Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 453 What era is this?
The mountains and forests were lush and green. Along the passageway, a group of prisoners who had been escorted by Liang Jun were freed and knelt down to thank Li Shuang.

Only the woman remained standing, stubbornly pursing her lips, without uttering a word.

Li Shuang glanced at the woman but ignored her, instead shouting loudly:
"Old man, there are many insects in this forest. How long are you going to lie there pretending to be dead?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ji was taken aback, a hint of surprise appearing on her withered face. But this surprise quickly vanished, replaced by distrust.

"The person is already dead, what more do you want to do!"

Seeing that the old man was still lying on the ground, Li Shuang said:
“If you keep pretending, I’ll have someone throw you into a ravine. Even if you don’t get eaten by wild animals, you’ll still die from the fall.”

After Li Shuang finished speaking, he gave Hou Jing a look. Hou Jing waved his hand, and two knights dismounted, shoved aside Yuan Ji who tried to stop them, and went to Huan Lao's side.

Just as the two knights were about to lift the old man, the old man, who had already stopped breathing, suddenly spoke.

"Don't throw it away, don't throw it away, this old man is alive again."

These words shocked everyone present.

Upon seeing this, the resentment in Yuan Ji's eyes vanished instantly.

After being put down, Huan Lao slowly walked to Yuan Ji's side. Looking at the woman's injuries and rotten feet, his eyes were filled with pity.

"It's rare to find such kind-hearted people in this world."

Li Shuang, however, said:
"Unfortunately, this kindness almost killed you!"

Yuan Ji was stunned when she heard this. After she realized what was happening, a look of guilt crossed her face.

"Elder Huan, I..."

The old man, however, was quite amiable. He waved his hand and said:

"It's alright, you didn't know either."

As he spoke, Elder Huan walked up to Li Shuang, bowed, and asked:

How did the King of Qin know that I was faking my death?

"The more you see, the more you'll know."

Li Shuang's words were vague, and Huan Lao was puzzled.

But he glanced subconsciously at the Tiger Guards behind Li Shuang and suddenly understood.

Having seen many dead people, one can naturally tell whether someone is faking death.

Thinking of this, the old man couldn't help but feel a chill, and when he looked at the young man in front of him, his body tensed up.

"May I delay Your Majesty for a few more hours?"

"It doesn't matter!"

Upon hearing this, Elder Huan asked:

"Why did the King of Qin bypass Hefei and take such a long detour to come to Nanqiao Prefecture?"

Upon hearing this question, Hou Jing, who was standing next to Li Shuang, rebuked him:
"What my king is doing here is none of your business."

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"If I said I came here to hunt, would you believe me?"

Old Master Huan shook his head.

"I don't believe it!"

No one would believe it unless they were a fool.

Upon seeing this, Li Shuang smiled and said:
"Then you've really guessed wrong. I've come here to hunt."

Huan Lao keenly sensed the meaning behind Li Shuang's words and asked with his hands clasped:

"What did the King of Qin hunt?"

Li Shuang sat on his horse, hands clasped together, and said:
"dragon!"

A gentle mountain breeze rustled through the forest, and the man's simple word sent a chill down the old man's spine. His heart hadn't pounded so fast in a long time.

Looking at the man's imposing presence, Old Man Huan had a fleeting urge to kneel down. But when the moment came, the old man whispered:

"I still don't believe it."

Li Shuang didn't pay attention, and simply asked:

"Why?"

"That dragon is old and frail, yet it is protected by rivers and winds. The great river behind it is more secure than the Great Wall. Neither Cao Cao nor Tuoba Tao crossed it back then. Both of them were powerful rulers of their time, commanding armies of more than a million. Now Your Majesty has less than ten thousand soldiers. How can you approach it?"

At that moment, the sound of whistling arrows echoed through the sky.

Hou Jing approached Li Shuang and whispered:
"Your Majesty, Yuwen Tai has captured Nanqiao Prefecture."

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"Tell He Liuhun to lead the rear guard to follow and enter the city immediately."

"promise!"

After Hou Jing left in a hurry on horseback, Li Shuang looked at Elder Huan and said:
"If you don't believe me, you can follow me."

After saying that, Li Shuang ignored him and rode away.

Along the mountain path, a thousand riders passed by, raising dust and startling all the beasts.

Old Master Huan watched from behind, stroked his beard, and said:
"Gentlemen, would you be willing to come down the mountain with this old man for a look?"

The slaves around Elder Huan looked at each other. Having nowhere else to go, they surrounded Elder Huan and said:
"We are willing to follow!"

……

At the foot of Sangen Mountain, Nanqiao Prefecture is the seat of government.

At this moment, as Yuwen Tai led his army into the city, this city, far removed from the flames of war, experienced for the first time the terror of the northern cavalry.

These hereditary soldiers in the city, who were regarded as servants by the powerful families and who usually only preyed on the common people, were routed the moment they encountered Yuwentai's Wuchuan troops.

The city gates hadn't even been closed before the city was captured.

The city's officials and generals were all captured and are now being escorted to the square where slaves are sold.

Before them stood the city's common people and slaves.

"King Qin, we are willing to surrender! We are willing to surrender!"

Seeing the crowd's reaction, Li Shuang ignored them, walked to the center of the square, pointed at one person, and loudly asked:

"This man is corrupt, lawless, bullies men and women, and cruelly oppresses the people. Is there any brave man who dares to kill him?"

The person Li Shuang pointed at trembled slightly, but when he saw that no one around the square dared to step forward, he became bolder and even a little smug.

Huan Lao, along with Yuan Ji and others, also entered the city.

Just then, Yuan Ji looked at the man Li Shuang was pointing at, and anger appeared on her face.

"I dare!"

Ignoring all attempts to stop her, Yuan Ji stepped forward, took the knife from Li Shuang's hand, held it to the man's neck, and asked:

Do you still recognize me?

"You...you sinful slave, how dare you kill me?"

Yuan Ji sneered:
“My husband’s family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, guarding the borders of the Great Liang. It’s one thing for you to act recklessly on a daily basis because of your status as a member of the imperial family, but when Hou Jing came, you abandoned the city and fled, even blaming my husband for the crime. How can such a despicable person like you live in this world? What injustice have been done to those loyal and virtuous people who died in battle?”

Just as Yuan Ji was about to swing her sword, she was stopped by someone.

"No!"

The people in the city came out. Those who hadn't dared to kill anyone before now shouted to stop Yuan Ji when they saw her about to make a move.

Yuan Ji stopped, gripping her knife. She looked at the crowd with a puzzled expression, but then listened to their conversation.

“If he dies, we will not live either. Even if we do live, we will probably be reduced to slavery.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ji's resolve to take action diminished somewhat.

At that moment, Li Shuang asked:
"Why?"

Hearing this, the crowd was puzzled and asked:

"What does the King of Qin mean?" "So, just because he is from the Lanling Xiao clan, his corruption, abuse of power, and cruelty towards the people can be forgiven?"

Seeing that no one paid attention, Li Shuang repeated himself, saying:
"So, just because he is from the Lanling Xiao clan, his corruption, bullying of men and women, and cruelty to the people can be forgiven?"

Yuan Ji, who was standing not far from Li Shuang, clenched her fists upon hearing this, and the anger that had been building up inside her finally erupted.

"Even a prince who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as a commoner!"

This shout was like a thunderclap, resounding through the sky.

After listening to this, Li Shuang laughed and said:

"Gentlemen, you are all fine men, yet your insight is inferior to that of a woman."

No one dared to answer, their faces showing shame, but someone still whispered:

"No matter how serious his crime, His Majesty will forgive him!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang said:

"Then the emperor is wrong!"

Li Shuang's words not only caused panic among the people in the city, but even Yuan Ji, who had just shouted "Even a prince is subject to the law," now showed great shock.

Was the emperor wrong?

Can the emperor make mistakes?
The people of Nanliang dared not answer, or even think about, this question.

Li Shuang, however, said:
"The current Emperor of Liang is old and senile, a devout Buddhist, and indulges in evil deeds. He thinks he is highly accomplished in his spiritual practice, so he is lenient with his imperial relatives and neglects state affairs, resulting in the laws being ignored and treacherous officials in power. This half of the Southern Dynasty will perish sooner or later because of this."

The resounding words echoed, yet the room fell completely silent.

Li Shuang looked at everyone present and said:

"Today, I, the King, pardon the slaves of this state and distribute the wealth of their families to the people."

After these words were spoken, the slaves in the city remained trembling and dared not respond.

There's no other reason than inertia.

The slaves in this city have been enslaved for so long that they no longer know how to resist.
Then someone else said:
"We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. It's not that we are unaware of the court's flaws, but if you ask us to rebel against the court, our lives and fortunes will be lost!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang's smile grew even wider.

Before Yuan Ji knew what to do, a long knife had already pierced into the body of her enemy.

Hou Jing swiftly wielded his sword, standing in the square, and wiped out all the officials and generals of the Southern Liang Dynasty who were lined up in rows.

Seeing this, everyone was too frightened to utter a sound.

Li Shuang's expression remained unchanged, but when he looked at the crowd around him, his gaze held a hint of sharpness.

"They want you to be slaves and servants, and you can only submit to their will. But if I don't want you to be slaves and servants, can you refuse?"

……

"Your Majesty, what is the background of this woman named Yuan Ji, and what business does she have with us?"

Hou Jing was furious. The person who was supposed to cooperate with Li Shuang was him and his undercover agents.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Ji suddenly rushed out and messed things up.

“This matter is not important. Tell He Liuhun to hurry up and arrange manpower to collect boats for crossing the river.”

"promise!"

Hou Jing followed Li Shuang into the house.

Looking at him, Li Shuang asked:
"What, is something wrong?"

Hou Jing chuckled and asked:

"I have a question: how are we, a group of several thousand people, going to cross the river, along with our horses?"

Not only was Hou Jing unaware of this, but Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai, and the others who followed him were also unaware.

Li Shuang didn't answer, but instead took out a box and examined it.

Hou Jing pressed on, asking:
"Your Majesty, the old man is right. The Yangtze River is so fortified that even a hundred thousand troops would find it difficult to cross. How can we, with only a few thousand men and horses, possibly get across?"

"Let alone 100,000, even a million, if Jiankang is prepared, they still won't be able to get through."

Hou Jing nodded and said:

“Your Majesty is right. I have heard that Caishiji is extremely dangerous. The river is not like the land, and our horsemanship and archery skills are difficult to use.”

After Li Shuang finished inspecting the box, he opened it, took out an imperial edict, and said something.

"Fakes are a good thing!"

Hearing Li Shuang say this, Hou Jing was curious about what was written on it. Li Shuang had already opened the edict and spread it on the table.

Hou Jing saw that the edict contained an order to replace the garrison at Caishiji.

Seeing Hou Jing's surprised expression, Li Shuang laughed:
"Jiankang City is currently poorly defended, but as long as there are troops stationed at Caishiji, we will have difficulty crossing the river. Therefore, we can only rely on this imperial edict to see if it can provide us with an opportunity to fight."

Hou Jing understood that, under normal circumstances, they would not be able to cross the Yangtze River.

Unless there are no troops stationed at the ferry crossings upstream and downstream of Jiankang.

Hou Jing looked at the edict and understood Li Shuang's meaning, but he also felt that something was wrong.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this edict alone won't be enough to mobilize the troops stationed at Caishiji!"

Deploying troops requires an imperial edict and a tiger tally. Moreover, in a strategically important location like Caishiji, the Jiankang court would send members of the imperial family and eunuchs to join the troop deployment.

The procedure is so rigorous that it cannot be faked.

Upon hearing this, Li Shuang said:

"The essence of counterfeit goods lies in being nine parts genuine and one part fake."

……

The Prince of Linhe's Mansion.

Xiao Zhengde looked at the envoy before him with a mocking smile on his face.

"Your King of Qin has stirred up quite a storm on your southward journey, making a great show of power in the Jianghuai region. Now, do you finally remember me, a mere prince?"

"Your Highness is too kind."

As soon as the envoy finished speaking, Xiao Zhengde's expression changed drastically.

"What did you call me!"

"I was mistaken, it should be Your Majesty!"

Xiao Zhengde looked at the envoy before him and said:
"Stop talking nonsense. If outsiders hear this, it will cause me trouble."

"Why should the Prince of Linhe worry? Your father had an affair with Princess Yongxing, the daughter of Emperor Liang, and conspired to assassinate Emperor Liang, but he was eventually pardoned, wasn't he? The Prince of Linhe also had an affair with his own younger sister, Princess Changle, and kept her in his mansion. They had children together. Emperor Liang didn't know, he just didn't want to know."

Xiao Zhengde snorted and said:
“But I heard that your King of Qin kept saying ‘Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?’ as if he wanted to exterminate my Lanling Xiao clan.”

The messenger smiled, took a letter from his sleeve, and said:

“This was given to the Prince of Linhe by my king.”

Xiao Zhengde opened it and became more and more excited as he looked at it, saying:

"What a fine 'Heavenly Qilin is born with a special kind of lineage'! Your King of Qin is right, the state of Liang is rightfully mine. So why should Xiao Tong and Xiao Gang be crown princes? Just because they are His Majesty's own sons?"

“What the Prince of Linhe said is true. Emperor Liang adopted the Prince of Linhe as his heir, and the status was established long ago, but he has lost the trust of the people.”

"Speak, what does your King of Qin want from me?"

"Your Majesty only needs to switch this edict with the one issued by the Jiankang court, giving our army two hours."

Xiao Zhengde opened the imperial edict with suspicion and smiled:

"You want me to personally risk my life to lead your King of Qin across the river? What if I refuse?"

The messenger laughed and said:
"The garrison in Hefei dares not make any rash moves. My king cannot cross the river; he can only return to Shouyang. But the Prince of Linhe has missed this opportunity. When will he get another chance? Emperor Liang is old and has lost something. Once Xiao Gang ascends the throne, the relationship between the emperor and his subjects will be established, and the Prince of Linhe will have no chance of the throne."

Xiao Zhengde looked at the envoy before him and said:
"Tell the King of Qin that I will not let him down."

……

(End of this chapter)