Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 178 I'm not fighting anymore, I'm never fighting again.

Huazhou City.

Upon hearing the news that Xiao Baoyin had gathered an army of 30,000 to attack Zheng County, Xiao Zan panicked.

Of course, Xiao Zan wasn't worried about Li Shuang, but rather that Xiao Baoyin would definitely not show any mercy after capturing the Crown Prince of Qi.

Xiao Zan was the son of Xiao Baojuan, and according to the legal system of the Southern Qi Dynasty, he was ranked higher than Xiao Baoyin in the hierarchy.

Of course, Xiao Baoyin could also say that Xiao Zan was a fake member of the Southern Qi royal family, and that the posthumous child was just a rumor.

However, for Xiao Baoyin, Xiao Zan's survival remained a huge threat.

Xiao Zan wanted to find Li Shuang, but when he arrived at the door, he was stopped by armored soldiers.

Inside the room, Li Shuang and his subordinates each appeared deep in thought, seemingly pondering some important issue.

"Duke Tang, I have a plan!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang waved his hand, signaling the guards to let him into the house.

"You've come at the right time! I have something I'd like to ask you!"

Xiao Zan had made all the necessary preparations; he was a professional at dealing with Xiao Baoyin.

But to everyone's surprise, Li Shuang didn't ask him about strategies for dealing with the enemy; instead, she asked an inappropriate question.

Does Your Highness understand women?

Xiao Zan was taken aback. He had grown up in the Southern Liang palace, living a life of luxury and had seen all kinds of women.

However, since Li Shuang asked this question, Xiao Zan couldn't refuse to answer.

"Understand a little!"

"Under what circumstances would a woman send another young and beautiful woman to her husband and arrange for her to be by his side?"

Xiao Zan thought for a long time, considering many possibilities, and finally answered:
"The wife needs something from her husband!"

As soon as that sounded, everyone present seemed to understand.

Li Shuang immediately grabbed Xiao Zan's shoulder, her face beaming with joy.

"His Highness the Crown Prince knows so much!"

"What is this, Duke Tang?"

"To be honest, Your Highness, my good-for-nothing wife recently sent me a woman, and I just can't figure out what's going on. I just gathered all my ministers together to discuss it!"

Just for this?

Xiao Zan was somewhat taken aback and asked:
"What about the war in Weinan? Xiao Baoyin has already assembled an army of 30,000 to attack Zheng County, saying he wants to capture the Duke!"

Surprisingly, Li Shuang didn't seem to take it to heart.

Seeing Xiao Zan press for answers, Li Shuang looked at Hou Jing beside him and said:

"Wan Jing, what do you think?"

Hou Jing nodded and said seriously:
"It's obvious that Chang'an is on the verge of collapse!"

Xiao Zan was momentarily stunned. The enemy's military strength was at its peak, and they had gathered 30,000 troops to attack you. How did you come to such an absurd conclusion?

Li Shuang tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle towards the sky and sighed:

"It seems that Xiao Baoyin is no longer able to support the Great Qi dynasty!"

Hou Jing said again:
"To prevent Xiao Baoyin from resorting to desperate measures and ruining the foundation of the Great Qi, we should immediately support His Highness the Crown Prince to ascend the throne and take control of Chang'an."

"Just do it!"

At this moment, Xiao Zan looked at Hou Jing with a complicated expression, his mind blank.

Is this even a human being capable of coming up with?
-
On the banks of the Wei River, Hou Zhongde jumped off his warhorse and climbed to the riverbank. At this moment, his mouth was dry and he kept putting water into his mouth.

The icy river water stung his face, and the trembling he felt slowly subsided, his tense nerves relaxing. Hou Zhongde sat up, patted his face, and looked at his remaining, defeated troops, feeling as if he had been transported to another world.

"What just happened?"

"The enemy general led a thousand cavalrymen into our ranks, weaving in and out, and our vanguard was defeated!"

Hou Zhongde remembered that the tall banner with the character "sheep" fluttered in the wind, accompanied by the iron cavalry entering the battle, and then everything went out of control.

The general surnamed Yang gripped a thick, heavy spear that resembled a tree trunk, and, as if Xiang Yu himself were alive, easily broke through his army's formation.

The thought of the pressure the general had exerted on him filled Hou Zhongde with fear.

"I'm not fighting anymore! I'm never fighting again! I traveled all the way from the south to seek refuge here, to enjoy wealth and luxury, not to die!"

"But if we stop fighting, how will we explain it to His Majesty?"

Hou Zhongde recalled Xiao Baoyin's face, and anger rose in his heart, fueling his malice.

"I may not be able to beat Da Ye Shuang, but I can certainly beat Xiao Bao Yin!"
-
The night was quiet and beautiful when Li Shuang pushed open the door.

Inside the house, a beautiful woman was already waiting.

As Li Shuang slowly approached, a unique fragrance wafted over, making her feel much more comfortable.

The woman inside was not dressed like a noblewoman in fine clothes and long skirts; instead, she wore a simple cloth skirt, her attire plain yet capable, which could not conceal her elegant beauty.

Li Shuang moved closer and realized that the woman in front of him looked very similar to Dugu Ru in the eyes and eyebrows.

"This humble woman, Liu Sixia, greets the Duke of Tang!"

"Your surname is Liu?"

Li Shuang was slightly surprised to hear this.

The woman noticed this expression, but Liu Sixia didn't hide anything. Before she came, Dugu Ru had already told her that Li Shuang knew about their Han Dynasty lineage.

“I am Aru’s older sister. Back then, Aru and I each took half of our people and left to escape the war. After years of chaos, I thought we would never see each other again in this life. I never thought that we would meet again.”

Li Shuang was wary of the woman in front of him.

Even though she is very beautiful!

Li Shuang had many questions in her mind.

For example, why is the tribe led by women when there are men in the tribe who are capable of taking on the role of chief?
For example, when the two sisters separated their family, one ran towards Guanzhong, and the other seemed to be running towards Hebei. Why was that?

Despite having many questions in his mind, Li Shuang still smiled and asked his sister-in-law:
"Now that we've met, we're all family. But Guanzhong is in chaos right now, so why did you come to the front lines?"

Liu Sixia said:
"I am not here as Aru's sister, but for the sake of my tribe of 5,632 people. I hope that the Duke will take us under his command and save my tribe from this crisis!"

"Danger?"

"Some time ago, Changsun Zhi went to Lishi and Tujing towns to gather troops to rescue Xiazhou. He clashed with Liu Lisheng, and many people from my tribe were involved. Changsun Zhi labeled them bandits and imprisoned them in Tujing town. I hope that the Duke can lend a helping hand!"

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"It's alright, I'll send a letter right away and ask them to release the people."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, most of the 5,632 men in my unit are skilled craftsmen, proficient in medicine, knowledgeable in construction and repair, and also capable of manufacturing machinery. They will not be a burden to Your Excellency."

Li Shuang looked at the sensible woman in front of her, who was somewhat pitiful, but she was still confused.

"You could have just written a letter about this; why did you have to risk coming here in person?"

Liu Sixia blushed, seemingly too embarrassed to speak.

"I want to see Chang'an, the ancient capital of the Han Dynasty!"

……

(End of this chapter)