Chapter 107, Chapter Eighteen: Unrivaled in Jiangdong
Perhaps Liu Jun was deeply accomplished in the study of the I Ching in his past and present lives. Just one month after his infallible prediction, Wang Dun rebelled under the banner of "purging the emperor's inner circle." He then swept through the city of Shitou with unstoppable momentum. After Sima Rui suffered a major defeat, he had no choice but to let Liu Kui and Diao Xie, the confidants Wang Dun wanted to eliminate, escape. Diao Xie was killed, while Liu Kui led his wife, children, and confidants north from Huaiyin to Luoyang to join Liu Jun.
Since Liu Jun himself was ill, Wen Qiao received him on his behalf. At the same time, he continued to monitor the situation in Jiangdong every day.
Wang Dun not only refused to pay homage to Sima Ye, but also looted Jiankang. Sima Rui's subordinates and officials all fled, and in the end, he had no choice but to send envoys to sue for peace.
"You mean the Prince of Langya actually ordered all his officials to pay homage to Wang Dun in Stone City and even granted a general amnesty?" Liu Jun raised an eyebrow and looked at Yin Xiaocheng. "And in the end, he even granted a general amnesty, pardoning him from all punishment?"
“That’s right.” Yin Xiaocheng found it unbelievable. “The imperial decree has been issued today. Wang Dun has been appointed as the Left Chancellor, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Jiangdong, Director of the Secretariat, Governor of Jiangzhou, and enfeoffed as the Duke of Wuchang with a fief of ten thousand households.”
Liu Jun sneered, "Wang Dun? He actually withdrew his troops? If he had the courage of the Sima clan to assassinate the emperor in the street, perhaps the Langya Wang clan could have also won the mandate of heaven."
He rose and paced back and forth. "Sima Rui is so weak and incompetent, it's astonishing. And what about Wang Dao?"
"I've heard that the Wang clan was torn apart because of Wang Dun. Wang Dao, Wang Bin, Wang Leng, and others disagreed. Wang Leng died suddenly a few days ago, and rumors in Jiankang City say that Wang Dun murdered him." Yin Xiaocheng slapped his forehead. "Right, this time, the Crown Prince Sima Shao has repeatedly requested to go out of the city for a decisive battle, and I've heard that his plans could have been effective..."
"In other words, this prince is both brave and resourceful?" Liu Jun smiled. "Prime Minister Wang should know about this."
On his deathbed, Sima Rui was suddenly attacked by Wang Dun, who wanted to depose Sima Shao as the heir apparent on the grounds of filial impiety. Sima Rui was already filled with grief and indignation, and this provocation made him unable to survive.
At this time, half of the civil and military officials were Wang's faction. When Sima Shao succeeded to the throne in a time of crisis, the first thing he did was to send a memorial to the court in Chang'an to pay tribute.
Compared to his father, Sima Shao was indeed a smart man. He was keenly aware that as long as there was no obvious intention to usurp the throne, Sima Ye would not mind the large number of members of the imperial clan and the strength of the army.
Sima Ye immediately allowed Sima Shao to inherit all of Sima Rui's official positions and titles. So the question arises: Wang Dun was also the Left Chancellor, and Sima Shao was also the Left Chancellor. In Jiangdong, who had the final say?
This further intensified the conflict between Wang Dun and Sima Shao. At the same time, Shi Le was also making moves in the north. Just as the court was impatiently issuing several secret edicts ordering Liu Jun to return and take charge of the overall situation, news came that Wang Dun had fallen ill.
Liu Jun was skeptical, after all, he himself had been bedridden with illness for more than two months. What if Wang Dun had also pulled off a feint and actually launched a night attack on Jiankang?
However, Sima Shao announced Wang Dun's death, and at the same time, Wang Dao led the Langya Wang clan to hold a funeral for Wang Dun. This made Liu Jun more certain that Wang Dun was doomed.
Therefore, he immediately ordered the Secretariat to issue an edict to attack Wang Dun, and at the same time appointed Tao Kan as the governor of Jingzhou and Liu Qi as the governor of Jiangzhou.
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Wang Dun was furious. Despite his serious illness, he personally led an army of 50,000 men straight to Jiankang. At the same time, Liu Jun recovered from his illness and led 30,000 Liangzhou soldiers straight to Wuchang to suppress the rebellion.
"What?" A fair-skinned, handsome young man with a high nose and deep-set eyes asked, his face ashen. "Didn't they say that Liu Jun was too ill to get out of bed and Wang Dun was too ill to mount a horse? How come they all suddenly recovered overnight?"
"Moreover, when Wang Dun heard that Wuchang had been attacked, he issued a military order that Jiankang must be captured."
Sima Shao smiled and said, "Liu Jun rarely suffers defeats. Wuchang is currently vulnerable and there is absolutely no way to hold it. Therefore, if we do not capture Jiankang, Wang Dun will become a dog with no home. In that case, how can we not burn our boats and act desperately?"
"Your Highness, are we really going to just hand over Jingzhou and Jiangzhou to them like this?"
Sima Shao coughed and smiled bitterly, "These two prefectures used to be in Wang Dun's hands, not ours. Besides, even though I am nominally a subject of the court, once that person in Chang'an issues an edict, the overall situation is already decided."
"Ha, in the past, the governors of each prefecture acted as they pleased, who really took those young children in Chang'an seriously?"
“Times have changed. He was helpless before, but now he has Liu Jun, so he has plenty of soldiers, food, and resources.” Sima Shao had been feeling dizzy and short of breath lately, and after talking for a while, he felt tired and sat back on the couch.
He pondered for a long time, his gaze filled with desolation and bewilderment, thinking to himself, "My father made all sorts of preparations in the past, just waiting for the day he would ascend the throne, but now it all seems like a dream. If Sima Ye were to pass away, or... if Liu Jun were not in this world, that would be better."
At this time, Liu Jun had already captured Wuchang and was too lazy to think about whether it was better for him to exist or not. At this time, he received an unexpected surprise - Lu Wan, who was forcibly recruited by Wang Dun to be the chief secretary.
All of Wang Dun's henchmen were imprisoned in the yamen. Liu Jun quickly removed his armor, put on his hat and changed his clothes to visit them. As soon as he entered the cell, he said, "This is a famous scholar from Jiangdong. How can you treat him so lightly?"
Having said that, he stepped forward and personally helped him up, saying, "You've suffered so much!"
Lu Wan had been filled with grief, indignation, shock, and anger these past few days. Suddenly seeing a gentle, polite, and distinguished young man was like a godsend. He hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, I was forced by Wang Liao and had no intention of rebelling..."
Liu Jun helped him out of the prison and rode with him in a car. "My name is Liu Jun..."
Seeing Lu Wan's shocked expression, perhaps he was wondering why Liu Jun was being so polite.
Like many famous scholars, Lu Wan was aloof and proud. When Wang Dao first crossed the Yangtze River to the south, he wanted to arrange a marriage between their children, but Lu Wan refused, saying that "no pine or cypress grows on a hill, and good and bad things cannot be put in the same container." At the time, Lu Wan was still in shock, so he let it go, but once he calmed down, he had to be treated with great respect.
“My late father, Liu Kun, was acquainted with your cousins, Lu Ji and Lu Yun. I was also fortunate to receive guidance from these two uncles when I was young,” Liu Jun said gently. “I was unaware that Lord Lu was here and was therefore disrespectful. Please forgive me.”
Lu Wan had never liked northerners before, especially disliking Sima Rui's arrogant attitude when he first came to Jiangdong and after he gained a foothold. However, seeing Liu Jun's dignified and handsome appearance, he couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill. He cupped his hands and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for saving me, Master Sima. I will definitely repay you in the future!"
Liu Jun waved his hand, "Now that Jiankang is in the midst of war, I wonder if you would like to stay in Wuchang for the time being, or return to Wuzhong?"
Lu Wan had long been fed up with these northerners and immediately said he would return to his hometown that very day. Liu Jun tried to persuade him to stay, and then sent elite soldiers to escort him back.
"My lord, should we head south to Jiangdong or..." Lu Jing asked in a low voice.
Liu Jun said calmly, "We have already acquired Jingzhou and Jiangzhou, which is no easy feat. In addition to Luoyang, we still need to stabilize the people's hearts and enrich the country. We cannot rush things. Let's go. If we don't go back soon, we will have no place to stand in Chang'an."
Looking at the surging river, he drew his sword and pointed it, saying, "We should emulate our ancestors, keeping our weapons at our ready for battle, striking the oars midstream, and rising up with renewed vigor!"
Volume 7: Unifying the World
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