Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 177 Promote him! !

Jinzhou, Pingyang County, resist the enemy at the slope.

The knights were divided into long rows and occupied the high slope. The slope was full of fully armed knights.

The high slope was obviously man-made. The accumulated soil was used to create a gentle slope of dozens of meters. The highest point of the gentle slope was separated by a fence, with barbed barricades set up, arrow towers standing tall, and crossbow carts aimed at the downhill road.

The knights stood in front of these fences, ready to charge.

The warhorse rubbed its hooves, as if it felt its master's anger, and stared coldly ahead, ready to charge.

In the middle of the crowd, there was a burly man with disheveled hair.

The man was very big and strong, much bigger than the other knights. He didn't protect his head and his face was covered with various scars. If a timid person saw him, they would probably cry out.

He stared into the distance, grinning with a cynical smile on his face, looking more ruffian than ordinary generals.

"The governor is coming! He's coming!"

The driver beside him spoke.

The man immediately stood up from his horse and looked into the distance. The deputy driver was shocked, "Governor! You are not wearing a helmet! You cannot stand up! You cannot stand up!!"

The man pretended he heard nothing.

In the distance, dust was rolling.

The Zhou army slowly appeared and approached here little by little.

At that moment, the knights around the man began to get agitated. Some of the leaders of the tower cursed loudly, and some soldiers raised their spears high.

The two sides are getting closer.

As they got closer, the man finally saw the situation on the other side clearly.

There was a group of people walking in front of the Zhou people.

Those people were holding the Qi Emperor's scepter and were very arrogant. The Zhou soldiers behind them seemed to have followed them.

Looking at this scene, the man suddenly burst into laughter.

His laughter spread throughout the army, and the soldiers on both sides also laughed. The restless mood just now suddenly disappeared.

Zhou Bing slowly stopped.

Wei Xiaokuan stared at the high slope in the distance with a serious expression. Yang Jian followed beside him without saying a word.

But Lu Yao and others before them did not stop.

Doctor Yin couldn't help but look at Liu Taozi, "General, we are now in the territory of Qi. Can you let me go back?"

"Doctor, the matter of returning the mother of Jin has not been discussed yet, how can you rush back? Besides, if you go back now, what if Wei Xiaokuan kills you and frames us?"

"How about we wait for the envoys from the Duke of Jin to arrive and then let you go back with them?"

Liu Taozi spoke slowly.

Doctor Yin looked extremely unhappy. He secretly turned his head to look at the army behind him and gritted his teeth. "In that case, thank you very much, General!"

They started to climb the hill, and finally, Liu Taozi and Lu Yao arrived in front of the high slope.

The man walked up slowly with a haughty look on his face, looking down at Liu Taozi in front of him.

"Didn't I ask you to go on a mission to the Western Bandits? Why are you back again?"

Liu Taozi said, "The Western bandits' food is not to their liking, so they specially invited their doctor back to Da Qi for discussion."

"Hahaha~~~"

The man laughed loudly, and suddenly jumped off his horse. He walked a few steps to Liu Taozi and reached out to grab his reins. "Good brother! Good warrior! Get off the horse quickly! Get off the horse!!"

Liu Taozi turned over and got off the horse. The man grabbed his hand and dragged him in front of everyone. He looked at several generals and said, "What?! Didn't you hear my brother say that the food was not tasty?! Why don't you go and prepare it?!"

Those people turned and left.

The man completely ignored Lu Yao or Doctor Yin, and took Liu Taozi's hand and walked towards the camp.

"Good brother! Don't blame me, I am just this kind of person. You did a great job! Damn it, sending people to the Western Bandits to bow their heads and bend over, doesn't this make people look down on us?"

"This time you went, you actually captured their doctor. Hahaha. I heard from the scouts that they couldn't believe it. Brother, how did you do it?!"

Liu Taozi looked at the man and said, "I don't know who you are."

"My name is Huluxian! Your Majesty has just appointed me as the governor of Jinzhou!"

"Governor."

"Don't call me that! Just call me Big Brother!"

"Brother."

"Come on, I'll prepare a banquet for you, let's go and have a drink!!"

Doctor Yin stood there in a daze, watching the two people walking away, and slowly looked at Lu Yao beside him. At this moment, Lu Yao had a similar expression as him, stunned.

He did know the guy in front of him, who was famous for being 'frank and direct'. Why did His Majesty let him be the governor of Jinzhou?
Lu Yao slowly looked at Doctor Yin standing aside, "Doctor, let's find a place to continue our conversation. However, this time, I'll have to trouble you to wait for a while. Wei Xiaokuan has done such a big thing, and we have to report it to His Majesty. Only if His Majesty agrees, can we continue."

Yin Gongzheng smiled bitterly.

"It's time, it's fate"

He suddenly turned around and looked fiercely at the culprit who caused all this.

Wei Xiaokuan.

Wei Xiaokuan listened to the cheers and laughter coming from afar, but remained unmoved.

Yang Jian at the side sighed, "Sir Governor, this has given Duke Jin a handle. He killed the envoy without authorization and forced him to be unfilial. If the case is really investigated, what will we do?"

Liu Taozi held Yin Gongzheng hostage and proposed to continue the negotiations in the territory of Da Qi. Wei Xiaokuan agreed to this condition.

If he took action and killed Liu Taozi, Yin Gongzheng, Lu Yao and others, Yuwen Hu would definitely not let him go.

Especially after seeing that memorial, no matter how Wei Xiaokuan explained, in Yuwen Hu's view, he was the one who executed first and reported later, and did not take Yuwen Hu seriously at all.

Wei Xiaokuan chuckled.

"As expected of a young man I value, this move was brilliant. I was just about to make my move, but he made it first. I didn't dare to act rashly because of Yin Gongzheng, but he ignored Lu Yao and made his move directly. He killed my people on my territory and held my ministers hostage. I had to follow them and send them all the way here safely. Hahaha~~ What a good move! What a conspiracy!!"

Listening to Wei Xiaokuan still laughing, Yang Jian couldn't help himself.

"General, now is not the time to flatter the enemy general. Lord Yin was sent by the Duke of Jin, and they were discussing the Duke of Jin's affairs. What should we do now?"

"Report the truth."

Wei Xiaokuan replied calmly: "You don't have to do anything. You just need to report the truth and tell them that the other party took the initiative and made me suffer a great loss."

Yang Jian was about to say something when he suddenly realized what was happening and nodded slowly.

"I understand."

"It's a pity that if we let this person go today, there will be endless troubles in the future."

Wei Xiaokuan looked at the Qi army in the distance, and suddenly looked at Yang Jian.

“Remember this man.”

"From now on, he will be your biggest enemy."

Yang Jian also looked at the Qi army in the distance.

His face was solemn and his eyes were sharp.

Changan.

The Duke's Mansion of Jin State.

The Duke's Mansion covers a huge area, with green trees and pavilions and courtyards everywhere. There are lazy scholars gathered together laughing, and solemn warriors are wrestling.

The soldiers walked hurriedly on the road, with people on both sides.

The entire Duke's Mansion was packed with people and there was noise everywhere.

Yuwen Hu was kind to others and gathered many people around him. He attached great importance to these people and often promoted them to important positions. He was also particularly indulgent towards them and allowed them to commit any crime.

When the soldier came all the way to the living room, he was stopped by the warriors at the door.

After the report, someone led the soldier inside.

In the hall, Yuwen Hu sat in the upper seat. Yuwen Hu looked no different from the Han Chinese, without any trace of Xianbei at all. He was no longer the young follower who had fought in battles. His belly was slightly bulging and he had a broad smile on his face. Next to him sat a Han official.

This man had a very long beard, a typical gentleman.

Yuwen Hu said, "Mr. Cui, we cannot make a direct decision on this matter. Although he is only a general of the seventh rank, he is here to escort the envoy. If we kill him rashly, how will my mother cope with it?"

“How will the world view me?”

Yuwen Hu spoke gently, his face looking particularly frank.

Cui You looked at him, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

You have killed two emperors in a row, and you still care about this? ?
Of course, in Yuwen Hu's own eyes, he was a well-known good man. The two emperors died of illness, which had nothing to do with him. He promoted and reused all those who came to him. He was generous and considerate to his subordinates. He was friendly and kind to his clansmen. He refused the emperor's rewards many times. He was simply a perfect saint! !

Cui You said, "Duke Jin, General Wei is always honest and never exaggerates. He said that this seventh-rank general will become a serious threat to us, so he is definitely not wrong."

"As long as we arrange an accident, we will lose harmony, so what?" "I dare not persuade Duke Jin to ignore filial piety, but the world depends on you. General Wei dared to write this letter because he knew that Duke Jin was relied upon by the Great Zhou and could distinguish right from wrong."

Yuwen Hu's eyes flashed with joy, and he added: "I am very happy that General Wei can run around for my family affairs. However, I have asked many of my subordinates about this matter, and they all said it is not feasible."

Cui You's lips trembled again for a moment.

Yuwen Hu smiled and said, "I know Qi sent an envoy, but I don't know about Liu Taozi or the memorial. I heard that Lord Cui has relatives who fled from the Pseudo-Qi. Their clans were killed by the violent Qi, and they are dissatisfied and intend to take action. I can't stop them."

Cui You was overjoyed and quickly stood up and saluted Yuwen Hu.

"Thank you, Duke Jin!!"

"Thank me for what? I don't know anything."

"Hahaha, Lord Jin is right. I was foolish! Once I have accomplished this, I will personally apologize!"

Just as the two were talking, a soldier suddenly came in with letters, walked quickly to Yuwen Hu's side, and handed him two letters together.

Yuwen Hu glanced at Cui You, then picked up one of the letters with a smile and tore it open in front of Cui You.

After just looking for a moment, the smile on Yuwen Hu's face froze.

Cui You saw that Yuwen Hu's face turned ugly and murderous intent flashed in his eyes. At this moment, although he didn't know what had happened, he couldn't help but feel afraid.

Yuwen Hu put down the letter without even looking at Cui You. There was something wrong in his eyes. He suppressed his anger and picked up the second letter.

The atmosphere in the entire lobby became wrong. Cui You was sweating profusely, lowered his head, and dared not say a word.

Yuwen Hu read the second letter for a long time, and suddenly, he chuckled.

Cui You raised his head, and the gloom on Yuwen Hu's face had mostly disappeared, and his eyes were once again filled with the gentleness of the past. He waved the letter in his hand and said helplessly: "It's too late! It's too late!"

"Duke Jin? What happened?"

Yuwen Hu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and handed the letter directly to Cui You.

"See for yourself."

"This dignified Wei Xiaokuan was actually tricked by a young boy who has never even held a crown!"

"Now I finally understand why Wei Xiaokuan doubted and wanted to kill this man."

"It's really amazing. They took the initiative to frame General Wei and took Yin Gongzheng hostage to Jinzhou!"

"What is this about?"

Cui You lowered his head and read the letter. It was written by Wei Xiaokuan. Wei Xiaokuan stated the cause and effect of the matter truthfully with an attitude of confession, and even did not hide the things he had intended to do directly.

Now, it was Cui You's turn to look ugly.

He suddenly raised his head and said angrily: "Duke Jin! Wei Xiaokuan did not do his job well. He allowed the Qi people to slaughter our soldiers in the army and took the doctor hostage and fled. He really made the Zhou Dynasty a laughing stock. Duke Jin, please give an order! Severely punish him! Never forgive him! "

Yuwen Hu hurriedly comforted him cheerfully: "Mr. Cui, don't be angry."

“Who doesn’t make mistakes sometimes?”

"General Wei was traveling for my family affairs, so he was careless. How could I have the heart to blame him?"

Cui You said: "If you let him go like this, the officials will lose their respect for him."

"Hey, don't be so harsh. General Wei has made great achievements in battle, so there is no need to say more."

"Mr. Cui, please go back."

Cui You had no choice but to bow to the other party again, then turned around and left angrily.

After watching Cui You leave, Yuwen Hu could not help but burst into laughter. He immediately called a few confidants and handed them the letter. These people looked at Yuwen Hu's expression and laughed along with him.

"The dignified Wei Xiaokuan is so embarrassing, hahaha~~~"

Everyone laughed for a long time, and when they had laughed enough, Yuwen Hu asked, "Let's forget about Wei Xiaokuan's matter, but what about my mother's matter? What should I do?"

No one dared to laugh anymore and immediately put on a sad look.

Yuwen Hu sighed and said sadly: "I hope that the Qi Lord can understand the overall situation and continue this matter for the sake of his envoy being unharmed."

"Send someone to Yin Gongzheng and ask him to agree to the Qi people's conditions and send back those escaped bandits so that my mother can be welcomed back as soon as possible."

One of the confidants could not help crying, "The filial piety of Duke Jin has never been seen since ancient times. It is really touching. It is really touching."

The people who were mocking just now suddenly burst into tears.

Pingyang, the governor's office.

Huluxian sat in the upper seat with wine and drinks placed in front of him.

Many officials and generals of Jinzhou sat on both sides of him, and Liu Taozi sat on his left, closer to him than Lu Yao.

At this moment, Huluxian was still bragging about Liu Taozi's deeds to the generals around him.

"Liu Taozi is truly a brave warrior of our Great Qi! He broke into Yubi City alone and captured the enemy's doctor alive!"

"This is a slap on Wei Xiaokuan's face! His face is swollen!"

"Hahaha, everyone, please stand up and toast him!"

Before the official could speak, the generals had already stood up and looked at Liu Taozi with enthusiastic eyes.

A burly man picked up the wine and drank it all. He said, "Before, General Liu smashed the temple dedicated to my ancestor in Wuchuan. I thought that if we met one day, I would fight to the death with General Liu! But now, the old account between you and me is over! My ancestor was killed by Wei Xiaokuan in Yubi!!"

"He won't blame the general either!"

The people who were most happy about Liu Taozi's great achievement were the generals of Northern Qi who had been severely beaten by Wei Xiaokuan.

Yubi City and Wei Xiaokuan, these two words made countless Da Qi men grit their teeth.

And now, Liu Taozi has let them breathe a sigh of relief!

The banquet was exceptionally lively.

Huluxian held Liu Taozi's hand, drank with him again and again, and was particularly close to him.

Liu Taozi suddenly asked, "General, I wonder if General Huluguang, the governor of Luodiao, is related to you?"

Huluxian's expression froze, and he waved his hand, "Not very familiar."

Lu Yao cleared his throat and Liu Taozi didn't say much. After the banquet, Huluxian fell drunk on the ground, and Lu Yao led Liu Taozi away.

"Huolu Guang is his elder brother, but don't ask too much. The relationship between the two is not bad. It's just that General Hulu is always inferior to his brother. And their father is very strict with them."

Liu Taozi nodded, "How is the peace talks going?"

"There shouldn't be any problem. Your Majesty really wants to negotiate. I have also appeased Yin Gongzheng. However, Taozi, when I think of the scene on that day, I am still extremely scared. You are really... ah."

"Don't be so reckless in the future"

"only."

Liu Taozi answered very straightforwardly.

Lu Yao had a complicated expression on his face and he lightly hammered his chest.

Jinyang.

"Hahaha, what a thief! What a thief!"

Gao Yan's usually calm face finally broke into a smile. He picked up the document and signaled to his trusted associates.

Wang Xi and Di Xian'an looked at each other, both with a look of surprise.

Gao Yan has always been serious and he is rarely seen laughing. But during these days, he laughed several times because of Liu Taozi.

Gao Yan said with relief: "After I ascended the throne, I said I wanted to have peace talks with the Zhou people. Many brave generals were dissatisfied and thought I was afraid of the Zhou people. Some ministers even wrote to me, hoping that Yuwen Hu's mother Taozi would not be sent back. This move has made me no longer have to worry about these things!"

"My envoy went to Yubi alone and captured the fake Zhou official alive and returned!! Is there anyone who dares to say that I am afraid of the fake Zhou?"

"Someone, come and pass on my decree! Promote Liu Taozi to the rank of Zhenjiang General!!"

"His Majesty!!"

Xian'an bowed hastily, his eyes wide open, "Your Majesty! General Liu is still young and very brave. He will have many opportunities to make military achievements in the future. Besides, we have to keep him at the frontier to do some work! We can't let him make such rapid progress!"

The joy on Gao Yan's face slowly disappeared, and his whole body was free from the excitement just now, becoming calm again.

He nodded slightly, "That's right."

Xian'an continued, "Why not record his merits this time first, and when he follows you to fight outside the Great Wall and makes more military achievements, you can reward him later."

"No, this is a big deal, I want to let the world know about it, if I don't reward you, it will be unjustifiable."

"Pass on my edict."

"Promote General Wuyi Liu Taozi to General Zhaoyong! Order him to remain stationed in Wuchuan and make new contributions!!"

Wang Xi suddenly said, "Your Majesty."

Gao Yan glanced at him, "Do you still want to dissuade me?"

"I dare not, but, Your Majesty, the border affairs are too important to be left to one person. Lord Lou is good at fighting, but he doesn't pay attention to government affairs."

ps: Xian and Guang were both good at riding and shooting when they were young. Their father asked them to go hunting every day, and they would compare the animals they caught when they came back. Guang’s catch was small, but he would definitely catch the tortoises that reached his armpits. Although Xian caught a lot, it was not a big deal. Guang was often rewarded, but Xian was sometimes beaten. ———"Book of Northern Qi·Biography 9"

(End of this chapter)