Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 257: Empty the family fortune
Yecheng.

A cold wind blew through the city, and fallen leaves were blown up by the wind, dancing back and forth on the empty streets.

The walls on both sides were dirty and black, and the road was bumpy. Occasionally, a knight would gallop past on horseback, splashing mud and water on the ground, and the fallen leaves would be crushed to pieces.

A donkey cart appeared wobbling on the street.

A scholar was sitting in the car, dressed simply. He was staring at the situation on both sides and shaking his head frequently.

At the corner, several children were seen rushing out, with disheveled hair and torn clothes. The leader was holding a chicken in his arms. The donkey cart stopped in a hurry, and the children scattered around the donkey cart and rushed into the alley in the distance.

Soon, several strong slaves armed with sticks rushed out.

They chased after it cursing, and when they saw the donkey cart, they were stunned. They then looked at the scholar on the donkey cart, slowed down slightly, bypassed the donkey cart, and continued to chase after it.

The scholar frowned slightly, and the old slave driving the carriage said slowly: "It turns out that there are still living people in Yecheng."

"There are no living people now. Let's hurry up and don't waste time."

The donkey cart continued to move forward.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the donkey cart finally arrived in front of a mansion.

The mansion was not big, but there were fully armed soldiers standing at the door, which made people dare not approach easily.

The scribe was not afraid. He got off the car, patted his clothes, and walked forward quickly.

"Excuse me, is this General Wei's residence?"

The soldier was stunned for a moment, "It's the Governor's Mansion. Yes, General Wei also lives here."

"Please inform General Wei that my old friend has come to seek refuge with him and ask him to fulfill his promise."

The soldier turned and walked into the house.

Shi Yao stood at the door and waited for a moment.

A scholar pushed open the door, and Shi Yao looked at the person in front of him.

This man was not young, dressed unusually, and had a goatee. There was nothing unusual about his appearance, except that he squinted his eyes, which gave people a malicious feeling at first glance.

"Is it Governor Shi?"

"I am Zu Ting, and I am the military advisor and chief priest of General Wei's mansion."

Shi Yao suddenly realized, "It's my grandfather. Yao greets me."

"Come with me, the master is waiting for you!"

Zu Ting pulled Shi Yao into the mansion and looked at the scholar beside him, Shi Yao, the prefect of Liyang.

I heard that when the lord was an official in Liyang, he was particularly close to this person, and the two of them did many things together.

This man has a stubborn and obstinate character, and is the kind of scholar-official who is difficult to deal with.

Anyway, he and Zu Ting are definitely not the same kind of people.

Zu Ting didn't care and led Shi Yao to the inner room with a smile.

"My lord, you have been welcoming many guests these days."

"Every day, many people come to pay their respects to me. They are all high-ranking officials and brave generals. They all hope to follow the lord to the frontier to make achievements and build a career."

Shi Yao said "oh".

When the two of them walked into the inner room, there were indeed three guests sitting next to Liu Taozi.

These three people have extraordinary temperament.

The person sitting closest to Liu Taozi was an old man.

He has gray hair, a thick beard, and sharp eyes.

The old man's dress and demeanor were in no way inferior to Liu Taozi's. Sitting there, he was truly someone that no one could look down upon.

The person sitting on the other side was much younger than the old man, full of vigor and vitality, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

Sitting at the back was a child who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with his hair tied up and a look of high morale.

Liu Taozi looked at Shi Yao and nodded slightly.

Shi Yao hurriedly took a step back and saluted Liu Taozi, motioning him to continue receiving these people. He then took Zu Ting's hand and said, "Grandpa, I don't have anything urgent to do. Let the lord finish his work first."

Zu Ting nodded with a smile, then looked at Liu Taozi, and after getting his consent, he took Shi Yao to rest first.

"Grandfather, I saw three people just now, their demeanor is very extraordinary, I wonder who they are?"

Zu Ting gently stroked his beard, "That older man is the Cavalry General Bao Xian."

"Ah? It was him?"

Shi Yao was horrified, Bao Xian was a famous general of the older generation with a very high level of experience, even higher than Duan Shao. He had experienced hundreds of battles and was very famous, belonging to the top group.

Shi Yao sighed: "Even the general of the chariot and cavalry has to come to pay homage to the lord?"

If it comes to military rank, Bao Xian should sit at the top and Liu Taozi should sit next to him.

Zu Ting stroked his beard, "You don't know this. General Bao is a Han Chinese with a lot of experience, but he has never been able to enter the central government over the years. After all, he doesn't have a mother named Lou, so he can only wander around."

"He served successively as the governor of Northern Xuzhou, Guangzhou, Yingzhou, Zhengzhou, Zhaozhou, Luozhou, Shuozhou, and Hengzhou. Wherever there was a need for a general to take charge, they sent him there. They never treated him as their own. It's laughable that a general of the chariots and cavalry was the governor of Zhaozhou!"

"Now, the government is planning to send him to the south as a governor, but General Bao doesn't want to go. He wants to go to the north. He grew up in the north and is not used to the south."

"So, he came to see the general specifically, hoping to get the position of governor of the north."

Shi Yao shook his head. He understood the feeling of being excluded. He sighed and asked, "The old general is so pitiful. What does the lord say?"

"My Lord is going to give him several Yanzhous to take charge of and let him recruit Han troops there."

Zu Ting's eyes sparkled, "This general is a treasure to us."

Shi Yao couldn't help laughing and asked, "Who is the middle-aged man next to the General of Chariots and Cavalry?"

"The former Liangzhou governor Pi Jinghe is also a capable general. He is not very old, but he is also a founding minister."

"The youngest one is Qinghe Prince Gao Jie. Although he is young, he also has the ambition to make achievements on the frontier."

Only then did Shi Yao believe what Zu Ting had said before. There were indeed a lot of people coming to visit Liu Taozi now. He remembered that when Emperor Xiao Zhao was the prime minister, his house was always visited by guests and there were a lot of people. And before the current emperor ascended the throne, it was the same situation. Even before King Ping Qin rebelled, many guests came to visit him.

Now it is General Wei's turn.

The two of them continued to chat here, and on the other side, Liu Taozi had almost finished talking to these people.

He sat aside with a serious look, a bit of surprise in his eyes.

"Will you hand over the three states of Beiyan, Dongyan and Yan to me?"

"These three states face the Turks directly and are often harassed by them. There are also the Xi people, who were beaten before, but now they have begun to collude with the Turks, lead the way for the Turks, and actively move closer to them."

"There are quite a few people in the three states. I originally trained a 20,000-man Han army in Beishuo and Beiheng."

"They have made many contributions in this battle. In terms of combat capability, they are not inferior to the border soldiers. Their military discipline is even stricter. When they fought with Yang Zhong and others, most of them were killed or wounded, but they were still able to fight again and fight to the death."

"If the general is willing, I would like to ask the general to train another 20,000 Han troops for me in Sanyan."

Bao Xian was somewhat tempted, but he quickly put on a straight face and said, "General Wei, it is not difficult to train the army, but it is difficult to feed them."

"If we want to form an elite force, we can't let them farm. This way, there will be fewer farmers in the area, and the border is not rich to begin with. We can't cause a famine in the area just to expand the number of troops during the previous war."

Liu Taozi nodded, "General, what you said is very true. I have made preparations. There is no shortage of arable land in the border states, especially in Yan'an and other areas. It is enough for the local people. I have already collected food, and various places have begun to distribute land. Moreover, we are very close to the enemy. I will send people to bring back some supplies from time to time. As long as we can last for a year, food will not be such a big problem."

Bao Xian heaved a sigh of relief, "If the temple allows it."

"I will write to King Pengcheng."

"it is good."

Pi Jinghe watched them talk calmly. Pi Jinghe was a relatively peaceful person, with the physique of a military general and the character of a civil official.

This is not to say that he is not good at fighting. He is also a brave man who dares to lead more than a hundred people to charge into the battle and kill the general.

He is different from Bao Xian, who wants to stay in the north.

And he wanted to leave Yecheng.

Pi Jinghe was a member of the Xiaozhao Party and an old minister of Emperor Xiaozhao.

After Gao Zhan came to power, he sent him to the local area to serve as a governor.

This time the enemy came to attack Jinyang, and he was ordered to come to the rescue. Halfway through the journey, the enemy left, his army went back, and he was summoned to the temple.

Gao Rui had approached him, Gao Yu had approached him, even the people with the surname Hu and Lou had approached him. Pi Jinghe really didn't want to get involved in these matters anymore.

He did not ask for anything and continued to move forward. He left the imperial court and went to the frontier to find a place where he could continue to be a general and fight against the enemy. If he could not be a general, then being a prefect would also be fine. He would accept it.

Liu Taozi reached an agreement with Bao Xian and then contacted Pi Jinghe.

Prince Qinghe was eager to try.

Gao Jie is still very young, but he has always had great ambitions. He wants to support the country and pacify the world.

He believed that the only person who could accomplish this task at the moment was General Wei Liu Taozi.

After the first two had finished speaking, he bowed to Liu Taozi. Facing this prince, Liu Taozi was really stunned.

Many people had come to see him during these days, including Xianbei people, Han people, fierce generals, big families, good people and bad people, but this was the first time that a young boy came to see him.

Judging from his age, he is younger than Gao Yanzong, just a half-grown kid.

However, since he held a trump card and came as a prince of the royal family, Zu Ting could not block him at the door.

This kid was the son of Qinghe Prince Gao Yue, who was Gao Huan's cousin and very good at fighting. As for his character, well, let's not talk about that. Anyway, he was killed by Emperor Wenxuan. Although Emperor Wenxuan killed Gao Yue, he was quite fond of Gao Jie and thought that this guy would have a promising future. He even gave the young him an official position when he was just over ten years old.

Most of the ministers and generals of the Great Qi started out as child laborers. There were too many young people among the civil and military officials. Even those in their thirties like Lou Rui looked old.

"General Wei! Please take me with you! I am willing to follow you, even if it means leading your horse and holding your spear!!"

Before Liu Taozi could say anything, Bao Xian on the side started laughing.

"Prince Qinghe is so young, can he carry a horse lance?"

Gao Jie said seriously: "I heard that the old general had already fought in the battlefield when he was my age. If the old general could bear it, why can't I?"

Bao Xian glanced at Liu Taozi and asked in confusion: "Prince Qinghe is a member of the royal family and is highly valued in the imperial court. He may be able to become a minister and accompany the emperor in the future. Why would he go to the frontier to suffer?"

Gao Jie was not like a kid at all. He said seriously, "In Yecheng, traitors are rampant, killing people wantonly, and there is no law or discipline. The King of Pengcheng and the King of Zhaojun are both incapable of governing."

"Only after General Wei arrived did the city suddenly calm down. The thieves dared not go out easily, and the evil people dared not run rampant."

"I would like to follow General Wei and learn how to deal with these traitors, so that I can govern the country well and support the country in the future."

Looking at the other party's extremely serious face, Bao Xian was silent for a moment. He looked at Liu Taozi and said, "General Wei, why don't you let him serve under you?"

The three of them left this place. They all achieved their goals and were in a good mood.

Liu Taozi stood up and walked towards the villa.

Shi Yao was still discussing the guests with Zu Ting at this moment when Liu Taozi suddenly walked in and interrupted their conversation.

"General!"

Shi Yao bowed to greet him, and Liu Taozi came up to him and looked him up and down.

"Long time no see, is Mr. Shi all right?"

"You are fine. It's been a long time since we last met. The general is getting stronger and more powerful!"

Several people sat down here.

"I have been so grateful to the governor for taking care of my old friend Cheng An, but I have not yet thanked him."

"I dare not. It is my duty to work for the general."

As Shi Yao spoke, he suddenly sighed, "General, now I have nowhere else to go, so I can only come to you for help."

Liu Taozi frowned. "I heard that you are doing very well in Liyang, and the local area is well governed. Why do you say you are desperate?"

"Useless, all useless."

Shi Yao raised his head and said with some sorrow: "Even if County Magistrate Lu has a great governance and peace, there will still be traitors rushing into the city and killing people at will."

"For example, when I was in charge of Liyang, the government sent a new governor to lead the knights, which would have wasted my two years of hard work."

"What else can I do?"

Shi Yao shook his head. "I don't want to watch them wreak havoc on the place anymore, nor do I want to hide in the mansion."

"I want to follow the general to the frontier and help him. I only hope that one day, I can kill these traitors who are endangering all places."

Shi Yao actually had a lot to say, but when he actually met Liu Taozi, he didn't want to complain anymore.

He thought back to the place he had governed for a long time and just shook his head.

Without a radical change, no matter how hard you try, it will be of no use.

Zu Ting still had a smile on his face.

In the current Great Qi, except for the royal family and some nobles, the rest of the people's support can be said to have been completely lost.

The death of Yang Yin began to alienate the Han scholars and officials, who were no longer willing to be loyal ministers who would die for the country. In the struggle during these days, the Han ministers in the court mainly took a wait-and-see approach.

They do not support any side and do not participate in any fight. They will stand with whoever wins.

Even when a person like He Shikai emerged, no Han minister impeached him. If this had happened before Yang Yin, the temple would probably be filled with impeachment documents.

Not only did he not oppose it, he even actively moved closer to Wei Shou, a man with a great reputation, and he didn't care. He would serve whoever was in a higher position.

Zu Ting suddenly remembered the day Gao Rui came.

Gao Rui and other royal family members are still fighting for state affairs, which can be regarded as the last line of defense. However, Gao Rui probably knows in his heart that the temple, which has alienated everyone, has lost its prestige as a temple, and is likely to be difficult to save.

The lord stayed in Yecheng for a few days, and nearly a hundred people came to visit him.

Da Qi has lost the support of the people.

As Liu Taozi listened to Shi Yao's words, her expression became more serious.

He was not happy that Shi Yao came to him for help.

"Okay, follow me to the border."

Liu Taozi spoke, and he slowly looked in the direction of Liyang.

"Don't worry, it won't be long."

Shi Yao seemed to know what he was talking about and nodded heavily.

"Thank you, my lord!"

The Liu Mansion became busy again. Liu Taozi was anxious to leave Yecheng and return to Wuchuan. When he came, he brought hundreds of knights with him, but when he left, he brought a huge team with him.

The ministers who had been dismissed from their posts in the court were now busy preparing to follow Liu Taozi to the border.

Of course, there are also those generals who decided to 'defect' to him.

Zu Ting wrote letters in the name of Liu Taozi to all the ministers who had served in Gao Yan's government in the past, hoping that they would go to the frontier.

It is not realistic to transfer these people through the government, and Gao Yun will not agree to it.

Before leaving, Zu Ting counted and found that there were more than 20 civil officials who followed Liu Taozi. Among them were former ministers of the three highest officials, such as Wei Shou, who had served as a tutor, former ministers of the three highest officials, such as Yuan Yuxiu and Lu Sidao, and pragmatic officials, such as Shi Yao, Yuan Xiubo, and Tang Yong. Not all of them were treacherous villains with faults. Some of them really wanted to do great things with Liu Taozi, and some simply hated the struggles in the court.
The military generals are even more extraordinary. Bao Xian alone is enough to replace all the civil officials. In addition, there are more than ten Han generals, big and small.

Zu Ting was responsible for recommending officials to them one by one. Liu Taozi, the governor-general of six states, had considerable power and had the right to recommend candidates for officials and generals in each state. Gao Yin was unlikely to oppose the candidates he recommended, as long as he could restore stability there as soon as possible.

In addition to those who left with Liu Taozi openly, there were actually many people who were resigning from their official positions. They wanted to go to the border secretly.

Zu Ting was very satisfied with the result.

My lord, your trip was not in vain.

Almost all the best things in Yecheng have been taken away by the lord.

Just when Liu Taozi was preparing to leave the city and return to his own border land to do something big, Liu Taozhi hurried back to the mansion.

His face looked extremely ugly. As soon as he came back, he asked Liu Taozi to come alone to discuss important matters with him.

In the inner room, the family of three sat together. Liu Taozi was not able to sit in the upper seat because Liu Taozhi got there first.

Liu Taozhi frowned, "Just now, the prince summoned me."

"The prince gave me many rewards and ordered me to control the imperial guards as soon as possible."

Zhang Caifu was not surprised at all. She asked, "Is it one of the prince's wet nurses?"

"good."

"I think she is an extremely ambitious person. She instigated the prince and seemed to want to take action against the queen."

(End of this chapter)