Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 186 Ours, His
Jinyang.

Zhaode Palace.

Gao Yan sat in the upper seat, and King Pingqin Gao Guiyan sat next to him. There was no one around, and Gao Yan even held the other's hand, appearing particularly intimate.

"These people who publicly disobeyed your majesty's orders must not be tolerated any longer."

Gao Guiyan spoke loudly, his expression extremely solemn.

"These people, relying on the merits of their ancestors, dare to be so disrespectful to Your Majesty. I will send people to collect evidence of their crimes and kill a few of them to deter them!"

"There is no need to do this to pacify the King of Qin."

Gao Yan said: "With your words, I feel at ease."

Seeing Gao Yan's relieved eyes, Gao Guiyan cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, they disobeyed the king's order and must not be forgiven lightly. However, I think that their concerns cannot be ignored either."

The smile on Gao Yan's face froze slightly.

Gao Guiyan said, "Your Majesty, no matter what, Liu Taozi is a Han Chinese after all. Letting a Han Chinese sit in the frontier and command a large number of troops. Of course, I know that Liu Taozi is a loyal minister, and I also know that his father is in Yecheng, and he will definitely not rebel. But what I am worried about is that these Han Chinese will get involved in military power."

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten about Yang Yin?"

"Han people can be used and promoted, but they cannot be allowed to command the army."

"Yang Yin held the King of Jinan hostage, dismissed the nobles, and attempted to change the state system and use the Han people to occupy our country. But even though he was the prime minister, he had no soldiers and was easily captured by us."

"But if we allow these people to have military power, and another Yang Yin appears in the future, with a name above and a large army below, how should we respond?"

"Your Majesty, please think carefully and do not rush to appoint a Han Chinese as a general. If Your Majesty favors Liu Taozi, you can let him be a governor or governor in a wealthy place in the Central Plains, or even serve as a minister in the court, but you should not let him command the army."

Gao Yan's eyebrows twitched, and he asked, "Is King Ping Qin worried that Liu Taozi will collude with the big families and hold the government hostage again?"

"They are all Han Chinese! They must be colluding!"

"When Liu Taozi was in the Central Plains, he killed many of these great clans and caused rivers of blood to flow. Can this also be considered collusion?"

"Your Majesty, there is no one else here, so I will tell you clearly."

"How many Chinese are there in the world? Millions. How many Han people are there? Millions!"

"At present, all the millions of Han people are civil servants, and the military power is in the hands of the people. There is no need to worry. But if this precedent is set, the Han people will be soldiers and generals in the future. Millions of Han people will be involved. Can this Da Qi still be my Da Qi?!"

Gao Yan's face became extremely heavy at this moment. He looked at Gao Guiyan coldly and suddenly asked, "Prince Ping Qin, there is something I want to ask you."

"only."

"If I really want to use these Han people, is King Ping Qin willing to continue to follow me, or choose another wise leader?"

Gao Guiyan was horrified and quickly knelt down, "Your Majesty, why do you say that?!"

"Your Majesty, I am loyal to you!!"

"Your Majesty, minister."

Seeing Gao Guiyan was so frightened that he lost his composure, Gao Yan said, "Don't panic, I was just joking."

"I have given up on Liu Taozi. He is not a Han Chinese. His family has assisted my family for generations. In terms of relationship, he is much closer to me than those people in the court. I personally gave him a name of a foreigner. How can he be considered a Han Chinese?"

"No need to say more!"

Gao Guiyan pursed his lips and had to agree.

The two talked for a few more words, but Gao Guiyan didn't want to stay any longer. After talking for a few more words, he turned around and said goodbye.

When Gao Guiyan walked out of the hall and came to the door, he met Gao Zhan head-on.

Looking at Gao Zhan who was full of high spirits, Gao Guiyan hurriedly stopped him.

"Your Majesty, I have something important to discuss with you."

Gao Zhan is different from the serious Gao Yan. He is much more free and easy in appearance, posture and dress, and is not a rigid person.

He tilted his head and looked at Gao Guiyan in front of him, "What's the important matter, Your Majesty?"

Gao Guiyan knew this man's character, so he was not angry. He just said, "Your Majesty, you are here for Liu Taozi's matter, right?"

"Your Majesty wants to promote a Han Chinese to be a general. This is absolutely impossible."

Gao Zhan was stunned for a moment, then asked with a smile, "What does King Pingyuan say about this matter?"

Gao Guiyan's face immediately turned red. "How can Liu Taozi be compared with King Pingyuan? King Pingyuan's biological mother's surname is Lou! He is the Queen Mother's nephew! "

"Oh, if you marry a girl from the Lou family, you are no longer considered a Han Chinese?"

Gao Zhan laughed again.

"That's easy, why don't we just ask my mother to find one of her daughters to marry him?"

Gao Guiyan was furious and ignored Gao Zhan in front of him and left in anger.

Gao Zhan watched him leave coldly, snorted, and walked quickly into the hall.

"Brother!!"

Gao Zhan bowed, then sat down next to Gao Yan with a smile, "I just came in and met Gao Guiyan. This guy wanted me to persuade you not to use Liu Taozi!"

Gao Yan looked at his brother deeply, "So what do you think?"

"Oh, brother is the king, can you let these people cover up everything?"

"No matter if they are Chinese or foreigners, they are all family members, so just use them!"

"Brother is not just their emperor, so aren't these Han people also his subjects?"

Hearing Gao Zhan's words, Gao Yan was overjoyed. He grabbed his brother's hand and said, "Among all the royal family members, you have the highest talent and virtue."

"Zhan, you are right. How can the emperor be held hostage by these people?"

Gao Zhan smiled and nodded.

Gao Yan suddenly said: "Now that we have defeated the Xi people, we are no longer a new king. We can take our time to deal with many important matters."

"Zhan, I intend to have you enter Yecheng as the right prime minister, and guard Yecheng for me in the future to deter the villains."

"Tomorrow, I will prepare to issue a formal order to reward the generals and announce the news. In addition, I will enthrone the crown prince."

"Okay, brother, I'll go tomorrow."

Gao Zhan was suddenly stunned.

He still had a smile on his face.

"Appoint the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, it's time to enthrone the crown prince. Zhan, you have to guard Yecheng well in the future. Don't waste your time. Study hard and improve your abilities so that you can assist the crown prince in the future. Do you understand?"

Gao Zhan was silent for a long time, then he laughed, "I understand."

Gao Yan gave Gao Zhan many more instructions before letting him leave.

After walking out of the palace, Gao Zhan still had that habitual smile on his face until he returned to his mansion. At this moment, the smile on his face finally disappeared.

"Your Majesty!"

A confidant rushed forward, and Gao Zhan knocked him down with one punch. Then he sat on the man and started punching and kicking him. Everyone did not dare to try to stop him and just watched the scene in horror.

"I'm so loyal!!"

“I’ve worked so hard!!”

"How dare you?! How dare you bully me like this?!"

Gao Zhan looked like a madman, as if he was possessed by Emperor Wenxuan. He continued to beat without caring, his fists were covered in blood. The confidant in front of him had already been beaten to death and was lying on the ground, a bloody mess.

Gao Zhan was breathing heavily. No one dared to step forward. He Shikai, who had heard the news, pushed everyone aside and rushed to the innermost part. He quickly picked up the silk cloth, wrapped Gao Zhan's hand, and cried, "My king! How could you hurt your hand? If you are angry, just chop me with a knife! Don't hurt yourself!!"

Looking at He Shikai crying bitterly in front of him, Gao Zhan slowly calmed down his anger.

He stood up with the help of He Shikai, and the two of them walked into the inner room together.

He Shikai lowered his head to treat his wound, but Gao Zhan said coldly: "I was deceived."

"Who is this lunatic who dares to deceive the king?!"

"Haha, from childhood to adulthood, I have always obeyed his orders and contributed the most to him, but I never thought that this would be the end."

He Shikai shuddered all over, as if he knew who Gao Zhan was talking about.

"Your Majesty, you."

Gao Zhan suddenly pulled him up and looked him straight in the eyes, "You, you go now, go to the mansion of the King of Ping Qin, and tell him that I will host a banquet for him tonight!"

"Be more humble. If he humiliates you, you have to endure it!"

He Shikai said hurriedly: "Please rest assured, my king, I will definitely invite him to come. If he is unwilling, I will die in his house!!"

He Shikai turned around and left.

Gao Zhan sat where he was.

At this moment, his view on everything suddenly changed. What the nobles said was not without reason.

"His Majesty."

"My son is naughty and ignorant, but fortunately he is favored by your majesty and holds a high position in vain."

The third minister to come to the palace after Gao Zhan was Liu Taozhi.

Liu Taozhi, who had always been silent, didn't dare to be stern anymore. She knelt in front of Gao Yan and confessed her guilt honestly.

"This time, he even wrote letters to insult generals from all over the country and threatened General Murong. This is extremely treasonous. I am willing to go to the border and reprimand him in person."

Gao Yan shook his head, "Mr. Liu, there is no need to do this. Please stand up."

Liu Taozhi slowly stood up and looked at Gao Yan in front of her with a complicated expression.

I was never so scared when I assisted Emperor Wenxuan.

Gao Yan said seriously: "Liu Taozi has made great contributions. I promoted him, but it aroused the jealousy of some ministers. Lord Liu does not need to pay attention to those rumors."

That doesn't sound like a fucking rumor, Your Majesty!
Liu Taozhi really wanted to curse at this moment. She thought that this guy would calm down after being lucky enough to become a town general. Who would have thought that this guy would start to mess with many nobles again.

He wrote a letter to Murong Sanzang, asking him to truthfully report the military achievements of the border soldiers. If anyone dared to embezzle the military achievements and not give rewards, he would dig up the other party's ancestral graves.

Murong Sanzang was furious, but he did not say how the soldiers were dealt with in the end. He only said that the court reissued the rewards to the border soldiers.

This incident caused a sensation in Jinyang.

Liu Taozhi couldn't sit still anymore and hurried over to pay her respects.

He had to make it clear to the emperor that this was not what I taught him!!!
Gao Yan looked at Liu Taozhi in front of him, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Before meeting Liu Taozi, he really trusted Liu Taozhi and felt that these old slaves were absolutely trustworthy minions.

But when Liu Taozi asked that question, Gao Yan felt unhappy.

When they were powerful ministers and forced the emperor to step down, they stood on the side of the powerful ministers.

Now that he is the emperor, if he encounters a powerful minister in the future, will they still stand on the side of the powerful minister?
They are not loyal to the royal family, they are loyal to strength, and they will support whoever has strength.

Gao Yan's scrutiny of Liu Taozhi made her feel particularly uneasy. Gao Yan suddenly asked, "Mr. Liu, you are deeply loved by Emperor Wenxuan. Why didn't you stand up when the King of Jinan was in power?"

Ah? ?

Liu Taozhi looked at Gao Yan in astonishment.

He didn't even know how to answer this question. Are you blaming me for not standing up against you?

Liu Taozhi thought quickly. At this moment, his brain was working very fast. Suddenly, he said, "Your Majesty, when the King of Jinan was in power, many young men had expressed or hinted that they were willing to follow him to fight."

"It's just that the King of Jinan is cowardly and refuses to agree to our request, so he can't step forward."

Gao Yan fell into deep thought again. At this moment, he thought of Liu Taozi who was staring at him in Erhechuan.

He suddenly came to his senses and looked at Liu Taozhi beside him.

"Mr. Liu, can the current warrior camp still fight?"

Liu Taozhi did not give a clear answer to this question. He just said, "Your Majesty, since the sixth year of Tianbao, the Warrior Battalion has been distributed to various places to garrison. There are only less than 2,000 people left in Yecheng. These people are brave and good at fighting, but they have no chance to make merit."

"Well, the Warrior Camp was established by Emperor Wenxuan. I don't want to see it fall into disrepair and want to revive it. I wonder if Lord Liu can do it?"

Liu Taozhi was speechless again. Emperor Wenxuan had such high prestige that he could force his way forward, but you
"I will do my best."

"How about this, you select some veterans from the Warriors Camp who have military merits, are brave, and are from the Central Plains. After I came to power, I have not yet rewarded many veterans, and I always feel that I owe them something. I plan to promote them and let them go to various places to serve as county lieutenants."

The warrior camp was full of Han soldiers.

Let them be county lieutenants? Aren't all local military officers appointed by Chinese or Qiehu?
Liu Taozhi trembled, and he suddenly realized that he seemed to be involved in some big event.

But at this moment, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Yes."

"Well, let's recruit some more people. Less than 2,000 people are indeed too few."

"Ten thousand people is about right."

"Train them well, make them familiar with the art of war, and use them as elite troops to guard Qingdu."

"only."

"General Liu Honghui, I think this man may have done something wrong. You can send someone to investigate. If there is evidence of a crime, report it immediately."

"only"

Gao Yan issued many imperial edicts to Liu Taozhi. The more Liu Taozhi listened, the more uneasy she felt. However, she still kept them all in mind and agreed to them one by one.

No matter how incomprehensible the task was, he had no choice but to do it.

Just because he was not a noble, he had no qualifications to disobey.

When they came out of the palace, it was already dark and Liu Taozi had put on a mask. No one knew how ugly or how wonderful the expression beneath the mask was.

He mounted his warhorse and quickly left in the direction of Yecheng.

At the same time, Gao Zhan's mansion also welcomed an important guest.

Gao Zhan lowered his head and maintained a polite posture towards Gao Guiyan, "Uncle, I said a lot of things in the palace today that were not what I meant. If I was impolite, I hope you will not blame me."

Gao Guiyan was a little surprised and hurried forward to help him up.

"Your Majesty, please don't do this. We are all family members, why bother? I have never blamed Your Majesty."

"Uncle, please take a seat."

"No, the king should take the throne."

The two of them became much more polite, and Gao Guiyan sat in the upper seat while Gao Zhan sat beside him.

Gao Guiyan was quite flattered by Gao Zhan's sudden change in attitude. All along, Gao Zhan gave people the impression of being a spoiled child, always arrogant and domineering, never bowing his head to anyone. In the past, he even dared to cry and shout at Emperor Wenxuan to send He Shikai over.

Such a lawless guy suddenly changed his nature today and was so polite to me.

In front of the two of them were all kinds of food, delicacies and royal wines, and Gao Zhan spent quite a lot.

Then someone played music and beautiful women danced.

Gao Guiyan listened to the music played by the musician, shaking his head and humming with enjoyment, and then looked at the various beauties with shining eyes.

"Uncle, these musicians and dancers were all obtained from the fake Chen, and they are all top-notch! And this wine, I know you like wine, this wine I have treasured for many years."

Music, beauty, and good wine.

These are Gao Guiyan’s three hobbies. At the moment, he doesn’t want to talk about anything else.

The two men discussed for a while, and Gao Zhan finally said, "Uncle, I will send the musicians and dancers to your house later, but you have to finish this fine wine with me!"

"Hahaha, okay, okay!"

Gao Guiyan was overjoyed, and the two of them started drinking.

Both of them could drink a lot, and they ate more and more, even after eating many bowls of wine, they were not drunk at all. The people watching couldn't help but applaud them.

"The king is hosting a banquet today. I am so happy that I did not bring any gifts. I will definitely make up for it another day."

Gao Zhan shook his head, "Uncle, there is no need to do this. Let's not talk about these things anymore. Let's talk about the big thing that uncle mentioned."

"We must make things clear today regarding Liu Taozi."

Gao Guiyan hurriedly told Gao Zhan all the words he had used to persuade Gao Yan.

Gao Zhan patted his thigh and said, "Well said!"

"This Great Qi is our Great Qi. How can we watch Your Majesty make mistakes and use those Han people to disturb the world?"

"Uncle, rest assured. I will definitely stand on the side of the wise ministers and will not allow Your Majesty to make such a mistake!"

Gao Guiyan was extremely happy to hear Gao Zhan's words.

Gao Zhan holds a very high status in Da Qi, second only to Gao Yan. If he could lead the nobles to speak out, it is possible that this matter could be suppressed.

"I wonder what uncle can do?"

"Prepare to jointly submit a memorial with all the ministers!"

Gao Zhan smiled and shook his head, "Wouldn't that be a coup? Although His Majesty was confused for a moment, he is extremely brave and has a rather violent temper. If he is pushed too far, he can kill people in the court. This is too dangerous and inappropriate."

"Then what do you think we should do, Your Majesty?"

"Don't alarm His Majesty first. Temporarily obey his wishes, then contact the ministers and accumulate power. When the wise ministers have made a decision, I will come forward and make the final decision."

"As for Liu Taozi, let him be proud for a while."

"He extorted nobles and committed crimes, which is actually a good thing."

"The more proud he is, the more people will support us. Uncle, do you know the principle of flattery?"

(End of this chapter)