Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 335 Promotion

"Are you the grandson of Wang Meng?" Meng Chang suddenly interjected.

"So he's a descendant of a famous prime minister!" Liu Daogui couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. Fu Jian's Di Qin was essentially built by Wang Meng. Wang Meng poured his heart and soul into it, and after his death, the once-powerful Di Qin declined rapidly.

Fu Jian ignored Wang Meng's dying words and launched a southern expedition, causing the Di-Qin state to collapse.

Of course, Fu Jian had the courage to use Wang Meng and was a wise ruler, but his shortcomings were also very obvious.

Wang Zhen'e's defection with his naval forces at this time was like sending charcoal in snowy weather, which also shows that he had good judgment. Bringing his naval forces would surely make him important.

Wang Zhen'e looked ashamed, "I have failed my ancestors and have lived a mediocre life to this day."

"How about you first serve as Jianwei Military Advisor, General?" Liu Daogui probed his character.

Although the position of Jianwei Military Advisor is not considered a high-ranking post, it allows one to participate in military decision-making. Newcomers are often promoted directly to important positions such as Prefect or General, which may cause resentment among others.

Several prefects under his command, including Liu Guangzhi, Gao Xun, Mao Dezhu, and Wang Yuande, were all longtime followers with outstanding military achievements.

Now that Jiankang has been captured and the matter is settled, General Jianwei is no longer worthy of being the governor of four prefectures and the prefect of Yanzhou, and will inevitably be promoted.

Others can also benefit from this.

"Thank you, Governor!" Wang Zhen'e said calmly, though a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

"We'll hold a banquet back in the city to welcome Military Advisor Wang and all the brothers from the Western Prefecture." Liu Daogui nodded to himself. This man was indeed very calm and intelligent.

As for the navy he brought, according to custom, it was first placed under his command, but after the pacification of Huan Chu, military reforms were implemented.

It's too ugly to swallow up other people's followers right away. If you do this, no one will dare to come and join you in the future.

Soldiers in this era were all personal dependents; they were practically the private property of their generals.

However, the other generals did not look at Wang Zhen'e with friendly eyes.

The Western and Northern regions have been locked in a standoff for so many years, and regional divisions and discrimination cannot be bridged in the short term. However, as long as there is a common goal of a Northern Expedition, the problem will not be too big.

Upon returning to the city, Liu Daogui hosted a grand banquet.

There aren't many formalities in the military; large portions of meat, fish, and strong liquor are piled up on long tables.

Liu Daogui specifically instructed Liu Zhong to cultivate good relationships with them, and the atmosphere among the soldiers quickly warmed up. They were all men of war and didn't have many other thoughts.

More than a decade ago, they even participated together in the Battle of Fei River, which helped to recover the Central Plains.

They were essentially people from various northern states.

However, there was still some tension among the generals. Liu Daogui knew what they were thinking. Wang Zhen'e was different from the other generals. He surrendered with his navy and warships, forming his own faction. He would definitely be given important positions, which would encroach on the interests of others.

In the past, when we were just having small skirmishes in Lanling, we all worked together as one and stood united against outsiders.

As the profits grow larger, people's desires begin to stir; this is human nature, and it has been so throughout history.

As various forces join in the future, internal power struggles and infighting will increase.

Fortunately, Wang Zhen'e was a reasonable person, and he took the initiative to toast Liu Zun, Liu Zhong and other generals, which gradually eased the atmosphere.

The banquet lasted until dawn.

Two days later, news came from Jiankang that Liu Yu, in alliance with Wang Mi, had seized control of the court and installed Sima Zun as Grand General and Grand Protector, in charge of all state affairs.

Wang Mi transformed himself from Huan Chu's Minister of Works and Director of the Imperial Secretariat into the Registrar of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yangzhou.

Liu Yu was appointed General of the Army and Governor of Xuzhou, with the authority to oversee the military affairs of eight prefectures: Yang, Xu, Jiang, Jing, Yong, Liang, Guang, and Jiao.

Liu Daogui was promoted to General of the Army, holding the imperial insignia, and was appointed as the military commander of the six prefectures of Ji, Bing, Qing, You, Yu, and Yan.

He Wuji, who participated in the uprising, was promoted to General of the State, Liu Yi was promoted to General of the Dragon Cavalry and Governor of Yuzhou, and was stationed in Liyang. Meng Chang was appointed General of Jianwu, Governor of Danyang, and concurrently served as Minister of Personnel.

He Wuji was promoted to General of the Champion Army, Prefect of Langya, and Governor of Jiangzhou. The elite troops of Sima Daozi and his son Sima Yuanxian, formerly the Prince of Langya, all came under his command.

Tan Pingzhi was appointed General Ningyuan and Governor of Qingzhou.

Liu Huaisu was appointed General Who Conquers the Barbarians and was stationed in Guangling.

Liu Fan, Zhuge Changmin, and Wei Yongzhi were respectively appointed as Zhenwu General, Yangwei General, and Ningshuo General.

This distribution of fiefdoms essentially defined the spheres of influence of the various generals.

The area north and west of the Huai River belonged to Liu Daogui's sphere of influence, Jiangzuo belonged to Liu Yu, Nanyuzhou belonged to Liu Yi, and Jiangzhou belonged to He Wuji.

These are not the most important things. What is important is the power to hold the imperial insignia, which means having the power of life and death over the officials of the six prefectures of Ji, Bing, Qing, You, Yu, and Yan.

Liu Daogui was able to truly seize power.

As for Liu Yi's position as governor of Yuzhou, it actually only covered the three prefectures of Lujiang, Ruyin, and Huainan.

Among them, Ruyin and Huainan were prefectures established in Wuhu, Jiangnan, which were essentially one county.

He Wuji's position as governor of Jiangzhou is still in Huan Chu's hands and is not a real post. Tan Pingzhi's position as governor of Qingzhou is also nominal, but since he is one of their own, it doesn't matter how he is appointed.

Liu Yi and Meng Chang were credited with killing Huan Hong and capturing Guangling, while He Wuji and Tan Pingzhi were credited with defending Jingkou. Their rewards were well-deserved.

In fact, there are many shady dealings behind these rewards.

Sima Zun's decision to give the old Langya Prince's Mansion to He Wuji was clearly an attempt to help him rise in status.

He Wuji was once the Lieutenant of Donghai State and General Guangwu under Sima Yuanxian. He received great favors from the King of Langya and his son. Among the generals who rose up against Chu, he was the one with the most outstanding achievements besides Liu Yu and Liu Daogui.

Together with Liu Huaisu and Tan Pingzhi, he relied on several hundred soldiers and able-bodied men from Jingkou to first repel the fierce attack of Huan Chu's general Huangfu Fu's 20,000-strong army, and later to withstand the siege of Diao Kui and Wang Yu. Moreover, he came from the He clan of Donghai, had served as a professor at the Imperial Academy, and was skilled in both literature and military affairs, which was exactly what the aristocratic families wanted.

However, Liu Yu also left many hidden tricks.

The General Who Conquers the Barbarians was assigned to Liu Huaisu, which meant that he had secured Guangling. The addition of the word "leader" to Wang Mi's title of Governor of Yangzhou reveals the deeper meaning: the real person in control behind the scenes was still Liu Yu.

Liu Yu's position as governor of Xuzhou was in effect equivalent to that of the Northern Army Commander, giving him control over the Northern Army's military power.

The Commander-in-Chief and the General Who Pacifies the Army were not ordinary generals.

The title of Commander-in-Chief was first created by Emperor Wu of Wei during his tenure as Chancellor. At that time, Shi Huan served as Commander-in-Chief, and together with the Protector-General, he was in charge of the Imperial Guard system.

After Cao Pi became emperor, he changed the title of "Lingjun" to "Lingjun Jiangjun" and clarified his authority to command the five schools, the central fortress, and the three guard battalions.

Later, Sima Shi took power as the Commander of the Central Army, and the position of the General of the Army was reduced. He was replaced by the General of the Army, a second-rank official. Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, and Sima Yan successively held this position at the end of the Wei Dynasty and took control of the government.

However, during Sima Zhao's tenure, the word "great" was added, making him the Grand General of the Army.

In short, these appointments took into account the interests of everyone and left no one with anything to say.

There are also many unusual political implications.

Huan Xuan was driven out by Liu Daogui and Liu Yu. He fought bloody battles and experienced life-and-death dangers. In terms of military achievements, reputation and strength, he should rightfully stand at the pinnacle of power.

The only thing that Liu Daogui was somewhat dissatisfied with was that Sima Zun was still promoted to the position of Grand General.

However, being recommended by Liu Yu and being recommended by Liu Yi and Meng Chang are two different things. The military power of the court was in Liu Yu's hands, and Sima Zun was just a puppet.

In the current situation, the Sima family needs to step up.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to unite various forces to deal with Huan Chu.

Even after Huan Xuan usurped the throne, the Jin dynasty remained the legitimate dynasty in the hearts of the people. Even within the Northern Army, many people held this view. The inertia of more than a hundred years had already taken root in people's hearts and could not be changed in a short period of time.

If it could be changed, Huan Wen would have taken action long ago...

Liu Daogui immediately submitted a memorial requesting titles for his generals and officers.

Even if you're eating meat, you should let others have a sip of the soup too.

The Jin dynasty is finished, Huan Xuan is gone, and it's time to restore the normal official system.

No sooner had the memorial been sent than Jiankang dispatched someone, it was Liu Huaisu again, who said, "Xuzhou is divided into north and south, Pengcheng will be under the command of the General of the Army, and Guangling will be under my jurisdiction. What do you think, Agui?"

Northern Xuzhou was located in Pengcheng, while Southern Xuzhou was located in Guangling, which was also the seat of the Northern Prefecture.

Although Jingkou was famous, it was only a small town, while Guangling City was the seat of a prefecture. It was a large and populous place, so the Southern Xuzhou, Southern Qingzhou, and Southern Yanzhou were all located in Guangling.

"Why say such things among brothers? Congratulations on taking over the Conquest Army!" Liu Daogui certainly wouldn't hold a grudge over such a trivial matter.

Liu Daogui understood Liu Yu's arrangement perfectly; Liu Yu would take charge of internal affairs while he would handle external matters.

This avoided a situation where two tigers cannot share the same mountain.

The brotherhood is one thing, but the people under their command are not brothers; they have their own interests and demands.

Liu Yu's consolidation of power did not bring him peace; numerous hidden dangers and challenges loomed ahead. To the west lay Huan Chu, to the south bandits, to the court powerful clans, and to the internal Northern Army, various factions created a complex and multifaceted situation.

In this era where people judge heroes by their family background and birth, someone from a humble background who rises to power without great talent and ambition simply cannot manage such a large-scale event.

In comparison, the situation to the north was much easier; they only had to deal with the Hu people and could preserve their strength.

Of course, Liu Yu also needed to rely on Liu Daogui's influence to suppress various internal forces, and the two brothers complemented each other.

"I'm relieved to hear that, A-Gui." A smile appeared on Liu Huaisu's face, and even his form of address changed. "Ji Nu wants you to lead the army into Jiankang to bolster your forces, and then pursue Huan Xuan!"

"There's no time to lose, I'll lead my troops there right away!" Liu Daogui said happily.

On the other hand, he didn't want to embarrass Liu Huaisu, since Guangling was now his territory.

Liu Daogui left the 4,000 troops of the Zhenglu Army to Liu Huaisu, and gathered 30,000 troops to prepare to cross the river.

Upon arriving at the port, the people of Guangling City spontaneously followed.

Someone in the crowd cried out, "Is the governor going to abandon us?"

Men, women, and children all wore worried expressions.

Although he failed to retain the Xifu navy, Liu Daogui still kept his promise and allocated sixty mu of land to each of the able-bodied men who went ashore, all of which came from Sima Zun's fiefdom.

Each person was also rewarded with a bushel of grain.

For the people who had long suffered from the ravages of war and the threat of famine, Liu Daogui was like a second parent.

Now that they have to leave, they are naturally reluctant.

Liu Daogui, holding Liu Huaisu's hand, said loudly, "This is my cousin. His talent is no less than mine. He will certainly not let down our elders and fellow villagers. You should all support him as you support me!"

Upon hearing that he was Liu Daogui's cousin, the people's sorrow turned to joy.

Liu Daogui boarded the ship and waved to Liu Huaisu and the people on the shore, saying, "Take care, everyone."

"Take care, Commander!"

Shouts erupted from the shore, and the crowd stood watching, lingering for a long time.

(End of this chapter)