Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 154 Both jade and stone are destroyed
Wuchuan.

The dull drumbeat sounded again.

Heba Cheng stood in the parade ground, wearing armor and with a solemn expression. Behind him were armored soldiers holding large flags, looking very majestic.

Liu Taozi stood behind Heba Chenglue, staring at the many knights below.

The army gathered in large numbers, and the entire parade ground was packed.

Heba Cheng took a deep breath and said loudly: "The commander of Huaishuo has disobeyed military orders and has evil intentions! I will lead the troops to attack him now!!"

As soon as he said this, there was an uproar in the training ground.

Liu Chengcai was stunned for a moment and asked, "Who did he just say he was going to beat?"

"Huai Shuo."

"Damn, there is such a good thing?!"

In a moment, all the Wuchuan soldiers became excited. The Wuchuan soldiers and the Huaishuo soldiers had loved each other for a long time, and this friendship could even be traced back to before the founding of the Great Qi. These military households were passed down from generation to generation, and what was inherited was not only armor and horses, but also the love for each other. People like Liu Chengcai grew up listening to his father insulting the Huaishuo soldiers.

The situation between them has been constantly changing over the years. Sometimes Huaishuo has the upper hand, sometimes Wuchuan has the upper hand. The situation is constantly changing, and the only thing that has not changed is the unclear relationship between neighbors.

Although both sides are regarded as one border town people in the Central Plains, their internal relationship is extremely complicated. If there is an external enemy attacking, they are naturally one, but if there is no external enemy, then they are each other's external enemies.

Seeing the Wuchuan soldiers suddenly getting angry, Heba Cheng hesitated again. But before he could say anything, Liu Taozi stepped forward and said, "Get ready! Send troops to Huaishuo!"

"only!!!"

The crowd chanted.

Heba Cheng was helpless. At this moment, it was too late for him to regret.

Heba Cheng was very afraid that he would cause a real rebellion in Huaishuo. If he caused another rebellion in the border town, ten of his heads would be enough for the government to chop off.

But if what Liu Taozi said was true, if he, as the general, could not mobilize the army, when the prime minister came, it would be a small matter of losing face, but it would be a big matter of implicating his uncle.

There are disasters on both sides, so it’s better to trust Peach!
If it works, I will be a real general in the future. When the prime minister comes, I can follow him to fight the bandits and everything will go smoothly from then on. If it doesn't work, I will commit suicide to apologize.
Heba Cheng was in deep thought, but Liu Taozi had already begun preparing to send troops.

Two days had passed, but Huaishuo had not sent anyone.

This place is not far from Huaishuo, and especially with this terrain, it is very convenient for cavalry to travel back and forth. This is already a deliberate disregard of military orders, which is a very serious crime.

Huaishuo.

"Are you really going to let your family members participate?"

“Isn’t this something?”

"It's something we both agreed to, why bother talking about it? Besides, this can also be considered as military training."

The Huaishuo garrison commander laughed, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes. A group of people stood at the edge of the parade ground, looking at the slaves who were forced to fight on the platform, still a little hesitant.

"The reduction in the number of military households must be reported to the imperial court. Moreover, these people are related to each other. If they cause a major chaos, we will not be able to suppress it!"

The garrison commander waved his hand and said, "We need to report the reduction in personnel, but people will die during this exercise, right? We have quotas, so what are we afraid of?"

"Besides, we never forced them. They did this of their own accord."

Seeing that some people were still hesitant, the garrison commander smiled and asked in a low voice: "If someone unfortunately dies in battle, do we have to take care of their families?"

"Brother, even if we agree, there are still Liu Datou and his men. They will definitely instigate the military households to rebel, which will cause a big disaster. I think we should just forget it. We have a lot to eat right now, so why take the risk?"

Seeing the fearful looks on the faces of his trusted followers, the deputy garrison commander was extremely angry.

"If I say it's done, it's done!"

"Let those who are capable rebel. I want to see who dares?"

Seeing him like this, the other confidants dared not say anything more.

Several slaves in the distance had already decided the winner. The winner was forced to cut off the head of the loser and hold it high up, crying loudly.

The soldiers standing by the stands were cursing and swearing. Some of them took out money and threw it to the people in front of them, while others started fighting with the people next to them.

The garrison commander didn't care much about this, and just ordered, "Go and call Old Man Yan over."

The confidants looked at each other, revealing an expression that said, "It is true." Some of them turned and left.

The training ground was still extremely hot.

These fierce Hu people enjoyed watching cruel killings and set up gambling games for them. The stakes ranged from money to horses, armor, and even women.

The deputy garrison commander couldn't help but grinning as he watched the scene in front of him.

A moment later, a man brought a white-haired old man to the garrison commander.

The old man was quite tough, with a dark complexion and bright eyes. Scars extended from his face to his body. He was thin and hard.

He stood in front of the garrison commander and saluted casually.

"Lord Lou."

Lord Lou looked him up and down, "Is there enough food at home?"

The old man snorted coldly, "Thank you for your concern, Lord. That's enough."

Lord Lou Shu laughed, "Why are you being so stubborn? I know your family situation much better than you do. Right now, there is a good opportunity."

Lord Lou Shu pointed to the high platform in the distance.

"Look, I'm going to use this to train my troops."

"Troop training?"

The old man laughed out loud, "Lord Lou Shu actually knows how to train soldiers?"

Lord Lou's face darkened, "If you can win, I will reward you with 10 stones of grain."

"If you can't win, you'll die."

The old man frowned and shook his head slowly, his face full of regret, "It's a pity that your father was so brave and always led the way in battle. He was my best friend, but he gave birth to a son like you. I can't rest in peace."

Lord Lou almost jumped up, "Don't act like a big shot here, you are just a slave of my father, who was lucky enough to be born into a military family, and you dare to be so rude to me?!"

He suppressed his anger and said grimly: "You have no male in your family. Without males, you can't get food. This is a good opportunity for you. Of course, you are old, so I can give you a chance."

"If you marry Yan Niang to me, I will be your grandson-in-law. Even if you have a boy, you won't have to work so hard. How do you think?"

The old man laughed and said, "Go ask your father. If your father agrees, I will agree."

Lord Lou Shu rushed forward and grabbed the old man by the collar.

Several soldiers around immediately looked over here. Lord Lou reluctantly let go of his hand and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, then you figure it out yourself. I'll agree before you starve to death. If not, come to me to participate in the training. If you can kill one, maybe you can survive longer!"

At this moment, someone came riding a horse at full speed. The horse suddenly stopped, a man jumped off the horse, walked quickly in front of the two men, and pushed Lord Lou Shu away.

Lord Lou Shu took a step back and looked at the person in front of him.

This is a tall woman, who is wearing leather armor and dressed like a man. Her skin is slightly dark, her legs are long, her face is particularly heroic, and she frowns, making people dare not look down on her.

"Lou Dazhi, what do you want to do?!"

Lou Dazhi laughed, "I didn't do anything, I just talked to him. How could you be so unfilial? Old Master Yan is already this old, but you don't care at all."

Suddenly, another person came riding forward. He quickly jumped off his horse and said solemnly, "Lord! A large number of cavalry are approaching!"

"what?!"

Lou Dazhi didn't care about the woman in front of him, and rushed out of the training ground in a hurry, asking someone to issue a warning.

For a moment, the entire training ground was in chaos and everyone rushed out.

Lou Dazhi walked out while listening to the scout's words.

"From the flag, it's General Zhen's troops. I didn't dare to get close. I didn't know where they came from. The scouts are quite powerful."

"General Zhen??"

Lou Dazhi was a little surprised, "Is it Wuchuan soldiers?"

"Get ready quickly!!"

At the same time, Heba Cheng and Liu Taozi led the army to slowly approach Huaishuo. Tu Xiyue on the side could not help but say: "General, Huaishuo's soldiers are not weaker than ours. If we want to take it, we should attack suddenly, not in such a high-profile manner."

Liu Taozi said calmly: "I have my own considerations."

Tu Xiyue stopped talking, but Heba Cheng was worried. He really didn't want to fight. A moment later, Lou Dazhi led a huge group of people out of the city.

There are hundreds of people in total.

Lou Dazhi raised his head and rushed all the way to General Zhen.

He did not dismount, but looked at the Wuchuan army behind General Zhen. He was shocked to find that the other side had almost sent out its entire army.

He saluted towards Heba Cheng, "Lou Dazhi greets General Heba!!"

Heba Cheng had a stern face and said nothing. Liu Taozi rode forward and said, "Lou Dazhi, a few days ago, the general sent someone to you to convey the military order, asking you to go to Wuchuan as soon as possible. Why did you disobey the order?!"

Hearing this, Lou Dazhi was a little angry. He glanced at Liu Taozi and looked at Heba Cheng, "General, I don't know what kind of envoy he is. I haven't seen him. Maybe he took the wrong road."

Even Heba Cheng, who wanted to reconcile, was furious at this moment.

Wrong way?
How dare you fool me like this?
"Lou Dazhi, you are going too far!!"

Heba Cheng started to scold him, and Liu Taozi was even more straightforward. He shouted: "Lou Dazhi, the commander of Huaishuo! Disobeying military orders is a crime worthy of death! Kill him!!!"

At this moment, all the knights raised their bows.

Lou Dazhi was horrified, "Retreat!!"

He turned and ran. The Huaishuo soldiers rushed towards the city. In an instant, arrows broke through the air. Lou Dazhi lowered his body and heard the arrows flying over his head. At this moment, Lou Dazhi could not help but screamed. Several knights turned a little slower and were shot and killed on the spot, rolling off their horses.

Lou Dazhi was stunned.

“Crazy!! Crazy!!”

"Enter the city!!"

He shouted and led everyone into the city. The Wuchuan soldiers chased them all the way to the city gate. The Huaishuo soldiers on the city wall began to fight back. They just retreated, but they still surrounded the city gate. Everyone was extremely excited.

They were able to kill as many as Huaishuo, forcing the Huaishuo people to hide in the city and not dare to come out. This was a scene they could only see in their dreams! !

Lou Dazhi climbed up to the top of the city wall in a panic. The knights had already gathered there and were watching everything that was happening in astonishment.

Lou Dazhi pushed aside the people who wanted to ask about the situation, walked to the city wall, and looked outside, "General Heba!! What are you doing?! Do you want to destroy Huaishuo?!"

"We, Huaishuo, have always been the cornerstone of the Great Qi. Even the Khan dares not treat us like this!"

"General, why are you like this? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Khan?!"

The Huaishuo soldiers inside and outside the city wall struck the wall with their spears and shouted, while others beat war drums, making an extraordinary sound.

Liu Taozi rode his horse closer to the city wall and looked up. "Lou Dazhi, the general summoned you to the office, but you disobeyed the military order and refused to obey. Today, the general will punish you according to military law. Get down here and be punished!!!"

Liu Taozi's voice is very loud, much louder than Lou Dazhi's.

Lou Dazhi asked anxiously: "Who is that beast?! Who is that beast?!"

"It seems that he is the new garrison commander of Wuchuan, and his name seems to be Dugu Xiao."

"Dugu Mandrill?"

Lou Dazhi was stunned. "Why haven't I heard of it before?"

At this moment, his mind was in a mess. He dared not take General Zhen seriously because he was sure that the other party would not dare to do anything to him.

Firstly, the other party has no personal soldiers; secondly, the other party’s backers are not as strong as mine; thirdly, the other party does not have the courage to make a big deal out of it.

Heba Cheng didn't dare to make a big deal out of it, and of course he didn't dare to do that either.

If the two sides really fought, Heba Cheng would definitely be held accountable, and so would Dugu. What about himself?

Could it be possible that I could dodge it? ?
Lou Dazhi really wanted to curse at this moment.

Isn't this crazy?

Is this an attempt to drag me to suicide? ?
He wanted to say something soft, but so many knights were watching him. If he gave in today, how would he be able to control them in the future?

But if he refused to give in and the two sides really fought, he would definitely die, and even the Empress Dowager would not be able to stop him.

At this moment, Lou Dazhi was in a dilemma. He looked around and finally stuck his head out, "Lord Dugu! I've heard of your great name for a long time!"

"Please let General Zhen know that someone came to convey the general's order earlier, but he only said that the Xi people were invading. I sent someone to investigate the surroundings and wanted to understand the situation before going. I didn't expect that General Zhen would misunderstand. I hope General Zhen can forgive me a little!!"

Between bowing his head and resisting, he chose to bow his head slightly.

I've already lowered my posture, can I let it go?!
Heba Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he was willing to bow his head. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Taozi cursed, "You beast! Stop talking nonsense, get down and die!"

Lou Dazhi's face flushed red. Facing the strange looks from the people around him, he immediately started to curse, "You son of a bitch, don't think I don't know. What's the point of disobeying military orders? It's obviously you Wuchuan people who are obstructing and deliberately instigating!!"

"You just want to use General Zhen to deal with us Huaishuo people!!"

"You bastards, if you want to deal with the Huaishuo people, you should first ask the Huaishuo soldiers here whether they agree!!"

At this moment, the Huaishuo soldiers stopped looking at him and turned to look at the enemies under the city and shouted again.

Liu Taozi shouted again: "Lou Dazhi disobeyed military orders and should be punished. If anyone follows him in disobeying, it will be considered treason!! They will be guilty of the same crime as him!!"

"kill!!"

The Wuchuan soldiers had been holding their breath for a long time. At this moment, hearing Liu Taozi's order, they charged forward one after another. For a moment, arrows rained down like rain, directly covering the Huaishuo city walls.

Lou Dazhi turned pale and started cursing.

Huaishuo is different from Wuchuan. There are not many defensive fortifications here. It is mainly a large parade ground. They often take the initiative to attack. Even if there are enemies coming, they can send troops to harass them through the left and right parade grounds. Therefore, the city walls are not tall and the defense is not very strong.

Lou Dazhi hid in the back, holding a large shield, looking around, "Soldiers! The Wuchuan people are going to fight us! Fight back! Fight back!!"

Hearing his words, the soldiers shouted loudly, but the faces of the surrounding garrison commanders changed drastically.

Then a man came hurriedly over and shouted, "What are you fighting back for?! Fight back against General Zhen?! Are you crazy? Are you trying to lead us in a rebellion?!"

"Big Liu, you are biased towards the people of Wuchuan."

"What Wuchuan Huaishuo? This isn't a personal feud between us. This is General Zhen leading people to arrest people. Do you want us to attack General Zhen?!"

For a moment, the garrison commanders on the city wall started shouting.

Lou Dazhi looked at this group of people, gritting his teeth and with his eyes wide open.

"You guys are a bunch of ungrateful bastards."

“Brothers!!!”

At some point, a man stood on the platform and arrows flew past him.

The garrison commanders looked up and saw Yan Niang in leather armor. She looked around and pointed at Lou Dazhi, "This fellow is selfish! He disobeyed the general's orders! When the general came to arrest him and punish him, he wanted to drag us to our deaths!"

"That's not an enemy!! That's General Zhen!! It's our commander!"

"If we go down to the city and fight him, we will become a chaotic army. Even if the Khan is magnanimous, can he still forgive such behavior?"

"Are we going to follow this guy to hang out outside the Great Wall?"

"Everyone, this fellow has no military merits. He became a garrison commander by chance thanks to his father's protection. Since then, have our money and food been distributed in full?!"

"He persecuted the families of soldiers who died in battle! He was just sitting there collecting salaries for nothing! Whose women haven't been harassed by this guy?!"

Yan Niang jumped down, drew her sword, and walked a few steps to Lou Dazhi.

"He relied on his family name to commit crimes and led his minions to commit murders in the garrison! Are we going to become a rebel just for such a person?!"

Yan Niang shouted, and this time, the garrison commanders looked at Lou Dazhi again, but their eyes became somewhat unfriendly.

Lou Dazhi looked at them, then looked at Yan Niang, "You!! It's all your fault!!"

He roared, drew his sword and slashed at the opponent. Yan Niang blocked with her sword, but the huge force knocked her back several steps. Lou Dazhi roared and swung his sword again. At this moment, Liu Datou slashed his arm with the sword. Lou Dazhi screamed and the sword in his hand fell to the ground.

Liu Taozi outside the city had stopped attacking and gathered around Heba Cheng, squinting his eyes and staring at the city wall.

Heba Cheng was already in despair.

Liu Taozi led his troops to attack Huaishuo, and the two sides really fought
Liu Taozi looked at the trembling Heba Cheng and said, "General, don't worry. I have asked."

"That fellow has no reputation in the garrison. He is pretentious and bullies the weak and fears the strong."

"The many generals in the garrison are not all fools."

(End of this chapter)