Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 443 Is the King Plotting Rebellion?
Slide.

The Qin King's banner fluttered above the city. Huatai, one of the four towns in Henan of the Northern Wei Dynasty, once again saw a large number of soldiers gathering after several years of peace.

Gao Huan arrived first, followed by Yuwen Tai, each leading over a thousand soldiers to Huatai.

The construction of the Yongji Canal not only provided Luoyang with a waterway to Hebei, but also made it possible to transport troops on a large scale.

However, neither Gao Huan nor Yuwen Tai drew all their troops from their respective headquarters, but only brought their most elite retainers.

They did not know why Li Shuang had summoned them here; they only knew that this important town, which had once been controlled by the northerners, had now been taken over by soldiers from Guanzhong.

Armored soldiers in red jackets and black armor, wearing long tassels on their heads and holding horizontal swords, lined up all the way from outside the city gate to Li Shuang's residence, exuding a murderous aura.

Yuwentai and Gao Huan exchanged a glance and began to ascend the steps, wondering what lay ahead.

But even the longest road eventually comes to an end, and the two eventually arrived at Li Shuang's location.

However, contrary to their expectations of a gloomy atmosphere after defeat, the room was filled with laughter and joy.

"How about this hot pot lamb?"

Before the two even got close, they could hear Li Shuang's voice from afar.

"Your Majesty, if we brothers had tasted this back in the North, what would have been the point of rebelling?"

As soon as he finished speaking, cheerful laughter filled the room.

The armored guard outside announced the arrival, and the two men went inside.

Upon entering, one sees Li Shuang sitting in the room, his face flushed, seemingly drunk, with his legs crossed. He has none of the airs of the King of Qin, but rather resembles a drunken rogue from the marketplace.

He was surrounded by northern generals. Among them were those who had fled back from the front lines and those who had stayed behind in the local area instead of going to the front, numbering more than a dozen.

Among these dozen or so people, Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai were all acquaintances.

The person who spoke just now was Gu Duxin, who was supposed to be guarding Pingcheng. Now, like Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai, he had been summoned by Li Shuang.

"He Liuhun and Black Otter are here, have a seat!"

As Li Shuang greeted them, the two noticed that there were two empty seats next to her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The two were still a little reserved. After they sat down, Li Shuang said:

"You two are in for a treat today!"

As Li Shuang spoke, he ordered someone to bring over several plates of freshly cut mutton and several jugs of wine.

"The sheep from the grasslands beyond the Great Wall are fragrant and tender; the Xinfeng wine from Guanzhong is pure and mellow."

Looking at the mutton and wine laid out before them, the two men stood up, bowed again, and said:
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Shuang blushed, waved her hand, and said:

"Sit down, sit down. There are no rulers and subjects here."

Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai sat down. Gao Huan was more comfortable with the atmosphere than Yuwen Tai. Looking at the plate of sauce brought by the servant, he asked:
"Your Majesty, what is this?"

"This is sesame paste, which is served with mutton."

Gao Huan tried to do the same as the others, placing the thinly sliced ​​mutton into the boiling water in the scalding copper pot for a moment, coating it with sesame paste, and eating it in one bite. His eyes lit up immediately, and he picked up a few more pieces of meat.

Firstly, Gao Huan was genuinely hungry after his long journey; secondly, the mutton hotpot with sesame sauce was incredibly delicious.

Upon seeing this, Li Shuang laughed and said:
"He Liuhun is still the same as ever, he won't let go of anything good he gets his hands on."

As soon as this was said, everyone laughed.

Gao Huan didn't care. Northerners were different from the aristocratic families of Hebei. These minor flaws were not only not looked down upon, but were instead seen as endearing "minor shortcomings".

Gao Huan was completely different between the northerners and the aristocratic families of Hebei. If it were a banquet of a powerful clan, he would be very proper and, no matter how hungry he was, would absolutely adhere to etiquette. Seeing Gao Huan's behavior, Yuwen Tai also started eating. However, he always had a cold expression, which became rather boring after a while.

Li Shuang didn't focus her attention on the two of them, and continued:
"Tell me, what kind of life did we live back in the North? Those bastards in the court not only indulged in their own debauchery, but they also kept giving us bad advice. The Rouran people had already been defeated, but those people from Luoyang insisted on raising them again."

Li Shuang's words resonated with many people.

Why did the Six Garrisons rebel?

Why did the Six Garrisons dare to rebel?
Because the Northern Wei court was worthless.

The Rouran had already been beaten to the point of near death, barely clinging to life.

However, the Luoyang court actually supported Yujiulü Anagui, providing him with food and weapons, and helped him secure his position as Khan.

After Yujiulü Anagui secured his position as Khan, he did not show the gratitude the Luoyang court had imagined. Instead, he plundered the northern regions. The key issue was that the Northern Wei court lacked the ability to pacify the Rouran, but was adept at dealing with the Six Garrisons.

Even today, Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai, and all the northerners present still hate this to the core.

After the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons, the people of the North took two paths.

They joined the government troops or rebelled.

Because of Erzhu Rong's influence, these two factions eventually came together in Jinyang. Meanwhile, in the battle at Lijiang not long ago, the northerners who had defected to the government forces had mostly been killed.

Those present here today are all of the latter.

Of course, this wasn't their choice. At that time, those who could join the government army were all officials with titles and ranks; it wasn't up to ordinary northerners to do so.

Until recently, this group had been suppressing everyone present.

Now, that shackle is gone.

"It hasn't been easy for us old brothers to get to where we are today. Now that the country is facing difficulties, we hope that you gentlemen will share the burden of the country and condescend to enter the Prince of Qin's residence. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan finally understood that Li Shuang intended to take over the remaining forces of the Northerners for his own use.

Of course, Li Shuang's words just now were very moving.

Upon closer examination, it turns out that Li Shuang was not actually an old friend of theirs, but rather their enemy.

If the Rouran people are worthless, then Li Shuang is even more worthless.

He even robbed the Rouran people!
However, by today, no one present cared about these things anymore.

It's as if Li Shuang truly fought alongside them against the Rouran and the government troops, eventually becoming one of their own.

"We, your humble servants, are willing to share Your Majesty's burdens!"

Upon seeing this, Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

With just a few drinks and a few words, Li Shuang brought these northerners under his command.

They also knew that the chaos in several prefectures of Henan would gradually come to an end because of this drinking session.

Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai still didn't know why Li Shuang had asked them to come along.

Was it simply because they, like the other northerners at the table, came from a background of following Ge Rong and Du Luozhou in their rebellion?
Unbeknownst to the two, Li Shuang, who was sitting in his seat, seemed to be drunk. He looked at them and said something quite frightening.

"Tell me, are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

Everyone felt a chill, and the previously harmonious atmosphere instantly changed.

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai turned deathly pale, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

Ohno Sou, what are you doing?!

……

(End of this chapter)