Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 270: Waste, luxury! !
Chang'an, restaurant.

The restaurant is very small, with no walls, an open door, and seats both inside and outside.

Zheng Daoqian sat in the innermost seat, ordered a bowl of water shield soup, sea bass sashimi, and some crispy pastry, and ate with gusto.

He was the only diner in the house.

The servant stood beside Zheng Daoqian, nodding and bowing, saying some flattering words, and rubbing his clothes excitedly.

This is a big customer.

A figure flashed outside the door again, and the servant was even happier, and hurried up to greet him.

But what came in was a classic combination.

An official holding documents, with two sword-wielding soldiers behind him.

The smile on the boy's face froze, but he still mustered up the courage to say, "Please sit down, diners."

The clerk waved his hand and said, "I'm not a guest."

He flipped through the documents in his hand and found the other party's message, "Ma Liuping, is that you?"

"it's me."

"Well, congratulations, you're an adult this year, right?"

The servant shuddered and wiped his hands, "Yes."

"Well, we are here to grant you land. Since you are an adult, we will distribute the land according to the regulations. From today on, you will be granted 40 acres of land."

"Pay taxes and serve in the military service in the autumn. Don't forget."

After the clerk finished speaking, he turned around and was about to leave. The servant hurriedly blocked their way and asked, "Sir, where is the farmland that was granted?"

"Oh, there is a shortage of arable land right now. We don't have enough arable land to give you yet. Once it's all available, we will give it to you immediately. Don't worry."

The servant was sweating profusely, "Sir, now is the spring planting season. If we miss it and issue it again, then the grain tax this year will be..."

The clerk was very angry and said, "The government gave you the land, but you don't want to thank us, and you want to rush us?"

"There really isn't enough farmland right now, so you just have to wait. I've already registered your 40 acres of farmland, can the government still not give it to you?"

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

The clerk pushed away the young man in front of him and led everyone to the next house.

The servant watched the other person leave in a daze without saying a word. He returned to the house dejectedly and started cleaning.

Zheng Daoqian gently stroked his stomach and said, "The meal is good."

The servant hurried forward and forced a smile on his face again, but it was much more difficult than before, "Sir, eat well. I'll give you some leeks, which are best eaten in spring."

Zheng Daoqian looked at him meaningfully and asked, "I heard they were going to grant land, why aren't you happy at all?"

"Forty acres of arable land, how nice."

The servant smiled bitterly, "The rich and powerful who are the guests naturally don't know the truth. He said he would grant me land, and I just wrote it down. I have 40 acres of farmland, and I have to pay taxes for 40 acres. But I'm afraid I won't see any trace of the farmland."

"When my grandfather was still alive, our family owned a total of 120 acres of farmland. We were very rich, but I have never seen that farmland until now."

"In the past, they talked about ten or twenty acres, but now, they talk about forty acres. If this continues, in ten years or so, I'm afraid every household will have thousands or tens of thousands of acres. The world will be peaceful, and even the roofs of our houses will have farmland~~"

Zheng Daoqian laughed at his words.

He took out some more money from his pocket and put it aside.

The servant was overjoyed and thanked him immediately.

I walked him all the way to the door and gave him some extra things.

Zheng Daoqian was walking on the road carrying the food. Just as he was about to look around, he saw several knights galloping towards him and stopped in front of him.

"Mr. Zheng!! The Duke is looking for you!"

Zheng Daoqian came to Yang Zhong's mansion. He was the last one to arrive. They did not wait for Zheng Daoqian and had already started the negotiations.

Zheng Daoqian hurriedly apologized to Yang Zhong, and Yang Zhong motioned him to sit aside and continued to talk about important matters.

What Yang Zhong was discussing at this moment was the matter of capturing Yongfeng.

Li Mu was sitting next to him. The two of them frowned and talked about the war in low voices. Everyone's faces looked ugly.

Zheng Daoqian looked around, then looked at Gao Anagong on the left, and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Gao Anagong glanced at him and ignored him.

Zheng Daoqian was not angry either, and turned his head to look at Murong Yan on the other side.

"What happened?"

Murong Yan looked at Yang Zhong and Li Mu who were discussing important matters above, lowered his voice and explained: "The Duke was awarded the title of Grand Tutor, and the reward remaining in the court was dropped."

"Ah? No more rewards? Why? When we first returned to Chang'an, didn't you say there would be huge rewards?"

"Change the reward."

"Appointed Duke of the State, Grand Commander of the Six Prefectures of Jing, Bin, Lingyun, Yan, and Xian, and General Manager of Jing Prefecture"

Zheng Daoqian was incredulous. "Sent to the local areas again? What's the point of just appointing him as the Grand Commander of Six Provinces? Those people can't be dealt with at will, and they don't obey."

"Who says it's not?"

“Why do you want to change the seal?”

Murong Yan showed a you-know-what expression, "Do you even need to ask?"

Zheng Daoqian suddenly realized and sighed helplessly, "We are both dukes, why do we have to do this?"

Murong Yan whispered again: "Also, the general's idea of ​​attacking Liu Taozi by force has been rejected."

"Rejected?"

"Yes, the general wrote several times, and Yuwen Hu was very angry, so he directly ordered: If you want to attack in advance, then you can do it yourself."

"He ordered the general to send out troops in July, and together with the Turks, attack Yongfeng."

Zheng Daoqian finally breathed a sigh of relief. "At least they allow us to send out troops. We can go and fight on our own. I don't think any of the people sent by Yuwen Hu can fight. We should send out troops in advance and not give the other side a chance to collect food."

“Give it to three thousand people!!!”

"How many??"

"Three thousand infantry and cavalry, they told us to lead three thousand infantry and cavalry to attack Liu Taozi with the Turks. Do you think this is to seize Yongfeng or to die?"

Zheng Daoqian was stunned.

This time it wasn't just an act, I was really shocked.

His first reaction was that Yuwen Hu had finally gone crazy.

This sentence reveals so much information.

The first is that the main attack direction is not in Hengshuo, that is to say, Yuwen Hu will lead the army to attack directly from the south.

Second, Yang Zhong was not in the main attacking team.

If Yang Zhong was at the border in July and August, it would be impossible for him to rush to the southern battlefield to participate in the battle in October.

Third, Yuwen Hu wanted to kill Yang Zhong.

Thousands of people are going to fight my General Liu? They may not even be able to defeat Yao Xiong!

Regardless of which piece of information it is, it is great news for Zheng Daoqian! !
Thank you for your kindness, Duke Jin. If you can successfully kill Yang Zhong and Wei Xiaokuan, the people of Hengshuo can build a temple for you.
"what are you guys saying?!"

Yang Zhong suddenly looked over here and asked loudly.

Zheng Daoqian was startled and quickly woke up. He stood up with a look of horror on his face, "Duke, are we going to attack Xiao Cangtou with several thousand people?"

Yang Zhong took a deep breath and said nothing.

Gao Anagong glanced at him with disdain in his eyes.

He hated this villain who actively sold out his country. After following Yang Zhong, this villain flattered people everywhere and made many friends. They worked together to exclude him, making it impossible for him to be valued.

Now is the time to show off!

He stood up suddenly and bowed to Yang Zhong, "General, I am willing to be the vanguard!!"

Murong Yan and others looked displeased and turned their heads away.

Yang Zhong said slowly: "The general is very brave."

Then he ignored him and looked at Zheng Daoqian, "Mr. Zheng, do you think there is something wrong?"

"Duke, you absolutely cannot do that!"

"Although that young man is hateful, he has elite soldiers and generals under his command. They cannot be dealt with by just a few thousand people. As for those Turks, they always charge when it is advantageous and flee when it is not. They will never fight to the death."

Yang Zhong sighed, "Everyone please leave, Zheng Jun stay."

Everyone stood up and said goodbye and left. Gao Anagong walked to the door, glared at Zheng Daoqian fiercely, and left with gritted teeth.

Zheng Daoqian sat next to Yang Zhong, and Yang Zhong asked, "Do you have any friends in Yecheng?"

"I have many friends. What instructions do you have for me, Duke?"

"Under the current situation, unless Liu Taozi breaks off relations with the Qi government, there is really no other way. I want to know if there is any way to assassinate Liu Taozhi. Or assassinate someone else and put the blame on Liu Taozhi."

Zheng Daoqian listened to his words and suddenly became serious. "Duke, in my opinion, the current situation is no longer the problem with Liu Taozi."

"Oh?"

"Where is the problem?"

"It's the problem of Yuwen Hu, Duke of Jin."

Zheng Daoqian said sternly: "Duke, this man is not a wise and talented person. He is jealous and incompetent, seeking fame and reputation. He is extremely shameless!"

"As long as this person is still here, we will never be able to defeat Liu Taozi."

"Given the current situation, if we want to defeat Liu Taozi, we don't have to kill Liu Taozhi, but we have to kill Yuwen Hu!"

Yang Zhong was shocked. He grabbed Zheng Daoqian's arm angrily. Zheng Daoqian was pinched so hard that it hurt. Yang Zhong's eyes were wide open, and he looked like an angry tiger. "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Duke! Isn't what I said true?"

"With Yuwen Hu here, how are you going to defeat Liu Taozi?"

"Even if Liu Taozi is defeated, what's the point? Didn't you see what happened to the Duke of Liang?"

"He clearly didn't want to take you with him in this main attack, and he even let you go with thousands of people to die. If you don't win, you will be held accountable. If you win, you will definitely die when you return!"

"The Duke is a man of integrity. Yuwen Hu has committed atrocities. I wonder how many people in the country want to kill him!"

"Why don't you take the initiative and kill him? I am willing to give you advice! We can contact those loyal and upright people in the country, such as Wei Xiaokuan, Houmo Chenqiong, and Yuwen Xian. These capable and battle-hardened generals in the country are all willing to get rid of Yuwen Hu!"

"As long as we unite with them, catch them by surprise, and kill Yuwen Hu, everything will be successful!!"

Zheng Daoqian looked righteous, his face flushed and his expression excited.

For a moment, Yang Zhong was also moved.

Yuwen Hu had a good record in battle over the years. He killed more famous generals of the Great Zhou than the people of Qi.

Everyone is at risk.

However, those useless people whom he promoted and employed made the Great Zhou Dynasty a mess.

All of his sons were extremely vicious, and apart from Yuwen Hui, there were few normal ones.

A fool like Liu Yong lost Yongfeng Town, but he was not punished. He was even reinstated to his original post and continued to fight against Liu Taozi.

Thinking of this, Yang Zhong really wanted to chop Yuwen Hu into pieces.

But Yuwen Hu was not alone.

After so many years of excluding dissidents and placing his cronies in positions of power, Yuwen Hu's power had already become unshakable. How could he be so easy to kill?

If the plan fails and those generals who rebel against him are sent away in one wave, then the Great Zhou will be truly finished.

Yang Zhong slowly calmed himself down.

"Don't ever talk about this again."

"I am loyal to the Duke of Jin."

Zheng Daoqian lowered his head in disappointment and said nothing.

Yang Zhong couldn't ask him any questions at this moment. He whispered, "Don't worry so much. I'm only thinking about the worst case scenario."

"Even if the climate at the border improves, it will take time for the food to grow."

"As for training troops, if you want to train an army that can compete with us, it will take at least one or two years. How can it be done so quickly?"

Liu, Yanzhou, Changping County.

Xiakou Parade Ground.

"kill!!!"

The soldiers' shouts and cries broke through the sky.

Bao Xian was riding a tall horse, and Yao Xiong followed behind him. The two were patrolling many camps.

Xiakou is the place where Baoxian is currently training the Youyan soldiers.

There are many training grounds near Xiakou, with more than 20,000 people receiving military training here. The scale is extremely large, and the surrounding roads are under martial law, and others are not allowed to approach easily.

Bao Xian passed by many camps and spied on the training situations inside.

"Relax and work hard, and improve slowly."

"We need to let them feel the increasing difficulty step by step to increase their confidence."

“Soldiers must first believe in their own bravery and ability, so that they will not be afraid of their opponents.”

"Your training is too intense, which can easily cause the soldiers to lose confidence. This is wrong."

Bao Xian talked as they walked, and Yao Xiong took it very seriously, fearing that the other party would start asking questions the next moment.

"They always say that the Chinese are strong and the Han are weak, that the border areas are strong and the hinterland is weak. In the end, it's all nonsense. They are all the same people. Whoever eats better, whoever receives more training, whoever has better weapons, whoever has higher morale, will be more powerful."

"When selecting officers, do not distinguish them by region. As long as they are strong, not too stupid, and have courage, they can be taught slowly."

As Bao Xian was speaking, a group of cavalrymen came galloping from a distance, interrupting his teaching.

The leader hurriedly said: "General, the soldiers sent by the lord have arrived."

Bao Xian was a little displeased. "Didn't I tell you to lead them to the South Camp for training? Why are you still reporting this?"

The officer swallowed and looked a little embarrassed, "General, I think you should go and take a look at them. They don't look like ordinary soldiers."

"Personal soldiers?"

Bao Xian asked.

The officer's face was filled with astonishment.

Bao Xian didn't ask any more questions and ordered him to continue patrolling on his behalf. He called Yao Xiong and rushed towards the official road.

They walked out of the parade ground and walked for more than ten miles before finally arriving at the temporary camp.

When we walked down the hill, we saw soldiers lined up waiting for us.

There were nearly a thousand people in total, wearing armor, holding weapons, and forming a square formation.

The formation was so neat and tidy that when viewed from certain directions, one could even see a straight line.

They looked solemn, looked straight ahead, were tall and strong, and stood still.

Bao Xian reined in his horse suddenly and looked at the people in front of him in astonishment. He looked at them for a long time and muttered, "Bai Bao?"

He then looked at the men's hairstyles and beards.

"warrior."

At this moment, Yao Xiong was standing behind Bao Xian in amazement. It's not that he had never seen elite soldiers of the Baibao level before, but he had never seen so many of them.

The officer saw Bao Xian and walked over quickly to greet him.

"Warrior Captain Gai Changgong, I pay my respects to the General of Chariots and Cavalry!!"

"It really is the Warriors Camp. Liu Taozhi has come to the border?"

"Replying to the general, we were dismissed by Hu Changren, so we came to the border to seek refuge with General Wei!"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I am following the orders of General Wei to come and join forces with the Youyan troops."

Bao Xian's lips trembled for a moment, and he suddenly cursed: "What a waste of natural resources!"

Liu Taozi had previously told Bao Xian that he would send some people to serve as officers in the Youyan army, so that veterans could lead new recruits. This was considered a tradition, but Bao Xian did not care.

But he didn't expect that the officer sent by the other side was a warrior as famous as Bai Bao.

These people are all warriors who have received comprehensive military training and basic cavalry officer training. Basically, they can be used as leaders. However, there are less than 20,000 Youyan soldiers at present. If they are dispersed, most of them can only be squad leaders or captains. Thinking of this, General Bao felt a little heartbroken! How can it be so extravagant?

Yao Xiong slowly stepped forward and whispered, "Old General, I think these people are quite unruly. They should be difficult to manage. Why don't you give them to me and let me take care of them? This will save you the trouble."

Bao Xian glanced at the thing and ignored him.

He looked at the warriors in front of him again and suddenly felt a sense of pressure.

General Wei was serious. He asked me to help train an invincible army. He was not joking. He really wanted to do this. If he didn't value it, he would never let a soldier of this level be a junior officer.

Bao Xian raised his head and said, "You should lead your troops to the South Camp now, rest for two days, and wait for my order!"

"only!!"

Captain Nagai led everyone and left the place following a knight brought by Bao Xian.

Yao Xiong watched them leave, his eyes full of longing.

If these troops were handed over to me for command, I would dare to fight Yang Zhong!

"Don't be in a daze. Practice hard."

"With these people serving as officers, we will complete the training of the Youyan soldiers before the autumn harvest and send them to General Wei for use in the war!!"

"only!!!"

ps: When he arrived at the capital, he was given a generous banquet and gifts. Emperor Gaozu was going to make Zhong the Grand Tutor, but Duke Jin Hu thought that he did not support him and objected. So he was appointed as the General Manager of the Military Affairs of the Six Prefectures of Jing, Bin, Lingyun, Yan, and Xian, and the Governor of Jing Prefecture. ——Book of Zhou

(End of this chapter)