It was almost evening when Shen Zhezi returned to Shen's house.

In the afternoon, he and several clan members and soldiers, Liu Meng and other Longxi soldiers left the city, and took a detour to Shitou City and watched for a long time.

The stone city is high on the stone mountain. The architecture is not very majestic and lacks aesthetic sense, but the terrain is steep and beautiful, like an iron fist that is raised to protect Jiankang. The river circles the mountains, the peaks are straight and steep, and a large ship with iron chains floats on the surface of the river, and two trusses connect the river bank.

There are hundreds of ragged clerks nearby who step on bamboo trays to clear water and weeds along the river to avoid siltation of waterways. Most of these people are from official households and directly depend on government officials at all levels and are responsible for service all year round, but they do not have the majesty of the fish and meat villages of later generations. They are more similar to free slaves, and any chief official can be sent at will.

At present, the Six Guards in the Shitou City are guarding against Shitou City, which is the only army directly belonging to the imperial court, with more than 10,000 troops. Previously, due to the rebellion of Wang Dun, the emperor issued an edict to recruit young and strong troops in the capital area to serve as troops, which added nearly 2,000 troops.

Shen Zhezi looked over from a distance and saw the flags on the Stone City were mixed and the figures were chaotic. The so-called imperial guards were even worse than the Shen family's army, which showed that the imperial power was weak and suppressed by the great families.

But further north of Shitou City, there is still a military camp. According to the size of the camp, there are about 2,000, and a number of troops are stationed there. It is one of the refugee troops who went south to serve the king, but it is also under the banner of the guards. It seems that it was intercepted by the court to supplement the six guards.

Shen Zhezi wanted to observe it nearby, but not far away, the group was driven away and was not allowed to get close to the past.

From Shitou City to the river, you can reach Liyang, which was governed by the refugee commander Su Jun, in a while. If you go down the upper reaches, the speed will only be faster. The emperor placed such a general with heavy troops and no background there. His courage was amazing, and it also shows that he was trustworthy and seemed to be quite confident in his own way of defensive measures.

The emperor today is indeed a wise ruler. Not to mention that in this weak Eastern Jin Dynasty, even at any stage in history, his methods and abilities were outstanding. If he could enjoy the long-term country, control the upper and lower levels, balance the left and right, and survive the death of the few generations of Nandu, he might be able to revitalize the imperial power. Even if he could not recover the lost territory, history would be greatly changed by his hands.

Shen Zhezi was not disgusted with Gan Gang's arbitrary dictatorship. Later generations said that democracy had become a politically correct choice, but centralization had an unparalleled advantage, that is, efficiency. In the chaotic times, whoever can mobilize power faster and more effectively is the king.

Later, Guanlong made its fortune, and there were many descriptions of the strong Qin army system, unifying the north and south, ending the troubled times. It may be called barbaric exploitation, but it was a choice that conforms to the world.

When he was feeling the past and present outside the city, Shen Zhezi could not have thought that he would soon experience the methods of the hero.

When he returned to Shen’s house, the servant sent two letters. One of the invitations surprised Shen Zhezi. The one who made the invitation was Sima Zong, the King of Nandun!

Five horses cross the river and one horse turns into a dragon. Sima Zong was one of the horses that failed to turn into a dragon. The so-called Eight Kings Rebellion began with his father, Sima Liang, King Runan.

Seeing this abrupt invitation, Shen Zhezi's heart suddenly became alert. Regardless of his personal sense of Sima's family, Sima Zong's embarrassing identity and situation alone had no choice but to be alert.

There is no need to say how tragic the disaster of the royal family in the Jin Dynasty was. Now the rulers were tortured to death by their elders, or they were harmed by themselves, so they naturally spared no effort to deal with the few remaining royal families. However, the crisis of powerful ministers in Wang Dun's rebellion made the emperor realize the reality of isolation and difficulty in revitalizing the imperial power, and then used the royal family. Therefore, Sima Zong is now the General of the Left Guard and is in charge of the imperial guards.

Holding this invitation, Shen Zhezi first thought of how Sima Zong dared to show kindness to his family? Is this out of his own wishes or the emperor's instruction?

If we only look at it from the present, it is obvious that the Shen family is famous for its military power, and the unpopular tyrants and the royal family are the perfect match. Especially now that the aristocratic families are silent, the imperial power will be revitalized. Guangwu revival and the continued Han Dynasty rely on this configuration.

But the Sima family's reputation is so bad that it can smell ten feet of smell when facing the wind. Shen Zhezi really couldn't find a reason to convince himself to meet his superior Sima Zong. He was not superstitious about the original historical trend, but believed in the facts that had happened and seriously doubted the Sima family's character and ethics.

And putting this invitation aside, Shen Zhezi picked up another letter from Yu Yi. When he saw the messy handwriting, his heart sank. Until he read through the content, he felt even colder and his mind was a little drowsy.

Combined with the fact that Yu Yi was detained in Taicheng, Shen Zhezi was almost certain that Sima Zong's behavior of recruiting his own family was notified of the emperor's acquiescence.

When he picked up the light invitation again, Shen Zhezi felt that it was a huge tremendous amount. The yellow-seared Xianbei slave in Taicheng was so brave that he cut off the bridge between the Shen family and the overseas Chinese surname as soon as he made the Shen family isolated and helpless again. He either completely surrendered to him or asked for blessings on his own, and was not worried that Wu would become turbulent again.

At this time, Shen Zhezi even regretted dissuading his father from rebelling. Where did the emperor's courage come from? Naturally, he destroyed Wang Dun and destroyed him, making him full of confidence.

Without the participation of my father, the turmoil caused by the Wang family's rebellion is much weaker than the original history, and at least the three Wus can be stable. Now that the Wang family has been defeated, he is in charge of the army of hundreds of battles in Jiangbei, why would the emperor still worry about the sacrificing and unstoppable?

This history really cannot be changed easily. Once it is changed, let alone the changes in the situation. The change in people's mentality in the current situation is the most deadly.

Shen Zhezi was in a dilemma, and the invitation was tossed and turned in his hands, making it difficult to make a decision.

He knew very well that once he made a statement at the banquet, the Shen family might become a hard-core royal party, and would be defeated by the joint attack of Wang Yuqiao. This was exactly what the emperor hoped, to isolate the Shen family from time to time, and to be loyal to him. Holding this chess piece in his hand, he could not only control Wu, but also to form a check and balance against the emerging refugee generals.

To be honest, Shen Zhezi couldn't accept this situation. Once he became a royal party, as long as he still had usefulness, he didn't have to worry about safety issues. But the problem is that Sima Shao is not going to live long. Although he is talented and stubborn, he will die next year.

In less than a year, how could the Shen family resist the power of Wang Yugao's sect? Even if my father works hard to make progress, he is not qualified to gain a position as a minister of life. Only when the list is pulled, he will be truly stunned.

At this time, Shen Zhezi truly realized what it means to be in a dilemma. If you don’t bow your head, the disaster will be in an instant. If you bow your head, the disaster will be in the future.

"It's so deadly!"

Relying on Hu's bed with his face covering, Shen Zhezi's thoughts flew around and felt miserable.

The entanglement of this choice is that the emperor's life is not long. Even if this guy can live for three or five more years, Shen Zhezi would definitely agree to be his little pony. But it only takes one year and hesitates to resist the joint attack of the aristocratic families.

There are quite absurd speculations about the cause of the death of this emperor who died young in an unofficial history. Shen Zhezi himself was also curious about how Sima Shao died so hasty. Even if something was strange, Shen Zhezi didn't think he could help him survive. He was still a sick person. Could you tell this guy, you should take care of yourself, otherwise you will die next year?

Or maybe he cut off his *** and went to the palace to protect himself and eliminate all potential threats in advance? Don’t say that he is unwilling, even if he is willing, the emperor with great confidence will listen to him, a little kid, be nagging?

"Or, or the opposite?"

Just as this idea came to his mind, Shen Zhezi immediately denied this idea. This is the real way to commit suicide.

Immediately, Shen Zhezi thought about the feasibility of going south to Jiaoguang farming to develop. Although it is still a barren land, it actually has a foundation. The Nandu gentry not all concentrated along the Yangtze River, and some of them migrated to Jiaoguang to settle down further south. In addition to farming, they can also develop maritime business in Southeast Asia. With a certain foundation, they either penetrate into Yizhou and Chenghan, or go directly across the ocean to north.

With such an idea, Shen Zhezi felt a little calmer. No matter how feasible it is, at least he would not have no way out. Even if he was unable to go north in this life, he would be regarded as supporting the development of the southern region.

But if he wanted to give up Wuxing's family business foundation, Shen Zhezi didn't know how to convince his father, and he couldn't convince himself. He was not at the end of his journey yet, and he seemed to be able to work hard.

After his mood calmed down, Shen Zhezi first instructed Liu Meng to transfer dozens of Longxi soldiers into the city, and at the same time notified the troops on Jiangnan's side to prepare for the reception. After arranging the retreat, Shen Zhezi began to think about ways to break the deadlock.

The reason why the emperor wanted to force the Shen family was naturally to build his own power, because the Shen family was in an awkward situation. It was not the Jiangdong High School itself, and there was no solid political alliance. The original backer Wang Dun was over, and the emperor just took the line to the Yu family and was cut off by the emperor. It was a time of isolation and helplessness.

To break the current situation, what Shen Zhezi had to do was to let the Shen family merge back into the gentry group in the shortest time, regardless of north and south, and get rid of the situation of isolation and helplessness. At the same time, it was necessary to undermine the emperor's confidence and let him understand that the current strength was just a false sense, and that he should never act recklessly when doing things.

Each of these two purposes is not easy. To integrate into the gentry group as soon as possible, you must unite with the most prominent people nowadays. The emperor's source of confidence is the refugee commander used by him, and it is also beyond the reach of the Shen family, and it is not possible for mere wealth to disintegrate.

Shen Zhezi sorted out all the people with outstanding fame and status in the court and the opposition, and gradually locked in one goal, which was Nan Shijizhan who led Xi Jian into the court!

Ji Zhan is the crown of the Southern Scholars, the most prominent among the scholars in Jiangnan. He has made great contributions to the turmoil that have just passed. Not only did Xi Jian enter the court to use refugees and commanders, but he also lie down to protect the six armies, and his reputation and merits have reached the extreme!

Although the candidates are locked, it is particularly difficult to achieve their goals. Gu Lu Gaosou's indifference is still in front of him, let alone Ji Zhan, who is even more powerful than that.
Chapter completed!