Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 165 Do you want to die or live?

The Prime Minister’s Mansion.

The meeting hall.

Gao Yan, who was tall and strong, sat in the upper seat, with nobles on his left and important officials on his right.

The core strength of the entire temple is now surrounding him.

The atmosphere in the entire lobby was extremely depressing. No one spoke, and both sides looked at each other with unfriendly eyes. The sound of hurried footsteps could be vaguely heard coming from outside.

"Grand Prime Minister!!"

Heba Ren walked quickly forward and bowed deeply to Gao Yan.

"General Heba Cheng led the border troops to cause chaos. I am willing to lead my private soldiers to bring his head to the Prime Minister and then take responsibility for the crime!!"

Gao Yan remained calm, sat there without saying a word.

"It's just entering the city and taking some food. How can this be considered a rebellion? In my opinion, hoarding food and fodder that can feed a large army at the border is considered a rebellion."

Wang Xi walked out slowly from the left with a smile on his face.

Heba Ren still maintained his salute posture and did not reply.

"It's not really about hoarding food. As a dignified prince, having some food in the palace is not a big deal. But leading border troops to attack the state government is a big deal."

Gao Guiyan, the King of Pingqin, slowly walked out from the other side. He stared at Wang Xi and said, "The important thing is that this has set a very bad precedent. In the future, as long as the border soldiers are dissatisfied with the military orders, they will follow his example and attack the government. How can this be tolerated?"

"In my opinion, from Heba Cheng to his many lieutenants, no one should be spared."

"Haha, that's wrong!!"

Lou Rui came out laughing, "King Ping Qin, this is not because the border soldiers disobeyed military orders, but because of insufficient food and grass. Why is there insufficient food and grass? I am afraid that someone has tampered with the food and grass. Because of what you are worried about, we should reward the general. In addition, we should also reorganize the border soldiers, make them obey orders, open up garrisons, encourage farming and animal husbandry on the border, and reduce food turnover."

"Are these two things what we are discussing right now? Even if one of the provincial governors dies, it is not considered a rebellion?! Do we have to wait until the provincial governor dies before we can do it?"

"It's normal for people to die if they don't pay the grain. What's the point of pursuing the matter now? If you really want to punish them, why not kill a general to demonstrate? The border soldiers don't care about that. It would be better to kill all the participants!"

“Is it possible?!”

Lou Rui pressed forward step by step, and he did not give in at all in the face of this powerful prince.

Gao Guiyan laughed, "Did Lord Lou accept bribes from someone? If you even forgot your position, why not stand on the right?"

"Haha, no matter which side you stand on, you are standing around the Prime Minister. What's the difference?"

Gao Guiyan was speechless at this moment.

Another nobleman began to speak loudly, and the originally quiet hall became chaotic again.

At this moment, Lu Yao stepped forward and bowed deeply to Gao Yan.

"Grand Prime Minister!"

"At present, the ministers are at odds and the local areas are in chaos. This is all because the emperor is young and incapable of governing. Now that such a big event has occurred on the border, it is already a sign from heaven."

"I observed the sky at night and found that the purple myrtle was dimming, causing the stars to separate. I asked a fortune teller to predict for me that it was because the emperor was young and could not bear the responsibility of offering sacrifices, so there was discord in the country."

"I ask the Prime Minister to ascend the throne of Emperor, bring order to the country, free the people of the world from suffering, inherit the ambitions of the previous emperor, and take the world as your own responsibility!!"

Lu Yao's words made the entire noisy lobby suddenly quiet.

Even Gao Guiyan looked confused at this moment.

The next moment, people came out from the teams on both sides, saluted Gao Yan and urged him to go in.

The others were filled with fear as they watched the others kneel down. They did not dare to stay where they were and stepped forward to pay their respects.

Gao Zhan suddenly raised his head and said loudly, "Brother!! When Emperor Wenxuan was still alive, he persuaded you to inherit the prince's ambition and govern the country well because he was young. Please consider the people of the world and the emperor's love for you and agree to inherit the throne!"

Gao Zhan was very excited when he spoke. The nobles behind him were somewhat stunned. Gao Zhan turned around suddenly and looked at them. His expression became fierce. "What do you think?!"

The nobles bowed their heads one after another, "Please come forward, Grand Prime Minister!"

Gao Yan sat in the upper seat, his face still calm. Looking at the people kneeling in front of him, he finally spoke, "Don't say too much."

"Your Majesty is intelligent and has never made any mistakes. How could you allow me to make a big mistake?"

"Brother!! If you don't agree today, we will not stand up again!!"

Gao Zhan said loudly.

Gao Yan waved his hand, "Don't act like a child!"

"I summoned all the ministers today not to persuade me to make a big mistake, but to deal with the border affairs."

"If the court officials are still behaving like this and arguing endlessly, what kind of scene will it be in the local areas?"

"The issue of money and grain has become increasingly critical since the seventh year of Tianbao. The military pay cannot be repaid and the grain price is extremely high. The border soldiers rushed into the state government office today to inform us of the crisis. At this point, what is the point of punishing them? If we punish the general, will the soldiers be able to have enough food? Will they be scared and dare not take action again?"

"Now, what needs to be solved is to ensure that the soldiers and the people of the world have enough food to eat! Instead of talking about who to punish!!"

"Tell me, how do we solve the problem of money and grain?!"

Many ministers and nobles were kneeling in front of Gao Yan at this moment. They no longer had the arrogance they had just now. At this moment, Cui Jishu just opened his mouth and said: "Grand Prime Minister, cultivating land and reclaiming land is the best policy. We can follow the previous system and set up a granary to control local grain prices. We can urge various places to open up wasteland and take in the dead. We should also thoroughly investigate the land granting issue, increase grain output in various places, and reduce transportation costs."

The other few people also expressed their ideas, and the topic of discussion changed from punishment to solving the problem of money and grain.

Gao Yan was a man of swift and decisive actions. He issued an order on the spot, requiring local governments to build more granaries to balance grain prices, and at the same time to open up land, build border settlements, and accept the dead.

After completing these tasks, Gao Yan said coldly, "Let Prince Shunyang return to Yecheng."

"Appoint Lou Rui as the governor of Shuozhou, in charge of the military affairs of Shuozhou and the border."

Lou Rui quickly stood up and bowed to Gao Yan, "Yes!!"

Gao Yan looked at Gao Zhan again, "General Heba Cheng, who led his troops to attack the state government, has refused to change his ways. Immediately dismiss him from his post and have him return to Yecheng. You will be responsible for this matter."

Gao Zhan lowered his head, "Yes."

"Grand Prime Minister!!"

Suddenly, someone raised his head and shouted, "It's not just Heba Cheng who made a serious mistake, but also Wuchuan's great garrison commander Liu Taozi. He should be punished!"

The man who raised his head was called Liu Honghui, the Duke of Fucheng County and the general in charge of the army. He was also a noble among the nobles.

He was a Xiongnu, and like Huiluo, he belonged to the Khitan tribe, and these Khitan nobles in the court were the closest to him.

When Gao Yan heard this, he became furious.

"Does it take me personally to order the punishment of a small local garrison commander?!"

"Lou Rui, when you get over there, you will punish yourself!"

"only!!"

Liu Honghui pursed his lips, his face full of displeasure, but he didn't dare to get angry.

The meeting ended so hastily, and all the ministers and nobles left one after another. Wang Xi and Cui Jishu originally wanted to stay, but when they saw Gao Zhan who had already walked to the side of the prime minister, the two of them did not dare to stay any longer and turned around and left.

Everyone left, leaving only the brothers Gao Yan and Gao Zhan.

"Brother."

Gao Zhan suddenly laughed, "I did a good job today, didn't I? Last night, I discussed it with these people for a long time. Gao Guiyan and the others had no objections and thought it was feasible."

"Don't worry too much about the rest of them. If they continue to be so stubborn, I will make them speechless tomorrow."

Looking at Gao Zhan who was full of confidence in front of him, Gao Yan was very pleased.

He smiled and patted his brother's shoulder. "Zhan, you did a good job. There are many things going on right now, and I can't come forward. You know, the fastest time is three months, so you still have to continue to come forward!"

Gao Zhan looked at his brother with passionate and sincere eyes.

"Don't worry, brother!!"

"As long as I am here, no one will dare to offend you!"

"Besides, the issue of money and grain cannot be delayed. In my opinion, we can actually follow the example of the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty. They immediately recruited many Han people and made them soldiers."

Gao Yan shook his head, "Don't be anxious, things need to be done slowly."

"only!!"

Gao Zhan saluted, and Gao Yan turned and left.

Gao Zhan slowly raised his head, his eyes extremely hot.

He worked very hard.

It was just because he still remembered what his brother had said to him before he started the rebellion against Yang Yin.

"If it works, I'll make you the crown prince."

June, the first year of Qianming.

Wuchuan.

The sun is shining brightly and the sunlight is blinding.

The whole world suddenly turned into boiling water, and the looming heat waves could be seen everywhere. Liu Taozi stood on the high platform, wearing a black military uniform, with one hand on the hilt of the sword, looking down at the knights in front of him.

The entire Xida parade ground was extremely lively.

The knights rode on their horses, which were moving at almost full speed. The knights lowered their bodies, held short bows in their hands, and suddenly drew the bows and shot on horseback. The horses circled the wooden man in the middle, galloping wildly over and over again, and arrows kept flying, surrounding the wooden man from all directions. In a moment, the wooden man turned into a hedgehog, with barbed arrows all over his body.

There were knights practicing charging again. From horses to men, all were wearing heavy armor. They were galloping back and forth, and the entire training ground was shaking violently.

The soldiers are training vigorously.

Some time had passed since the robbery of the provincial government office.

During this period, the border was particularly peaceful.

The Turks did not send anyone to question the situation, the Pseudo-Zhou people also disappeared, and there were no restaurants to be found around.

The officials in the government are also so well-behaved.

There was no movement from Luo for a long time. Both Shuozhou and Hengzhou were peaceful at this moment.

As for the border soldiers, it is very lively here.

The border soldiers had not been so wealthy for a long time. After the looted grain was distributed to various places, the prestige of Heba Cheng and Liu Taozi became extremely high among the border soldiers.

Even the officers no longer had any resistance to them.

When Liu Taozi saw Yao Xiong coming in from the side door, she slowly walked down the platform. Yao Xiong ran all the way over and came in front of Liu Taozi with a silly smile on his face.

"Haha, brother, I'm back. There's nothing today! Not even one!!"

Yao Xiong felt that he was the biggest beneficiary of this incident.

In the past, Liu Taozi asked him to lead the knights to patrol various places to check whether the border soldiers were wandering around and bullying the people.

At the beginning, Yao Xiong would encounter some dogs that were worse than animals every day.

Because he killed these people, Yao Xiong also made enemies with many border town officers, and some even dared to attack him.

But this situation came to an end with this incident.

The border soldiers no longer dared to disobey military orders, and Yao Xiong no longer found the thieves who bullied the people as frequently when he went out. Most importantly, their attitude towards Yao Xiong also began to change dramatically.

Wherever Yao Xiong went, he would be treated with kindness by the soldiers there.

"Brother is now more famous than the general of the town. When I walk on the road, I have to look up and not lose face for brother. The border soldiers are finally obedient!"

"Not only among the border soldiers, but also in the counties and prefectures along the border, they are all talking about your good military management. The trade routes have become much more lively, and merchants no longer leave their goods and run away when they see me."

"You still have to be my brother!"

Yao Xiong spoke loudly, not hiding his admiration for Liu Taozi in his words.

Liu Taozi did not continue to listen to him, and asked calmly: "What about the civilians in various places?"

Yao Xiong was immediately speechless, "It would be great if this could stop the border soldiers from going out to cause trouble, it's the civilians' business."

"Continue patrolling."

"Ah? Still need to inspect?"

"Correct."

Yao Xiong had no choice but to bow again, "Yes!!"

Yao Xiong turned and left, while Liu Taozi continued to stare at the soldiers in the distance.

At the moment, not only Wuchuan, but all the places along the border are conducting training in full swing. After all, they are a professional army and do not engage in farming, so they should continue to train all year round.

It was not until the evening that Liu Taozi left the parade ground and walked towards the government office.

The sun was about to set, and its afterglow illuminated the entire Wuchuan City. The sky turned golden red, and the entire city looked peaceful and gentle.

"General!"

A military officer panted and appeared in front of Liu Taozi. "The imperial court sent someone to report the order to the prime minister in the government office."

Liu Taozi nodded, but was not in a hurry. He rode his warhorse and slowly continued towards the government office.

The military officer followed Liu Taozi. Seeing how calm Liu Taozi was, he gradually became less anxious and just led the horse and followed Liu Taozi on foot.

When they arrived at the government office, Liu Taozi just got off the horse. A soldier came forward to lead the horse, and Liu Taozi strode towards the room where Heba Cheng was.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard a familiar laugh coming from inside.

Liu Taozi frowned, he recognized that laughter.

He pushed open the door.

There were two people sitting inside.

One of them is Heba Cheng.

The other person was also known to Liu Taozi. He was He Shikai, who had come to Cheng'an to question him.

Heba Cheng sat cautiously in the upper seat and bowed slightly towards He Shikai.

He Shikai looked up, and even though he was sitting in a lower seat, his aura overwhelmed Heba Cheng who was standing in front of him.

Seeing Liu Taozi coming in, Heba Cheng quickly stood up and said, "Let me introduce you to this..."

"No need to introduce him, who doesn't know the famous Liu Xiao?"

He Shikai laughed, his eyes fixed on Liu Taozi, "General Liu, do you still remember me?"

"remember."

"Your two brothers look quite similar to you."

The smile on He Shikai's face froze immediately.

Heba Cheng realized the tense atmosphere and hurriedly said to Liu Taozi: "Brother Liu, this brother He was sent by the Prime Minister to deal with this important matter."

"No, I was sent by Prince Changguang."

"Ah, yes, he was sent by Prince Changguang."

Liu Taozi slowly sat down opposite.

He Shikai continued to look at Heba Cheng, "General Heba, this is what happened. You made a serious mistake this time, which was unforgivable. Fortunately, Prince Changguang pleaded for you, so you were pardoned from the death penalty."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."

He Shikai looked up but ignored him.

Heba Cheng also quickly came to his senses and whispered: "Thank you for your hard work. I have prepared some gifts."

He Shikai then laughed and said happily: "Why do you have to be so polite? Don't worry, the king thinks highly of you. This time he said he dismissed you, but in fact he is protecting you! When the storm is over, the king will definitely promote you again!"

"You, please get ready and follow me back to Yecheng tomorrow to meet the king."

"well."

He Shikai stood up and said goodbye to Heba Cheng with a smile, saying that he wanted to rest for a day.

Heba Cheng accompanied the man all the way to the door and watched him leave with a smile. Only after He Shikai left did the smile on Heba Cheng's face disappear. He closed the door and walked a few steps to Liu Taozi's side.

“This is a little man.”

Heba Cheng said with a straight face, "From the moment we met, he has been hinting at me to bribe you. I have heard that Prince Changguang is wise and brave, so why would he use someone like him to do things?"

He said seriously, "I have asked clearly, and the Prime Minister seems to have agreed to let Hui Luo return to the court and let Lou Rui serve as the governor of Shuozhou as well as those two things."

"I want to go back to Yecheng with you, but he didn't say much about you."

"Don't worry, Mr. Heba. Now that the Prime Minister has been saved, there must be a good job waiting for you."

Heba Cheng shook his head. "I am content that I have not died despite committing such a great crime. After all, I have become famous all over the world, and my name will be recorded in history even after my death. What else can I not be content with?"

"Tomorrow, I will follow this Hejun to Yecheng. Brother Liu, please take care of yourself."

"In the future, if there is anything you can do to help me, just write to me and I will definitely help you with all my strength!!"

"General, please take care of yourself. If you have any problems in the future, please send someone to let me know."

Heba Cheng's mood suddenly improved a lot. He smiled and said, "I have lived for many years, but the only time I am most comfortable and happy is when I am with Brother Liu!"

"Brother Liu is a man who can accomplish great things. If you can become successful in the future, don't forget me!"

Liu Taozi walked out of Heba Cheng's house, and the two said goodbye again. Then Liu Taozi walked towards her own house.

As soon as I reached the door, a man flashed out and blocked the door.

The man was He Shikai. At this moment, he was staring at Liu Taozi with a smile on his face.

"General Liu, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"Does the general want to die or live?"

(End of this chapter)