Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 289 A Hero is Yet to Come

Dongxia Prefecture.

Yuwen Hu returned to Guangwu, bringing back twenty cartloads of supplies from Chang'an, which he then delivered directly to the military camp. Upon seeing this, the Yuwen clan's retainers rushed over, extremely excited.

The camp was not large; the Yuwen clan's troops, along with the soldiers from the Six Garrisons and the Hu and Han soldiers that Yuwen Tai had subdued in Dongxia Prefecture, numbered no more than two thousand.

These supplies are not of high value, but they are all things that Dongxia Prefecture is currently in dire need of.

Yuwentai looked at it and fell silent.

When Yuwen Hu was truly delighted, he glanced at Yuwen Tai and, noticing his current appearance, asked:
"Fourth Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Although Ohno Sou is in Chang'an, he knows everything that is happening thousands of miles away. He is truly admirable!"

Yuwen Hu didn't think it was a big deal.

"Fourth Uncle, the King of Qin asked me about it, and he only gave it to me after I told him."

Yuwen Tai glanced at Yuwen Hu and laughed:
"Silly boy, do you really think that it was because you said it that Ohno Sawa prepared these things?"

Yuwen Hu was somewhat puzzled and asked:

"if not?"

Yuwentai pointed to a bag of medicinal herbs on the cart and said:
When did you go to Chang'an?

"Summer in May!"

"In June of summer, the livestock in the army contracted a disease, which even spread to the soldiers. I acted quickly, burying the livestock and having the infected soldiers live alone, thus preventing the epidemic from spreading. You didn't know about this, did you?"

Yuwen Hu shook his head.

"Not only do you not know, but very few people in the entire city know about it."

"What's the matter?"

“They have contracted a fever, and these herbs are for treating fever! Moreover, these bags of herbs are not commonly used; they were clearly specially sourced.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hu was startled. Recalling the smile on Li Shuang's face when they met in Beiyi, Chang'an, he suddenly felt a chill.

"So, what is Ohno Sō planning to do?"

Yuwen Tai said slowly:

"General Tianzhu sent us here. Does Da Yeshuang not know what we are here for? As you said in your letter, it is true that he admires us Wuchuan people. But the more he admires us, the less he will hold back when he starts to fight."

Yuwen Hu is young, but exceptionally talented. Yuwen Tai kept him by his side both to train him and to cultivate future talent for the Yuwen family.

After all, this chaotic world is too cruel.

Yuwen Tai's father, eldest brother, and second brother all died in this chaotic world.

Although Erzhu Rong temporarily pacified half of the Northern Wei territory and quelled the rebellion of the Six Garrisons, no one knew when a conflict would break out between Jinyang and Chang'an.

Once the fighting begins, these northern military officers sent out by Erzhu Rong will be the first to be hit.

"Then what should we do?"

Yuwen Hu was somewhat nervous, but then he heard Yuwen Tai say:

"As long as Chang'an and Jinyang don't completely break off relations, we don't need to worry too much. Although Da Ye Shuang is not a good person, Gao Huan is definitely even worse."

"what?"

Yuwen Hu had no idea how Yuwen Tai had managed to get around this complicated situation.

“Pingyang King Yuanxiu was used as a pawn by others. He embezzled a batch of grain from Daye Shuang, and Hou Jing seized on this as leverage. Gao Huan, not wanting to offend anyone, actually put Yuanxiu here with me.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hu angrily said:
"Those Huai Shuo people are the worst!"

After Yuwen Hu finished cursing, he asked again:
"What should be done with Fourth Uncle?"

Yuwen Tai sneered.

"Yuan Xiu asked me to save his life and even planned to marry his sister to me. I agreed!"

"Won't this create trouble for me?"

"His crime was a crime he committed, and he should be handed over to the court for punishment. It was only right that I arrested him and then sent him to Luoyang. What can others say? As for other matters, I know nothing about them."

Yuwen Hu nodded slightly upon hearing this.
-
Beiyi.

In the peach garden, Hou Jing saw Li Shuang, quickly walked forward, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Your Majesty, I'm back!"

"How is it?"

Hou Jing's face was full of joy, and he danced with glee.

"Your Majesty, you don't know how lively Jinzhou is. That old bastard Liu Lisheng almost caused a huge uproar. After he went south, he was stopped by Dou Tai and his men. To be honest, Dou Tai is quite a character. At first, that old bastard Liu Lisheng couldn't do anything about him and was so angry that he almost slaughtered the donkey that He Liuhun was grazing on the mountain to vent his anger."

"and after?"

"Later, that old bastard Liu Lisheng came up with a crooked trick, tricked Dou Tai, and kidnapped Erzhu Shicheng, who wanted to return to Jinyang. When He Liuhun found out, he was really anxious. Taking advantage of this chaos, I seized all the property of Erzhu Shicheng and his ilk in Pingyang. This trip not only did we not lose money, but we also made a lot of money."

Li Shuang glanced at Hou Jing and said:
"I'm afraid it's not just these; what about that caltrop?"

Hou Jing smiled kindly and honestly, and said:

"Nothing can be hidden from Your Majesty. To be honest, that Yuan Xiu is a scoundrel. He fled for his own life, abandoning his cousin. I've heard everything from Yuan Jili. She had no choice; in this chaotic world, she had no one to rely on and had no choice but to submit to Yuan Xiu. This crime of adultery is serious, depending on whether Yuan Ziyou wants to deal with it. In the end, Yuan Xiu may escape with his life, but Yuan Jili may not."

As he spoke, Hou Jing sighed.

"I was also moved by compassion!"

"So you ended up on the bed?"

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing's expression changed, and he immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I dare not! I will immediately send this caltrop to Luoyang!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"Fine, let's just put her as a weak woman, along with Erzhu Shicheng's entire fortune, on Liu Lisheng's account!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you greatly!"

Hou Jing stood up, a smile appearing on his face.

"I heard that Gao Aocao's elder brother has also come to Chang'an. He's a scoundrel, he's in cahoots with Yuan Ziyou. Now that he's here, he's sure to bring no good news."

Li Shuang glanced at Hou Jing and said:
"After all, he is Ao Cao's elder brother, so it's not appropriate for me to intervene."

Hou Jing listened and nodded.

"I understand!"

……

Chang'an, Yongxingfang.

Inside the grand mansion, Gao Qian sat on the floor, waiting.

Gao Qian waited from sunrise to sunset before finally seeing his third brother.

Dressed in his armor, he had just returned from the training ground. After leading troops all day, he was covered in sweat and hadn't even washed up. He took off his armor and sat down in front of his elder brother.

"Didn't you say you'd be a donkey if you kept bothering me? Why are you here now?"

Gao Qian knew that Gao Ang was extremely arrogant, and once he looked down on someone, it would be his own brother.

The best proof of this is the woman's dress that Gao Ang gave to Gao Qian back then.

Gao Ang looked down on him.

Seeing Gao Ang's attitude, Gao Qian knew that even if he smiled and begged, it would be useless. On the contrary, the more he yielded, the more Gao Ang would look down on him.

"Do you think I want to interfere with you?" "Then what are you doing here?"

"My father sent me!"

Upon hearing that it was their father, Gao Yi, Gao Gao's attitude softened somewhat.

"Why did Father send you here?"

Gao Qian took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Gao Ang. Gao Ang opened it and his face showed some emotion.

Upon seeing this, Gao Qian offered the following advice:

“Your father is getting old and his health has been poor lately. You are far away in Guanzhong and haven’t been back for many years. He wants you to resign from your post and return to Bohai.”

Gao Ang looked at his elder brother with a puzzled expression.

"Resign and return to Bohai?"

Gao Qian looked around and whispered:
"The world is in chaos, and His Majesty resides in Luoyang, recruiting brave warriors. This is the time to put our strength to use. Ao Cao, you are a great general. If you were to return to Hebei, with your reputation, who could rival you? At that time, we brothers will surely be able to accomplish great things!"

Gao Feng did not mince words and said directly:
"Are you saying that Yuan Ziyou wants to sow discord between my king and Erzhu Rong, causing them to fight so that he can profit from it?"

Gao Qian, hearing Gao Ang speak so frankly, no longer held back.

"Guanzhong is poor, while Hebei is rich. Even if you become a general leading an army under Da Ye Shuang, what good will it do? Bohai is the foundation of the Gao family!"

Gao Qian and Gao Ang are undoubtedly members of the genuine Bohai Gao clan.

In the Bohai region, the Gao family enjoys immense prestige, and the resources they can mobilize are unmatched in Guanzhong.

Although Gao Ang was renowned in Guanzhong, his power base was not deeply rooted. Simply put, his soldiers were not truly his own; apart from a few retainers in his household, the rest belonged to the government.

"You're just busy doing nothing for Da Ye Shuang! If we return to Hebei, we can seize the opportunity and rise up. At that time, the Gao family of Bohai will far surpass the Li family of Zhao County and the Cui family of Boling, and even surpass the Cui family of Qinghe and the Lu family of Fanyang, becoming the number one family in the world."

Gao Qian spoke with great excitement, looking at his third brother and holding his hand.

"That's the key!"

Gao Ang looked at his elder brother, who was far calmer than him. After a long while, he pulled away from Gao Qian's hand, not responding to his eager gaze, and simply said:
"Seeking fields and inquiring about houses, I fear I should be ashamed to face Liu Lang's talent!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qian frowned.

What do you mean by that?

"These are the words of my king. I didn't understand their meaning before, but now that I've seen my brother, I understand!"

Upon seeing Gao Ang's calm demeanor, Gao Qian stood up, somewhat angry.

"Third brother, don't be so confused!"

"Am I confused?" Gao gao laughed. "Those people in Hebei have always been looked down upon by the Erzhu clan. What have they done? They've only hoped that Erzhu Rong would suddenly die, or that he would fight with my king and both sides would be severely injured. They're just petty people. How can they be trusted to discuss important matters!"

Gao Ang's words were a direct insult to Gao Qian as well, but Gao Qian blushed and sat down again.

"Erzhu Rong is nothing but a Qihu man, what a petty person he is! We noble families are temporarily weakened, but we will wait for the long term. How can we be wrong, and how can we say that we are not worthy of discussing important matters!"

"After the death of Liu Bei, the first ruler of the Han Dynasty, a number of officials from Cao Wei wrote to Zhuge Liang, the Marquis of Wu, urging him to submit and promising him the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households. But was Zhuge Liang tempted by the high position and generous salary? Zhuge Liang launched a series of northern expeditions, vowing to restore the Han Dynasty's territory. With the weak strength of Shu, he fought against the powerful armies of Qin and Long, making Yong and Liang unable to put down their saddles and the Central Plains unable to remove their armor. That is what makes a hero!"

Gao Qian was extremely irritated upon hearing this and said:

"Heroes, heroes? Where do all these heroes come from? Da Yeshuang, a bandit, is he a hero?!"

Gao Ang's face turned pale upon hearing this. If it had been someone else sitting there instead of his elder brother, Gao Ang would have already made his move.

Just then, a burst of laughter came from outside.

"Old Gao, I'm back. Did you miss me?"

Hou Jing walked in from outside with a grin, breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room.

"Isn't this Ao Cao's elder brother!"

Hou Jing was born in Huai Shuo and achieved his current status through his own talent. His background was not illustrious; he didn't even know his grandfather's name, let alone anything else. In addition, he was not good-looking, so Gao Qian treated him even less kindly.

Hou Jing greeted him and bowed, but Gao Qian ignored him. However, Hou Jing was not angry; instead, he said:

"Ao Cao's elder brother is favored by His Majesty, which is truly the envy of everyone!"

Gao Ang, standing to the side, felt a little puzzled after hearing Hou Jing's words.

When did Hou Jing become so respectful to Yuan Ziyou?

Looking at his expression, Gao Ang immediately understood that this kid was up to no good!

"I've just prepared a banquet, and I hope Brother Ao Cao will do me the honor of joining me!"

Gao Qian glanced at Gao Ang, knowing that things couldn't be rushed. Coupled with his own frustration and a desire to ease tensions with Gao Ang, he said:

"That would be disrespectful!"

……

The next day, when Gao Qian woke up, he was lying in a carriage and found himself tied up.

"Who harmed me!"

Just as Gao Qian was making a scene, the coachman opened the carriage door and said from outside:
“My lord ordered that I be released only after we reach Shancheng. Please forgive me.”

"Who is your master?"

"You forgot, you were drinking with him last night!"

"Hou Jing?"

"It is indeed my lord!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Qian angrily cursed:
"Shuzi!"
-
Li Yuchuan.

"Clan leader, why did you give up your good job as the governor of Nanzhao County and come back?"

Li Yuanzhong lay under the tree, enjoying the familiar atmosphere, took a sip of wine from the wine jug, and felt quite content.

"What's so great about being an official of the Taerzhu clan!"

The members of the Zhao County Li clan all nodded in agreement, and one of them said:

"Erzhu Yusheng is no good person. It's not a bad thing for the clan leader not to be the prefect."

Then someone else said:
"The descendants of the Erzhu clan are frivolous, immoral, cruel, and tyrannical. I'm afraid their power won't last long. I've heard that Gao Qian of the Bohai Gao clan has recently been getting very close to Luoyang. Clan leader, why don't we also go to Luoyang and look for a way? That way, we'll be prepared to deal with any changes."

Li Yuanzhong rebuked:

"All of you, shut up and don't get too close to Luoyang. In your spare time, read more books, learn medicine, or go farm. If the villagers have any difficulties, help them out. Don't all think about lending money at interest and harming the village."

"How could we dare? But can we really do nothing? In these chaotic times, a single moment's hesitation could mean total defeat!"

Hearing his disciple's words, Li Yuanzhong smiled.

"You've started studying too, but while that's true, it's not the right thing to say."

"What does the clan leader mean?"

Li Yuanzhong remained calm and said:

"In chaotic times, it is not the right time that matters, but the right ruler!"

As petals and leaves fell, Li Yuanzhong, holding a wine jug, was deeply intoxicated and seemed to be drifting into a dream. In his drowsy state, he said:

"A hero is yet to come!"

……

(End of this chapter)