Jinting Han people

On the day of Dingmao in June, Qi King Sima Jiong led an army of 400,000 to Luoyang and stationed his troops at Tongzhang Office south of Luoyang city.

At this moment, the three major military commands—the Northern Expeditionary Command, the Eastern Expeditionary Command, and the Western Expeditionary Command—had all gathered in Luoyang, with 600,000 troops stationed in the capital region. It was an unprecedented spectacle. Even when Emperor Wen of Jin conquered Shu and Emperor Wu of Jin pacified Wu, the court had only mobilized 200,000 troops. But now, especially after Emperor Wu of Jin had implemented the policy of "cease hostilities" for nearly twenty years, the three major military commands were still able to muster such a formidable force. It could be said that nearly 70% of the Jin Dynasty's military strength had been concentrated in this area.

As the rebel army's camps, positioned to the south and north, surrounded Luoyang like wings, a gust of wind blew, causing the countless banners to billow like a sea of ​​clouds. Only then did people truly grasp the reality of the number 600,000: Ah, so even a city as vast as Luoyang could be besieged by an army.

The army and weapons are the most direct and irrefutable forces, which means that the ownership of Luoyang, and even the entire empire, no longer actually belongs to the emperor and the ministers in the court, but to the few leaders who organized this army. They will determine the future fate of the entire empire.

If they work together, united in purpose, to rebuild the empire's order, the empire might be able to get back on track and once again prosper and flourish. But if they harbor ulterior motives and pursue their own selfish interests, not only will they fail to reach a treaty of unification, but they will also break apart and even turn against each other, and the empire will immediately fall apart.

Therefore, throughout Luoyang, everyone, from powerful officials to ordinary citizens, was watching closely and inquiring about the relevant developments, as if the matter concerned their own lives.

As the leader of the rebel army, Qi King Sima Jiong should naturally be the one to convene the meeting. However, Sima Jiong did not hold the meeting immediately. After arriving in the capital, he first paid homage to the emperor, then went to the ancestral temple to pay respects to the deceased emperors. He then said that his subordinates were numerous and that in order to maintain the security of the capital region, he needed to first restrain his subordinates and rectify military discipline. For several days in a row, he did not express any intention to hold a meeting.

While others were at a loss, Lu Zhi quickly made a judgment and said to Sima Ying and Sima Yi, "His Highness Prince Qi wants us to express our stance first, to reaffirm his position as the leader of the alliance, to determine the hierarchy, and then to hold a meeting to discuss the matter."

He then suggested, "There's nothing wrong with agreeing to it. The King of Qi is indeed the leader of the alliance, but it's just a nominal title. We can use this opportunity to show our sincerity in not wanting to fight for power."

The following day, Sima Ying and Sima Yi submitted a memorial to the emperor, stating that Qi King Sima Jiong was the first to initiate the uprising and a meritorious official who served the emperor, and therefore he was to be appointed Grand Marshal, granted the Nine Bestowments, and given all the necessary gifts and honors, just as Emperor Xuan, Emperor Jing, Emperor Wen, and Emperor Wu had done in assisting the Wei dynasty.

When the emperor issued the edict to the Prince of Qi's residence, Sima Jiong was overjoyed. After reluctantly declining the reward, he immediately drafted a list and invited the guests on the list to his residence for a meeting.

This list is not long, only a dozen or so people, but it can be said to be the core of this loyalist army.

When attending the meeting, these people dressed as usual, wearing headscarves or turbans, or holding their hair up with hairpins, wearing common silk robes, and only carrying seals indicating their identity. They either knelt or sat cross-legged on the mat.

General Sima Jiong, the Grand General Who Conquers the East, was dressed in a red military uniform and wore a turban. He sat in the head seat in the center.

The others seated at the head of the table were:

Sima Ying, General Who Guards the North and Prince of Chengdu;
Sima Yi, Prince of Changshan and Commander of the Northern Central Army;
Ma Xin, General of the Southern Army and Director of the Xinye Company.

Those seated in attendance included:

General Longxiang, Left Chief Secretary to the King of Qi, Dong Ai;

Ge Yu, Commander of the Eastern Garrison and Attendant Gentleman of the Prince of Qi;
Lu Xiu, Military Advisor to the King of Qi and Protector of the Army Against Rebellion;

Chengdu Wang Zuo Changshi, Ye Ling Lu Zhi;
Li Yi, Left Military Advisor to the King of Chengdu and Governor of Ji Province;
Protector-General of Yangwei, Marquis of Pingchang, Zhao Xiang;

Liu Xian, Prefect of Changshan and Heir Apparent of the Duke of Anle;

Liu Hong, former General of Ning Shuo and Duke of Xuancheng;

Liu Dun, Prefect of Taiyuan and Progenitor of Chengping;

Li Han, Chief Secretary to the Prince of Hejian and Commander of the Western Expeditionary Army;
Zhang Fang, Military Advisor to the Prince of Hejian and Commander of the Zhenxi Army.

Each person's entourage was kept outside the courtyard. Inside the house, the guards were Zu Ti, the Attendant Gentleman of Qi, and Wei Yi, the General of the Army of Qi. Wei Yi and Zu Ti sat facing each other at the door, with their broadswords placed on the mats on their right sides. No one was allowed to enter or leave the house without Sima Jiong's permission.

Sima Jiong personally presided over the meeting.

Because of the hot and humid weather, after everyone took their seats, Sima Jiong arranged some honey water and melons for everyone to eat and drink. Although there were no servants to wait on them, the atmosphere at the meeting was relatively relaxed. It was clear that Sima Jiong still hoped that this meeting would have a good outcome.

Sima Jiong first asked Dong Ai to stand up and briefly introduced the situation of the Henan righteous army's suppression of the rebels, focusing on the number of troops and where they came from. After a while, he said directly, "I have gathered you all here today because I think you can all guess what I mean. After the great chaos, the court is now in a mess. Although the war is over, we still have a long way to go to restore stability to the world."

This statement is certainly not wrong. Long before Liu Bang pacified the country, Lu Jia often talked to Liu Bang about the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents. Liu Bang became impatient and scolded, "You conquered the country on horseback, when have you ever used the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents!" Lu Jia then asked in return, "If you conquered the country on horseback, can you govern the country on horseback?" Liu Bang immediately changed color, apologized to Lu Jia, and asked him to discuss the rise and fall of states throughout history so that he could study the way to govern a country.

Among the principles of governing a country, the most important is a clear distinction between rewards and punishments. How to reward and punish, if handled carelessly, can lead to public resentment and jeopardize the long-term stability of the nation. Wasn't the downfall of the Three Yangs and the Empress Dowager's faction precisely because of unfair rewards and punishments?
Sima Yi and Sima Ying took this into consideration, which is why they only punished some of the most important and indisputable ringleaders, leaving the majority of the punishments to be carried out until now, waiting for Sima Jiong to preside over the meeting.

But how would he conduct the event? Everyone present was calculating their thoughts, wanting to see how Sima Jiong would respond.

Sima Jiong, of course, would not express his opinion so easily. He said first, "I think that for such a big matter, we should first change the era name. At the beginning of this year, the traitor Zhao announced to the world that he would change the era name to Jianshi to show that everything is renewed. Now that we have eliminated the traitor Zhao's party, we should also announce to the world that we will use this new era name to show that the great calamity of the country has passed."

"I think we should first change the era name to Yongning this year, to announce to the world and all people that all the turmoil of the past has ended. Next year, we will change the era name to Tai'an, to inform the people of the nine provinces that we will emulate the rule of Taikang and restore the world to its former glory. What do you think?"

Two reign titles, one symbolizing the end of the old and the other symbolizing the beginning of the new, were considered a good idea by everyone, and they naturally nodded in agreement.

Then Sima Jiong said, "Since it is a change of reign title, according to custom, we will grant a general amnesty, bestow five bushels of grain upon the widowed and orphaned, and hold a five-day feast. Does anyone have any objections to this?"

This is a political tradition that has existed since the Han Dynasty, so naturally no one would object to it.

Having laid the groundwork for a moment, Sima Jiong finally got to the point. He said, "Since even the rebels are being granted a general amnesty, we cannot discourage the loyal and meritorious officials. Hundreds of thousands of troops are stuck here, and their daily food and fodder consumption is staggering and unsustainable. It's best to make arrangements as soon as possible. The soldiers can return home in glory sooner and catch this year's autumn harvest." He then took out two sheets of yellow silk from his robes and said, "This is the list of rewards I have prepared. Please take a look."

Having said that, he handed the two lists, one to the left and one to the right, to the people on either side for them to read. After the person in the upper seat had read them, they were then handed to the person in the lower seat to read.

Liu Xian first received the list, which was very long, with more than a thousand characters and hundreds of names. Liu Xian did not recognize most of them, but fortunately, the Prince of Qi had specified their place of origin and related merits, so he could roughly determine that it was a list of mid- to low-ranking military officers.

However, they weren't entirely unfamiliar names. Among them were names like Zhao You from Huainan, Chen Min from Lujiang, Yu Tan from Kuaiji, and Tao Kan from Panyang—clearly scholars from the Huainan and Jiangzuo regions. Sima Jiong also noted their rewards, such as being appointed as county magistrates or granted the position of Revenue Commissioner. These were all minor local official positions, largely unrelated to any powerful posts in the capital region.

Liu Xian glanced at Sima Jiong and thought: This Prince Qi seems to intend to bestow favors primarily upon lower-ranking military officers, spreading his influence throughout the local prefectures and kingdoms to strengthen his control over southern China. This way, he can avoid offending the other princes, continue to expand his power, and have no reason for others to object.

After reviewing the first list, Liu Xian looked at the second list. This list contained very familiar and concise names, all of them renowned princes:
Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, was appointed as Grand General, Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs inside and outside the capital, granted the Yellow Axe, appointed to oversee the affairs of the Secretariat, bestowed with the Nine Bestowments, allowed to enter the court without hastening, and to wear a sword and shoes in the palace.

Sima Yi, the Prince of Changshan, was appointed as the General Who Pacifies the Army, restored to the title of Prince of Changsha, concurrently served as the General of the Left Army, was granted the authority to establish his own government and was given three additional privileges. He was allowed to enter the court without hastening his departure and to wear a sword and shoes in the palace.
Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian, was appointed as a Palace Attendant and Grand Commandant, and was granted the honor of receiving three gifts.

Ma Xin, the general of Xinye, was appointed king, commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Jingzhou, and given the title of General Who Guards the South.

Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai and former Grand Secretary, was transferred to the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary.
He was removed from his position as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat under Sima Tong, but retained his position as Grand Tutor and concurrently served as Minister of Works.
The title of Prince of Wu was restored to Sima Yan, the Prince of Bintu;
The title of the deceased Prince of Huainan, Sima Yun, was restored; he was posthumously granted the title of Grand Minister of Works; his posthumous honors were changed; and a new funeral was held.

Wang Rong, the Marquis of Anfeng County, was appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

After everyone had finished reading, Sima Jiong said with a smile, "I know that there are so many people who came to the aid of the emperor this time that it is difficult to check them all in a short time, and there must be many omissions. So these two lists of mine are only the most important lists, not the complete list."

"As you can see, one of these is from some of my minor officials and clerks. Although they are lowly and their voices are weak, they still traveled thousands of miles to come and serve the emperor. Their hearts are the hearts of the people, and they deserve to be rewarded! If any of you have such loyal and patriotic people under your command, please write down a list immediately and submit it to me. I can approve it!"

"The other document is a list of princes from the royal family. After careful consideration, I think this is the best course of action. I wonder if any of you have any objections?"

After Sima Jiong finished speaking, everyone present looked at each other in bewilderment. This was not because Sima Jiong's handling of the matter was unfair or caused dissatisfaction. On the contrary, quite the opposite, Sima Jiong's arrangement was too fair, completely exceeding everyone's expectations.

First, there were the rewards bestowed upon Sima Ying and Sima Yi. Sima Jiong not only refrained from consolidating power but also fully acknowledged the contributions of the Hebei rebels. Elevating Sima Ying and Sima Yi to a position nearly equal to his own demonstrated his sincerity in willingly assisting the two princes in governing.

Secondly, Sima Jiong also won over the General of the Western Expedition who defected in battle. Although he did not grant him any real power, he treated him with the same honors as the other three kings.

Then came the bestowal of titles upon his political ally, Sima Xin, restoring the Southern Expeditionary Army Command in Jingzhou and appointing Sima Xin to oversee the south. This bestowal was also within his original sphere of influence, beyond the reach of other forces, and no one could criticize him.

Then came the statement regarding the imperial relatives in the capital region, indicating that Sima Yue and Sima Tong, as the two leaders of the imperial relatives, would be treated leniently. This shows that Sima Jiong would not pursue these princes who had submitted to Sima Lun and Sun Xiu too much, and apart from stripping them of their real power, he did not intend to carry out a major purge.

Next came the posthumous conferment of titles upon the followers of the King of Huainan, demonstrating that the King of Qi remembered not only the living but also the martyrs who died for their country.

Finally, the promotion of Wang Rong, the last of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, to the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat demonstrates the new court's eagerness for talented individuals and its attitude towards rebuilding a well-governed society.

After reviewing the two lists of rewards, Liu Xian was utterly astonished. His prior impression of Qi King Sima Jiong was that of a fame-seeking, mediocre talent obsessed with personal gain, and utterly lacking in cunning. He never expected that the punishments Sima Jiong had given would be so impeccable, leaving no room for criticism.

Is there a master in his household? But when Liu Xian thought of the power-hungry behavior of Sima Jiong's advisors when he met him in private last time, he couldn't help but have some doubts. Could this be the idea of ​​the Prince of Qi himself?
The others were equally surprised, but they didn't show it. They just looked at each other and observed the attitudes of the others.

Sima Jiong then asked again, "We can discuss the rest of the rewards later. I think this is quite appropriate. Does anyone have any objections?"

Lu Zhi was the first to react, and bowed to Sima Jiong, saying, "The King of Qi's thoughts are truly fair and just, and we admire them greatly."

He then gave Sima Ying a meaningful look. Sima Ying was initially reluctant, as the rewards for his subordinates were still undecided, and he wanted to discuss it with Sima Jiong first. Even after seeing Lu Zhi's look, he couldn't help but hesitate.

Liu Xian understood Lu Zhi's meaning: since the King of Qi had already made concessions, they must not hold him back or show a greedy attitude, as this would damage their future reputation. So he also spoke up to Sima Yi, saying, "The King of Qi is wise; such a handling will surely put the court and the people at ease."

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi immediately stated, "I have no objection."

Since Sima Yi had already expressed his opinion, Sima Ying had no choice but to follow suit, saying, "I also have no objection."

Thus, the general direction of the rewards was set. After it was determined that the three kings would jointly assist in governing, the rewards for senior generals such as Liu Xian and Lu Zhi would be temporarily postponed, and the focus would be on taking care of the junior officers from all sides.

After discussing the rewards, the next step was punishment. Sima Jiong took out another list and handed it to everyone to read. While reading it, he explained, "I think we should abolish all the titles bestowed upon Zhao Ni, but we don't need to punish all the officials who were appointed."

"Some of these people were coerced, but they are truly talented and haven't done anything wrong, so we can keep them. Some were forced into doing some insignificant evil deeds, so we will punish them leniently. But those who actively joined the traitor Zhao and committed heinous acts to usurp the divine artifact must be severely punished!"

"However, these matters are complicated to investigate, and it will probably be difficult to compile a detailed list in a short time. Therefore, this list records those criminal generals who have blood feuds with the loyalist army, and they must be severely punished and their families exterminated! As a warning to others!"

At this point, Sima Jiong thought of the tens of thousands of his men who had died in the battles of Henan, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth, his voice filled with hatred. Liu Xian, sitting below, felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Just then, Liu Hong handed the list to Liu Xian. Liu Xian unfolded it and saw that the first row of the list had a line written in red ink: General of Annam, Duke of Shanggu, Meng Guan.

Liu Xian was jolted awake, a torrent of emotions surging within him as countless memories flooded back. (End of Chapter)