Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 215: Reading people accurately
After Yuan Ziyou ascended the throne, he changed the era name to Yong'an.

In the first year of the Yong'an era, Luoyang, amidst unease and fear, lost its former prosperity and vitality, becoming desolate and decaying. The winter frost especially intensified this sense of ruin.

In the spring of the second year of Yong'an, Erzhu Rong, who had been staying in Luoyang, finally could no longer stay there.

Since Du Luozhou's rebellion in Shanggu in the autumn of the first year of Xiaochang, the situation in Hebei has fluctuated repeatedly for more than three years.

After the chaos in Hengzhou, the rebellion gradually showed signs of expanding. The underlying reason for this was that the rebel troops in the north were interconnected.

If chaos breaks out in one place, other places will follow suit.

After Erzhu Rong captured Luoyang, he planned to establish a powerful government in Jinyang so that he wouldn't have to watch his rear region, Hengzhou, descend into chaos.

This time, Erzhu Rong returned to Jinyang with the intention of completely resolving this issue and subduing these rebellious troops from the Six Garrisons.

On the south bank of the Yellow River, beside the pontoon bridge.

Erzhu Rong's army had already crossed the river, while Erzhu Rong himself remained on the south bank.

The imperial guards in Luoyang were unusable, and Erzhu Rong did not rely on them. What truly put Erzhu Rong at ease were the Xianbei troops under Yuan Tianmu and the Qihu soldiers under Erzhu Zhao.

These two armies were small in number, but they were elite enough.

While entrusting Yuan Tianmu with the defense of Luoyang, Erzhu Rong also dispatched trusted confidants such as Erzhu Shilong and Xi Yi to remain in the city as spies. Simultaneously, he placed Erzhu Zhao in charge of Beizhong City, so that he could send troops south to provide support should Luoyang be in trouble, and also to guard against Yuan Hao in Ye City.

At this moment, looking at Yuan Tianmu and Li Shuang who had come to see him off, Erzhu Rong was still somewhat uneasy.

The source of this unease was naturally Li Shuang, who seemed somewhat melancholic.

Erzhu Rong instructed:

"Luoyang is in decline. Although some fugitives have returned in the past few months, it is still not as prosperous as when they left. Third brother, Luoyang cannot withstand any more turmoil."

"Don't worry, Second Brother. With Eldest Brother and me here, Luoyang won't be in chaos, and we won't give outsiders any opportunity to take advantage."

Erzhu Rong looked at Li Shuang, who was making a solemn vow, and thought to himself, "What do you mean?"

Damn it, you're the one I don't trust!
Erzhu Rong has been busy with important court affairs these days and has rarely gone out. Apart from reconciling the accounts with Li Shuang in the Luoyang palace to check the money and grain in the treasury, he has not paid attention to anything else.

As the Grand General of the Heavenly Pillar, Erzhu Rong would only occasionally go out for a stroll within the inner city.

One day, on a whim, Erzhu Rong left the inner city and wanted to visit the luxurious mansions of the former high-ranking Xianbei nobles in the outer city. What he saw there was a scene that he would never forget.

He didn't see anything!
I didn't see it in a physical sense.

This once bustling neighborhood, inhabited by the Xianbei Tianlong people in the outer city of Luoyang, is now a desolate wasteland, a mere ruin.

When Erzhu Rong was delivering fine horses to the elites of Luoyang, he frequently visited these neighborhoods. But now, nothing is left.

It's only been a few months!

This shock left a lasting impression on Erzhu Rong.

In the past, there were people who whispered in Erzhu Rong's ear about Li Shuang and how he should not be allowed to continue, but Erzhu Rong didn't pay much attention to them.

In Erzhu Rong's mind, the most important thing was naturally money and grain, followed by the palace in the inner city and various government offices. As long as these two things were not touched, no matter how much trouble Li Shuang caused, how far could he cause trouble?
But it turned out that he was wrong!
He still underestimated Li Shuang's skills.

The saying goes, "It's not the thief you should fear, but the one who has his eye on you."

The key point is that Erzhu Rong didn't know what else in Luoyang was on Li Shuang's mind.

Erzhu Rong glanced at the pontoon bridge behind him and the waiting army on the opposite bank, then turned around, grasped Li Shuang's hand, and said wistfully:
"Third brother, we really can't afford to cause any more trouble in Luoyang."

"Don't worry, second brother!"

The more readily Li Shuang agreed, the more uneasy Erzhu Rong became. He took a few steps towards the pontoon bridge, then turned back.

"Third brother, there are many things to do in Guanzhong. Why don't you go back to Chang'an sooner?"

"The goods in Luoyang haven't been fully transferred yet. In less than ten days, after the last fleet departs, I will return to Chang'an."

Even after receiving this promise, Erzhu Rong was still uneasy and added, "Third brother..."

"Second Brother, are you worried about my character or my methods? I've already said I won't touch anything in Luoyang. Not even a single tile. Are you relieved now?"

"..."

Erzhu Rong eventually left, departing with endless unease and trepidation.

On the banks of the Yellow River, Yuan Tianmu looked at Li Shuang and asked suspiciously:
"Third brother, are you really not going to take a single tile?"

As the second-in-command of the Erzhu Rong Group and the highest leader in Luoyang City, Yuan Tianmu was also somewhat worried.

"Big brother, why are you like second brother? Do you distrust my character or my methods?"

Yuan Tianmu looked at Li Shuang with a complicated expression, and finally patted him on the shoulder.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely at ease with you."

"..."

Yuan Tianmu sighed:

"If you're planning to smuggle anything out, don't make a big fuss about it. It's easy for me here, but Erzhu Zhao and his gang are keeping an eye on you!"
-
Li Shuang returned to Jinyong City.

"How is it?"

"Rest assured, my lord, all the skilled craftsmen have been invited, and they are willing to return to Guanzhong with us."

Li Shuang nodded.

"There's no time to lose. Get the first group on board tonight and leave first. Remember, do it quietly, and don't let the Erzhu clan find out."

"Rest assured, my lord, everything has been arranged."

After Hou Jing finished speaking, he continued:
"Oh, right, Li Wansui is here."

Li Shuang led Hou Jing to a side hall, where they met a man in his early twenties.

Li Yuan, courtesy name Wansui.

Among the three brothers Li Xian, Li Yuan, and Li Mu, Li Yuan was the most skilled fighter.

After the Heyin Incident, Li Yuan fled Luoyang for a time, but later returned after seeing that the situation had stabilized.

Li Yuan visited them because he knew that his elder brother, Li Xian, was now the prefect of Yuanzhou, and his younger brother, Li Mu, was a clerk in the Guanzhong Xingtai government. He intended to seek refuge with them.

However, Li Yuan was still somewhat surprised to see Li Shuang, who was only in her early twenties and much younger than him.

"Greetings, Duke!"

"It doesn't have to be this way!"

"Did Hou Jing tell you?"

"I told you everything!"

After Li Yuan surrendered to Li Shuang, the first thing Li Shuang entrusted to him was to escort two thousand craftsmen and their families to Shancheng. Li Yuan knew the importance of this task and understood that if he didn't do it well, he would likely have a hard time getting along with Li Shuang in the future.

"In that case, I won't go into details. The Qihu cavalry of the Erzhu clan are not easy to deal with. If they are discovered, don't confront them head-on, try to maneuver around them."

"I understand!"

"Once this is accomplished, I will appoint you as my military supervisor!"

"Thank you, Duke Tang!"

……

(End of this chapter)