Chapter 105, Chapter Sixteen: Creating a Deliberate Deception

After presenting the captives, Emperor Sima Ye of Jin did not choose to stay in Luoyang, but returned to Chang'an.

The imperial decree bestowing honors upon Liu Jun was also officially issued—appointing him General of the Cavalry, granting him the authority to act on behalf of the emperor, entrusting him with the duties of the Imperial Secretariat, and appointing him as the Director of the Imperial Secretariat, ordering him to guard Luoyang.

From this point on, Liu Jun had effectively become the most powerful official.

But at this critical juncture, perhaps due to the heavy losses incurred in the previous battles, the young Liu Jun fell seriously ill and was bedridden, unable to manage affairs.

Shi Le didn't believe it, so he sent a small force to harass them. Seeing that the Jin army defended effectively and their tactics remained the same, he became more convinced.

Even on his sickbed, Liu Jun personally wrote an essay and sent it to Jiangdong, questioning why Sima Rui did not come in person or send an envoy to the temple, and why he did not submit a memorial to offer congratulations. When Sima Rui continued to feign death, Liu Jun simply used Sima Ye's name to issue a proclamation to various prefectures and counties, hurling insults at Sima Rui, along with Wang Dao, Wang Dun, and others.

While the world was in uproar, Liu Jun had quietly entered Hanzhong from Chang'an and arrived in Liangzhou in early February with his eldest son, Liu Liang.

It has only been six years since I last left Liangzhou, but the experiences I have had during that time are truly hard to describe.

"My lord!" Zhuge Yong and Liu Qi bowed down as soon as they saw him.

Liu Jun helped the two men up, saying, "You two have worked hard these past years guarding Liangzhou!"

Zhuge Yong declined, saying, "My time here is short, and I cannot compare to the pioneering efforts and hardships of our lord and Zu Huan Gong (Zu Ti). I have merely followed the established rules. It is Ziyi who has remained in Liangzhou for so long, and his contributions are truly great."

Liu Jun looked at Liu Qi and said, "Ziyi has always been a very capable man among my brothers, and now it seems that he has lived up to my expectations."

With tears in his eyes, Liu Qi said, "I would gladly die to share my brother's burdens."

“From now on, you must all live well,” Liu Jun said, his throat tightening as he thought of his deceased father and brothers. “By the way, I’ve brought Bide here today because you took care of him before. Bide, why don’t you go and greet your uncle?”

Upon seeing Liu Qi, Liu Liang was visibly excited and exclaimed in a clear voice, "Uncle!"

Liu Qi put his arm around Liu Jun's shoulder and asked him if he was alright. Liu Jun looked at Zhuge Yong and walked towards the governor's mansion. "What's the situation in Bashu now?"

"This Cheng Guo..."

"Hmm?" Liu Jun frowned. "You'll accept him as emperor? Just call him Di Cheng."

"Yes," Zhuge Yong changed his tune, "This man is quite talented, handsome, kind, and righteous. He also pays little taxation and cherishes talent, making him extremely popular among the people. It will take some effort to get rid of him in one fell swoop."

Liu Jun was aware of all this. Seeing Zhuge Yong's troubled expression, he said, "I understand Lord Zhuge's concerns. You must be thinking about Shi Le, Sima Rui, and Li Xiong. Why should I deal with Li Xiong first, instead of eliminating the major threat Shi Le?"

Zhuge Yong was surprised that Sima Rui had been included in the list, and that he had addressed him by his given name, not even bothering to call him the Prince of Langya. Startled, he instinctively looked around and said, "My lord, be careful, the walls may be listening!"

Liu Jun smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if others hear us. What's wrong with serving the emperor to punish the disloyal? Now that Sima Rui has the right to rule, it's not good to attack him. Shi Le has strong armor and sharp weapons, and he is also very skilled in warfare. It will definitely be a tough battle to fight him. Li Xiong is too lenient. The reason he was able to defend his country is because it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and because the others have no time to attend to other matters. Does Lord Zhuge think that the Di are a monolithic entity? Now an opportunity has arrived."

Zhuge Yong asked curiously, "I am foolish and ignorant, please enlighten me, my lord."

“I have heard that Li Xiong intends to make his brother Li Dang’s son Li Ban the crown prince. But you should know that he has been the so-called emperor for more than ten years. Aren’t the ministers afraid that a new emperor brings a new court? Many ministers have already submitted memorials to make Li Xiong’s own son the crown prince.”

Zhuge Yong exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing has happened!"

They were so close to Sichuan and Chongqing, yet they received no word of it at all, while Liu Jun, far away in Luoyang, was fully aware of the situation. This shows that the strength of his spies was unfathomable.

“Li Xiong has more than ten sons, among whom one is particularly noteworthy. This man is named Li Qi. He is precocious from a young age and is also the Empress's adopted son. The informant says he is ‘generous and charitable,’ humble and open-minded, and attracts talented people. How could such a person easily submit to someone else and relinquish his father's throne?” Liu Jun took out several letters from his sleeve. “I have already sent someone to impersonate Sima Rui's messenger…”

Zhuge Yong suddenly realized, "Li Qi has been persuaded?"

“He is still young, so I did not send anyone to contact him directly. Instead, I went to find two people: his birth mother, Lady Ran, and his elder brother, Li Yue. Lady Ran comes from a poor family and is frivolous and greedy. Li Yue is cunning and jealous of talent. With these two around, how can the dynasty last long?” Liu Jun said, looking at the map with his hands behind his back.

A terrifying thought slowly formed in Zhuge Yong's mind: "Could it be that my lord's trip is not for the sake of Chengguo at all?"

Liu Jun's finger slowly touched Jingzhou. "Whether I'm bedridden or not, I can hide it for a while, but not forever. But why did I come to Liangzhou...? I must keep it a secret until it's all done!"

Zhuge Yong bowed and said, "Yes! The people of Liangzhou will do their utmost to achieve complete success!"

The candlelight flickered, casting Liu Jun's face in and out of focus. "Zhou Fang, the governor of Xiangzhou, passed away last year. Wang Dun seized the opportunity to petition for his trusted confidant Chen Ban to succeed him as governor of Xiangzhou. Xiangzhou's location is extremely important; it can not only restrain Jingzhou but also remotely control Bashu. Sima Rui appointed Sima Cheng, a member of the imperial clan, as governor of Xiangzhou. Therefore, a rift has already formed between Sima Rui and Wang Dun over this matter, which ended with Sima Rui increasing Wang Dun's officials and entourage."

Zhuge Yong listened intently, trying to decipher Liu Jun's intentions.

"Now there is another major event. Sima Rui has restored the status of the young servants and retainers of the gentry in various prefectures to ordinary citizens in preparation for conscription. He has also appointed his trusted confidants Dai Yuan and Liu Kui to garrison Hefei and Huaiyin. Most importantly, the soldiers who were once the young servants have been given to Dai and Liu. What do you think Wang Dun will think at this time?"

"So, it seems he's trying to defend against the northern barbarians, but in reality, he's trying to guard against Wang Dun?" Zhuge Yong pondered. "More importantly, the Langya Wang clan is the most powerful clan. Taking their servants to strengthen the royal family's power will surely provoke him, given his temperament."

“Not bad,” Liu Jun said, pleased that he understood immediately. “Now that the ancestor of Liangzhou and Zhou Fang of Xiangzhou have both passed away, and the court is fighting against Shi Le in the north, Wang Dun will naturally think that no one in Jiangnan can defeat him. If someone can add fuel to the fire, he will definitely act rashly.”

Zhuge Yong frowned, "If he is afraid of the court and dares not take action, then what should be done..."

"Forgive my bluntness, but in the eyes of those who fled south, there is only Sima Rui and no longer His Majesty. They don't even care about the Prince of Langya, who is right here and provides them with official positions and provisions. How could they possibly fear His Majesty, who is thousands of miles away and surrounded by enemies?" Liu Jun sneered. "Therefore, I predict that Wang Dun will rebel within two months!"