[{"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-78":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},2311796,4516,"Chapter 78: Everything I Own Was Won Through Struggle","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-78",78,"\u003Cp>Wuyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a great battle ended, Hulü Jin rose from the ground, gazing at the battlefield littered with dead soldiers and horses, filled with sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liuzhen rebels had nearly gone mad; after losing Wuchuan and Huaihu, they sought to reclaim their lost lands and marched on Wuyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Yu Jin not employed clever tactics and set an ambush to defeat them, forcing their temporary retreat, Hulü Jin would have perished here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin’s face was no better despite the victory, showing not a trace of joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He led a dozen cavalrymen and finally found Hulü Jin on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the city is ruined, the clans scattered—Wuyuan can no longer be held. We must flee at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liuzhen army had gone mad because of food shortages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farmland around WoYe Town could not possibly feed the Liuzhen rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tried raiding the surrounding regions, but all nearby lands were inhabited by nomadic tribes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they couldn’t defeat you, couldn’t they just run?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liuzhen army sought to re-enter Shuozhou, and only then did Wuyuan, guarded by Lu Chong, suffer a fierce assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this battle, Hulü Jin felt deeply dispirited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t call me Your Majesty—that title was granted by rebels. I am now just a commoner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hulü Leader, why speak so? The General Who Pacifies the Bandits is marching south—we can join him and plan anew.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The General Who Pacifies the Bandits?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulü Jin had heard he defeated the Rouran, but he did not know how thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the boy he had met only twice, Hulü Jin felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>North of Wuyuan, passing through the mountain passes of Yinshan, one reaches Huaihu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulü Jin and Yu Jin led their remaining troops northward, only to find endless tents stretching along the northern foothills of Yinshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not known better, Hulü Jin might have thought the Rouran Khan, Yujiulu An Gui , had set his court here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Hulü Jin drew near, he recognized many familiar faces—Hu Ren from Hengzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cavalry unit burst forth from the camp; Hulü Jin, versed in military arts, sensed their aura was unlike any ordinary force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certain things etched into a soldier’s bones could not be replicated by mere bandit armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such as dignity, honor, pride, and discipline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All members of this cavalry had their hair bound, yet many were clearly not Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu and Han alike, they stood as one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, Hulü Jin was nearly certain: Li Shuang had led his army north and won a great victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had sealed the Wolf’s Lair and carved his name on Yanran Rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only through the bitter cold of Saibei and battles against the mighty steppe overlords could such a powerful, invincible cavalry be forged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This cavalry, though not yet equal, already bore seven-tenths of that spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang stood among them; spotting Hulü Jin, he shouted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hulü Jin, catch up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, sunlight bathed the earth. Li Shuang, clad in a Hu fur robe, rode a fine steed across the grasslands, surrounded by loyal warriors willing to die for him—his spirit soaring. Hulü Jin, by contrast, had just endured a devastating battle, his forces shattered, fleeing north in disgrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s cry seemed to hold magic, drawing Hulü Jin toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tightened the reins, a quiet premonition stirring within him: if he followed now, he would never stop again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Hulü Jin spurred his thin but still powerful horse forward, joining the main force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far off, the river shimmered; the cold wind blew, yet could not quench the rising Rexue  and fighting spirit within Hulü Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was simply the feeling of following behind the boy—it was simply too good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, where are we going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sky is falling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are the Rouran attacking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worse than that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse than that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulü Jin could not imagine anything worse—the Liuzhen army wouldn’t reach here so soon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I got robbed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the tent, watching several captured Tiele tribal leaders, Li Shuang unusually did not resort to torture immediately, but began to reason with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know that raiding is wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tiele leaders shook their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then there’s still hope!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang clapped his hands, ordering the ropes binding the Tiele leaders to be cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hear you are all leaders of Tiele tribes around Wuchuan. Why have you come from the north?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We heard the Rouran Khan was defeated by you, so we came north hoping to plunder. But the Rouran Khan fled too fast—we got nothing. Then we saw your men herding ten or twenty thousand cattle and sheep, so we decided to strike and make up our losses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang smiled warmly and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s your mistake. Though I now have some cattle, sheep, and Rouran slaves, all of them were earned through hard work and sweat. Do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a dozen armored soldiers surged into the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They understand now—tie them to the flagpoles and hang them for two days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t understand! We don’t understand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t understand? Hang them for five days!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mercy, General!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Tiele leaders kneel and beg, Li Shuang waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. I’ll give you a better path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We beg your guidance, General.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Join Hou Mochen Han Baling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tiele leaders looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, which side are you on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard Han Baling won’t last much longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t understand!” Li Shuang stood, speaking slowly. “Precisely because he won’t last much longer, you must seize this opportunity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he won’t last, he’ll surrender. Once he surrenders, you become imperial troops. Then will the court ignore you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men exchanged glances, incredulous—until Li Shuang spoke again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We understand! We understand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the men left, Yu Jin, who had remained silent, stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, just how much loot did you… I mean, how much war booty did you capture?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why ask that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I know what to report to the court!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why report at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Resisting Rouran invasion is every subject of Great Wei’s duty. Shouldn’t achievements be reported to the court? Isn’t that proper?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Jin understood: Li Shuang had stripped An Gui  down to his undergarments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But how can you move so much loot south without drawing attention?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shuang grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I sent Hou Jing ahead to Wuchuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuchuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush, don’t rush—everyone will get their share!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Jing stood in the middle of Wuchuan’s street, shouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Families with young children may claim one sheep; elders may claim two. Those who join the General Who Pacifies the Bandits may claim a young Rouran maid or two Rouran slaves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the sun, every citizen of Wuchuan felt warmth and happiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>",1141,"2026-06-20T12:30:56.711Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8653aef82f75b52755b788303ee4ec7c74a7c00ddec5828ecb405f975f9c0fb9","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-79","memoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-chapter-77",211,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmemoirs-of-the-heavenly-khagan-cover.jpg"]