Jinting Han people

The death of Sima Yun, the Prince of Huainan, was actually not unexpected. Sima Yun was generous and strong-willed, but not particularly shrewd, so his emotions were always on his face. Such a person, without the guidance of a wise advisor, would generally meet a tragic end in political struggles, likely unable to outmaneuver the more cunning and calculating politicians.

Sun Xiu shared the same view. After becoming the Grand Secretary, he immediately told Prince Zhao Zhi with great pride, "That brat Sima Yun doesn't know how to use people. What use is his reputation if he has no ability to employ them?"

Therefore, he adopted a strategy of forcing Sima Yun to rebel and then defeating him.

Sun Xiu first openly recruited Xun Song, a scholar from Huainan, into the Prince of Zhao's residence, revealing that he had planted spies around Sima Yun. Sima Yun was greatly alarmed upon learning this and indeed dared not enter the palace to attend court. Sun Xiu then sent an envoy, feigning a promotion but actually demotion, claiming to transfer Sima Yun to the position of Minister of Works, but in reality, to strip Sima Yun of his last remaining military power. Sima Yun fell for the trap again, refusing to obey the imperial edict under the pretext of illness.

Thus, Sima Yun twice displayed signs of disloyalty, immediately drawing criticism from both the court and the public. Taking advantage of this, Sun Xiu sent men to seize control of the remaining imperial guards under Sima Yun's command and spread rumors in Luoyang that the Prince of Huainan harbored treacherous intentions and was plotting a rebellion. Sima Yun, having failed to attend court, was even less able to defend himself and could only allow the accusations to be leveled against him.

For a time, Sun Xiu gained the upper hand, and seeing this, the various forces in Luoyang tacitly supported Prince Zhao. Many officials who originally served in the Prince of Huainan's residence also claimed illness and resigned. Within just two months, the Prince of Huainan's residence was almost entirely empty.

Seeing this, Sun Xiu felt the time was ripe and sent an imperial censor to the Prince of Huainan's residence. Upon arriving before Sima Yun, the censor claimed that an official had reported Sima Yun for treason and ordered Sima Yun to go to the Court of Justice to defend himself.

Having reached this point, Sima Yun had nowhere to retreat; he could only follow the path Sun Xiu had laid out for him. He immediately flew into a rage, shouting, "The King of Zhao intends to destroy my family!" Then, with a swift stroke, he killed the imperial censor sent by him, led his elite guards straight into the main street, raised the banner of the King of Huainan high, and cried out, "The King of Zhao is plotting a rebellion! Who will join me in punishing this traitor?!"

At this critical moment, the King of Huainan had only about seven hundred elite soldiers under his command, while Sun Xiu commanded one hundred thousand imperial guards and had the support of various factions. From any perspective, it seemed like the King of Huainan was doomed. But to everyone's surprise, this disparity in strength almost allowed Sima Yun to turn the tide.

The Prince of Huainan first led his troops in an attempt to storm the Luoyang Palace and enter to meet the Emperor. However, the palace guards had already sealed off all the city gates, leaving Sima Yun with no way to enter.

Arriving here was a normal development, but Sima Yun led his troops south, attempting to attack the Prime Minister's residence where Sima Lun was located. The Prime Minister's residence had ten thousand guards, so their demise was inevitable. Unexpectedly, when they passed the armory, the armory's commander defected to Sima Yun. The armory commander claimed to be from Chang'an, whose hometown had suffered greatly because of Sun Xiu, and whose parents had died of illness in the war. He believed that the King of Huainan must have been framed by Sun Xiu, and therefore he was willing to risk his life to help!
So he opened the armory and gave all the fine armor, crossbows, swords, and bows and arrows in it to Sima Yun. This was truly a stroke of good fortune. Sima Yun immediately set up banners in Luoyang to recruit soldiers, once again appealing to righteousness, and managed to gather over a thousand men in the city.

If Sima Yun were to fight Sima Lun again at this point, the situation would be quite different.

Although Sima Lun's residence had tens of thousands of guards, they were unwilling to risk their lives for the Prince of Zhao. They were content with just cheering, waving flags, and beating drums. However, Sima Yun's men were all suicide soldiers, ready to fight to the death, and they possessed a large number of excellent weapons. No one wanted to step forward to confront them.

Sun Xiu rewarded them handsomely and recruited 500 daredevils with money, attempting to confront Sima Yun head-on. However, they were easily defeated by the Huainan daredevils.

Sun Xiu had no choice but to change tactics, ordering his soldiers to climb the walls of the Zhao King's palace and engage in a duel with the Huainan assassins. However, without the armory, the Zhao King's arrows were far less effective than Sima Yun's. At Sima Yun's command, his soldiers unleashed a volley of arrows, a relentless rain that pinned the Zhao King's troops down, making it impossible for them to raise their heads or even fight back.

As a result, Sima Yun actually breached the gates of the Prince of Zhao's residence. With the war reaching this point, even some aristocratic families who had originally intended to remain neutral began to waver.

The Chen family of Yingchuan, who had previously intended to abandon their cooperation with Sima Yun, rekindled their ambitions this time. Chen Hui, the Left Guard of the Crown Prince's residence, defected. Following him, Liang Liu, the Commandant of the City Gates, Meng Ping, the Vanguard General, and Sima Yan, the Prince of Wu, all defected. In less than half a day, the balance of power had reversed dramatically. Sima Yun's forces had expanded from less than a thousand to nearly ten thousand. Meanwhile, Sima Lun and Sun Xiu were surrounded in the Zhao Prince's residence, almost unable to move, and it seemed they were about to be annihilated by Sima Yun within the residence.

King Zhao was now facing a life-or-death situation. Sun Xiu had a sudden inspiration and quickly sent someone to climb over the wall and contact Sima Qian, who was serving as a court attendant in the palace. He instructed Sima Qian to spend a large sum of money to falsely claim that there was an imperial edict and carry out the assassination plot!

Sima Qian knew that the situation was extremely critical, but where could he find assassins?

Just then, Chen Zhun, the former Grand Chancellor and Grand Master of Ceremonies, felt that the matter was settled and sent four hundred cavalrymen from the palace to assist Sima Yun. However, what he did not expect was that the Sima Protector-General Fu Yin, who led this cavalry, was actually a spy that Sun Xiu had bribed beforehand.

Instead of going to see Sima Yun, Fu Yin first sought an audience with Sima Qian. At this critical juncture, he made a demand, asking Sima Qian to promise that if the King of Zhao would grant him a marquisate, he would betray his country and assassinate Sima Yun.

Sima Qian was overjoyed and immediately promised that after the matter was accomplished, not only would he be granted the title of Marquis, but it would also be possible for Fu Yin to be granted the title of Duke of the County, and for all four hundred cavalrymen to be made Marquises.

After receiving the promise, Fu Yin immediately went to see Sima Yun again under the guise of reading the imperial edict, using Chen Zhun's name. Sima Yun, having no suspicions, welcomed him into the camp, as if the matter was already settled with the edict in hand.

As a result, when Fu Yin met Sima Yun, he took advantage of Sima Yun dismounting and bowing, suddenly drew a short sword from his waist, and slit Sima Yun's neck in one stroke. Everyone present was stunned. Before they could react, he had already rushed out of the formation with Sima Yun's head in his hand.

The situation reversed once again. Although King Zhao and Sun Xiu had been on the verge of collapse, almost facing total annihilation, what would the Huainan King's faction gain from victory without their leader? Thus, Sun Xiu launched a desperate counterattack, and the Huainan King's rebel army scattered like birds and beasts.

In the end, Sun Xiu won all the victories.

But who could have imagined that the King of Huainan, who was originally outnumbered and isolated, would be able to reverse the situation in a single day and almost win?

Afterwards, Sun Xiu was still shaken. He arrested and imprisoned all those involved in the Huainan King's rebellion, including the Huainan King's wife and her entire family. He also arrested several thousand more people and beheaded them again at Qilijian. The last time such a large-scale massacre had occurred was only half a year earlier. This terrified the entire city of Luoyang, who couldn't help but lament Sima Yun's failure. With this, Sima Lun had finally completely eliminated the opposition forces within the capital region.

When the news reached Changshan, Liu Xian was greatly surprised. After carefully reading the battle report, he exclaimed, "The King of Huainan has the bravery of the Duke of Gaogui!" He then emphasized to Sima Yi, "The people's hearts are at stake! The people's hearts are at stake!"

Sima Yun hadn't made much preparation beforehand and fell completely into Sun Xiu's trap. But as it turned out, even with Sun Xiu's immense confidence, he was utterly incapable of controlling the tide in Luoyang as he claimed. A single oversight nearly caused the tide to turn, tearing his own camp to shreds. This shows that on the battlefield, he was indeed as incompetent as Liu Xian had predicted.

Sima Yun's death had a profound impact on the political landscape of the entire empire. For the Zhao King's faction in Luoyang, the obstacle to their ascension to the throne was completely removed, and they began preparing for their eventual abdication and enthronement. Sun Xiu fabricated miracles around Luoyang, even setting up an altar on Mount Song, and forged an oracle from Emperor Xuan of Jin, Sima Yi, stating, "The Zhao King should enter the Western Palace." He also frequently spread rumors within Henan Commandery, claiming, "The immortal Prince Qiao has descended to earth!"

Prince Qiao was Ji Jin, the eldest son of King Ling of Zhou during the Western Zhou Dynasty. Legend has it that he attained enlightenment on Mount Song and ascended to heaven on a white crane, making him one of the most famous immortals among the people at that time. Sun Xiu publicized this story to prove that King Zhao was a virtuous man.

When the various vassal kings learned of the news, they all scoffed at it. They only remembered Sima Yun's deeds and thought that if he could almost succeed even with such a disadvantage, wouldn't they have an even better chance?
Indeed, that was the case. If Sun Xiu had easily defeated Sima Yun, people would have thought Sun Xiu's methods were extraordinary and that he was invincible, thus slightly concealing his ambition. But even with such an advantage, he nearly suffered a setback. How could he not embolden the powerful regional princes who held military power?
Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, was initially hesitant, but after learning the details, he made up his mind. He appointed Lu Zhi as the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Chengdu, abandoned the opposition in Ye City, and began to prepare for war and reorganize the army. Meanwhile, Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, who was stationed in Xuchang, also had an urge to act, and began to contact and persuade the princes of the Central Plains and the prefects of various counties in the north and south of the Yangtze River, claiming that he wanted to avenge the Prince of Huainan.

By mid-November, Liu Xian was still training his troops deep in the mountains. Suddenly, Sima Yi sent word that an acquaintance of his had arrived in Zhen Ding and wanted him to return there. Liu Xian was a little puzzled; where did this acquaintance come from? But he still handed over his affairs to Shangguan Si and went to the palace with the messenger.

Upon seeing him again, I realized that it was indeed an acquaintance; it turned out to be Zu Ti.

Upon seeing Liu Xian, Zu Ti greeted him with a smile, saying, "Huai Chong, you seem to have become younger!"

Zu Ti said Liu Xian looked younger, but in Liu Xian's eyes, Zu Ti was the one who truly looked younger now. In the past, Zu Ti liked to feign nonchalance, but in reality, his brows were always furrowed, as if weighed down by heavy stones or haunted by ghostly shadows. But now, the fine lines around his eyes had smoothed out, and he no longer seemed tense when sitting or lying down. His words also carried less resentment, making him appear considerably younger.

Sima Yi said to Liu Xian, "Zu Jun is an envoy of the King of Qi. He came here specifically to discuss important matters with us."

When Liu Xian saw Zu Ti, he had already guessed most of the reason. Zu Ti had previously served as Sima Jiong's military advisor. What could be the reason for his presence here?

He was just lamenting that nowadays, there were very few friends left who would stand on his side.

Therefore, he said, "Seeing Shizhi here makes me feel that whatever the plan is, I have a 70-80% chance of success."

After saying this, he and Zu Ti laughed heartily. Zu Ti stroked his mustache and slowly said, "I am grateful for Huai Chong's high praise, but when it comes to the matter of destroying Zhao, we do have a 70 or 80% chance of winning."

Then he began to recount the details of Henan: Since Qi King Sima Jiong was stationed in Xuchang, he had secretly consulted the opinions of the generals of the Eastern Expeditionary Army and discovered that they also had the idea of ​​taking the opportunity to suppress the rebellion and seek wealth and power. For example, He Xu, the governor of Yuzhou, Wang Yan, the governor of Yanzhou, Dong Ai, the general of Longxiang, and Sima Xin, the general of Nanzhong, had all secretly surrendered to Sima Jiong.

Moreover, Sima Jiong went beyond his jurisdiction to recruit officials from Huainan and Wu. Both states were deeply saddened by Sima Yun's plight and immediately promised that as long as Sima Jiong raised an army to defend the king, they would mobilize their entire nations to punish the traitor.

Before Zu Ti arrived, Sima Jiong made a rough estimate that he could mobilize as many as 300,000 troops in Henan and Jiangdong, which far exceeded the less than 100,000 imperial guards in Luoyang.

Upon hearing this, both Sima Yi and Liu Xian were secretly astonished. The Northern Expeditionary Army in Ye City numbered approximately 130,000. Even if you added the troops from Ji Province, Bing Province, and Sima Yi's own forces, the total would only be slightly over 200,000. Did the King of Qi really have more troops than those in Hebei? How did he manage that?

Of course, in terms of quality, there were certainly quite a few rabble among them. Therefore, in order to ensure victory, Sima Jiong still wanted to contact other regional warlords and strive for a decisive victory in one battle. That's why he sent Zu Ti to Hebei to make contact.

Zu Ti said, “The throne of the state and the divine position can only be held by a sage and a wise ruler. Yet the King of Zhao is an ignorant and despicable man who actually wants to be emperor! If he succeeds, wouldn’t he become a laughing stock? I believe that all the righteous people in the world are now indignant and are just waiting for a virtuous and talented king to raise his voice and call for action.”

At this point, he told Sima Yi the specific plan: "Next year, in the leap month, will be the day His Highness Prince Qi raises his army. I wonder what His Highness Prince Changshan thinks, and whether he is willing to contribute to the country?"

Sima Yi had long been prepared to participate in the destruction of Zhao, but when faced with Zu Ti's question, he seemed to be playing dumb and replied, "This matter is of great importance, and I'm afraid we need to discuss it further."

Then he turned to Liu Xian and asked, "What does the Prefect think?"

Liu Xian was slightly taken aback, but after a moment's thought, he understood Sima Yi's concerns. If an alliance with the King of Qi were formed, who would be the leader and who the subordinate? Since the King of Qi could mobilize such a large force, he would undoubtedly be the leader of the alliance. Wouldn't the credit for conquering Zhao fall mostly on Sima Jiong? Was he really going to work so hard for nothing and end up benefiting someone else?
However, after some consideration, Liu Xian still advocated for acceptance. He pulled him aside and whispered, "Your Highness, the arrow is on the bowstring, and we have no choice but to release it. After the incident with the King of Huainan, it is clear to the world that the King of Zhao has lost the hearts of the people. As Shi Zhi said, now all we need is a high-ranking member of the royal family. With a single call to action, we can probably win. But Changshan is not the right choice. Changshan is a small country and can never become the leader of the alliance."

After stating the facts, Liu Xian offered an example to comfort him:
"Do you remember the warlords' campaign against Dong Zhuo at the end of the Han Dynasty? Yuan Shao, as the leader of the alliance, might not have been able to achieve anything. Sun Jian, though merely a vanguard under Yuan Shu, was still able to recapture Luoyang. It all depends on human effort. On the battlefield, who truly matters and who is merely a figurehead is still uncertain!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi understood the logic, but he was still unwilling to accept it. After much deliberation, he finally promised, "I am willing to serve the King of Qi as the leader of the alliance, and I hope that the King of Qi will do his utmost and not betray the trust of the people!"

Zu Ti was overjoyed to receive the promise. His first stop on his northward journey was Zhen Ding, not Ye City. The reason for this was that he wanted to use Sima Yi as a breakthrough point to first establish his position as the leader of the alliance, and then he could persuade Sima Ying, who also had a strong army.

At the same time, he greatly admired Sima Yi's concession and stepped forward to bow, saying, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, the King of Qi is not the King of Zhao. As long as you have contributed to the country, he will never forget your merits."

He then said to Liu Xian, "The King of Changshan's magnanimity is truly extraordinary. Even His Highness the Prince of Qi is not as magnanimous in this respect!"

After saying this, he rested for half a day in Zhengding, and soon bid farewell to Sima Yi before heading to Yecheng. As Zu Ti had predicted, after learning that the King of Changshan had joined the King of Qi, the King of Chengdu hesitated for a moment, but then agreed to the request.

Thus, a grand anti-Zhao alliance encircling the capital region from both north and south had been formed. This also meant that a battle of unprecedented scale was imminent. (End of Chapter)