Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 140: Retreating from Ninja

After Zhai Zhao suffered a crushing defeat, he immediately abandoned Huatai, gathered the remaining troops, crossed the Yellow River with his family, and fled to Bailu Mountain in Xiuwu County, Henei County. He relied on the steep terrain to resist the Yan army and hold out until support from Western Yan arrived.

He sent people to break out several times and ask for help from Western Yan, but Western Yan, which was so close, remained indifferent.

When Zhai Zhao ran out of food, he forced his way out, but was defeated by Murong Nong, who captured his followers. Zhai Zhao fought his way out of the encirclement alone and defected to Western Yan.

Cui Cheng, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat of Zhai Wei, led the various counties of Yanzhou to surrender to Murong Chui.

Murong Shao led 5,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Lu County directly, and Murong De led 7,000 cavalry to Gaoping in the south. All the prefectures and counties on both sides of the Si River became Yan territory.

The Xianbei cavalry were as fierce as wolves and tigers, and did not give Liu Daogui any chance at all.

Murong Chui took down Zhai Wei at the lowest cost. Not only did small forces like Liu Daogui dare not move, but even his arch-enemy Murong Yong did not dare to move.

Western Yan ruled over 76,000 households and 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers.

When Murong Chui went south to attack Zhai Wei, it was the best opportunity for them to take action, but they did not even send a single soldier or horse, and watched helplessly as Murong Chui annexed Zhai Wei.

A dragon in high position will regret; a dragon in low position will not be used.

Every force has its ups and downs. Murong Chui is now at the peak of his power, and Lu County has Murong Shao's 5,000 infantry and cavalry. Liu Daogui basically has no chance.

If they collide at this time, it will be no different from an egg hitting a stone.

They could only continue to retreat. The only thing to be thankful for was that the refugees from Zhai Wei moved south in large numbers, and many of them flocked to Lanling.

It can be considered as a sip of broth...

Murong Chui's destruction of Zhai Wei also had a great impact on Jiangzuo. He recruited surrenders and rebels in Yanzhou, and with 20,000 surrendered troops from Zhai Wei as the vanguard, he headed straight for Pengcheng.

Wang Gong ordered Liu Laozhi to lead his troops north to defend Pengcheng.

The internal strife in Jiangzuo temporarily subsided, and everyone looked to the north. Murong Chui was too famous, and Huan Wen and Xie Xuan's northern expeditions were both defeated by him.

Liu Laozhi led his troops north, but Murong Chui left Murong De to guard Yanzhou and led the army back to Hebei.

The battle lasted less than a month and Zhai Wei won easily.

The older Murong Chui gets, the more terrifying he becomes.

Based on the intelligence sent back by spies and scouts, Liu Daogui carefully deduced the entire process and found that Murong Chui was almost invulnerable and had mastered the use of strategies and cavalry to perfection.

It's a mixture of reality and illusion, dazzling.

Even if Western Yan sent troops at this time, it would only be hit head-on by Murong Chui's cavalry.

The reason why Western Yan was able to confront Murong Chui for so many years was because of the strategic location of Taihang Mountains and the involvement of Zhai Wei.

But now that Zhai Wei has been destroyed, Xiyan can no longer stand alone...

"Daozhe, look who's here?" Gao Xun led someone to the government office.

"Why are you here, uncle?"

The visitor was none other than his uncle, Xiao Yuanzhi. Seeing Liu Daogui, he smiled and said, "The previous emperor died in an unclear manner, and the new emperor is controlled by the Prince of Xiang. We, idle officials and lower-ranking nobles, are not allowed to be promoted, nor do we have any opportunities to be transferred to other places. It's useless for us to stay in the court, so it's better to resign."

A new emperor appoints new ministers. Sima Daozi could still control the situation, but the new emperor could not even take care of himself and was basically a puppet.

Sima Daozi stopped pretending and simply took control of the situation and cleared out all the Jinshi scholars around the emperor.

"Isn't this too cruel?" Liu Daogui looked down upon Sima Daozi's eating habits.

"It's not entirely the Prince's fault. The imperial court is in turmoil right now, and there will be a war in Jiankang soon. If I leave early, I can avoid being caught in the disaster." Xiao Yuanzhi's face was calm.

The Jin dynasty's tradition was a republic of aristocratic families, with rotations of power. Sima Daozi now monopolized power, hoarding the entire pot of meat for himself, which was bound to cause dissatisfaction among others.

It’s no wonder that the Wang family of Langya and the Wang family of Taiyuan jumped out.

"Could it be that Uncle has heard other news?"

"Prince Xiang was extremely wary of Wang Gong. At Sima Shangzhi's suggestion, he appointed Wang Yu as the governor of Jiangzhou and divided Yuzhou into four counties for Wang Yu to supervise."

Yuzhou was the territory of the Yu family. Starting with Yu Liang, the Yu family had been the governor of Yuzhou and the General of the Western Army. Through Yu Xi, Yu Zhun, and finally Yu Kai, the title had been passed down for four generations...

Sima Daozi couldn't stand Wang Gong, Yin Zhongkan, and Huan Xuan, so he took up his sword and went after his only ally, the Yu family, and ruthlessly cut off a large piece of flesh from them...

After losing the four counties on both sides of the Yangtze River, Yuzhou was basically hollowed out.

There was silence in the hall for a moment.

Gao Xun and Liu Daogui looked at each other, unable to understand what the people above them were thinking.

The matter had originally calmed down. If Sima Daozi wanted to take action, he should have secretly won over more nobles and formed an alliance of interests to deal with the Wang family of Taiyuan.

After Wang Gong fell, the benefits were enough for other nobles to have a good meal.

Sima Daozi did the opposite. Instead of seeking allies, he stabbed his allies in the back...

All we can say is that each generation of the Sima family is worse than the previous one.

"It seems that Jiangdong will be in chaos." Liu Daogui felt a little bit of anticipation in his heart. This day finally came.

Compared with Murong Chui in the north, the Sima family is simply pigs and dogs.

Xiao Yuanzhi sighed and said, "The world is in chaos. You Northern Army generals will have a chance to rise to prominence. But I pity the people of Jiangzuo..."

"What good does it do to break this stagnant pool of water? Without destruction, there is no construction. A short pain is worse than a long one. If this drags on, the people will be even more miserable."

Liu Daogui had long been fed up with this kind of life. He could not get a seat at the table in the north and could not eat meat, so he could only look forward to Jiangzuo.

In fact, most of the poor people also had this idea, otherwise Liu Yi would not have taken the initiative and spread rumors everywhere. Now that I think about it, the fire in the prison that day was very likely related to him.

The noble families lived a life of luxury and debauchery, while the common people, although they could only serve as corrupt officials, were handling practical matters and gradually gaining power at the lower levels.

Water flows to the low places and people go to the high places. Of course, the poor are not satisfied with the status quo and gradually become a force that cannot be ignored.

Xiao Yuanzhi said, "You two brothers really think alike. Ji Nu also said so. I traveled back and forth between Jingkou and Guangling specifically to remind you two brothers not to get involved in internal strife!"

Gao Xun was stunned. "The outcome is already decided. Prince Xiang is at the end of his rope and will inevitably be defeated. We should turn to Lord Wang."

Liu Daogui actually had the same idea. Sima Daozi's eating habits were too ugly.

Xiao Yuanzhi said, "Lord Wang is proud of his prestigious family background and looks down on you. Even if Wang Xiang falls, the Wang family of Langya, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the Huan family of Jingzhou will continue to fight. No matter who holds power in the future, they will have to rely on the warriors of the Northern Palace. If you don't get involved, you will eventually rise to the top."

Wang Gong and Sima Daozi are equally matched. On the surface, Wang Gong has the advantage, but no one knows the outcome until the last moment.

Anyway, the Huan family was unwilling to be inferior to others, and the Wang family of Langya also wanted to stand out.

If they stood on the wrong side, they would be doomed to have their property confiscated and their entire family exterminated. Of course, Liu Daogui and Liu Yu were not qualified to stand on the wrong side, and others would look down on them. At most, they would be dogs for others...

"Uncle, that's a good idea!" Liu Daogui had always felt that Wang Gong was not a man who could accomplish anything.

The feast has just begun...

(End of this chapter)