Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 223: Jizhou Governor

"In today's world, the military is the master, the great families are the assistants, and the common people are the slaves."

"If the general wants to achieve great things, he must do the opposite of what is happening now."

"The affairs of the military leaders are the root of the chaos in the court. The nobles gather in various places and are very famous in the army. They and their trusted followers are the ones who go to war. No matter how many merits others have made, if they don't have a family alliance, it is difficult for them to have military power. Even the soldiers are treated as their private property by them. They don't allow others to serve in the army for fear of weakening their own power."

"They controlled the country's military power, resisted the imperial decrees, disturbed the local areas, sent their servants to occupy the mines, plundered the people, ignored the laws, and did not pay taxes!"

"The disaster of the big families lies in their annexation and monopoly. Officials in the world are either Cui or Lu, Wang or Zheng. They support each other, occupy politics, promote each other, and do not allow others to interfere. In the local area, they rob and plunder, and annex crazily. They only know how to seek benefits for themselves, ignore the country, and only have their own private interests in mind."

"The people have been subjected to continuous corvée labor, heavy taxes, no protection, and humiliation, and their lives are worse than death."

"General, I have three major strategies!"

This time, Liu Taozi finally cheered up and put down everything he was doing. He asked Zu Ting to sit next to him and told him the story in detail.

Zu Ting said: "This first strategy is to accommodate the vast ocean in a small space."

"As for military affairs, we can emulate the Pseudo-Zhou. At the beginning, the garrison troops were not worth using, and the Pseudo-Zhou was defeated frequently. In order to solve the problem of soldiers, they used the equal-field system and the prefectural soldiers to prevent the Xianbei from being the only superiors. They recruited strong men from all over the world to join the army, and the country became stronger. However, if we want to emulate them, we have to make further improvements, add service and generals' terms, and we can't let them have more private owners like the Pseudo-Zhou."

"As for political affairs, you can follow the example of the pseudo-Chen."

"There are many big families in the South, and the officials are corrupt, so they imitated the Northern Dynasties' policy of taking exams, recruiting talented people through examinations, and appointing them as officials in batches. In the Northern Dynasties, the examinations were mostly divided by family background, and one had to be recommended by a noble to participate in the examinations. But in the South, the policy of 'poor people and those with back doors are all tested according to their talents, and no one is left out' has been implemented. No recommendation is needed from the Zhongzheng. One can take the exam immediately after passing the academy and mastering one classic, regardless of family background."

"This move has enabled the South to have many talented people who are not from wealthy families, which has allowed them to compete with the North until now."

"Absorb the strength of the two countries, distribute land equally to the military households in the territory, and appoint strong generals to lead the army, so as to ensure the strength of the army. With the increase of the people and more soldiers, the arable land under our rule will definitely be insufficient!"

"At this time, we need to continue to expand our base. We can go north to take the pseudo surrounding fortresses, increase arable land, continue to grant, stabilize the local people, and recruit their strong men to join the army. Go south to take Beiying, Xiyan and other states, and set up prefectures with equal fields!! With a steady supply of arable land to reward, the army will be more capable of fighting. Wherever they go, the people can get arable land. It can be said that we kill two birds with one stone."

"As for the civil administration, we set up many schools, regardless of their background, to admit them to study. After they passed the classics, they would take the exams and be ranked according to the system of the Southern Kingdom. Those with the highest rankings would become officials, thus eliminating the monopoly of the big families."

"If we set up more schools, all the officials will be under the general's command. These people will be distributed all over the place. If the general captures the left and right states and counties, they can directly take over the local government affairs. If there are enough scattered officials, we can take over a large state and arrange everything properly within a month. The officials can organize the people to be strong and can be of great use to the general!!"

"Incompetent people cannot pass the examinations. Regardless of the morality of local officials and clerks, at least they should be talented and knowledgeable. There will be no chaos in the government, and the people will be at peace."

"These two things should be done at the same time. General, take over the left and right garrisons and use the talents who have passed the examination to serve as officials. The more we conquer, the more farmland we will have, and the more cities we will have. Soldiers who fight will never have to worry about not having farmland to reward them! Talents who have passed the examination will never have to worry about not having places to serve!"

"The second strategy is to capture Jinyang and rule the world!"

"If the first strategy succeeds, the general's power will surely continue to grow and become self-sufficient. The imperial court is already seriously ill and cannot save itself. Even if there are people like Gao Yu and Duan Shao, they are powerless. Sooner or later, Jinyang will be exposed to the general's army."

"When the time comes, General, you can send troops to capture Jinyang and defeat those stubborn fools. Then you can support a member of the royal family as the emperor and continue to send troops in his name to capture the states and counties of the Pseudo-Qi and the Great Qi along the way!"

"General, you are conquering various places in the name of the Son of Heaven, using your powerful forces to defeat the weak and incompetent army. There is no reason for you to fail!"

"As long as we can stop the Pseudo-Zhou and occupy the Great Qi, we can implement the first two strategies throughout the country and arrest and kill all the nobles and clans who are unwilling to obey!"

"Give their farmland to the people, continue the equal distribution of land, recruit more soldiers! Integrate the power of the world!"

"The third strategy is to attack first and then attack."

"Da Qi already occupies the most fertile and rich land, with the most manpower and the most abundant materials. As long as we can make full use of them, even if the Pseudo-Zhou and Pseudo-Chen join hands, they will definitely not be the general's enemy!"

"The Southern Kingdom is peaceful, and few people dare to advance. Even if there are people who want to invade the North, most of them will retreat after occupying some advantageous cities. Therefore, we should attack the Pseudo-Zhou first. The strength of the Pseudo-Zhou comes from years of victory. As long as we let them be defeated a few times and unable to advance, they will collapse without attacking!!"

"After defeating the Pseudo-Zhou, the Pseudo-Chen will be nothing to worry about!"

After Zu Ting finished speaking, he was already out of breath.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Liu Taozi eagerly.

He was almost dying. If Liu Taozi still didn't recognize him this time, then he would really have no choice. After talking with Cui Gang, he finally understood why he was not valued.

Because his purpose is completely different from Liu Taozi's.

For Zu Ting, ascending the throne to become emperor was the goal, and stabilizing the people was the means.

But for Liu Taozi, stabilizing the people is the goal, and ascending the throne is just a means.

From this perspective, Zu Ting's original countermeasures had big problems. If he followed those four steps, he might really be able to become emperor and command the world. However, although he obtained the throne by holding the young ruler hostage and abdicating the throne, the nobles and powerful groups under his command were still the same group of people as before. There was no change. Even if he implemented new policies, the people who did the work were still the same group of people as before.

Da Qi has no shortage of good policies, but what’s the use of having good policies if no one implements them?
This general obviously did not want to follow the old path of Gao Huan, Yuwen Tai, or even Sima Yan and others.

This was not in line with the fixed thinking of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In that era, the mainstream was for powerful officials to ascend to the throne through abdication. However, Zu Ting slightly changed his thinking and came up with three new countermeasures.

It looks no different from the previous four, all of them are about attacking the surrounding areas, waiting for opportunities, and taking the Central Plains, but they are completely different.

Liu Taozi frowned and looked at Zu Ting in front of her without saying a word.

Zu Ting's heart gradually grew cold.

Just when he was about to get up and leave again in frustration, Liu Taozi slowly spoke.

"Grandpa is truly a virtuous man."

"These words really cleared the clouds for me."

Zu Ting raised his head suddenly, and Liu Taozi continued: "I like this countermeasure better."

"I am not afraid of killing people, nor am I afraid of rebellion."

Zu Ting whispered: "I know that the general is kind and benevolent. Compared with the first countermeasure, this countermeasure may cause more deaths and more civilians to die."

"I know. I'm not afraid of death."

"Even if I am cursed for eternity, I will not compromise."

"It's stinky and dirty, I'll clean it up myself."

Zu Ting raised his head again, and suddenly realized that he still couldn't see the general clearly.

In Zu Ting's eyes, the general was like a sharp iron spear thrown angrily at the world, straight and sharp, moving forward unstoppably, and would not bend or stop unless it broke.

Liu Taozi looked at him and said, "I will appoint you as the military advisor."

"From now on, you will stay by my side and give me advice to complete these three strategies."

Zu Ting stood up hurriedly.

"Thank you, General!!"

"There's just one thing, Grandfather. I know your talents, but I also know your bad habits."

"You want to enjoy yourself, as long as it does not violate the law, I don't care, but don't force me to do anything I don't want to do."

"I will never compromise when it comes to doing things. No matter how talented someone is, if they break the law or do something evil, I will not show mercy."

"I will definitely change my past mistakes!!"

Potala Ku put his hand on the sword, looked unhappily at the old scholar who was following his brother in the distance, and muttered a few words.

At this moment, Liu Taozi and Zu Ting were standing on a hillside, watching the Zhou soldiers digging trenches and building arrow towers in the distance.

Zu Ting stroked his beard and said with a smile: "My lord, you worry too much. Yang Zhong is not forcing you to fight. Yang Zhong is just pretending to fight."

"Hahaha, those people sent by Yuwen Hu are all cowardly fools. How could they know the real situation on the front line?"

"Every day they saw the men sent by Yang Zhong running to the front line, and heard that some camps had been breached."

"Yang Zhong is just pretending to fight you!"

"If you send troops to attack his camp, he will definitely not resist but will retreat directly, and then report to Yuwen Hu that you sent troops to attack him and destroyed those camps."

"Does Yuwen Hu dare to send his own people to replace his people?"

"It's just a trifle!" Liu Taozi nodded. "I see. He has been setting up new camps these days, and I have broken through them many times, but he still enjoys doing it."

"This is a good thing. If Yang Zhong can make a report, why can't the Lord?"

"We should also report to the imperial court how many civilians and soldiers Yang Zhong has sent to set up camp in our territory."

"Gao Zhan knows Yang Zhong's movements, so he doesn't dare to continue to pressure the lord."

"Hahaha, that was fine in the past, but now that I'm here, can you still let that old bastard Yang Zhong use the lord to do things?"

Zu Ting was completely different from when he first arrived. He was wearing luxurious clothes, neatly dressed, with a gleam in his eyes, and looked very proud.

Liu Taozi said softly: "Grandfather, General Yang Zhong is a famous general and should not be underestimated."

"My lord, don't worry. Yang Zhong is a famous general, but Yuwen Hu doesn't trust him. As long as he doesn't trust him, let alone famous generals, even Han Xin and Bai Qi will die!"

Zu Ting continued: "Now is a good opportunity for us to prepare for battle."

"My lord, let's report to the imperial court first. Every time Yang Zhong comes to build, we must report it, not once. Let the imperial court know that Yang Zhong is already fighting with you. Although Gao Zhan is moody, he is very good at judgment and listens to advice. He will not rush to deal with my lord."

"We can prepare for war with peace of mind. Yang Zhong doesn't care about the gains and losses of the border at all. He is eager for us to actually send troops."

"We have to take advantage of the fact that Yang Zhong's army has not yet arrived and send out troops first. It would be best if we could seize several important garrisons in the north that are in contact with the Turks. We should only attack the places where Yuwen Hu's cronies are, not Yang Zhong's cronies. Hehehe, let's see how Yang Zhong explains this to his lord then."

"If we can force Yang Zhong to death, it will be a great joy."

"Don't worry, my lord. We have sent troops to capture these camps. Why not take the credit for the victory? Leave the rest to me. I will take care of it!"

Liu Taozi left some soldiers behind and quickly rode away.

Potala Ku looked at his brother going away, feeling unhappy. This time he did not let himself go with him. Zu Ting came to his side without knowing when, looked at Liu Taozi going away, and said with a smile: "General Potala, don't worry, there are still opportunities to make military achievements in the future!"

Potala glanced at Zu Ting but said nothing.

He looked down on the old man.

Zu Ting may have discovered it, so he said, "General Poduoluo, I heard that you have followed the general for a long time, but your current status is far inferior to that of the other generals. Yao Xiong is stationed in Beiheng alone, fighting against the Turks for more than 30 times, winning more than 20 times, and the number of victories is increasing. Kou Liu is stationed in Shuozhou, protecting Tian Zili in Shuozhou to fight against bandits, killing many people in Shuozhou."

"Zhang Hei is capable of assisting the troops stationed in Hengzhou. Hengzhou is peaceful and there has not been a single disturbance."

"Why are they all stationed in various states, but you are stationed here in Wanshou Town?"

Potala was furious, "How dare you humiliate me?!"

Zu Ting said hurriedly, "How dare I? How dare I? I just want to say that you only know how to charge into battle and can be a general, but you can't sit in charge of a place. You might as well read some books, whether it's the art of war, governance, or history. If you can make a slight change, as long as you change a little bit, I think the lord will look at you with new eyes. Perhaps the defense of Beishuo will be your responsibility."

Potala was stunned and asked suspiciously: "Is it really useful?"

"It won't hurt the general to read it, why don't you give it a try?"

"I have quite a few books here, I can give you some!"

Potala then managed an awkward smile, "I'm afraid I can't understand it. They all come from the law school, and I've never been to school."

"I see that the general is a first-rate rider and archer. Can studying be more difficult than riding and archery?"

"it is good!"

Potala made up his mind and bowed to Zu Ting again, "Thank you very much! How can I thank you?"

Zu Ting licked his lips, looked around, and asked in a low voice:

"Are there any prostitutes in this city?"

Yecheng.

"Hahaha~~"

"Come on, give me a kiss!"

Gao Guiyan was holding the beauty in his arms, reeking of alcohol, his face flushed, and he was staggering.

The confidant beside him couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, you still have to go to see His Majesty today, how can you get drunk? You can't eat anymore!"

"What are you afraid of? Your Majesty loves wine, so how can you control my drinking?"

Gao Guiyan pushed the confidant away and continued to drink. The beauties kept pouring wine into his mouth, clapping and cheering shyly, making Gao Guiyan drunk.

After eating so much, the beauty finally left.

Gao Guiyan stood up, urinated first, then changed into new clothes. Several confidants supported him. His face was still so red, his whole body was hot, and his eyes were a little blurry.

"My king, you are drunk today, why don't you go tomorrow?"

"No need. I have something important to do today. I must see His Majesty."

Gao Guiyan exhaled to sober himself up, then looked at his confidant beside him, "Have you prepared the documents I need?"

"It's ready. But, does Your Majesty really want to submit a petition for Liu Taozi? He was not on good terms with you in the past."

"You know nothing!"

Gao Guiyan cursed unhappily: "The Great Qi has become so corrupt that a few dozen people can kill their way out of Jinyang. Is this the time to dwell on the past? If we continue to make a fuss now, we will only end up destroying our country!"

The confidant dared not say anything more.

Gao Guiyan got into the car and left the mansion drunk.

A group of soldiers were guarding him as the carriage sped along the road. As the carriage swayed, Gao Guiyan felt more and more uncomfortable and almost vomited several times.

After finally arriving at the gate of the palace, Gao Guiyan got out of the car, wiped his face with a cloth, and then strode towards the palace.

As soon as he reached the gate of the palace, soldiers blocked him.

Looking at the soldiers blocking the road in front of him, Gao Guiyan was furious, "I want to go to see His Majesty, how dare you stop me?!"

The soldier ignored him and pointed his spear at him. Gao Guiyan became even angrier. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the opponent's weapon, then threw the soldier to the ground, cursing. Soon, an officer came quickly and the soldiers in the distance also raised their crossbows.

The officer saluted Gao Guiyan.

"Your Majesty."

"How dare these fools stop me! Go and report to His Majesty immediately!"

The officer looked at Gao Guiyan calmly and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has issued an amnesty order. No outsider is allowed to enter the palace without a summons."

"Foreign minister?? I am a foreign minister??"

"His Majesty has issued an edict appointing you as the Governor of Jizhou. Please take up the post as soon as possible."

At this moment, a cold wind blew, and Gao Guiyan's forehead broke out in sweat. Suddenly, he sobered up, and the smell of alcohol disappeared. He stood there, silent for a long time, and suddenly asked: "How come I didn't know about this imperial edict?"

The officer said, "The order was issued yesterday. The king was having a banquet at home and got drunk, so he probably didn't know about it."

"Your Majesty, according to the rules, local officials cannot stay in Yecheng, let alone enter the palace."

"Please leave now. His Majesty has arranged many officials to see you off, and there are also many rewards."

Gao Guiyan was trembling slightly all over and his face was ashen. He did not say a word, but slowly walked back to his carriage. He wanted to get in, but he stumbled and almost fell. The soldiers on both sides hurriedly helped him into the carriage.

Sitting in the car, Gao Guiyan's eyes suddenly became extremely fierce.

"Gao Zhan."

(End of this chapter)