Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 318 Can't I be granted the title of Nine Bestowments?

Luoyang.

Jinyong City.

Several years have passed since they last met, and the scenes in Jin Yongcheng's and Li Shuang's memories are no longer the same.

The gold and jade are gone, the carvings are gone, the once magnificent palace has become dilapidated, the pool is full of withered branches and willows, no one takes care of it, and the furniture in the palace has been replaced. Not only is it incomplete, but it has also been replaced with the cheapest old bentwood furniture.

The former Jinyong City was not only a military fortress standing north of Luoyang, but also served as a royal garden, making it extremely luxurious.

Today, this dilapidated scene is just like a reflection of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

The frame is still there, but the flesh and blood are gone.

Hulü Guang came over and brought Li Shuang the latest news.

Regarding the movements on Erzhu Rong's side!

"The troops from Jinyang built camps around the General Tianzhu's Mansion and the Prince of Shangdang's Mansion, occupying several surrounding neighborhoods and creating a city within a city."

Erzhu Rong's side's wariness of Li Shuang's side was obvious. Although the two sides made peace and even joined forces to deal with the Rouran, it was impossible for them to return to the relationship before the Battle of Baibi.

Li Shuang didn't care. Looking at the gradually growing Hulü Guang in front of him, he asked, "..."
What is your view on the current situation?

Upon hearing Li Shuang's question, Hulü Guang cupped his hands and said:
"Erzhu Rong is full of scheming, Your Majesty must be wary!"

"Tell me!"

"Erzhu Rong ceded Jinyong City and the land west of Luoyang to us, but his troops occupied the waterways, controlled the ferry crossings along the Yellow River, and controlled the passages from Hebei and Henan to Luoyang. Once he turns against us, the grain supplies from Guanzhong will not be able to be transported to Luoyang by water, and we will definitely not be able to hold out for long by land alone. Jinyong City is important, but one Jinyong City cannot change the situation; instead, it seems like bait that Erzhu Rong has thrown at us."

Li Shuang smiled and said:
“Ah Guang, you’re right.”

Huli Guang was thrilled to receive Li Shuang's affirmation.

"Then when do you think Erzhu Rong will turn against us?"

Li Shuang asked a question, but Huli Guang didn't answer. Instead, he awkwardly scratched his head.

Just then, Houmo Chenchong walked over, cupped his hands, and said:
"Your Majesty, Erzhu Rong has sent an envoy to invite you to the Xianyang Palace to discuss military matters."

After Hou Mochen Chong finished speaking, he added:
"The roads and palace gates along the way are already under the control of our armored soldiers. The guards outside Xianyang Palace are Yang Jin and his five hundred imperial guards. Even if something changes, our cavalry can arrive in an instant."

"What about Erzhu Rong?"

"I have inquired and found that the Erzhu clan has not taken control of the palace gates and roads. The original imperial guards are still in control. Erzhu Rong has already entered the palace with a hundred armored soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang said:
"It seems Erzhu Rong is still very confident in his control of Luoyang!"

As he spoke, he looked at Hulü Guang and gave the order:
"Ah Guang, gather a hundred armored soldiers and come with me to the palace."

"promise!"

……

Outside Xianyang Palace, Yang Jin, an old general who was over sixty years old, was appointed by Yuan Ziyou as the General of the Martial Guard, in charge of five hundred imperial guards.

After Xi Yi was exposed, part of the Imperial Guards under his command were transferred to Erzhu Shilong's command, while the rest were dispersed among other Imperial Guard generals.

This old general held firm in Dingzhou during the turmoil in Hebei and was highly respected. After Ge Rong was quelled, he was transferred back to Luoyang and was respected by Erzhu Rong, but he was not given a single extra soldier.

In the distance, the King of Qin's chariot arrived.

The sight of the hundred fully armed soldiers following the carriage filled Yang Jin with a sense of awe.

Such a scenario would have been impossible ten years ago.

The dignity of the Northern Wei imperial family was utterly trampled upon as these hundred fully armed soldiers entered Xianyang Palace.

What concerned Yang Jin even more was that Li Shuang and his soldiers were each carrying water bags and food.

It seems they have no intention of eating in the palace at all.

These obvious details delighted Yang Jin, revealing that the relationship between Li Shuang and Erzhu Rong was far from as amicable as it appeared on the surface.

The King of Qin's carriage drove straight to the front of Xianyang Palace, and no one dared to stop it.

Li Shuang stepped down from the carriage and bowed, saying:
"Master Yang!"

The young man before him was more imposing than Yang Jin had imagined. Unlike the group of northerners under Erzhu Rong, whose hair was disheveled, his soldiers looked more like people from Luoyang.

However, Yang Jin knew in his heart that although Li Shuang outwardly respected Emperor Xiaowen's Sinicization reforms, it was only on the surface; in private, he had already changed them beyond recognition.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty and General Tianzhu are already waiting in the hall."

"Good work!"

Li Shuang led a hundred armored soldiers into the palace. As soon as they entered, the somber atmosphere inside the palace changed dramatically.

Yuan Ziyou sat on the throne like a puppet, wanting to stand up, but Erzhu Rong was one step ahead of him. Upon seeing this, Yuan Ziyou paused halfway up and sat back down.

"The King of Qin has arrived!"

"General Tianzhu!"

"Why be so polite between brothers like us!"

"General Tianzhu is right!"

The two walked up to the emperor.

Yuan Tianmu was waiting in front of the emperor. When he saw Li Shuang, he nodded slightly.

Erzhu Rong brought his son Erzhu Puti and a group of young members of the Erzhu clan with him on this trip south, all of whom are currently in the palace. Clearly, Erzhu Rong wants to accelerate the progress of these young members of the Erzhu clan.

In addition, there were Yuan Ziyou's confidants Li Yu, Yang Kan, and others.

Xi Yi was exposed, but Yuan Ziyou was relieved that he had never considered Xi Yi as one of his own, and the time he had brought him into his circle was short.

Therefore, even if Xi Yi was exposed, the only thing he could confess was helping Yuan Ziyou plot to meet Gao Qian. He couldn't reveal any other secrets.

Erzhu Rong originally intended to replace all of Yuan Ziyou's close advisors, but due to the short timeframe, he couldn't find suitable replacements immediately. More importantly, Erzhu Rong worried that such a drastic move would cause the powerful families in Luoyang to side with Li Shuang.

Therefore, Erzhu Rong remained inactive, waiting to gradually eliminate his enemies.

"Bodhi, greetings to your third uncle!"

Erzhu Puti was very polite, and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Bodhi has grown so big!"

The other party also seemed to have a good impression of Li Shuang, and their warm manner made Erzhu Rong and the generals behind him frown.

"General Tianzhu, what important matter do you wish to discuss with me?"

Erzhu Rong pulled his son, Erzhu Puti, from beside Li Shuang to behind him and said:
"The latest military report has arrived from Pingcheng: the Rouran ruler Anagui has led 100,000 cavalry south, occupied the southern desert region, divided up pastures, and settled various tribes. It seems that after arriving this time, he doesn't want to leave!"

Southern Inner Mongolia has always been a key area in the struggle between the Central Plains and the grasslands.

Qin Shi Huang dispatched General Meng Tian northward to recover the Hetao region and build the Great Wall along the Yin Mountains, driving the Xiongnu more than 700 li away.

Emperor Wu of Han then dispatched Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, who defeated the Xiongnu so badly that even their stronghold in the northern desert could not withstand the attack.

Compared to the Qin and Han dynasties, the Xianbei people of the Northern Wei dynasty treated their old brothers on the grasslands with the cruelest heart!
That was truly a case of skinning the skin, pulling out the tendons, and sucking the marrow from the bones!

Even so, once the Northern Wei dynasty weakened and the Six Garrisons system collapsed, a power vacuum emerged in southern Gobi. The Rouran Khan Anagui seized the opportunity and launched a major southward campaign to fill the void.

Erzhu Rong glanced at Li Shuang and handed him the memorial sent from Pingcheng.

"The memorial sent by Erzhu Tianguang outlines methods for defending against the enemy. What is the King of Qin's opinion?"

The northerners in Hengzhou were sworn enemies of the Rouran. When Anagui returned north, he and his Rouran brothers plundered the northern lands, but the Luoyang court could not provide an explanation, which became the spark that ignited the Six Garrisons Rebellion. At this time, a large number of troops from the Six Garrisons marched south, but the time had not yet been long enough for the northerners remaining in Hengzhou to lose their martial spirit.

These northerners have all sorts of dirty tricks up their sleeves when dealing with the Rouran, so there's no need to worry about tactics at all.

What truly concerned Li Shuang was the strategic issue.

Join forces!

Erzhu Tianguang wanted to consolidate military power and take the initiative to attack.

Of course, this issue was not originally a military one.

The troops of Hengshuo belonged to two different parties. After they are combined, whose troops will they belong to?
Erzhu Rong tentatively asked:

"What is the King of Qin's opinion on the matter of joining forces?"

In response, Li Shuang simply sighed:

“If it weren’t for my brother Li Shengui being far away in Liang and Han, pacifying the Ba people and unable to leave, what could a mere Anagui do?”

Erzhu Rong raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

What do these mean?
I'm not as good as Li Shengui!
Erzhu Rong was filled with rage. Hearing these words made him feel even more humiliated than when he withdrew his troops from Baibi City.

After all, on the banks of the Luo River, Erzhu Rong really suffered a loss at the hands of Li Shengui.

Erzhu Rong couldn't deny this point.

Everyone present knew about this.

Noticing Erzhu Rong's unusual behavior, Yuan Tianmu stepped in to smooth things over.

"The might of the King of Chenliu is awe-inspiring, shaking both the north and south. However, he is not currently in the north, and it is too late to summon him there now. If we do not join forces, the army of Hengshuo will likely be defeated piecemeal by the Rouran. Only by winning a battle first, suppressing Anagui's southward advance, and stabilizing the Hengshuo region can we devise a plan for the future. Otherwise, if the two prefectures of Hengshuo are plundered by the Rouran, the people will suffer, and years of hard work may be destroyed in an instant. The Rouran, having tasted the sweetness of victory, may launch a large-scale raid on the north."

The fear the Rouran instilled in the Xianbei was never due to their soldiers and scimitars; the Xianbei knew that the Rouran's soldiers and scimitars were not very effective.

The Xianbei people were always worried that the Rouran people would replicate their southward migration route.

Once the Rouran people have swallowed up the Hengshuo and Shuo prefectures, plundered their wealth, and absorbed their population, their strength will increase significantly.

It should be noted that now that there are no internal or external threats, the two prefectures of Heng and Shuo are developing even better than before the Six Garrisons Rebellion.

Li Shuang was not worried about this. At least, not as worried as Zhu Rong.

Even if the Rouran defeated the Hengshuo army and wanted to move south, Li Shuang would be blocked by Heba Yue, Yuwen Luosheng, and their Wuchuan followers. In contrast, Erzhu Rong's stronghold, Jinyang, would face significantly increased pressure.

If the Rouran people were to capture Pingcheng and use it as a base, their forces could advance south and reach Taiyuan in no time.

After Yuan Tianmu finished speaking, he threw out the bargaining chip that had been agreed upon beforehand.

"To highlight Prince Qin's achievements in pacifying the Northwest and subduing the Hu and Qiang tribes, the court intends to entrust the Three Jing regions to Prince Qin for governance. Furthermore, after the combined forces of Heng and Shuo prefectures, the troops in these two regions will no longer be under the jurisdiction of Jinyang, but will remain under the management of the Northern Expeditionary Grand Commandery. All officers and soldiers will be appointed and dismissed by the local authorities. What do you think?"

……

After the meeting, the two sides reached an agreement and decided to join forces.

Watching Li Shuang's departing figure, Erzhu Shilong spat and said to Erzhu Rong:
"Who does Da Yeshuang think he is, to deserve the Nine Bestowments?"

Erzhu Rong glanced at Erzhu Shilong and shouted:

"shut up!"

Erzhu Shilong shut his mouth, but Erzhu Rong could not vent his anger. He clenched his fists and reminded himself in his heart.

It’s not time yet!
……

In the carriage, Hulü Guang sat beside Li Shuang and asked:

"Your Majesty, most of the land of Sanjing has fallen into the hands of the Liang people. Is it unwise to use it to exchange for military power in Shuozhou?"

Li Shuang glanced at Hulü Guang and said:

"Shuozhou is remote, and Heba Yue, Yuwen Luosheng, and others are blocking our way, preventing us from providing timely support. Without joining forces, we have no chance of victory. Are we really going to watch our old brothers in Shuozhou be slaughtered and enslaved by the Rouran?"

Li Shuang's words still worried Hulü Guang. Although his father, Hulü Jin, and the tribe were also in Shuozhou, Hulü Guang's perspective was rooted in the Guanzhong region.

"Although the troops of Hengshuo are under the control of the Northern Expeditionary General's Office, the Northern Expeditionary General is Erzhu Tianguang! Pingcheng is close to Jinyang. Once the military power is unified, we will not be able to stop Erzhu from doing whatever he wants in the future. I'm afraid it will ultimately benefit Erzhu."

As Li Shuang listened, he glanced at the Xianyang Palace behind him and chuckled as the carriage set off.

"It's better for someone else to benefit than for the Rouran to benefit. Besides, who knows who will ultimately benefit!"

……

Pingcheng.

Yuwentai was studying military intelligence in the room.

Erzhu Tianguang is currently the highest commander in Hengshuo and Shuozhou, but Yuwentai is the first person under him to get things done.

There was a knock on the door.

Yuwen Tai looked up and saw Yu Jin walking in. He was carrying two jars of wine.

"I heard that Black Otter is studying military intelligence and formulating countermeasures, so I came. I hope Black Otter won't mind that I'm bothering you!"

Yuwen Tai cupped his hands and said:

"How dare you!"

"These two jars of wine were brought from Chang'an last year. Does Black Otter mind?"

Yu Jin's words made Yuwen Tai's heart tighten. However, a smile quickly appeared on Yuwen Tai's face.

"Drink as much as you can, who cares about anything else!"

"Black Otter's words are exactly what I think!"

Yu Jin tossed a jar of wine to Yuwen Tai, who caught it.

After opening the seal, Yuwentai took a bite and praised it:

"What a drink!"

Yu Jin also opened his jar of wine, smelled its aroma, and slowly said:

"Does Black Otter have a plan to repel the enemy?"

"The Rouran are easy to retreat from, but there is still no news from Luoyang."

Yu Jin smiled and said:

"To be honest, when I came here, the King of Qin instructed me that for the sake of the people of Hengshuo and Shuozhou, if it was necessary to join forces, I should do so."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tai's expression became complicated, and he uttered a sound.

"The King of Qin is benevolent and righteous!"

If it were someone else, even if they watched Hengshuo and Shuo become ruins and their people and wealth be plundered, it would still be better than letting their biggest competitor benefit.

Yu Jin continued:
"The King of Qin also said that the Erzhu clan is not worth mentioning. If he had to choose, he would rather entrust the old brothers of Shuozhou to Black Otter."

Yuwen Tai was startled and looked at Yu Jin, his emotions unable to calm down for a long time.

……

(End of this chapter)