Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 247 Ren

Yongfeng, South Parade Ground.

There were Qi armored soldiers pacing back and forth on the walls surrounding the parade ground. They were holding powerful crossbows and their eyes were always fixed on the Zhou soldiers in the parade ground.

The parade ground was filled with Zhou soldiers.

These people were piled up in the parade ground. They were all sitting on the ground, dejected and in tattered clothes. Some were lying there, bleeding, motionless.

They are still alive at this moment, but they are also dead.

Some people were muttering scriptures in a low voice out of fear, while others were missing their parents at home and crying silently.

Unlike the Qi soldiers, the proportion of Han people among the Zhou soldiers was extremely high.

The Xianbei have lived in this land for many years. It is not easy to tell the difference between them and the Han people just from their appearance, but some subtle differences can be seen from the style of their hairstyle and beards.

Most of these Zhou soldiers had Han Chinese hairstyles and beards.

Because this place is close to towns like Wuchuan, their appearance is no different from the Wuchuan soldiers, almost the same. Among them are also some Zhou soldiers who came from Xiliang, and their appearance is quite different.

An atmosphere of despair enveloped the entire school grounds.

The prisoners had no idea what they were facing.

The gate of the parade ground was slowly pushed open, and several clerks were seen walking into the parade ground under the protection of soldiers. They examined the many captives in front of them and accurately found the wounded soldiers among them.

Zhou Bing was not surprised at all.

In the past, when they captured Qi people, they would first clear out the wounded and only leave the strong ones to serve as laborers.

Chu Jiande walked up to a wounded soldier and looked down to check his injuries.

The wounded soldier struggled to get up, his eyes full of fear, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I can still do things! I can still get up!"

Chu Jiande laughed and said, "Don't be afraid. My general never kills prisoners."

As he spoke, he asked someone beside him to take out the gauze, and motioned a few young people to come closer. Chu Jiande treated him while explaining to the people behind him, "In a case like this, we must first find a way to stop the bleeding. If too much blood is lost, even gods cannot save it. Look at this position, we need to stop the bleeding..."

The prisoner's eyes widened as he watched Chu Jiande fiddling with his wound.

He didn't know what the other party was doing.
Chu Jiande was very experienced and treated the wound quickly. Then he ordered the young men to go and treat the wound everywhere.

He himself shuttled back and forth, watching the military doctors treat the wounded.

The Zhou people were a little surprised when they saw them rescuing the wounded, but they didn't dare to say anything more.

On the parade ground wall, Liu Taozi stood tall, staring at the captives below.

Xu Zhicai was standing next to him, still a little confused at the moment.

He had been transported almost all the way on horseback these days, and had walked more than a thousand miles. If he had not been in good health, he would have died on the way.

Xu Zhicai looked at Chu Jiande's behavior below and asked, "Are you using Zhou soldiers to train military doctors?"

"These are local doctors, newly recruited."

"It is used for seeing patients in the government office."

"They lack experience, so this is a good opportunity for them to practice and then take charge of Yongfeng in the future."

Xu Zhicai slowly looked at Liu Taozi.

The Great Qi Dynasty really did have an "official hospital". The government arranged doctors to sit in every county government office, which were called "patient clinics". As long as you paid money, you could see a doctor. The service targets were generally officials and soldiers. For the lower-class people, there were "sorrow hospitals", which charged lower fees and served the general public. As the old saying goes, everything was so perfect except that no one followed it.

Xu Zhicai asked, "Is the hospital under the general's rule full?"

"Mr. Chu has summoned quite a few of his fellow disciples, so it's quite sufficient."

Xu Zhicai could not help but sigh: "They say the general is good at fighting, but I think the general is no less good at governing."

“I don’t know how to govern.”

Liu Taozi whispered: "I just make sure the systems are implemented."

"Equal distribution of land, recruitment of soldiers, hospital, school, assessment, these are all systems that have existed in the past. I just arranged the right people to ensure the smooth implementation of these policies."

Xu Zhicai smiled and said, "That's why I say the general is good at governing."

“Governing the world is not about who has the better ideas, but about who can do what they say.”

"Da Qi has no shortage of benevolent policies, but no one has implemented the equal distribution of land in the local areas, and the farmland has fallen into the hands of the powerful. The school assessment has become empty talk, and the hospital is even worse. Doctors' fees have been in arrears for years, and if they can't cure the disease, they will kill people to vent their anger."

"Having a general at the frontier is a blessing for the people there!"

Xu Zhicai praised very sincerely.

Liu Taozi then looked at him and said, "I heard from Mr. Chu that your medical skills are very superb."

Xu Zhicai had recovered by now, no longer as scared as he was when he first met Liu Taozi. He smiled and said, "I know a little bit about medicine, but I know more than just medicine. I also know astronomy, geography, many classics, and strategies for governing a country."

"Oh?"

"General, if you take Yongfeng this time, you can use it as the main point to stop the Zhou people, so that the border will no longer be attacked and plundered. You can rest and recuperate, store money and food, and attack everywhere to continuously expand your advantage and force the enemy to divide their troops to guard. But how?"

"Is such that."

"In this case, General, I will take charge of Yongfeng. You have many capable people under your command, but you have just acquired many territories, and they will surely be of great use to you."

"I am not good at military affairs, but I know how to govern the land. Yongfeng has sufficient money and food, a large amount of arable land, and a large number of civilians. In the future, it is not easy for brave generals to dispatch military supplies, cultivate land and appease the people. If the general purely regards Yongfeng as a fortress, he does not need to govern it, and only needs to garrison it with brave soldiers. However, if the general wants to take Yongfeng as the first priority to control the surrounding garrisons and tire out the Zhou people, he must choose people who know these principles to govern it."

Xu Zhicai spoke very quickly and then expressed many of his ideas on governance.

Looking at Liu Taozi's surprised face, Xu Zhicai explained, "General, you brought me here to see those doctors. I think you want me to take over the hospital."

"I can do both without delay. I can take care of the hospital affairs easily, and I can also train doctors to sit in various places like Mr. Chu did. If the general still has concerns, you can let me take charge of the hospital first and check the results."

"I have studied hard since I was young and have held important positions. I will never let you down, my lord."

Liu Taozi ignored him and looked at the captives. "Although these captives surrendered, most of them are strong and healthy, and many of them have families under the rule of the Zhou people, so it is difficult to appease them. What do you think we should do?"

Xu Zhicai smiled and said, "My lord, Yuwen Tai and King Gao fought in Shayuan."

"Yuwen Tai captured 80,000 elite soldiers in one battle. He kept those who were willing to follow him and sent the rest back to their hometowns."

"Since then, the Great Qi did not dare to lead a large army to attack the Pseudo-Zhou easily."

"If you want to preserve Yongfeng in a short period of time, you can execute them all. But if you have long-term plans, you can follow the example of Yuwen Tai."

Liu Taozi nodded.

"You will be in charge of the Yongfeng affairs."

"Thank you, my lord!!"

Liu Taozi walked down the city wall and led everyone into the parade ground. The captives were all frightened and looked towards the entrance.

Liu Taozi looked at the many captives in the parade ground. There were many garrison soldiers in Yongfeng, but the commander was an incompetent man. After he led the defeated army back to Yongfeng, he abandoned the city and fled. As a result, the soldiers of Yongfeng were not organized and became prisoners of Liu Taozi. In addition to those in Yongfeng, there were also several garrisons in the surrounding areas. Those who did not have time to escape became prisoners of Liu Taozi.

Although the number of prisoners here is not as exaggerated as 80,000, it is still over 10,000.

The loss of more than 10,000 elite soldiers in the first battle was an extremely heavy blow to the border defense.

Liu Taozi looked at everyone and told the generals around him, "If anyone is willing to stay and fight with me, then let them in. If anyone wants to go back, then give them some food and let them go back."

The soldiers went out in all directions and began to announce Liu Taozi's orders.

At this moment, there was an uproar in the school grounds.

The soldiers' ecstasy blew away the haze of despair.

There were scholars helping with the inventory, some soldiers willing to join Liu Taozi, and some who couldn't wait to leave.

The gates of Yongfeng City were wide open and the captives left in a hurry.

Some people tried to escape, while others bowed and kowtowed towards the government office.

Zhou Sheng left Yongfeng without looking back.

He was a soldier under Han Xiong. When Han Xiong followed Yang Zhong to the expedition, their army was sent to Yongfeng for reinforcement and garrison.

But the failure came too suddenly, and he himself did not realize what was happening before he became a prisoner of the enemy.

Just when he had lost hope in life, the enemy let him go, gave him some food, and let him go. Zhou Sheng was accompanied by several comrades at this moment. These people, like him, were Han Xiong's subordinates.

They didn't dare to delay and ran quickly towards the nearest Shiya Town.

After the fall of Yongfeng, none of the garrisons on the same defense line of Yinshan could be preserved. The entire northern defense line of the Pseudo-Zhou was in danger. They dared not go left or right and could only go to the farther Shiya Town.

The autumn wind is bleak, and the whole road is filled with scars left by the war.

The unclaimed corpses were thrown randomly on both sides and eaten by wild dogs.

The ruined village was deserted.

The sky seemed to be dyed red by blood.

Zhou Sheng wiped his tears and didn't dare to stay.

They traveled day and night and avoided bandits twice on the way.

When the sky just got light, Zhou Sheng and his two remaining companions arrived in front of a village.

Outside the village, there were warriors guarding it. They were holding powerful crossbows, wearing armor, and looked tired. When they saw the people coming, they hurried to stop them.

Zhou Sheng hurriedly said: "Our family! Our family!"

The warriors asked them to raise their hands. One of them watched while the other stepped forward, searched their bodies, took out their military badges, and looked at them for a long time before letting them enter the village.

"When you get to the village, don't cause trouble. Someone will arrange accommodation for you and provide you with food. There is also a doctor in the village."

Zhou Sheng and a few of his friends walked into the village, but it was crowded with defeated and wounded soldiers.

Most of them escaped from various garrisons, and came here to rest for a few days before continuing on their journey.

They were arranged to live in a dilapidated courtyard with a dozen wounded soldiers. After sitting for a while, people dressed as officials came in and distributed food to them.

When they got home, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as they were resting, a young man walked into the courtyard quickly. He looked quite tired. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at everyone in the courtyard, "Are there any wounded who are about to collapse? Come and diagnose them first!"

A wounded soldier weakly raised his hand, and the young man quickly walked to his side, asked about his condition, and took his pulse for diagnosis.

Mr. Zhou looked at the young man with some surprise.

It's not quite right to call him a young man, as he looks exceptionally young, almost a half-grown child. There's a warrior following behind him to protect his safety.

Although he looks very immature, his technique is really amazing and he treats the wound very quickly.

Zhou Sheng looked at him and secretly compared him with the great doctor who had bandaged his wound in Yongfeng.
The young man worked for a long time and was sweating profusely. He carefully helped the wounded soldier lie down, and then looked at the rest of the people.

At this moment, he saw Zhou Sheng's bandaged arm.

He was stunned, walked quickly to Zhou Sheng's side, and touched his hand.

Zhou Sheng took a deep breath and forced a smile, "Gentleman, this is an arrow wound."

"I can see it. Who bandaged you?"

Zhou Sheng was stunned, lowered his head and dared not speak.

The young man smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm not an official. I was originally planning to go to Guizhen to study. When I learned that there was a war here, I came to help save people. Just tell me the truth."

Zhou Sheng whispered: "It was the Qi people who bandaged me. I never betrayed. I was stationed in Yongfeng before and fell into their hands. They treated many wounded people. Not just me."

The young doctor was a little surprised, "Qi Ren treated you?"

He once again grabbed the other person's arm. Zhou Sheng grimaced in pain again. The young man quickly let go. He felt a little guilty. "The method of this Qi person seems to be a little different from ours. I want to take a look. I wonder if you..."

Zhou Sheng pursed his lips, looked at his brother lying in the distance, and simply gritted his teeth, "You come!"

The young man carefully examined how Zhou Sheng's wound was treated, and the more he looked, the more surprised he was.

"There are many talented people in Qi."

"If there is a chance in the future, you can go to Qidi."

The warrior standing behind cleared his throat, and the young man quickly stopped talking.

He had other places to go and didn't want to waste time, so he looked at Zhou Sheng reluctantly and left in a hurry.

After he left, Zhou Sheng looked at the people around him, "Who is this gentleman? Why is he so weird?"

The men laughed and said, "We heard he came from the west. His surname seems to be Sun. He is a bit strange, but he is definitely a good person."

"He treated many brothers here without charging any fees, not even for the medicine."

Zhou Sheng nodded and said, "It can be seen that he must be a child of a famous family."

"Yes, he was quite honest. He said that it was due to his lack of skills and asked us to bear with him. If it wasn't for him, I don't know how many people would have died."

The person who answered the call looked at Zhou Sheng and suddenly asked, "Is what you just said true? General Mandrill also sent someone to treat you?"

"Is it General Mandrill?"

Zhou Sheng nodded, "Yes, he didn't kill the prisoners. He treated the wounded, gave us some rations, and let us go."

The man looked incredulous, "Are you talking about the same person I saw?"

"That baboon general is really a vicious person. When I saw him coming, heads fell to the ground one after another along the way. He is really a thousand times more terrifying than a demon. I didn't even dare to look back."

"It's the same one. It was the same when he attacked Yongfeng. However, he did not kill us."

The man murmured, "It turns out that this mandrill general is not just a butcher who knows how to kill people."

"I heard that he was a good person. I have many relatives who originally lived outside Woye, but later they all fled to Wuchuan."

"They said it themselves, saying that General Mandrill was distributing farmland over there. They can actually get farmland over there, it's not fake land granting!"

"Really granting the field?"

"That's right. There are so many pitfalls over there in the fertile land. They say that the land is granted, but every household has hundreds of acres of cultivated land, but in reality, it is less than 20 acres. The taxes are calculated based on the nominal amount, and the officials are mostly inhumane. There have been so many officials replaced over the years, and each one is more vicious than the last."

"You don't know this!"

"I heard that General Mandrill's ancestral home is Huaishuo, so he is one of our own! In fact, he is our fellow villager!"

"Ah?! From the same hometown? No wonder!"

There were whispers in the courtyard, and the young man outside had finally finished his work. He was tired and panting, and sat aside. The warrior looked at him helplessly.

"Young Patriarch, we should leave now. This place is too close to the battlefield. If Liu Xiao comes to kill us, I'm afraid something terrible will happen."

The young man looked at him and said with a smile: "Haven't I learned a lot? Just reading books is not enough, you still need experience. Besides, I think General Liu is not as cruel as the rumors say. He released the captives and sent people to treat them. He can be regarded as a kind and righteous man."

At this point, the young man suddenly frowned and said unhappily: "On the other hand, our famous generals all abandoned the city and fled, ignoring the wounded and sending them to nearby villages to die. They are simply heartless!!"

"They don't care about the lives of their soldiers at all, they only care about their own wealth. How can such people be entrusted with important tasks?"

"I really don't understand. We are all born by our parents, why can they be so cruel?"

The warrior hurriedly said, "Young Master, you must not criticize the country."

The young man closed his mouth and said nothing more. In the small village, more and more outsiders came, and the sound of murmured conversations filled the air again.

A few days later, Zhou Sheng followed his two companions to Shiya Town, where the defeated General Liu Yong was stationed. He gathered the defeated soldiers from everywhere, reorganized them, and prepared to hold the defense line here to prevent the enemy from advancing directly.

After Zhou Sheng rested for a few days, he received an order. He and several soldiers were ordered to protect a group of carriages and horses heading to Chang'an.

The carriages were loaded with money, and the lobbyists sent by General Liu walked in the front.

They chatted about their plans after arriving in Chang'an without paying attention to others. They bribed other cronies of the Duke of Jin and tried to get General Liu a replacement for meritorious service in exchange for his crime. Then they would get some rewards in the name of defending the cliff to the death after the defeat and forcing back Liu Taozi's army.

Zhou Sheng was walking on the road, listening to the discussions of the big shots.

He looked gray.

Eyes wandering.

"Ah."

(End of this chapter)