Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 338 They're a bunch of outsiders

Changan.

After Yuwen Luosheng went south, he was very uneasy, fearing that he would be detained in Chang'an.

Therefore, he also sent Yuwen Dao back to Tongwan Town to guard it, and instructed him to take charge of Xia Prefecture should the situation turn unfavorable.

However, to Yuwen Luosheng's surprise, Li Shuang ignored his little tricks as if she didn't know anything about them.

After Yuwen Luosheng entered Chang'an, he was not confined to a room as one might have imagined. On the contrary, he was free to move around inside and outside Chang'an.

Not only that, Li Shuang even arranged for someone to show him around, as if she was afraid he wouldn't know the way.

On the first day, the officials of the Xingtai government took Yuwen Luosheng to visit the horse farm in the forest garden of Chang'an.

The horse farm had many Rouran slaves who trained and guarded a large number of warhorses.

Guanzhong has no shortage of horses, and so does Xiazhou. Yuwen Luosheng kept more than 10,000 horses in Tongwan City.

These warhorse reserves are enough for Yuwen Luosheng to organize more than 3,000 elite cavalrymen to launch a long-distance raid on Guanzhong at a critical moment.

In fact, this was the idea that Yuwen Luosheng and Heba Yue had always envisioned.

But the horses in Chang'an were different, not only because of the quantity they kept, but also because of the quality of their warhorses.

Members of the military families of the north, such as the Heba and Yuwen clans, all possessed the skill of discerning horses. Yuwen Luosheng, in particular, was an expert in judging horses, able to accurately identify fine steeds from a herd at a glance.

After annexing Qin and Long, Li Shuang extended his sphere of influence to Dunhuang, thus gaining control of numerous high-quality pastures, including the Guanshan Pasture and the Damaying Pasture, which were extremely large. Therefore, Chang'an had a richer horse resource than Xia Prefecture, and was home to many famous breeds such as the Qinghai Cong and Wusun horses.

Yuwen Luosheng was surprised and envious of this, but he didn't think much of it.

It's a very simple principle: although there are many famous horses in Chang'an Horse Ranch, it's impossible for all Chang'an cavalry to be equipped with famous horses such as Qinghai Cong and Wusun horses. Most people ride warhorses of medium quality.

If the overall score of Xiazhou horses is six points, then the overall score of Chang'an horses is only seven or eight points, so there is no significant difference.

He knew in his heart that Li Shuang was showing off his strength, but Yuwen Luosheng's strongest feeling was that they were evenly matched.

The next day, the officials of the Xingtai government took Yuwen Luosheng on a tour of the treasury in Chang'an.

From that day on, a subtle change began to occur in Yuwen Luosheng's heart.

The abundant reserves in Chang'an's treasury shocked Yuwen Luosheng the most about the salt deposits.

The salt mountains appeared before him as if they were free, leaving Yuwen Luosheng deeply shocked.

What is salt? Like brocade, it's all about money!

In Xia Prefecture, Yuwen Luosheng often had to fight to the death for a few hundred or a few thousand shi of salt.

But now, even a random pile in front of me would weigh more than a few hundred or a few thousand shi.

Along the way, Yuwen Luosheng witnessed the reserves of Chang'an City and made a rough estimate.

With the current reserves of Chang'an, Li Shuang could lead an army of nearly 40,000 from Guanzhong on a long-distance northward attack on Tongwan City, besieging it for more than half a year.

Thinking about this, Yuwen Luosheng felt even more fortunate that he had come to the right place.

There's no need to fight Li Shuang to the death!

On the third day, the officials of the Xingtai Prefecture took Yuwen Luosheng out of Chang'an City and to the Chang'an Forbidden Garden, where they visited the large-scale workshops.

At this point, Yuwen Luosheng finally changed his mindset.

In a tribe where everyone is a soldier, they may seem fierce, but what happens next? They have no choice but to go out and plunder. If they fail to plunder, the tribe is likely to perish, or fight amongst themselves until only enough resources remain for the victor to survive.

The tribalization of Ling and Xia prefectures gave Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng a sliver of leverage to contend with Guanzhong.

But fighting a war is not just about manpower and horses; it also requires a contest of military equipment.

Yuwen Luosheng heard two new words here.

Standardized production and division of labor!
Yuwen Luosheng didn't understand the meaning of these two words, but after seeing the craftsmen in the workshop forging armor with his own eyes, he understood.

Yuwen Luosheng had quite a few craftsmen under his command who knew how to make armor; there were more than two hundred of them.

However, crafting a single suit of armor requires skilled artisans and takes at least half a year. In other words, it would take Yuwen Luosheng two years to create several hundred suits of armor.

Even so, this can only be achieved if there are sufficient materials available.

In Chang'an, the workshops not only had ample raw materials, but the time to produce armor was also short, about three months.

Upon seeing this, Yuwen Luosheng already understood the strength comparison between the Xiazhou army and the Guanzhong army. Meanwhile, the people from the Xingtai Mansion were still explaining the situation to him.

How did the Qin state manage to unify the world? How did the Qin army become the best in the world?

The key lies in standardized production and division of labor!

Military equipment produced in Qin, such as crossbows, would not become unusable simply because they were produced in Xianyang and transported to Chu or Zhao.

This is the goal that the Chang'an Crafts Bureau is desperately trying to catch up with!
Yuwen Luosheng had no idea what the Qin state was like hundreds or thousands of years ago, nor did he care about the political slogans being shouted by the people in the Xingtai Mansion beside him.

He knew that the Xia Prefecture army was no match for the Guanzhong Prefecture troops at this moment.

It's a very simple principle: military equipment is a consumable.

In the time it takes you to build one suit of armor, your opponent can build three suits. What's the point of fighting then?
Unless the difference between the commander of the Xiazhou army, who is at a disadvantage, and the commander of the Guanzhong army is as great as that between Li Mu and Zhao Kuo.

The key point is that Li Shuang is not afraid of him learning from her at all.

Even if Yuwen Luosheng brought all the artisans from the workshops in the Chang'an Forbidden Garden back to Tongwan City, he still wouldn't be able to replicate it.

The Sinicized Guanzhong region and the tribalized Xiazhou region were fundamentally different.

After Yuwen Luo's three-day trip to Chang'an, he finally met Li Shuang.

The moment the King of Qin saw him, he revealed a warmth as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Luo Sheng, I've missed you so much!"

Li Shuang took Yuwen Luosheng's hand and led him into the mansion with great enthusiasm.

The Prince of Qin's mansion prepared a grand banquet for Yuwen Luosheng, giving this deputy governor the highest honors.

However, after his three-day tour of Chang'an, Yuwen Luosheng displayed only one valuable quality.

humble!
"Your Majesty's virtue is as boundless as the heavens; how could I possibly accept such a courteous honor!"

"What are you saying, Luo Sheng? We are not only related by marriage but also old acquaintances. How can we be so distant?"

Yuwen Yuanji was also standing nearby, tugging at Yuwen Luosheng's sleeve, and said sweetly:
"Brother, why are you being so distant? We are family!"

Although Li Shuang and Yuwen Yuanji said so, Yuwen Luosheng always adhered to etiquette and dared not overstep the bounds in the slightest.

Even at the banquet, Yuwen Luosheng never drank an extra glass of wine, behaving as obediently as a little wife.

The next day, Yuwen Luosheng was invited by Li Shuang to the Prince of Qin's residence for a private meeting.

Li Shuang and Yuwen Luosheng were indeed old acquaintances; they had met in the clouds before.

However, back in Yunzhong, Yuwen Luosheng, like the Heba brothers, was a spirited member of a military family in the north, while Li Shuang was just a general who came from a bandit background.

At first, neither the Yuwen family nor the Heba family took him seriously.

Until they found out who the true Lord of the North was!
The Heba family fled, and the Yuwen family fled as well.

Now, when I see Li Shuang again, he looks a bit fairer and has a more imposing and robust physique than when I first met him.

Li Shuang's face still bore the same warm smile as yesterday, but Yuwen Luosheng felt not warmth, but a tinge of fear. "Luosheng, all these years in Xia Prefecture, has your heart been in Chang'an?"

For a fleeting moment, Yuwen Luosheng almost wanted to kneel down.

The so-called aura of a king does not refer to how imposing a person looks or how eloquent their words are, so that people do not feel the urge to kneel down upon seeing or hearing them.

A warlord like Yuwen Luosheng, who fought his way out of the north, had seen all kinds of people, heard all kinds of things, and experienced all kinds of bloodshed.

The only thing that could make him feel the aura of a king was someone who could easily kill him!

It's not just about killing him, but about completely erasing him and the empire he built from the map.

However, Yuwen Luosheng ultimately did not do so.

If kneeling down were effective, then Yuwen Luosheng would have knelt down long ago.

Begging for mercy would not only humiliate him, but also make Li Shuang think he was a spineless coward, which would do him no good at all.

“The northerners are uncouth and ignorant of the emperor’s majesty, which makes Your Majesty laugh. I was originally ordered by General Tianzhu to guard Xiazhou. Now that General Tianzhu has unfortunately been killed, he entrusted Your Majesty with important matters before his death, and I should obey.”

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"I am already aware of the conflict between Luosheng and Shedigan. It was I who brought up this land exchange. Hou Jing acted rashly and occupied Dongxia Prefecture, and I cannot let you suffer a loss. Here's what I'll do: I will allocate a salt field to the Yuwen clan in Xi'an Prefecture. From now on, Xia Prefecture will no longer suffer from salt shortages."

Yuwen Luosheng's heart tightened; he hadn't expected Li Shuang to be so generous.

"Your Majesty's virtue is as vast as the heavens, and our Yuwen clan is filled with boundless admiration!"

Li Shuang nodded, sat down to the side, and gestured for Yuwen Luosheng to sit down as well.

The room was warm, furnished with a small table. Yuwen Luosheng sat opposite Li Shuang, listening to him say:
"My father-in-law has unfortunately passed away, and the surrounding area is in turmoil. I have two matters to attend to, one important and one minor. Which would you like to hear from first, Mr. Luo?"

Yuwen Luosheng thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said:
"Small thing!"

"The traitor Erzhu Zhao attacked and captured Luoyang, murdered the emperor, abused the officials, and poisoned the people."

Yuwen Luosheng was taken aback.

Is this a minor matter?
How big of a deal would that be?!
Despite his thoughts, upon hearing that Yuan Ziyou had been killed, Yuwen Luosheng had no choice but to express his condolences, managing to squeeze out a few tears and let out a sigh.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am truly ashamed of my inability to assist the ruler and the country."

"His Majesty will be comforted if he knows Luo Sheng's heart!"

After a series of gestures, Yuwen Luosheng cautiously asked:
"What about the big things?"

"When you went south, Heba Yue prepared an elite cavalry force, which Kou Luo led to attack Tongwan City. Kou Luo spread rumors that you had died in Chang'an, causing unrest in Xia Prefecture and many tribes to submit to him."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luosheng's anger flared up, and he roared:

"You little brat, how dare you bully me!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luosheng completely abandoned his act and appeared ready to draw his sword and fight to the death.

Li Shuang comforted her, saying:
"Don't worry, Luo Sheng. Fortunately, Yuwen Dao is capable. He held off Kou Luo and defended Tongwan City!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Luosheng felt somewhat relieved, but he still couldn't sit still.

“Your Majesty, although my Yuwen clan was enfeoffed in the northern lands, we are descendants of the Yan Emperor, a true line of the Huaxia people, completely different from that Tiele brat. That Tiele brat is stationed in Lingzhou, acting arrogantly and domineeringly. He often writes letters to me, intending to seize Guanzhong. Now he has led his troops to Tongwan City. His disloyal intentions are obvious.”

Yuwen Luosheng wasn't unaware of Heba Yue; on the contrary, he knew Heba Yue all too well, which is why he knew that what Li Shuang told him was most likely true.

If the situation were reversed, and Yuwen Luosheng and Heba Yue were in different positions, he would do the same.

"Your Majesty should take precautions as soon as possible!"

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"I am aware of Luo Sheng's intentions. The situation in Xia Prefecture is dire, and I will not linger any longer, Luo Sheng. You should return to Tongwan City as soon as possible!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

……

After Yuwen Luosheng left, Li Shuang did not stay in Chang'an, but led a troop to Puban.

Here, Li Shuang met Hou Jing, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Your Majesty, it's been so long since I've seen you. You've become so thin."

Hou Jing, with his uneven legs, came to Li Shuang's side, tears streaming down his face.

This expression is miles ahead of Yuwen Luosheng's performance after learning of Yuan Ziyou's death, by countless Oscars.

"Your Majesty, this pains my heart!"

"Don't worry, I'll return all the women and money in your house to you!"

After hearing this, Hou Jing wiped away his tears.

"It's not that I'm worried about that. All my personal wealth was saved up for Your Majesty! If Your Majesty wants it, I will not hesitate to give it to you. I just don't understand why Your Majesty would let Yuwen Luosheng go back now that he has come to Chang'an?"

As a native of Huai Shuo, Hou Jing had a natural hostility towards the Wu Chuan faction.

"If we leave it here, it will be difficult to get it back next time."

"What, you still want Tongwan City?"

Hou Jing chuckled and said:
"Such a fortified city, hanging outside Guanzhong, how can Your Majesty feel at ease without sending a trustworthy person to guard it?"

Li Shuang glanced at Hou Jing and asked:

"What do you think Heba Yue and Yuwen Luosheng have in common?"

What are the similarities?
Several words immediately flashed through Hou Jing's mind.

People from Wuchuan, scoundrels, brainless, opportunistic, hypocritical...

After a series of stereotypes about the people of Wuchuan flashed through his mind, Hou Jingdao said:
"They are all well-equipped and powerful, and they command their respective regions?"

Li Shuang shook his head, pointed out the core element, and said:

They're all poor!

Hou Jing gasped upon hearing this, feeling a surge of excitement.

After all these years, he actually heard Li Shuang say that other people were poor.

The world has changed!

"Fighting these poor wretches is a complete waste of effort. Since that's the case, instead of us fighting them, we might as well let them fight each other, which will save us a lot of trouble."

Hou Jing quickly understood Li Shuang's meaning.

"Your Majesty is right. It's not worth getting involved with these poor bastards. Taiyuan County is a wealthy place, with 100,000 households and countless cattle, sheep and fine horses. Now that Erzhu Zhao has taken it over, it's truly a case of the cuckoo taking over the nest!"

Li Shuang sighed:

"That's what I think too. As the saying goes, a son-in-law is like half a son. No matter how this family property is divided, it shouldn't go to Erzhu Zhao, an outsider!"

Hou Jing nodded and said:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"

……

(End of this chapter)