Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 337 My Erzhu Clan is Invincible
Jinzhou, Pingyang.

"Changning, Dingyang, Wucheng, Linzhen, Guangwu, Guangluo, Weiping..."

Murong Shaozong's fingers lightly brushed across the map, reciting the names of these cities. With each city he named, his expression grew more solemn.

Not long ago, Liu Lisheng suddenly came down the mountain, and Hou Jing led his army north under the pretext of suppressing bandits, bringing many cities on the outskirts of Dongxia Prefecture and Jin Prefecture under his control.

Of these cities, most surrendered without a fight, except for a few that resisted stubbornly and were captured by Hou Jing.

When Erzhu Rong was alive, the garrison commanders in these cities were very well-behaved, but after his death, the people's hearts were stirred.

Murong Shaozong was helpless; he could only watch and couldn't do anything.

He had far too few chips to play.

Pingyang City was of great significance to the Jinyang Erzhu clan. When Erzhu Rong was in power, he provided money and soldiers, which enabled Murong Shaozong to fight Hou Jing to a standstill and gain the upper hand. However, now that Erzhu Zhao was in power, he not only reduced the military funding given to him, but also transferred all the troops from the six garrisons in Pingyang City.

Given the current situation, it's already quite good that Murong Shaozong can barely hold onto Pingyang County.

Murong Shaozong watched as Hou Jing swaggered north with his army, unable to even restrain him.

Footsteps sounded outside, and a burly general walked in.

This was a general assigned to Murong Shaozong by Erzhu Rong before he came to Jinzhou.

Wang Xiong!

Wang Xiong's original surname was Kepin, and his courtesy name was Hubutou. He was from Jinyang.

"How is it?"

Murong Shaozong naturally knew that Li Shuang's actions were not what they seemed.

Once he has brought all the surrounding counties of Pingyang under his control, the next one to be taken over will be the most prosperous Pingyang County.

If Pingyang falls, Jinyang is in grave danger!

If that happens, the entire Erzhu clan will be finished.

Wang Xiong shook his head and couldn't help but sigh in front of Murong Shaozong.

He had just returned from Jinyang, but the news he brought filled Murong Shaozong with worry.

"Jinyang is in chaos!"

Murong Shaozong frowned and said:
"Why this?"

"After the death of General Tianzhu, Erzhu Zhao led his army into Jinyang. His men committed many illegal acts and acted recklessly, wantonly seizing Han people's land and raping women. The officials were powerless to control them. I wanted to request reinforcements, but I don't know where to send the governor's documents. Now there is no one in Jinyang who can take charge of the situation."

"Where is the King of Shangdang?"

"After Erzhu Zhao captured Beizhong City, he drove the King of Shangdang back to his fiefdom. Not only that, Erzhu's people also seized the King of Shangdang's manor in Sizhou and injured the King of Shangdang's retainers."

Upon hearing this, Murong Shaozong was no longer worried, but rather felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly understood Erzhu Rong's crucial role in stabilizing the Erzhu clan.

"Isn't this digging their own grave?!"

Murong Shaozong's words surprised Wang Xiong. In his memory, the usually taciturn Murong Shaozong had never said anything so radical.

Realizing his loss of composure, Murong Shaozong took a deep breath and regained his calm.

Many of the sons and brothers of the Erzhu clan had a bad habit: they bullied the weak.

Including Erzhu Zhao, in their eyes, whoever had the most troops was the boss.

Yuan Tianmu's earliest elite troops were wiped out by Chen Qingzhi in Henan. Later, the soldiers he recruited with the support of Erzhu Rong were also annihilated in Luoyang not long ago. Now, there are not many capable soldiers under Yuan Tianmu's command.

Those Erzhu clan members who had grudges against Yuan Tianmu in the past, and who were no longer under the control of Jinyang, were naturally no longer afraid and dared to openly encroach on Yuan Tianmu's land in Sizhou.

You should know that those were shares given to Yuan Tianmu by Erzhu Rong when he started his career following Erzhu Rong.

It would be strange if Yuan Tianmu could remain calm after learning about this.

What these Erzhu clan members didn't know was that Yuan Tianmu's terror lay not only in the number of soldiers under his command.

For so many years, Yuan Tianmu has been the de facto second-in-command of the Erzhu clan!

While Erzhu Rong was away on campaigns, Yuan Tianmu spent most of his time staying in Jinyang to assemble supplies and reassure the people.

Throughout Jinyang, there are countless people whose relationship with Yuan Tianmu is extraordinary!

Just then, an urgent report came from outside.

"Governor, Yuwen Luosheng has gone south to Chang'an."

Upon hearing this news, Wang Xiong's first instinct was that it was fake, and he questioned:
"Has it been verified whether it's true or false?"

"There's no mistake, Yuwen Luosheng personally led a hundred cavalry south."

"how so?"

Wang Xiong was confused and looked at Murong Shaozong, only to hear him say:
"There is only one possibility: Yuwen Luosheng can no longer sit still in Tongwan City."

……

Lingzhou, Huile.

"What did you say?"

When Heba Yue first heard the news that Yuwen Luosheng had gone south to Chang'an, he almost thought he was hallucinating.

But when he calmed down, Heba Yue confirmed that the information was correct and blurted it out.

"Is he insane?!"

Yuwen Luosheng went to Chang'an, which meant he was entrusting his life and death to Li Shuang.

Most importantly, after he goes south, how can Heba Yue and the others still trust him?

Zhao Gui sighed, not reacting as strongly as Heba Yue, but rather with a sense of helplessness.

"He has no other choice!"

"what for?"

"Hou Jing led his army north, capturing more than ten cities and taking over the entire territory of Dongxia Prefecture. Li Bi led more than a thousand elite cavalry to Xi'an Prefecture, annihilating several rebellious tribes and seizing more than ten thousand head of cattle and sheep. Huli Jin was stationed in Woye and sent many envoys. Several cities in northern Xia Prefecture surrendered. Li Shuang's army surrounded Tongwan City from three sides. If Yuwen Luosheng can still sit still, then the elite cavalry from Chang'an will be coming next."

Heba Yue gritted his teeth, unable to empathize with Zhao Gui's helplessness at this moment.

"What is he afraid of!"

At this time, Heba Yue was unaware that Yuwen Tai had already shown his letter to Yu Jin and Huli Jin, and still held hope for Yuwen Tai.

"If Yuwen Tai occupies Shuozhou and the Erzhu clan enters Luoyang, the situation will open up."

Yuwen Luosheng's weakness was something Heba Yue hadn't expected, or rather, Heba Yue hadn't expected Yuwen Luosheng's will to resist to be so weak.

"Even if the situation is unfavorable, he can retreat to Tongwan City. Is Tongwan City, built by Helian Bobo, so easy to attack?"

Xiazhou's development potential is not as high as Lingzhou's, but its advantage lies in having a strong city like Tongwan City, which Lingzhou cannot match.

Tongwan City was difficult to attack, partly due to its strong defenses, but also because of its terrain.

This city is located in Xiazhou. The surrounding cities are not as densely populated as those in the Central Plains, making supplies difficult. If it were to be attacked, an army several times larger than the city's garrison would be needed, which would be a huge drain on logistics.

In Heba Yue’s view, Li Shuang’s current elite forces number less than 40,000, so how could he possibly mobilize them all to Tongwan City?

"Who is Ohno Sou? Didn't he know back in the Cloud Kingdom?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gui was completely unable to empathize with Heba Yue, just as Heba Yue had been unable to empathize with him earlier, because he had never been to Yunzhong and had never met Li Shuang.

"It's too late to say all this now. Let's think about what to do next."

Heba Yue thought for a moment and said:

"Prepare troops and be ready to take over Tongwan City at any time."

Zhao Gui's expression changed, and he asked, "Adou, this is no joke!"

Heba Yue looked at Zhao Gui with a serious expression, which made Zhao Gui feel a little guilty.

"If we don't take risky moves, are we just going to wait for Ono Sō to defeat us one by one and let us be the fish on the chopping block?"

"But you just said that Tongwan City is not so easy to attack. How many troops can we mobilize to attack Tongwan City?"

Heba Yue had already made up his mind and said:

"Many of the Hu tribesmen recruited by Yuwen Luosheng in Xiazhou have grudges against Li Shuang, and most of his subordinates are from Wuchuan, who have a history with us. We might have a chance to strike unexpectedly."
-
Luoyang.

In winter, when the Yellow River was shallow, Erzhu Zhao led his army across the river on rafts.

Outside Luoyang, seeing that the Erzhu clan's army was at its strongest, the imperial guards surrendered without a fight after being persuaded by Erzhu Shilong.

Erzhu Zhao led his army from outside Luoyang all the way to the palace, and no one could stop him.

In Xianyang Hall, the once packed court assembly was now sparsely populated, with only a dozen or so high-ranking officials present. The others, sensing the danger, had long since fled.

After Erzhu Zhao entered the palace, he allowed his soldiers to plunder, rape palace maids and concubines, and acted with utter impunity.

Yuan Ziyou, sitting on the throne, was deathly pale. Hearing cries for help, he was powerless to do anything!
"Erzhu Zhao, you can't do this!"

Erzhu Shilong knew how to have fun in Luoyang, but Erzhu Zhao had no idea at all.

"My brothers followed me south and fought for so long. If I don't let them get a piece of the pie, who will be willing to risk their lives for me in the future!"

Erzhu Shilong shook his head and said:

"But this is the imperial palace, not some other place!"

Erzhu Zhao chuckled softly, drew his sword, looked at the assembled officials, and finally fixed his gaze on Yuan Ziyou, as if he were looking at livestock in a pen.

"But I don't see anything different!"

Erzhu Zhao looked at Yuan Ziyou with hatred on his face and asked:

"General Tianzhu called you Your Majesty, and now I will also call you Your Majesty. Tell me, how did General Tianzhu die?"

Yuan Ziyou's jaw clenched, his face deathly pale, and he remained silent under Erzhu Zhao's interrogation.

"Even Erzhu Rong didn't dare to threaten His Majesty like this back then, Erzhu Zhao, how dare you do this?"

Those nobles who still dare to come to Xianyang Palace today are surely not cowards who fear death!

Seeing Erzhu Zhao's actions, he angrily rebuked him.

Erzhu Zhao walked up to the minister who had spoken first and kicked him over.

"General Tianzhu was too good to you people of Luoyang, which is why he suffered this misfortune!"

Erzhu Shilong tried to stop him, but he was no match for Erzhu Zhao.

But then he picked up his sword and walked toward the throne, killing any eunuch who dared to stop him with a single stroke.

Erzhu Zhao walked directly to Yuan Ziyou's side, pulled him off the throne, and dragged him into the palace, ignoring his screams.

The nobles in the palace tried to protect the emperor, but they were all shot dead by the armored soldiers brought by Erzhu Zhao.

Inside the palace, looking at the corpses filling the hall, Yuan Ziyou felt extreme sorrow. Just then, he heard Erzhu Zhao's angry questioning voice.

"Tell me, was it your idea to assassinate General Tianzhu?"

Yuan Ziyou suddenly laughed, raised his head without fear, and looked at Erzhu Zhao.

"Many people witnessed my assassination attempt on Erzhu Rong in the palace. Many people also know that I was imprisoned when Erzhu Rong died. If you can regard an imprisoned person as the mastermind, why can't the Prince of Qin, who has been away from Luoyang for several days, be the mastermind?"

"You're looking for me, why not Da Ye Shuang? Do you know you're no match for Da Ye Shuang?"

Yuan Ziyou's words angered Erzhu Zhao, and he was struck by Erzhu Zhao as soon as he finished speaking.

It hurt terribly!

Yuan Ziyou covered his mouth, having never suffered such a heavy blow before, but instead of being angry, he smiled.

"It seems I was right!"

Seeing Erzhu Zhao's suppressed emotions, Yuan Ziyou no longer cared about anything else and said directly:
"Before Erzhu Rong died, he sent his close attendant Wang Xiang to find Daye Shuang, saying that he wanted to hand over the empire to him. I don't understand why Erzhu Rong didn't send Wang Xiang to find you?"

Yuan Ziyou continued to laugh, but was then met with a barrage of attacks from Erzhu Zhao.

"Nonsense, all nonsense! That's just a rumor spread by that traitor Wang Xiang, who colluded with Da Yeshuang to mislead people!"

Erzhu Shilong, watching from the side, felt a pang of heartache and quickly hugged Erzhu Zhao.

"We can't fight anymore, he's the emperor!"

Erzhu Zhao was stopped, but his anger had not subsided.

"So what if he's the emperor? There are more people who want to be emperor than turtles in the Luo River. Even if we beat this one, there'll be another one!"

Yuan Ziyou, beaten and bruised, barely managed to sit up. Looking at Erzhu Zhao and Erzhu Shilong, he said venomously:

"When I die, your Erzhu clan won't last long either!"

Erzhu Zhao, however, laughed in extreme anger and said:

"In the affairs of the world, those with strong armies and powerful horses prevail. Today, the Yuan clan's defeat lies precisely in this. My Erzhu clan now controls thousands of miles of land, with more than a million households under its command and more than 200,000 soldiers capable of fighting. Our hegemony is at its peak. After dealing with you, I will deal with Da Yeshuang next."

Yuan Ziyou laughed upon hearing this. In truth, he didn't care at all whether Erzhu Zhao or Li Shuang won; it would be best if they both went to hell.

"Very well, I'll be waiting for you in the afterlife. Let's see who arrives first, you or Ohno Sou!"

……

Go to the party.

Upon receiving news that Erzhu Zhao had led his army south, entered Luoyang, and wreaked havoc by plundering and murdering the emperor, Yuan Tianmu sighed.

At this point, Yuan Tianmu finally gave up the last bit of reluctance in his heart and said a conclusion that he had already understood in his heart.

"Er Zhu, it's over!"

Erzhu Zhao's actions caused the Erzhu clan to lose something extremely important—

decent!

Yuan Tianmu was surrounded by a group of non-family generals who were loyal to the Erzhu clan.

After Erzhu Zhao gained power, their situation became similar to that of Yuan Tianmu: marginalized!

And it's very fast!

"Your Majesty, please give your orders!"

Yuan Tianmu stood up, looked at the familiar faces in the room, and said:

"The Erzhu clan is doomed, and Guandong will be in chaos! I know what you are thinking, but it is impossible for you to follow my lead."

The crowd was puzzled and asked:
"Why?"

"The Erzhu clan is defeated, but their army is still strong. The ten thousand armored cavalry of Jinyang are still alive. Who can stop them? If we start an uprising in Shangdang, we will surely be defeated."

"What about that?"

Yuan Tianmu put his hands behind his back, thought for a long time, and said:

"Go to Pingcheng for me and deliver my letter to Erzhu Tianguang!"

……

(End of this chapter)