Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 133 Instigation
Jiangling, Jingzhou.

"Lord Wang is holding his troops in place because he's waiting for Governor Yin's response. Now that power within and outside the court has fallen into the hands of Prince Xiang, once he stabilizes the situation, can Governor Yin still hold on to his position?"

Among all the forces, Huan Xuan was the most impatient.

Wang Gong and Sima Daozi were fighting and not fighting, and making peace and not making peace, which made him very uncomfortable.

It would have been fine if only Wang Gong was timid, but Yin Zhongkan was also so cowardly that he didn't even dare to formally respond to Wang Gong.

When Sima Yao was alive, he regarded the two as his right-hand men.

When Yin Zhongkan was appointed to Jingzhou, Sima Yao was reluctant to let him go and even issued an edict: "The day of your departure makes me sad. I always thought that you would be a treasure of the imperial court forever, but now you have become a treasure of Jingchu. I am truly saddened!"

This shows the favor he has received.

Now Sima Yao died in unclear circumstances, Sima Daozi's case was left unresolved, and Yin Zhongkan didn't even dare to shout.

"If Lord Wang cannot defeat Prince Xiang, won't my Yin family..."

Yin Zhongkan's face was full of hesitation. The Yin family had finally caught such an opportunity to stand out. He was promoted to the governor of Jingzhou and the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of the three states of Jing, Yi and Ning. The entire Yin family was counting on him to bring glory to the family.

Yin Zhongkan naturally did not dare to stand out.

They all hope that others will fight with each other while they reap the benefits.

Huan Xuan's eyes flashed with contempt. "The national treasure and you are incompatible, and I am afraid I cannot get rid of you quickly. Now that he has seized power and is in cahoots with Wang Xu, he can easily change his mind and achieve his goal. Wang Ling has appointed you to the Northern Palace, and you are highly valued by the court and the people. You cannot move lightly. Heaven has entrusted you with a great task, and success or failure depends on this one move. You were chosen by the late emperor, held in high esteem, and you are favored beyond measure. If you do not rise now, you will be despised by the world. When the court issues an imperial edict to summon you back to the capital, how will you cope?"

Sima Daozi summoned Wang Gong back to the capital. Wang Gong was in control of the Northern Army and could ignore the situation thanks to the power of the Taiyuan Wang family. Sima Daozi was helpless.

However, the Yin family of Chenjun did not have the power of the Wang family of Taiyuan. They had just taken office in Jingzhou and their foundation was not stable. If they resisted the imperial edict, Sima Daozi could dismiss them from their position as governor with just one word.

By then, Yin Zhongkan will still get nothing.

Huan Xuan's words went straight into Yin Zhongkan's heart.

Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao would never let him go.

Yin Zhongkan said, "I have been worried for a long time. What do you think is the solution?"

Huan Xuan was waiting for this sentence: "Guo Bao is a traitor, known to the world. If you can secretly send someone to persuade Wang Lingjun to raise the army in Jinyang to support the court, we will gather all the people in Jingchu and move downstream to make Wang Lingjun the leader of the alliance. We will also surrender and respond without hesitation. If this is done, it will be Huan Wen's move."

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the six nobles of the State of Jin, namely Zhi, Zhao, Wei and Han, joined forces and raised an army in Jinyang in the name of eliminating the enemy from the country, and destroyed the Fan and Zhonghang families.

In reality, it was a redistribution of power among the six noble families of Jin. Some people ate meat at the table, while others became the meat...

It is quite similar to the situation today.

Several major aristocratic families hoped to use this war to redistribute power, while other forces also wanted to get a piece of the pie.

Huan Xuan was a frivolous person, but his talent was genuine.

Sima Daozi was a member of the royal family, so it was not easy to take action against him directly, so the spearhead was directed at Wang Guobao, which was equivalent to clearing the court of corrupt officials.

As long as Yin Zhongkan took action, Wang Gong in Jingkou would have to move as well.

Jiankang didn't have many troops to begin with, and the evil bandit Lu Song was able to break into the palace with only a thousand men.

Huan Xuan was confident that he could accomplish his goal with only the Jingzhou army at his disposal. It didn't matter whether Wang Gong stepped forward or not. The only problem was that he lacked the prestige to gain the support of the noble families. Therefore, he needed to push Yin Zhongkan forward.

Having said that, others were eager to sit at the table, but Yin Zhongkan was still hesitating.

Since he didn't nod, Huan Xuan had no choice but to say goodbye and leave in frustration.

As soon as he left the Governor's Mansion, the flattering look on Huan Xuan's face vanished, replaced by a cold expression. "This boy is not worth consulting with! Just as Jingzu predicted, Yin Zhongkan is an incompetent man."

Bian Fan, whose courtesy name was Jingzu, was currently the prefect of Shi'an. He had known Huan Xuan since childhood and was regarded as his strategist.

Now that Wang Gong and Sima Daozi were facing off, it was a great opportunity for the Huan family to rise again. Huan Xuan immediately summoned Bian Fanzhi to conspire.

"Why should Lingbao be in such a hurry? Wang Gong and Sima Daozi have already fallen out, and they will not give up. We only need to wait a few days and we can accomplish our goal."

"The reputation he holds is not what he deserves. Wang Gong, like Yin Zhongkan, is all show and no substance. He can accomplish nothing. He commands a powerful army, yet hesitates to act. He has been preparing for the rebellion for half a year, and he still refuses to budge."

Huan Xuan was extremely anxious.

If they can't fight, the Huan family will have no chance.

Bian Fan said: "Wang Gong and Yin Zhongkan are just good for show, isn't that just right? In my opinion, Lingbao's enemy is not Wang Gong, nor Sima Daozi, but Yang Qunqi."

Yang Qunqi is currently the Sima of Jingzhou, the Prime Minister of Nanjun, and the General Longxiang.

Born into the Hongnong Yang family, he defected to the Jin Dynasty during the Xiankang period (335 AD), defeated Di Qin generals such as Pan Meng and Dou Chong, and attacked Tongguan from Hucheng. He won many battles and was promoted to General Longxiang. He served as the prefect of Henan, Xinye, and Tangyi counties.

Later, he followed Zhu Xu to defeat Murong Yong and Zhai Liao, defend Luoyang, and made outstanding military achievements.

After Yin Zhongkan became the governor of Jingzhou, he felt weak and powerless, so he recommended Yang Qunqi as the governor of Nanjun to increase his influence. The two hit it off immediately.

Yang Qunqi's brothers Yang Guang and Yang Siping were also brave and rough men. In Nanjun, they comforted the soldiers, cared for the people, repaired the city, and trained the soldiers, which made them very popular.

Yang Qunqi had both family background and talent, and gradually became a major concern for the Huan family.

"This man is extremely ambitious and is indeed a threat to me. Unfortunately, he is already old. I should delay my actions for a few years. When he is old and senile, and I have the power of Jingxiang in my hands, it will not be too late to take action."

Huan Xuan has always been wary of this man, but now is not the time to deal with him.

Moreover, Yang Qunqi also had a fatal weakness. He was proud of his noble birth. When he went south, people compared him to Wang Xun of the Langya Wang family. However, Yang Qunqi and his brothers were very resentful, thinking that the Langya Wang family was not as good as their Hongnong Yang family.

He refused to marry into other aristocratic families and isolated himself from the rest of the aristocratic families. Although he had military achievements, he was always suppressed and excluded by the court, and was always frustrated.

Yin Zhongkan recommended him just to use him.

In this era, if you don't get the support of the nobles, you will never be able to make a difference. Su Junzuyue was more powerful than Yang Qunqi, but he still couldn't escape the disaster of destruction.

So Huan Xuan was just wary.

Bian Fan's original intention was only to remind Huan Xuan and not to bother with him anymore. Wang Gong and Sima Daozi couldn't fight, so no matter how much he said, it would be useless. "Within three months, Sima Daozi and Wang Gong will definitely meet in battle. Lingbao should prepare early."

Countless people were involved in the internal struggle between Wang Gong and Sima Daozi. Even if the two of them were unwilling to fight, someone would push them to fight each other.

Huan Xuan took a deep breath and said, "Then wait a few more months!"

(End of this chapter)