Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 112: Shocking Liyang
Yang Yin's house in Jinyang was much more luxurious than his house in Yecheng.

The tall courtyard wall is taller than the city wall of Liyang, revealing a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

The warriors patrolling back and forth in the palace were extremely fierce, fully armed, and neatly lined up in formation. Their armor made rhythmic collision sounds due to their movements. Kou Liu subconsciously looked around and found that it was almost impossible to sneak into this place.

He followed Yang Yin to the study.

Yang Yin sat down and shrugged. His back still hurt a little, but he was too big to touch his back with his hands.

He looked at Kou Liu standing aside. From his strange hairstyle and beard, he could tell at a glance that he was a Xianbei.

When this guy came to deliver the message, he thought he was a Xianbei scout under Gao Changgong, but he didn't expect him to be a minor official in the county.

He suddenly asked, "What is your origin? Are you a Xianbei?"

Kou Liu had never expected that this prime minister would actually want to talk to him. At this moment, he was extremely excited and his body was shaking slightly. "Reply to Prime Minister Yang! I am a Xianbei. My great-grandfather came to Yecheng to serve as an official because of his merits, and later died in the service of the king. My father was a county lieutenant and died early due to illness."

"Then how did you become a county official?"

"I studied law at Cheng'an Law School, and then took the exam. After passing, I became a Cheng'an Cavalry Officer. Then I was transferred to Liyang County as a magistrate. He appreciated me, and now I am the chief historian of Liyang County."

Yang Yin was somewhat surprised. He suddenly asked, "Is this patrol officer who promoted you also a Xianbei?"

“He is Chinese.”

Yang Yin smiled, and his eyes became more kind as he looked at Kou Liu, "How wonderful it is, to learn the law, read the classics, and work for the country!"

"The county magistrate who promoted you must be Liu Taozi from Cheng'an, right?"

Kou Liu was shocked, "Prime Minister Yang knew about this?"

"Haha, how could I not know? When the Murong family criticized Cheng An for being a cruel official, they mentioned this person. I took this matter very seriously at the time."

"However, it seems that Gao County Lord, Lu County Magistrate, Shi County Magistrate, Lu County Magistrate and others are all on good terms with him and are friendly with him. It can be seen that he is definitely not the cruel official that others say he is!"

"No wonder Lu Yao values ​​him so much."

Yang Yin looked at him and said, "Give me the letter."

Kou Liu hurriedly took out the letter and handed it to Yang Yin in front of him.

Yang Yan picked up the letter and read it carefully. After reading it several times, Yang Yan's expression did not change. He was neither angry nor surprised.

He didn't say anything, and Kou Liu didn't dare to speak either.

The atmosphere fell into silence and Kou Liu felt very uneasy.

As if he could see the discomfort of the clerk in front of him, Yang Yin said, "Don't be afraid."

"I actually knew about Liyang's situation a long time ago. It has developed to this point. This is all my fault. I am sorry for it, Mr. Shi."

Kou Liu lowered his head. He didn't understand what was said and didn't dare to respond.

Yang Yin looked at him and said, "Kou Liu, I am busy with the state funeral, so I will not reply to Shi Jun. You go back and tell him that I already know about these things. Let him hold on for a while, and I will send someone over. As for food, there is a shortage of food everywhere right now."

"How about this, you let him hold out for another fifteen days. After fifteen days, I will definitely deal with the Liyang incident!!"

Kou Liu took note of these words, then he quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and was about to turn around and leave.

"Kouliu."

Yang Yin called him. He searched for a while and took out a yellowed book from the side. He handed the book to Kou Liu.

"When I was the chief historian of the government, I participated in the administration. I was still immature at that time and made many mistakes. I wrote them down and read them when I had nothing to do so that I would not make the same mistakes again."

"Please give this book to County Magistrate Liu in Liyang for me."

"This is his first time as chancellor, and he lacks experience in managing a county. This book can help him make up for it."

"only!!"

Kou Liu left the place. After the other party left, Yang Yan stretched out his hand and wanted to scratch his back, but he was too big to reach it. The emperor was gone, but the traces left by the emperor on Yang Yan's body had never been erased. Yang Yan often felt back pain and itching. He could endure the pain, but the itching always distracted him and prevented him from focusing all his energy on state affairs.

He was just about to call the old servant in to scratch him when someone came to report again.

"Master, Lord Yan is here to pay his respects."

"Let him in quickly!"

Soon, a strong and sturdy man walked into the house. He was tall and sturdy, and looked very strong, but he had not much hair, which looked a bit strange. This man was Yan Zixian, the minister of the temple, the chief minister, and the duke of the county.

Yan Zi paid his respects to Yang Yin, who quickly asked him to sit down.

"Mr. Yang, the Queen Mother just called me over and asked about the important matter of the Crown Prince's enthronement. She also told me not to mistreat the ministers. I don't quite understand what the Queen Mother wants to do."

Yan Zixian also looked a little tired and dazed. These important officials in the temple have been quite busy in recent days.

Yang Yin shook his head gently. "It's okay. You should answer whatever the Queen Mother asks and agree to whatever the Queen Mother tells you to do. Don't worry too much. From her words and actions today, we can see that she will not interfere in the affairs of the Crown Prince."

"It's better to think about the bad governance of this place!"

"Oh?"

"Oh, the local high officials are all those nobles. These people only know how to ride horses and fight. How can they govern the local areas? Da Qi is currently in serious food shortage. If we don't deal with these despicable and shameless villains, I'm afraid the world will be in chaos!"

"Jize, you should start preparing now. When the prince ascends the throne and we return to Yecheng, I will start to dismiss the traitors inside and outside the court. The court has been giving out titles indiscriminately and employing traitors. The court is full of mediocre, cruel, and incompetent officials! I plan to dismiss them all."

Yan Zixian listened to Yang Yin's words and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face.

"Yang Gong, isn't that a bit too hasty?"

"urgent?"

Yang Yin shook his head and said seriously, "For every day we delay, there will be countless virtuous people who will be humiliated and countless civilians who will die tragically. We can wait, but can they?"

"If we don't get rid of the rats that steal our food, people will starve to death."

Yan Zixian still felt that it was a little inappropriate.

But he didn't know how to persuade him. After pondering for a long time, he could only nod. What Yang Gong said made sense. The current food shortage in Da Qi had reached an unprecedented level. The food problem was largely due to corrupt officials. Cutting off and dismissing a large number of officials and driving away those rats would not only reduce the burden on the national treasury, but also help reduce exploitation in the local areas.

I hope this won't cause too much unrest.

Liyang, parade ground.

"kill!!"

The county soldiers lined up in a long formation. They were dressed in various tattered clothes. Some of them were holding weapons, while others were empty-handed.

Their standing posture was also quite funny, crooked and with no formation at all, and in a mess. Some were standing on tiptoe, some were squatting on the ground, some were chatting excitedly with the people around them, and some were yawning.

Dugu Jie was standing in front of them, leading them in their first major exercise.

It is called a large-scale drill, but in fact it is just a simple formation and movement.

Yao Xiong and Liu Taozi stood on the watchtower outside the parade ground. Looking at the disgusting scene in the distance, Yao Xiong couldn't help but turn his head away.

Can this be called a county soldier?
They are not even as good as bandits. If we get twenty Xianbei knights from Cheng An, they can probably kill all of them.

Dugu Jie was furious. He waved the whip in his hand, scolded, beat and forced everyone to line up and stand in their positions according to his orders.

Even from a distance, Yao Xiong could feel the county lieutenant's temper and anger at the moment.

But Liu Taozi watched it very seriously, without moving.

Yao Xiong suddenly said, "Brother, didn't you give Dugu Jie a lot of things? Weapons, food, clothes, and yes, meat."

"But these county soldiers are still wearing tattered clothes, and they don't look like they have eaten. Could it be that Dugu Jie swallowed everything?"

Liu Taozi glanced at him and said, "Look carefully."

Yao Xiong didn't say anything more.

Dugu Jie practiced for a long time, and the more he practiced, the angrier he became.

But it wasn't just Dugu Jie who was angry. The county soldiers who were being trained also had some strange looks on their faces.

The shortage of food and clothing has lasted for a long time. They are all hungry now and don't even have the strength to walk. How can they withstand such training from you?

You have a loud voice and eat meat every day, but what about us?
I've been drinking vegetable soup these days and can't even stand steadily. How can I listen to you yelling here? What kind of formation do I need to form?
Their resistance seemed to be growing, and their formation was becoming more and more chaotic.

Dugu Jie narrowed his eyes and ignored it all.

Finally, Dugujie stopped yelling, he stood on the platform, looked at everyone, and signaled to his subordinates. Soon, they saw a few people pushing carts, slowly coming here. The county soldiers who were originally relaxed, lazy, and noisy suddenly became silent. Everyone looked at the carts, which were loaded with large barrels. Even from a long distance, they could smell the fragrance coming from the barrels.

The county soldiers swallowed their saliva, staring at the car with their eyes wide open, like hungry wolves, staring at it without blinking, which was really scary.

Dugu Jie looked at everyone and said loudly: "The county government values ​​you very much."

"Mr. Liu, the county magistrate, please let me train you all!!"

"Today's half-day training was not outstanding, but it was much better than in the past!"

"I'm satisfied! Today's training ends here, let's eat!!"

Dugu Jie waved his hand, and the military officers began to distribute the food. The county soldiers received their bowls and chopsticks and began to line up in a long formation. At this time, they stood much more orderly than before. They didn't say anything, just stared at the wooden barrel.

The captain handed the bowl to the military officer, who scooped him a large bowl of broth. One could even see a few strips of meat floating in the bowl.

The captain was stunned for a long time. He looked at the people behind him with an excited face. The officer hurriedly urged: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Next one!"

The captain squatted not far away, no longer caring about his face, and started eating with big mouthfuls.

Liyang County had 600 soldiers, but no battalions. Instead, there were only six teams, each with 100 men, led directly by a captain. Each captain had 10 squads and 20 squads under him.

The first ones to eat were the team leaders, squad leaders, and sergeants.

Not to mention the soldiers, even the captains were eating voraciously at this moment, almost swallowing their own tongues.

Soon, the only sounds left in the training ground were the sounds of people eating.

Dugu Jie looked at everyone and nodded with satisfaction, but did not interrupt them.

After everyone finished eating and exchanged bowls and chopsticks, they lined up again. Obviously, this time the formation was much more orderly than in the morning.

Dugu Jie said: "Rest for an hour first, and then continue to practice. If you can practice better, you can have another meal in the evening."

"only!!!"

Dugu Jie walked out from them and quickly came to the watchtower. Liu Taozi brought Yao Xiong down to meet him.

Dugu Jie laughed, "Just now I saw Lord Liu watching from above, but he was still training and couldn't come to pay his respects. I hope Lord Liu will forgive me."

"Mr. Dugu, you don't have to do this."

Liu Taozi said calmly, and looked at the county soldiers in the distance, "Can ten days make them look different?"

"no problem."

Dugu Jie said confidently: "I can't train them all into elite troops in ten days, but I can still make them dare to charge and kill. However, this still requires the help of the county government."

Yao Xiong spoke up, "Lord Dugu, the county government has provided a lot of food, military uniforms, weapons, and everything else this time, but I see that the county soldiers are still wearing shabby clothes, and many of them still don't have weapons."

Dugu Jie laughed, "Sir, have you ever raised a dog?"

"Never."

"This training of soldiers is the same as training dogs. If they do well, they will be rewarded. If they do not do well, they will be punished. The difference is that the training of soldiers is more cruel."

"Let the soldiers know that if they obey their commanders, they will be rewarded, but if they disobey, they will die."

"By repeating this process and practicing continuously, we will eventually be able to train the most obedient county soldiers. How can we just throw all the things given by the county government to them? These are all rewards for the future."

When Yao Xiong heard Dugu Jie describe military training as dog training, he always felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't say much.

Liu Taozi glanced at Dugu Jie and said, "That's true, but if there is no effect after ten days..."

Dugu Jie frowned and looked solemn.

"I will go to the county government office to plead guilty!"

Looking around, there is flat farmland all around. Even if there is a slope, it is only slightly higher than the road and does not block the view.

On both sides of the road, you can still see the remnants of road protection forests planted at an unknown time.

The huge tree stumps were completely black. These road-protecting forests had been ruthlessly cut in half and covered with mud and weeds. The area around the wood stumps was full of rat holes.

Among the weeds and bushes, the long worm raised its head, stared coldly at the passers-by, and then burrowed into an unknown skeleton.

On both sides of the road are large tracts of farmland, which have just experienced the autumn harvest. The endless farmland is enough to surprise any outsider.

At the edge of the farmland, you can see a few hungry farmers squatting on the ground, using small hoes to dig the holes of small animals, trying to catch a few to take home to fill their stomachs.

Liyang has the most arable land and has long been the granary of the Central Plains. However, even with so much arable land, it has not been able to change the famine here. What is lacking here is not arable land, water, or farm tools, but knives and blood.

Liu Taozi rode a green lion, followed by six mounted officials, and they walked together on the official road outside Liyang.

Tian Zili is not in the team, he is responsible for all matters in Liyang County.

Yao Xiong was still beside him, his eyes full of excitement, tightly gripping the knife at his waist.

"Brother Taozi, if you really want to fight, you should slow down so that I can catch up. Your Green Lion is too fast and my horse can't keep up."

Liu Taozi didn't answer, he just raised his head and looked at the city wall in the distance.

Just opposite is Dongqiu County.

The wealthy families in Liyang County were very active at this moment. After the fall of the Li family, there was no need for the county government to urge them. The rest of the rich and powerful families transported piles of grain to the county government.

As for Dongli, that place has been razed to the ground, and the ground has been dug three feet deep. There is not even a living earthworm left in the house of the only wealthy family.

There are two counties and one township, and the only one left is the Dunqiu County in front of us.

From afar, he could see that the city gate was already crowded with people. Yao Xiong slowly placed his hand on the hilt of the knife.

As the two sides gradually got closer, they saw a few people walking quickly in the distance.

The leader was an old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was thin, his face was full of wrinkles, and he was wearing mourning clothes.

He walked quickly to Taozi's front, and before Taozi and the others dismounted, he saluted, "Dongqiu Ling Luan greets Lord Liu!!"

Behind him, everyone saluted, and many of them bowed deeply.

Yao Xiong was stunned. County magistrate?

Liu Taozi turned around and got off the horse, leading the blue lion, and slowly walked in front of County Magistrate Lu. County Magistrate Lu raised his head, his face was covered with sweat, his eyes were full of fear, and he smiled awkwardly, "Mr. Liu."

"Get up."

Liu Taozi helped him up, then looked at the people behind him, "Who are these?"

Magistrate Lu was very old and had a hunchback, which made him quite short. Standing next to Taozi, the difference was even more obvious. He quickly explained, "I heard that Mr. Liu was coming, so I brought many officials and famous families from the county to pay my respects to him."

"Mr. Liu, the food you requested has been prepared. We have prepared 160 carriages, fully loaded."

Everyone was kneeling on the ground at this moment, not daring to raise their heads, and trembling.

Liu Taozi looked at him and said, "Only 160?"

Magistrate Lu trembled and said, "No, there is more to come. There is more to come."

"Have you opened the warehouses to release the grain?"

“Not yet”

"I will stay in Dunqiu these days to monitor your distribution of grain."

"Okay, okay, it's our honor to have you stay here. It's our honor."

"No need to say more. Start preparing to distribute the food now. Also, transfer a hundred county soldiers to escort some of the food to Liyang."

"only!!!"

The old man gave orders in a panic, and then led Taozi towards the county town. The rest of the people were still kneeling at the door, motionless, until the county magistrate brought Taozi into the city. Only then did these people relax, and some of them even fell to the ground.

They looked at each other, fear in their eyes.

"Liu Shanxiao lives up to his reputation. He is truly a man-eating evil ghost."

"Do we still need to send food to the county government?"

"Give it away! Give as much as you can! Giving money is better than giving away your life!!!"

(End of this chapter)