Explosive news can never be kept hidden, as people have an insatiable desire to spread it.
By noon, the soldiers had removed their armor and sat down, eating and drinking while whispering among themselves.
This wasn’t just the case for the troops from Luoyang but also for those from Hebei.
In the eyes of the common soldiers, bravery and martial prowess were always the most straightforward and effective qualities, far more convincing than any preaching.
The officers, too, were deeply impressed, openly discussing Shao Xun’s past exploits.
“I heard he was the one who killed Meng Chao.”
“Meng Chao deserved to die. He not only plundered Henan but also robbed the people of Hebei. He got what was coming to him.”
“My family had a shipment of goods stolen by Meng Chao, and there was no way to get it back. When I heard he was dead, I ate two extra bowls of rice.”
“Shao Xun’s killing of Meng Chao was truly heroic. He single-handedly scared off an entire army. Such courage is unmatched.”
“Sigh, I hope I never run into someone like him on the battlefield. If he charges straight into our formation and captures me, I wouldn’t know where to hide my face.”
“We should prepare more archers and spearmen. We could have stopped him today, but we were careless.”
“With Shao Xun’s temperament, he might not last long on the battlefield. The day his horse stumbles will be the day he meets his end.”
“He’s not that foolish, is he? Charging into enemy lines every time? When he killed Meng Chao, he was chasing a retreating army. This time, when he captured that Tang guy, he took advantage of us standing for too long and being exhausted. He’s not stupid; he knows what he’s doing.”
“In any case, I hope I never face him. If he ever comes to Hebei and I can’t hold him off, I’ll just surrender to him.”
These officers were mostly the sons of local magnates and wealthy merchants, with few scholars among them.
Their language was often crude, with frequent curses like “your mother’s servant.” But when someone suggested surrendering if they couldn’t win, the group fell silent.
But then again—it made sense.
As long as the Prince of Chengdu was still around, they had no reason to betray him.
But if the prince were gone and the imperial army came, with Shao Xun leading the charge, would it be worth fighting to the death? Which descendant of the Sima family became emperor didn’t really matter, did it?
“Surrender?” someone sneered, glancing sideways. “Do you think he’d actually trust us Hebei people? Stop dreaming. Unless he comes to Hebei as an official and marries a noblewoman from a prominent Hebei family, we might consider following him. Otherwise, forget it. He’s from Donghai and will only cozy up to scholars from Qing and Xu, like the Yang family of Mount Tai or the Wang family of Langya. What does he have to do with Hebei?”
“True,” someone nodded subconsciously.
Don’t blame people for always thinking in terms of regional divisions.
There were just too many examples of this.
In the past, when Yuan Shao was the Governor of Ji Province, most of the scholars around him were from Hebei.
When Cao Cao dominated Henan, most of the scholars who served him were from Henan.
The lines were clear and distinct.
After Hebei fell, tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers were driven by Cao Cao to Jing Province to die for him.
If you weren’t one of his own, he wouldn’t care about you.
Shao Xun’s roots were in Henan.
If he ever rose to a high position and established his own office, the scholars who flocked to him would undoubtedly be from Henan, with those from Qing and Xu likely being the most favored.
That’s just how things were in the world.
While the Hebei soldiers muttered among themselves, Shao Xun calmly patrolled the area, ensuring security.
Today’s “performance” wasn’t without its benefits.
Scholars attended gatherings to build their reputations.
Reputation was something intangible, but it could be incredibly useful at critical moments.
The same was true for military men.
With a great reputation, various factions would vie to win you over, and the court would also treat you well.
When leading troops into battle, you might even achieve unexpected success.
Reputation was capital, without a doubt.
Compared to the Hebei soldiers, the cheers from the imperial guards were much more genuine.
Many were asking about Shao Xun’s name.
When they learned he was a retainer of the Yue family, they felt a sense of pride—after all, Shao Xun now represented Luoyang.
Throughout the afternoon, imperial officers came to visit him or simply observed him from a distance.
When someone brought up Shao Xun’s killing of Meng Chao, the imperial officers’ admiration grew even more.
If not for the constraints of their status and pride, some would have already invited him for a drink.
As for the nobles and scholars, they didn’t pay much attention, treating it as mere gossip.
Their focus was more on the fact that Sima Ying had been humiliated, rather than who had humiliated him or how.
Even if someone mentioned Shao Xun’s name, they might remember it briefly but soon forget.
Of course, that was the case for most people.
For some, however, it was entirely different.
Overall, being forced to act today had more benefits than drawbacks.
At least on the surface, Sima Ying wouldn’t cause trouble for Shao Xun anymore.
As for what might happen behind the scenes, Shao Xun wasn’t too worried.
He could just stay in the military camp, surrounded by his young soldiers, feeling completely safe.
Assassins? Shao Xun, clad in armor and armed, could easily take on three or five of them in a direct fight.
As long as he stayed cautious and waited for the situation to change, this crisis would pass.
Sima Ying quickly returned to the high platform, his face dark as if a storm were brewing.
To be honest, he wasn’t known for his broad-mindedness.
Before he came to Luoyang, General Shi Chao had already arrested and executed several court officials.
These officials had all had past grievances with Sima Ying.
Especially the person who had caused Yue Guang to “die of fear”—his entire family had been executed without mercy.
Yue Guang, the Minister of Works, was Sima Ying’s father-in-law.
Before his death, Sima Yi had questioned whether Yue Guang had secretly communicated with Ye City.
Yue Guang had replied, “Would I trade five sons for one daughter?”—Yue Guang’s entire family lived in Luoyang.
Sima Yi remained suspicious and eventually had Yue Guang killed.
After Sima Ying came to power, he naturally sought revenge for past wrongs.
Luoyang was swept by a bloody storm that lasted a long time before finally subsiding.
Today, Sima Ying had been humiliated by Shao Xun and couldn’t retaliate, which left him deeply frustrated.
But he couldn’t take revenge on Shao Xun—if he still cared about his reputation.
Even if his subordinates tried to act on his behalf, everyone would blame him for it.
Forget it! Sima Ying took a deep breath.
If he could tolerate Wang Hu, what was a mere Commandant of Donghai? He’d just let it go like passing gas.
Hmm, Wang Hu had indeed defected to Sima Ying recently, which had surprised many.
Sima Ying’s trusted general, Qian Xiu, had recruited Wang Hu as a military advisor.
Can you believe it?
Wang Hu had once routed the Hebei army, killing over a dozen generals.
He was the most hated man among the Hebei nobility—no, not just the nobility, but likely the common people of Hebei as well.
Yet Qian Xiu had recruited him.
Did Sima Ying not know about this?
For someone like Wang Hu, who had proven his worth in battle, Sima Ying had gone against public opinion and shown considerable leniency, allowing him to command the surrendered imperial troops and remain in Luoyang as Shi Chao’s deputy.
From this perspective, Sima Ying’s tolerance wasn’t entirely narrow.
“Your Highness, when will you return to Ye?” The Chief Clerk of the Secretariat, Lu Zhi, asked uneasily as he watched the soldiers from both sides setting up camp on the plains.
“What? Are you scared?” Sima Ying laughed.
Lu Zhi was at a loss for words.
He couldn’t very well say, “Your Highness, you’ve only brought ten thousand infantry and cavalry. Even with Shi Chao’s fifty thousand troops, we only have sixty thousand men, while Sima Yue has twenty thousand!”
Sixty thousand against twenty thousand—we don’t have the advantage.
Now that both sides were out in the open, if a battle broke out, it would be a field engagement.
Could these sixty thousand men hold their ground?
“Coward! I know Sima Yue well. He’s always been cautious and wouldn’t act unless he was sure of success. If you’re scared, so is he.” Sima Ying chuckled and scolded, “We’ll return soon. Hurry up with the preparations for the ceremonial robes and carriages, and send them to Ye as quickly as possible. If we want to follow in Cao Cao’s footsteps, we’ll need our own people in the court. What do you think of Wang Yan?”
“He’s one of the few people no one objects to,” Lu Zhi thought for a moment and said, “He’s the only choice.”
Sima Ying had won this war, but the enemy had surrendered conditionally.
He couldn’t seize all the benefits, so some compromises were necessary.
Moreover, the feelings of the ruler in Chang’an needed to be soothed, as their alliance hadn’t broken.
Wang Yan was a famous scholar with a high reputation, and everyone had to give him some respect.
He was indeed a suitable candidate.
“Then let’s recommend Wang Yan as the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs,” Sima Ying decided.
“Recommend Liu Shi as the Grand Commandant.”
“You’ll serve as the Director of the Central Secretariat and return to Ye with me.”
“We should also recommend…”
“We can’t forget about the Prince of Hejian…” Sima Ying sighed.
Sooner or later, he would have to settle things with him, but not now.
He continued, “Recommend the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong, as the Grand Tutor, Grand Marshal, and Governor of Yong Province.”
“Let the Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue, remain as the Minister of Works. If he wants to appoint any officials, let him have a share.”
Sima Ying named many people in one breath, and his secretaries quickly recorded everything.
This was the nature of political spoils—everyone understood it.
After Sima Yi’s death, the Princes of Chengdu, Hejian, and Donghai became the victors.
The Prince of Chengdu had contributed the most and naturally took the largest share.
But he didn’t dare to deny the other two their shares.
As Lu Zhi had worried, if Sima Yue suddenly turned hostile and attacked, what then? Could they be sure of victory?
Sima Ying’s decision to come to Luoyang showed considerable courage and involved significant risk.
Sima Yong hadn’t dared to come.
Of course, he couldn’t come now anyway, as he had to deal with rebellions at home.
After settling matters in Luoyang, Sima Ying would return to Ye to establish his own administration, following the example of Cao Cao—though this was just wishful thinking.
He might not fully understand the difference between unconditional and conditional surrender.
“The mansion in Ye needs to be expanded quickly. The current one is too small and doesn’t suit my status,” Sima Ying added. “If there’s not enough space, demolish some civilian homes. Anyone who objects will have their entire family executed.”
“Understood,” Lu Zhi replied.
“The selection of palace maidens also needs to be expedited,” Sima Ying said, turning to Meng Jiu. “We need at least five thousand. Make sure they’re all beautiful and charming, preferably from noble families.”
“Understood,” Meng Jiu obediently agreed.
“There are many expenses to cover,” Sima Ying sighed. “Increase taxes this year. Now that I’m the Crown Prince, the people of Hebei will surely be overjoyed. Collecting a bit more money is a small matter.”
Lu Zhi and Meng Jiu exchanged glances before quickly looking away.
“If any of you have relatives or friends, report them to me. I’ll give them official positions,” Sima Ying laughed. “I’ve realized that in times like these, it’s best to use your own people. Loyalty is the most important thing; ability is secondary.”
“Understood,” Lu Zhi and Meng Jiu replied, delighted.
Now they could legitimately place their own people in positions of power!
Though the Prince of Chengdu seemed mighty, with a large staff in his secretariat, the internal competition was fierce, and factional strife was deadly.
Years ago, the Prince of Chengdu had been granted four commanderies in Shu and spent over a decade there—after the Shu rebellion, he was moved to Nan Commandery in Jing Province.
As a result, he had many connections with scholars from Shu, and their relationship was quite good.
Du Zhen of Chengdu had studied under Qiao Zhou.
His son, Du Pi, had been recruited by the Prince of Chengdu as a military advisor.
His younger brother, Du Lie, served as the Chief of the Royal Household—one of the three highest positions in a feudal state.
Now, however, the influence of Hebei was growing, while officials from Shu were becoming fewer.
As for scholars from Jiangdong, after the incident with Lu Ji, their influence had also declined, gradually fading into obscurity.
Hebei was not a place for the remnants of the fallen states of Wu and Shu.
Lu Zhi and Meng Jiu were actually competing for dominance among the Hebei scholars within the secretariat.
When the Prince of Chengdu eventually ascended the throne, they would need their own factions to compete for power in the court.
This was not something to be taken lightly.
(End of Chapter)