Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 299: Solving the Problem from Another Perspective
Qinzhou.

"Too much deception! Too much deception!"

Before the assembled generals, Houmo Chenyue displayed none of the demeanor expected of a governor of a province, pacing back and forth and hurling insults.

Seeing Hou Mochen Yue's reaction, no one spoke for a moment.

"Tell me what we should do!"

Hou Mochenyue is now filled with regret. He should have joined forces with Hebayue to attack Guanzhong instead of just watching from the sidelines.

But it was too late for regrets now. Erzhu Rong had already withdrawn his troops from Hedong, and Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng had also retreated to their respective bases after their raids to consolidate their gains.

Li Shuang issued a military order to attack Qin Prefecture. Before the army had even assembled, the news had already spread, and the sheer scale of the attack made Houmo Chenyue extremely wary.

Hou Mochen Yue quickly responded to this.

In fact, from a military perspective, it has always been very difficult to advance from Guanzhong to Longshan and then into Longxi.

After Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, became emperor, it took him twelve years to pacify the country, but it took him five years just to fight Kui Xiao in Longxi.

After Houmo Chenyue became the governor of Qinzhou, he devoted himself to the construction of Lueyang City and completed the preparations for the siege of Longxi.

"After the general took office as the governor of Qin Province, he repaired Lueyang City, recruited soldiers, and stockpiled grain. He is now a strong and well-equipped army. Even if Da Yeshuang wanted to fight, it would probably not be so easy."

The speaker was Doulu Guang, Houmochen Yue's military advisor and a trusted confidant.

As Doulu Guang spoke, Houmo Chenyue nodded.

"You are right!"

In fact, as his confidant, Doulu Guang's words were a pre-arranged plan by Hou Mochen Yue to reassure people.

Hou Mochenyue gestured for Doulu Guang to continue his performance, and the other party lived up to expectations, explaining the stakes very clearly.

"Da Ye Shuang can only muster 30,000 troops. They have come a long way and have suffered heavy losses. They cannot last long. My Qin Prefecture has more than 10,000 troops, and the governor is renowned for his prestige. If we confront him, we can retreat and defend Lueyang to secure Longyou. If we advance, we can take Guanzhong and coordinate with General Tianzhu. The outcome is still uncertain!"

Hou Mochen was very satisfied after listening.

Just as he was filled with emotion, wanting to share with his followers the great plan to defeat Ohno Sō under his brilliant leadership, he found that his followers were looking at him with strange eyes.

"What's wrong? Did Doulu Guang say something wrong?"

"well!"

After Hou Mochen Yue asked this question, the group of followers cheered.

"Then what are you going to do?"

The crowd hesitated, but some of the bolder ones finally stepped forward and couldn't help but ask:

"General, there are rumors circulating outside that you took advantage of your generals' absence to sneak into women's tents, and that you did it more than once. Why don't you tell us about this?"

Hou Mochenyue's face turned green upon hearing this.

From a military perspective, Hou Mochen Yue is indeed not afraid of Li Shuang, and even has the confidence to fight a protracted war with Li Shuang.

However, Hou Mochen Yue suddenly realized that Li Shuang didn't seem to intend to solve the problem from a military perspective.

"shut up!"

At that moment, Li Bi stepped forward, his face stern, and reprimanded the person who had spoken.

"You believe all those rumors outside?"

"But everyone outside is saying that they want to know who this 'treasure of the North, wonder of the grasslands' really is?"

Clearly, Li Bi's rebuke did not quell everyone's suspicions.

"General, we're all brothers. Women are like clothes. Even if you really do it, that person is still there. I don't think that person will really be angry with you."

Faced with a barrage of questioning gazes, Hou Mochen felt that even if she had a hundred mouths, she still couldn't explain herself clearly.

Li Bi then said:

"This is clearly Ohno Sō's manipulative talk, intended to sow discord between everyone and the shogun. Who is the shogun? Is he the kind of person who would randomly sneak into other people's tents?"

Hou Mochenyue looked at Li Bi, her expression excited, and couldn't help but want to say something.

Jinghe, you understand me!

Li Bi waved his hand and said:

"Alright, all of you, leave now. Others are just repeating what they hear and ruining the general's reputation."

After everyone left, Hou Mochenyue held Li Bi's hand and almost cried.

“Jinghe, you know me best. That Da Yeshuang slandered people out of thin air, and I couldn’t explain myself. This has made everyone suspicious, as if I’m going to sneak into their tents.”

"That bastard Ohno Sō will use any means necessary, he's utterly despicable. You've known this for a long time, there's no need for this."

Hou Mochen felt a warmth in her heart after hearing this.

“This can’t go on. I’m afraid people’s hearts will be unsettled, and then Ohno Sō will take advantage of the situation.”

Li Bi patted Hou Mochen Yue's hand and said gently:
"Officially, you are my superior and I am your subordinate; personally, I am your elder and you are my nephew. How could I not help you find a solution?"

Hou Mochen was overjoyed, thinking to himself that Li Bi still had a solution, and asked:

What should we do?

Li Bi said in a deep voice:
"First of all, it's best if you didn't drill, but it doesn't matter if you did."

After hearing this, Hou Mochen felt that something was wrong.

"Tell me, who is it? Tell me, and I'll take care of it for you, as much as you can!"

Hou Mochenyue's whole body was trembling, and she couldn't help but jump up.

"I really didn't!"

"We're not strangers, so why would you hide the truth from me if you wouldn't tell others the truth?"

Hou Mochenyue was utterly desperate.

"Jinghe, you can go out now. I want to be alone!"

Li Bi nodded, patted Hou Mochenyue on the shoulder, and gave him a trusting look.

After Li Bi left, Hou Mochen Yue, who had been silent, erupted and roared:

"Ohno Sou, I'll fuck your mother!"
-
Lingzhou.

Heba Yue led his troops back to Huile County in Pule Prefecture and began distributing the spoils of war obtained during this northward expedition.

During the siege of Licheng, facing Cao Ni's stubborn refusal to come out, Heba Yue already realized that Licheng would be difficult to capture.

However, Heba Yue did not stop there. While besieging Licheng, he sent his troops to the surrounding areas to sweep away a number of tribes.

As he expected, Cao Ni did not retaliate at all.

Although Heba Yue failed to capture Licheng and devour Cao Ni's most powerful troops, he still managed to feast on the smaller, less powerful ones in the surrounding area.

After this battle, Heba Yue's strength increased significantly.

Not long after Heba Yue returned to his base camp in Huile, Qinzhou sent him a letter.

Heba Yue summoned his generals back to discuss Houmo Chenyue's proposed alliance with him. "Lord Houmo Chenyue wishes to join forces with me to attack Yuanzhou. What do you all think?"

The men had just traveled a long way north and fought for dozens of days. After receiving their women, slaves, money, and provisions, they hadn't even had a few days to enjoy themselves. Feeling weary and unwilling to wage war, they all opposed the idea.

Even Zhao Gui spoke up:

"Houmo Chenyue is a man of no integrity. When we wanted to join forces with him to attack Guanzhong, he remained inactive. Now, having heard that Daye Shuang is going to use his troops against him, he has turned around and wants to ally with us, wanting to strike first at Yuanzhou. I think we should ignore him."

Zhao Gui's words drew a chorus of agreement.

Lei Shaodao, Heba Yue's military advisor:
“Lord Heba, on this northward journey, we defeated Cao Ni and destroyed several tribes, but we did not directly confront Da Yeshuang. Li Xian, the governor of Yuanzhou, is renowned for his local prestige, and Hedouling Bufan is no easy opponent either. There is no need to make enemies with them for the sake of Houmo Chenyue. Besides, Da Yeshuang has established a military command in Yuanzhou, and he will not ignore it.”

Lei Shao was a Di person from Daibei, and a famous and brave general under Heba Yue.

His words also represented the sentiments of the northern generals under Heba Yue's command.

There's no need to make enemies with Li Shuang over Hou Mochenyue!
Lei Shao continued:
"After we lifted the siege, Cao Ni led his tribe out of Licheng. He himself went to Chang'an to ask for help. Now that Da Yeshuang wants to attack Houmo Chenyue, it's because he didn't listen to him. We should take this opportunity to stabilize our territory, recruit refugees, cultivate fields, and accumulate money and grain. This is much better than following Houmo Chenyue and acting recklessly."

"Even if we really want to attack Yuanzhou, now is not a good time. We should wait until General Tianzhu launches another attack on Guanzhong, and then we can provide support in order to achieve a great victory."

Upon hearing this, Heba Yue, though wanting to help Hou Mo Chen Yue, had no choice but to give up after seeing everyone's attitude.

"Therefore, I reply to Lord Houmochen: Our army has been fighting for a long time, and our soldiers have suffered considerable losses and their morale is low. We are unable to send troops. I hope you will understand."
-
Changan.

The study was exquisitely furnished, and the afternoon air was warm and still, with a touch of tranquility.

On the desk in front of Li Shuang was a stack of letters. As he was reading them one by one, the sound of footsteps, one short and one long, came from outside.

"Your Majesty, did you call me?"

Li Shuang waved his hand, letting Hou Jing come in directly.

"Your Majesty, why are there so many letters?"

"These are all letters sent from Luoyang, mostly written by high-ranking officials in Luoyang."

"The nobles and officials of Luoyang?"

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing immediately understood the other party's intention.

"Did these people write to Your Majesty, wanting you to go to Luoyang?"

Erzhu Rong established his hegemony in Jinyang, remotely controlling the Northern Wei court. However, Luoyang remained the capital of Northern Wei, playing a vital role in both its economy and politics.

Emperor Yuan Ziyou remained the de facto master of Luoyang.

However, this master did not speak with much authority, because Yuan Ziyou had no soldiers at his disposal.

The imperial guard system in Luoyang had long been corrupt and unusable; the strongest army of the Northern Wei Dynasty was now in the hands of Erzhu Rong.

Yuan Ziyou wanted to fight against Erzhu Rong, so he had no choice but to recruit outside troops. Although this was undoubtedly like drinking poison to quench thirst, he had no other option but to do it.

"After Erzhu Rong turned against us, he accelerated the process of placing his cronies in Luoyang. Yuan Ziyou got anxious and wanted us to go to Luoyang to support him."

Hou Jing was actually eager to try it out.

After all, no one wants to go to Luoyang.

Even though Luoyang had declined, it was still the largest city in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

No other place, whether it be Chang'an, Jinyang, or Yecheng in Hebei, could replace Luoyang at this time.

Importantly, it was the center of power in the world.

Erzhu Rong initially gained control of the Central Plains by moving south and controlling Luoyang.

Those who came after naturally wanted to follow suit.

"My lord, should we agree?"

Li Shuang chuckled and said:
"Go and support Yuan Ziyou, aren't you afraid he'll stab you in the back?"

These words cooled Hou Jing's restless ambition, but left him somewhat unconvinced.

What can he do?

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"Even if you go to Luoyang, defend the North Central City, and stop Erzhu Rong, what good will it do? You'll only gain a hollow title of controlling the world. Besides, Yuan Ziyou will find a way to get rid of you if he sees you staying too long."

The conflict between Erzhu Rong and Yuan Ziyou lay in Erzhu Rong's desire to be granted the Nine Bestowments and to advance further.

Before Erzhu Rong attacked Hedong, he wasn't so eager, but after returning from Hedong, he changed and became quite radical.

The reason was simple: Erzhu Rong, having suffered a loss, desperately needed to add a title to his name, making the Erzhu clan's control of the world more legitimate.

Just like the story of Cao Cao back then.

But this is not the late Han Dynasty more than 300 years ago. People back then didn't have much experience with this, and they weren't familiar with some of the procedures.

After more than three hundred years of turmoil and upheaval, people today are quite adept at this process and have accumulated considerable experience in plotting to usurp the throne.

After Erzhu Rong received the Nine Bestowments, he was not far from the final step, and Yuan Ziyou certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch.

Hou Jing nodded in agreement.

"Does Your Majesty mean that Yuan Ziyou and Erzhu Rong should fight first, while we watch from behind? But can Yuan Ziyou defeat Erzhu Rong?"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"It doesn't matter whether he can win or not. With his position, even if he slits his own throat, he can still splatter Erzhu Rong with blood and make him look bad."

Hou Jing chuckled upon hearing this, a hint of mischievousness in his expression.

"If Erzhu Rong were to kill another emperor, even if he were to become emperor in the end, he would likely not be able to hold his position securely. I have heard that unrest has broken out again in Youzhou and Qingzhou, and Erzhu Rong is currently trying to quell the unrest!"

"They're busy with their own things, we're busy with ours."

Li Shuang put down the letter in his hand and said:
"I sent you here so that you could first contact the various governors under the Jimi Prefecture and prepare to attack Qin Prefecture."

After Li Shuang issued the order to take Qin Prefecture, many generals in Chang'an City planned to volunteer.

However, Li Shuang did not agree and continued to wait.

Upon hearing this, Hou Jing asked:
"Your Majesty, how many men do you plan to bring with you this time to Shanglong?"

"Spring plowing is coming soon, so it's not appropriate to bring too many people. I'll bring three thousand cavalry and recruit another ten thousand from the Hu tribes under the jurisdiction of the Jimi Prefecture."

"Minister Hu?"

The nomadic tribes near Guanzhong were diverse. Hou Jing, being from the north, was naturally aware of their advantages.

Cheap!

These Hu people were familiar with the local terrain, and almost every household had horses. They carried their own provisions, making their march fast and reducing logistical pressure, but their combat effectiveness and fighting spirit were not strong.

Although a large amount of spoils will be distributed to these Hu troops after the war, it is all small change compared to the logistical costs.

After all, logistics costs money, while the spoils of war are taken from the enemy.

Hou Jingdao:
"We're heading to Longxi, a long and arduous journey. If we don't bring some of our own men, we won't have time to react if something changes!"

Li Shuang replied:

"The most important thing about this expedition to Longshan is not combat strength, but speed, to catch Houmo Chenyue off guard. Once we get onto Longshan, things will be much easier. Otherwise, if he reacts and we get trapped on Longshan, it will be difficult to handle."

……

(End of this chapter)