Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 125 That’s easy!
"Is anyone there?!"

Yao Xiong shouted loudly.

There was some thin snow on the ground of the school, showing obvious signs of being cleared.

Following Yao Xiong's roar, a cough was heard from a distance, and a thin old man was seen trembling as he came out from the aisle of the tents.

The man was still wearing a heavy military uniform. He looked at the people in front of him with some fear and walked forward hesitantly.

He looked at the people in front of him and asked cautiously, "What do you want?"

"Are you a military officer here?"

Hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief, "Exactly."

"Then where are the soldiers on the parade ground?"

The old man looked at them suspiciously and asked, "Who is this noble man?"

"My master is the new county lieutenant!"

Yao Xiong gave his answer.

The old man suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly bowed to greet him.

Liu Taozi still looked around, "Where did the county soldiers go?"

The old man stood up and looked around blankly, "I don't know."

Yao Xiong was about to scold him, but Tian Zili glared at him and walked forward with a smile, "Old man, don't be afraid. You are from Anping, right?"

"yes."

"So how long have you been here?"

“It’s been almost a year.”

"Oh, how many county soldiers are there in the parade ground?"

"do not know."

"So do they usually live in the schoolyard?"

"do not know."

"Is there a roster of county soldiers?"

"do not know"

Tian Zili's smiling face gradually froze, and his eyes turned hostile, "Yao Xiong, take this old man to reminisce!!"

Yao Xiong walked forward, grabbed the old man by the neck, and just as he was about to slap him, the old man screamed, "Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I remember!"

Tian Zili signaled Yao Xiong to stop and smiled again, "Then can you tell me something, old man?"

The old man stammered, "I was originally a clerk in the county government, and later I was sent here to clean up and there was nothing else to do. I had no idea what was going on in the parade grounds. Occasionally someone would come here to cause trouble. They beat me a few times at first, but later they stopped."

"I have never seen any county soldiers or managers here. A few county lieutenants came here earlier and asked about the situation, but they disappeared later."

This time the old man told everything he knew.

Yao Xiong sneered, "Wouldn't it be better if you said so earlier?"

He pushed the man away and looked at Liu Taozi on horseback.

"Brother Taozi, are those soldiers outside the city in the air school someone else's guards and followers?"

"How come there are no county soldiers in such a large county? What's going on?"

Tian Zili narrowed his eyes, "What else could it be? It's probably the governor's work. Brother, what should we do now?"

Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Liu Taozi slowly spoke, "Send that little girl Zhang home."

"Um???"

"Is this the place?"

Tian Zili looked around. This was a residential area in the west of the city. Most of the buildings were simple and looked ordinary. Zhang Siyan stood aside and nodded timidly. "I came here several times when I was young. This is it."

Tian Zili went forward and knocked on the door.

Soon, a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance opened the door and looked outside warily. "Who is it?"

Seeing this man, Zhang Siyan burst into tears, "Uncle!!"

"Si Yan?"

The man was horrified. Siyan rushed into her uncle's arms and cried as she told him about her experiences along the way. Her uncle listened very seriously, but before she finished speaking, Liu Taozi got off his horse and stood in front of the two of them. He lowered his head and looked down at them. The two of them were so scared that they couldn't speak.

"Let's talk after we go in."

Liu Taozi pushed the two men roughly into the yard, and everyone came in, leaving the yard empty.

The man wiped his tears and said, "This brave man, oh, lord, you saved me."

"I have something to ask you, please follow me first."

Liu Taozi grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side room. The man was unable to resist at all. Siyan was also stunned when she saw this scene.

Liu Taozi dragged the man into the inner room and looked around. The man felt a sharp pain in his arm, but he didn't dare to speak. He just forced a smile and said, "Envoy, Envoy..."

"Don't be afraid, I just want to ask you something."

Liu Taozi let go of his hand and continued to look down at him, "Why are there no county soldiers in the training ground?"

"what??"

The man was stunned for a moment. "I'm just a restaurant owner. I don't know anything about military training grounds."

Liu Taozi found a place, sat down, and looked at the other person calmly, "I also had a good friend who opened a restaurant in the past."

"Since I have saved your relatives, please tell me about the parade ground and why there are no county soldiers."

The man didn't know what to say at the moment, he just stared at Liu Taozi blankly.

“I really don’t know.”

"You run a restaurant. Restaurants are always noisy with people coming and going. As long as you are not deaf, you should be able to hear something."

"You said you knew nothing, and that was a deliberate lie to me."

"I just helped you, why don't you help me? Just tell me what you know."

The man swallowed.

He stammered, "I heard that there were county soldiers before, but later, it was all because of those Xianbei people."

"Your Excellency may not know that there are many Xianbei people here. These people do not work in the fields and are idle in the city all day. They rob passers-by, break into people's houses, and kill innocent people. In short, they do all kinds of evil. Maybe because the county soldiers arrested their people, they gathered together and attacked the parade ground."

"Those Xianbei people are all good at fighting. They can ride horses and shoot arrows, and they also know how to fight. They caused chaos in the city. They went to the training ground several times to cause trouble, and many county soldiers were killed or injured."

"Later, several leaders were arrested, and several county officials were dismissed. Then the parade grounds have been empty until now."

"I see. Do county officials change frequently?"

"Frequently. Those Xianbei people often come out to stir up trouble and do evil everywhere. They dare to break into the county and prefecture government offices. Once they start, it will be a big deal and officials will not be able to escape."

"It's only in the winter that they don't dare to come out, so we can feel more at ease. As soon as spring comes, they will come out again to commit murders."

Liu Taozi nodded and stood up, "Okay, I understand."

He led the man out of the house. Everyone was still standing in the yard, confused. Liu Taozi led people away. The man had a conflicted look on his face, not knowing whether he should ask to keep them.

Zhang Siyan hurried forward and said, "Mr. Liu, you saved my life. I have no way to thank you. My family is hosting a banquet today to entertain you and the others. Please eat before you leave."

Liu Taozi waved her hand, but looked at her uncle.

"If you get any news in the future, remember to report it in time."

After saying that, he led the rest of the people away.

Only two people were left stunned.

After Liu Taozi and his group rode away, the man looked at Zhang Siyan beside him, and the two of them walked into the inner room.

The man spoke.

"Is this the person the general values?"

"Isn't this just a lunatic? What's so serious about this?"

"Well, it's because of his father."

The man shook his head, looking helpless. "This damn place is full of crazy people. We can't hide anywhere. This is not right. Do you think he has discovered us?"

The man suddenly became very alert.

Zhang Siyan frowned. "He came too suddenly this time, and we were also hastily prepared. But if he found out, why would he keep us here? Why didn't he expose us?" "How can we guess what this madman is thinking?"

"What should we do? Should we keep this stronghold?"

"Keep it for now. There's always hope. If he finds out, you'll just die. What's there to be afraid of?!"

The man nodded, and then laughed sinisterly again, "He asked me about the situation in the training ground just now, and I pushed all the blame on those Xianbei people. This guy is big and strong, and looks quite strong. If he can fight with those Xianbei people, the whole Boling County will be in chaos."

"I see that this man may look big and clumsy, but he is very cunning and does not show his emotions. Don't underestimate him."

"Oh, anyway, I'm not lying. Those Xianbei people attacked the parade ground. He gave the same answer to everyone he asked. What is there to be afraid of?"

Everyone returned to the training ground again and settled down here directly.

The horse was led up and then a lodging was arranged for it.

Everyone has clear division of labor and everything is well organized.

Everyone was still very confused at this moment. It was the first time they saw a county town without county soldiers. If the surrounding counties also had no county soldiers, then wouldn't Liu Taozi, the county lieutenant, become a county lieutenant without any soldiers?

While everyone was busy settling down, Liu Taozi took Yao Xiong with him and left the training ground again.

His target is still the county government.

They came to the county government office again, and were led by a minor official to the county magistrate's mansion.

Then he saw Cheng Zhe, who was carrying a large bow on his back and preparing to go out. Suddenly he saw Liu Taozi and was a little surprised, "Why is Mr. Liu here again?"

"Mr. Cheng, why is there no one in the training ground?"

"Lack of food."

"It's not just Anping. Even the three nearby counties of Raoyang, Shenze, and Anguo don't have enough soldiers."

"Last year's harvest was very bad. The tribute grain could not be paid. The county magistrate was dismissed. The county treasury was empty. The county soldiers didn't even have food to eat. Can we tie them up in the parade ground and let them starve to death?"

Liu Taozi didn't say anything, but Yao Xiong beside her made a meaningful sound, "Oh"

It would have been nice to have said that earlier.

Yao Xiong already understood. He had seen similar things in Liyang. It was the same there. The county government couldn't distribute food at all. The county soldiers relied on the relief of the rich. Why didn't the rich here provide relief to the county soldiers?

Liu Taozi asked again: "You said earlier that we are here to take the blame, what does this mean?"

Cheng Zhe pursed his lips and looked at Liu Taozi helplessly, "Brother Liu, why do you care so much? It's useless for you to know what's going on here. It's useless."

"Why not follow me and go hunting?"

"I hope Mr. Cheng will let me know."

Seeing Liu Taozi's look, Cheng Zhe was helpless. He said, "The county treasury has no grain, and the people are rioting. Once there is a riot, the officials must be dismissed. You say the government can't change the governor every day, right? Then it has to replace us, right? Anyway, that's all. There's nothing else. Liu Jun, don't look for me again in the future. I'll leave in the spring anyway. Liu Jun, please do as you please."

He stepped back, saluted, and hurried away.

School grounds.

Liu Taozi stood on the reviewing platform, and the others stood in front of him.

These thirty-odd people stood in a row with solemn expressions, looking quite imposing.

Tian Zili, Yao Xiong, Kou Liu, Chu Jiande and a few others were standing at the front, their faces full of complicated expressions at this moment.

After they arrived, they suddenly didn't know what to do. They said they wanted to train soldiers, but there were no soldiers. They said they wanted to catch thieves, but there were no thieves in winter. They said they had to share the burden. As county lieutenants, they couldn't take care of government affairs. Moreover, the wealthy families here didn't seem easy to mess with. One family was divided into several branches, which could suppress a large group of warlike Xianbei people and make them unable to move. The thirty of them felt powerless.

Liu Taozi looked at everyone and said, "Order Tian Zili, Yao Xiong, Kou Liu, Zhang Chong, Wang Dameng, and Zhang Heizu to serve as the commanders of the Boling County Army!"

The six men walked quickly forward and bowed to Liu Taozi.

"only!!"

Liu Taozi then appointed the rest of the people, including the more than 30 people who came with him, as military positions such as flag leader, team leader, and squad leader.

However, these officers did not have a single county soldier under their command.

Yao Xiong laughed out loud when he heard this. He had never thought that he could become a general, even though he only had a few officers under his command.

Liu Taozi looked at everyone and said seriously: "The parade ground is currently empty and cannot bear the responsibility of protecting the county. Therefore, I decided to recruit civilians to fill the quota. All counties must do the same, starting with Anping County."

“Zili, you will arrange for everyone to announce along the way in the city that the military training ground is recruiting county soldiers. They must be over 20 and under 40, strong and healthy. They will be given two meals a day, and no deductions will be made. Winter clothes and supplies will also be provided!!”

"only!!"

Tian Zili received the order and hurried to Liu Taozi's side. He whispered, "My lord, the food we brought is not enough."

"I did transport a lot of Lou Rui's money and food to Zhang Village, but it's too late to transport it now. Before recruiting soldiers, should we prepare enough food first?"

Yao Xiong came over at some point and said, "Brother, let's go find a wealthy but unkind person. I'll go check out the place later and we'll be there later."

Tian Zili said hurriedly, "No, I just asked the old man about the situation here. The Cui family is basically the strongest here, and the rest are small families. The Cui family does not live in the city. Although they have a mansion in the city, they have their own Wu Castle outside the city. I heard that these Wu Castles are not comparable to other families. They have countless slaves and guards, and they are brave and capable of fighting. This is definitely not comparable to the Murong family and the Li family. Brother, I am afraid that it will be difficult for us to break through with more than 30 people."

"Besides, when we were in Liyang, we were ordered to do the sharing. Now we don't have any orders, and we can't come up with any excuse. If we attack the big families directly, even if we can defeat them, we will be arrested and killed by the governor."

Yao Xiong also muttered, "If we have soldiers, we can have food, but if we want to have soldiers, we must have food. What should we do?"

"The county soldiers should be supported by the county government. If there is no food, just ask the county government for it."

Hearing Liu Taozi's words, Tian Zili frowned, still not quite understanding.

Liu Taozi looked at everyone, turned around and mounted his horse, and everyone else followed suit.

Liu Taozi rushed out of the training ground quickly, and everyone followed him.

Liu Taozi led the crowd to charge in the city, which naturally caused quite a stir. The people locked their doors more tightly, and some people stuck their heads out to look to see what was going on.

The crowd flew all the way to the gate of the county government office. The county clerks in front of the government office had already been scared and fled in all directions. Liu Taozi easily broke into the government office, captured another county clerk, asked about the county magistrate's residence, and then rushed over quickly.

When they rushed into the backyard, the county magistrate rushed out in a hurry with his men, holding a sharp sword and pointing it at Liu Taozi and others in front of him.

"I'm telling you! You are plotting treason! Treason! Go back if you know what's good for you!"

Liu Taozi suddenly jumped off his horse and walked quickly to the front of the county magistrate. The county magistrate looked at the tall man in front of him in astonishment.

"Are you the county magistrate?"

The county magistrate nodded, his face still grim, "Who are you?"

"I am the commander of Boling County."

Hearing this, the county magistrate breathed a sigh of relief, then cursed: "Since you are the county lieutenant, why don't you go to the parade ground to do your duty? Why are you here to scare me?!"

“I thought it was those traitors.”

Anping is also a medium-sized county, and the county magistrate is of the seventh rank, two ranks higher than Liu Taozi, so naturally he is not afraid of him.

He put away his sword and asked angrily, "What brings you here, County Commandant?"

This man is not very old, but his tone is very aggressive.

Liu Taozi frowned and said, "There is no one in the training ground. I want to recruit county soldiers."

"Okay, the county soldiers are under the jurisdiction of the county lieutenant. If you want to recruit, just do so. You don't need to ask me."

"Food, the food distributed to the county soldiers, this is the responsibility of the county government."

Hearing Liu Taozi's words, the county magistrate couldn't help laughing, "Food? Where can Anping get food now? How about this, I'll send someone to take you to the warehouse, and you can take whatever you find."

Liu Taozi asked, "Aren't you afraid of being punished by the prefecture?"

"When I first arrived, there was no food in the county. I can't turn it into food. If you want to punish me, then punish me. If you want to impeach me, then impeach me!!"

"Come on, you'd better file a petition with the prefecture and have me removed! Remove me!"

The county magistrate became more and more anxious as he spoke. He raised his head and started to scold Liu Taozi in the face.

Obviously, this person, like Cheng Zhe, also experienced the special flavor of the local area.

Seeing the excited county magistrate, Liu Taozi reached out and grabbed his arm. The county magistrate trembled and grimaced in pain, "What are you doing? Let go, let go."

"County soldiers cannot live without food. Send someone to collect food for me now."

"Collecting grain? County lieutenant! It's winter now. Have you ever heard of collecting grain in winter?"

"Why not?"

The county magistrate's eyes widened as he looked at Liu Taozi, "How can I collect this? If you want to collect grain, then ask the county lieutenant to collect it himself!"

Liu Taozi let go of the county magistrate's hand.

"it is good."

"Then write me an order and ask me to assist the county government in collecting food for the county soldiers."

"That's easy, easy! Someone, come and get my pen!!"

(End of this chapter)