Chapter 25, Chapter Nine: After Considering All the Steps
Liu Qiao was once a man of unwavering integrity and pride, having defied not only the Sima princes but even imperial edicts. His current show of such courtesy to this mere child is truly unexpected. In contrast, the two high-ranking officials behind him maintain their air of scholarly refinement, showing no appreciation whatsoever.
Although there had been past grievances, what did they matter in the face of national upheaval? Besides, he was of advanced age and high moral character, humble and sincere, so Liu Jun naturally wouldn't hold it against him. He smiled and said, "It was purely coincidental that I was able to receive you gentlemen today. It is due to your great virtue that you have been blessed by Heaven. What merit have I made? May I ask who the other two gentlemen are?"
Liu Qiao seemed to have just noticed the two people behind him and introduced them: "Zhuge Quan, the Minister of Justice, and Yu Yi, the Chief Secretary to the Grand Tutor."
The Zhuge clan of Langya and the Yu clan of Yingchuan were both first-rate aristocratic families, and both of them had close ties with Liu Kun.
For example, the extremely short and stout Yu Yi, whose father and brothers were both first-rate scholars of the time, specialized in Laozi and Zhuangzi and was quite skilled in philosophical discussions, yet he amassed a great fortune, which led to his impeachment by his maternal uncle, Wen Qiao. However, he was quite gracious; when Wen Qiao impeached him, he praised Wen Qiao as a pillar of the state. Later, when Sima Yue seized power, his uncle Liu Yu repeatedly tried to attack him, but Yu Yi skillfully defused the situation each time. His uncle could only give up in frustration, and even received Sima Yue's assessment that he had "judged a gentleman's heart with the mind of a petty person."
For example, Zhuge Quan's ancestor, Zhuge Xu, was a cousin of Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han dynasty. Zhuge Quan himself was one of the Twenty-Four Friends of Jin Valley and also had a relationship with Liu Kun...
"It is truly admirable that the young master can command with such ease at such a young age. He has indeed surpassed his master." Zhuge Quan stroked his beard and exchanged pleasantries.
Liu Jun patiently exchanged a few more polite words with them before finally getting straight to the point: "To be honest, gentlemen, as my father commands, I am going to the capital to rescue His Majesty. I wonder what your plans are?"
The Liu brothers stared intently at Liu Qiao, while Zhuge Quan and Yu Yi exchanged a glance and fell silent.
Liu Jun did not urge them, after all, apart from Liu Qiao, the other two were scholars who advocated inaction and empty talk, and it was a pipe dream to expect them to support the Jin Dynasty and help those in distress.
As expected, Yu Yi spoke first: "Although I wish to accompany the Crown Prince to Luoyang to protect the Emperor, my clan has already gone south, including my elderly mother. Once I find my mother and fulfill my filial duty, I will then serve the Emperor faithfully."
Liu Jun smiled and said, "I humbly believe that the Holy Dynasty governs the world with filial piety, which is only right."
Liu Qiao smiled sarcastically and cupped his hands to Liu Jun, saying, "I am the governor of Yuzhou, but unfortunately Yuzhou has been conquered by the barbarians. Now I only have a few thousand soldiers left. If Lord Yue Shi can put aside past grievances, I am willing to discuss important matters with you."
"Your Excellency is truly virtuous!" Liu Jun cupped his hands in greeting. "How about I send a few of my family retainers with you to Jinyang? My father will surely treat you to a grand feast when he sees you."
Liu You and his companions had experienced many twists and turns today. First, they thought their father had met with misfortune, but were unexpectedly rescued by Liu Jun, which was their first joy. Second, they thought they would have to leave their hometown and cross the Yangtze River to the south, but were able to go to Jinyang, which was their second joy. Third, they were able to work with Liu Kun and Liu Jun, both heroes of their time, to plan important matters. Now it seemed that if they did not want to cross the river to the south, Jinyang was the best way out.
However, Liu Jun also understood Liu Kun's character; he was good at appeasement but bad at control, and he was even more afraid that Liu Kun would drive Liu Qiao away because of old grudges. After a moment's thought, Liu Jun called over the most astute Lu Jing and whispered a few words in his ear. Although Lu Jing wanted to go to Luoyang with Liu Jun, he knew that this matter was of great importance and solemnly accepted the order.
At this moment, Zhuge Quan spoke up, "Having lived to this age and just barely escaped death, I have nothing left to cherish. I will now travel north with Liu Yuzhou, and I hope my old friend will take me in."
Unexpectedly, he would choose such a difficult path. Not only Liu Jun, but even Liu Qiao was somewhat surprised, and laughed, "The Minister of Justice is loyal and righteous!"
"What a coincidence, isn't this Liu of Zhongshan and Zhuge of Langya?" Zhuge Quan suddenly smiled meaningfully.
Liu Jun's heart stirred, but he still bowed solemnly, "Lord Zhuge is of great righteousness. I will send someone to escort you back to Bingzhou."
"The road ahead is unpredictable, and wolves and tigers roam freely. Your Highness, you should perhaps gather more men..." Liu Qiao advised kindly.
Liu Jun smiled and said, "This trip is only to rescue the emperor, not to confront Shi Le directly, so these people are enough."
“Grandfather, Father,” Liu Dan suddenly knelt on one knee, “I wish to travel with the Crown Prince, please grant me permission!”
Liu Ting was startled and wanted to stop him, but then he heard Liu Qiao say, "Good, this is the kind of man my Liu family is. Here are a hundred riders for you. Don't disgrace me!"
"Yes!" Liu Dan was overjoyed.
“By the way,” Liu Jun frowned, “could you lend us a personal guard? My father and I have been living in Jinyang for a long time and know very little about the political situation in Luoyang over the past few months…”
He had previously guessed the siege of Ningping based solely on his judgment, and Liu Qiao had no doubt about his talent in military affairs. He immediately appointed a seasoned general as his advisor, saying, "This is Gao Jian, who has always been by my side. He can guide the prince and answer his questions."
"Thank you, my lord. Take care on your journey."
Thus, after this unexpected battle, when Liu Jun set off again, he was accompanied by Liu Dan and Gao Jian. The two of them complemented each other and knew quite a bit about what had happened in Luoyang, especially the conflict between Sima Chi and Sima Yue.
After Sima Yue's death, Sima Chi, disregarding the occasion and timing, posthumously demoted him to the rank of county prince. As a result, Sima Yue's faction, which had been observing the situation, disregarded the matter and sent the funeral back to Donghai. On the way, they were pursued by Shi Le.
The events of the past ten years flashed through Liu Jun's mind, and he was almost laughing with anger at the Sima group. Sima Yue was dead, so shouldn't they have generously rewarded his former subordinates, brought them under their command, and sent them back to defend Luoyang? What good would it do to suppress them now, except to force them away and further deplete the court's military strength?
"How many men are there in total?" Liu Jun asked, suppressing his anger.
Gao Jian's eyes reddened. "More than 100,000, plus countless family members and commoners. Among them are members of the imperial family such as the Prince of Xiangyang, the Prince of Rencheng, the Prince of Xihe, and the Prince of Qi, as well as Grand Commandant Wang Yan and Minister of Personnel Liu Wang..."
Liu Jun was also heartbroken, but his heartache wasn't for the royal princes and nobles, but for the soldiers who had died tragically. "So Luoyang must be quite empty now? The Prince of Donghai previously reorganized the Imperial Guards and then took so many troops to Xiang County..."
"Most likely."
Liu Jun pondered. He had a secret purpose for going to Luoyang that he hadn't told anyone—to use the emperor to command the disobedient.
The Sima family bullied orphans and widows, tearing a powerful dynasty that had unified the north and pacified the Wuhuan to pieces, but he couldn't do that. Emperor Taizu of Cao Wei was able to clean up the mess at the end of the Han Dynasty, and as a member of the Han imperial family, he could naturally also clean up the remnants of the end of the Jin Dynasty.
Who can deny that it's destiny?
However, the selection of the emperor still needs to be considered—Sima Chi is definitely not going to survive, and even if he could, judging from his handling of Sima Yue, this man is ambitious but incompetent, disobedient, and too old to be easily controlled. Most of the Sima clan died in the War of the Eight Princes, and another group perished in Ningyuan City. Of those remaining, only one person is truly suitable, both in terms of lineage and age.
Liu Jun stroked the sword hilt at his waist and smiled slightly.
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