Chapter 19: There Is Only One Sun in Hengzhou

Clouds ripple like waves, and the green plains lie still as a mirror.

Upon the earth, three thousand Hu Ren cavalry galloped, shattering the rare tranquility of this remote northern land amidst the chaotic times of wind and clouds.

A maiden in a red coat rode a horse, her figure graceful and beautiful; in her eyes, clear as a bright mirror, reflected a bustling scene of dense population.

Since the chaos of Yongjia, beacons of war have risen in all directions across the realm. After the Tuoba clan took control of the Central Plains, the northern border existed in a strange, dynamic balance.

The strong devouring the weak was the very truth upon the northern grasslands. Under the Tuoba's dominance, even the weak tribes had found their way to survive.

Yet this way of survival, amidst the beacons of the Liuzhen Rebellion, was shattered into fragments.

All people were forced back into the disorderly state of a hundred years prior.

The Tuoba clan had long left the northern border; their descendants, lost in the drunken luxury of Luoyang, had long forgotten the oaths sworn by their ancestors a century ago.

The cavalry rested briefly; the maiden looked up, gazing at the people, affairs, and scenery under the same sky yet utterly different, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Ahead must be Shuoyi!"

For merchants of the past, Shuoyi might have been an ordinary resting place.

But for the Princess of the Xiongnu, confined within her own territory, it was a legendary city rarely seen.

"Yes, as agreed, the Er Zhu forces will meet us ahead!"

An elder of the tribe spoke slowly; on his aged face, a pair of eyes full of wisdom was set, now filled entirely with exhaustion and vicissitudes.

"Then let us begin!"

Upon the maiden in the red coat, there was not a trace of weakness in relying on others; there was only the ruthlessness forged in the harsh desolation of the northern grasslands.

"In these chaotic times, since one is unwilling to become food in others' mouths, there is only one other path to choose."

Shuoyi.

In the Prefect's Office, the Prefect of Shuoyi wore a look of terror.

"What you say... is it truly so?"

Opposite him, Li Shuang sat with one leg crossed, sipping tea leisurely.

"Your sentry riders should have returned by now; is there any need for me to say more?"

Precisely because they had returned, the Prefect was so terrified.

Lately, outside the walls of Shuoyi, who knew how many armed personnel had appeared.

Having served as an official for many years, the Prefect of Shuoyi possessed keen instincts.

What did this signify?

The Prefect of Shuoyi understood only too well.

The Rouran Khan Anagui invaded from the south; Li Chong led over a hundred thousand troops, merely circled the border, and returned to Luoyang within a few days.

Everyone saw the court's weakness and incompetence.

After this, the Liuzhen rose up first, and the Hu Ren tribes that had originally submitted to Northern Wei became eager to act.

The Prefect of Shuoyi knew this storm would sooner or later spread here; he simply did not expect it to come so quickly.

"Army Master, you are the sworn brother of Liang Jungong; please guide this humble official on a clear path!"

"Leave!"

Li Shuang's answer was very simple.

He looked at the Prefect of Shuoyi and chuckled.

"You have been here for many years and have gathered much; it is time to depart."

"But if I leave just like this, how can I explain to King Guangyang in Pingcheng?"

Li Shuang laughed loudly.

"Now in the northern border, everyone is thinking: once the great chaos comes, how should they choose? Do you think Yuan Shen's words will still hold weight then?"

The authority of the court, amidst the tremors of the Liuzhen Rebellion, had vanished completely.

Now in the northern border, it had returned to the state of over a hundred years ago: whoever has the bigger fist is the truth.

"The Prefect is a scholar, with poetry and books passed down through the family; why wade into this muddy water? Leaving early for Luoyang to buy new connections is better than staying here, is it not?"

"Thank you for your instruction, Army Master."

The Prefect of Shuoyi bowed deeply and slowly withdrew.

Not long after, Gao Ang entered with a smile on his face.

"My Lord, the Prefect of Shuoyi, along with his family and over a dozen large chests, has left Shuoyi. Judging by his appearance, he seems to have prepared for this long ago."

Gao Ang's words carried a hint of schadenfreude and mockery.

Li Shuang set down his teacup and chuckled.

"These scholars really slip away faster than anyone else; they only need an excuse."

"It is good he is gone. My Lord, Shuoyi now has no restraints. What should we do next?"

"Open the treasury and distribute money!"

Pingcheng!

Yuan Shen looked at Yu Jin, who had come to report, with an expression of disbelief.

"What did you say?"

Yu Jin kept his head down; he could feel Yuan Shen's visible rising temperature, the critical state just before anger erupted.

"The Prefect of Shuoyi has fled!"

"These Han people, after all, are not fit for great use!"

After uttering a mocking remark, Yuan Shen regained his composure and immediately issued an order.

"Shuoyi must not be lost; send people to intercept him immediately."

"I fear by now it is already too late!"

Yu Jin spoke while observing Yuan Shen's expression at that moment.

"Why?"

"Li Shuang subsequently took over Ma Yi."

"On what grounds did he take over Ma Yi?"

There was a tone of incredulity in Yuan Shen's words. For no other reason: since Yuan Shen became the commander-in-chief of Take Pingcheng, he had devoted great effort to developing this city.

The upper and middle-ranking officers of this city were all targets of Yuan Shen's efforts to win them over.

He had put in considerable work.

Li Shuang was unfamiliar with the place and the people, having arrived only recently; how could he possibly control Ma Yi smoothly?

"Does Your Highness recall that the court has a sum of money and grain stored in Ma Yi?"

With a thud, Yuan Shen slammed his fist onto the table, followed immediately by a roar.

"Send my personal envoy to Ma Yi to swiftly capture this villain! This Prince will have him cut into a thousand pieces!"

"My Lord, if we distribute the money and grain from the Ma Yi treasury to the soldiers in Ma Yi City, how shall we answer to Take Pingcheng?"

Unlike Gao Ang, Yang Kan's heart was filled with worry.

"When is this money and grain scheduled to be sent to Take Pingcheng?"

"On the fifteenth of next month!"

"If chaos erupts here before the fifteenth of next month, is there any need to answer to Take Pingcheng?"

"Chaos?"

Although the momentum of the Liuzhen rebel army had already grown immense, with Yunzhong ahead and Take Pingcheng behind, these two cities embedded in the northern border prevented the rebellion from spreading here.

Yang Kan understood. Yet clearly, he had not yet grown accustomed to Li Shuang's train of thought.

"My Lord, this is no different from treason!"

"Only failure is called treason; success is called serving the king!"

Li Shuang looked at Yang Kan and asked.

"Zu Xin, the Tuoba clan were originally northern barbarians; how did they move south into the Central Plains and occupy half of Jiangshan?"

This was not an answer Li Shuang had asked him alone.

In fact, whether it was these Han great families under the rule of Northern Wei, or the scholars in Southern Liang who daily claimed orthodoxy for themselves, all had pondered this question.

And they had pondered it for over a hundred years.

Finally, they broadly attributed the answer to this question to two words.

Heaven's Will!

"Heaven's Will is nothing but human will!"

Li Shuang chuckled softly and walked out of the gate tower; inside the barbican, soldiers from Ma Yi City stood in full force.

Among them were Hu and Han.

Yet now, they had abandoned all previous divisions and prejudices, standing together beneath a single great banner.

Seeing Li Shuang come out, these soldiers roared with heartfelt conviction!

"Loyalty!"