Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 312 Ohno Sawa is going to make a move against me

Jinzhou.

Outside Pingyang County, in the garrison camp, more than a dozen carts of military supplies transported from Jinyang were being escorted by armored soldiers to the outside of the camp.

The person who transported this batch of supplies was a good friend that Gao Huan had known since his time in Huai Shuo Town.

Sun Teng!

Unlike Gao Huan, who came from a poor family, Sun Teng came from a family of military merit and was the clerk of the household affairs department in Huai Shuo Town.

After the uprising of the Six Garrisons, officials from Huai Shuo Garrison, including Sima Ziru and Sun Teng, went directly south to Xiurong and joined Erzhu Rong.

Gao Huan and others took a different path, joining the Six Garrisons Uprising.

Not only the people of Huai Shuo did this, but the people of Wu Chuan did as well. The Heba clan chose to join the then-powerful Prince of Guangyang, Yuan Shen, while the Yuwen clan chose to go to Zhongshan and join Ge Rong's forces.

However, after Erzhu Rong defeated Ge Rong, the people of the Six Garrisons who had parted ways eventually reunited in Jinyang.

"Dragon Sparrow, you've finally arrived!"

Gao Huan was already waiting at the camp gate, and greeted Sun Teng warmly as soon as they met.

Sun Teng was also very enthusiastic. He knew best how Gao Huan had risen to power. Sun Teng did not look down on him because of this. In fact, long before Lou Zhaojun took a liking to Gao Huan, Gao Huan already had a great reputation in Huai Shuo Town and had gathered a group of followers around him.

After Lou Zhaojun married Gao Huan, she brought a large dowry with her. Gao Huan used this to buy horses and became a captain. He traveled between the north and Luoyang, and his knowledge and skills increased exponentially. He rose to prominence and was no longer the leader of the unstable factors in Huai Shuo society.

"He Liuhun, I've come to Jinzhou and am now under your command. I hope you will take good care of me from now on!"

"Not at all, would you ever be shortchanged by me!"

Gao Huan was about to invite Sun Teng into the tent for a banquet, but Sun Teng insisted on unloading the cargo first.

"To be honest, He Liuhun, Da Yeshuang has been causing a lot of trouble lately. General Tianzhu has given me a military order to hand over this batch of military equipment to you. It cannot be lost."

The military equipment has already arrived at the gates of the military camp. How could there be any mistakes?
Sun Teng's words clearly drew a line between him and Gao Huan.

That means Sun Teng was sent by Erzhu Rong, and Erzhu Rong's orders are the highest priority.

Gao Huan was not annoyed when he heard this; instead, he smiled.

Sun Teng's willingness to speak openly at least shows he still cares about their friendship, which is better than resorting to underhanded tactics.

"Dragon Sparrow, after all these years, you're still the same. Fine, I'll listen to you."

After handing over the military equipment, Sun Teng followed Gao Huan into the camp.

Inside the camp, a group of generals from Huai Shuo Town, such as Wei Jing and Han Gui, were already getting impatient.

Upon seeing Sun Teng enter the tent, he couldn't help but complain:

"Long Que, why are you dragging your feet? Why don't you just hand over the military equipment to your subordinates?"

Sun Teng bowed and apologized, saying:
"I'm sorry, brothers, but it was General Tianzhu's order, and I dared not disobey it!"

Erzhu Rong was well-versed in military strategy, and his army was incredibly powerful, arguably the best in the world. Correspondingly, Erzhu Rong was also notoriously strict with his generals and soldiers.

Regardless of the weather, Erzhu Rong would lead his army on hunting expeditions. Although ostensibly hunting, these expeditions were actually military training exercises.

Military orders are strictly enforced and cannot be broken.

Those present, though from Pingyang, naturally didn't feel it as deeply as Sun Teng from Jinyang, but they had experienced it nonetheless. After all, they all came from Jinyang.

Gao Huan aptly smoothed things over.

"We're all brothers, let's not talk about that. The important thing today is to drink to our hearts' content."

Gao Huan's words immediately livened up the atmosphere.

The tent was filled with Huai Shuo people, so naturally they had endless topics to discuss.

Now everyone in the main tent has prospered, and they can drink and reminisce about the past with great joy, even though those memories are filled with suffering, something they desperately wanted to escape back then.

As they were talking, Wei Jing asked a question.

"How is Huai Shuo doing now?"

Sun Teng, who came from Jinyang, had firsthand information and replied.

"It's not as good as it used to be!"

More than 200,000 people from the six towns moved south, and the former six-town system was broken, naturally losing its former appearance.

Of course, those present didn't think much of what the old days looked like.

"Now there are hardly any of our people there anymore. It has become the territory of the various Khans, both big and small, appointed by Da Yeshuang. It is all grazing by the Hu people."

The Six Garrisons, located north of the Yin Mountains, were the first line of defense established by the Northern Wei Dynasty on the grasslands. With the collapse of the Six Garrisons system, the area north of the Yin Mountains, no longer guarded by these garrison troops, naturally became pastureland for the Hu people.

This is inevitable.

However, listening to Sun Teng's words, everyone still felt somewhat saddened, and someone blurted out:

"Having bestowed so many titles upon various khans, what exactly is Da Ye Shuang planning? Is he going to declare himself emperor?"

"That's not the case!"

Sun Teng waved his hand and said:

"I think it's mostly to disgust those Wuchuan people!"

Under Erzhu Rong's command, the people of Wuchuan are now clearly superior to the people of Huaishuo.

This is what bothers the people of Huai Shuo the most.

Gao Huan, the most successful man among the Huai Shuo people, is only a prefect of a state, while Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng from Wu Chuan are already governors and vice governors in charge of several states.

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled, indicating that Li Shuang had done a good job.

A smile also appeared on Sun Teng's face. After all, he was also a member of Huai Shuo's power circle.

At this moment, Gao Huan spoke up and asked:
"I heard that the fourth son of the Yuwen family has gone to Pingcheng and is working under Erzhu Tianguang. How is he doing?"

Sun Teng listened and replied:
“He Liuhun, you know what, that kid is something. Hengzhou was already in chaos, and after Hebasheng left, a rebellion broke out. Those Hu people were sometimes surrendering and sometimes rebelling, and the Erzhu family couldn’t do anything about it. General Tianzhu gave the order that if the situation couldn’t be quelled, then Hengzhou would be finished. After Yuwentai went there, he quickly quelled the rebellions in the surrounding area.”

Gao Huan was a little curious and asked:
How did he do it?

“Yuwentai, in the name of Erzhu Tianguang, recruited the leaders of the rebellion, gathered them together, and took the opportunity to kill them and gather their followers.”

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

Wei Jing even said:
"That kid's ruthless!"

Gao Huan listened and laughed:
"Such a great achievement, how will General Tianzhu reward you?"

Sun Teng shook his head and said:

"General Tianzhu sent an envoy to rebuke him for his cruel methods and dispersed the followers he had gathered to other places. However, Erzhu Tianguang was a kind man and secretly gave Yuwentai a lot of good things."

The crowd didn't seem to care much about it. After all, Yuwen Tai was far away in Hengzhou, which wasn't close to them, so they just treated it as a trivial matter.

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan's feelings became even clearer.

Erzhu Rong used him and Yuwen Tai to the point of exhaustion, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Inside the large tent, halfway through the banquet, Dou Tai, clad in armor, hurriedly entered the tent.

Dou Tai was Gao Huan's brother-in-law and a member of Huai Shuo's faction, but he did not attend the banquet. Instead, he led his troops to inspect the front lines.

"Shi Ning, why are you so late?"

While everyone was teasing him, Dou Tai's face remained serious.

"Something has gone wrong up ahead." Gao Huan asked upon hearing this.
"how?"

Hou Jing is here!

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan sobered up instantly and stood up abruptly, startling Sun Teng who was sitting next to him.

"He Liuhun, why do you look like this?"

Gao Huan looked worried and said:

"The night owl has come home!"
-
Jinyang.

The area north of the city is a hub of activity with a high volume of people coming and going.

However, compared to the bustling front residence, the rear residence where Erzhu Rong lived was much quieter.

Erzhu Zhao hurriedly entered Erzhu Rong's residence and bumped into a young boy.

Erzhu Rong's son, Erzhu Puti!

Erzhu Zhao always treated Erzhu Puti with great discretion.

"Bodhi, is your uncle inside?"

Erzhu Bodhi reminded him:
"Tumo, you must be careful. If it's something bad, don't rush to say it. Your father is angry!"

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Zhao's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked:
"What happened?"

"The proposal for Father to be granted the Nine Bestowments has been rejected in Luoyang."

After listening, Erzhu Zhao seemed to empathize with Erzhu Rong.

“This Yuan Ziyou is really shameless. It’s just a matter of receiving the Nine Bestowments. Do you really want to trouble Uncle to go to Luoyang himself? Uncle is kind-hearted. If you had listened to me earlier and brought Yuan Ziyou to Jinyang, it would have saved a lot of trouble.”

"Just be careful!"

With Erzhu Puti's reminder, Erzhu Zhao became more cautious. After all these years, Erzhu Zhao hadn't suffered Erzhu Rong's beatings for nothing; he already knew how to deal with it.

Erzhu Zhao entered the house with a fawning smile, knowing full well the answer but asking:

"Uncle, who made you suffer such a great injustice?"

"Who else could it be but you!"

Erzhu Zhao quickly agreed, carefully handling the situation. Gradually, Erzhu Rong's expression softened, but he remained cold.

"How did you come?"

"Does Uncle know about Ohno So's achievements and honors in Chang'an?"

Erzhu Rong's face darkened even more after hearing this.

"You're not going to bring up the matter of beating up Ohno again, are you?"

“After what my uncle told me last time, I understood that now is not the time. What I want to tell my uncle is that Hou Jing, the general appointed by Da Ye Shuang, has now arrived in Hedong and is probably going to make a move against Jinzhou. My uncle also knows that Da Ye Shuang has been managing Jinzhou for many years. Back then, he was forced by my uncle’s authority to give it to our Erzhu clan, but who knows how many spies Da Ye Shuang has planted in it.”

Seeing that Erzhu Zhao had brought up serious matters, Erzhu Rong's expression softened somewhat.

What do you think should be done?

"He Liuhun wrote to me, saying that Hou Jing is very powerful. Uncle, why don't we transfer me to Jinzhou to deal with Hou Jing?"

"Is this the solution you came up with?"

Erzhu Zhao thought Erzhu Rong didn't understand Hou Jing, and explained:
"Although Hou Jing is not good-looking and did not attract much attention when he was in Jinyang, he was one of the first to follow Da Yeshuang and was highly valued by him. Among Da Yeshuang's men, Hou Jing is not the most capable fighter, but he is the most cunning. People say that he has three-tenths of Da Yeshuang's style. If I don't go, I'm afraid He Liuhun will have a hard time dealing with him."

Erzhu Rong looked at Erzhu Zhao and suddenly laughed.

"You mean Gao Huan can't handle Hou Jing, and you're the only one who can handle him?"

Erzhu Zhao nodded emphatically.

“I know He Liuhun’s abilities, but he’s too loyal to his friends. I’m afraid he’ll fall into Hou Jing’s trap. We can’t lose Jinzhou, otherwise, Taiyuan will suffer the consequences!”

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Rong's expression turned somewhat strange, and he was momentarily at a loss as to whether to feel joy or sorrow.

"Tumo, are you...?"

Before Erzhu Rong could finish speaking, Wang Xiang's voice came from outside.

Murong Shaozong requests an audience!

Erzhu Rong listened, but did not continue speaking.

"Alright, you can go now. I have something to discuss with Murong Shaozong."

Erzhu Zhao felt a little jealous. Although Murong Shaozong was also a relative of Erzhu Rong, he was ultimately a cousin. He was not as close as his own nephew. However, recently, Erzhu Rong had been valuing Murong Shaozong more and more.

Erzhu Rong spent more time with Murong Shaozong than all the other members of the Erzhu clan combined.

"promise!"

As Erzhu Zhao walked out, he glared fiercely at Murong Shaozong, leaving Murong Shaozong bewildered, wondering how he had offended him this time.
"Shaozong, are you aware that Hou Jing has arrived in Hedong?"

He entered the house and, in response to Erzhu Rong's question, bowed and said:
"I just heard that!"

"Where do you think Ohno's pleasure lies?"

Without a second thought, Murong Shaozong said directly:
"It's probably Gao Huan!"

Erzhu Rong felt much better after hearing this.

"How to say it?"

"Over the years, Gao Huan has guarded Jinzhou so tightly that it is impenetrable. Da Yeshuang has no good way to deal with it. He sent Hou Jing here, mostly to win over the Huai Shuo military generals in Jinzhou and to put Gao Huan in a difficult position."

Erzhu Rong laughed and said:
What do you think should be done?

“The people of Wuchuan have made a move, and the people of Huaishuo should make a move too! Otherwise, if the people of Huaishuo in Jinzhou are really won over by Hou Jing, it will not be a good thing for us.”

Over the years, Erzhu Rong had Gao Huan guard Jinzhou, while keeping Sima Ziru, another bigwig of the Huai Shuo faction, by his side and employing him. He was well aware of the abilities of these Huai Shuo people, and naturally knew that he could not let them easily slip out of his control.

If Li Shuang had sent someone else, Erzhu Rong wouldn't have cared so much. But Hou Jing was different; he was from Huai Shuo and was very familiar with the bigwigs of the Huai Shuo faction, such as Gao Huan and Sima Ziru, as well as their subordinates.

With external competition, Erzhu Rong's situation became much more complicated. He had to carefully manage his actions to avoid losing popular support and letting Li Shuang take advantage of the situation.

Simply put, it's time to promote the people of Huai Shuo.

Erzhu Rong nodded.

Erzhu Zhao was actually right about one thing: for Erzhu Rong, Jinzhou was not to be lost.

Pingyang served as a protective barrier for Taiyuan in the Hedong region. Without it, the armies of Guanzhong and Hedong could infiltrate Taiyuan, the stronghold of the Erzhu clan.

This was a matter of life and death for Erzhu, who could not leave Jinyang for even a moment.

"Let's wait and see. I need to take another look."

Anyway, Jinzhou is very close to Jinyang, so Erzhu Rong can quickly take control of the situation in Jinzhou.

"Furthermore, you will replace Erzhu Zhao. If anything happens in Jinzhou, you will lead the army south to deal with Hou Jing!"

"promise!"

Looking at Murong Shaozong's retreating figure, Erzhu Rong felt a pang of regret.

"Why not have the surname Erzhu!"

……

(End of this chapter)