Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 142: Great things done by Mr. Liu

"what!!"

As Yan Zifei's head fell to the ground, screams suddenly rang out in the lobby.

Lu Zhuangzhi looked at the head that rolled in front of him in astonishment, his eyes wide open, staring intently, his whole body extremely stiff, unable to speak.

Feng Xun reacted first. He raised his head and looked at the person wielding the knife.

The swordsman held the blade in a decapitation posture.

The next moment, he quickly put away the knife, his movements were quick and smooth.

The man was none other than the armored soldier from the Warrior Camp who came with Yan Zifei. Almost all of them wore masks, and it was difficult to tell who was who. But after he drew his sword, the other warriors pointed their weapons at everyone present.

Liu Taozi sat there. Even though he encountered such a situation, his expression remained the same without any change.

But everyone around him was stunned at this moment.

Gao Yanzong opened his eyes wide, Yao Xiong opened his mouth wide, and Kou Liu was stunned.

Where have these people ever seen such a scene?

This angel holds a scepter, which represents the identity of the emperor. Beheading him with one sword is not just killing the angel, it's killing the emperor.

As everyone looked stunned, Feng Xun recovered first and said, "Treason. Treason."

Lu Zhuangzhi raised his head stiffly, his throat rolling up and down, "What are you doing? You hit the wrong person, you hit the wrong person!"

Liu Taozhi looked at the head on the ground coldly, kicked Yan Zifei's body away, and then took out an imperial edict from his arms.

"Your Majesty has an order!!"

At this moment, everyone present stood up and knelt down before him.

Liu Taozhi read aloud: "Prime Minister Yang Yin and his followers are abusing their power and causing chaos. They are disrespectful to Your Majesty and persecuting loyal and good people. They deserve to be killed!!"

"I hereby order King Ande Yanzong to lead the Right Guard General and the Dingzhou Army to immediately enter the Lishui Camp and await the imperial order!!"

"Anyone who disobeys in the state will be treated as a traitor to Yang Yin and executed! Execute first and report later!!"

After Liu Taozhi finished reading, she handed the imperial edict in her hand to Gao Yanzong in front of her.

Gao Yanzong stood up with a confused look on his face, took the imperial edict, read it over and over again, then he raised his head and laughed unscrupulously.

He held the imperial edict in his hand and slowly looked at everyone in the room. At this moment, Gao Yanzong's eyes flashed with ferocity.

Lu Zhuangzhi, Feng Xun and the others all looked pale at this moment.

Lu Zhuangzhi looked at the king in astonishment, "How could this be possible?"

Feng Xun realized what was happening, and he closed his eyes in despair.

The other scholars had different expressions on their faces. Some shouted, "Impossible, how could Yang Gong do this?! This is clearly a frame-up!"

"Pfft!"

Before he could finish his words, the spear pierced his abdomen. The warrior killed him cleanly and drew his weapon.

For a moment, the whole lobby was silent.

Gao Yanzong slowly walked in front of Lu Zhuangzhi with an extremely ugly expression.

"Since I took office, I have obeyed your orders and never humiliated you. Why would you betray me?!"

Lu Zhuangzhi shook his head. At this moment, he seemed to have completely lost his fear and became calmer than ever before. He raised his head and looked at Gao Yanzong, "It's a helpless act."

He began to explain: "My father is a world-renowned scholar who studied Mao's poems at Liu's house. I learned from him. If I don't step forward now, both father and son will be ruined."

Hearing this frank explanation, Gao Yanzong was stunned. He wanted to get angry but didn't know what to say. He looked at Feng Xun again, "What about you? After taking office, I entrusted all the important matters inside and outside the state to you and asked you to handle them. Everyone praised you and said you did a good job. You are not a poet, right? Why did you want to rebel?!"

Feng Xun looked at him calmly, "If I don't stand up, I will be colluding with the king, and the reputation I have built up over the years will be destroyed in an instant. This is a helpless move."

Gao Yanzong sneered, "Okay, okay, after all, it's all for fame!!"

"The voices of the common people who collect food outside the government office are too small to determine your reputation, but those who abuse their power can, right? If they praise you a few words, you will be considered as capable officials. For these, you can even die!"

"Okay, I'll help you guys!!"

Gao Yanzong suddenly looked at Liu Taozhi who was standing beside him and asked in a low voice: "I can kill the official now, right?"

Liu Taozhi nodded.

Gao Yanzong then said angrily: "Come here, take these two out and behead them!!"

Liu Taozi stood up slowly and looked at everyone present. "Your Majesty, the government and the country are in chaos right now. If we lead the troops out, the prefectures and counties will be empty. These people are all Yang's accomplices. If we let them off easily, they will definitely cause chaos after we leave."

Gao Yanzong was stunned and shouted again: "Come here, arrest these people and execute them!!"

There was a sudden cry in the lobby.

"My Lord! Please spare my life!"

“Your Majesty!! I came here by mistake!!”

"Liu Taozi!! You will die a horrible death!!"

Everyone roared, but it was of no use. The warriors began to capture them. In front of these elite soldiers, the scholars and nobles had almost no chance to fight back. They were captured and taken out one by one. Gao Yanzong looked at their different expressions and laughed triumphantly.

After a moment, the huge lobby was empty.

Only Gao Yanzong, the Warrior Battalion, and Liu Taozi's followers were left.

Gao Yanzong just reacted at this moment, he quickly looked at Liu Taozi, "Too many officials in this prefecture have died, won't there be any problems?"

Liu Taozi shook his head calmly. "It's a good thing for officials like them to die. Not all officials in the prefectures and counties are like them. Those who have not participated in the rebellion will govern the place well. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry."

Gao Yanzong rubbed his hands, and his fat face was full of excitement.

I can finally lead the troops to war, but I don’t know if I can fight a battle!
Gao Yanzong had been looking forward to this day for a long time. He looked at Liu Taozhi standing beside him and saw his strange mask. "Sir? Can this mask be taken off?"

Liu Taozhi bowed to Gao Yanzong and said, "Your Majesty, I am ugly and cannot take it off."

Gao Yanzong was stunned for a moment, "Oh, you are injured. That's fine, but your mask is quite intimidating. Can you give me one?"

"it is good."

"However, please send troops as soon as possible and make good deployments."

Gao Yanzong waved his hand and said, "Okay, I will send troops right away."

He glanced at Liu Taozi and suddenly asked, "Can I appoint my own deputy general?"

"can."

"Hahaha, that's great!"

Gao Yanzong suddenly put his hands on his waist and made a mighty gesture, "I order Liu Taozi, the lieutenant of Boling County, to be appointed as the general of the guard army!!"

The masked soldier shuddered, his voice not quite calm, "Your Majesty, you cannot appoint a military position higher than your own."

"Ah? Oh, it's higher?"

"Taller."

"Then let Liu Taozi be General Longxiang!!"

"Your Majesty."

"what happened again??"

"Military positions above the eighth rank must be appointed personally by the imperial court."

Gao Yanzong was helpless and pondered for a moment, "I order Liu Taozi to lead General Hu Fen!! As my deputy general, command the Dingzhou troops!!"

Liu Taozi stepped forward, "I obey your orders!"

This time, the masked soldier was speechless. He took a few steps back, pretending that he saw and heard nothing.

Gao Yanzong could not wait any longer. He hurriedly asked someone to bring him a book and a pen, filled out the form quickly, and then stamped it with his own seal, as if he was afraid that the soldier would come to stop him.

"Alright, brother. General Liu!! Please send someone to inform the five county lieutenants now! Have them lead the troops from each county and come to the outer training ground of Zhending!!"

"You are late and have delayed military operations. You will be punished by military law!!"

"only!!"

Liu Taozi led people away in a hurry, but Gao Yanzong stayed there excitedly.

Yao Xiong, Kou Liu and others followed behind him. As soon as they came out, Yao Xiong couldn't help but said, "Brother! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"Now it's the general!"

Kou Liu had a stern face, with some sadness in his brows, "Prime Minister Yang is actually quite good."

Yao Xiong glared at him. "Very good? Don't forget, he just sent people to kill us! Whose side are you on?"

Just as they were walking out, two warriors suddenly stopped them.

The leader looked at Liu Taozi, looked at his face, and was stunned for a long time before saying, "Sir, my general asks you to stay. He has something to discuss with you."

Liu Taozi looked at Yao Xiong and the others, "You guys go ahead and do it, don't wait for me."

"only!!"

Liu Taozi was taken to an ordinary house next door.

This is a courtyard used by the state to accommodate distinguished guests. It is quite luxurious, but now it is empty. Two soldiers are guarding the door. Liu Taozi stands in the courtyard, looking around.

"Mr. Liu has done a great thing!" Suddenly a familiar voice came from outside the door.

The masked soldier strode into the yard. He looked back at the two soldiers, and the soldiers hurriedly closed the door.

There were only two of them left in the yard.

Liu Taozhi took off his mask. His beard had grown a lot, making him look even more rugged. He slowly walked to Liu Taozi's side, paced back and forth around him, looking him up and down.

Liu Taozi still looked straight ahead.

"Is mother okay?"

"it is good."

"Is Xiao Wu okay?"

"not dead."

Liu Taozhi sneered, "Don't worry about them, let's talk about you first. Look at what you did. In Cheng'an County, Liyang County, and Dingzhou, you killed so many people that blood flowed like a river. What Lu Zhuangzhi said was right. He was tyrannical, cruel, and cold-blooded!"

"This time, if King Ping Qin hadn't intervened, what would you have done? Kill the officials and rebel?"

Liu Taozi said calmly, "It is still unknown."

Liu Taozhi was furious, his face flushed, his eyes full of murderous intent, he grabbed Taozi's collar, "I hate you the most when you look like this!! Do you think you are so powerful?"

"You are just lucky. If it weren't for the chaos in the government, someone like you would have been chopped up and fed to the fish long ago!!!"

Liu Taozi raised her head, with the same expression on her face.

Liu Taozhi was even more furious. "How could I have taught you such a thing? You don't know the etiquette between father and son, you don't have any manners between monarch and minister, you have no father or monarch, you are lawless and you only know how to cause trouble for me."

A ferocity finally flashed in Liu Taozi's eyes, and he pulled Liu Taozhi's hand away.

“I am different from you”

"Even if I'm going to be chopped into pieces, I'm going to open my mouth and take a big bite!!"

"I!!"

Liu Taozhi immediately punched him.

Outside the door, the soldiers heard the sounds of fierce fighting, rolling, and flying dust coming from inside, but they did not even dare to turn their heads, but just stared straight ahead. For some reason, these originally ferocious soldiers suddenly became timid and well-behaved.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Taozhi pushed open the door. He had a mask on his face. He called two people and walked quickly towards the distance.

Afterwards, Liu Taozi also walked out of the door. There was no visible scar on his body and he looked safe and sound.

Liu Taozhi led the soldiers away quickly. His mission was simple, which was to convey the imperial edict and kill Yan Zifei. After that, he could return to Yecheng.

Riding on a horse, Liu Taozhi said nothing, but her hands holding the reins trembled slightly.

He lowered his head and murmured in a low voice: "This guy is getting stronger and stronger."

Zhending is now on city-wide alert and citizens are not allowed to go out.

Armies from all directions gathered here, ready to set off together.

General Hu Fen Liu Taozi was in charge of the placement of troops in various counties. The large parade ground outside Zhending was obviously unable to accommodate an army of this size, so it could only be temporarily expanded around it.

Gao Yanzong was wearing armor, riding a tall horse, standing on a high slope, staring at the parade ground below. There were crowds of people inside and outside the parade ground, and it was extremely lively.

Liu Taozi was standing next to him.

"Brother!"

Gao Yanzong raised his whip proudly and pointed at the training ground in the distance, "With these people, can we capture Yecheng?"

"No."

Liu Taozi didn't give him any face. He said, "Except for the king's personal entourage and the soldiers from Boling County, the rest of the troops are vulnerable. Ten percent of them were scattered when they marched here, and the rest were in chaos after they arrived."

Liu Taozi also pointed inside the parade ground and asked Gao Yanzong to follow her.

Sure enough, there was chaos in the parade ground at this moment. A large number of troops gathered together, and it was impossible to tell who belonged to whom. The county lieutenants were yelling and sweating in anxiety, but they could not find where their soldiers were.

Some soldiers bumped into each other a few times and then started to fight.

Some soldiers were secretly climbing over the wall to escape.

Gao Yanzong's smug look suddenly disappeared. He was a little disappointed. "With these people, can they fight against Yang Yin's army?"

Liu Taozi said calmly: "There will be no fighting."

"Why?"

"Because Lord Yang has no troops under his command."

"Then why do we have to stay on the front line?"

"Just in case something unexpected happens."

"So cautious?"

"So cautious."

Gao Yanzong was greatly disappointed. He thought he could finally fight a real battle, but who could have thought that in the end it was just a pretense. It turned out that he was just taking his men there to take a look and would go back after the people in Yecheng had finished their business?

He took off his helmet, sighed, and looked at Liu Taozi dejectedly.

"Brother, I'll leave these people to you. I'm going to go back and rest. Call me when you're ready to go."

"only."

Liu Taozi did not try to persuade Gao Yanzong any further. Gao Yanzong turned and left, but Liu Taozi rode his horse and galloped towards the parade ground below.

When Liu Taozi rushed to the entrance of the training ground, Yao Xiong hurried forward. Yao Xiong looked particularly haggard and sweating profusely. He looked at Liu Taozi guiltily, lowered his head, and dared not say a word.

At this moment, the outside of the parade ground was already filled with Liu Taozi's Boling soldiers.

These people were divided into groups of ten and stood at the entrances and exits inside and outside the parade grounds, as well as on the watchtowers.

The county soldier who was trying to escape over the wall had already been shot dead by them.

Liu Taozi looked at the chaotic scene in front of him and shouted, "Shut up!!!"

Liu Taozi's voice was so loud that it seemed to echo in the parade grounds, but it was not loud enough for the soldiers from several counties to hear. Then, the Boling soldiers stationed in various directions raised their spears and shouted loudly: "Silence!!"

"Silence!!"

"Silence!!"

When the Boling soldiers roared, the entire parade ground suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked around in fear, looking at these murderous Boling soldiers. They retreated one after another, bumped into each other, and dared not make a sound.

The faces of those county lieutenants were also filled with bitterness at this moment.

Look at these Boling soldiers, and then look at our own army. No wonder they can be generals.

The soldiers of Boling stopped shouting. Liu Taozi, riding on the Green Lion, looked at the many soldiers in front of him and said, "Julu soldiers! Leave the training ground!!"

The soldiers of Boling shouted again: "Soldiers of Julu! Leave the training ground!!"

Julu Wei rode out hesitantly and came to the side of Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi motioned him to pick up the flag. Julu Wei understood what he meant. Judging from the guy's attire, he was a Xianbei man. He held the flag high and stood outside the parade ground. Some people came out from the soldiers one after another.

Liu Taozi urged again.

The soldiers quickened their pace, and soon another group of people gathered outside the parade ground.

Liu Taozi looked at Julu Wei, "You will lead the troops to the left side of the parade ground, set up guards, and count the number of people!!"

"only!!"

The Julu Wei hurriedly led his men there.

"Changle soldiers! Leave the training ground!"

Liu Taozi called out the noisy soldiers in the parade ground in batches and deployed them to different areas, setting up guards between them and prohibiting them from entering or leaving.

In the end, only the Changshan soldiers were left in the parade ground.

Everyone counted the number of people, and the county lieutenants came to report with sweat on their foreheads.

"General, I am short of thirty men."

"General, I am short of sixty-three men."

"I am short of one hundred and thirty men."

"General."

Changshan Wei came last. He wiped his forehead and said, "I have an extra 180 men under my command."

After verifying their identities, they finally found those people. The county soldiers were also confused. They had no idea where they belonged. Several of them cried and begged for mercy, "My lord! We were just about to go to farm when we were arrested and brought here. We don't know anything."

Liu Taozi didn't say much. After settling everyone down, he asked someone to prepare meals and started to rest.

Yao Xiong finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the chaotic training ground finally become clear.

He saluted towards Liu Taozi and said, "Brother, this is all my fault. I thought I could just arrange a place for them in the training grounds, but I didn't expect it to be so chaotic."

"No problem."

"I didn't know that before either."

(End of this chapter)