Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 192 Gambling

Liu Daogui's willingness to go all out was both a pledge of loyalty and a gamble on Liu Laozhi's unwillingness to be subordinate to anyone.

After all, he had betrayed Wang Gong before, so he still had ambitions.

Unbeknownst to them, Liu Laozhi had already seized the opportune moment. Jingkou was a strategic location, and the Northern Army was the strongest and most elite force in the land. Within ten days, they could take control of Jiankang and sweep away Jingxiang.

The only thing lacking is people's hearts.

Given how chaotic the world is, the Sima family might not be much better than Liu Laozhi.

Pushing Liu Laozhi to the forefront only made this stagnant pool even more chaotic.
Liu Daogui followed behind him, and in the future he was able to secure a place for himself and accomplish many things quietly.

In essence, Liu Daogui was also a gambler.

But these days, how many people can actually take a gamble on the scales?
The vast majority of people are mercilessly swallowed up by the torrent of chaos...

The hall fell into a deathly silence as everyone stared at Liu Daogui in astonishment.

It felt like we were meeting for the first time.

"Agui, you're insane!" Liu Yu turned around and shouted angrily, but there was something strange in his eyes, clearly a longing and eagerness, like a wildfire...

Brothers are of one mind. Having lived together for so many years, how could Liu Daogui not know his elder brother's thoughts?
What makes gamblers so formidable is that they dare to gamble no matter how many chips they have!
Liu Daogui looked calmly at Liu Laozhi: "Sailing against the current, if you don't move forward, you will capsize. The governor has appointed a commoner as the head of the Northern Army. Do you think the court will let this go? Do you think the noble families will be convinced? Have you not heard that if Heaven does not grant your request, you will suffer the consequences?"

His words echoed throughout the hall.

Anyone with ambition would feel a certain amount of ambition if they were in Liu Laozhi's position. He had reached the core of the power struggle and had no way out.

Once the imperial court quells the rebellion and distributes the spoils, whoever comes to power next will certainly concentrate their efforts on dealing with him.

In the eighty years since the southward migration, this kind of thing has happened many times.

Nowadays, the aristocratic families are not as powerful as they are with each generation. Since Xie An and Xie Xuan passed away, there has not been a single person of note.

This has led to increasingly higher quality among those from disadvantaged backgrounds, making their rise inevitable.

This great upheaval exposed Sima Yuanxian's incompetence; the entire Jin dynasty was actually being held together by the Northern Army.

If Heaven doesn't grant your request, you'll only suffer the consequences...

"No one but the Commander-in-Chief can pacify Jiangzuo!" Liu Daogui had already done his utmost.

Liu Laozhi's expression was unpredictable. Previously, he had either relied on the Xie family or Wang Gong, and now he obeyed Sima Yuanxian, which had become a habit.

The only sound in the hall was the heavy breathing of a few people.

After a long silence, Liu Laozhi waved his hand, "That's enough for today. I'll take your words as nothing. Step down!"

“Father…” Liu Jingxuan’s expression became excited; the young man was more ambitious.

"Step back." Liu Laozhi sheathed his sword and turned to leave.

Liu Jingxuan chased after him, probably wanting to try to persuade him further.

Liu Daogui and the others stood there, unsure whether he would agree or not.

Liu Laozhi has been going through ups and downs for more than a decade, so he should be aware of his situation. He got his position as the Northern Commander by betraying Wang Gong. He has no shortage of methods and ambition; it's just a matter of whether he has the guts.

However, Xie Yan's matter was resolved, and Liu Laozhi did not cause him any trouble.

“Ah… Gui, what you just said is outrageous.”

Liu Huaisu was well-read and retained some of the scholar's integrity, but lacked flexibility.

However, Liu Daogui had witnessed too much suffering and darkness along the way, and had long since lost all hope in the imperial court.

Such a court is not worth maintaining; the downfall of China is in their hands.

In the decades following the Yongjia Rebellion, the northern nomadic peoples did not become much stronger. They were given several opportunities to launch northern expeditions, but they missed them all. Not only did they miss them, but they also failed to integrate even the Jiangnan region. To this day, they still distinguish between the northern barbarians and the southern barbarians, and discriminate against each other.

This dynasty should have collapsed long ago. Since the Sima family is no good, let's just try someone else.

"You are indeed my brother, but Commander Liu is neither a great ruler nor a man of extraordinary talent. Do not speak such words about him in the future. Remember this! What I said today must not be spread." A glint seemed to appear in Liu Yu's eyes.

"I did indeed misspoke," Liu Daogui said, taking a deep breath.

Once those words were spoken, there was no turning back.

Liu Daogui and Liu Yu have gradually stepped into the limelight; where is there any way out?
"You two brothers... heroes of a chaotic era..."

Liu Huaisu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead...

On the other side, Liu Laozhi paced back and forth in the courtyard, with Liu Jingxuan following behind him. The father and son remained silent.

Although it was a government office, Wang Ningzhi had undertaken a large-scale construction project, making it magnificent and splendid, with pavilions every three steps and terraces every five steps, and corridors leading to quiet wooded areas.

On the exquisitely carved white marble arch bridge pillars, Wang Ningzhi's "Ren Yue Tie" is inscribed in a flowing style.

The dragon and phoenix dance adds a touch of elegance and refinement to this manor.

Liu Laozhi suddenly stopped, but Liu Jingxuan bumped into him. "Why are you so absent-minded?"

Liu Jingxuan waved to the guards around him, and they dispersed. "What does Father think?"

Liu Laozhi asked knowingly, "What do you mean?"

“We must learn from the past to guide the future. The lesson of why Governor Xie refused to take Jiankang back then is still fresh in our minds. If the court can’t even tolerate Governor Xie, how could it possibly tolerate Father?”

"What do you want?"

“Agui’s words are insightful and far-sighted. Father may wish to consider them and prepare for the future.”

Liu Laozhi coldly stared at Liu Jingxuan, "You young upstart, how could you know anything about military and national affairs? This world belongs to the gentry. What can a few Northern Army soldiers accomplish? At most, they can only manage one Su Jun. If they are not careful, they will die and their families will be wiped out, becoming a laughingstock to the world."

The Jin Dynasty was established with the support of the aristocratic families, a sentiment that has been deeply ingrained in people's minds for the past eighty years.

Liu Laozhi's betrayal of Wang Gong had already alienated the gentry, and he would no longer gain their support.

"It is not easy to hold onto the power you have gained. Don't be delusional about anything else. Xie Yan is right. Liu Daogui is a treacherous fellow who wants to put me in a difficult position. You must never associate with him again."

Liu Laozhi lacked the ambition to usurp power; he only wanted to protect his own small territory.

Becoming the Governor of the Northern Army was an unexpected joy, something he had never imagined before, and therefore he still felt some gratitude towards the Sima family.

Whether the world is in chaos or not is of little concern to him, and he doesn't care.

The deeper reason is that he lacked the confidence and ability to manage the generals of the Northern Army and stabilize the situation.

The path Liu Daogui chose for him was far too dangerous.

A person who has nothing is naturally not afraid to gamble heavily, but Liu Laozhi is not without anything. As the Governor of the Northern Army, he has already obtained wealth and honor.

"Father……"

Liu Jingxuan was extremely unwilling.

“What Tao Kan and Huan Wen couldn’t do back then, how could I possibly do it? My lifelong wish is to join the ranks of the upper-class gentry. Now that the rebels are causing trouble, I have fled east to the sea, but they will come back again. The Huan family of the Western Prefecture is ambitious, and the court still needs to rely on you and me. They won’t be so quick to abandon us after we’ve served our purpose.”

As long as this situation can be maintained, Liu Laozhi's power will be secure.

In his view, this was the safest approach.

And it seems that this choice was not wrong.

(End of this chapter)