Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 167 Last Night the West Wind Withered the Green Trees

The fighting on the south bank of the Yellow River has subsided, and more than 100,000 soldiers from the Six Garrisons have either fled or surrendered.

In Yuan Shen's original military camp, Li Shuang had taken off his helmet and removed his damaged armor, and was stretching his muscles.

Of the three layers of armor lying on the ground, the outermost layer of lamellar armor was the most severely damaged and almost unusable.

The battle left us exhausted, but once the situation stabilized, even more troubles arose.

"My lord, we've caught them!"

Hou Jing escorted Yuan Shen into the main tent. He looked disheveled, as if he had fallen into a mud pit while fleeing, and his whole body reeked of mud.

Looking up, she saw Li Shuang, who was wearing only a thin shirt but had a strong physique, sitting down casually, not even looking at her, and taking off his shoes.

"bandit!"

Seeing Li Shuang's lack of manners, Yuan Shen couldn't help but curse, only to be met with a beating and cursing from the armored soldiers behind him.

Li Shuang, however, didn't care and waved to stop him.

"It's fine, let them curse!"

Yuan Shen was seething with anger.

To some extent, the less Li Shuang cares about him and the more magnanimous she is now, the more uncomfortable he feels.

"How dare you call yourself a member of the Li family of Longxi when you treat people like this?"

"I have never said that I am from the Li family of Longxi!"

When Li Shuang spoke of the Li family of Longxi, his words were devoid of any emotion.

For Yuan Shen, who was deeply influenced by Sinicization and whose mind was imprinted with concepts such as aristocratic lineage and prestigious surnames, this was unforgivable.

Yuan Shen had met many scions of prominent Han Chinese families in his life, and they always spoke of their family backgrounds with a sense of pride.

But Li Shuang was different; he was an anomaly that Yuan Shen had encountered.

"I actually lost to someone like you. You're not even as good as a barbarian."

Li Shuang emptied the mud out of his shoes and was digging it out, like an old farmer in the countryside who sits on the ridge of a field and picks at his feet when he's bored.

"With your attire, how dare you say others are inferior to barbarians?"

Yuan Shen's hair was disheveled, and he was dressed entirely as a Hu (non-Han Chinese). Because he was no match for the enemy, he had discarded most of his belongings when he fled in haste, making him look even more like a refugee from the northern deserts.

"I am expediency!"

To control the troops of the Six Garrisons, one must dress in a way that the troops like. Yuan Shen understood this principle, so he did not think there was anything wrong with what he was doing.

"Alright, alright!" Li Shuang waved his hand. "I won't kill you, so what are you babbling about?"

Li Shuang gave Hou Jing the order.

"Send him to Luoyang!"

"promise!"

As Yuan Shen was being led away and stepped out of the tent, he saw Peng Le approaching.

He was followed by dozens of valiant generals from the Six Garrisons.

These people were unlike those Yuan Shen usually saw; they had their hair loose and wore their robes fastened on the left. Instead, they all wore crowns and Han Chinese clothing.

However, it's unclear where these people found Han Chinese clothing; it didn't fit them well and looked very awkward.

If one were to use an idiom to describe the scene Yuan Shen was witnessing at that moment, then "a monkey wearing a hat" would be the most accurate description.

Yuan Shen felt no sarcasm whatsoever; looking at the scene before him, he remained silent.

Deathly silence!

He lowered his head, wanting to leave as soon as possible, but Peng Le called out.

"Your Majesty, did you also meet the Duke?"

Seemingly realizing that his form of address was somewhat inappropriate, Peng Le subconsciously changed his way of addressing him.

"I'm referring to the Prince of Guangyang!"

If it were anyone else, Yuan Shen would only think that the other person was mocking him, but Peng Le was different.

He doesn't have that kind of brain.

Yuan Shen awkwardly raised his head and responded.

"I saw him!"

"What are the Duke's plans?"

"Let me go to Luoyang!"

Peng Le scratched his head, unsure how to address his former boss. Even the most obtuse person would know what fate awaited him in Luoyang. After a long silence, Peng Le finally uttered two overly sincere words.

"Walk slowly!"

"Eh!"

This meeting was rather hasty, yet Yuan Shen still responded. He was led away, and after taking a dozen steps, he turned back to look behind him.

In front of the main tent, a group of people lined up, waiting to enter and see Li Shuang. Peng Le, who was busy at work, gave instructions:

"You are about to see Duke Tang. Whether you can stay or not is up to you!"

"We know!"

"Don't speak so rudely, what if you scare my master?"

The crowd lowered their voices considerably.

"Yes, we know!"

Yuan Shen closed his eyes and took another dozen or so steps forward. This short distance felt incredibly long to Yuan Shen.

He looked back one last time, seemingly in disbelief, or perhaps trying to give up.

Finally, he gave a bitter laugh.

"What a Li Shuang!"
-

After Yuan Shen was sent to Luoyang, he was not mistreated.

Unlike ordinary rebels, Yuan Shen did not enjoy the privilege of having his head displayed in Luoyang. As soon as he entered Luoyang, he was imprisoned in the Tuoniu Bureau.

After waiting for a long time, Yuan Shen finally met the people who came to see him off.

Prince Yuan Ziyou of Changle!

Yuan Ziyou walked in carrying a three-tiered food box and a pot of wine without any guards.

"They sent you to bring me here?"

Yuan Shen already knew his fate, and he was calmly waiting for it.

Yuan Ziyou nodded, sat down, opened the food box, and took out several exquisite dishes.

Yuan Shen seemed very hungry. He picked up the meat from the food box and started eating, but he didn't touch the wine.

Seeing Yuan Shen like this, Yuan Ziyou poured him a cup of wine.

"This wine pot is exquisite; it's a Yin-Yang pot. You can drink from it without worry!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shen stopped being coy and, having eaten rather hastily, took the opportunity to quench his thirst with the wine.

"Ask me anything."

"I want to know how you lost?"

That's an army of 200,000!
The moment this military intelligence arrived, Yuan Ziyou's first thought was that Li Shuang was lying about the situation.

But it was quickly confirmed that this was true.

Yuan Ziyou initially didn't believe it, but after it was confirmed, he became somewhat frightened.

Yuan Shen had experienced many things during this period, and had a thousand words to say. But after arriving in Luoyang, no one was willing to see him.

Now, when someone actually asks him, Yuan Shen finds himself unable to give a proper answer, and in the end, he can only say "I can't answer."

"Because he is Li Shuang!"

Yuan Ziyou was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this.

"Gone?"

Yuan Shen raised his head, looked at Yuan Ziyou, and said:
"I read the letter you wrote to me, and I understand its meaning. However, if you want to defeat Li Shuang, don't expect to do so on the battlefield."

Yuan Ziyou thought for a moment, then turned on the switch of the Yin-Yang Pot.

He then stood up, cupped his hands, and said:
“Teach me!”

After Yuan Ziyou finished speaking, he left.

Yuan Shen looked at the wine pot and poured himself one last cup of wine.

A bright moon hung alone outside the window, and Yuan Shen thought of that night on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace again.

The moon remains the same, but everything else has changed.

He drank the wine without hesitation, awaiting his final fate.

……

(End of this chapter)