[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan":3,"chapter-memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Memoirs of the Heavenly Khagan",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2311730,4516,"Chapter 12: When Autumn Comes on the Eighth Day of the Ninth Month","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>Dozens of cavalry crossed the pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With autumn’s crisp air and clear sky, a pastoral scene of mountains and clear waters slowly unfolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Rong exhaled a long breath and praised:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nanxiu Rong is truly a fine place!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Er Zhu clan, as imperial in-laws of the Northern Wei, were responsible for supplying horses to the imperial court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Rong had traveled this southern route countless times, delivering rare treasures to the high officials of Luoyangcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, the situation was different!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Rong gazed at this land as if it were already his own territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems Second Brother already knows how to take down Wan Ziqizhen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Er Zhu Rong, Li Shuang rode a dark blue horse and asked with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How to defeat Wan Ziqizhen—I had already planned it long before his rebellion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Er Zhu Rong no longer cared about revealing his ambitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, ever since his early years of constant travel between Beixiu Rong and Luoyangcheng, Er Zhu Rong had witnessed the chaos in Luoyang and realized early on that the empire was on the brink of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this Jin region, Er Zhu Rong had already screened all possible rivals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished speaking, Erzhu Rong turned to Li Shuang, as if asking, as if testing him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Brother, what do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Northern Wei military system was extremely complex: besides the dozen or so ten thousand elite troops stationed in Luoyang, the northern frontier centered on Pingcheng had established the Liuzhen system and the Muzi system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen, as the Muzi of Nanxiu Rong, controlled the most vital grain-producing region along the Northern Wei’s border.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his rebellion, he swiftly captured the county seat of Xiurong, killed the Minister of the Imperial Stables, and seized the pastures and treasuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With money and grain in hand, Wan Ziqizhen quickly recruited tens of thousands of troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though Wan Ziqizhen is a Muzi, he is at odds with the local Han people. The court has always strictly forbidden Han from enlisting as soldiers; even now, with grain and jewels, he has hastily gathered tens of thousands, but they cannot form combat readiness in the short term.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After analyzing, Li Shuang gave his judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To destroy him, we must strike swiftly! Lure out his elite Hu troops and annihilate them in one blow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing this, Er Zhu Rong burst into laughter, a hint of relief in his smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank heaven Third Brother joined me—otherwise, I’d be in trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean, Second Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Third Brother had not surrendered, my first southern campaign would have been against you—then who would have won? It’s hard to say!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Er Zhu Rong exuded the aura of a hegemon, fearless and domineering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To achieve hegemony, the most important thing is not troops or grain—but time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by swiftly securing a foothold amid chaos can one accomplish anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting Li Shuang, even if victorious, would cost Er Zhu Rong immense time and energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step behind means falling further behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, every small warlord across Jin would have solidified their positions, and Er Zhu Rong, entrenched in Beixiu Rong, would find it nearly impossible to make any move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beixiu Rong is a pastoral region, incapable of matching the agricultural wealth of Nanxiu Rong—it cannot outlast a war of attrition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is why Er Zhu Rong spent enormous resources—even sought sworn brotherhood with Li Shuang—to win him over!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang naturally did not wish to dwell on this matter with Er Zhu Rong and quickly changed the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Brother, how do you plan to lure out Wan Ziqizhen’s elite troops?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will send light cavalry to challenge him before his lines—if he chases, we ambush halfway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wan Ziqizhen is a cautious man; he won’t fall for it so easily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I’ve already sent him a grand gift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Xiurong City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao, leading the three thousand troops Li Shuang had given him, had already formed ranks outside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen stood atop the city wall, frowning at the troops below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s Er Zhu Zhao again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen held little regard for Er Zhu Zhao; last time he let him go, it was not only out of fear of Er Zhu Rong, but because this reckless fool posed no real threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected him to return so soon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who can fight him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Wan Ziqizhen’s Hu generals quickly volunteered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city gates swung open, and troops poured out in a flood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen did not deploy his core Hu troops—he sent out only the newly recruited Han soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were meant to be cannon fodder; their deaths meant nothing to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao’s ferocity exceeded his expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his numbers were far fewer than Wan Ziqizhen’s newly recruited Han troops, Er Zhu Zhao, with sheer brutality, held the line and nearly shattered the Han ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph—brute force alone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen sneered and waved his hand, summoning the three thousand Hu archers he had prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the situation teetered on collapse, Wan Ziqizhen ordered a full volley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrows flew, piercing the ranks—soon, both Er Zhu Zhao’s Hu troops and Wan Ziqizhen’s Han soldiers alike fell beneath the storm of arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his Han troops scream and beg for mercy, Wan Ziqizhen acted as if he heard nothing, continuing to order the shooting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen had no fear these Han soldiers would rebel—their families were all inside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be a good cannon fodder was the highest expectation Wan Ziqizhen had for these Han troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it took five or six Han soldiers to kill one of Er Zhu Zhao’s Hu troops, Wan Ziqizhen considered it worthwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Wan Ziqizhen’s indiscriminate assault, Er Zhu Zhao soon collapsed, retreating in disarray—of the three thousand Hu troops he brought, only a few hundred escaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen had no intention of pursuing. He coldly ordered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring all the uninjured Han men and Er Zhu Zhao’s Hu soldiers into the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the wounded Han soldiers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t have enough medicinal herbs, and herbs are precious—they must be used where they matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Ziqizhen’s icy words sealed the fate of those Han soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, I’ve been defeated!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao, covered in wounds, returned to Er Zhu Rong’s camp, his face pale and broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he left, he had been confident, vowing to return with a great victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he had nearly lost his entire force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Rong remained calm, showing no blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You lost well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Zhao looked up at his uncle and saw him reach out, gently patting his head—as he had when Er Zhu Zhao was still a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, I’ve betrayed your trust—I’ll win next time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Rong looked at Er Zhu Zhao, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. Still, he tried to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our forces are far fewer than Wan Ziqizhen’s, and we hold no city—we cannot win by brute force. Your defeat makes Wan Ziqizhen underestimate us even more—only then can we quietly set the trap for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, I don’t understand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Zhu Rong felt weary; now he longed for the ease of talking with Li Shuang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never had to explain—Li Shuang understood instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go rest now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Er Zhu Zhao left, Er Zhu Rong sighed helplessly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Tu Mo had even one-tenth of Third Brother’s talent, then the Er Zhu clan would have a worthy heir!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1243,"2026-06-20T12:30:56.711Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","004cce9b7346ac6041c2eedec7cf53651fd7a36603ca3f22fcca77ada95ab91d","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-13","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-11",211,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmemoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-cover.jpg"]