A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 501: The Three Kings' Chaos and Victory Reports Frequent, One Army Lost and the Old Emperor Restored
March
King Sima Juan of Qi, who had planned everything, arrested and killed the military commander Guan Xi sent by Sima Lun.

Together with He Xu, the governor of Yuzhou, Dong Ai, the general of Longxiang, and others, they launched an army to oppose Sima Lun's usurpation of the throne.

Then he sent envoys to tell Chengdu King Sima Ying, Hejian King Sima Yong, Changsha King Sima Yi, Xinye King Sima Xin and others, asking them to join forces to fight against the thieves.

He also distributed the message widely, spreading it throughout the countryside, towns, states, prefectures, counties and countries, making it known to the whole world.

Xi Long, the governor of Yangzhou, hesitated after receiving the message, but was killed by Wang Sui, who joined the army, and his head was given to Sima Jiong. This shows that Sima Lun has been unpopular with the people for a long time.

Sima Juan's revolt quickly pulled Sima Lun out of the gentle countryside.

He immediately held a court meeting and asked the ministers for countermeasures in a slightly panic:

"Now Sima Juan has issued a proclamation to attack me. Sima Ying, king of Chengdu, and Sima Yong, king of Hejian, have raised troops to respond. The armies of the three kings are attacking. Do you have any countermeasures?"

But the whole house was full of fair-weather ministers, and there was no way to deal with it. Even Sun Xiu, who had always thought to himself that he was the mastermind, was panicking at this time.

After much fuss and confusion, the generals and number of people to go on the expedition were finally determined.

With the backbone general Sun Fu as the general of the upper army and Li Yan as the general of Zhechong, he led 7,000 soldiers out of Yanshou Pass;

The conquering general Zhang Hong, the left army general Cai Huang, the former army general Lu He and others led 9,000 people out of Yanban Pass;

Sima Ya, the general of the town army, and Mo Yuan, the general of the Yangwei army, led eight thousand people out of Chenggao Pass;

Sima Zhu, the general who conquered the east and king of Dongping, was the general of the guard, envoy Chijie, and the commander-in-chief of all armies to resist the armies of the three kings.

In addition to military arrangements, there are also spiritual arrangements:
Yang Zhen was sent to Xuandi Temple day and night to pray and request, and the response always said that Emperor Xuan was grateful to His Majesty and that one day he would become a thief.

He also worshiped the Taoist Hu Wo as General Taiping so that he could bring blessings;

Let Sun Xiu's home display various sacrifices every day, make witchcraft articles about curses and victory, and let Wu Zhu choose the day for the battle;
He also asked his close relatives to wear feathered robes on Songshan Mountain, falsely claiming to be the immortal Wang Qiao, and create immortal inscriptions to describe Sima Lun's long-lasting national destiny.

Perhaps it was the generals at the front who were using their lives, or maybe there were gods blessings, and good news came one after another from the front.

Zhang Hong, Sima Ya and other troops who fought from Yanban Pass and Chenggao Pass won consecutive battles and attacked Sima Juan's camp in Yangzhai. They also attacked Qi King Sima Jiong's baggage in the south of the city and killed thousands of people.

Seeing that Sima Lun's troops were strong and powerful, Sima Juan was afraid that his troops would fail, so he built strong fortifications to defend himself.

Sima Lun was naturally overjoyed when he learned about the frontline military report in Luoyang, but he was very anxious when he learned that Sima Juan was now holding on to the wall, because Sima Juan was not the only one with an army at this time.

So I asked Sun Xiu for advice. I wonder if it was the winning streak that gave Sun Xiu the confidence, or whether the family's high-level ghosts, gods, and Taoists cast spells on Sun Xiu.

Sun Xiu replied confidently:
"Zhang Hong and other generals have been victorious in consecutive battles. Now their offensive has slightly slowed down. This is because they are short of troops and are afraid that the enemy will attack the logistics, so they have to divide their troops to protect the food roads.

If you want to gather strength to defeat the enemy, Your Majesty will definitely send reinforcements to help him maintain the food route. "

"Ai Qing, who do you think can be sent as an envoy as a general?"

"I believe that Sima Fu, King of Jingzhao, and Sima Qian, King of Guangping, can be generals."

Both of them were the sons of Sima Lun. Sima Lun trusted Sun Xiu very much, so he accepted Sun Xiu's suggestion and ordered them to serve as generals to lead troops to assist the armies in combat.

Unexpectedly, the two were afraid of fighting and refused. Sun Xiu had to send Liu Yu, who was usually friendly with Sima Qian, to persuade him. Finally, Sima Qian was willing to lead eight thousand soldiers as the successor and assistance of the three armies.

March 23
When Sima Qian led his troops more than fifty miles away from Yangdi, he learned that Sima Ying, the representative of the King of Chengdu, was near Huangqiao and defeated Sima Lun's army, killing and injuring more than 10,000 prisoners.

Sima Qian was shocked and quickly led his troops to retreat without paying any attention to Zhang Hong and other generals in front.

At the same time, Sima Juan also learned about the Battle of Huangqiao. He was overjoyed and sent an envoy to Sima Ying's army to ask him to send people to help in the battle.

March 24
At this time, Zhang Hong was planning the next offensive. He had no idea that Sima Qian had led his army to retreat, completely exposing his back to Sima Ying's troops.

That night, Sima Ying sent generals Zhao Xiang and Shi Chao to lead 3,000 troops to cross the Yellow River and directly attack Zhang Hong and other troops' rear stronghold.

Zhang Hong's soldiers didn't know where the enemy was coming from, so they panicked and ran around. Zhang Hong and Sima Ya quickly led their soldiers to suppress the rebel army, just as the rebel army was about to be subdued.

Sima Yan's general saw the opportunity and went out of the city to attack him. Under the attack of the two armies, Zhang Hong's army completely collapsed. No matter how hard Zhang Hong tried to stop him, there was nothing he could do.

Sima Ya, who was on the side, saw that something was not right and quickly led people to sneak away quietly.

At dawn, Zhang Hong's army was wiped out, Sima Ya desperately escaped, and Zhang Hong surrendered.

April 6
Knowing that the army in the east was greatly defeated, Sima Juan and Sima Ying joined forces and advanced towards Sizhou. Sima Yong, the king of Hejian in the west, also defeated Sun Fu and Li Yan's army and was about to break through.

Xu Chao, Shi Yi, Sun Hui, and others who were leading troops abroad all led their troops back to the capital to discuss their retreat with Sun Xiu.

Some people want to collect the remaining soldiers to go to war, some want to burn down the palace and kill those who are not attached to them, and some even want to take a boat and escape eastward to the sea, but they can't make a decision.

Sima Lun was ruthless and prepared to gather the disciples below the fourth rank official in Beijing, and everyone over the age of fifteen, to go to Sili's place and follow him to fight.

Unexpectedly, this move hastened his demise.

Seeing that Sima Lun's defeat was a foregone conclusion, Wang Yu, Sima Lun's confidant, decided to prepare for his own retreat.

That night, he conspired with Shangshu and Ma Miao of the Guangling Company, and led more than 700 soldiers from his battalion to attack the palace from Nanye Gate. On the one hand, he ordered the soldiers in the palace to guard the palace gates individually, and also used three ministries as internal agents to completely control the palace confinement.

Then he personally led people to attack Zhongshu Province. Sun Xiu quickly closed the south gate of Zhongshu.

Upon seeing this, Wang Yu ordered his soldiers to climb the wall and burn the house. Xu Chao, Shi Yi and others who had not yet left in Zhongshu Province quickly escaped with Sun Xiu in panic.

Encountering Zuowei General Zhao Quanbu, Sun Xiu was beheaded by him in public display, and his descendants Sun Hui were arrested in the Youwei camp and handed over to Tingwei for execution.

Then Sima Lun's partisans, former general Xie Xun, Huangmen commander Luo Xiu, and Sima governor Wang Qian, were all beheaded in the palace.

Sima Fu, the son of Sima Lun, was hiding in Sun Xiu's house and was captured by Wang Yu's army. Wang Yu sent soldiers to imprison him in Sanqi Province and guard the provincial pavilion with halberds to prevent him from escaping.

Wang Yu took Sima Lun out of the palace and sat under the tree on the east steps.

He forced Sima Lun to issue an edict: "I was mistaken by Sun Xiu and others, which made the three kings angry. Now that Sun Xiu has been executed, the emperor will be restored to the throne. I will retire and return to farming."

After receiving the edict, Wang Yu ordered the soldiers to put down their weapons using Zuoyu banners (a flag with the image of Zuoyu, used to convey orders to disperse troops).

He also asked Huangmen to take Sima Lun out of the east gate of Hualin, and returned to Wenyangli residence with Sima Xin, and sent troops to guard it.

He personally went to Jinyong City and led thousands of soldiers to welcome the Supreme Emperor Sima Zhong back from the city.

April 7
Sima Zhong was promoted to the palace again, lived in Guangshi, ascended to the throne of emperor, and changed the reign name of Sima Lun from "Jianning" to "Yongning".

Instead, Sima Lun and Sima Xin were sent to Jinyong City for custody.

Then he sent an edict to remove Sima Qian from his official position. Sima Qian was afraid and did not dare to disobey, so he left the army and returned to Wenyang with only a few dozen people. Not long after, he came to Jinyong City to reunite with his father and brother.

April 10
Sima Xu, the king of Liang, reported that Sima Lun and his son were rebellious and should be killed. At the court meeting, all the officials, like Sima Xu, agreed to kill the rebellious people.

In accordance with the wishes of his ministers, Sima Zhong sent his minister Yuan Changchijie to convict Sima Lun of the death penalty and ordered him to drink gold-dusted bitter wine and commit suicide.

Sima Lun was ashamed, covered his face with a handkerchief, drank himself to death.

His sons, Sima Xun, Sima Fu, Sima Qian and Sima Xu, were delivered to Tingwei Prison. After careful investigation and verification, they were all executed.

April 11

Sima Zhong issued an edict that all officials employed by Sima Lun should be dismissed, and only a few of the guards in Taiwan Province were retained.

In view of Wang Yu's change of heart at the critical moment and his meritorious service, he was spared from execution, but was dismissed from his official position and given a free tax at home.

Ma Yang of the Guangling Company was granted the title of King of Huailing due to his meritorious service, became a minister, became a minister, and was transferred to Zongzheng and Guanglu officials.

In the more than sixty days since Sima Lun launched his army, nearly 100,000 people have died due to various reasons such as coups, involvements, and wars.

April 21st

Sima Juan, the king of Qi, and Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, arrived in Luoyang with their troops.

The two kings stationed more than 200,000 soldiers and horses under their command in Tongzhang Department. They personally entered the Luoyang Palace and met with Sima Zhong. The strength of his soldiers and horses frightened all the officials in the court.

April 22
Sima Zhong issued an edict to narrate the achievements of King Sima Junqin, and went to worship him in person as the Great Sima, and gave him the title of Jiuxi, granting him the power to preside over the government.

Sima Juan became another powerful minister after Sima Lun.

Then Sima Zhong prepared to worship Sima Ying as a general, add Jiuxi, and supervise all domestic and foreign military affairs, holiday festivals, add a yellow ax, and record ministerial affairs. Together with Sima Juan, he is the auxiliary minister.

His reputation is higher than that of Sima Juan.

However, Sima Ying resolutely refused, saying that this was the meritorious service of the great Sima Sima Jiong. In the end, he only accepted the title of general, declined the special gift of Jiuxi, and asked to leave the palace and return to Yecheng as an excuse.

Seeing this, Sima Zhong had no choice but to agree to his request.

April 23
Sima Ying began to prepare for returning to Ye, and on the same day, he reported the merits of the five heroes who participated in the crusade, including Lu Zhi, He Yan, Dong Hong, Wang Yan, and Zhao Xiang.

All of them were granted the title of Founding Duke.

Then Sima Ying made a request to transport 150,000 dendrobium grains to rescue the residents of Yangzhai affected by the war. She proposed to build coffins and collect the 8,000 soldiers who died in the Huangqiao battle. She also set up a cemetery, a memorial hall and a monument to commemorate their achievements, and commended them. His family is given two levels of preferential treatment.

May 3rd
Sima Ying led more than 100,000 troops recruited under his command to pass through Hanoi County and ordered the chief of Wen County in Hanoi to bury the 14,000 soldiers who died under Sima Lun in this battle.

These actions increased Sima Ying's prestige in the world.

May 10
Sima Ying returned to Yecheng, where he was loyal.

Here, Sima Ying returned to Yecheng, but Sima Juan stayed in Luoyang, seemingly second to Sima Lun.

The tens of thousands of soldiers he brought stayed around Luoyang, and he lived in the palace of the late King of Qi, his old father Sima You, in Luoyang.

In order to demonstrate his power, Sima Juan set up forty subordinates, granted great titles to ministers and close generals who were close to him, granted five official titles in a row, and hundreds of marquis titles.

He also ordered the expansion of the residence and buildings, took away the market for buying and selling grains in the north, and opened various government offices directly under his own in the south. Because hundreds of buildings were destroyed here, he also sent master craftsmen to operate and manufacture. Compared with the West Palace where Sima Zhong lived.

Then the wall of the Qianqiu Gate was dug to lead to the West Pavilion, and bell-hanging instruments were set up in the backyard. Eight hundred people danced in the front yard. They indulged in wine and sex and refused to go to court all day long.

Originally, everyone in the world expected that Sima Juan's entry into the court would bring them a different scene. As for Sima Zhong, everyone in the world had already seen through it and no longer expected it.

Who knew that what Sima Juan did was no different from Sima Lun, and he could be called "little Sima Lun".

So disappointed.

May 20

Sima Yi, the king of Changshan, came to the court. Because he raised troops to respond to Sima Juan, he gained Sima Juan's trust and was appointed as the general of the Fu army and the general of the left army.

He even followed his advice and killed Wang Bao, the chief regent who had strongly advised him, which greatly betrayed his loyalty.

May 21

In order to win over Sima Yi, under the instruction of Sima Juan, the imperial court promoted Sima Yi to the rank of General of Hussars, opened the palace, and moved him to the title of King of Changsha.

May 23
Sima Zhong saw that the crown prince was uncertain, and the kings were worried that there would be chaos again, so he issued an edict to establish the third son of Prince Minhuai, Sima Yu, his only heir, Sima Shang, King of Xiangyang, as the emperor's grandson, in order to correct the throne.

At the same time, an edict was issued to confer the title of concubine Yang Xianrong as queen.

Sima Shang became the grandson of the emperor and came to live in the East Palace. The master of the harem has been decided, and everything seems to be starting to develop in a good direction.

(End of this chapter)