Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 198 Letter

Huan Hong's military order was hard to obtain, but Yuan He's official document was much easier to get.

Liu Daogui greeted them, then took the Sima seal himself and stamped it.

Yuan He smiled wryly, "Why don't you just take the seal with you and save yourself the trouble of running back and forth?"

"How can this be? Rules are rules. I wonder what insights Sima has on the current situation?" Since he was already there, Liu Daogui decided to ask for his advice.

With his uncle Xiao Yuanzhi resigning from his official post and returning to his hometown, and Gao Xun being transferred away by Xie Yan, Liu Daogui was now completely clueless about the current situation in Jiankang.

At this time, every move the imperial court makes will affect the development of the situation.

Knowing in advance allows you to be prepared.

The Yuan family has connections and influence in Jiankang, so Yuan He can't just take a ten percent of the salt profits without doing anything.

This one-tenth of the salt profits effectively tied the interests of Liu Daogui and Yuan He together.

"What else can we do? Five days ago, Huan Xuan raised an army to attack Yin Zhongkan in Jingzhou. Yin Zhongkan and Yang Quanqi joined forces and were stronger than the Huan family. The court believed that it would be a lose-lose situation and prepared to watch from the sidelines."

Yuan He stretched lazily, his face still bearing the marks of last night's hangover.

From a strategic perspective, Yin Zhongkan and Yang Quanqi held a significant advantage by occupying the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Moreover, the key fortresses in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River were all located within Jingzhou, which had been under their control since the Eastern Wu era.

Huan Xuan had fewer than 30,000 troops at his disposal.

Yang Quanqi had a poor reputation, but he was a veteran general with a distinguished reputation who fought many bloody battles against the northern barbarians. Huan Xuan, on the other hand, was only twenty-four years old and had not fought any major battles.

This battle looks like it will drag on for a long time.

After both sides suffered heavy losses, they posed no threat to Jiankang in the short term.

Even after the court has had a year or two to recuperate, it will be able to calmly deal with Huan Xuan.

"Then this is going to be interesting."

"Dao Ze's expedition this time is quite a big deal, so you must be careful." Yuan He said with a half-smile, as always, leaving his words unfinished.

Liu Daogui had anticipated that offending Xie Yan would attract the attention of the court, which is why he was unwilling to get involved in the power struggle between Huan Hong and Liu Yi.

At this time, one should keep a low profile and be patient.

"Thank you for the reminder, Sima."

“It’s alright, it’s alright. If your Liu family of Pengcheng prospers in the future, don’t forget to give my Yuan family a helping hand.” Yuan He’s eyes flashed.

Those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things clearly. He had many eyes and ears in the military government, and he knew Liu Daogui's actions better than anyone else.

This campaign to quell the rebellion in the south brought the two brothers great fame.

Judging from his words, he was clearly betting on the Liu family, which is a common tactic among the gentry.

With his assistance, Huan Hong and Liu Yi combined are no match for him in the Conquering Army headquarters.

Liu Daogui hadn't expected him to change so quickly...

The Sima family's great tree is about to fall, and the world is about to descend into chaos.

The rebellion in the Three Wu regions greatly diminished Sima Yuanxian's prestige. It also revealed that not all members of the gentry were incompetent; those with foresight were actively seeking new patrons or allies…

Yuan He knew a lot of things, but he never reported them up, making him more reliable than Huan Hong and Liu Yi.

Liu Daogui's mind raced, and his face was full of sincerity. "Sima is too kind. Since I joined the military government, I have received much care and assistance, and I will always remember it!"

Yuan He nodded knowingly, took a document from the table, and handed it to Liu Daogui.

"This is……"

Yuan He said, "This is a list of salt smugglers and their places of origin in Yandu. You might find it useful. Consider it a token of my Yuan family's goodwill." Liu Daogui was overjoyed. If he could obtain the list of salt smugglers, he would have control over the sales channels.

It doesn't matter who controls the salt fields in Yandu in the future; without these salt traders, the salt can't be sold!

This list has come at the perfect time.

If Liu Yi cannot bring enough benefits to Sima Yuanxian, then his value is gone, and if the salt from Yandu cannot be sold, the salt profits from Langya will increase significantly.

Yuan He remained silent, but secretly observed the development of the situation.

"Thank you!" Liu Daogui's chips increased by another point.

Upon returning to the government office, he immediately handed the list to Meng Guangzhi, instructing him to lead a team to investigate and confirm it.

Two days later, Liu Yi sent someone to invite Liu Daogui to meet and talk.

Liu Daogui remained oblivious, and his secret meeting with Liu Yi would cause unnecessary misunderstandings if it reached Huan Hong's ears.

Let them fight it out. Liu Daogui is just waiting for the money and people from Lanling to arrive, and then he will secretly integrate the military households.

However, Liu Yi was persistent and, unable to meet him, sent someone to deliver a letter.

"Will this guy ever stop?" Liu Daogui admired his shamelessness.

Ever since he joined forces with Dai Qizhi to deal with me, the true nature of the relationship between the two sides has been revealed, leaving no room for negotiation and making it impossible for them to join forces.

Despite the cursing, they still opened the letter.

The letter was much more respectful, starting with a barrage of flattery, almost praising Liu Yu and Liu Daogui as if they were Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, saying it greatly enhanced the Liu family's prestige and made him "share in the glory."

Then the tone shifted, saying that Huan Xuan had launched an attack on Jingzhou without the imperial edict, which was a rebellious act. His campaign was without just cause and was destined to fail, and he would soon be defeated and killed.

Huan Hong's position as General Who Conquers the Barbarians is also in jeopardy. If Liu Daogui is willing to lend him a hand and overthrow Huan Hong, then when he takes the position of General Who Conquers the Barbarians, he will definitely recommend Liu Daogui to Sima Yuanxian as the Governor of Qingzhou.

Finally, he praised Sima Yuanxian highly, saying that he was a genius and would surely revive the Jin Dynasty...

"This fellow really dares to recommend me as the governor of Qingzhou. I wonder if he has the ability to do so."

Liu Daogui couldn't help but laugh. The General Who Conquers the Barbarians was a high-ranking official of the third rank, wielding real power, while the Governor of Qingzhou was a nominal position, held in name only...

Sima Yuanxian was indeed capable, but his abilities lay more in internal strife than in governing the country.

The Jin dynasty is in such a sorry state, yet they still dream of a revival...

However, Liu Yi actually set his sights on Huan Hong's position as General Who Conquers the Barbarians, which really shows his audacity.

After reading the letter, Liu Huaizhen said, "It seems that Huan Hong and Liu Yi are irreconcilable enemies!"

"Sima Yuanxian promoted him to the position of secretary precisely to target Huan Hong. Huan Hong has long wanted to get rid of him, so I'll add fuel to the fire by delivering this letter to Huan Hong!"

Liu Huaizhen raised an eyebrow. "This is not the work of a gentleman. Moreover, the handwriting is crooked and has many smears. If we hand it in, Huan Hong may not believe it and may even become suspicious of us..."

Liu Yi sent a message and also took some measures.

Cao Cao used this tactic to sow discord between Han Sui and Ma Chao.

Zhong Hui wrote a false letter to sow discord between Quan Yi and Zhuge Dan, causing internal strife in Shouchun, and Quan Yi surrendered the city to Sima Zhao.

Liu Daogui carefully read through the letter and found that many key points were vague and scribbled over, which could easily lead to ambiguity. Huan Hong was also a person who was good at being suspicious, so sending this letter would only backfire.

"Damn it, Liu Yi is plotting against me. They're getting restless. We should remain still and adapt to any changes!"

If Liu Huaizhen hadn't reminded him, Liu Daogui would have almost fallen into the trap.

These schemes and tricks were not his forte, so he decided to be cautious and took a lamp and burned it.

(End of this chapter)