Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 315 The World is About to Fall into Chaos

Jinyang.

At midnight, a startled roar echoed through General Tianzhu's bedroom.

Erzhu Rong was startled awake by the noise. When he came to, he saw his wife, Princess Beixiang, sitting on the bed, panting.

Erzhu Rong patted her back, only to find that Princess Beixiang's back was covered in sweat.

Did you have a nightmare?

Princess Beixiang, still shaken, looked at her husband, her face filled with worry in the darkness.

"Tianbao, don't go to Luoyang!"

His wife spoke in an unprecedented tone, saying something that left Erzhu Rong puzzled.

"Women should not interfere in matters of state and military affairs."

Erzhu Rong wanted to brush it off with a single sentence, but Princess Beixiang grabbed his arm and then advised him:

“I had a nightmare, which I fear is an ominous sign. Your journey south this time is probably not a good thing.”

Erzhu Rong patted his wife on the shoulder, comforting her:

"No need to worry, all the troops inside and outside Luoyang are my men, there will be no mistakes."

Princess Beixiang couldn't persuade Erzhu Rong otherwise, but she couldn't sleep at all that night.

Erzhu Rong pretended to sleep beside Princess Beixiang all night. When dawn broke, he looked at his haggard wife but didn't say much. After breakfast, he went to find someone.

Liu Lingzhu!
Erzhu Rong sought him out for a simple reason: divination!

Inside the smoke-filled room, after Liu Lingzhu's intervention, Erzhu Rong finally obtained the result.

Liu Lingzhu sat down in front of Erzhu Rong and told him the result.

"General Tianzhu's southward journey is likely a very ominous sign!"

Erzhu Rong fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

Liu Lingzhu was simply waiting for Erzhu Rong to come to a conclusion on his own.

After a while, he looked at Liu Lingzhu and gave the instructions:
"Do not tell anyone about this. If anyone asks, just say 'Great fortune'!"

"promise!"

……

After Erzhu Rong left, Liu Lingzhu said leisurely:

"General Tianzhu hesitated!"

Liu Lingzhu's page came over and asked:
"Master, why would someone as powerful as General Tianzhu act in this way?"

Liu Lingzhu chuckled and said:
“He already had a plan in mind; he came to me only seeking comfort.”

"Then why didn't Master give General Tianzhu the answer he wanted?"

Liu Lingzhu stroked his beard and said:
"The more intelligent a person is, the more independent their opinions become. It is only because of this great misfortune that General Tianzhu is even more determined to head south."

What would happen then?

"If the King of Qin wins, the Erzhu clan's empire will collapse; if General Tianzhu wins, the King of Qin will probably find it difficult to venture eastward again."

The boy's expression was somewhat complicated as he said:
"What should we do if the King of Qin loses?"

"It does not matter!"

Tong Zi was surprised by Liu Lingzhu's answer.

"I am no longer important to the King of Qin; the King of Qin is no longer important to me."

Liu Lingzhu smiled, and suddenly a dagger appeared in his hand. He killed the boy with a single stroke.

Blood gushed out and flowed onto the ground. Looking at his unseeing child, Liu Lingzhu felt a sense of relief, as if he had been freed from his shackles.

"Over the years, I have done enough for the King of Qin. Now, it is time for me to live for myself. Don't blame me. Blame yourself for being fickle. You served as my attendant, yet you still took money from the King of Qin and acted as his spy."

Liu Lingzhu hung a sign in front of his wizarding hall, announcing that he would be closed today. Afterward, he rode his horse out of the back gate and left Jinyang City, arriving at an abandoned post station outside the city.

He rode his donkey and knocked on the door.

Dozens of people appeared inside the post station.

They were both Liu Lingzhu's loyal followers and his devotees.

"For so many years, I have been like a puppet in the hands of actors, constantly being manipulated by Erzhu Rong and Li Shuang."

Why did Erzhu Rong keep a sorcerer like Liu Lingzhu?
Is it really so that he can do divination and give her guidance?

No, Erzhu Rong wanted Liu Ling to divine a specific piece of guidance for him!
Then, through Liu Lingzhu's words, he told his group of northerners under his command to do things for him.

Liu Lingzhu had very little room to maneuver. This was what he was most dissatisfied with.

"Now, I've finally got the opportunity I've been waiting for. No matter who wins, it's a good chance for me to get out of here."

Liu Lingzhu, seemingly having suppressed his feelings for a long time, spoke to his followers:

“Erzhu Rong cannot afford a second defeat. He has no choice but to win. Once he loses, the Erzhu clan’s rule will collapse, and Erzhu Rong will no longer be the Great General who holds the reins of the Great Wei. On the contrary, Li Shuang will retreat to Guanzhong, and then he will no longer be able to restrain me.”

"Master, what should we do?"

"Head north, back to where we know us!"

……

Tianzhu General's Mansion.

"Liu Lingzhu closed his shop at noon and left Jinyang City. After that, his whereabouts became unknown."

Erzhu Rong waved his hand, dismissing the subordinate who had come to report.

As Erzhu Rong pondered, he looked at Yuan Tianmu beside him.

"Brother, why do you think Liu Lingzhu suddenly ran away?"

Yuan Tianmu, however, did not care about this.

"A wizard, let him go!"

Yuan Tianmu didn't care much about this because he didn't know what Erzhu Rong had said to him that day, nor did he know that over the years Erzhu Rong had secretly asked Liu Lingzhu to do many things he wanted to do.

Now that Liu Ling has started running, Erzhu Rong feels something is amiss.

Liu Lingzhu had no ability to threaten Erzhu Rong, even though he had done many things for Erzhu Rong over the years.

None of these things could shake Erzhu Rong's position.

"I'm planning to head south!"

After Erzhu Rong finished speaking, Yuan Tianmu also became serious.

"Is it worth it for you to go to such lengths just to receive the Nine Bestowments?"

"Nine bestowals are not worth it, nor is Yuan Ziyou's, but if it's Da Ye Shuang, then it is worth it!"

Yuan Tianmu knew that Li Shuang was currently in Hongnong, and his troops could travel down the Yellow River to Luoyang.

Both sides' armies could turn Luoyang into a battlefield at any time, and then the world of Wei would be thrown into chaos.

"Tianbao, do you really want to do this? If Luoyang falls into chaos, the entire Wei kingdom will fall into chaos as well."

Erzhu Rong, however, did not care and said:

"If Luoyang is the price I pay to settle the score between him and me, then let it be chaotic!"

Erzhu Rong possessed a kind of toughness that Yuan Tianmu could not understand.

With the Guanzhong Plain secured and Li Shuang recognizing his merits in Chang'an, the empire was effectively divided into three parts.

Li Shuang's share was the smallest and weakest, but it was enough to hold onto thanks to the natural defenses of the four passes around Guanzhong.

Erzhu Rong had long understood that if he and Li Shuang were to be in a state of prolonged hostility, then Luoyang, the central city of the empire, would inevitably be difficult to protect.

With Shancheng in the enemy's hands, Li Shuang's troops can set off from Chang'an, advance eastward along the Wei River, enter the Yellow River, and reach Luoyang.

One northern city is not enough to stop the troops from Guanzhong. Yuan Tianmu looked at Erzhu Rong, still somewhat uncertain.

"Tianbao, are you really sure?"

“I have already sent Gao Huan to Ye City to make preparations. If the war goes badly, Luoyang will become the front line. I will move Yuan Ziyou to Ye City. If he is unwilling, we will replace him with another emperor.”

Yuan Tianmu took a deep breath; it seemed that Erzhu Rong already had a backup plan in mind.

They had even prepared for a defeat, retreating to Ye City, and splitting the Great Wei empire in two with Li Shuang.

"Tianbao, what do you want me to do?"

"Let's go to Hongnong and see Daye Shuang again!"

……

Luoyang.

Xianyang Hall.

"What is Erzhu Rong going to do!"

When news came from the north, Erzhu Rong's reaction far exceeded Yuan Ziyou's expectations.

Not only did he come, but he also brought Erzhu's army of 100,000 to Luoyang.

Even if Yuan Ziyou was stupid, he would know that Erzhu Rong was making such a big fuss not for his own sake!

For whom?

At this moment, Yuan Ziyou had lost all imperial composure; he felt a wave of lingering fear. In his panic, he even revealed his truest self in front of his ministers.

Of course, if Yuan Ziyou was like this, his subordinates would naturally not be much better than him.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Li Yu rushed into the palace, panting, showing no manners befitting a subject, his face filled with panic.

"There's movement in Chang'an. A large number of troops are gathering in Guanzhong and heading towards Hongnong. Gao Ang has already led 5,000 vanguard troops to seize Xin'an. Erzhu Rong has also ordered Sima Ziru to take over the defense of Beizhong City and ordered Hebasheng to go north to Yiyang."

Yuan Ziyou suddenly realized that the situation was beyond his imagination.

He originally wanted to play both sides between Erzhu Rong and Li Shuang, and even reap the benefits, but once the two of them got serious, Yuan Ziyou suddenly realized that his schemes and tricks were not up to par.

Once they actually go to war, Luoyang will become the battlefield. Regardless of who wins, the outcome is already predetermined.

He will pay the price!
The entire city of Luoyang will also pay the price!

The Yuan clan, once the most prestigious surname in the Great Wei Dynasty and the foremost of all surnames in the land, will fall to the dust amidst the clash of these two warriors.

Yuan Ziyou understood this, and like a drowning person grasping at a straw, he kept shouting:

"This is Luoyang! This is Luoyang! What are they going to do? Are they going to destroy the Great Wei?!"

However, no one could answer Yuan Ziyou's question.

Even Li Yu, who had run all the way here, was now panting and speechless.

Seeing that no one could answer him, Yuan Ziyou plopped down on the throne, looking lost in thought.

"Where are Erzhu Shilong and Xi Yi? Where have they gone?"

"They all received Erzhu Rong's military orders and went to reorganize the Imperial Guards."

Yuan Ziyou roared like a madman:
"Tell them, Erzhu Rong just wants the Nine Bestowments, I'll give them to him, I'll give them all to him!"

……

“It seems that Yuan Ziyou has lost his sense of proportion.”

Inside the Shuangnv Temple, Hu Xuanhui was pruning the flowerbeds in the backyard when he heard Yuan Luo describe what had happened in Xianyang Hall, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Does he think that now that things have come to this, it's still too late to bestow the Nine Bestowments upon Erzhu Rong?"

Yuan Luo was far less relaxed than Hu Xuanhui; his face was full of worry.

If Luoyang is lost, the Yuan clan's stronghold will also be lost. Yuan Luo is a member of the Yuan clan, and his roots are also in Luoyang.

"Li Shuang has few troops, and some of them have to be sent to defend against the Wuchuan people in the north. Even with the support of the Liang people, his strength is not as good as Erzhu Rong's. Does he really dare to fight Erzhu Rong? This is not a city defense battle, but a battle of formations!"

Yuan Luo still harbored a sliver of hope, but was met with Hu Xuanhui's merciless mockery.

"Is there anything in this world that Li Shuang wouldn't dare to do?"

Hu Xuanhui's words silenced Yuan Luogan.

"Back then, he only had three thousand cavalrymen under his command, yet he dared to storm into the Taiji Hall, extort money from all the officials, and then leave triumphantly. Now, his army is more than ten times what it was back then. Let alone fighting Erzhu Rong in Luoyang, it's not impossible for him to dismantle the entire city of Luoyang and transport the debris back to Chang'an. Moreover, Li Shengui is currently under his command."

Upon hearing Hu Xuanhui mention Li Shengui, Yuan Luo couldn't help but say:

"What time is it? Why are you still bringing up Li Shengui? Don't let love cloud your judgment!"

Hu Xuanhui smiled.

"You're the one who's been blinded, aren't you? What do you think Li Shuang sent Li Shenggui to that Liang-Han land for?"

Yuan Luo paused for a moment, then said:
"Could it be?"

"Li Shuang intends to leverage Li Shengui's reputation and the relationship with the Liang people to pacify the Qiang and Di tribes, stabilize the Liang people, and secure the rear. As for those Wuchuan people, with the Shuozhou army and all the Khans, big and small, keeping an eye on them, how many of Li Shuang's troops can they really tie down? Li Shuang has already made preparations, it's just that you don't want to believe it!"

Yuan Luo was somewhat anxious, and looked at Hu Xuanhui again, questioning him:

"How can you say such a thing? Without Luoyang, without the Yuan family, could you still be peacefully tending these flowers and plants in this Twin Maidens Temple?"

Hu Xuanhui said slowly:

"I'm just a woman, what else can I do?"

Hu Xuanhui's words silenced Yuan Luo's anger.

What should I do?

"What can you do about it!"

Hu Xuanhui looked at Yuan Luo and said the calmest yet most heartbreaking words.

"This world belongs to people like Li Shuang, Erzhu Rong, and Xiao Yan. What can you do? Do you have the talent of Zhuge Liang to save the collapsing empire and turn the tide? You're just like those people from the Yuan clan, just getting by!"

Yuan Luo asked:

Why do you speak so hurtfully?

"It's just the truth!"

Yuan Luo stared at Hu Xuanhui for a long time, but in the end, without saying a word, he turned and left.

After Yuan Luo left, Hu Xuanhui continued pruning the flowers and plants. However, after pruning for a while, Hu Xuanhui felt a little tired. Looking at the sky, she murmured:

"The fate of the Great Wei is none of my concern, nor is the fate of the Yuan clan's dynasty. I only want revenge!"
-
Shaanxi City.

Li Shuang was somewhat surprised by Yuan Tianmu's arrival.

"King Qin!"

Yuan Tianmu's words to Li Shuang made Li Shuang understand the purpose of Yuan Tianmu's trip.

declare war!

Erzhu Rong had made up his mind without the slightest hesitation.

He wanted to settle things with Li Shuang in Luoyang to determine the outcome of the battle and decide the future of the Northern Dynasty for the next ten or even several decades.

"The King of Shangdang!"

Seeing Yuan Tianmu's attitude, Li Shuang did not show the usual familiarity; everything was handled strictly as a business.

Yuan Tianmu was somewhat moved, but his expression remained indifferent.

"I have come here on the orders of General Tianzhu to challenge the King of Qin to a battle. I wonder if the King of Qin dares to accept?"

……

(End of this chapter)