Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 109 Rebellion!
Liu Taozi drew out his sword and waved it.

The sword made a series of sounds of breaking through the air, and several rays of light flashed in the air. Liu Taozi weighed it horizontally again and found that he had a great sense of balance and was very adept at handling it.

Everyone gathered around Taozi and looked at the sword in his hand. Yao Xiong stared at it intently, "Brother, what a great sword! Where did you get it from?"

"The governor gave it to me."

"what?"

Yao Xiong couldn't quite understand the logic behind this. His brother killed someone, and the governor gave him a sword? ?

Shi Yao also stared at the sword and murmured, "Hua Ting Sword."

"Oh, this sword has a name?"

Yao Xiong asked hurriedly.

Shi Yao nodded and explained, "I heard that during the time of Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, he selected this fine gold and ordered the national craftsmen to refine three precious swords. One is Feijing, the second is Liucai, and the third is Huating. They are all four feet and two inches long and weigh one catty and fifteen taels. They are quenched with Qingzhang, sharpened with Lanzhu, polished with Wenyu, and blued with Tongxi. This is Cao Pi's third sword, the Huating sword."

"Lou Rui couldn't let go of this sword and often took it out to show off. How could it have fallen into Liu Jun's hands?"

Liu Taozi did not answer this question. He looked at Tian Zili and asked, "Have all the things been transported?"

"No, there are too many. The donkey carts are not enough, so we have to borrow the horse carts from these people. They are still transporting them. The officials are very tired."

"Go to the county government office now and ask the county officials and the county soldiers in the city to help transport it."

Tian Zili was stunned, "Brother, will they agree?"

"You can say it was the governor's order."

Everyone looked at each other, and Tian Zili asked again: "Brother, what's going on?"

Liu Taozi put away his sword and led everyone back to the inner room. He sat on the upper seat and looked at everyone around him. "I have already negotiated with Lou Rui. Half of the food distributed this time must be given to him, and the other half will be used to appease the people."

Yao Xiong immediately became anxious, "Brother?! We stole all of them, why should we split them in half with him?!"

Tian Zili was also a little hesitant, "Isn't half a bit too much?"

Shi Yao was lost in thought at this moment. He stroked his beard gently and said, "It's better to break up."

"Ok??"

Several people looked at him. Shi Yao looked at the confused people and said again: "Although the Li family gathered people to resist taxes and attacked officials, which is a way to their own death, they are a powerful family with many friends in the government and the public. If something like this happens, they will definitely be targeted."

"If Lou Rui is here to protect us, no matter how many friends the Li family has, they won't dare to say a word."

"Secondly, the people of Liyang County really have no stored grain. If we want to open the granaries to release grain, I am afraid that our county government alone is not qualified. Once we bring the case to the imperial court, it may attract a large army to attack. Moreover, there are two counties and a large township in Liyang County. We can appease the people of Liyang County in the name of the county government, but what about the people of Dunqiu County and Dongli?"

"If we can induce Lou Rui to attack the big families in the entire county, even if he takes half, the remaining half can feed countless people and allow the people to live until next year's autumn harvest."

Everyone fell silent and nodded gently.

Yao Xiong was still somewhat displeased. He gritted his teeth and said indignantly, "No wonder this old dog was so generous and gave away such a precious sword. It turned out that he exchanged it for half of the money and food. Liyang County has become like this, and that old dog is the main culprit. He can kill the Li family but cannot get rid of him. It's really annoying!"

Shi Yao chuckled, "Mr. Yao, don't worry. Although I hate those foreign monks, I still agree with what he said: good and evil will be rewarded. Evil people like him will get their retribution sooner or later, it's just that the time has not come yet."

Liu Taozi has already started assigning tasks.

Tian Zili was responsible for continuing to transport grain, while Yao Xiong was responsible for maintaining public order and hanging heads on the city gates. Chu Jiande was responsible for treating the injured officials and burying the dead to prevent the outbreak of disease.

Everyone left, but Shi Yao stayed where he was.

"Mr. Liu, you haven't told me yet."

Shi Yao sat next to Liu Taozi very naturally and looked at Liu Taozi.

"County Magistrate Shi, you will be responsible for distributing the grain."

"Once the money and grain arrive and are counted, they can be distributed."

"it is good!"

Shi Yao nodded heavily, and suddenly, a relaxed smile appeared on his solemn face, and he actually laughed.

"I never thought that being a villain would be so refreshing. I have thought about leading people to attack South City in the past, but unfortunately, I don't have the ability to do so."

"I only know how to kill people. It's still County Magistrate Shi who has to do the work of keeping the people safe."

Shi Yao said solemnly: "From now on, Liu Jun just give orders. I have been here for two years and have accomplished nothing. I have never done anything for the people. When you came, you eliminated a great harm for the people! I am convinced. From now on, Liu Jun just give orders and don't worry about what rank you belong to! I will do my best!"

Liu Taozi nodded slightly and didn't say much.

Shi Yao hesitated for a moment, then said, "There is just one thing I want to ask Liu Jun."

"Please speak now, sir."

"I wonder what Liu Jun's background is? Why does Lou Rui call you nephew?"

Liu Taozi said: "I was previously appreciated and promoted by Cheng'an Magistrate Lu Yao. Lu Yao is related to the King of Changshan, so he was jealous of me and called me his nephew."

"King of Changshan"

Upon hearing this title, Shi Yao's face turned a little ugly.

His face was tangled, and he wanted to say something several times. In the end, he sighed and said, "Forget it. Let's leave the important matters of the temple to the temple officials to worry about."

"We will do everything we can to save the people of Liyang first, no matter what."

"I will never be an enemy of Liu Jun."

"good."

Shi Yao spoke again, "Mr. Liu, there is also the matter of Chongguang Temple. The money and grain accumulated by Chongguang Temple, and the farmland occupied by it, are not less than that of the Li family, and even more! How are they going to deal with it?"

Liu Taozi's left eye twitched, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes.

"Not urgent."

"one by one."

Sogo Temple.

Four great monks were sitting cross-legged in the back monastery, all wearing black robes, with solemn and sacred faces.

There was also a foreign monk standing nearby, telling the four monks what was happening outside.

"After Lord Lou arrived, he actually took the demon's hand and took him into the car!"

"This demon is truly lawless."

This Hu monk was the one who had stopped Liu Taozi at the beginning. At this moment, he was trembling all over, his voice was shaking, his eyes revealed fear, and he felt a wave of fear in his heart.

Thinking of the day when he had blocked the other party with great arrogance, he felt that he was lucky.

The four monks all frowned at this moment. One of them opened his eyes. It was Ayana who had appeared in Lou Rui's mansion earlier. "Why are you so panicked? I asked you to cultivate your mind on weekdays, and you became like this?"

The Hu monk quickly shut his mouth and lowered his head.

"Go."

Ayana waved his hand, and the Hu monk bowed again, then turned and left.

There were only four people left in the house. Ayana looked at everyone and said, "A big demon has come to Liyang City. He has been killing people in the south city, killing more than a thousand people. If we don't get rid of the demon as soon as possible, I'm afraid all the good men and women in the city will be harmed by this demon."

An old monk with white hair opened his eyes. "The governor is so polite to him. I'm afraid he is not an ordinary demon. We should first find out his origins before taking any action."

As soon as he finished speaking, another fierce-looking monk spoke up, "Look at the murderous nature of this demon. He killed us before we even knew where he came from. No matter where he came from, we must first subdue the demon and get through this great disaster!"

"No, if the county governor helps him, it will only take a moment to destroy the temple. How can we be so reckless?"

The three of them were arguing and their tone became increasingly violent.

The peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of the moment was no longer visible in the room. All that could be seen were four ferocious beasts in human skins roaring and demonstrating against each other.

“That’s enough!!”

Ayan stood up angrily and looked at everyone, "A county magistrate has ruined your decades of Buddhism? Why are you so afraid?!"

The three of them closed their mouths and slowly returned to their original solemn appearance.

Ayana looked out the window, his eyes becoming more and more ferocious. "The demons are extremely cruel, and we must not act rashly. From today on, Chongguang Temple will be closed for cultivation. I will write a letter to seek the protection of good people."

Hearing this, the three monks all put their hands together and bowed their heads, "Let's do as the abbot says."

Zhao Kai rode a tall horse, led many county soldiers, and moved slowly along the official road.

This rugged official road leads to a large village in the distance.

The group was silent, only listening to the panting sounds. Zhao Kai drove like this for a long time. Finally, he raised his head and looked at the city wall in front of him.

The city wall was in a dilapidated state. The city wall of Liyang was old and short, but it still had a substantial protective function. The wall in front of them was cracked everywhere, with many gaps. In some places, there was only a crooked piece of soil left, and it seemed that it would collapse at any time.

Many places are pitch black, showing signs of burning.

There was no one guarding the city gate. In fact, there was no need for a city gate. There were gaps everywhere in the city wall. Zhao Kai could rush in through those gaps at any time. The group entered the city and looked around. There were ruins of buildings in front of them.

The gates of one house after another were opened. The ground was overgrown with weeds and full of insects and ants. Looking around, there was not a single person to be found.

The crowd marched along the main road in the city. The buildings on both sides were half-destroyed. The courtyard gates were open, and the doors of the houses were also open. The dark houses seemed to be brewing unknown terrors, and the county soldiers did not dare to look any further.

This is Dongli Township under the jurisdiction of Liyang County.

Seven or eight years ago, this place was not called Dongli Township, but Dongli County.

Because of its flat terrain and convenient location on the East Official Road, it has developed very well.

Later, for some unknown reason, the arable land here became less and less, and the number of people here became less and less. Even the big families abandoned this place and moved to Liyang. Only a few local tyrants were left occupying this place. It no longer had the conditions to become a separate county town, so it became Dongli Township.

There was hardly anyone to be seen in the entire city, and the only sound that could be heard along the way was the breathing of the county soldiers.

In this way, we walked to the easternmost part of the county.

The situation became a little different, and what appeared before everyone was a tall Wu Castle.

The walls of Wu Castle are tall, and guards are walking back and forth on them.

There are gates everywhere, this is a city within a city.

I saw a group of people, barefoot, some in chains, carrying farm tools, walking in the distance like zombies, being scolded by slaves.

A servant saw the crowd coming and shouted something loudly.

A moment later, the gate of Wu Castle opened, and a group of people were seen riding their horses galloping towards this place.

A fat man, riding a warhorse, rushed towards this place. The man was very big, a huge lump, and the warhorse was crushed by him so much that it could not be seen. No one knew how the warhorse could carry him.

A group of people rushed to Zhao Kai, and the man's face was full of smiles.

"Mr. Zhao! Why are you here?"

"Distinguished guest! Distinguished guest!"

The man was helped and struggled to get off the horse.

"Third brother! Find me all the beautiful dancers in the academy."

"what!!"

Zhao Kai roared, drew his sword and slashed at the man.

The man quickly raised his hand, and the sword cut a gash on his arm.

The man was horrified, "Mr. Zhao! Why is this happening?!"

"The tribute is insufficient! The whole city needs to share the burden! You are no exception!"

Zhao Kai shouted, looking around, "Get in there!"

The county soldiers looked at each other, at a loss. An official took the lead in charging, and the rest of the county soldiers followed. The man was slashed several times by the county soldiers and was covered in blood.

The man was furious. He raised his head and shouted, "Everyone, charge! Stop these beasts!"

"I will kill everyone's family if they don't charge me!!"

When the guards heard this, they gritted their teeth, held sticks in their hands, and rushed forward shouting. At first, they did not dare to fight back, but just poked and pushed with the sticks. But after the county soldiers chopped down several guards in a row, both sides could no longer endure it and they fought each other.

Another person rushed out from Wu Castle, "Stop! Stop it! Everyone, stop it!"

But his words could no longer be heard, and the two sides continued to wrestle and fight, and the chaos continued to worsen.

This time, Zhao Kai brought more than two hundred county soldiers and more than twenty officials, while the other side had five or six hundred.

Nearly a thousand people caused a great commotion in front of the gate of Wu Castle. Zhao Kai's exquisite white horse was shaking constantly in fear. One of the guards had red eyes and rushed forward to stab Zhao Kai. Zhao Kai was terrified and turned his horse's head and ran away.

He knocked over several county soldiers in a row, and finally got out of the chaotic crowd and retreated.

When they saw him fleeing, several officials hurriedly rode their horses to catch up with him. When they saw that those on horseback were running, the county soldiers also began to follow.

All of a sudden, the county soldiers began to retreat. Zhao Kai steadied his horse again, turned around, and saw a group of county soldiers rushing towards him.

"Don't run! Don't run!!"

Zhao Kai shouted loudly, but when he saw the county soldiers getting closer and closer to him, he chose to ride his horse back again. After retreating for a distance, he stopped again and shouted to dissuade them.

He repeated this dissuasion several times.

However, his way of dissuading people caused more and more county soldiers to be defeated.

When the county soldiers threw away their weapons and began to flee en masse, the guards began to chase them.

The owner of Wubao looked at this scene and screamed in despair and helplessness: "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"

His voice was already hoarse, but in a melee involving nearly a thousand people, shouting was useless.

Zhao Kai led the county soldiers to evacuate Dongli. When Zhao Kai came to a wasteland outside the village and gathered men again, only sixty or seventy of the more than two hundred county soldiers who followed him were left.

"Treason. Rebellion!"

"The local tyrants in Dongli Township attacked officials and led their slaves to kill county soldiers. They are rebelling! They are rebelling!!"

Zhao Kai trembled as he accused the other party of crimes.

At the same time, at the gate of Wu Castle, the owner of Wu Castle was slapping the injured fat man in the face.

"Why the hell don't you just die?!"

"Why don't you die?"

"Grandpa."

The fat man was covered in blood and burst into tears as he looked at the old man in front of him.

The old man trembled as he looked at the county soldiers lying on the ground, motionless. He raised his hand tremblingly and pointed at his son in front of him, "I..."

The old man only said one word, his mouth twisted, and he fell headfirst.

“Grandpa!!”

Three people rushed up, hurriedly supported him, and took him back.

Two younger fat men stood in front of the injured fat man.

"Brother! We killed the county soldiers and beat the officials. What should we do now?!"

The injured fat man took a breath and said, "Things have come to this point. Now, the only way is to take your things and find a place to hide."

"With nearly a thousand of us, even if we leave the city and occupy a hilltop, no one will dare to mess with us!"

"Besides, we have all seen the capabilities of the county soldiers. The army of Da Qi is simply not worth a single blow!"

"Let's run before they mobilize more people!!"

Hearing his words, his two younger brothers couldn't help crying.

"We have everything here, why bother going out into the wild to be a bandit?"

Liyang County.

At this time, there was no trace of county officials at the city gate, and the city was completely controlled by county officials.

The county gate was exceptionally quiet today, with almost no people coming in and out.

A county official was sitting at the door, chatting with his colleagues with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Liu is truly a man of heaven!"

"You didn't see it that day. He killed hundreds of people by himself, from one end of the South City to the other, hacking left and right along the way, like chopping melons and vegetables. It was really..."

"And there is our Yao Youjiao! He is also very brave. He has been following Liu Gong all the time. He has been wounded many times, but he has never retreated a single step. He has followed Liu Gong and killed all the enemies!"

What happened in the south of the city had already caused a huge sensation throughout the county and the entire county.

As the protagonist of the incident, Liu Shanxiao was mentioned again and again and became famous.

Even Yao Xiong had a nickname, Yao the Ghost.

Just as the man was talking excitedly, several knights appeared in the distance. They were very fast and rushed towards here with all their strength. Several county officials hurriedly stood up and shouted to the county soldiers to come and intercept them.

The horse rushed all the way to the city gate, and a county official fell off the horse, gasping for breath.

"Dongli is rebelling! Dongli is rebelling!!"

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(End of this chapter)