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

Zhou Song is the younger brother of Zhou Wei. He has always been proud of his talents and has his own way of doing things. Seeing that Sima Rui's anger was still lingering, he had no choice but to kneel down and salute Sima Rui, then go home and prepare to leave Beijing for his new post.

More and more civil and military ministers came to the court. He Xun, Xue Jian, Wang Sui, Liu Chao, Kong Yu and dozens of others were all petitioning Sima Rui to succeed him and claim the title of emperor.

After paying homage to Sima Rui, He Xun shouted outside the palace:"Bring it in!"

Eight guards outside the palace carried in a brand new throne and placed it under the steps. Sima Rui looked a little unhappy when he saw it. He said to Han Ji, the general in the palace below:"General Han Ji, I order you to carry out this inappropriate throne!"

"Yes! As soon as Han Ji finished speaking, Ji Zhan shouted:"The emperor's throne corresponds to the stars in the sky. Anyone who dares to move it at will will be beheaded immediately!""

Ji Zhan, as a famous scholar in Jiangzuo and one of the"Five Talents" in Jiangnan, has always been daring. Ji Zhan's words stunned Han Ji, so they all knelt down and persuaded him to come in:"Your Highness, please succeed to the throne!""

"How can I, the king, not know how much you all love me? The barbarians rebelled, and the country was destroyed and the family was destroyed. It is my unshirkable duty to lead the court. Starting from today, I will first observe mourning for Emperor Min in Yilu for three days. On the tenth day of this month, three days later, the enthronement ceremony will be held!"Sima Rui said

"Long live our emperor! Long live! Long live!"Many of the civil and military ministers below were so excited that tears filled their eyes. Some high-fived each other to congratulate each other, and some were quietly wiping away tears.

Director Wang, Zhou Wei, Diao Xie, Dai Yuan, Yu Liang and other civil and military ministers were all busy. Some generals led their guards to defend the palace city, while others led soldiers to patrol Jiankang City. Many skilled craftsmen from the south of the Yangtze River were recruited to Yuancheng to participate in the reconstruction and expansion of the Jin Palace. On the ninth day of March, the three characters of the Jin Palace on the lintel The word"Taicheng" has been replaced by the word"Taicheng". The original hall was newly decorated and became the Tai Chi Hall where Sima Rui gave orders.

The tenth day of March was a very important day for Sima Rui and the Jiangnan court. The Tai Chi Hall in Miyagi City , Sima Rui's face was full of youth, wearing a dragon robe and a crown, sitting on the newly built throne, preparing to accept the worship of the civil and military ministers. Hundreds of civil and military officials stood on both sides, all wearing brand-new court uniforms, brand-new official hats, holding A prototype made of bamboo from the south of the Yangtze River. Sima Rui nodded towards Fei Ren, who announced loudly:"The enthronement ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince Jin begins now!"

"Congratulations to my emperor! Long live our emperor! Long live! Long live!"The civil servants respected Director Wang, and the military generals headed by Wang Dun all knelt down to pay homage. Sima Rui stood up with a smile on his face. He raised his hands in front of his chest and said:"My dear friends, no courtesy. Flat body! Please sit down!

Sima Rui continued:"It has been eleven years since I crossed south." Over the years, I and other royal families have been able to establish a firm foothold in Jiangnan, all of whom have contributed indispensably. However, among the civil and military ministers, brothers Wang Dao and Wang Dun are undoubtedly the most helpful to me. There has long been a rumor in the south of the Yangtze River that"the king and his horse share the world", and I do not shy away from this. Today is a happy day for me to ascend the throne. In order to thank the Langya Wang family for their immortal contributions, I plan to ask Master Maohong to come up, sit with me on the royal bed and share the world. Please invite Master Maohong to come to the palace!"

"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate and absolutely unacceptable! Director Wang quickly knelt down and refused. At this time, Zhou Yi came out of the class and said:"The Wang family of Langya has great achievements. Even though we know that they are not as good as anyone." However, since ancient times, there can only be one common master in the world, not two. Liu Cong, who was already self-reliant, actually had three queens standing side by side. As a result, both the harem and the court were in chaos. Your Majesty can give promotions to Wang Dao, Wang Dun and other lords, and the ministers will have no complaints and will be happy to see them.

Director Wang continued:"When the sun shines on the earth, all things are alive." If the sun is on an equal footing with all things in the world, how can it possibly shine down on all the people in the world!"

"Just Mr. Yimohong!"So Sima Rui stopped insisting. The civil and military ministers below all breathed a sigh of relief. When he first ascended the throne, there were many things to do. Sima Rui signaled Fei Ren to come to him, and then handed Fei Ren the first edict after he ascended the throne.. Fei Ren began to read out:

My emperor's edict said:

I have ascended the great treasure for the first time, and my responsibilities are as heavy as Mount Tai. I am grateful for the contributions of all ministers and the hardships of the people in the world. From now on, I will grant amnesty to the world. The name of the year will be changed to Taixing, and it will be Taixing. In the first year, all civil and military ministers were promoted to second-level titles. All those who have petitioned me to ascend the throne should receive special favor. Those who were originally officials were increased by one rank, and those who were originally civilians were promoted to official positions. The cumulative number of petitioners is There are more than 200,000 people, and the people's support can be used.

Sanqi often waits for Xiong Yuan to go out and say:"Your Majesty obeys the destiny and inherits the throne. The whole world is not the king's land, and the shores of the land are not the king's ministers." How can we only care about the depth of human relationships in the past! It is better to follow the precedent of the Han Dynasty and generally grant officials and titles to meritorious subjects. In this way, the emperor's grace is so great that it can not only save the complicated investigation of the subjects, but also block the fraud in the officialdom."

"My Jiangzuo court is no better than the Han Dynasty hundreds of years ago. Our dynasty only occupies the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as the Huaihe River and the Pearl River Basin, which is far from being comparable to the Han Dynasty. Even the territory of the previous dynasty is not comparable to that of our dynasty, which is located in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River. Sima Rui continued:"Since the barbarians from the north have invaded our territory, killed our people, and robbed our wealth, they have led to wars, chaos, devastation, and deprivation of life for the people." Much of the land in the north has been encroached and carved up by Huns, Jie, Qiang and other barbarian forces. Nowadays, our dynasty does not have strong troops and horses, but because of natural barriers such as the Huai River and the Yangtze River, it temporarily blocked the iron hoof of the Hu people from going south. Therefore, the top priority is to find ways to prevent the invasion of the barbarians. Only when the livestock and various industries in Jiangnan are prosperous can we have the strength to resist the barbarians."

"This is also my concern. In your opinion, what should we do now?!" Director Wang tested Sima Rui's thoughts. Sima Rui said:"I have just ascended the throne, although it has been eleven years since I traveled south. However, his prestige among Jiangnan officials and people is not very high, and his strength is also slightly insufficient. For a while, he will not become an emperor respected by all people. Therefore, in the future, I still have to rely on Mr. Shigehong to plan for me and win more and more support from the northern and southern nobles. Only in this way can I consolidate my throne. From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to Mr. Shigehiro and also to all of you!"

Sima Rui even choked up when he said this. Director Wang quickly said:"No matter what your Majesty said, this is what a minister should do, and it is his duty."

"Having said that, I know it well. Sima Rui said with some emotion:"To govern the country, make the country strong and the people prosperous, I cannot do without you, Wang Dao; I cannot do without Wang Dun to defend the territory and recover the land." You two cousins ​​are really the cornerstone of my country and my right-hand man! Master Mao Hong is my Guan Zhong, and I hope Wang Dun is my Le Yi!"