Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 159 Strange

Yao Xiong was leading the cavalry and marching quickly on the dilapidated official road.

The horse under his crotch had human heads hung on both sides.

The knights behind him were also stabbing heads with spears. There were more than a hundred of them, and they were advancing rapidly at this moment.

They looked around along the way, looking left and right vigilantly.

Yao Xiong led everyone down the slope and met two knights. The two knights were talking and laughing as they walked forward. Behind them were a few bruised-headed slaves, who were holding a few women in their arms. The women were tied up and were struggling frantically.

The two men suddenly raised their heads and saw Yao Xiong who had suddenly met them. Their faces changed drastically, they screamed, and fled in all directions.

“Chase me!!!”

Yao Xiong angrily issued military orders, and the knights dispersed and chased after them.

Yao Xiong shot several arrows in succession and easily hit two of the Cangtou slaves. The rest continued to flee, and Yao Xiong became ruthless and bit them tightly.

The horse spread its hooves and galloped wildly, startling countless birds and beasts along the way.

One knight after another either fell off their horses or were entangled by ropes. The last one also fell off his horse due to exhaustion. Yao Xiong led his men to surround him.

The man raised his head quickly, out of breath, and said, "General, please spare my life! I will definitely reward you handsomely!"

Yao Xiong was also out of breath. Riding a horse at full speed was a very tiring job.

He frowned and stared at the knight fiercely.

"The general has issued an order that it is strictly forbidden to wander around and to bully the people. You have violated both of them."

"Please spare me, I have quite a few at home."

"Pfft!"

Yao Xiong shot an arrow, and the man was pierced through the chest and fell to the ground.

Yao Xiong then jumped off his horse, cut off the other's head, searched for documents on his body, and ordered the knights to interrogate the captured slaves and knights, while he went to interrogate the women.

The women gathered together, their faces filled with despair. They looked at these ferocious knights in horror, trembling all over.

Yao Xiong cleared his throat, "Don't be afraid! I am the chief military officer under General Hu Fen!"

"My general strictly forbids bullying the people. I have already killed those people. Where are you from?"

Hearing his question, one of the older women cried and said, "General, we are from Zhoujia Village in Anyuan County. This morning they broke into the village, killed dozens of villagers, robbed food, and kidnapped us."

“My Poor Love”

As the woman spoke, she suddenly burst into tears again.

Yao Xiong frowned and looked at the slaves who were begging for mercy, "Damn it, the general warned you again and again, but you just ignored him?!"

"Which garrison are they from?"

A knight came over quickly, holding the documents he had just found, and looked at Yao Xiong, "Lord Yao, these people are all from Hushan Pass."

"Hushan? Oh, all right, Chulian Abi, take your two brothers with you and send these women back to their homes. Tell the local villagers that if you encounter something like this again, you can go to Wuchuan to file a complaint!!"

"only!!"

"The rest of you, take the prisoners and follow me!!"

Yao Xiong immediately led everyone away from here in a hurry.

The so-called Hushan Pass actually does not have a mountain. This place is located at the intersection of Anyuan to Wuchuan. There are two high slopes extending out. The edges look like the two front paws of a tiger, so it is named Hushan Pass.

This customs officer is just a minor official, with no more than a hundred military households. There is a customs lieutenant, who is under the command of the general of the town.

When Yao Xiong led his men to attack here in a mighty force, it immediately aroused the vigilance of the people here. The knights immediately went into a defensive state. After seeing the identity of the visitor, Captain Hushan asked them to open the Guanjin Gate and go down to greet Yao Xiong in person.

This man knew Yao Xiong. He had a smile on his face and was about to greet him when he saw those acquaintances being escorted over from behind.

At this moment, Captain Hushan's face looked extremely ugly.

Yao Xiong did not dismount, but looked at him fiercely, "Captain Guan, these people are all your subordinates, right? Did you give them the credentials to go out?!"

Hushan Wei hurriedly saluted and said, "Lord Yao, how dare I disobey the general's order? They ran away secretly, and I was careless for a moment."

"Count the number of people. If there are three more, you will lose your head."

"Deal with these people in public and keep your army under control."

Hushan Wei couldn't help but say, "General, they don't have any wives and they always stay in the pass, which makes me uncomfortable."

"So you just let them go out and rob the people?"

"Don't dare! I'll deal with them right now!"

"After handling it, remember to go to Wuchuan to lead the army."

"only"

Yao Xiong stared at Hushan Wei and said, "You seem a little dissatisfied?"

"Don't dare."

"It doesn't matter if you don't accept it. Just keep doing it. We are still three people short. Don't forget, we are only three people short!!"

Yao Xiong threw the captives to the other side and turned away.

Captain Hushan watched them go away, then walked up to those people. They immediately shouted, "Please forgive us! We have made many military achievements, how can we be executed for such a small matter?!"

"We are willing to make amends for our crimes!!"

Hushan Wei gritted his teeth and said coldly: "If I forgive you, who will forgive me?"

"Come on, take them to the parade ground and chop off their heads as a warning to the whole army!!!"

"Let's see who dares to run out. Damn it, if you want to kill me, I'll chop you up first!!"

Yao Xiong could hear Captain Hushan's roar from a distance. He recorded the other party's crimes and led his men forward.

After setting up the three major prohibitions, Liu Taozi organized an inspection army in the name of Heba Cheng. They patrolled back and forth in various places to check whether there were any violations of the general's orders.

Military discipline at the border was terrible. Even after a clear ban was issued, there were still many people who went out to cause harm to the local area, kill civilians, and avoid training.

Liu Taozi was very resolute about this situation and directly ordered the execution on the spot.

When these warlords patrolled around, beheading one violator after another, and when one officer after another was dragged out and beheaded because of the reasons of their subordinates, there were fewer such beasts.

Of course, it was not all smooth sailing. At one checkpoint, they attacked the governor who came over, trying to make a big deal out of it and force Liu Taozi to surrender.

As a result, this place was razed to the ground by the Wuchuan soldiers.

A total of eighty-six military households, including the young slaves, who participated in the rebellion were executed.

Yao Xiong looked at his record book and nodded. He looked at the knights on his left and right and said with a smile: "It is quite effective. We have caught seven today. The number is getting smaller and smaller."

"However, the people in this border area are really living a miserable life. These border soldiers look honest, but they are specifically harming the people in the border area. I used to think that Cheng'an was scary enough, but I didn't expect there would be a place scarier than Cheng'an. Two knights like this are enough to massacre the village."

The knight following him nodded in agreement.

These people are Liu Taozi's direct descendants, and were brought from Dingzhou.

They also engaged in local robbery in the past, but compared with this group of people who would massacre the whole village at will, they seemed much kinder.

Just as Yao Xiong was chatting with them and continuing his patrol, he encountered another group of people.

Yao Xiong couldn't even tell how many troops the other side had. They were marching in a mighty force, passing through the dense forest and rushing towards them.

Seeing this scale, Yao Xiong, who had been so proud just now, immediately lost his composure and hurriedly sent someone to inquire.

Soon, the knight who was sent to inquire came back, "Lord Yao, I have found out that the person who came is Prince Shunyang and Governor of Shuozhou, She Di Huiluo. He is going to Wuchuan to see the general!"

"Ah? What a high-ranking official!"

Yao Xiong quickly stuck his head out and looked into the crowd, wanting to see what kind of person the senior official was.

The knight continued, "He said he wanted Lord Yao to come and see him, saying he had something important to ask!"

Yao Xiong was stunned, then followed the knight towards the army.

The knights passed by Yao Xiong, each of them was extremely fierce, and even compared with the Wuchuan soldiers, they seemed to be not inferior. Yao Xiong walked all the way to the middle of the team and finally met the senior official.

She Di Huiluo was extremely tall, almost as tall as Liu Taozi, and looked strong and powerful, and so did the warhorse under him.

He has a dark complexion and a short beard, and looks like someone who is not to be trifled with.

"Greetings to the Governor!"

"follow me."

Shi Di Hui Luo just waved his hand, and Yao Xiong followed him and walked beside him. Shi Di Hui Luo rode a tall horse, which was quite oppressive. Walking beside him, Yao Xiong actually had the illusion that he was walking beside his brother, and he didn't dare to breathe loudly.

He slowly asked, "Are you Liu Taozi's subordinate?"

Yao Xiong quickly replied: "That's right!"

Shi Di Hui Luo looked at the heads on both sides of Yao Xiong's horse and couldn't help asking, "Why did you kill so many people?"

"Replying to the governor, these people are all people who disobeyed military orders, and their death is not a pity."

"Alas, it's a pity for anyone who dies."

Shi Di returned to Luo with a sigh, and suddenly asked, "I heard that your general has an old relationship with Bu Liugu?"

Yao Xiong blinked and said, "General, I don't understand Xianbei language, and I don't know what Bu Liuguyoujiu means."

Shi Di Hui Luo suddenly laughed, "You seem reckless, but you are good at pretending. Forget it, go ahead and lead the way!"

Yao Xiong saluted again and rode away quickly.

After Yao Xiong left, Hui Luo's expression turned stern. He looked at the man next to him. The man was much younger and had a long beard. Facing Hui Luo's gaze, he said, "My lord, you shouldn't have come in person. I'll go over and let you go. This matter has become a little different. Although the Prime Minister values ​​you very much, you still shouldn't leave any handle behind."

Hui Luo sneered, "You don't understand."

"Just you going there won't do anything."

"I'll go, and you speak up, that's the only way it will work."

The man pursed his lips and said, "I hope you can control your temper a little and stop arguing with me."

Hui Luo nodded, his expression becoming amiable again, "I understand, you don't have to say anything more, just do what I tell you to do."

"only!!"

The group walked for a long time and, led by Yao Xiong and others, finally arrived outside Wuchuan.

Hui Luo looked at the sturdy city from afar, his expression complicated and his eyes full of indescribable emotions.

The knights in front made way, and Hui Luo, surrounded by knights on both sides, arrived at the gate of Wuchuan City.

Heba Cheng, Liu Taozi and others were now gathered at the city gate.

Heba Cheng hurried over and bowed to Shedi Huiluo.

"General Heba Cheng pays his respects to the King!!"

Hui Luo nodded, motioned for him to get up, and quickly locked onto Liu Taozi in the crowd.

He got off the horse immediately. Heba Cheng was shocked and hurried forward to hold the horse for him. Hui Luo smiled and nodded to him, then walked quickly to Liu Taozi and looked at him.

"I, General Hufen Liu Taozi, pay my respects to the king."

Hui Luo suddenly stretched out his hand and was about to grab the sword at Liu Taozi's waist, but Liu Taozi was quick-witted and grabbed Hui Luo's arm in return.

Hui Luo tried hard but couldn't pull it back. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He tried hard again, and Liu Taozi also started to try hard.

Heba Cheng looked at this scene and hurried forward again, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty"

Hui Luo suddenly relaxed his grip, laughed and said, "Nephew, why don't you let go?"

Liu Taozi loosened her hand, rubbed her wrist back to Luo, and said with emotion: "I am old, old. If King Gao knew about this, he would laugh to death."

He suddenly looked at Liu Taozi again, "Did your grandfather give you this sword?"

"It was given by General Lou."

"Oh, yes, it seems to be given to Lou Rui."

"Let's go in first."

Hui Luo took the lead and walked towards the city, and the others followed behind him. Heba Cheng was confused. Hui Luo walked into Wuchuan, looked around, and sighed again, "Time flies so fast. I haven't been here for many years."

The group returned to the office in a mighty procession. Heba Cheng began to arrange the welcoming ceremony in a hurry, but Huiluo didn't seem to take it seriously.

Heba Cheng led several important military officers and sat in front of Hui Luo. These people were more afraid of Hui Luo than Liu Taozi. They all lowered their heads and did not even dare to look up.

After returning to Luo, he asked Heba Cheng in detail about the local situation.

A servant brought the meat. Hui Luo did not hesitate to follow the local custom and ate it by hand, without any airs of a prince.

Everyone relaxed a lot at once.

Hui Luo then looked at Liu Taozi and said, "My dear nephew, you have done a lot of great things in these days. It has only been a short time since you came here, but the number of soldiers who died in your hands is more than that of the Pseudo-Zhou. According to your killing method, wouldn't this border be completely wiped out by you?"

"An army without military discipline may be able to bully the Rouran people, but it will not be able to win a battle against the Western bandits."

Liu Taozi gave the answer.

Hui Luo nodded, "I don't object to this. What you said is that if a soldier doesn't obey the orders of his general, he deserves death."

"It's just that this system is static, but people are alive. We can't go too far, nephew. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. I've heard about your three prohibitions. They're good, very good."

"This is the first time in all these years that someone wants to reorganize the border troops and improve military discipline."

"Just, don't clench your fist too tightly."

Hui Luo slowly raised his fist, "Even if you have to leave some space between your fingers, the soldiers here are arrogant, your method of treatment will not work."

"If something happens to the border troops, both Hengzhou and Shuozhou will be impacted. As the governor of Shuozhou, I cannot ignore such a thing."

"I came here specifically to inform you of this matter, nephew. The three prohibitions do not need to be abolished, but they cannot be too strict."

Hui Luo slowly moved his fist in front of Liu Taozi and looked at him dimly, "Do you know?"

At this moment, there was no trace of the previous kindness on his face. He looked extremely serious. Everyone present was so scared that they quickly lowered their heads.

Liu Taozi stared at Hui Luo in front of him, "Your Majesty is the local governor, and the border soldiers are not under your jurisdiction. I manage my border soldiers, what does it have to do with your Majesty?"

Hui Luo suddenly laughed, "You little brat, even your grandfather wouldn't dare to talk to me like that!"

He looked at the people in front of him and said jokingly, "This newborn calf is indeed not afraid of the tiger!"

No one dared to laugh, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

Hui Luo stretched his neck and said, "I am old, old. I haven't traveled for a long time. My body is about to fall apart. I will go and rest for a while. Let my Beijia continue to eat with you guys instead of me!"

He stood up, looked at Liu Taozi deeply, turned and left, and everyone hurried to see him off.

After he left, the young man who followed Hui Luo smiled and bowed to everyone, then sat next to Liu Taozi.

"General Liu, you are good at managing the army, which is really admirable. My general is willing to report to the court and ask for credit for you. What do you think?"

Liu Taozi frowned and said nothing.

Beijia was still smiling. He looked at the others and said, "Everyone, please don't be restrained. Eat, and eat."

Everyone hurriedly lowered their heads and started eating, not daring to look up.

Heba Cheng swallowed his saliva and carefully sat down next to the deputy driver. "Xu, I really don't understand why the king is so concerned about the military affairs here. What is wrong with these three prohibitions?"

Beijia smiled and still looked at Liu Taozi.

"Then I'll speak frankly."

"General Liu, how can the soldiers here not have banditry? It is right to discipline the army, but they have to go and cause trouble when they need to. How can you forbid the soldiers to go out and cause trouble?"

"what??"

Heba Cheng was stunned. His eyes widened. "I still don't quite understand."

Beijia continued to signal everyone to eat and drink, took a sip of wine, and then looked at Heba Cheng and Liu Taozi in front of him with a smile.

"General Liu."

"Tell me, why does my king spend so much effort to raise his own soldiers?"

"Isn't it to protect the people of the prefectures and counties from being invaded by border troops?"

"Once the three prohibitions are issued, the border soldiers will not come to harm the people. Then, won't my king's soldiers be raised in vain?"

"You want military merit, you want to be promoted, you want to get rich, that's right, I understand, who doesn't want that? But you can't block other people's way, right?"

"It's not easy for my king either. Let's take a step back."

"Every month, you can give the soldiers two days to go out and relax. My king will definitely take care of you two in the future. Promotion and wealth will not be a problem. How do you think?"

ps: When he grew up, he was honest, prudent, and elegant. He was familiar with the duties of an official. He was able to expose the hidden and false officials, and the corrupt officials had no place to hide. The chief minister Wang Huiluo and the six-state commander Duguzhi stole official land and accepted bribes. Run investigated and reported the matter. ———"Book of Northern Qi·Biography of Fengyi Wang Gao Run"

Emperor Suzong (Gao Yan) reigned, revived the imperial way, established marquises and divided the land, opened up the mountains and rivers, and used Wang Jing to settle the barbarians. He showed his righteousness in the face of danger and was granted the title of Prince of Shunyang County. He was appointed as the envoy with special powers, the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Shuozhou, the governor of Shuozhou, and the official of Boling County. ——Epitaph of the Former Governor of Dingzhou and Grand Commandant Gong Shedi Shunyang Wang of Qi

(End of this chapter)