Chapter 128, Chapter Twenty-One: Mission Accomplished

In the spring of the second year of Yanwu, the eldest son of the emperor, Liu Liang, bribed several hundred imperial guards to launch a palace coup, which was quelled by the third son of the emperor, Liu Qin. Liu Liang was captured alive and severely interrogated, and the suspect in the assassination of the crown prince was beheaded.

The events that occurred in the capital were naturally reported to Jiankang in detail. Liu Jun, who was climbing a high place to look out over Stone City, heard the news, pondered for a moment, and slowly said: "Issue an imperial decree: the third prince has rendered meritorious service in overseeing the country and is hereby granted the title of Duke of Jinyang and betrothed to Zhang Jun's daughter. The empress has rendered meritorious service in managing the inner palace and is hereby granted the title of Marquis of a County to the second son of the crown prince. The chief culprit, Liu Liang, is hereby stripped of his title and surname and given the name Xiao. I will deal with him personally after I return to the capital."

His mind was heavy with worry, and Wen Qiao remained silent as well. Finally, he sighed and changed the subject, "Whether it's today or the day after, we will definitely be able to capture Jiankang. Have you thought about how to deal with the Jin dynasty?"

Speaking of this matter, Liu Jun's anger flared even more. During the previous peace talks, the Jin officials not only demanded official titles, but Sima Yan even proposed to be granted the titles of "Two Kings and Three Respected Officials." Liu Jun replied that he already had Sima Ye, but the other party shamelessly asked him to change Sima Ye's title to "County Marquis" or "Township Duke." Liu Jun refused, and directly ceded several counties. Sima Yan then made concessions again and again, and now he was even willing to be a Township Duke, but Liu Jun still scoffed at it.

"Knowing there was no chance of winning, they still resisted stubbornly, sending innocent people out to die in vain, while the powerful families still clung to their lands and tenants," Liu Jun sneered. "They weren't unwilling to see their country perish; they were bargaining with me! If it were Sima Ye, he would probably have surrendered long ago, just asking that the people not be harmed."

Recalling the thorn between him and Sima Ye, largely caused by Sima Yan, Liu Jun could not hide the disgust in his eyes. "Take all the close relatives of the Sima clan back and let Mu Nu choose the best to succeed him. The rest should have their family property confiscated and be reduced to commoners. Apart from Mu Nu, the other Sima clan members are no more than Sima Shao. Why should the people of the world have to work hard to support these arrogant and dissolute good-for-nothings? If we let them all enjoy their honors, it's too good for them."

Although he had once served as a minister of Jin, when he thought of the Sima clan during the War of the Eight Princes and the secret sabotage that the Jin court in the south had been causing in recent years, Wen Qiao silently swallowed his words of pleading. Then, remembering something, he asked worriedly, "The Han Dynasty lasted for four hundred years, and the Liu clan has many relatives. How does Your Majesty plan to enfeoff them?"

"My ancestor, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, had a hundred sons. Now, the Han imperial family numbers a staggering 100,000. If we were to enfeoff them all as marquises or kings, how would the people of the land support them?" Liu Jun had pondered this for a long time before speaking calmly. "This time, the enfeoffment will be based on kinship. Apart from my father's and uncles' sons and nephews, none will be granted titles. Furthermore, it will be based on merit. Those in the imperial family who have made outstanding contributions can be further enfeoffed, like Liu Dan. The kings will be granted titles according to the Han system of bestowing favors. Their fiefdoms will not have military power, and they cannot interfere in the internal affairs of the prefectures and counties. That's all I can think of for now. After we capture Jiankang, Taizhen will give me a proper discussion on the way back to the capital."

Wen Qiao bowed in agreement, but when he looked up, he felt raindrops on his forehead and exclaimed with delight, "Your Majesty, just as the heavens are sending down timely rain, I suddenly have a plan!"

"Oh?" Liu Jun recalled the map of Jiankang in his mind and immediately understood. "Could it be a water attack?"

Jiankang City is strategically located along the Yangtze River, with a network of waterways within its walls. A water attack would be ideal, but after careful consideration, Liu Jun slowly shook his head. “Jiankang City has been built over several decades, and it is no easy feat. It also houses hundreds of thousands of people. If we were to abandon them and disregard their lives, it would be unethical and would not be conducive to winning over the hearts of the people.”

"His Majesty is so benevolent and generous, the people of Jiangnan will surely be willing to die for him..."

Liu Jun shook his head, "There's no need for such flattery between us. Send people upstream to create momentum, and have spies spread the word in the city, making sure that every citizen of Jiankang knows that the Han army is about to flood the Seven Armies."

"To attack the city, one must attack the mind; I understand." Wen Qiao accepted the order.

Soon after, the Han army made frequent movements on both sides of the Yangtze River and in places like Donglu Mountain. Many soldiers carried stones and gravel on their backs, and heavy catapults were transported to the outskirts of the city.

The people of Jiankang were worldly-wise, and they quickly learned that the Han army would soon flood the city, terrifying them to the core. In an instant, everyone, from wealthy and powerful families to penniless commoners, gathered their belongings and fled to the city gates with their families. Carriages laden with beautiful women and precious jewels, and old farmers carrying livestock and vegetable baskets, crowded every gate of Jiankang.

To everyone's surprise, the city gate officials, having not received any imperial orders, resolutely refused to open the city gates. What was even more infuriating was that Sima Yan secretly ordered the release of some members of the Sima clan and the families of important officials such as Yu Liang during the night.

When public resentment was boiling over and the city gates were about to be breached, Sima Yan reluctantly sent someone out again to sue for peace. This time, he had only one request: to spare his life and the lives of everyone else.

Liu Jun still ignored it, because at that moment, the people of Jiankang angrily killed the city guard and surrendered.

The Han army marched into Jiankang City in a grand procession. Before they even entered the palace, Sima Yan, having heard the news, "rode in a sheep-drawn cart, bared his chest and carrying a coffin, and surrendered." There were hardly any people weeping or wailing, let alone committing suicide for their country. The whole scene was so peaceful and quiet that the Han army was secretly on guard, fearing that there might be a trap.

Liu Jun ignored it and simply sent Liu Yun to accept the surrender on his behalf.

Although Liu Jun was aware of the Sima family's extravagance, he couldn't help but be stunned by the ornate beams and painted rafters when he led his troops into the Jiankang Palace. Instead of being angry, he laughed and said, "In the past, the Prince of Chenliu and I scrimped and saved to subsidize the army. Whether in the palace or the government offices, we lived frugally. Neither the palace maids nor the household servants wore makeup or wore simple clothes. Whenever we asked them about troop deployment and supplies for the emperor, they would cry poverty every day, saying they were struggling to build their empire. I never imagined they would be living so carefree in this golden palace..."

"Your Majesty..." a eunuch reminded him. Liu Jun seemed to only then notice that many surrendered generals of the Jin court were nearby, but he didn't take it seriously. "It's just a pity that they were waiting and hoping for the death of the Prince of Chenliu, but they failed. They finally waited for the Prince of Chenliu to abdicate, but they didn't expect that I would neither die nor rule by dividing the country along the river. I'm quite out of touch with reality."

He made sarcastic remarks, and everyone fell silent in fear, until Wen Qiao asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this palace?"

In fact, he asked this question because he wanted to know how Liu Jun would enfeoff the princes, and if it followed the Jin system, which prince would be enfeoffed in Jiangnan.

Liu Jun smiled and said, "I plan to promote cultural development and build two Imperial Academies throughout the country. One will be in the capital, where I have observed a flourishing literary atmosphere. The other will be located here. The remaining buildings will be used as the National History Museum, the Music Bureau, and so on."

"The people of Jiangnan are all grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence. Our clan, together with the Lu, Chen, Gu, and Zhu families, would like to host a banquet and invite Your Majesty to grace us with your presence..." Xie Pou of the Chenjun Xie clan, seeing that he was in a good mood, extended the invitation.

Liu Jun looked at Wen Qiao beside him and said, "The Crown Prince is unwell, and I have been away from the capital for a long time. I must return as soon as possible to deal with this matter. Tai Zhen will stay here for the time being and have a good feast on my behalf."

Ignoring the anxious and disappointed expressions on everyone's faces, Liu Jun casually patted the jade railing and sighed softly, "Parting is easy, meeting is hard; the mountains and rivers are vast, the road is long. Return, return."