Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 209 The important thing is speed.

Tianzhu General's Mansion.

The imperial decree was officially issued, and Erzhu Rong became the Grand General of the Heavenly Pillar, in charge of all government affairs.

Erzhu Rong was in a flurry of activity; there were two things he needed to do next.

He replaced all the key positions in the Luoyang court with his own people and bestowed titles upon the military merits of the northern regions.

Erzhu Rong did not intend to consult with anyone about these two matters and decided to make the decision himself.

On the table was a sheet of white paper with the names of a group of military heroes from the North written on it.

Erzhu Rong's gaze fell on the names of the two brothers, Hebasheng and Hebayue.

The military achievements of the Northern Wei were the price paid for the Sinicization process. Heba Duba, the father of the three Heba brothers, had made great military achievements, but he only ever held the title of Longcheng County Man, which was inherited from his ancestors.

The Heba clan was renowned in the north, and if they were like this, one can only imagine how others were.

After much deliberation, Erzhu Rong placed two red beans, each representing a county magistrate, on the two names.

After placing it, Erzhu Rong hesitated again and replaced Heba Yue's name with a black bean representing the county magistrate.

Just as Erzhu Rong hesitated, Erzhu Zhao's voice rang out from outside.

"Uncle, you'd better do something about this!"

Erzhu Rong was startled by the shout and quickly put the white paper away.

After Erzhu Rong finished tidying up, Erzhu Zhao also came in.

Erzhu Rong harbored some dislike for Erzhu Zhao, but maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

"What is the matter?"

"Ohno Sō has gone too far!"

Erzhu Rong grew impatient upon hearing this. He was aware of the feud between Erzhu Zhao and Li Shuang, but he had never cared, never intervened on their behalf, and had even tacitly condoned the situation.

But hearing it now only makes me furious. Of course, this anger stems from the fact that my good time has been interrupted, or from the annoyance of such a trivial matter.

"Tumo, how many times have I told you not to mess with your third uncle? You're no match for him!"

Erzhu Zhao felt wronged. He had never agreed with these words. But at this moment, instead of arguing, he described the current situation in Luoyang.

"Uncle, are you aware that Ono Sou has led men to empty the treasury of Luoyang?"

Erzhu Rong nodded.

"I allowed it, so what!"

"So you allowed him to demolish the house?"

"Most of the people in Luoyang have fled, and thieves are rampant. So what if houses are demolished!"

After the Heyin Incident, the decline of Luoyang was inevitable.

Erzhu Rong knew that he alone could not gain the trust of the powerful clans; he could only rely on Yuan Ziyou to stabilize the situation. But even if Yuan Ziyou stabilized the situation, Luoyang could never return to its former glory.

As cities decline and neighborhoods fall into disrepair, their size should also be reduced.

We can't keep it from shrinking, but if the outer city wall is still the same size as before, it will be difficult to manage.

In Erzhu Rong's mind, the inner city of Luoyang was the most important place. The imperial palace and all the major government offices were built in the inner city. Controlling this place meant controlling Luoyang, and even the whole country.

The only other things that needed to be preserved were a few market towns, the Quanxueli area south of the inner city, and the Siyiguan, which represented the face of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

"But the way he dismantled it..."

Before Erzhu Zhao could finish speaking, Erzhu Rong interrupted him.

"Alright, I intend to bestow upon you the title of Duke of Yingchuan, with a fief of two thousand households."

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Zhao was overjoyed and focused all his attention on this founding duke, putting Li Shuang's matter out of his mind.

Seeing the boy's appearance, Erzhu Rong asked:

"I heard you've been getting quite close to Gao Huan lately?"

When Erzhu Zhao spoke to Erzhu Rong, he naturally had nothing to hide, and besides, he didn't have the inclination to hide anything.

"I think He Liuhun is loyal and sincere, a good brother!"

Erzhu Rong couldn't help but laugh at this comment. "Do you think someone like that could survive in the North?"

Erzhu Rong's words puzzled Erzhu Zhao, who seemed not to understand their meaning. Erzhu Rong intended to continue explaining, but added a word of caution:
"You will soon be a person who holds the imperial seal and establishes his own government, and you will also control a contingent of the imperial guards in Luoyang. You should learn from Gao Huan how he treats his subordinates and colleagues."

Erzhu Zhao cupped his hands and said:

"Nephew understands!"

After Erzhu Zhao left, Erzhu Rong took out the blank paper again, thought about it, and finally decided to appoint Heba Yue as a county duke.

……

"Young General, what makes you so cheerful?"

Gao Huan, seeing Erzhu Zhao approaching, couldn't help but smile and asked.

"To be honest, He Liuhun, I'm about to become the Duke of the Founding Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan quickly realized that Erzhu Rong had leaked the information to Erzhu Zhao in advance.

Gao Huan was also looking forward to it. He understood that once he received the title, it would be a significant step forward in his life.

He wasn't an irrational person, but he still had too many expectations in his heart—what title would Erzhu Rong bestow upon him?
"Then congratulations on becoming the Duke of the Founding Kingdom!"

Upon hearing the words "Duke of the Founding State," Erzhu Zhao's expression changed as he suddenly remembered the most important matter of this trip.

"I'm so happy about the founding of the state that I haven't told my uncle about Da Ye Shuang yet."

Gao Huan was well aware of what Li Shuang had been doing lately, but outwardly he had to pretend he knew nothing.

"How is the Duke of Tang?"

“You don’t know, Da Ye Shuang is a really bad guy. He’s practically turned Luoyang into a wasteland, and he’s been siphoning off huge amounts of money and grain from the Luoyang treasury. But I don’t know how to tell my uncle. If I don’t say it right, I’m afraid I’ll get another scolding.”

Gao Huan smiled.

"To transport so much stuff, even hundreds of large ships wouldn't be enough!"

“You’re right. Da Ye Shuang moved a lot of good stuff to Zhongyi Fang. He got six hundred large boats at Luoshui Wharf alone, and I heard that there are countless boats of all sizes in Heyang. He’s emptied the city; he’s gone outside the city.”

"Then why doesn't the Founding Duke just say that?"

Erzhu Zhao thought for a moment and said:

"Then I'll go back again. If my uncle scolds me, you'll have to buy me a drink!"

"must!"

Following Gao Huan's instructions, Erzhu Zhao went back and repeated the instructions, but this time, Erzhu Rong finally realized the problem.

"Quickly go and call... no, have Yuan Ziyou issue an order to stop all the ships that haven't been dispatched yet."
-
Heyang.

Looking at the imperial decree from the palace, Li Shuang stroked his chin.

"Who slandered you before General Tianzhu?"

Upon seeing this, Hou Jing said:

"That's hard to say. The Erzhu clan, the meritorious generals of the Six Garrisons, and the remnants of the regime in Luoyang are all envious of our skills!"

Li Shuang sighed:
"We are all serving the new dynasty, why be so formal?"

"These jealous and incompetent villains!" Hou Jing spat, then asked, "My lord, what should we do? Should we stop?"

Li Shuang looked at the person who had delivered the imperial decree and smiled.

"Your Excellency is so valiant, what is your current position?"

"I am..."

"It doesn't matter anymore!"

Li Shuang waved his hand, Hou Jing nodded, and then grabbed a burlap sack and put it over the person from behind.

He threw the sacks onto the boat and shouted.

"sail!"

Hundreds and thousands of ships set sail at the same time, heading towards Shaanxi City.

(End of this chapter)