Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 525 No, You Want
Xiangyang.

After Wang Sengbian led his army to seize the key land route between Jiangling and Xiangyang in the Battle of Dangyang, he did not stop and continued to advance northward.

Xiao Lun was furious about this and sent out envoys several times to inquire about Xiao Yi's intentions, but received no response.

"Do you think the Prince of Xiangdong really wants to seize my Xiangyang?"

None of Xiao Lun's ministers were willing to answer, but everyone knew that after Xiao Ji, whom Xiao Yi hated the most, led his army north to surrender, Xiao Yi's target had shifted from Baidi City upstream of Jiangling to cities in the heart of Jingxiang.

Among them, Xiangyang, where Xiao Lun was located, was Xiao Yi's biggest target.

Xiangyang was originally an important town in Jingzhou, where a large number of naval warships and elite soldiers were gathered.

When Jiankang was conquering Bashu, it also sent General Lan Qin to lead an elite force westward along the Han River to Hanzhong. This elite force was very powerful and almost captured Nanzheng. However, it withdrew due to the Jiankang incident and is now under Xiao Lun's control. It is stationed in Weixing County to guard against the troops in Hanzhong.

It can be said that the strength of the army in Xiangyang was not weak.

Seeing that no one answered him, Xiao Lun turned his gaze to Liu Zhongli and asked:
"Lord Liu is of advanced age and high moral character. At this critical moment, we urge you to offer your advice to stabilize the people's hearts."

Liu Zhongli didn't want to speak, knowing his words would inevitably cause controversy, but he ultimately said it anyway:
"In my opinion, we should make peace in the north and attack in the south."

As Liu Zhongli had predicted, a murmur of discussion arose in the room as soon as he finished speaking.

Xiao Lun frowned further and asked:

"Ōno Sō is my enemy, and Ōi is my brother. Why do you ally with your enemy while attacking your own brother?"

Xiao Lun's ministers dared not speak out, not because they were unaware of the current situation, but because even if they were, they could only pretend not to.

Because this statement is politically incorrect.

After Li Shuang went south to Jiankang and welcomed Emperor Liang back to Luoyang, the situation in Jingzhou and Xiangyang changed several times.

In the beginning, the checks and balances mechanism left by Xiao Yan during his reign was still in place. The various Xiao families eliminated dissidents, installed their own people, and expanded outwards.

When the expansion was nearly complete, Zhu Xiao became dissatisfied with Crown Prince Xiao Gang, who was left behind in Jiankang, and blamed Xiao Gang for the main responsibility for the Jiankang incident, trying to claim the moral high ground.

In order to further secure the legitimacy of the cause, Xiao Yi, Xiao Lun, Xiao Xu and other powerful warlords formed an alliance to welcome back Emperor Liang and regard Li Shuang as their enemy.

Over the years, the princes have reached a consensus—Xiao Gang is a puppet, and once Emperor Liang passes away, they will not recognize Xiao Gang as the new emperor.

This is in the best interest of the princes, after all, Xiao Gang is the strongest and has the right to rule; if such a consensus is not reached, the princes will lose their legitimacy.

Of course, the guiding principle of this alliance was to welcome back Emperor Liang.

If Xiao Lun's subordinates don't work for him, can't they go to work for Xiao Yi and Xiao Xu?

Therefore, no one dared to defy public opinion and say such "incorrect" things.

Liu Zhongli listened and sighed:

"After defeating the King of Wuling, the King of Xiangdong mobilized his army to the south, using coercion and enticement to annex Wuling, Changsha and other prefectures, and his power has reached Lingnan. South of Xiangyang, there is no advantage in terrain like the north. Now, Wang Sengbian is heading north, attacking cities and seizing strongholds. Under such circumstances, if Your Majesty still places your elite troops in the north and west to guard against an enemy that cannot possibly advance south, your foundation will be destroyed sooner or later."

Liu Zhongli explained it very clearly.

In terms of geographical advantage and military risks, the crisis to the south of Xiangyang has surpassed that to the north.

If the military forces are not redeployed to the south to deal with Xiao Yi, sooner or later Wang Sengbian's army will reach the walls of Xiangyang. Moreover, Xiao Lun has no allies of the Xiao clan around him, and he has neither the strength nor the courage to oppose Xiao Yi.

But Xiao Lun still hesitated and couldn't make the decision.

After reading it, Liu Zhongli said again:

"If Your Majesty is unwilling to become enemies with your brothers, you may enter Jiangling and appoint the Prince of Xiangdong as the leader of the alliance. In this way, the war can be averted."

This left Xiao Lun speechless.

He didn't want to escalate the conflict, but he also didn't want to surrender.

Seeing this, Liu Zhongli could only sigh.

……

Changan.

After receiving the order, Dugu Xin traveled from Jiangdu back to Guanzhong by both land and water, arriving in just over twenty days. For Dugu Xin, the days in Jiangdu were peaceful, but there were no opportunities to make a name for himself.

Xiao Gang's attitude towards the north was extremely friendly, even to the point of being obsequious. In recent years, Xiao Gang had focused his energy on fighting with his brothers, and made no move to march north and recover Huainan.

Therefore, the daily tasks of Dugu Xin and other generals stationed in Huainan were mainly training the navy, pacifying the people, maintaining public order, and reorganizing the salt administration.

He had a leisurely life, but no military achievements.

An urgent transfer order from Guanzhong made Dugu Xin realize that his opportunity to make a name for himself had arrived.

When Dugu Xin arrived in Chang'an, the city had already entered the expansion phase, and large quantities of building materials transported from various places were piled up inside and outside the city.

Li Shuang was not in the Qin Prince's residence, but in the Chang Le Palace, east of Chang'an.

When Dugu Xin met Li Shuang, the latter was sitting under a tree brewing tea.

"As you wish, please sit!"

"promise!"

Dugu Xin possesses the tough, steely aura of a soldier, and is also very handsome, making him stand out.

While brewing tea, Li Shuang pointed to a letter placed on the table.

"As you wish, take a look!"

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

"It was sent from Nanyang a few days ago. It contains the exchange between Xiao Lun and Liu Zhongli. Read it before you speak."

After listening, Dugu Xin opened the envelope and read it carefully.

By the time he finished reading, the tea had been poured, and he heard Li Shuang's voice in his ear.

"how?"

"Xiao Lun is at a loss, just as Liu Zhongli said. If no changes are made, his foundation may be destroyed sooner or later."

Dugu Xin's judgment was the same as Liu Zhongli's; in fact, Liu Zhongli's statement was even more straightforward.

In recent years, Li Shuang has focused his energy on domestic affairs and has no intention of using a large amount of financial and material resources to attack a fortified city like Xiangyang.

General Xiao Lun's strategy of deploying his forces to the north and west to defend against enemy forces from the directions of Nanyang and Hanzhong was fundamentally flawed.

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"I wish to appoint Ruyuan as Imperial Envoy, Governor of Jingzhou, and General Who Guards the South, and send him to garrison Nanyang."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Xin was thrilled, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail in your mission!"

Li Shuang waved his hand, signaling Dugu Xin to sit down.

"Xiao Yi is stubborn and arrogant, always pushing his luck; Xiao Lun is reckless, volatile, and capricious. These two will turn against each other sooner or later, so you should wait for the right opportunity."

"I understand!"

Just then, a report came.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Liang requests an audience!"

Dugu Xin saw that Li Shuang's expression changed instantly.

This appearance is beyond description!
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Li Shuang looked at Dugu Xin, and the look in his eyes made him feel a strange chill.

Do you want to take a concubine?

……

(End of this chapter)