Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 403 Ohno Sō is really too bad
The Shanglin Garden originated in the Qin Dynasty and underwent a large-scale expansion during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. Its scale was so vast that the Ba and Chan rivers never left the Shanglin Garden; the Jing and Wei rivers flowed into the garden from outside and then out of the garden; and the Lao, Feng, Hao, and Yu rivers meandered through the garden.

Emperor Wu of Han built numerous detached palaces and villas in the Shanglin Garden, where he kept warhorses, trained royal cavalry, and excavated Kunming Pool to train the navy.

By the time of Wang Mang, the Shanglin Garden, which had been shrinking in size, was completely destroyed. First, Wang Mang demolished more than a dozen palaces and pavilions in the garden, taking their materials and tiles to build ancestral temples; later, the Red Eyebrow Army invaded Guanzhong, and the Shanglin Garden was destroyed by war.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han court moved its capital to Luoyang, and the Shanglin Garden was reduced to ruins.

For the next several centuries, Guanzhong was plagued by constant conflict, and the once vast Shanglin Garden was reduced to villages and farmland.

When Li Shuang entered Guanzhong, the region was in turmoil, and large tracts of land became unclaimed. After Li Shuang implemented the equal-field system and the militia system, most of the land in the former Shanglin Garden area was distributed to the people of Guanzhong, while the remaining mountains, lakes, and forests remained designated as the Shanglin Garden.

South of Chang'an City, a large area of ​​woodland was designated as Linyuan, taking its old name as Shanglinyuan, and Shanglin Temple was built within Linyuan.

Originally built for garrisoning troops and conducting reconnaissance, Shanglin Temple was later used as a guesthouse for nobles and officials in Chang'an to stay while hunting after the fall of Hanzhong.

Every spring and autumn, a large number of Khans and Governors from the northern regions would arrive in Chang'an with tribute gifts. Li Shuang would then host them in the Shanglin Garden.

Before meeting the Khans, Li Shuang deliberately approached Hulijin.

This renowned Khan of the Hetao region donned the purple robes and jade belt of a third-rank official even before entering Guanzhong, demonstrating his loyalty.

In the woods, Li Shuang and Huli Jin, along with dozens of riders and hounds, began their work early in the morning.

Hunting is neither a simple matter nor an easy task.

They had to start scouting the range of the herd very early, often arriving at the hunting grounds before dawn.

They scout and wait for their prey, then seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Many methods and principles learned in hunting can be applied to warfare, thus hunting is also a method of training troops.

However, Li Shuang brought Huli Jin this time purely for sightseeing and did not expect to use the prey to fill their stomachs.

Large wild animals such as tigers, bears, and wild boars are rarely seen in Shanglin Garden; instead, small and medium-sized animals such as elk and rabbits are more commonly observed.

Around noon, Li Shuang and Huli Jin found a herd of deer, each shot and killed a deer, and then returned to their camp.

Inside the camp, water was boiling in an iron pot, while servants were processing the game they had hunted.

Li Shuang and Huli Jin sat to one side, drinking wine and eating the meal that had been prepared in advance.

"Ah Liudun, how's this wine?"

Hulüjin nodded. Although this wine was different from the one brought by the Western Region merchants, he couldn't say it was bad.

"This is truly a fine wine in Guanzhong!"

Huli Jin's words elicited a burst of laughter from Li Shuang, who said:
"Ah Liudun is still so honest!"

Huli Jin smiled憨厚ly. Since Anagui fled west, the military pressure on the north of Shuozhou has been greatly reduced. Huli Jin has united the western Tiele tribes and many tribes inside and outside the Great Wall, with nearly 30,000 cavalry under his command.

However, after becoming the Great Khan, Hulujin felt a lot of pressure.

"Your Majesty, there are some things I still need to tell you."

"What's the matter?"

"I have too many men under my command now, and they are of varying quality. I need to divide them into different tribes and assign them to the respective minor khans. Otherwise, chaos will break out sooner or later."

Hulü Jin did not see himself as the Great Khan of the Western Tiele, but rather as a third-rank General of the Qin Prince's Mansion. Therefore, his perspective was also rooted in the Guanzhong region.

Huli Jin originally had only 10,000 cavalrymen under his command, but as Yuwen Luosheng, Heba Yue, and Yujiulü Anagui withdrew from the Northern Lands competition one after another, the number of troops under his command skyrocketed.

These troops, gathered under Hulijin's command and siding with him, have already developed ambitions for independence. In time, conflict is bound to arise.

Li Shuang smiled upon hearing this.

"What a coincidence, Shedi Gan also wrote to me saying the same thing!"

After Yuwentai went to Fanyang, Shedigan led his troops to Hengzhou, and many people came to join him.

However, Hengzhou was not like Shuozhou. Pingcheng had Dugu Xin and Yuwen Dao leading the Dai people's troops, Liu Lisheng's Ji Hu were in the mountains, the Eastern Rouran were to the north, and the Han army was in Mayi to the south. She Digan's troops had only increased from several thousand to more than ten thousand.

Hulüjin and Shedigan are both powerful Khans in the northern lands.

Of course, it's impossible for someone who started his rebellion in the Six Garrisons and is still active in the North today not to have a great reputation.

The people flocked to them, naturally wanting them as their leaders. The problem was, the two of them didn't want to be leaders. Being a leader meant being responsible for your underlings, and these underlings were no pushovers.

Upon hearing this, Hulijin's eyes lit up. It seemed that Shedigan had encountered the same situation as him.

The underlings all wanted to advance further.

The question is, who can Hulü Jin lead them to rob? Should they go to the North Sea to rob the Tiele tribes or go to Juyan Lake to find Yujiulü Anagui?

If this continues, either his underlings will be replaced, or he, the boss, will be replaced.

"By the way, why didn't Qianqiu come?"

Li Shuang listened and said:

"After autumn, Yuwen Tai raised an army and marched north to attack the Khitan. To prevent any unforeseen events, Shedi Gan led his troops to Rouxuan Town."

Huli Jin listened, nodded, and asked:
"Your Majesty, what should we do about splitting up the tribes?"

The pressure faced by Shedi Gan's more than 10,000 cavalry was not as great as that faced by Huli Jin.

Li Shuang listened, smiled slightly, and said:
"The time has not come yet!"

Just then, a servant came and reported:

"Your Majesty, the Khans of the Three Xia tribes and their sons have arrived at Shanglin Temple."

"Has Heba Yue arrived yet?"

"Your Majesty, the Magistrate of Longcheng County has not yet arrived."

"When he arrives, let him entertain these people on my behalf."

"promise!"
-
After Tongwan City was captured, Xia Prefecture was divided into several prefectures, and the tribes that had originally submitted to Heba Yue were scattered to various places.

Although Heba Yue's troops were wiped out, he still enjoyed great prestige among the tribes in the north.

Upon arriving at Shanglin Temple, Heba Yue, dressed in a red official robe, approached the envoys from the tribes of the Three Xia regions.

Most of these envoys were tribal chiefs and their sons, and they were quite moved when they met Heba Yue.

The once spirited King Xia now looks very weathered. Wearing an official robe that he borrowed from the emperor, he appears very gentle in front of the envoys, like a retired official who is indifferent to worldly affairs.

"King Xia!"

The envoys immediately wanted to kneel down and pay their respects, but Heba Yue quickly waved his hand and said:
"No, that's not right. I am no longer the King of Xia. Today, I have come to entertain you on the orders of the King of Qin. Please enjoy yourselves!"

Heba Yue sat in the main seat, and soon, the servants brought out wine, vegetables, fruits, roast meat and other dishes.

After the servants withdrew, Heba Yue picked up his wine cup and said:

"Drink up, gentlemen!"

A joyful atmosphere quickly filled the banquet.

The group reminisced about their past friendships, reminiscing about the wonderful times they spent fighting together against the rebels in the Six Garrisons and serving the imperial court. Of course, no one mentioned that many of them had once been rebels themselves.

In the end, some people lamented how difficult life was.

“We are not like Hulü Jin, Shedi Gan, and other former subordinates of the King of Qin. We are not even as good as Hedouling Bufan. Our lives are very hard. We have to pay tribute to Chang'an twice a year, and we can only enjoy ourselves for a few days in Chang'an throughout the year.” “Didn’t you and your followers follow Hulü Jin?”

“Hulü Jin has never treated us as his own people; we're always the ones who don't get any of the benefits. If King Xia were still alive—”

At this point, the speaker suddenly realized something, so he simply pretended to be drunk and collapsed onto the table.

The awkward atmosphere was quickly dispelled by Heba Yue's laughter, and everyone started drinking.

When all the fruits, vegetables, and roasted meat on the table had been used up and the banquet was about to end, Heba Yue stood up and said:

"Everyone should get some rest!"

At that moment, someone asked:
When will the King of Qin see us?

"His Majesty has important business to attend to these past few days and has instructed me to entertain you all. His Majesty has said that when the envoys from each tribe return, they may choose two fine horses from the horse farm in Shanglin Garden and receive rewards such as cloth, silk, salt, and iron."

Upon hearing this, someone complained:

"Is it because they think the tribute we brought is too little that they don't even want to see us?"

……

Heba Yue led the Khans of the Three Xia tribes on a tour of Shanglin Garden for several days, but instead of waiting for Li Shuang, they were greeted by Heba Zhen.

"lady!"

When Heba Yue returned, he found ten armored soldiers outside his house. Inside, Heba Zhen was already waiting.

Heba Zhen's belly was quite large. When she saw Heba Yue return, she waved her hand, signaling her maid to leave first.

"Brother!"

After arriving in Chang'an, Heba Yue had hardly seen Heba Zhen. Now, seeing her again, her face still bore the same smile as before, which touched Heba Yue deeply.

"I dare not accept such words from you, Madam!"

Hebazhen shook his head and said:
“Although we are not biological siblings, I have lived in my elder brother’s house since I was a child and have been well taken care of by him. I still feel a little scared when I think back to the kind of life I had in Wuchuan. If it weren’t for my uncle and three elder brothers, I would probably be somewhere now.”

Hebazhen still retains the same personality she had when she was a child; beneath her sweet smile lies a determination and stubbornness that rivals any man.

Upon hearing this, Heba Yue recalled how Heba Zhen, as a child, was determined to fight the Rouran and couldn't help but smile.

"Unfortunately, it's all in the past now!"

Hebazhen nodded and said:
We must all look forward!

As he spoke, Hebazhen took out a bag of gold from his sleeve and handed it to Hebayue.

Heba Yue was puzzled and said:
"What does Madam mean?"

“Brother, your current living conditions are too harsh. I have already spoken to the King and will move you to a larger house. This gold is what I have saved up over the years. Take it, brother, and use it to buy some furniture. It would be best if you could also find a woman to take care of you.”

Heba Yue's expression shifted slightly as he looked at Heba Zhen, saying nothing, and finally simply bowed.

"Thank you ma'am!"

"Brother, there's no need for that. I'll head back now."

Heba Yue saw Heba Zhen off, watching her retreating figure, feeling a mix of emotions.

Heba Yue sat motionless in the house until sunset.

As night fell, there were some noises outside Heba Yue's house.

A dozen or so young men sneaked into his room, greeted Heba Yue, and bowed.

"King Xia!"

There were no lights on in the room; by the moonlight, one could barely make out the other person's face.

"Where are the others who left the building?"

"Rest assured, King Xia, I waited until they were drunk before I came."

"Now that things have come to this, have you all thought it through?"

"We have made up our minds and are willing to follow King Xia!"

These people spoke in hushed tones, but their voices carried a sense of excitement.

Heba Yue, however, did not share their sentiments; in fact, he felt a sense of sorrow.

What brave warriors those who once followed him were!
But now, the only force he can rely on is these young and impetuous Hu people.

Although they were young and energetic, they were all skilled in archery and horsemanship, and with the servants they brought, they could lead at least a hundred riders.

If used properly, it can also be a sharp dagger that can pierce the enemy's throat.

Among the group of young noblemen from the Central Asian tribes, one of them was indignant and said:

"Ōno Sou uses sweet words to lure our women, and exquisite silks and fine objects to make our fathers indulge in pleasure. He uses official positions to make the warriors of the tribe serve him, but he never puts truly wise people in high positions, instead choosing to appoint some fools to govern the tribe. If this continues, the proud eagle of the grassland will lose its glory. Ōno Sou wants to tame us into obedient hounds. Only when he dies will our tribe be on the right path."

Heba Yue disagreed in his heart, but still praised:

"It is truly fortunate that you all think this way!"

As he spoke, Heba Yue took out a treaty and a dagger.

"Let us swear an oath of blood!"

"I obey the King of Xia's command!"

After everyone had signed the alliance document, Heba Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now is the perfect opportunity to kill Ōno Sō."

"But Ohno Sou's whereabouts are unpredictable, and we can't find him at all. Even if we did find him, how could we possibly defeat the guards around him?"

Shanglin Temple is very large, having expanded from an initial watchtower into a large complex of buildings; their place was merely a small outbuilding on the outskirts.

Where Li Shuang stayed each day was something they had no way of knowing.

Hearing this, Heba Yue laughed and said:

"Erzhu Rong was so powerful back then. Given the right place and the right time, we could have killed him just as easily. Are you gentlemen not even as capable as those students from the Imperial Academy?"

Then, Heba Yue continued:

"Bows and arrows and daggers for hunting can be obtained everywhere. As for horses, there are horse farms in Shanglin Garden, so it won't take much effort to get them. As long as we know where Da Yeshuang is, we can kill him."

"Does the Xia King know?"

Heba Yue nodded and said:
"After you return, await my orders."

"promise!"

As everyone dispersed, Heba Yue stood up, took out the bag of gold from his sleeve, and said self-deprecatingly:
"What a pity, we won't need it anymore!"

……

(End of this chapter)