Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 161 Why Can’t We Kill?

Xu Biejia's face changed, and he quickly said with a smile: "It's just a joke, General, are you here to pay your respects to the king?"

Liu Taozi asked slowly: "I'm just curious about you. Your last name is Xu. What's your background?"

Xu Biejia smiled awkwardly, "My mother's original surname was Yuan."

"Oh, it's the Xianbei bastard."

Xu Biejia's face darkened and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Liu Taozi looked at Heba Cheng who was standing aside and said, "General, I am here to take you back."

"It's cold outside, why not go inside and warm up."

"Why should you let yourself be humiliated by a villain here? Even if you meet Yi Di Hui Luo, you will be humiliated in the same way. There is no difference."

"Let's go back."

Looking at Liu Taozi in front of him, Heba Cheng didn't say anything. He just glanced at Xu Biejia and turned to leave.

Xu Biejia quickly said, "I'll sue."

Liu Taozi took a step forward and acted swiftly, grabbing Xu Qiche's neck and pulling him to his side. At this moment, the knights who had followed Hui Luo not far away were horrified and stepped forward. A group of armored soldiers walked out from the shadows. They were all Liu Taozi's confidants. At this moment, they were holding spears and confronting the people in front of them.

Xu Biejia hurriedly shouted to his family, "Don't do it!!"

“Don’t do it!!”

He looked at Liu Taozi who was holding his neck, and smiled with ease: "General Liu, you can't kill me. I am an official appointed by the temple, and I have not committed any crime. Killing an official is tantamount to rebellion."

Heba Cheng also hurried back at this moment, "Brother Liu, forget it, forget it, don't bother with this person! It's not worth it!"

Liu Taozi also laughed.

"you're right."

"I can't kill officials."

Liu Taozi punched the opponent in the face fiercely, and Xu Biejia just screamed. Heba Cheng saw Liu Taozi throw the opponent to the ground and press him with his knees. He waved his hand and a short dagger appeared in his hand.

"Pfft~~"

"Well!!!"

Liu Taozi stood up, holding something in her hand. Heba Cheng looked closely and found that it was a human tongue.

Xu Biejia lay on the ground, covering his mouth, rolling back and forth in severe pain, groaning in agony.

The soldiers in the distance were all stunned when they saw this scene.

Liu Taozi raised the tongue in her hand and said, "I'll take this back to eat with wine."

When the knights on the opposite side heard this, their eyes were suddenly filled with fear and they took several steps back. Even Heba Cheng, who was standing next to them, was so frightened that he could not move. Liu Taozi directly grabbed Heba Cheng's arm and took him to the government office. The knights in the distance then dared to come up and picked up the tumbling Xu Biejia. Bursts of exclamations were heard in the parade ground.

Heba Cheng's whole body was stiff at this moment, and he followed Liu Taozi into the government office.

Liu Taozi casually threw away the tongue in his hand and pulled Heba Cheng back to the inner room.

Someone had already lit the lights and placed some food and drinks on the table.

Liu Taozi pulled Heba Cheng and sat down one after another.

Heba Cheng lowered his head, not daring to look Liu Taozi in the eye, "I, I"

"Don't worry, General. I don't eat humans."

Heba Cheng was not amused. He kept a straight face and said, "The current situation is indeed very dangerous."

"General, why did the Prime Minister send me here to take up the main position?"

Heba Cheng was stunned, "I don't know."

"The general actually knew that, that's why he kept indulging me in doing things, and that's why he didn't write that form to the other party."

Heba Cheng looked sad. He suddenly grabbed the wine in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine tasted very bitter.

"What can we do even if we know? We have no chance of winning!"

"The Prime Minister will not help us openly. Even if we succeed, he will still throw us out in the end to appease the nobles!"

"I just want to get some military merits, live a rich life, marry a few pretty wives, and have a few big fat boys. Is there anything wrong with that?!"

Heba Cheng raised his head, his eyes red.

"Why is it so difficult? My father died for the country, and my uncle is the current Taibao, a senior official. Why is it so difficult?!"

"I was looked down upon in Youzhou. People said I was relying on my uncle. I led troops several times and defeated many bandits, but I still didn't get recognition. This time I came to the frontier, I wanted to make more military achievements and stand out."

"But the soldiers here don't listen to me, and nothing goes smoothly."

"I finally met Brother Liu and was ready to work hard with him, but then I encountered such a disaster."

"Is it time? Is it fate?"

Liu Taozi also picked up the wine cup and took a sip.

"This is nothing. Heba Jun is young, but he has already sat in a position that ordinary people dare not dream of. He has never had to worry about food and clothing since he was a child. It is not easy. How can he surpass the others?"

Heba Cheng was stunned and drank again.

"Yes, yes, but I have a good uncle, so I don't even have the right to complain."

"That's not the case, Mr. Heba. I still say that if people don't save themselves, God can't save them."

"You are always timid, hesitant, and not daring to take action. How can this be the behavior of a real man?!"

"A real man should stand tall and proud when he is born. Just as you said, if you cannot eat from five cauldrons when alive, you will be cooked in five cauldrons when dead. In this world of suffering, what is there to fear about death?"

"It's just a matter of death, why hesitate and be afraid?!"

Heba Cheng looked at him suddenly, "But my uncle."

"Didn't Heba Taibao say that he has nothing to do with you? Whether you were killed or killed someone, it has nothing to do with him."

"Heba Jun, are you willing to be killed, or to kill people with me?!"

Heba Cheng's expression became excited. He slowly picked up the wine cup in front of him. His hands were shaking all the time, and the wine splashed everywhere. He just kept shaking and stuffed the wine into his mouth. The wine flowed everywhere from the corners of his mouth, soaking his clothes. He wiped the stains on his mouth with a shiver, "We are all human beings, we all have a head and two hands."

"If I can't regulate the border troops, the Prime Minister will kill me. If I regulate the border troops, Prince Shunyang will kill me."

"How come he can kill me but I can't kill him?"

Heba Cheng looked at Liu Taozi, his eyes full of cruelty, "Brother Liu, what do you think?!"

"The Prime Minister is hesitant at the moment. We can help him make a decision sooner."

"it is good."

"General Zhen, please gather your trusted followers and garrison commanders now."

Liu Taozi suddenly raised the wine in his hand and drank it all in one gulp, his face looking extremely ferocious.

"He wants to cause chaos among the border soldiers?"

"Then we'll listen to him."

Inside the South Campus.

Hui Luo sat in the upper seat with a gloomy face.

Xu Biejia was lying in front of him, groaning in pain.

The accompanying military doctor was trying to stop his bleeding.

Hui Luo's eyes were cold and there was unspeakable anger on his face, and he was about to explode at the next moment.

He suddenly looked at the military doctor and said coldly, "With injuries like his, he should die, right?"

The military doctor was stunned, his eyes widened, thinking carefully about what the other party said, and nodded cautiously, "Yes, he will die."

When Xu Biejia heard this, he was shocked and tried to stand up immediately, but was held down by the soldiers on both sides. He could only whimper in pain.

Hui Luo looked at him calmly, "Don't worry."

"Killing an official is a serious crime."

"capital offense."

"I will avenge you and will never let the villain who killed you live."

Xu Biejia shouted in fear, but the soldiers had already prepared wet cowhide and started to put it on his face.

He struggled frantically, but couldn't move at all.

Hui Luo sat in front of him and watched the soldiers fight. After a long time, Xu Biejia finally stopped moving completely. He lay on the ground, motionless.

Hui Luo's eyes were filled with sadness, "His father and I have always been on good terms. What a pity."

"Pity."

Then, his eyes were filled with ferocity.

"eye for eye."

"Boom!!"

"Dong dong dong!!!!"

Suddenly, the sound of fierce war drums was heard from outside. At this moment, Hui Luo jumped up suddenly and looked outside the door in surprise.

A knight rushed in quickly, "My lord! They are gathering knights at the West Parade Grounds!!"

"what?!"

The fierce drumbeats of war grew louder and louder until the whole city came to life and the thunderous drumbeats broke out throughout the city.

The knights in the parade ground came out one after another, and their expressions changed drastically when they heard the sound of the war drums that completely enveloped them.

Hui Luo's face finally showed panic, "These damn bastards, damn bastards, are they really rebelling?!"

He quickly drew his sword, "Bring my horse! Go quickly!"

A knight came hurriedly with his horse and shouted to Luo: "Organize the whole army immediately, don't panic! Open the two school gates!!"

There was still a lot of chaos in the South Parade Ground at this moment.

Hui Luo organized the army at an extremely fast speed and quickly set up defenses at the two gates.

It was already late at night. If they chose to break out, given the disparity in numbers, something terrible would probably happen.

It is best to set up defenses and let the enemy in to fight.

Night is not conducive to one's own defense, nor is it conducive to the enemy's attack.

As long as he could hold out until daytime, he would be able to persuade those soldiers who participated in the rebellion to lay down their weapons.

Hui Luo organized a counterattack according to his own way of thinking.

However, no enemy rushed in from the two training ground gates, and they remained empty after being opened. The deafening sound of the war drums became more and more rapid, with no sign of stopping.

Hui Luo didn't dare to charge out at this moment. Although the roads in the city were flat, they were particularly suitable for ambushes and there was no place to hide.

He hastily arranged for the enemy to go out and investigate, while he continued to organize his troops and respond carefully.

He really didn't expect that this group of thieves would actually dare to rebel! !
If he had known this, he would not have come like this.

However, Hui Luo was not afraid. He had experienced countless battles. Not to mention Liu Taozi, even if his grandfather came, he could easily defeat the enemy.

At the same time, the gate to the west parade ground had already been opened.

Liu Taozi and Heba Cheng led the army and rushed out.

But they did not rush towards the southern parade ground in the city, but rushed all the way to the south.

The soldiers followed the commander in chief in a mighty procession. They had no idea where they were going, but since the commander had given the order, they dared not disobey.

The army of thousands of people, all wearing light armor, swept forward like a strong wind. Relying on their excellent organizational ability, they were able to march quickly even in the dark. Of course, a forced march would not be possible.

Liu Taozi rushed forward, facing the strong wind, his clothes rustling.

Heba Cheng gritted his teeth and rushed to his side, his eyes full of anger.

The closest to them were the two men's personal guards, and behind them were the garrison troops.

At the same time, the drumbeats in the parade ground were still ringing, but not as urgent as before.

Hui Luo listened to the drumbeats carefully and looked towards the gate of the parade ground again.

At this moment, his army was ready. Layers of wooden shields were facing all around, forming a very solid defensive formation. Gaps were left for easy evacuation at any time, and they even built simple fire-prevention fortifications with stones.

The scouts he sent out have not returned yet.

Hui Luo gritted his teeth, his expression becoming increasingly ferocious. Several times, he wanted to lead the cavalry and charge out directly.

However, in such weather, if someone hid behind the city wall and fired at him, half of his elite troops would be killed. He also couldn't reveal his identity and was unable to force those soldiers to retreat.

Hui Luo stood in the middle, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

He knew that Taozi was not someone who was easy to mess with, so he came in person, wanting to intimidate the other party and force him to bow down.

But he didn't expect that the other party would be so crazy that he would even rebel! !
He just wanted to make some money and didn't want to lose his life here.

He licked his lips, his expression becoming increasingly gloomy.

The weather keeps changing.

The stars slowly disappeared, and visibility became higher and higher. Although it was not bright, it was already possible to see clearly in the distance. The sky was like covered with a gray cloth, with occasional stars dotted around.

Hui Luo shouted an order, "Charge out!!"

The knights quickly changed their formation, and the vanguard rushed out of the parade ground.

They came to the road, looked around vigilantly, and then quickly rushed towards the South Gate. The gate was wide open, as if welcoming them out.

The knights rushed out without hesitation, and the army followed behind them.

It only took Hui Luo a short time to lead his men out of Wuchuan. They came outside and reorganized the army. Hui Luo took the opportunity to look around.

The surroundings were empty and there was no trace of the army.

Outside the city wall, there was a row of people hanging.

Those were the scouts he sent out. They were all stripped of their clothes and hung on the city wall, but they did not die. Some of them were still struggling.

Hui Luo looked at all this and his face became more and more frightened.

"Oh no, could this guy have gone to join the Western bandits?!"

"Quick, go find someone!"

"Find out where the Wuchuan soldiers are?!"

Shuozhou.

Zhaoyuan County.

The county soldiers stood on the city wall, looking at the knights below with surprise in their eyes.

"I am the town general Heba Cheng!!"

"I am here to transport supplies under the order of the King. Open the city gates immediately!"

"This is my token!!"

Soon, the county lieutenant rushed to the city gate with the token in hand, "Quick, open the city gate! Open the city gate!!"

Several county soldiers hurriedly opened the door, and the county lieutenant led his men out in a hurry, ran all the way to Heba Cheng, bowed and greeted him, "Greetings, General Heba!!"

"Get up, take us to the king's palace quickly, we are here to give him something! Be quick, we can't stay long!"

"what?"

The county lieutenant was shocked, "This must be the king"

Liu Taozi rushed forward and pointed the whip at him, "You have delayed the king's business, I must kill you first!!"

The county lieutenant did not dare to hesitate. He immediately asked someone to bring a horse and led these people into the city.

The sound of horse hooves echoed throughout the city, scaring the residents so much that they closed the city gates and dared not go out.

The county lieutenant led them all the way to the northernmost part of Zhaoyuan County, and in front of them was the provincial government office.

The county lieutenant personally stepped forward and opened the door for them.

“I can’t go in.”

Before he could finish his words, Heba Cheng led the knights and rushed straight in.

"What are you going to do?!"

Two petty officials ran out. Liu Taozi looked at them and asked loudly, "The king is in Wuchuan and wants to reward the army. Where are the money and food?!"

"Bullshit! How can the king come to the border town to reward the army?! Get out! Get out!!"

"Pfft!!"

Liu Taozi raised his knife and the man's head flew high into the air. Liu Taozi looked at the other man fiercely, "Where are the money and food?!"

The man was trembling all over and knelt on the ground, "Please spare my life! In the South Courtyard!!"

Liu Taozi immediately led his men to charge in. Anyone who blocked the way ahead was hacked to death. In this way, no one dared to block the way. The entire provincial government was in chaos. The servants and clerks screamed and fled everywhere. They rushed all the way to the South Courtyard and blew open the gate. As soon as they entered, Liu Taozi and others were stunned.

Just like Lou Rui's mansion in the past, the South Courtyard at this moment has already become the other party's private granary.

The grain was piled high, not afraid of getting damp, and there was almost no place to stand. This was even more shocking than Lou Rui's granary. Heba Cheng's eyes widened and he roared angrily: "This old dog!!!"

"Brothers!! Get food!!!"

"Hurry up!! Don't delay!! Don't be greedy!"

Liu Taozi shouted.

At this moment, the knights could no longer sit still. They roared and rushed towards the mountain of grain.

Bag after bag was thrown onto the horse's back.

The knights were quite experienced in looting, especially looting their own people.

How much can a horse carry, how to do it without affecting speed, how to carry it away more conveniently, these are all the big questions in looting.

In terms of these knowledge, there is no one in the world who can compare with these border soldiers. Even the Turks, Rourans, and Xis outside the Great Wall cannot compare with them. When it comes to sending troops to plunder, the border soldiers are their ancestors! !
The city was in chaos, and the voice from the provincial government had already spread.

The county lieutenant sat slumped at the door in a daze, unable to see clearly what was happening before his eyes.

He understood that the border soldiers came to plunder.

But why the hell would they come to rob the princes? ! !
Liu Taozi rushed out of the yard carrying a full bag of millet, and the knights followed him. They ignored the county lieutenant sitting nearby and charged towards the city gate again.

By this time, officials in the city had learned what had happened.

The prefect and other officials began to mobilize the army.

These officials were all from noble families and were not afraid of fighting at all.

Soon after Liu Taozi led the army out of the city gate carrying food, the officials in the city also rushed out with their private soldiers and even county soldiers.

Liu Taozi and the others fled all the way, the knights were so excited that they didn't care where they had just robbed! !
They only knew that the food they stole was enough for them to eat for a very long time!!
Just as they were fleeing, a large group of knights suddenly appeared in the distance.

Hui Luo, exhausted from the journey, led his army and stood in front of Liu Taozi and others.

There are enemies everywhere.

Liu Taozi and others slowly slowed down until they stopped.

The enemies on both sides surrounded them from front and back.

Hui Luo's face showed indescribable fatigue, mixed with unspeakable grievances.

When he saw the familiar bags carried by the people in front of him, he even laughed out of anger.

He rode forward, stood in front of the formation, holding a lance, and looked at Liu Taozi fiercely.

"Put down the food, dismount and die!!"

Heba Cheng rode forward, raised the sword in his hand and aimed it at Huiluo.

"I am leading my troops to take the food from the border town! Governor, please get out of the way!"

When Hui Luo heard this, he immediately threw his head back and laughed.

"I'm your mother's junior!!"

"Hahaha~~~ Are you worthy enough to rob me?!"

"Boom, boom, boom."

The sound of war drums slowly came from a distance, interrupting Hui Luo's laughter.

Hui Luo stopped laughing, narrowed his eyes, turned around and looked into the distance.

The sound of war drums slowly approached, becoming clearer and duller.

Suddenly, some cavalry figures appeared in the distance. There were more and more of them, more and more, and the whole mountain and plain were filled with cavalry.

They fly all kinds of different flags.

The war horses shook their heads and moved forward quickly. The knights looked defiant and fierce, looking ahead as they approached little by little.

They slowly appeared from all directions, and it was impossible to count their number. The county soldiers in the rear were in chaos, and their horses were neighing anxiously.

The knights in the distance.

They are all border soldiers.

"Governor, can you please move aside now?"

(End of this chapter)