Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 136 Ability
The bare trees rose up into the sky, their sharp thorns pointing to the sky, their trunks straight. There was still snow piled on the ground here, and the snow was dirty and mixed with all kinds of debris.

Gao Yanzong stepped into the snow and mud, and his shoes sank and made a noise. Immediately afterwards, the sound of branches colliding could be heard in the distance.

Gao Yanzong was holding a bow with only six arrows hanging on his body. He was wearing very thin clothes. His fat face was red from the cold and he could hardly open his eyes.

He sniffed his nose sharply and looked behind him shivering.

Not far away, Liu Taozi was staring at him with an expressionless face.

"Brother Liu, is this really useful? Can I put on an extra piece of clothing?"

"No."

"If you can't catch any prey today, you'll go hungry."

Hearing these cruel words, Gao Yanzong wiped his nose in grievance and turned to look at the dense forest again.

Gao Yanzong really wanted to learn some skills from Liu Taozi. When he proposed this idea, Liu Taozi agreed very readily, which made Gao Yanzong overjoyed. However, he did not expect that this so-called skill was to let him wear thin clothes and go hunting in the dense forest. Liu Taozi only gave him six arrows and a broken bow, and asked him to hunt for his food for the day.

Gao Yanzong loved hunting, but his hunting was not like today. He had to ride a horse, have someone drive the prey for him, have hunting dogs bite for him, and have someone cooperate with him in riding and shooting. He had to stand in the best position and hold the best bow and arrow. But now, it is really hard! !
It was the first time that Gao Yanzong realized that hunting could be so hard.

"Pay attention to the wind direction. Prey are very alert and will smell you. If you feel you can't escape, smear some snow mud on yourself."

"Walk lightly and watch your step carefully"

"Keep your eyes open, always pay attention to any disturbance around you, and keep your ears open!"

Liu Taozi was always at a distance from Gao Yanzong, but his words could be accurately heard by Gao Yanzong.

Gao Yanzong had never suffered any hardship in his life, but this guy was very smart and talented. Under Liu Taozi's guidance, he kept adjusting himself. He didn't know how far he had walked. In short, when he felt that his ears were numb due to stiffness, he finally caught sight of a deer roe deer that was eating in the distance. Thinking of the prey that he had just scared away, Gao Yanzong slowly calmed his body.

He stared at the prey in the distance, carefully picked up the bow and aimed at the prey.

He just stood there in a stalemate, and in a moment, he suddenly let go of his hand, and without thinking, he quickly took out the arrow and shot several times in succession.

The deer screamed and began to flee. Gao Yanzong shot it several times but missed. He rushed out quickly and followed the deer for a long time. Finally, the deer trembled and fell down.

Gao Yanzong rushed to the side of the deer, trembling, and held it down. He raised his head, and his chubby face was full of excitement.

Sure enough, Liu Taozi was still standing not far away.

"Brother, I caught it! I caught it!"

"Carry it and take it back."

Gao Yanzong carried the deer with great effort. In the past, carrying a deer was nothing to him, but now, he was starving and cold, and it seemed so heavy to him. He walked ahead shivering, but after a few steps, he felt he could not move anymore.

"If you can't bear it anymore, leave your prey behind and go back to your governor's mansion. Don't ask me for advice again in the future."

Hearing this, Gao Yanzong, who originally wanted to ask Liu Taozi for a few words, immediately clenched his teeth, opened his eyes wide, and walked forward step by step. His whole body was sore that he could not bear it, but he had a rage in his heart and was unwilling to let go.

The two walked out of the dense forest together. Outside the forest, there were dozens of knights waiting anxiously.

Gao Yanzong threw the prey on the ground, then fell on it, gasping for breath.

Everyone wanted to come over to help, but Gao Yanzong shouted, "Don't come near!"

Liu Taozi slowly walked up to him and threw a dagger to him, "Bleed it, peel its skin, separate the bones and meat."

Gao Yanzong panted for a long time before he got up, picked up the dagger, and started to attack the deer.

He had never dealt with the carcasses of any prey himself. When everyone saw the prey being torn into pieces by him, they all turned their heads away, unwilling to look any longer. They were all Xianbei people and could not bear to see the prey being wasted in such a way.

Even Liu Taozi's eyes almost twitched at this moment.

"Don't cut randomly. Cut along the bones and the meat is edible. Don't throw it away."

Gao Yanzong was covered in blood and gasping for breath. After an unknown amount of time, he finally completed the task, although it was not a pretty sight.

Liu Taozi then told him to collect firewood, make a fire, and roast the meat.

When Gao Yanzong roasted the meat and it gave off a fragrant aroma, Liu Taozi finally sat down beside him, picked up the meat and started eating, "Not bad."

Gao Yanzong also hurriedly picked up a piece, but it was so hot that he almost threw it away. He kept blowing on it, and then carefully put it into his mouth.

The next moment, he began to eat voraciously.

His mouth was full of meat, but he couldn't help but say, "Delicious. Really delicious. So delicious."

He raised his head and looked at Liu Taozi beside him excitedly, "I have never eaten such delicious meat."

"Well, from now on, you have to hunt here every day. When you can have enough food and clothing, you can bring three people to hunt, then five people, ten people, and when you can lead twenty people and distribute them properly in the dense forest and hunt successfully, you can be considered a master."

Liu Taozi took another bite of meat.

Gao Yanzong nodded quickly, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you, brother."

The two men were big in build and had large appetites, and they devoured the meat like the wind, leaving only white bones on the ground.

A few knights in the distance watched them eat meat quietly.

Gao Yanzong ate very full, he had never eaten so much before, his stomach was swollen. On the way back, he felt uncomfortable sitting on his warhorse. Liu Taozi walked behind him, and Gao Yanzong had countless questions to ask.

"Brother, is it really possible to hunt with such agility as you do?"

"Ah."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know."

"Is it too late for me to start now? Am I considered talented?"

"Ah."

A group of people were walking on the official road. The ice and snow had begun to thaw, and there was not much snow left on the ground. From a distance, they could see civilians walking, but of course they did not dare to approach these knights.

They walked into Anping County, and the city had begun to become a little more lively. People began to busy themselves with their livelihoods. There were vendors in strange clothing walking on the street, and every time they arrived at a house, they would go in to ask, but no one knew what they wanted to collect.

When they arrived at the gate of the county government, it was extremely lively.

Cheng Zhe was seen sitting at the door with a stern face, and there were thirty or forty people standing in the strong wind, shivering. They were all wearing thin clothes, and were meeting Cheng Zhe one by one.

When Cheng Zhe saw them, he quickly stood up and ran over to greet them.

Gao Yanzong waved his hand, telling him not to be polite, and asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

Cheng Zhe smiled bitterly and said, "I am recruiting county officials. There are no county officials or county officials left, so there is nothing to do. There is no one to accept new officials."

Gao Yanzong warned: "Don't let any more spies sneak into the government office!"

Cheng Zhe nodded quickly, "Yes!!"

Liu Taozi said, "If there is no one around Cheng Juncheng who can help you, I have some people under my command who can help you. I will ask Tian Zili to help you later."

"Thank you, Mr. Liu."

Cheng Zhe was really not good at this kind of thing, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Taozi then looked at Gao Yanzong and said, "Your Majesty, all the counties are short of capable officials. This is mainly because there is no law school in the county school. Your Majesty can order all the counties to attach importance to the law school, recruit people from the common people who can read and write, and teach them carefully. These people will be regarded as your disciples in the future. If Your Majesty wants to govern Dingzhou, all the officials in this state will help you. How can it not be accomplished?"

Gao Yanzong only heard the words "disciple" and "helper". He asked excitedly: "Can I make everyone in and outside the county become my people?"

"good."

"Lu"

Gao Yanzong just opened his mouth, but realized that his right-hand man was not there. He looked at Liu Taozi helplessly, "Brother, can you write an order for me? I am not good at it."

“It’s okay to let capable people do their job, but you can’t be completely ignorant.”

"Write it yourself."

"Oh"

Anping County School.

Several lecturers were standing at the door, wiping the sweat from their foreheads, and were extremely anxious.

The older lecturer had a sad face. "Why did this mandrill choose to go to our county to study?"

"Mr. Liu!" A younger assistant teacher grabbed his hand, tears in his eyes, "I beg you, please let me go."

He couldn't finish his sentence before he couldn't help crying again.

Seeing his appearance, the old lecturer flew into a rage, "Do you want me to go greet him alone?"

He looked at the people around him, "I tell you, you can leave anytime you want, I won't stop you. But if someone feels that you are disrespectful and wants to investigate thoroughly, I won't stop him either!! I don't have the ability to stop him!"

Hearing this, the sobbing became more intense.

The old lecturer sighed, "Blessings and disasters may come one after another. At this point, we can only leave it to fate."

After what happened to the first and second branches of the Cui family, Liu Taozi became famous, especially among the scholars. The whole Boling, and even the whole Dingzhou, knew that there was such a man-eating baboon. The influence of the Cui family was already huge, so it was only a matter of time before this matter spread throughout the world.

Liu Taozi's behavior frightened these kind-hearted scholars. When they learned that Liu Taozi was coming to visit the county school, there was a burst of ghost howling.

They didn't know what a county lieutenant came to the county school for, but they knew what the county lieutenant had done.

Everyone was waiting anxiously at the door. When Liu Taozi and his companions appeared in the distance on war horses, they hurriedly wiped away their tears. The old lecturer forced a smile and quickly stepped forward.

"Greetings, Mr. Liu!"

They all walked together to pay their respects, in an orderly and impressive manner.

Liu Taozi didn't even get off the horse, but just nodded coldly at them, and these people didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction.

The old lecturer came forward with a big smile on his face, "I have heard of Mr. Liu's great name for a long time. It is our honor to meet you today. It is also a great honor for the county government that you can come to the county school. I am really..."

"No need to be polite."

Liu Taozi rudely interrupted the old lecturer's courtesy and then rode his horse towards the county school. The old lecturer was still smiling. He signaled to everyone and everyone followed Liu Taozi. The old lecturer chattered endlessly explaining the situation in the county school to Liu Taozi.

Anping County School covers a very large area, no smaller than Cheng'an County School.

After walking through the door, you will see the wide road, which is wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side. There are green plants on both sides, but they are all withered at this moment. The pavilions and houses in the distance are hidden among the rockery and tall trees. If it were summer or autumn, it should be very spiritual. Before Liu Taozi got close, he heard the neat chanting sound coming from the Confucian classics room in the distance. They were reading classics.

The old lecturer hurriedly said: "This is the Confucian Studies Room."

"Where is the law room?"

"what??"

The old lecturer's eyes widened. He looked around hesitantly, "Yes, yes."

A man came out and said, "It's over there."

Liu Taozi immediately rode his horse at full speed in that direction, and everyone ran after him. The old lecturer couldn't run any further, so he pushed the young man next to him and said, "Hurry up and follow him, shouting 'Mr. Liu!'"

The young man shouted all the way and ran wildly behind Liu Taozi and others.

Finally, they arrived outside a dilapidated courtyard.

The roads everywhere are flat and wide, except for this place. The outside is covered with vegetation, the courtyard walls are dirty, and you can even see stains on the walls. The strong and pungent smell can be easily smelled even in the cold winter, let alone in summer and autumn.

Liu Taozi looked at Yao Xiong. Yao Xiong dismounted from his horse, walked forward, and pushed open the door in front of him.

The courtyard was even dirtier and messier.

At this moment, there were seven or eight scholars, wearing thin clothes and skinny, standing at the door looking at Yao Xiong.

They all heard the noise outside and came out to check.

These people had dull eyes and almost blended into this dirty environment.

But when Yao Xiong looked at them, his eyes were extremely complicated.

There is kindness, anger, reluctance, and relief, but there is no disgust.

He just walked in and said, "Liu Junwei is here to check the situation here, don't panic!"

Liu Taozi slowly got off the horse and walked quickly into the courtyard. The other lecturers also walked in, but they couldn't help covering their mouths and noses.

Liu Taozi saw the frozen leftovers on the ground, which had just been thrown on the ground and turned into lumps of ice.

He looked at the lecturers standing by and asked, "Is this how you usually feed them? Throwing food to them across the yard?"

The old lecturer was not there at the moment, so a younger one stammered, "Mr. Liu, this is all due to the negligence of the food officials."

Liu Taozi took out the sword, and although it was not unsheathed, it scared everyone around him so much that their faces turned pale and their bodies trembled.

Liu Taozi pointed the sword at the surroundings and said, "Refurbish all of these. As a lecturer, you must treat everyone equally and not treat the Law School unfairly."

Several lecturers hurriedly saluted again, "Yes!!!"

Yao Xiong faced the students, raised his voice, and shouted loudly: "The governor attaches great importance to the Law School. If you are wronged in the future, come to my county lieutenant. My county lieutenant's surname is Liu, and his name is Taozi! As long as you say his name, no one will dare to embarrass you! Do you understand?!"

The students looked at him blankly and nodded slowly, they hadn't reacted yet.

Liu Taozi led his people away from here soon after. Several lecturers stood at the door, still with their heads down, to see them off.

It was not until Liu Taozi walked away that those people collapsed to the ground, feeling so frightened that they were completely powerless.

Yao Xiong followed behind Liu Taozi, still with some emotion on his face.

"Thinking back, we were all the same as those people, suffering humiliation but unable to vent. If we hadn't met my brother, I'm afraid we wouldn't be alive today. Even if we were alive, we would still be like slaves."

The streets were extremely empty, and the roads became particularly dark after the ice and snow melted. A county official was shouting along the street.

"Those who are granted land in name but not in reality can report to the county government!!!"

"Those who are granted land in name but not in reality can report to the county government!!!"

The county official spoke very loudly. After he left, a few people occasionally stuck their heads out, looked at the county official in surprise, and then whispered about something.

When the county official saw Liu Taozi and others, he quickly made way and saluted hastily.

The people closed their doors.

Yao Xiong grinned and said, "Fortunately we started early, so we can catch up with the spring planting."

They just left the city like this. At the city gate, the county official had already taken office. The people coming in and out were all extremely surprised at this moment.

In winter, especially such a cold winter as this one, people rarely go out and have little idea of ​​what is happening outside.

As the weather warmed up, people began to leave the city. This time, when they went out, they were very surprised.

How come the whole Anping has become so different after just one winter?
A new group of county officials has been replaced, and the attitudes of these newcomers are quite good.

He also said that a thorough investigation should be conducted on the granting of land and mulberry fields, and that farmland should be distributed according to the system.

No matter what the incident was, it was so unbelievable. Rumors also spread that the Xianbei people had done something big, but no one knew the details.

Liu Taozi did not waste any time and led everyone to his own training ground.

The knights in the parade ground were still training with all their might. Liu Taozi dismounted, handed the Green Lion to Yao Xiong, walked in quickly, and met County Magistrate Zheng head-on.

County Magistrate Zheng hurriedly bowed and greeted him, then said with a smile: "Mr. Liu, I have already sent people to do what you ordered. This time I came to report to you."

"No need, you are the county magistrate."

"If you do well, you will be promoted. If you do not do well, you will be punished."

Liu Taozi's words disrupted County Magistrate Zheng's thoughts. He looked at Liu Taozi who was about to enter the tent and hurriedly caught up with him again.

"That's right. There are still some things."

"what's up?"

"Alas, the other branches of the Cui family have come to me and said they want to take the initiative to pay the taxes and land deeds."

"And the whereabouts of Mr. Cui. Cui Jishu is an important official in the court after all. What do you think?"

"Well, don't worry about this matter anymore, and cure Anping."

"only!!"

(End of this chapter)