Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 435 You're becoming more and more alike

Fushi City!
In the first month of the third year of the Datong era (537), Kualü met Yaren, who had returned from Chang'an, and the envoy from Chang'an who had accompanied Yaren.

Kualü ceded several states without even fighting a single battle, undoubtedly facing immense pressure.

However, compared to that, the actions of the envoys from Chang'an who accompanied Yaren back made Khalil feel even more aggrieved.

The envoy from Chang'an brought the edict of re-establishment, announcing Tuyuhun as a nephew-kingdom before the kings and princes of Tuyuhun. In front of everyone, the envoy handed the crown to Kualü and watched him put it on.

what does this mean?
The legitimacy of Kualü Khan needs to be affirmed by Chang'an.

Li Shuang wanted to tell everyone that this Khan of Tuyuhun was no different from the Khans of the Rouran, Tiele and other tribes, and that they were all subordinate to the Heavenly Khan.

Kualu could only endure this.

Today, the Western Sea is no longer solely owned by the Tuyuhun.

The capital of Tuyuhun, Fusi City, was located west of the Western Sea, while the borders of Shanzhou had already expanded to the east of the Western Sea.

After everyone left, Kualu sat on the throne, feeling extremely tired amidst the mocking or indignant gazes of the crowd.

The palace was quiet again after most people had left. Kua Lü spoke up:

"Yaren, did I make a mistake? I shouldn't have moved the capital to Fusi City in the first place."

"The Khan is not wrong. Fusi City is a hub of trade routes. The late king's vision in building the city here was superb. The Khan's decision to move the capital here is also for the long-term benefit of Tuyuhun."

Kua Lü chuckled self-deprecatingly and said:

"Without even fighting a single battle, we've already ceded so much land. In many people's eyes, I'm already a laughingstock. Now, the Longyou army is less than six hundred li from the capital. What if Daye Shuang raises an army again?"

For Kualü, what he feared most was not the pressure of ceding so much land, but that Li Shuang was still insatiable after all that pressure and wanted to go further, sweeping away all the cities that Tuyuhun had built and seized over the past two hundred years.

Thus, Kua Lü became a complete joke.

After listening, Ya Ren cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said a few words.

"If the King of Qin is greedy and wants to go further, that is not the most frightening thing."

Kualu raised his head, a hint of curiosity flashing across his pale face, and asked:

"Anything else?"

"If the King of Qin stops here and does not launch any more military campaigns, that would be the most frightening thing."

Unlike Khalil, Yaren was well-versed in the classics from a young age and deeply understood a certain principle.

Being brave and aggressive doesn't make you a hero; a hero is someone who knows how to restrain themselves and is able to do so!

Kualu was confused, so Yaren explained:
"The soldiers of Longyou are fierce and brave, and their commander, Yang Kan, is a renowned general of our time. Such a large army is thousands of miles away from Chang'an. With just one order from the King of Qin, these tens of thousands of soldiers can obey orders without question and never fight with our Tuyuhun again. What could be more frightening than this?"

Kua Lü was deeply moved after hearing this.

Most of the generals of the army sent by Tuyuhun to the Western Regions were Kualü's confidants, but once they were in command of troops, there were some things that Kualü could not control.

"You're quite good at comforting people."

Kualu looked at Yaren, feeling a bit absurd, and asked:
"So do you think Ohno Sawa will be insatiable, or will he know when to stop?"

If the other party becomes insatiable, Kualü will be powerless. In fact, his position as Khan may become unstable as a result.

If kneeling can bring peace, then that's understandable; if not, they become the target of everyone's criticism.

At that time, not only Kua Lü, but also Prince Yong'an and Ya Ren will be implicated, and may even lose their lives.

In a sense, their lives and deaths were entirely in Li Shuang's hands. But as long as they could get through this period, and the army that had conquered the Western Regions returned, Kualü would be able to recover by virtue of his achievements in expanding the territory.

Ya Ren's expression turned solemn as he said:

"I do not know what King Qin will choose, but if it is the latter, Khan should understand that for the rest of King Qin’s life, Tuyuhun must never again harbor any rebellious thoughts."

Ya Ren didn't finish his sentence, but he knew that even if he didn't say it, Khalil would understand.

His Khan was not on the same level as that Heavenly Khan.

Kualü merely defeated his opponent, inherited the Tuyuhun kingdom, and took control of its army, while the Heavenly Khan had built his own army. The difference in their control over their respective armies was immense.

Kualü nodded and said:

"I understand what you have to say."

Yaren bowed and left, while Khalil sat on the throne, remaining there until late at night. Looking at the empty palace, a surge of resentment in his heart turned into a short, urgent cry.

"Ohno Sou, let's see who lives longer!"
-
Since Li Shuang returned to Chang'an last year, Dugu Ru has noticed that she can hardly see her elder sister.

Although Dugu Ru wasn't someone I could see all the time before, I see her much less often now.

Gradually, Dugu Ru learned the truth of the matter, and found out that her elder sister had grown from a girl into a young woman, and who the culprit was.

After careful planning and summarizing the lessons learned from failures, Dugu Ru finally managed to catch her older sister after more than half a year.

"Sister, you're really something. I've led people to ambush you so many times. A few times I've seen you walk in the door and I've followed right behind, but I just couldn't find you anywhere."

Hearing her sister's words, Liu Sixia declined, saying:

"We're all sisters, you could have just told me if you needed to talk to me, why did you have to block me?"

"Well said, but do you think I can find you?"

Dugu Ru approached step by step, cornering Liu Sixia against the wall, and then braced herself against the wall with one hand.

"Sister, are you hiding something from me?"

"What could I possibly be hiding from you!"

"Really?" Dugu Ru smiled. "Why do I feel like you and Da Ye Shuang are becoming more and more alike?"

"How is it similar?"

"It looks like it everywhere!"

Just then, Li Shuang walked in from outside. Seeing this scene, he turned around and left, pretending not to have seen anything.

"stop!"

At Dugu Ru's shout, Li Shuang quickened his pace and disappeared in a flash.

Dugu Ru turned to look at Liu Sixia, a smile appearing on her face.

"You still say it doesn't look like them? Even the way they fled is the same."

Seeing this, Liu Sixia cursed the scoundrel in her heart while honestly confessing:

"Okay, I said."

"I already know everything, what else is there to say?"

"Then why did you block my way?"

Dugu Ru held Liu Sixia's hand and said:

"My sister misunderstood me. I am not jealous of this matter. On the contrary, I am happy that my sister has finally let go of that vague responsibility."

"Aru!"

Liu Sixia was touched, and the sisters embraced. After a long while, Dugu Ru released her hands and said:

"Okay, time to get down to business."

"Business?"

“That woman from Luoyang is very arrogant because she has an emperor brother. We sisters should work together to deal with her.”

"..."

(End of this chapter)