Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 201 Unusual Movement
The second year of Huangjian.

In this month, apricot blossoms are in full bloom, and the fields with white sand and light soil can be ploughed.

The farmer stood bare-legged on the cold and hard ground, trying hard to loosen the soil.

There was an official riding a fine horse, shouting something along the way, galloping past without stopping along the way.

The farmer looked up, watched them leave, waved his hand, and called his son over from a distance, "What did he say just now?"

"He said it had been changed again."

"What has changed?"

"The state, county, and county names were also changed."

The old farmer's face was still dull, he just looked into the distance blankly, waved his hand again, and his son left carrying the hoe.

He didn't ask what was changed, nor did he care why it was changed.

The old farmers have seen this kind of thing many times. There are major changes every year, sometimes the jurisdiction changes, sometimes the county town is abolished, and sometimes the prefectures and counties are re-established.

The old farmer hasn't known where he is from for many years.

But that's not important.

The important thing is that if he doesn’t finish his work now, he will be too late to pick willow catkins later.

A group of people and horses appeared on the official road in the distance, as mighty as a dark cloud.

The old farmer dropped his farm tools and lay down on the ground skillfully, his whole body pressed against the ground, not moving a single step.

Liu Taozi rode a tall horse and slowly passed through the official road.

Looking at the old farmer in the distance who was almost burying himself in the soil, Liu Taozi didn't say anything, but just slightly sped up.

At this moment, the newly appointed Governor of Beishuo, Yiluo, was riding a horse and following Liu Taozi.

Yiluo looked confused at the moment, following Liu Taozi, not knowing what to say.

Tian Zili smiled and said, "It's just that Lord Yin Lou has been wronged this time."

"Oh, I dare not, I dare not. If it weren't for the general, how could I survive?"

Yiluo was promoted from county governor to provincial governor, but this was not a promotion. Counties and states were divided into different ranks. The county governor was of the third rank, and the provincial governor was of the fourth rank. And the temporarily established Beishuo State exuded an air of shabbyness.

A truly wealthy military core like Shuocheng was still left to Shuozhou. The government used scraps, like Jinhe, Baidao, Yuanyang and other strategically located areas but with no manpower and resources, to piece together a Yulin County, which was the only county in Beishuo. Beiheng was even worse off, with only a fragmented Dingxiang County.

It is said that he was promoted to provincial governor, but in fact he was just a county magistrate. Maybe even worse than a county magistrate, with only a few small towns under his jurisdiction.

It is no wonder that the imperial court did not send any important officials at all, but only selected two local people with political achievements, Yin Lou and Wei Jiong, to serve as the two governors respectively.

That’s right, the other unlucky guy is Wei Jiong.

The governor of Shangjun was doing a good job, but suddenly he was transferred to be the mayor of the town because of his outstanding political achievements.

Hearing his words, Tian Zili continued, "With your current qualifications, if you want to go further, you must make military achievements. Although this place is a little poor, it is a good place to make achievements!"

"As long as you can make more military achievements in the future, will you still be afraid of not being reused?"

Hearing Tian Zili's words, Yiluo quickly forced a smile and nodded repeatedly, "What you said makes sense!"

Liu Taozi led everyone and traveled thousands of miles back to the border.

The first person to come out to greet him was the governor of Yiluo.

This time when they went back, Liu Taozi took another road. This road was more difficult to walk on. Fortunately, the ice and snow had melted, so it was not as deadly as before. Although it was difficult to walk on, this place was close to the Pseudo-Zhou. Sometimes, they could even see the enemy staring at them on the high slope.

The two sides just stared at each other quietly and watched each other leave.

Ferocious beasts appear from time to time, and the castles in many places are empty. If you go around here, you may have a chance to reach Jinyang unscathed. However, you have to set out in the right season, otherwise there will be a lot of casualties before you even get there.

Yiluo took Liu Taozi to inspect the area where he was ordered to supervise.

They returned to the city and came to the dilapidated government office that was under construction.

Everyone took their seats.

The wine and drinks here are also quite bitter, and not as delicious as those in Jinyang.

Yao Xiong said in a muffled voice: "No wonder His Majesty is so confident in letting my brother govern the two states. They are all bad places. I think the people in the city are not as many as the people in Cheng'an Township!"

"Your Majesty, do you want us to rely on these villages and towns to resist the Pseudo-Zhou?"

Yao Xiong seemed a little displeased.

It is true that Your Majesty has greatly promoted my brother, but my brother has also clearly done a lot of things. Those good-for-nothings who have done nothing and can't even lead troops are governing large states and counties, indulging themselves in pleasure, while my brother has worked so hard, but he wants to use the most dilapidated place to do the most important things? !

What's the point?
Listening to Yao Xiong's complaints, everyone's faces turned pale, but Kou Liu was not afraid. He continued, "You were also a casual official. Don't tell me you only know this now?"

"Aren't these hard and tiring tasks done by people who can do things? Have these pleasant jobs ever been done by people who can really do things?"

"If you don't want my brother to come, do you want that guy named Han to come?"

"So if you can do something, you deserve to be wronged?"

"What's the point!"

Yao Xiong shouted again: "Even if they really want us to do something, they should have entrusted Shuozhou and Hengzhou to us completely! How can we rely on these places now?!"

Kou Liu chuckled, "Because my brother is too capable, I can't completely entrust him with everything."

Hearing these outrageous words, Yiluo didn't know what to say. He just sweated profusely and kept wiping his sweat with his hands.

Yao Xiong glanced at him and said, "This Lord Yilou and Lord Wei are the few real people in the border area who really do things. It's really unfair that they were sent here to do things!"

"Ah, I. The government must have had some considerations."

Yiluo's face turned pale and he didn't want to get involved in this topic.

Tian Zili then spoke up, "You two should stop talking nonsense. It is because your majesty trusts my brother and Lord Yilou that he has appointed me to such an important position."

The two men stopped talking.

Liu Taozi looked at Yiluo calmly and said, "I will hand over the whole state to you. You don't have to worry about the defense. I will take care of it."

"What you need to do is to keep the people here alive, just like in the past."

Hearing this, Yiluo couldn't bear it any longer.

"General, there is a big thing happening right now!"

"Oh?"

"My people can't go to Jinhe!"

Yiluo was confused, and he explained: "General, Jinhe was originally Zhou territory, which was recaptured not long ago. It is close to the Zhou people, and there are no mountains or important towns to rely on. The Zhou scouts have been able to pass through the city gate several times, but the soldiers inside the city can't control it."

"The officials I sent were killed before they could even enter the city, and the soldiers in the city were often robbed and killed when they went out."

"The nearest Baima Fort is also unable to provide support in time. We dare not send too many, nor too few."

"I see."

Yiluo was stunned. He looked up, still very confused. He had thought about this matter for a long time but could not think of any good solution. Jinhe River was far away from all the garrisons, like a protruding piece. The officials and civilians stationed here were trembling with fear, fearing that they would be captured by the Zhou people tomorrow.

It seems that the Zhou people have not yet made up their minds to take back this place, but they are unwilling to send troops because the contract has just been drafted.

Yiluo thought about it for many days, his headache was splitting, and he had no ideas.

But after hearing what Liu Taozi said, Yiluo suddenly calmed down.

Liu Taozi has a bad reputation and everyone is afraid of him, but for the people around him, having such a damn vicious person sitting next to them can actually make them feel at ease.

Yiluo suddenly stopped panicking and no longer felt any fear in his heart.

It seems that as long as Liu Taozi is still around, even if a demon grows out of the ground, he will not be afraid.
Liu Taozi explained many things to Yiluo, then left and continued to head towards Wuchuan.

When Liu Taozi left Jinyang this time, he not only received a simple imperial edict, but also many rewards, which were of the standard of General Anxi, and he was fully rewarded with flags, ceremonial guards, and armor.

Majestic and unrivaled in momentum.

Especially when they returned to their own territory, General Liu’s flags were erected everywhere.

Cui Gang had already received the news and led officials and generals from all over the country to welcome General Anxi of Da Qi, the governor of Beishuo and Beiheng states, and General Liu, the founding county magistrate of Shengle.

Looking around, there are Cui Gang, Chu Jiande, Zhang Heizu, Poduoluoku, Wang Chong, Tu Xiyue, Liu Chengcai, and Yan Heita.
One can still find some things belonging to disciples of big families on Cui Gang.

If it was Tian Zili, he would definitely only bring a few trusted people to greet him and report their work first.

But Cui Gang was not like that. He went out of the city twenty miles according to the welcoming standards, and arranged everyone according to their official positions and qualifications, clearly distinguishing between civil and military officials. He also required all the rough men under his command to wear official uniforms to unify the standards.

Unlike the other wild men, Cui Gang knew "etiquette". This "etiquette" was neither important nor unimportant, but it was important. Cui Gang made such a group of common people and petty officials, barbarians and rough men, neat and tidy, just like the civil and military officials, lined up in an orderly manner, bowed and greeted, and the soldiers formed a ceremonial formation, using the same music used to celebrate a triumphal return, and there were special musicians playing triumphal music.

When he suddenly saw this ceremony, Tian Zili was stunned.

What the fuck did you do after I left?

Yao Xiong rubbed his eyes. He almost failed to recognize those reckless men in the distance.

Liu Taozi didn't say much, but just asked everyone to stand up.

The next moment, the pretense of courtesy could no longer be maintained. Potala Ku took the lead in breaking the formation and rushed to Liu Taozi's side, "Brother! Do you want us to die?!"

"Why did it take so long?!"

The orderly formation was immediately broken, and the ruffians rushed in and surrounded Liu Taozi, talking to each other without any courtesy. Cui Gang shook his head when he saw this.

Yao Xiong looked at Potala Ku in front of him in astonishment.

"Are you Ku? If you don't speak, I will think you are a rich lady from some family!"

"Why are you dressed like this? You changed your clothes and even got your hair done??"

Ku glanced at Cui Gang and said helplessly: "Mr. Cui said that my brother is an important official at the moment, and we must follow etiquette when welcoming him."

Liu Taozi, surrounded by the crowd, drove towards Wuchuan.

Yao Xiong and others were surrounded by the crowd at this moment, all asking about the trip to Jinyang.

Liu Taozi's experience this time was so legendary that it was widely circulated in the border areas.

Especially after everyone learned that someone had robbed and killed their brother, the situation on the border was no longer under control. There were signs that the army was gathering, and several cities in the border counties hurriedly closed their gates.

Fortunately, Liu Taozi was not seriously injured, and no major chaos broke out on the border.

Everyone was talking about these things, and it was quite noisy.

Cui Gang walked beside Liu Taozi and talked about the situation in various places.

"Brother, the civilians from all over the country have been settled and can be organized and mobilized."

Cui Gang's thoughts were clear. He started with the civilians, and talked about their current living conditions, land reclamation affairs, repairs in various garrisons, and government affairs of all sizes. This time, he finally did not take out any documents and just started talking.

Tian Zili said softly: "Mr. Cui, you have worked hard. I am afraid you have been carrying it on your back for several days."

Cui Gang ignored Tian Zilie who tried to interrupt him and continued talking about the study.

"There is still a serious shortage of officials. There are not many people who can read, but the number of places that need officials is increasing."

Tian Zili then smiled and didn't interrupt.

When Liu Taozi returned to Wuchuan City, the soldiers in the city were all in a state of fanaticism, shouting "General" in unison, and everyone finally entered the government office.

Liu Taozi has more and more minions under his command.

The government office underwent a renovation so that so many people could sit.

Liu Taozi sat in the upper seat, with his confidants on both sides.

When he came back this time, he brought a lot of rewards, and he rewarded everyone according to their contributions during this period of time.

Yao Xiong sat in the crowd, attracting most people's attention. He talked loudly about his experience of going out. I don't know where he learned it from, but his eloquence was getting better and better. He spoke quite well and fluently.

Cui Gang, Tian Zilie and others sat next to Liu Taozi, ignoring the noisy warriors, and discussed local affairs in low voices.

"I brought back a lot of people this time, and they can take up the vacancies."

“These people all came out of the law school and know how to do things.”

Cui Gang was overjoyed. He had noticed the strange followers brought by Liu Taozi early on.

They don't look like strong warriors, they are indeed some clerks!

Cui Gang said immediately: "Brother, it's enough. At present, all places are no longer in chaos and disorder. The officials have been properly arranged and are being dispatched. With these people joining, the affairs of all places will be under control."

Tian Zili was a little curious, so he asked, "When you left before, there were a lot of troubles at the border. This time you've been away for even longer, so how come nothing bad seems to have happened?"

Cui Gang replied: "Brother, you have a very high reputation at the moment. Besides, the garrison commanders in various places are able to win the support of the people and were promoted by you. After you leave, they will be able to obey the orders of the General's Office and control the garrisons well to prevent any major chaos."

"Minor incidents do happen quite often, but with the generals in charge, we are not afraid."

Tian Zili did not say anything. Cui Gang was telling the truth, but things are often not as easy to do as they sound. The fact that he was able to keep the border stable and prevent unrest for such a long time was not entirely because everyone was obedient. This guy has made a lot of progress.

Cui Gang glanced at Tian Zilie secretly and thought in his heart, this guy actually brought back so many clerks and convinced so many people that he even stopped treating the Khitan people differently. This guy has made a lot of progress.

The two looked at each other, gave each other an insincere smile, and nodded.

The generals came one by one to report their respective missions to Liu Taozi.

"My Lord, you are finally back. I haven't had a good rest for a long time. I have asked someone to put the documents in the inner room so that my Lord can check them at any time."

Chu Jiande said this, but he looked energetic and not tired at all.

"I have collected a lot of the military doctors that the lord requested, which is barely enough. But my body is in such bad shape."

Liu Taozi said, "I will recruit you as an army doctor and triple your salary."

"My body is getting healthier and healthier. I think we should gather more military doctors here. It would be best if more doctors can be arranged in different places. I offer a glass of wine to my lord!"

Chu Jiande drank it all in one gulp.

Liu Taozi was not in a hurry to let him go. Instead, she motioned for him to sit down. "Mr. Chu, there is something I don't understand."

"My lord, please speak."

"You dress simply and don't like luxury. Whether it's food or housing, everything is quite simple, but you are always short of money. Is Mr. Chu preparing for his funeral?"

"This"

"If Mr. Chu is worried about your funeral, there is no need to do so. I can arrange your funeral."

Chu Jiande shook his head and said, "I am not a noble, so what is there to talk about after my death?"

"My Lord, you may not know that it is not easy to be a doctor in the world today."

"There are many good ghosts and gods, good witches everywhere, and medical practitioners can only make a living by doing this. I have many teachers and disciples. Except for some who can get close to nobles, most of the others are still in danger of losing their lives. They can only survive by helping each other."

"Before I met you, I was helped by my fellow disciples. Now, I naturally have to work hard to help my fellow disciples."

“So that’s what it’s used for.”

"How many fellow disciples do you have?"

"There are more than a hundred people."

“Let them all come to Wuchuan.”

"what?"

Chu Jiande hesitated for a while before he lowered his head and said, "General, not all of them are Jinchuang doctors. There are pediatric doctors, daughter doctors, and oral and nasal doctors. Jinchuang doctors have already been called to Wuchuan by my institute. Why should we wait for the general to speak?"

"These people are of no use to the great cause of the lord. I have no way to repay the lord's kindness. Please don't embarrass me like this."

"it works."

"It's not because of you."

"Write quickly."

Chu Jiande was stunned for a moment, looking at Liu Taozi's extremely serious face, and asked in surprise: "My lord, if they can't treat wounds, what use are they in Wuchuan?"

"I treat children, women, and other patients. How can you say it's useless?!"

"Let's do it now."

"only!!"

Chu Jiande stood up and walked away, walking briskly.

Yan Heita watched the old man fly out in astonishment, and then sat next to Liu Taozi, still wearing a mask, "General, there are more and more scouts from the Pseudo-Zhou. On the fourth day of last month, a 300-man Zhou army appeared near Huaishuo. I don't know the reason."

"Six knights from Yicheng went out to patrol the official roads and disappeared near Baiheng Valley."

"Baima Garrison repeatedly discovered that Zhou scouts crossed the official road."

"For some reason, the Zhou people suddenly increased in number, and there were unusual movements in various places."

(End of this chapter)