Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 510 This is your business

The Liang emperor was assassinated, and chaos ensued in Luoyang.

After receiving this news, Li Shuang was already determined to withdraw his troops.

The withdrawal date was brought forward much earlier than expected, so many things were done rather hastily.

However, before that, Li Shuang met with someone.

An envoy from Baekje!
Baekje and Goguryeo share the same origin, both being states established by the Buyeo people who migrated south.

However, the two sides have had no shortage of conflicts over the centuries, especially after Goguryeo moved its capital to Pyongyang, which made the conflicts even more intense.

During the reign of King Jangsu, Goguryeo captured Seoul, the capital of Baekje, killed King Gaeloo, and annexed the Han River basin.

After the fall of Seoul, Baekje moved its capital to Ungjin.

After King Buyeo Myeong of Baekje ascended the throne, he moved the capital from Ungjin to the more fertile Sabi, and maintained good relations with Liang and Wa.

When Li Shuang marched south to attack the Southern Liang, Baekje was initially panicked, but as Li Shuang attacked Goguryeo, Baekje's attitude changed.

From initial ambiguity to current intimacy.

"Even when the Emperor is in Luoyang, he often thinks of Your Majesty!"

Li Shuang looked at the envoy before him; his attire and demeanor were very much in the style of a nobleman from Jiankang.

The Baekje envoy was very excited upon hearing this.

While Emperor Wu of Liang's military achievements may be debatable, his cultural attainments were unparalleled in his time. This is beyond doubt.

Baekje was deeply influenced by its interactions with the Southern Liang Dynasty.

"The Emperor specifically instructed me to give you this commentary on the Nirvana Sutra to take back and deliver to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the envoy immediately knelt down, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, kowtow to express my deepest gratitude to the Emperor and the King of Qin for their great kindness!"

As he spoke, the envoy looked at Li Shuang as if she were an exceptionally beautiful woman, and tremblingly took the thick book "Commentary on the Nirvana Sutra" from her hands, his breathing becoming rapid.

Upon seeing this, Li Shuang smiled slightly and said:
"Get up!"

The Baekje envoy stood up shakily, as if he had found a treasure, but then a question came to mind.

"May I ask Your Majesty, is it possible for our country to send an envoy to Luoyang to request the complete commentary on the Nirvana Sutra?"

"Not urgent!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said:

"To be honest, Your Majesty has been frightened!"

Upon hearing this, the Baekje envoy expressed his concern:
"How is the Emperor?"

“Someone plotted to assassinate the emperor, but fortunately, he was well protected and unharmed.”

The Baekje envoy breathed a sigh of relief and asked:
"Does the King of Qin know who instigated this?"

"I have no evidence, but some say it was the Goguryeo people who did it, their purpose being to create chaos and force me to withdraw my troops."

The Baekje envoy was filled with righteous indignation upon hearing this.

"The Goguryeo people are the worst!"

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"I've heard that after King Ru moved the capital to Sibi, he has been determined to implement reforms and strengthen the nation?"

"That's right!"

"It's not easy, is it!"

The Baekje envoy hesitated to speak.

King Buyeo Myeong of Baekje moved the capital to Sabi last year in an attempt to break free from the old constraints and establish a new order. However, even with the support of the powerful Sa clan of Sabi and the old noble Mok clan of Seoul, he still faces numerous difficulties.

"The capital has just been established, and it is a time of turmoil. If the Goguryeo people take advantage of this to move south, I fear that Baekje will one day perish."

The Baekje envoy, suspicious of Li Shuang's threatening remarks, asked:

"The Goguryeo people have lost territory and resources under Your Majesty's military might; how dare they march south and raise an army?"

Li Shuang shook her head, looking at him with an expression that said, "You're too young."

"The elite troops of Goguryeo are still intact. If King Anwon feels that there is no hope of conquering the north, he may raise an army to march south in order to appease the people. This is what is called the strategy of losing the north and taking the south."

"Your Majesty, I have come here on the orders of my king to form an alliance with you to counter Goguryeo."

The Baekje envoy blinked, looking at Li Shuang with hopeful eyes, only to see him shake his head. "Envoy, you are mistaken. I am acting on the orders of the Emperor to conquer Liaodong, for Liaodong is originally Chinese territory, not to annihilate Goguryeo. Now that Goguryeo has submitted to our rule, how can I break the treaty and raise an army without a just cause?"

"What should we do?"

"It is not my place to interfere in the affairs of you Buyeo people."

Upon hearing this, the Baekje envoy grew somewhat anxious and bowed, saying:

“Our people and our land have long been subservient to Your Majesty’s rule. If Your Majesty does not intervene, who else can curb the ambitions of that traitor Gao Baoyan?”

Li Shuang sighed:
"In that case, I will arrange a meeting."

"What do you mean, my king?"

"It just so happens that the envoys of the King of Buyeo and the Duke of Xuantu are here. You can meet with them. As for how the talks go, that's a matter for you Buyeo people to decide."

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your great kindness!"

……

Pyongyang.

Gao Baoyan looked at the military report coming from the front lines, somewhat incredulous.

"Ohno Sō has withdrawn his troops!"

It's only the end of August, and Li Shuang's hasty withdrawal of troops has clearly exceeded Gao Baoyan's expectations.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

"Could there be some change in the Central Plains?"

At this moment, Gao Baoyan recalled the words his first wife had once told him, and his expression changed drastically.

"Am I wrong?!"

In the days that followed, Gao Baoyan sent out spies to search for intelligence and learned that Li Shuang had indeed withdrawn his main force.

He appointed Kezhu Hunyuan as Imperial Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Three Prefectures of Liaodong, and General Who Guards the East, to garrison Liaodong City.

Although Gao Baoyan knew that his initial decision was wrong and that his first wife was of one mind with him, he did not show it immediately.

Because if he admits he was wrong, then the responsibility for losing Liaodong will fall on him.

Even a king like him couldn't bear this burden.

Therefore, he had to grit his teeth and accept the agreement.

The most important thing for Goguryeo now is to quell the rebellion in the south, recapture the city of Gungnae, and reunite the forces of the cities in Changbai Mountain.

Then, there's the matter of Liaodong.

But just as Gao Baoyan was planning to quell the rebellion, he received another piece of news.

Buyeo Myeong was appointed as Imperial Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Baekje, General of the Eastern Pacification Army, King of Baekje, and Duke of Jinbeon.

With the title bestowed by the Central Plains, Baekje gained a legitimate and righteous status.

Especially given Goguryeo's recent defeat, this boost has had an even greater impact.

Gao Baoyan felt the pressure, but what increased his pressure even more was the subsequent changes in the situation.

The traitor from Goguryeo, Daega from the south, chose to join Buyeo, which in turn formed an alliance with Baekje, creating the North-South Buyeo Alliance.

The momentum is huge!

The situation outside is changing too fast, and Pyongyang is eerily calm.

Gao Baoyan looked at the official document in front of him. The document not only made him acknowledge the cession of Liaodong, but also changed his title from Duke of Liaodong to Duke of Lelang.

Now he understands.

What a fine Duke of Lelang!
Footsteps echoed within the palace hall. Gao Baoyan raised his head and asked:

"how?"

"Kim Won-jong said that he was too old to be involved in the conflicts between the great powers! But I heard that an envoy from the Central Plains brought many Buddhist scriptures to Silla's Geumseong, and Kim Won-jong was overjoyed."

Gao Baoyan roared.

"Ohno is cool!"

……

(End of this chapter)