Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

The reason why Hou Jing was able to occupy Shouyang City was because of the suggestion of Liu Shenmao, the leader of the Ma Tou garrison in Huainan. Liu Shenmao's initiative to attract Hou Jing, a defeated general, to enter the country was due to his personal conflict with Wei An, who was in charge of the state affairs at the time.

Although Wei An was mediocre in talent, he came from the famous Jingzhao Wei family. He had an arrogant and strong temperament and was very harsh on his subordinates. So much so that General Liu Shenmao would rather lure Hou Jing into the country than submit to him again.

There is more than one similar personnel conflict in Huainan. There is also the governor Shi Xiahou Ru appointed by Hou Jing, who also has deep grudges with the former governor Zhenyang Marquis Xiao Yuanming. If Xiao Yuanming had not served as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition and was defeated and captured by the Eastern Wei Dynasty, they would probably be incompatible with each other.

There are so many personal grievances here, of course, not because the people here have bad tempers, but because there are quite profound reasons.

Since the Wuhu rebellion in China and Yiguan's migration to the south, the Huainan area has often been the center of war between the northern and southern regimes due to its geographical location. In the last years of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Donghun Hou Xiao Baojuan was jealous and killed the ministers. Pei Shuye, who was guarding Shouyang in Huainan at that time, surrendered to the Northern Wei Dynasty.

A few years after the establishment of the Southern Liang Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty Xiao Yan led his army to the Northern Expedition with his younger brother Xiao Hong, King of Linchuan, intending to regain the lost territory in Huainan. As a result, Xiao Hong was defeated in the battle of Luokou and fled back. Instead of regaining the lost territory, he attracted a retaliatory attack by the Northern Wei army. Fortunately, Wei Rui and other general Zhongli defeated the Northern Wei.

However, the loss of Shouyang made the defense of the entire Huainan region unstable. A few years later, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty Xiao Yan decided to build Fushan Weir in the hope that Shouyang would be flooded to regain this strategic location. The result was a waste of people and money, and was in vain.

It was not until the mutiny broke out in the six towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty that Nanliang regained the important town of Shouyang after several years of hard work by famous generals such as Pei Sui and Xia Houquan. At the same time, Emperor Wu of Liang appointed Xiahou Dan as the governor of Yuzhou to guard Shouyang. A few years after Xiahoudan's death, he appointed his younger brother Xiahou Kui to guard Shouyang. The two brothers guarded Shouyang for nearly ten years.

When Xiahou Kui was in the state, his family had as many as ten thousand people and more than two thousand horses, which for a time intimidated Huainan and was the most prosperous at that time.

Since Pei Shuye went to Beitou, Nanliang has paid a heavy price to regain Shouyang, an important town in Huainan. Of course, it was not for the purpose of allowing each family to use this powerful city to strengthen itself.

In particular, before Beitou, Pei Shuye wrote to Xiao Yan, who was the governor of Yongzhou at the time and was in Xiangyang. The long standing committee is in the hands of powerful generals.

Therefore, after Xiahou Kui died and the situation in Huainan gradually stabilized, Xiao Yan no longer used his clan as the head of the state, and instead delegated state affairs to the clan. Therefore, after Xiao Yuanming left office, he appointed Xiao Fan, the king of Poyang, as the governor of South Yuzhou to enter the town of Shouyang, but Hou Jing preempted him.

In addition to Shouyang, the current Xiaoliang clan in Huainan has Xiao Fan, the king of Poyang, guarding Hefei as the governor of Hezhou, Xiao Huili, the king of Nankang, guarding Guangling as the governor of Yanzhou in the south, Xiao Zhengbiao, the Marquis of Fengshan, guarding Zhongli as the governor of Xuzhou in the north, and the governor of Nanqiaozhou. Xiao Tai, Marquis of Fengcheng, etc., almost all the famous cities in Dayi in the north and south of the Yangtze River fell into the hands of outsiders.

The governor of the state, Shi Xiahouru, was the son of the former governor of Yuzhou, Xiahou Kui. After his father's death, he led his troops to live in the hometown and served as the state's defense.

When Xiao Yuanming, Marquis of Zhenyang, came to Shouyang, he was also appointed as Changshi because of his powerful family. However, there was a huge conflict of power and interest between the clan and these local powerful people when they entered the town. Therefore, Xiao Yuanming and Xia Houzhen also had deep grudges and had been at odds for a long time.

These Xiao family clans live in different places, and their military and political talents may not be enough to defend them, but when it comes to corruption and wealth, they all have very creative ideas. This is not to say that their bloodline is mediocre, their upbringing is despicable, and they all have no moral integrity, but it is due to the social atmosphere of the upper class in the Southern Dynasties.

The world of the Southern Dynasties was exaggerated and dissolute, and the upper-class people mostly loved extravagance and enjoyment. Their strong desires were not tempered at all because of the Buddha's admiration for the mysterious.

Therefore, even if an official embezzles and accumulates hundreds of millions while in office, once he leaves office, he may not be able to spend several years as a slut. Once the money is spent, it will not be as convenient as it was when you were in office. Therefore, it is also a consensus among Nanliang officialdom to cash in money while you still have power.

The atmosphere in the officialdom is like this, and the atmosphere in the royal family is even more doubly true. Therefore, these clans often find ways to make money in towns and cities, and do not pay much attention to the real military and political affairs. No matter how much corruption there is, the old Bodhisattva will not blame him, but if he really works hard and wants to pursue a career, he might be trapped in the same situation as Zhenyang Hou Xiao Yuanming.

Being too harsh on the local powerful forces in the border towns and being too indulgent towards the incompetent descendants of the clan has made the local forces more centrifugal and the clan elites have become more arrogant and lawless. Of course, there are also local tycoons who collude with the clans in the town and collude with each other, making life miserable for the people within the territory.

This is the truth about the so-called peaceful world of Nanliang that the old Bodhisattva has governed for half his life. No matter the clan nobles or civil and military officials, they all only value their own selfish interests and indulge their selfish desires. No one is responsible for this country anymore, except those who are pressed down by heavy mountains. The working people at the bottom.

As long as their blood is not drained for a day, they will not be exempted from the obligation to feed these moths! Of course, now we have to add a group of ambitious, cruel and cruel speculators and careerists.

Linhe King Xiao Zhengde's enthusiastic reply greatly encouraged Hou Jing and his subordinates. After Hou Jing discovered the fact that Liang Zhu had planned to betray him, Hou Jing had already decided to rise up and resist and would never sit still and wait for death. , and began to actively raise funds to form new forces.

However, he still had no clear idea of ​​how to restart his new career in the Southern Liang Kingdom. Now Xiao Zhengde's response undoubtedly pointed him in a direction and provided him with an option.

As one of the people who proposed Hou Jing to contact Xiao Zhengde, Xiahou Yan seemed particularly excited. He stood up from the table and danced to drink wine, saying: "Nephew congratulates the king! The king is heroic and wise, and all the people in the state are inspired to serve. There is no shortage of armor, soldiers, money and food. Now he has the support of the famous king. Once he rises up, great things will be accomplished!"

Xiahou Yan was exploited and oppressed by Xiao Yuanming when he was in office. Now he is attached to Hou Jing and entrusted with state affairs. He is very grateful in his heart. He even directly omitted one character from his surname and called himself Hou Jing's clan son.

Hou Jing smiled and took the wine and drank it all, mumbling in his mouth: "There is a breakthrough, and we should be happy, but if we want to be very happy, we should wait until the big thing is accomplished. The chief secretary has been diligently managing the military records and supplies for me these days, and he is always on standby, so don't slack off!"

Xiahou Yu accepted the order after hearing it, and at the same time asked curiously: "Now that we have received the reply from King Linhe, do we still need to wait?"

Without waiting for Hou Jing to answer, his confidant Wang Wei said at the table: "Since it is said that the general trend is inevitable, it cannot be changed overnight. Now that the armor and swords are not sufficient, and the food and fodder are not abundant, it is still too hasty to act rashly. The grain will be harvested in the middle of the year, and the army will have more food, so it will not be too late to use it again!"

Liu Shenmao, the former commander of Matou Garrison and the one who invited Hou Jing to occupy Shouyang, heard that he had to delay until the middle of the year. The soldiers could not help but frowned and said, "Since you are planning to do something dangerous, you should act quickly and unexpectedly. Nothing is perfect. If you don't act early, you may be controlled by others."

"Your Majesty has not ruled the state according to Liang law for several months. The Liang Lord has planned but has not acted. Naturally, he has his concerns. Your Majesty has surrendered with all his people, and has not lost his loyalty to the Liang Lord. If the Liang Lord rashly kills him, he will laugh at the world! What's more, even if you send people to attack, who do you want to send? The rebellion in Hefei has not subsided, and the Yiyang army is discouraged..."

As one of the most important counselors under Hou Jing, Wang Wei has assisted him in ruling Henan for many years. Naturally, his vision and experience are broader than those powerful military leaders trapped in Shouyang. Although he has not been in Liang for a long time, he can see through many political laws of the Liang Dynasty at a glance.

Although the Liang Lord is old and confused, he attaches great importance to his reputation. The defeat in the battle of Hanshan has ruined his wisdom for half of his life. I am afraid that he will not be able to tolerate his reputation being flawed again in a short period of time.

Although his hasty peace talks with the Eastern Wei exposed his weak nature, he still hesitated if he completely gave up Hou Jing.

Because this was equivalent to completely admitting the failure of his previous series of decisions, especially making people feel that he was fickle and capricious, so taking an indulgent attitude towards Hou Jing may have the meaning of pursuing the Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan.

Moreover, even if the Liang Lord wanted to recapture Shouyang and punish Hou Jing, there might not be an army in the Huainan region that could do it.

Yang Yaren abandoned the important town of Xuanhu and fled south to Yiyang. The Liang Lord was already dissatisfied and suspicious of him. If he attacked Hou Jing, wouldn't he worry that Yang Yaren would abandon Shouyang again or learn from Pei Shuye in the past?

As for Xiao Fan, the King of Poyang in Hefei, he was a rebellious guy among the royal family, and because of this, he lost his position as the commander of the Northern Expedition and was replaced by Xiao Yuanming, the Marquis of Zhenyang. Letting him attack Hou Jing might have a bit of the meaning of driving the wolf to swallow the tiger in the eyes of the Liang Lord, and it might not be possible.

With the troops of Huainan alone, almost no one is suitable and capable of attacking Shouyang. But if they gather troops from all parties to attack, they need a legitimate reason. At least, it is a bit unreasonable to order the troops to gather and kill Hou Jing just to beg for peace with the Eastern Wei and exchange Xiao Yuanming, the prisoner.

So as long as they don't raise troops and raise flags, or the Fangzhen forces that can reassure the Liang Lord take the initiative to attack Hou Jing, Shouyang will be safe for the time being.

After a discussion, it was decided to keep the troops still and continue to accumulate strength. Hou Jing ordered everyone to do their own work, but still left confidants Wang Wei, Song Zixian and others to continue discussing the plan.

"This time when I came south, everyone saw that I was powerless and had no way out, so they naturally wanted to order me around. The people of Huainan came to me and wanted to force me to work hard for them to earn wealth. I'm afraid that no one will pity and rely on these border soldiers except me. There is no need to worry about them dispersing for the time being, and I can continue to exploit them."

Speaking of this, Hou Jing said: "Xiao Zhengde enjoyed all the glory in his country, but he was still dissatisfied with the current support. It can be seen that there must be more people in his country who are resentful. Yang Yaren retreated to Yiyang and has been stationed on Huai River until now. I dare not forget him. I think he must be worried. If we can bring him to work together, we will be able to advance and retreat more calmly!"

Even Xiao Zhengde, a close relative of the royal family, was bewitched and won over. Hou Jing was full of confidence for a while, and then he set his sights on Yang Yaren. If he could win over this veteran general, he would not only reduce a difficult enemy, but also strengthen his own strength, which is a double gain.

After having this idea, Hou Jing did not waste any more time and immediately sent someone to contact Yang Yaren.

At the same time, he did not relax for a moment in preparing for war in Shouyang. All the residents in Shouyang were recruited as soldiers, and the young and strong among them were given swords and weapons and trained diligently. At the same time, the Dongye craftsmen who were asked from Jiankang City were also ordered to work day and night to forge armor and weapons for military use.

The effect of the reduction and exemption of market valuation and land rent was getting bigger and bigger, and even the merchants and vagrants from the surrounding states and counties were attracted. The market was filled with more goods, and these merchants were also grateful to Hou Jing, and there was no lack of wealthy merchants who directly subsidized money and grain to help boost his momentum.

In addition to being rich in wealth, some of these merchants who gathered here were also regional tycoons with good local influence. They were oppressed because they were not taken seriously by the Jiankang court. They had no way to enter the officialdom and struggled to maintain their careers. Finally, they met Hou Jing. Such a heroic and tolerant person is naturally eager to follow his orders.

Shouyang's momentum is getting bigger and bigger, and it has even far exceeded the formation required for the entire army to defend Huaihe, which naturally arouses the vigilance of the surrounding garrison forces.

Among them, Poyang King Xiao Fan, who was guarding Hefei, was the most vigilant. He sent several scouts north to take a look, and at the same time frequently reported to the court. After all, once Hou Jing makes trouble, Hefei, south of Shouyang, will be the first to bear the brunt.

However, Xiao Fan's reputation with Emperor Liang was not good in the first place, and now he looked extremely positive and concerned about the country and the people. This seemed suspicious to Emperor Liang, so he did not pay attention to his performance.

What Yang Yaren did was beyond Hou Jing's expectation. He originally thought that this man from the south would be more dissatisfied with the imperial court, and it would be easier to instigate rebellion. But he didn't expect that Yang Yaren would send the envoy he sent directly to the Jiankang court, which naturally made Hou Jing feel guilty.

But something unexpected happened next for Hou Jing. His envoy was sent back to Shouyang by Emperor Liang, and he was not blamed. This made Hou Jing relieved and overjoyed. .

In his military experience for most of his life, he had little understanding of magnanimity and kindness. He only felt that since Emperor Liang indulged himself in this way, it must be because he was worried. If the asking price is not sky-high at this time, then what are you waiting for!

So he naturally seized the opportunity to frequently ask for gifts from the Jiankang court, and his words became more and more arrogant. The Jiankang court also responded to his requests and was so obedient that Hou Jing felt a little embarrassed.

But this also has negative consequences. The envoys coming from Jiankang met each other on the way, and the personnel situation in Shouyang became increasingly difficult to conceal. Perhaps these envoys themselves were undertaking similar tasks.

Moreover, his frequent interactions with the Jiankang court also made his allies such as Linhe King Xiao Zhengde a little restless. We have obviously made an appointment to achieve each other's success, why are you still flirting with that old guy!

Finally, Hou Jing's high fighting spirit was not easily destroyed by the old Bodhisattva's sugar-coated bullets. As Shouyang's personnel had been gathered to an extreme, he finally took action after the new rice entered the warehouse in August, in the name of killing the leader Zhu Yi and others. Raise troops and start an uprising.

The reason why he raised the army was of course based on the opinions of the Huainan people who had taken refuge under his command. Hou Jing had no grievances or enmities with these others. He didn't even know them very well except Zhu Yi, let alone hate them. However, these officials were in charge of trade and handicraft industries, and they were representatives of the imperial court who exploited and plundered the Huainan people's financial and material resources. Naturally, they were deeply hated by the Huainan people. Now that we have raised troops based on Shouyang, it is of course our duty to kill these people.

After raising his troops, Hou Jing did not go straight to the river. Instead, he and his confidant Song Zixian divided their troops from east to west to seize the wooden fence and horse head garrison on both sides of Shouyang. They not only stabilized the rear but also tested the morale of the army.

Emperor Liang seemed to have been prepared for this. When he heard that Hou Jing had raised troops, he immediately appointed the four governors of Huainan in an orderly manner, and sent his son Xiao Lun, King of Shaoling, to go north from Jingkou to supervise the troops to attack Hou Jing.