Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 193 Shen

Liu Daogui returned to his camp, his mind filled with thoughts of overthrowing the Sima family and changing the course of the empire.

However, Liu Laozhi neither agreed nor disagreed, and was probably observing. His current disagreement did not mean he would not understand later. When the time and circumstances were right, even if he did not step up, the people behind him would push him to take the position.

He is now one of the key players at the gambling table, someone others would kill for.

Even if he didn't want to advance any further, the generals of the Northern Army wanted to rise to power along with their entourage...

As members of the Liu clan of Pengcheng, Liu Daogui and Liu Yu were sure to get a piece of the pie.

Once it's on the table, we'll see how things go.

Liu Daogui is now utterly disappointed with the Jin dynasty and utterly disgusted with the aristocratic clans...

Pushing open the door, he suddenly noticed two women huddled in the corner. He slapped his forehead, remembering that they were a gift from the generals of the Northern Army.

She was seventeen or eighteen years old, with a pretty face and a kind of charm from the water towns of Jiangnan.

Judging from the fact that their clothes were still on, they must not have been violated.

"Where are you from? Do you have any relatives?"

The two women clung to each other, their eyes wide with fear as they stared at Liu Daogui, like two wounded quails in a storm.

Liu Daogui knew what kind of people the Northern Army was from the very first day he entered the Conquering Army headquarters. In essence, they still retained the characteristics of the Northern Militia Army, burning, killing, raping, and looting, and were utterly depraved.

The women who fell into their hands suffered horrific tragedies.

These two women, because of their beauty, were taken by the generals, which prevented them from suffering such a tragic fate.

"Someone, bring in some food," Liu Daogui ordered to the outside.

"Take orders."

Before long, two jars of meat soup, a pot of rice, a plate of pickled leeks, and a plate of pickled turnips were brought in. This meal was quite luxurious, even better than Liu Daogui's usual meals.

"Eat up," Liu Daogui said gently.

The aroma of the food dispelled some of the fear in their eyes, and they ate cautiously.

One's eating posture can give a general idea of ​​their family background.

The two women moved slowly and gently, slurping their food, displaying a unique tenderness characteristic of women from the Wu region.

Liu Daogui watched silently until they had almost finished eating, then asked again, "What are your surnames? Where are you from?"

"My name is Shen Yuehan, and my cousin Shen Yuewei are from the Shen family of Wuxing. Because our uncle Shen Mufu was involved in the rebellion of the Celestial Masters, he was arrested by the government and the whole family was imprisoned. Only a few brothers escaped to the mountains..."

One of the older women said.

"The Shen family of Wuxing?"

This family had a particular grudge against the Sima family. The Sima family had just moved south when Wang Dun's rebellion broke out. Shen Chong from Wuxing recruited followers to join the rebellion and was appointed by Wang Dun as the Grand Commander, in charge of the military affairs of Eastern Wu.

Upon hearing the news, Emperor Ming of Jin specially sent his fellow townsman Shen Zhen to dissuade him, promising him the position of Minister of Works. However, Shen Chong refused to listen and led more than 10,000 troops northward at breakneck speed to join Wang Dun. After the defeat, Shen Chong was captured and killed, and his entire family became a family of criminals.

The "Shen Chong Wu Zhu" and "Shen Lang Qian" coins he minted are still hard currency today.

In the first year of the Longhe era (362), Murong Ke of the Former Yan led his army to attack Luoyang. Shen Chong's son, Shen Jin, recruited more than a thousand local militiamen to assist General Chen You in defending Luoyang. He repeatedly defeated Murong Ke's offensive with fewer troops. Later, he was appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Champion Army and General Yangwu by the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

For two years, the Jin dynasty held out in Luoyang without sending reinforcements or supplies, leaving Luoyang isolated and without support. Chen You retreated, but Shen Jin resolutely refused to retreat, leading five hundred troops to hold out for half a year until the city fell and he was killed.

Murong Ke was greatly surprised and regretful: "Now that Luoyang has been secured, killing Shen Jin is truly a disgrace to the world."

Even so, the Shen family was not given important positions by the Jin dynasty. When the Celestial Masters uprising broke out, many powerful families in Jiangzuo participated, and the Shen family was no exception.

The powerful clans of Jiangzuo were also a significant force in this great upheaval.

Otherwise, Sun En wouldn't have been able to create such a huge stir.

Liu Daogui said, "So you come from a distinguished family. How about I send someone to escort you back to your hometown?"

Shen Yuehan's expression darkened. "My family is already scattered. If I return to my hometown, I will still be captured by the rebel army one day. If the general truly pities this young woman, I am willing to serve him with a brush and a tile."

This woman is quite clever; the Celestial Masters sect has only retreated, and they will make a comeback sooner or later.

In chaotic times, women often met tragic ends, but following Liu Daogui at least guaranteed them a meal.

If they fell into the hands of the Northern Army soldiers, they would not be treated as human beings at all, especially women like them who were somewhat attractive.

"Alright." The two women were both very beautiful, and Liu Daogui was indeed somewhat tempted.

He then sent men to escort them back to the Liu family in Jingkou. Kuaiji was in chaos, and it would be inappropriate for a military camp to have women in it. As the commander-in-chief, he should set an example.

For several days in a row, Liu Laozhi did not show up again, and even Liu Jingxuan did not see him.

Liu Huaisu was busy all day long and could hardly be seen.

However, the imperial court's rewards were granted.

Xie Yan was appointed Prefect of Kuaiji and concurrently Military Governor of five commanderies, while Liu Laozhi was given the title of General of the Vanguard, which was nominal but not real.

Of the eight commanderies in the Three Wu regions, Xie Yan was in charge of seven, while Liu Laozhi was only in charge of the Wu commandery. The court's intentions were self-evident.

The Prefect of Kuaiji was actually the Governor of Kuaiji, and only the confidants of the Sima family could hold this position.

Sima Daozi was enfeoffed as the Prince of Langya when he was only ten years old, and he also took charge of the Kuaiji Kingdom. His fiefdom had a population of 59,140 households, which means that almost all the people of Kuaiji were servants of the Sima family.

Sima Yuanxian conscripted "musical servants," leaving his own hundreds of thousands of people untouched, and extended his reach to other powerful clans in the three Wu and eight prefectures.

It's no wonder that people rebelled.

Sun En did not attack other counties, but instead targeted Kuaiji County, which was a fatal blow to the Sima family. In the blink of an eye, more than 59,000 households were all labeled as "bandits"...

Gao Heng was appointed Left General and concurrently served as Prefect of Wei Commandery, stationed at Shitou. Gao Su was promoted to Prefect of Yinling, and Gao Ya was promoted to Chancellor of Guangling.

What Liu Daogui didn't expect was that Gao Xun also benefited from the promotion and was appointed as the Sima of Guangling.

The imperial court's promotion of the Gao family was clearly intended to cultivate a new force within the Northern Army to counter the Liu family of Pengcheng.

In other words, with internal and external troubles at present, Liu Laozhi is still useful, which is why things are at peace.

However, the Gao family was far inferior to the Liu family of Pengcheng in terms of prestige and ability. In particular, Liu Yu and Liu Daogui rose to fame in this battle, which made the Liu family of Pengcheng even more prestigious.

The Gao family's only advantage was their obedience. It was Gao Heng who persuaded Liu Laozhi to betray Wang Gong, thus gaining Sima Yuanxian's deep trust.

Liu Jingxuan was appointed as a military advisor and clerk under Sima Daozi. He was then summoned to Jiankang and became a hostage.

The troops of Sun Wuzhong, He Qian, and Liu Gui, who truly made contributions in this battle, were not mentioned at all.

Liu Yu and his brother Liu Daogui each rewarded him with one hundred strings of cash and ten bolts of silk, and verbally encouraged him to continue his efforts and make contributions to the court.

Liu Daogui had anticipated this. The imperial court had always been very wary of the Northern Army. As members of the Liu family of Pengcheng, the two brothers were also objects of suspicion by the court, so they could forget about getting promoted.

After hastily bestowing rewards, he ordered all troops to return to their respective garrisons, leaving only Xie Yan to guard Kuaiji.

(End of this chapter)