Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 130: Breaking through Wu Castle
County Magistrate Zheng took Cheng Zhe out of the courtyard.

Cui Shuren stood behind them, gritting his teeth, but could do nothing.

The two men rode their horses and left the alley. Cheng Zhe finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, this old man, let him keep pretending, let's see if he can continue to pretend to be a moral gentleman here!!"

Cheng Zhe was in a particularly good mood at the moment, with a smile on his face.

"This county lieutenant is incredible. He can beat anyone who wants to be with the Cui family."

He turned around and saw the particularly solemn face of County Magistrate Zheng. "Mr. Zheng, is there anything wrong?"

County Magistrate Zheng pursed his lips and said, "I gave him the order to allow the county lieutenant to privately collect military pay and recruit county soldiers in this county."

Cheng Zhe was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted, "This county lieutenant is going to ask the Cui family to collect military pay? How courageous! How courageous!"

He looked at County Magistrate Zheng again, "Mr. Zheng is the same! He actually dared to act together with the county lieutenant. He is really brave!"

County Magistrate Zheng said with a bitter face, "How could I have known that this fellow was going to attack the Cui family? I thought he would just search inside and outside the city and give up if he couldn't find any food. I didn't expect him to be so crazy. This is going to cause a big mess!"

"If he leads his troops to attack Cui's Wubao, I will be skinned alive even if I don't die."

"That gentleman just now."

"I was just trying to trick him. I must not show my weakness in front of him. Otherwise, he will take advantage of me."

"Mr. Cheng, what happens next has nothing to do with you. If you are in a hurry, go back first. I will handle it myself."

Hearing what County Magistrate Zheng said, Cheng Zhe hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand fiercely, "No problem! Something like this happened in the county, and I can't get away anyway, so I'll follow Zheng Jun to deal with it. I don't know as much about these things as Zheng Jun does. With Zheng Jun leading me, at least I won't make any big mistakes."

"Okay, that's best."

The two of them formed a temporary alliance, and Cheng Zhe hurriedly asked: "What should we do now? Should we go out of the city to stop the county lieutenant?!"

"Can we, the few of us, stop them?"

"Things have come to this point now, so don't think about stopping it, think about how to remedy it!"

"remedy?"

"Yes, let's write a joint petition to impeach the Cui family! We will impeach them for humiliating the people and refusing to follow the law!!"

"The governor will definitely not accept it, so we will send someone to deliver it to the governor! Although the governor is young, he is also a royal family member and thinks he is a countryman. He is also very partial to the countrymen. As long as our memorial reaches the governor first, and then the county lieutenant's memorial to attack Wubao, we can put most of the blame on the Cui family!"

"it is good!"

"Then we will just wait...wait for Cui to send someone to look for us again."

"We have to make them admit that this incident was entirely their fault before we can step in to dissuade them and appease Mr. Liu."

"Okay! I'll listen to Mr. Zheng!"

"I am now worried that the county lieutenant will act too quickly and Rong Enli, where the eldest wife lives, will not be able to handle it."

Rong Enli.

Liu Taozi rode on a green lion, held a large bow, and wore armor. He raised his head and stared at the tall Wu Castle in front of him.

Wu Castle was built extremely tall, with its inner wall not much different from a city wall. During hundreds of years of chaos, the Wu Castles of these big families became taller and taller, and occupied larger and larger areas. Almost all the relatives and servants gathered in the Wu Castles, and when encountering unrest they would close the doors tightly, surviving one unrest after another. However, Da Qi had no written regulations on these Wu Castles.

When the cavalry arrived at Wu Castle, the gate had already been closed. The big bell on the inner wall made a dull roar, warning everyone in Wu Castle that there were foreign enemies coming.

The cavalrymen formed a long formation in front of Wu Castle, looking eagerly ahead, lowering their bodies, and preparing for a charge.

Yao Xiong said vigilantly: "Brother, we are not well-equipped. These people must have some powerful crossbows and armor hidden in their homes. If we charge directly, I am afraid there will be countless casualties."

Tian Zili laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. They must have hidden armor and crossbows. But they would never dare to use these things unless it was absolutely necessary. If they used them, their entire clan would be executed."

"Isn't this the last resort?"

"No, they use those things in the most dangerous times, such as when the Great Qi is gone and bandits are everywhere, and they can use them when they attack their Wu Castle. But now we are soldiers! Even if we raid their homes and kill their people, they dare not fight back with crossbows."

Tian Zili is extremely confident.

At this moment, more than thirty people rushed out from the main gate of Wu Castle. They were all riding on horses and using simple armor to protect their bodies. They were very good at horse riding and galloped on their horses. Their speed was no slower than those Xianbei people. They rushed in front of Liu Taozi. The leader raised his hand, and the many knights behind him quickly stopped in order.

The leader had a rough appearance and many scars on his face, and looked like someone who was not someone to be trifled with.

He raised his head and looked at Liu Taozi in front of him, "What is Commandant Liu going to do? Why did he lead the bandits to surround Rong Enli?!"

Liu Taozi looked at them calmly and said, "Collecting grain."

After hearing what Liu Taozi said, the man was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "The grain collection has come to my Cui family?"

"Please let the county lieutenant know that my family has been officials for generations and enjoys nobility. Even corvée and taxes are exempted, not to mention the grain collection. If you want to collect grain, you can go to the county government office!"

Liu Taozi slowly took out the arrow. The man opposite twitched his eyes, but still raised his head. "When the governor comes to my house, he needs to wait at the door."

"Whoosh~~"

Liu Taozi shot an arrow. Before the man in front of him could finish his words, the arrow hit him directly in the chest. He screamed and fell off his horse.

And the next moment, the knights in the front row drew their bows and shot arrows.

Arrows rained down like rain. Without any preparation, the guards of the Cui family turned into hedgehogs. Both the men and their horses fell to the ground with a bang. In just one rain of arrows, none of the more than 30 people survived, not even the horses under their crotches.

These Xianbei people shot arrows extremely quickly and accurately, not giving the other side any chance to react.

Liu Taozi looked towards Wubao in the distance, "Attack!!!"

Liu Taozi rode forward, and the Xianbei knights behind him followed. There were about two hundred knights in the first row. They advanced side by side at a very fast speed, drawing their bows and charging towards Wu Castle.

They suddenly started killing people, catching the guards on the walls of Wu Castle off guard. At this moment, they were stunned and at a loss what to do.

The servant standing on the wall was also extremely angry at this moment. His eyes were wide open. "How dare he do this? How dare he do this? Get ready!!"

The guards took out their bows and arrows.

The two sides approached each other, Liu Taozi took the lead in shooting arrows, and the others also shot arrows together. The arrows covered the city wall. The guards who were still drawing the bow and shooting arrows were hit by the arrows, screaming and falling. Some people fought back despite great fear.

After Liu Taozi finished shooting this round, he quickly turned around and left. The knights reined in their horses and fled.

The second row of cavalry behind him was ready. They started to charge. The two sides passed each other. The knights in the second row rushed to the foot of Wu Castle and fired a volley, then turned around and began to flee. The third row began to charge forward.

When the enemy is within range, shoot immediately, then start to flee quickly and prepare for a second charge and volley to consume the main defense force on the city wall.

For a moment, the guards on the city wall drew their bows and shot arrows, but most of them missed the target. Only a few hit the enemy occasionally. Many people were hit by the arrows and fell to the ground screaming and wailing. The guards hurriedly pulled the injured down and replaced them with others.

The servant in charge of the city defense had his eyes wide open at this moment, and was giving orders loudly: "Send a volley! Send a volley! Don't fire randomly! Listen to my orders!"

"Prepare!!!"

"shoot!!!"

Arrows kept flying between the two sides.

Liu Taozi's knights were not well-equipped, and not everyone had arrows. Those knights without bows were now making crude siege equipment. They were called siege equipment, but in fact they were just big wooden stakes that several people could hold up and rush up to ram the gate.

The Xianbei people are extremely fast, have strong archery skills, and are very accurate in controlling the range!
As wave after wave of arrows covered the city walls, the guards suffered heavy casualties.

This is when they are in a dominant position. If the two sides met in the wild, I'm afraid they could all be shot to death in a few rounds.

The servant's face grew increasingly ferocious as he watched the guards fall one after another.

"Someone, put up the arrow shields!"

"Don't let your head come out!!"

“Listen to me.”

"Shut up!!!"

Then he heard a scream from behind. A young man with disheveled hair and bare feet ran up the wall, but hid on the steps, not daring to move forward. He stared at the servant angrily, "Cui Cheng! Get over here!" Cui Cheng hurried over, "Young Master! Bandits are attacking the city!"

"Crack~~~"

The young man slapped Cui Cheng in the face. Cui Cheng turned his head and looked at him hurriedly, "Young Master! They are already making a battering ram!!"

The queen was so angry that her mouth was about to twist, "Bandits?! Those are fucking county soldiers!!"

"How dare you lead your guards to fight against the county soldiers?!"

"You dare to shoot them?!"

The young man was so anxious that he kept jumping up and down. Cui Cheng looked confused. "They were the first to kill people. They killed Cui Bushu and more than 30 of us, and then came to attack the city."

"So you're just going to shoot the officers and soldiers?!"

Cui Cheng was very puzzled, "Young Master, I don't understand. When the Xianbei people came to harass us in the past, weren't we told to fight back?"

The young man gritted his teeth and said, "Tell them to retreat. No counterattack! No counterattack!"

"Young Master, they are building a battering ram. If we don't fight back, they will break through the city gate. If the city gate falls, we will no longer be able to resist them. Everyone in the city will be in danger!"

"Don't worry. Although they are strong, our inner walls are tall. As long as we can block their shooting and destroy their battering rams, it won't be easy for them to break into the city!!"

"Cui Cheng! Are you planning a rebellion?!"

"Don't dare!"

"In the past they were traitors to the people, but now they are soldiers of the government!!"

"I thought you were old enough, so I gave you the guarding job. I never thought you would be so ungrateful. It's just some servants who died. Why do you have to fight with the soldiers?"

The young man gritted his teeth and said angrily: "If they want food, then give them food. If they dare to provoke my Cui family, we have various ways to kill them, but we cannot fight them! Do you understand?"

"Then I'll just open the city gate."

"No, you have to lead the guards to protect the clan, but you can't fight back!"

Cui Cheng's lips trembled for a moment, veins bulged on his forehead, but he just remained silent and didn't say anything.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the young man immediately looked at the guards not far away and shouted, "No counterattack! No counterattack!!"

After this shout, several guards who were shooting arrows in the distance stopped and looked at him in astonishment. Then, they were pierced by the arrows and fell in a pool of blood.

Cui Cheng's expression became even uglier.

The young man also felt distressed, "Oh, let them withdraw! Let them withdraw!!"

"They are all young and strong, how can they die like this?"

The young man took Cui Cheng to the tower again. He held Cui Cheng's hand and said solemnly: "Take your people out to talk to them. These Hu people are greedy for small profits. Just give them some money and they will stop. They want food, so let them say how much they want and try to suppress them. At least send them away first. This time they were caught off guard. I guarantee there won't be a next time. As soon as they leave, I will find a way to get rid of these people immediately, completely!"

The young man's eyes were full of anger. As a noble family, he had many ways to deal with these people, all of which were civilized ways. Of course, there was no need to engage in a barbaric fight with the Xianbei people.

Cui Gang said again: "Young Master, these Xianbei people are barbaric, uneducated, and cruel. If we open the door now, they will definitely rush in and kill everyone."

The young man was frightened by this sentence, and he quickly shook his head, "Impossible, stop talking nonsense!"

"Even if those Xianbei people dare, doesn't the county lieutenant know how to control them?"

"I am a small county lieutenant from the prominent Cui family."

Cui Cheng couldn't help but say again: "If that person really cares about these, he wouldn't attack us. Young master, you can't open the door or go out. You should send someone to repel them first. Even if you are charged with killing officers and soldiers, it is better than being attacked by the Xianbei people in your home!"

The young man hesitated, frowned, and was at a loss.

Cui Cheng was very unwilling to do so, because according to the system of the Great Qi Dynasty, officials could not take office in their hometowns. Therefore, those in power of large families or capable young people would hardly stay in their hometowns. Those who stayed behind were almost all those who had not taken up official positions or were unable to leave for some reason.

Originally, Cui Shuren was in charge of the first house, but he was in the county town at the moment, not in Wubao.

Cui Cheng saw that the other party was hesitant, so he didn't wait for him and rushed to the inner wall again, "Fight back! Fight back!"

"Follow my orders!!"

At this moment, the wooden stakes had already smashed heavily on the city gate.

Cui Cheng shouted, "If you don't want your family to be slaughtered, charge up and fight back! Defeat them!!"

"Wait! Use a stick!! Don't use a bow and arrow!!"

The young man suddenly shouted again.

Cui Cheng was furious, but at this moment, the Xianbei people's rain of arrows had completely covered the city wall. No one could raise their heads. Even Cui Cheng had been hit by an arrow. The city gate made groaning sounds under the violent impact.

"Top it! Top it!!"

Cui Cheng roared.

"Boom."

The wooden latch of the gate broke at this moment, and with another collision, the guards could not withstand it and fell to the ground screaming. The city gate was pushed open in an instant.

It was at this moment that the Xianbei cavalry rushed into Wu Fort.

Cui Cheng looked at this scene with bloodshot eyes!

Liu Taozi led his men into the outer gate and immediately began shooting left and right. Those who blocked their way fell to the ground one after another. Yao Xiong, Tian Zilie, Kou Liu and others led the knights and rushed in different directions.

Yao Xiong rushed directly to the city wall, slashing left and right with the knife in his hand, and knocked the guards to the ground one after another.

Cui Cheng looked around, but could not find the young master. A Hu man rushed over, and he hurriedly raised his sword, but the arrow on his shoulder slowed him down. "Puchi", the long sword hit his chest and then his face several times. Cui Cheng fell to the ground, motionless.

Liu Taozi led his men to charge and kill all the way. The guards they met along the way fled one after another, but they could not escape the fate of being killed.

Tian Zili ordered people to set fire again, and black smoke rose everywhere.

Screams and wails echoed in Wu Castle, and the raging flames could be seen even in Anping.

County government.

"Mr. Zheng, it was my people who made the mistake of not being able to provide food and fodder to the county government in time, which led to this result. Mr. Zheng, please set off now and don't wait any longer!!"

Cui Shuren was now sitting in front of County Magistrate Zheng and Cheng Zhe. There was no trace of his former arrogance on his face. He spoke these words very unnaturally with a frighteningly gloomy face.

County Magistrate Zheng smiled and said, "Then please sign this document and I will go to your Wubao immediately."

Cheng Zhe placed the documents he had prepared in advance in front of Cui Shuren.

Cui Shuren felt like his head was about to explode with anger.

He had never suffered such humiliation and bullying. They were just small county magistrates and county chancellors, but they dared to force him like this.

But the current situation forced him to bow his head.

It’s not that he has no way to deal with these Xianbei people, but things are happening too suddenly. Even if he has a good idea, it won’t work at the moment. He can only stop the attacks of these Xianbei people first and then make plans.

Cui Shuren suppressed his anger and picked up the document. The content on the document was very simple.

The general meaning is that the Cui family looked down on the people and did not prepare enough food in a timely manner according to the regulations of the county government, which led to the situation where the county soldiers came to forcibly requisition.

Cui Shuren hurriedly wrote his name and threw it to the other party.

"Can we go now?"

As Magistrate Zheng stood up, a county official rushed into the house crying.

"Master! The outer courtyard of Wubao has been breached by the Xianbei! I saw flames shooting up into the sky! We don't know if the inner courtyard has been breached yet."

"what?!"

(End of this chapter)