Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 244 The Supreme Emperor

Inside the palace.

Gao Zhan still kept pointing at King Pengcheng.

But both Lou Rui and Hu Changhong beside him were a little hesitant at this moment.

None of them made a move.

Gao Zhan looked at Lou Rui in astonishment. Lou Rui said helplessly: "Your Majesty, I think that even if the King of Pengcheng made a mistake, he should not be arrested and punished. Yang Zhong is in Jinyang, the army of Shuozhou came to rescue, and there are also various places over there..."

Lou Rui began to make crazy hints.

Seriously, that's the King of Pengcheng, not some little cat or dog, how can we just order him to be arrested? ?

Didn’t you see that the fat guy next to him was ready to take action?

Are they planning to start a war right in the palace?
Even if we catch him, what difference does it make? Liu Taozi's troops are still outside, and we don't know how many people are involved in this matter. This is not the way to do things.

But Gao Zhan ignored Lou Rui's hint. Veins bulged on his forehead and he looked extremely crazy.

He Shikai's death dealt him a heavy blow.

In fact, he himself had not taken any medicine for eighteen days.

After experiencing so many things in such a short period of time and not taking his medicine on time, Gao Zhan's already unstable mood became even more manic.

Even in his eyes, there was only a twisted and red-glowing Gao Yun, who was madly provoking him, making the movements of shooting and killing He Shikai over and over again.

Gao Zhan looked at Lou Rui, "Do it! Why aren't you doing it yet?!"

Lou Rui frowned and took a step back. "Your Majesty, I dare not."

"Don't dare?!"

Gao Zhan wanted to curse, but his reason stopped him. He looked at Hu Changhong who was standing beside him. Hu Changhong's face looked even more painful. What should he do?

His elder brother Hu Changren found him and asked him to enter the palace in his place, while he himself contacted everyone and made preparations for rescue, in short, to avoid being directly captured by Gao Yun.

Hu Changren ordered him to deal well with Gao Yun, try to win over the ministers, force Gao Yun to give up his improper plans, and protect his own interests.

But the emperor's current behavior does not seem like he is willing to deal with it.

Do you want to start fighting directly?
Hu Changhong looked at Gao Yun in the distance, and then at the other ministers.

Gao Yu stood up slowly and said, "Your Majesty, I killed He Shikai for the sake of world affairs. As for the imperial edict, the situation was urgent at the time. If I could not take charge of the major affairs, how could I appease the government affairs?"

"Jinyang is still under siege, and there is chaos everywhere. The Pseudo-Zhou now knows the strengths and weaknesses of the Great Qi."

"They won't care anymore. I'm afraid Yang Zhong will go back to prepare this time. The next time he comes, he will lead 100,000 or even 200,000 people."

"The demise of the Great Qi is imminent. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Gao Zhan was furious, "You killed He Shikai, and now you want to kill me?!"

"I have made great use of you!"

"And you!"

"Which one of you wasn't promoted by me?! Is this how you repay me now?!"

Gao Zhan looked at the important officials and vented his anger.

The next moment, a figure came in from outside the hall.

"Has your majesty's condition become so serious?"

Everyone looked towards the door and saw two people walking in one after the other.

The leader was Zu Ting, and the person following him was Liu Taozhi, wearing armor and with a mask covering his face.

Everyone was horrified. Gao Zhan raised his hand and pointed at the two of them. He then pointed at Gao Yun and even Lou Rui who was standing beside him with trembling hands.

"I see!!"

"I see!"

He looked at Gao Yu suddenly, "You recommended Zu Ting to me. He has always been Liu Taozi's man. You have colluded with Liu Taozi a long time ago. No wonder he protected you and no wonder you came so early."

"Liu Taozi!"

Gao Zhan suddenly burst into laughter. He looked at everyone and said, "Are you still saying that Liu Taozi is a loyal minister?!"

"I'm not wrong! I didn't think wrong!! Liu Taozi, he just wanted to rebel!! He just wanted to rebel!"

"He is a traitor! A traitor!"

Zu Ting listened to Gao Zhan's madness and shook his head again, his face full of helplessness, "Alas, Your Majesty, we are not trying to cause trouble. Each of us was promoted by you. It's just that your favor for He Shikai has exceeded the ordinary level."

"All we want to do is get rid of He Shikai."

"Your Majesty, the traitor has been eliminated. Please cheer up and let's discuss the important matter of resisting the Pseudo-Zhou together."

Gao Zhan felt a splitting headache when he heard this, "I wish I could die with you all!"

At this moment, the hall finally fell silent.

Gao Rui's face no longer had the excitement he had just when he saw Gao Zhan. He just sat there. He saw many of Gao Zhan's behaviors after he came in. He no longer believed in himself, and maybe he even didn't trust the Lou and Hu families.

He was in a state of confusion and unconsciousness.

Zu Ting looked at everyone and said, "Everyone, I came here on the orders of the Shuozhou Governor Pingyang Wang to inform you that reinforcements have already headed for Sizhou. I never thought that your Majesty's condition is so serious."

"His health was very poor in the past, and he had to take the medicine made by Xu Zhicai to maintain his health."

"Please send someone to inform Xu Zhicai to come as soon as possible to make medicine for His Majesty."

A guard hurried out, and Gao Yu looked at Gao Yanzong and said, "Let's take His Majesty to rest first. When His Majesty gets better, we will invite him to discuss important matters."

Gao Yanzong strode forward, completely ignoring Lou Rui and Hu Changhong who were standing next to Gao Zhan, and grabbed Gao Zhan and walked out.

Gao Zhan kept cursing and was taken away by him.

Lou Rui and Hu Changhong looked at each other, but did not take any action.

Zu Ting waited until the emperor left before speaking again: "In order to prevent traitors from plotting to murder your majesty, the protection of the palace will be undertaken by Lord Liu from now on."

"Your Majesty is seriously ill and is temporarily unable to participate in important government affairs."

"The Pseudo-Zhou is rampant. Within a year, they will definitely invade again with dozens of times the force."

"For now, let's discuss the defense of various places first."

Gao Yu took over the topic again. He slowly talked about the adjustment work. Gao Rui and others all had stern faces and they no longer mentioned the emperor's affairs.

Everyone expressed their own ideas and put the emperor's affairs aside for the time being.

Gao Yu was not trying to scare them. Yang Zhong only brought 10,000 people this time, and the Turks did not put in any effort. It seemed like he was conducting a test.

The results of the test showed that Qi's defense was corrupt, the generals were not in harmony, and the local officials were a bunch of pigs.

As long as Yuwen Hu had not been infected with the disease by his own king, he would not have missed such an opportunity and would have certainly summoned a large army to attack. This time there were 10,000 troops, but there was no guarantee of the number next time.

In this battle, the entire north suffered severe damage and the situation was extremely unfavorable to the Qi people.

When everyone is discussing.

Zu Ting took the opportunity to sit next to Lou Rui.

"Lou Gong, the current situation requires the Queen Mother to come forward in person."

"Your Majesty is seriously ill and is unable to govern the country."

Zu Ting did not hold back his voice, and the hall suddenly became quiet.

Zu Ting frowned, "I wonder if we should ask His Majesty to abdicate temporarily. His Majesty is wise, but he has been suffering from illness in recent years. If he becomes the emperor emeritus and the crown prince takes the throne, wouldn't the situation be much better?"

The corner of Lou Rui's mouth twitched, and everyone, including Hu Changhong on the opposite side, suddenly raised their heads at this moment.

Zu Ting continued, "When the time comes, let the emperor take good care of his illness, leave the affairs of the court to the many older and wise kings, and leave the affairs of the outside world to those who can handle them in the future. If everyone works together, perhaps we can defeat the Zhou people."

At this point, he suddenly stopped, smiled bitterly and said, "Of course, this is just my superficial idea. I will have to make a final decision later."

Everyone couldn't help but look at Gao Yun.

Logically speaking, doing great things, being the prime minister, and ascending the throne as emperor are the standard three-piece set of the Great Qi Dynasty.

To do great things, to be the prime minister, if he doesn't ascend the throne, then kill the emperor for fun, that's the three-piece set.

Gao Xun has already reached the second step, is he willing to stop?

Gao Yu also looked at Lou Rui at this moment, "As for the Queen Mother, please tell Sikong Neng a few words. His Majesty is very ill. If he can go to the Emperor Retired so that he can rest and recuperate, it would not be a bad thing."

Across from Sandui City.

The water was flowing gently, and the soldiers were gasping for breath, lying on their armor, crossing the river with difficulty.

Yang Zhong took the lead and came to the shore. Someone came to his side with a war horse. He was busy putting on his armor again. The soldiers crossed the river one by one and gathered around Yang Zhong.

Li Mu helped Yang Zhong put on his armor without saying a word, looking very solemn.

Murong Yan, who came to greet them, took over the temporary defense. The soldiers, armed with powerful crossbows, stood guard on the shore, guarding against soldiers who might rush out at any time.

With splashing sounds, more and more soldiers successfully reached the shore.

Yang Zhong changed into his armor, mounted his horse, and asked Li Mu to reorganize the army while he went to Murong Yan's side. "Duke!!"

Murong Yan bowed deeply towards Yang Zhong. He looked at Yang Zhong with fanatical eyes and was so excited that he couldn't speak.

Murong Yan could not even dream that such a small number of troops could achieve such a goal.

Although they failed to capture Jinyang, the destruction along the way directly shook the foundation of Qi State in the north, and even their emperor was scared away.

Murong Yan hurriedly reported the situation of the retreat route.

"Po Duoluo Ku led his troops to attack General Yang, trying to cut off our retreat. Shuozhou also sent troops. I fought with them several times, but didn't gain any advantage."

As Murong Yan spoke, Yang Zhong's expression became more and more ugly.

"You mean Liu Taozi didn't show up?"

"No."

"broken!"

Yang Zhong immediately ordered a knight to come, took out paper and pen, quickly wrote something, and asked the knight to send it to Chang'an by carrier pigeon.

Murong Yan looked at Yang Zhong with a serious face, still a little confused about the situation.

"General, Liu Taozi is fighting the Turks in Yanzhou and has not come to attack our rear. Isn't that normal? What's wrong with that?"

"Those Turks have no intention of fighting and only want to plunder. How can they possibly hold Liu Taozi back?"

"If Liu Taozi didn't come to attack our rear, it means he must have a bigger plan. He might be going to attack Woye and Yongfeng Town!"

Murong Yan shook his head. "Woye is a possibility, but Yongfeng has a large army stationed there and the city walls are tall. How many troops can Liu Taozi have under his command? In the previous battle, all his elite field troops were killed or wounded."

Murong Yan said a few words and saw Yang Zhong's particularly serious look again.

Murong Yan was shaken.

Since he followed Yang Zhong, Yang Gong's prediction of the situation has become stronger and stronger, and he is almost never wrong.

Murong Yan pursed his lips and said, "That's OK, General. The Qi people are so corrupt that they can't stand a single blow. Next year, the imperial court will definitely go on another expedition. By then, we will take down Jinyang and Yecheng in one fell swoop."

"It's a pity that we were unable to capture Lord Qi this time. Otherwise, with this achievement, I would have received a great reward."

Murong Yan spoke slowly, but Yang Zhong glanced at him.

"Not catching him may not be a bad thing."

Chang'an, Imperial Palace.

The palace was already a scene of carnival.

The officials of the Great Zhou were extremely excited; they had not achieved such a victory in many years.

Emperor Yuwen Yong sat on the throne, still looking extremely bored.

Yuwen Hu sat beside him with a smile on his face, and was also very happy.

"Duke Sui is truly invincible! When he said he only needed 10,000 men, I thought he was just bragging. Who would have thought he could actually make it all the way to Jinyang!"

"Yes, the famous generals of the Great Zhou are Duke Sui and Duke Liang!"

"Yes, I always thought that Duke Sui was inferior to Duke Liang in the past, but today I know that they can be equally famous generals!"

"With such a brave general in the Great Zhou Dynasty, why should we worry about injustice in the world?!"

"Hahaha, next year, let Duke Liang be the commander-in-chief, leading 100,000 elite troops to attack Luoye, and let Duke Sui be the marshal, also commanding 100,000 elite troops to attack Hengshuo!"

"How can the Pseudo-Qi stop it?!"

The scene was very noisy and the ministers were particularly happy. Yang Zhong's military achievements gave them a shot in the arm and they suddenly began to look forward to next year's battle.

The Duke of Liang they were talking about was Houmochen Chong, a famous general of the Zhou Dynasty.

He is also one of the few people who can make Yang Zhong raise his head and talk to him.

When all the ministers were trembling with fear because of Hulugu, they were the only ones who dared to mock Hulugu.

Yuwen Hu sat aside, listening to the discussion among the ministers, and could not help but chuckle and stroke his beard.

He suddenly looked at Yuwen Yong who was standing aside, "Your Majesty, all the ministers are celebrating this victory, why don't you talk to them?"

"Ah, I don't like military affairs. I prefer playing chess and holding a spear to fighting and killing people!"

Yuwen Yong said with a smile.

Yuwen Hu frowned, "Your Majesty, as the emperor, how can you not know military affairs?"

"Don't indulge in fun, ask more about the war. For example, the Duke of Liang is always by your side. Your Majesty can ask him about military affairs."

Yuwen Yong was stunned and said unhappily, "Please don't talk about him. I get annoyed when you talk about him."

"This man is extremely rude to me! He relies on his military achievements to look down on me!"

"I scolded him severely a few days ago!"

Listening to Yuwen Yong's complaints, Yuwen Hu said slowly: "Your Majesty, this man is really rude sometimes, but as the emperor, he must know military affairs, not only military affairs, but also astronomy."

Yuwen Hu slowly raised his head and said, "I heard that there is a leap in the sky this year, which is an ominous sign."

Yuwen Yong shrugged, "I don't know."

Yuwen Hu smiled again, "I heard that Your Majesty was wandering around with the Duke of Liang, and on the way he met a fortune teller, talked to him for a few words, and then ran back. How could you not know?"

Yuwen Yong grinned, "I didn't want to go any further, but I met a madman on the way who said it would be a bad omen if I went any further, so I took the opportunity to run back."

He was stunned again, and asked uncertainly: "Sir, is there anything wrong?"

Yuwen Hu shook his head and said, "There is nothing wrong. Your Majesty, it is really not easy for an old minister like me."

The ministers discussed the matter in the mountains until very late, and only went home when it was very dark.

Chang'an is especially quiet under the night.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound on the street.

A large number of soldiers appeared on the road and quickly approached a mansion in the south of the city.

Suddenly, a soldier kicked the door open. The next moment, screams were heard from inside the mansion. The warriors charged in all directions, killing anyone they saw. More and more soldiers rushed out from all directions and surrounded the mansion.

The soldiers raised torches, and the light turned the darkness into day.

There were exclamations from all over the mansion.

Houmochensui rushed out at some point. He was disheveled, holding a sharp blade, and looking vigilantly at the warriors holding powerful crossbows.

Hou Mochen Sui is already over fifty years old, and his hair and beard are somewhat gray.

"What are you going to do?!"

He strode forward, and the soldiers surrounding him couldn't help but take a few steps back.

At this moment, a knight separated the soldiers blocking the way and walked forward slowly.

The knight looked at Hou Mochen Chong coldly.

"Duke, you have been very busy lately."

"You want to accompany His Majesty, but you also want to alienate the monarch and his subjects."

Hou Mochen Chong frowned and said angrily: "Who are you? Why are you slandering me?!"

The knight shook his head, took off the sword from his waist and threw it to Houmo Chenchong.

"Duke Liang."

"Is it one person who dies, or a whole family who dies?"

Houmo Chenchong's lips trembled and he looked at the knight angrily. The soldiers raised their crossbows again and the cries of his family were heard in the mansion.

Hou Mochen Chong slowly picked up the sword.

Yuwen Yong was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly awakened by a eunuch.

Yuwen Yong opened his eyes, rubbed his eye sockets, looked at the servant in front of him, and yawned, "What's wrong?"

The eunuch stared at him and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, the family of Duke Mo Chenchong of Liang came to report that the Duke died of illness tonight."

Yuwen Yong was stunned, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Although he looked down on me, he was also very considerate of me. Send someone to announce the funeral and tell the officials to give him a better posthumous title."

"only."

Yuwen Yong yawned, "Okay, go out and don't disturb my sleep!"

The eunuch turned and left.

Yuwen Yong lay on his side on the bed, his eyes wide open with murderous intent, his teeth almost broken, and his whole body trembling slightly.

The overwhelming anger and murderous intent made it impossible for him to control his trembling.

Yu, Wen, Hu.

(End of this chapter)