Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 63 All Glory to the Grand Commander

Yunzhong City was first built in the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period.

At that time, King Wuling of Zhao adopted the Hu clothing and horse riding and archery, and the national strength of Zhao State increased greatly. He swallowed up the Linhu and Loufan, expanded the territory by 3,000 miles, and established the Yunzhong County.

For more than eight hundred years, Yunzhong City has been an important town in the north.

When the Tuoba clan rose to power, in Shuozhou, in addition to managing Yunzhong, they also built cities, palaces and temples in Baidao and Shengle.

The Six Garrisons fought like a riotous army, demolishing a large number of palaces, temples and treasuries belonging to the imperial court and looting everything they could take away. Shuozhou was almost turned into a wasteland.

After so many years of twists and turns, Shuozhou has returned to its current state when the Tuoba clan rose to prominence. Apart from Yunzhong City, there are almost no other cities with intact city walls.

"My Lord, I'm back!"

Hou Jing was in high spirits and walked into Li Shuang's house excitedly.

"Why are you back so late? Yang Kan, Gao Gao, and She Digan have already returned."

Li Shuang sent his generals to plunder the Six Garrison Army of Baidao in the name of Li Shengui, and gained a lot.

Everyone else has returned, but there is still no news of Hou Jing.

"My Lord, I have brought you a great gift!"

"What kind of gift?"

Hou Jing clapped his hands, and his soldiers escorted in a strong man.

As soon as he came in, he started cursing in fluent Xianbei language.

"Shameless villain, you attacked me when I was unprepared!"

"Who is this bastard?"

"It's Heba Duba's eldest son, Heba Yun!"

When Li Shuang heard this, his face changed and he quickly cursed Hou Jing in fluent Xianbei language.

"How can you be rude to a strong man?"

After hearing this, Heba Yun was no longer excited. Looking at the man in front of him who was much younger than him, he fell silent and looked him over.

"Come on, come on, untie the warrior!"

Hou Jing reminded him from the side.

"My lord, I put a lot of effort into catching this guy. He's like a wild bear, very difficult to catch. I'm just letting him go. Be careful."

Li Shuang rolled his eyes.

"You thought we were hunting!"

After Heba Yun was untied, he did not say a word. He stared at Hou Jing with hateful eyes, never looking away for even a second.

"Prepare hot soup and hot food for the warriors. Let them bathe and change clothes, then have a good meal."

After Heba Yun left, Li Shuang asked:

"How did you catch him?"

"There were a few gaps in the wall of Baidao City. I rushed in with my men and happened to run into this bastard."

"and then?"

"I scolded him, and he chased me for hundreds of miles until he fell into an ambush I set."

Li Shuang looked at Hou Jing and said:

"Really?"

"My lord, I can't hide anything from you. I took advantage of the chaos in Baidao City and rushed into the Heba clan's camp and robbed several beautiful women, including his wife."

As he spoke, Hou Jing looked at Li Shuang and gave him an ambiguous smile.

"My Lord, you don't know his wife. She looks so pretty... How about I send her to your room tonight?"

Li Shuang nodded.

Seeing this, Hou Jing responded. "Okay, I'll send someone to take it right away..."

"You're even willing to give away women, you must be hiding something more valuable."

When Hou Jing heard this, he took out a golden tiger head ring from his pocket with a smile and said honestly:
"My Lord, what are you talking about? I just forgot about it and was about to give it to you!"

Li Shuang took the tiger-head ring, looked at Hou Jing who looked reluctant, and asked:
"Do you know what this is?"

"It looks like it belongs to the Rouran area. It must be worth a lot of money, at least a house."

"This belongs to the Rouran Khan!"

"Could it be that the Heba clan is secretly colluding with the Rouran and intends to endanger the Wei Empire?"

Hou Jing spat and was filled with indignation.

"This is outrageous! The Heba clan has been loyal for generations, defending Wuchuan and making numerous contributions. Now they've rebelled against the imperial court, one thing they haven't, but they've even colluded with their longtime enemy, the Rouran. This is simply shameful. I even felt a little guilty for accidentally trespassing on their ancestral land, but now it seems like robbing their house is the right thing to do!"

Hou Jing spoke for a while, and then Li Shuang took out a golden tiger-head ring from his sleeve. When compared with the other one Hou Jing brought, he found that it was slightly larger.

In an instant, Hou Jing was speechless.

"My Lord, why are you..."

"This is a token sent by Rouran Khan Yujiulü Anagui in order to win over the Northern Expedition Commander-in-Chief, Li Shengui, and to form an alliance with him."

How come the token given by Rouran Khan to Li Shengui is in Li Shuang's hands?
Hou Jing asked doubtfully:
"When did the Grand Commander get in touch with Anagui and plan to form an alliance?"

"Be quiet, don't let anyone hear. This is confidential, the Grand Admiral doesn't know yet!"

Hou Jing took a breath of cold air and unconsciously took two steps back. He looked at Li Shuang with a complex emotion in his eyes. Then he said with great emotion:
"My lord, you have devoted your heart and soul to the great Wei state, even enduring humiliation and forming an alliance with the Rouran. Your sincerity fills me with deep admiration!"

Li Shuang waved his hand and said modestly:

"Everything I have done is really insignificant. All the merits and glory will ultimately go to the Grand Commander."

Hou Jing nodded heavily.

"I understand!"

Li Shuang weighed the two gold rings in his hand and a playful smile appeared on his face.

"It seems that this Rouran Khan Yujiulü Anagui is no pushover. He has more than just the Grand Commander to win over in the Wei Dynasty."

Hou Jing patted his chest and assured:
"My Lord, give me one hour to make Heba Yun confess everything."

Li Shuang shook his head.

"You can't do it. To deal with a warrior like this, you need to find someone of similar skill level!"
-
The Governor's Mansion.

"Brother Heba, don't worry. Now that you're in Yunzhong, you're a guest. Eat and drink well. It's all my fault, Li Shengui!"

In the hall, Li Shengui and Heba Yun were both drunk with red faces, hugging each other, and they were just about to sing "As long as there is this life, we are brothers; if there is no afterlife, I will miss you in the next life"!

Heba Yun was so excited that tears came to his eyes.

"The Grand Commander did not despise me, a criminal, but provided me with food and clothing, and even gave me wives and concubines, and feasted me every day. I am deeply grateful for this."

"We're all brothers, let's not be so polite. It's all in the wine, drink!"

"If there ever comes a day when I can escape this crime, I will be loyal to the Grand Commander and serve him like an ox or a horse!"

"Well, there's no need for another day. If you're willing, I'll let you be my guerrilla general right now!"

After hearing this, Heba Yun knelt down immediately.

"I am even more ashamed of the Grand Commander's behavior. However, my family is now in the hands of the rebels in the Six Garrisons, and I have received a secret order from Prince Guangyang, so I cannot escape."

……

Outside the house, Li Shuang and Hou Jing listened quietly. When they heard the words "King of Guangyang", Hou Jing said:

"It's that old brat Yuan Shen again! My Lord, what should we do?"

"As the Grand Commander's most capable subordinates, we must defend his dignity and ensure that no one else in the Great Wei will collude with the Rouran!"

(End of this chapter)