Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 178 What’s the intention?

"General Liu Taozi, a brave and loyal general, has brought glory to the country."

The angel held the decree and read it loudly.

Liu Taozi, Lu Yao, Huluxian and others knelt before the angel and listened to him read the imperial edict.

The angel said a lot. This time, the decree was not as simple and direct as in the past. After talking a lot of nonsense, he told the most important thing.

He promoted Liu Taozi to General Zhaoyong.

Liu Taozi's face was calm, and she just thanked the emperor for his grace.

But at this moment Lu Yao couldn't help but look at Liu Taozi.

This guy is rising so fast!!
Although General Zhaoyong was only a general of miscellaneous title, he was an official of the sixth rank!
Previously, Lu Yao served as the magistrate of Cheng'an County, which was only a fifth-rank post, just one level lower!
It only took one year, and he jumped from a minor official to the sixth rank. This promotion speed is simply terrifying.

If he continues to be promoted like this, in two years, won't I have to bow to him before seeing him?
Lu Yao felt very uneasy.

This General Tao is brave, but too brave!

Your Majesty's reward is simply to encourage his behavior and make him more courageous.
But Lu Yao could not refute this commendation. After all, Liu Taozi's behavior really made the emperor proud, especially at a time when the emperor needed face the most.

After the angel finished reading, he pulled Lu Yao up and took him to another place, and whispered to him about the peace talks.

Huluxian held Liu Taozi's hand again, his face full of joy.

"Your Majesty is wise. You should have been promoted long ago!"

"I won't stay in Jinzhou for too long. There is no war here. Wait for me, brother. One day, I will definitely take you to the frontier to show your skills!"

Huluxian was particularly fond of this brave general. If he had not known that he was of use in Wuchuan, he would have really wanted to write a letter to the emperor to ask him to work under him.

The angel left in a hurry, and Lu Yao walked up to them with a relaxed look on his face, interrupting their conversation.

"Zhizhi, it's done. Your Majesty has agreed to the other party's conditions and decided to return Yuwen Hu's mother."

"The people are on their way and will arrive soon. Mr. Yin has also negotiated with them."

"When the time comes, you will just accompany me to the formal handover."

Huluxian hurried forward and asked, "What are the conditions?"

"Send back the thieves who have fled to the Pseudo-Zhou, agree to trade between the two countries, and stop attacking."

Huluxian narrowed his eyes, "It's just empty talk that we won't attack anymore. I don't know how long the trade can last. As for the so-called bandits, I don't know who they will return. However, the big things are still undecided. Whatever, if we take this opportunity to relax some of the guards, we may be able to lure them to attack."

Lu Yao looked deeply at the general in front of him.

Both of these brothers have some abilities.

The envoys from the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty also arrived here soon.

The negotiations between the two sides became particularly smooth. With the consent of the two rulers, the atmosphere became particularly harmonious again, and Yin Gongzheng seemed to have forgotten the previous unpleasantness.

After Yuwen Hu's mother and the imperial aunt were brought in, Lu Yao and Liu Taozi immediately escorted them to the border for the formal handover.

Liu Taozi rode a green lion, fully armed, and walked in front of the carriage.

He glanced at Mr. Yin who was standing beside him and said, "Mr. Yin, I was wrong about what happened earlier. I wrongly accused Doctor Yin. Please don't blame me."

Yin Gongzheng rode his horse and walked beside Liu Taozi, his face full of smiles, no longer showing the gloom of the past.

"What did General Liu say? If it weren't for you, my life would be in danger. How dare you blame me?"

Liu Taozi didn't say anything else.

Lu Yao suddenly said, "Mr. Yin, you have wrongly blamed General Wei. In fact, General Wei had no intention of murdering you or us. It was General Liu from our family who thought you were delaying, so he took action first, killed the guards, held you hostage, and framed General Wei. In fact, it was us who frightened you in vain. Please don't blame us, don't blame us!"

Yin Gongzheng looked at him in surprise.

"You say."

"That's what happened. General Wei was careless for a moment and fell into a trap, so he had to suffer the consequences. Now that the two countries are on good terms, in order to prevent them from becoming enemies, I won't hide it. I'm just afraid that after you go back, you'll wrongly accuse General Wei and cause discord, so I'm explaining it to you."

Lu Yao said very sincerely.

Liu Taozi glanced at him and said nothing.

Anger flashed across Yin Gongzheng's face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.

He nodded, "I see. Thank you, Mr. Lu, thank you, Mr. Lu."

In the distance, Wei Xiaokuan and his knights had been waiting for a long time.

Liu Taozi saw Wei Xiaokuan standing in the crowd from afar. He suddenly rode his horse forward and galloped towards the enemy like a green lion. For a moment, the Zhou army was frightened and changed color.

Liu Taozi reined in his horse and stopped, not entering the range of the crossbows.

He raised his lance high, "General Wei!"

"Why don't you come out to greet them?!"

Wei Xiaokuan rode his horse forward a little bit, but did not leave the formation.

He looked back and laughed, "Knowing this! Why don't you come to my camp again for some drinks?!"

Yin Gongzheng led the carriage, said goodbye to Lu Yao and Liu Taozi, and rushed towards the direction of the Zhou army. After the carriage entered, the Zhou army quickly began to retreat in an orderly manner, advancing step by step, leaving no loopholes at all.

Wei Xiaokuan paid his respects to the two women before stopping Yin Gongzheng.

His face was very embarrassed, "Doctor Yin, I'm sorry for making you suffer."

"But there is one thing I need to let you know. This time, I am also..."

"You were also fooled by Liu Taozi. You were careless for a moment, and he took advantage of the opportunity to attack you first and deliberately framed you, right?"

Yin Gongzheng asked coldly.

Wei Xiaokuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly again, "Is that what Liu Taozi said?"

Yin Gongzheng did not answer, but just lowered his head and walked away quickly, ignoring the matter.

Looking at Yin Gongzheng walking away, Wei Xiaokuan slowly turned his head and looked at the Qi army waiting in formation in the distance.

His expression became complicated, and in the end, he just sighed.

"pity."

Meanwhile, in the Qi army, Lu Yao looked at the Zhou army in the distance with a smile, and said to Liu Taozi, "You can't alienate them. Yuwen Hu is a man who looks generous but is jealous. When he learned that Wei Xiaokuan had suffered a loss, he would not punish him but reward him. However, he has another characteristic, he is suspicious and scheming. If a confidant questions this matter in person, he will immediately become alert and think over and over again until he can convince himself."

"Know it, the truth is not necessarily the truth, and lies are not necessarily lies. What matters is how the other person thinks."

"I see."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Lu Yao hurriedly shook his head, "These are minor techniques that can be used occasionally, but they cannot be abused. Don't get addicted. If you want to learn, then learn the classics. That is where the great principles are and the real weapon."

But this time, Liu Taozi did not speak to agree with him.

Liu Taozi had already finished his business here, so naturally there was no need for him to stay.

Lu Yao is also responsible for the subsequent handover and has to stay for a while.

Liu Taozi said goodbye to Lu Yao and also said goodbye to Huluxian.

Lu Yao held Liu Taozi's hand and repeatedly advised him to read more scriptures and never be impatient in doing things.

As for Huluxian, he was much more straightforward. He gave Liu Taozi two sets of heavy armor as a parting gift.

After Liu Taozi finished the work here, he led everyone back to Wuchuan.

Kou Liu was the happiest and couldn't hide the joy on his face at all.

"Brother, you have truly become famous all over the world. Everyone knows about it!"

"This feat may go down in history!"

Chu Jiande stroked his beard, "It's not maybe, it's definitely going to go down in history, and not just the general, but us as well. Maybe we'll be mentioned in the general's biography in the future."

Kou Liu was so excited that he couldn't close his mouth. "If I can leave my name in history, my death will be worth it!!"

“Whether it is worthwhile or not is not determined by what kind of reputation you leave behind, but by what you do.”

Liu Taozi said slowly.

Kou Liu lowered his head quickly, "Yes."

Yan Heita said hoarsely: "Following the general, it will be worth it even if I die."

Chu Jiande laughed loudly, "Kou Liu! Look at him! This is the kind of person who can be promoted to a high position and make a fortune!!"

Kou Liu glanced at him and laughed, "I won't be remembered in history!"

"I've been away for a long time, and I don't know what's going on in Wuchuan."

Wuchuan.

The cold wind outside the Great Wall always comes faster than from other places.

The cold wind whistled past, causing the people on horseback to tighten their clothes.

On the high slope where Lu Yao had stood, there was a knight, surrounded by hundreds of people, making quite a presence.

The knight was young and looked quite arrogant. He looked into the distance with disdain in his eyes.

"Shit."

"A good border town has been turned into this state by the Han people."

The chief official standing by looked at the quiet village in the distance, lowered his head, and smiled, "Since the general has come here, he must not let the Han people run rampant!"

"Heh, before I set out, my brother repeatedly told me to avenge King Shunyang!"

"Now that I'm here, how can I let him continue to act so recklessly?"

"A mere penny-pincher"

The chief secretary licked his lips and said, "General, although Liu Taozi is not worth mentioning, His Majesty still loves him very much."

"What are you afraid of?"

"He is not in Wuchuan right now, let's kill his minions first and destroy his foundation!"

"Your Majesty favors him only because of what he does here. If he can't do anything, what use does Your Majesty have for him? If you really trust him, why would you let me serve as the general of the town?"

The young man raised his head and said proudly: "After the matter is accomplished, even if His Majesty is angry, he will only dismiss me. His Majesty still needs our help and will not kill me for him."

"So what is the General going to do?"

"What's the point of keeping you, you bastard?! Shouldn't you be the one to help me think?"

The chief secretary pondered for a moment, then said: "General, I heard that most of Liu Taozi's subordinates are coarse and lowly people. Why not send a trusted person to Wuchuan to deliberately anger them and force them to take action? Then we can arrest and kill them in the name of offending their superiors. As long as we kill his trusted people, the rest will be easy to deal with."

The young general smiled and nodded, "Not bad, not bad, you go."

The chief secretary was horrified. "General, I am the dumbest person. It would be better to find someone who is eloquent, so as not to ruin your plan."

"No! It's you!"

"What are you afraid of? If that thief dares to kill you, I will definitely avenge you!"

The Chief Secretary wanted to cry but had no tears. "General, this plan is too dangerous."

The young man slowly drew his sword and looked at him. The chief historian took a deep breath and said, "I'll go."

After saying this, the chief historian called a few knights, rode their horses down from the side, and headed towards Wuchuan.

The young general laughed, then signaled the knights to follow him and slowly headed towards Wuchuan.

He watched from afar as Changshi rushed to the city gate and gestured to those people with an excited look on his face. The next moment, those people suddenly pounced on him, pulled Changshi off his horse, and captured him and several other knights directly into the city.

The young general's eyes widened and he shouted, "Great! I was wrong about this guy! This guy is really working hard!"

He looked around, "Come with me!!"

He immediately sped up, and everyone followed him, charging towards Wuchuan in the distance.

The city gate was still open, and several knights were talking about something. They were not surprised at all to see someone coming, and did not even look at the general.

The young general flew into a rage and pointed his whip at them, "How dare you! Why don't you bow down to General Zhen when you see him?!"

Several knights looked at him and saluted lazily, "Greetings, General."

General Zhen became even more angry, "Good! Good! This is the army trained by Liu Taozi! Lawless!"

"My chief historian has come to report this. How dare you arrest him? Where is he?!"

"At the office."

"Someone come! Follow me!!"

General Zhen led the knights and rushed directly into the city. The knights just watched them rush in and ignored them. They looked at each other, even with a bit of gloating in their eyes.

General Zhen rushed all the way to the gate of the government office. As soon as he arrived at the gate, he saw his two knights tied up and kneeling at the door.

But the door of the government office was wide open.

General Zhen immediately ordered his men to charge in.

When they rushed into the government office, they saw the chief secretary kneeling on the ground, trembling in fear in the empty courtyard.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves, the door to the front yard slowly opened.

A man came out wiping his hands.

The man was tall, with a bulging belly, wearing a thick fur coat, and had a calm expression. He walked to the steps and looked at General Zhen on horseback.

General Zhen was horrified and quickly jumped off his horse.

“Greetings, Lord Lou!!”

Lou Rui was stunned and asked, "What did you call me?"

General Zhen quickly changed his words, "Greetings, Your Majesty!!"

Lou Rui then laughed, and he looked at the other knights. The knights began to dismount and kneel on the ground.

Lou Rui slowly walked up to them, squatted in front of General Zhen, stretched out his hand, and gently hit him on the face a few times.

General Zhen didn't dare to get angry, but just looked at Lou Rui with a silly smile.

"Liu Huizu."

"grown ups!"

"You are very capable. You sent a long-term official to let me go out to greet you?"

"My Lord, I do not know."

"Who is your lord?!"

Lou Rui's face changed drastically, he frowned, and a murderous look appeared on his face.

Liu Huizu was so frightened that he almost collapsed to the ground, "Your Majesty! I don't know, it's not someone I sent!"

"Not someone you sent? Then it means it was a false military order?"

Lou Rui slowly stood up, took out the dagger from his arms, and looked at Liu Huizu again, "When I came here, His Majesty asked me to lead the frontier military affairs and allowed me to kill first and report later. I falsely passed on the military order, which is a capital crime."

He came before the Chief Secretary, who was shaking like a sieve, "Great, great, great king. I, I."

Lou Rui suddenly stretched out his hand and pressed the man to the ground. He covered his mouth with one hand and cut the man's neck with the dagger in his hand. In an instant, blood spurted out and Chang Shi struggled frantically. Lou Rui's face remained calm. He just covered the man's mouth and did not move until Chang Shi stopped moving.

Liu Huizu opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at the scene in front of him, completely frightened.

The next moment, Lou Rui, covered in blood, squatted in front of him again, shaking the dagger in his hand.

"Liu Huizu, what are you doing here?"

Liu Huizu wanted to say something, but his lips kept trembling and he couldn't utter a word.

Lou Rui grabbed him suddenly, threw him to the ground, covered his mouth with one hand, and pointed the dagger at his throat.

Liu Huizu struggled in fear and made a whimpering sound.

The knights around couldn't help but stand up. Lou Rui looked at them coldly, but they didn't dare to get angry.

Lou Rui gestured back and forth with the dagger, "I am in charge of military affairs here, and you are here to be the general. Are you here to share my power?"

"As soon as I arrived, I sent a senior official to provoke me. Even your third brother didn't dare to do this to me. Where do you get the courage from?"

Smelling the foul odor coming from Liu Huizu, Lou Rui took away the dagger in disgust.

"You are embarrassing your father."

"Do you want to die or live?"

Lou Rui asked.

Liu Huizu began to sob, and Lou Rui slowly loosened his hand. Liu Huizu was breathing heavily, his mouth opening and closing, tears flashing in his eyes, and he dared not speak at all.

"I'll assume that you want to live. So, these knights you brought are pretty good, so just stay in Wuchuan. As for you, follow me back to my place, and I'll arrange a good house for you. You can eat, drink, and have fun in it. There's only one thing: don't delay me from doing my work. If you dare to ruin my good deeds, I'll dare to cut the throat of not only you, but also your third brother. Do you understand?"

"I see, I see."

Liu Huizu said while crying.

Lou Rui stood up and clapped his hands. Knights came from both sides, helped Liu Huizu up, and took him away.

Lou Rui wiped the blood off the dagger, Tian Zili and Yao Xiong hurried forward, Tian Zili smiled and said: "Thanks to Lord Lou for helping us."

"Oh, what's that? His Majesty is really something. Zhizhi has done so many contributions for him, why would he send a little minion to keep an eye on him?"

"Are you targeting Taozi or me?!"

"Believe it or not? This must be the idea of ​​those important officials. These people are incapable of doing anything else. They have no military merits and they love to stir up internal strife. Don't panic, just do your job. I will personally report to His Majesty about Liu Huizu's matter. Before Zhizhi comes back, several of my knights will stay here. If there is anything, just tell them and they will come to me."

"Thank you, Mr. Lou!!"

"Don't thank me, go see if this guy brought anything good and search his car!"

"only!!"

ps: At first, the emperor went on a diplomatic mission to Zhou. Wei Xiaokuan saw him and felt strange. He had a deep conversation with him. When he returned, he told everyone: Don't keep him. He secretly sent someone to kill him. He followed the emperor and fought his way out. ———"New Book of Han·Biography 4·Biography of Yao Xiong, Bandit Liu and Zhang Heizu" (written)
(End of this chapter)