Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 246 Struggle

Not only Wang Yu's power was undermined, but also Liu Laozhi's, whose military power was also partially taken away.

Liu Daogui, the prefect of Pengcheng, came specifically because of Liu Laozhi.

Pengcheng was Liu Laozhi's base of operations, and the previous governor of Pengcheng was Liu Laozhi himself.

Sima Yuanxian's move was intended to intensify the conflict between Liu Laozhi and the brothers Liu Yu and Liu Daogui, in order to divide the Northern Army.

"Since there are no objections, let's discuss the next matter." Sima Yuanxian waved his hand, and several beautiful maids entered, carrying a golden tray with a document on it.

He swayed as he placed the official document on the table.

Before the others could even open it, Zhang Fashun stood up, cupped his hands and bowed to Sima Yuanxian, saying, “Recently, a unicorn appeared at Jiangshan, which is an auspicious sign. Furthermore, the defeat of the demon bandits is all thanks to the Crown Prince’s effective governance and proper use of personnel. Now that the Prince of Langya is in poor health, it would be better to transfer him to the title of Prince of Kuaiji.”

Sima Yuanxian is still the heir apparent of Langya, lacking official status.

Now that he holds great power, he is unwilling to be subordinate to others. Even if he is content with the status quo, his subordinates want to take a step forward.

His father, Sima Daozi, was a heavy drinker, known as the "Drunken Prime Minister," and had long since stopped attending to court affairs, living as if in seclusion.

"How can this be? Aren't you putting me in a dangerous situation?" Sima Yuanxian waved his hands repeatedly, but his eyes swept over everyone's faces.

Among those present were the Wang clan of Taiyuan, the Wang clan of Langya, the Xie clan of Chenjun, and the Yu clan of Yingchuan. Even Huan Qian was present; all the prominent families of Jiangzuo were there.

With their support, Sima Yuanxian obtained the title of Prince of Langya.

Of course, this was just a test.

The Prince of Langya held a prominent position in the Jin Dynasty. He was the Prince of Langya before Emperor Yuan of Jin, Sima Rui, moved south, and he was also the Prince of Langya before the second emperor of Jin, Sima Shao, ascended the throne.

Emperor Kang of Jin, Sima Yue, and Emperor Jianwen of Jin, Sima Yu, were both first Princes of Langya before ascending the throne as emperors.

"Your Highness is wise and brave, and governs the country well. The people of Jiangzuo rely on him for peace. He should be promoted to Prince of Langya and General of the Cavalry!" Wang Yu was most adept at changing his stance according to the wind.

Others, including Wang Mi, Xie Zhong, and Huan Qian, echoed, "The world cannot be without a crown prince for even a day. Now that auspicious omens have appeared, he should be promoted to the throne!"

"If the Crown Prince refuses, he will be abandoning the country and its people!"

A torrent of flattering words poured in, and Sima Yuanxian looked reluctant, saying, "Since you all think so highly of me, it would be impolite to refuse..."

Pingyang City.

"General Jianwei, Prefect of Pengcheng, from now on the Huai and Si rivers are ours!" Liu Zun grinned from ear to ear.

The imperial court was unusually generous, granting them all substantive official positions.

The position of Prefect of Pengcheng was particularly crucial, as the core of the entire Huai and Si region was located in Pengcheng. When northern refugees migrated south, this place was the first to be affected, with a population of no less than 100,000.

Pengcheng is also the largest city in northern Huaibei.

Liu Daogui was overjoyed, but Dai Qizhi cupped his hands and said, "General, you must not accept the position of Prefect of Pengcheng. You should decline it and report it to Governor Liu!"

Liu Zun immediately exploded upon hearing this, "Why? Pengcheng doesn't belong to Liu Laozhi!"

Liu Daogui's heart stirred. Although he was not very good at intrigue and could not compare with Dai Qizhi in this respect, he still knew the court's intentions.

This is clearly stirring up trouble; Pengcheng has always been Liu Laozhi's base of operations.

In the ninth year of the Taiyuan era (384), Liu Laozhi followed Xie Xuan on a northern expedition, captured Qiao County, and sent his trusted subordinate Dai Bao to lead troops to garrison it. He was subsequently promoted to General of the Dragon Cavalry and Prefect of Pengcheng.

We have been operating here for over ten years.

Although Liu Laozhi is no longer the governor of Pengcheng, his influence remains.

“You’re right. We, the Liu family of Pengcheng, cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves. Write two memorials, one for Jiankang and one for Liu Laozhi.” Liu Daogui readily accepted the advice.

There's really no need to argue. Liu Laozhi has been guarding Jingkou for many years, and now he's even further away in Shanyin.

With the imperial edict in place, Pengcheng cannot escape.

After the Battle of Sishui, Pengcheng had already submitted to our side.

However, we can't be so rude. We should take a step back and first give Liu Laozhi a heads-up.

It is because he does not contend that no one in the world can contend with him!
"What's ours will stay with us, and what's not ours, there's no point in arguing about it!"

"General, you are wise!" Dai Qizhi's small eyes darted around.

Liu Laozhi has repeatedly gone astray, incurring the jealousy of powerful clans and becoming increasingly alienated from the generals of the Northern Army. It is questionable how long he can remain in his position as the Governor of the Northern Army.

The two memorials were written with humble language and excellent writing skills, praising Liu Laozhi to the skies and implying that they were written to defend him.

In any case, this great victory and the recovery of lost territory are entirely due to the wisdom of the imperial court and the support of Liu Laozhi. Liu Daogui was just fortunate to be there. In these turbulent times, the Northern Army should work together with the imperial court to overcome the difficulties.

"With your talent, it's truly a shame that the court has been so blind to your abilities for so many years, yet you've remained a lowly official." Liu Daogui exclaimed in admiration after reviewing the document several times.

If Dai Qi had focused his mind on the right things, he would have been an excellent official. However, the current situation does not allow for those who are truly dedicated to their work.

"I come from a poor family in Jiangzuo and have never been noticed by the court. I have been running around for many years, but my situation has only gotten worse. Fortunately, I met you, General, and now I have a chance to use my talents."

Dai Qizhi also looked quite emotional.

A few days later, the news from Jiankang was quite remarkable.

Sima Yuanxian stripped Sima Daozi of his title of Prince of Langya and instead enfeoffed him as Prince of Kuaiji. Not only did he inherit the title of Prince of Langya, but he also bestowed upon himself the titles of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Attendant-in-Ordinary, General of the Rear, and Grand Master of the Three Excellencies, along with twenty yellow battle-axes and ceremonial swords...

This is the typical path of a powerful minister. The Sima family has been advocating for governing the country through filial piety for so many years, and indeed, the fathers were kind and the sons were filial.

However, these were all the Sima family's messy affairs, and Sima Shangzhi, Sima Rouzhi, Sima Xiuzhi, and others didn't take them seriously, so outsiders naturally wouldn't interfere.

Liu Daogui devoted all his attention to the new army.

Liu Zhong raised the name of Liu Daogui in Pengcheng and recruited three thousand people in three days. They were not only members of the Liu clan, but also powerful families in Pengcheng such as Tan, Xu, and Zhao, as well as many refugees who took the initiative to join him.

If Gao Xun hadn't been so selective, bringing back 10,000 people wouldn't have been a problem.

The three thousand men he brought back were all tall and strong, and many of them even brought their own armor, weapons, and warhorses.

The powerful clans on the borderlands were not entirely a bad thing; to some extent, they stabilized the region and were also a core force in resisting the nomadic tribes.

With the addition of these men, Liu Daogui's cavalry force grew to 1,200 men.

The navy expanded to 1,800 men, and the infantry reached a scale of 5,000, including 1,500 armored soldiers.

Liu Daogui suddenly felt that his army was strong and well-equipped.

However, with more troops came a greater burden, as it was not easy to support so many people.

In the past, Liu Daogui would never have dared to expand his army like this, but now that he has taken over the fertile land west and north of the Si River, feeding them shouldn't be a problem.

They also indirectly control two major salt-producing areas, which is one of their sources of confidence.

It was still late autumn when Wang Yuande and Liu Zhong led the slaves to build irrigation canals, level the land, and plant some winter wheat as a way to prepare for next year's spring planting.

During the Cao Wei period, Deng Ai wrote "On Crossing the River," which called for the excavation of canals to divert water for irrigation, the stockpiling of military provisions, and the opening of waterways for grain transport. Twenty thousand soldiers were stationed in Huaibei and thirty thousand in Huainan, with two-tenths of them taking turns to rest. Military camps were set up every five li, with sixty men in each camp, who both cultivated the land and guarded the frontier.

This united Huainan and Huaibei into one, and the Eastern Wu's repeated northern expeditions all ended in failure.

Among the Three Kingdoms, Cao Wei was the strongest, thanks to Deng Ai's land reclamation in Huaibei.

The most fertile land in Huaibei is naturally the Sishui area. Although the fields are barren, the overall outline is still there, and the canal system relying on Sishui is still there.

With just a little repair, it can be put into use.

During the day, Liu Daogui trained the new army and promoted meritorious soldiers. At night, he also planned the defense of the garrison and surrounding areas, keeping himself extremely busy.

I sleep less than three hours a day, yet I'm full of energy.

The slaves were also changed to eight units, each with three thousand people, and were divided into four places: Rencheng, Gaoping, Xiaqiu, and Yuancheng, according to their banners.

Lanling and Lu County were almost fully developed, so there was no point in leaving so many people behind. Liu Daogui left one building for each of them, and moved the other six buildings to the north and east of Sishui, where they would be used for both garrisoning and defense.

To encourage their enthusiasm, each household was allowed to occupy 100 mu of land, with a tax rate of one-fifteenth of the land's area.

With so many slaves, there's enough to feed the entire army.

After taking over Sishui, their living space expanded significantly, and farmland was no longer a problem. They no longer had to rack their brains to worry about making a living as before.

Liu Daogui disliked extravagance and had little interest in wealth. He was frugal from a young age, disliked large-scale construction projects, and had no strange hobbies. Therefore, he did not accumulate private property, and all the money and grain he obtained were used for his soldiers.

The soldiers and the people had discerning eyes. Liu Daogui was diligent and selfless, and they worked hard without complaint.

The banks of the Sishui River are brimming with vitality.

Amidst the busyness, Liu Huaizhen arrived again, but this time he brought tens of thousands of troops, all of whom were military households from Sheyangbei and families of the Zhenglu Central Army.

Ship after ship arrived, using both Cao Ji's merchant ships and Li Damu's ocean-going vessels.

"What happened?" Every time Liu Daogui saw his face, he felt that nothing good had happened.

“Wang Yu, the governor of Xuzhou, took back the land of the military households under the pretext of resisting the evil bandits, and even wanted to take the military households as servants. Gao Yazhi, Wen Xiang and others helped him do evil. Yuan He was protecting himself and had no time to care about others. I was weak and alone. After thinking it over, I decided to lead the military households and their families north.”

It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature.

Liu Daogui was speechless that Wang Yu, who had just taken office as the governor of Xuzhou, had already begun to annex land and people so quickly.

However, they are like rabbits whose tails don't grow long.

Anyone with eyes to see can see that the Jin dynasty is terminally ill and a major upheaval is imminent. Wang Yu, who is allied with the Sima family, will be purged sooner or later.

By doing this, he actually helped Liu Daogui.

"You've come at the perfect time, I'm short-handed!"

Now he has become the Prefect of Pengcheng and General Jianwei, and has left the Zheng Lu Army Headquarters.

With the demon bandits eyeing both banks of the Yangtze River, it's a good thing that the military households are heading north. If they clash with Wang Yu, it will only attract the demon bandit army.

Now, his only remaining power in Guangling is the force of Zhao Lun in Yandu City.

He has the support of salt smugglers, so Wang Yu can't touch him.

"Guangling is gone just like that? What about my five concubines...?" Liu Zun was filled with resentment.

"They ran away." Liu Huaizhen only said two words.

Liu Daogui laughed and said, "How dare you say that? Aren't all your women promiscuous women from the entertainment district? When disaster strikes, they all flee for their lives. No one else is willing to follow you north to live a hard life."

(End of this chapter)