Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 155 Everyone Reads History Books
After receiving the imperial edict, Erzhu Rong ordered Gao Huan to lead the vanguard army south without a moment's hesitation.

Such an action naturally could not be concealed from the eyes and ears of the Luoyang court.

After all, many of the garrisons and guards at the passes along the way were sent from Luoyang.

The news soon reached Luoyang. When Queen Hu learned about it, she was extremely angry and found Yuan Xu to confront him face to face.

"Your Majesty, why do you want to recruit Erzhu Rong to come south?"

It was the first time that Yuan Xu saw Queen Hu so angry, and he felt a little scared.

"I am afraid that the traitor Yuan Shen will become too powerful, so I want Erzhu Rong to go south to fight him!"

Queen Hu knew her son very well and knew clearly whether he was lying or not.

Seeing Yuan Xu's hesitation, Empress Hu asked:

"Your Majesty, aren't you worried that Erzhu Rong might harbor ulterior motives?"

Yuan Xu didn't take it seriously and said with a smile:
"What can a common barbarian like him do?"

In his heart, Yuan Xu despised his fellow countrymen from the north.

This arrogance seemed somewhat dangerous to Empress Hu.

Empress Hu was like the young emperor before, but she learned from her mistakes. Ever since she was imprisoned by the eunuch Liu Teng, Empress Hu understood that in the power field, even a small figure could eventually make the high and mighty empress dowager become a drowned rat.

If a eunuch could be like this, what about Erzhu Rong who held a large army?
"Your Majesty has been well-versed in history since childhood. Don't you know what happened to the Han Emperor after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang?"

Empress Hu's words finally woke Yuan Xu up.

"Will he... Dong Zhuo...?"

"Whether it happens or not, we can't let Erzhu Rong's army cross the Yellow River, otherwise it will be difficult to deal with."

Yuan Xu hesitated for a moment, but finally lowered his head under the gaze of Empress Hu.

"Then I'll make him stop!"

……

Only after seeing the decree issued did Queen Hu breathe a sigh of relief and return to her bedroom, but she was still uneasy.

In the palace, Yuan Mingyue, a female attendant, was drafting an imperial edict for Empress Hu.

"Has Li Shengui set off?"

Yuan Mingyue stopped writing and replied:
"According to the schedule, we should have reached Hedong!"

Queen Hu was uneasy, very uneasy.

"Mingyue, I intend to make you Princess Pingyuan!"

Yuan Mingyue was startled, stood up and knelt in front of Queen Hu.

"Empress Dowager, how dare this humble servant accept such great favor!"

Queen Hu shook her head.

"This isn't a favor, but a plan of salvation. In this world, there's only one person who can stand between Erzhu Rong and Li Shengui. I intend to betroth you to Li Shuang! Bring my decree to Li Shuang and tell him that his position as Duke is essential for the peace of the court."

As soon as he heard this name, Yuan Mingyue's heart, which had been silent for a long time, came back to life.

"Your servant...is willing to serve the Queen Mother!"

Seeing this, Queen Hu nodded.

"Go and prepare. The imperial edict of enthronement will be ready soon!"

"promise!"
-
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister. When I, Erzhu Rong, came to Luoyang, I received a lot of care from you. I will never forget our friendship!"

Erzhu Rong made a solemn promise to the envoy from Yuan Yong who came from Luoyang City.

After making the promise, he did not forget to have the envoy treated well.

Since going south, Erzhu Rong's main concern was not how to deploy his troops, but how to deal with the envoys from the nobles who came from Luoyang one after another.

As Erzhu Rong watched the envoy leave, his face, which was originally smiling, changed.

"He Liuhun!"

Gao Huan, who was entertaining the envoys with Erzhu Rong, stood up at the right time.

"Mingsir, what do you want me to do?"

Among those who defected to Erzhu Rong, the two he valued most were Gao Huan and Heba Yue, both of whom he appointed as his aides and shared secrets with.

Gao Huan already had a small circle around him consisting of Wei Jing, Cai Jun, Duan Rong and others. After he was given an important position, the original military nobles of Huaishuo Town, such as Sima Ziru and Sun Teng, also moved closer to him.

As a result, Gao Huan was increasingly valued by Erzhu Rong. "I can't quite remember how Dong Zhuo died back then."

"He died because of Wang Yun's scheme to sow discord!"

After Gao Huan finished speaking, he glanced at Erzhu Rong's face, but saw that his expression was very indifferent, and it didn't look like he couldn't remember.

"If Dong Zhuo had entered Luoyang and exterminated the Han officials, wouldn't the events of Yuan Shao and Wang Yun have happened?"

When Gao Huan heard this, he was terrified.

He understood Erzhu Rong's thoughts, and at the same time he knew that his opportunity had come.

"Your Excellency is right! I once served as a captain, traveling between Huaishuo and Luoyang. I know full well that the extravagance and decadence of the officials in Luoyang today are a scourge to the world!"

When Erzhu Rong heard this, a smile appeared on his calm face.

"He Liuhun, well said!"

……

Gao Huan left Erzhu Rong's house and happened to see Li Shuang coming.

"He Liuhun, why are you so happy?"

"Ah, just now Duke Liang told me about Dong Zhuo."

Gao Huan did not hide it. He understood that no matter how confidential the matter was, Erzhu Rong would not be able to hide it from Li Shuang.

At the moment, he was still a little excited and wanted to do a favor, so he reminded:
"Duke Liang just asked me how Dong Zhuo died?"

Unexpectedly, Li Shuang's reaction exceeded his expectations.

"Who is Dong Zhuo?"

"..."

Gao Huan looked at Li Shuang, who looked confused and ignorant, and was shocked again.

How can this person be so shameless!
We are all on the same boat, is it okay if you don’t recognize each other?

While Gao Huan was still surprised, Li Shuang had already entered Erzhu Rong's room.

Seeing Li Shuang coming, Erzhu Rong immediately asked:
"Third brother, I received a report from Fei Mu that Li Shengui is leading his army to Luoyang. How should we respond?"

"Are you afraid, second brother, that you can't be a match for Li Shengui?"

Erzhu Rong smiled and said:
"Empress Hu calls herself "I" and Li Shengui is her heir. She is very powerful. Once we enter Luoyang, we cannot keep these two!"

Erzhu Rong's meaning was already very clear.

There can only be one sworn brother today!
"Don't worry, second brother, I will definitely stand on your side."

"That's good!"
-
In Anyi, in the general's mansion, Li Shengui looked at the generals under his command.

"I've been listening to a lot of storytellers talk about the Three Kingdoms recently, and I feel more and more that Erzhu Rong is like Dong Zhuo."

Fei Mu and the others didn't dare to say anything for a moment, but they heard Li Shengui continue:

"But am I Ding Yuan?"

No one dared to speak.

Unexpectedly, Li Shengui slammed the table and yelled.

"But if I am Ding Yuan, who is Lu Bu?"

When this word came out, Fei Mu's heart trembled. For a moment, he seemed to feel that Li Shengui had known about his secret communication with Erzhu Rong.

But Li Shengui did not continue to knock. He raised it high and then put it down gently, letting everyone retreat.

An old man walked out of the side room of the house.

"Fei Mu, this Lu Bu!"

After Li Shengui finished cursing, he looked at the old man and asked:

"Sir, what does Tianba say?"

Han Ling smiled and said:

"Don't worry, General. My Lord is definitely on your side!"

……

(End of this chapter)