Chapter 2: A Chaotic and Fierce Era

Just when Liu Jun thought he would live out his days in this mediocre body, things took a sudden turn for the better.

Empress Jia Nanfeng's false accusation of murdering the crown prince angered the princes of the Sima clan. In the first year of the Yongkang era, Sima Lun, the Prince of Zhao, launched a coup, deposing and killing Empress Jia Nanfeng. From then on, the various Sima clans emerged, stirring up chaos throughout the land.

Although Liu Jun was confined to his household, he still gained some understanding of the general situation of the world from his parents and servants. Various princes raised armies one after another, and the armies of various vassal states fought repeatedly in the Central Plains.

The powerful families and noble clans were not immune to the consequences. Liu Kun served under Sima Lun, Sima Jiong, and Sima Xiao. Although the Sima King he followed repeatedly failed, he was not only pardoned because "his father and brothers were all highly regarded in their time," but was even promoted several times.

Therefore, Liu Kun was busy with military and political affairs and often did not return home for months at a time. Cui Shi was in charge of managing the household affairs, and inevitably neglected her beloved son.

Liu Jun was happy to have some free time. During this period, he learned to walk and speak again. He also asked Cui to find someone to start his education as soon as possible. In the first year of Tai'an, when Liu Kun followed Sima Xiao, the Prince of Fanyang, to guard Xuchang, he returned home to say goodbye to his wife and children. Only then did he realize that his young son had already spoken clearly and knew hundreds of characters.

"My lord, you may not know this," Cui said, gently waving her fan, unable to hide her pride. "A few days ago, my father-in-law, on a whim, taught Maotou a few lines from the Spring and Autumn Annals. When I asked him about it again a month later, he remembered them clearly and even understood their meaning."

"This child is so precocious!" Liu Kun exclaimed in surprise, then tested him a few more times.

Cao Mao in his previous life was known for his precocious intelligence. Although Liu Jun felt it was somewhat shameful to pretend to be a child prodigy, he still answered the questions one by one despite the embarrassment, and as expected, he won Liu Kun's praise.

"Father, I want to learn horsemanship, archery, and swordsmanship," Liu Jun pleaded, clinging to Liu Kun's leg.

Liu Kun was surprised, "You're so young, isn't it a bit too early for you to learn these things?"

“If Wei Wen hadn’t known archery at the age of six and riding archery at the age of eight, he probably would have died in Wancheng long ago. How could he have escaped on horseback?”

Liu Kun did not notice that he had used the original text of "Dian Lun". He thought to himself, "Now that the world is in turmoil, if the children in my family can ride and shoot well at an early age, even if they cannot achieve great things, they can at least protect themselves." So he nodded happily, "I will find you a few family generals who are good at archery and horsemanship later."

"That's wonderful! I want to be a great hero, just like my father, skilled in both literature and martial arts!" Liu Jun cheered excitedly.

Liu Kun was a man of great ambition and was pleased to hear this. From then on, he paid even more attention to Liu Jun's upbringing.

Liu Jun, however, was thinking of other things. Frequent wars had left farmland in ruins, famine and disease were rampant, and refugees were everywhere. The warring princes were killing each other and dying one after another. With the rise and fall of the warring princes, the power of the Jin dynasty's royal family was almost exhausted. "Are kings and generals born with a special destiny?" he thought. "Other forces will surely take their place... At that time, will we still be afraid of not being able to avenge our national and personal grievances?"

During this time, taking advantage of his wet nurse's inattention, Liu Jun secretly wrote down word for word the "New Book of Mengde" written by Emperor Taizu, based on his memories from his previous life, in the dead of night. He thought that if he had the opportunity to buy the book in the future, he could compare it with the text. Similarly, he also wrote down all the classics and poems that he could still remember.

Since the Jian'an period, aristocratic families have not engaged in production or sought fame and fortune, but have been indulging in metaphysical discussions all day long. To achieve something great, reputation is indispensable. Fortunately, he had studied the Book of Changes extensively in his previous life and had the title of a member of the Han imperial family, so he should not be unknown.

However, in his previous life, he had been raised by the women of the royal household and later confined to the inner palace, so he was completely ignorant of both strategy and practical affairs. Therefore, whenever he had the chance, Liu Jun would eavesdrop on his father, grandfather, uncles and aunts discussing politics, or sneak into Liu Kun's study to peek at his private collection of books. He could often find some insightful observations in those ornate and sentimental writings.

So one day, Liu Jun was engrossed in his work, lost in thought, when suddenly the paper was snatched from his hand. When he looked up, he saw his uncle, Liu Yu, and was so embarrassed that he was speechless.

"Why aren't you practicing calligraphy? What are you doing here?" At first, Liu Yu thought the boy was just being mischievous and making a ruckus in the important study. But upon closer inspection, he was stunned. It turned out that Liu Jun was reading "On Moving the Barbarians" by Jiang Tong, the former tutor of the crown prince. "Can you even understand it?"

Liu Jun answered honestly, "There are many characters I don't recognize yet, but I find this article very interesting."

Although both Liu Yu and Liu Kun were renowned throughout the land, Liu Kun was more composed and patient than his younger brother, especially in his studies. Seeing his young age and his eagerness to learn, he felt even more fond of him. "Oh? How interesting is this text?"

"This article begins by quoting the Spring and Autumn Annals, saying that the Hu people have been causing trouble since ancient times, and that it is necessary to 'inside the Chinese and outside the barbarians'. Then it says that Guanzhong is a crucial place and it is not suitable for Hu people to live there, and it also cites the examples of the Xiongnu and Goguryeo people in Bingzhou."

Liu Yu was overjoyed that Liu Jun had actually understood so much. He then explained it to him in detail. Liu Jun listened carefully and would ask questions from time to time if there was anything he didn't understand.

Before he knew it, Liu Yu had spent more than half an hour explaining the article to him. Despite the dryness of the text, the four-year-old child showed no signs of drowsiness or impatience. Some of his questions were perhaps naive, but many were quite insightful.

For example, Liu Jun asked: "Leaving aside those who were relocated to the interior of the pass due to defeat in battle, there have also been many Hu people entering the pass recently, far more than in previous years. Why is that?"

For example, he might ask: "The Xiongnu were not moved into the interior of the pass before, but they still burned, killed, and looted. They are not of our race, so their hearts must be different. If we treat the Hu people in the interior of the pass with etiquette and education, will they not cause trouble?"

Liu Yu remembered that his younger brother was away in town, and as the eldest brother, he had a responsibility to take care of his family. So he would inquire about Liu Jun's studies from time to time. Later, he simply let him and his brother Liu Zun study together with their cousins ​​Liu Yan, Liu Yin, and Liu Yi.

Not to mention the memories of his extra life, he was known in his previous life for being "astute and eloquent, and his words were always well-reasoned." The family school's curriculum was not difficult for Liu Jun. In addition, he was eager to make a name for himself, so he no longer concealed it. As a result, no other member of the Liu family school in Zhongshan could compare to him in the slightest.

In addition, Liu Jun also had to set aside half a day each day to practice martial arts. Perhaps because he had held a sword as a child, Liu Kun specially found a wandering knight to teach him swordsmanship, and also selected the most skilled family retainer to teach him riding and archery, filling his days completely.

In the blink of an eye, it was the second year of Yongxing. Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, raised an army in Xuzhou, intending to welcome Emperor Hui back to Luoyang. In order to win over Sima Xiao, he appointed him as the governor of Yuzhou. At the same time, Liu Yu was promoted to the position of governor of Yingchuan, and his grandfather Liu Fan also got a sinecure as the protector of Huaibei. The Liu brothers began to transform from famous scholars to powerful regional officials.

Liu Jun was six years old that year.