Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 129 The Sima Family, Disliked by Both People and Dogs
Three months later.

"So, the Great Jin Dynasty just fell like that?"

On the warship sailing downstream, Yang Feng looked at the distant Stone City with a somewhat speechless expression.

He just pushed it with his finger, and my Great Jin Dynasty collapsed.

He really only gave it a push.

Because after he arrived in Wuchang, he no longer cared about the war to destroy Jin, and his 200,000-strong army did not cross Chaisang, but my great Jin dynasty still collapsed in just three months.

However, the initial collapse did not begin in Jiangnan, but in Jiangbei.

Zhou Xie, the Prefect of Linhuai, was the son of Zhou Qi, who had attempted a rebellion to kill all the southern gentry but failed and died from a carbuncle on his back. Taking advantage of Zu Ti's return to pacify Qi and Lu, Zhou Xie recruited refugees with large sums of money to launch a surprise attack on Wang Han, the Governor of Xuzhou. Wang Han, a disgrace to the Wang clan, faced with attacks from both Zu Ti and Zhou Xie, abandoned the city without hesitation. He originally intended to seek refuge with his confidant Huan Xuan in Qiao County, but unexpectedly, Huan Xuan had already surrendered to Liu Kun.

Huan Xuan was certainly not intelligent enough to make the wrong choice at this time.

Moreover, he and Zu Ti were already on good terms.

As a result, Wang Han delivered himself to Huan Xuan's door, whereupon Huan Xuan, with tears in his eyes, bound him and sent him to Luoyang.

Furthermore, Huan Xuan wrote a letter in blood to Emperor Taizu Gao, earnestly requesting that Emperor Taizu Gao pardon Wang Han.

Indeed, he was both loyal and righteous.

Kidnapping and sending Wang Han was loyalty; writing a letter in blood to plead for his life was righteousness.

What a timeless tale!
At the same time that Zhou Xie raised his army, Liu Xia, the son-in-law of Shao Xu, led the Han army south from Yanci, and Zu Ti advanced eastward. Various powerful figures in Lu who had previously formed strongholds for self-protection, such as Xu Kan, the governor of Taishan, and Xi Jian, the de facto chieftain of Yishan, who was the governor of Yanzhou, all surrendered. Instead of following Zu Ti to deal with Cao Yi, they all went to join forces with Zhou Xie.

After all, everyone knows that to achieve wealth and honor, one must demonstrate their abilities to Emperor Taizu.

Will following Zu Ti to deal with Cao Yi make me notice Emperor Gaozu?

No!
Only by marching straight down to Guabu and drinking from the Yangtze River could Emperor Gaozu, who was about to lead his troops to Jianye, see his figure fighting bloody battles for the Han Dynasty.

Ultimately, Zhou Xie, the newly appointed governor of Xuzhou of the Han Dynasty, was chosen as the leader of the alliance.

Xu Kan, the Prefect of Taishan; Huan Xuan, the Prefect of Qiao; Liu Kun's nephew; Liu Yan, who had previously been isolated in Linqiu; Zhang Ping, the fortified village chief; and even Wei Gai and other fortified village chiefs who had been forced to flee eastward to meet Yang Feng near Luoyang due to information gaps, thus delaying their welcome of the imperial army—in short, a group of people who, for various reasons, mainly because Emperor Taizu acted too quickly and had not had time to welcome Emperor Taizu Gao, formed an army of nearly 50,000 men to march south. Zhou Xie was originally the Prefect of Linhuai, and Xuyi, Huaiyin, and other places were all under his jurisdiction. His Linhuai did not refer to Linhuai Pass, but rather to northern Jiangsu, roughly encompassing Suqian, Pizhou, and then south to north of Yangzhou.

Therefore, at the beginning of his uprising, he sent people to control Xuyi City.

In the end, this large army easily crossed the Huai River and headed straight for Guangling.

Upon learning the news, the powerful families of Jiangdong finally made their move. Zhou Xie's uncle, Zhou Zha, the Prefect of Wuxing, was the first to raise an army in Wuxing, and then raised the banner of supporting the Han Dynasty to declare himself a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty.

Our Zhou family of Yixing has been loyal to the Han Dynasty for generations.

Actually, his nephew had already rebelled before.

After his father's death, Zhou Xie colluded with the governors of several prominent families in Jiangnan, including the descendants of the Sun family, to raise an army to restore the prosperous Wu dynasty. However, he was suppressed by Zhou Xie. Sima Rui knew that the Zhou family was giving him face, and he could not refuse to give them face. So, just like with Zhou Qi's father, he did not pursue Zhou Xie's responsibility, but simply sent him to Huaibei to serve as an official.

As for now...

Can it be the same now?

That's because Zhou Zha knew he would definitely fail, but now he knows he can't possibly fail!
When he raised an army in Wuxing, he naturally received an immediate response from Yixing, the Zhou family's stronghold.

The Shen family of Wuxing, whose Shen Chong had died alongside Wang Dun in Wancheng, were worried about their future. When Zhou Zha raised his army, they immediately saw an opportunity and ultimately, the Shen and Qian families of Wuxing fully supported him. Before Yang Feng could even sail downstream, Sima Rui was already facing attacks from both the north and south. Overwhelmed, he could only send Dai Yuan to lead an army to deal with Zhou Zha, hoping to appease the powerful families of Jiangdong with this veteran scholar of equal stature to Zhou Qi and Gu Rong. Unfortunately, Dai Yuan's own hometown, Guangling, was already facing the Han army. If he helped Sima Rui eliminate Zhou Zha, would Zhou Xie spare his entire clan?

Immediately afterwards, Dai Yuan encountered a mutiny in Jingkou. His subordinates and confidants disregarded his teachings on loyalty and righteousness, brazenly announced their surrender to the Han Dynasty, forcibly abducted him across the river, and then surrendered to Zhou Xie, who was besieging Guangling.

force!

He was forced into it.

He wasn't the kind of person to betray his monarch; it was just that these bastards forced him into it.

Zhou Xie, of course, quickly and sincerely explained to Dai Yuan with the respect due to a disciple that the Han Dynasty was the rightful heir to the Mandate of Heaven.

Our ancestors were all Han officials!
Dai Yuan expressed his understanding.

Then, at the foot of Guangling City, he painfully expressed that although the situation was indeed difficult to assess, the Sima family had indeed usurped the throne, and the Cao family had also usurped the throne. Now that Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty had descended to earth, we were all Han officials for four hundred years. How could we be enemies with Emperor Gaozu?
Our ancestors can't rest in peace even in the afterlife!
Of course, he did not betray the Sima family; he simply did not resist Emperor Gaozu of Han so that his ancestors could rest in peace.

He wanted to live in seclusion in the mountains.

Of course, everyone understands this. As a famous scholar, he always has to put on a show. So, the main force defending Guangling City, Su Jun, who had previously led refugees from Jiaodong southward due to his discord with Cao Yi, launched a surprise attack on Sima Zong, the Prince of Nandun, who was guarding Guangling, with the support of several powerful families in the city. He captured him and then opened the city gates to declare his allegiance to the Han Dynasty.

Sima Zong was a participant in the War of the Eight Princes. He was the son of Sima Liang, the Prince of Runan. Of Sima Liang's five sons, one died young, one was killed with him by Sima Wei, and one was killed by Shi Le. However, Sima Zong and Sima Yang successfully escaped to the south and became one of the few descendants of Sima Yi under Sima Rui.

There are very few descendants of Sima Yi left. Apart from the branch of Sima Rui, which consists of these two, there is also their nephew, Sima You, the son of Sima Ju, who was killed along with Sima Liang.

However, there are still quite a few descendants of Sima Yi's brothers.

For example, Sima Cheng, who always held military power.

He was the grandson of Sima Jin, Sima Yi's younger brother.

There are also Sima Hong, Xiong, and Qin, descendants of Sima Kui, Sima Yi's younger brother.

Sima Hong, in particular, had descendants who continued to live until the fall of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

In addition, there was another figure not in the south at this time, namely Sima Bao, who still occupies Shanggui to this day, and who has probably already declared himself King of Jin.

In general, there are not many members of the Sima family left.

In particular, the Sima Yan lineage had been wiped out.

What's even more abstract is that most of his lineage wasn't killed by foreign tribes, but rather through infighting. It's unclear what possessed Sima Yan's descendants, but they were determined to exterminate those who lost in internal strife, even their own brothers, sometimes wiping out entire families. In the end, his legitimate line was wiped out, while the collateral branches benefited. Of course, there's no need to delve into the details of Niu Rui's case.

In any case, whether it's Niu Rui or Sima Rui, they are now the heirs of the Sima family.

Immediately after learning of the chaos downstream, Xie Kun, the Prefect of Jiangzhou and Xie An's uncle, who had been assisting Wang Ying since Wang Dun's death, led the Jiangzhou army and civilians in a mutiny, forcing Wang Ying to surrender to Emperor Gaozu of Han. Their explanation to Wang Ying was that he wasn't Wang Dun's biological son, and Emperor Gaozu had already given Wang Dun a chance; it was Wang Dun's arrogance that led him to misunderstand the emperor's good intentions, so Wang Ying's surrender would certainly be safe.

In short, Wang Ying, dressed in plain clothes, arrived in Wuchang by boat and then knelt outside the city.

Jiangzhou was returned to Han after the rebellion.

Then Yang Feng went downstream and headed straight for Jianye.

They advanced with unstoppable momentum along the way.

In reality, he didn't encounter any resistance at all. Sima Rui had no troops left. After the rebellion in Guangling, Zhou Xie had already connected with Zhou Zha, who was rapidly moving north. Now, the northern cavalry could be seen heading south north of the Yangtze River, and similarly, the Han army from the south of the Yangtze River was heading north from Jingkou downstream.

The Great Jin Dynasty was basically reduced to a single isolated city, Jianye.

It collapsed in just three months.

"So the Sima family is just so universally disliked!" Yang Feng said.

"Your Majesty, the Sima clan deceived orphans and widows, usurping the throne to seize power. Even after only a few decades, the country descended into chaos, the Central Plains fell, and the people suffered terribly. They were never worthy of being emperors. However, we had no other choice. The barbarians were powerful and had already thrown the Central Plains into chaos. It was already difficult enough to preserve half of Jiangnan. If we did not continue to honor the Sima clan, Jiangnan would inevitably be slaughtered in a bloodbath for this throne."

At that time, the barbarians would surely have their eyes on the Yangtze River.

If this dynasty were to fall, the Han people would likely be wiped out. Therefore, we have no choice but to continue to honor the Sima clan. After all, they are the common ruler, recognized by all sides, and this will prevent further internal strife over the throne.

Xie Kun said cautiously.

He led the Jiangzhou army to serve as the vanguard for the royal army.

His younger brother, Xie An's father Xie Pou, and his son Xie Shang are both here.

What he said was actually the truth.

In the current situation, if it weren't for Yang Feng's interference, continuing with the Sima family as emperors and maintaining the Jin dynasty as the legitimate successor would have been the most sensible choice. A change of dynasty would inevitably lead to large-scale internal strife, as the throne is always won through bloodshed. Now that the north is lost, the south is already weak. If internal strife continues over the throne, the inevitable result will be a southward invasion by northern barbarians, which a turbulent south cannot possibly withstand.

Then the last refuge for the Han people was destroyed.

Of course, this is just something to talk about. What cannot be talked about is that the northern gentry who migrated south needed the Sima clan as the legitimate successor to gain legitimacy for their southward migration.

This was done to suppress the southern gentry on moral grounds.

Besides...

What real power does such an emperor have?
Isn't it these aristocratic families who call the shots?

If a powerful ruler emerges from the internal strife, the aristocratic families will be in serious trouble!

Therefore, the Southern Dynasties did not need a wise and powerful emperor in the future. If there was such an emperor, they would have to find a way to destroy him. It would be best to find a sensible emperor who could share the country with the aristocratic families.

"You're bullying orphans and widows!"

Yang Feng sneered.

Just then, a small boat slowly sailed in from Stone City.

Two small warships immediately accelerated and soon encountered it, flanking it as they sailed to the shore. Soldiers boarded the ships and escorted the people ashore. On another warship that had also come ashore, an official disembarked to interrogate the inhabitants before boarding the ship and sailing towards the flagship of Emperor Taizu Gao.

"Reporting to Emperor Taizu Gao, Sima Rui requests to surrender."

The official who boarded Emperor Taizu Gao's flagship saluted and said.

This is Liu Yin.

They can be considered descendants of Liu Bang.

However, he was a descendant of Liu Fei, that is, born to the widow Cao.

He was previously under Wang Jun's command, and later went south to serve as an ordinary civil official under Sima Rui. After Wang Dun's death, he was sent to appease Wang Ying. Just then, Gan Zhuo's letter urging Xie Kun to surrender arrived. Gan Zhuo was already searching for Liu Bang's descendants, and Liu Yin immediately became excited and changed his approach from appeasement to encouraging Wang Ying to surrender.

It must be said that Sima Rui was in a difficult position. His key problem was that the Sima family was depleted, and the few remaining members were of little use. He could only rely on the gentry who had migrated south, but the gentry who had migrated south were even more enthusiastic about welcoming Emperor Gaozu of Han than the southern gentry themselves...

They can fight their way back!
Ultimately, they fled to the south, but what they really wanted was to return one day.

Following the Sima family, such a possibility was virtually nonexistent. However, now that Emperor Gaozu of Han had arrived, and had even conquered most of the north, most of the gentry who had fled south could return to their hometowns. Under these circumstances, why not welcome Emperor Gaozu of Han? The Xie clan of Chen Commandery's roots were in Yangxia, not in Jiangnan.

“Please surrender. Tell him that no one after Sima Yi will be pardoned. I will not accept his surrender, and he has no right to surrender.”

Yang Feng said.

Liu Yin immediately bowed and turned around.

however……

"Your Majesty, look!"

Xie Shang suddenly shouted.

Yang Feng's gaze immediately turned to Stone City, where the city gates had been opened and soldiers were swarming out. Among them was a man who was struggling, but the soldiers were also constantly beating him. He was being dragged forward, being beaten as he went.

Yang Feng handed the binoculars to Xie Kun, who had already seen them. He took them with both hands and quickly looked at them.

"It was Yu Liang, of the Yu clan of Yingchuan, whose sister was the daughter-in-law of Sima Rui."

Xie Kun then continued.

"Let's dock. It seems Sima Rui no longer needs to decide whether to surrender."

Yang Feng said.

After he finished speaking, he immediately revealed the jade axe, which cut open a spatial rift, and then walked straight to the soldiers.

The latter was still happily beating Yu Liang when Yang Feng suddenly appeared, startling him.

Yu Liang immediately realized what was going on, after all, he knew what the twelve-tassel crown on Yang Feng's head represented. He struggled to break free from the soldiers' control, staggered forward, and then knelt down in front of Yang Feng.

"Your Majesty, I, Yu Liang, a subject of this crime, pay my respects!"

He said.

So he's become more sensible now.

After all, he was just marrying his sister off to Sima Rui's son.

There's no need to live and die together.

The soldiers then came to their senses and quickly knelt down in panic.

“Arise! There is no one in the Yu clan of Yingchuan who deserves to be exterminated.”

Yang Feng looked at Jianye City and said.

The Yu family was not well-known before. His father died relatively early. It was only in this generation that they rose to prominence through their marriage ties with Sima Rui. In particular, he had many brothers, which made the family even more powerful.

"The thousand-foot iron chain sank to the bottom of the river, and a surrender flag emerged from the stone. There was once a thousand-foot iron chain, but now there isn't even a surrender flag left."

Yang Feng looked at Jianye City with emotion, where the city gates were also opening.

surrender?

This is not something Sima Rui needs to decide!

(End of this chapter)