Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 213 Everyone's Having a Hard Time
Tianzhu General's Mansion.

Before Erzhu Rong went south, he also transferred Hebasheng, who was guarding Pingcheng, to the city.

Having prepared a sufficient number of elite troops, Erzhu Rong then headed south to Luoyang.

Not long ago, news came from Hengzhou that without Hebasheng in charge, the surrounding Hu people were in chaos.

Hengzhou was no other place than the headquarters of Erzhu Rong's Northern People's Group.

If this place falls into chaos, it could very well bring disaster to Jinyang.

Moreover, Yuan Hao's occupation of Ye City poses a significant threat to both Luoyang and Jinyang. Erzhu Rong must lead his army north to eliminate him first.

Erzhu Rong has replaced all the people in Luoyang with his own, and plans to return to Jinyang.

Before leaving, Erzhu Rong was still somewhat worried.

The main problem is that he left, but Li Shuang stayed here.

"Big brother, what has third brother been up to lately?"

Having witnessed the previous confrontation in court, Erzhu Rong was more cautious. After leaving the palace, he immediately dispatched troops to guard the treasury in Luoyang, preventing unauthorized transport.

But Li Shuang's activities did not stop there.

Luoyang is such a large city that Erzhu Rong's men couldn't keep an eye on it all.

Yuan Tianmu was naturally aware of the differences between the two. Although he was the eldest brother, he could only try to smooth things over with his two younger brothers.

"My third brother has recently been digging up fruit trees and has also searched for ancient books in the market, which he plans to transport back."

Erzhu Rong felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

"Fruit trees, Third Brother really has some leisure time."

Erzhu Rong valued hard currency such as grain, cloth, gold, and silver most, as these were his capital for future campaigns. He didn't care much about anything else.

Especially books, seals, and other items, aside from those for military purposes, were not well-regarded by Erzhu Rong's men.

The Northern Group consisted mostly of military men, and there were no scholars among the Erzhu clan. The remaining local forces in Luoyang who had pledged allegiance to Erzhu Rong were even less reliable, as they were mostly sycophants seeking wealth and power.

The powerful families who truly understood these classic texts were alienated from the Erzhu clan, and Erzhu Rong had no good solution but to first subdue them by force and then gradually take action.

Erzhu Rong spoke his mind to Yuan Tianmu.

“I get angry just thinking about this. Brother, you be the judge. The grain ships currently docked at Heyang Wharf alone are carrying more than a million shi of grain, not to mention the ships at other wharves and those that have already been shipped out. And yet, my third brother still thinks I’m petty.”

Yuan Tianmu smiled and said:
"Why does Tianbao need to do this? You know there are villains instigating this."

That's what I said, but I was genuinely angry.

Erzhu Rong waved his hand impatiently, then calmed down and entrusted the task:

"After I leave Luoyang, I will leave this place to my elder brother. With Erzhu Shilong assisting you, I am not worried about the safety of Luoyang. However, Yuan Ziyou is a cunning fellow, so you must not be soft-hearted and make any mistakes."

Although Yuan Tianmu was from a distant branch, he was still a member of the Yuan clan. It was quite strange that Erzhu Rong gave such an order.

Neither of the two people present found it strange.

Erzhu Rong had his own set of arrangements regarding relationships between insiders and outsiders.

Among the Northerners who joined him, Erzhu Rong valued the truly capable individuals and brought them to his side. However, he was also quite cautious about granting them titles.

The brothers Heba Yue and Heba Sheng were granted the title of County Duke, Houmo Chenyue and Yuwen Luosheng were granted the title of County Marquis, Gao Huan was granted the title of County Earl, and only Sima Ziru and other more peripheral military officials were granted the title of County Viscount. Compared to the Erzhu clan members, who were often granted the titles of Founding Marquis and Founding Duke, these titles bestowed upon the Northern People's Group were really nothing!
Among the non-royal people under Erzhu Rong's command, only Yuan Tianmu was special; Erzhu Rong gave him to the King of Shangdang!
It should be noted that Erzhu Rong himself was the King of Taiyuan. By bestowing the title of King of Shangdang upon Yuan Tianmu, Erzhu Rong was telling others that under his rule, Yuan Tianmu was on par with him.

Of course, besides his feelings and trust for his elder brother, Yuan Tianmu also had his own Xianbei troops under his command, which was another reason.

"Don't worry, Tianbao, I understand!" Yuan Tianmu said, finally revealing what he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time, "Tianbao, are you really not planning to grant my third brother the title of Prince?"

Erzhu Rong's face darkened. He didn't want to be too harsh on his elder brother for what he had said, so he simply sighed:
"It's not easy to give this Prince of Pingyang away!"

When Li Shuang had not yet left Jinyang, Erzhu Rong was willing to do so, but now his thoughts have changed.

"Pingyang is ultimately too close to Taiyuan."

After listening, Yuan Tianmu understood Erzhu Rong's precautions and schemes.

Erzhu Rong, the Prince of Taiyuan, only had a fief of 20,000 households, while Li Shuang, the Duke of Tang, already had a fief of 15,000 households. If he were to be promoted another rank and have his fief increased, Li Shuang's influence in Pingyang would be enormous.

"Even so, you can still be granted the title of another prince!"

Erzhu Rong shook his head and said:
“My third brother is not a king, but he is already like one. He governs Guanzhong, so I can’t very well make him the King of Qin! Besides, there are some things in Hedong that we still need to settle later.”

Previously, the salt tax in Hedong was paid to the imperial court. Erzhu Rong didn't care how Li Shuang handled it; he just wanted his share.

But now that Erzhu Rong himself is the court, he can no longer ignore the salt tax.

In Erzhu Rong's mind, there were two bargaining chips in Hedong that he had to win.

Pingyang County, as a strategic buffer zone surrounding his base of operations Taiyuan, must be kept under his control.

Another issue is the salt tax in Hedong. Even though Li Shuang's people control Anyi, the revenue must be redistributed.

Yuan Tianmu understood Erzhu Rong's meaning and said:
"Shall I go in your place first?"

Erzhu Rong thought about it and decided that it would be good to settle these matters before he left Luoyang.

"Thank you for your trouble, brother!"
-
Jinyong City.

"In addition to Pingyang County, the salt tax from Hedong that used to be paid to Luoyang will now be increased by 30% and sent to Jinyang!"

Yuan Tianmu conveyed Erzhu Rong's message to Li Shuang.

Li Shuang remained silent for a long time before speaking:
“This is a bit difficult, brother. You know that Guanzhong is poor now, and the new city is almost finished. Money is needed everywhere.”

“I understand, but things are different now. Tianbao is the Grand General of the Heavenly Pillar, in charge of the government, and there are many more places to spend money. Tianbao said that Hongnong County west of Shancheng, Luozhou west of Wuguan, and the Hedong region, except for Pingyang County, can be officially handed over to Third Brother.”

Li Shuang sighed:
"Everyone's having a tough time, and so am I. But since our eldest brother has come in person, and our second brother has said so, let's all make the best of it!"

After Yuan Tianmu left, Li Shuang waved goodbye. As the carriage drove away, Hou Jing approached, his face beaming with joy.

"Don't laugh, someone will see."

Hou Jing suppressed his laughter, and only spoke after returning to his room:

"Why does Erzhu Rong, who is also illiterate, want to add 30%?"

"My second brother probably really believed the court's accounts. After all, he killed people, and even if there were others who knew the truth, they wouldn't tell him!"

……

(End of this chapter)