Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 82 The Arrow Leaving the String
In the spring of the sixth year of Zhengguang, after being blocked several times in their eastward advance to Shuozhou, the rebel army of the Six Garrisons went south and crossed the Yellow River, intending to find an easy target.

The threat to the west of Shuozhou was suddenly reduced by half.

Li Shuang brought Dugu Ru back to Sizhou.

As soon as Li Shuang arrived at Erzhu Rong's residence, he was pulled over by him. As for Dugu Ru, she was pulled to the backyard by Princess Beixiang to talk to her privately.

Unlike the meeting outside, there were only three people in the room.

Erzhu Rong, Yuan Tianmu and Li Shuang.

"Tianba, I have read the letter you sent me."

Erzhu Rong's voice was very heavy, and he seemed to have been thinking for a long time.

"What does the second brother think?"

Yuan Tianmu spoke at the right time:

"Tianbao and I can't make up our minds!"

Behind Erzhu Rong was Yuan Yi.

It was also because of Yuan Yi that Erzhu Rong was able to "do whatever he wanted" in Bing and Si.

Empress Dowager Hu clearly meant for him to give up Yuan Yi and choose to join her.

Erzhu Rong hesitated because once he made a choice, if Yuan Yi won in Luoyang City, he would definitely not have a good ending.

"Yuan Yi has been very kind to me. Moreover, news has recently come from Luoyang that the post of Bingzhou Governor that was originally promised to Tianmu is now gone."

"Is Yuan Yi warning my second brother?"

Erzhu Rong nodded.

"In Luoyang City, everyone is fighting and we are the ones who will suffer if we are not careful."

"But I heard that Yuan Yi himself wants to quit?"

Erzhu Rong and Yuan Tianmu looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

"He is Empress Hu's brother-in-law. He thinks he has a way out, but he never wants us to choose a way out."

"If that's the case, then Yuan Yi is even more out of the question."

Seeing Li Shuang's determination, Erzhu Rong couldn't help but ask:
"Why?"

"The court in Luoyang is full of fighting and strife. How can one retreat so easily? Even if Empress Hu lets him go, what about those people Yuan Yi has offended? Forget about anything else. Will the former ministers of Qinghe Prince Yuan Yi let him go?"

Erzhu Rong agreed with this and asked:
"Then surrender to Empress Hu?"

"If it's safer, we should vote for the young emperor."

Erzhu Rong sighed in his heart and said it out loud without realizing it.

"It's a pity that Ying'e can't enter the palace now, otherwise we wouldn't have to bother."

If Erzhu Ying'e had entered the palace, everything would have been a natural outcome, and there wouldn't be the same hesitation as now.

Li Shuang felt very pressured after hearing this.

"Then start with the young emperor's close associates."

Erzhu Rong's eyes flashed and he laughed out loud.

"Tianba's return has relieved the worries of Tianmu and me!"

After this round of secret meetings, Erzhu Rong summoned all his generals to discuss military and political matters.

After not coming back for a long time, Erzhu Rong had a lot more elite soldiers and generals under his command.

There were Sima Ziru and Sun Teng who came from Huaishuo, Jia Xiandu who came from Bogul Town, and Dou Tai who came to seek refuge carrying the coffins of his father and brother...

These people fled to Erzhu Rong because of the Six Garrisons Rebellion.

Erzhu Rong accepted everyone who came to him and gave them some official positions, allowing them to manage the troops.

With the addition of these people, the order in Xiurong County has obviously improved.

In the huge hall, an extra chair was placed next to Erzhu Rong.

Everyone was looking at a young man who followed Erzhu Rong and sat next to him, just like Yuan Tianmu.

Everyone thought that this young man was some noble from Luoyang City, but Erzhu Rong's words surprised everyone.

"This is Li Shuang, the Earl of Yunzhong and General Champion. He is also my sworn brother. From now on, you will treat him as you would treat me."

After hearing these words, everyone was surprised and puzzled, and even felt a little jealous.

Yuan Tianmu had three thousand soldiers and a vast tract of land under his command. He was also a member of the royal family and was older, so he could just sit down. But Li Shuang was different. He was so young, even younger than the people standing there.

No matter how many words were in his heart, he still looked respectful on the surface.

"Greetings, Uncle Yunzhong!"

"Second brother, it's been a long time since we last met. I'm so glad to have so many brave warriors around me!"

"Third brother, you're joking. I'm also promoting talents for the country."

Erzhu Rong chuckled softly and gave orders to the generals.

"The power of the Six Garrisons has weakened, but states like Bing and Fen are not stable. That old fellow Liu Lisheng has been restless lately and seems intent on stirring up trouble. Generals, please train your troops carefully to prevent any unforeseen events."

Liu Lisheng was the leader of the Jihu people.

For Erzhu Rong, this was a not fatal but quite troublesome opponent.

If they fight head-on, Liu Lisheng will definitely not be able to defeat Erzhu Rong.

But helplessly, since the enemy cannot defeat them, they can hide in the ravines and valleys and engage in a war of attrition.

This tactic hit Erzhu Rong's sore spot.

The elite Khitan soldiers under Erzhu Rong could not afford to waste time.

This task fell into the hands of a group of generals who defected.

"General, rest assured. We will not let you down."
-
After the meeting, Erzhu Rong went outside the city to train his troops, while Yuan Tianmu returned to his fiefdom in Sizhou.

Li Shuang went to the backyard alone, wanting to pick up Dugu Ru, but happened to meet Erzhu Ying'e.

After not seeing her for a long time, Erzhu Ying'e's nutritional level has been improved. Visible to the naked eye, her connotation has also been enriched a lot.

"Little niece!"

"Isn't this my third uncle? I heard you brought back a woman from Shuozhou?"

In the courtyard corridor, Erzhu Ying'e looked at Li Shuang and asked vaguely:

"Yeah, didn't you go to see him?"

"I took a look from a distance, it's pretty ordinary!"

Li Shuang had only heard of people doing hersy-copulation behind people's backs, but had never seen Erzhu Ying'e doing hersy-copulation in front of people like this?

"Then tell me what's wrong with her?"

"I heard she's some kind of saint, and no matter how beautiful she is, she's no more beautiful than me. I also heard she's a great rider and archer, but those are just things I left over from playing around. Even if she has a large tribe under her and can afford a large dowry, when I get married, I'll only get more than her."

Li Shuang rolled his eyes and said with a smile:

"So I'm not as good as you in everything?"

"That's natural!"

Erzhu Ying'e was very proud and complacent.

"Or else, tell me what else she can do that I can't compare to?"

Just as the two were talking, Princess Beixiang's maid came hurriedly.

"Third Master, why are you still here? The princess asked me to invite you over quickly!"

"What's the rush?"

"The princess was just chatting happily with Madam Dugu, and Madam Dugu is not feeling well."

"What happened to Aru?"

"Don't worry, Third Master. The princess has called in a doctor, and he has diagnosed that Madam Dugu is pregnant!"

At this moment, Erzhu Ying'e, who was originally very proud, changed her expression after hearing this. She looked at Li Shuang with a bitter and resentful look.

Li Shuang smiled.

"Do you know why you can't compare to her?"

Erzhu Ying'e flew out like an arrow.

"Humph!"

……

(End of this chapter)