Chaos in the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Chapter 84

Sima Yu was the first to speak: "General Guan, I invite you to discuss the recruitment of the Beifu Army today. The Empress Dowager has passed down an order, and you need to go to Jingkou alone."

Guan Ziyang was shocked, and thought: "Yesterday, the Empress Dowager meant that the military officers from the Beifu went with her. Why did she become alone overnight?"

"Besides, this Jingkou is the territory of the Xi clan, and now that Xi Tan is not present, the few of them can discuss a solution!"

So he asked: "Prime Minister, I'm going alone, I'm afraid..."

The queen mother interrupted Guan Ziyang: "General Guan, don't panic, Wang Shangshu, please explain the joints to General Guan carefully."

The 80-year-old Wang Zheng replied: "I obey the order."

……

"When you go to Jingkou this time, you don't need to rush to recruit troops. You just need to establish a relationship with the local refugee commander and Wubao forces and gain trust."

"As for the conscription to form the Beifu Army, there is no rush for now."

Guan Ziyang asked: "I don't know what capacity I am going to Jingkou?"

Wang Zheng saw his worry: "Don't worry, the imperial court is imperative to form the Beifu Army, but the time is not ripe yet, the Empress Dowager has already asked Xi Tan to take care of you in Jingkou."

"Ah this!"

"For a long time, this Beifu army has not written off its horoscope, so I will get myself a big governor first. I need to go to the conscription, not to mention, I can't just recruit, I have to run around first..." Guan Ziyang thought.

But after thinking about it, the Beifu Army in history was originally established by Xie Xuan in 377, and this was just an arrangement of the imperial court many years in advance.

It is said to be formed, but it is nothing more than rebuilding Xijian's refugee army and making it official.

Otherwise, how could it be possible for Xie Xuan to establish a master of tigers and wolves who can control the Eastern Jin Dynasty and even the world in a short period of time.

Seeing Guan Ziyang's embarrassment, Empress Dowager Chu spoke to comfort her, "Captain Guan, do you know how much pressure the Ai family needs to bear to appoint you as a first-rank governor?"

Guan Ziyang quickly replied: "The Empress Dowager's kindness, I will never forget it, but I am just worried that this Jingkou area has been the territory of the Xi clan since Dazai Xijian..."

As early as the first year of Yongchang in 322, Xi Jian led the refugees to go south and stationed in the Jianghuai area north of the Yangtze River. At that time, the Guangling area in Jingkou was still wasteland.

Over the next few decades, a continuous and scattered number of refugees from the north went south, and Xi Jian was resettled in fields and houses, and registered and included in the household registration. Therefore, Xi Jian's reputation among the refugees is extremely high.

After Xi Jian's death, except for his nephew and descendants, the local refugee commanders refused to accept anyone. Therefore, although the imperial court regards Xun Xian as the governor of Xuzhou, it still regards Xi Tan as its commander.

In the Guangling area of ​​Jingkou, it is difficult for people other than the Xi family to take root in Jingkou, and the members of the Xi family always have real power and dominate in Jingkou regardless of their name.

And the most important thing is that Xi's implementation of the 'retreat' policy!
That is to say, it will neither participate in the dispute between Huanwen and the imperial court, nor participate in the Northern Expedition, but it will guarantee the safety of Jiankang.

This is the so-called 'retreat'.

Chu Suanzi smiled and said: "You don't have to worry about this matter. You just need to break into the refugees and establish relationships with the commanders of the refugees. I have passed on the decree and appointed you as the censor inspector to inspect Xuzhou and Yanzhou. Big and small officials."

Guan Ziyang understood in his heart: "No wonder Xi Tan is not here, this is to send me to his lair to snatch people behind his back..."

"However, it's only been 352 years, and the souls of the Beifu army, Pengcheng Liu Laozhi and Liu Yu, probably haven't been born yet..."

Guan Ziyang was afraid that once he went to Jingkou, he might not be able to return for two or three years, so he hurriedly asked, "When will I leave for Jingkou?"

Sima Yu smiled: "General Guan, don't worry, this matter is very important. Although you are famous now, you have no merits. Your reputation is not enough. The imperial court still needs to pave the way for you, and you will be notified when the time comes."

"I have something to report." Guan Ziyang said to Chu Suanzi.

Chu Suanzi said, "But it's okay to talk about it."

"My family is in Fuling. Now Xiao Jingwen is in rebellion, and the land of Shu is not very peaceful. I would like to go to Zitong County to arrest Xiao Jingwen."

Chu Suanzi didn't reply, but looked at Sima Yu, Wang Zheng and the others.

Sima Yu said: "Empress Dowager, I think that General Guan is worried about the military disaster at home. It's only human to have this idea, but if he wants to enter Shu, he needs the nod of Chief Sima Huanwen."

"Xiao Jingwen's influence has been entrenched in Zitong County for many years, causing disasters to Shu, but Da Sima has only been besieged by Sima Xun, the governor of Liangzhou, and Zhou Fu, the governor of Yizhou. If he is willing to send troops, Xiao Jingwen has already been wiped out."

Only then did Guan Ziyang know that the reason why Xiao Jingwen was not destroyed was simply because Huan Wen was unwilling to send troops.

Empress Dowager Chu said: "General Guan, you just have to be your censor inspector. The Ai family has their own decision about Xiao Jingwen."

Guan Ziyang wanted to exterminate Xiao Jingwen before he went to Jingkou, but Sima Yu suspected that he was dissatisfied with the position of 'censor inspector'.

So he said again: "General Guan, this censor inspector is only a sixth-rank official. Before the establishment of the Beifu Army, your post of chief inspector was just a vacant post. The Queen Mother made you an official with good intentions, do you know that? "

"The boy is not a brainless person, please rest assured, the queen mother and the prime minister."

Seeing that Guan Ziyang was not dissatisfied, Queen Mother Chu and Sima Yu nodded.

For a son of a common clan to become the governor, a first-rank official position, which of the noble clans in the world can agree to it?The Eastern Jin Dynasty was originally an era of aristocratic politics, and imperial power was under the aristocratic clan.

That's why Chu Suanzi negotiated with Sima Yu and others to make Guan Ziyang a sixth-rank official first, and his title of governor is just a false title, so that the imperial court will face much less impact from the gentry.

In the end, Yu Xi, the attendant, explained some things about Yushitai, and led Guan Ziyang out of Xianyang Palace.

Yushitai is also the supervisory organ of the imperial court, but the Yushi inspector is just a small official of Yushitai. He has six Yushi envoys, two Yushi Zhongcheng, and one Yushi doctor.

And the imperial censor is exactly Xi Yin.

The imperial envoy doctor is only idle, and most of the affairs of Yushitai are done by Yushi Zhongcheng. Although Xi Yin lives in Jiankang, he often travels to and from the Jingkou family.

Yu Xi took Guan Ziyang to get his official uniform and hat, and sent him out of the palace.

"General Guan, the empress dowager and the prime minister value you so much, I don't know what you are capable of. When you get to Jingkou, you have to be careful. I heard that there is a lot of chaos there, but it's no better than Jiankang."

Hearing Yu Xi's eccentricity, Guan Ziyang didn't take it seriously. In history, Yu Xi was loyal to the imperial court, but his ability was not good enough.

In 362, as the governor of Xuyan Erzhou, he guarded Xiapi, and was dismissed from office by Yan Murongli before the defeat.

In 371, Huan Wen deposed Emperor Sima Yi, and Yu Xi launched an army to attack Huan Wen in Jingkou. As a result, Jingkou was breached within a few days and was killed by Huan Wen.

Guan Ziyang said: "Has the servant ever been to Jingkou?"

Yu Xi was taken aback: "I haven't been there."

Guan Ziyang smiled: "I hope you will not go to Jingkou in the future."

Yu Xizheng was puzzled, but Guan Ziyang had strode out of Nanye Gate in a flash.

Guan Ziyang left Xianyang Palace and rushed straight to Zijin Bieyuan.

Xie Yi and Xie An are both in the other courtyard.

Guan Ziyang told the two of today's events.

Xie An said: "The imperial court has secretly prepared for this matter for three years. To be honest, I was the one who came up with this plan."

Three years ago, Huan Wen destroyed Cheng Han, and the government and the public were shaken. Prime Minister Sima Yu and Wang Shangshu turned to Xie An for help, and they came up with this plan.

That is to train a talent of the common people and incorporate the refugee army.

Guan Ziyang only knew that as a 'chess piece', in the final analysis, the chess player was actually Xie An!
"Mr. An Shi, what does the prime minister mean when he said that the imperial court will pave the way for me?"

"In Jingkou and Guangling, most of the exile commanders only recognize members of the Xi family. If you go there to recruit soldiers, it will more or less touch the interests of the Xi family. Now the two brothers, Xi Yin and Xi Tan, have no objection on the surface. , but do you remember the story of Wang Xianzhi in Zhong Shan's Gathering?"

Guan Ziyang suddenly realized that this Xi Yin and Xi Tan also had a younger sister named Xi Yun, who was Wang Xizhi's wife.

The Gaoping Xi family and the Langya Wang family have always been in the same spirit.

"So it's the people from the Xi family who don't want me to go to Jingkou? That's why Wang Xianzhi took the opportunity to kill me during the competition?"

Xie An nodded, and took a sip of tea: "It's not appropriate to delve into it at this time, just wait for the right time..."

Xie Yi said: "It will probably take a month or two for you to go to Jingkou. During this time, you can just walk around in Jiankang, get acquainted with officials, and build up your reputation."

I am a commoner, and once entered the court as an official, I have a heavy responsibility, and I know very little about being an official. Xie Yi's suggestion is very necessary.

"Well, what General Xie said is very true."

Xie Yi said again: "My third younger brother has just entered Jiankang, and many friends will come to visit, so you live in another courtyard, with hundreds of cultural relics officials, most of them can be seen."

"That's easy, the boy will take advantage of Mr. Anshi's reputation and disturb him."

(End of this chapter)