Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 115: Bandits fight, nobles die suddenly

From Jinyang, going south along the Fen River, passing Hukou and entering Pingyang County, the terrain suddenly opens up.

Pingyang County is located in the Fen River Valley, with fertile land. It is a strategic point between the north and the south. The Northern Wei Dynasty once established a military town here to guard against attacks from the Liu Song Dynasty.

But times have changed. Pingyang County has changed from the front line to the hinterland, and because of the uprising of the Six Garrisons, it has become a battlefield for competition among various parties.

Between the mountains and fields, a fortress quietly stands up, and it has reached a certain scale.

The surrounding fertile fields have also been restored, with farmers from Sizhou as the main force in the reclamation.

Liu Gui was standing in front of the dock, counting the construction materials. When he saw Li Shuang coming, he tried to please him with a fawning look on his face.

"Duke Tang, you are here!"

"Liu Gui, have you prepared all the materials I need?"

"Everything is ready. They are all made of top-quality materials, the same as those used in the newly built mansion of Duke Liang in Jinyang City."

Liu Gui came closer and whispered in Li Shuang's ear:
"Don't worry, my Lord, everything will be reported to the account over there. In addition, I have also prepared a gift for you, thanks to your care."

After hearing this, Li Shuang quickly refused:

"No, no, I recommended you out of public interest, how could this be possible!"

"I know that the Duke has always been honest and upright. These gifts are just some local specialties from my hometown, a token of my appreciation. If the Duke refuses to accept them, how can I live in this world with dignity?"

"In this case, I can only accept it reluctantly."

Li Shuang waved his hand, and Hou Jing led his men to push the two cars brought by Liu Gui in front of the dock directly into the dock.

Seeing that Li Shuang accepted it, Liu Gui breathed a sigh of relief.

"Duke Tang, there is one more thing I want to remind you of."

"What's the matter?"

"Du Luozhou has rebelled, Hengzhou is in turmoil, and the three Heba brothers are defending Pingcheng. I don't know how long they can hold out. We must be careful in Mayi!"

"How is Erzhu Tianguang doing?"

"I heard from Shi Digan that he is not as domineering as the other members of the Erzhu family. He seems to follow the rules of the family."

"That's good."

After Li Shuang finished speaking, Liu Gui was still a little worried.

"But he is a member of the Erzhu clan after all. Even if he doesn't interfere, Hengzhou is about to fall into chaos. I'm afraid the Tongxin League's business will be a little difficult."

Li Shuang smiled, looked at Liu Gui, and said:
"It doesn't matter!"

"Please give me some advice, Lord!"

"Don't you have a friend named Gao Huan? He's currently serving under Du Luozhou in an important position. Why don't you try to find his connections?"

Liu Gui's expression changed when he heard this, and he bowed and said:
"Thank you for your guidance, Lord!"

"Don't worry, no matter who is in charge of Hengzhou in the future, business will always be done."

"The villain understands!"

As he was speaking, the sky suddenly became gloomy and it looked like it was about to rain.

"Liu Gui, it's getting late. It's difficult to travel. Please stay here tonight!"

Liu Gui bowed and said:
"Thank you for your concern, Lord. However, someone still needs to keep an eye on Jinyang. I have to rush back as soon as possible."

"In that case, I won't stay any longer."

Then a heavy rain fell, and the crowds of people inside and outside the fort and between the fields disappeared in an instant, all going to take shelter from the rain.

Li Shuang returned to the dock.

Inside the manor, pavilions stand tall.

The watchtowers between the newly built fortress walls still exuded a fresh woody fragrance.

Li Shuang stood on the fortress wall, watching the figures of Liu Gui and his group walking farther and farther away and disappearing in the rain.

The sound of rain hitting the eaves became clearer and clearer, and the sound of footsteps could be heard.

Hou Jing walked up to Li Shuang and said:

"In compliance with the Lord's orders, Gao Ang and Yang Kan have arrived with their troops."
-
Pingyang County, Baima.

The night wind was howling and the rain was pouring.

Wang Sizheng stared at the handsome man in front of him and asked unhappily:
"Shaoyuan, what are you doing here?"

The man's name was Pei Qingsun, courtesy name Shaoyuan, and he came from the Pei clan of Wenxi. At the end of the Zhengguang period, the Hu people of Tujing gathered together and rebelled. Pei Qingsun was appointed as a special general, and he recruited thousands of local warriors to march towards Tujing Town and quell the rebellion.

The Pei family is not as good as the four major surnames of Cui, Lu, Zheng and Wang, but it is also one of the largest families in Hedong. Like the Xue family in Hedong, the family has always produced talented generals and can easily gather thousands of soldiers and horses in the local area.

"I am waiting for the reward from the new governor."

Pei Qingsun didn't feel embarrassed at all to stay in someone else's house so late at night.

"reward?"

"Whether it was Fenzhou or Tangzhou, the Tujinghu are all under the jurisdiction of this new governor. How come I won a victory for the court, and you won't give me any reward at all?"

Wang Sizheng was also a little helpless.

"Then go and ask for it!"

"I just feel that in the whole of Pingyang, your place is the safest!"

"what for?"

"The new governor established his authority by killing someone, but he also offended those Xianbei nobles. Now, there's Liu Lisheng in the northeast of Hedong, Chen Shuangchi in the south, and the Qiang and Di peoples are scattered across the Zhongtiao Mountains. The Tujinghu are about to stir up trouble again. If we're not careful, there will be a major chaos."

"Don't think I'm annoying. If I were leading troops outside, I would become a target sooner or later. Now that you are here, with my soldiers protecting you, your office is safe."

After listening to Pei Qingsun's words, Wang Sizheng had no choice but to accept this reality.

After all, he couldn't object even if he wanted to.

As the chief secretary, he is one of the best in Tangzhou, but in terms of the soldiers under his command, he does not have as many as Pei Qingsun.

The rain was getting heavier, and a guard from the government office ran in hurriedly, ignoring Pei Qingsun, as if he was used to it.

"Chief Secretary, there is chaos in the city."

"How is it messed up?"

"Liu Lisheng's bandits have broken in."

When Wang Sizheng heard this, his face became serious.

"Who are they hitting?"

"I don't know either. There are several forces involved. It's too chaotic."

Wang Sizheng waved his hand.

"Tell them to stay in the office. As long as no one breaks in, don't worry about it."

"promise!"

Unlike Wang Sizheng, who was obviously anxious after hearing the news, Pei Qingsun seemed much more calm.

"If a fight breaks out, a few people will die. Who do you think will die?"

"I'm not in the mood for fun!"

Pei Qingsun smiled and said:
"Let's change the subject. How is the new governor? Didn't you help him build the fort?"

Wang Sizheng looked at Pei Qingsun and said:

"You went to all this trouble to come here today just to get this sentence, right?"

Pei Qingsun was also very frank.

"That's right! When he came here, he gathered exiles, built a fort, and tried to uphold justice while suppressing the Xianbei nobles. He doesn't seem like a good person!"

"Aren't the things he did also done by your Pei family?"

"We are not so arrogant as to openly kill the Xianbei people!"

Pei Qingsun smiled, but then heard Wang Sizheng say:

"We'll find out tonight who he is!"

By midnight, the rain had subsided slightly.

"Chief Secretary, Liu Li has been promoted and retired!"

Wang Sizheng's words were somewhat urgent as he asked:
"How is it?"

"All the nobles in the city died at the hands of Liu Lisheng."

After hearing this, Pei Qingsun stood up and laughed out loud.

"A true hero!"

(End of this chapter)