Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 28: Ohno Sou also has something worth learning

Winter passed and spring came, but the spring of the fifth year of Zhengguang did not bring much vitality to the north.

The cold wind is still blowing, and the war in the Hetao region is still at a stalemate.

The Six Garrisons Army led by Han Baling did not collapse in the food shortage environment as the Northern Wei court expected, but became more and more courageous as the battle went on.

The towns of Wuchuan and Huaishuo have been at the forefront of the war, holding on hard, but no reinforcements have been seen.

"Your Majesty!"

When Yu Jin returned to Pingcheng from Mayi, he saw Yuan Shen, who was warming himself in front of a charcoal basin with a few pieces of paper.

"Are you finally willing to come back?"

When they met for the first time after separation, Yu Jin discovered that Yuan Shen's attitude towards him had changed and become a little distant.

"While I was in Mayi, I was detained by Li Shuang and then encountered the rebellion of Hulu Jin, so I was delayed for some time."

"It doesn't matter anymore!"

Yuan Shen put the paper in his hand into the charcoal brazier.

The paper caught fire and quickly burned.

"My lord, what is this?"

"Huo Lüjin's 'evidence'!"

Yuan Shen glanced at Yu Jin and an inexplicable smile appeared on his face.

"I thought I could use these 'evidence' to blackmail the Hulu tribe in the future, but I didn't expect Hulu Jin to rebel directly. I miscalculated."

Yu Jin felt inexplicably cold in his heart and didn't dare to say a word.

"How are you doing with Li Shuang?"

Yu Jin was unsure of Yuan Shen's thoughts and felt a little uneasy.

"Before I returned, Li Shuang was organizing the tribes around Mayi into households, granting them land, and arranging agricultural reclamation."

Yuan Shen's expression changed, and the surprise in his heart far exceeded his apparent calmness.

"Didn't those people make a fuss?"

Yu Jin shook his head.

Yuan Shen couldn't help but sneered:

"I have often urged these people to cultivate the land around Pingcheng, but they never listened. Now, they are working happily under the command of a Han Chinese."

Pingcheng was the former capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty and was run by the Tuoba clan for nearly a hundred years.

Pingcheng is divided into inner and outer cities, with twelve gates. There are a large number of houses, markets and temples in the city.

During its heyday, hundreds of thousands of Han Chinese cultivated fields around Pingcheng. The Jinnei fields, secret service offices, and grassland trade routes sustained Pingcheng's prosperity, allowing the Northern Wei to draw water from the Yellow River and control the entire Northern Dynasty.

After moving south, everything here changed.

The fields in Jinai were no longer cultivated by the Han people and became barren, and most of the fields were turned back into pastures.

Hengzhou is not one of the Six Towns, and the population within the state can be migrated.

As farmland dwindled, food supplies became chronically insufficient, and a large number of people fled, the economy of Heicheng plummeted. Consequently, the once prosperous military tribes of the Heicheng era also fell into poverty.

The northern Hu people blamed all of this on the Sinicization reforms, and therefore rejected everything related to the Han people.

Yuan Shen naturally didn't think so, but it would be extremely difficult to settle these military tribes in the northern border into civilian households, reclaim wasteland and farm, and restore Pingcheng's economy.

Yu Jin bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that some of Li Shuang's actions in Mayi are worth emulating. Now in the northern border..."

Before Yu Jin could finish his words, Yuan Shen interrupted him impatiently.

"Don't mention him to me. If it weren't for Yuan Yi and Erzhu Rong backing him up, what could he have accomplished?" "But Your Majesty..."

"enough!"

Yuan Shen shouted angrily, and the atmosphere between the two of them dropped to freezing point.

Perhaps realizing his own misconduct, or perhaps feeling somewhat guilty towards his friend, Yuan Shen waved his hands and left the room.

Yu Jin was the only one left in the room. He stood up straight, saying nothing. I wonder what he was thinking?
After Yuan Shen left the inner city tower, Liu Lingzhu, who had been standing outside the house, followed him.

After walking for a while on the inner city wall, Yuan Shen climbed up and looked around, only to see a group of people coming from the market not far away.

"Which tribe are these people from?"

Yuan Shen was an expert in identifying horses and had some military attainments, so he naturally knew how to identify a good horse and a brave warrior.

Liu Lingzhu quietly took a step forward, stood beside Yuan Shen, and whispered:
"They're a branch of the recently surrendered Po Liu Han tribe, settled by Erzhu Rong near Mayi. The tribe's leader is a young woman named Dugu Ru, also a renowned witch. Rumor has it that tribal leaders not only from Hengzhou, but also from Shuozhou, Yanzhou, and elsewhere, frequently visit her tribe to seek divination."

After saying that, Liu Lingzhu reminded:
"This woman's relationship with Erzhu Rong and Li Shuang must be guarded against."

Yuan Shen ignored Liu Lingzhu and was not on the same wavelength with him at the moment.

"Such majestic cavalry is rare even in the North. How many such warriors do you have under your command?"

"I don't know about that, but it is said that his army has 3,000 Xiongnu cavalry."

Yuan Shen's eyes were filled with joy as he murmured:

"If three thousand Xiongnu cavalry could be brought under our command..."

Liu Lingzhu was startled and subconsciously wanted to object. But when the words came to his lips, he glanced at the greed on Yuan Shen's face and woke up.

"I've heard that Duguru is beautiful, intelligent, and very wealthy. If Your Majesty can marry her, then the three thousand Xiongnu cavalry and wealth of her tribe will naturally belong to Your Majesty."

Yuan Shen laughed out loud after hearing this.

"Sir, you're joking. I'm the governor of Hengzhou, stationed in Pingcheng, commanding all the surrounding tribes. How could I possibly do something like this, using public power for personal gain?"

"My fair lady, it is human nature that a gentleman likes to be quarrelsome."

"No, no, but the Six Garrisons are in rebellion, and the court is desperately seeking wise counselors. I cannot look down on her just because she is a woman, so I must meet her."

"Your Majesty is a man of high character!"

Liu Lingzhu bowed his hands and saluted, but thought to himself:
Pooh! ——
At night, Liu Lingzhu, who lived alone in a dark room, was restless.

He knew very well why Dugu Ru's tribe had so many well-equipped Hun knights?
As a colleague, Liu Lingzhu admired the other party's professional level, but also felt a deep sense of crisis.

If Dugu Ruo really came and was taken into Yuan Shen's harem, would Liu Lingzhu still be able to stay by Yuan Shen's side?

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside the dark room.

Liu Lingzhu opened the door. Outside, his boy was waiting with the latest intelligence.

"Sir, this is the latest military information from Bingzhou."

Unlike Dugu Ru who had to support the people in his own tribe, Liu Lingzhu used the huge income he had earned as a wizard over the years to weave a large intelligence network.

In this northern border, there are some things that Yuan Shen doesn't know, but Liu Lingzhu already knows them.

Liu Lingzhu opened the information, took a look at it, and narrowed his eyes.

"This Erzhu Rong is really capable. He defeated Su Hepo and Yan Yan so quickly!"

Liu Lingzhu knew that Yuan Shen was not a wise leader, that he was narrow-minded and could not accomplish anything great, but he could not make up his mind to leave.

The reason is that he hasn't found his next lord yet!
However, after reading this military intelligence, his mind began to work.

"It's time to meet that Ohnosou!"

(End of this chapter)