The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

Fei Ren paused for a moment and continued to read out the letter of persuasion:

I have heard that it is useless to use it repeatedly, but whether it is harmonious or not, the destiny has not changed, and everything has come true. It may be difficult to stabilize the country, or it may be difficult to enlighten the sage. Therefore, Qi suffered from the disaster of ignorance, and Xiaobai was the eldest of the five uncles; Jin suffered from the disaster of Li Ji, and Chong'er took charge of the alliance of the princes... May your Majesty retain the love of Shun and Yu, and be restrained by the chasm to resist correction. ; Take the country as the priority, and do not put small deeds first; take the head of Guizhou as a concern, and do not give in as a matter of priority; the captain's ancestral temple takes care of it, and shows the diligence of the whole world. It is said that prosperity is born from dry catkins, flesh is nourished from rotten bones, gods and men are safe, and there is no misfortune.

I heard that your honorable position cannot be empty for a long time, and all opportunities cannot be empty for a long time. If there is an empty day, the dignity of the throne will be in danger; if there is an open day, all the plans will be in chaos... The ministers and others are so dissatisfied with Fang Ren that they stay away from home for a long time. Looking south to Wangji.

Finally, there are the signatures of one hundred and eighty people including Liu Kun, Duan Pixi, Zu Ti, Shao Xu, Cao Yi... Liu Han, Duan Shefuchen, Duan Ji, Lu Juan, Murong Xuan and others.

After Fei Ren read the letter of persuasion from Liu Kun and other 180 people, he rolled up the letter and put it back on the desk. Fei Ren stood on the edge of the steps again, tears still filling his eyes. Sima Rui cheered up, looked at the civil and military personnel below, and said:"Liu Kun, Duan Pizhen and other one hundred and eighty people swore a blood oath and issued a proclamation against Hu. I am really grateful to tears. Apart from being grateful, I am deeply grateful. I felt guilty. Emperor Huai and Emperor Min successively appointed Gu to important positions. But Gu failed to expel the Hu people and regain the Central Plains. He still preferred to settle in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River. I really feel ashamed of all my beloved ministers. Liu Kun, Zu Ti and other beloved ministers Concerned about the country and the people, Liu Kun sent his left chief Shi and right Sima Wenqiao, and Duan Pizhen sent his left chief Shi Rongshao to come with him to Jiankang."

The civil and military ministers looked at the people standing in front of them in unison. Two people that most people didn't know. A person in the east said:"I am Wen Qiao, and my aunt is the wife of the governor Liu Kun. Before leaving, the governor said to me:"Although the national destiny of the Jin Dynasty has declined in recent years, the destiny has not changed. I will contact the generals, governors, and tribal leaders from all over Heshuo to establish a reputation for the Jin Dynasty. You go to Jiankang on our behalf, I hope you work hard for it!

Rong Shao on the other side said:"The Governor and Lord Duan have agreed to jointly attack Shi Le, the Jie man." Liu Kun's title of Grand Governor was recommended by my chief Duan Pixi and others. Oaths were made with blood, covenants were written with blood, and letters were written to show the feelings of family and country. The message has been sent to the leaders of various places, preparing to gather in Xiangguo. The Grand Governor and our lord are preparing to station in Gu'an, waiting for the leaders from all over the country to act together. But what is irritating is that Duan Mobo, my master's disciple, privately accepted the gold, silver, jewelry and beautiful women sent by Shi Le's people. This time the plan was over!"

"That's right. Wen Qiao continued:"The Governor and Lord Duan had no choice but to retreat.""

Since Wen Qiao loves Qing, I will immediately make Liu Kun the Shizhong and Taiwei, and his previous positions will remain unchanged. It seems that the important task of recovering the northern homeland will be placed on Liu Kun Aiqing. I only have a sword passed down from my ancestors. Please go back and give it to me as a gift to Liu Kun Aiqing."Sima Rui said. Fei Ren took the sword from the northeast corner door and handed it to Sima Rui, who in turn handed it to Fei Ren.

"Wen Qiao, the Grand Governor, thanks the Lord for His kindness! Wen Qiao took the sword from Fei Ren and said.

Sima Rui nodded to Fei Ren, and Fei Ren said:"Dismiss the dynasty!" Master Wang Dao, Master Zhou Wei, Master Diao Xie, Master Wang Cheng, Master He Xun, and Master Yu Liang stayed."

Sima Rui stood up and went out through the side door first. Fei Ren cupped his hands and said with a smile:"My lords, please come to King Jin's study room for tea. The spring tea paid tribute by the people in the south of the Yangtze River has arrived."

The six people came to the imperial study room. Sima Rui was already waiting at his seat. When he saw Director Wang and others coming, he stood up to greet them. The six people quickly knelt down and saluted, but Fei Ren stopped them:"You are all famous and respected people. Later, when I came to the imperial study, King Jin exempted me from the ceremony of kneeling down."

Six bamboo stools have been placed in the imperial study room, and Sima Rui said:"Everyone, please take a seat."

"The purpose of inviting six adults to come here is to reply to Liu Kun and others' persuasion to enter the book. Sima Rui said:"In the front, there are eighty-one of you's letters urging us to join, and in the back there are letters urging us to join, including Liu Kun, Duan Pixi, Murong Xin and other one hundred and eighty people." How should I reply?"

Wang Cheng said:"Since all the civil and military ministers from all over the world hope that His Highness will ascend the throne, it is best for Your Highness to stop having any worries. The hearts and minds of my ministers are ready. I hope Your Highness will not hesitate."

"The news of Emperor Min hasn't come yet, so it's better not to make decisions without authorization. Sima Rui said with some worry:"What if I ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor in the south of the Yangtze River, and Emperor Min is released by the Huns a few days later, what should I do?" How should ministers of civil and military affairs respond? Therefore, it is better to put aside the matter of ascending the throne now. Let's discuss first how to reply to Liu Kun and the others."

Director Wang and others had no choice but to nod in agreement and began to discuss how to respond to the letter of persuasion from Liu Kun and other 180 people. After some discussion, the following reply was finally formed.

Liu Kun, Duan Pixi... Murong Xin and others One hundred and eighty dear friends:

"The Xiongnu were like wolves and tigers, rampaging across the Central Plains wantonly; the north was not spared and overthrew the ancestral country; millions of people raised their heads, but woke up still disappointed. When I first ascended to the position of King Jin, I could not bear the great trust of the world. The only thing I wanted in my heart was to welcome the Holy One back. How can we arbitrarily ascend to a great position when we have wiped out the enemy and brought national humiliation? I have a sincere heart, and the gods of heaven, earth, sun, moon and gods can learn from it. You have been favored by the emperor for a long time and have been favored from generation to generation. He is a very human minister, caring about the country and the people, loyal and upright, honest and benevolent, and the world is moved. The most urgent task at the moment is to unite as one and work together to overcome the difficulties. Although the north and south are thousands of miles apart, they are still close to each other. Regardless of whether they are Han or Hu, they are all good people who support the Jin Dynasty. To appease the people of all ethnic groups, fight against the barbarians and bandits, and communicate with each other in a timely manner."

Sima Rui looked at it and nodded, feeling quite satisfied. Director Wang reminded Sima Rui and said:"Your Highness, I have a question.It’s better to think things through and be considerate in advance."

"The last one among one hundred and eighty people? Sima Rui smiled and said,"Murong Xin?""

Everyone present burst out laughing, and Yu Liang said:"Your Highness is extremely wise."

"I have already considered this matter. How about appointing Murong Xin as the commander-in-chief of Liao Zuo Zayi, refugees and military affairs, General Longxiang, Great Chanyu, and Duke Changli?!"Sima Rui said.

Dachicheng in the Liaodong region is the capital of the Murong tribe of Xianbei. After years of operation, Dachicheng has begun to take shape. Three north-south streets and three east-west streets make the entire city look like multiple wells. A combination of characters. Dajicheng also imitates the cities in the Central Plains region, with four city gates in the east, west, north and south. In Dajicheng City, there are more and more Central Plains style houses.

Different from the Central Plains region, here there are mountains and ridges. There are many ridges and mountains. Although the mountains are not very high, there are still some large or small tents scattered outside Jicheng for the convenience of living and nomadic life. Between the tents, woods, bamboo forests, and weeds can be seen everywhere. In other relatively flat places, some houses similar to those in the Central Plains region began to appear. Dacheng City is located on a large, relatively flat alluvial plain here.