Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 461 It's all for the sake of the world!

Wuyi Lane.

During the Eastern Wu period, Wuyi Lane was originally the barracks of the Stone City garrison, known as the Wuyi Camp.

After the migration of the elite south, Wuyi Camp became a residential area for high-ranking families, and the residences of Wang Dao and Xie An were located there. Later, because the sons of noble families who came and went all liked to wear black robes to show their status, Wuyi Lane got its name from this.

"Your Majesty, the banquet is ready."

Hou Jing walked up to Li Shuang, looked at Li Shuang standing at the alley entrance, and bowed.

"Then go in!"

Li Shuang remained silent and walked straight inside. He was followed by a large group of people.

As Pengcheng's warships arrived in Jiankang, the army that was to conquer Bashu did not arrive for a long time. Even the Xiao family members in many important towns around Jiankang did not make any move to send troops. Many nobles began to have their minds racing.

More than a hundred families of Central Plains elites followed the Jin dynasty southward, along with the Jiangdong aristocratic families led by the four Wu families. Over the past two hundred years, their fortunes have risen and fallen with the changes of the Southern Dynasties.

With Li Shuang's arrival, the situation reversed once again.

Among these aristocratic families, some wanted to take this opportunity to make a change.

The large group of people following Li Shuang now is just like that.

Among this group were not only poor scholars who were not given important positions because of their low social status, but also high-ranking officials who had come directly from the capital.

Because Li Shuang did not besiege the city, the seemingly closed palace gates of Taicheng were actually not isolated from the outside world. Merchants were even selling scarce supplies in the city at high prices, and countless people ran out of Taicheng every day.

Those who followed Li Shuang couldn't help but puff out their chests as they looked at the tense-looking young men from wealthy families being guarded by armored soldiers in the alley.

The daughters of the Wang and Xie families, whom they once considered a desecration even to glance at, have now lost their former nobility.

Li Shuang did nothing to them, but simply had them put on plain clothes and stand aside, watching them walk into the mansion.

But this already means too much.

Jiankang is no longer the same; the Tian Ce Mansion in Wuyi Lane is the best proof of that.

Everyone following behind Li Shuang could feel it.

"Since the chaos of the Five Barbarian Tribes, the southward migration of the elites, and the fall of China, the Central Plains have long been stained with the stench of war. I, the King, rose from Bingzhou and prospered in Guanzhong. In ten years, I drove out the Rouran, executed the Erzhu, pacified Hebei, swept away the Yellow River and Luo River, eliminated the warlords, cleansed the dust of the barbarians, and unified the Central Plains. Today, I lead my army south and meet you all. I feel a deep sense of kinship with you all. When the North and South are united in the future, it will also be the day when our Han Dynasty is revived. I hope that you will all strive together with me."

Li Shuang raised his glass and began his opening remarks at the banquet.

Upon hearing Li Shuang's words, the scholars felt no shame for betraying the Southern Liang Dynasty.

Yup!

What kind of betrayal is this?!

We are not loyal to one country or one family, but to the whole world and to the Han Dynasty!

Those people in Taicheng now are the truly stubborn rebels!

Suddenly, everyone's spirits soared.

"We are willing to serve Your Majesty!"

Li Shuang nodded and put down his wine glass.

The atmosphere at the banquet was excellent and very lively.

However, the important part is not the conference itself, but the smaller meetings that follow.

After the banquet, Li Shuang invited the people from the four prominent families of Wu County to his residence.

The four prominent families of Wu County are Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang.

These four surnames rose to prominence during the Eastern Wu period, but fell into obscurity after the Western Jin dynasty destroyed Wu. Later, with the southward migration of the Jin court, the four surnames rose again, but were overshadowed by the four major immigrant surnames.

Few people were invited to the inner quarters by Li Shuang, but they were all prominent figures.

For example, there were Lu Xiang, the former crown prince of Prince Zhaoming Xiao Tong, and Gu Xie, the interpreter.

These people were quite calm, unlike the young scholars outside who were excited by Li Shuang's words. They had only one reason for attending the banquet: to find out what Li Shuang really wanted.

In Jiankang, does he want to leave or stay?

Regardless of what Li Shuang says, they all understand one fact.

There can only be one capital city in the world. The prosperity of Jiankang, the capital of the Southern Dynasties, with its population of one million, is inseparable from the fact that goods from all over the Southern Dynasties were ultimately gathered in Jiankang through waterways.

But now, Li Shuang only occupies one of the Jiankang (healthy) positions.

Jingxiang, Lingnan, Sanwu, Yuzhang, Jian'an, and Jiaozhou were all outside Li Shuang's control.

Jiankang's prosperity cannot continue indefinitely unless Li Shuang orders that taxes from the Central Plains be no longer transported to Luoyang, but instead sent directly to Jiankang.

But everyone knows that this is impossible.

"The Wang and Xie families, for over two hundred years, have produced countless talents, but now, they have also produced many scoundrels. Are you aware of this?"

Li Shuang's words silenced everyone.

Do they know? Of course they do.

But this is not just a matter between the Wang and Xie families; almost all aristocratic families are in similar situations.

For more than a decade, Emperor Xiao Yan had been lenient with members of the imperial family and high-ranking officials, which led to the arrogance and lawlessness of the sons of aristocratic families, and the government was unable to control them.

"Those people with the surnames of immigrants today are nothing more than those who failed to defeat the southward-moving barbarians back then and fled south of the Yangtze River. What dignity do they have to speak of, that they can be called high-ranking families?"

Li Shuang said this very casually. If someone else had said it, the people present would have reacted with sarcasm and ridicule.

You make it sound so easy!
But since Li Shuang said those words, they really couldn't refute them.

"I intend to relocate these people with immigrant surnames back to the Central Plains. What do you all think?"

At first, no one reacted to Li Shuang's casual remark.

But after they realized what was happening, everyone in the room felt their hearts race, even more excited than the young scholars at the banquet earlier.

what does this mean?
Li Shuang looked at the group of mature and composed officials and said something that made them excited.

"The four prominent families of Wu Commandery are not much inferior to the Wang and Xie families. Jiangdong still needs to be governed by the people of Wu!"

"We, your humble servants, are willing to serve Your Majesty and the restoration of the Han Dynasty, devoting ourselves to the utmost until our dying breath!"

……

After everyone left, Hou Jing walked in and asked:
"Your Majesty, why do all these old fogies look like they've taken some kind of poison?"

Li Shuang smiled and said:

"When these guys return to Taicheng, one section of the city wall will collapse."

Hou Jing didn't understand, so he simply asked:

"Does Your Majesty mean that we can attack Taicheng now?"

Li Shuang shook his head and said:

"It's still a bit short."

What does Your Majesty mean?

"Is Xiao Zhengde still pretending to be a filial son in front of the Grand Marshal's gate?"

"It's still there, but Xiao Yan has already taken the previous twenty cartloads."

Li Shuang said with a hint of amusement:

"It seems that this emperor of Liang is not as hard-hearted as iron and intends to hold on."

"Your Majesty, what should we do?"

Li Shuang asked:

"Has the Crown Prince's palace been cleared out?"

"By order of the King, all the books, valuables, palace maids, and eunuchs inside were taken away, and now the place is empty."

"Let Xiao Zhengde move in!"

……

(End of this chapter)