Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 196 The Roar of the Tiger in Luoyang (3)

Outside Yanshi County, which borders Luoyang to the east, there was an army that should not have been stationed there. They were soldiers from Xingyang Commandery, or more precisely, soldiers who had been sent there to "organize laborers to repair the Yellow River embankment".

As for why no laborers were seen, and why Yanshi County is not adjacent to the Yellow River, those are not important.

It's just an excuse anyway, nothing more than talk, there's no point in delving into it.

The commander of this army was Fu Zhi, the governor of Xingyang Commandery, and the son of Fu Gu, the former Grand Master of Ceremonies of Cao Wei.

"General Fu, two days from now, enter Luoyang through the east gate at nightfall. Do not hesitate."

After it's done, you'll definitely get your share of the profits.

Inside a military tent in the camp outside Yanshi County, Sima Hong, with an arrogant expression, reminded Fu Zhi.

"Please go back and inform Lord Chang Le that I am aware of the situation and will certainly not delay important matters."

Fu Zhi said calmly.

Sima Hong left satisfied. Fu Zhi saw him off at the camp and watched his horseback figure disappear into the distance before returning to his own tent.

Fu Zhi was in his early twenties when he became the governor of Xingyang County, not because he was handsome.

To put it bluntly, it's all about the old saying, "Like begets like," or "A rat's son knows how to dig a hole."

Back then, his father, Fu Gu, thwarted Cao Mao's schemes at a crucial moment, allowing Sima Zhao to smoothly take over the military power from Sima Shi.

His contributions were so great that it wouldn't be an exaggeration for Sima Zhao to call him his sworn brother (Fu Gu was two years older than Sima Zhao)!
It's fair to say that if Fu Gu hadn't firmly sided with the Sima family back then, it's hard to say who would be in power now.

However, Fu Gu died young, passing away mysteriously when Fu Zhi was only twelve years old. Fu Zhi inherited the title and rose through the ranks to become the Prefect of Xingyang.

Logically, Sima Zhao treated Fu Gu and his descendants very well, and Fu Zhi should have been grateful. However, Fu Zhi harbored a deep-seated resentment.

Fu Gu was in very good health; even a few days before his death, he was still able to go on a spring outing.

However, he soon fell seriously ill and was bedridden. Before the attending physician could even diagnose his condition, Fu Gu passed away.

After Fu Gu's death, the Fu family should have weakened and gradually declined. However, the imperial court treated Fu Zhi very well, allowing him to inherit his title and rise through the ranks.

Otherwise, how could a 20-year-old scion of a fallen noble family, whose father had died, become the prefect of Xingyang?

Even now, the Fu family remains influential. Xingyang is a major town, not some small border county!
Only recently did Fu Zhi receive a personal letter from Sima Fu, which revealed the secrets of that year and the reasons for the court's preferential treatment of the Fu family:
Fu Gu was actually poisoned by someone sent by Sima Zhao!
Is this true? It's hard to say, but we can't rule out the possibility.

The Sima family also had a history of assassinating political enemies; even Sima Yi's wife, Zhang Chunhua, poisoned a maid.

If Fu Gu had sided with Cao Mao back then, he might very well have overthrown the Sima family. Whether a person has rebellious intentions is not important; what matters is whether he has the power to overturn the table.

If Sima Zhao was wary of Fu Gu, then sparing the Fu family while eliminating the head of the family would indeed be understandable. The subsequent lavish treatment of Fu Zhi and the Fu family also speaks volumes.

Therefore, Sima Fu stated in his letter:
Your father was indeed poisoned by someone sent by Sima Zhao; that's the truth. I only found out after it happened, and it was too late to stop it.

However, that incident happened many years ago, and the evidence has long been destroyed. Believe it or not.

Believe it or not, I believe it!
Now that Sima Zhao is seriously ill and unable to hold power, it is time for you to come to Luoyang to eliminate the wicked and avenge your father.

Once you arrive in Luoyang, enter through the East Gate and lead your troops directly to the Prince of Jin's residence. There will be people waiting for you at the city gate.

I have always lamented that your father, a man of extraordinary talent, died such a tragic death. Shouldn't a son fulfill his filial duty?

Even if you can't bring yourself to take action, it would be good to lead your troops into the Prince's mansion and ask Sima Zhao about what happened back then.

That's all I have to say. Whether you come or not is up to you; it won't affect the overall situation.

Fu Zhi held the letter in his hand again and again, looking at it over and over, and finally let out a long sigh.

Should we go to Luoyang?

Fu Zhi muttered something to himself.

Is revenge important? It's both important and unimportant, depending on whether there's an opportunity and whether there will be consequences.

This matter is not worth prioritizing.

Moreover, whether things are really as Sima Fu said is also questionable.

It's clear that Sima Fu's faction has already broken ties with Sima Zhao!

What direction will this situation ultimately take?
Fu Zhi was wavering; he didn't actually want to enter Luoyang to kill Sima Zhao.

Of course, with Sima Fu's letter in hand, Fu Zhi would definitely have to come to Luoyang, whether to avenge his father, find out the truth of what happened back then, or even help Sima Zhao "suppress the rebellion".

These are all possible options; there's absolutely no reason to be stuck in Xingyang. This is a great opportunity; if handled well, we can go even further!
As for what Sima Fu said, Fu Zhi didn't take it seriously at all. His plan could be summed up in four words: "Act according to the situation!"
Just as Fu Zhi was wavering in his mind, a personal guard lifted the curtain of the military tent and reported to Fu Zhi: "Prefect Fu, an army is coming from the east. The commander's flag reads Sima Jun. It should be the Right Army of the Imperial Guard stationed in Xudu."

There are other armies? And they're led by members of the royal family?

Fu Zhi was startled. If that was the case, then what Sima Fu was planning was far bigger than he had imagined!
Sima Jun, very likely, also came to Luoyang at the invitation of Sima Fu, just like Sima Fu.

Is Sima Zhao truly gravely ill, and the time for the "transfer of the imperial regalia" has arrived?
Suppressing his inner unease, Fu Zhi ordered the entire army to be on high alert.

In the later period of the Three Kingdoms, the State of Wei had developed a mature set of tactics for waging war against foreign powers.

Specifically, a portion of the Luoyang Imperial Guards were sent to the local governor's offices and combined with the Grand Governor's main force to form the central army.

Then, the governors of the various prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Grand Commander-in-Chief would be dispatched, leading their troops in a coordinated attack, all under the command of the Grand Commander. Of course, they could attack from different directions; it was not necessary to gather troops first.

Whether it was the war to conquer Shu or the fierce battle in Huainan, the Wei army used similar tactics.

This resulted in many large prefectures retaining anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands of soldiers.

Most local governors also possessed certain military command abilities, and many famous generals achieved their successes while serving as governors.

However, while this system is very beneficial for troop deployment, it may not be so beneficial for the security of the regime.

With multiple departments issuing orders, their objectives might differ. If something really happens, will they actually turn on each other due to disagreements over command?

Fu Zhi didn't know how to answer this question, but the War of the Eight Princes in Shi Shouxin's previous life had already provided the answer.

An hour later, Fu Zhi arrived outside the camp, where the county soldiers behind him were already lined up in neat formation.

The opposing army was also arrayed in neat formation. Although they weren't exactly locked in a standoff, the atmosphere between them was noticeably tense.

Just then, a rider galloped towards them from the opposite direction, the rider carrying no weapons.

Upon approaching, the rider dismounted and raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.

Seeing this, Fu Zhi also dismounted and went forward to make contact, but he was followed by several personal guards.

"Our unit is the Right Army under Sima Jun. Because the Prince of Jin is seriously ill, our unit received a letter from the Duke of Changle, informing us that there were treacherous people causing trouble in Luoyang. We came to the capital to defend the Prince."

"Which unit are you from?"

The speaker was Shi Shouxin, and his tone was very humble.

Upon hearing the words "Duke of Chang Le," Fu Zhi immediately lowered his guard.

He bowed to Shi Shouxin and said, "I am Fu Zhi, the Prefect of Xingyang, and I have come to Luoyang to serve the King on the orders of the Duke of Changle."

"Hahahaha, that's perfect! We're all going to Luoyang to serve the emperor, so why don't we join forces and support each other?" Shi Shouxin laughed heartily.

In this situation, Fu Zhi could only nod awkwardly and say, "That's fine too."

Unauthorized troop deployment to Luoyang is a heinous crime! If he is held accountable afterward, even if Fu Zhi is not beheaded, he will certainly lose his official position.

He came to Luoyang for "progress," and since others also want to progress, it's not unreasonable to temporarily unite our forces.

The principle that "the law does not punish the masses" is self-evident.

Soon, Sima Jun ordered his troops to set up camp next to Fu Zhi's army.

In the evening, Sima Jun invited Fu Zhi to his military camp for dinner and a chat. Fu Zhi, however, was wary of Sima Jun's status as a member of the imperial family and declined the invitation.

Sima Jun didn't take it seriously and, accompanied by Shi Shouxin and another burly deputy general, arrived at Fu Zhi's camp.

If you don't dare to go to someone else's invitation, you already feel inferior, and you feel guilty.

Sima Jun is not worried at all about what tricks Fu Zhi might play. He personally came to the military camp to "chat" with him. If Fu Zhi refuses again, then he is being ungrateful.

Left with no other choice, Fu Zhi had to hold a banquet in a secluded military tent within the camp.

None of them were carrying any weapons, so there was no need to worry about anything unexpected happening.

The meal was rather dull, with Fu Zhi wary of Sima Jun and only speaking platitudes.

After several rounds of drinks, Sima Jun gently waved to the deputy general beside him, leaving only Shi Shouxin behind.

Fu Zhi understood immediately and ordered his personal guards to leave the tent and wait outside.

The current situation is two against one, and there are no outsiders present.

Sima Jun remained silent, while Shi Shouxin, with a half-smile, growled at Fu Zhi, "Fu Zhi, you have quite the nerve!"

"This...where do you even begin?"

Fu Zhi did not know Shi Shouxin, but he had met Sima Jun.

He looked at Sima Jun, hoping the other party would step forward and explain, but Sima Jun acted as if he hadn't seen it.

Seeing that Fu Zhi remained silent, Shi Shouxin continued to bluff, "Hand over Sima Fu's letter, and the Right General can guarantee your life. Otherwise, even if you surrender now, the Prince of Jin will surely settle scores with you later."

Fu Zhi looked at Sima Jun again, who nodded to him and said, "Sima Shi's meaning is my meaning."

"So you are Shi Shouxin?"

Fu Zhi ignored Sima Jun and instead looked at Shi Shouxin, even changing his form of address.

"It seems that Mr. Shi is quite famous."

Shi Shouxin sighed and continued:
“Your father, Fu Gu, was an ally of the Sima clan back then. Today is a time of great turmoil. It is not appropriate for you to bring troops to Luoyang.”
This is far more infuriating than those with ulterior motives causing trouble; the Prince of Jin will definitely not forgive you afterward.

If you hadn't met General You today, you would have been dead! In a few days, your whole family would have been wiped out!

"Hand it over now, or you might live!"

He stretched out his hand and looked directly at Fu Zhi.

"Alas! I, Fu, have no intention of disrespect. I came to Luoyang to serve the emperor."

Fu Zhi sighed and offered a casual explanation.

He took out the letter Sima Fu had written to him from his sleeve and handed it to Shi Shouxin. Then he quietly shut his mouth and made no further excuses.

At this moment, Sima Jun's face suddenly showed a look of realization. Although his expression was strange, he didn't say a word.

He simply stood by and watched as Shi Shouxin stepped forward to negotiate, without interrupting the other party.

"General Right, the letter is here."

Shi Shouxin handed the letter to Sima Jun, who immediately put it into his sleeve without even glancing at it.

This scene surprised Fu Zhi.

"Prefect Fu, your troops have now been conscripted by the Right General. We will depart immediately and head to Luoyang to defend the Emperor."

We won't ask about anything else, and you shouldn't either. Just follow our instructions.

After this is all over, we'll return this letter to you. We won't read it; we'll just pretend it never happened.

What does Prefect Fu think?

Shi Shouxin spoke calmly and composedly, without any sense of threat; he was simply issuing orders in a calm manner.

It was to inform Fu Zhi, not to seek his opinion!
Fu Zhi knew that if Sima Fu's letter were presented to Sima Zhao, his fate would be obvious.

He was completely unable to resist.

“Very well then, General Right, you shall make all the decisions. I, Fu, will follow your orders.”

Fu Zhi spoke with a serious expression, bowing to Sima Jun.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Sima Jun did not hesitate. He asked Fu Zhi to bring sealing wax, sealed the envelope, and then waved it in front of Fu Zhi.

"Prefect Fu, the military situation is dire. You must immediately break camp and set off with us."

I will definitely return this letter to you later.

Sima Jun left with a single sentence and then led Shi Shouxin out of the military tent.

After the group left Fu Zhi's camp, he looked at Shi Shouxin with curiosity and asked, "Was it really that easy to settle things?"

"Yes, it's that simple. It's just a matter of each getting what they need. Fu Zhi won't rebel."

Shi Shouxin nodded, his expression remaining calm and composed throughout.

"If it were me, I would kill Fu Zhi with one stroke, seize his army, and march into Luoyang."

"That's what the tall deputy general next to Sima Jun said."

"Wen Yang, you'd better say less. You're the one who'll embarrass yourself by doing this."

Sima Jun couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"Shi Sima is good with words, but he can only deal with people like Fu Zhi."

"When it comes to real battle, all these fancy tricks are no match for actual combat!"

Wen Yang was clearly unconvinced and retorted to Sima Jun.

The latter shook his head and chuckled, ignoring him and continuing to chat warmly with Shi Shouxin, making no attempt to win him over.

(End of this chapter)