Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 431 We must love peace

At Shanglin Temple, Tuyuhun Yaren was invited into the hunting grounds' lodgings.

The building is small, a courtyard with square corridors and buildings, with a pond in the middle, filled with fish.

Li Shuang was scattering feed into the pond, completely unhurried.

Tuyuhun Yaren was not far away, sitting on a small stool, rubbing his knees with both hands, thinking about how to explain. Only after Li Shuang finished scattering the feed did he speak:

“Your Majesty, the interactions between the Western Rouran and our country are merely in accordance with normal etiquette, and there is nothing that has transgressed.”

After listening, Li Shuang nodded, then looked at Changsun Si and said:

"Note that the Tuyuhun envoy said that Kualü had dealings with Anagui."

After listening, Changsun Si quickly jotted down a few notes in his notebook.

"..."

Tuyuhun Yaren watched Changsun Si's pen writing incessantly, feeling somewhat depressed and growing increasingly anxious.

"Your Majesty, Tuyuhun and Wei have been allied through marriage for generations and have never intended to betray us. Now, there are rebellions in the north, Sichuan, and the Central Plains, but only Tuyuhun guards the western border, protecting the frontier for Wei, and has never invaded the Longyou region in the slightest. Qibi Mecang plotted rebellion, and Your Majesty was able to forgive him. Our Khan has shown no signs of rebellion, yet he was attacked by the Heavenly Army. If the surrounding barbarians were to find out, I fear they would lose all loyalty and obedience, and there would be no peace on the border."

"Makes sense!"

Upon hearing Li Shuang's words, a glimmer of hope flashed in Tuyuhun Yaren's eyes, but soon Li Shuang turned his head away and said:
"Remember this: the Tuyuhun envoy said that if our army continues its campaign, the surrounding barbarians will surely rebel, and there will be no peace on the border."

Tuyuhun Yaren sensed something was amiss upon hearing this.

What do you mean by continuing the campaign against Tuyuhun? The surrounding barbarians will surely rebel, and there will never be a day of peace on the border.
It makes it seem as if Tuyuhun is going to unite with the four barbarian tribes to attack Northern Wei.

"Your Majesty, that is not what I meant!"

Tuyuhun Yaren was furious; he shouted so loudly that the echo could be heard.

Then, Li Shuang looked at Changsun Si and said:

"Remember this: the Tuyuhun envoy's voice and expression were harsh, as if he were threatening us."

Changsun Si wrote furiously, giving full play to his initiative, and omitted the word "seems to be".

"Your Majesty..."

Tuyuhun Yaren lowered his voice, but it still sounded very depressed.

"General Yang Kan has conquered our land, which we, the Tuyuhun, do not want. In addition, we, the Tuyuhun, are willing to offer tribute and compensate our army for its march."

Li Shuang looked at Changsun Si again, about to say something, when Tuyuhun Yaren saw this and hurriedly stood up, but lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Then, as if provoked, Tuyuhun Yaren crawled to Li Shuang's side, tugged at his pants, and said:

"Your Majesty, I beg you not to record this."

However, Tuyuhun Yaren heard Li Shuang's indifferent voice.

"Note this down: the Tuyuhun envoy dropped his stool."

Tuyuhun Yaren felt like jumping into the pond, but Li Shuang smiled and helped him up after speaking.

"Your Khan is something else. He just won't pay for the expenses of my army's march. Can't my army go and collect it ourselves?"

"..."

Li Shuang patted the dust off Tuyuhun Yaren's clothes and said:

"However, his willingness to deliver it voluntarily saves our army from having to make another trip, which shows his loyalty and obedience."

Tuyuhun Yaren was filled with panic, but after hearing this, he felt somewhat relieved.

Li Shuang helped Tuyuhun Yaren sit back down on the stool and complained:

"You yourself are a descendant of the Yuan family and an envoy of a nation. You should be magnanimous. How can you act like this?"

"Your Majesty is right!" Tuyuhun Yaren thought to himself, "Who is it all because of me that I'm like this?"
"I've heard that the Tuyuhun intends to secretly ally with the Rouran and Persia, and take advantage of the Hephthalites' unpreparedness to break the alliance and launch a counterattack, following the example of the Eastern Wu. I've also heard that after the deed is done, they agree to jointly divide the Western Regions?"

With a thud, Tuyuhun Yaren, who had just settled down, plopped back down on the ground. If he was just annoyed before, now all that remained in his heart was fear.

The chill that rose from the depths of his heart left Tuyuhun Yaren speechless for a moment.

Seeing the smile on Li Shuang's face, Tuyuhun Yaren, realizing what was happening, knelt on the ground, his voice filled with exhaustion.

"I dare not deceive Your Majesty; this is indeed true. After learning of this, your humble servant also strongly advised against it."

"That's where you're wrong."

Tuyuhun Yaren was taken aback, but then Li Shuang continued:
"Such a strategy, once successful, will also make Tuyuhun powerful. As a subject, how can you do this?"

After Li Shuang finished speaking, he helped the frightened and weak Tuyuhun Yaren to his feet. At this moment, Tuyuhun Yaren was not only shocked, but his mind was also completely blank.

“Anagui is in the Western Regions, and his resentment can be heard even in the Western Sea. Your Majesty, I do not understand what you mean.”

"The Rouran ruler Anagui has wronged me, but he is also my sworn brother. Even if he harbors resentment, what can I, as his sworn brother, really do to him?"

"..."

"After you go back, tell your Khan to acknowledge me as a relative, and this matter will be over."

After Li Shuang finished speaking, he turned and left.

Tuyuhun Yaren looked at Changsun Si, who was tidying up his writing implements, walked over, and smiled.

"You're Yizhen, right?"

Changsun Si looked at the person in front of him and nodded.

"you are?"

“I knew your grandfather, Changsun Zhi. Back in Luoyang, I even visited the Changsun family in Yonghe Lane.”

Changsun Si returned the greeting very politely.

"Could you revise what you just wrote down?"

Changsun Si, filled with vigilance, clutched his little notebook and exclaimed:

"Historians record events truthfully, without altering a single word."

"We're all acquaintances, so I won't ask you to change anything else, just don't put my name in it."
-
Fushi City!
"I sent you to negotiate peace, not to find me a godfather!"

Tuyuhun Yaren remained remarkably calm in the face of Kualü's anger.

"Khan, you don't just recognize this godfather. After recognizing this godfather, you must also pay tribute to Chang'an every year with furs, cattle, sheep, and warhorses, all of which are subject to quotas."

Kua Lü was furious and said:
How could you utter such words?

Tuyuhun Yarendao:

"Khan, it's better for us to give it to him voluntarily than for the King of Qin to come and take it himself."

"..."

"Several princes are currently leading large armies in the Western Regions, and our forces are insufficient. Furthermore, the Khan has only recently ascended the throne, and some tribes within the country are merely subservient to the powerful, not truly loyal. The Longyou army is small but formidable, and our army has been defeated in battle, resulting in a loss of morale. If we were to fight Yang Kan again, there might be unforeseen circumstances. However, by leveraging this relationship, we can stabilize Guanzhong externally and intimidate those who are disloyal internally."

Kua Lü remained silent for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth and said:

"Very well, I, the Khan, accept it!"

Kualü clenched his fists, thinking to himself:
Da Ye Shuang, wait until my Tuyuhun army returns from the Western Regions, and I, the Khan, will show you what I'm made of!

……

(End of this chapter)