The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"What Wu Zong said makes sense. As long as the officials and deputies in charge of our state capitals, counties and counties can serve the people wholeheartedly, the lost popular support will come back. Where there is public support, there is prosperity"

"For the sake of the people and for Xiangzhou, let us drink a toast!"Yu Kui said. Everyone drank a drink happily. Han Jie said:"Sir, you and your two followers can live in the other courtyard of Lord Ganzhuo. If you are free, you will be free. Sima Cheng waved his hand and said,"

Thank you all for your kindness. However, I came to Xiangzhou to take up my post this time without any family members. All I need is a clean and tidy room where I can sleep, rest, and read and write. The other courtyard can be tidied up so that Wu Yan, his two followers, and other officials who cannot go home can live there."

"Sir, how is this possible? You are both the governor and the royal family."Yu Kui said. Sima Cheng smiled and said:"Whether an official cares about the country and the country, whether he has the people in his heart, does not depend on what he eats, what clothes he wears, or what house he lives in. Before leaving, I said goodbye to Your Majesty, and I made a promise to Your Majesty. During my term of office, I will spend three years making Xiangzhou return to the scene where people were smiling and living and working in peace and contentment in the past!"

"Within three years, if no major war breaks out, there will be no problem in restoring Xiangzhou to its former prosperity with your charisma and courage. But if any major changes occur within three years, it will be difficult to say."Wu Yan said. Sima Cheng looked at Wu Yan and said:"Wu Zheng is right, things are unpredictable! In today’s troubled times, no one knows what will happen tomorrow. In order to prevent possible unexpected events, His Majesty has decided to send a few close ministers to"

"His Majesty's move can be regarded as a far-sighted and proactive move. Your Majesty, as a member of the royal family, came to Xiangzhou to govern. This is not only your Majesty's foresight, but also your Majesty's trust in you. The restraint and restriction of the external ministers should make the person in Jingzhou afraid."Yu Kui said.

Above the court, Sima Rui said to the ministers below:"I am relieved that the emperor will go to Xiangzhou to govern. Looking back on the"Five Horses Crossing the River", I was ordered to guard Jiankang and Jiangnan. Thirteen years have passed now. The King of Xiyang, as a servant, Taibao, Grand Master, and the elder of the royal family, is my imperial uncle. He is also given a feather, and goes out with an ax and iron ceremonial guard, and is escorted by sixty people holding spotted wooden swords. An enthronement bed was set up for King Xiyang in the court hall to comfort him. Sima Yi quickly knelt down and saluted:"

Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern!" Long live! Long live!"

"The royal uncle is exempt from gifts!"As soon as Sima Rui finished speaking, several guards brought over a sitting bed and placed it in front of the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs. Sima Rui saluted again and was too embarrassed to sit on the sitting bed.

"My other imperial uncle, King Nandun, was also a hero who accompanied me across the south. As the imperial general of the Fu army and the general of the left, King Nanton had a heavy responsibility to protect his family and the country."Sima Rui said. Sima Zong knelt down and saluted:"I was deeply honored to accompany His Majesty when he crossed south. The wars in the past few years have caused serious harm to the Sima royal family. From now on, I will not only do my duty well, but also take practical actions to safeguard the royal family and imperial power."

Sima Rui nodded and continued:"The four Sima royals who followed me in my 'Five Horses Crossing the River', King Xiyang and King Nanton, are my imperial uncles. King Runan is my royal peer, and King Sima Hong of Gaomi is my nephew. In the year when I succeeded to the throne of Jin Dynasty, I succeeded Sima Hong to Sima Qi, King of Gaomi, as his heir. Although after I ascended the throne, I appointed Sima Hong as Minister of Sanqi, Colonel of Yijun, and former general. But he is easily irritable, so he doesn't go to court much."

"There was also a member of the royal family who accompanied me when I crossed to the south. He was my contemporary royal family member, Sima You, King of Runan. According to age, Sima You is my imperial brother. Since I came to the throne, Sima You has been serving as military advisor and offering advice to me and the imperial court."Sima Rui said again.

Sima You came out and said:"After the wars in the past few years, our Sima royal family first killed each other, and then fell apart. It is my honor to serve His Majesty"

"In addition to the four royals who crossed the river with five horses, plus the emperor's uncle Wang Qiao who was transferred to Xiangzhou, and the king of Pengcheng Sima Xiong and others, they are all the royal forces that I can rely on. They are my left arm. To defend the imperial court and protect the country and the country, it is not enough to have a left arm, you also need a right arm, so that we can complement each other. Unfortunately, some members of the royal family still dream of becoming emperors themselves. Sima Rui said. When the civil and military ministers heard this, they started talking about it:"Who are you talking about?" There is no such person around Your Majesty, right?"

"Could it be Sima Bao?"A few people were whispering below. Of course Sima Rui also heard it, so he said:"Yes, it is Nanyang King Sima Bao!

Sima Rui continued:"Sima Bao is the great-grandson of Emperor Xuan's fourth brother. He and I are both contemporaries of the royal family, and he is also my royal brother." He was well-read in his teens and had little literary talent. He was particularly fond of writing books and articles. After his father Sima Mo was killed, he attacked and granted the title of King of Nanyang. After Emperor Min succeeded to the throne, the 18-year-old Sima Bao was appointed as the right prime minister and the general governor of Shaanxi's military affairs. Later, he held important positions in the previous dynasty such as being a minister and prime minister. After I succeeded to the throne in Jiankang, Sima Bao claimed to be the King of Jin in the second year, changed the Yuan Dynasty to Jiankang, and appointed hundreds of officials, but he did not submit to me."

After listening to Sima Rui's words, the civil and military ministers shook their heads and sighed. At this time, a guard came in from outside the east hall. The guard came to the front and reported:"Your Majesty, Mr. Guo Pu is here!"

"Mr. Guo Pu? Please!"Sima Rui said. Guo Pu came to the east hall, knelt down and saluted Sima Rui:"Guo Pu meets your majesty, long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

"Guo Aiqing was freed from the ceremony! I haven’t seen Mr. Guo for some time. Is there something wrong? Sima Rui asked. Guo Pu stood up and said,"I have been back to Wenxi's hometown in the past few months to deal with some family matters." Afraid of Mr. Wang's reproach, he came back."

Guo Pu said and turned to look at Director Wang. Director Wang smiled and said nothing. Guo Pu had served as Director Wang and joined the army for many years. He was very knowledgeable and talented and was highly valued by Director Wang. After a while, Director Wang asked:" Mr. Guo returned to Wenxi's hometown this time. Did everything go well?"

"This time I went back to my hometown to hear the news, visited some elders of the family, and got to know some of the younger generations of the family. The most important thing is to burn some paper money for my parents and add some soil to their graves. Guo Pu said. Sima Rui asked:"Master Guo, do you have some important news?""

"Reporting back to Your Majesty, there are really some big things happening."Guo Pu thought for a while and said. Sima Rui said:"Then you can tell me about Liu Yao or other major events."