Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 349 Would saying this hurt them too much?
Jinyang.

After the massacre, the former Prime Minister's residence was renovated and transformed, and the plaque of the Prince of Qin's residence was hung up.

The Jin Yang Ba Mansion was officially called a mansion, but its scale and layout were similar to those of a palace.

With Erzhu Zhao's defeat, the once glorious prime minister's mansion appeared somewhat desolate.

The removal of Erzhu's influence and the disastrous defeat of the Northern Army did not mean that Taiyuan had improved; on the contrary, it had even declined somewhat.

Li Shuang defeated Erzhu Zhao and entered Jinyang, not only replacing the northern people with a new ruler, but also overthrowing the order established by Erzhu Rong.

Even after losing 60,000 northern troops, the order in the north still needed to be maintained. Establishing military commands in places like Taiyuan, similar to Guanzhong, was not an immediate replacement for the old order.

When Erzhu Rong was in Jinyang, he perfectly followed the old Northern Wei tradition of Han people farming and Hu people serving as soldiers. In addition, Taiyuan was the stronghold of the northerners, and the local Han people were not powerful. Even though Li Shuang gained 100,000 more households after occupying Taiyuan, he could not immediately convert them into troops that could be mobilized.

It takes at least three years for a farmer who only knows how to cultivate the land to become a veteran who can skillfully use weapons, knows how to coordinate, and can fight on the battlefield.

Li Shuang could only withdraw Han soldiers from Hengshuo, Guanzhong, and Longxi, and absorb some of the surrendered elite northerners to guard Jinyang.

Yu Jin, as the deputy governor of the northern region and the de facto leader of the Shuozhou army, immediately rushed from Yunzhong to Jinyang after being summoned by Li Shuang.

When he met Li Shuang, Yuwen Tai and Dugu Xin were also present.

What is the situation in the north?

Upon hearing Li Shuang's question, Yu Jin replied:
"After the Rouran were defeated last year, there are still no signs of a major invasion, but small-scale raids continue unabated."

In fact, large-scale raids by grassland tribes were not frequent, occurring only once every few years, but small-scale raids were quite common.

Today they march south to plunder your border people, tomorrow they destroy the beacon towers you set up and kidnap your soldiers, causing you endless trouble.

This demonstrates the role of the Great Wall.

The Great Wall served as an early warning and delaying force when large-scale invasions by nomadic tribes occurred, and as a barrier against small groups of soldiers.

It's easy for a dozen or a hundred people to climb over the Great Wall, but it would be difficult to destroy the wall so that even horses could get through.

However, at this time, the Wall was not very effective in the North.

The Great Wall defenses built around Pingcheng had long since fallen into disrepair, with countless gaps in the walls.

After the uprising of the Six Garrisons, the Northern Wei court was in dire financial straits and could not afford to spend money to repair military facilities in the north.

At this time, the situation in the north was such that the Rouran people could easily move south, and the Hengshuo army could also move north at any time.

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang naturally trusted Yu Jin's judgment. Yu Jin was on the front lines and knew the situation much better than Li Shuang did.

"After Anagui's defeat last year, he kept clamoring for revenge, but now there's been no movement at all. Why is that?"

Yu Jin glanced at Yuwen Tai, then cupped his hands and said:

"After the last major defeat, Anagui's main force suffered heavy losses and he wanted revenge, but his men were suspicious. In addition, at this time, the Rouran tribe was thriving and it was not advisable to act rashly. Anagui's several attempts to launch a military campaign were all dissuaded by his prime minister."

Even Anagui, the ruler of Rouran, suffered a significant drop in prestige after a defeat, and could no longer do whatever he wanted.

Anyway, the Rouran migrated from the northern desert to the southern desert, obtained a large area of ​​excellent grassland, and were in a period of development, so they were still able to make a living.

But the Rouran people won't stay like this forever; sooner or later they will still move south.

The problems that the imperial court in Luoyang faced in the past are now facing Li Shuang as well, and that is—

The North is a liability!

Without external enemies, the northern border could develop rapidly and the treasury was in surplus. However, after the Rouran people moved south, the situation changed.

Unlike the imperial court in Luoyang, Li Shuang's resources are not as abundant, and he is unable to levy money and grain from various states in the Central Plains to support the northern border and resist the Rouran.

Therefore, Li Shuang chose to outsource!

Li Shuang looked at Yuwen Tai and Dugu Xin and said:

"After the military households of Hengshuo and Shuozhou move south, the north will be vacant. I will conscript convicts for you. At the same time, the troops of Yan, You, An, Ping and Ying prefectures will also be under the command of Pingcheng."

Hearing Li Shuang's words, Dugu Xin was very excited. After all, he had not made any great contributions after surrendering. Now, he had risen from a general in Guanzhong to the second-in-command of Pingcheng, so he was naturally happy.

But Yuwentai was not so happy; his dark and cold face was almost covered in frost.

What is most important in the two states of Hang Shuo?
Land? No, it was the retainers of the Dai people in Hengzhou and the Han soldiers and military households in Shuozhou.

These two forces were arguably the most capable and best-equipped in the north, but now, a large number of military households have been conscripted by Li Shuang and moved south, leaving Yuwentai with only an empty shell.

The "criminal soldiers" that Li Shuang mentioned were, of course, those who surrendered after the defeat of the Northern army.

Whether these northerners, who have lost their tribes and lands, can exert their original fighting power is secondary. When Yuwentai led them north, they not only had to face the threat of the Rouran, but also had to guard against possible internal rebellions.

As for the troops of the five prefectures of Yan, You, An, Ping, and Ying, Yuwen Tai had even less hope for them.

These prefectures were in the midst of rebellion, and they were ignoring the orders of the imperial court in Luoyang, let alone those in Jinyang.

After struggling internally for a long time, Yuwen Tai finally bowed and said:
"Thank you, King Qin!"

Yuwentai had no right to refuse.

He was able to take control of Pingcheng entirely by taking advantage of the chaos caused by the internal strife within the Erzhu clan. Now, Erzhu Zhao has fled, the northerners who have not yet been convicted have surrendered, and the prefectures of Sifen, Hengshuo, and others have all obeyed the orders of Chang'an.

Only by relying on this appointment letter could Yuwentai regain his footing in Pingcheng, but accepting this appointment letter meant bearing the consequences.

Yuwentai and Dugu Xin left. Yu Jin watched their retreating figures and said:
"Your Majesty, do you really want Yuwentai to gain a foothold in the North?"

Li Shuang asked:

"what for?"

"If he cannot hold his ground, the two prefectures of Heng and Shuo will be ravaged by the Rouran, and we may return to the situation before the Six Garrisons Uprising. Jinyang will also be under the Rouran's military might. If he holds his ground too firmly, he will truly become the Grand General of the prefectures of Heng, Shuo, You, and Yan, restoring the old power of the Tuoba clan. Jinyang will also be under the military might of his army!"

As Yu Jin spoke, he looked at Li Shuang and said leisurely:

"Your Majesty, striking the right balance is no easy task!"

Li Shuang looked at Yu Jin and smiled:
"Therefore, I plan to set up a temporary office in Jinyang and leave you to guard Jinyang."

"..."
-
Fukouxing.

When Gao Huan came to Jinyang, he left with 16,000 soldiers.

Unlike his leisurely arrival, where he dragged his feet as much as possible, Gao Huan left as quickly as he could.

The march was so fast that even veteran soldiers like his brother-in-law, Wei Jing, were struggling to keep up.

"He Liuhun, slow down, you're moving too fast!"

Wei Jing tried to persuade Gao Huan several times, but Gao Huan finally agreed to rest when he saw that everyone was exhausted. Wei Jing thought that Gao Huan was worried that Li Shuang would be reluctant to part with the 16,000 soldiers and might change his mind, which was why he was leaving in such a hurry. Who knew that as soon as he said that, Gao Huan burst into laughter.

"You can't bear to part with these soldiers from the Six Garrisons?"

"if not?"

Gao Huan shook his head and smiled:
"Da Ye is eager to send all these soldiers from the six garrisons away, so why would he be reluctant to part with them!"

Wei Jing listened with some doubt.

"Then why are you in such a hurry?"

Gao Huan sighed:
"These 16,000 garrison soldiers are not easy to obtain; they are the bargaining chips we received after betraying the Erzhu clan. If we don't return to Ye City soon, and Erzhu Shilong in Luoyang reacts, we will likely become the target of everyone's criticism!"

Although the powerful families in Hebei rebelled, the Erzhu clan still possessed a formidable military force in Hebei.

The governor of Dingzhou, Chilie Yanqing, the governor of Yinzhou, Erzhu Yusheng, and Hou Yuan, the original governor of Youzhou, all obeyed the Erzhu clan. They not only had a large number of Xianbei soldiers under their command, but also cavalry troops that the Hebei aristocratic families lacked.

In Hebei, cavalry had a crushing advantage over infantry in open field battles.

Upon hearing this, Wei Jing said:

"Now that we have the troops, can't we betray Ohno Sō?"

After listening, Gao Huan shook his head, having considered things more deeply than Wei Jing, and said:
"Let alone whether the Erzhu clan will still trust us, even if they do, we cannot betray them again. To betray Daye Shuang now would be tantamount to courting disaster; it is absolutely unacceptable!"

Betrayal comes at a price!
Gao Huan knew that he could not afford the price of this betrayal.

Those who wanted to deal with the Erzhu clan included not only Li Shuang, but also the powerful families of Hebei, the nobles and officials in Luoyang who had been persecuted by the Erzhu clan, and members of the Yuan clan.

To stand opposite them and return to the Erzhu clan's camp would be tantamount to courting death.

……

Luoyang.

Erzhu Shilong did not completely destroy Erzhu Zhao, who had lost Taiyuan and brought thousands of northern soldiers to join him. Instead, he enclosed a piece of land outside Luoyang for Erzhu Zhao and his troops as a garrison camp.

Erzhu Shilong was not particularly magnanimous, but he was well aware of the extent of the crisis.

If the descendants of the Erzhu clan do not unite, they will likely be completely devoured by Li Shuang.

After losing Taiyuan, Erzhu Zhao lost his former arrogance. Now, at the Erzhu clan meeting convened by Erzhu Shilong, he sat next to Erzhu Shilong instead of vying for the center position!
"That bastard Ohno Sō, he's trying to pin all sorts of dirty tricks on us!"

Erzhu Shilong held Li Shuang's edict announcing the punitive expedition against the Erzhu clan, and was filled with indignation.

"So, the reason Luoyang is in its current state is all because of my Erzhu clan, and he has done nothing wrong!"

After Erzhu Shilong finished speaking, the Erzhu clan members present cursed him incessantly.

“He demolished dozens of wards in Luoyang, turning them into rubble. It took him more than half a year to transport all the grain, fodder, and goods to Guanzhong. Does he think everyone who remembers this is dead?”

"He robbed more than anyone else. The current state of Luoyang is at least 50% his fault, no, 60%!"

……

No matter how much the Erzhu clan members cursed, there was one person present who remained calm throughout.

Erzhu Yanbo!

Erzhu Shilong's elder brother and Erzhu Zhao's elder relative felt somewhat helpless as he listened to the curses.

His mild temperament did not mean he was stupid. On the contrary, he possessed some of the political wisdom of the older generation of Erzhu clan members, such as Erzhu Daiqin and Erzhu Xinxing, who were wise in their simplicity before they rose to power.

Erzhu Yanbo knew that no matter how much blame Li Shuang placed on the Erzhu clan in this imperial edict, it didn't really matter. What mattered was that with the change of Taiyuan and the collapse of the hegemonic order surrounding Jinyang, the various states of Northern Wei, which had long been dissatisfied with the Erzhu clan's power, would inevitably rise up in droves.

After Erzhu Zhao entered Luoyang, killed Yuan Ziyou, and openly allowed his troops to commit rape and plunder in the palace, the attitude of everyone in Luoyang, from top to bottom and inside to outside, towards the Erzhu clan turned hostile.

The reason why the Erzhu clan was still able to control the court and Luoyang was simply because they controlled the army.

It doesn't matter what Li Shuang's edict said; whatever the blame he set for her, Erzhu would have to accept it whether she wanted to or not.

"I don't think we need to reach a point of confrontation with Ohno Sawa immediately."

As soon as Erzhu Yanbo finished speaking, he attracted the attention of a group of Erzhu clan members.

That gaze was filled with dissatisfaction and anger.

Erzhu Shilong was even more puzzled and said:
"Da Yeshuang has openly issued an edict to attack my Erzhu clan, so why isn't the situation tense enough?"

Erzhu Yanbo nodded and said:

"It is true that we will have to fight sooner or later, but for the Erzhu clan, the later the better."

After Erzhu Yanbo finished speaking, Erzhu Shilong calmed down and said:
"That's right. Ono Sō has just occupied Taiyuan and needs time to stabilize the situation. He won't immediately attack us. Before that, we should send as many troops and supplies as possible to Luoyang!"

As he spoke, Erzhu Shilong asked:
"Where are Erzhu Dulu and Erzhu Zhongyuan?"

"Erzhu Dulu said that Husi Chun is persuading Yuan Yue, the Prince of Runan, to return to Wei. Once this is accomplished, the Liang people will have no excuse to raise troops, and the prefectures of Henan will be at peace."

After listening, Erzhu Shilong asked:

"Where is Erzhu Zhongyuan?"

"He said he would return to his army after quelling the rebellion in Qingxu!"

Erzhu Shilong nodded upon hearing this and said:
"Then it depends on the situation in Hebei! Tumo, isn't He Liuhun your brother? If he is still willing to be loyal to the Erzhu clan, the situation in Hebei will improve."

……

The battlefield was a scene of utter devastation.

Erzhu Zhongyuan, clad in armor and leading a thousand Jinyang cavalrymen assigned to him by Erzhu Shilong, quelled the rebellion of over 100,000 people in Qingzhou and captured Cui Zuchi!
Erzhu Zhongyuan was arrogant and domineering, wantonly killing people. He was also very lecherous and had a particular fondness for preying on the wives of his generals.

Cui Zuchi, who stood opposite him as a defeated general, was superior to Erzhu Zhongyuan in both character and other aspects. Otherwise, Cui Zuchi would not have been able to rally more than 100,000 people to rebel against the Erzhu clan.

"Do you think killing me will quell the rebellion in Qing and Xu? No, under your rule, Erzhu clan, rebellions will only increase. Heroes from all over the land will rise up one by one until you, Erzhu clan, are overthrown!"

Erzhu Zhongyuan's face was cold and stern as he coldly addressed the agitated Cui Zuchi:
"Then let one come out, and kill one of them, just like you!"

Cui Zuchi couldn't understand how such a perverse person could defeat him and why so many people would follow him.
"How could such a tyrannical and wicked person win? How unjust is the way of Heaven!"

Erzhu Zhongyuan laughed heartily, looked at Cui Zuchi, and said:
"We are able to win, therefore we can be tyrannical and ruthless!"

Seeing Cui Zuchi stunned by these words, Erzhu Zhongyuan sneered and said:
"Take them to Luoyang, and show those who still want to rebel what the consequences will be for betraying the Erzhu clan!"

……

(End of this chapter)