Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 365 I am truly heartbroken.
Despite his anger, the Rouran ruler Anagui remained calm.

Li Shuang was not far away from him, no more than twenty paces away, and at this moment he only had a horizontal sword in his hand.

Behind him, generals such as Hou Mochen Chong were still far behind, and Huli Jin, who was leading the horse, was even further behind.

Anagui has a real chance to take a gamble.

He has warhorses and scimitars under his command. If he wins a battle, not only the Yunshuo region, but also the Lingxia and Guanlong regions, may well be worth a shot.

However, Anagui could not afford the consequences of losing the gamble.

Cavalry attacking infantry—it was clearly an advantage for his side, so Anagui mustered his courage.

At that moment, Li Shuang, holding the horizontal sword in his hand, swung it lightly.

Under the sunlight, drops of blood were scattered on the pontoon bridge.

Then, Li Shuang, holding a knife, walked forward step by step.

Anagui's Adam's apple bobbed. He glanced at the dead Rouran general behind Li Shuang, and in a flash, he made his decision.

Rein in your horse and retreat!

They didn't leave a single word!

"His horse is good; it runs so fast!"

Hou Mochen Chong and others rode closer, positioned behind Li Shuang. By this time, Anagui had already pulled ahead by more than a hundred paces.

"Your Majesty, the warhorses under his command must be thoroughbreds!"

At this moment, Huli Jin also arrived leading his horse. Li Shuang mounted the horse and said:
"He actually managed to get some good stuff from the Western Regions!"

"Your Majesty, what should we do?"

Li Shuang picked up another bow and said:
"Chase!"

Hulujin spoke up to persuade him:
"Your Majesty, the Rouran cavalry number ten thousand ahead. If we pursue them, we may encounter unforeseen circumstances."

Li Shuang laughed and said:
"What is there to fear from a mere Rouran, even with a million-strong army!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hou Mochen Chong seemed to be filled with power. His nostrils flared out like the nozzles of a steam engine, causing his beard to twitch.

"Your Majesty is right, I am willing to follow Your Majesty!"

"We are willing to follow Your Majesty!"

Li Shuang laughed loudly, took his bow, and rode ahead on horseback, followed by five riders.

With a gust of wind, Anagui noticed the pursuers behind him, but at this point, besides cursing them as madmen in his heart, he had no other choice.

Fortunately, Anagui's warhorse was a fine steed obtained from the Western Regions, and in terms of horsepower, it was unmatched by the warhorses ridden by Li Shuang and the generals behind him.

Before the two sides met on the pontoon bridge, each side withdrew its 10,000 cavalry three miles.

However, a small contingent of Rouran troops was still providing support during the mid-range attack.

They had already sensed something was wrong. They sent someone to the rear to inform the prime minister, Tutujia, who was in charge of the rear, while they went forward to meet Anagui.

This Rouran cavalry was originally a scout unit, and all its members were elite. Although there were only a dozen or so men, they were very brave.

"Khan!"

Anagui ran a distance, and his warhorses still had energy left, but Anagui was exhausted from fear!
He lay sprawled on his horse, unable to straighten up, looked at the Rouran cavalry beside him, pointed behind him, and said:
"Kill them for me, Khan!"

Just as Anagui finished speaking, one of his Rouran cavalrymen who came to meet him was pierced through the throat by an arrow.

Blood splattered as the Rouran soldier on horseback fell beside him. Anagui touched the hot, wet blood on his cheek, his courage completely gone.

The dozen or so riders beside him charged forward on his orders.

Anagui adjusted his breathing rhythm. As the Khan of Rouran, he desperately wanted to escape, but his cavalry were fighting for him. If he fled, how could he explain it to the Rouran?

He spurred his horse forward, boldly adjusted its body, and straightened up, only to witness a truly horrifying scene.

The general he felt was the most dangerous on the pontoon bridge, now wielding a long spear, had pierced through two short Rouran scouts, then leaped back onto his horse and charged back, like a monster.

As for Li Shuang, riding on horseback, he could draw his bow with both hands, and every arrow he shot felled!
Just as these dozen or so Rouran scouts were fighting with Li Shuang and his men, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves was getting closer and closer behind Anagui!

The Prime Minister, Tutujia, learned of the scouts' battle report and was on his way with reinforcements.

When the Prime Minister Tutujia arrived with the vanguard, what he saw was Li Shuang leading five generals to kill all ten or so Rouran scouts.

"Khan!"

Anagui was currently positioned between Li Shuang and Tutujia, preventing Tutujia and the others from seeing his face. However, he was already covered in cold sweat.

He probably won't dare to pursue her anymore!

Anagui sensed the movement of the Rouran cavalry behind him and thought to himself, "In this way, I can maintain my Khan's authority."

No matter how many people died before him, he was still alive. Once he returned to the Rouran royal court, he could explain things to his subordinates however he pleased.

As long as he can stand firm at this moment!

"Da Yeshuang, my Rouran cavalry has arrived! How dare you be so insolent!"

Anagui roared, his voice weak, but it still roused the Rouran cavalry behind him.

However, Anagui's roar was like throwing a piece of raw, blood-stained meat into a group of sharks. Upon hearing this, Li Shuang and his five bloodthirsty generals spurred their horses and gave chase.

Seeing Li Shuang approach, Anagui could no longer remain calm, and no longer cared about the Rouran Khan's majesty or how he would explain it later. He turned his horse around and rode back.

Right now, survival is the most important thing!
The sight of Anagui in such a sorry state greatly disappointed the Rouran cavalry, who had just been somewhat invigorated, and even filled them with contempt.

Anagui bent down and turned around, and one of his warhorses was hit by an arrow.

The steed under Anagui's command was startled, but having been tamed by Anagui for a long time, it still managed to carry its master away.

He had only run a dozen steps when he was hit by another arrow.

Anagui ran backward, while Tutujia led his cavalry forward to meet him.

Just as they were about to get close, Anagui's mount finally gave way and fell to the ground.

In a panic, Anagui scrambled to his feet and desperately ran towards the Rouran battle formation.

When he returned to his men covered in mud, he turned around and saw that Li Shuang, with five cavalrymen, had already reined in his horses and stopped.

"What a pity that such a fine steed has been driven by you!"

Li Shuang laughed loudly and led the five warriors behind him back as they ran back!
"Khan, what should we do now?"

"retreat!"

Anagui was filled with anger and hatred, yet he remained calm. He knew that in this great battle, the Rouran's military preparations were insufficient, and it would be difficult for them to sustain the conflict.

"But if we retreat like this, how will the Rouran maintain its foothold? What will become of the tribes in the Yunshuo region?"

Tutujia knew that if they withdrew like this, the saying "The King of Qin single-handedly defeated the Rouran" would probably spread across the grasslands!
What a humiliation! If word gets out, how will they ever face the world again?
Anagui understood Tutujia's worries at this moment, but when faced with the choice between reputation and power, the Rouran ruler chose the latter.

"If we continue fighting like this, it will be exactly what Ohno Sou wants!" Just as they were struggling with this decision, Li Shuang returned.

This time, however, he was followed not by five riders, but by hundreds or even thousands of cavalry.

Upon seeing this, Anagui was terrified and shouted.

"Go, let's go!"

……

The Rouran royal court.

Within days, the golden tent of the Rouran Khanate, which issued commands, had a new owner.

Inside the large tent, the envoys from various tribes who had submitted to the Rouran waited somewhat anxiously.

Then, Li Shuang led a group of tribal leaders from south of Yinshan into the room.

Before the Six Garrisons Uprising, at the height of the Northern Wei Dynasty, three tribes of Tiele were established in the east, west, and north, with the northern Tiele's territory extending to the northern desert and the North Sea.

As the Northern Wei dynasty declined, the various tribes quickly fragmented.

During their southward march, the Rouran subjugated a number of tribes north of the Yin Mountains, including the Khitan, Shiwei, Tujue, and Tiele.

The envoys of these tribes are also here at this moment.

However, the Rouran did not have strong control over these tribes, and the more distant the tribe, the less influence the Rouran had over it.

As for the area south of Yinshan, the situation was originally quite complex, but after a series of iterations, the situation has now become clear, forming a tribal system with the King of Qin at its core.

Li Shuang led his men in and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, sat on the wolf-headed throne that originally belonged to Anagui!
The tribal leaders who followed Li Shuang were clearly better off than those who followed the Rouran; they were much better in terms of both clothing and demeanor.

In fact, most of the tribal leaders who follow Li Shuang today are northerners, and many of them have served as guards in Luoyang as sons of meritorious officials, so their horizons are naturally much broader.

"Everyone's heard about it, right?"

Li Shuang sat on the throne and spoke in the Xianbei language.

The so-called Northern Language, although banned in Luoyang, is the common language here, and people from all over the country can understand it.

For a moment, the envoys were quite puzzled.

What did I hear? You beat up Anagui and then seized his royal court?
Do I even need to hear that?

No one responded, but Li Shuang wasn't embarrassed at all and continued talking to herself.

"For the sake of peace between the north and south of Yinshan, I wanted to adopt Anagui as my son, but he only wanted to be my younger brother. Helpless, I had to accept the offer. But just when I was about to find a husband for my niece, my younger brother led his army south to try to stop me."

As he spoke, Li Shuang sighed and said:

"I tried to dissuade them a thousand times, but to no avail. I had no choice but to exterminate them according to the law!"

Just then, Hou Jing stepped forward and said something.

"Your Majesty, you've really had a tough time!"

Hou Jing's response emboldened Li Shuang even more.

"But I am still heartbroken and can't bear to part with my younger brother!" Li Shuang paused and looked at the group of envoys. "By the way, I heard that my younger brother has fled to Juyanze with his remaining troops. Anyone of you who knows him well, please pass on a message for me: as long as he is willing to repent, his elder brother will not be petty and will definitely forgive him!"

Upon hearing Li Shuang's words, the expressions of the envoys changed. They all said that they, their families, and their tribes were not familiar with him, and that they only sent him furs, livestock, beauties, gold and silver jewelry.

These are all normal interactions!

Li Shuang expressed her understanding and said that they should keep in touch more often in the future.

After receiving affirmation from the tribal envoys, Li Shuang got to the point.

The tribal leaders who were originally subservient to the Rouran should be given the title of Khan!

Of course, this is not just a simple matter of giving a name; it means taking over the power to establish order from the Rouran and dividing up territory for various tribes on the grassland.

The envoys from the tribes who had submitted to the Rouran dared not agree or refuse, and were filled with fear.

The Rouran were defeated, and Anagui fled in disarray, but the Rouran's power remained strong.

The royal court has over ten thousand Rouran cavalry in the east and west tents and even in the northern desert. What should these tribes that have received orders do if Anagui were to make a comeback?
Just then, a fat man walked in with a young man.

The group of envoys were unfamiliar with the fat man, but they all remembered the young man.

He is Yujiulutahan, the younger brother of Anagui, who controls the eastern camp of the Rouran. Not long ago, he was defeated by Yuwentai, lost two thousand warhorses, and was reprimanded by Anagui.

In front of the crowd, the fat man bowed.

"Yujiulu Fa greets Your Majesty!"

Yu Jiulu gave Yu Jiulu Tahan a wink, and it was clear that the other party was somewhat reluctant.

"I've met the king!"

Li Shuang didn't take it to heart and simply said something.

"Brother, I have finally been waiting for you!"

It was clear that Yu Jiulu Tahan was a little uncomfortable with Li Shuang's way of addressing him, but Li Shuang didn't care and treated him very warmly, as if he were family.

Li Shuang stepped forward and took his hand.

“I have sworn brotherhood with your brother, and you are my younger brother.”

Yu Jiulutahan didn't know how to complain, but Li Shuang's next sentence caught his attention.

"Now that your brother has left, we don't know when he will return. The Rouran cannot be without a leader for even a day. How about this, you temporarily take his Khan's throne and govern this land for your brother!"

Yujiulütahan came to the royal court at the urging of Yujiulüfa, but what Li Shuang gave him at this moment far exceeded Yujiulütahan's expectations.

"Your Majesty, may I?"

Yu Jiulu Tahan's first reaction was not joy, but rather a sense of unease. He already lacked prestige, and his previous defeat at the hands of Yuwen Tai had made it difficult for him to convince the public.

"If I say you can, then you can!"

When Li Shuang said this, not only Yujiulütahan, but also the envoys of the tribes who had submitted to Rouran were shaken.

They suddenly understood.

If the eastern garrison of Rouran also surrenders, and Yujiulütahan ascends to the position of Khan, Rouran will be divided into east and west once the situation is favorable.

Yu Jiulu Tahan is still young, and it's uncertain whether he can manage the Eastern Rouran region well!

At that time, these small tribes that had originally submitted to the Rouran might be able to rise up.

Anyway, even if Anagui finally comes to kill them, it will be Yujiulutahan who stands in their way!
Just as everyone who had figured things out was about to agree, the fat man Yu Jiulu, who had persuaded Yu Jiulutahan to surrender, spoke first, saying:
"Your Majesty's virtue is as vast as the heavens, and the title of king is insufficient to describe your achievements. We, your subjects, wish to bestow upon Your Majesty the honorific title of 'Heavenly Khan,' making you the Khan of all Khans!"

Everyone immediately responded, but Li Shuang waved his hands repeatedly, saying:
"I can't do it, I can't do it!"

……

(End of this chapter)