Jinting Han people

Chapter 386 King Qi Lightly Tests the King of Changsha

With the permission of his servants, Sima Yi entered the Grand Marshal's residence with his maid and went to the study to pay his respects to Sima Jiong.

At this moment, he was dressed in a round-necked, knee-length military uniform, with a hood on his head and deerskin boots on his feet. With his upright posture and piercing eyes, he was as heroic and extraordinary as ever. However, when he reached the door of the study, two nine-foot-tall armored soldiers, as tall as mountains, reached out and stopped Sima Yi, causing him to pause slightly. It turned out that they wanted to unfasten the swords at their waists.

This wasn't Sima Yi's first visit to the Grand Marshal's residence, nor was it the first time he'd seen Sima Jiong's two strong guards. But every time he saw them, Sima Yi found them incredibly irritating. He knew these two were warriors Sima Jiong had recruited from Henan at great expense; their strength and bravery surpassed all others in the army. It was said that even clad in three layers of armor and wielding a long axe, they could still move freely, and no one in the army could rival them. With these two protecting Sima Jiong, his safety was virtually guaranteed, but in other words, anyone else who met Sima Jiong would have their life in his hands.

Therefore, every time he saw these two men, Sima Yi felt displeased. Nominally, he was the second-in-command of the court, possessing the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes in the palace and not having to bow when entering the court. However, as Sima Jiong held power for a longer period, his privileges in the Grand Marshal's mansion gradually diminished, and now he was almost equivalent to an ordinary high-ranking official.

Sima Yi restrained himself. He unfastened his sword and handed it to the guard on his left. He then let them search him thoroughly before finally entering the room. There he saw Sima Jiong, dressed in a loose purple silk robe, drinking tea in his study.

When Sima Jiong saw him come in, he pointed to the incense burner in the room and said with a smile, "Shidu, come, sit down quickly. When I heard you were coming, I specially asked someone to replace the incense with sparrow-head incense from Guangzhou. It is said to have the miraculous effects of refreshing the mind, relieving fatigue, and dispelling resentment and anger."

The room was indeed filled with a wonderful, sweet fragrance, rich and invigorating. But Sima Yi felt no joy at being valued, for he clearly remembered that due to its remote location, transporting this fragrant herb to Luoyang was extremely difficult; generally, only the imperial palace used such incense. Sima Jiong's use of it in his own residence was clearly an overreach of protocol.

He gently reminded him, "Grand Marshal, the country is not yet completely stable, so we should promote frugality. Otherwise, we may be ridiculed by the world for not knowing the hardships of our ancestors and only knowing how to squander our ancestral property."

Sima Jiong, however, was unconvinced. He waved his hand and said, "I already have plenty of bad reputations, what's a little more? It's just burning some incense, how much trouble and waste can it cause?"

Sima Yi, feeling helpless, stopped discussing the topic. After they took their seats, he returned to the official business he had come for, handed Sima Jiong a military report, and then stated: "Grand Marshal, the situation in Yizhou is very bad now, and the disaster of the displaced people will be difficult to quell."

Do you remember last year when the imperial court ordered the newly appointed governor of Yizhou, Luo Shang, to quell the rebellion of Zhao Xin? The suppression went very smoothly. Luo Shang led more than 7,000 men into Shu, and in less than half a month, he received Zhao Xin's head.

It turned out that not long after Zhao Xin started his rebellion, he became suspicious of Li Xiang, the leader of the refugees. He thought that Li Xiang's reputation was too high and his abilities too great. If he let Li Xiang develop, he feared that he would become Li Xiang's puppet. So, taking advantage of Li Xiang's urging him to take the throne, he suddenly arrested Li Xiang and beheaded more than ten of his clansmen on the grounds of treason.

This naturally aroused dissatisfaction among the remaining members of the Li clan, who unanimously elected Li Te as their successor and gathered the displaced soldiers. They then led over seven thousand elite troops in a night raid on Zhao Xin's camp in Mianzhu, defeating his generals Fei Yuan, Li Bi, Chang Jun, and others. They subsequently led their troops to attack Chengdu, inflicting a major defeat on Zhao Xin. Zhao Xin fled eastward in panic, only to be killed by his own followers on the way. In just a few months, the Taiping Dynasty established by Zhao Xin vanished without a trace.

Therefore, when Luo Shang received the imperial edict and officially marched into Yizhou, Li Te happened to submit a memorial to quell Zhao Xin's rebellion. This allowed Luo Shang to cross the Jiange Pass without bloodshed and recapture Yizhou. If things had stopped there, it could be said that the Zhao Xin rebellion was over, the wars throughout China were effectively quelled, and the officials in Luoyang could have celebrated their victory.

But the problem arose from the aftermath. After entering Chengdu, Luo Shang reported the causes and consequences of the war to the court. The court believed that the chaos in Yizhou ultimately stemmed from the southward migration of refugees from Longxi, which brought instability to Bashu. Therefore, the best course of action was to allow the refugees to return to Longxi.

Of course, there were also some unspeakable opinions contained within. Some speculated that nearly 100,000 refugees would be a destabilizing factor anywhere, and that the King of Qi's decision to send them back to Yong and Qin was most likely intended to cause trouble for the King of Hejian.

As a result, Luo Shang urged the refugees to set off before August. However, for the past two years, the refugees who had gone south had only worked as tenant farmers in Sichuan and Chongqing, and had no money to travel north. Luo Shang himself was a corrupt official, and he suspected that Li Te and his men had embezzled a large amount of wealth after eliminating Zhao Xin, so he wanted to take the opportunity to plunder. As a result, the refugees were filled with fear and rumors spread everywhere.

Li Te requested a one-year extension from Luo Shang before heading north. Luo Shang verbally agreed, but neglected his generals, leading to escalating tensions between the two sides. By October, Li Te had gathered 30,000 refugees and nearly 10,000 soldiers in Mianzhu. Worse still, the Guanghan Prefect, directly in charge of this matter, was none other than Xin Ran, a trusted advisor of Sun Xiu.

Sima Jiong appointed Xin Ran as the governor of Guanghan because he believed Xin Ran had interacted with these refugees in Guanzhong and hoped to demonstrate the court's lenient attitude. However, Xin Ran did not trust these refugees at all. Seeing the number of refugees gathering in Mianzhu increasing, he first issued a bounty on the Li clan. Finally, Xin Ran simply sent 30,000 troops to launch a night raid on the refugee camp, only to fall into Li Te's ambush and suffer a crushing defeat.

At this point, Li Te was unanimously elected leader by the displaced people of the six commanderies, and was given the title of General Who Guards the North, thus launching an open uprising. He led his troops to attack Xin Ran in victory, winning three consecutive battles within a few days and directly occupying the entire Guanghan Commandery. He then marched south to attack Chengdu. Because Li Te had always treated the displaced people kindly and had made a three-point agreement with the people of Shu, while the Jin Dynasty officials led by Luo Shang were tyrannical, the people of Shu overwhelmingly supported Li Te.

By November of last year, the battle lines in Yizhou, stretching seven hundred li from Shu Commandery, Guanghan Commandery, Xindu Commandery, and Zitong Commandery, were engulfed in flames. Luo Shang sought help from the imperial court, sending out eleven batches of messengers, but only two batches broke through the encirclement. By the time the imperial court learned of the chaos in Yizhou, it was already January of this year.

However, Sima Jiong did not take this matter seriously. Firstly, he looked down on these refugees, believing them to be nothing more than the remnants of Qi Wannian's forces. Qi Wannian occupied two provinces and commanded a million men, yet he still lost; what chance did these refugees have? Secondly, Yi Province was not originally within his sphere of influence, and if things went well, it would be the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong, who would be threatened. Therefore, he entrusted the entire matter to Sima Yi.

Sima Yi was quite anxious about the changes in the situation. He first gave a detailed account of the current situation in Yizhou, and then handed the draft document to Sima Jiong, saying, "Grand Marshal, I have drafted three drafts. Please take a look and see if there are any problems."

"This document is for the newly appointed Prefect of Guanghan, Zhang Wei. I think it is appropriate to appoint him as the acting Governor of Liangzhou and send troops to support Luo Shang so that the situation does not worsen."

"This document is for Li Yi, the Southern Barbarian Commandant. I believe that since the situation in Bashu is so turbulent, the Ningzhou system should be restored in the south, and Li Yi should be appointed as the governor of Ningzhou. He should be given military and political autonomy, and while protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people, he should also provide appropriate assistance to Luo Shang."

"This document is for the Prince of Xinye. He is currently rebuilding the Southern Expeditionary Army Command. I believe that once the reconstruction is completed, he should lead the army westward into Yizhou to quell the rebellion. This is the most feasible approach."

Sima Jiong took the official document, glanced at it quickly, and said, "Good, no problem. I'll arrange for the Ministry of Personnel to send it out tomorrow."

Sima Yi then handed another document to Sima Jiong: "Here is another recommendation letter, which Liu Huaichong asked me to pass on to you. The current governor of Hedong, Wang Zhao, is old and requests to retire, while Li Ju of Pingyang is loyal and patriotic, and devoted to the royal family. He wants to recommend him as governor of Hedong. What do you think?"

Hearing that the matter concerned Hedong Commandery, Sima Jiong took a closer look. Liu Xian's memorial detailed Li Ju's resume in detail, so impressive that Sima Jiong was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask, "This is quite a talent! Is everything Liu Xian said true?"

“The records in the Secretariat confirm this; it is indeed true.” “Good. If that is the case, he is a suitable candidate. Once I confirm this, I will issue an order to recruit him.”

Having finished his official business, Sima Yi was about to turn and leave when Sima Jiong suddenly said, "Shidu, don't rush off. I have a document here that I'm having trouble deciding on. Could you take a look at it for me?"

Sima Yi naturally did not refuse. He took the two documents from Wang Bao and sat down to look through them.

He should have kept quiet until he saw it. His expression changed drastically, and his previously relaxed demeanor turned stern. He then glanced at Sima Jiong, and seeing that Sima Jiong was staring at him, he forcibly suppressed his anger and tried to read the whole thing calmly.

After reading it, he went straight to Sima Jiong and asked, "Grand Marshal, who wrote this?"

Sima Jiong said, "It was written to me by my chief clerk, Wang Bao."

Sima Yi immediately shouted, "This man deserves to die! Grand Marshal, this man should be arrested immediately and taken to Tongtuo Street to be beaten and killed!"

Upon hearing this, Sima Jiong was immediately taken aback.

Before bringing up the matter, he had already considered that Sima Yi might oppose it. After all, as the second-in-command, he was second only to the emperor, and if he were forced to return to Changsha, he would have to give up his hard-won power as regent, so opposition was almost certain. But precisely because of this, Sima Jiong wanted to test the waters to see how Sima Yi would react, in order to gauge the difficulty of implementing the new policies.

To everyone's surprise, Sima Yi's reaction was so intense that he actually threatened to kill. Sima Yi was a man truly capable of charging into battle; his very words exuded murderous intent, and even without a weapon in hand, Sima Jiong couldn't help but feel a chill.

Sima Jiong forced a smile and said nonchalantly, "Shidu, there's no need for this! I also felt there were problems with this document, which is why I hesitated and wanted to ask you for advice. But why get so angry and kill someone over a single article?"

Sima Yi said solemnly, "This Wang Bao, just for this treacherous act of sowing discord among family members, deserves to be torn to pieces!"

He said to Sima Jiong, "Grand Marshal, I can't help but ask, if we really reform according to Wang Bao's wishes, will the emperor still be the emperor? Will you still be the emperor's subject?"

Before Sima Jiong could answer, he spoke first: "Grand Marshal, you are now able to hold the power of regent and become the prime minister of the court because you took the lead in raising the banner of righteousness and leading the people to serve the king. The people of the world are loyal to the royal family, grateful for the benevolent rule of the previous emperors, and also grateful for your loyalty. This is why the people are united and determined to serve the country! That is why you have the position of Duke of Zhou today."

"But if you follow this document, you will no longer be the Duke of Zhou of our dynasty! This is clearly a usurpation of the emperor's power! If you implement this policy, it will not bring peace to the world, but will instead ruin your future and fall into the same predicament as Qingfu!"

Qingfu was the brother of Duke Zhuang of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. After Duke Zhuang's death, he had an affair with Duke Zhuang's widow, Ai Jiang, and twice deposed the ruler, attempting to usurp the throne. His tyranny aroused resentment within the country, and as he was about to establish himself, the people revolted, driving Qingfu out. Qingfu was forced to flee to the state of Ju, where he wandered for several years. Duke Xi of Lu, who succeeded to the throne, attempted to hunt him down. Knowing his sins were grave and that he had nowhere to go, Qingfu ultimately committed suicide.

Sima Yi's analogy of Sima Jiong to Qingfu was clearly intended to awaken him. He was not the true ruler of southern China, nor did he have the authority to relocate the capital or send back the princes to their homelands; these were acts of usurpation and would inevitably incur hostility. At the very least, they would be incurred by Sima Yi.

Sima Jiong naturally understood Sima Yi's meaning. Faced with such a righteous accusation, he smiled awkwardly and defended himself, saying, "The court has been in turmoil recently, and I have only been racking my brains for a solution. I have absolutely no intention of usurping power."

Indeed, this is the case. At least for now, Sima Jiong, though troubled by the complex political situation, is also content with the status quo. If he can remain the Grand Marshal, wielding absolute power over the court for decades, whether he becomes the emperor or not is not that important.

At this point, he was persuaded by Sima Yi and decided not to continue Wang Bao's strategy.

But Sima Yi did not stop there. He insisted, "In that case, I request that the Grand Marshal execute this official to set the record straight for the court and the public! The reason why there is so much discussion throughout the land is because such an opportunity is lacking!"

This had already damaged Sima Jiong's reputation, making him quite embarrassed. Fortunately, he considered himself a man of considerable magnanimity, and thought: Wang Bao is a talented man. Since I am not adopting his strategy now, he might harbor resentment and not serve me, but instead defect to another. He knows many of my secrets, and if he were to defect to the enemy, the consequences would be endless. In that case, it would be better to simply kill him, saving myself from future troubles, and also to demonstrate my stance to the world.

Thinking this, he said, "Alright, since it's Shidu's request, I'll do it for the sake of our brotherhood."

In front of Sima Yi, he immediately wrote a memorial rebuking Wang Bao, and then handed it over to Dong Ai, instructing him to read the memorial aloud to the officials of the three provinces, and then arrest and imprison Wang Bao on the grounds that he was disloyal, disobedient and unjust. After all the procedures were completed, in mid-April, he was publicly executed in front of the Grand Marshal's gate.

Wang Bao, a native of Shunyang, served as the Prefect of Yuzhou when Sima Jiong was the General Who Conquers the East. He tirelessly campaigned for Sima Jiong, rallying tens of thousands of troops under his command. Who could have foreseen that he would meet such an end simply because of two memorials?

But Wang Bao seemed to have anticipated this. When he was led to the execution platform, he remained calm and composed, showing no fear of death. He said to the executioner beside him, "King Qi is dictatorial but cowardly, wields power without restraint, is good at scheming but indecisive, and pretends to be benevolent but is actually hesitant. Although he kills me today, his great cause has already failed and the matter cannot be accomplished."

"If possible, I would like to emulate Wu Zixu's righteousness and hang my head high at the Sima Gate so that I can witness the great army's destruction of Qi."

Wang Bao's display of talent greatly impressed the onlookers, who murmured among themselves, "With such talent, how could the Grand Marshal kill him? Who will be willing to serve him in the future?"

(End of this chapter)