Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 232: Usurped but not usurped
Luoyang City.

After Erzhu Rong led his army away, the once vibrant city of Luoyang recovered some of its vitality.

The inner city hasn't been this lively in a long time.

Ge Rong was taken to the Changhe Gate, where he made the most of his last moments before his death!
This bandit leader, who had wreaked havoc in Hebei for many years, has now met such a tragic end. Yet, in Luoyang, there is not much joy or relief, but rather suspicion and apprehension.

"What is Erzhu Rong going to do!"

"Need I say more? This Qihu is simply trying to tell us that he can handle things we can't, and he can send us people we can't kill to kill!"

……

Tongtuo Street leads directly to Changhe Gate, but the group of aristocratic families who came to watch the spectacle were quite indignant about it.

At the gate of Changhe, Erzhu Shilong, with a smile on his face, led Yuan Ziyou to the top of the city tower.

"Your Majesty, that bandit leader is Ge Rong!"

This is Erzhu Rong's order.

He summoned Yuan Ziyou and a group of ministers from the court to Changhe Gate to witness Ge Rong's execution.

Erzhu Shilong complied, but he did not want to break ties with Yuan Ziyou, so he did his best to please him along the way.

Yuan Ziyou was furious inside, but on the surface he had no choice but to comply.

"General Tianzhu has dispatched the Prince of Shangdang to lead troops to quell Xing Gao's rebellion, and news of victory is expected soon. With such a wise ruler and virtuous ministers in the world, Great Wei can be at peace!"

Erzhu Shilong wanted to become Yuan Ziyou's brother-in-law and marry Princess Shouyang, Yuan Juli. However, while his words sounded like good things to him, they were full of irony to Yuan Ziyou and the ministers behind him.

For a moment, Li Yu looked at Erzhu Shilong and felt a surge of murderous intent.

Yuan Ziyou calmed himself down and tried his best to make his words sound like he wasn't cursing.

"What's General Tianzhu's next move? Is he planning to head south and capture Xiao Yan?"

Erzhu Shilong completely missed the sarcasm in Yuan Ziyou's words and continued speaking to himself:

"Your Majesty is wise; General Tianzhu had exactly this intention!"

Someone in the crowd snorted coldly, which made Erzhu Shilong realize what was happening, and his face immediately turned extremely ugly.

At this moment, the captain in front of the Changhe Gate came over and reported:

"Your Majesty, this traitor Ge Rong has been constantly insulting General Tianzhu. What should we do?"

Yuan Ziyou asked:
What are they all cursing about?

"He kept cursing General Tianzhu as a bastard of the Qihu people, and that the descendants of the Erzhu clan were all jackals with ugly faces!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers behind Yuan Ziyou burst into laughter.

Erzhu Shilong was furious and said:

"Have someone gag him!"

"Wait!"

Yuan Ziyou stopped him, and Erzhu Shilong looked at him, puzzled.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Yuan Ziyou slowly said:

"Such a bandit dares to insult General Tianzhu! How can we just silence him? Kill him!"

It was Erzhu Rong's idea to have Ge Rong paraded through the Changhe Gate for a month, and the time was not yet up, but now Yuan Ziyou was in a hurry to kill him. Erzhu Shilong was puzzled, but then he heard Yuan Ziyou say:

"What? This person who insults General Tianzhu so vehemently, I wish to kill him, but you refuse?"

"I dare not!"

Erzhu Shilong quickly lowered his head.

"By imperial decree, General Tianzhu, who quelled the rebellion in Hebei and captured the bandit leader Ge Rong, is hereby promoted to Grand Tutor. The seven prefectures of Changle in Jizhou, Nanzhao in Xiangzhou, Boling in Dingzhou, Fuyang in Cangzhou, Liaoxi in Pingzhou, Shanggu in Yanzhou, and Yuyang in Youzhou, each with 10,000 households, are to be established as the capital of Taiyuan, with the fiefdom increased to 100,000 households!"

Yuan Ziyou's words carried a hint of helplessness.
-
Suiyang.

Li Shengui held the imperial edict in his hand, unsure of what to do.

"Sir, the imperial court has appointed me as the Prince of Chenliu and wants me to go to Luoyang. Should I go or not?" Li Shengui was very worried.

Now Erzhu Rong is riding high, having pacified Hebei, and has sent Yuan Tianmu to Shandong.

If he doesn't agree, Erzhu Rong will turn his troops around and attack him.

"You can't go!"

Han Ling replied without the slightest hesitation.

"But if I don't go, Yuan Tianmu and Erzhu Zhao might turn around and beat me up!"

"If the general goes, he will probably be hated by the generals in Henan before he even leaves Suiyang. They might even take drastic measures to prevent him from reaching Luoyang. Not to mention, Yuan Ziyong and Pei Yan are now on Yuan Hao's side."

Li Shengui felt a surge of irritation and said:

"That Emperor Liang is really something. What is he waiting for? The north is about to be pacified by Erzhu Rong, yet he still hasn't sent troops. Does he really want to wait until Erzhu Rong follows Wang Mang's example and usurps the throne of Wei before he makes his move?"

Upon hearing this, Han Ling asked:
"General, do you know what an emperor is?"

Li Shenggui was well-versed in literature from a young age; whether he truly absorbed it or not, he certainly learned it.

But now, faced with Han Ling's question, he couldn't answer it and asked directly:

"How would I know? I've never been an emperor. Sir, what do you mean by emperor?"

Li Shengui was not a good student, but Han Ling was not in a hurry and slowly said:
"Only those who can manipulate the hearts of the people can be emperors!"

As soon as Han Ling finished speaking, Li Shenggui shook his head.

"what for?"

"General, what kind of people in the north does Xiao Yan desire?"

Han Ling smiled, his words carrying a chilling undertone that made Li Shenggui tremble with fear.
-
Dongtai Temple.

The courtyard was covered with fallen sycamore leaves, and the Buddhist chants in the hall continued day after day.

The emperor of Daliang offered himself to Tongtai Temple for the second time, waiting for his ministers to redeem him!
Of all the officials and nobles of the Southern Liang court, who dared not come, and who dared not redeem them?

This seemingly solemn and majestic temple conceals the deepest schemes of the Liang emperor.

Zhu Yi paced back and forth outside the palace, waiting for intelligence to arrive from the north.

A general carrying military intelligence documents walked past the blue bricks and glazed tiles and came to stand in front of Zhu Yi.

"How is it?"

"Yuan Tianmu has already captured Xing Gao and sent him to Luoyang. At this moment, the banditry in Wei has been quelled."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yi's expression turned extremely ugly.

"How could it be so fast?"

"The soldiers of Jinyang are brave and fierce. Xing Gao wanted to wait for our army to come to his aid, but before our army arrived, his army was already defeated."

"His Majesty is reciting Buddhist scriptures at this time. Telling His Majesty the truth now might spoil his mood."

Zhu Yi was somewhat worried, but he dared not stop the release of such important military intelligence.

After all, he was a favored minister, not a powerful one.

Zhu Yi mustered his courage and entered the palace.

Inside the temple, the sound of wooden fish drums echoed, and an old monk sat cross-legged, chanting incantations.

Zhu Yi walked over cautiously, tiptoeing and not daring to make a loud noise.

The old monk stopped striking the wooden fish and ceased chanting.

Seeing this, Zhu Yicai mustered his courage and said:
"Xing Gao has been defeated. Erzhu Rong has quelled the rebellions in various parts of Wei and is about to summon Li Shengui to Luoyang. There is no movement in Guanzhong either. I'm afraid Erzhu Rong will soon usurp the throne of Wei!"

Before the Buddha, the old monk clasped his hands together, his eyelids lowered, and uttered only one word:
"The time has come, let's move the troops!"

……

(End of this chapter)