Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 405 You are all liars
Shanglin Temple.

Outside the palace, a group of khans from the north knelt on the ground, their heads kowtowed, not daring to utter a word.

In the square not far away, their sons who had been caught plotting rebellion were still wailing in pain.

Rain fell, soaking their clothes, but they remained kneeling, not daring to move an inch.

Hearing the wails from not far away, what these khans kneeling on the ground thought about their sons who had caused them trouble was anyone's guess.

Compared to the somber atmosphere outside the hall, the atmosphere inside was not so tense.

Li Shuang sat on his throne, looking at Heba Yue's document.

Hulijin stood aside, feeling neither as anxious as the Khans outside the palace, nor as calm as he appeared.

He knew very well that a storm was brewing.

This storm is about to drastically change the situation in the North.

However, Li Shuang, who was controlling the storm, remained silent until Li Shoutian walked in from outside the palace, giving a clear signal.

The Xia king, who once dominated the northern lands, has passed away!
Li Shuang finally spoke:

"Let them in!"

The palace doors opened, and a gust of wind blew into the palace, causing the lamplight to flicker.

The khans, who had been kneeling for a long time, struggled to their feet and entered the palace.

Upon seeing Li Shuang, they all apologized.

"Heavenly Khan, we are guilty. We failed to properly manage our children, which led them to commit such a heinous crime. We deserve to die ten thousand times!"

The group had already made arrangements before they arrived.

Abandon the car to save the handsome man!

They planned to sacrifice these young men to save their own tribe.

"What crime have you committed?"

Li Shuang spoke slowly, his words devoid of any anger. Yet, this only made them more afraid.

The khans were at a loss for words. Hulijin stepped forward, cupped his hands in apology, and said:
“I am the Great Khan, and these tribes are all under my jurisdiction. This great incident is truly my fault.”

Li Shuang listened and said:

"Hulü Jin, you were originally in charge of 30,000 cavalry, weren't you?"

Hu Lujin replied:
"Is such that!"

"Reduce their numbers to ten thousand cavalry!"

At this command, everyone in the hall shuddered. They all wanted to see what kind of expression Hulü Jin had at that moment, but none of them dared to look up.

After a long silence in the palace, Huli Jin finally spoke:

"Your subject thanks the Heavenly Khan!"

"Let's leave it at that!"

The khans were shocked to hear this. They hadn't expected Li Shuang to let the matter drop so easily, without even imposing any punishment.

They walked out of the palace, looking at the people who had already been dragged away, and at the instruments of torture in the square, feeling empty inside.

Looking back, the main gate of the palace behind me slowly closed.

Li Shuang seemed to say nothing, yet it was as if she said everything.

Inside the palace, Hulijin was not as distressed as the other Khans had imagined; on the contrary, he had a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, I thank you!"

Seeing Huli Jin's appearance, Li Shuang laughed:

"What, don't you want to know how I'm going to arrange those 20,000 cavalry?"

Hulu Jin looked completely unconcerned, as if it were none of his business.

"Okay, go down!"

"promise!"

Huli Jin skipped away, his joy undisguised, his steps light and cheerful from head to toe.

Li Shuang looked at him, shook her head, glanced to the side, and said:
"Uncle Three!"

"Chen is here!"

"I intend to emulate the old system of the Han Dynasty, dividing the cavalry into five commanderies, each leading one of the twenty thousand cavalry. You shall select some capable and intelligent men from among our Li clan and prepare to go to the north!"

Li Shoutian was somewhat taken aback, but he quickly understood. Over the years, Li Shuang's forces had grown larger and larger, but those at the core of Li Shuang's group had always been members of the Li clan from Taiping Village.

"promise!"

After Li Shoutian finished speaking, he reminded him:
"Your Majesty, Heba Yue said some interesting things before he died."

Li Shuang asked:

"You mean the matter concerning Heba Yun?"

Li Shoutian was taken aback and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Heba Yue's two elder brothers, Heba Sheng is too shrewd and not easily manipulated, but Heba Yun is indecisive and can be influenced by him."

"Your Majesty, if Heba Yun changes his mind, the situation in Bashu may change. Should we write a letter to remind the Prince of Chenliu?"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"It's best that my sworn brother is unaware of this. As for the rest, I have my own arrangements."

"promise!"
-
Jiangzhou, the northern prefecture city.

Prince Xiao Yi of Xiangdong led an army of 30,000 men upstream to meet with Wang Sengbian.

Then, they launched a major attack on Jiangzhou City.

Xiao Yi was full of confidence, and to boost morale, he even told the Liang army that they would enter Chengdu before winter.

However, the war was more difficult than Xiao Yi had imagined.

After his own navy failed to defeat the Jiangzhou navy and blockade the Yangtze River, isolating the southern city of Jiangzhou, Xiao Yi had no choice but to focus on attacking the northern city first.

The reason why Jiangzhou's main city changed from the northern prefecture city to the southern prefecture city from the end of the Han Dynasty to the present is due to war and turmoil.

The North City was vulnerable to attack, which led to a continuous shrinking of its size and population. Local residents and officials from Jiangzhou migrated to the South City, which was less vulnerable to attack and easier to defend militarily.

After Wang Sizheng took office in Jiangzhou, he made some changes, completely transforming Beifu City into a military fortress.

Liang Jun initially dismissed the matter, believing that Wang Sizheng only had 5,000 soldiers with him, and that the morale in the city should be low since Bashu had only recently changed hands.

This is also why Xiao Yi dared to boast that he would drink with his generals and soldiers in Chengdu during the winter.

But when the attack actually began, Xiao Yi discovered that both cities in Jiangzhou were tough nuts to crack.

Inside the large tent, Xiao Yi appeared somewhat impatient. He had suffered from an eye ailment since childhood, resulting in blindness in one eye. Therefore, among Xiao Yan's sons, Xiao Yi was not favored and was sent to Jiangling, a remote place far from Jiankang, at a young age.

This also contributed to Xiao Yi's stubborn personality and his tendency to be suspicious of others.

Wang Sengbian entered the main tent, and Xiao Yi, very excited, asked:

"How is it?"

Wang Sengbian shook his head and said:
“We threw the letter of surrender into the city, but Wang Bi remained unmoved.”

Xiao Yi listened but didn't care.

"That old scoundrel is heartless. What about those who follow him? Are there no ones who are willing to submit to me?"

Wang Sengbian shook his head again and said:
“Wang Sizheng had already moved all the local people of Jiangzhou to the south city. Now, the north city is full of soldiers that Wang Sizheng and Wang Bi brought from Guanzhong. Their parents and brothers are mostly in Guanzhong, so they will not surrender easily.”

Wang Sizheng placed his troops in the most important Beifu City, while the heroes who came from Bazhou were placed in the navy, and all the soldiers from Jiangzhou were placed in Nanfu City.

This arrangement can maximize the chances of Jiangzhou and Shuangcheng being able to hold out.

After hearing this, Xiao Yi angrily said:

"With an army of nearly 50,000, we can't even conquer a small city like Jiangzhou. Am I to become a laughingstock?"

Wang Sengbian felt uneasy after hearing this.

Siege warfare costs lives; so many soldiers died beneath the walls of Beifu City. Yet, what this Prince of Xiangdong cared about most was his own reputation.
In fact, after a series of siege tactics failed to achieve their intended results, Xiao Yi attempted to persuade the city to surrender. Unfortunately, this also proved ineffective.

At this point, Xiao Yi had no way to deal with the city.

Wang Seng clearly understood that since a series of methods had failed, the only option left was to slowly wear him down.

Let's see who gives up first when it's all over.

However, compared to other cities, the two cities of Jiangzhou are indeed more troublesome.

"Your Majesty, it is impossible to obtain it hastily; we should proceed with a more deliberate approach."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi suppressed his impatience. He still held Wang Sengbian in high regard.

The Southern Liang dynasty appointed members of the imperial clan as commanders-in-chief to control the military, but they were often paired with a capable general. Xiao Yi was aware of Wang Sengbian's abilities.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble General Wang!"

"promise!"

After Wang Sengbian left, a cold glint flashed in Xiao Yi's eyes, and he said:

"Hopefully things will change in Chengdu."

……

"Is A Dou dead?"

Inside the mansion, looking at the Southern Liang envoy standing before him, Heba Yun had already anticipated this news.

How did he die?

The Southern Liang envoy spoke:

"It is said that he died protecting Ōno Sō during the Shanglin Temple Rebellion. To show his loyalty, Ōno Sō posthumously conferred upon him the title of 'Kaifu Yitong Sansi'."

Heba Yun listened and gave a wry smile.

"My third brother is eager to see Ohno have a good time, how could he possibly protect him?"

"What Heba Gong said is true. King Xia was the mastermind behind this. Da Ye Shuang did this probably to appease you and the Grand Commandant."

Upon hearing this, Heba Yun's expression became even more solemn. He looked at the secret envoy from Southern Liang and asked:

"What do you want me to do?"

"Since you ask me this, I will be frank. King Xia originally intended to assassinate Da Yeshuang. If he succeeded, the matter would be settled. Otherwise, he would ask us to lead you and the Grand Commandant back to Liang."

Heba Yun listened and fell silent.

Upon seeing this, the envoy from Southern Liang continued:

"In the land of Bashu and Hanzhong, everyone from top to bottom is a brother who has gone through thick and thin with Heba Gong. Da Yeshuang's men are all in Jiangzhou now. As long as Heba Gong can raise the banner of righteousness in Chengdu and submit to him, the situation in Bashu can change. At that time, Hanzhong will still belong to Heba Gong."

Heba Yun listened and asked:

"What are your plans regarding the Prince of Chenliu?"

The Southern Liang envoy was taken aback. He had clearly not considered this matter, nor had his superiors given any instructions.

In fact, if Heba Yun really rebelled and returned to Liang, would his superior Li Shengui still need Liang to worry about him?

"The King of Chenliu is still the King of Chenliu!"

Upon hearing Heba Yun's words, the envoy from Southern Liang's heart stirred, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"Don't worry, Lord Heba, I will report this matter to the Prince of Xiangdong immediately!"

The envoy didn't care at all about how Li Shengui was dealt with, or whether Hebayun wanted to keep him in his residence or send him to Jiankang to be raised. What he cared about was that Hebayun had agreed to start a rebellion.

After the Southern Liang envoy left, Heba Yun showed no joy, muttering to himself:
"Han Ling... Po Liu Han Baling, you've deceived me so badly!"

……

“Ajuni, I’ve heard about what happened to your brother. Don’t be sad.”

Inside the room, Li Shenggui and Hebayun were drinking.

When the obituary from Guanzhong arrived, Li Shenggui immediately sought out Hebayun to offer him comfort.

The two talked and started drinking.

Compared to Li Shengui, Heba Yun was drinking absentmindedly.

"Your Majesty, do you really believe that I, A Dou Ni, died protecting the King of Qin?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shengui patted Heba Yun on the shoulder and said:

"Whatever the king says goes, so don't overthink it."

Clearly, Li Shengui also had some guesses about what was going on. Li Shengui knew Heba Yue's personality. After all, he had known the three Heba brothers since the Six Garrisons uprising. Over the years, Li Shengui had heard many things about his two brothers from Heba Yun.

Upon hearing this, Heba Yun raised his wine cup, took a sip, and said:

"Then let's leave it at that! Adou brought this upon himself; whether he succeeds or fails, it's none of anyone else's business!"

Li Shenggui was taken aback upon hearing this. But soon, Heba Yun put down his wine glass, looked at Li Shenggui with intense gaze.

"Your Majesty, if someone were to kill your father, would you seek revenge?"

Li Shenggui, not understanding the meaning of these words, spoke up:

"The murder of my father must be avenged!"

Heba Yun nodded, then asked:
"If someone makes you serve under the hand of your father's killer for many years without your knowledge, wouldn't that be considered a great grudge?"

Li Shengui had already sensed something was wrong and asked:

"Ajuni, didn't your father Hebaduba die in battle?"

Heba Yun took another sip of wine, seemingly trying to express his pent-up sorrow, and said:

"He did indeed die in battle, but for whom did he die? Who was the real culprit behind that chaos?"

Hebayun stood up. As he stood up, a group of Hebayun's men entered from outside.

"Your Majesty, please stay here! I won't hurt you. After this is done, Your Majesty will still be Your Majesty!"

After saying that, Heba Yun left without looking back, leaving Li Shenggui behind, shouting:

"Ajuni, don't do anything foolish! Turn back before it's too late!"

……

The Prince of Chenliu's Mansion.

"Sir, Heba Yun has suddenly gone to the military camp."

A servant rushed back from Heba Yun's residence to Han Ling's side.

Han Ling put down his pen, looked at the man who had followed him for many years, and asked:

"Where is the Prince of Chenliu?"

"After the Prince of Chenliu entered the mansion, he has not come out!"

Upon hearing this, Han Ling nodded and said:
"I see!"

The attendant asked with some concern:
"Sir, the situation is urgent. If Heba Yun is determined to rebel, we do not have enough troops to fight him. Perhaps we should take refuge for now!"

For years, Heba Yun had been the commander of Li Shengui's troops, and he held extremely high prestige in the army. In Li Shengui's absence, Heba Yun was the absolute commander.

In contrast, although Han Ling was Li Shengui's strategist and offered him advice, he did not have any military power.

“We can’t go anywhere. If we leave, there will be people in Chengdu who want to cause trouble, and the situation will become uncontrollable.”

"King Kezhen..."

In his haste, Han Ling's attendant spoke up, only to be met with Han Ling's sharp gaze, causing him to immediately lower his head.

"Go down and tell the brothers below to go to Heba Yun's residence and take the opportunity to rescue the Prince of Chenliu! If I die, you will all obey the Prince of Chenliu's orders."

"Really...yes!"

A gust of cold wind blew into the room, and Han Ling, recalling the past, sighed:
"Heba Yun, you finally took this step!"

……

(End of this chapter)