Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 361 The King is a Virtuous Man

Heba Yue opened his eyes and saw a familiar scene—

The beams of his bedroom.

Beside him, the mournful sounds of his wives and concubines could be heard.

"Adou, you've finally woken up."

Hearing the voices of his wives and concubines, Heba Yue slowly sat up, still feeling a pain in his head.

Heba Yue touched his head. The first thing he did upon regaining consciousness was not to worry about the safety of his relatives, or even his own safety, but to ask:

Where are my men?

The room fell silent instantly at the question. The woman's sobbing also stopped.

Heba Yue's wife comforted him, saying:
"Adou, your injuries are quite serious. You should rest and recuperate."

"This is not the time to rest and recuperate!"

Heba Yue's movements were too vigorous, aggravating his injuries and causing his head to ache again.

However, compared to his own injuries, Heba Yue was more concerned about the condition of his subordinates. He held his wife's hand, his eyes bloodshot.

None of Heba Yue's wives, concubines, or sons dared to answer this question.

"Where are they?"

Heba Yue's wife's eyes flickered; she dared not answer directly, only saying:
"Adou, don't ask anymore."

The door opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in.

Heba Yue turned his head and saw Hou Mochen Chong leading several armored soldiers in.

Heba Yue's attention shifted from his wives and concubines to Houmo Chenchong. He tried to get up, but his injuries were too severe, and he fell back onto the bed.

Both the Houmochen and Heba clans were once prominent families in Wuchuan. At this time, Houmochen Chong still treated Heba Yue with a degree of courtesy.

However, the armored soldiers following behind him were not in the mood for this. Looking at the large group of people gathered in front of Heba Yue's bed, they shouted.

"The General is here! Scatter your troops!"

The people in the Xia King's mansion had lost their former pride and prestige. Upon hearing the shout, they quickly dispersed, not even daring to look up at Hou Mochen Chong.

Hou Mochen Chong ignored everything else and walked directly to Heba Yue, saying:
"Lord Heba, are you well?"

Heba Yue stared intently at Hou Mochen Chong before him and asked:

Where are my generals?

In Heba Yue's memory, Hou Mochen Chong was just a little kid in Wuchuan Town. When the Heba family left Yunzhong, they left in a hurry and many people were not taken with them. In the end, they all stayed under Li Shuang's command.

Hou Mochen Chong is still young, but he is already a fierce general with a burly physique.

Heba Yue witnessed Houmo Chenchong's performance in that battle and thought he was truly a sharp blade!
Unfortunately, this knife is not his.

Upon hearing this, Houmo Chenchong took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and handed it to Heba Yue.

"See for yourself!"

Heba Yue took it with trembling hands, opened it and read it carefully. When he got to the end, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Male from Longcheng County!"

When the Heba clan ancestors entered Zhenwuchuan as good family members, their hereditary title was Baron of Longcheng County.

Having been demoted from King Xia all the way to Baron, Heba Yue's laughter carried a hint of sorrow as he looked at Houmo Chenchong and asked:

Why doesn't the King of Qin kill me?

"His Majesty is benevolent; since he has spared your life, there is no need for further discussion. Lord Heba, please pack your things and come with me to Chang'an!"

Heba Yue gathered the imperial edict in his hands, and whether he was frustrated or excited, he finally managed to utter a single sentence.

"What a virtuous ruler!"

……

On the city wall, watching Hou Mochen Chong lead over a hundred armored soldiers to escort Heba Yue's family to Chang'an, Hou Jing asked:
"Your Majesty, I heard that the first thing Heba Yue asked upon waking was where his generals were. Is he still not convinced of Your Majesty's rule?"

Li Shuang listened, then just smiled and said:
"When Xiang Yu, the King of Chu, committed suicide at the Wujiang River, could Heba Yue still cross the river?"

Why did Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, refuse to cross the Yangtze River to the east? Because the 800 cavalrymen he selected from his 100,000 Chu troops were all wiped out during the pursuit by the Han army.

These eight hundred cavalrymen were not ordinary soldiers, but the backbone of the army.

If Xiang Yu had taken these eight hundred cavalrymen to Jiangdong, he could have immediately raised another large army.

But now only Xiang Yu remained. Even with his unparalleled martial prowess, once he crossed the Yangtze River, he couldn't immediately muster a disciplined army to continue fighting the Han army. Besides, would the Han army give Xiang Yu that opportunity to develop his strength?
After hearing this, Hou Jing seemed to understand.

"Heba Yue's generals are either dead or have surrendered, so he has no foundation. Keeping him alive will not only give the Prince of Chenliu face and prevent him from being in a difficult position, but also keep Heba Sheng hooked."

Li Shuang watched the departing convoy with a deep gaze.

"The Erzhu clan has recently been recruiting soldiers and has already assembled nearly 100,000 troops in Luoyang. Their strength shows no signs of waning, and a major battle is imminent. Before that, we must first pacify the north."

Hou Jing asked:

"The tribes of Hexi and Yunshuo have all submitted. Without Heba Yue's interference, they can now be directly commanded by Your Majesty. What is there for the Rouran to worry about?"

"They alone are not enough!"

Just then, Hulü Guang strode over, cupped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, a group of people have been captured in Lingzhou."

"who?"

"The Rouran people, they are envoys sent by the Rouran ruler, originally intending to see Heba Yue!"

Li Shuang smiled upon hearing this.

"Therefore, bring them to Tongwan City!"

……

With the Lingxia reign secured, Guanzhong was thus at peace.

With the victory in Xia Prefecture secured, Li Shuang led his army into Tongwan City. Dozens of tribal leaders from the surrounding area who had received Li Shuang's tokens came to pay their respects. Even those who hadn't received anything still came in considerable numbers.

The stench of blood inside and outside Tongwan City did little to deter the tribal chiefs who came to pay their respects, nor did it dampen their enthusiasm in the slightest.

Heba Yue was enfeoffed as the King of Xia for a very short time, and did not have the time, energy, or even the wealth to build a palace for himself. He simply renovated the former governor's mansion of Xia Prefecture.

Today, this mansion has become the place where Li Shuang receives tribal leaders and holds banquets.

Huli Jin, She Digan, Cao Ni, He Douling Bufan, Po Liu Han Chang, Wan Qipu and others were all present, watching the singing and dancing at the banquet.

Of course, some were invited, while others were not invited but came passively.

For example, the messenger sent by Anagui, the ruler of Rouran, was the prime minister Tutujia.

Anagui sent his prime minister here not to see Li Shuang, but to see Heba Yue.

The Rouran people suffered many losses at the hands of Yuwentai, and in order to find allies, they set their sights on Heba Yue.

However, before Tu Tujia could even meet Heba Yue, the situation in Xiazhou had already changed, and he was caught.

After the song and dance ended, Li Shuang waved his hand, dismissing the dancers, and looked at Tutujia. "What does the Prime Minister think?"

The bald beauty, under the eaves, was naturally much more respectful.

"The singing and dancing were wonderful!"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"I've always heard that the Rouran people are sincere, but I've never heard them say that. They're just ordinary women, how can they be considered wonderful?"

Tutujia stood up, cupped his hands, and said:
"When the King's grace and power reach out, even the most ordinary and vulgar women shine brightly!"

"Since you know the difference between kindness and severity, why did you still seek out that scoundrel Heba Yue?"

Tutujia had already prepared for this question before he came here.

After all, his seeking out Heba Yue couldn't be kept a secret.

"The Rouran people live in remote areas with barren land and water. Recently, we learned that Your Majesty's troops have marched south to Jinyang, leaving Yunshuo vulnerable. Our tribe wanted to borrow some pastures to feed our people. We originally intended to pass through Lingzhou to reach Guanzhong and pay our respects to Your Majesty. However, we did not know that Your Majesty was on a righteous mission to punish Heba Yue, which led to some misunderstanding."

Tutujia's purpose in coming here has always been very clear!

Find allies!
However, the purpose of seeking allies was not to find allies, but to use this relationship to infiltrate the Rouran's influence into the Hetao region south of Yinshan.

After all, Yuwen Tai's main force was in Hengzhou and the Youyan area. The Rouran could avoid his sharp edge and occupy the Qiantao, Houtao and Xitao areas south of Yinshan, and even the Henan area, to gain more living space.

Upon hearing this, the tribal leaders, led by Hulijin, looked at Tutujia with a hint of fierceness.

Tutujia sensed it, but he didn't care.

The Rouran, who occupied southern Gobi Desert, grew increasingly powerful and even allied with the Hephthalites, extending their influence into the Western Regions.

Yunshuo is empty; that is a fact.

The Rouran could move south at any time, but could the large army in Guanzhong move north at any time?
Tu Tujia glanced at Li Shuang, but the other party showed no dissatisfaction and even had a smile on his face.

"This is easy; it's just some pastureland. If your lord wants it, I'll give it to him without hesitation!"

"Your Majesty!"

Huli Jin stood up, looking at Li Shuang with a hint of doubt.

But just as he was about to speak, Li Shuang glanced at him, and Huli Jin said nothing and sat back down.

Tutujia witnessed this scene.

This Huli Jin was also a tribal leader who was famous throughout the north. He was the rightful leader of the Huli tribe, one of the six tribes of the Tiele. However, the King of Qin on the throne only needed to give him a look to shut him up.

At this moment, Tutujia felt increasingly wary of this Qin king he had never met.

Despite his inner fears, Tu Tujia became increasingly assertive.

"Since Your Majesty has granted your request, we Rouran are deeply grateful. May we then draw up a contract to allow us Rouran to reside in the land north of Woye Town?"

"No rush!" Li Shuang laughed. "Your lord and I have no prior relationship or connection. Now, lending the grassland to your lord is surely a wonderful thing!"

Tutujia was taken aback, thinking Li Shuang wanted money, and said:

"Since Your Majesty has spoken, how can the Rouran refuse? The Rouran is willing to offer furs, livestock and other tributes to Your Majesty!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"How can such vulgar things demonstrate my friendship with your Lord?"

"Recently, the Kingdom of Gaochang in the Western Regions sent ten beauties from the Western Regions. Each one is stunningly beautiful. Is Your Majesty interested?"

Li Shuang waved his hand again and said:
"I still have a hundred beauties from the Western Regions, and I don't know what to do with them yet, so there's no need to send any from your place."

Not greedy for money, not lustful, Tu Tujia couldn't figure out what Li Shuang wanted for a moment, so he asked:
What does Your Majesty mean?

"The land of a nation should not be easily transferred. If I, the king, were to swear an oath of father and son with your lord, wouldn't that be perfectly legitimate?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Tujia was somewhat taken aback and couldn't quite grasp the situation.

"If we're supposed to be father and son, who is the father, and who is the son?"

Hou Jing, standing nearby, shouted:
“Naturally, my king is the father, and your lord is the son! Since ancient times, we have only heard of fathers giving land to their sons, never of sons giving property to their fathers!”

"But the King of Qin is only in his twenties, while my lord is much older than the King of Qin!"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"Virtue is not limited by age!"

At this moment, Tutujia's cheeks swelled up. He wanted to lash out, but looking at the tribal chiefs in the room, he decided to endure it.

Finally, Tu Tujia managed to utter a sentence.

"I will convey the King of Qin's message to my lord!"
-
Lingzhou, Huile County.

Li Bi, who had occupied Lingzhou, did not immediately return to Guanzhong, but waited for Li Shuang's orders from Tongwan City.

Li Shuang did not keep Li Bi waiting for long. Shortly after entering Tongwan City, he sent an envoy.

The one who came to Lingzhou with Li Shuang's royal decree was Liu Qiu from the Ministry of Personnel, a member of the Liu family of Hedong.

Li Bi had seen this man frequently when he was in Chang'an, but they were not familiar with each other. Apart from official business, they had no personal relationship.

Li Bi learned from Liu Qiu that Li Shuang had promoted him to Grand General for his merit in conquering Lingzhou.

Following Yang Kan and Yu Jin, this is the third person to be promoted to Grand General.

However, Li Shuang did not send him back to his army. Instead, he had Li Bi stay in Lingzhou to absorb Heba Yue's surrendered troops and reorganize the military affairs in Lingzhou.

The Heba clan were originally powerful families in Wuchuan, with many followers under their command.

Besides the people of Wuchuan, their foundation also lay with the troops from the Six Garrisons given to them by Erzhu Rong. As for the Han Chinese and Hu tribes native to Lingzhou, they were merely peripheral forces, not the main force.

These people can be absorbed and reorganized by Li Bi.

What does Your Majesty mean?

Li Bi asked Liu Qiu directly.

This young man from the Liu family of Hedong was in his early thirties. After several years of experience in the Ministry of Personnel, he had become increasingly mature. Now, he had been sent to Lingzhou, clearly to continue his training in a local position.

"With the pacification of Lingxia, our army has successively conquered Yunshuo, and the tribes in the various prefectures of Lingxia and Shuo have surrendered. However, the Rouran are still eyeing us covetously. Moreover, after Your Majesty left Jinyang, Yuwen Tai of Hengzhou and Anagui, the Rouran chieftain, have reached a tacit understanding and have not attacked each other. Your Majesty will inevitably have a war with the Erzhu clan sooner or later, and the dangers involved must be guarded against."

Li Bi nodded and asked:
"What is Your Majesty's strategy?"

"This place serves as a natural barrier for Guanzhong and a vital passage between the Yellow River and Longxi. It is protected by the Yellow River and supported by the Helan Mountains. To the north, it is guarded by the fertile plains and the cities of Tongwan. Furthermore, to the west, it is rich in the resources of the Hexi and Longxi horse farms, and to the east, it benefits from the salt lakes. Your Majesty should appoint Jinghe as the Supreme General to guard Lingzhou, expand irrigation canals, cultivate land to support the army, and control the affairs of Lingzhou, Shuozhou, Xiazhou, and Bei'an to defend against external enemies."

Upon hearing this, Li Bi was shocked.

Yang Kan was stationed in Wuwei, while Yu Jin was stationed in Taiyuan. Both places were important strongholds, but the hypothetical forces they were dealing with were different.

Yang Kan dealt with the forces from Tuyuhun and the Western Regions, Yu Jin dealt with the forces from Hengzhou and Hebei, and now he has to face the Rouran!
"Your Majesty's intentions are clear to me. I will do my utmost to bring peace and stability to the region for Your Majesty."

Liu Qiu nodded and said:

"General, you can return to Legu City as a base and build more fortifications as a garrison town. However, the name of this town, Bogulu Town, should be changed."

Li Bi asked:

"What should it be renamed?"

Liu Qiu naturally already had the answer, and immediately said:
"Lingwu!"

……

(End of this chapter)