Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 208: Inferior to Liu Gong

Huan Wen rode a tall horse and entered Luoyang City surrounded by people.

Of course, he also knew how to behave, and he did not live in Luoyang Palace grandly when he was too proud, but temporarily lived in a mansion outside the palace city.

Huan Wen held a banquet in his mansion and enjoyed it with everyone.

Hao Long, who joined the army, raised his glass and said:

"The Duke of Chu launched an expedition to the north and regained the old capital. His contribution was to the country. The humble ministers only celebrated the Duke of Chu with a glass of wine."

Huan Wen was at the most proud moment in his life when he forced back Yan State's 100,000 cavalry and captured Luoyang. This battle is worthy of a special book.

He drank with everyone, put down his wine cup, and said with emotion:

"Today's grand gathering, I just wish there were no singing and dancing to add to the fun."

Zhou Cheng, the surrendered general who was invited to attend the banquet, stood up quickly and said:

"Mr. Chu, there are dozens of musicians in Weichen's mansion. Please perform a dance for Mr. Chu."

Zhou Cheng was now an official of Chu State, so he called himself a minor minister in front of Huan Wen.

"In this case, General Lao Zhou will make arrangements for you."

Huan Wen nodded.

Not long after, dozens of musicians and dancers were brought to the banquet. These people had already been searched before entering. There were guards standing in the hall with swords in their hands. Safety issues cannot be ignored.

The sound of silk and bamboo orchestral music played, and the courtesans danced gracefully. The dance posture was different from the Hu Xuan dance that Huan Xi enjoyed in Liangzhou, but it was also unique and charming, and everyone was mesmerized.

After the song was played, Huan Wen praised Zhou Cheng greatly and asked Zhou Cheng who was the dancer who trained him.

Zhou Cheng did not dare to hide it and replied:

"There was an old maid in Wei Chen's mansion who was the prostitute of the late Liu Taiwei. Liu Taiwei died unjustly, and the prostitute lived among the people. She came to Wei Chen's house to make a living."

Since the founding of the Western Jin Dynasty, there have been 28 people who have held official positions or been awarded the post of Taiwei.

Among them, there are two people named Liu, namely Liu Shi, the Taiwei of Emperor Huai of the Jin Dynasty, Yuanhou of Xunyang, Liu Kun, and Liu Kun, the Marquis of Minhou of Guangwu, who was posthumously awarded the Taiwei by Emperor Jin Yuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Liu Shi died at the age of ninety-one. Therefore, as Zhou Cheng said, Liu Taiwei who died unjustly was naturally Liu Kun who danced with his ancestor Tiwen Rooster.

Huan Wen's eyes lit up when he heard this. He had always boasted of his majestic appearance and hair, and often compared himself to Liu Kun.

When Liu Kun was young, he was known for his handsomeness and majesty.

It's a pity that when Liu Kun was killed by Duan Pixi, the Xianbei leader of the Duan tribe, on the pretext of the order of Emperor Yuan of Jin Dynasty, Huan Wen was seven years old. One of them was in the north and the other in the south, and they never met.

Huan Wen heard that Liu Kun's prostitute was now in Zhou Cheng's house, and he couldn't wait to ask General Zhou Cheng to bring him over.

Since Liu Kun has been dead for thirty-six years, the prostitutes in his house are naturally quite old, already in their sixties.

Zhou Cheng did not forget to remind the old woman:

"The Duke of Chu often compares himself to Captain Liu. You should do what he likes. I will reward him afterwards."

The old woman agreed immediately. As soon as she entered the main hall, without waiting for Zhou Cheng's introduction, she burst into tears looking at Huan Wen sitting on the main seat.

Everyone was surprised, Huan Wen said doubtfully:

"Why is this?"

The old woman wiped her tears and said:

"I paid homage to the Duke of Chu today. I mistakenly thought that the Taiwei was resurrected. The Duke of Chu looks very much like Taiwei Liu."

This sentence undoubtedly scratched Huan Wen's itch. He quickly adjusted his clothes and asked happily:

"What's the similarity?"

Seeing Huan Wen's appearance, Zhou Cheng felt secretly happy, feeling that he had indeed got the right flattery. Of course, the old woman he brought was indeed Liu Kun's domestic prostitute, and he did not just find an old woman to cheat.

Who knew, but the old woman said:

"The faces are similar, but I hate that they are too thin; the eyes are similar, but I hate that they are too small; the beards are similar, but I hate that they are too red; the body shapes are similar, but I hate that they are too short; the voices are similar, but I hate that they are too female."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Even though he was talking about this, no one could tell that he was mocking Huan Wen in public for not overestimating his abilities and daring to compare himself to Liu Kun.

Zhou Cheng was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his back. If Huan Wen hadn't been there, he would have killed the old woman with a knife.

However, the old woman was not afraid. She had no family to worry about. After living for such a long time, she would die.

Huan Wen was greatly disappointed and even depressed about it, but he did not embarrass the old woman after all.

"From now on, you will stay in my house and train the musicians in my house for me."

Huan Wen knew that if Zhou Cheng was allowed to take the old woman away, the old woman would definitely die.

Although he was angry that the old woman was ridiculing him in public, he also admired her courage for not being afraid of the powerful for the sake of her old master.

The old woman was prepared to die, but she never thought that Huan Wen would repay evil with kindness.

'This Duke of Chu is not as good as the Taiwei in appearance, but his mind and magnanimity are beyond the Taiwei's reach. '

The old woman thought.

However, Huan Wen was still hit hard after all, and even the excitement of regaining the old capital was diluted.

A feast ended hastily, and Huan Wen looked unhappy all day long.

But no one knows how to comfort this kind of thing.

It was not until the next day that Huan Wen regained his energy and led his generals to worship the Western Jin imperial mausoleum outside the city. If there was any damage, he immediately arranged for repairs.

Wang Meng left the scene midway because Shen Jin's messenger hurried to Luoyang and was waiting for him in the city.

It turned out that Fu Jian ordered his men to ride south quickly, and the news of the victory and Dai's surrender had spread throughout Hedong. This is why Wang Meng learned about Fu Jian's invasion of Dai later than Murong Ke, but learned about Fu Jian's surrender to Dai earlier than Murong Ke.

When Huan Wen learned about this, his face turned gloomy.

The Dai state became a vassal of the Yu state, and Fu Jian became more powerful. From now on, he did not need to divide his troops in the north. He could fully manage the southern part of Bingzhou and threaten Luoyang.

Although the Yan Kingdom withdraws its troops, their center of rule will eventually move from Jixian to Yecheng, which is the essence of Hebei and is convenient for the use of troops.

Yecheng is only 700 miles away from Luoyang, and Ye Wang is only 180 miles away from Luoyang.

If Huan Wen wants to force the imperial court to move the capital, he must ensure the safety of Luoyang.

But with the threats from Yu and Yan so close, it is not easy to run Luoyang, especially now that Yu's strength has greatly increased.

Huan Wen looked at Wang Meng and said seriously:

"I need Liang Guo to move people to Hongnong, run Hongnong County, and station heavy troops there to help Luoyang at any time."

Wang Meng did not have the final say in this matter, but Huan Wen did not want to discuss with Huan Xi, but gave an order.

The Duke of Chu cannot command the Duke of Liang, but a father can command his son.

Wang Meng responded:

"The lower official will definitely convey Duke Chu's wishes to Duke Liang."

Huan Wen nodded, and Wang Meng also bid farewell to Huan Wen.

The Yan army has retreated, and the Liang army should naturally return to Guanzhong.

Huan Wen did not stop him and only said:

"I will say goodbye to you tomorrow, so I will prepare a little wine tonight and invite you to come over to the house to have a night talk with me by candlelight."

Wang Meng agreed immediately. He took his leave first and made arrangements for tomorrow's class. He waited until dark before coming back to have a drink with Huan Wen.

At the same time, Huan Xi, who had not been seen for a long time, had left Liangzhou.

Taken away with him, in addition to the troops who followed him to the alliance, there were also Baibao Xianbei selected from hundreds of thousands of young Hu people, and 10,000 elite cavalry previously selected from Qianliang soldiers.

Of course, their families were also moved away by Huan Xi after the autumn harvest.

After Hui Alliance established his identity as the co-leader of Hexi, Huan Xi no longer needed to arrange the former Liang Jingqi in Liangzhou.

Liangzhou not only has local state and county soldiers, but in case of emergencies, Shan Yutai can also recruit young people from various ministries.

Therefore, only 5,000 infantry are left in Dunhuang to maintain influence over the Western Regions, and the remaining 10,000 fine cavalry can be transferred away from Liangzhou.

After all, if they were allowed to stay in Liangzhou and want to recruit these cavalry to fight eastward, the journey would be too long.

At this time, Huan Xi already had 60,000 troops under his command, including 30,000 heavy armored infantry, 5,000 lance cavalry, 10,000 Qianliangjing cavalry, 5,000 Dunhuang infantry, and 10,000 Xianbei cavalry.

When Huan Xi was in Liangzhou, he gave titles to each cavalry unit. The Xianbei cavalry was naturally called Baibao Xianbei.

The five thousand spearmen and cavalry were called personal guards and Yi Cong.

In fact, most of the cavalry were selected by Huan Xi from the cavalry of Hou Zhao after defeating Shi Bao. They include Di, Qiang, Jie, Huns, and Xianbei.

Of course, they have followed Huan Xi in the north and south for many years, and have already proven their ability and loyalty. From now on, they will serve as the closest garrison around Huan Xi, and will only follow him to fight when he personally goes to war.

The 10,000 Qianliang cavalry who were moved to Guanzhong were named Guanlong Tuqi, and they were also used as close combat cavalry to charge into battle.

Only the Xiongnu Archers retain their original titles.

Of course, we cannot forget the Qifu tribe who was moved to Xitao Plain by Huan Xi.

The Qifu clan has been imprisoned in Chang'an by Huan Xi, and the Qifu tribe has been completely controlled by him.

Just like the Huns on the Xitao Plain, from now on, the cavalry of the Qifu Tribe will also enter the Liang Kingdom's battle sequence.

Nearly 2,000 of the original 30,000 Qifu cavalry were selected into Baibao Xianbei. Among the remaining soldiers, Huanxi selected 20,000 as archers based on their shooting skills.

Like the Xiongnu archers and cavalry, the Xianbei archers and cavalry were not included in the military system. They only obeyed the servant army recruited by Huan Xi when he needed it.

Of course, no matter how hard you work, you will gain something. As a servant army, the Xianbei bow cavalry lacks training and has the same problem as the Xiongnu cavalry. They can only fight with the wind.

The cavalry that Huan Xi could really rely on were the three groups of Guards Yicong, Guanlong Tuqi, and Baibao Xianbei, totaling 25,000 people.

Whether it is Baibao Xianbei or Guanlong Tuqi, their families have been moved away by Huan Xi and taken to Guanzhong.

When the army marched to Qingshui County, Quan Yi had already transported the cloth in advance. Huan Xi rewarded the Yi Cong and the Xiongnu archers.

Huan Xi plundered a large amount of wealth by defeating the most powerful begging tribe in Xianbei, Hexi. He was naturally not stingy with the soldiers who followed him in battle.

Anyone who participates in the Western Expedition will receive rewards far greater than in the past.

The redemption of Jin slaves among the tribes in Hexi was left to Guzang Shanyu Taiyou Fu Niuyi.

Before Huan Xi left, he had already negotiated the price with various ministries, and all the old, weak, women and children were redeemed for five sheepskins.

This was also the price Huan Xi and Tufa Xianbei had set before.

When Huan Xi left Liangzhou this time, he not only took tens of thousands of soldiers with him, but also sent protons from various departments to serve as Lang Guan beside Huan Xi, led by Shen Chiqian and Suo Bao.

　No more tonight, good night everyone.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)