Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 463 There Can Only Be One Crown Prince Today

In the third year of the Datong era, the Grand Marshal's gate in Jiankang, which had been closed for many months, was opened again.

The long-dormant officials of Jiankang gathered again in the Taiji Hall. However, the days of being confined to the capital city made life difficult for these wealthy and powerful officials of Liang. They all looked pale and emaciated.

As a large number of soldiers poured in, along the Imperial Street from Dasimingmen to Duanmen, an armored soldier stood guard every twenty steps on both sides of the road.

These armored soldiers were completely different from the imperial guards in charge of etiquette in the palace. Their eyes alone possessed a sharpness that was hard for ordinary people to describe.

The Taiji Hall in Taicheng is grand in scale and magnificent in its pavilions.

On the steps outside the Taiji Hall, the Emperor of Daliang waited alone.

Looking at the empty long staircase in front of the palace, Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.

After Xiao Yan ascended the throne, he built a triple wall on the basis of the Jiankang Palace of the Song and Qi dynasties, turning the Taicheng into an impregnable fortress.

With cities nested within cities, cities encircling cities, and cities connected to cities, Jiankang's defenses should have been impregnable.

Xiao Yan never expected that the enemy he had been guarding against would not attempt to breach the seemingly impregnable city walls before him.

In warfare, winning hearts and minds is of paramount importance.

As the fiery red armored cavalry came into view, Xiao Yan felt the meaning of those words even more deeply.

The sky was overcast, the palace gates opened and closed, and the vast square in front of the palace was filled with armored cavalry. Xiao Yan's gaze never left the man beneath the great banner after he entered the palace gates.

As the other person entered the hall, Xiao Yan unconsciously took a few steps down.

When the emperor descended the steps, he was not greeted by meritorious officials who had made great contributions to the Liang Dynasty, but by the culprit who was capable of destroying the Liang Dynasty.

Li Shuang, accompanied by dozens of generals including Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai, Hou Jing, and Dugu Xin, ascended the steps.

After reaching a certain distance, all the generals stopped, except for Li Shuang, who continued forward and came to a point five steps in front of Xiao Yan, where he bowed.

"Your subject pays respects to the Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's feelings became even more complicated.

He had considered many possibilities, but the moment he saw Li Shuang, Xiao Yan's frustration vanished.

If we could obtain this son, how could we not secure the world?
Xiao Yan did not look at Li Shuang, but instead raised his head slightly and looked into the distance.

"What is the purpose of the King of Qin's request to see me?"

"Your Majesty, I have pacified the Central Plains and swept away the barbarian dust. I wish to welcome Your Majesty back to the old capital."

Xiao Yan was slightly surprised, then smiled and asked:

"If I go to Luoyang, what will happen to that Yuan Emperor?"

"The debate over the legitimacy of the calendar is still uncertain. What we should do now is to calm the people's hearts and quell any false rumors. I hope Your Majesty will consider the well-being of the people and accompany me north so that the people of the Central Plains may enjoy the grace of the Emperor."

Xiao Yan understood what Li Shuang meant.

It doesn't matter how many emperors there are in this world; what matters is that there is only one King of Qin and one General of Heavenly Strategy!
Xiao Yan said nothing, only saying:
"King Qin, please help me into the palace!"

"I obey!"

The elderly emperor, supported by the young King of Qin, entered the Taiji Hall, bringing a sigh of relief to the anxious ministers and officials present.

Li Shuang was not the great general of later generations who could not stay in the Central Plains and could only rely on eight hundred defeated soldiers to march south to Jiankang to wreak havoc on the last wave of the war. He had the Central Plains and the Northern Dynasty behind him, and he had enough leverage to find enough friends in Jiankang and even the entire Southern Dynasty.

Li Shuang didn't need to burn, kill, and plunder in Jiankang to win people's hearts with blood, women, and wealth. With a single order, he could mobilize enough troops from the Central Plains to maintain his prestige in Jiankang.

In fact, that's exactly what Li Shuang did.

The arrival of Pengcheng soldiers was the last straw that broke the camel's back for the officials and nobles of Taicheng, causing the hearts of the people in Taicheng to dissipate.

Xiao Yan sat back on the throne he had sat on for decades, but the scene in the familiar palace was very different.

"The King of Qin wishes to welcome me back to Luoyang. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, the officials of Southern Liang discussed it amongst themselves, but none of them dared to speak first.

Xiao Yan sat on his throne, watching all this, waiting. In truth, if he could have guarded it, Xiao Yan would not have opened the Grand Marshal's gate.

But Xiao Yan knew he couldn't protect it.

People's hearts have fallen apart!

Those officials and nobles with surnames of immigrants in Taicheng feared that Li Shuang would uncover their private affairs, search for evidence of their crimes, and expose them to the world. Therefore, everyone lived in fear.

Many people fled Taicheng. Of course, they didn't necessarily go to seek refuge with Li Shuang, return to their own manor, or seek refuge with other members of the Xiao family.

As for those who remained, Xiao Yan was even more worried. He had no idea whether these people were truly upright and had nothing to hide, or whether they had already made a deal with Li Shuang.

The local nobles of Jiangdong, including the four prominent families of Wu Commandery, had long since stopped standing with Xiao Yan and harbored their own ambitions, all under Li Shuang's slogan that "Jiangdong should still be governed by the people of Wu."

Those from humble backgrounds were recruited by Li Shuang and became his followers. These individuals were even more fervent than the four prominent families of Wu County. They were not limited to Jiangdong; they were willing to follow Li Shuang back to Luoyang and then to Chang'an.

The same applies to military officers as well as scholars.

The powerful clans of the Jianghuai region successively joined Li Shuang's ranks. As a result, Li Shuang trained a navy and recruited many naval commanders into the Tian Ce Mansion.

For example, Wu Mingche, the leader of a powerful clan in Nanqiao Prefecture, is now one of the dozens of generals following Li Shuang.

If this is the case for people with different surnames, then the Xiao family of Lanling is even worse.

In the past few months, none of the Xiao family members in the various towns have been willing to take the lead in rescuing Jiankang. Instead, they have been seizing the time to take control of their territories and expand outwards.

The most intense fighting was between Xiao Yi and Xiao Ji, but it was for control of the 100,000-strong army.

But the final straw that broke Xiao Yan's back was that Xiao Gang met with Hou Jing in private, and afterwards, he didn't say a word.

what does this mean?
He's been betrayed and abandoned by everyone!
Xiao Yan didn't open the Grand Marshal's Gate himself to save face. But one day, someone in the city will open the gate, leaving Xiao Yan with not even that last shred of dignity.

"Your Majesty, I believe you are absolutely right!"

These words resounded throughout the palace.

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice, and were shocked. No one had expected that the speaker was Crown Prince Xiao Gang.

Xiao Yan looked at his son, and although his heart was soft, he still felt a little pain at this moment.

Xiao Yan opened his mouth with difficulty, wanting to speak, but he didn't know what to say. Just then, Xiao Zhengde's voice rang out, filled with anger.

"What gives you the right to say that!"

Xiao Zhengde arrived at the center of the hall, pointed at Xiao Gang, and angrily said:

"I am the Crown Prince of this Great Liang!"

Xiao Gang, enraged, cursed:
"You beast who raped your own sister and slaughtered the people, do you even deserve to be the crown prince!"

"How much better are you? You dare say you were unaware of the matter of Prince Zhaoming's wax goose?"

"You fart!"

"You're the one farting!"

……

Inside the solemn Taiji Hall, Xiao Gang and Xiao Zhengde were exchanging insults and revealing each other's dirty secrets, as if they were in a marketplace.

Emperor Xiao Yan closed his eyes and remained silent, reciting Buddhist scriptures; the ministers lowered their heads and kept quiet, as if they were stone statues.

Li Shuang and the dozens of generals who followed him into the hall watched all this with smiles on their faces, showing no intention of stopping them.

Xiao Gang and Xiao Zhengde started arguing, and eventually they even started fighting.

However, as they were fighting, they suddenly all turned their gaze to Li Shuang, who was watching the drama unfold, and said:
"King of Qin, tell me, who is the crown prince today!"

……

(End of this chapter)