Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 477 I Just Love to Speak the Truth
Luoyang.

Jinyong City.

As dawn broke and the fog dissipated, Jinyong City, nestled at the foot of Mangshan Mountain, seemed to stand tall to the north of Luoyang, overlooking the entire megacity of Luoyang.

As the guards opened the two gates of Jinyong City, the east and west gates slowly moved upwards, and the military officers of Tian Ce Mansion, who had been waiting outside, filed in one after another.

Centered on Jinyong City, the more than thirty neighborhoods within and outside Luoyang's city walls were inhabited by officials, military officers, and their families from the Qin Prince's Mansion and the Tian Ce Mansion. In addition, the soldiers of the Imperial Guards stationed in various camps in Luoyang and their families were also scattered in special military dependent neighborhoods inside and outside Luoyang.

Therefore, it was easy for Li Shuang to gather them.

The Jinyong Palace was packed with over a hundred people.

In addition to the four generals Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai, Hou Jing, and Yuan Xin, there were also their respective sons and younger brothers, such as Gao Cheng, Duan Shao, Yuwen Hu, Yuchi Jiong, He Lanxiang, and Gao Jishi.

Everyone took their seats, and as a ceremonial melody played, Li Shuang arrived late and sat in the main seat.

"See you, Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities, please be seated!"

Li Shuang looked at everyone and slowly said:

"The realm is still unsettled, though the Central Plains are relatively peaceful, and the people suffer greatly. Recently, I dispatched imperial censors to inspect the four directions, and many officials in the prefectures and counties of the Central Plains have been found to be corrupt and lawless. In the past, when Empress Ling was in power, the sale of official positions was repeatedly prohibited but not stopped, and the consequences continue to this day. I intend to send young military officers from the Tiance Prefecture to serve as heads of prefectures and counties in the Central Plains to eradicate these old malpractices. What do you all think?"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

After everyone finished speaking, Yuan Xin silently closed her eyes.

Yuan Xin understood that times were moving forward, and the Northern Wei Dynasty he remembered from more than a decade ago would never return with this order.

In the past, Erzhu Rong launched the Heyin Incident, using a snake to swallow an elephant, and seized control of the Luoyang court and the Central Plains.

This approach could allow the Erzhu clan to reach its peak in a short period of time, but the drawbacks are also obvious.

The Erzhu clan had no shortage of talented generals who could lead troops into battle, but lacked the ability to govern prefectures and counties, or even the entire country. Furthermore, due to the Hebei Incident, Erzhu Rong massacred high-ranking officials, causing the aristocratic families throughout the country to become alienated from the Erzhu clan.

After Erzhu Rong's death, no one was able to control the situation, and eventually the Erzhu clan split, with Li Shuang taking over.

Yuan Xin glanced at Li Shuang, the young Qin King in his early thirties, who had distinguished himself in battle but was not as impatient as Erzhu Rong, who was eager to be granted the Nine Bestowments.

Therefore, it avoided the same fate as the Erzhu clan.

Everyone thought that after Li Shuang marched into Jiankang with 5,000 cavalry and led hundreds of thousands of troops north, he would immediately declare himself emperor.

However, Li Shuang did not do that. Instead, he continued to use the method of slow simmering to change the power structure of the entire Northern Dynasty, or more precisely, the various prefectures and counties in the Central Plains.

The reason why the Central Plains was able to maintain stability after Li Shuang entered Luoyang was twofold: first, the righteousness of the imperial court, and second, the absolute military power that Li Shuang possessed.

This southward march to Jiankang once again proved the strength of their military might.

Therefore, Li Shuang took it a step further.

After the local militias in the Central Plains had achieved some success, the heads of the prefectures and counties in the Central Plains began to be replaced.

Yuan Xin understood that this meeting had little to do with him, or more accurately, little to do with Henan; the main purpose was to replace the heads of counties and prefectures in Hebei.

In Henan, the Zheng family of Xingyang had a great influence, but they did not stay outside of Xingyang. The border areas of Yuzhou and other places were located in the war zone between the Northern and Southern Dynasties for a long time. Due to the extravagance and debauchery of the Erzhu clan during their rule, coupled with the impact of natural disasters, some counties were emptied, the people became refugees, and the officials of the counties naturally disappeared.

Now, Li Shuang has brought in 300,000 people from the Southern Dynasty, re-established various prefectures and counties, and appointed the sons of commoners and powerful families from the Southern Dynasty as the heads of the prefectures and counties of Henan, Qi and Ju. Overall, this has been completed.

In general, with the incorporation of the Jianghuai region, Henan and Qi-Ju became major rear areas, just like Hebei was in the past.

The remaining regions, like the Sichuan and Chongqing regions where the Liao rebellion is gradually subsiding, need time to recover. Hebei, on the other hand, although it experienced the Six Garrisons Rebellion, the period of chaos was relatively short. Coupled with Hebei's already strong economic foundation, it was able to recover quickly even under the influence of natural disasters.

Moreover, the power of the aristocratic families in Hebei was quite strong.

The prominent clans of today, such as the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Cui clan of Boling, the Li clan of Zhaojun, and the Gao clan of Bohai, are all located in Hebei.

If Li Shuang wants to advance further, the powerful clans of Hebei naturally won't want him to.

Yuan Xin listened quietly until Yuwen Hu was mentioned, when someone spoke up, interrupting Li Shuang.

Yuan Xin found it strange, because the person who interrupted Li Shuang was Hou Jing.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Yuwen Hu is not suitable to be a prefect. It would be better for him to serve as the head of a county first!"

Upon hearing this, the first to react was not Yuwen Hu, but Yuwen Tai.

However, Yuwentai did not speak immediately, but looked at Li Shuang, hoping to get some information from his expression. However, Yuwentai was disappointed.

"Why?"

"Yuwen Hu is from Wuchuan, and it is well known that people from Wuchuan are not suited for meticulous work. I believe that Duan Rong's son, Duan Shao, is both literate and skilled in martial arts, and is capable of undertaking great responsibilities."

Yuan Xin frowned upon hearing this. Although the matter in Hebei was mainly a struggle between the Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan factions, Hou Jing's words were far too blunt, practically implying that the people of Wu Chuan were brainless.

Gao Huan then came out and complained about Hou Jing.

"Wan Jing, why are you so honest? You always speak the truth. It's not good."

Hou Jing scratched his head, a simple and honest smile appearing on his face.

“He Liuhun, you know me. I’m a straightforward person and I always love to speak the truth. If we’re talking about who can charge recklessly on the battlefield, we can’t compare to the people of Wuchuan. But when it comes to governing the people, we people of Huaishuo are definitely better.”

As he spoke, Hou Jing looked at Duan Shao and made a comment.

"Xiaoxian, don't you agree?"

Despite his young age, Duan Shao already showed the bearing of a great general. He sat upright, but his words were sharp and unforgiving.

“Lord Liang is right, but even if we go to the battlefield, we are not necessarily going to lose. Fighting a war is not just about charging into battle.”

Yuwentai remained silent, and with Hou Jing and Gao Huan echoing each other, the younger generation of Wuchuan, despite their anger, dared not speak up.

Duan Shao's words completely ignited the anger of the people of Wuchuan.

Yuwen Hu immediately stood up and angrily said:

"Duan Xiaoxian, if you're so capable, let's have a match."

Duan Shao, however, scoffed and said sarcastically:

“You’re just ‘acceptable,’ what’s the point of comparing? When it comes to the ability to carry a stone lion through a wall, I’m no match for you.”

When the dispute arose, Li Shuang did not immediately speak up to stop it. However, upon hearing Duan Shao's words, he was secretly pleased.

The Wuchuan and Huaishuo factions have successors.

……

(End of this chapter)