Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 371 Yuzhou Governor
Chu Suanzi really envied Sima Xingnan. As a woman, she could have her husband and son to rely on, so she didn't have to think about anything and didn't have to be afraid of anything.

Even in person, the queen mother of the dynasty would still call each other by her given name in an understatement. Although the two of them were sisters-in-law, if they really wanted to be serious, there was a difference between monarch and minister. This alone could convict Sima Xingnan.

But the problem is, whoever dares to take advantage of Sima Xingnan, who dares to punish Sima Xingnan, even Chu Suanzi himself has to be kind to the eldest princess, for fear of offending her.

In fact, Sima Xingnan understood Chu Suanzi's depression, but at this moment, she didn't know how to comfort her.

You can't say that you can get out of this prison after a few more years, when your husband sits on the throne.

Fortunately, Chu Suanzi took the initiative to change the topic and mentioned Huan Xi who was far away in Chang'an:
"Previously, Liang Gong restored Hedong County in the first battle. Now I heard that he will send troops to Hetao again, but he wants to take advantage of the victory to pursue and destroy the Fu clan in one fell swoop."

The large-scale war preparations could not be hidden from anyone at all. Huan Xi asked Suo Xia to purchase livestock on a large scale in Yinchuan to prepare for dispatching troops after spring plowing. Not only had the detailed work of Yan and Yu been heard, but the news had even spread to Jiankang.

There is no doubt that Huan Xi's every move in the north is the focus of attention of the Jiangdong government and the public.

Hearing this, Sima Xingnan looked worried:
"It's always like this between father and son. There are countless generals under their command who are capable of conquering and fighting, but they insist on arriving at the front line in person, leaving me in the rear to be frightened."

Whether it is Huan Wen or Huan Xi, they are used to leading their own armies in battles. After all, in troubled times, only by firmly controlling the army can people feel at ease.

Sima Xingnan and Chu Suanzi, the sisters-in-law, were talking to themselves in Chongfu Palace. No one disturbed them. In Xianyang Palace, the fifteen-year-old little emperor continued to speak after issuing the edict to change the Yuan Dynasty. And he granted amnesty to the whole world.

When Sima Yu saw this, he did not show any complacency. We were all descendants of the Sima family and were in the same boat. If the boat capsized one day, who would be able to take advantage of it?

Of course, Sima Dan's situation is different from that of Zhao Xu. After all, Chu Suanzi does not have as strong a desire to control as Gao Taotao.

In an instant, Sima Dan was like a deflated rubber ball.

Therefore, Sima Tan did not resent his mother, but after being restrained for so many years, now that he was free, how could he not yearn to flex his muscles and revive the Jin Dynasty.

If it weren't for the bad relationship between Yu Yun, the governor of Guangzhou, and Huan Wen, even the taxes from this place would not be transferred to the central government.

Huan Wen went even further. Chu State only had three states: Jing, Jiang, and Si, but he swallowed all the taxes from Yizhou, Ningzhou, Jiaozhou and other places.

For example, Huan Xi collected taxes from Liangzhou that did not belong to Liang.

The current Jin Dynasty is equivalent to being forced into a corner by the Huan family. The Huan family and his sons not only actually control a large area, but also withhold local finance and taxation.

Even since the fall of the Han Dynasty, Yizhou has never sent a grain of rice or a penny to Jiankang.

Facing the angry Sima Dan, Sima Yu remained indifferent and just said lightly:
"If your Majesty is not angry, you can send troops to investigate Chu and Liang."

He couldn't wait to show off his skills.

He knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg of the Huan family's strength. At least Huan Xi's hundreds of thousands of Tibetan soldiers did not go south.

In fact, for many young emperors, the days when the Queen Mother listened to politics behind the curtain were painful.

"My money! That's all my money!"

After Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu, took over the throne, because of his resentment, he pointed out that his late grandmother Gao Taotao was a treacherous person and wanted to revoke her title and treatment of the queen mother.

This kind of thing is shocking no matter which dynasty it is placed in. After all, Gao Taotao is Zhao Xu's grandmother.

When Huan Wen and Huan Xi arranged their troops outside Zhuque Gate, forcing their mother and son to leave the city to meet each other, the majestic and killing momentum of tens of thousands of Chu troops left a psychological shadow on Sima Dan.

Sima Dan looked at his uncle, King Sima Yu of Kuaiji, and roared.

"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to find ways to keep the imperial court in Jiangdong. Once it is returned to the old capital and under the wings of the Huan family, it will surely be manipulated by others and become a puppet."

However, it is not until Sima Dan is truly in charge of the government that he understands what it means to be powerless.

Huan Xi was preparing to attack the Fu family again, which made Sima Yu feel the urgency of time. Once he really occupied Bingzhou, and then captured Hanoi County, eliminating the threat of Luoyang in the north, then the capital relocation would definitely be put back on the agenda.

Sima Dan was helpless, so he asked Sima Yu:
"What good advice does King Kuaiji have?"

Sima Yu really wanted to offer advice, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to bring up this issue:
"I have a plan, and I would like your Majesty's approval."

Immediately, Sima Yu told all his thoughts, which were nothing new. They were just exaggerating the chaos in the north, arousing the resistance of the northern expatriates to return to their homeland, and using public opinion to fight against the Huan family.

It sounds a bit whimsical, but public opinion is the only weapon that the Jin Dynasty can wield.

Could it be that he really wanted to meet the Huan family in battle? Apart from other things, Huan Xi sent more than 100,000 Tibetan soldiers south, which would be a catastrophe for Jiangnan.

Sima Dan was also ill and sought medical treatment in a hurry. Now that Sima Yu came up with a plan, he couldn't wait to agree.

He had the energy of a young man, and would rather do something wrong than do nothing and sit back and die in Jiankang Palace, waiting for the Huan family to move them to the north. In fact, those nobles and people who followed Langya King Sima Rui to the south in the late Western Jin Dynasty have settled in Jiangdong for half a century. Many of them lived here, grew up here, and will die here.

They have become accustomed to life in the south, the customs and customs here.

Not many people are willing to return to their homeland. It is actually not difficult for Sima Yu to provoke the expatriates to resist moving back to the north, especially now that there is peace in the south and endless wars in the north.

However, when the Huan family really decided to push the imperial court to move north, how could public opinion be able to resist it.

The house leaked and it rained all night. On such a festive day as the New Year, bad news came from Liyang. Xie Shang, the governor of Yuzhou, was seriously ill and could not take care of political affairs. Xie Shang asked the court to send someone to replace him.

Although the Xies of Chen County are getting closer because of Huan Xi's marriage to Xie Daoyun and Aman's Xie family blood, there is no doubt about Xie Shang's loyalty to the court.

At least Chu Suanzi never doubted his biological uncle.

Since Xie Shang was transferred to the governor of Yuzhou in the second year of Yonghe (AD 346), he has guarded Jiangbei for nearly twelve years. With his presence, Huan Wen has never touched Yuzhou.

But once Xie Shang passes away, can the successor be coveted by Huan Wen and have Xie Shang's prestige to defend Yuzhou and control his generals and prefects?

No one knows all this.

As soon as Sima Dan received Xie Shang's memorial, he urgently summoned Sima Yu, Wang Biaozhi, Wang Tanzhi and others into the palace to discuss matters.

Chu Suanzi, who had already given up her power, actually came. She said with red eyes:
"The uncle of the Ai family is dedicated to serving the country. Xie of Chen County has guarded Yuzhou for many years. Now that he is seriously ill, he does not recommend his own children to take over. Instead, he hopes that the imperial court will appoint ministers to take over Yuzhou.

"I also ask you to choose your successor carefully and not to let down his good intentions."

After saying that, Chu Suanzi endured his grief and walked out of Xianyang Hall.

Of course she was not here to interfere in political affairs, but to remind everyone, including the young emperor, to remember Xie Shang's goodness.

If one day, the Huan family falls, and when the liquidation comes, the Xie family in Chen County cannot be trampled to death. After all, that is her mother's family.

Sima Yu, Wang Biaozhi, Wang Tanzhi and others looked at each other, naturally understanding the meaning of Chu Suanzi's words, and they also admired Xie Shang's behavior wholeheartedly.

In the world, most people are just for personal gain.

After Yu Yi died, he still wanted to hand over Jingzhou to his second son Yu Aizhi and let him take his place.

If the imperial court had not promoted Huan Wen, the Yu family would have succeeded in Jingzhou.

However, if we had known that the current situation would happen, I am afraid that the Jin Dynasty would rather the Yu family's father died and his son succeeded him.

After all, even if Yu Aizhi had some talents, he could not pose as much of a threat to the imperial court as the powerful father and son of the Huan family.

When Xie Shang was seriously ill, he was able to leave the decision of successor to the court instead of recommending his family members, which is enough to prove his loyalty.

If the Xie family of Chen County were not too close to the Huan family, maybe Sima Yu and others would have pushed the situation and allowed the Xie family to continue to rule Yuzhou. After all, they were relatives of the Queen Mother and the Emperor.

But it is definitely impossible now. After Xie Shang, the only Xie family member who is qualified to take over as the governor of Yuzhou is none other than Huan Xi's father-in-law Xie Yi.

Xie Shang had no descendants or brothers, so his cousin Xie Yi adopted a son, Xie Kang, as Xie Shang's heir.

Xie Kang was young, so what was the difference between handing over Yuzhou to Xie Yi and handing it over to the Huan family.

While the little emperor was discussing the candidates with everyone, Wang Tanzhi suddenly frowned and said:

"I'm afraid Huan Wen's memorial will be sent soon, presumably to recommend Xie Yi to succeed his cousin."

The hall immediately fell silent. The young emperor Sima Dan clenched his fist and gritted his teeth and said:

"Anyone can do it, but not Xie Yi! He is colluding with the Huan family, and now his family has moved to Chang'an. How can he be allowed to sit in Yuzhou? Isn't he opening the door to Jiangbei for the Huan family and his son!"

Everyone felt the same, and just when they were about to hurry up and nominate a candidate, Huan Wen's memorial was sent to Jiankang Palace.

According to common sense, it shouldn't be so fast.

However, Xie Shang was actually ill for a long time, and Huan Wen had noticed this a long time ago. He had written this memorial a long time ago and had it taken to Jiangdong, just waiting for Xie Shang to become critically ill.

As Wang Tanzhi expected, Huan Wen did not avoid relatives when he promoted virtuous people. He believed that the Xie family of Chen County had been running Yuzhou for many years and only Xie Shang could stabilize the situation in Jiangbei. He implored the emperor not to be deceived by treacherous sycophants and to consider the overall situation.

Sima Tan held the memorial in his hands and was trembling with anger:
"How dare he! How dare he be so unscrupulous!"

(End of this chapter)