Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 253 The Best Grandson-in-law
Jinyang, outside the city.

The important officials of the court gathered outside the road at this moment, looking solemn.

No matter how fierce the competition in the temple is, it will be meaningless without those who are about to come and express their views.

After hundreds of years of fighting, the important officials also understood this truth: the ones who can really make the decisions are those who have troops in their hands.

Gao Yun stood in the center of the ministers. This newly elected prime minister showed no joy at all for taking power. He became more tired than Gao Yan when he left Jinyang. Fatigue was almost written on his face, and his eyes were calm but with deep sleepiness.

On his left and right stood several sons of Emperor Wenxiang.

Although Gao Xiaoyu had a very good relationship with Gao Zhan, and said that he would no longer interfere in government affairs after his brothers turned against him, when his brothers came to visit him one by one and Gao Zhan's condition worsened again, he had no choice but to step forward and become a member of Gao Yun's side, even though he did not like his uncle Gao Yun very much.

The second brother, Gao Xiaoheng, was equally handsome and good-looking. Standing there, he had the demeanor of a celebrity, different from his other brothers.

Gao Xiaoheng is a relatively introverted person, somewhat similar to Gao Xun, but He Shikai's problems made him unbearable. When he learned that He Shikai and others were plotting to get rid of their brothers, he chose to stand up.

The third brother, Gao Xiaowan, had a fierce look on his face. He had a temperament quite similar to that of Gao Yanzong. He was a rough and straightforward man. He even dared to insult He Shikai to his face. When he learned that Gao Zhan had abandoned the city and fled, he was even more furious. He was warlike and brave. Although he was Gao Xiaoyu's younger brother, he was closer to Gao Rui.

The fifth one is Gao Yanzong. The little fat boy has a silly smile on his face and his chubby face is still childish. He really doesn’t fit in among a group of handsome men.

It is no wonder that Emperor Wenxuan treated him as his own son. After all, they were the only two people in the family with strange looks, standing out from the crowd.

In addition to Emperor Wenxiang's sons, Gao Yu was also surrounded by some wise princes from the royal family who had a good reputation.

Relying on the voluntary or involuntary support of these people, Gao Yu was barely able to secure the position of Prime Minister.

On the other side, Gao Rui, his two major relatives, and many nobles who stayed in Yecheng formed a group.

Their power should not be underestimated either.

Hulugu's father, Hulugu Jin, was standing in this group. The old man could hardly see clearly, so he was talking in a low voice with several old ministers who had not yet passed away.

There was also Heba Ren, who stood in the middle of the two sides with a confused look on his face, isolating both forces at the same time.

Soon, three generals in the distance appeared in everyone's sight.

Duan Shao took the lead, with Hulugu Guang and Liu Taozi following on his left and right respectively, and behind them came those meritorious and brave generals.

Gao Yin locked his eyes on Liu Taozi in the crowd, and his expression seemed to relax a lot.

Gao Xiaoheng looked at the generals in the distance, then looked at Lou Rui standing in the crowd in the distance, his expression somewhat ugly.

He tugged at Lao Wu's sleeve, and Gao Yanzong came over hastily, "Second brother?"

"Let the Prime Minister go first to greet him. Don't let others get there first."

Gao Yanzong said "oh" and walked to Gao Yun again, whispering something. Gao Yun nodded and then walked quickly towards Duan Shao in the distance.

"Da Sima!"

Gao Yu bowed slightly to Duan Shao, who then led his men off their horses and bowed to Gao Yu.

Duan Shao then saw the mourning clothes of the ministers. He asked in disbelief, "What happened to your majesty?"

"It's the Queen Mother."

"what?!"

Duan Shao looked sad and a little angry at the same time. Under such circumstances, the sudden death of the Queen Mother was a little strange.

Zu Ting, who was far away, shook his head as he watched.

He is a person who can be a prime minister, but not a person who can be a great prime minister.

What if you burst into tears first? What if you pretend to faint? Then you can let Lou Rui and other confidants of the Queen Mother come out to explain.
You calmly told people that the Queen Mother was gone, and those who didn't know would think you killed her!

Gao Rui arrived later. Duan Shao did not look at Gao Rui, but looked at Lou Rui behind him.

When Lou Rui saw Duan Shao, he was overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears immediately.

Duan Shao stepped forward and Lou Rui talked about the Empress Dowager. They were both extremely sad.

Lou Rui is the child of the Empress Dowager's brother, and Duan Shao is the child of the Empress Dowager's sister.

The two hugged each other and cried, while on the other side, Hulugu saw his trembling old father and ran over to pay his respects.

Only then did Gao Yu look at Liu Taozi.

"General Wei."

"Your Majesty."

“What are the conditions like in various places?”

"Is the farmland seriously damaged? If we need to transport grain, what is the condition of the roads?"

"The border fortresses suffered the most serious damage, followed by the northern states of Heng, Yan, and An, which were completely destroyed by the Turks. Many cities fell, and the farmland and houses outside the cities were burned down."

"The surrounding areas of Shuozhou were severely damaged, and the roads in Sizhou and Xianzhou were the most seriously damaged. Before Yang Zhong left, he destroyed everything that could be destroyed."

"Next year there will be a severe food shortage in the north."

Gao Yu frowned, his entire face wrinkled into a ball, "It's too late for this year's autumn harvest, and the food I can send to the rescue is very limited."

"I know. I will find a way to help the border states survive this crisis."

This was the first time the two met. Gao Yun did not greet them or ask about military matters, but instead asked about people's livelihood first. Liu Taozi couldn't help but look up to him.

Just as the two were talking about the war disasters in various places, Hulugu reluctantly supported his old father and came to Liu Taozi.

Hulu Jin is over seventy years old. Perhaps because of his lifelong military service, he has aged thoroughly. He looks like he will be buried at any time. He is much older than his peers.

There were scars all over his body.

He looked at Liu Taozi in front of him, and his solemn and nervous expression suddenly became gentle and kind.

He chuckled, "Are you my grandson-in-law?"

Liu Taozi was stunned for a moment, then bowed and greeted him, "Old Master."

Hulu Jin looked at Hulu Guang who was standing aside. At this moment, his expression changed again, and his face became fierce again. "I have told you long ago that our family has been strong through military merits from generation to generation. Why do we need to give away our women in exchange for wealth?! I asked you to find a few strong sons-in-law to inherit the family tradition! But you, first let your son marry the princess, and now you want your daughter to marry the prince!"

"Wouldn't it be nice to find a few more like Taozi?"

When facing his old father, Hulugu just lowered his head. He no longer had that bad temper and just accepted everything submissively.

Hulujin looked at Liu Taozi again and smiled, "Good grandson-in-law, you are really strong! I heard that you also defeated Yang Zhong?"

"Just barely fought him off, but couldn't defeat him."

Hulujin looked at his useless son again, "Look at him, he is so humble even after winning! What about you? You don't even know your own name after beating a few unknown people. You keep pointing fingers at others all day long. Do you want to teach them how to fight? Why don't you go and capture Yang Zhong?!"

Hulu Jin directly pulled his hand away from his son, and with a smile, motioned Liu Taozi to hold him.

Liu Taozi supported him.

"Don't learn how to fight from Mingyue. Mingyue is so arrogant. As a general, you can't underestimate the enemy. You can't underestimate any enemy. Don't leave in a hurry. Talk to me more. When I was young, I also fought in the war. I know a little about the principles of war. I can teach you a thing or two. You are at the frontier, and it will be of use."

The old man kept talking to Liu Taozi. Hulugu stood aside, looking at Liu Taozi, his face becoming darker and darker.

At this moment, Prince Lanling also stepped forward to meet his brothers.

Originally, the ministers were going to welcome the generals and discuss important matters together, but because of Gao Yun's inaction, this important event turned into a greeting among relatives, just like a busy market.

Gao Changgong paid his respects to his brothers and then to his younger brother.

Gao Xiaoyu said with a stern face, "If you want to fight, then fight. Why wear a mask? Pretend to be Bai Bao?"

Gao Changgong took off the mask, and Gao Yanzong said hurriedly: "What's wrong with wearing a mask? It makes you look more majestic. This mask was given to my fourth brother by me."

Gao Yanzong took the mask from Gao Changgong and was stunned again, "Brother, this doesn't seem to be the mask I gave you? Did you change it?"

"Oh yes, I can't find the previous mask." Gao Xiaoyu ignored the mask. He just looked at Gao Yu in the distance with disdain.

"Uncle Wu called us here, didn't he just want us to reminisce about the past?"

He shook his head slightly, "That's all."

Gao Changgong narrowed his eyes, and thought of what Liu Taozi had said again. He pulled Gao Yanzong aside and said, "Old Five, gather the soldiers first, open the road, and order everyone to retreat to the sides."

After saying that, he hurried to find Gao Yin.

Gao Xiaoyu and others saw him say something to Gao Yun, and Gao Yun then led Gao Changgong and interrupted the ministers around who were greeting each other. Everyone changed their formation again and prepared to enter the city together.

Liu Taozi didn't pay much attention to what was happening around him. Hulu Jin was telling him about the experience of attacking and defending cities.

"Defending a city is actually more difficult than attacking it."

"The attacker is always proactive. They can decide when to attack, where to attack, and how to attack. However, the defender can only respond in a forced manner to a large extent."

"At the beginning, Houmo Chenchong of the Pseudo-Zhou led a few people to attack the city. Before anyone could react, he killed his way into the city and killed his way to the government office. The siege was over."

"The bigger the city, the harder it is to defend. The commander cannot quickly command the defenders on the four walls. If the orders are not delivered in time, one side of the wall may have been breached before the commander is aware of the situation."

"So, when defending a city, the most important thing is the transmission of orders. We need more messengers and scouts than when we are out in the Great Wall. The commander must also be able to predict the enemy's offensive ideas. At least be prepared to defend against every offensive idea."

Hulu Jin is more eloquent than Duan Shao, and his sense of being a teacher is even stronger.

However, Liu Taozi listened very carefully.

The crowd slowly entered the city.

The city of Ye was quiet. The people did not dare to go out, and the soldiers were lined up neatly on both sides of the road.

In this way, everyone arrived at the palace.

Gao Yun took the lead and walked into the palace, and the others followed. However, Hulu Jin was not in a hurry to go in. He looked at Liu Taozi standing aside, and his eyes became sharper at this moment.

"If you can avoid interfering in the affairs of Ye City, then don't interfere."

"These are all rubbish that will only distract you. You just need to do your work on the frontier well. That is the most important thing. What about empty names, official positions, and court power? Power only lies in food, people, and soldiers. The rest is fake."

Liu Taozi was stunned, and the old man quickly said: "There is no perfect person in the world."

"Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. What matters is how you use them."

Hulujin hung his head again, "I won't go into the palace. I have to go back and rest. You go with Mingyue."

There was a carriage waiting outside the palace. The old man got on it directly, and told Liu Taozi not to forget to go and pay a visit. Then he disappeared on the road. Following him were many similar old ministers. They were all old people who no longer held actual positions but had unprecedented influence.

Hulugu watched his father walk away, then looked at Liu Taozi dimly.

"you"

Huluguang hesitated to speak, he took a deep breath, "Be a good general, don't cause trouble, there is no benefit."

"only."

Hulugu strode into the palace. When Liu Taozi was about to go in, Zu Ting hurriedly stepped forward and held Liu Taozi's hand, "My lord, I can't follow you in. After entering the palace, don't be in a hurry to express your opinion or speak. No matter who wants to take power, they all need us. As long as you don't rush to speak, Yecheng will not be in chaos. You don't have to think too much about these things in the court. You should come out early. I have prepared some people. You can meet them first."

Liu Taozi looked at Zu Ting, was silent for a moment, and then nodded.

There are many more soldiers in the palace than usual.

A place that normally requires one soldier now has three or four people stationed there. There are fully armed warriors everywhere, and even many hundred guards can be seen.

Zu Ting watched the important ministers enter the palace, and then left in a hurry.

The important ministers were waiting outside the Xuanyang Palace, while Duan Shao and a few others followed Gao Yun to see the emperor.

Liu Taozi did not go with them, he stayed with Lou Rui.

"grown ups."

Lou Rui looked at him and forced a smile, "I didn't get to say a few words to you just now."

"Condolences."

Liu Taozi said again.

Lou Rui lowered his head sadly, "This day has come. I'm ready. I won't say more. I heard that you took over Yongfeng?"

"Correct."

"Great, this is great. This will directly break the teeth of the Zhou people. In this way, they will no longer be able to gnaw on the border. Over the years, they have used Yongfeng as their base and continued to expand to the border. Their defense line is getting closer and closer to Wuchuan."

"Sir, I want to buy some food from you."

Liu Taozi suddenly interrupted him. Lou Rui was stunned and asked blankly, "Buy food?"

"Sir, my jurisdiction has been destroyed, and there is a serious shortage of food everywhere. I am afraid that this winter will be particularly difficult. I have won a lot of good things in this battle with the enemy, many of which are your favorites. I would like to exchange them with you for some food."

Lou Rui quickly put away his sadness and quickly got into work mode.

He cleared his throat. "What is the specific method of exchange?"

"It's all up to the adults."

"No, no, you don't do business like this. If you need food, I can give it to you. I can give you as much as you want. The food I have here is just a drop in the bucket, but I know a lot of people who have also stockpiled a lot of food. I have people in many places in the south, and there are many big clans and temples there. If you want food, I can get it from all sources."

"But you have to make it clear about the price exchange standard. Our friendship is friendship, and business is business. If you let me make the decision and let me have the final say, then I will definitely take more, and this business will not last long."

"If you really want to do this business, tell me the truth."

"In fact, there are many businesses to do in the north and south. You have horses, iron, coal, and copper under your rule. These are all good businesses, especially horses. If we can sell them to the south, or even further south, it will be a huge profit!"

Liu Taozi frowned and said, "Sir, it is not a good thing to have secret dealings with foreign countries. They will use the war horses we sold to rob us in the future."

"I'm not the only one doing this. If you don't want to sell it to the South Country, then sell it to those counties over there. However, they want to sell it to the South Country. There are more than one company doing business with the Southerners. If you don't sell it, there are plenty of people who will."

"We'll talk about this later. Let's talk about food first. How do we exchange it?"

"I have gold and silver, calligraphy and paintings, and horses are also OK."

"What about your official position? Are you selling it? Many people have come to me and said they want to buy your official position. If you are willing to sell it, you can also exchange it for food, and you can exchange it for a lot of food."

"Not for sale."

Lou Rui pulled Liu Taozi aside and the two began to have an intense conversation.

In the distance, Gao Yanzong stared at Liu Taozi. He wanted to come and join in several times, but he didn't dare. He looked at Gao Laoer who was standing beside him, "Second brother, Brother Taozi is indeed a fierce general. Look how heatedly they are talking. They must be discussing military matters!"

Gao Xiaoheng chuckled and ignored it.

King Lou would only get so excited when discussing business; if he was discussing military matters, he would be exceptionally calm.

Duan Shao quickly followed Gao Yun and others back here, his face looking extremely ugly.

It seemed that after seeing the mad Gao Zhan, Duan Shao had given up his previous ideas. He could no longer assist such a king and had to replace him.

Gao Yun finally sat in the upper seat, with important officials sitting on both sides.

Liu Taozi was sitting next to Lou Rui, and the two were still talking in low voices, ignoring the big things happening outside.

"Your Majesty is promoted to the position of Supreme Emperor, and the Crown Prince ascends the throne. What do you think, Grand Marshal?"

Gao Yun's proposal was passed smoothly this time. With the support of nobles such as Duan Shao, there was no need to argue about this matter.

Although Liu Taozi had made great contributions and had considerable influence, he had no opportunity to express suggestions on the emperor's family affairs. After all, he was an outsider and had no say in matters such as establishing an emperor, and he was not very willing to speak up.

Now, let's negotiate this big deal with King Lou first.

(End of this chapter)