Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 133: People and people get stolen goods together
At this moment, there was indescribable disappointment in Cui Jishu's eyes.

He looked at Liu Taozi in front of him and couldn't help shaking his head.

"You want to arrest me, but I won't resist. I don't have the ability to do so. But you have to know that the crossbow and armor can only be used once. Next time, you won't be so easy. If you kill people wantonly without any reason, even if the people behind you are happy, they will abandon you because of the impact."

"You are a good young man. Listen to my advice. Don't be a knife in someone's hand. The knife is sharp, and the wielder will be happy. But if it is stained with too much blood and becomes extremely smelly, the wielder will change the knife. You are still young, so why bother?"

"If there is a better way to solve the current situation, don't use the most dangerous method."

Liu Taozi looked at him with a calm expression, "No matter how much Mr. Cui says, I won't listen to him."

Cui Jishu sighed deeply, said nothing more, and just closed his eyes.

Tian Zili stepped forward hesitantly. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Liu Taozi's resolute face, he stopped trying to persuade him. Who cares? If there is really a big trouble, he will follow his brother to raise an army and do big things! ! If we can't win here, we can run south. There is always a way to survive! !
He immediately made up his mind and grabbed Cui Jishu's hand, "Please go to the other courtyard to rest for a while."

Cui Jishu stood up, without even looking at Liu Taozi, turned around and left with Tian Zilie.

Liu Taozi put on a coat and walked outside.

As soon as he walked out, he saw the knights who were counting money and food. They were very excited. Potorafu was grinning so hard that he couldn't close his mouth. He and Yao Xiong were talking about something. When they saw Liu Taozi coming out, they hurried over to greet him.

"No one is allowed to keep anything. Distribution must be done at my command."

Potalafu said hurriedly: "Don't worry, County Commander! There were two guys who hid it secretly, and I have already hanged them!"

"This will never happen again!!"

Potala spoke very naturally, as if the two hanged men were not his people. Yao Xiong couldn't help but look at him again. No wonder these Xianbei people were so cold-blooded. They were really good at fighting.

There was only joy and excitement on Potala's face. He said again: "We have robbed so many times in the past, but none of them were as many as the one time you led us!!"

"Mr. Dugu!! We will follow you from now on!"

"My last name is not Dugu, my last name is Liu, and I am Han Chinese."

Potala nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, yes, you are Han Chinese!"

Then, he showed a smug expression again.

Liu Taozi then rode on the blue lion and glanced at Yao Xiong. "You did a good job today. The defense of the training ground is now in your hands. I have to go to the city."

"only!!"

Yao Xiong hurriedly saluted and Liu Taozi left quickly.

Yao Xiong and Potala watched him leave. Potala said with emotion, "I have really met a noble man. Lord Dugu is really not an ordinary person."

Yao Xiong glared at him and said, "I've already said that my master is a Han Chinese."

"You don't understand, right? Our Xianbei leaders all say this. They insist on giving themselves a famous Han surname and claiming that they are descendants of a famous family. This is the Xianbei style! From this point of view, Lord Dugu is definitely a Xianbei, and he is a Xianbei with a very important background!"

Yao Xiong was stunned when he heard this, "Is there such a thing?"

Liu Taozi only led a dozen riders and rushed all the way to the city gate. The county officials did not dare to stop him at all and just lowered their heads and let him pass.

Liu Taozi walked a little further forward, but Kou Liu appeared in front of him with his men.

"Brother, everyone is still here, they have never left"

"Okay, take me there."

They moved forward quickly in the alley together. Kou Liu narrowed his eyes and looked around. "This city is full of the Cui family's spies. Wherever I go, they stare at me. I shot and killed a few of them myself. The stalkers didn't dare to come so blatantly just now."

Liu Taozi nodded, "Yeah."

They soon arrived at their destination, which was the home of Zhang Siyan's uncle.

On one side is a restaurant and on the other side is their residence.

Several knights came out from both sides and bowed to Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi looked at Kou Liu, who nodded, quickly dismounted, stepped forward and kicked the door open.

Then they saw five strong men in the house. After the door was pushed open, they quickly looked outside and put their hands on their waists. The next moment, they saw many Xianbei knights holding bows and crossbows, all aiming at them, as if they were going to shoot them the next moment.

Liu Taozi got off the horse and strode into the yard.

The uncle was in the yard. When he saw Liu Taozi, who was fully armed, his lips trembled for a moment, "Mr. Liu."

Liu Taozi waved his hand, and everyone put away their bows and crossbows and closed the door immediately.

Liu Taozi walked up to the man and asked, "Should we talk here or go inside?"

The man gave up his seat, and Liu Taozi led everyone into the inner room.

The man quickly explained: "These are my servants. This one cooks, and this one..."

Liu Taozi sat in the upper seat and shook her head, "No need to say more, I know who you are."

Everyone's face changed drastically, and their hands subconsciously reached for their waists. But when they looked at the tall and burly Taozi in front of them, they hesitated again.

My uncle smiled bitterly, "We are just ordinary people."

"I didn't know at first, but when I found out that you opened a restaurant, I knew. Do you have people in the county government?"

Liu Taozi asked softly, "Why do you like opening restaurants so much?"

My uncle's face finally turned gloomy. He looked stern and said nothing.

Liu Taozi looked at the people behind him again and said, "Don't be afraid. I have always admired General Wei. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it earlier and would not have waited until now."

The man laughed at this moment, no longer afraid. He raised his head and looked at Liu Taozi in front of him, "What does Mr. Liu want to do? We will not betray the general. At this point, there is only one way to go, death."

"Don't be in a hurry to die yet."

"I'm here to collaborate with the enemy."

"you"

The man was stunned for a moment, and it seemed that his brain had stopped working. He asked again: "What did you say?"

"I don't care who you are. I came here to kill people, but not you. I need evidence that can prove that the Cui family is colluding with you and wants to rebel. It doesn't need to be too much. A few letters and some of your special products will be enough."

Now, not only the man, but also the helpers around him were bewildered and confused.

Liu Taozi continued: "The sooner the better."

The man quickly said, "Mr. Liu, please wait a moment. You..."

At this moment, the man's heart was in a mess. What happened today was beyond his imagination. Liu Taozi continued, "I killed people in Anping and blood flowed like a river. You should be happy, right?"

"For example, the eldest branch of the Cui family has been wiped out by me. This will disgust the other nobles and make them turn to the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty. Isn't this a good thing?"

"Maybe you can even force a few big families to join you. Back then, weren't there members of big families who joined you because they were slaughtered because of their close relationship?"

The man frowned. "Mr. Liu, if you want to lure out the others, I advise you to give up. We will not cooperate with the Eastern Bandits."

"What's wrong with this? Anyway, you've been discovered by me and will die sooner or later. It's better to die meaningfully and save the lives of the Eastern Bandits. Isn't it worth it? If I can kill the Cui family, the whole Boling, and even the whole world, will be in an uproar. There may be even greater unrest here, which is also a good thing for you."

"I don't need anyone else to come forward, just you guys. As long as you can give me some evidence to prove that they are plotting a rebellion, that will be fine."

"Of course, if you don't want to, then I can kill you and use your bodies and identities as evidence."

Liu Taozi looked up at the sky and said, "Hurry up and make a decision. I have something else to do and can't waste too much time."

Everyone looked at the man again, and he asked, "Why does Mr. Liu want to do this?"

"To kill people."

Nearly a hundred people gathered on the road leading to Anping.

Prefect Lu rode a big horse and stood in the middle of the crowd. On his left and right were county officials. All of them were present, except Liu Taozi.

County Magistrate Zheng stood beside him, whispering about Liu Taozi's situation, "He just wandered around the city a few times these days, and then he trained the troops in the parade ground, shouting and killing all day long, and the training was extremely hard." "A few knights sneaked out of the camp at night and wandered around the residential areas. He was caught and beheaded, and their heads were hung outside the parade ground."

"The one under his command, Tian Zili, came to me several times to ask questions and urged me to get the land granted as soon as possible. He is easy to talk to. There is also a man named Yao Xiong, who shot an arrow at you last time. He is a complete lunatic. That Hu man even shouted that he wanted to beat me!"

Magistrate Zheng whispered what had happened.

Governor Lu nodded, "What about the Cui family?"

County Magistrate Zheng said with a bitter face, "It's this matter. The Cui family said that Cui Jishu disappeared after arriving at the parade ground, and urged me to go to the parade ground to pick Cui Jishu up."

"what?!"

Governor Lu was shocked. How could he dare to touch Cui Jishu?

If no one instructed him, would he really dare to do this?
Governor Lu interrupted County Magistrate Zheng and said, "Well, just pretend you know nothing about these things. Don't even think about it. When the governor comes later, you know what to say, right?"

County Magistrate Zheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "I understand."

Governor Lu looked at Cheng Zhe again, "Mr. Cheng, I know you are anxious to leave, but if you can't handle this matter well, not to mention leaving, your father might also suffer. Do you understand?!"

Cheng Zhe nodded, "I understand."

Governor Lu looked into the distance again, his brows furrowed.

Governor Lu was also very wary of the incoming governor. This governor was too young. If he was just young, it would be fine, but he did things that were extremely absurd.

The many things he did in Changshan left all the officials in Dingzhou dumbfounded.

When he first arrived in Dingzhou, the officials held a banquet for him. As a result, one of the officials got drunk and used mocking words to satirize history, saying that the food that Chinese people eat on a daily basis is very coarse, and in the eyes of wise men who have truly seen the world, it is like eating arrows.

So the governor mixed pork and arrows together and asked the officials to eat it.

From then on, he developed a strange habit of forcing people to eat shit. He always liked to feed people shit, literally feeding them shit. Anyone who refused to eat it would be caught and beaten by him.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, Prefect Lu really didn't want to let the governor come.

God knows what will happen when he comes.
Each of these people is not normal and cannot be measured by common sense, just like Liu Taozi.

Just as Prefect Lu was waiting anxiously, cavalry finally appeared in the distance.

Then they saw a large number of cavalry charging, led by a young man covered in armor that gleamed in the sun. Prefect Lu led everyone to dismount their horses quickly.

Soon, the group of knights rushed in front of the crowd.

Prefect Lu led the crowd in paying homage to him.

"Greetings, King Ander!!"

Everyone shouted.

Gao Yanzong took off his helmet and looked at the people in front of him with a smile. The little fat man's eyes searched among the officials. After a moment, he became furious.

He raised his whip and pointed it at Governor Lu in front of him.

"Where's Brother Liu?! Where are the others?!"

Hearing this, everyone was shocked and looked up. The same was true for Lu Taishou. He looked at Gao Yanzong in surprise, with a flattering look on his face, without the domineering attitude he had when facing Liu Taozi. He timidly asked, "Your Majesty, are you asking about Liu Junwei?"

"Who else could it be if not him?! Where are the others?!"

Governor Lu swallowed his saliva and said, "He is training in the military training ground. I wanted to send someone to call him over."

"Hey, you, lead the way to the training ground!!"

Gao Yanzong pointed at a cavalry officer at random, and without even looking at the rest of the people, he led the many knights and galloped past them. Prefect Lu and others maintained the posture of saluting, and only slowly raised their heads after the many knights had left.

They looked in astonishment at the direction where the knights were going away, and Governor Lu was also a little confused at this moment.

County Magistrate Zheng asked hurriedly: "No, isn't he sent by Prime Minister Yang? Your Majesty is a member of the royal family, so why do you feel that he is very important?"

Magistrate Zheng was completely confused. In his opinion, Liu Taozi was Prime Minister Yang's man. Then, as a member of the royal family, Gao Yanzong was naturally opposed to Liu Taozi. This was why they did not dare to follow Liu Taozi. Who knew if the governor would suddenly come and crush them.

But looking at the current situation, why is it not right? ?

Governor Lu also frowned, "Could it be that there is some other hidden secret?"

Gao Yanzong didn't care about what these people thought. He just galloped on his horse. Soon, he led the knights to appear outside the parade ground. The county soldiers inside the parade ground were also lined up and ready for battle.

Looking at the Xianbei knights in front of him, Gao Yanzong was full of disbelief.

"Are these the county soldiers from Anping?"

Soon, Liu Taozi came out. Gao Yanzong hurriedly jumped off his horse and ran quickly to Liu Taozi's side. He smiled, and his eyes became blind.

"Brother Liu! After I left last time, I have honed my skills. I wonder if I can fight you again? Let me see the difference?"

Liu Taozi nodded, "Okay."

"Then let's do it now"

Gao Yanzong was about to put on his helmet, but his deputy Lu Zhuangzhi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, don't forget the important matter!"

Hearing this, Gao Yanzong was very disappointed. He reluctantly dropped his helmet and looked at Liu Taozi, "Let's compete later. Take me in. I have something to discuss with you."

Liu Taozi led Gao Yanzong into the training ground. Looking at the knights training in the training ground, Gao Yanzong's eyes lit up and he held Liu Taozi's hand again, "Mr. Liu, shall we have a competition of archery?"

"King!!!"

Lu Zhuangzhi's voice was filled with tears.

Gao Yanzong lowered his head, cursing under his breath, and the two of them walked into the inner room. Everyone was waiting outside, only the deputy driver was still standing there.

Gao Yanzong scratched his head and said, "Brother Liu, you shouldn't have taken action against the Cui family."

"The Cui family is good. They often send us gifts. My uncles also value them very much. When I first took office here, my sixth uncle sent someone to tell me not to come to Anping to cause trouble and to be polite to the Cui family."

"I received a letter from the Cui family saying that you went on a killing spree and killed all the Cui family members in the house."

"What do you think we should do?"

Liu Taozi said, "The Cui family secretly stored powerful crossbows and armor, colluded with the pseudo-Zhou, bribed officials, and attempted rebellion. They should be executed for their crimes."

"what?!"

Gao Yanzong couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up suddenly and looked at Liu Taozi angrily, "Is everything you said true?!"

"it is true."

"These bastards! My uncle entrusted me to take good care of them, but they actually dared to rebel!"

"Come on, prepare the army. I will personally lead the troops to attack the Cui family!!"

"Your Majesty!!"

Lu Zhuangzhi knelt down in front of Gao Yanzong and said, "Your Majesty, don't be anxious. How can you make a decision based on one side of someone else's words on such a major matter? Moreover, even if the Cui family really has evidence of guilt, they can only take action after the imperial court issues an order. How can you kill them yourself?!"

"Your Majesty, you must not do this!!"

Seeing Lu Zhuangzhi's frightened expression, Gao Yanzong nodded again. He looked at Liu Taozi standing aside and said, "He is right. Brother Liu, do you have any evidence here?"

Liu Taozi nodded, "There are witnesses and evidence."

Gao Yanzong was overjoyed. He said excitedly: "Since I took office, I have wanted to do something big. Isn't the Cui family's rebellion this time a merit bestowed upon me by God?!"

Seeing that Lu Zhuangzhi was about to speak, he stared at him viciously and said, "If you dare to ruin my plan, I will catch you and put arrows in your mouth!!"

"Mr. Liu! Bring up all the physical and witness evidence!!!"

(End of this chapter)