Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 304: Have a Broad Perspective
After Hou Mochen Yue quelled the conflict, he was exhausted and very sleepy. He returned to his residence and fell asleep immediately.

When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

Hou Mochen Yue was hungry and was about to ask the kitchen to prepare some food when he discovered that Doulu Guang was already waiting for him outside.

"What is the matter?"

Doulu Guang, with a somber expression, handed the paper in his hand to Hou Mochen Yue.

On the paper was Li Shuang's letter urging surrender. It stated that only the ringleaders would be executed, and the rest would be spared.

The main culprits are also clearly identified; those who fled from Guanzhong, and even Hou Mochen Yue, are not included among them.

This was a letter with a very clear message of persuasion to surrender. Hou Mochenyue's expression changed drastically after reading it.

"Where did it come from?"

"It was fired by Ono Sō's cavalry from the city walls. I reckon there must be more than just this one; many people have probably already seen it."

Hou Mochenyue listened with a grave expression, pondering the consequences of this letter of persuasion. However, his mind was foggy and he was starving, unable to process what he was thinking.

At this moment, Doulu Guang reminded him:

"General, this matter is not urgent yet. The most pressing thing is that you must be careful!"

"Watch out for what?"

"General, have you forgotten? Last night you confronted Li Bi at the temple. I heard from the servants that you two had a very unpleasant argument, almost to the point of falling out!"

Upon hearing this, Hou Mochenyue recalled the events of the previous night and felt a chill rise from her heart.

In the chaos of that night, coupled with the effects of alcohol, he hadn't had time to think things through. Looking back now, he feels a chill of fear.

If a fight had broken out last night, would he have been a match for him?

"Li Bi commands three thousand elite troops from Longyou, whose fighting strength is formidable. If he harbors rebellious intentions, Lueyang City will not be able to be defended!"

Doulu Guang's words caused Hou Mochen Yue, who was already fearful, to subconsciously feel a murderous intent, but he did not say it himself, but instead asked Doulu Guang.

"So, what should we do?"

After all, Li Bi was related to him, and there were some things Houmo Chenyue couldn't say himself. Doulu Guang, unsure of Houmo Chenyue's intentions, said:
"We can summon him to our residence, then imprison him. The general can then send his troops to take over his forces. In this way, we can be at peace!"

"Fine, go as you say, you go yourself!"

Doulu Guang cursed inwardly upon hearing this. Why did they have to drag me into this dirty business!
However, Doulu Guang dared not object and immediately did as Hou Mochen Yue ordered.

After Doulu Guang left, Houmo Chenyue became somewhat anxious. When Doulu Guang returned and saw that Li Bi was not there, he felt a little nervous.

Where is Li Bi?

Doulu Guang went to Li Bi's residence, but was told that Li Bi was not there.

He's not home.

Where did Li Bi go?

“He did not return to the manor last night. I found out that Li Bi went directly to the military camp after parting ways with the general last night.”

Hou Mochen Yue was furious upon hearing this and shouted:

What was he doing at the military camp?

"I don't know, but I glanced outside the camp and saw that his army was already on alert, and they were all wearing armor."

Hou Mochen Yue panicked, completely at a loss for what to do!

……

Inside the camp, Li Bi sat in his seat, holding a letter urging surrender in his hands.

Inside the military tent were not only Li Bi's own subordinates, but also many generals from the Six Garrisons.

After the letter of persuasion to surrender had been circulated and returned to Li Bi's hands, he finally spoke, saying:
"You've all seen it, haven't you!"

Li Bi's own troops remained silent, but several leaders of the Six Garrisons spoke first.

"Jinghe, you know that some of us don't know many words. What exactly does Ohno Sō mean by this letter?"

Whether he genuinely didn't know her or was pretending, Li Bi didn't take it to heart. A smile appeared on his face as he slowly said:

"The King of Qin made it very clear in this letter of persuasion to surrender that he would only pursue the ringleaders, those who came from Guanzhong."

Upon hearing this, all the leaders of the six garrisons smiled.

They managed to rise to such a position by starting as lowly soldiers in the Six Garrisons, and through the trials of figures like Po Liu Han Baling, Yuan Shen, Ge Rong, Du Luozhou, and Er Zhu Rong. Naturally, their minds are cunning and unpredictable.

Without saying much, he went straight to the question:

"Just execute the ringleader. If Ohno is so good, does Kage believe him?"

Hou Mochenyue asked them the same question last night, but the answers from the leaders of the Six Garrisons were very official.

The decision of war or peace is made by the governor, and we, the people of this region, have no right to interfere.

But when they asked again today, it was clearly different.

Li Bi did not answer, but only said:
"This is not something we should be considering. Houmo Chenyue is not a wise ruler. If we continue to follow him, we will only face destruction."

Seeing that Li Bi had spoken so frankly, the leaders of the Six Garrisons stopped pretending.

"Houmo Chenyue is not a wise ruler, but Da Yeshuang is?"

When they talked about Li Shuang, their hearts were filled with resentment.

"Is he, Ono Sou, some kind of good person? How did he treat us back then? He seized our ranches and fields. Many of us didn't want to participate in the rebellion, but he forced us to rebel, and we lost everything."

After the leader of the Six Garrisons finished speaking, still feeling somewhat aggrieved, he looked at the others in the camp.

"You guys tell me, how did Ohno Sō treat you?"

Li Bi's men glanced at him, and seeing that he showed no objection, one of them said:

“My family originally lived by the Wei River. We had a house and fields, but that bastard Da Yeshuang was so arrogant and unreasonable that he occupied my house and took away my fields.”

Li Bi saw everyone venting their frustrations, but he did not stop them.

The atmosphere inside the tent reached its peak, with everyone denouncing Li Shuang.

"Jinghe, tell me, why should we join Ohno Sou, who is so inhuman!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bi smiled slightly and asked:
Why don't you think about it from the other side?

Upon hearing this, everyone thought to themselves, "Is there even a question?"
Ohno Sou has been doing this for so many years, bullying whoever he wants, stealing from whoever he wants, and beating up anyone he doesn't like. He's practically...

and many more!

After hearing Li Bi's words, everyone quietly changed their positions from opposite Li Shuang to behind him, which immediately made them feel much better.

After a long period of contemplation, everyone woke up, some sooner than others.

At that moment, their eyes seemed to light up.

The leaders of the six garrison troops were somewhat anxious and asked:
"Jinghe, has this matter been settled? Do you have a way to Daye... ah, no, to the King of Qin?"

Li Bi smiled and said:
"The King of Qin has raised an army to seize the land of Longyou. This is a golden opportunity, gentlemen. Do not worry. If we wish to switch sides, we must make great contributions. Only in this way can we gain a foothold in Chang'an in the future."

Upon hearing this, several leaders of the Six Garrisons said indignantly:

"Let's use those fake Luoyang people from Guanzhong as a sacrifice!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bi stopped him, saying:

"No, their numbers are no less than ours. If a fight breaks out, chaos will inevitably ensue in the city, and the granaries and granaries will be in danger of being lost. Moreover, if this place falls into chaos, Shanggui will also fall into chaos. Shanggui is a vital grain and fodder area in Longyou, and its granaries are full, so we cannot afford to lose it."

There was one more thing Li Bi didn't say: if things got chaotic here, the more than ten thousand miscellaneous soldiers under Li Shuang's command might swarm in, just like jackals seeing their prey and smelling blood, not caring whether they were friend or foe.

If that's the case, then their surrender would seem somewhat superfluous. Hearing Li Bi say this, the crowd asked:
"What about that?"

"We will remain in the military camp, controlling the troops and guarding the granaries and granaries. We will avoid making trouble for Houmo Chenyue's troops and those fake Luoyang people from Guanzhong. Even if Houmo Chenyue summons us, he will not respond. We will also send another force to guard the city gates and set up camp outside. By then, the King of Qin's army should be arriving. Once the troops move out of Shuiluo City, we will leave the city. In this way, everything will be much easier."

After hearing this, everyone, especially the leaders of the Six Garrisons, were somewhat worried and asked:

"So who should leave the city first?"

They weren't worried about becoming cannon fodder outside the city, but rather that Li Bi would betray them after meeting Li Shuang. They were even more concerned that if a bloodbath broke out in the city, the people they left behind would be weakened and would lose their voice to Li Shuang.

Li Bidao:
"You can choose one troop to serve outside."

Upon hearing this, the leaders of the six garrisons said:

"General, you are truly righteous!"

……

Hou Mochen Yue quickly learned of the unusual activity at the military camp in the west of the city.

He then summoned all his followers who still obeyed his orders.

By this time, the letter of persuasion to surrender that Li Shuang had come from was already everywhere in the city, and everyone present had received about ten copies.

However, these fugitives from Guanzhong were unmoved and instead advised:
"Governor, let's make our move. While the snow is still wet, the mountain roads are difficult to traverse, and Da Yeshuang's army has not yet arrived, let's strike first."

Hou Mochenyue hesitated and said:

"Li Bi and the others haven't rebelled yet. If we attack them now, wouldn't that be playing right into the hands of Da Yeshuang? Besides, what if they weren't originally going to rebel, but we force them to?

Hearing this, everyone was at a loss for what to do!
Old Bu Liugu, leaning on his cane, paced back and forth in the room, his anger rising, and he couldn't help but shout:

"The governor!"

Everyone was startled by the shout, but then they heard Old Bu Liu Gu say:
"This is a matter of life and death; how can we tolerate womanly compassion? Even if they didn't want to rebel, they have already rebelled. If we don't eliminate them soon, they will surely become a future threat. We still have the strength to fight. Even if we cannot win, we can retreat to Shanggui and make further plans. Otherwise, when Da Yeshuang arrives, we fear we will die without a burial place!"

Hou Mochenyue listened, but still couldn't make up his mind.

"Everyone must be tired, let's stop here and eat!"

The crowd persuaded Lao Bu Liu Gu to stop, and Hou Mo Chen Yue returned to his seat, but after waiting for a long time, the dishes still did not arrive.

"Why are you so slow?"

Hou Mochen Yue's subordinate went to the kitchen for a look and returned to report:

"My lord, the kitchen staff have all run away!"

"..."
-
In the valley, a thousand riders gathered, and the banners of the sun, moon, and stars fluttered in the wind.

Li Shuang rode slowly on his horse.

What should have been a journey in a day took the army two or three days to complete.

Even so, we are almost at Lueyang City.

This strategic pass, guarding the Longxi region, is right before us. Although the city is not large, it is crucial to the war situation in Longyou.

The city before me had no sense of solemnity whatsoever; even the flags erected on the city walls were crooked.

Before Li Shuang and his group arrived, a dozen or so riders galloped up. Their voices could be heard even before they reached them.

"I am the Commandant of Lueyang County, Qin Province, and I wish to see the King of Qin!"

Li Shuang waved his hand, and the cavalrymen in front cleared the way, allowing them to drive straight up to Li Shuang.

As soon as they dismounted, they knelt down one by one, with the leader saying:

"King of Qin, do you still remember me?"

"You look familiar. Back when I was in Shengle, didn't I take a dozen or so of your horses?"

The man was delighted.

“I never expected that the King of Qin would remember such a trivial matter. Back then, the King of Qin was ordered by the court to requisition horses for military use. My family members were stubborn and could not understand the King of Qin's difficulties. They did not want to accept the requisition. Now that I think about it, I was really wrong. Fortunately, thanks to the King of Qin's divine prowess, he quelled the bandits inside and outside the capital, and Heng and Shuofang are at peace. I am extremely grateful!”

Li Shuang smiled and said:

"When the Japanese king took more than a dozen of your horses, today I will return them to you tenfold!"

"How dare I accept such a great favor from the King of Qin? I am willing to die for the King of Qin!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"What is the situation in the city?"

"Reporting to the King of Qin, General Li Bi has led his troops out of Lueyang City, leaving only Hou Mochen Yue and his remnants in the city."

After listening, Li Shuang said:

“Shedi Gan, Cao Ni!”

"The general is here!"

"You shall lead your troops into the city first."

"promise!"

With this command, a sense of solemnity and impending doom filled the air.

The cavalry filed out and headed towards Lueyang City to launch an attack.

The city was in chaos. Doulu Guang organized his men to defend the city walls.

However, these people had a rather weak fighting spirit, and the arrows they fired were sparse and ineffective against the poorly equipped barbarian cavalry that were charging menacingly from outside the city.

"What are you all good for?!"

Doulu Guang's curses were of no use at all. The soldiers under the control of the garrison were already banging on the city gate with makeshift wooden mallets.

Doulu Guang descended from the city wall and organized his soldiers to carry out the defense.

But as the sounds of impact outside the city walls grew louder, everyone's hearts became increasingly uneasy.

Just then, Doulu Guang's trusted aide trotted over and whispered in Doulu Guang's ear:
"Military advisor, the governor fled with his men a quarter of an hour ago!"

Doulu Guang was startled and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

What happened to the promise to defend the city to the death?!

Even if you have to run away, take me with you!
Doulu Guang wanted to curse, but looking at the soldiers he had summoned around him, he remained silent, instead deliberately raising his voice:
"The governor's elite troops are coming! That's wonderful!"

As he spoke, Doulu Guang pulled the newcomer aside and asked:
"Where did the governor run off to? Did he go to Shanggui?"

"No, I heard he didn't dare go to Shanggui at all, and went to Lingzhou to find Heba Yue instead."

Doulu Guang slapped his thigh and cursed:

"That brat has ruined me!"

Doulu Guang was somewhat unwilling and said:

"Open the city gates and welcome the royal army!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around him ran away. By then, the city gate had already been opened.

Looking at the pack of fierce barbarian cavalry, Doulu Guang shouted:
"follow me!"

With a loud thud, Cao Ni knocked Doulu Guang, who was standing at the front, flying with a single blow of his spiked club.

Then, the cavalry entered from all four directions!
……

(End of this chapter)