The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"So is Liu Kun's death good for us, or is his life good for us?"Wang Dun asked. Wang Xie said:"As long as Liu Kun lives, it is entirely possible for him to respond to a hundred calls and get the Han people in the north and even some barbarians to gather under his command. If such a situation occurs, and if Liu Kun and Zu Ti join forces, these two are loyal figures to the Jin Dynasty. By then, Sima Rui will have strong foreign aid, and the Langya Wang family will be in danger!"

"Snapped! Wang Dun slapped the table and said,"We can't let Duan Pixi release Liu Kun, otherwise Zu Ti will be alone and the constraints on us will be minimal." Wang

Dun hesitated for a moment and went to the inner room. When he came out, he was smiling and holding a small bamboo tube in his hand. Wang Zhen asked:"Brother, what is this?" Is it an imperial edict? Or something important? Could we come in handy?"

"Yes, this is an edict, but it is a blank edict. Wang Dun smiled proudly, and then said:"Brother, with this blank edict, we can kill people as we please, and let Liu Kun die in the hands of Duan Pizhen!""

Wang Dun opened the bamboo tube and took out the contents. Wang Gong took it and took a look. Sure enough, it was a blank edict made of yellow silk. There was a jade seal in the lower left corner of the edict, and he couldn't help laughing. Wang Dun said to Wang Gong :"Brother, the next step is up to you. Once you write this edict, we can kill Liu Kun, and our Wang family will be safe."

The gentleman in the governor's office has already prepared the ink for Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen thought for a while, picked up the brush and began to write the edict. Wang Dun watched on the side and read in a low voice.

The emperor's edict said:

"I heard that, Duan Pixi, the Xian king of Zuo, detained the governor Liu Kun for some reason. This incident was all caused by Liu Kun and his son, who were greedy for profit and colluded with Duan Mobo, the Xianbei Duan tribe who claimed to be the Great Chanyu. Liu Kun, as a relic of the previous dynasty, did not want to make progress. , Li Ling lost his mind and lost Jinyang, the crime cannot be forgiven. Ai Qing can make his own decision and punish Liu Kun, his sons, nephews, and generals in accordance with the laws of the country to avoid future troubles.

This is written by Wang Xi on April 23, the first year of Taixing

Okay, wait for the ink to dry, pick it up and hand it to Wang Dun. Wang Dun was very happy when he saw it:"Brother, with this edict that can be authentic, Liu Kun's life is over!""

"Who should he deliver it to Duan Pizhen? Wang Xian asked. Wang Dun said:"This is easy to handle." I have five soldiers under my command and are relatively familiar with the situation in the north. Let them pretend to be businessmen in the north, and when they arrive in Jicheng, they will give the edict to Duan Pixi, which will be foolproof."

Two people were plotting how to kill Liu Kun. Wang Dun's cao cao, Qian Feng, who joined the army, and his lieutenant, Guo Shu, came back from outside. When Wang Dun saw the two of them coming back, he said,"You two came back just in time. , and now Liu Kun has become Duan Pizhen's prisoner. If Liu Kun is released and joins forces with Zu Ti, it may be very detrimental to us in the future!"

Wang Dun said, and handed the edict to Qian Feng. Qian Feng looked at it and handed it to Guo Shu. Qian Feng said:"General, this method is not appropriate. You should think of other methods."

"I also don't think it's a good idea to do this. Once His Majesty finds out, it will be a serious crime of rebellion! Guo Shu said:"I think that's the case. The general can write a secret letter." I took two of my followers and pretended to be business travelers going to the North to do business. When I get to Jicheng, I will try to find a way to enter Duan Pizhen's office and give him the general's letter."

Wang Dun and Wang Xian both nodded. Wang Dun praised:"This is a very good plan!"

Liu Kun was imprisoned by Duan Pixun in a courtyard, and soldiers took turns guarding him day and night every day. Duan Pixun and Duan Mobo were attacking each other these days, although each had his own victory or defeat. But in general, Duan Pixun was at a disadvantage. Facing Duan Mobo's siege, he was helpless in the government office in Jicheng. Duan Pizhen was discussing strategies to defeat the enemy with several of his generals, and Uncle Duan's army came back from outside. Duan Pizhen asked:"Brother, what can you do? Is there any way to defeat Duan Mobo? Duan

Shujun took a sip of water first, and then said:"Brother, our strength is smaller than Duan Mobo, and it will be difficult to win for a while." The top priority is to eradicate Liu Kun's influence as soon as possible to avoid future troubles. Liu Kun's son, nephew and several generals are gathering grass and grain in the small town of Zhengbei. They are training troops every day. It seems that they are preparing to rescue Liu Kun."

"They think beautifully! These people have nowhere to go now and can only stick to the small town of Zhengbei. We cannot let tigers become a problem, we should eradicate them! Duan Pixi said:"Okay, Uncle Jun, you lead five thousand troops to surround the small town of Zhengbei and eliminate Liu Kun's remaining forces.""

Duan Shujun and several generals under Duan Pixi led an infantry of 5,000 horses to the small town of Zhengbei. The dozens of soldiers guarding the camp saw that it was not good, and a soldier hurried in to report to Liu Kun's eldest son Liu Zun. Liu Zun Zun felt scared, so he discussed it with his father's left commander Shi Yangqiao, Bingzhou Zhizhong Rusui, and his father's general Long Ji. Seeing several generals scratching their heads, Liu Zun said with lingering fear:"Generals, now we are under Duan Pixi soldiers surrounded him. We don’t have much food and grass, should we fight out, or what should we do?"

"Close the camp gate tightly, count as many days as you can!" Yang Qiao said. Liu Zun and others were discussing strategies to defeat the enemy. There was another commotion outside the camp gate. A soldier came in and reported:"General, Duan Pixi is here now, and he brought about a thousand soldiers with him. You reply."

Liu Zun, Yang Qiao, and Ru Sui had no choice but to go to the south gate, but they did not dare to let the soldiers open the gate. The soldiers were bending their bows and arrows on the city wall, and Liu Zun, who was standing on the wall, watched. Duan Pixi, who was below, bowed his hands and said,"See King Zuo Xian!"

"Liu Zun, eldest nephew, your father and I are blood allies. But you father and son actually colluded with Duan Mobo. Now that your father is in my hands, surrender quickly!"

Duan Pixi's soldiers outside the south gate and Liu Zun's soldiers on the city wall are all holding bows and arrows, swords drawn, ready to fight at any time. Liu Zun thought for a while and said:"King Zuo Xian, please see that this is all for the imperial court. For the sake of jointly guarding Jinyang, let my father go!"

"Let your father go? Let him and Duan Mobo deal with me? Haha, silly kid, don’t be too naive! Either surrender or go to war!" Duan Pixi said loudly. After a while, seeing Liu Zun's hesitation, Duan Pixi shouted:"Shoot the arrow! Siege the city!"

Following Duan Pixun's order, Duan Pixun and Duan Shu's army began to attack the city. Some soldiers were shooting arrows under the city wall, and some were preparing to climb up the city wall with ladders. Many of Liu Zun's soldiers on the city wall were shot down. Some of Duan Pixun's soldiers fell off the ladder. More and more soldiers were killed and injured on both sides. Seeing that it was getting dark, Duan Pixun waved his hand and said:"Stop!""