Huan Wen was a fierce general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and also a newly rising aristocrat of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He was the son-in-law of Emperor Cheng of Jin, Sima Yan, and the husband of Princess Nankang.
After becoming a son-in-law of the emperor, he was appointed governor of Xuzhou, which marked his official entry into the core class of the Eastern Jin court.
Because of his contribution in destroying the state, Huan Wen was promoted to General Anxi, and was appointed as the Captain of Protecting the Southern Barbarians, Governor of Jingzhou, and Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the six states of Jing, Si, Yong, Yi, Liang, and Ning.
Huan Wen then began a northern expedition. Although it was unsuccessful, he did recover Luoyang, the former capital of the Jin Dynasty.
Huan Wen's continuous military achievements gave him the ambition to seize the highest power.
It's quite a coincidence.
During the Gaopingling Incident, the aristocratic families headed by the Sima family officially came to the fore.
In order to consolidate his power, Sima Yi massacred the nobles who were close to the Cao Wei group.
Wang Ling, Wuqiu Jian, Li Feng and others were all killed along with their entire clans.
Including Huan Fan, the think tank who lamented that Cao Shuang was like a pig and a dog. He was eventually charged with false accusations of treason and was included in the same group as Cao Shuang and others. He was executed together with his three clans.
Huan Wen's ancestors were from the Huan family of Qiao State. Although they were not of the same clan as Huan Fan, they could be considered to be from the same clan, so he was not implicated in the extermination of the three clans.
But the grudge was settled there.
After that.
Huan Wen, who worked his way to the pinnacle of power, eventually stole the power of the Sima clan and overthrew the Sima family's rule.
Those who steal a country will eventually have their country stolen from them.
This seems like a joke played by fate.
Huan Wen was able to avenge his ancestors...
Without a doubt.
This person can be regarded as a hero of the time. Wang Meng once wanted to choose him, but ultimately he did not make a decision.
At this moment, Huan Wen came to the northern part of Jingzhou and saw the deserted villages and cities. He was stunned for a moment.
Where are the people??!
There was no one there, it was like a ghost town. This eerie scene made all the generals under Huan Wen shudder.
"Go check who did this!" Huan Wen said gritting his teeth.
Soon, a spy under his command reported, "This is the work of Qin's Prime Minister Wang Meng!"
Hearing this familiar name, Huan Wen raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but think of the scene when they first met that day.
When Huan Wen led an expedition to the north and defeated Fu Jian, he stationed his troops at Bashang. The elders of Guanzhong vied with each other to entertain him with wine and meat, and men and women lined the streets to watch.
When Wang Meng heard the news, he came to Huan Wen's camp wearing a linen short coat to ask for a meeting.
Huan Wen asked Wang Meng to talk about his views on the current situation.
In public, Wang Meng was picking lice off his body while talking about world affairs with a smile on his face, talking incessantly as if no one was around.
Huan Wen was surprised to see this and asked, "I am commanding 100,000 elite soldiers to fight against the rebels and save the people, but no heroes from Guanzhong have come to comfort me. Why is that?"
Wang Meng replied bluntly: "You have traveled thousands of miles to the northern border. Chang'an is just around the corner, but you did not cross the Ba River to capture it. People cannot figure out your intentions, so they are unwilling to come."
This sentence directly hit Huan Wen's mind. If he captured Guanzhong, he would only get a false name, while the territory would fall into the hands of the imperial court.
Therefore, rather than wasting strength and losing the advantage in competing with the imperial court, it is better to keep the enemy alive and continue to gain the support of the imperial court.
Huan Wen knew very well what it meant that when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked, and when the birds are all gone, the good bows are put away. If he really devoted himself to fighting for the court and finally expelled the Tartars and restored China, then his final outcome would definitely not be good!
Because his contributions were so great, there was no title to be given, no reward to be given, and the only option was to be put to death!
Therefore, although the opportunity to expel the Hu people was right in front of him, Huan Wen never considered it and always thought about the situation from the perspective of his own interests.
Perhaps because of this reason, after repeated consideration, Wang Meng did not choose to make him the main one.
After all... allowing his homeland to be invaded by the barbarians, allowing the Chinese people to be ravaged by the barbarians, while only considering his own future gains and losses, how can such a person, no matter how capable he is, deserve to be called a hero?
At most, he is just a hero.
At that time, Wang Meng saw through Huan Wen's thoughts.
This impressed Huan Wen, who thought he was a genius and wanted to do his best to keep him and make him follow him.
But Wang Meng did not choose him in the end, but chose a Hu man!
The monarch of Qin, Fu Jian!
"So it's you, the guy who works for the bandits and surrenders to the Hu people..." Huan Wen said somewhat unhappily. He had always been brooding over the fact that Wang Meng did not surrender to him.
Then he asked curiously, "What method did he use to make so many people willing to follow him and move there?"
"The enemy's methods are mostly coercion!" The generals under his command said one after another: "The barbarians' methods are usually very cruel!"
"That may not be the case." Huan Wen shook his head slowly. "If it was just pure violence and coercion, there would definitely be a lot of people fleeing and being killed, but the scene here..."
Huan Wen stared at the scene in front of him, feeling a chill down his spine. He murmured , "It feels like these people are evacuating in an orderly manner, following the Di army in their retreat. There was no escape or riot."
"These low-class people are numb and don't know how to resist. That's it." Someone else said.
But this reason still could not convince Huan Wen.
Afterwards, Huan Wen sent people to check the specific conditions in these places.
The result is——
All farmers and tenants, carrying all their belongings, underwent a large-scale relocation.
All the landlords, gentry, and local clans were massacred, and almost all of their property was confiscated and their entire families were exterminated!
"What is he doing?" Huan Wen was dumbfounded after seeing this information.
Aren’t these landlords, gentry, and local clans the important forces for cooperation?
They were all killed by Wang Meng?!
On the contrary, not a single one of those common people was killed?
All those taken away were common people, and all those killed were the gentry!
“Isn’t this killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?”
Huan Wen frowned, somewhat unable to understand.
In this world, scholars and capable people are, without exception, mostly landlords and local clans. As for the common people at the bottom of society, they are not qualified and have no money to study.
Reading is the right of clans and gentry.
Even some heroes who came from the lower classes, such as Wang Meng, were not children of ordinary people. He came from a poor family and had innate conditions to study.
Those ordinary, lower-class people don’t even have the qualifications to touch books!
If you want to govern an area, local clans, gentry and powerful people are indispensable. The key is to make good use of them.
However, Wang Meng actually killed all those people.
"Perhaps those clan leaders are unwilling to cooperate?"
Huan Wen pondered and it seemed that this was the only possibility.
Huan Wen naturally didn't know at the moment.
The reason why Wang Meng did this was because of the result of his conversation with Su Che.
Before going on an expedition.
Su Che and Wang Meng talked a lot alone.
Su Che also said a lot, about his views on the world and on governing the people.
In Su Che's opinion, even if all those local clans, landlords and gentry were killed, it would not affect anything. Instead, it would make things go more smoothly.
At that time, Wang Meng asked in return: "But the scholars are among those people. Without them, how can we govern the people?"
Su Che smiled and said, "There are too many smart people in this world. Even if they are gone, it won't affect anything."
"Does it mean that people who have never been to school are useless and stupid?"
"Smart people are smart even if they don't read. Reading will only make them more intelligent."
“There are too many people in this world who have learned everything by themselves.”
"So, if you want to govern a place well, local clans, landlords, and wealthy families, including those aristocratic families, are not the foundation."
“Although it’s undeniable that they do work well.”
"Their inherent advantages are much better than those at the bottom of society. With them, we can almost achieve governance and stabilize the area quickly."
"But the problem is, once you use them, it's impossible to get rid of them."
"They will stick to you forever like a thorn in your side."
"If I can unify the world, my first step will be to kill all those so-called aristocratic families!"
"I will remove all the thorns by myself."
"I will never leave these disasters to future generations."
"Kill all those so-called thousand-year-old families, and then carry out a national integration for Hu Tuien!"
“That’s what I’m going to do!”
Listening to Su Che's grand goal, Wang Meng couldn't help but sigh: "If that's the case, the historians will never write good things about you. They will only think that you are tyrannical, murderous, and arbitrary!"
"So what?" Su Che said nonchalantly, "My achievements are not worth the evaluation by the historians. These crimes are committed in this era, but I have done something that will be remembered for generations to come!"
…
Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
The world is now divided into three parts. Qin occupies the Guanzhong area, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. In addition, the Qin army is fierce and the national strength is strong. Obviously, it is not an easy opponent to deal with.
Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Huan Wen suggested to Emperor Cheng of Jin, Sima Yan, to let Qin go and attack Yan first!
As long as we conquer Yan State and obtain the Central Plains, it will not be too late to turn around and deal with Qin State in the Guanzhong area.
Emperor Cheng of Jin, Sima Yan, agreed with Huan Wen's opinion and handed over the military power to Huan Wen.
In April of that year, Huan Wen led a large army to attack Yan!
When the Eastern Jin Dynasty sent troops to attack the State of Yan.
The king of Yan immediately sent people to ask Qin for help and promised to cede the land west of Hulao to Qin.
All the ministers were against saving Yan.
In the eyes of this group of ministers, both Yan and Jin were their opponents.
Now that these two opponents are facing each other, it is a great thing for the Qin State.
Why should we help Yan attack Qin?
Wouldn't it be better to wait until the two countries are both defeated?
As the saying goes, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!
This is a very simple truth!
In the eyes of Qin's ministers, all they had to do was wait.
However.
Su Che on the throne couldn't help laughing after hearing this. He cursed directly: "I told you that you are short-sighted, and you still don't accept it!"
"You are so short-sighted and shallow-minded that it really makes me laugh!"
"While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits?"
"That's a good thing to say, but how can I give you so many opportunities?"
"What if the war between Jin and Yan doesn't end in a situation where both sides suffer losses?"
"What if Jin wins battle after battle and takes over the Central Plains?"
"That's when the big event will happen!!"
"Your simple thoughts..."
"Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu also thought so at the beginning!"
"In the world's struggle, once you lose an opportunity, you'll never have it again."
"You are so stupid, I am really disappointed!"
Listening to Su Che's scolding, all the court officials lowered their heads in shame. Occasionally, some of them were still unconvinced, but they didn't dare to say anything at this moment, for fear of being beaten by Su Che.
In the court, Wang Meng couldn't help but nodded when he heard these words, and secretly sighed in his heart: "He is worthy of being the monarch I follow..."
Su Che appointed Wang Meng as general and led troops to rescue Yan.
Subsequently, the Yan-Qin coalition forces defeated the Jin army, killing more than 40,000 enemies, and Huan Wen fled in a panic.
However, when the coalition forces drove away the Jin army.
However, the ruler of Yan State changed his mind and refused to cede those lands to Qin!
We agreed on something, but we went back on our word.
This undoubtedly made Qin look like a clown, and its troops were sent to help in vain.
In the court.
When the envoy told the news.
The court officials were suddenly in an uproar.
Many people condemned Yan State's shamelessness.
Some people secretly looked up at Su Che - the meaning was very clear: in the beginning, I asked you to take advantage of the conflict between the two parties, but you didn't listen and insisted on helping Yan. Now, others are unwilling to give you even the promised benefits!
See what else you can do?
On the throne, Su Che couldn't help but smile after hearing these words. He was in a very good mood.
"Interesting, King Murong of Yan State is really interesting." Su Che said.
To conquer a big country like Yan State is not like those idle forces that can be attacked at will.
There is a reason, and it is quite important.
Su Che was just about to make up this excuse.
As a result, the State of Yan itself provided the reason.
Su Che held his chin and said calmly, "Since Lord Murong of Yan State has directly broken the contract and is unwilling to cede the land, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Then I will raise an army to attack Yan. Not only will I seize all those lands, but I will also repay them double with an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!"
"I want to see if the King of Yan can still seek assistance from the Eastern Jin Dynasty..."
It was also in this year that Su Che appointed Wang Meng as the general and led an army of 50,000 to attack Yan.
Wang Meng obeyed the order and led the Qin army to advance all the way and occupied Luoyang, an important town in the western part of Yan State.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Meng sent his generals to drive Yan Le'an King Murong Zang out of Xingyang, and then left troops to garrison and returned west in triumph.
soon.
Wang Meng attacked the State of Yan again.
This time, Wang Meng led ten generals including Yang An and 60,000 soldiers.
Murong Ping of Yan State led 300,000 elite troops to resist the Qin army.
With 60,000 troops against 300,000, Wang Meng was not afraid at all. He first avoided the enemy's attack, took the southern route and captured Huguan in one fell swoop, capturing Yan Nannan King Murong Yue alive, and all the counties and prefectures he passed through surrendered.
Afterwards, Wang Meng led part of the army to Jinyang, secretly dug a tunnel into the city, captured the entire city of Jinyang in a flash, and captured Yan Donghai King Murong Zhuang alive.
Then Wang Meng led his troops south, straight to Luchuan, to confront Murong Ping.
Before the war, Wang Meng sent 5,000 cavalrymen to set fire to the Yan army's baggage.
Finally, the 300,000-strong Yan army was defeated.
Because Wang Meng's orders were strict, no one violated anyone wherever he went, his laws were simple and his administration was lenient, the people of Yan all celebrated and told each other about it. Wherever he went, all the cities surrendered.
Wang Meng's initial army of 60,000 has now grown in size!
When they arrived at the capital of Yan State, Yan Chen opened the gate and surrendered immediately.
In just one year, Yan was completely destroyed!
When this news reached the State of Jin...
Everyone in Jin State was shocked!
Huan Wen could never have imagined that in just a few months, so much land of Yan State would be annexed by Qin State!
The Yan State has so many troops, even if they were a group of pigs, the Qin State’s soldiers would never be able to kill them all!
It was not long ago that he led his army to attack Yan! !
This Wang Meng is so fierce!