Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 144 General Talent
The evil bird flapped its wings and searched for food on the ground with an unfriendly look.

It glided along the ground.

On one side was a stream that seemed to have no end. The water was rapid, turbid and majestic. The Lishui River roared, clenched its fists and rushed downstream.

On the right bank of the Lishui River, there are rows of tents neatly arranged on the shore. The noise coming from the camp on the right bank can almost cover up the boiling and restless Lishui River. On the high platforms around, there are heads hanging, which attract countless evil birds to linger.

Liu Taozi rode on a green lion and led everyone to inspect the many tents.

There were patrolling soldiers inside and outside the tent. When they saw Liu Taozi, they all bowed to greet him.

Liu Taozi nodded slightly.

After many days of rest, the Dingzhou soldiers could finally see the appearance of some soldiers. At the moment, the camp on the right bank still looked aggressive and intimidating just from the appearance.

Liu Taozi rode his horse all the way to the southernmost side of the camp.

This was a separate small camp. Liu Taozi rode his horse into it and the soldiers at the door hurriedly saluted.

It was extremely chaotic inside. I saw a group of people gathered around, and I didn't know what they were doing.

Yao Xiong roared: "Get out of the way!!!"

He whipped a few times with his whip, and the people in the front quickly dispersed, looking at Liu Taozi and others in horror.

Liu Taozi walked to the innermost part.

At the innermost part, two men were seen wrestling on the ground, punching each other and groaning, and no one dared to approach.

One of them was Tian Zilii, and the other one had the same beard as Kou Liu, so he was undoubtedly a Xianbei.

This man was the prefect of Changle County, named Qiu Linduo.

The two men wrestled together, swearing at each other.

Liu Taozi's face was calm as she watched this scene. Yao Xiong hurriedly jumped off his horse and quickly ran to their side. She saw him struggling to separate the two men and quickly hugged Qiu Linduo from behind.

"Don't fight anymore! Don't fight anymore!"

Qiu Linduo was held tightly by him. Tian Zili stood up suddenly and punched him hard in the face. Yao Xiong was horrified and said, "Hurry up and stop Tian Jun!"

Only then did a soldier slowly rush up and quickly stand between the two of them.

Yao Xiong let go of Qiu Linduo. Qiu Linduo looked at him suddenly and wanted to curse, but when he saw Liu Taozi next to him, he forced himself to hold it back.

"Greetings, General!!"

The two men stepped forward and saluted at the same time.

Liu Taozi was riding a warhorse. He was already tall, but now he looked like a small mountain. Looking down at him, it was hard to breathe.

"What happened?"

Tian Zili's face was full of anger. He has always been good at socializing and has a good relationship with everyone. It is rare to see him so angry.

He said, "General!! This guy withheld the food and grass for the soldiers in Changle County. Chu Jiande said that the casualties in Changle County were the most serious. I thought they were suffering from acclimatization problems, so I asked Jiande to give them some herbs. I was going to mix them with porridge today and distribute them to the soldiers in Changle County. Now I know what's going on, General. Please take a look!!"

Tian Zili pointed at the big pots in the distance and asked someone to bring one of them to Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi looked down and saw that there was only water in the big pot.

That’s right, it’s water. Not even a grain of rice can be seen.

Tian Zili gnashed his teeth and said, "We have distributed enough food, why do you want to starve the soldiers to death?"

Qiu Linduo didn't care. He looked up at Liu Taozi and said, "General, I am distributing military rations according to the system of the Great Qi Dynasty. These are Han people, not real soldiers. According to the regulations, they should be given one stone of millet for every hundred men."

Liu Taozi looked at the many county soldiers around him. They looked dull and timid. They stood there like bamboo poles, without any flesh on their bodies. The weapons in their hands just drooped on the ground. They stood there, staring blankly at everything happening before their eyes, but it seemed that all this had nothing to do with them. They just watched like passers-by.

Liu Taozi looked at Qiu Linduo again.

"Didn't you hear my orders?"

"heard it."

"The food I gave you is not enough?"

"enough."

"Take him out and chop him up."

Qiu Linduo was shocked. He quickly said, "General! I am following the rules! General!!"

But before he could finish his words, Yao Xiong led his men to rush over and pinned him to the ground. Qiu Linduo shouted, "General! I am only following the rules! What crime have I committed?!"

"If you didn't know my military orders and acted according to the system, I wouldn't blame you. But since you knew my military orders and still used the system as an excuse to withhold food, this is your crime."

The soldiers dragged Qiu Linduo out. Seeing that the situation was not right, Qiu Linduo became furious and shouted, "Liu Taozi!! You are just a temporary General Hufen! In terms of official position, you and I are at the same level!! Naigong is a minister of the emperor, what qualifications do you have to kill me?!"

He looked at the many county soldiers on his left and right, "Changle soldiers! Listen to my command! Capture these people!!"

The Changle soldiers were still standing where they were, staring blankly at the scene in front of them, without making any movement at all.

Qiu Linduo fought desperately, but he couldn't escape at all and was taken away. A moment later, a scream was heard from outside, and Yao Xiong ran in quickly with his head in his hand.

"Brother, he has been beheaded."

"Okay, take his head with you and immediately announce to all the camps that if there are any more generals who withhold food and fodder, or torture and kill soldiers, they will be beheaded!!"

"only!!!"

Yao Xiong rushed out of here quickly with his head in his hand. Liu Taozi looked at the Changle Camp in front of him, pondered for a moment, and then said to Tian Zili: "I will lead this camp myself. I will exchange positions with the Zhending soldiers. From now on, I will train with the Boling soldiers and they will be under my jurisdiction."

"only."

"Also, go ask the king for a military order. The beheading order was given to Qiulinduo."

"only."

"Array!!"

Liu Taozi, holding the Huating sword and wearing armor, walked in front of the soldiers. The soldiers of Changle County were now lined up in front of him and performed various actions according to his commands.

"go ahead!!"

The Changle soldiers moved forward quickly, but after only walking a certain distance, their formation broke down and the entire army fell into chaos.

"stop!!"

Liu Taozi drilled them again and again until they were too tired to get up. Then he said, "You did a good job today. I will reward Changle's soldiers with 15 sheep!!"

At this moment, those Changle soldiers who were too tired to stand up suddenly found strength from nowhere and stood up one by one, looking around. Where were the sheep?

Soon, military officers came here with carts and began to distribute meat porridge according to counties. Looking at the pieces of meat, there was a commotion in the Changle barracks, and the soldiers shouted loudly. It seemed that the dead people came back to life in an instant, their eyes brightened instantly. Under the supervision of the Boling soldiers, they formed a neat formation and began to eat the meat in batches.

Seeing many soldiers squatting on the ground and wolfing down their food, Liu Taozi continued, "We will continue the training tomorrow!!"

The Changle soldiers no longer had any resistance in their hearts. Their faces were filled with joy, and some even started shouting.

Yao Xiong looked at them eating meat with a look of heartache.

"Brother, this is food for our Boling soldiers. Are we just going to share it with them?"

"These people are just captured farmers. They will not belong to us in the future. Why should we train them and give them meat?"

“What a waste.”

Liu Taozi frowned, "As General Hu Fen, I assist the commander-in-chief in supervising the entire army. Could it be that the only soldiers under my command are the Boling soldiers?!"

"But isn't this general position temporary?"

"Xiong, remember, no matter whether it is temporary or permanent, no matter what position you are in, you must do your job well and do your best."

Yao Xiong trembled, and then bowed to Liu Taozi, "I will teach you!"

Liu Taozi looked at the Changle soldiers in front of him and said, "We can set up a competition in the future and let the soldiers from the other four counties compete in formation, marching and other things. The best ones will be rewarded and the worst ones will be punished. We need to restore the morale of this army as soon as possible so that it can fight."

"only!!"

Under Liu Taozi's military order, soldiers from the five counties began training. This time, the state brought out enough food. In recent times, the entire Dingzhou has been very prosperous and has no shortage of food. Liu Taozi increased the rations of the camps and began large-scale training and competitions. The winners of the competitions would be rewarded, and this reward not only included the generals, but also ordinary soldiers.

The entire Lishui South Camp was engaged in intense training.

Sparse weeds grew on the ground. Looking into the distance, one could see gray and emerald green alternating. The weeds did not embellish the gray and white earth, but instead made the ground look even more desolate.

The carriage passed through the road, startling the evil birds that were pecking at the food.

The rotting corpse leaned against a withered tree. Flocks of evil birds fluttered their wings and pecked at it. The corpse sat there with its hands folded over its chest and its head drooped. Insects and ants reveled around the corpse, and the weeds here were the most abundant.

The knights gathered around the carriage, looked at the bird pecking at food in the distance, blew a whistle with interest, and then laughed.

After walking for a long time, they finally reached their destination.

A man holding a longbow led the knights to stop them.

"Who are you?!"

The nobleman walked out of the carriage, looked at the many knights blocking the road in front of him, and said with a smile: "I am here to convey the imperial edict. Who are you?"

"I am a scout and bandit supervisor under General Hu Fen! Do you have a token of verification?"

"Yes, please check it."

The nobleman looked at Kou Liu's face and was quite polite to him.

This nobleman had a bulging belly and looked kind and gentle, but Kou Liu could tell from his appearance that he was definitely not a Han Chinese, nor did he seem to be a Xianbei, but should be a Khitan.

Kou Liu checked their identities and then hurriedly saluted, "I will send someone to report, please follow me."

Led by Kou Liu, the carriage slowly moved towards the camp. As soon as they approached, they could hear bursts of shouts and screams coming from inside.

This is full of energy and extraordinary momentum.

The nobleman was stunned for a few moments.

When they arrived at the main gate of the camp, Gao Yanzong led Liu Taozi and others, who had already been waiting there.

Ever since the last incident, Gao Yanzong had been wary of angels. At this moment, he was dressed in armor and looked murderous. The nobleman did not hold his seal, so he paid his respects to Gao Yanzong first.

"Yidi Xian'an, I meet the king!!"

Gao Yanzong looked at him and asked, "Whose edict have you come here on?"

"Of course, it is by order of your majesty."

"How is King Changshan now?"

"The Prince of Changshan has been promoted to the position of Grand Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the military forces at home and abroad, and Recorder of the Secretariat."

Gao Yanzong smiled, "So it's done?"

Di Xian'an also smiled and nodded, "It really worked."

Gao Yanzong was overjoyed and laughed out loud with his head raised.

"Okay, okay, please follow me!"

Gao Yanzong then asked Liu Taozi to lift the alert state, personally took Di Xian'an's hand and led him into the camp. When he entered the camp, Di Xian'an was a little surprised. He saw armored soldiers patrolling on both sides, and in many places he could see soldiers training hard with great momentum.

Di Xian'an couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty is truly a talented general!!"

"The soldiers from these counties have always been weak. I never thought that they would be so brave in the hands of the king! This is truly unheard of!"

Gao Yanzong raised his head proudly and glanced at Liu Taozi again, "Hahaha, it's just that he knows a little bit about how to train soldiers!"

Di Xian'an was very concerned, "I wonder how often does the king practice? What kind of military formation does he use?"

Gao Yanzong was stunned for a moment. He looked at Liu Taozi awkwardly, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

"Ah, I'd better tell you the truth. This is not something I learned. It was General Hu Fen who learned it. I felt it was too boring to stay here, so I took people out hunting. All matters in the military camp were handed over to General Hu Fen to manage."

Di Xian'an was still smiling, "Your Majesty is honest. People as honest as your Majesty are becoming increasingly difficult to find nowadays."

Gao Yanzong was even happier. He led Di Xian'an to his main tent and ordered a grand banquet to entertain the guests.

Di Xian'an sat on Gao Yanzong's left, while Liu Taozi and others sat on his right.

Gao Yanzong exchanged some pleasantries with Di Xian'an before asking, "Are you here to issue an imperial decree for me to return to Zhending?"

Di Xian'an took out the imperial edict and handed it directly to Gao Yanzong.

"Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the imperial edict issued by His Majesty himself after Your Majesty commended you for your merits. It praises your loyalty to the country and your devotion to the king. You are promoted to General of the Auxiliary Army. Please leave immediately and go to Jinyang to meet His Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager there to discuss important matters."

Gao Yanzong was overjoyed. He took the imperial edict and read it word by word.

Suddenly, he came to his senses and looked at Di Xian'an, "Am I the only one who got the reward? What about my subordinates?"

Di Xian'an then smiled and looked at Liu Taozi, "The Prime Minister will never forget his meritorious officials."

He took out another letter from his bosom. Gao Yanzong stretched out his hand to take it, but Di Xian'an raised his hand and dodged it.

He looked at Gao Yanzong with a half-smile, "Your Majesty, this is an order from the Prime Minister, not an imperial decree."

Gao Yanzong smiled and said, "I'm just curious."

Di Xian'an stood up solemnly, picked up the order and read it out to Liu Taozi.

"I have specially ordered General Hufen Liu Taozi to take charge of Dingzhou affairs, thoroughly investigate the remnants of Yang's party, stabilize the area, eradicate the traitors inside and outside, and resume spring planting."

Liu Taozi accepted the order, "Thank you, Prime Minister."

Di Xian'an then held Liu Taozi's hand affectionately and said, "The Prime Minister thinks highly of you. He once pointed at your name and said to me: This is the best talent in our family!"

"The governor is going to Jinyang this time, so Dingzhou will be handed over to you for the time being. The Prime Minister asked me to tell you: I have been ordered to execute the thieves."

Liu Taozi lowered her head, "Yes."

Gao Yanzong couldn't help but ask, "Temporarily taking charge of Dingzhou? There's no promotion for that, right?"

Di Xian'an laughed, "I joined General Hu Fen, does this not count?"

"This is from my watch!"

"The Grand Chancellor agreed."

Gao Yanzong was unable to refute immediately. After Di Xian'an took his seat, he carefully came to Liu Taozi's side and whispered to him, "Don't worry, brother. The Prime Minister is not a stingy person. It must be a villain who framed you and prevented you from being promoted. This time when I go to Jinyang, I will definitely ask for an official position for you. What General Hufen? If you want to be a general, you should be a general of chariots and cavalry!!"

Di Xian'an, who was drinking not far away, felt his hands tremble, but he shook his head and smiled bitterly without saying anything.

Di Xian'an came in a hurry and left in the same hurry. He wanted to take Gao Yanzong with him to Jinyang and did not even give Gao Yanzong a chance to return to Zhending to pack up his things.

Gao Yanzong rode his war horse to the outside of the camp, and many officials came to see him off.

Gao Yanzong looked at Liu Taozi in front of him with a look of reluctance.

He suddenly jumped off his horse, walked quickly to Liu Taozi and saluted him.

He looked up, his face sincere.

"Brother, apart from my uncle, I have never been submissive to anyone since I was a child. Only you have helped me grow a lot."

"I used to be naughty and thought I was brave and wise, but I did a lot of wrong things. I have followed you for a long time and I know what is right and wrong. I will never do such stupid things again and I will never forget your teachings."

"I am going back to Jinyang this time. When I come back, I am afraid that my brother has already been transferred to another place to serve as an official. If we can meet again, I will definitely make my brother look at me with new eyes!!"

He saluted, then climbed onto his warhorse, waved the whip in his hand, and galloped away with his many followers.

Liu Taozi stood there and watched them leave calmly.

When Liu Taozi turned around and looked at everyone, the many officials and generals who stayed behind all had smiles on their faces. No one dared to straighten their backs. They also heard the prime minister's order.

This was clearly a signal for Liu Taozi to kill everyone in Dingzhou.

"Let's go back and rest today, and set off tomorrow!"

"only!!"

Everyone hurried back to their respective camps. Only Liu Taozi's minions were left by his side. Yao Xiong grinned foolishly, "Now the general is no longer temporary! Great! He's a real general!"

Tian Zili frowned, "No, the miscellaneous general is still temporary, it's just appointed by the imperial court. This is to tell my brother not to rush to dismiss the Dingzhou soldiers, kill them first. It seems that there will be new appointments after the spring planting."

"Then go back and kill them!"

"It just so happens that many of those who participated in the rebellion before are from local big families. I think they can all be killed!"

Liu Taozi said sternly, "I'm not asking you to kill all the people in Dingzhou just to take charge of local affairs."

"After weeds, it's time to till the land."

(End of this chapter)