Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 122: Tower Pull Arrow
Although it was still freezing cold outside, it was still warm inside the house.

Lu Yao was wearing thick clothes and sitting in the upper seat. Like Lu Qubing, he was round and plump, as if he was a mushroom growing on the ground.

"Greetings, Lord Lu!"

Liu Taozi and Lu Qubing bowed to greet him. Qian Zhubu hurriedly helped Lu Yao to stand up. Perhaps because the clothes were too heavy, his movements became clumsy.

"It's Liu Jun who's here!"

Lu Yao walked forward with a smile, took Liu Taozi's hand enthusiastically, brought him to his side, and then let him sit down.

Lu Qubing sat on the other side, so Qian Zhubu had to sit further back.

Lu Yao looked at the man in front of him and was stunned. "I haven't seen you for a few days. Why do I feel that Mr. Liu has become even taller?"

Qian Zhubu quickly replied, "I heard that Liyang is a grain-producing area. I guess Mr. Liu eats well."

Lu Yao laughed out loud.

However, Liu Taozi just looked at him with such indifference, and Lu Yao's laughter became a little awkward. He stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "I heard that Mr. Liu got promoted again?"

"I dare not talk about promotion. I will be appointed as the lieutenant of Boling County."

"Bo Ling"

Lu Yao secretly glanced at Liu Taozi and said, "That's a good place."

"The Cui family of Boling has produced many talented people and is well-known. They are the top noble family in our Great Qi. The Murong Li family cannot stand firm in front of them. They are in charge of Boling, educating the people, making the local literary style flourish, and the people live and work in peace and contentment."

"At the beginning, there were military households from various towns in the previous dynasty. Emperor Shenwu distributed them to various states. The remaining states had insufficient arable land and bad climates, and Dingzhou accepted the most. These military households were brave and strong, and assisted the government in expelling bandits. Every family knew how to ride horses and shoot arrows, and they were extremely brave. They were in Boling, protecting the people and keeping the local area free from foreign threats."

"What a great place, what a great place!"

Lu Yao sighed.

Lu Qubing's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly.

Liu Taozi was unmoved. "Since Mr. Lu praised it, it must be extraordinary. I will go and take a look after I get there."

Lu Yao's face darkened, and he quickly said, "Mr. Liu, I contributed a lot to your being able to become an official before."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu, for the promotion."

"Well, in the past few days, I have received a lot of letters, all about Mr. Liu. They are all from wealthy families in Liyang, or their relatives, and their official positions are not low. They wrote to me and asked about your situation, Mr. Liu. I have always been a generous person and never make enemies with others."

Speaking of this, Lu Yao's eyes were extremely complicated.

For most of his life, he never argued with anyone and could get along with everyone, so he had a very good reputation. Until he met this dirty guy in Cheng'an, his reputation began to plummet.

Every day someone comes to him to question him.

At the beginning, Lu Yao was in a hurry to send Liu Taozi away and used a lot of effort, which alarmed many people. These people all felt that Liu Taozi and Lu Yao were related.

Liu Taozi was biting around everywhere in Liyang, and they didn't dare to go to Liu Taozi to question her, so they all came to Lu Yao and asked Lu Yao to give an explanation.

What else can Lu Yao say? !
Lu Yao also felt aggrieved. He looked up at Liu Taozi with a pleading look in his eyes. "Mr. Liu, the current situation in the court is in chaos. The new emperor has ascended the throne, and Prime Minister Yang is anxious to solve the bad politics. Officials inside and outside the court are alarmed and have complaints. I really don't know when a big turmoil will occur. At this time, every move you make will be used by others. If you cause a big riot and end up getting involved in a disaster, you will only die!"

"Mr. Liu is still young. He has not even been crowned yet, but he is already the lieutenant of a county. When you are an official, you should not be too hasty. After you arrive in Boling, you should put the overall situation first, listen to the advice of wise men, and maintain local law and order."

"Although Liu Jun is promoted quickly, his reputation is not good. Perhaps some people think that Liu Jun is too cruel. It is not a problem for him to become a ninth or eighth rank official by simple means, but if he wants to accomplish great things, he still needs to be recognized by everyone with his reputation as a virtuous person."

"What do you think, Mr. Liu?"

Liu Taozi nodded, "Mr. Lu is right."

Lu Yao immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly looked at Qian Zhubu who was standing beside him. Qian Zhubu quickly stood up and walked out.

Not long after, he returned here again, holding a plate covered with a cloth in his hand.

Lu Qubing looked at the plate curiously. Qian Zhubu walked to Liu Taozi with a smile and handed the thing to Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi lifted the cloth and found a book on top.

It was a thick book with an exquisitely decorated cover. It looked less like a book and more like a favorite collection of nobles. Liu Taozi held it in her hand and it felt very heavy.

Lu Yao smiled and said, "This is the military strategy left by my ancestor, King Cheng of Dongping in the previous dynasty. My ancestor King Cheng was good at using troops and never lost a battle in his life. He suppressed bandits both inside and outside the country and became famous. He left behind this book, "King Cheng's Military Strategy", which records the principles of his training and use of troops."

"This time, Mr. Liu is in charge of the army, commanding the county soldiers and protecting the people. I will give this book to Mr. Liu."

Liu Taozi picked up the book and looked at Lu Yao in front of her, "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Liu Taozi and Lu Qubing left the place. Qian Zhubu sent them away and then returned to Lu Yao's side. He looked worried, "Mr. Lu, given his character, I'm afraid he won't obey. The same goes for Prime Minister Yang. Why go to Boling when there are so many places to go? Isn't this life-threatening? What if this guy really offends the Cui family or forces those poor families to rebel?!"

Lu Yao also frowned and whispered, "Prime Minister Yang sent him to kill people."

"The Cui family is not on good terms with Prime Minister Yang, and is close to the two kings. The Xianbei do not take the imperial court seriously, and to this day they only call themselves Khans, not Son of Heaven."

"Prime Minister Yang probably wants him to cause some trouble so he can intervene and rectify the situation."

"What shall we do then?"

Lu Yao looked at him slowly, "Shouldn't you be the one telling me what to do?"

Only then did Qian Zhubu remember his identity as a counselor. He frowned and began to think hard.

"Mr. Lu! I have a solution!"

"You said."

"Please resign and go home, and wait for them to decide the winner!"

"Oh, forget it. You should go out and help me check the winter disaster situation in various places."

"Why did I find a close follower like you in the first place?"

Qian Zhubu scratched his head and said, "It's all because of Mr. Lu's generosity."

Liu Taozi led his men to the gate of Cheng'an City.

There was no one in the distance, it was empty.

Lu Qubing repeatedly told Liu Taozi to be careful. Lu Yao's words just now made him very worried about Liu Taozi's situation after arriving in Boling.

According to Lu Yao, there are the most powerful Han families and the most wicked Xianbei military households.

Putting these two things together, Lu Qubing didn't even dare to think about what the situation was over there.

Both of these are difficult to deal with, and Lu Qubing was worried.

Just as Liu Taozi was about to turn around and leave, someone suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop!!"

Liu Taozi and others looked towards the city and saw a group of people riding horses towards them.

County Lieutenant Changsun jumped off his horse and limped to Liu Taozi's front, frowning, "Mr. Liu, now that you've been promoted, don't you recognize your old friend? You came to Cheng'an and didn't even want to meet me?"

Liu Taozi replied, "I heard from Lu Cheng that the county lieutenant had a leg disease, so he did not come to see him."

Changsun Jiaye hit his legs a few times, "Isn't this fine? Why, will this leg break when it sees Liu Jun?"

He was about to complain, but suddenly looked at the sword at Liu Taozi's waist.

At this moment, Changsun Jiaye seemed to be struck by lightning. He froze in place, staring at the Huating sword, motionless.

"Mr. Liu, is that the Gao King Sword?"

Changsun Jiaye's voice was trembling. Liu Taozi took off his sword and handed it to the other party.

The eldest grandson subconsciously stretched out his hand, but did not dare to take it.

He shook his head and looked up at Liu Taozi with a complicated look in his eyes, "I dare not take it. I dare not take it. Mr. Liu, do you still recognize General Lou?"

"Yes, how come County Magistrate Changsun also recognized him?"

Changsun Jiaye stared at the sword in a daze, muttering, "When King Gao gave the sword to the general, I was there holding my sword and defeating the thief."

He suddenly laughed, "I heard that Mr. Liu was going to Dingzhou, and I wanted to tell him some things, but now it seems that there is no need."

"If the soldiers over there look down on Mr. Liu, you can use this sword to strike them. I wonder if they dare to fight back!!"

"Hahaha~~~"

"Help!!!"

A scream was heard on the official road, and then a woman, wearing very thin clothes and barefoot, was seen running wildly in the snow. She was screaming in fear and did not dare to look back, but just kept going at full speed.

"Beauty~~~"

Behind her, there were two men with fleshy faces, holding long knives, laughing and chasing after her.

The woman's speed was not slow, but she was far slower than the two bandits behind her. She slipped and fell to the ground, screaming in pain. When she was about to stand up and climb forward, the two bandits had already caught up with her.

The bandit grabbed her long hair and threw her to the ground. The two men laughed and were about to carry the woman away when they heard the sound of horse hooves from the front.

The thief was horrified and quickly threw the woman to the ground and ran away.

But after all, humans can never outrun horses.

The horse galloped over, and the knight took out his bow and arrow and shot one of them dead with one arrow. The other was so frightened that he sat on the ground and wanted to beg for mercy, but the knight flew past him, and his head flew up immediately, and the headless body fell to the ground. The knight reined in his horse, turned around and rushed back to the woman.

The woman looked up and saw that the man riding the horse was a Hu man with light green eyes and a ferocious face.

The woman's eyes were filled with grief. She took out a dagger from her arms and was about to stab it into her heart.

"Wait! Wait!"

"I'm not a bad guy, I'm a Liyang patrol officer, an official!"

Yao Xiong screamed, but the woman still pointed the dagger at his neck, her eyes full of vigilance.

Yao Xiong stroked his beard and tried his best to put on a friendly smile, "Look over there, my master is the prefect of Boling County and is going to take up his post in Boling. He will never hurt you."

The woman turned her head and saw that there was indeed a group of people slowly approaching here.

Just when the two were in a stalemate, Liu Taozi came here with his men. He lowered his head and looked at the woman kneeling in the snow.

The rest of the people were stunned at this moment.

They had never seen such a beautiful woman.

The girl was very pretty, with a childish complexion, clear eyes, a timid face, and two canine teeth, which made her look even more petite and cute.

Yao Xiong hurried forward, "Brother!"

"I killed two bandits!"

Kou Liu couldn't help but give him a cold look, what a reckless guy.

Liu Taozi looked at the woman and said, "Put some clothes on her."

Yao Xiong wrapped up his clothes and said, "This is all I have."

Kou Liu sighed, quickly dismounted, and put his coat on the woman. The woman then stood up, her face looking a little painful, and performed standard etiquette towards Liu Taozi.

"I, a commoner named Zhang Siyan, am here to see the county lieutenant."

"who are you?"

Zhang Siyan sobbed when she heard what Liu Taozi said. She said sadly, "I am from Yecheng. My family is a businessman. Because something happened, my father was going to take us to Anping to seek refuge with my uncle. But when we got here, we encountered bandits. My family was killed by the criminals. It was because they risked their lives to protect me that I was able to escape."

As she spoke, she began to cry.

Tian Zili was furious, "Besides Cheng'an, there are actually bandits?"

Liu Taozi asked, "Where are your family members now?"

"It should be over there."

"how many people?"

"Eight people."

"How many bandits are there?"

"Five."

"Oh."

Liu Taozi nodded. The woman stood in the snow, face pale and shivering.

"Give her a horse."

"I can't ride a horse."

Liu Taozi rode his horse to her side and stretched out his hand to her. Zhang Siyan felt a little restrained. She raised her head and looked at Liu Taozi with a solemn face. She gritted her teeth and grabbed his hand. Liu Taozi easily pulled her up and placed her directly in front of him. Then he looked at everyone and told them to continue on their way.

Everyone held back their laughter, followed Liu Taozi, and looked at each other.

"My master is really lucky. He saved a peerless beauty just by walking on the road."

Upon hearing this, Yao Xiong quickly spoke up, "That's nothing, I killed two thieves with one blow!"

Zhang Siyan sat in front of Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi was already big, so she looked even smaller. Feeling the heat coming from behind, Siyan's face turned red, but she just lowered her head and said nothing.

From time to time, she secretly raised her head and glanced at Liu Taozi behind her. Looking at the other's solemn and resolute face, her eyes became even more flustered.

Everyone was talking and laughing, and was obviously much more enthusiastic than before.

After walking for a long time, they finally saw the carriage lying on the side. Siyan's face changed drastically and she started crying immediately. She jumped off her horse in a panic and walked forward quickly. There were indeed several corpses around the carriage.

Money was scattered all over the place, the carriage had fallen over, and the horses pulling it were nowhere to be seen.

Yao Xiong and others surveyed the place and found that it was undoubtedly looted.

Siyan lay in front of the corpse, crying loudly.

Kou Liu cursed at the bandits, and when Tian Zili saw the corpses, he frowned and muttered a few words.

He just stared at the corpses for a long time, then suddenly jumped down and walked quickly to the corpses. Just as he was about to take a look, Siyan suddenly fell down, and everyone hurried to help her up.

Liu Taozi looked at the carriage in front of her and said, "Hitch the horses and let her get in."

Everyone was busy, but Tian Zili slowly walked to Liu Taozi's side and whispered, "Brother, that's not right."

"Oh?"

Tian Zili looked at the bodies, his eyes gleaming, "Why didn't they take off their clothes? Why did they leave the bodies behind? Why did they leave the car behind?"

"There aren't many bandits in winter. They usually rob in the fall and hide in caves in the winter to rely on stored food."

"Even if there are bandits and the supplies are insufficient, they will steal food and clothes."

"There is nothing in the ice and snow. Nothing edible will be left. The same goes for corpses. Not to mention the car. If it is broken into pieces, it will be the best firewood. Why is it left behind?"

"If they ran away only after they saw the cavalry approaching, that doesn't make sense. You can't see far in the snow, and we're not close to here. No, no, and those two bandits who were killed, how could we find such fat and strong bandits in winter? They were all skinny as sticks."

"And the male corpse, his hands are covered with calluses, his body is dark and rough, how can he look like a wealthy man?"

Relying on his years of experience, Tian Zili instantly realized that something was wrong. The more he thought about it, the more unusual things he discovered.

"There's something wrong with this woman!!"

Tian Zili looked at Liu Taozi fiercely, his eyes full of ferocity, "Could it be that someone sent someone to murder my brother?!"

Liu Taozi's expression remained calm. "Well, bury these people and continue on our way."

Tian Zili nodded.

After they buried the body, they continued on their journey. The woman stayed in the carriage and did not come out. Liu Taozi did not go to see her, and the others did not dare to go either. It was as if this person did not exist. Everyone talked about their own things and soon forgot about the existence of this woman.

But sometimes, she had to go to a faraway place to relieve herself, and everyone had to wait for her.

After walking for a few days, the snow on the ground began to melt in large quantities. It seemed that Dingzhou was not that cold at all. The situation was much better than that in Liyang.

The official road was very flat and spacious, allowing many carriages to pass side by side, but there were few pedestrians at the moment.

Their destination was Zhending County, Changshan County.

The reason for coming here is that the new county lieutenant needs to report to the governor of Dingzhou before taking up the post, and now the governor of Dingzhou’s seat is in Zhending County, Changshan County.

"Brother, that is Zhending!!"

Tian Zili pointed to the city wall in the distance, his dusty face full of joy.

Everyone quickly quickened their pace and headed towards the city.

After walking for a long time, they finally saw the magnificent city in front of them. However, as soon as they arrived at the city gate, they were stopped by a group of soldiers.

I saw it was very lively in the distance.

Everyone looked around.

Then I saw a few people lying on the ground with their mouths opened, facing the tall building at the city gate.

And on the tall building, there was a man with his naked buttocks, pointing at the people below.

Seeing this scene, everyone's face changed drastically. Kou Liu just felt nauseous and kept retching.

Liu Taozi took out a large bow, and without waiting for everyone to react, he raised the bow, tilted his head and shot.

"Whoosh!!"

Arrows flew.

"Ow!!!"

A scream was heard from a tall building, and a man covered his buttocks and screamed and jumped.

ps: When he was the governor of Dingzhou, he defecated on the upper floor and asked someone to open his mouth to catch it. ———"Book of Northern Qi·Biography of King Ande"

(End of this chapter)