Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 388 This is a blessing for the nation
Luoyang City.

The sun's rays warmed the Irrawaddy Valley, sweeping away the winter chill that blanketed the valley.

Inside the Changhe Gate and outside the Taiji Hall, officials and nobles from Luoyang City made their way to the main hall.

Yuan Baoju, dressed in imperial robes, got up early in the morning to prepare for today's grand court assembly.

Today, the King of Qin returns to the city!
The Heyin Incident resulted in heavy casualties among the nobles and officials of Luoyang, but not all of the former elites of Luoyang perished.

For example, there is Yuan Xin, the Prince of Guangling, who is currently guarding the Taiji Hall with his soldiers, and a nobleman from a prominent family in Guandong who is walking into the hall.

The eight Xianbei clans and the four clans of Guandong were once the undisputed rulers of Luoyang.

Now that Hu Sichun, Hebasheng, and other northerners have taken over the Luoyang court, seeing the once obsequious beggars from the north now dressed in scarlet and purple, even swaggering in front of them, this group of Luoyang's elite, who have lived through the old days, can't help but feel a pang of sadness.

However, these northerners were not the most provocative to them.

A bugle call sounded, and the earth seemed to tremble.

The gates of Changhe Gate opened, and a large number of cavalrymen poured in.

To be the vanguard of the king!

These cavalrymen were dressed in black, unlike the fiery red uniforms of the Guanzhong soldiers.

More importantly, they speak the Qihu language!
Qihu cavalry?
As the nobles walking on both sides of the square listened to the words of the Qihu cavalry, the deep-seated sense of humiliation from being bullied by the Erzhu clan surged up again.

However, when looking at these Qihu cavalry again, although their clothing still carried the strong north wind, it was different from the barbaric feel of the loose hair and left-fastening robes that Erzhu had when he was alive.

Even the high-ranking officials found it difficult to describe this feeling.

It was as if they were watching the Xianbei people from the north begin to assimilate into Han culture back then. However, unlike the affected elegance and comical behavior of those Xianbei people who were assimilating into Han culture, the Han officials and nobles could only feel a chilling aura emanating from these Qihu cavalry.

It was as biting as the cold wind blowing in from outside the gate.

This is a sharp blade!
The officials present had no doubt that if the owner of this sharp blade gave the order, it would slaughter all the officials inside and outside Luoyang without hesitation.

Just as its former owner had done.

Thinking of this, the nobles who were watching all this outside the Taiji Hall couldn't help but feel a chill, even though they were all dressed in layers and wrapped up tightly.

And the new owner of this sharp blade, amidst the watchful eyes of everyone, finally entered the Changhe Gate.

Behind him followed a group of military officers from the Tian Ce Mansion!
They were clad in armor; those with kind faces exuded an imposing aura without anger, while those with fierce faces resembled demons.

In contrast, the Qihu cavalry on the periphery appeared rather amiable. With Li Shuang's arrival, these Qihu cavalrymen lined up on both sides.

Those who paid close attention noticed the difference: these Qihu cavalrymen were ultimately different from the Erzhu clan in Luoyang; they were less wild and more disciplined.

However, it was precisely because of this that these nobles felt fear when they looked at Li Shuang, who was standing in the crowd.

He and Zhu's men know better than anyone else how to hone and use this sharp blade!
As the court assembly began, the assembled officials entered the main hall one after another and took their places.

After the great chaos, there were significantly fewer people able to hold meetings in the Taiji Hall; it was practically empty.

Yuan Baoju was very excited when he saw Li Shuang. He even disregarded etiquette and ran down to Li Shuang.

"King Qin, you've finally returned!"

Yuan Baoju even felt like crying. Although the rebellion ended quickly, the turmoil in Luoyang was far from over.

These days, Yuan Baoju stays in Xianyang Palace every day and has no time to go back to Jiulong Palace to enjoy himself.

"Your Majesty has suffered!"

"I'm glad the King of Qin understands how difficult things have been for me!"

Li Shuang nodded, then stood beside Yuan Baoju and turned around to say:
"Your Majesty is deeply concerned about the nation and works tirelessly day and night, but those treacherous officials cannot understand Your Majesty's good intentions and instead gather a crowd to cause chaos."

As he spoke, Li Shuang looked at the ranks of officials and shouted.

"Husi Chun!"

Hu Sichun was startled, wondering if something had happened.

However, Hu Sichun did not dare to be negligent and immediately stepped forward, bowing and saying:
"Chen is here!"

Hu Sichun wondered what Li Shuang would do, but Li Shuang didn't dwell on him. Instead, she called out many names in succession.

He Basheng, Jia Xianzheng, and others were all called out.

These northerners are now all officials in their own households. Highly respected northerners such as Husichun and Hebasheng have been granted the high-ranking positions of the Three Dukes. Their residences are all located south of the imperial palace, and were formerly the offices of court officials, such as the Prime Minister's Office and the Grand Commandant's Office.

Being called out by Li Shuang made the group of northerners feel a little uneasy.

"Thanks to the assistance of these loyal ministers, the nation is safe and sound!"

Hearing Li Shuang say this, Hu Sichun and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, King of Qin, we have not done enough."

Li Shuang looked at Yuan Baoju and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Only when the court is filled with upright officials can the monarch enjoy peace and prosperity. Your Majesty's ability to have so many loyal ministers is truly a blessing for the nation!"

When Li Shuang said this, most of the other officials remained silent.

Hu Sichun and the others were quite excited.

"Your Majesty, we will certainly serve you and share the burdens of the Prince of Qin!"

The northerners' statement seemed perfectly reasonable to them, and even to Yuan Baoju himself. However, the silent officials felt uneasy upon hearing it.

The Emperor and the King of Qin were ranked on equal footing!
Is that acceptable?

The officials and nobles were unaware of the situation, but seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the court, they couldn't help but sigh.

……

After the court assembly, Li Shuang declined Yuan Baoju's offer to stay and returned to Jinyong City, northwest of the imperial palace.

Luoyang experienced a brief period of chaos, but the overall reconstruction project did not fall behind; in fact, the reconstruction speed was faster.

Within the fortified city of Jinyong, the palace under construction on the floating island was already taking shape.

Jinyong City is not large, and Jia City is one of the three interconnected smaller cities of Jinyong City, but it is full of pavilions and towers connected by covered walkways.

Bingcheng, the southernmost city, is located within the inner city and is the seat of the Tiance Prefecture.

Li Shuang left Taiji Palace and entered Jinyong City from Bingcheng, where his troops returned to their camp.

Inside the government office, Lu Rou was handling official business.

Upon seeing Li Shuang approach, Lu Rou and his subordinates bowed.

"How is it?"

Li Shuang asked a question, and Lu Rou naturally knew what Li Shuang was asking about.

"Your Majesty, the implementation of the land equalization decree in Hebei is not going very smoothly. So far, land has only been distributed to 30,000 households, which is far from the target of 50,000 households by the end of the year."

"how so?"

Lu Rou cupped her hands and said:
"It's related to water!"

The struggle for water is an unavoidable topic for farmers.

Not only would local powerful families occasionally cut off upstream irrigation canals to divert water to their own fields, but villages would also fight tooth and nail over water.

Lu Rou took out a map and pointed out the specific disputed areas to Li Shuang. Li Shuang's fiefdom in Hebei was fragmented and not contiguous; the areas where the equal-field system could be easily implemented were those without water source disputes.

In those disputed areas, the old water conservancy projects were abandoned due to the war, resulting in water shortages.

The local people were worried that the people under the Qin Prince's government who were granted land would become too powerful and compete with them for water resources. In addition, the local powerful families instigated the conflict, which led to endless fighting. As a result, the land granting was delayed.

Li Shuang looked at it, pointed to two water-scarce areas on the map, and said:
"Two new canals were built to divert water, bypassing the areas where the dispute is taking place."

Lu Rou looked at it, thought for a moment, and said:

"Your Majesty, in this way, the cost will be much higher than originally expected."

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"It's alright, I will pay for it all. These two places were originally intended to be military settlements, and the water shortage problem will have to be solved sooner or later."

Upon seeing this, Lu Rou said:

"promise!"

Lu Rou's map was very detailed, but it did not mark the Yongji Canal, which was under construction.

"Zigang, the Yongji Canal should be largely completed by the end of next year. We need to expedite the land distribution in Hebei."

"promise!"

Li Shuang visited all the government offices.

Nowadays, the various government offices are mainly busy with matters such as granting land, conscripting soldiers, and constructing auxiliary buildings for Jinyong City.

Compared to Hebei, the land granting process went very smoothly in other places, including Hedong, where powerful families like Pei and Xue held considerable influence.

Before long, the garrison troops under the jurisdiction of the Hedong Circuit will be able to form a fighting force.

The construction of the ancillary buildings of Jinyong City is also underway.

Today, the area west of the imperial palace within the inner city of Luoyang belongs to the Jinyong City. These areas were mainly used to build residences for the officials, soldiers, craftsmen, and their families of the Prince of Qin's court, as well as several small granaries, armories, storehouses, and workshops.

Jin Yong City (City C) was built within the inner city, while City A and City B extended beyond the inner city, controlling strategic locations in northern Luoyang.

As a city within a city of Luoyang, a satellite city, it can not only control the inner city, but also connect the inside and outside. It is quite convenient to quickly transfer troops from outside the city to the inner city, or to transfer troops from the inner city to outside the city.

Outside the city, military camps, ranches, and a large granary are currently under construction.

Yongjia Warehouse!
This Yongjia granary is even larger than the three major granaries in Guanzhong, capable of storing tens of millions of shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain. In the future, it will supply Luoyang and provide logistical support for the Luoyang army to go on expeditions.

Compared to Guanzhong, which was fraught with danger due to its three strategic passes and difficulties in transporting grain, Luoyang, as the capital, had considerable advantages.

As the capital of the country, Luoyang had convenient water transport, which allowed it to quickly mobilize supplies and troops from various prefectures and counties to provide assistance should any trouble arise.

However, this advantage can also be a disadvantage in times of chaos.

It's easy for you to hit others, and it's also easy for others to hit you.

Once the imperial court declines, local rebel armies can quickly advance on Luoyang via the Grand Canal. In contrast, the Guanzhong Plain, with its strategic passes like Tongguan, is much safer.

Historically, very few forces have been able to breach Hangu Pass and Tong Pass unless they actively went out to surrender.

For Li Shuang today, Luoyang, as the court of the Northern Wei Dynasty, is also a logistical base for its eastward expansion, so the corresponding infrastructure must be strengthened.

This includes the Yongji Canal, the Yongjia Granary, and related artisan workshops.

After reviewing the relevant documents at the government office in Bingcheng, Li Shuang returned to Jiacheng.

There was already someone waiting here.

Yuan Xin, the Prince of Guangling.

As a senior member of the Yuan clan who now holds military power, Yuan Xin showed no arrogance when he met Li Shuang; on the contrary, he adopted a very humble attitude.

"Greetings, King Qin!"

"No need for that, sit down!"

Li Shuang waved, gesturing for Yuan Xin to sit down. Yuan Xin didn't respond immediately; he only sat down after Li Shuang had done so.

"It is thanks to the power of the Prince of Guangling that Luoyang is able to remain stable."

"I dare not accept such praise from the King of Qin; it is all thanks to the efforts of my ministers that I have achieved this."

Li Shuang listened and smiled without saying a word.

Regardless, Luoyang was indeed much quieter after this rebellion, but it is also true that the Yuan clan's power was greatly weakened.

Although the Yuan clan was not strong to begin with, this situation is now even worse.

Being in the eye of the storm, Yuan Xin naturally faced considerable pressure.

Seeing Li Shuang's appearance, Yuan Xin felt somewhat uneasy.

He also grew up during the most prosperous period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, but the later Rebellion of the Six Garrisons and the Incident at Heyin completely shattered the Yuan family's dreams. Today, the Yuan family can be said to be at the mercy of others.

Yuan Xin's thoughts on this matter were naturally quite complex.

However, unlike other members of the imperial clan, he was clear-headed and understood that although the emperor of Northern Wei still bore the surname Yuan, the court was no longer the same as it had been in the past.

A quick glance at historical records reveals that the Northern Wei Dynasty, having lost all its central and local military forces, and with a large number of its imperial family members and loyal officials dying one after another, was beyond saving.

Even without the Erzhu clan, someone else would still enter Luoyang and take control of the government.

The decline of the Northern Wei Dynasty was inevitable; all they could do was try to maintain a semblance of dignity.

Yuan Xin took a liking to Li Shuang because this Prince of Qin was different from Er Zhu; he came from humble origins but was quite respectable.

"I've heard that the Prince of Guangling intends to travel to Chang'an after this matter is settled to seek advice on agricultural matters?"

After Li Shuang finished speaking, Yuan Xin was shocked, and cold sweat poured down her back.

Yuan Xin had told many people that he would later manage the royal orchard and forestry in Luoyang, because advertising is still necessary in business.

However, he only mentioned his intention to go to Chang'an to consult Jia Sixie to Yi Fushi that one night.

That night, it was just him and Empress Yifu, with the guards standing far away behind them!
How did Li Shuang find out about this?
As Yuan Xin thought of this, looking at the kind smile of the young man in front of her, her fear reached its peak.

"Xiao Wang does have this plan!"

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"Now, Yuan Yue, this traitor, has colluded with the Liang army, declared himself emperor, and wreaked havoc in Henan, with his sights set on Pengcheng. The country is in a time of great turmoil; how can the Prince of Guangling indulge in a life of leisure?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xin's heart tightened, and she asked:

"What does the King of Qin mean?"

“The Prince of Guangling is the head of the imperial clan and has long been stationed in Qizhou and other places. He has a high reputation. At this time, he should share the burden for His Majesty and lead the army to punish Yuan Yue, this traitor.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xin was momentarily unsettled, unsure of Li Shuang's meaning.

Until he said it.

"If you succeed, you can be promoted to General!"

Upon hearing this, all of Yuan Xin's doubts vanished.

"I am willing to serve the King of Qin!"

……

(End of this chapter)