Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 245 Evenly matched
Beiyanzhou, Daning County.

Crows flapped their wings and hovered in the air. There were piles of corpses on the ground, all facing the city and lying on both sides of the road.

The road was almost trampled to pieces by horse hooves. The woods not far away were still burning with flames. The flames were very small and the dead trees were burned black. Even after the flames were extinguished, the billowing black smoke still rushed into the sky.

Rats rustled out of the holes and wandered back and forth among the corpses.

Yao Xiong led the cavalry and appeared under the city.

Yao Xiong's body was covered in black and congealed blood. On both sides of his horse were heads hanging, which swayed as the horse moved forward.

The knights followed behind him, making their way through the piles of corpses in front of them.

Yao Xiong looked at the corpses on both sides and suddenly stopped.

He jumped off his horse and uncovered the corpse lying on the ground. It was a young man with a terrified face. Even after death, there was still a look of deep fear and pleading on his face. Yao Xiong's face was calm and unmoved. He just pulled out the broken arrow that was stuck in the chest of the corpse.

Yao Xiong picked up the broken arrow and looked at it carefully in the sunlight.

Yao Xiong's expression suddenly turned ugly.

He mounted his horse again and led the knights forward.

When they appeared at the foot of Daning City, there was chaos on the city wall.

Yao Xiong rode his horse and stood under the city wall, looking up at it.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, a man in official uniform arrived at the tower. A soldier loudly asked, "Who is this?"

"Yao Xiong, a loyal and brave general under General Anxi!"

"Open the city gate quickly!!"

There was an uproar on the city wall when Yao Xiong said that. The next moment, the fat official poked his head out with a smile.

"General Yao!! It's really you!!"

Yao Xiong narrowed his eyes and stared at the official, "Grandmaster Wang, open the city gate immediately!!"

Prefect Wang stroked his beard gently. His face was not fat, but his belly was very large and protruding. His official uniform seemed a little tight on him. It seemed that he had been eating very well these days and had started to gain weight.

Governor Wang shouted, "General! You are a foreign general! Without the governor's request, we cannot open the city to accept you! Please don't blame me!"

After saying this, Prefect Wang withdrew his head and looked at the chief clerk beside him with a smile.

"This Qihu is really capable. Did he drive the Turks away?"

The chief clerk narrowed his eyes and smiled happily, "They should have been driven out. Congratulations, Governor! Congratulations, Governor! You have made such a great contribution this time, driving away the Turkic cavalry, and perhaps you can take over the position of governor."

Prefect Wang raised his head and laughed.

He glanced at Yao Xiong who was standing under the city wall and said disdainfully: "These Qihu people only know how to fight on horseback."

"We used a little trick to make this guy lose his mind. He was forced by the Turks to defend the lonely city of Huaihuang! If it weren't for Dugu Qi's harm, he would have died in the city long ago. What a pity."

The two were still talking in low voices, but Yao Xiong shouted again:

"Damn it! Open the city gates immediately!"

Governor Wang poked his head out again, equally angry: "Yao Xiong! Your defense was not good before, allowing the Turks to invade Yanzhou. Look at what the enemy has done to Northern Yan! The Turks have burned, killed, and looted everywhere, turning hundreds of miles of land into ashes!"

"Now, instead of chasing them down and making amends, why do you want to lead the troops into the city?! Isn't it enough that you have harmed Northern Yan?!"

Yao Xiong laughed immediately.

He nodded and looked around, "Prepare to attack the city."

The next moment, these knights were seen attacking left and right, using local materials to build siege equipment.

When Prefect Wang saw them dispersing, he thought they were going to leave and was about to announce his victory in a high-profile manner, but the next moment, he saw through the other party's intention.

Wang Taishou's eyes widened, and he looked at the chief clerk beside him in disbelief, "Is Yao Xiong going to rebel?! He's planning a rebellion?!"

The chief clerk turned pale with fright and dared not speak a word.

Governor Wang asked loudly again: "General Yao! What are you going to do?!"

"You are here under the order of General Anxi to capture many government offices. If you are smart, open the city gates. Otherwise, once you have conquered the city, I will chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!!"

After hearing Yao Xiong's reprimand, Governor Wang no longer had the temperament of a scholar.

He dared to insult the loyal people of the country, but he did not dare to insult the real traitors.

When faced with his own people coming to rescue him, he was arrogant, but when faced with enemies coming to attack the city, he was as timid as a chicken.

Governor Wang was completely panicked. He looked at those elite knights, and then at his own troops. He suddenly grabbed the chief clerk's hand, tears flashing in his eyes, "He really rebelled! He really rebelled! What can we do? What can we do?!"

The chief clerk was also trembling all over at this moment, "Prince! This is just angry words, it must be angry words, we can't force such a general to rebel, open the city gate, open the city gate!"

Governor Wang nodded hastily, "Yes, yes, this is for the sake of the country. How can we force a general with great military achievements to rebel?"

He immediately ordered, "Open the city gate! Open the city gate!!"

Just as Yao Xiong was preparing to attack, he saw the gate of Daning city being slowly opened. Next, he saw Prefect Wang leading many of his minions rushing out in a hurry to welcome Yao Xiong.

There was a hint of surprise in Yao Xiong's eyes.

He did not hesitate and immediately let the knights enter the city and control the city walls and gates. Wang Taishou turned a blind eye to this and just stood beside Yao Xiong with a wry smile, without the courage he had just shouted Yao Xiong, "General Yao, please don't blame us, we are helpless. The court has issued an order not to allow foreign generals to enter the city. I have always admired General Yao the most."

Yao Xiong swaggered into the city, surrounded by a group of officials who followed him on foot.

Yao Xiong walked all the way to the gate of the government office and then looked at Prefect Wang.

"Sir, when I sent someone to tell you to step up your guard, you didn't respect me."

"When I sent people to help you defend the city, you didn't provide them with food or even allowed them in. It's obvious that you don't respect me either."

"I drove away all the thieves, but you refused to let me enter the city and you didn't respect me."

"Why are you starting to admire me when I'm about to start attacking the city?"

Wang Taishou continued to maintain a smile on his face, "General Yao has misunderstood me. I have always been following orders. I have always admired the general and wished I could fight the enemy together with him."

Yao Xiong nodded, turned over and dismounted. He took out a broken arrow from his sleeve and said, "Those corpses in the city were shot in the chest by arrows, and the arrows were made by Qi. What happened?"

"General Yao, these rioters took advantage of the Turkic invasion to cause chaos and attack the city, so I led my men to repel them."

Yao Xiong nodded again. He suddenly reached out, grabbed Governor Wang, pulled him in front of him, and shot the arrow in his hand directly into his chest.

"Pfft~~~"

The arrow pierced the opponent's chest. Prefect Wang trembled all over. Just as he was about to speak, Yao Xiong twisted the arrow. Prefect Wang screamed. Yao Xiong pulled out the arrow and threw the opponent to the ground.

Prefect Wang lay on the ground motionless.

The officials around were terrified, and the chief clerk took the lead in kneeling down to Yao Xiong.

"General, please spare me! General, please spare me!!"

"We are willing to surrender to General Anxi!! We are willing to follow General Anxi!!"

Yao Xiong looked at them slowly, a sneer appearing on his face.

"You think my general is collecting dust on the street."

"Kill them all."

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

"what!!"

A moment later, Yao Xiong was surrounded by corpses. Yao Xiong looked at the government office in front of him and waved his hand. A knight came forward and Yao Xiong ordered: "Quickly organize the soldiers in the city and recruit them for your own use. Stay in this city and wait for Hengzhou to send officials to govern this place."

After Yao Xiong gave instructions for everything, he led the rest of the knights away again.

He still has many places to go.

Before his brother left, the order given to him was to capture the border states. Capturing and suppressing a rebellion are different. If the city gates are not open, then break through. If you encounter such bastards, kill them.

Yao Xiong had wanted to kill them for a long time. If it weren't for these idiots, how could he have hid in the city and dared not come out?

It’s a pity that I can’t follow my brother to do great things.

Northern Zhou Dynasty, Woye Town.

The whole city was on fire at this moment.

The corpses covered the entire city, extending from outside the city, on the city walls, inside the city, on the roads, and in front of the government offices. Liu Taozi led the charge into the government office.

Some officials were burning documents. When they saw the enemy general coming in, they drew their swords and rushed forward to fight. Liu Taozi swung his sword and a head flew high. He took a step forward, swung his sword left and right, and two more people fell down.

The government office had been captured and the soldiers began to cut off the heads of the enemies.

Some people began to take off the enemy's clothes.

Kou Liu rushed into the government office, panting, "Brother, I have taken down the armory!"

"it is good."

There were still flames in various places in the city, but the shouting and screaming were gone, and the city became silent.

The victorious Qi soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, and some cavalrymen were galloping from the city gate to the nearest cities to report the situation.

Liu Taozi took off his armor and followed the military doctor to clean his wounds.

Kou Liu was not injured, but he had overexerted himself and his arm was in severe pain.

"Brother, I'm afraid Yongfeng has already heard the news of our attack on Woye and has made preparations."

"Yongfeng is the core of the northern border of the Pseudo-Zhou. It has a powerful general stationed there, with more than 10,000 soldiers and sufficient food and grass. We cannot make them surrender even if we besiege them. There are also many garrisons around that will come to rescue us. I'm afraid it will be difficult to capture it."

Liu Taozi raised her head and said, "No problem."

"Yang Zhong led the army away for a long time, and they still don't know the situation in the distance. We suddenly attacked and broke through the surrounding towns. They must be frightened. This time we attacked Woye, they didn't dare to come to investigate, which shows our strength."

"In war, the brave win and the cowardly lose."

Kou Liu bowed his head, "I will teach you."

"Rest and reorganize today, and send troops to Yongfeng tomorrow."

"only!!"

Kou Liu raised his head, his face extremely excited.

The northern defense line of the Pseudo-Zhou was entirely established with Yongfeng as the center. Many garrisons were connected to the Yongfeng road. Yongfeng stored money, food, reinforcements, etc. to supply the border. Its status was equivalent to that of Shuozhou of the Pseudo-Qi.

If we can break through here, at least half of the northern defense line of the Pseudo-Zhou will be destroyed, and at least dozens of garrisons will be abandoned. The enemy's border defense center may have to be adjusted directly to Guizhen. At that time, Wuchuan and other bases will lose the direct pressure from the enemy and will be able to develop safely. The next time the enemy wants to launch a fierce attack, they will not be able to advance from Beishuo.

However, it should not be easy to take it down.

Yongfeng Town.

The atmosphere inside and outside the garrison was quite solemn. Almost all the houses in the city had their doors closed, and apart from the soldiers, no one else could be seen on the roads.

The armored soldiers on the city walls were rotated from time to time, and knights came in and out with the latest news.

But inside the government office, the atmosphere became a little strange.

Houmochenqiong, the former commander-in-chief of the Yongfeng army, was sitting in the upper seat. A group of people were standing in front of him, with their swords drawn.

Hou Mo Chen Qiong slowly looked at the angel in front of him.

He took a deep breath.

"I am not going to disobey your majesty's order, but right now, we are facing a powerful enemy. The rebel general Liu Taozi is leading his elite troops to attack the surrounding garrisons. I hope the envoy can go back and inform your majesty that now is not the time to change generals."

The general Liu Yong who came to read the imperial edict was also ordered to replace Hou Mochen Qiong.

He snorted coldly, "General Manager, your brother suddenly passed away due to illness, and His Majesty specifically ordered you to return to attend the funeral. This is a gift to you, to fulfill your brotherhood, how can you disobey it?"

"It is absolutely not loyalty to betray your majesty's kindness. It is also not filial piety to not hold a funeral for my brother's death. Please ask the chief steward to return to Chang'an as soon as possible."

Veins bulged on Hou Mochen Qiong's forehead. He raised his head and looked at Liu Yong in disbelief.

"Liu Taozi is outside!"

"It's less than fifty miles away from us!"

"You want me to go back?"

Houmochen Qiong's brother was Houmochen Chong, who was considered by many to be the most famous general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He did not die on the battlefield, nor did he die at the hands of the enemy. He died in his own home.

The person who came to deliver the news told Hou Mo Chen Qiong that his brother died of illness.

But Houmo Chenqiong could probably guess something in his heart. His brother was stronger than a tiger or a bear. Did he die of illness? ?

It's just that he was too close to the emperor and too far away from villains like Yuwen Hu.

He really didn't expect that Yuwen Hu would dare to attack his own brother.

His brother and Yang Zhong were the few brave generals who could compete with Duan Shao, Huluguang and others of the Pseudo-Qi. One of the two pillars was inexplicably removed.

This is just like if the Pseudo-Qi suddenly killed Duan Shao or Hulugu. This makes no sense at all!

The most unreasonable thing was that Yuwen Hu wanted to withdraw himself. Houmochen Qiong knew his brother's choice and had no intention of revenge for his brother at the moment. He didn't have that ability.

But, a powerful enemy is at hand!!
It was like when Yang Zhong was about to attack Jinyang, the emperor suddenly sent Duan Shao, who was guarding Bingzhou, away.

That doesn't make sense!!

Seeing Houmo Chenqiong's surprised eyes, Liu Yong said seriously: "Liu Taozi has only a thousand men and horses. He can break through those small towns, but it is not enough to take over the entire Yongfeng. Besides, I am here to take over. Does the chief steward think that this fortress will be lost without your people?"

Houmo Chenqiong shook his head, his expression became extremely complicated.

He stood up slowly, but Liu Yong put his hand on the hilt of the sword. Houmo Chenqiong saw his action and said, "It's okay to go, but the journey is too far. I want to take my own confidants with me to protect myself."

Liu Yong was overjoyed and quickly let go of his hand. He was still thinking about how to clean up those people who were disloyal to Yuwen Hu. You want to take them away? This is a good thing!
He hurried forward, held the other person's hand, and showed some sadness appropriately.

"What happened to Duke Liang is truly regrettable."

"Unfortunately, it's Duke Liang's own fault. He talked nonsense and ended up like this."

"However, don't worry. His Majesty has no intention of punishing the others. I heard that His Majesty even intends to let you replace Wei Xiaokuan to guard Yubi City!"

"what?!"

Houmo Chenqiong glared, "He even wants Wei Xiaokuan"

Houmo Chenqiong took a deep breath, and his face gradually became calm.

"it is good."

"Okay."

"Then I'll leave first, General Liu. This Liu Taozi is just a lucky villain. I wish you a successful start and chop off his head soon!"

"I'll be waiting for your victory news in Chang'an!!"

"Hahaha~~Thank you, Chief Steward!"

The next day, Liu Taozi was riding a green lion and watching the knights gathering out of the city at the city gate.

The knights lined up and marched out of the city. Most of them were soldiers from Yecheng, and there were also a small number of Beiheng knights involved. The soldiers from Yecheng were not very close to Liu Taozi at first, and they just wanted to follow him to gain some military merits.

But when Liu Taozi led them to defeat Erzhu Min, the attitude of the Yecheng soldiers towards Liu Taozi changed drastically.

The soldiers in Yecheng have not encountered such a reliable general for many years.

Each of them won great military merits and received rewards. Liu Taozi then led them to take a detour through the Turkic territory and directly attacked from the north of the Pseudo-Zhou, capturing the city and killing the generals.

At this moment, the soldiers in Yecheng had great respect for Liu Taozi.

What Yecheng soldiers? We are the elite troops under the command of General Anxi. What's more, the general is from Cheng'an, so we are fellow countrymen!
At this moment, the elite troops of Yecheng, who had won several major victories in succession, were in high spirits and full of momentum. They quickly left the city, preparing to conquer the last obstacle, Yongfeng Town.

Liu Taozi frowned. He was confident that he could capture Yongfeng, but he was afraid that it would cost a huge price, perhaps even greater than the price of repelling Yang Zhong.

At this moment, Kou Liu led the light cavalry and ran back in a hurry.

He looked shocked and hurriedly reported: "Brother! Yongfeng has sent out troops! They are heading towards Woye!"

Liu Taozi was stunned, "Who is the commander?"

"I raised a flag with the word Liu on it. I captured a few scouts and said they were General Liu Yong."

"Liu Yong? Who is Liu Yong?"

"I don't know why they say he is Yuwen Hu's confidant and he sent him out temporarily."

Liu Taozi said "oh" and slowly looked in the direction of Yongfeng.

"Each has its merits"

(End of this chapter)