Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 217: Rule with Your Hands
Sizhou.

A group of people marched forward in the wind and snow.

Gao Anagong sat in the car, looking at the scenery outside from time to time, taking a sip of tea, and making strange noises with his mouth.

Just as they were enjoying their journey, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Then a man who looked like a scholar poked his head in tremblingly. The deputy general looked tired and his eyes were bloodshot.

"General, the roads are covered with snow. The soldiers are too tired to clear the road. There are no villages or towns along the way to clear the road. The road is rough and bumpy."

"so what?!"

"You didn't know how to repair the road on weekdays, and now you realize that the road is difficult to travel when you are about to send troops?!"

"Do we have to wait until the enemy attacks and we need to send troops before we can repair it?!"

Gao Anagong said unhappily: "Send more soldiers over. Can these thousands of people still be blocked by the road? Let them all go to the front to clear the way! As the governor of Shuozhou, I must ensure that the road from Bingzhou to Shuozhou is unobstructed!!"

"Don't neglect it!"

The scholar was stunned for a moment, then he said, "General, it's freezing outside, and the soldiers' legs are frozen. Our march is very slow, so why not abandon the chariots and ride on horses?"

"Bastard thing!!"

Gao Anagong was furious. He scolded, "When I followed King Gao to fight on the frontier, I suffered a lot. What does this cold weather mean to you? I think you have been in the Central Plains for too long. You are all like Han Er and cannot bear the slightest hardship!!"

"You hold the knife and supervise me! Anyone who dares to disobey will be beheaded!"

The scholar clenched his fists, said nothing, turned and left. Gao Anagong cursed a few words, then picked up the hot tea in front of him and started drinking it.

"Ah!!"

The soldiers, holding weapons and some holding armor, threw the snow piled on the road to both sides.

Heavy snow kept falling all over the sky, and the soldiers' faces turned red due to the cold. One of them fell down suddenly while doing something. Several soldiers around him were horrified. The officer also ran over in a hurry and asked the military doctor to take him away.

The army advanced quite slowly.

A soldier was shoveling snow in front of them, looking angrily at the bewildered scholar, "Qin Jishi! Shouldn't you have recorded these things and informed the imperial court?!"

Qin Jishi frowned and hesitated to speak.

An officer who was shoveling snow cursed, "I know what Gao Anang is! What kind of person is he? He said he followed King Gao. In the beginning, he just relied on his big size to guard the gate and hold the flag in front of King Gao. He never made any merit in his life, but he became a general by flattering and selling his buttocks!!"

"This bastard is really rampant. In such heavy snow, he sat in the car and didn't dare to get out, but asked us to clear the way ahead!!"

"It's already the first month of the lunar calendar. If we keep going like this, we may not arrive until the hot summer. How many of our thousands of brothers will survive?!"

The warriors around didn't say anything, but there was a fierce light flashing in their eyes, and one of them suddenly dropped the shield in his hand.

"Why do you suffer such humiliation?"

Seeing that something was not right, Qin Jishi hurried forward, "Everyone, please don't be angry! I will report to the general again!"

The scholar left again, and the warriors looked at each other, anger in their eyes.

Gao Anagong was drinking tea when the scholar interrupted his enjoyment again.

Gao Anagong was a little angry, "What happened again?"

The scholar hurriedly said, "General, the soldiers can't stand it anymore. They all say that you want to kill them. Many people gathered together and whispered, and I don't know what they are talking about."

Gao Anagong suddenly woke up. He quickly put away his tea and walked out of the carriage quickly.

The soldiers looked at him one after another, most of them with unfriendly eyes.

These soldiers who followed Gao Anagong to Shuozhou were not the kind of county soldiers who were expendable. They were all the elite soldiers of Yecheng, who were specially sent by Gao Zhan to suppress Liu Taozi.

But before these people even saw Liu Taozi, dozens of people had already been killed or injured.

Gao Anagong seemed to notice the hostility in those people's eyes. He immediately frowned and looked at the scholar beside him. He angrily cursed: "Who told you to order these soldiers to clear the way?!"

"Someone is coming!"

"Beat him fifty times with military sticks!"

Gao Anagong then looked at everyone, "I was ill and had not been out, and I almost let this guy succeed! There is no need to do this anymore, I will ride my horse and take you there!!"

The warriors looked at him calmly. Some of them picked up their shields again and began to prepare. Gao Anagong was a little embarrassed, but didn't care.

The scholar was dragged aside. He wanted to explain something, but when he saw Gao Anagong riding a horse in the distance, he just closed his mouth in despair.

"Snapped."

The wooden stick fell on the scribe. The scribe trembled but did not feel any pain. He raised his head in astonishment.

The warrior grinned, "At least you could yell a few times."

"Snapped."

"what!!!"

The scorching sun hung alone in the sky, but it did not bring much warmth.

The whole world was covered with snow. Gao Anagong was riding a war horse, wrapped in thick clothes, but he couldn't help shivering. His teeth kept chattering together, and he looked into the distance with anticipation on his face.

This road is indeed difficult to travel, especially in winter, it is simply fatal and you can only ride a horse.

Gao Anagong felt that he could not bear it any longer, but fortunately, they finally arrived at Shuozhou.

Once you enter the city, you can rest and wait until the weather warms up before heading to the government office.

In the distance, a huge camp slowly appeared in front of them. The camp was built very tall and against the mountain. There were only two mountain roads connecting it to the main road. The location was extremely dangerous.

Gao Anagong breathed a sigh of relief, "We have finally arrived at Pingshe Fort."

He took the lead and quickly charged towards the camp. The knights also quickly sped up, protected him, and galloped towards the castle in front of them.

On the path leading to the city wall on the left, some soldiers raised their crossbows and aimed them at them.

Only after Gao Anagong revealed his identity did they make way for him.

Gao Anagong had no intention of asking for punishment. He did not want to waste time and charged directly into the city.

The city gate was slowly opened, and dozens of people walked out.

They were all dressed as scribes, and when they saw Gao Anagong, they hurriedly bowed to him. However, Gao Anagong ignored them and rode into the city.

The city had been cleared and there was not much snow. Soldiers were stationed everywhere. On the distant city wall, there was a knight every few steps, and the same was true on the roads in the city.

Gao Anagong was very surprised. He looked at the officers behind him, pointed at the troops, and said with a smile: "The government officials said that the Shuozhou soldiers are useless. We should let them take a look!"

"I think they are no weaker than your Yecheng soldiers."

Gao Anagong raised his head at this moment, and his expression was gradually becoming arrogant.

Along the way, these officers were rude to him many times and disobeyed his orders openly or secretly, but Gao Anagong could only let them do what they wanted.

Because he had no other people around him at that time, and he was afraid of forcing these guys to rebel.

But now, when he arrived at his home ground and had the Shuozhou soldiers under his jurisdiction in a true sense, Gao Anagong was no longer afraid of them, and even had the intention of punishing them.

The officer frowned and said nothing.

The officials came over again, and one of them quickly grabbed Gao Anagong's hand, "General. You."

He wanted to say something, but when he looked back at a scholar in the crowd, he closed his mouth helplessly, "General, I am the state Sima Shi Daozhi."

"Let's go into the inner room first!"

Gao Anagong tugged at his clothes and strode towards the government office in the distance.

The officials were helpless. One of them was about to speak, but the scholar next to him stared at him, so he dared not speak.

Gao Anagong sent an officer to settle the soldiers in Yecheng, and he quickly walked into the office.

As we walked into the office, the cold wind finally became much weaker.

Gao Anagong touched his ear and said, "I haven't been back for a long time. This place hasn't changed at all. It's freezing cold."

"Sima Shi?"

"You are a good person. You even came to greet me. However, I am not here for pleasure this time."

"I'm here to do something big."

As Gao Anagong walked, he said sternly: "I heard that there are young men with grey hair who are committing crimes on the border recently. We, the founding generals, are still alive!"

He walked into the main room, and the next moment, he saw a man sitting in the upper seat.

The man was burly and strong, wearing armor, and looked straight at him.

Gao Ana was stunned for a moment. "Who are you?"

"The little boy who committed atrocities at the frontier."

Gao Anagong's face changed drastically and he turned around suddenly.

The soldiers in the distance slowly blocked the door and picked up crossbows.

The corners of Gao An'gong's mouth twitched, and he quickly forced a smile. He stroked his beard and said, "It turns out to be General Liu."

"I was just about to go find General Liu, but to my surprise, the general came to meet me first."

"I have a good relationship with the general's grandfather. I have saved him several times in the past. When I set out this time, he even told me to teach General Liu a good lesson and let me beat and scold him as I pleased."

Gao Anagong acted like an old elder and said that he had followed King Gao to fight. In fact, Gao Anagong was not very old, only a few years older than Lou Rui, and not even forty years old. He was not an old minister at all.

The officials in the distance looked at him, then at Liu Taozi, and all lowered their heads and dared not speak.

Liu Taozi had a stern face, as if she didn't hear what he said at all, and just stared at him, which made Gao Anagong even more uneasy.

Tian Zili, who had been among the officials, could not help but walk forward, sneering and scolding, "Old bastard, aren't you afraid of losing your tongue by talking big?"

"My brother has cut off the tongue of the person who spoke like this before and used it as a snack for drinking."

Gao Anagong was shocked, angry and frightened.

He glared at Tian Zili, then looked at Liu Taozi, "My dear nephew, please don't mess around."

"I came here on the orders of His Majesty, and I am indeed acquainted with your grandfather."

"As the governor of Hengzhou, you are not allowed to leave the state. You came to Shuozhou without reporting to the emperor. This is a serious crime that deserves the death penalty!!"

"I'll forgive you this time for your grandfather's sake, please leave now!"

Gao Anagong waved his hand generously.

But Liu Taozi still didn't say anything. He just sat in the upper seat and stared at Gao Ana.

Gao Anagong became more and more uneasy and at a loss. At this moment, he felt as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast. He felt uneasy all over and was filled with indescribable fear.

"Nephew, what do you want to do?"

Gao Anagong asked again.

His voice was beginning to tremble.

Liu Taozi suddenly appeared in Shuozhou, which was very close to Xiansi, and even controlled the city and officials. Thinking of the purpose of his coming to Shuozhou this time, Gao Anagong couldn't help but wonder, has Liu Taozi rebelled? ?

Thinking of this possibility, Gao Anahong seemed to be unable to stand steadily. He hurriedly said, "My dear nephew, I have always been close to your family. If you need my help, just ask me. Why do you have to scare me like this?"

"I can't bear it."

The officials gradually understood.

When Gao Anagong first came, with his lofty words, they really thought that someone who could suppress Liu Taozi had come, but they also saw the other party's mood changes over the past few times.

What a fucking warrior.

He is clearly a coward, all show and no substance!
The imperial court sent such a person to replace Huluxian? ?

Let him suppress Liu Taozi? ?
The officials' faces were as pale as death, and they no longer had any hope for this governor.

Liu Taozi looked at them and said, "Sit down."

The officials began to take their seats. Gao Anagong looked around and felt it was not right to sit or not sit, so he simply gritted his teeth and sat among the officials, in a seat near the front.

Liu Taozi then looked at Gao Anagong and asked, "Governor Gao, where are the winter clothes, food, firewood, and other items that were sent to me?"

"what?"

"General, I just arrived in Shuozhou and I don't know much about the situation here. Haven't I sent these things to you yet?"

"Sent."

Liu Taozi suddenly looked at the people in front of him, "They were kidnapped by the officials and nobles of Shuozhou."

"what??"

Gao Anagong was furious. He stood up suddenly and said, "How can this be possible!!"

"These bastards even dared to rob the supplies distributed by the imperial court to the border areas. This is really unjust. General, I will go and get rid of them all right now. I will take away as much as they robbed!"

Liu Taozi said calmly: "Don't bother."

"One of my generals, Kou Liu, came to Shuozhou to collect food, but was attacked by Shuozhou officials, who robbed him of his supplies."

"I have sent troops to recover what they have stolen."

"These people are looting military supplies, which is a heinous crime."

Gao Anagong pursed his lips, but still nodded quickly, "Yes! How audacious! He is guilty of a heinous crime!"

He suddenly looked at Liu Taozi again, "General, since you have recovered the stolen things, why didn't you go back, but stayed here instead?"

"Oh, there are people rebelling in the state, and there is no governor in charge. I came here specifically to help the governor keep an eye on them, and I am waiting for the governor to arrive."

Gao An'na was touched, "Thank you, General! If it weren't for you, I'm afraid Shuozhou would be lost, and even I would be held accountable. However, I still want to ask, who is the one who is plotting a rebellion?"

"Governor's historian Guo Yuanzhen."

"He sent people to rob food and even attempted to rebel. He secretly communicated with the Pseudo-Zhou, but I discovered his plan."

Gao Anagong took a breath and felt a little pain in his teeth.

Before setting off, I still remember that He Shikai once held my hand and told me that when I got there, I could get closer to the Chief Secretary Guo Yuanzhen, and that this person was a family member who I could definitely trust.

As a result, this family member was beheaded before he could arrive.

Gao Anagong didn't know what to say for a moment.

Liu Taozi said, "General, the situation in Shuozhou is complicated and dangerous. You are new here, so I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you to do anything."

"Why not, let me help you."

"General, let the knights outside go to the garrison town to assist in the defense first, and then we can discuss the rest. How about that?"

Gao Anagong fell silent.

He vaguely sensed something was wrong.

If Liu Taozi came for supplies, he could just rob them and leave. Why would he stay here and block me?

He even disguised himself and sent local officials to greet him in order to lure him in.

At this moment, the soldiers from Yecheng had to be transferred away.

Does he want to hold me hostage?
Gao Anagong was a man of little talent. He did not understand classics and his combat skills were average. He was just tall and could ride a horse and shoot arrows. If one had to talk about his qualifications, he had no real achievements or kills to prove himself. But he was not stupid. He knew how to analyze the situation and knew what to do to benefit himself.

He simply stopped hiding it and chose to reveal his cards directly.

"General, do you want to hold me hostage and take over Shuozhou?"

The officials lowered their heads and pretended they heard nothing.

"How can you say that?"

Liu Taozi said, "You are still the governor of Shuozhou. You can stay in the office, eat your food, drink your drinks, and have fun. I just sent some people to help you do things, help you govern Shuozhou, and appease the people. Besides, Yang Zhong is ready to make a move. There will be a war this year. I can still help you resist Yang Zhong."

"I don't have any other ideas. Everything I do now is for the country."

"You don't have to worry about being charged with any crime. I just need to defeat Yang Zhong and pacify the border areas."

Gao Anagong asked, "What about the temple?"

"The imperial court is far away from us, so there is no need to report everything to it. Besides, isn't it you, the governor, who has the final say on how to report matters within and outside the state?"

"And you all."

Liu Taozi looked at the others and said, "I kept you here because I couldn't find any evidence of your crimes. You are different from others. You have some conscience and have done practical things. I won't hold you hostage to do anything. I will promote you to serve as important officials in various parts of Shuozhou. All I want is to govern Shuozhou well. This winter, Shuozhou had the most deaths. It is the richest place, but it ended up like this. I think it is not right."

"Mr. Gao, what do you think?"

Gao Anagong said without hesitation: "Governing Shuozhou well is the purpose of my coming here. Besides, you are right. Yang Zhong is watching closely. How can I just ignore him?"

"Since my dear nephew wants to help me defend against the enemy and govern the people, why should I not obey?!"

"Just do as the general says!"

(End of this chapter)