Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 233 Who is the Emperor Doesn't Matter

Jinyang.

As night deepened, Erzhu Rong looked at the landscape painting spread on the wooden floor with great satisfaction.

From a minor chieftain of Beixiurong, Erzhu Rong rose to become the King of Taiyuan, with a fief of 100,000 households, within a few years, and a desire to bring peace and order to the world arose in his heart.

Since the brief unification of the country by the Western Jin Dynasty at the end of the Han Dynasty and the subsequent rapid division, the Northern and Southern Dynasties have been in opposition for more than two hundred years.

Unifying the world and achieving something no one in history could do was what Erzhu Rong was thinking at this moment.

However, before that, Erzhu Rong still had many internal matters to attend to.

His gaze fell upon the Guanzhong Plain, where Chang'an stood, and a small flag bearing the name Tang was erected.

The rebellion of the Six Garrisons was quelled, but the Great Wei was far from secure. Erzhu Rong knew this, but he didn't care. The reason was simple: those destabilizing factors couldn't be dealt with!

Hebei was the foundation of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and many powerful families in various prefectures and counties were unwilling to submit. However, they couldn't even subdue the troops of the Six Garrisons, let alone the Jinyang troops of the Erzhu clan. As for Henan and Shandong, their armies were weak, so there was no need to say more.

So what if you're not convinced? Can you beat me?
But Guanzhong is different.

The more than 20,000 soldiers from Guanzhong and the 7,000 elite cavalry from the twelve wards of Chang'an were a formidable force in battle.

Most importantly, their commander was Erzhu Rong's third brother.

Thinking of this, Erzhu Rong's expression became complicated, and he couldn't help but think of an ancient figure.

Han Xin!

Erzhu Rong finally understands why Emperor Gaozu of Han killed Han Xin.

There was a commotion in the corridor outside the door. Erzhu Rong's close attendant, Wang Xiang, came over and whispered:

"General Tianzhu, Lord Tongdi has arrived!"

"Let him in!"

Gao Huan was actually quite annoyed; Erzhu Rong had called him over in the middle of the night.

Ever since returning from Luoyang, Lou Zhaojun had been giving him the cold shoulder. These past few days, Gao Huan and Lou Zhaojun's relationship had finally improved, and Gao Huan was just about to get closer to her when Erzhu Rong, acting on a whim, spoiled his plans.

"I hope you won't blame me for sending He Liuhun so late!"

Erzhu Rong was in a good mood and said with a smile.

"General Tianzhu, what are you saying? Although we are your subjects, we are in reality your servants. All our glory and wealth are bestowed upon us by you. How dare we complain?"

Gao Huan noticed that Erzhu Rong had changed somewhat after becoming the Grand General of Tianzhu. Erzhu Rong no longer spoke his mind as frankly as before, and his thoughts had become somewhat unfathomable.

Erzhu Rong was very satisfied with Gao Huan's words.

In fact, Erzhu Rong didn't care about Gao Huan's feelings at all; all he wanted was an attitude.

Do you know why I appointed you as the governor of Jinzhou?

Upon hearing this question, Gao Huan sensed a potential problem, lowered his head, and bowed, saying:

"Your subordinate is here to guard the gate for General Tianzhu."

Jinzhou was located next to Bingzhou. It was a new prefecture formed by separating a portion of land from Hedong and Fenzhou, with Pingyang County as its core area.

Erzhu Rong laughed and said:
"After you go to Jinzhou, take good care of repairing Pingyang County City. Don't be like my third brother and become estranged from me!"

"My subordinates dare not!"

……

Tongdi Earl's Mansion.

Footsteps hurried in the darkness.

Lou Zhaojun, dressed in silk undergarments, lay on the bed, listening to the footsteps, and complained:

"I thought you weren't coming back!"

After Gao Huan returned, he didn't rush to do what he hadn't done yet with her. Instead, he plopped down on the edge of the bed and didn't move.

Lou Zhaojun waited for a long time, but Gao Huan did not make a move. She got up, lit the candles in the room, looked at Gao Huan, and asked:

"My lord, what did General Tianzhu say?"

Upon hearing Lou Zhaojun's words, Gao Huan turned around, looked at Lou Zhaojun, and said:

"Zhaojun, you said General Tianzhu asked me to go to his residence so late, just to tell me not to be as distant from him as Daye Shuang was. What does he mean by that?" "Husband, in the state of Wei now, who can rival General Tianzhu on the battlefield?"

Lou Zhaojun's question made Gao Huan realize what was going on.

"Is General Tianzhu about to turn against Da Yeshuang?"

After saying this, Gao Huan shook his head.

"No, if they were going to turn against me, they wouldn't send me to expand Pingyang County. Baibi City is currently in Da Yeshuang's hands, and the salt tax from Hedong has increased by 30% for Jinyang. General Tianzhu wouldn't turn against Da Yeshuang so quickly. Could it be that there's something wrong with the salt tax from Hedong?"

As Gao Huan pondered, Lou Zhaojun's long, flowing black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she leaned against him.

"My husband, I am just a woman and I don't understand matters of state, but one thing I do know is that being the governor of Jinzhou, caught between General Tianzhu and Duke Tang, is no easy task!"

Feeling the warmth emanating from Lou Zhaojun's body, Gao Huan grasped Lou Zhaojun's hand.

"Who cares? It's such a beautiful day, I shouldn't be thinking about anything else."

"Husband, you're so annoying!"

Inside the house, the sounds of men and women laughing and joking could be heard, but not long after, a report came from outside.

"My lord, General Tianzhu requests your presence!"

Gao Huan was somewhat angry.

"Why are you looking for me again?"

"This time is different. I heard that General Tianzhu has summoned all the officials under his command in Jinyang."

Gao Huan's expression changed, and he muttered:
"Something happened!"
-
Changan.

"My lord, the Liang Kingdom has mobilized its troops. Chen Qingzhi has led his White Robe Army, along with Yuan Hao, Yuan Yu, Yuan Yanming, and other members of the Wei Kingdom's royal family, northwards."

Hou Jingxing rushed over, his face beaming as he recounted the story.

Li Shuang was completely unlike Hou Jing, appearing quite calm.

"The news spread so fast! Chen Qingzhi has only been mobilized for a short time, and it's already reached Guanzhong!"

After Li Shuang finished speaking, Hou Jing realized what was happening.

"Does my lord mean that someone is stirring things up?"

Li Shuang smiled.

"The Great Wei seems calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath. My second brother thought that after pacifying Ge Rong and Xing Gao, there would be no bandits in the four borders, and that people would be afraid to rebel because of his military might. But this is precisely the time when people are most fearful, most uneasy, and most resentful."

Hou Jing was somewhat excited and said:

"Then what should we do? Should we go into Luoyang again and bring back all the remaining money and grain?"

"It's too late to enter Luoyang now; we'll only become a target for everyone."

"What about that?"

But then Li Shuang took out an imperial edict from the side and handed it to Hou Jing.

"My lord, what is this?"

"This is the imperial edict from Emperor Liang, appointing me as the King of Qin!"

Hou Jing's expression changed drastically, and he said:

"My lord, when did this happen?"

"This matter was already discussed when Zhu Yi came last time."

Hou Jing was, after all, a soldier from Huai Shuo in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and he still found it somewhat unacceptable.

"Does my lord truly intend to become the King of Qin of Liang?"