Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 266 Another crazy one?
Wang Xi slowly lowered his head.

"What Grandfather said makes some sense."

At least for the literati, Qin law was tyrannical, and the system of farming and warfare had big problems. The government forcibly controlled the people's food, clothing, housing and transportation, and put everything under heavy laws. The people's lives were filled to the brim all year round, leaving them no time to rest. Driving the people to the extreme would sooner or later cause chaos and lead to the destruction of the country.

The relaxed society promoted in the early Han Dynasty was recognized by the literati as an excellent system.

But at this moment, Wang Xi was unable to refute the other party's remarks.

It is better to tire out the people than to kill them.

In a chaotic period when everything is out of control, government governance is in name only, and laws are not obeyed, enforcing the law is also an option. The government takes over everything and makes the entire state machine run through a perfect and excellent official system.

Xian'an looked at Wang Xi who was hesitant to speak, and took the initiative to say: "Since ancient times, there has never been a perfect law."

“There are pros and cons, and that’s normal.”

"The systems used in different periods are naturally different."

"The border is different from the Central Plains, so there is nothing wrong with using heavy laws."

Zu Ting's eyes lit up, and he toasted Xian'an, "Mr. Di is indeed very insightful. To be honest, there are still many people in the general's mansion who oppose my ideas. They think that the people should not be too tired, and that everything should not be decided by the government. These people have read the classics and become stupid. They remember the disadvantages and shout loudly, fearing that others don't know these things, without considering the current situation at all."

"The fact that Lord Di can see the truth in this is already better than many of the wise men in the general's mansion!"

Xian'an shook his head gently, "Everyone has their own ideas, and they cannot be compared."

Zu Ting then said, "After the Emperor ascended the throne, you two were banished from Yecheng and given a small state. You must have come to Wuchuan this time to show your talents and do something. I think you two don't need to be too anxious. There are so many places where you can do things. You can look around, look at the places, look at yourself, decide what you want to do, and then do it."

They both agreed.

The two were still full of doubts about the many states and counties under General Wei's rule. Now that they finally met someone who could solve their confusion, they naturally didn't want to let him go.

"How many people are under General Wei's command?"

"Why do I see farmers everywhere in the border areas?"

Zu Ting laughed and stroked his beard. "For the exact number, both of you go ask the general or Tian Zili. I am not responsible for this matter and I don't know."

"But there should be quite a few."

"On the one hand, a large number of dead people who had hidden in the deep mountains and forests, as well as those who were hidden by the big families, were found and resettled."

"On the other hand, there are people fleeing here from all over the country."

Zu Ting smiled and said, "In the past, the border was a place of corvée. People from all over the Great Qi were sent here to perform corvée, and the composition of the people was mixed."

"After the general arrived, he gave these civilians many gifts. Later, he allowed the government to open a station for civilians who wanted to go home to visit their families and allowed them to contact their families through letters."

"These people or their letters were spread all over the country, all promoting General Wei's benevolence. And the officials in various places of Da Qi, well, they are not very good. This winter alone, Shuozhou received more than 40,000 refugees."

"Come to think of it, there are also Xi people who escaped from their tribe and came here for refuge."

Zu Ting raised his head slightly, "This is all due to the benevolent government."

Wang Xi really couldn't connect what he saw along the way with benevolent government. The administration was harsh, the laws were cruel, the people were either driven to farm or to build cities and the Great Wall, and wars broke out frequently in various places. Is this called benevolent government? ?
Xian'an, however, said with emotion: "It is a benevolent government to have a place to live, not to be killed at will, and not to starve to death."

Wang Xi sighed deeply and dared not speak anymore.

Xian'an asked again: "Before I came here, I heard some people talking about how General Wei had evil intentions. In addition to the state he governs, even Xianzhou, Sizhou, Youzhou, Yingzhou, etc. all obey his orders."

Zu Ting narrowed his eyes, "What do you think?"

"General Wei is a talented general, how could he have such thoughts? It must be a misunderstanding. However, when I arrived in Youzhou, I found that most of the people there were officials under General Wei."

Zu Ting laughed out loud.

"Gao Changgong, the governor of Youzhou, is a close friend of my master. Huluxian, who is in charge of Xiansi, is my master's elder. As for Yingzhou, you may not know that the governor of Yingzhou is seriously ill and unable to manage major affairs. Many things are managed by the governor and others."

Xian'an didn't ask any more questions and quickly skipped this dangerous topic and asked about other things.

The three of them chatted for a long time before Zu Ting stood up and wanted to arrange for the two of them to stay in a mansion.

After entering the mansion, the two thanked each other again. Zu Ting was about to leave, but suddenly stopped and walked a few steps to Wang Xi's side.

"Wang Jun, did you lose the jade pendant?"

"what??"

Wang Xi searched hurriedly, and sure enough, the jade pendant he carried with him was missing.

Zu Ting threw the jade pendant to him with a smile, "I just picked it up on the ground and thought it belonged to someone else. It turns out it's really yours. Take it, and don't lose it next time."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Wang Xi looked at him in astonishment, then looked at Xian'an beside him.

Xian'an asked someone to close the door and pulled Wang Xi into the study.

Sitting in the study, Wang Xi finally realized, "What do you mean picked up? He obviously stole it!!"

"Shu Lang."

Xian'an interrupted him and asked calmly, "What do you think?"

"Does General Wei have rebellious intentions?"

Wang Xi also fell silent, not knowing how to answer.

He pondered for a moment and said slowly:
"He has a large army and many talented people under his command. He has also forcibly intervened in the surrounding states and counties, and even sent people to trade with the Pseudo-Chen. Not to mention that he privately set up a system and arranged officials. In fact, General Wei had already been plotting a rebellion. When Emperor Xiao Zhao was still alive, he was a court official, but as soon as the Emperor Emeritus ascended the throne, he became a local lord. Since the Emperor Emeritus took the throne, the situation has become beyond the control of the court."

"Why did the emperor use mean means to deal with him? Isn't it because he can no longer be dealt with by legitimate means?"

"You shouldn't ask him if he has rebellious intentions, you should ask him when he will raise the banner of rebellion and claim the throne."

Xian'an's face was particularly tangled, "The late emperor was very kind to us. Besides, King Gao is my uncle."

Xian'an was a typical noble minister. His father was the famous Zhangwu King Digan, and his mother was Gao Huan's sister.
Wang Xi said at this moment: "The situation in the world is no longer something we can change."

"In the past, we followed Emperor Xiao Zhao and offended many people, and those people are now surrounding the two kings and guarding Yecheng. You are fine, because you have someone to protect you. However, even if you have someone to protect you, what else can you do? You will just be mediocre and accomplish nothing."

"Besides, you have seen the auspicious signs in this fortress with your own eyes."

"Auspicious signs from heaven. The white disaster turned into auspicious snow. Can human power stop this?"

"The late emperor was really kind to us. If we follow General Wei, perhaps we can take better care of his offspring and prevent them from being harmed by others. What do you think?"

Wang Xi, who seemed a little silent along the way, was ready to follow Liu Taozi to do great things, while Xian'an, who was extremely amazed at the situations in various places, seemed hesitant in the end.

Wang Xi looked at his old friend and suddenly asked, "Now that we are here, do you have any other choice besides following me?"

Xian'an smiled bitterly, "It was me who persuaded you to come here, and now I am the one who hesitated first. This is hypocrisy."

"Whether you are sincere or hypocritical, a man must do something to live up to his status in this world."

"The world has been divided and at war for years. Now that the disaster has turned into a blessing, isn't it time for unification and peace?"

"it is good."

"When General Wei comes back, we will go to see him together and ask him to take us in!"

"But he didn't seem to say where General Wei is just now?"

Sizhou, originally Pingcheng.

The mountains and forests outside the city are lush and green.

Liu Taozi rode a green lion, stood at the intersection, and looked into the distance. Dozens of riders followed him. The Yan Heitaris were holding bows and crossbows, and did not relax their guard at all.

There is a checkpoint under the jurisdiction of General Wei at the mountain pass, and the soldiers at the checkpoint are extremely nervous at the moment.

They probably didn't expect that General Wei would suddenly appear here. They stood straight, at various high and low positions, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

A caravan slowly appeared in the distance.

Most of them were donkey carts, pulling full of goods, moving slowly forward. There were so many vehicles and pack horses, and the scale was more than a thousand people.

Liu Taozi looked solemn as he stared at the merchants. Most of the merchants driving the carriages and leading the horses were young, strong and muscular. They pulled the carriages without saying a word, staring at the left and right with caution.
They found that Liu Taozi and others who were blocking the road ahead finally began to slow down.

A moment later, a horse rushed out from the merchants, protected by people on both sides. They rushed all the way to Liu Taozi. Yan Heita immediately drew his bow. Liu Taozi looked at him and shook his head slightly, and then he lowered the bow.

When they arrived in front of Liu Taozi, the knights in front and behind immediately made way.

The people who were surrounded were revealed.

Zhang Qianwei.

Zhang Qianwei was dressed like a businessman, with a displeased look on his face. He looked at Liu Taozi with some disdain, "Why don't you pay your respects?!"

Yan Heita was furious. He raised his bow again and pulled the arrow, as if he was going to shoot the rude merchant in front of him in the next moment.

Zhang Qianwei was shocked and hurriedly grabbed the reins, almost falling down.

Liu Taozi said softly, "Greetings, uncle."

Yan Heita was stunned for a moment, his anger slowly dissipated, and he slowly lowered his crossbow.
Zhang Qianwei was so angry that he gnashed his teeth and said, "I went through so much trouble to deliver something to you, and you are so mean to me..."

He wanted to say something harsh, but looking at the cub in front of him who was taller and stronger than a black bear, he couldn't say anything and had to give up for the time being.

He waved his hand in annoyance and said, "Let the caravan pass through first and go to Shuozhou first."

"only."

Liu Taozi asked his men to take the caravan into Shuozhou, while he stayed with Zhang Qianwei.

"My mother didn't come?"

Zhang Qianwei rode on his horse and lowered his voice, "Something happened in Yecheng. For some reason, the emperor has set his sights on your grandfather. He calls him over all day long to keep him by his side, and gives him all kinds of rewards, so he can't leave easily."

"Your mother told me to tell you not to worry about their situation. She said something big might happen in the palace. She will help your grandfather and let you just do your own thing."

Liu Taozi nodded and looked at the carriage passing by.

"I thought they would send someone, but I didn't expect it to be my uncle who came himself."

"They can't get here without me leading the way."

"This is the last batch. There will be no more."

"My uncle is a court official, how can he come to this frontier?"

"Why, do you suspect that I am one of Wei Xiaokuan's bandits?"

"I didn't mean that. I was just curious."

Zhang Qianwei took out a token from his sleeve and showed it to Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi saw the word "Lou" on it.

At this moment, he knew the answer and did not ask any more questions.

Zhang Qianwei was not in a hurry to leave. The caravan passed the checkpoint and officially arrived in Shuozhou.

Yan Heita was particularly curious about this. He looked at the caravans that stopped to rest. Over the years, there were many caravans coming to Shuoheng, some by water and some by land.

There is no other way. The border is short of everything. Without these merchants, even surviving the winter would be a big problem.

Many people knew that the general cooperated with some corrupt officials and noble families in the court and sold things on the border in exchange for what he needed.

But this was the first time the general took the initiative to welcome merchants.

And that man is even the general's uncle. Is the general's uncle doing business with the general? ?

While everyone was busy, Yan Heita asked in a low voice: "General, who is this caravan?"

“This is a gift from my mother.”

Yan Heita suddenly realized that it was sent by the old lady.

No wonder the general came to greet him personally.

He looked at the goods again, which were full to the brim, and couldn't help but laugh. The old lady was quite good to her lord.

Liu Taozi immediately ordered: "Form a battle array!!!"

Yan Heita was just about to lead his men to form a battle line, but the next moment, he saw the grooms and porters suddenly jump up and quickly form a battle line in front of the carriage. They lined up one by one, and before Yan Heita could react, they had formed a long battle line. Everyone stood straight, looking straight ahead. Even though they were empty-handed and had no armor on them, Yan Heita could feel the oppression from them.

Yan Heita suddenly remembered that not long ago, an army of several hundred people seemed to have come to Shuozhou, and they looked the same.

Liu Taozi looked at Yan Heita and said, "Lead them to the South Camp for rest."

"I have prepared the armor and weapons there."

"My Lord, they are."

"My mother sent it to the Warriors Camp."

Yan Heita was wearing a mask, so his expression could not be seen, but he was obviously shocked. Perhaps he did not understand why a mother could give her son a gift like the Warriors Camp.
Yan Heitai quickly organized these people to go to the training ground to rest.

Zhang Qianwei just stared at these people, "There are a total of 928 people this time."

"The King of Pengcheng is not stupid. Last time, I used my authority to send a battalion of warriors to reinforce the border defense, so I was able to send them to you. I wanted to use the same method this time, but the King of Pengcheng sent people to investigate thoroughly and almost arrested me."

"So, I thought of another way. I found Hu Changren and told him that the Warriors Camp is full of Liu Taozhi's men and they are not loyal to you. You can cut some of them off and replace them with your own people."

"He agreed. I disguised myself as a groom and bribed Lou Rui to bring these elite soldiers here under the pretext of doing business at the border."

"However, the situation in the Warrior Camp has already attracted the attention of many people. I'm afraid this can't continue in the future."

Zhang Qianwei sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Thank you for your trouble, uncle."

"Oh? So you can speak human language."

Liu Taozi didn't say anything.

Zhang Qianwei continued, "Since you left, things have started to go wrong in Yecheng."

"A few days ago, Gao Rui also went crazy."

"Ok?"

Liu Taozi looked at him suddenly, her eyes somewhat confused.

Zhang Qianwei shook his head. "I don't know why, but he suddenly started to attack the nobles. Dugu Yongye's brother occupied farmland and was imprisoned by him. She Diluo occupied a woman and was also arrested and punished. He also sent a large number of officials to visit the people in various places to observe the reputation of officials. He dismissed and replaced many local officials. This situation is just like Prime Minister Yang in the past. The nobles were particularly uneasy and asked Gao Yu to deal with it fairly, but Gao Yu was focused on the spring planting issue, and he couldn't persuade Gao Rui."

"In two months, he captured and removed more than seventy people, and killed twelve."

"People are in a state of panic, and there is unrest."

"The two kings are not legitimate in the first place, and they rely entirely on prestige and the support of others. Gao Rui's move is simply seeking death."

"However, he is much stronger than Prime Minister Yang at the time. He asked King Pingyuan to detach his troops and station them in the outer camp of Linzhang. With the troops in hand, the nobles are angry but dare not take direct action for the time being."

Liu Taozi raised her head slightly and gazed into the distance, wondering what she was thinking.

Zhang Qianwei looked at him, "If he continues to do this, it will definitely cause great chaos. I think you can write a letter to him and try to persuade him a little. If it doesn't work, you can even use threats to calm him down. Don't let this guy go crazy any longer."

Liu Taozi shook her head slightly.

"He's not crazy."

“He’s doing what he’s wanted to do for a long time.”

ps: Fearing that he would be killed by the Queen Mother, he wanted to enter the court, but his wife and children all advised him not to. Rui said: "Since ancient times, loyal ministers have all disregarded their own lives. The affairs of the country are of great importance. I should die for them. How can I allow a woman to endanger the ancestral temple? And what kind of a scoundrel is He Shikai? He is so arrogant. I would rather die in front of the emperor than see the court in turmoil!"

When they reached the palace gate, someone said, "Your Highness, please do not enter, fearing that there may be danger." Rui said, "I have not failed the heavens, and I have no regrets even if I die." - "Book of Northern Qi·Biography of Gao Rui"

(End of this chapter)