Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 556 I am a loyal subject

Lingnan.

Guangzhou.

A difficult problem has arisen for Chen Baxian.

The envoy from Luoyang has arrived!
The Southern Liang dynasty had fallen, and the states of Wu and Chu were divided, with Wu now serving under the Tang dynasty.

The world is nominally unified!
Chen Baxian, originally a former official of the Southern Liang dynasty, was able to navigate between Xiao Gang and Xiao Yi with ease. However, the situation changed after another variable was introduced.

During the Han Dynasty, the Jiaozhou Prefecture was divided into Jiaozhou and Guangzhou by Sun Quan during the Eastern Wu period. Later, with the southward migration of northerners and the large-scale development of Lingnan, the number of prefectures and counties increased.

Even so, Jiaozhou and Guangzhou remained the two most important prefectures in Lingnan.

After the Jiankang incident, Li Ben was the first to rebel in Jiaozhou, and many other prefectures in Lingnan also rebelled, killing the officials appointed by Liang and each occupying their own territory.

After Chen Baxian occupied Guangzhou, he moved between Xiao Yi and Xiao Gang and received help from both sides.

If Chen Baxian were to accept the investiture from Luoyang now, it would be tantamount to offending Wu and Chu at the same time, thus cutting off Chen Baxian's external support.

But if he doesn't accept it, how should he deal with it?

The world nominally belongs to the Tang Dynasty. If he separates himself from the court, isn't he a traitor?

Furthermore, if Luoyang sees that he does not submit and goes to other prefectures and counties in Lingnan, and if the others accept him, Chen Baxian's righteous cause will be lost.

Chen Baxian's nephew, Chen Qian, walked into the room, interrupting his thoughts.

"Zihua, how is the envoy to Luoyang going?"

Chen Baxian was undecided and thus kept delaying meeting the envoy sent from Luoyang. However, he was also worried that the person from Luoyang might be displeased, so he sent his nephew Chen Qian to accompany him.

"He was not displeased at all; on the contrary, he chatted enthusiastically with the foreign merchants in the guild hall and inquired about overseas trade."

Panyu, the capital of Guangzhou, was established during the Qin Dynasty and became one of the major cities in China during the Han Dynasty.

With the development of Lingnan and the flourishing of overseas trade, Panyu has become increasingly prosperous.

Bodhidharma landed in Guangzhou before heading to Jiankang.

Upon hearing this, Chen Baxian stroked his beard.

"how so?"

Chen Qian already had the answer to this question.

“Uncle, I’ve found out that he’s from Huai Shuo. He’s said to be the Duke of Lai and the Duke of Liang. It seems he’s here to trade with us.”

"Gao Huan, Hou Jing?"

Chen Baxian muttered the two names, lost in thought.

Upon seeing this, Chen Qian said:

“Uncle, this can’t go on forever. We have to meet this person sooner or later. Besides, I’ve also heard that Luoyang has sent another group of envoys to Lingnan.”

Chen Baxian's heart tightened, and he asked:

Do you know where you're going?

Chen Baxian was very worried; the person from Luoyang had gone to Jiaozhou.

Li Ben of Jiaozhou colluded with Lu Zixiong, the governor of Xinzhou, and Sun Jionghuo, the governor of Gaozhou, and their combined forces far exceeded those of Chen Baxian.

If the envoy from Luoyang goes to them, and they unite to accept the investiture from Luoyang, Chen Baxian will be in danger.

Upon seeing this, Chen Qian smiled.

"Uncle, guess?"

Seeing Chen Qian's reaction, Chen Baxian knew that things were not as he had feared, but he had no interest in playing riddles with Chen Qian at this moment.

"Say it!"

"I went to Feng Bao's place!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Baxian narrowed his eyes and a smile appeared on his face.

“Excellent! I want to see the envoy from Luoyang to receive the imperial edict of investiture.”

……

Feng Bao was born into the Feng clan of Changle.

After the fall of Northern Yan, its last ruler, Feng Hong, fled to Goguryeo, where he was later killed by the Goguryeo king.

Feng Hong's clansmen split into two groups: one fled to the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the other crossed the sea to the Southern Liang Dynasty.

Both branches of the Feng clan in Changle were highly regarded during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

The later renowned Empress Dowager Wenming, née Feng, was Feng Hong's granddaughter. Feng Bao came from this branch of the Southern Liang dynasty and was Feng Hong's great-great-grandson.

When the envoy from Luoyang arrived, Feng Bao did not hesitate like Chen Baxian and met him immediately.

It is evident that Feng Bao did not make his own decision afterward, but instead sought out his wife.

Lady Xian!
In the past, intermarriage between Han and Li people in Lingnan was not allowed, especially for men like Feng Bao who came from a prominent family; it was even less likely that they would marry a Li woman.

However, Feng Bao's father, Feng Rong, the governor of Luozhou, defied public opinion and allowed his son to marry a woman from the prominent Li people's Xian clan.

In fact, Feng Rong's judgment was remarkably sharp.

Lady Xian was no ordinary woman; she was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possessed wisdom and resourcefulness.

Lady Xian was highly respected, and more than a thousand tribes along the coast were willing to obey her orders.

"My husband, why are you so worried?"

Lady Xian looked at her husband's face with concern.

Feng Bao told Lady Xian about his meeting with the envoy from Luoyang, but she just smiled.

"Now that Wu and Chu have submitted, the whole world is Tang territory. Luoyang has sent an envoy, what is there for my husband to worry about? If we are not subjects of Tang, do we want to be traitors?"

Feng Bao shook his head and said:

“I am not unaware of this principle, but the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. I am afraid that accepting this imperial edict will displease Lu Zixiang and others, and they will then besiege Luozhou.”

Lady Xian, full of heroic spirit, nodded upon hearing this.

“My husband is right, but I think the two traitors Sun and Lu will not amount to much. The best course of action now is to seek outside help. If that happens, we will have nothing to worry about.”

"foreign aid?"

"Chen Baxian, the Prefect of Guangzhou!"

……

Jiankang.

Xiao Gang sat on the throne, looking at the memorial before him, frowning and muttering to himself.

"Chen Baxian!"

In Lingnan, Chen Baxian accepted the investiture from Luoyang, becoming the Imperial Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Lingnan Circuit, Governor of Guangzhou, General Who Guards the South, and Duke of Nanhai.

From then on, Luoyang essentially acknowledged that Chen Baxian was a third-party force in the south that had become independent from Wu and Chu.

Even though Lingnan is now rife with bandits, Chen Baxian's forces are still less than ten thousand.

Xiao Gang was furious.

Chen Baxian was originally a minor official in Jiankang. In his view, he only got to where he is today because of the Xiao family.

Their current actions are utterly ungrateful.

Wei Can walked in from outside the hall. Seeing Xiao Gang's displeasure, he said:

"Your Majesty, why are you so angry?"

The submission and establishment of the states of Wu and Chu were not merely lip service; all aspects of clothing, architectural standards, and document formats had to be changed. Internal transportation routes between the two states also needed to be opened, envoys and merchants could not be obstructed, and military conscription was required when necessary.

Although Luoyang cannot govern the internal affairs and military affairs of the two countries, it does have supervisory power.

In fact, under the supervision of the envoy from Luoyang, both Jiankang and Jiangling did make changes.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gang angrily said:

"It's that Chen Baxian again. Now that he's powerful enough, he's even become the Duke of Nanhai. If things continue like this, he might become another Zhao Tuo."

Upon hearing this, Wei Can laughed and said:
"Your Majesty, there is no need for such formalities. Lingnan is already in chaos, so it's good that Chen Baxian is in charge there. At most, from now on, tribute from Lingnan will be sent to Luoyang instead of Jiankang."

Things were not as easy as Wei Can made them out to be, but Xiao Gang had no choice but to leave it at that for now.

"What brings you here, Minister Wei?"

"Goguryeo has sent a letter of state, which we are about to present to Your Majesty!"

Xiao Gang nodded, took the document, glanced at it, and looked as if he had been bitten by a snake.

"What is this Prince Anyuan up to?"

As Wei Can looked on in surprise, Xiao Gang quickly waved his hand and said:
“Send it to Luoyang and tell the Emperor that I have no intention of rebelling.”

……

(End of this chapter)