Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 545 I Had No Choice
Jinyang.

News of the battle in Xiangyang arrived, and Dugu Xin and Duan Shao had captured this important town.

In the past, the gain or loss of Xiangyang would have been enough to shake the world, but now, it seems no one cares!
The officials in Luoyang were busy with the change of dynasties, while the princes of the Xiao clan were busy fighting each other.

Only a document detailing the course of the battle reached Jinyang, causing a slight ripple.

Li Shuang took the document and read it carefully.

Dugu Xin and Duan Shao's methods of conquering Xiangyang and Fancheng were ingenious. They took advantage of Xiao Lun's loss of popular support and welcomed back Liu Zhongli. With his help, they easily made Fancheng surrender and stopped the navy outside Xiangyang from resisting.

Even when they reached the walls of Xiangyang, and Xiao Lun's loyal followers were still holding out, the two did not launch a direct assault. Instead, they successfully exploited the discontent among the people of the city towards Xiao Lun and his loyal followers to seize Xiangyang.

When Xiangyang fell, Xiao Lun died resisting. The remaining soldiers and civilians all surrendered.

In this battle, with the fall of Xiangfan, not only were the cities intact, but the naval warships of Xiangyang were also gained for free, making it a great victory.

However, doing so comes at a price.

Li Shuang put down the battle report and then took a secret letter from the side.

This contains details not found in the battle reports.

Dugu Xin and Duan Shao used the pretext of welcoming Xiao Cha into Xiangyang after the success of the mission to lure Liu Zhongli into devising a plan, and Lan Qin surrendered.

The more than 10,000 soldiers and their subordinates who remained in Xiangyang City all chose to surrender. However, most of them were still willing to follow the leadership of the Xiao family and wanted to establish a new Xiao family king.

As for Xiao Lun, he was completely subdued by his own unyielding spirit.

As agreed, Dugu Xin sent someone to fetch Xiao Cha, who was still in Anlu, to come to Xiangyang, but Xiao Cha dared not come.

As a result, there is now mutual suspicion between the people of Xiangyang and Fancheng.

The reason for this is that, compared to Dugu Xin and Duan Shao, the soldiers and civilians of Xiangyang trusted locals like Liu Zhongli and the princes of the Xiao clan more.

This is an inertia resulting from decades of Southern Liang rule, and it cannot be changed overnight.

Of course, there is another way to quickly change things: demolish and relocate the military and civilians of Xiangfan and Fancheng. However, this would cost more in the short term and is also quite disadvantageous in the long run.

After all, Xiangfan was an important town on the way south to Jingzhou and Xiangyang, not some desolate place. Making it so deserted would not be of any benefit to the strategy of moving south to Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

"By order of the King, Xiao Cha is appointed Governor of Yongzhou, to guard Xiangyang and pacify the army and people; Dugu Xin of Jin is appointed General-in-Chief, to return to Nanyang; and Duan Shao of Jin is appointed General of the Cavalry, to guard Fancheng."

Zu Ting, who was standing beside him, leaned down slightly and said something.

"promise!"

The battle of Xiangyang has come to an end, but the area around Jinyang remains bustling.

The Ji Hu originally came from the Southern Xiongnu, and later lived in the valleys of Fenzhou, where they lived among the Han people.

However, with the arrival of the chaotic world, the Hu and Han people mixed together and were caught up in one place. Even the Han people who originally hid in the mountains to avoid the heavy taxes of the Northern Wei were called Ji Hu and became the target of the government army.

In the midst of chaos, Liu Lisheng defeated the remaining leaders of the Ji Hu tribes, commanded more than 100,000 people, and his influence extended to the Hengzhou area.

With his surrender, tens of thousands of Qi Hu also surrendered. A large number of Qi Hu who were skilled in archery and horsemanship were incorporated into the army and stationed in important towns such as Pingcheng and Mayi.

The rest were registered as commoners and remained in Fenzhou and Hengzhou.

As for the troublemakers who remained defiant, they were driven to places like Liaodong.

Jinyang had no shortage of coal and iron, but with the extermination of the Erzhu clan, the situation stabilized and the population increased. The pastures that the Erzhu clan and other northerners had used for grazing would eventually have to be reclaimed as farmland. As a result, the pastures shrank, and the warhorses needed by Jinyang could be grazed in Fenzhou.

With the surrender of the Jihu, the pastures originally under the jurisdiction of Loufan in Fenzhou could be expanded to raise more warhorses.

When the matters in Jinyang and other places were almost settled, the imperial edict for the third abdication arrived in Luoyang.

The process was almost complete. Just as Li Shuang was about to return to Luoyang, an uninvited guest arrived in Jinyang.

The envoy of the Western Rouran, Tutujia, the prime minister of Yujiulü Anagui, traveled thousands of miles along the grassland trade route from the Western Regions to Jinyang, bringing with him a letter from the Western Rouran.

Li Shuang met this acquaintance in some sense at the Jinyang Palace.

"After many years, the Prime Minister has become even more extraordinary."

Li Shuang was somewhat surprised to see Tu Tujia.

This Rouran royal, Anagui's right-hand man, whom I hadn't seen for several years, had a gaunt face but sharp eyes. Seemingly due to years of warfare, he looked even more ferocious than before.

However, the changes in his appearance and temperament are secondary; what matters most is his attire, which is completely different from the traditional Rouran people. His clothing is a mix of styles from all over the world.

Tutujia sensed the hidden meaning in Li Shuang's words, but he didn't pay it any mind. He dressed like that intentionally; in a sense, he was demonstrating the power of the Western Rouran.

The Rouran launched a westward expedition, defeating the Hephthalites, annexing dozens of kingdoms, and conquering Sogdiana, Tokharistan, and other regions.

Tu Tujia wanted to tell Li Shuang that things were different from back then.

"After many years, the King of Qin has become even more heroic and valiant."

Li Shuang smiled, sat down on his throne, looked at Tutujia who had also sat down, and asked:
"Why did my brother send you here?"

Tutujia knew that Li Shuang was shameless, but seeing how easily he addressed Anagui as his younger brother, he still felt a bit angry.

"After receiving the letter from the King of Qin, the Khan of the Imperial Guards, Doufa, agreed with the King's intention to make peace. However, the two sides have a long-standing grudge, and if this matter is to be accomplished, the King of Qin must agree to two things for the Khan of the Imperial Guards, Doufa, to show his sincerity."

"tell me the story!"

"The chieftain Doufa Khan governed the Western Regions and stood alongside the Heavenly Khan, with no one subordinate to the other. From then on, neither of the two could claim to be the superior state in their interactions."

Li Shuang nodded and said:

"Of course, what else?"

“Yujiulütahan is a traitor to the Rouran. The King of Qin must hand him over to the chieftain Doufa Khan and have the tribes under his jurisdiction taken back to the Western Regions by me.”

Li Shuang smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"The first matter is easy to resolve, but the second matter is difficult to handle. Yujiulüta Han is a subject of this king. How can a monarch put his subject in a dangerous situation? If it were my brother, I don't think he would have done the same."

Li Shuang's words left Tu Tujia speechless.

He himself was not a particularly eloquent person, so it was difficult to say that Anagui was the kind of ruler who would lead his subjects into unjust situations.

"Well then, you are brothers. If you can persuade Tahan to return to the Western Regions, I will naturally have no objections."

"..."

Just as Tu Tujia was about to organize his thoughts, Li Shuang said:

"It's alright. It's not easy for the Prime Minister to come all this way. He can come to Luoyang with me this time."

"To Luoyang?"

Tu Tujia was clearly unaware of the details, but Li Shuang sighed softly.

"The Emperor wishes to abdicate in favor of me, and I cannot refuse. I am truly walking on thin ice."

……

(End of this chapter)