Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 241 General Tianzhu has it tough.

Go to the party.

Yuan Tianmu's Shangdang Prince's Mansion has now become Yuan Ziyou's temporary palace.

Yuan Ziyou was driven out of Luoyang by Yuan Hao and was filled with resentment. He had been waiting for news of Erzhu Rong's military campaign.

It wasn't until Xi Yi returned from Jinyang that Erzhu Rong brought back news that he wanted Erzhu Rong to move the capital.

"Moving the capital?"

Yuan Ziyou frowned. If it weren't for Erzhu Rong's confidant being there, he would have already slammed the table down.

Yuan Ziyou was not without leverage; in fact, the emperor's status was his greatest leverage.

During his reign in Luoyang, Yuan Ziyou successfully won over many aristocratic families to serve him, such as the Yang family of Hongnong and the Gao family of Bohai.

If these aristocratic families did not want to submit to the Erzhu clan, then Yuan Ziyou was their best option to seek refuge with.

But if the capital is moved, as Erzhu Rong said, to Jinyang or Pingcheng, will these aristocratic families still be loyal to him?
Yuan Ziyou felt a surge of fear and unease, but he didn't show it in front of Xi Yi. Instead, he asked:

"The Liang army has occupied Luoyang, and the Southern troops have looted the city. This is a disgrace to our Great Wei. General Tianzhu is an important minister of the court. If he does not think about avenging the country's shame at this moment, how can he have the intention of moving the capital?"

Yuan Ziyou put it very tactfully, but Xi Yi still heard the curse in his heart.

"Your Majesty, this matter is not entirely General Tianzhu's fault."

"what for?"

"Da Ye Shuang has gathered a large army and stationed it in Bai Bi City. General Tian Zhu is afraid that if he goes south to confront Chen Qingzhi, the Prince of Qin will send troops to attack Jinyang."

Yuan Ziyou was initially dismissive after hearing this.

"Why would Ohno Sawa be here at this time..."

However, Yuan Ziyou paused for a moment halfway through his sentence.

Believe it or not, he might actually do it.

Xi Yi noticed the change in Yuan Ziyou's expression and said:

"Da Ye Shuang is a bandit by nature, what wouldn't he do! If he only attacked Jinyang, that would be fine, but if he took advantage of the battle between General Tianzhu and Chen Qingzhi to launch a surprise attack from behind, seize Luoyang, depose His Majesty, and replace him with a new emperor, then the Great Wei would be his."

"Stop talking!"

The terrifying scene filled Yuan Ziyou with fear, but he still retained his rationality and looked at Xi Yi.

There's a deeper meaning behind his words!
His words implied a deep dissatisfaction with Erzhu Rong's actions.

Yuan Ziyou did not delve into the matter further, but simply said:
"I intend to send an envoy to mediate and persuade Ōno Sō to withdraw his troops. What do you think?"

Xi Yi lowered his head and cupped his hands, saying:
"That's probably not easy!"

"what for?"

"How many bargaining chips does Your Majesty have to make Ōno Sō obey?"

Xi Yi's words made Yuan Ziyou somewhat embarrassed. Even Erzhu Rong couldn't do it, so how could Yuan Ziyou possibly do it? Just because he was the emperor?
Yuan Ziyou knew that his position as emperor was useless in front of either Erzhu Rong or Li Shuang.

After thinking for a long time, Yuan Ziyou said:
"I hereby order Princess Shouyang to go to Guanzhong and marry Daye Shuang!"

Yuan Ziyou disapproved of the marriage. The thought of Da Ye Shuang being his brother-in-law made him feel extremely uncomfortable, but this was the only bargaining chip he could think of at the moment.

Xi Yi shook his head after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, let's not even talk about the fact that Da Ye Shuang already has a Princess Pingyuan on his side. Even if Princess Shouyang really went to Guanzhong, can Da Ye Shuang really withdraw his troops with just one woman?"

Yuan Ziyou felt somewhat annoyed upon hearing this.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"My opinion is that an envoy should still be sent, otherwise we won't be able to explain to General Tianzhu. As for whether Da Yeshuang will withdraw his troops, Your Majesty might as well wait a little longer." "What do you mean?"

Xi Yi lowered his head and whispered:

"Your Majesty, you must know that when two tigers fight, one will surely be injured!"

Yuan Ziyou stared at Xi Yi in disbelief, seeing only the ambition on the other's face. He couldn't believe that Erzhu Rong's confidant would speak to him like that.

Was Erzhu Rong testing him?

Yuan Ziyou's heart pounded, but in the end, he still said:
"In that case, let's send an envoy to Guanzhong first!"
-
"Moving the capital?"

The envoy sent by Yuan Ziyou was Husi Chun, an acquaintance of Li Shuang.

Upon entering the Prince of Qin's residence, Husichun greeted Li Shuang with a smile, carefully trying to please her.

"Seeing that the enemy's situation was difficult to deal with, General Tianzhu planned to temporarily move the capital to avoid the Liang army's advance."

"My second brother is so foolish!"

Li Shuang sighed.

Hu Sichun was used to this, and just when he thought Li Shuang was going to say something polite, he heard him say:
"He doesn't even want Luoyang anymore, so what use is Emperor Yuan Ziyou? He might as well just throw him away."

"..."

Hu Sichun looked embarrassed and said:
"King Qin, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with it?"

Husichun initially thought Li Shuang was just being stubborn, but then she heard him say:
"Now the Great Wei has two emperors, one of whom is still in Luoyang. If Second Brother abandons Luoyang, will the emperor he holds still be valuable?"

Husichun nodded in agreement with Li Shuang's words.

Luoyang was a crucial hub in the Central Plains, holding immense significance. Erzhu Rong's relocation of the capital, seemingly aimed at curbing Yuan Ziyou's influence and reducing the collusion between the Guandong aristocracy and the imperial power, would also gradually diminish Erzhu Rong's prestige as the Heavenly Pillar General. The hegemonic government of Jinyang would no longer be the political center controlling the north, but would become a local institution.

If Yuan Hao were to rally the people in Luoyang, the aristocratic families of Hebei and Shandong, who were still hesitant and observing, might very well abandon Yuan Ziyou and turn to Yuan Hao.

At that time, Erzhu Rong, the General of the Heavenly Pillar, was truly left without any troops, unable to issue orders beyond Jinyang.

Husichun's expression changed drastically when he thought of this.

Li Shuang looked at him and questioned him:
"You are ministers of the Great Wei, former generals of General Tianzhu, how could you allow General Tianzhu to be so muddle-headed and not offer any advice? Is this what a loyal minister should do?"

Seeing Li Shuang's righteous and indignant words, Hu Sichun was momentarily intimidated.

But when he realized what was happening, Husi Chun couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Damn it, who exactly is the biggest factor in Erzhu Rong's desire to move the capital?

Although he thought this in his heart, Hu Sichun dared not show it, and could only cautiously say:
“What the King of Qin says is true. I think General Tianzhu will figure it out sooner or later. I am here on His Majesty’s orders to persuade the King of Qin to withdraw his troops from Baibi City!”

Li Shuang looked at Hu Sichun and asked a question.

"Why?"

Husichun was stunned again. He suddenly realized that he really couldn't find a good reason to say it openly. He couldn't very well tell Li Shuang that when Yuan Ziyou and Erzhu Rong were worried that he would betray them when they marched south to attack Yuan Hao and Chen Qingzhi, could he?
Husichun simply skipped over that and went straight to the point:

"Since His Majesty is so kind, how can I, as his subject, possibly offer any objections? His Majesty has said that if the Prince of Qin is willing to withdraw his troops, he will marry Princess Shouyang to the Prince of Qin and increase the Prince of Qin's fief to 120,000 households."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang asked:
"My second brother must be having a hard time right now, right?"

Hu Sichun nodded and said:
"With the enemy's strength so formidable, General Tianzhu has had a tough time!"

"To relieve my brother's worries, I have decided to send another five thousand soldiers."

"..."

(End of this chapter)