Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 191: Smoke of War Rolls to Jinyang

Wuchuan.

The snow was white and the wind was strong.

Even in the daytime, candles were still lit in the house. Outside the window was a mess of snow, completely blocking the view, and the door of the house kept making loud noises.

The cold air that came from nowhere was wandering around the house, causing the generals to shrink their bodies.

"Brother, you can't go there."

Tian Zili frowned, looking extremely determined.

"Everyone except Wuchuan is my brother's enemy!"

"There are countless monsters and demons blocking the way on this thousand-mile journey. Although you are as brave as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, you can't defeat a large army alone."

Cui Gang frowned, "Disobeying the imperial edict is no small matter."

"Then you can claim to be sick, or say that there are bandits coming from the west, or that there is a severe cold weather disaster. Besides, this decree came from the Queen Mother, not Your Majesty. You can send someone to inform Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will naturally know the pros and cons."

Just today, an envoy came and read out the imperial edict from Yecheng.

This decree was issued by the Empress Dowager. The messengers came at full speed, changing horses along the way, and five of their followers died during the long journey.

The decree that caused so many casualties had extremely simple content.

That is to say, the Queen Mother suddenly had a dream about the past. After waking up, she couldn't help crying. She missed the families of her old subordinates very much, and asked Liu Taozi to set off immediately to Yecheng to meet the Queen Mother.

If it weren't for the bad things that happened before, this would definitely be a good opportunity that should not be missed, but now, this road has become a dead end.

There are countless checkpoints and fortresses along the way from Wuchuan to Yecheng, and these places are all controlled by the old nobles. Liu Taozi naturally cannot bring a large army to Yecheng, at least not now, as the road is too dangerous.

Kou Liu suddenly asked, "General, you are going there on the orders of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is extremely powerful. Do you dare to take action on the road?"

Tian Zili sneered and said, "How could these people think about this? You have been in the frontier fortress for a long time, don't you know what kind of people they are?"

"When they do things, they never consider the consequences, and they don't care about strategies at all. Their methods are direct, but sometimes they work very well."

This is a common characteristic of the second generation of military aristocrats today. They have clear ideas and direct means. They rarely hesitate and never consider the consequences. They just do what they say and then think about other things after they are done.

This way of thinking and doing things seems really powerful at times, and extremely abstract at other times.

Everyone was talking about it.

Tian Zili's idea was supported by many people, but some people also raised concerns.

"Your Majesty has not issued an edict to stop it, nor has he blocked this decree, which means that he cannot intervene, or it is not easy to intervene. If we do this, wouldn't it be suspected of alienating mother and son?"

The relationship between a royal mother and her son naturally cannot be viewed as that of an ordinary mother and her son.

If we refuse the Empress Dowager's edict and ask the Emperor to intervene, the consequences will be too uncontrollable.

Who knows what the little old lady will think, and what the emperor will think.
Liu Taozi looked around calmly, as if she had already made a decision.

"Yao Xiong, Kou Liu, Tian Zili, the three of you come with me."

"Cui Gang will stay to manage foreign affairs, Zhang Hei Zu will take over from Yao Xiong to train auxiliary troops, Tu Xi Yue will hold our flag to supervise the border troops, Chu Jian De will be in charge of the internal affairs of the government office, and Yan Hei Ta will lead the light cavalry to patrol the Great Wall."

When Liu Taozi said this, everyone was shocked, but they followed his orders one by one and did not dare to interrupt.

After Liu Taozi finished speaking, Cui Gang said, "Brother, do you really want to go?"

"I am following the Queen Mother's orders, why should I be afraid?"

Cui Gang's face was solemn, but he did not try to persuade him any further. Liu Taozi then gave instructions for other things.

Just as Gao Zhan said, there is nothing big to do at the border in winter. Even if there is a march, it is usually after the autumn harvest. Right now the conditions of several border garrisons are not very good, and they do not have the ability to send troops in a season when it is snowing heavily, the soldiers cannot hold their swords, and there may be major logistics problems.

As long as we can take good care of the civilians and don't let the cold winter take away too many people, patrol against thieves and prevent the border soldiers from going crazy, there will be no problem.

Looking at the worried crowd, Liu Taozi said again: "Don't worry, just do what I tell you to do."

Everyone stood up and left, only Yao Koutian and the other two stayed.

The three of them were quite worried before, but at this moment, they all looked relaxed and not afraid.

Yao Xiong grinned, "I was worried that my brother would leave me here again and take me to the upper reaches."

Liu Taozi looked at the three people and said, "We can't hide in the border forever. We should go to Jinyang Yecheng, see the enemy, and make friends."

"At the very least, let them get to know you."

Tian Zilie suddenly realized that the reason he brought the three of them was to let them broaden their horizons along the way, and also to show their face in Yecheng, Jinyang, and to prepare for future major events.

"Let's all get ready."

"We'll set off tomorrow."

"Yao Xiong, I'm bringing fifty people this time. You can choose them yourself."

"only!!"

"I heard that you gave the steed I gave you as a reward to someone else?"

Yao Xiong was stunned and said aggrievedly: "Brother, I did that to motivate those generals. I don't have anything else good, so I can only give horses."

"Why don't you ask me for it?"

"My brother asked me to train the army, so how can I ask him for more?"

"I won't say anything about the empty words that the Blue Lion gave you. White Fang has several offspring who are pretty good looking. Go pick one."

"only!!"

The weather was freezing cold, and the border fortress welcomed the coldest day of the year. The entire city was covered with ice and snow, and even the training ground was empty.

It is really impossible to go out for training at this time.

In Da Qi, the most deadly thing is the cold winter. Those with slightly weaker health will find it difficult to survive the winter. Every cold winter will eliminate all those who cannot survive.

Liu Taozi and his group drove slowly on the road in the wind and snow.

Kou Liu rode back, with thick mist coming out of his mouth. He pointed to the distance and said, "Brother, we have passed Baidao Fort. Should we go to Yunzhong or Shengle?"

They had walked this road countless times. If there was no wind or snow, this road was not far. Although many border cities were far away, the road was flat and suitable for marching. If they ran quickly, they could reach the capital of Shuozhou in two days.

But now, with the strong wind and snow, the speed can only be slowed down.

In addition, today's Shuozhou is no longer the Shuozhou of the past.

Lou Rui has already left and the new governor has not yet arrived, so Liu Taozi and others have many enemies here.

"Go through Shengle and enter the customs."

"only!"

The group moved forward again. It was not easy to identify the direction in the wind and snow. Fortunately, they were relatively familiar with this road.

After walking for a long time, they gradually left the garrison area and approached the outer mountains of Guang'an County.

The bare trees on both sides were now covered with snow, appearing silvery white, and the whole world seemed a little dazzling.

In the heavy snow, smoke suddenly billowed in the distance.

The rough black smoke pierced through the wind and snow and appeared in the air in the distance, like the arm of a giant supporting the sky, holding it up high.

Seeing the sudden appearance of black smoke, Yao Xiong suddenly gripped the hilt of the sword with a solemn expression.

"Brother, there is a thief."

Tian Zili looked in the distance and said coldly, "Chengping Camp."

"It's just a small mountain pass, backed by Guang'an, with more than 30 soldiers stationed there and lighting signal smoke. They are here for my brother. Someone from Shengle has reported it."

This smoke signal is usually only released to warn when encountering a large-scale enemy attack.

Tian Zili didn't believe that any large-scale Western bandits or Turks would appear here out of nowhere at this moment.

There are two explanations: someone is pretending to be a foreign invader and is preparing to attack and kill them.

Or they were identified as outsiders.

"Prepare for war."

Liu Taozi spoke.

As if to confirm Tian Zili's judgment, the next moment, the ground began to tremble slightly.

Kou Liu galloped back and forth on his horse, "Brother, someone has circled behind us, and there are quite a few of them!!"

Liu Taozi laughed. He looked at the flag that Kou Liu was carrying, watched the direction it was flying, and slowly turned his horse's head.

He looked at the surrounding terrain again, then walked forward for a distance before stopping.

He looked left and right.

"I was worried about not having a gift for the Queen Mother."

Hearing this, many knights around laughed, "General, we are willing to chop off the bandits' heads to show our merit!!" "They are in a hurry to die, why should we be so anxious? Let's have some wine to warm ourselves up and wait for them to come."

"only!"

The crowd was not afraid and each drank some wine and ate some dried meat.

Not long after, a cavalry group came charging towards here from the rear.

There are gentle slopes on both sides of Chengping Trail, and it is snowing heavily at the moment, making it inconvenient to escape.

This cavalry unit was quite large and powerful, occupying almost the entire road. Even on the two gentle slopes, the knights were advancing cautiously.

It was impossible to tell at first glance how many people there were. When the leader saw Liu Taozi and others who stayed here, he couldn't help but shouting. The others also shouted loudly. The sound was transmitted by the strong wind and was quite shocking.

Their attire was completely different from that of the knights under Liu Taozi. It was the Zhou army style, and the flags they hoisted also clearly stated their identities.

There are three big flags.

Yuwen, Wei, Yang.

Tian Zili suddenly spat to the side, "Damn it."

If the Zhou army of more than a thousand people could suddenly appear near Guang'an, braving the heavy snowstorm, without alarming any garrisons along the way, then the damn Qi would have perished long ago! !
This is really the usual style of the nobles, doing things in a rough and unreasonable manner.

The leader was charging ahead at this moment, looking at the dozens of lonely people in the distance, his face flushed and extremely excited.

Liu Taozi!!

Finally caught you!!
Everyone already knew that Liu Taozi was heading from Wuchuan to Yecheng, and those who had grudges against him in various places were now ready.

And this group was the first to be prepared, because they were originally the power of Shuozhou.

After getting the news from Shengle, he led the troops he had gathered and set out from Chengping Pass. In order not to scare off Liu Taozi, he even took a long detour, went north along the river, turned around at Shengle Houshu, set up camp on the road to Yunzhong, and waited patiently.

After Chengping discovered the movements of Liu Taozi and others and informed them with smoke signals, he sent out troops for the second time to directly block Liu Taozi's retreat and trap him on this Chengping trail.

The leader looked at Liu Taozi and felt indescribably moved.

God damn, how much suffering have I endured?!

In this cold winter, he led the army to run for several laps. Even two of his horses died, and his knights also suffered many casualties. Finally! ! All the efforts were not in vain! Finally caught this guy!
Thinking of his uncle's promise, he became even more excited.

The distance between the two sides is constantly shortening.

The leader raised his lance and roared, "Liu Taozi! I am here on the orders of Wei Xiaokuan to kill you!"

Liu Taozi still didn't move. He seemed to be frozen in place, staring at the other person approaching.

In such weather, bows and crossbows were of little use, and the enemy seemed to want to kill Liu Taozi with a swift charge.

"kill!!!"

Liu Taozi suddenly gave an order.

More than fifty riders, led by him, charged towards the knights in front of them.

The leader was overjoyed and came over, holding his spear high, ready to fight with Liu Taozi.

The moment the two sides encountered each other, Liu Taozi's horse lance hit the opponent's head heavily. The leader still maintained the posture of holding the spear, but his head exploded instantly, and hot blood splattered everywhere.

Yao Xiong came back with a spear in hand and stabbed like a madman. One knight after another fell down.

The wind and snow seemed to be getting stronger, covering the entire road.

The snowflakes blowing in their faces made the knights more and more uneasy. The road was blocked, and the knights in the rear had not received any military orders. They collided with each other, and the knights in the front fell down one after another, and even retreated. There was chaos in the enemy camp.

Some people shouted to reorganize the army, but their voices were suppressed by the wind and snow.

The wind and snow are still there.

In the shadow of the wind and snow, the only sounds could be heard: shouting, wailing, and a chaotic array of sounds, with rising mist.

After an unknown amount of time, someone slowly emerged from the snow and wind.

Liu Taozi led the cavalry and slowly headed towards Chengping Pass. The knights on both sides were excited and talking loudly. Their voices could not be heard in the wind and snow. One could only see the bloody heads hung on their horses and strung on their spears, with expressions of fear on their faces.

Blood spilled onto the ground along with the horse.

Tailuoji stood on a high slope near Chengping Pass, gazing into the distance and dancing with excitement.

Chengping Pass is not actually a checkpoint. It is just a small camp at a road intersection, more like an inn. The low wall can only prevent the charge of war horses, but it is not enough to be called a city wall. The knights who come and go to deliver orders can rest here. Chengping Trail is not a mountain road, and the gentle slopes on both sides are not impossible to pass, so there is no need to build a city wall here.

Tailuoji had been serving as the guard here for some time, but his family did not have enough money, so he could not move forward.

Here in the border area, being an official is much easier than in the Central Plains. If you have money, you can even secretly buy a position as a guard.

Of course, this is limited to people living on the border.

Over the years, he had made back his investment by withholding food and fodder, extorting passers-by, reselling supplies within the county, and looting surrounding villages. However, if he wanted to move up further, money was not enough, he also needed talent.

Just when he thought he was going to rot here, things finally took a turn for the better.

A nobleman found him and asked him to help with something. If he succeeded, he would be promoted to the position of lieutenant in the large county of Shuozhou.

Tai Luoji knew that this matter was dangerous, but after thinking about his future, he agreed.

He knew Liu Taozi and Liu Shanxiao. The man's notoriety was well-known in Shuo and Heng, and everyone was afraid of him.

Even so, he still felt that it would succeed. There were thousands of people coming to kill him, while the other side had only dozens of people. Moreover, it was a sudden attack. At this moment, there was no guarantee that those people had already killed him and ran away.

Thinking of the fact that he had participated in the murder of such a big shot, Tai Luoji even felt a little proud.

I finally accomplished something big!
At this moment, a group of people and horses slowly appeared in the distance. Tai Luoji was overjoyed and quickly ordered his men to prepare horses and rushed out to greet them.

"Murong."

Tai Luoji suddenly closed his mouth, widened his eyes, and looked at the dozens of people in the distance.

The people coming towards him were not the ones he had sent out a few days ago. He had seen the leader before.

Liu Mandrill.

Tai Luoji's face turned pale and he stood there in a daze, motionless.

Liu Taozi just walked in front of him.

"Want to die or live?"

Tai Luoji shivered for a moment, and suddenly felt relieved.

"wanna die."

"Puch!!"

The head flew high into the air. Liu Taozi carried the head and stepped over the headless corpse. Then the group arrived at Chengping Camp.

There are more than ten soldiers here, as well as some young men and horse slaves.

When they saw the head Liu Taozi was holding, they were all terrified and turned pale. They knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

Most of them didn't know what had happened, but they knew that they had definitely offended Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi asked again: "Do you want to die or live?"

"Please spare our lives, General! We all want to live!!"

Someone stood up and said.

Tian Zili glanced at Taozi, then rode forward and asked the other party about everything.

Liu Taozi planned to rest here.

Tian Zili asked many people and came to Liu Taozi again.

"Brother, I have found out that those people came here seven days ago. They don't know each other's names. They only know that the officer here is called Lord Murong."

"I asked those heads, but they didn't recognize them either."

"It's a pity that most of the thieves ran away. It would be great if we could capture some of them alive."

"No problem. Find out who are the Guanwei's cronies and kill them all. Then choose someone who is capable and can command the support of the people to serve as Guanwei temporarily."

Tian Zili was silent for a moment, "Brother, this place is not under our jurisdiction, you cannot report the officials here."

"Just do as you're told."

"only."

Tian Zili went to take care of it, while Yao Xiong ate the dried meat with big mouthfuls, and said with a smile: "Brother, these bandits are not even as good as the Xi people, how dare they launch an attack? If this is what they call the elite, then our auxiliary troops can also be considered elite troops!"

Kou Liu said coldly: "Don't be careless. These people are obviously servants and slaves. They are not elite at all. It was the thief who was careless and led them to run wildly in the snow and wind, regardless of the wind direction. He wanted to break through, but was killed by my brother. If someone else came, I'm afraid it would not be easy to win."

"If you go further in, you won't be a servant anymore."

(End of this chapter)