Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 20 You really hurt me

Mayi City Defense Office!
There is no wife in the wife cake, just as there is no city guard in the city guard's mansion. It's the same principle.

At this time, the middle and lower-level military officers in Mayi City gathered in the huge city lord's mansion.

Gao Gao and Yang Kan stood on Li Shuang's left and right, like two door gods!
"Something bad is going to happen!"

Li Shuang's words made everyone present nervous. What exactly happened?
"It's well known that the previous governor of Mayi was a corrupt official. During his tenure, he embezzled a large amount of military funds and grain. Not long ago, he and his sister-in-law fled with much of the embezzled proceeds, leaving the entire city of Mayi destitute and the treasury empty."

Liu Gui immediately came out and, as the inspector of Mayi, he took the lead and asked:
"Why is the military commander worried about this well-known matter?"

Li Shuang sighed.

"But Prince Guangyang insists on putting this blame on me! My reputation and criticism are minor, but I'm afraid it will bring trouble to all of you brothers."

There is not a single fool among the people present.

After hearing what Li Shuang said, everyone understood. This was an attempt to unify their statements and shift the blame.

"That's unreasonable!"

Everyone present spoke up. The more they took, the more righteous words burst forth from their hearts.

"Everyone knows that the military commander is honest and upright. There must be some villains around Prince Guangyang who are trying to slander him. If such treacherous ministers dare to come, we will make sure they know how powerful we are."

Li Shuang was very moved after hearing this.

"As a loyal minister of the Great Wei, I often wake up in my dreams at midnight lamenting the decline of morality and the destruction of the country, and I am filled with worry and anger. But fortunately, there are still loyal men like you in Mayi City, who can maintain peace in this northern border."

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:
"Pass the order down. All soldiers in Mayi, both regular and auxiliary, will be given seven months' wages and rations in advance."

Liu Gui bowed and said:
"Military Commander, there's already some movement from Prince Guangyang. Now that they're distributing money and food on a large scale, will Pingcheng think you're offering bribes?"

"Giving money and food to officers above the rank of military commander is called bribery, while giving it to soldiers at the bottom is simply a reward for these loyal and righteous men who work tirelessly and stand on the front lines."

"The commander is wise!"

Everyone bowed.

The atmosphere became so heated that Liu Gui spoke again:

"I have a word to say. The country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and Mayi cannot be without a master for a day. The Six Garrisons are in chaos, and Pingcheng is full of treacherous officials. At this time, only the military commander can defend Mayi and deter those rebels!"

Li Shuang heard this and said loudly:

"How dare you! The appointment and dismissal of officials is a major matter that only the imperial court can decide. How could I take on the position of governor of Mayi without authorization?"

At this moment, all the officers knelt down.

"Please ask the commander-in-chief to take charge of the defense of Mayi, otherwise, we will not be able to get up!"

"You really hurt me!"
-
"He's opening the treasury, distributing money and grain, and arbitrarily appointing governors. Is this guy planning a rebellion?"

Yuan Shen was furious when he learned that the people he sent out had been sent back. He felt that his authority was being challenged.

"Come, gather the troops! I will personally march south to capture this thief!"

As soon as Yuan Shen finished speaking, Yu Jin hurried forward to stop him.

"Your Majesty, no!"

Yuan Shen looked at Yu Jin and asked angrily:
"Why not?"

"The battle ahead is already extremely urgent. If the Pingcheng army makes any rash moves, and if there's any loss ahead, the king will be held responsible for the defeat!"

This sentence calmed Yuan Shen down.

The intrigue within the Luoyang court was even more intense, especially among the royal family. Although they were all members of the Yuan royal family, the internal divisions were as great as the sky.

Otherwise, why would Yuan Tianmu, who was also a member of the royal family, stand with Erzhu Rong and dig up his own roots?

"Moreover, Li Shuang is extremely knowledgeable in military strategy. Regardless of the success or failure of your trip, it will likely be detrimental to the overall situation. Behind Li Shuang is Erzhu Rong, and behind Erzhu Rong is Yuan Yi. If this gives rise to rumors, Yuan Yi in Luoyang will revolt, and you will likely lose the trust of the court."

Pingcheng was the core city of the northern border, the former capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Any misstep would have repercussions for the entire situation. If he failed to capture Mayi, he would lose face and prestige. From then on, it would be difficult for Yuan Shen to command the heroes in Pingcheng.

Even if they took it, it would only lead to internal friction. If the surrounding Chi-Le tribes took the opportunity to rebel during the stalemate, they would lose more than they gained.

Yu Jin explained to Yuan Shen the risks of this trip. Yuan Shen listened and asked:
"Are we just going to leave this kid alone?"

Yu Jin took out a handwritten letter.

"This is a petition signed by all the military officers in Mayi requesting Li Shuang to serve as the governor of Mayi. I think we can agree to it."

If Yuan Shen didn't know that Yu Jin had a clean background and had no dealings with Mayi, he would have really suspected that he had also taken Li Shuang's money.

"What does this mean?"

"The tribes near Mayi are numerous, and the situation is complicated. If anything goes wrong, the court will undoubtedly hold the king responsible first. But now, Li Shuang is there, and the blame falls on him, as well as Erzhu Rong and Yuan Yi. The most urgent task is to recover the money and grain the court has in Mayi!"

"With the way he spends money, even if he has a mountain of gold, it will be gone sooner or later. Can I get my money back?"

"Your Majesty, do you know that Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou? Even if we can't get it back, we will go and ask for it."

Yuan Shen nodded and said:

"In that case, go there yourself!"
-
Outside Mayi City.

The big tent was filled with flowers and surrounded by a circle of medicinal powder to repel snakes and rats.

A girl in a red jacket sat on the ground, with the hem of her skirt spread out on the ground like a full circle.

"Aru, what should we do now?"

The elders in the tribe were filled with worry, fear of the unknown.

"The situation here is far more complicated than we imagined. The governor of Mayi, who originally took our money, has also escaped. What should we do now?"

There were many brave men in the big tent, but everyone's eyes were mostly on the girl.

She is the master of these three thousand Hun warriors and the one who truly calls the shots.

"My tribe has always been affiliated with the Po Liu Han tribe. Over time, outsiders have also considered us members of the Po Liu Han tribe. Now is the time to sever all ties with the Po Liu Han tribe."

The tribal elder shook his head.

"A large number of my tribesmen are still fighting against the Sixth Han Peacock. Your sister is also there. How can we cut off all ties?"

The girl's smile was like a spring breeze, there seemed to be stars in her eyes, and her every move carried a majesty that ordinary people did not have.

She pulled out a crescent-shaped jade pendant from her sleeve.

Seeing this, everyone knelt down.

"Before I came here, I had already separated from my sister. My sister told me not to worry about her anymore, as she had her own way out. People like Po Liu and Han Kong Que are no match for my sister."

"In that case, should we still follow our original plan to incite Hulu Jin to rebel?"

The girl pondered for a long time and then spoke slowly:
"This can be done, but the most important thing is to first determine who our future allies can trust!"

……

(End of this chapter)