Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 180 The imperial commander’s personal expedition
"Wei Xiaokuan told me that in the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty, a tree should be planted every mile, three trees every ten miles, and five trees every hundred miles."

“I think it’s worth emulating.”

"It's hard to survive in this climate, let alone cultivate the land and cultivate the land."

“We have to find a way to improve it.”

In the government office, Liu Taozi sat at the upper seat, and his minions sat on both sides.

Hearing Liu Taozi's words, Tu Xiyue smiled and said, "General, don't worry. This kind of weather will only last for one or two months and will soon pass. The system of burning trees has been in place for a long time. There must be no trees around the border. Otherwise, the enemy will come from afar and cut them down directly and turn them into siege machines, which will be detrimental to the defense of the city."

"Besides, if there are trees, the enemy will use them to ambush. They will hide in the dense forest and block their vision."

"As for the one mile of land planted with trees, it's not what the Pseudo-Zhou wanted. In the past, we also had road protection forests here, but it's not appropriate to use trees to mark the route. They are too easy to be destroyed, and there's no way to stop people from cutting them down privately."

Liu Taozi said, "I heard from the locals that this place was not like this more than ten years ago, and there was no yellow sand everywhere. But now it has been like this for a month or two. If we don't stop it, what will the scene be like in another ten years?"

Tu Xiyue smiled and did not refute, "Just do as the general said."

Liu Taozi looked at Tian Zili again, "Also, be prepared for the winter."

"only!!"

Yao Xiong sat among his minions with a solemn expression on his face. This atmosphere was finally right.

After their brother left, many of them became lazy and there was hardly any time for them to be so solemn.

"After I left, I heard that you were all very busy, Dameng. Why didn't you tell me that you married a beautiful bride?"

Liu Taozi suddenly looked to the left.

A burly man was sweating profusely at this moment. He quickly stood up, walked out of the line, and knelt in front of Liu Taozi, "Brother, I..."

"You took four concubines in a row, played all day, and didn't even participate in training. You didn't care when Yao Xiong was attacked, and Tian Zili couldn't call you back. You have followed me for a long time, and you have learned these?"

"Brother, I know my crime!!"

Wang Dameng trembled and said: "I will never dare to do it again."

"According to military law, what is the crime of disobeying military orders?"

Tian Zili stood up and said coldly: "You deserve to die."

Wang Dameng kowtowed quickly, "Brother!! I know my crime! If I must die, please let me lead the way. I would rather die on the battlefield than die at the hands of my brothers!!"

Yao Xiong immediately stood up and said, "Brother! Please spare his life! It was me who failed to cure him, so I am willing to share some of the blame with him!"

"point?"

Liu Taozi looked at Yao Xiong, and Zhang Heizu and others also stood up.

"Brother, please forgive his death sentence for all the contributions he has made!"

"You will be spared the death penalty, but you will be caned thirty times and dismissed from your military service."

"Thank you, brother!!"

Immediately, a soldier pulled him out, and Liu Taozi looked at the rest of the people. Several of them were extremely frightened and sweating profusely.

"Whether you follow me for fame, official title, or wealth, I don't care."

"As long as I am not forced, even if Wang Dameng takes thirty concubines, it has nothing to do with me. But I just can't let it interfere with my work."

"The great cause has not even taken half a step, but you are already starting to slack off. Why is that?"

"Brother! We know we are wrong!"

Everyone bowed their heads.

"Alright, everyone, get out. Xiong, Zili, Gang, the three of you stay."

Everyone stood up and left, only these three stayed. After everyone left, Tian Zili scolded: "You idiot, what do you mean by dividing the crimes? Are you going to lead the generals to fight against your brother?!"

Yao Xiong was stunned and quickly explained: "Brother, it's not like that. It's just that Wang Dameng has been following you since Cheng'an. When we attacked Chongguang Temple, he was the first to climb the city wall. He was stabbed three times and almost died there. He is loyal to you, I..."

"All right."

"I'm asking you to stay, not to punish you."

"Speak of something important."

Cui Gang hurriedly took Yao Xiong out. After a while, the two returned to Liu Taozi with thick documents. After putting them down, Cui Gang panted and said, "Brother, this is the current situation of the soldiers and civilians in various places."

"After you left, a large number of dead people came to seek refuge, especially this month. People came in droves. Winter is approaching and the dead can't survive."

"Some people also ran away from the county, and I stayed with them too."

"A total of more than 40,000 people have come, and the number is still increasing."

"Our warehouse is still quite full. We have taken a lot of spoils from the temples before, which is enough for us to use. However, many of the land deeds and farmland we got from them have been taken away by the local counties."

"After all, it is within their territory, and it is not easy for me to place our civilians in their territory."

"At present, there are still many civilians who need relief. There is really nothing to eat in this place. Without relief, these people simply cannot survive."

"In addition to repairing the city walls, building towns, and paving roads, we have also reclaimed some wasteland. However, I'm afraid it will take another four or five years to turn these wastelands into fertile fields. In addition, there are no trees around the town, so it will be a big problem to survive the winter."

"Fortunately, we can still get some from the county. It seems that we can only continue to repair the house. There is no way to get firewood."

Cui Gang was a very serious person. Whenever he spoke, he would hold the documents and look at them before speaking. If he didn't look at them, it seemed like he couldn't say a single word.

Tian Zilie stood aside, saying nothing, listening to Cui Gang describing the current situation to Liu Taozi.

When he had finished speaking halfway, Tian Zili suddenly said, "Mr. Cui, I will tell you the rest. You should keep an eye on those military officers first to prevent them from causing trouble again."

"well."

Even though Cui Gang was interrupted, he did not show any displeasure. He bowed to Liu Taozi and left in a hurry.

After he left, Yao Xiong closed the door. Tian Zili then said with a smile: "Brother, these civilians are our foundation."

"There are more than 200,000 civilians at the border. They are all organized. Their officials do not receive salaries from the government. They only obey the orders of the lord. People from all over the country continue to come to them. Perhaps in a few years, we can support 400,000 to 500,000 civilians."

"We can select those who can read and write to assist my brother in governing. At the same time, we can also select those who are brave and strong to form an army."

"You can use the name of Cangtou."

Yao Xiong suddenly said, "When it comes to fighting, we still have to rely on these Xianbei border soldiers. As for the civilians, let them farm. Why organize an army?"

"Oh, this time when brother is away, those border soldiers will no longer obey the general's orders. If the government dismisses brother one day, how many of them do you think will continue to follow him?"

"These civilians, on the other hand, eat and drink at the general's expense. Even if the general becomes a commoner, he can still command them to fight for him!!"

Yao Xiong glanced at Tian Zili and said, "Why do you always want to make your brother a commoner? Your Majesty loves your brother!"

"If you really favor me, you wouldn't send a general to guard me. This is clearly a precaution. My brother has a very high prestige in the army. He has also recruited these civilians, privately appointed officials, and dispatched them all. If my brother stays here for a few more years, can Your Majesty still sit here?"

Liu Taozi was still sitting there, watching the two people quarreling, and suddenly asked, "When the military pay was distributed, were you told that it was distributed by His Majesty?"

"Informed."

"When you helped the people, did you tell them that it was your Majesty's kindness?"

"Informed."

"Then there is nothing to worry about for now. There is no need to rush to organize an army. Just continue to settle them."

Tian Zili said helplessly: "Brother, this is appropriate, but sending all these people away for no reason is fine for the army, but why do you do this to these civilians?"

"Whether it is my foundation or not is not important. What is important is that hundreds of thousands of people survive."

Tian Zili trembled all over, "Wei!!"

October, the first year of Huangjian.

The wind was blowing hard, and the knights held up their flags high, which rustled in the wind. More than ten knights were galloping towards Wuchuan.

When they rushed to the door, Liu Taozi had already led everyone out to greet them.

The leading knight took out the imperial edict from his arms.

"Your Majesty has ordered!!"

"Generals and officers from all regions are to stay in their offices and are not allowed to go out!"

After the knight finished reading, he put away the imperial edict and looked at Liu Taozi, "General Zhaoyong, His Majesty has personally led the army and has arrived in Shuozhou!"

"I am worried that the officers from all over the country will be in a hurry to pay their respects and delay military operations, so I order you to stay in the office and wait."

"Yes!" Liu Taozi saluted and the other party turned and left.

Yao Xiong was confused. "Generals are not allowed to go out? What does this mean?"

"It is to avoid revealing His Majesty's location."

Kouliu replied.

Tian Zili had a stern face and remained silent, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Liu Taozi turned around, looked at his minions, waved his hand, and led them back to the city.

At the same time, in Chengping Town, the southernmost part of Wuchuan Fort, a group of horse dealers sat in the house of a hundred households and drank hot water.

It was freezing cold and the wind was knocking at the door.

Several mighty horse dealers were sitting on the couch rudely. The one leading them was a very burly young man who looked less than 30 years old, with an obvious scar on his forehead.

Facing the rough wind outside, the young man drank the hot water in one gulp and exhaled thick mist.

He put down the bowl and looked at the old man in front of him.

"So you are not an ordinary village or town, and you don't have any horses to sell to us?"

Murong Chi nodded, "That's true. If you want to buy a horse, you can go to Hengzhou. I heard that the horses there are cheaper. Here, there are only fine horses from the soldiers and the Zhenna Garrison that accommodates the civilians. They are only sold to the people in the garrison. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Here, we are all civilians, receiving food from the temple and working for the temple. We don't have any private property at all."

The young man was amazed. "I have traveled all over the country, but this is the first time I have heard of a village or town that accommodates civilians."

Murong Chi smiled bitterly, "You don't know, in the past, we were all thrown outside the city. When we had to repair the city wall or do work, we were given some food to work on. If there was no work, we would starve to death every day, some were killed at will, and some were sold to the outside of the Great Wall as slaves."

"Of those who came here for forced labor, almost no one returned alive."

"The current General Zhaoyong is kind and compassionate. He knows the hardships of the people and has specially settled us down. We have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and he also allows us to cultivate the land. We don't have to worry about running out of food. Many people who escaped have now returned."

"Since I know a little about writing, I was appointed as the head of a hundred households, responsible for organizing the laborers here. I was responsible for the work and the distribution of food."

The young man nodded, "So that's how it is. This General Zhao Yong is amazing! He is really amazing!"

Murong Chi laughed, "Since your majesty took the throne, life has gotten better. Your majesty is a benevolent monarch. He promoted people like General Zhaoyong, issued an edict to settle us, allowed us to farm, and distributed food to us. If it weren't for such a benevolent monarch, how could I survive at my age? I don't know how long I have been waiting, and finally I have such a monarch. It's our good fortune, our good fortune."

"Oh? Did His Majesty place you there?"

"Yes, the officials who came to distribute food often read the imperial edict to us. It was His Majesty who allowed us to farm and let the local government pay to settle us. This is known to all places in the border areas. You may not know it, but I heard that His Majesty learned that General Zhaoyong had made great contributions to the settlement of the people, so he specially promoted him to General Zhaoyong. In the past, he seemed to be one level lower. This is a holy monarch sent from heaven."

The young man's mouth twitched suddenly. He quickly picked up the bowl in front of him, covered his face with it, and drank it all in one gulp.

Murong Chi hurriedly shouted, "Gentleman! It's hot! It's hot!"

The young man put down the bowl and shook his head, "It's okay, in this weather, a little hotter is the most comfortable!"

"Can you eat enough now?"

The young man suddenly asked.

Murong Chi smiled and said, "Even the soldiers in the city can't say they can have enough to eat, let alone us. Thanks to the benevolent king, we can still survive. I'm afraid it will be hard to endure this winter. However, the person who came to distribute food last time said that His Majesty might come. I think His Majesty is kind. If he comes here and sees that we are having a hard time surviving the winter, he will definitely help us."

The young man groaned.

At this moment, someone suddenly shouted outside.

"Mr. Murong!! Here comes the food!"

Murong Chi gestured to a few horse dealers and then hurried out.

The young man pricked up his ears to listen.

"Here are the food for this month, and there are a few carts of wood. Don't burn them. Repair the houses! Do you understand? These woods were specially provided by the county to help you survive the winter. Don't burn them! Tell the people under your command!"

"only"

At this moment, the young man couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

After a long time, Murong Chi came back again and sat in front of several people. "Gentleman, please don't blame me. I was just talking about this matter. As expected, His Majesty sent the wood. I feel much more relieved now."

"Which county sent the wood?"

“I don’t know about that.”

"Ah."

The young man stood up and bowed to the old man, "Old man, since we don't have a horse to buy, we will take our leave first. Thank you for your hospitality."

He fumbled with his sleeve but found nothing, and immediately looked at his follower beside him.

The man quickly took out some money. The young man frowned. The man reached out again, almost emptying his sleeves.

The young man took the money and put it aside, "Father, these lunch boxes are a thank you gift."

"Oh, how dare you?"

"Gentleman, you."

"No problem, take it!"

The young man turned around and walked out, and the rest of his followers followed him. Murong Chi followed them all the way to the door, bowed to them and thanked them and said goodbye.

After the group of people disappeared in the distance, Murong Chi closed the door.

He immediately leaned against the door, gasping for breath.

He wiped his forehead, picked up the money with trembling hands, and looked at it again and again in his hand. When he saw the thin line of "帑" on it, Murong Chi was so scared that he took a deep breath again.

Sure enough.

At the same time, the young man had already walked out of the village, and the knights had already lined up there, waiting for them to come back.

Wang Xi wrapped his thick clothes tightly around him and said with a smile, "Your Majesty's reputation is known to the whole world."

The young man, Emperor Gao Yan of the Great Qi Dynasty, had a look of joy on his face. He glanced at Wang Xi and said, "Didn't Lord Wang say the same thing when he was in Yecheng?"

Wang Xi hurriedly said, "It's not that I don't trust General Zhaoyong's loyalty."

"However, I still feel that General Zhaoyong has too much power. This has nothing to do with his loyalty."

Gao Yan ignored him and looked around, and someone immediately brought golden armor.

Surrounded by many soldiers, Gao Yan put on the emperor's special armor.

Then he raised his whip, "To Wuchuan!!"

The knights walked in an orderly manner at the front, and the huge army set off towards Wuchuan, and the momentum could not be concealed from anyone.

Wuchuan was extremely noisy, and Liu Taozi led the generals out to greet them.

Yao Xiong put on his latest armor and groomed his beard again and again. Kou Liu excitedly spoke Xianbei language repeatedly, and turned his head to ask Chu Jiande, when he saw His Majesty later, should he say a few words in Xianbei language to show his cordiality?

Cui Gang's face flushed red. He changed into clothes that he usually didn't want to wear, which he dressed meticulously. He murmured something in a low voice.

Meet the emperor.

In the past, this was something that the old brothers who followed Liu Taozi could not even imagine.

A year ago, when some officials came to see them, they would feel scared.

But now, they are also the people who can come out to welcome the emperor and talk to him.

Compared to their excitement, Tian Zili was much calmer. He was still wearing his old clothes and was not prepared at all.

Another person who is so calm is Liu Taozi.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the knights finally appeared in front of everyone. These knights were all elites transferred from Jinyang. They were fully armed and much more elite than the border soldiers. It was no exaggeration to say that they were armed to the teeth.

At the beginning, there were more than ten fully armored knights leading the way. I wonder how many elite border soldiers he could defeat with just one fully armored knight.

There were more and more knights, and finally, the entire Wuchuan was occupied by the knights, and both inside and outside were governed by their people. Anyone standing here would have their identity thoroughly checked by the knights, and those who were not qualified to receive them had to go back home and were not allowed to go out.

After completing all security preparations, Gao Yan finally appeared slowly in front of everyone.

Liu Taozi hurriedly led everyone forward to pay their respects.

"Meet the Khan!!"

Gao Yan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"I asked you to come to Wuchuan to teach the Chinese people, but why did you let them lead you astray?!"

(End of this chapter)