Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 252 Everything is Done

There were also many unknown corpses lying on the road from Jinyang to Yecheng.

Liu Taozi rode a green lion and walked at the back of the team.

The three generals were all preparing to go to Yecheng to meet King Pengcheng.

Duan Shao and Hulugu, who were walking in front, seemed to be still arguing. Of course, it was only Hulugu's one-sided argument and Duan Shao didn't respond much.

Liu Taozi walked side by side with Gao Changgong.

Gao Changgong did not feel any jealousy towards his former subordinate, now a military leader. On the contrary, he was very grateful for his full support.

The two men walked calmly on the official road. Gao Changgong looked at the corpses in the distance and couldn't help but sigh.

"This battle could have been less tragic."

"Although Yongfeng was captured, the hundreds of miles of area from here to Jinyang were almost reduced to ruins, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, and the farmland was destroyed."

Gao Changgong couldn't bear to look at the corpses along the road. He vaguely felt that it was all his fault.

If I could be stronger, not listen to Gao Ji, and not leave Sizhou, would the two states not have been in such a state of disaster?
But no matter how I think about it, it seems a little late now.

Looking at Gao Changgong who was quite self-blaming, Liu Taozi said slowly: "If King Pengcheng had taken action earlier, it wouldn't have been so tragic."

Gao Changgong said helplessly: "Prince Pengcheng is powerless in this matter. He really has no other choice. In fact, it is still against the etiquette of a minister."

"Your Majesty was so powerful in the past. I don't know why, but after ascending the throne, he seemed like a completely different person."

"Zhizhi, I was in Dingzhou. After I heard the news, I took action immediately. It was not because I knew that Your Majesty was going to take action against me, but because I knew that Da Qi was in imminent danger."

"Many people say that you are gathering strength and expanding your territory at the frontier, and that you have other intentions. I'm afraid you will become a threat to the Great Qi in the future. Are you really like that?"

Gao Changgong suddenly asked.

"Your Majesty, you know me. I have never had any other ambitions. Everything I have done is for the country. This has been the case in the past and will remain the case in the future."

Gao Changgong knew that Liu Taozi was not lying, but he also knew that the country that Liu Taozi talked about seemed to be somewhat different from the country that everyone else talked about.

He really wanted to ask Liu Taozi, if one day his country came into conflict with the country of others, what choice would he make?
But Gao Changgong didn't dare to ask, because he seemed to know the answer.

This time, your majesty's behavior endangered the country. Liu Taozi did not hesitate at all and immediately sent people to contact the ministers in the court, forcibly sidelined the emperor, and changed the country.

If a bigger conflict arises in the future, he might still act so decisively.

Gao Changgong suddenly felt a little confused.

He said: "Every time there is a war, many people die."

"I don't like war."

Liu Taozi nodded, "Me too."

But Liu Taozi added: "Some wars are necessary and unavoidable. Even if many people die, we have to fight."

Gao Changgong took the initiative to skip this topic and talked about King Pengcheng.

"I really didn't expect that Uncle Wu would have such courage. It's really admirable."

"My fifth uncle has always been gentle and easy-going. How should I put it? He is not someone who can become a powerful official."

"Although he is good at governing the world, I really don't know if he can control Yecheng."

"This requires the king to help. It is naturally difficult for him to suppress it alone, but if the wise kings of Da Qi are willing to help, the situation will be different."

The two chatted about everything from state affairs to military affairs and people's livelihood, and they had a very harmonious conversation.

"Zhizhi should be appointed as the general of the guard?"

"do not know."

"Ah? I saw with my own eyes the angel going to your side, how come I never met him?"

"I heard that they went to Wuchuan, but the situation was critical at the moment and I really didn't want to waste time, so I didn't go to Wuchuan to look for them. I wanted to finish the business in Yecheng as soon as possible and return to the border."

“There’s still a lot for me to do there.”

Yecheng, Imperial Palace.

Gao Zhan sat on the bed with disheveled hair, looking increasingly thin, with deep malice in his eyes, baring his teeth, and staring fiercely at the people in front of him.

The King of Pengcheng and other important officials stood before him, including Zu Ting.

They were all dressed in mourning.

Zu Ting himself did not hold any official position. The reason why he could stand beside these people was only because he represented Liu Taozi.

Zu Ting looked at Gao Zhan guiltily and shook his head, "I can't find it."

"Xu Zhicai escaped. We couldn't find him anywhere. I don't know where he went."

When Gao Zhan heard this, he laughed out of anger, "It's obvious that you killed all those bastards and my famous doctor! Why didn't you just kill me?!"

Gao Zhan already suffered from many diseases and was also overeating. It was Xu Zhicai who took care of his body and kept him awake.

But when Xu Zhicai disappeared, his condition suddenly worsened.

His condition had reached the point where he began talking to himself and fighting with people he couldn't see.

At this moment, he was pointing at Zu Ting and cursing, then looked around, talking nonsense and drooling, and it was impossible to understand what he was saying.

Zu Ting wiped away the nonexistent tears, took a few steps back, and stopped talking. Gao Yu looked at Gao Zhan with a serious expression.

Lou Rui looked quite sad.

The Queen Mother passed away.

He didn't even have time to leave any last words or instructions before passing away in a deep sleep.

For the Lou family, this was like suddenly losing their backbone.

Gao Yu cleared his throat and looked at everyone, "The three generals will arrive in Yecheng soon. Then, we can prepare for the coronation. Do you all have any objections?"

Gao Rui looked at the crazy Gao Zhan and lowered his head helplessly.

Previously, they had thought of helping the emperor regain power, but now, the emperor was completely abnormal, just like his two brothers. How could they help him? How could they assist him?

Even if they succeeded in seizing power, what would happen? Would they help a mad emperor to rule the world?

When things got to this point, it became a consensus to give up Gao Zhan.

Crown Prince Gao Wei was an heir acceptable to everyone, so the only option was to let the crown prince ascend the throne and let Gao Zhan become the emperor emeritus.

Everyone agreed with Gao Yin's idea.

Gao Rui suddenly said, "Actually, I think Langya King Gao Yan is more suitable to inherit the throne than the crown prince."

Hu Changren glanced at him and didn't say anything, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that he supported Gao Rui.

Queen Hu preferred her younger son, even though both were her biological children.
Gao Yu waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about this matter after the three generals come back!"

Several important officials stopped talking.

Gao Yun led everyone away from here, leaving only Gao Zhan, who was still cursing, and suddenly burst into tears, shouting He Shikai's name.

Gao Yu was quite busy at the moment. The war had affected the entire north and the autumn harvest had also been greatly affected. There were many post-war victims who needed to be appeased, and the appointment of officials from all over the country was also difficult.

But he not only has to deal with these things, but also has to cope with the complicated situation within the top leadership of the temple.

However, as long as the three generals arrive in Yecheng, everything will be settled.

At that time, we can start to solve the problems that really need to be solved.

Zu Ting was following at the end at this moment, looking at everyone with different expressions.

These idiots.

The lord is about to arrive. It is time for me to leave here and find him to inform him of the situation in Yecheng in advance.

These people are still thinking about how to fight for power, and they will be captured by the Lord sooner or later.
Zu Ting did not alarm anyone. After leaving the palace, he got on a carriage, led a few knights to protect him, and left Yecheng from the east gate.

He walked along the official road all the way towards Jinyang.

After walking about a hundred miles away from the city, he finally met three military leaders. Zu Ting told them his identity and was then brought to Liu Taozi.

"Lord!!!"

Zu Ting had a smile on his face, and he couldn't hide his joy at all.

This time, he made great contributions. From contacting Gao Yun and many other clan members, to arranging for them to take over the army returning to Luo, and finally to holding the emperor hostage and controlling the government, this series of events was planned and organized by him alone.

With this series of operations, Liu Taozi eliminated his biggest enemy and made his ally the one in charge of the government.

"Grandfather."

When Gao Changgong saw him, he leaned back slightly, looked at him warily, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Zu Ting had looked for him and contacted him to join the rebellion.

This person has good eloquence and good ideas. He is a talented person, but it's a pity that his hands are not clean.

Zu Ting smiled and saluted Gao Changgong, then looked at Liu Taozi, "My lord, is everything going well?"

Gao Changgong immediately said that he had something else to do and rode away on his horse.

Liu Taozi looked at Gao Changgong's alert expression and asked, "Did you steal his things?"

"No, he thought I took his things and misunderstood me, lord. Is everything going well?"

Zu Ting answered perfunctorily and asked about Liu Taozi again.

Liu Taozi nodded, "It's going pretty smoothly."

Zu Ting showed a smug look and said slowly:
"My lord, the affairs of Yecheng have been settled. Gao Xiaoyu and the Hu brothers will take over the defense of the city, and the old man will take over the palace."

"You don't have to worry at all."

"Gao Zhan has gone completely crazy and is no longer a threat. I originally wanted Gao Yan to take the throne. He is younger and has been given the wrong position, so he can do more. But after I met him, I found that this guy is extremely smart. Although he is still very young, he will grow up sooner or later and become the crown prince. His eyes are evasive and he dare not look me in the eye. His words are also a bit extreme? Anyway, he is not as good as his brother, who is very much like his father! I think the crown prince should inherit the throne."

"In addition, I contacted many civil officials in the court in advance. There have been many changes in the court, and they are all a little scared and want to stay away from Yecheng."

"Many of them are rare ministers. I have promised them that they are willing to go to the frontier and serve the lord!"

"Whether it's Gao Yu, Gao Rui, Hu Changren and others, they don't care about the civil officials in the court. After Yang Yin, their status is getting worse day by day. Many children stay at home and are unwilling to serve as officials. The Imperial College is just a name in name only. Many great Confucian scholars and doctors are hiding at home and dare not go out. If the lord can bring these people back this time, whether they are officials who govern the local areas or doctors who teach enlightenment, then there is no need to worry."

"Now is the time when these clans are at their weakest. We should take this opportunity to subdue them, force them to change themselves, and promote the talented among them. This will be of great help to the lord's future career!"

ps: I had some trivial matters to take care of today, so I got home late. As a result, I didn’t write enough words until midnight. It was not convenient to post only one chapter, so I posted a chapter with fewer words. Next, I plan to open the Nanchen line in the south. Is there anything you want to see, Ersanzi?

(End of this chapter)