Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 242 Good Brothers, Never Let Each Other Down

Qinzhou.

Heba Yue, along with his own troops and the six garrison soldiers given to him by Erzhu Rong, successfully met Houmo Chenyue, who was now the governor of Qin Prefecture, in Lueyang City.

Hou Mochenyue warmly received Hebayue, not only because of their old friendship, but also because he was among the soldiers Hebayue brought.

Erzhu Rong worried that Houmochen Yue's six hundred troops alone would be insufficient to deter the Han and Hu peoples in Longxi and other areas. Taking advantage of Heba Yue's appointment as the governor of Lingzhou, he ordered Heba Yue to send troops to reinforce Houmochen Yue.

At the banquet, Houmo Chenyue raised his cup, cupped his hands, and said:
"Adou, I was really worried about you. You led your troops into Guanzhong without even saying hello to Chang'an. I was afraid that Da Ye Shuang would stop your troops along the way."

Hearing Hou Mochenyue's words, Heba Yue couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Who the hell is responsible for all of this?!

Heba Yue didn't really want to strain his relationship with Li Shuang like this, but he had no choice. Last time, Hou Mochen Yue stayed in Chang'an for over a month, which enraged Erzhu Rong. Heba Yue had brought a large army this time, and he didn't want to offend Erzhu Rong.

"General Tianzhu has given me only a few days. The military situation is urgent. If I go to Chang'an and delay the process, I'm afraid I will fail the court's trust!"

Heba Yue's reply was very official.

Hou Mochenyue listened without taking it seriously, and simply said:
"Of all the generals who have received the favor of General Tianzhu and been appointed as governors, your position as governor of Lingzhou is the most difficult. Suqin Mingda currently occupies Lingzhou and has many subordinates. How do you plan to take Lingzhou?"

When Heba Yue arrived, he had already devised a plan.

"The bandits are numerous, but they are not good at fighting. I plan to select three thousand elite troops, prepare warhorses, and attack Lingzhou. If Suqin and Mingda underestimate the enemy and go out, we can capture them in one battle."

Hou Mochen Yue nodded, already having made his calculations. He Ba Yue had brought over six thousand people this time, and if he took three thousand away, he would leave over three thousand for himself.

"Don't worry, Adou. We are all under the command of General Tianzhu, so we should work together. Just tell me if there's anything you need me to do."

"There is something I need. The journey to Lingzhou will depend heavily on the quality of the horses. I would like to ask you for five thousand horses, what do you think?"

Five thousand horses was definitely a huge number, but Hou Mochen Yue still agreed.

Firstly, Houmo Chenyue was bound by friendship, and secondly, Erzhu Rong had also written to him, asking him to help Heba Yue take Lingzhou.

"Qin Prefecture has no shortage of horses; I'll have these five thousand horses allocated to you right away!"

Upon hearing this, Heba Yue was overjoyed, for this time there was hope of taking Lingzhou.

Heba Yue raised his glass to thank Hou Mochen Yue. The two drank together, and after finishing, Heba Yue put down his glass and said:

"When I was in Shuiluo City, I received a letter from Yuwen Luosheng."

Hou Mochen Yue found it strange, as the parties involved in such private letters would not usually disclose them publicly.

Heba Yue sensed Houmo Chenyue's meaning, but spoke up:

In his letter, Yuwen Luosheng expressed his concern that the situation around Tongwan City was complex and there was no assistance. Now that you, my brother, are serving as the governor of Qinzhou, I am serving as the governor of Lingzhou, and he is serving as the governor of Xiazhou, the three of us are on the frontier and should help each other!

"This is natural!"

Hou Mochen Yue blurted it out without thinking. But looking at Heba Yue, the other party seemed to have something deeper in mind, and didn't say something.

"There's no one else here, Adou, why don't you speak up?"

"We are here under the command of General Tianzhu to guard this region. If we do not support each other, we fear that we will be defeated one by one by Da Yeshuang sooner or later!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Mochenyue frowned.

"That's a bit of a stretch! General Tianzhu and Da Ye Shuang are brothers. With General Tianzhu here, would Da Ye Shuang dare to attack us?"

Heba Yue did not answer, but only said:
“Even if it’s not Da Yeshuang, the three provinces of Qin, Xia, and Ling are surrounded by powerful figures, and we must be careful! Not to mention the distant ones, the Qiang and Di in Liangzhou, the Tuyuhun in Qinghai, and the Tiele tribes on the grasslands are all formidable opponents!” Hearing Heba Yue say this, Hou Mochen Yue also felt a sense of worry.

"In that case, Yang Fachen of Liangzhou and Heluo, the new king of Tuyuhun, are indeed somewhat different."

Heba Yue wasn't sure why Hou Mo Chen Yue's words sounded strange, but seeing that Hou Mo Chen Yue was already interested, he said:

"In that case, is the Houmochen clan willing to stand together with the Heba and Yuwen families?"

"We are brothers, we will not betray each other!"
-
Changan.

Xiao Zan lay on his sickbed, his face somewhat pale.

Li Shuang walked into the house. When Xiao Zan saw him, he wanted to get up, but Li Shuang calmed him down.

"Your Majesty need not do this!"

Xiao Zan's expression softened considerably upon hearing the words "Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, my illness is sometimes better and sometimes worse, and I don't know when I will be able to see Your Majesty again. There is something I have kept in my heart for a long time, and I want to tell it to Your Majesty today."

"What?"

"Your Majesty, beware of Xiao Yan!"

Li Shuang was stunned when he said that.

At first, he thought that Xiao Zan was acting this way because of his personal grudge against Xiao Yan, but what he said next shocked Li Shuang.

"I have been by the side of this traitor Xiao Yan for many years and know his character well. He is not worried about the gains or losses of a single city or territory; what he cares about most is the orthodox lineage!"

"Taoism?"

Xiao Zan nodded.

"The Five Barbarian Invasions in China were powerful and influential, but they were short-lived and insignificant. Why? Because their traditions and principles were lost!"

The concept of "Dao Tong" (道统) sounds like something mysterious and profound, yet it truly influences a nation.

"The Song, Qi, Liang, and even the Jin dynasty before them all possessed a righteous orthodoxy and were protected by the Mandate of Heaven. Although the northern barbarian armies were strong, they could not confront them head-on. Even a powerful ruler like Fu Jian collapsed in the Battle of Fei River. But the Wei state today is different. Since Yuan Hong, it has established a righteous orthodoxy. How can Xiao Yan not be afraid?"

Li Shuang finally understood.

The so-called orthodox lineage of the Southern Dynasties was inherited from the lineage of Han-Cao Wei-Jin. In contrast, the Northern Wei Dynasty also claimed to have inherited from the Western Jin Dynasty, but this claim is not as convincing.

"If what you said is true, why did Xiao Yan still send troops to help Yuan Hao restore his country?"

Xiao Zan smiled and said coldly:
"Two thousand high-ranking officials died in Heyin. Most of the remaining old ministers who still supported Yuan Hong's reforms are now in Luoyang, serving under Yuan Hao!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang felt a chill run down her spine, and a cold sensation spread through her body.

"Xiao Yan doesn't care about Luoyang. He knows that even if he helps Yuan Hao take Luoyang, he can't control Wei. But if Erzhu Rong goes south again and wins with those northerners, Wei's tradition will collapse, the north will be in chaos, and it may even split again."

Xiao Zan finished speaking slowly, looked at Li Shuang, and reminded him:

"Your Majesty, don't forget that you also brought back a large number of classic texts from Luoyang to Chang'an, thus preserving this lineage of knowledge!"

Li Shuang raised an eyebrow and fell into deep thought.

……

(End of this chapter)