[{"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-68":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},2311786,4516,"Chapter 68: The Mantis Catches the Cicada","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>The night wind blew past, and the night in Huai Shuo Town was very quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang sat inside the house, closing his eyes to cultivate his spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Jing paced back and forth nearby, clearly agitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed second by second until, at a certain moment, the door banged three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang opened his eyes, and Hou Jing stopped pacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It looks like we’ve succeeded!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang stood up and ordered Hou Jing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two stepped out of the house, where Gao Huan’s brother-in-law Wei Jing waited anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serving in Huai Shuo Town, their military discipline was certainly sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To snatch away Liu Liusheng’s son, Liu Chang, without anyone noticing showed the power of these local thugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Huan had been poor since childhood, raised entirely by his brother-in-law Wei Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Gao Huan married Lou Zhaojun and rose to prominence; naturally, Wei Jing’s household improved greatly. Yet even with higher living standards, Wei Jing’s mercenary nature remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Messenger, we’ve done the heavy lifting in kidnapping Liu Chang—you must not break your word!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Jing was now extremely anxious—fearful and greedy, he kept reminding Li Shuang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax, I won’t break my word. Everyone who took part in this operation will be arranged for departure after negotiations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three quickly reached the city gate, which was already open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Huan waited with a dozen men beside a carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the carriage lay a bound, unconscious man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Jing stepped forward with a fire-starter, inspected the man, confirmed it was correct, then nodded to Li Shuang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quickly arrange for your families to leave the city—my men will be waiting outside to meet them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Li Shuang finished speaking than a row of torches suddenly flared to life along the city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of cavalry surged from all directions, surrounding Li Shuang and his men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que rode forward on horseback, drew near, saw Li Shuang, and laughed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the defender of Ma Yi has come, why leave so soon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene terrified Wei Jing and the others, their legs trembling—but Gao Huan remained utterly calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Liuhun, what should we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—we still have Liu Chang in our hands!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Wei Jing felt slightly reassured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Gao Huan drew his sword and shouted into the night sky:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Protect the heir of the Prince of Pingnan! Do not let these villains harm him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Huan’s shout stunned everyone—including Wei Jing—then they quickly realized and distanced themselves from Li Shuang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang, who had just moments ago been surrounded by a dozen men, now stood alone with only Hou Jing beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hou Jing, why are you looking at me with such a despicable expression?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Ye Shuang, you’ve messed up! Even though I, Hou Jing, am a man of loyalty, I refuse to be associated with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Hou Jing quietly stepped back several paces, aligning himself with Gao Huan and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… you all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que laughed loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Ye Shuang, you’re utterly abandoned—take them away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Jing had hidden among the Huai Shuo townspeople, but was still dragged out by Liu Que’s men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m from Huai Shuo too—I’m not allied with Da Ye Shuang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter how much Hou Jing shouted, it was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his men capture Li Shuang and Hou Jing, Liu Que turned to Gao Huan and nodded approvingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Liuhun, well done. Rest assured, I won’t let you down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Great King!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Gao Huan’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the middle of the night, the dog suddenly barked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Zhaojun, wrapped in a robe, stepped out with attendants and saw Gao Huan, Wei Jing, and a dozen others enter the courtyard, still shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Zhaojun said nothing, only brought hot water for everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drinking, Wei Jing looked at Gao Huan—he now understood, but was filled with questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Liuhun, why did you betray Li Shen’s messenger?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was what everyone couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que would eventually submit to imperial forces anyway!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that you’ve betrayed Li Shen’s messenger, what will you do later?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Huan looked at them all, offered no explanation, only said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The waters here run deep, Brother-in-law, brothers—trust me, He Liuhun. I would never harm you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the others fell silent for a moment, then gradually returned to their homes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gao Huan could not sleep—he stood alone beneath the eaves, gazing at the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Zhaojun walked behind him and draped a cloak over his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhaojun, I’m sorry—I still didn’t listen to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lou Zhaojun leaned against his shoulder, her voice gentle:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My husband has great ambitions. Since you’ve already acted, I will support you from behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Huan smiled. Beneath the moonlight, he pulled out the paper Li Shuang had given him and sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pity—this paper was simply too small.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room, Liu Chang had awakened from his coma and now sat on a chair, looking dejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Jing stood beside Liu Que, smiling obsequiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Ye Shuang is a treacherous villain—I’ve long resented him. Your Majesty is such a noble man, willing to submit to the court, yet he suspected deceit—what a petty mind he has!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did deceive—but only to lure Li Shen, the Righteous Brother of the Northern Expeditionary Grand Commander, here to extract something. I am loyal to the True King in life and death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty is brilliantly wise and fiercely loyal! If Da Ye Shuang had half your wisdom, he wouldn’t be in this predicament today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que looked at Hou Jing and laughed heartily:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent—I now understand why Da Ye Shuang valued you so. From today, you shall be a military commander under me, leading a thousand troops from Huai Shuo Town.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your promotion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Hou Jing left, Liu Chang rubbed his head and stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, why promote such a smooth-talking sycophant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que looked at his son and smiled at his naivety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gao Huan and Hou Jing are extraordinary men. Without me, you couldn’t handle them. Isn’t tonight the best proof?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Liu Chang felt resentful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, if you’d already planned this with Gao Huan, why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve prepared—why did we need to go through all this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Telling you would’ve only caused unnecessary complications.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que held no confidence in his son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did Father capture Da Ye Shuang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Que sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this northern border, nothing is reliable anymore—only one thing is real!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father means grain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At last, you have some insight. Ten thousand shi of grain and thirty thousand cattle and sheep have arrived in Shuozhou. Only by seizing them can we gain sufficient leverage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if we offend Li Shen, how will we negotiate later?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a Grand Commander in Yunzhong City—but over in Tongwancheng, there’s also the Prince of Guangyang. What’s the hurry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hulü tribe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Lu Jin waited anxiously until Yu Jin’s figure appeared before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Staff Officer, how did it go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“News came from Huai Shuo—the fish has taken the bait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>",1171,"2026-06-20T12:30:56.711Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","15437385d5ca6cf3d30ce52b4e453c6cf37667b50e5fddc89c014d5ddaa655df","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-69","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-67",211,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmemoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-cover.jpg"]