Stirring for 400 years: Building the Dragon City Murong Hao asked himself to be the King of Yan, and Liu Xiang sent envoys to the Eastern Jin Dynasty with good intentions

This article is the 117th in a long series of articles, "Four Hundred Years of Turmoil"

In October of the fifth year of Xiankang (339 CE), Murong Hao, believing that the king had not been appointed by the Jin Dynasty, sent the commander Shi Liu Xiang and Ju Yun to Jiankang to offer prisoners and booty, report their merits, explain their wishes to pretend to be the king, and request an agreed date, raise troops, and jointly pacify the Central Plains.

After Liu Xiang set out, Murong Hao personally led an army to attack Goguryeo, the army reached the new city, and The Goguryeo king Zhao begged for an alliance and reconciliation, and the Former Yan army returned.

Murong Hao then sent his sons Murong Ke (慕容恪) and Murong Ba (慕容巴) to attack Yuwen's other parts. In this year, Murong Ba was only thirteen years old, but he bravely won the three armies, and Murong Shi reached his peak.

In the spring of the sixth year of Xiankang (340 AD), after several months of long journeys, Liu Xiang arrived in Jiankang, and Sima Yan personally summoned him to inquire about Former Yan and Murong Hao. Liu Xiang replied, "When I was dispatched, he wore imperial clothes and went to the south to pay homage to the seal table. ”

As a Han Chinese, Liu Xiang always regarded the Eastern Jin Dynasty as orthodox, but he did not forget the camp in which he was. After the courtesy, he requested Sima Yan to grant Murong Hao the title of Grand General and King of Yan.

Sima Yan did not immediately agree, but summoned his ministers for consultation. The imperial court argued: "According to the old practice, the great general was not assigned to the border pass. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, it is not permissible not to appoint a different surname as a king. ”

Liu Xiang made a generous statement: "Since the rebellion of the Liu and Shi clans, the north of the Yangtze River has become a source of war, and I have never heard that a single descendant of the Huaxia Gongqing can destroy the rebels. Only Murong's father and son did their best to cherish the dynasty, and repeatedly destroyed strong enemies, which made Shi Hu afraid and relocated all the people in the border areas, thus shrinking the territory by thousands of miles. Murong Hao's exploits were so prominent, but the imperial court was stingy that the land north of the Bohai Sea would not be given a fief for him. At first, Han Gaozu did not skimp on the throne and granted Han Xin and Peng Yue, so he was able to achieve the imperial cause; Xiang Yu hid the official seal to the edges and corners and was not willing to give it to people, and finally led to a dangerous death. I not only hope to honor the people I serve, but also deeply regret that the imperial court has alienated the loyal border countries and made it impossible for people from all over the world to exhort and admire. ”

The words made the Eastern Jin Dynasty ministers ashamed, and Sima Yan was also silent.

At this time, Liu Xiang's brother-in-law Shangshu Zhuge Hui disagreed, believing: "Yidi attacking each other is beneficial to China, and the ceremonial instruments and names cannot be lightly granted." Then he said to Liu Xiang, "If Murong Hao can get rid of Shi Hu, and this is another Shi Hu, who can the imperial court rely on?" ”

Liu Xiang angrily rebuked, "The widow still knows the demise of Mercy Sect Zhou, and now that the Jin Chamber is in danger, you are in a high position of authority, don't you have the heart to worry about the country?" Murong Hao was determined to eliminate the fierceness, but you preached biased and confusing remarks, jealousy, and alienation. The reason why the world has not been unified is because there are people like you! "Disregard the brother-in-law's face."

However, Liu Xiang spoke a big basket, and the Eastern Jin court never had the intention of letting go, so he stayed in Jiankang for a year.

In the first month of the seventh year of Xiankang (341 AD), Murong Hao asked Shi Yangyu and others in the Tang Dynasty to build a castle north of Liucheng and west of Longshan, and set up a temple and a palace, named Longcheng.

Since then, Longcheng was not only the capital of Former Yan, but also the spiritual hometown of Murong Clan.

In February, seeing that he could not persuade his subjects, Liu Xiang took a unique path and began to persuade Sima Yan's close confidante Zhongchang Shi Yuhong: "Shi Hu covered eight prefectures, had a million soldiers, and was determined to devour Jiang and Han, from Suotou, Yuwen clan to various small states. Gongsun Yuan did not have any merits for Eastern Wu, and Lord Wu made him the King of Yan and Jia Jiuxi. Now that Murong Hao had repeatedly defeated Zhao Jingrui, Shi Hu successively sent emissaries with high positions and high positions, and wanted to pay homage to Murong Hao, the great general of Yaowei and the King of Liaoxi. Murong Hao resented that he was not a royal orthodoxy and refused to accept it. Now the imperial court is stingy with false names and excludes loyal subjects, where is the country's long-term plan! I am afraid that I will not regret it in the future. ”

Yu Hong presented to Sima Yan that Liu Xiang had entered the palace, and Sima Yan was ready to agree in his heart.

At this time, it coincided with Murong Hao's upper table, which said: "The dictatorship of the Yu brothers has led to chaos, and they should be repulsed to stabilize the country." He also wrote to Yu Bing, reprimanding him for occupying important positions in the country and exercising arbitrary authority, but not for shame on the country.

Yu Bing was terrified, because Murong Hao was in a remote place and unable to restrain himself, so he and He Chong agreed to Liu Xiang's request.

Eventually, the Eastern Jin court appointed Murong Hao as an envoy, a general, a military governor of Hebei, Youzhou Mu, Da Dan Yu, and the King of Yan, and the preparations and rituals used were treated with special etiquette.

He also appointed Murong Jun,Murong Jun(慕容俊), Murong Hao's son, as the False Festival, the General of Anbei ( Anbei , the Lieutenant of Dongyi , and the Prince of Zuoxian ; he also gave tens of millions of military equipment ; he also knighted more than 100 meritorious ministers , with Liu Xiang as the Daijun Taishou ( Acting Commandery Taishou ) , and as the Marquis of Linquan Township , and awarded him the title of Commandery of Outer Scattered Horses. Liu Xiangjian resigned.

In fact, even if the Eastern Jin court did not agree, Murong Hao claimed to be the king himself, and Sima Yan could help him? It's not just dry eyes. The reason why Liu Xiang spent so much time on his lips and tongue was nothing more than that Murong Hao still had a little gratitude for the Eastern Jin Dynasty in his heart and maintained the poor dignity of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Liu Xiang stayed in Jiankang for a year, and was heartbroken to witness Jiangnan Shi Dafu's arrogance, drinking, and indulgence in mutual admiration.

Once, taking advantage of the opportunity of the banquets and gatherings of the dignitaries of the imperial court, he said to He Chong and others: "It has been more than thirty-six years since the world has been in turmoil, the Zongmiao Society has been reduced to ruins, and the lives of all the people have been destroyed. But the gentlemen are playing in peace, indulging in lust, proud of extravagance and chaos, proud of their arrogance and grotesqueness, loyal and honest words are not heard, and the merits of conquest cannot be established, so what are they going to do to honor the Lord and save the people! He Chong and the others were ashamed.

Sima Yan sent Guo Huan (郭悕), who was also the Great Hong, to the city of Thorn to crown Murong Hao, and liu xiang and others went north with him.

Before leaving, Gongqing Dafu bid farewell to them by the river, and Liu Xiang once again said bitterly: "Shaokang relied on an army to eliminate the Poor Clan, and Gou Jian relied on Hui ji to avenge the powerful State of Wu. Weeds should be removed as soon as possible, not to mention the enemy! Now Shi Hu and Li Shou both wanted to annex each other, and even if the royal army could not pacify the north, it should run Ba and Shu for the time being. Once Shi Hu preemptively annexed Li Shou and occupied his land, relying on the convenience of the terrain to approach the southeast, why did you survive on your own? ”

A group of people looked at each other and bowed their heads, and only Xie Guang, the middle protector, said, "This is exactly what I want." ”

As a Han Chinese, Liu Xiang was extremely benevolent to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. If the Eastern Jin Dynasty could awaken and eventually unify the world, or even destroy the Murong clan, he would be happy in his heart.

However, everything he had heard and witnessed this year made him dare not be optimistic. The moment he left Jiankang, his heart must also be full of mixed feelings, when and in what capacity?

In July of that year, Guo Yi, Liu Xiang, and others arrived in Former Yan, and Murong Hao gladly accepted the appointment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with Liu Xiang as the protector of Dongyi and the general Chang Shi, Shi Yangyu as the left Sima in the Tang Dynasty, Li Hong as the Right Sima and the lieutenant Zheng Lin as the military counselor.

Soon, the Later Zhao general Wang Huashuai (王华帅) attacked Former Yan's Anping by sea, breaking it, which was a warning to Murong Hao to accept the eastern Jin court's worship. However, that's about it.