Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 351 Flipping is an Art

Jizhou.

Xindu.

Standing in front of Gao Qian was a man with a robust build and handsome features.

Feng Longzhi is now the governor of Ji Province!

Feng Longzhi was born into the Feng clan of Bohai and was an old acquaintance of the Gao brothers.

After the Gao brothers rose up in rebellion against the Erzhu clan, they seized Xindu and appointed Feng Longzhi as governor.

The Gao brothers did this not only because Feng Longzhi was highly respected, but also because Feng Longzhi's father was killed by Erzhu Rong during the Hebei Incident.

He and the Erzhu clan were blood enemies!
Trustworthy!
The Gao brothers were chivalrous in their youth. Of course, that's a nice way of putting it. To put it bluntly, they were the biggest destabilizing factor in Bohai.

Their actions led their father, Gao Yi, to believe that after his death, there would be no one to add soil to his grave.

Later, the Gao brothers changed their ways and stopped bullying the villagers like they did in their youth. Even so, their reputation was still not very good.

This was also one of the reasons why Gao Qian did not take the position of governor of Ji Province after he started his rebellion.

With the occupation of Jizhou, the Bohai Gao family's business took a big step forward.

However, the uprising stalled after they entered Xindu.

Firstly, Gao Aocao, the most capable of the four Gao brothers, was no longer in Bohai, leaving the Bohai Gao clan without military deterrence; secondly, the Erzhu clan was too powerful, having wiped out Cui Zuchi's tens of thousands of men.

You should know that Jizhou and Qingxu are separated only by the Yellow River!

In other words, Erzhu's main focus is now on Luoyang. Otherwise, if the army south of the Yellow River were mobilized to Hebei, Gao Qian might not be able to hold out.

Just as Gao Qian was worrying, Feng Longzhi brought him some surprising news.

"Is Erzhu Yu dead or alive?"

Feng Longzhi nodded and said:
"Erzhu Yusheng had always wanted Li Yuanzhong's support, and Li Yuanzhong took advantage of his unpreparedness to lead a light cavalry attack and kill him."

Erzhu Yusheng was a member of the Erzhu clan with a very high seniority in Hebei. Even Chilie Yanqing and Hou Yuan of Dingzhou obeyed his command.

But now, he's dead.

Gao Qian hurriedly asked:
"Then?"

"Li Yuanzhong rebelled against the Erzhu clan and then sent their heads to Jinyang. Li Shuang appointed him as the governor of Yinzhou and gave him five hundred cavalrymen and a thousand warhorses! Erzhu Yusheng's army was defeated and Li Yuanzhong had already occupied Yinzhou."

Gao Qian listened and pondered:

“Li Yuanzhong had been quiet all along, but I never expected that he had already gotten involved with Ono Sō.

Upon hearing this, Gao Qian felt not joy at the significant step forward in the uprising, but rather fear.

Why did the Han Chinese aristocratic families in Hebei oppose the Erzhu clan? Because the Erzhu clan practiced a northern-centric ideology.

During the Heyin Incident, countless noble families and officials from Hebei died at the hands of Erzhu Rong. They not only had a grudge against the Erzhu clan, but the Erzhu clan could no longer guarantee their interests as the previous Luoyang court had.

The Han Chinese aristocratic families in Hebei did not want to see Erzhu Rong riding on their heads, and naturally they did not want to see another person riding on their heads either.

Even if this person is a Han Chinese!
They were even more resistant because this person was Han Chinese.

If the Erzhu clan was merely unable to protect the interests of the Hebei aristocratic families, then Li Shuang simply wouldn't protect them at all.

The key point is that Li Shuang's military forces are very powerful, and with just a slight move, he changed the situation in Hebei.

How could Gao Qian not be afraid of something so terrifying?
The situation in Jizhou was such that it was surrounded by enemies and there was little room for maneuver.

Just then, Gao Qian's second younger brother, Gao Shen, hurriedly walked in and said:
"Gao Huan has sent people again!"

Gao Qian frowned, looking quite annoyed.

"What is he sending people for this time?"

Initially, Gao Qian was quite interested in this man from Huai Shuo who occupied Ye City and claimed to be a fellow townsman of the Bohai Gao clan. However, as Gao Huan moved between Li Shuang and Er Zhu clans, and recently became involved with people from the Er Zhu clan, Gao Qian developed a dislike for him and considered him an unreliable person.

"The situation has changed somewhat!"

"Variety?"

Gao Shen nodded and said to the two older brothers in the room:

"Gao Huan defeated the Erzhu clan's army in Hanoi and seized five thousand warhorses that the Erzhu clan had been raising in Hanoi!"

Gao Qian and Feng Longzhi exchanged a glance, both seeing a way out in each other's eyes.

……

Yecheng.

"Let the horses roam freely in the Bronze Sparrow Garden and let them run around."

Gao Huan defeated Erzhu's army in Hanoi and captured 5,000 warhorses, a truly epic victory.

Of course, defeating Erzhu's army was not important; the key was those five thousand warhorses.

Gao Huan's troops were mainly composed of soldiers from the Huai Shuo faction, and they were not lacking in skilled horsemen. With these warhorses, they could immediately organize an elite cavalry force.

With cavalry, Gao Huan gained a significant military advantage in Hebei.

Gao Huan was very excited. Standing on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, looking at the warhorses running in the Bronze Sparrow Garden, he felt a surge of ambition and pride.

The Huai Shuo faction generals behind him were also very excited.

Ye City was expanded by Cao Cao after he defeated Yuan Shao, based on the original old city of Ye. It was divided into the palace city and the outer city.

The Bronze Sparrow Terrace was built in the northwest of Ye City and was the most important part of the expansion project of Ye City.

The Bronze Sparrow Terrace in Ye City is like the Golden Yong City in Luoyang City.

Stables, granaries, and armories were built in Tongque Garden. The Zhuanjun Cave under Jinhu Terrace connects to Wucheng, a satellite city outside Yecheng, allowing for the rapid troop deployment from the city.

In addition, the Xuanwu Pond north of the Tongque Terrace was where Cao Cao trained his navy, and it was connected to the Central Plains water system via the Zhang River.

With the Bronze Sparrow Terrace at its command, it can advance its troops to conquer the Central Plains and fight in all directions, or retreat to defend Ye City with a combined land and water defense.

With this city, along with these warhorses and the six garrison troops now stationed in Wucheng, Gao Huan has truly established a firm foothold in Hebei.

Just then, Gao Huan, who was in high spirits, heard some unsettling news.

Hou Jing has arrived!

"Quick, put all the horses away, don't let that kid see them!"

Gao Huan was afraid that some valuable items might have been targeted by thieves, but it was too late for him to put them away now.

Hou Jing ascended the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, met Gao Huan, and his first words were:

"He Liuhun, your horse is quite nice!"

"These were all earned with the lives of our brothers. If you like any of them, take a few!"

Gao Huan's words carried a strong implication that if you dare to even think about it, you'll be dead.

Hou Jing laughed heartily after hearing this.

"He Liuhun has misunderstood. I don't lack horses. I have plenty of horses like these at home."

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan became even more nervous and asked:
"Why are you here instead of staying in Jinyang City?"

"Why else would I invite you here for a drink?"

Gao Huan and Hou Jing walked into the palace behind them, and Hou Jing casually asked a question.

"By the way, have you heard of Li Yuanzhong? He's a real hero!" Gao Huan's expression changed as he looked at Hou Jing's face.

Do you have to be so blunt? Are you trying to make sure people know this is Li Shuang's intention?
……

Jinyang.

"Your Majesty, Li Yuanzhong and Gao Qian have both gone to Ye City to meet Gao Huan. I heard that the Cui family of Qinghe also plans to send someone to Ye City."

Wang Sizheng walked up to Li Shuang and brought her the latest news from Hebei.

Gao Huan's seizure of Erzhu's warhorse signified a complete break between him and Erzhu.

Upon seeing this, the Han Chinese aristocratic families near Xiangzhou flocked to Gao Huan.

Han Chinese aristocratic families had fortified villages and their own troops, but when they actually mobilized their armies, they were no match for the Erzhu clan's cavalry.

Even though they knew the disparity between themselves and their enemies, the military inertia of the Northern Wei Dynasty over the past century meant they couldn't change it overnight.

The Hu people served as soldiers, while the Han people farmed the land.

Even if these Han Chinese aristocratic families possessed warhorses, they would not be able to train a sufficient number of elite cavalry in a short period of time, because their retainers were mostly Han Chinese who spent their days farming and few of them were skilled in horsemanship.

Realizing that they could not contend with the Erzhu clan on their own, the Han Chinese aristocratic families in Hebei naturally sought a partner.

Those south of Dingzhou set their sights on Gao Huan, while those north of Dingzhou set their sights on Yuwen Tai.

Li Shuang looked at the booklets on the cabinet in the former Jinyang Bafu’s armory, flipping through them from time to time. They contained household registration information from Bing, Si and other prefectures.

Wang Sizheng followed behind, his heart filled with worry.

“I heard that the Lu family of Fanyang and the Cui family of Boling also went to Pingcheng to find Yuwentai. Yuwentai and Gao Huan are no ordinary people. If we allow them to grow too powerful, it will be difficult to control them in the future.”

The Han Chinese aristocratic families had money, grain, and manpower, while military men like Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai, who came from the Six Garrisons, had horses and soldiers. Combining the two, they could quickly expand their power.

Ignoring Wang Sizheng's concerns, Li Shuang continued flipping through the pages.

Seeing this, Wang Sizheng could only stand behind him and follow at a leisurely pace.

After Li Shuang had finished looking at it, Wang Sizheng asked:

"Your Majesty, what are you really thinking?"

"We must guard against the Rouran, destroy the Erzhu clan, appease the Han aristocratic families in Hebei, and not allow the Xianbei soldiers scattered in various prefectures and counties to cause chaos. The situation in Guandong is a complete mess. Can you cut it all in one stroke?"

Wang Sizheng shook his head after hearing Li Shuang's words.

Even if they could eliminate all the sources of chaos, their current strength is insufficient to do so.

"If we can't cut them off completely, we can only let them take the brunt of the attack for now."

Li Shuang took a booklet from the cabinet and handed it to Wang Sizheng.

“Erzhu Rong hasn’t been idle in Jinyang; he’s saved us a lot of trouble. Take these and go to each prefecture and county to check and distribute the land. Once the soldiers of the prefectures under the Hedong Xingtai are ready to be used, this knife will be sharpened.”

"promise!"
-
Luoyang.

Erzhu Shilong looked at Erzhu Zhao and angrily cursed:
"More than five thousand warhorses! You let Gao Huan take them all!"

Erzhu Shilong could not help but be furious. When Jinyang was still in the hands of the Erzhu clan, the Erzhu clan controlled the entire northern region.

The source of horses in this world is either in Yongliang or in the north.

The Erzhu clan occupied the Central Plains and could continuously receive warhorses from the north.

But now, these places are either in Li Shuang's hands or under his sphere of influence. All the Erzhu clan can compete with is their existing resources!
More than five thousand warhorses is no small number; it is enough to equip an elite cavalry legion.

Erzhu Zhao did not refute Erzhu Shilong's accusations. In fact, after losing Taiyuan, Erzhu Zhao's morale had declined.

Even more so, as Erzhu Shilong became increasingly agitated, Erzhu Zhao shed a single tear, which startled Erzhu Shilong.

"Am I a fool? First I was fooled by Li Shuang, and now I'm being fooled by Gao Huan?"

Upon hearing Erzhu Zhao's words, Erzhu Shilong surprisingly refrained from uttering any harsh words.

"Tumo, what I said earlier was a bit harsh, please don't take it to heart!"

Erzhu Yanbo, who was standing nearby, heard this and stepped in to mediate.

"At this critical moment, let's not fight amongst ourselves. Let's think about the current situation in Hebei first!"

Erzhu Yanbo first persuaded Erzhu Zhao to sit down, then glanced at Erzhu Shilong, who also sat down.

Upon seeing this, Erzhu Yanbo spoke up:

"Gao Huan's actions have put him in direct opposition to us. Yecheng is blocking our way, Erzhu Yusheng is dead, and we don't know how long Chilie Yanqing and Hou Yuan in Dingzhou can hold out. Once they can't hold out, Hebei will be completely out of control."

Erzhu Yanbo's words made Erzhu Shilong and Erzhu Zhao's expressions turn serious.

If Hebei were to fall out of control, the Erzhu clan, which would only have Luoyang, Henan, Qingxu and other places left, would not only lose an important source of money and grain, but would also have a greater enemy.

The Han Chinese aristocratic families in Hebei responded to Li Shuang's edict to attack the Erzhu clan. When the time comes, the troops from Guanzhong and the allied forces from Hebei will attack the Erzhu clan together, and they will face tremendous pressure.

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Shilong was at a loss for what to do.

"Then what should I do?"

Erzhu Yanbo said:
"As soon as possible, we should mobilize troops and supplies, and at the same time, we should strive to win over forces that can be of use to us."

Erzhu Shilong listened and nodded.

Needless to say, he's already handling the matter of mobilizing troops and provisions!
Erzhu Shilong thought for a moment, counting on his fingers, and suddenly realized that there were really not many forces he could contact.

The Erzhu clan was not well-liked; they had offended almost everyone they could!

Seeing Erzhu Shilong's increasingly unattractive, chubby face, Erzhu Yanbo said helplessly:

"Let's try to establish connections with Lingzhou, Xiazhou, Liang, Rouran, Tuyuhun, and Goguryeo—the court is still useful to us!"

Erzhu Shilong nodded and said:

"That's all it can do!"

……

Erzhu Yanbo returned to his home and saw Erzhu Chang approaching. His expression was grim, and he asked:

"How are you?"

“Today I went to see that Han man, and he said that my Erzhu family was acting perversely and like a withered tree about to fall. I disagreed and argued with him, but he drove me back.”

The Han Chinese that Erzhu Chang mentioned was the schoolteacher hired by Erzhu Yanbo.

Seeing that Erzhu Yanbo remained silent, Erzhu Chang looked at him and asked:
"Does Father also think that Han man is right?"

Erzhu Yanbo sighed and simply said:

"Sir, you are right!"

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Chang hurriedly asked:
"Do your uncles know?"

Upon hearing this, Erzhu Yanbo patted Erzhu Chang's head and said:
"Don't let outsiders know about this, lest it cause trouble for them."

"Oh!"

Watching Erzhu Chang leave, Erzhu Yanbo sighed:
"Foolish child, we're still in the tree. Even if it's a withered tree, we can't let it fall!"

……

(End of this chapter)