Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 417 Catalpa Trees Can Be Used as Pillars
Cangzhou is located near the sea and its land is mostly salty, which often leads to floods. Compared with the plateau at the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, it was developed later and has a smaller population. However, salt production was carried out in the city, and the salt industry flourished.

When the Six Garrisons wreaked havoc in Hebei, Cangzhou was also severely damaged. However, compared to densely populated and developed states like Xiangzhou, Jizhou, and Dingzhou, Cangzhou recovered relatively slowly.

When Li Shuang arrived in Cangzhou with four hundred fully loaded ships, it was already summer.

The fleet of boats was moored on the shore, the river was shrouded in mist, and the people on board could still feel the heat.

Liu Sixia, dressed in a light gauze dress, was sitting in the cabin, flipping through ancient books.

As she drew closer to Youzhou, her heart grew increasingly excited.

She and Dugu Ru were originally going to go their separate ways. However, after she left the Po Liu Han tribe, she went to Liu Lisheng's Ji Hu tribe, while Dugu Ru, after arriving in Hengzhou, did not continue eastward because of Li Shuang.

After leaving Cangzhou, they arrived at Youzhou. Just as Liu Sixia was lost in thought, a sound came from the cabin next door.

"Your Majesty, we cannot allow Gao Huan to continue like this."

Next door is Li Shuang's cabin.

Before he even reached Youzhou, Liu Lingzhu had already rushed over, and he was somewhat angry.

They were furious at Gao Huan for taking the money but not doing the job, and also furious at the recklessness of the Huai Shuo people.

How are they?

“Those Huai Shuo people used a case of embezzling military funds to drag the Lu family of Fanyang into it. The hole is getting bigger and bigger, and more and more people are being implicated. If this continues, I'm afraid there will be no peace in the whole of Youzhou.”

Liu Lingzhu had already foreseen a hint of chaos; if Youzhou fell into disarray, it would not benefit him either.

Li Shuang didn't take it seriously.

"Did they take action against the generals of Fanyang and Wuchuan and their relatives?"

"That's not true."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang gently tapped the table and said:

"Then Youzhou will not fall into chaos."

Liu Lingzhu was visibly taken aback upon hearing this. In the adjacent cabin, Liu Sixia hadn't heard Liu Lingzhu's words for a long time.

After waiting for a long time, the sound came from the next cabin again.

"Your Majesty, the Lu family of Fanyang and the Cui family of Qinghe are both renowned clans in the land, deeply rooted in the local area. During the Erzhu Rebellion, they commanded tens of thousands of followers."

Liu Lingzhu's words carried a hint of warning.

Youzhou is, after all, someone else's territory, and you will be going there soon. If you let Gao Huan do this, your upcoming trip to Hebei will be fraught with risks.

After listening, Li Shuang remained silent for a moment before saying:
"Do they still have hundreds of thousands of followers now?"

The seven prefectures of Changle in Jizhou, Nanzhao in Xiangzhou, Boling in Dingzhou, Fuyang in Cangzhou, Liaoxi in Pingzhou, Shanggu in Yanzhou, and Yuyang in Youzhou, each with 10,000 households, were originally the fiefdoms of Erzhu Rong's Taiyuan Kingdom. Later, Li Shuang entered Luoyang and inherited Erzhu Rong's fiefdom. Now, he has added five more prefectures in Hebei: Leling in Cangzhou, Ande in Cangzhou, Zhongshan in Dingzhou, Gaoyang in Yingzhou, and Fanyang in Youzhou, totaling 70,000 households.

The three prefectures of Fuyang, Leling, and Ande in Cangzhou each had 10,000 households, all under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Qin's residence. However, because Cangzhou had a small population, these 30,000 households represented the majority of Cangzhou's population.

Things are different now. The situation in Hebei is one of interdependence, and the possibility of another rebellion involving tens of thousands of people is very small.

"Your subject understands."

The conversation ended abruptly there.

Liu Sixia stepped out of the cabin and saw Liu Lingzhu disembarking. At that moment, Li Shuang also came out of the cabin.

Liu Sixia glanced at Li Shuang and asked:

"Is he the great shaman of the North who is on par with Aru?"

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"it's him!"

Liu Sixia asked curiously:
"Isn't he the governor of Yanzhou? What does the matter of Youzhou have to do with him?"

Li Shuang listened and laughed:
"In all things under heaven, you are in me and I am in you. A person who has already betrayed once will naturally have a deeper mind."

Liu Sixia was confused when she heard this, but then she saw Li Shuang turn her head and look at her.

Do you know where what you're looking for is?

"We'll have to go to the Duchy of Anle in person to find out."

Li Shuang faced the wind and looked at the barren fields along the canal, which were clearly not as barren as those in Jizhou, and sighed.

"Times have changed everything; the Kingdom of Anle has been gone for almost two hundred years."

……

Fanyang.

After Yuwentai led his troops into the city, Lu Wenwei moved out of the city and lived in a country manor.

Seeing Liu Lingzhu return and noticing his dejected appearance, he asked:
"What, Ohno Sō isn't listening to you?"

Lu Wenwei was older than Feng Longzhi, but he looked very energetic. He was sitting under the shade of a tree, fanning himself.

Liu Lingzhu nodded and asked:

"Da Ye Shuang is not planning to let Gao Huan stop; Youzhou is likely to descend into chaos."

When I looked at Lu Wenwei again, I saw that he was calm and composed.

"Doesn't Lord Lu feel anxious seeing his sons and brothers suffering?"

Lu Wenwei sat down in the chair and said leisurely:
“Our Lu family of Fanyang has lived here for more than 300 years, from our ancestor Lu Zhi to the present day. A family is like a big tree. It will have withered branches and fallen leaves. If we clean them ourselves, it will inevitably cause some trouble. If others do the cleaning, it will make the tree grow better.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Lingzhu gave a wry smile.

"Lord Lu is so leisurely, but what if Da Ye Shuang wants to cut down this tree?"

Since Gao Huan entered Youzhou, he has not only targeted the Lu clan of Fanyang, but also other aristocratic families. However, it is clear to everyone that Gao Huan's biggest target is still the Lu clan of Fanyang.

“Cut down this tree, and you won’t get much firewood in return. Catalpa trees can be used as beams, so why use them as firewood? Da Ye Shuang is not a wasteful person, otherwise he would not have recruited Lu Rou and Lu Bian from my clan into the academy.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Lingzhu looked at the old man sitting in the shade and felt somewhat unfamiliar with him.

Back in Heyin, Liu Ling helped many nobles of the Lu family in Fanyang, so the Lu family in Fanyang owed him a great debt of gratitude.

After Yuan Ziyou's death, Liu Lingzhu and Lu Wenwei joined forces to start a rebellion and occupied Youyan. Liu Lingzhu was then promoted to a very high position.

Like Feng Longzhi, Liu Lingzhu was also pushed to the forefront.

But after all these years, some things have changed.

The favors we've been using up are almost gone.

Gao Huan wielded immense power in Youzhou, while Lu Wenwei, though seemingly facing adversity, remained unmoved. Conversely, Liu Lingzhu, who was not particularly influential, was teetering on the brink of collapse.

Liu Lingzhu was a Taoist priest who made his fortune in Fanyang by stealing and swindling in his youth. Compared with Lu Wenwei, who came from the Lu family of Fanyang, he was quite different.

Today, Liu Lingzhu has clearly seen just how long the distance is between him and Lu Wenwei.

The most renowned surname in the world!

Today, Liu Lingzhu finally realized the weight of those four words.

At that moment, Liu Lingzhu had a lot to say, but he had no intention of continuing.

"Lord Lu, farewell!"

"Then I won't see you off any further!"

Watching Liu Lingzhu walk away, Lu Wenwei sighed.

"So intelligent, yet he has the skills but not the principles."
-
in the house.

Several members of the Lu family surrounded Liu Lingzhu, their faces showing anxiety.

"Lord Liu, what should we do? If we fall into Gao Huan's hands, what good will come of it?"

Liu Lingzhu sat in the room, looking at the few Lu family members surrounding him, his expression never changing—it was expressionless.

"Lord Liu, say something!"

Urged on by the crowd, Liu Lingzhu raised his head and slowly began to speak:

"Go to Gao Huan and confess your crimes, and you'll be treated leniently!" Upon hearing this, some of the more impatient among them immediately shouted:
"If we go, our careers will be hopeless, and we'll be worse off than dead. Besides, it's better to die than to kneel before those barbarian garrisons!"

As he spoke, the man added:

"Don't forget, Mr. Liu, all these things were your idea. Now that Gao Huan wants to investigate, do you think you can escape?"

There was a hint of threat in his voice.

Liu Lingzhu smiled, stood up, and looked at the Lu clansman who had threatened him.

"You say I was the mastermind, do you have any evidence?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was speechless.

Liu Lingzhu took a step closer, his gaze carrying a hint of condescension, and said:

"Without any evidence, how can you say I ordered it? Even if you went to Gao Huan's place, do you think I'm afraid?"

Seeing that threats were futile, the group immediately pleaded:

"I have a loose tongue, and now the clan has abandoned us. Please, Lord Liu, save us."

Liu Lingzhu listened and said:
“That’s right, you’re not saving me, you’re saving yourselves.”

With that, Liu Lingzhu sat back down in his seat, straightened his sleeves, and looked at the group of people again.

"Where are Zhang Shouli's parents and wife?"

"They were all rescued by Gao Huan's men."

After listening, Liu Lingzhu frowned slightly and said:
How many people went?

"About ten of them. They were very skilled and killed all of our men, leaving no survivors."

Liu Lingzhu pondered:

"Therefore, it's impossible to silence Zhang Shouli by using his parents and wife. Our dynasty has a system of redemption money, which can usually be settled with a fine for minor offenses. But the things you've done can't be settled with a fine."

"What about that?"

Liu Lingzhu leaned back, remained silent for a long time, and then said:

"Let Gao Huan die!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

"But he has troops under his command, is the Liaodong Expeditionary Ambassador, and is also a General. How can we kill him? Even if we could, would Da Ye Shuang let it go?"

"Da Ye Shuang sent Gao Huan to procure money and provisions. Gao Huan was insatiable, and the Lu family of Fanyang didn't want to give any more, so they pushed you out to save the king. Don't you understand? Between Gao Huan and you, someone has to die."

Liu Lingzhu spoke slowly, looking at the group of people in front of him.

"As for how to kill him, that's simple. Erzhu Rong had hundreds of thousands of troops back then, but he still died in Luoyang. How much more so does Gao Huan have now?"

"We got it!"

Liu Lingzhu instructed:

"Bring together everyone involved in this matter, and be sure to proceed with utmost care. Gao Huan is no ordinary man; if we fail in our first strike, it will be difficult to eliminate him later."

"promise!"

Watching everyone leave, Liu Lingzhu lost all her previous composure and was instead filled with fear.

He had already betrayed Li Shuang once. Although Li Shuang didn't do anything to him that time, he only took away an important bargaining chip that Li Shuang had carefully cultivated, but the rift had already been created and it was impossible to go back to the way things were before.

After that, Liu Lingzhu painstakingly planned to establish a firm foothold in the Youyan region, and to this end, he did many things that could not be brought to the forefront.

When Yuwen Tai was alive, he would not have been driven to his death.

Gao Huan, however, was different. He showed no regard whatsoever. Judging from his appearance, he was completely determined to give up on winning over the powerful clans of Youyan and to offend them to the death.

If these aristocratic families were exposed, then Liu Lingzhu's fate was even more uncertain.

If Gao Huan were to bring all these things to light and expose them, he could be killed a dozen times over.

Li Shuang will no longer protect him.

Liu Lingzhu was well aware of this, and the Lu family of Fanyang was unwilling to get involved in the matter any further, so he could only muddy the waters even more.

The bigger the storm and the more chaotic the situation, the more likely he is to escape.

Liu Lingzhu sighed softly and said slowly:

“Gao Huan is dead, which is probably not enough. If Da Yeshuang is also dead, then it will truly be the end of the matter.”

……

During the day, Gao Huan returned home from outside and, looking at the Huai Shuo troops beside him, said:
"Something's not right."

Everyone was close friends with Gao Huan, and they had all come from the harsh north. The vigilance and military skills they had developed in that life-or-death situation would not be diminished by a few years of wealthy life in Ye City.

Upon hearing Gao Huan's words, the crowd immediately became excited.

The Lu family of Fanyang and the Cui family of Qinghe can be described as whales, and when one whale falls, all things come to life.

"Is the Lu family of Fanyang finally going to make a move?"

The Huai Shuo people were well aware of the enormous force they were facing, so they were very cautious after entering Fanyang.

Gao Huan shook his head and said:

"No, if the Lu family of Fanyang were to take action, the situation wouldn't be this chaotic."

"Who is that?"

Gao Huan was also unsure, and said:

"Having offended so many people, some might resort to desperate measures. Tell all the brothers to be careful. Even when you go to sleep at night, wear your armor and keep your bow and sword with you. If things go wrong, immediately go out of the city and meet up with our brothers outside the city."

"promise!"

……

The night was still.

Gao Huan suddenly opened his closed eyes and grasped the sword he had placed beside the bed.

In the darkness, his door quietly opened, and an assassin walked in from outside, holding a dagger, and went towards him.

Just as the assassin raised his dagger to strike, Gao Huan blocked the assassin's dagger with his sword and kicked the assassin away.

Just as the assassin was about to get up, Gao Huan drew his long sword, strode forward, and with a horizontal slash, ended the assassin's life.

"Good swordsmanship!"

After the assassin finished speaking, his body crashed to the ground, and blood flowed everywhere.

Gao Huan, sword in hand, went outside and found the guards outside lying on the ground, their fates unknown.

At that moment, he understood something: the person who wanted him dead was dangerous.

Immediately, Gao Huan roared in the night. Soon after, Wei Jing arrived with his men, and upon seeing the two unconscious guards on the ground, he exclaimed in shock:
"Who did it?"

Gao Huan did not answer, but only said:

"Bring Zhang Shouli here!"

"Why?"

Gao Huan looked at his brother-in-law, somewhat speechless.

"Don't you know about murder and arson?"

As soon as Gao Huan finished speaking, fires lit up outside the house, and torches were thrown in, accompanied by a strong smell of kerosene.

Seeing everything, Gao Huan remained calm and sneered:
"After being away from Huai Shuo for so many years, I've finally met a real expert."

……

(End of this chapter)