Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 157 Absolutely not!

"Special Service, why is this?"

The old man was shocked.

Shetu looked at him calmly and said, "I can't beat him."

The old man said quickly, "How can Teler retreat without fighting? How can he know he can't win without even fighting? I thought Teler was a world-famous warrior, feared by all tribes, but I didn't expect him to be so cowardly. He wanted to flee just after hearing that the enemy was sending troops. It's sad and lamentable. I think that Ili Khan was such a hero, but he had such a son!"

"I really misjudged them. The Qi people are weak, and Teller is even worse than them!!"

Hearing what the other party said, Shetu laughed, "If you are so weak, why don't you fight?"

The old man had a meal.

"Thinking about how heroic Yuwen Khan was, how could he have such subordinates? Seeing the Qi people passing by, he didn't dare to send troops. Could it be that he wanted to use them to deal with his own allies?"

The old man hurriedly shook his head, "Teller, how dare I, how dare I."

He quickly changed his tone, "If you evacuate now, you have so many subordinates that I'm afraid you will be caught up by the Qi people before you leave for long. By then, you will no longer be able to fight back and can only let the enemy slaughter you!"

"No problem, just leave some things behind and take some people away."

"Ah, Teller was ordered to come here to reorganize the Rouran tribes. Now that they have just surrendered, you want to abandon them and leave. This will damage the Khan's reputation. I am afraid that the Khan will not forgive you. Even if he forgives you, the Rouran tribes will no longer trust you. All the hard work over the past few years will be in vain."

The old man was still trying hard to persuade the other party to take the initiative to fight. He even said: "If Teller can send troops, we are also willing to send troops to cut off their retreat and attack the Qi people from both sides!!"

Shetu stood up, picked up the wine vessel beside him, drank it all, and then threw it aside.

He walked a few steps to the old man and lowered his head.

"Thank you for telling me. I will certainly tell the Khan the truth and ask him not to forget the help of his allies."

After he finished speaking, he hurriedly led his followers away from here, leaving these Zhou people standing there in a daze.

A slightly younger man cursed: "Mr. Zhang, if you had known this would happen, you would have not come and let them fight here. I didn't expect this guy to be so cowardly."

The old man narrowed his eyes and looked serious.

"The sons of the Turkic Khan are brave but not wise, and only know how to be violent and ruthless. Only this guy is different. If we can win him over, he will be a good henchman for the Great Zhou."

The young man said unhappily: "How can you be a hawk or dog if you are so cowardly?"

"He retreated because he knew he was not strong enough. Mugan Khan only gave him 2,000 knights. The rest of his followers were all newly surrendered Rouran people. He wanted to lead these people to fight Heba Cheng, who could defeat his entire army."

"It's better to retire and save some strength. Maybe it will be useful in the future."

"No matter what, the Turks have already been offended. There is no possibility of easing the situation with the Eastern Bandits. Given Ashina Yandu's character, he will never give up. This is a good thing."

"Hurry and prepare the carrier pigeons. We also need to evacuate as soon as possible."

"only!!"

"kill!!!"

Cavalrymen all over the mountains launched a charge, and in just a moment, it seemed as if the entire Xinshan Mountain was shaking.

The fence fell down and the yurt made a rustling sound.

The herdsmen stuck their heads out in horror and looked at the surging army rushing towards them in the distance.

They cried out in alarm and fled on horseback.

There were cries and roars coming from everywhere.

Some knights immediately formed a battle line, ready to counterattack with the help of fences and chevaux de frise.

The next moment, a torrent of knights rushed into the tent. The knights charging in the front were fully armed, and even the horses under their crotches were now covered in heavy armor. They were almost as tall and solid as the mountain. The herdsmen fought back with bows and arrows. Those arrows hit the knights’ armor in groups of three or two, but they could not affect the opponent’s speed at all. When the torrent rolled into the tent, the entire tent was instantly destroyed!!!
The knights were like black waves, rolling up high and smashing the tent to pieces in an instant. The soldiers had just raised their spears, and the next moment, they were submerged by the black torrent and could no longer make any sound.

They surged all the way from the left side of the yurt, destroying everything in their way. Fences were knocked over, yurts were torn apart. It seemed that nothing could stop the charge of these cavalrymen. Every time the horses' hooves fell, a huge noise was made. When tens of thousands of cavalrymen charged at the same time, the sound resounded through the sky like thunder. The herdsmen began to flee in despair, but were swallowed up by the torrent a moment later.

Liu Taozi charged at the front, covered in heavy armor and holding a lance. Qingshi was also wearing armor. At first glance, he looked like a small hill. He didn't even have to wield his weapon, but just rode his horse forward. One enemy after another fell down with screams, and were then crushed into mud by the horses' hooves.

The war drums sounded and the flags advanced with the flood.

Light cavalry rushed out from both sides, holding short bows, and began to chase those who were fleeing.

The cattle and sheep ran around in panic; the pens where they lived had long been destroyed.

The quiet and peaceful tent now has an aura of doomsday.

When Liu Taozi led the knights from the left side of the tent all the way to the right side, he just pulled the reins.

The yurt is huge, and the entire thing is like a city formed by countless yurts.

But when Liu Taozi turned around, the city could no longer be seen in the distance.

Everything was overturned and trampled. Everything turned into mud and stuck to the ground. Not even a single protruding object could be seen. Behind them, there was only a flat plain. On the plain were pieces of wood, people, and animals. They were intertwined and spread out flat on the ground. The entire tent looked like it had been pushed by a "steamroller" at high speed, and not even a ruin was left.

The light cavalry chased them everywhere, and the herdsmen jumped off their horses and knelt on the ground to surrender.

The cattle, sheep and horses all over the mountains fled in all directions, and the light cavalry shouted strangely and drove the animals together.

Liu Taozi frowned, not feeling the joy of victory at all.

In this battle, they encountered no resistance at all, and did not even see a single armored enemy.

Could it be that he was taking a detour to attack his own rear? ?

At the same time, dozens of miles away, Shetu was standing on a high slope on horseback, listening to the movements in the distance.

He took another sip from the wine bag, his face extremely calm.

A knight stood behind him, looking into the distance, his face full of anger.

"What a shame for our efforts over the past two years, damn Qi people. For destroying my tent today, I will definitely repay you tenfold in the future!"

Shetu sneered, "What's so regrettable?"

"I told my uncle that we should move the herdsmen here to the north. Isn't it beneficial for us to fight with Zhou and Qi? Why should we rush to join them?"

"Stay away, watch them beat each other, scramble to honor us, and ask for our help. We just watch. If someone is about to die, go and help him. Let them continue to fight. Isn't that great?"

"But my uncle didn't listen to me and insisted on extending his hand here, turning the fight between the two tigers into a three-way confrontation. He only gave me two thousand men, saying that I should defend against Zhou and Qi. Ha, two thousand men to defend against both of them?"

Shetu pursed his lips and stopped saying anything more outrageous.

He said softly: "Although my uncle is brave in battle, he doesn't care about the situation at all. He is stubborn and self-righteous, relying on his bravery and will not listen to advice."

"Forget it, let's go back. We have to go and persuade my uncle before the Zhou envoys scare him. He originally wanted to follow the Zhou people to attack the Qi people. This time, I'm afraid he's really going to take action."

"We could have eaten both, but he insisted on tying us to the Zhou people's car."

The young photographer looked up with an extremely complicated look in his eyes.

"Let's go."

The knights marched forward with their heads down, but the atmosphere was exceptionally depressing.

Everyone had a stern face and looked around anxiously. Their breathing was particularly heavy and they were full of worry.

The knights at the back were driving cattle, sheep and many captives, while Liu Taozi and others were walking in the front.

These people had no joy of victory at all. The team was extremely silent. The only sounds they could hear were the sound of horses' hooves and the incessant bleating of sheep, which made people even more upset.

Liu Taozi and others walked at the front of the team, and Heba Cheng gritted his teeth.

The people's uneasiness came from the fact that their victory was too quick and too easy.

Even when they faced the Rourun people in the past, they had never won so easily. But this time, they didn't even encounter the enemy. The ones they resisted were just herdsmen who could shoot arrows.

In their opinion, this situation can only mean one thing: there is a fraud!!

Yao Xiong looked at the people around him and suddenly asked, "Could it be that someone tipped off the Turks and they ran away out of fear?" Tian Zili glanced at him and said, "Do you think all Turks are like you?!"

"They have worked hard for two years, how could they just run away? Even if they wanted to run away, they would take all the baggage with them, how could they leave so much behind?"

Yao Xiong scratched his head, "You can't beat them, but you can't let them run away."

"Don't say any more. Send someone to check back."

Everyone continued to move forward in a tense and uneasy atmosphere until they met the rear army that came to support them, and the uneasy atmosphere was finally dispersed a lot.

The one in charge of staying behind was Baidao Shuzhu, who was temporarily appointed as the army commander. This man was not young and it was said that he had participated in many wars in the past and was deeply supported by the soldiers.

After the two sides encountered each other, Heba Cheng hurriedly asked the other party about the situation.

But they did not encounter any attack, whether from the Turks or the Pseudo-Zhou. It was an eerie silence.

They had no choice but to continue moving towards the southern slope according to the original plan. They sped up unconsciously, not even caring whether they would alarm the Xi people and passed directly through their territory.

They passed the mountain pass and returned to Da Qi again. It was not until they saw Wuchuan City in the distance that everyone realized that they seemed to have really won?!
In just a moment, the oppressive atmosphere in the team disappeared, and the knights shouted one after another, and laughter resounded through the sky.

Heba Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Liu Taozi standing beside him with a very confused look on his face.

"What on earth is going on? Did he really run away?"

Liu Taozi nodded gently, "That's probably it. Knowing that they can't win, they led the elite troops to withdraw and preserve their strength."

Heba Cheng couldn't help but sigh: "This photographer is so brave, two years of hard work, just throw it away."

In this way, the group returned all the way to Wuchuan, where they were soon warmly welcomed by those who stayed behind in Wuchuan. The whole of Wuchuan was filled with laughter, and the enthusiasm was boiling like a flame.

Heba Cheng immediately gave the soldiers a day to rest and prepare.

Tian Zili and others began to prepare to count the merits and distribute rewards.

Heba Cheng, Liu Taozi and several other generals were currently discussing what to do next in the office.

"It would be best to give away all the spoils this time."

Liu Taozi looked at everyone, and the generals looked at Heba Cheng.

Heba Cheng pursed his lips and said, "We still have to give the court some information. If we distribute everything, we can't just pass on the news of victory, right?"

"It's still the same as before. Flags, drums, weapons, and prisoners can all be sent over."

Heba Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "This time is different. If I send troops to attack the Turks privately, I will not be able to explain myself."

"Border garrison soldiers have always been like this."

Liu Taozi blocked Heba Cheng with just one sentence, and Heba Cheng had no choice but to nod. Anyway, things had come to this point, so he should just accept what happened and leave it to fate!

What was different from the last time was that this time no good news was distributed to the government, only a letter was sent to inform them of the situation.

After all, this was not a counterattack against thieves, nor was it an attack under the orders of the emperor. The border soldiers were just going out to hunt some game according to their old habit.

The next step is to distribute rewards.

All the soldiers who went with the troops, whether they were those who charged or those who stayed behind in Heishui, would receive rewards. Of course, the rewards for charging and killing people would definitely be higher.

Liu Taozi personally supervised and asked Tian Zilie to distribute rewards to the entire army. The rewards were distributed directly from the parade ground to prevent garrison commanders from swallowing them up.

All the soldiers who went to the war could not believe it at this moment. This battle was too easy. They just hurried on their way, and then ended the battle with a charge. They did not encounter any resistance at all, and brought back a large number of livestock. The rewards might not make them rich, because there were so many people going out to fight, so after distributing the spoils, each person did not get much reward.

However, what was important was the changes in the border town. This was the first time they had gone out of the border to plunder since the sixth year of Tianbao, and it was also the first time they had achieved such a refreshing victory, which was decided in one battle.

Liu Taozi was not in a hurry to dismiss the soldiers. Instead, he ordered people to set up another camp outside Wuchuan and keep all the people in Wuchuan.

After distributing rewards and rewarding the army, Liu Taozi began training in Wuchuan.

After gathering together to march out, these soldiers from various towns and garrisons finally had some tacit understanding, although it was not much. What Liu Taozi had to do was to make them become a whole as soon as possible.

The victory was great, and the morale of the soldiers who received the rewards was extremely high.

Faced with the upcoming high-intensity training, they had no complaints, but the military pay was still in short supply, and they could only hope that the government would deliver food quickly.

Jinyang.

The Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Lu Yao's face was pale. He walked quickly to the study with documents in his hand. Through the dark shadow on the window, he could see Gao Yan sitting inside.

Lu Yao looked at the document in his hand, his eyes filled with indescribable sorrow. He took a deep breath, bowed and called out, "Lu Yao greets the Prime Minister!"

"come in."

Only then did Lu Yao push the door and walk in.

Gao Yan was seen sitting at the desk, holding a document in his hand, with a look of hesitation on his face. When he saw Lu Yao, he motioned for him to sit down.

As soon as he picked up the document in his hand, he saw that Lu Yao also had a copy in his hand.

Gao Yan asked, "What happened?"

Lu Yao slowly handed the document to Gao Yan, "The Prime Minister is General Heba Cheng. He led the troops to the border and destroyed the Nanteler Yamen of the Turks. Ashina Shetu led his troops to flee, the Yamen was destroyed, and more than 100,000 cattle, sheep and horses were looted."

Gao Yan's brows twitched. He picked up the document and began to read it carefully.

Looking at Gao Yan's solemn expression, Lu Yao was sweating profusely, lowered his head, and said nothing.

"Heba Cheng didn't have the guts to do that. It was Liu Taozi who did it."

Gao Yan suddenly spoke, and Lu Yao was so frightened that he quickly knelt down, "Grand Prime Minister"

"Mr. Lu, I have never accused you of anything wrong, so why do you have to do this? Get up, get up now."

Gao Yan forced a smile, helped Lu Yao up, and let him sit next to him to show his closeness.

"It's normal for the garrison troops to go out and plunder. As for the Turks, they are fickle. We should just offend them. It's only a matter of time before we go into battle with them."

Gao Yan looked up, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

"When my brother was still alive, these people defeated Rouran and became arrogant and proud, and even intended to invade. My brother sent troops to suppress them and defeated them in the border town. They fled in all directions and never dared to look south again."

"Now that my brother is gone, they will come to test me sooner or later. With this attack, they dare not attack easily."

Lu Yao nodded hurriedly, "That's right. The Turkic Khan seems reckless, but he is actually cunning. After being defeated by Emperor Wenxuan, he began to take the initiative to get close to the Pseudo-Zhou, and even drafted a marriage contract to protect each other. This person has sent people to the border town for two years, and the troops sent are not many. He is testing the strength of Da Qi. Taking the initiative to attack now to let them know that although Emperor Wenxuan is not here, the elite troops under his command are still fierce. It must not be a bad thing."

Gao Yan looked at Lu Yao deeply, and then said, "You don't need to tell the ministers about this matter. But there is one more thing that I need Lord Lu to help me with."

"Grand Prime Minister, please speak."

"I would like to send an envoy to Yubi to ask the two countries to cease fire, resume exchanges and trade. What do you think?"

Lu Yao was shocked, "Prime Minister, what are you doing?"

"We have a lot of things to do internally right now, and the same is true for the Pseudo-Zhou. I think it would be better to give both sides some time to get things done first, and then fight them out."

Lu Yao pursed his lips and said, "The Prime Minister is right."

"What do you think if we let Liu Taozi serve as an envoy to Yubi?"

"ah?!!"

"Absolutely not! Prime Minister!!!"

ps: At the beginning of Baoding, Xiao Kuan established Yubi, set up Xunzhou, and appointed Xunzhou governor. The people of Qi sent envoys to Yubi to ask for mutual trade. ———"Northern History·Biography 52"

Shabolue (photo) was brave and had many followers, and all the northern barbarians came to him. Shabolue's wife, the daughter of Yuwen clan, was called Princess Qianjin. She felt sad that her ancestral worship was extinct, and she always had the ambition to restore the Sui Dynasty, and she talked about it with Shabolue day and night. ——"Book of Sui·Biography 49"

(End of this chapter)