Chapter 302 The Cause of the Troubled Times
After dealing with this matter, the court finally relaxed.
Luoyang has been in turmoil this year. First, Empress Dowager Hu launched a coup, overthrew Yuan Yi and took power again. The court in Luoyang carried out drastic personnel adjustments.
This was followed by two rebellions in Guanzhong and Liuzhen.
At the end of the year, there was finally good news.
Xiao Baoyin in Guanzhong "repelled" Mozhe Tiansheng, reoccupied the entire territory of Yongzhou, and stabilized the situation.
Yuan Shen borrowed troops from the Rouran and put down the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons.
Even the war against Southern Liang was successful. With the defection of Xiao Yan's son Xiao Zong, Pengcheng was recovered and the elite soldiers of Danyang of Southern Liang were killed. There has been no further fighting on the southern front since then.
The other one, Xiao Zong, who fled to the Northern Wei, now changed his name to Xiao Zan. He entered Luoyang in mourning clothes and told Empress Dowager Hu that he wanted to mourn for his "biological father" Xiao Baojuan for three years.
It happened that Empress Dowager Hu was promoting filial piety throughout the country, and decided to use him to set an example of filial piety for the young emperor, so she rewarded Xiao Zan greatly.
Empress Dowager Hu built a ancestral temple for Xiao Zan in Luoyang, conferred on him the title of Duke of Gaoping County, and granted him the official positions of Sikong and Taiwei.
In the official system of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Sikong and Situ were both honorary titles, and Taiwei was also a remote honorary military rank. The Taiwei Mansion was an institution belonging to the court, and the Taiwei could not control the work of the Taiwei Mansion, so these positions did not even have a single subordinate.
For example, after Li Chong returned to Luoyang, the court gave him the position of Si Tu and allowed him to recuperate in his mansion.
Xiao Zan was so grateful that he shed tears. He wore mourning clothes in his house, did not attend any banquets or have any fun, and devoted himself to mourning for Xiao Baojuan.
By the end of the year, Empress Dowager Hu felt that she was ready again.
In the first year of Xiaochang, he returned to the throne and successively stabilized Guanzhong and the Six Garrisons. Doesn't this show that he was blessed by the Buddha and that he was destined to be king?
After a busy year, it's finally time to enjoy some time.
Empress Dowager Hu once again ordered all places to present tribute to Luoyang, in preparation for a grand ceremony during this year's New Year for the whole country to celebrate together!
However, amid these magnificent movements, there are also some discordant notes.
Yang Yu received the imperial edict, but found that it was completely different from what he had suggested in the Ministry of Personnel. The people of the Six Garrisons were to be settled in Ding, Ying and Ji states. He requested to present the edict to the emperor again with the Empress Dowager Hu, but was harshly rejected by the eunuch who delivered the order. He was asked to leave Luoyang before the end of the year and read the court's edict to the Six Garrisons.
Yang Yu returned home, asked his wife to prepare the coffin and said:
"I am afraid I will become a criminal of the Wei Dynasty."
Besides that, there was another spoiler.
After Li Daoyuan, who was expelled from Luoyang by Yuan Yi, was recalled, the former Yin of Henan immediately wrote a letter to the court, impeaching the incompetent officials he met along the way and criticizing the increasingly corrupt atmosphere among the upper class in Luoyang.
Normally, when a minister of Li Daoyuan's level returned to Luoyang, the emperor or the empress dowager would have to meet him in person, but Empress Dowager Hu had no interest in meeting this spoilsport, and asked the eunuch to convey an imperial decree to Li Daoyuan, asking him to set off for Guanzhong before the New Year to investigate the situation of the war in Guanzhong as an ambassador of consolation.
Dealt with two spoilsport guys and also some local personnel appointment issues.
Yuan Yu, the governor of Liangzhou, had worked hard and made great contributions in Liangzhou. He had already written a letter requesting to be transferred back to Luoyang, and recommended Su Ze to be the governor of Liangzhou.
These days, Su Ze's connections in the back courtyard have been established, and Empress Dowager Hu has heard a lot of words praising Su Ze by her pillow.
Although Empress Dowager Hu was somewhat resentful about Su Ze's past dependence on Yuan Yi, now that Princess Chenliu had married him, Su Ze could be considered a relative. Empress Dowager Hu still agreed to Yuan Yu's request to return to the court and appointed him as Shizhong, Wei Jiangjun, Zuo Guanglu Dafu, and Shangshutai Zuo Pushe.
He also asked the Secretary of the Central Secretariat to draft an imperial edict, appointing Su Ze as the Governor of Liangzhou.
Next came the matter of Yuan Tianmu, a member of the royal family, being appointed governor of Bingzhou.
Bingzhou is an important defense town in the north of Luoyang. It has been vacant for a long time, and Empress Dowager Hu is somewhat worried.
Before this, Erzhu Rong had been fighting for the position of Governor of Bingzhou, but Empress Dowager Hu had been suppressing him and refusing to give it to him.
On the one hand, Erzhu Rong was a member of Yuan Yi's old party, and Empress Dowager Hu was naturally hostile to him.
On the other hand, Erzhu Rong's daughter Erzhu was the young emperor's concubine, and Erzhu Rong was also the father-in-law of the emperor.
Empress Dowager Hu returned to power and exercised tighter control over the young emperor. Foreign relatives like Erzhu Rong were her natural enemies.
Yuan Tianmu had made great contributions during his mission to Hengzhou, so Erzhu Rong did not object to his appointment as the governor of Bingzhou.
Empress Dowager Hu agreed to the appointment and appointed Yuan Tianmu as the governor of Bingzhou.
After dealing with these chores in the court, Empress Dowager Hu could finally enjoy herself.
At the end of the year, the officials who came to Luoyang to report on their work found out the changes in power in Luoyang and tried their best to bribe the three male favorites of Empress Dowager Hu.
The reason why there are three of them is that one of them is Li Shengui, the old lover of Empress Dowager Hu, who just returned from the northern border.
There was a constant stream of people in front of Li Chong's mansion, which was even more lively than when Li Chong was the General of Cavalry. The only difference was that the person people were vying to see was not Li Chong, but Li Chong's son.
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December, the first year of Xiaochang.
"Grandpa, be careful!"
Yuwen Luosheng shouted loudly, raised his arrow and shot a Rouran rider to death. His brother Yuwen Lian raised his spear and chopped down several Rouran men. Only then did Yuwen Gong get back on his horse.
There were more and more Rouran people in the rear, and after Yuwen Gong got on his horse, he no longer wanted to fight and withdrew from the battlefield with his son and troops.
Yuwen and his son finally managed to break out. Yuwen Lian said to his father, "Grandpa, the imperial court actually allowed the Rouran people to plunder Yanzhou! And ordered the soldiers and civilians of Yanzhou not to resist! This is really unreasonable!"
Yuwen Gong also sighed.
He decided to go to Dingzhou to seek refuge with his old boss, Ge Rong, the deputy governor of Dingzhou. However, he did not expect that when he was halfway to Yanzhou, he encountered the Rouran cavalry who rushed into Yanzhou to plunder.
Yuwen Gong led his son and his troops to kill a group of Rouran people. They brought their heads to a nearby county, but they were detained by the local county magistrate, who said that the imperial court had ordered not to stop the Rouran people from looting in Yanzhou and that Yuwen and his son should be sent to the Rouran people to apologize.
Later, it was his son and his tribesmen who rebelled, killed the county magistrate on the spot and broke out, thus rescuing Yuwen Gong.
However, from then on, Yuwen and his son were wanted by the government and could only take small roads along the way. As more and more Rouran people entered Yanzhou, the number of Yuwen and his son's followers became smaller and smaller.
Today, the horses and armor of Yuwen father and son were targeted by the Rouran people, who chased them for a long time. Yuwen Gong accidentally stumbled and fell off his horse, and was almost caught up by the Rouran people.
If Yuwen Lian and Yuwen Luosheng had not come to his rescue, Yuwen Gong might have died at the hands of these nameless Rouran cavalry.
Yuwen Gong didn't know how to evaluate the court. He looked ahead and said, "Ge Biejia is in Zhongshan. Once we get there, we can settle down."
However, Yuwen and his son did not expect that his fellow villagers from the Six Garrisons would soon be settled in Dingzhou by the imperial court, and they would soon be reunited with their fellow villagers from the Six Garrisons.
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Gao Huan and his entourage who entered Yanzhou also encountered the Rouran people.
Gao Huan, Sima Ziru and Dou Tai took their families south to Yanzhou, intending to settle down and wait and see what would happen. However, they did not expect that the Rouran people would actually break into Yanzhou and rob!
Through the refugees who fled to Yanzhou and the news of the Rouran people, Gao Huan learned the final outcome of the Six Garrisons War.
After Po Liu Han Baling was defeated by Yuan Shen's borrowed troops from Rouran, the court allowed the Rouran people to rob to compensate for their military expenses for sending troops to the Six Garrisons!
Not only the remnants of the Six Garrisons entered Yanzhou, but now the Rouran people have also entered. Yanzhou is in chaos.
Now Gao Huan understood the meaning of "when the nest is overturned, no eggs can remain intact."
After getting rid of the Rouran pursuers behind him, Gao Huan discussed with everyone.
At this time, the team also had disagreements, and Dou Tai wanted to return to the Six Towns.
But Gao Huan said firmly:
"There is no food in the six towns. Are we going to just sit there and wait for starvation to die?"
Sima Ziru looked at Gao Huan, knowing that he always had his own opinions, and asked:
"He Liuhun, you already have a plan, tell me now."
Gao Huan said:
"Although the six towns have been pacified, the world will be in chaos."
Dou Tai looked at Gao Huan in confusion. Wasn't the Rebellion of the Six Prefectures put down?
Gao Huan explained:
"Although Han Baling is dead, the court has no ability to settle the survivors of the Six Towns. If chaos breaks out again, it won't just be the Six Towns, but the entire northern border!"
Sima Ziru's face turned pale and he agreed with Gao Huan's judgment.
"What should we do about He Liuhun?"
Gao Huan stood up and said:
"Shanggu is recruiting survivors from the six towns. Du Luozhou invited us to Shanggu County. We can go and take a look."
Troubled times are opportunities for warriors, and Su Ze's example has already shown Gao Huan a way out.
He originally planned to rest for a while in Shanggu, then go to Xiurongchuan to meet his old friend Liu Gui whom he met in Luoyang, or go to the northwest to seek refuge with Su Ze.
Now Gao Huan thinks that his strength is too weak, and it will be difficult to make a breakthrough even if he seeks help from his old friends.
Something called ambition began to grow in his mind. Seeing that Yanzhou was beginning to become turbulent, he decided to recruit some more followers so that he would have enough capital.
Gao Huan was very famous in Huaishuo and had charisma. Sima Ziru and Dou Tai also nodded, thinking this was an opportunity.
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Among the heroes who fled south from the six towns to escape disaster, the one who left the fastest was Dugu Ruyuan.
They went south from Hengzhou, passed Xiurong and arrived in Jinyang, then went west from Jinyang and arrived at the Yellow River.
After leaving the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon, the Yellow River cascades down to Longmen Ferry, also known as Yumen Ferry, which is located in Hejin County, Shanxi Province. According to legend, Dayu split the Dragon Gate here to control the flood, leaving behind the beautiful story of a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate and turning into a dragon.
Longmen Ferry is a large river port in the southern section of the ancient Yellow River Road. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period when Qin and Jin were in good terms, Duke Mu of Qin transported grain from Longmen to aid the State of Jin.
Later, after Li Yuan started his army in Jinyang, he also entered Guanzhong from Longmen Ferry, and then went south to capture Chang'an.
Crossing the Longmen Ferry to the west is Shangjun during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which is now Xiazhou controlled by Su Ze.
This is what makes Dugu Ruyuan different from other people from the Six Towns.
He was educated, so he was able to successfully escape to Longmen Ferry with Houmo Chenchong's family, while ordinary refugees from the Six Towns could only run around like headless flies.
Hou Mochen Chong checked Longmen Ferry, but he didn't expect that this ferry was so prosperous.
At the ferry on the east bank of the Yellow River on the Bingzhou side, merchants and travelers were coming and going. The ferry was piled with goods shipped from Xiazhou, and there were tax collectors and soldiers exploiting the people at the ferry.
(End of this chapter)