and sanction Hou Jing, there might not be an army in the current Huainan area capable of doing so.

Yang Yaren abandoned the important town of Xuanhu and fled to the south, and retreated to Yiyang. The Liang Lord was dissatisfied with it and became suspicious of it. He used it to attack Hou Jing. Isn't he worried that Yang Yaren will abandon Shouyang again or learn from the old days? Pei Shuye?

As for Xiao Fan, the King of Poyang in Hefei, he was a rebellious guy in the clan, and because of this, he lost the position of commander of the Northern Expedition and was replaced by Xiao Yuanming, Marquis of Zhenyang.To make him attack Hou Jing, I am afraid that in the eyes of Lord Liang, it also means driving away wolves and tigers, and it may not be able to do it.

Based on the Huainan tribes alone, almost none of them are suitable and capable of attacking Shouyang.But if you call all parties together to attack, you need another justifiable reason.At least in order to beg for peace with the Eastern Wei Dynasty and exchange Xiao Yuanming, a prisoner, to order all the troops to gather and attack Hou Jing, in the eyes of the old Bodhisattva, it is a bit unreasonable.

So as long as they don't show their chariots, horses and banners to raise troops, or the Fangzhen forces who can reassure Lord Liang take the initiative to invite Yingying to attack Hou Jing, Shouyang will be safe for the time being.

After some deliberations and decided to hold back for the time being and continue to accumulate strength, Hou Jing ordered everyone to do their own work, but still left his confidants Wang Wei, Song Zixian and others to continue discussing plans.

"This time coming to the south, everyone sees that I am at the end of my way, and I am naturally short-sighted. Other than that, I am afraid that there will be no one who will be sympathetic to him, and there is no need to worry about it for a while, and he can still continue to squeeze people for use."

Speaking of this, Hou Jing said again: "Xiao Zhengde has enjoyed all the glory in his country, but he is still dissatisfied with the current embrace. It can be seen that there must be more people with grievances in his country. Immediately marching to Huaihuai, I dare not forget it, and I will be worried if I think about it. If I can attract colleagues, I will be able to advance and retreat more calmly!"

Even Xiao Zhengde, a close relative of the clan, was bewitched to win him over. Hou Jing was overwhelmed with confidence for a while, and then he turned his ideas on Yang Yaren.If he can win over this veteran general, he will not only lose a difficult enemy, but also strengthen his own strength, which can be described as a double gain.

After having this idea, Hou Jing didn't waste any more time, and even sent someone to contact Yang Yaren.

At the same time, he did not let up for a moment in his army preparations in Shouyang.All the residents of Shouyang City were formed into the army, and Ding Zhuang was selected to teach them swords and practice them diligently.At the same time, the craftsmen of Dongye who were begged from Jiankang City were also ordered to rush to work day and night to forge and forge armor for military use.

The reduction and exemption effect of city assessment and land rent is getting bigger and bigger, and even merchants from surrounding states and counties are attracted here.The market is flooded with more goods, and these merchants are more grateful to Hou Jing, and there are many wealthy merchants who directly subsidize money and food to boost their momentum.

In addition to being rich in wealth, some of these merchants who gathered here are also local tyrants with good rural status. They were oppressed because they were not valued by the Jiankang court. Such a heroic and tolerant person is naturally eager to follow and serve.

Shouyang's momentum is getting bigger and bigger, and it has even far exceeded the battle required for the entire army to defend the Huaihe River, which naturally aroused the vigilance of the surrounding garrison forces.

Among them, Xiao Fan, the king of Poyang who guarded Hefei, was the most vigilant. He sent several scouts to the north to watch, and at the same time frequently reported to the court.After all, once Hou Jing rebelled, Hefei, south of Shouyang, would be the first to bear the brunt.

However, Xiao Fan had a bad reputation with Emperor Liang, and now he looked very active and worried about the country and the people, which seemed suspicious to Emperor Liang, so he didn't pay much attention to his performance.

Yang Yaren's situation was beyond Hou Jing's expectations. He thought that this traitor from the south should be more dissatisfied with the court, and it would be easier to instigate rebellion.But he didn't expect Yang Yaren to send the envoy he sent directly to the Jiankang court, which naturally made Hou Jing feel guilty.

But then something that Hou Jing didn't expect happened again. His envoy was actually sent back to Shouyang by Emperor Liang, and he was not reprimanded. This made Hou Jing feel relieved and at the same time overjoyed .

In most of his life as a soldier, he rarely had any understanding of the way of generosity and benevolence. He only felt that since Emperor Liang indulged himself so much, it must be because of his own distress.If you don't ask for a price at this time, then what are you waiting for!
So next, he naturally seized the opportunity to frequently ask for gifts from the Jiankang court, and his words became more and more presumptuous, and the Jiankang court was responsive to his requests, so obedient that Hou Jing felt a little embarrassed.

But there are also negative effects in this way. The envoys from Jiankang are looking at each other on the way, and the personnel situation in Shouyang is becoming more and more difficult to conceal. Perhaps these envoys themselves have undertaken similar tasks.

Moreover, his frequent interactions with the Jiankang court also made his allies such as Linhe Wang Xiao Zhengde a little restless. They obviously made an appointment to achieve each other, why are you still flirting with that old man!
Finally, Hou Jing's fighting spirit was high, and he was not easily disintegrated by the sugar-coated bullets of the old Bodhisattva. With the gathering of personnel in Shouyang reaching a peak, he finally took action after the new rice entered the warehouse in August, in the name of killing the leader Zhu Yi and others. Revolt.

The reason for raising troops in this way is of course to listen to the opinions of the Huainan people who have taken refuge under his command.Hou Jing has no grievances or enmities with these people, and even except Zhu Yi, he doesn't know each other very well, let alone enmity.However, these officials are in charge of commerce, trade and handicraft industries, and they are representatives of the imperial court's exploitation and plunder of Huainan people's property and material resources, so they are naturally deeply hated by the Huainan people.Now that the troops are raised according to Shouyang, of course it is their duty to kill these members.

After raising the army, Hou Jing did not go straight to the river, but with his confidant Song Zixian, he divided his troops from east to west to pull out the wooden fences and horse heads on both sides of Shouyang, stabilizing the rear and at the same time checking the morale of the army.

Emperor Liang seemed to have been prepared for this, and when he heard that Hou Jing was raising troops, he appointed the four governors of Huainan in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)