"This year's grain supply is pitifully small." On the banks of the Bian River, a group of richly dressed scholars were outing and said when they saw the few canal boats.
There are three leading scholars, namely Sima Que, King of Xincai, Sima Bi, King of Donghai, and Sima Li, who finally became King Fanyang after a lot of struggles.
These three people are actually cousins.
Sima Chue was the son of Sima Teng, Sima Pi was the son of Sima Yue, Sima Li was the son of Sima Mo, and Yue, Teng and Mo were all sons of the late King Sima Tai of Gaomi.
The status of the three people seems to be about the same, they are all county kings, but that is just on the surface. In terms of appearance, Sima is indeed a little bit better than them.
Sima Que was originally the governor of Xuchang, but later surrendered under the persuasion of Concubine Pei and became the supervisor of the Yanzhou shogunate.
It may be a bit outrageous to say, but Sima Que, the supervisor of the shogunate, is actually stronger and more powerful than Sima Pi, the nominal master of the shogunate, because Sima Que can really supervise each battalion, while Sima Pi can only supervise his own hundred and ten
Guards.
As for Sima Li, it was even worse. He was a wealthy man who lived off the land in Liuhuayuan and the villagers.
"The more support King Langya gets from the scholars in Jiangdong, the less food will be sent to Luoyang." Sima Que said something that was not very pleasant but got to the core.
Sima Pi and Sima Li sighed after hearing this.
Well, in fact, they didn't know why they sighed, maybe they were a little touched by the situation.
But how to put it? In history, Sima Que has been dead for four years (killed by Shi Le in Nanton), Sima Pi has been dead for four years (killed by Shi Le in Ningweicang), and Sima Li has been dead for four years (killed by Liu Can in Nandun).
Chang'an), now every extra day of living is earned.
If Sima Que still survived because of the "peaceful liberation" of Xuchang, the latter two survived because of their mothers' commitment to Chen Gong.
While they were sighing, Deng You and Mi Zhi came over and saluted the three of them.
Deng You was originally the right Sima of the Yanzhou shogunate. He was later dismissed from his post and was given a position in Guanzhong. He did not go and stayed with Sima Pi as a retainer.
"Your Majesty, this is a letter from Donghai." Mi Zhi, the governor of the shogunate, handed a letter into Sima Pi's hands.
Sima Pi was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that this was a letter written to him by Mihuang, the internal historian of the East China Sea. He immediately took it and opened it while asking: "How is the situation in the East China Sea?"
Donghai Kingdom originally had four counties, but Zu Ti captured some of them. Now only two counties, Donghai and Lanling, are left, which is not very complete.
"The troops dispatched by Mr. Chen have arrived at Lanling, and the vanguard Liu Hedu has entered the East China Sea." Mi Zhi replied.
"Where is Pengcheng? Didn't you get in?" Sima Pi asked.
"Mr. Xun shut the city gate tightly," Mi Zhi said.
Sima Pi raised his head, a little surprised, then lowered his head and continued reading the letter.
"Close the city gates tightly" means neutrality. Let you fight, I will not participate, nor will I help anyone.
Deng You watched silently from the side.
Sima Que and Sima Li looked at each other and walked away, not wanting to get involved in these things.
Knowing some things may not necessarily be a good thing, it may lead to death. Do you really think Shao Xun is a good person? Has he ever respected the Sima family in his eyes?
"Mi Zihui!" After Sima Pi read the letter, he immediately blushed and said angrily: "My father trusts him so much in vain and always says he is loyal and brave. Now, is this how you repay my family?"
Deng You coughed and reminded Sima Pi to control his emotions.
Mi Zhi was a little annoyed.
His father Mi Huang was indeed loyal to the old King of Donghai, but he did not share that loyalty. All his glory and wealth came from Duke Chen, so he couldn't bear it.
"Your Majesty, my father also does it for your own good." Mi Zhi said expressionlessly: "Don't mention the affairs of the country again."
Sima Pi was startled by Mi Zhi's attitude, and he swallowed the words he originally wanted to say.
"It's just that the General of the Zhenjun won't let him do it. Why can't the King of Donghai do it?" Sima Pi muttered.
"It is a common practice for a country without a Zong king to stay in the capital and control it." Mi Zhi said: "This was also the case when King Donghai was in power. During the Northern Expedition to Yecheng, Zong Wang accompanied the army; when he left the town to establish a vassal state, Zong Wang accompanied him.
"
To put it bluntly, as the winner of the Eight Kings Rebellion, Sima Yue tried his best to capture all the clan kings.
During the Battle of Dangyin, he took the emperor and the princes with him, and in the end most of them were captured by Sima Ying.
When he went out to control Yuzhou and Yanzhou, he also took the prince with him, and he would not let them rule the country even if he raised him in vain.
Mi Zhi followed Sima Yue's approach, which made Sima Pi choke for a moment.
After being stunned for a long time, he could only ask: "What did the mother-in-law say?"
"The concubine asked the king to study with Deng Bodao. If you are really bored, you can go sightseeing, but you are not allowed to rest." Mi Zhi said.
Sima Pi snorted coldly when he heard this and muttered: "There is no good person in this huge palace. Mi Zihui is ungrateful. His mother and concubine have a new son, so they no longer miss the old son. Shao Xun is not a good person!"
Deng You's expression changed greatly and he repeatedly pulled Sima Pi's sleeves.
Mi Zhi, however, would not tolerate him and scolded him: "Your Majesty, you are so ignorant! All the princes in the dynasty are caged birds in Luoyang, but your Majesty can leisurely roam the forests and springs and enjoy the mountains and rivers. Aren't you satisfied?"
"Your Majesty is invited to a banquet every ten days and meets with all kinds of people. Is there any prohibition?"
"There are so many members of the Donghai Wang family in the palace, can anyone expel them?"
"Your Majesty has no shortage of money. It's just that the king of Donghai rented the money. But what kind of life is the king of Luoyang living now? The war is in chaos and the roads are blocked. Can the money be brought to Luoyang through renting? If it doesn't come, how can the imperial court have money and food?
Are they distributed? What’s more, the kingdom that was trapped by thieves has no rent and wealth, but now they rely on sellers to pawn or even sell their daughters to survive. What kind of life do they live? "
"Your Majesty holds banquets and favors guests. All the gifts are grains and silk allocated by the concubine from the shogunate. Without Chen Gong's permission, might your Majesty get a piece of grain and a bolt of silk?"
Mi Zhi asked several questions in succession, and Sima Pi's face turned red.
"Your Majesty, the world is not easy, and you should cherish it." Mi Zhi cupped his hand and said, "I don't want to hear it, but if you can live, be a rich man, and not be grounded and monitored, the concubine cares about your mother and son.
In terms of love, I can get the best conditions for you. If you are allowed to interfere in the government affairs of the shogunate, it will be harmful to you."
Having said this, Mi Zhi looked at Deng You again and said: "Deng Gong is a mature and prudent man. Zhao Mu has learned from his past mistakes and must not forget them. Your Majesty took advantage of Chen Gong's northern expedition to make friends with the shogunate's officials. This is actually a move that harms others and himself."
That’s all.”
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Deng You sighed.
Zhao Mu was the right chief historian of the shogunate. He was executed because he was late in distributing relief food and people starved to death.
But everyone knows that this is just Chen Gong's excuse.
"Master Deng..." Sima Pi looked at Deng You, his face pale.
"Lei Sijin and others have indeed been dismissed from office." Deng You bowed his head and said.
Sima Pi was silent for a long time. Someone must have reported this matter. People's hearts are unpredictable.
However, as the saying goes, shit tastes bad and words taste bad, what Mi Zhi said is the truth.
Do you really think Mr. Chen can’t kill people?
What do you want? What can you get?
Become an official? You are already a second-grade general of the army. Do you want to be the governor with real power? Or should you join the court and become the third Duke?
The country? Don’t be kidding, it’s a land grab with Shao Xun.
Do you blame your mother for not fighting for your own interests?
You, King of the East China Sea, cannot get enough of your rent, there is a famine in Luoyang, and the court has no money to distribute rice. Your house on the north bank of the Bian River was built for you by your mother.
The money you paid to support your retainers, guards, and even banquets was allotted by your mother and sent by the shogunate.
You don't have to be forced to live in Luoyang like other sect kings.
Is this condition still not met?
What else do you want? It's like secretly befriending the shogunate's aides. If you change it to a more ruthless person, you and the aides you befriended are already dead, not just dismissed from office.
Now every time you win over someone, you are harming them.
If you have someone in the shogunate who supports you, you are harming yourself.
"Didn't Shao Xun promise my father not to kill me?" After a long time, Sima Pi said with a hint of tears.
Deng You sighed, put his arms around Sima Pi's shoulders, and sighed: "Time is also destiny. The struggle for power is the most cruel. You have to be patient and wait for the opportunity. It is also difficult for the concubine. She has taken good care of you. Now there is
Having a child, being able to do this is the limit.”
"Then continue to travel around the mountains and rivers?"
"The further away from the shogunate, the safer you are. Lei Sijin, I harmed him. I am also at fault for this matter."
"Master Deng, are you discouraged?"
Deng You was also a little confused, so he only said: "If you are really feeling aggrieved, you may be able to cross the river and go south. For the sake of the late king, King Langya will treat you with courtesy."
Sima Pi was a little moved, so he asked, "Can King Langya go north?"
Deng You smiled bitterly and shook his head silently.
Sima Pi was a little disappointed, but still a little puzzled: "Isn't Xuzhou going to fight? Mi Huang suffered consecutive defeats under Zu Ti, and the morale of the army was scattered. Now he only relies on his Wubao tribe to hold on, and will be defeated sooner or later. Ruo Langya
When the king captured Xuzhou, his momentum was greatly shaken, and Shao Xun was left weak and weak, or there might be flaws."
Deng You stopped, looked at Sima Pi, and asked, "How does the king know this?"
Sima Pi was a little embarrassed and said: "People from the Wang family of Donghai said so. Wang Bing, the former right guard general, sent a letter to inquire about the current situation and said that once King Langya takes over Xuzhou, he is willing to welcome my country."
Deng You was shocked: "How come I don't know about this?"
Sima Pi was silent.
Deng You looked at him for a long time and sighed.
After the King of Donghai married his wife, he no longer completely relied on these old people.
"Does your Majesty really think that if King Langya captures Xuzhou, he will give up your kingdom?" Deng You asked rhetorically.
"King Langya always wants someone to watch over Xuzhou for him, right?" Sima Bi asked uncertainly.
Deng You shook his head and said: "Zu Ti will never let the king's country. The Wang family of Donghai, hey."
"Then there will always be no country of law?" Sima Pi asked.
"When Xuzhou is in chaos, the country is just talking." Deng You said; "Wait, wait slowly."
Sima Pi was a little discouraged.
"Don't worry, many people are waiting like you." Deng You said again: "Even the one in the palace is waiting. Why did Mr. Chen come back from Yecheng? Isn't it because there are so many people watching? King Langya has already taken action.
They all want to see if Mr. Chen can withstand the attack from the north and the south. If they can wait, your Majesty should be able to wait too. I have taken care of it before, and your Majesty has also taken care of it, so we should encourage him."
"What if this can't make Shao Xun lose power?" Sima Pi asked.
"In that case." Deng You looked up at the sky and said, "Your Majesty, it is better to stay in Henan. If you can be a rich man here, if you go to Jianye, you will still be a rich man, and at most you will be an idle official. If you get to Henan and Hebei, you will be a rich man.
The momentum of Mr. Chen cannot be curbed. From now on, the king should change his attitude and visit the concubine more often. In the future, when Mr. Chen succeeds, he will no longer be wary of you. Perhaps, he can even give you an official position.
"
In the land of Henan, people's hearts are in chaos.
Some people are tightly tied to Shao Xun and can only support him.
Some people are hesitant and only want to follow the crowd and give out some money and food, but they are not happy to give out too much.
Some people watched indifferently and decided to continue watching.
Some people even appear to be submissive, but secretly collude with all parties and make multiple bets.
People's hearts are so far apart that it's hard for you to see a person's true thoughts.
The only thing that can change their decision is victory.
Victory can cleanse everything. This is the great trend, and it is more effective than any conspiracy.
Chapter completed!