Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 333 I Just Want to Buy a House

Changan.

Xingtaifu (Imperial Residence).

Li Shuang, who had just taken a concubine, did not indulge in the pleasures of the land for long before taking Lu Rou to the Xingtai Mansion, where he met Su Chuo, who was on duty.

Although Su Chuo is not the nominal head of the Xingtai Prefecture, he is the de facto ruler.

Su Chuo, holding the newly compiled household registration book, found Li Shuang. Seeing that there were other people around, Su Chuo hesitated at first, but Li Shuang said that Lu Rou was his new colleague, which put Su Chuo at ease.

In front of Lu Rou, Su Chuo revealed his current financial situation.

In times of chaos, talent is the scarcest resource.

After the rebellion at the end of the Zheng Guang era, the population of Guanzhong dropped to its lowest level since the Sinicization reforms of the Northern Wei Dynasty. After Li Shuang entered Guanzhong, he stabilized the order.

"Your Majesty, the total population of the various prefectures and counties in Guanzhong is now over 120,000, with a total population of over 600,000. The 12 prefectures in Guanzhong have over 28,000 soldiers."

Su Chuo gave a rough figure, which surprised Lu Rou.

He was not surprised by the poverty of Guanzhong, but by the fact that the situation there was much better than he had expected.

Of course, compared with Hebei, Henan, Shandong and other places, the population of Guanzhong is not large, but this is only in comparison with the past.

Guanzhong has always been poor. Even after years of management by the two great talents, Li Daoyuan and Jia Sixie, who opened up land and built water conservancy projects, they could only barely be self-sufficient and were still far from being wealthy.

Lu Rou knew that, in addition to Guanzhong, the jurisdiction of the Chang'an Xingtai Prefecture at this time also included Hedong, Hongnong, Longxi, the Hexi Corridor, Lianghan, and the Jingzhou region north of Xinye. Outside of Guanzhong, there were more than 60,000 Zhechongfu soldiers in various places, and the number of households that could be counted was at least 200,000 to 300,000 more.

However, the most important region was still Guanzhong, and the most elite troops under the Qin King's mansion were the 28,000 soldiers of the mansion and the 10,000 cavalry of Chang'an.

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang sighed:

"We still don't have much to offer!"

The advantage of the Fubing system was that after granting Fubing soldiers honors and allocating land, there was no need to provide them with military equipment. They could support the soldiers without spending money or food on daily life. However, the disadvantage was that you had to win battles with your Fubing soldiers.

In summary, this was a system that novices couldn't afford to play, especially in the early days of the Fubing system, where a major defeat could have ruined everything.

Li Shuang has now weathered the most difficult period in the early days of the establishment of the Fubing system. The entire Fubing system in Guanzhong is now able to operate on its own, and the armor coverage rate of Fubing soldiers in each prefecture has exceeded 60%.

In this way, even after several defeats, the entire Fubing system would not collapse, thus shaking its foundation.

Such a defeat is almost impossible as long as the enemy does not invade the Guanzhong Plain.

Li Shuang took the household registration book, glanced at it quickly, and then put it down.

"Now that Erzhu Rong is dead, who do you think we should be concerned about?"

When Li Shuang asked the question, Su Chuo should have been the first to answer. However, he didn't speak at this moment, but instead focused his gaze on Lu Rou, as if he wanted to test this new colleague.

Lu Rou noticed Su Chuo's gaze and immediately cupped her hands in greeting:
"I believe it is Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng!"

The Guanzhong Plain is surrounded by four strategic passes, a terrain that ensures the safety of the core area to the greatest extent possible.

The threat Li Shuang faces now seems to be the strongest from the east, the Erzhu clan, but in reality, it is the least of his worries.

After Erzhu Rong's death, the division of the Erzhu clan was inevitable. Even if Erzhu Zhao could sit in Jinyang, he could not command the other Erzhu clan members like Erzhu Rong; at most, he could be considered an alliance leader. In the worst-case scenario, Erzhu Zhao, as the alliance leader, could gather a large army of Erzhu clan members to attack Guanzhong, but Tongguan Pass was there, and it was not so easy to conquer.

In addition, the Tuyuhun in the west, Kualü and Fofu are fighting amongst themselves and have not yet determined a winner. Moreover, both of them have a friendly diplomatic attitude towards Guanzhong. Even if a winner is determined, they will not pose a threat to Guanzhong in the short term.

The Rouran people in the north mainly attacked Hengshuo. Although they could influence the Western Regions, it was almost impossible for them to organize a coalition of Western Regions to launch a large-scale attack on Liangzhou.

In the south, the Southern Liang dynasty is currently supporting Prince Yuan Yue of Runan. Emperor Xiao Yan seems to want to replicate the example of Yuan Hao and launch another northern expedition, but he has not received much support. Now, after several waves of purges, the forces supporting the Yuan clan within the Northern Wei have weakened to the point that they have almost all gathered in the Luoyang area. It is no longer like the time when there were many royalists in various prefectures and counties.

After Erzhu Rong pursued and killed Chen Qingzhi and Yuan Hao, and re-entered Luoyang to take control of the Central Plains, in order to cope with the strong pressure from Erzhu Rong, the Southern Liang established a friendly relationship with Guanzhong, which has not dissipated to this day. The Southern Liang also tacitly accepted the reality that the Liang-Han lands were controlled by Guanzhong. Moreover, the Bashu region of the Southern Liang is currently in a period of turmoil, and the newly conquered Nanyang region is also in the process of digestion. It is impossible for the Southern Liang to organize a large-scale military force to start a war with Guanzhong at present.

What remains are the two Di people forces in Liangzhou and the Wuchuan forces in Lingxia, north of Guanzhong.

Of the two Di forces, Wu Xing Wang Yang Shaoxian had witnessed the strength of the Guanzhong army. Although he was dissatisfied with the fact that the Guanzhong army had completely occupied the agricultural areas around Xiabian and established the Zhechong Prefecture, he did not dare to openly rebel. Yinping Wang Yang Fachen was hostile to Guanzhong, but he knew that without the support of the Liang army, he could not contend with Guanzhong, and could not even penetrate Hanzhong.

Simply put, even if these two Di kings had the will, they didn't have the ability.

After analyzing the current situation, Lu Rou focused on Lingxia and Lingxia in the north.

“Since the establishment of the Lingxia government, Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng have extensively annexed tribes to strengthen their military and promoted agriculture and animal husbandry to increase their resources. If any trouble arises in the four directions, the two of them will respond together and march south, which will surely endanger Guanzhong.”

Both Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng were from Wuchuan Town, and most of their core troops were also from Wuchuan. They also absorbed the troops from the Six Garrisons dispatched by Erzhu Rong as their backbone, conquered the surrounding Hu tribes, and used tribal soldiers as their basic force, resulting in strong internal cohesion.

In the Lingxia region, the most important agricultural resources are concentrated in Lingzhou, but this is only a supplement. The resources that these two states can mobilize are naturally incomparable to those in Guanzhong, but they adopt a system of universal conscription, so the number of soldiers they can conscript is not small.

Both Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng were talented and knew the shortcomings of the nomadic tribes' system of universal conscription, but their backgrounds meant they could minimize this disadvantage.

In fact, the troops of the Six Garrisons already possessed the mobilization advantages of nomadic tribes, and the semi-agricultural governance of Lingxia and Liangzhou was actually within their advantageous range.

Therefore, although their forces are small, they are quite threatening.

If they were to lead their troops south while the main army in Guanzhong was away fighting, they could directly threaten the heartland of Guanzhong.

Lu Rou then said:

"Even if they do not go south, but instead take advantage of the fact that Guanzhong is preoccupied with other matters, they can go north to Shuozhou and occupy fertile lands such as Yunzhong, we should still be wary of them."

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"Erzhu Zhao has many soldiers and generals, so he is not a threat; Heba Yue is a great threat because of his talent and decisiveness!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Rou cupped her hands and asked:
"Does Your Majesty have a solution?"

Li Shuang smiled, and then saw Su Chuo bring over a box, gesturing for Lu Rou to open it and take a look.

Lu Rou opened it and saw a plate of coarse salt inside. He pinched a handful, smelled it, and then tasted it.

At this moment, Lu Rou already knew where the salt came from, but she didn't understand what Li Shuang meant.

Li Shuang said:
"These two states of Lingxia cannot be decided by one person alone. We must first leave them before we can take them."

"Does Your Majesty wish for me to be sent as an envoy to Xia Prefecture to meet Yuwen Luosheng?"

"No, send someone from the imperial court."

Lu Rou nodded upon hearing this.

"I understand!"

……

Qin Wangfu.

"The princess refuses to see the Prince of Nanyang!"

Yuan Baoju was stopped outside Yuan Mingyue's residence and was not allowed to enter.

“We are siblings. How can I not see my own sister? Is there such a thing in the world?” “The princess said that if the Prince of Nanyang has no shame, she has no shame either. She will not have this brother.”

Princess Yifu, who had finally managed to pull Yuan Baoju away, asked breathlessly:

"what are you up to?"

Yuan Baoju, looking languid, stood with his hands on his hips, facing the fiercely beautiful Princess Yifu, and spoke righteously and sternly:

"I want to buy a house!"

Princess Yifu said in an annoyed tone:
"Didn't I already buy it for you?"

"I want to buy a house in Yongxingfang or Chongrenfang, not in Fenglefang!"

"It's no use asking Mingyue about this. You've made a scene that's embarrassing for everyone, and you still won't be able to buy it."

Princess Yifu persuaded Yuan Baoju to leave, but just as they left the Prince of Qin's residence, Lu Rou approached with a smile on her face.

"Prince of Nanyang, what brings you here to see Princess Pingyuan?"

Although it's said that you can't hit someone who's smiling, Yuan Baoju wasn't giving Lu Rou a friendly look at all.

There was no other reason than that the two of them were ordered by Yuan Ziyou to come to Guanzhong as the head and deputy head of the delegation. However, Lu Rou had already become one of Li Shuang's people and settled down in the twelve wards of Chang'an City, while Yuan Baoju was still not well received.

Yuan Baoju responded with a soft "Ah," and Lu Rou wasn't annoyed.

"Coincidentally, I have a good matter to discuss with the Prince of Nanyang!"

Yuan Baoju looked at Lu Rou with a suspicious expression and asked:
"You have good news?"

Lu Rou smiled and, pulling Yuan Baoju along, said:
"Come on, I'll treat the Prince of Nanyang to a drink, and we can talk while we drink."

Seeing Yuan Baoju being taken away, Princess Yifu's expression turned solemn. After thinking for a moment, she returned to the Qin Prince's residence, wanting to see Yuan Mingyue.

Yuan Baoju couldn't bear to see Yuan Mingyue, but the maids outside her residence didn't stop Princess Yifu.

When she entered the room, she saw Yuan Mingyue sitting on the couch, her eyes slightly red.

Upon seeing Princess Yifu arrive, Yuan Mingyue began to complain:

"Tell me, how could I have such a brother? Not only does he fail to bring me honor in public, but he also embarrasses me at every turn. News of today's events has probably already spread, and those two in the manor are probably laughing their heads off!"

Princess Yifu didn't know what to say, and could only offer words of comfort:

"He was imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court shortly after his birth, but was later pardoned and reinstated as a member of the imperial clan. Once he gained power, he became arrogant yet cowardly, and it seems he will never change."

Yuan Mingyue sobbed, her voice tinged with resentment.

“If he weren’t my brother, I would have abandoned him long ago and even given him money to buy a house in Fenglefang!”

Facing her sister-in-law, Yuan Mingyue poured out all her grievances and dissatisfaction.

“What’s wrong with Fenglefang? It’s close to the West Market, and his house is big and spacious, built to the standards of a Prince’s mansion. He’s still not satisfied and insists on making a scene. Doesn’t he realize that among the twelve wards, where can he find a house built to the standards of a Prince’s mansion?”

Princess Yifu comforted her, saying:
“I will advise him on the house issue, but I am worried about other things.”

Yuan Mingyue was startled and asked:

"What is he up to now? Does he want to go back to Luoyang?"

"He wouldn't dare. Even a fool would know that the situation in Luoyang is dire. What I'm worried about is that Lu Rou just contacted him, saying there's some good news!"

After listening and thinking it over carefully, Yuan Mingyue understood exactly what Princess Yifu was worried about!
"You mean this was instructed by the King behind the scenes?"

Princess Yifu nodded and shared her guess.

"If it's such a good job, why doesn't Your Majesty offer it to him in person instead of making Lu Rou go through all this trouble?"

Although Yuan Mingyue said she didn't care about Yuan Baoju, she couldn't sit still after hearing this. She stood up and wanted to find Li Shuang, but was stopped by Princess Yifu.

"Do not offend the King!"

"I know!"

……

Women's Pavilion!

Li Shuang sat on a soft couch, holding a rattle drum in her hand, playing with a little girl.

Liu Sixia, standing beside her, also had a smile on her face.

This little girl is none other than Yuan Xu, the daughter of Yuan Xu, who was once an emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

However, she has now been adopted and cared for by Liu Sixia, and has grown up to be quite good-looking.

Normally, Li Shuang spends more time here than he does with his children.

"Your Majesty does not know, she was very weak when she first arrived. I thought she was not going to make it. But she recovered after careful recuperation. Now she is so big. Judging from her appearance, she will definitely be a little beauty in the future."

Upon hearing the words "little beauty," Miss Yuan smiled broadly.

Li Shuang picked her up and teased her:

"What's so great about being a beauty? Sitting on the dragon throne is what's truly wonderful!"

When Li Shuang casually remarked, Liu Sixia's smile froze. She suddenly realized something, and when she looked at Li Shuang and the smiling Yuan girl who was being teased by him, her heart tightened.

Just then, a report came from outside.

"Your Majesty, Princess Pingyuan and Queen Yifu are outside requesting an audience!"

Liu Sixia was about to ask what was wrong with the two women, since they never usually came, no matter what the matter was.

But now, an exception has been made!

Li Shuang, however, was holding Miss Yuan and said directly:
"not see!"

The attendant, having received Li Shuang's orders, went out to deliver the message.

Liu Sixia walked to the corridor outside the pavilion, leaned against the railing, and looked at the two lonely women supporting each other in the setting sun. She then turned her head to look at the warm scene in the pavilion, which looked like a father and daughter playing, but she could not feel any warmth of family affection.

Is this the heart of an emperor?

Liu Sixia felt both fear and anticipation about this!

……

(End of this chapter)