Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 255 The most important thing in life is loyalty.

Liangzhou.

Qiuchi Mountain.

Having outmaneuvered Yang Shaoxian and gained his followers, temporarily resolving the internal crisis, Yang Fachen felt no joy whatsoever.

With the shadow of defeat looming over him, Yang Fachen not only faced pressure from the Di people within his own tribe, but also trouble from the Hu people who had defected to Liangzhou.

At this very moment, news arrived from Qin Prefecture that the Tuyuhun army had been defeated and the Khan had died, putting Yang Fachen in an even more passive position.

The reason why the Di people had such a great influence in Liangzhou was not only because the Di people were good at fighting in the mountains, but also because the area was full of mountains, and neither the Northern Wei nor the Southern Liang had much interest in it.

During the confrontation between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Liangzhou, possessing the important region of the two copper passages connecting Guanzhong and Bashu, had its own unique strategic significance. The Di people, situated in this region, could benefit from both sides.

But now, there are too many Hu people fleeing from Liangzhou. If we cannot achieve victory in the war against them, they will cause chaos within Liangzhou.

Yang Fachen was deeply worried about this, and just then, the envoy from Guanzhong arrived.

Yang Fachen maintained a facade of courtesy towards Li Shuang's envoy, even though he had suffered a great loss in the recent war.

"Does the King of Qin wish to bring us back to the Great Wei?"

Yang Fachen seemed not to have anticipated that Li Shuang's envoy would have this purpose.

The envoy was not in a hurry, and just watched him quietly until he understood the gains and losses involved.

The biggest obstacle to rejoining the Northern Wei was not internal. After all, they were already used to playing both sides.
The question is what the Di people will gain from returning to the Northern Wei, and how the Hu people and Liang army in Liangzhou will react.
Perhaps by surrendering to the Northern Wei, the problem of the Hu people within Liangzhou could be solved.

Having thought of this, Yang Fachen asked directly:
"If I submit, what can the King of Qin offer me?"

"My king may appoint the governor as the commander-in-chief of the tributary state, and grant him the authority to comfort the people and punish the guilty!"

Yang Fachen was speechless. If he took this certificate, who could he take it from?
Is it the Liang army in the east or the Qinzhou soldiers in Longxi?
If he had succeeded in seizing it, would he still be so worried about the backlash from the barbarians inside his ranks?

In fact, he couldn't defeat any of the surrounding forces. He had thought the local militia in Guanzhong were easy targets, but he had recently learned his lesson.

“Not enough. If the King of Qin can give me Yang Shaoxian’s head, then I will agree to serve him.”

"I will convey the leader's message back to Chang'an."
-
Chang'an, the Prince of Qin's residence.

"King Wuxing, please!"

That night, Li Shuang invited Yang Shaoxian to his private reception room, where a feast of food and wine had already been prepared.

Yang Shaoxian was quite flattered by Li Shuang's unexpected hospitality.

To be precise, I felt somewhat uneasy.

After all, Li Shuang had ignored him for a long time after they met that day.

Yang Shaoxian was somewhat puzzled by the fact that he had been invited here.

However, this did not prevent Yang Shaoxian and Li Shuang from engaging in lively discussions at the banquet. Yang Shaoxian had also spent many years in Luoyang, and given the high degree of Sinicization among the Di people, his knowledge was no less than that of ordinary scholar-officials.

The two were having a pleasant conversation when Li Shuang's sudden remark jolted Yang Shaoxian, who was still tipsy, back to reality.

"King Wuxing, finish this cup of wine, and then set off on your journey!"

Yang Shaoxian's heart tightened, but then, without the executioners rushing in, he temporarily calmed down and smiled:

What does the King of Qin mean?

"To be honest, King Wuxing, Guanzhong is impoverished and recently suffered from war, making it a truly difficult place. I sent an envoy to Liangzhou to meet with King Yinping, Yang Fachen, hoping to mediate between your two families. But who knew that he would demand your head right away and even threatened that if I did not hand it over, he would invade Guanzhong every year."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shaoxian cursed:

"That beast!"

Regardless of whether Li Shuang's words were true or false, Yang Shaoxian's anger at this moment was genuine. Li Shuang picked up his wine glass, glanced at Yang Shaoxian, and said:

"I know that brat is dishonest, but what can I do? Your head is worth the lives of thousands of my soldiers, sparing them the pain of war. If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you agree?"

Yang Shaoxian listened and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"If the King of Qin wishes to take my head, I will gladly offer it. But I have something to say that I cannot keep quiet."

"King Wuxing, please speak!"

Yang Shaoxian waved his sleeve and cursed:
"What is Yang Fachen? He's just relying on the Liang people backing him up. In terms of background and prestige, how can he compare to me!"

Yang Shaoxian was the son of Yang Jishi, the previous King of Wuxing, and was enthroned as king by his two uncles at a young age. Wuxing Kingdom initially aligned itself with Wei. However, because Northern Wei successively quelled rebellions in Liangzhou and Yizhou, the ministers of Wuxing Kingdom feared being annexed, so they betrayed Wei and sided with Liang, ultimately leading to its defeat and destruction by the Northern Wei army.

Yang Fachen was not the son of the previous King of Yinping, Yang Ding. Instead, he seized the throne during the internal strife that followed Yang Ding's death. Yang Fachen's rise to power was largely due to his own abilities.

Li Shuang, holding her wine glass, looked at Yang Shaoxian's expression and smiled.

"But they have troops!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Shaoxian quickly took a few steps forward, knelt down before Li Shuang's desk, his face flushed, and said:
"King Qin, I have one too!"

Li Shuang was somewhat suspicious, and while drinking his wine, he said:
"you also have?"

"My sons Yang Zhihui and Yang Bixie are leading over a thousand men and are currently in Baishui. In addition, I can sell royal treasures and gather at least two thousand, no, three thousand men, enough to contend with Yang Fachen!"

As he spoke, Yang Shaoxian added:
"Given Yang Fachen's background among the Di people, who can respect him? Don't be fooled by his current prestige; there are plenty of people in Yinping who want to take his place."

"Really?"

"real!"

Li Shuang smiled, patted Yang Shaoxian on the shoulder, and said:

"You should have said so earlier! You've made us all feel more distant!"

Yang Shaoxian lowered his head and slowly said:
"It's all my fault, causing the King of Qin so much worry."

Li Shuang picked up the bronze wine vessel and was about to pour wine for Yang Shaoxian.

Yang Shaoxian took the wine glass and respectfully accepted the wine.

After the cup was full, Yang Shaoxian didn't dare to drink first, but then heard Li Shuang say:
"I don't like Yang Fachen either. When we're out in the game, what's the point? It's all about loyalty and brotherhood!"

Yang Shaoxian nodded and said:
"The King of Qin is right!"

"What do you think is behind the word 'loyalty'?"

"Little Wang is dull-witted!"

"trust!"

A smile appeared on Yang Shaoxian's face, as if he had heard the profound truth of the ancient sages, completely absorbed.

"Your Majesty's insight is brilliant!"

"You mean that kid wouldn't even buy a certificate to punish the guilty and punish the innocent? How can you talk about trust?"

Yang Shaoxian was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

"I'll buy!"

"It's not cheap!"

"When it comes to loyalty, money is a distant concept!"

……

(End of this chapter)