Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 158 Bitterness

Wuchuan.

official office.

The generals from various border garrisons and passes sat on both sides, all looking directly at Heba Cheng who was sitting at the top.

Heba Cheng's seat was obviously much higher than the others. Sitting here, he could easily see the expressions of every general sitting below.

These officers are tall and have a fierce aura from the inside out.

Most of these people are deputy positions, as the main positions have always been appointed in wartime. These deputy positions are generally held by local people, which obviously violates the rule that one cannot be an official in one's hometown. However, this is also because of the special situation here. If they are rotated with each other, and someone is transferred from Huaishuo to Wuchuan, I am afraid that something bad will happen.

Through this battle, Heba Cheng finally solidified his status as a general and was able to make these people treat him as their future leader.

Heba Cheng looked at the people in front of him, cleared his throat, and looked at the man standing on his left.

In the lobby of the government office, Liu Taozi was the only person who stood up.

He was standing right under the platform where Heba Cheng was sitting, but he was too tall. Even though Heba Cheng was sitting on the platform, Liu Taozi was still much taller than him, giving him a very oppressive feeling.

He looked at the many officers in front of him.

These people didn't dare to look Liu Taozi in the eye.

Liu Taozi said, "General Zhen has given an order."

"From today on, three prohibitions will be set up in the border towns."

"First, the soldiers are forbidden to wander around. Since the sixth year of Tianbao, many soldiers from all over the country have been wandering around the counties, causing disturbances in the local area and not belonging to their own place. From today on, the soldiers are strictly forbidden to wander around. If they want to go out for something, they must report it first and get approval before going out. Those who violate this will be executed."

"Second, do not bully the people. Soldiers do not obey the law, bully the people at the border, the people in the prefectures and counties, rob them of their money, kill them, rape their women, and act arrogantly and lawlessly, ignoring the law. This military order is hereby issued. Those who disobey it will be executed."

"The third is to prohibit laxity. Recently, the soldiers at the border have neglected their martial arts, rarely trained, and often shirked their duties for personal reasons. They neglected military orders, considered themselves to be noble, humiliated their superiors, and caused disorder between superiors and subordinates. This is unrighteousness, and those who violate it will be executed."

Liu Taozi said "behead" three times in a row, and the officers' faces looked a little strange.

Liu Taozi looked at everyone again, "From today on, the money, food and supplies provided by the temple will never be withheld and will be distributed on time, and you should do the same. I know that there were some unwritten rules in various places in the past, such as taking one out of ten or returning one in return. Don't waste your lives for these petty gains. I will not keep any of the rewards for fighting and will distribute them all. I will report your military achievements truthfully and do my best to ask for credit for you. But if you disobey my military orders, I will definitely not forgive you!"

"only!"

Everyone bowed to Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi continued, "When you go back, tell your soldiers about these three prohibitions and ask them to obey them. If any soldiers don't obey, you will deal with them. If you can't manage them, I will do it for you, and I will definitely not forgive you either!"

"only!!"

"After returning, the first thing to do is to count the number of people under your command, the civilians in the city, read out the ban, and train the soldiers."

"I will send people to inspect various places. If there are meritorious people, I will commend them. If there are guilty people, I will execute them."

"only!!!"

Liu Taozi then looked at Heba Cheng who was standing beside him, "General, do you have anything else to add?"

Heba Cheng laughed and said, "What General Liu said coincides with what I said."

Liu Taozi then waved her hand and said, "Everyone go back! Don't be lazy!"

The officers stood up one after another, not looking for Heba Cheng, but came to say goodbye to Liu Taozi. Heba Cheng was not annoyed, but just sat there, watching these people leave happily. After they all left, he stood up and patted his sore legs.

"Brother Liu, what you just said makes sense, but there is one thing. All the spoils have been given away, and we don't have much food left."

"I don't have much left. If there is not enough food, I am afraid that no one will follow this ban and training."

Liu Taozi said calmly: "General, don't worry, the food will be delivered."

"I hope so."

Heba Cheng was about to leave, but Liu Taozi blocked his way again, "Anything else?"

"And the civilians in the city."

"How are they?"

"We can properly resettle these people, and they will be able to solve the problem of money and food in the future."

Heba Cheng clapped his hands on his thigh again, "I will listen to Brother Liu. Brother Liu can make the decision himself."

Liu Taozi strode out of the office.

The sky was a little gloomy. It had been drizzling recently and the whole Wuchuan had become wet. The ground was damp and muddy. The area in front of the government office was particularly busy. Military officials were coming in and out. When they saw Liu Taozi standing at the door, they hurriedly bowed to him. These were the military officials invited by Cui Gang to assist Liu Taozi in managing local government affairs.

Wuchuan City was quiet. Shouts were heard from the parade ground, and the soldiers were still training.

Waves of smoke rose along with the drizzle, as if dancing.

Tian Zilie hurriedly came out leading the Green Lion. Liu Taozi mounted his horse and led his confidants to rush out of the city again.

The roads in the city were relatively flat and solid, so even if they got wet, it would not affect the journey. But outside the city, the situation was completely different. The wetness was mixed with a foul smell, and it was impossible to run fast in the mud.

Liu Taozi and others reined in their horses and looked towards the city wall.

Even a light rain was enough to be a disaster for those shabby huts.

The civilians sat dully in front of the huts, looking ahead blankly. Behind them, they could see people lying in the mud. Rain gathered on the city walls, and the fine rain gradually accumulated, then fell heavily on these poor people. There were patrolling soldiers on the city walls, and when they felt the water had accumulated, they scooped it up and sprinkled it under the city. The rain all around was fine rain, dripping on their faces, as if caressing them gently.

Only the civilians gathered outside the city wall, the rain from the wall kept falling, they just lay in the mud, their bodies seemed to have left traces in the mud.

The younger ones sat outside the door, leaving some shelter from the rain to the elderly.

Their empty eyes gazed at their hometown, which they would never be able to return to in this lifetime, and rain mixed with tears slid down their faces.

Cui Gang was the first to sigh.

"The government has issued many corvée services over the years, but they are always one-way trips. Few people can survive until the end of the corvée period."

"The work was extremely hard, and there was little food. Even if we distributed food, people would come to grab it. When one group died, the temple would call in another group."

"Even if someone survived the labor service, they could not leave without proof of their consent. If they ran away, they would be killed."

Tian Zili said, "There are so many civilians here, and a lot of farmland is left uncultivated. Why don't we let all of them farm? At least they won't die like this. And we can also support the military households in the city."

Liu Taozi didn't say anything. Cui Gang looked around and whispered, "It's not a good idea to let the border soldiers be self-sufficient."

"So letting the border soldiers starve is a good thing?!"

"Let the Xianbei people rule the country, that's it!"

Tian Zili said angrily.

"No, I can manage other generals, but not this one."

"General, if you send troops to plunder in private, there is a precedent in the imperial court. Even if some people are dissatisfied, there are still people who protect you. But if the general wants to gather civilians to cultivate the land in private and want to be self-sufficient, I am afraid that even the prime minister will not let you do it."

Cui Gang said very seriously: "Only the imperial court can make a decision on this matter. As for the general, you can't even mention it."

When it came to the government's policies, the anger between Tian Zili and Cui Gang was no longer so intense, and they were even able to have some discussions.

Liu Taozi suddenly spoke at this moment.

"There are three major training grounds in the city. The Wengcheng training ground will be the only one left. The other two will be vacated and converted into residential areas for the civilians to live in."

"Allow them to build houses there, and take some millet from the granary to give them as a temporary emergency measure."

Cui Gang said hurriedly: "General! It's not that I'm unkind, but if we give up this military training ground to them, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers. In addition, we really don't have much food at the moment. If we distribute it again, if the government doesn't give it to us in time, I'm afraid something big will happen."

"Follow my military orders."

Cui Gang wanted to say something but stopped himself, so he had to slowly lower his head.

"only."

The drizzle continued uninterrupted.

Liu Chengcai and others finished their training, and were leading their horses, following the others towards their own mansions amid the flattery of several young slaves.

As soon as I arrived near the government office, I heard noise in the distance.

A few people stopped to watch, but saw that quite a few people had gathered, so they hurried forward.

The crowd was not looking at any notice. They were looking at the North Parade Ground not far away. The gate of the North Parade Ground was open and people were coming and going inside. They saw a group of laborers who were dismantling something. Some of them were carrying wood, some were carrying straw, and they were going in and out. There were military officers around staring at them. They were extremely busy.

Liu Chengcai looked at it for a moment before asking, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know, it looks like they are building something, right? General, are you going to renovate the parade ground?" Someone suddenly turned around, "What do you mean by renovating the parade ground? I sent someone to inquire about it, and I heard that they are going to convert the North Parade Ground into residential buildings for the civilians to live in!"

Everyone was shocked, and Liu Chengcai asked in confusion: "Why?"

"Who knows? Maybe the general doesn't like them living under the city wall, or maybe he's afraid they'll run away?"

"Forget it, boring."

Liu Chengcai waved his hand and was about to leave. Suddenly, someone said, "Although it has not been used for a long time, this North School Ground was built for us after all. Are we going to give it to these people?"

"Okay, if you have any ideas, go to the office and tell the general."

The man lowered his head and said, "Forget it, forget it."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Suddenly they saw Liu Taozi and others coming out of the government office. They didn't dare to laugh anymore and hurried away.

Liu Taozi led the rest of the group and walked all the way towards the North Parade Ground, which was very close to the government office. The laborers inside and outside the parade ground were still busy, perhaps because they were too tired. Even when Liu Taozi and others arrived, they did not stop to pay their respects and were still busy.

Not far away, a military officer was cooking porridge. Compared with the soldiers' meals, the food was simply appalling, but for those who had not had a full meal for days, it was enough.

The aroma of food filled the air, and they built a temporary hut to protect the food from getting wet.

There were small houses like this all over the parade ground. The smell of food made the laborers' stomachs growl, which seemed to give them motivation, and they worked harder.

Tian Zili stood aside and whispered, "We don't need two training grounds. The North Training Ground alone is enough to accommodate them. It's just that it's quite difficult to build houses. Let's make a temporary thatched hut for them to live in first. When the weather is clear, let them build another one."

"I got some sheep from General Heba. They're not enough for them, but they might be okay if they smell it."

"I think if they are not allowed to farm, then we can find a way to get some pigs, sheep, poultry and the like and let them raise them first."

Liu Taozi looked at these people calmly, listened to Tian Zili's words, nodded, and was about to move forward when someone suddenly spoke softly.

"Brother Tao?"

Liu Taozi turned her head suddenly and looked at the person standing not far away.

The man was skinny, with wrinkled skin wrapped around his bones. His left hand was twisted, forming a strange arc. At this moment, he was looking at Liu Taozi blankly. It was he who had just spoken.

Liu Taozi stared at him for a long time, "I am Liu Taozi, who are you?"

"It's you, Tao Ge'er!! It's really you!!"

This pile of bones suddenly became excited. He walked over excitedly, holding Liu Taozi's shoulder tightly with one hand.

"It's me, Dalang. I'm the head of the Zhang family."

"Da Lang."

Liu Taozi was stunned and looked at the other party again. Zhang Dalang was Taozi's playmate when he was young, and also Erlang's elder brother. He was drafted into forced labor several years ago and there has been no news of him since then.

Zhang Dalang grabbed Liu Taozi's shoulders tightly with one hand, and suddenly, he burst into tears.

His crying was particularly miserable and heartbreaking.

However, the laborers around were not moved, nor did they even look at her. They had long been immune to the crying and just continued to do their work stiffly.

Zhang Dalang cried so much that he almost lost his voice.

Liu Taozi gave him her water bag, and he drank it all in one gulp while crying.

"Are my parents okay?"

Liu Taozi pursed her lips and said, "He is no longer alive, but Erlang is doing well and is now an official in his hometown."

Zhang Dalang could no longer cry, he stood there in a daze, speechless for a long time.

Liu Taozi looked at Tian Zili and said, "Stay here and watch. I have something to go back to first."

"only."

Liu Taozi took Zhang Dalang away from here and walked towards the government office. Zhang Dalang followed behind Liu Taozi, limping. The two returned to the government office. Liu Taozi asked someone to prepare some food. Zhang Dalang sat awkwardly aside. When he came to his senses, he became a little uneasy and restrained.

Looking at the food in front of him, even though his stomach was growling, he didn't dare to eat it. He just secretly looked at Liu Taozi.

"Eat."

Liu Taozi opened her mouth, and he hurriedly picked up the meat and stuffed it into his mouth, wolfing it down and eating very quickly.

Liu Taozi didn't say anything, just watched him eat.

Seeing that he had finished eating a piece, Liu Taozi asked, "Aren't you building a palace in Yecheng? Why are you here?"

Zhang Dalang immediately stopped eating and timidly answered: "After the palace was built, someone said they would send us home, but they brought us all the way here. I have been here ever since. They didn't allow us to go back, and they worked hard day and night. I just wanted to see my family, and I was suffering."

“The people here.”

He started to speak, then stopped.

"That's all you say."

"The people here don't treat us as human beings and don't give us food. We can only pick wild vegetables to fill our stomachs. Every time we have to work, they will distribute some food, but it's not enough for us. We have no place to live, no clothes, nothing. Many people die every day, but the Xianbei people don't care. When there are too many people, they just find a place and bury them all together."

"Every year, many people are sent here and buried. Outside the city, there are piles of buried bones."

Zhang Dalang's eyes were red again as he spoke, "They are moody and when they are drunk, they want to kill people, and no one will hold them accountable."

"Brother Tao, please send me home, please. I just want to go home, I want to go home."

He quickly got up and was about to kneel down to Liu Taozi, but Liu Taozi was quick-witted and grabbed his arm, preventing him from kneeling.

"I'll take you back."

"Don't do that."

"Thank you very much, thank you very much, thank you very much."

Liu Taozi watched him finish the rest of the meal, then took him to the door, ordered a knight to take him to rest, and sent someone to call Cui Gang over.

Cui Gang lived in the right mansion of the government office. He lived here with a group of military officers and together they managed all matters inside and outside the garrison.

When he learned that Liu Taozi asked him to come over, he immediately put down what he was doing and hurried over.

When he pushed open the door and walked into the inner room, there was no light on. Even though the window was open, the room still looked deserted and dark.

Liu Taozi sat in the upper seat with a stern look on his face.

Cui Gang felt an indescribable anger burning in him.

His face remained calm, but his eyes were different from usual, becoming sharper. He looked at Cui Gang, and at that moment, Cui Gang felt a chill on his back and was almost unable to move.

"Mr. Cui, write a memorial for me."

Cui Gang was stunned, and hurriedly rummaged around, found paper and pen and ink, and sat down next to Liu Taozi respectfully.

"Three things in total."

"First, I hope the government can stop forcing people to do corvée labor and stop sending people here to die."

"Secondly, I hope that the government can abolish the previous system of governing the border guards. Instead of distributing them to the military households, local officials should be responsible for establishing corresponding positions at all levels for unified management."

"Third, I hope the government can follow the example of ancient times and open military settlements at the border, allowing these civilians to farm and graze here, so as to solve the food crisis."

"Mr. Cui can write it himself, but don't write it in a way that the government officials can't understand."

Cui Gang trembled all over and quickly dropped the pen in his hand.

"General, you are currently stationed at the frontier and command a large number of troops. If you submit a report like this, it will inevitably be mistaken for harboring ulterior motives."

"No problem, just start writing."

"General! This matter is of great importance. Since ancient times, those who hold heavy troops and sit on the frontier must be cautious in everything. Although you are loved by the Prime Minister, writing a letter like this will surely arouse vigilance. Even if you don't die, I'm afraid you will be transferred. Please forgive me for not obeying your order."

Liu Taozi slowly looked at Cui Gang again.

Cui Gang hesitated for a moment, "Why not write these three things to my father and let him report it. He is not a general on the frontier, and the prime minister attaches great importance to him. It will be more beneficial if he reports it."

Liu Taozi was silent for a moment.

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)