Portrait of Sima Rui
"Five horses cross the river, and one horse becomes a dragon" is a folk saying.
It is said that there were five kings in the Western Jin Dynasty who went to the south to "dig gold", and in the end only one king succeeded.
Today's story begins with this saying.
01
The year 304 was the first year of Yongxing in the Western Jin Dynasty.
Although the era name was "Yongxing", the Jin Dynasty was difficult to revitalize.
Because the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" that changed the fate of the dynasty is already in full swing, the dynasty is in turmoil everywhere.
Therefore, many princes and generals have to choose to "take sides".
Only by standing right can we keep our heads and keep our glory and wealth.
At this time, the nominal "emperor" of the dynasty was still the stupid Sima Zheng who did not distinguish between meat and rice.
In fact, the person who controlled the situation was replaced by Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu, one of the "Eight Kings".
Although Sima Ying controlled the government, he lacked a good card from his predecessor Cao Mengde.
This good card is the foolish emperor Sima Zheng.
But Sima Zheng was in the hands of Sima Yue, one of the "Eight Kings", the King of the East China Sea.
Sima Ying told the world: Shuo was the one who had obtained the edict of usurpation (slip of the tongue, it was a succession), the orthodox emperor, and the like of Sima Yue were traitors.
Sima Yue responded: The emperor has never issued an edict. Sima Ying was plotting rebellion, and the king was ordered by the emperor to put down the rebellion.
When the two men were fierce, where did Sima Zheng go?
Drink porridge every day, hold beautiful women, and relax!
Sima Rui and Sima Yue, the king of Langya, were good neighbors, so the two joined forces to attack Sima Ying, who was sitting in Yecheng (邺城, in modern Linzhang County, Hebei Province).
Unfortunately, Sima Yue's army was not only defeated, but also left the foolish emperor Sima Zheng behind when he fled.
Also captured was Sima Rui, the king of Langya, but fortunately Sima Rui was more clever, and luckily escaped from prison and escaped back to the feudal state.
Look at the more dizzy Eight Kings Rebellion atlas
02
After the battle, the Western Jin Dynasty was still turbulent.
Originally, Sima Ying gained Sima Zheng and grabbed a good hand of cards.
But this product obviously did not have the ability of Cao Mengde at that time.
Ming li secretly thought that De was to be the emperor himself, and he did not take the stupid emperor as the bottom card, hanging up and hanging.
Soon a rebellion broke out again.
This time, Sima Yue's brother-in-law Sima Teng, the King of Eastern Yan, and Wang Jun, commander of the Northern Frontier Army of the Western Jin Dynasty, joined forces.
The coalition offensive was fierce, and Sima Ying could not resist and ran.
Where to go?
Ran to the equally ambitious Hejian King Sima Yan's territory, Luoyang.
Sima Yan's subordinate general Zhang Fang looked at it, and there was not only Sima Ying but also the foolish emperor Sima Zheng, the opportunity!
Therefore, he offered a plan to let Sima Yan hold the Foolish Emperor far away from Chang'an, and then order the world.
Sima Yan was deeply impressed.
As a result, Emperor Silly Er and Sima Ying were brought back to Chang'an by Sima Yan's army.
However, Sima Yue's grand plan of "holding the Heavenly Son to order the princes" had not yet had time to unfold, and Sima Yue, the king of the East Sea, jumped out again.
Sima Yue first published a public denunciation of Sima Yue's wolf ambitions.
Then, tearfully, he showed the world his loyalty to the Foolish Emperor.
Subsequently, the banner of "Welcoming the Holy Driver and Returning to the Old Capital" was raised.
A set of "combination fists" was played down, and the public opinion in the world suddenly formed a "one-sided" situation.
Sima Teng, the king of Eastern Yan, and Wang Jun, commander of the Northern Army, also swore an oath to follow Sima Yue in "welcoming the holy car" and "rebelling against thieves".
And that's not all.
Sima Yue openly put Sima Yue on his face and scolded a dog blood sprinkler.
Secretly? It is a high-handed low-handed cargo.
He sent a letter to Convey a message to Sima Hao: Everyone is a brother, find a time to meet, and discuss and discuss how to eat this pot of meat.
The Foolish Emperor was in his own hands, and there were hundreds of thousands of troops, and Sima Hao, who was under the pressure of public opinion, weighed it several times and actually believed Sima Yue's ghost story of "meeting and discussing."
In order to get rid of the pressure of public opinion and to show his attitude, Sima Hao killed the general Zhang Fang.
The reason was that he had been deceived and blackmailed by Zhang Fang.
Sima Hao's move was too damaged, his subordinates were chilled, and before the battle could be fought, the generals of the front-line troops surrendered to Sima Yue.
Sima Yue took advantage of the situation to raise the "Banner of Righteousness" to attack Chang'an City.
As for the previous conspiracy to discuss things, it has become.
In this way, Sima Yong, who was beaten by chickens and eggs, had no choice but to run into the nearby mountains to fight guerrillas.
Sima Ying, the king of Chengdu who had come to join Sima Yan, also ran to Xinye in a panic to find the old department.
Chang'an City was destroyed, and after Sima Yue's coalition forces looted it, he "escorted" the Foolish Emperor back to Luoyang.
03
After Sima Yue's victory, he was satisfied.
In order to realize his ambition to become emperor, he did not stop doing two things.
First of all, Sima Yan was killed.
Although this guy is now a guerrilla straggler, he is still influential, and it is most stable to cut grass and remove roots.
Second, sima ying was killed.
Can't give this guy time to breathe a sigh of relief, clean up the most reassuring.
Third, he killed the foolish emperor Sima Zheng.
This guy is too stupid, too easy to be used, to break the thoughts of the kings after that.
Fourth, he established the new emperor Sima Chi (historically known as Emperor Huai of Jin).
This guy is young, has little experience, and has no capital, and will be convenient to act in the future.
Fifth, as for the other small people of the opposition forces, they have ruthlessly cut a big stubble.
It can be said that Sima Yue's abacus was a "whoosh" sound.
But he ignored a reality at hand.
Very harsh reality.
Because of the conquests in the Western Jin Dynasty for many years, the foreign Hu forces were also rising.
The most active are the five branches of the Hu people of the Xiongnu, The Qiang, the Qiang, the Xianbei, and the Xianbei.
They were all former vassals of the Jin Dynasty, and gradually rose through the jin dynasty's domestic conquests.
The first to declare himself to be alone was Liu Yuan, a Xiongnu.
With the first one to eat tomatoes, there is naturally a second and a third.
Soon, these vassals were separated.
This made Sima Yue very angry.
Call me!
However, the conquest did not go smoothly, and even failed step by step.
This situation made Sima Rui, the king of Langya, who was far away in Shandong, sit in peace.
The widow is mixed with Sima Yue, and if Sima Yue falls, what should the widow do?
Now, is it to send soldiers to Luoyang to help the army, or to stick to the change of the concept of feudalism?
Sima Rui was not the only one who had such a thought.
There were also Sima Xian the King of Xiyang, Sima Zong the King of Nantong, Sima You the King of Runan, and Sima Hong, the King of Pengcheng.
But compared to these four princes, Sima Rui was undoubtedly the luckiest.
Because he has a good friend, a good subordinate.
Behind this good friend and good subordinate is a rich family.
04
What is a rich family? The popular understanding is:
A family does not have strong political, economic, cultural, military and other powers due to the change of historical dynasties.
In other words, this family has the right to speak in all aspects.
Just having money, that's called a local tycoon.
There are only soldiers, and that is called warlords.
There are more rich people in history.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was Fan Li, in the Warring States Period there was Lü Buwei, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties there was Shi Chong, in the Zhu Ming Dynasty there was Shen Wansan...
In the end, it's gone.
Are there any families that have been able to keep thriving?
Yes!
The Kong family in Qufu, Shandong, is the unquestionable number one in Shenzhou.
The Wang clan of Langya, Shandong Province, is also an authentic and powerful family.
Sima Rui's good friend is Wang Dao, who is from the Wang clan.
Wang Dao's ancestor is said to be a prince of Hengwang during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, so he took "Wang" as his surname.
In the Warring States period, the first well-known figure appeared in the Wang family- Wang Qi, a fierce general of the Great Qin Empire.
Later, one of Wang Qi's descendants moved to Langya, Shandong.
At this time, history developed to the Western Han Dynasty.
For the first time, the Langya wang family produced a celebrity Wang Ji (not Wang Laoji).
This person is not only a doctor of official residence, but also the first person in China to propose the policy of "late marriage and late childbearing".
After Wang Ji, the Middle Generations of the Langya Wang Family had high-ranking officials in the dynasty, and their reputation began to be prominent.
By the Time of the Three Kingdoms and the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the celebrities of the Langya royal family began to show a "blowout" state.
The first to appear are two famous figures of Chinese filial piety culture:
An older brother wang xiang who "lay on the ice and asked for carp", and the official Sikong and Taiwei of the Western Jin Dynasty;
One is the younger brother of the "Brother Protector", Wang Lan, the official Guanglu Doctor of the Western Jin Dynasty.
Next on the scene are two celebrities who pioneered the style of Chinese metaphysics.
One is Wang Rong, one of the cousins of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest", an official in the Western Jin Dynasty;
One was Wang Yan, the cousin of the calligrapher of the leading figure of Xuanli, and the official Ofe Of the Western Jin Dynasty.
In the later generations, there were also calligraphy masters such as warlord Wang Dun, Liangxiang Wang Dao, Wang Xizhi, and Wang Xianzhi.
Later, the Wang family was even more powerful for men and women: 8 empresses, 20 horses, 15 first-class officials, and 150 high-ranking officials with more than five pins were produced.
Just think, such a rich family, if you don't want to affect the situation, you can't do it.
Sima Rui's friend is the backbone of this rich family- Wang Dao.
05
When Wang Dao knew Sima Rui, he was only a chief of staff under Sima Yue, the king of the East China Sea.
At that time, Sima Rui and Sima Yue were joining forces to attack Sima Ying.
Sima Rui, who was thirty years old, and Wang Dao, who was thirty years old, saw each other as they were.
At this time, Sima Yue's brother Wang Dao's brother Wang Yanzheng was under heavy weight, so Wang Dao, who was in a lower position, had little say.
However, the absence of a voice does not mean that a person does not have the ability to speak.
In fact, Wang Dao, like Kong Ming, who had originally cultivated Nanyang, had a very clear judgment of the situation in the Western Jin Dynasty.
Wang Dao has been thinking about the following questions:
First, the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" has already eaten away the laodice accumulated by the Western Jin Dynasty, who is the final winner?
Second, the Hu forces in the north were entrenched and handed over, and the strength of the Western Jin Dynasty was seriously weakened, so once there was a change, how could the strategic depth be gained?
Third, the Sima family is a king everywhere, who comes out and who is beaten, who has the strength? Who has the ability to wait and see?
Fourth, everyone is staring at Chang'an in the north, and should the vast world in the south be more effective?
Fifth, the Wang clan is supremely glorious, but should we work harder to maintain long-term prosperity and prosperity?
After Wang Dao got to know Sima Rui, after three chats and two conversations, he keenly found his own answer.
The answer to this is Sima Rui.
Wang Dao
Wang Dao believes that:
First, Sima Rui is a prince and a prince, and if there is no shortage of fame and status, there is no lack of opportunities.
Second, Sima Rui is now mixing with Sima Yue, that is, playing soy sauce, but who will fight soy sauce for a lifetime?
Third, it is Sima Yue who is now in the limelight, and Sima Rui is in partnership with him, quietly making some small moves and will not be suspected.
Fourth, if you want to mix with the top level under Sima Yue, I am afraid it will be difficult. What if Sima Rui was sent to a higher level?
Fifth, Sima Rui was not very familiar with the south, but I was familiar with it. He is not familiar with it, so he has to rely on me, the "southern pass".
Under the planning and persuasion of Wang Dao, in the first year of the Western Jin Dynasty (307 AD), with the approval of Sima Yue, Sima Rui, the official governor of Jiangnan, crossed the Yangtze River with some of the Western Jin royal clan relatives to Jianye (present-day Nanjing).
Along with Sima Rui, there were five princes who crossed the river, Sima Xi the King of Xiyang, Sima Zong the King of Nanton, Sima You the King of Runan, and Sima Hong, the King of Pengcheng.
This is what the folk saying goes, "five horses cross the river."
But why is there only one Ma Chenglong, Sima Rui?
Because behind Sima Rui's ponytail, in addition to Wang Dao, there were also several important followers.
One was Wang Dao's cousin, The Horse Master and Yangzhou Assassin Wang Dun.
Wang Dun
The other was Wang Dao's cousin, the famous warrior and warrior Jingzhou Assassin Wang Cheng.
Coming to Jianye, to the territory of Sun Quan, the former Emperor of Eastern Wu, Sima Rui's heart was actually worried.
Although Jiangnan has not experienced war for a long time, the clan and warrior forces are still very strong.
As the saying goes: Strong dragons do not crush the head snake.
How many people can you Sima Rui, a weakened King of Langya of the Jin Dynasty, scare?
For Sima Rui's worries, Wang Dao just smiled "hey hey".
Wang Dao said: If we want to stand firm here and stand firm, in addition to adhering to self-confidence, we must also rely on wisdom!
Sima Rui said: Brother Wang, you say. What's next?
Wang Dao patted Sima Rui's hand and said, "Wang, you must have self-confidence."
Then, Wang Dao knocked on his head and said: I am pretending to be wise.
06
There are many studies and explanations in the history books on how Wang Dao balanced the clan and scholar forces in the south.
In summary, it is about the following situation:
The Jiangnan forces are also the remnants of Eastern Wu that were destroyed in the past, and there is a group called "Wujun".
If you get the support of these "five juns", you can basically control the entire Jiangnan region.
Who are these "five juns"?
First, He Xun is a descendant of the famous general He Qi of Sun Ce's era, and the family has been an official general for generations.
Second, Gu Rong was a descendant of Gu Yong, the chancellor of sun quan's time, who had been an official for generations and was literarily on a par with the brothers Lu Ji and Lu Yun.
The third, Xue Jian was a descendant of Xue Zong, a famous minister in the era of Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, who had been an official for generations, and later mixed with Sima Yue for a period of time.
Fourth, Ji Zhan was a descendant of Shang Shu Ling Ji Liang in the Sun Xiu era, and the family was an official general for generations.
Fifth, Min Hong was a Shangshu of Sun Hao, the late Emperor of Eastern Wu, a literary scholar.
After the fall of Eastern Wu, these people basically did not go out again and cultivated their bodies and minds at home.
Wang Dao first visited one by one and launched a political offensive one by one.
It is nothing more than "Dude, what do you think the general situation of the world is", "What are the plans of the brothers in the future", "The foolish brother has an immature idea" and so on.
Anyway, after several "spring wind and rain", everyone has "suddenly opened up".
Then, the "five juns" fell down together at Sima Rui's knees.
"Five Jun" returns.
With money and grain, housing solved, and the source of soldiers guaranteed, Sima Rui's authority, who had just come to Jianye, naturally rose.
In the fifth year of the Western Jin Dynasty (311), Sima Rui, who was firmly in Jianye, ushered in a "rare" opportunity for development.
This year, several very important events occurred.
First of all, Sima Yue, who controlled the political situation of the Western Jin Dynasty, finally met with the opposition of his courtiers and died in the midst of foreign invasion and anger.
Then, under the command of the generals Liu Yao and Shi Le, the Xiongnu Han State attacked the city of Luoyang in one fell swoop and captured Sima Zhao, the Emperor of Jinhuai.
Subsequently, a large number of Western Jin subjects fled the north one after another, and all their brains were thrown into Jiangnan, where the war had not yet spread.
Sima Rui was initially afraid and worried about this situation.
One is to worry about the coming of war, and the other is to worry about the harassment of displaced people.
Wang Dao was secretly pleased, thinking that this was a rare opportunity.
He advised Sima Rui to "open his heart and accept the four sides." ”
Because among these people who came were many loyal military generals and warriors of the Jin Dynasty.
In Wang Dao's view, these people can not only strengthen Sima Rui's strength, but also earn enough votes for Sima Rui's next step to legally undertake the unification.
Afterwards, it turned out that Wang Dao's "open and inclusive" policy did further increase Sima Rui's prestige.
07
After The Jin Huai Emperor Sima Chi was poisoned and killed by liu Cong, the Xiongnu Han monarch, Sima Yi, the Emperor of Jin, succeeded to the throne in the isolated city of Chang'an and changed his name to "Jianxing".
Sima Yi thought of Sima Rui, who was partial to Jiangnan, and wanted to get jiangnan's support at the time of the country's survival.
However, under the advice of Wang Dao, Sima Rui's slogan was shouted loudly, that is, there was no action.
Sima Yi was not dead-hearted, and he ordered Wang Dao to come to Chang'an to serve.
Where will Wang Dao go!
At this time, Wang Dao firmly held the pivotal land, and Wang Dun led troops to guard Jianye, and the situation of "the king and the horse sharing the world" had begun to emerge.
In the fourth year of Jianxing in the Western Jin Dynasty (316 AD), Sima Yi, who lived alone in the isolated city of Chang'an, was once again besieged and suppressed by the Xiongnu Han State.
Four months later, the city was destroyed and Sima Ye was captured. The following year, he was killed.
The Western Jin Dynasty thus truly perished.
Subsequently, Sima Rui of Jiangnan, under the "advice" of Wang Dao, changed his title to King of Jin and changed his name to "Jianwu".
The king of the Sima family in the north was basically dead at this time.
There are still a few in Gangnam.
However, who would dare to contend with Sima Rui, who had the support of the Wang family and the Jiangnan Shi clan behind him?
Therefore, the civilian generals who fled from the north began to speak out: The King of Jin should carry the flag of the country!
Even Liu Kun, who was fighting guerrilla warfare in the deep mountains and old forests in the far north, appealed for persuasion.
Sima Rui asked: Is everyone looking forward to it so eagerly?
Wang Dao replied: Yes. Some people also go on hunger strikes.
That, well, lonely, it should be "decayed", accurate!
In 318, Sima Rui, the king of Langya, who had developed in the south for 11 years, ascended the throne as emperor.
On the same day, Wang Dao was awarded the title of Yipin Prime Minister, and Wang Dun was awarded the title of Yipin Grand General.
On the same day and the next day, the Wang clan and the "Five Juns" of Jiangnan were all added to the official jinjue.
The Eastern Jin Dynasty was established, and Sima Rui laughed.
To achieve the highest goal of maintaining the politics of the warriors, Wang Dao secretly rejoiced.
Is Sima Rui sincere? It doesn't matter anymore.
Since then, the king and the horse have shared the world.
Began the entanglement of imperial power and the warrior clan.
There are gains and losses!
At the beginning, the Jiangnan Shi clan "descended" not Sima Rui, but the shi clan system represented by Wang Dao. Wang Dao's all-out efforts to maintain the politics of the warrior clan completed the Eastern Jin Dynasty and made it difficult for the Eastern Jin Dynasty to develop healthily.
......
It can be said that Wang Dao is a top trader and a politician who is not responsible enough.