Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 228 Yang Zhong is here!!
Changan.

The hall is magnificent and golden, with tall pillars on both sides, which are so tall that even several people cannot hug them. They are arranged on both sides, and are carved with various patterns, making it look particularly extraordinary.

The ministers of the Great Zhou sat on both sides, wearing extremely exaggerated clothes. The further forward they sat, the more flamboyant their clothes were. Inside the temple, the ministers' clothes were colorful, but these ministers were particularly solemn and had stern faces, which looked quite funny.

A young man sat in the upper seat.

He looked even younger than Taozi, with a thin build and just some stubble growing on his face, all concentrated on his lips, in a patchy pattern, while the rest of his face was smooth.

There was nothing surprising about his appearance. At this moment, he blinked his eyes, and his look was exceptionally clear. He stared at the ministers below and couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hand and chuckled.

Yuwen Hu sat next to the young man, his seat only slightly lower than that of the young man.

He glanced at the young man who was snickering and cleared his throat helplessly.

The young man quickly put on a serious face.

Yuwen Hu smiled.

This kid.

He looked at the ministers in front of him again, and at this moment, his eyes became extremely sharp, no longer as kind as before.

All the ministers shuddered and lowered their heads.

For a moment, Yuwen Hu was extremely powerful. He stared at the ministers in front of him one by one with sharp eyes. The whole hall became unusually quiet. Just when the ministers were sweating and trembling, he finally spoke.

"The thief general Liu Taozi invaded our border land."

"He blatantly broke his original promise."

"Taking advantage of our lack of defense, they captured seven garrison cities, including Niutou, Xin'an, Tianzhu, Shiben, and Quqi, in two months."

"His front troops have already threatened Yongfeng Town!!"

"Do you still think that we should not break our promise and should live in harmony with the Pseudo-Qi?!"

Hearing Yuwen Hu's question, the officials hurriedly saluted and said, "We are guilty!!"

Yuwen Hu was holding back his anger. In fact, Yuwen Hu was usually very kind-hearted. He only killed people who disagreed with his political views and rarely punished others for their mistakes.

But this time, he couldn't help it. Liu Taozi attacked the border fiercely, captured many garrison cities, and killed many of his generals. What made Yuwen Hu most angry was that those killed by Liu Taozi were all his own people.

Generals like those who were close to Yang Zhong or did not clearly express their support for him are still alive and well, while those who were promoted by him and were loyal to him are almost all dead.

The Qi people are divided into factions when attacking the city? ?
But no matter what, Yuwen Hu couldn't attack Yang Zhong directly, especially after Liu Taozi openly sent troops.

He also needed these capable fighters to help him defeat the army of Qi.

If we want to deal with it, we have to wait until we defeat Qi State! !
To some extent, the two countries' leaders have similar ideas at this moment.

Yuwen Hu looked at everyone. He summoned all the ministers not to ask for their opinions. The decision had already been made. He summoned all the ministers to read out the decision.

"Order Yang Zhong to serve as the Marshal, commanding General Yang Zan, Li Mu, Wang Jie, Erzhumin, Yuan Shou, Tian Hong, Murong Yan, Han Xiong and other generals, and lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry to join forces with the Turks, recapture the garrison, kill the rebel generals, and capture Jinyang!!"

"only!!"

Yuwen Hu looked at the man standing in the front again, and narrowed his eyes. "Taibao, you lead 30,000 infantry and cavalry, set out from the east road, head to Pingyang, and help with all your strength."

Taibao Da Xiwu stood up hurriedly, "Yes!!"

Yuwen Hu stopped talking and let his trusted men handle everything.

He himself signaled the young man to get up and follow him.

The two men walked out of the hall, and Yuwen Hu looked at the young emperor Yuwen Yong who was following him.

"Your Majesty, how can you laugh when you are discussing important matters?"

Yuwen Yong grinned, "Please don't blame me, sir. Every time I see them wearing clothes like that, I can't help but want to laugh. Do they have to dress like this?"

"The etiquette cannot be abolished."

Yuwen Hu said solemnly: "Your Majesty, as a king, you must strictly abide by etiquette and not make fun of your ministers."

Yuwen Yong lowered his head and said aggrievedly: "I will remember your teachings, sir."

"Also, how can Your Majesty call me Sir? There should be etiquette between the monarch and his subjects."

Yuwen Yong laughed, "There are no outsiders here, so this is just a name between close relatives."

"Sir, I want to ask you a favor."

"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

"My teachers were too strict with me. They forced me to study all day long. If I didn't finish on time, they would beat me. Look, my hands are swollen. Can you please tell them to be a little more lenient?"

Yuwen Hu laughed and said helplessly: "They are strict with Your Majesty so that Your Majesty can complete his studies as soon as possible. How can they say that?"

"Your Majesty, please study hard and don't be lazy."

"only."

Yuwen Hu gave a few instructions before leading the rest of the group to leave. Yuwen Yong maintained a salute gesture and watched Yuwen Hu leave.

Only after Yuwen Hu's figure disappeared did Yuwen Yong slowly raise his head.

There is still a smile on his face and his eyes are still clear and simple.

Yuwen Hu's personal attendant followed him and said, "My lord, these days, more and more ministers have found excuses to visit your majesty. We should send soldiers to guard them and prevent outsiders from visiting your majesty."

Yuwen Hu was furious, "Your Majesty is loyal to me, would you collude with those traitors to murder me?"

"Aren't you thinking about how to deal with Yang Zhong, but want to deal with a harmless child?"

The confidants all lowered their heads and dared not speak anymore.

Yuwen Hu's face was slightly grim. "You are going too far, old man Yang Zhong. Is Liu Taozi just going to kill my people?! You are keeping the enemy to yourself?"

"well"

"I'll let him raise it!!"

True.

Outside the government office.

Yang Zhong led many generals, kneeling on the ground, listening to the angel read out the "Emperor's" edict.

"I hereby order Yang Zhong to be the Marshal, and lead Yang Zuan, Li Mu, Wang Jie and other generals, and 10,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the enemy Qi."

As soon as the angel finished speaking, the generals behind Yang Zhong couldn't help but look up, with some surprise in their eyes, and they began to chat in a low voice.

"Ten thousand??"

The angel stopped and smiled, looking at Yang Zhong in front of him, and then handed him the imperial edict, "Duke."

Yang Zhong stood up, took the imperial edict, and looked at the angel again, "Your Majesty, are you okay?"

"Your Majesty is well. He has just finished reading the Book of Shangshu."

Yang Zhong nodded. Seeing that he stopped asking questions, the angel was a little disappointed and asked hurriedly, "Ten thousand infantry and cavalry should be enough, right?"

"When the ministers discussed sending out troops, we all said 100,000 men, but you said 10,000 would be enough."

"Your Majesty admires your bravery, so he lets you lead 10,000 people to attack the bandit Qi. The generals you distribute to them are also the ones you admire the most. They have a very good record against the bandit Qi. They did not suffer any losses during Liu Taozi's fierce attack. It is most appropriate to let them follow you to the battle."

Yang Zhong remained calm, nodded, and said openly, "Yes."

The angel was even more disappointed, but he didn't say anything more. He bowed to Yang Zhong again and left with a smile.

As soon as the angel turned to leave, several generals surrounded him.

"Duke! How can these 10,000 infantry and cavalry be enough?!"

"We only have 10,000 soldiers in the main attack, while Da Xiwu, who is waving flags and cheering on the east road, has 30,000 soldiers?? What's the logic? Who is the main attacker?"

"Yes, General, if it was the Pseudo-Qi of the past, it would be fine, but the Pseudo-Qi border today is different from the past. Liu Taozi is training the army, digging trenches, and building city walls. Can 10,000 people reach Jinyang?"

"And the Turkic soldiers, will they fight with us wholeheartedly? I'm afraid they will just wait and see, and come out to plunder if we win, and stay if we don't win!"

"Most of the generals you sent are your close friends and confidants. What does this mean?!"

The generals all started to make noise at this moment.

Yang Zhong looked at everyone calmly, and suddenly asked, "Why, can't we accomplish anything with 10,000 people?!"

As soon as Yang Zhong said this, the generals immediately shut up.

"Although the enemy has a large number of troops, they are distributed in various garrisons. Even if the Turks do not fight with all their strength, they can always hold back some of the enemy's troops at the border. What is there to be afraid of?!"

"be prepared!"

"Follow me to defeat Jinyang!!" "Wei!!!"

Xindu.

The whole city was on fire. The soldiers rushed up the city wall, hacking left and right, and one soldier after another fell down.

There were raging fires everywhere inside and outside the city.

The people screamed.

The only west gate that was not besieged was extremely blocked at this moment. Soldiers and civilians ran out of here frantically. There were huge crowds of people, scrambling to get ahead. Some people fell and were trampled to death by the people behind them. The city gate was not large enough for so many people to escape at the same time. The soldiers hacked at the people who blocked the way in front of them and yelled at them to get out of the way.

The situation was extremely chaotic. Just as the soldier was about to swing his sword again, the neighing of a war horse suddenly came from behind him.

"Pfft!!"

His head flew high in the air, and he saw a group of knights rushing out. They wantonly slaughtered everyone who stood in their way, no matter if they were soldiers or civilians, and they managed to cut a bloody path through the sea of ​​people.

They were truly extremely brave, wielding their lances, and none of the common people could defeat them in a single round.

After fighting their way out, they ran wildly along the path towards the east.

The leader of the knights was Gao Guiyan, who had a terrified look on his face.

Gao Guiyan really didn't expect that he would be defeated so quickly.

He didn't even see Duan Shao as Lou Rui led the vanguard army to capture Jizhou. No one could stop him wherever he went. People who usually showed off their talents in front of Gao Guiyan couldn't hold out for half a day in front of Lou Rui. Lou Rui attacked cities and strongholds at the speed of a march, and he defeated wherever he went without stopping or resting. He killed his way through Jizhou and captured Xindu.

The people he sent to Liu Taozi for help have not received any reply so far.

Gao Guiyan was in a state of panic at the moment and didn't dare to think about anything else. He just led the knights to escape.

There were pursuers behind him, but Gao Guiyan did not dare to stay and fled everywhere, with fewer and fewer knights around him.

When he fled to a port, there were only three or four people left by his side.

Gao Guiyan stopped fleeing in embarrassment. He looked at the people in front of him, and finally looked at the old slave who had followed him the longest.

"Zixuan, you look exactly like me. Put on my armor and keep running east. I will leave here by boat. When I am stable, I will send someone to pick you up!"

After Gao Guiyan finished speaking, he ordered his men to take off his armor.

The old slave silently stepped forward to take off his armor. As he was taking off the armor, the old slave suddenly asked, "I can take the armor, but will you keep the whip for yourself?"

Gao Guiyan was stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"In the past, when the king came back to the palace, I prepared wine and drinks, and you whipped me with a horse whip, saying that I was flattering. If I didn't prepare well, I would be beaten again, saying that I failed to do it well."

"Your Majesty has lost your whip. How will you bully others in the future?!"

Gao Guiyan was shocked and pushed him away. Just as he was about to shout, his left and right hands rushed over and pinned him to the ground. The old slave shouted to the people around him, "Ping Qin Wang Gao Guiyan is here!!!"

Soon, Gao Guiyan was taken to Xindu.

He was tied up and escorted to Lou Rui.

Lou Rui sat in the government office, in the seat where Gao Guiyan once sat. He looked at Gao Guiyan in front of him and couldn't help shaking his head.

"Why would an important official of a great kingdom commit treason?"

"When I was in Jinyang, Emperor Xiao Zhao passed away. I had a million troops under my command. I did not rebel at that time. Would I have second thoughts now?"

"Gao Yuanhai, Bi Yiyun, He Shikai and others deceived the emperor and were jealous of the loyal officials, so they were forced to rise up in arms!!"

Lou Rui shook his head. "It's useless to say anything now. I'm going to send you to Yecheng. Do you have anything else to say?"

Gao Guiyan raised his head, a trace of despair flashed in his eyes, and he said slowly: "Lou Rui, don't worry."

"You can still sit in the upper seat and scold me now only because the Queen Mother is still here. Sooner or later, this day will come for you."

Lou Rui waved his hand and the soldiers immediately escorted him away.

Lou Rui hurriedly called over several lieutenants, "How is it? Did you find out?"

"Don't touch the money and grain you found. List all the gold, silver and treasures separately, put them in wooden boxes, and send them to my house first."

Lou Rui did not rush back, but began to plunder the city.

As for Gao Guiyan, he sent soldiers to send him to Duan Shao, and Duan Shao took him back to Yecheng.

When he arrived in Yecheng, Gao Guiyan had long lost his former temperament.

He sat in the prison van with disheveled hair, perhaps because he hadn't eaten for several days. He had lost a lot of weight, was dirty, and looked extremely miserable.

Inside the palace, Gao Zhan's cronies were discussing killing Gao Guiyan.

Gao Zhan sat in the upper seat and yawned.

Gao Guiyan has already been captured, and he is not even in a hurry to meet the other party. It is up to him to kill or chop him up. What else is there to discuss?
But he did not interrupt them and just listened to their discussion.

The ministers discussed and came to the conclusion that Gao Guiyan must be killed. Even Gao Xun thought the same.

After all, his rebellion was real.

"Okay, this matter will be handled according to your discussion, but the most urgent matter right now is not Gao Guiyan, but Yang Zhong's matter."

"Yuwen Hu ordered Yang Zhong and Da Xiwu to attack in two groups. Perhaps fighting has already taken place at the border. What do you think we should do?"

Compared with Gao Guiyan's rebellion, the invasion of the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty was obviously much more important.

Gao Rui stood up hurriedly, "Your Majesty, although there are many border troops, they are distributed in various garrisons. Each garrison has only a few hundred or a thousand people. Although the number of enemies is small, they are deployed in a unified manner. We should order all states to send soldiers to assist in the defense, and transfer the elite troops of Bingzhou to the vicinity of Shuozhou as backup. I think we can let Hulugu lead the troops, as he has fought the most with the Zhou people."

Before he could finish his words, He Shikai stood up.

At this moment, He Shikai was no longer just Gao Zhan's favorite minister. This time, Gao Zhan promoted He Shikai to the position of Shizhong in the name of his meritorious service in defeating Gao Guiyan, allowing him to officially participate in state decision-making as an official.

As soon as this enthronement was announced, He Shikai got rid of his status as a favorite minister, began to be on par with Gao Yu, Gao Rui, Gao Yuanhai and others, and began to hold state power.

"Gao Lingjun is wrong."

He Shikai interrupted him and then looked at Gao Zhan, "Your Majesty, this time Yang Zhong joined forces with the Turks to invade. Heng, Yan and other places are facing the threat of the Turks. We cannot easily withdraw troops to assist."

"Besides, Yang Zhong only has over 10,000 men, while Da Xi Wu has 30,000 elite troops. The Bingzhou army cannot be easily mobilized. If the Jinyang soldiers want to go, they should be on guard against Da Xi Wu from Pingyang. This place is the most dangerous!"

"As for General Anxi, he has always been a tough and brave warrior, and he has won every battle. He has 30,000 elite soldiers under his command. Asking him to stop Yang Zhong is a waste of talent!"

Gao Rui's eyes widened, "What do you know?!"

He also stood up and glared at He Shikai, "How can Yang Zhong be easily dealt with? Da Xiwu is in Pingyang, with rivers and mountains blocking his way. If Yang Zhong didn't support him, would he dare to come and fight?"

"As for the 30,000 elite troops you mentioned, does that mean General Anxi should take all the garrison troops out to fight? Don't garrisons need people to guard them? When the Turks see that the garrisons are empty, won't they take the opportunity to attack and plunder? Do you know anything about soldiers?!"

He Shikai shook his head. "Gao Lingjun really underestimated General Anxi. Back then, he led only fifty men and was able to reach the outskirts of Jinyang. Now that he has tens of thousands of men, what can he still be afraid of Yang Zhong?"

Gao Rui's face turned red with anxiety. He resisted the urge to strangle He Shikai to death. He looked at Gao Zhan with grief and anger.

"Your Majesty, we are facing a powerful enemy. We must not underestimate it. This villain is very ignorant and treats the war as a joke. Your Majesty must not trust him!!"

Looking at the panicked Gao Rui, Gao Zhan frowned and looked at He Shikai, "Gao Rui just came back from the border. Do you know more about the border affairs than he does?"

He Shikai didn't dare to speak and stepped aside.

Gao Zhan said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will definitely send reinforcements."

He looked at He Shikai who was standing aside.

"Hasn't Gao Anagong been sent back? Let him lead the troops and station near Shuozhou."

"Let him go to help General Anxi."

Gao Rui’s eyes went dark.

"His Majesty!!!"

He Shikai narrowed his eyes with a faint smile on his face.

God knows how happy they were after they got the news.

Ten thousand people, just right.

If Jinyang cannot be defeated, if used well, Liu Taozi can be perfectly murdered.

There are suddenly many more ways to kill Liu Taozi. Close all the checkpoints, cut off his supply of food, fodder and weapons, and refuse to send reinforcements. There is always a way to wear down Liu Taozi.

If he wins, it will be a pyrrhic victory. I don’t know how much power he will have left. If he loses... Hahahaha.

This time, even if Shuo Heng is burned to ashes, even if tens of thousands of border soldiers are sacrificed, this greatest scourge that disturbs the world must be eliminated.

ps: The next chapter is a big plot. The original multiple lines have to be connected into one line. I have revised it several times, but I am not satisfied with it. I plan to refine the outline again. I don’t want to affect the quality for the sake of speed. The preparations Liu Taozi made in the first 900,000 words will break out in the battle against Yang Zhong. I still have to think about it carefully and have a big meal tomorrow. Compared with fast food, I think readers would rather see a big meal with richer content. I hope you understand.

(End of this chapter)