Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 272 Liu Yong guards the country's gate, Lou Rui manages logistics

The young man came running, trying to snatch his father away and escape from the city.

The young man was indeed agile and brave.

But he still underestimated these elite soldiers who were as fierce as tigers and wolves. As soon as he approached Potala and others, the knights on both sides threw out lassoes and pulled him off his horse. The warhorse neighed and raised its front hooves, while the young man was pressed to the ground by the soldiers and tied up tightly.

General Shi trembled and looked at Potala pleadingly.

"General!! My son is a naughty boy. I didn't discipline him well enough. Please forgive him because he is still young!"

Potala slowly walked up to the boy, squatted down, and looked at him carefully.

The boy was tied up, but he was not angry at all. He quickly smiled and said, "The soldiers under the general's command are really brave. No wonder they can break through the city so easily!"

Potala was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"This kid is quite good at talking. However, whether you and your grandfather can survive is not decided by me, but by my general!"

"You are a strong boy, with a big head and a smart one. Why don't you look like your grandfather?"

As Potala was speaking, many soldiers walked down the stairs beside him and stood on both sides.

Potala didn't dare to say anything more and quickly put on a stern face.

Liu Taozi walked down slowly, his body covered in blood. The soldiers behind him escorted many generals and pushed them to the side of General Shi, asking them to kneel down as well.

Liu Taozi glanced at the young man and asked, "What happened?"

Potala hurriedly told him everything that had just happened.

Liu Taozi ignored him and looked at General Shi, "You killed Liu Yong?"

General Shi bowed deeply at this moment, "This incompetent rat has killed the entire army, so I killed him."

"You want to submit to me?"

"General, there are treacherous officials in the country who are in power, and there are many villains like Liu Yong in the local areas. There is no room for heroes to display their ambitions. My family is in the city. If you don't mind, I am willing to follow you and make achievements."

General Shi has completely given up.

Because he felt that even if Liu Yong lost Shiyashan City this time and returned to Chang'an, nothing would happen to him.

After the loss of Yongfeng, the court finally believed that it was Houmo Chenqiong's fault and severely punished the other generals, but did not blame Liu Yong.

And this time, the person most likely to be dragged out to take the blame is himself.

This guy is a flatterer and can still be his general in the future, but he will be dragged out and questioned because of such a person.

Shi Jing found it unacceptable the moment she thought about it.

Moreover, since Liu Yong arrived here, he has not treated the soldiers in the city as human beings, and the conflict between the two has actually accumulated for a long time.

The only thing General Shi is worried about now is that General Liu does not trust him.

Liu Taozi looked at Potala, who immediately understood and hurried forward to untie the restraints for him, then signaled to the soldiers in the distance to let go of the kid.

"General Shi?"

"My name is Shi Jing, courtesy name Zi Ping!"

"Mr. Shi, go and comfort the prisoners now. If they are willing to stay, they will be my soldiers in the future. If they want to leave, then send them away."

"Complete it as soon as possible and then re-defend it"

"only!!"

Shi Jing saluted, walked quickly to his son's side, and kicked him hard. The boy rubbed his butt and could only smile foolishly. Liu Taozi looked at the father and son and suddenly said, "At such a young age, he can be so brave and filial. Mr. Shi has a good son."

Shi Jingshai smiled and declined.

After he dragged his son away from here, he scolded him, "Why are you crazy? People usually flatter you a few times. Do you really think you are as brave as Guan Zhang? Do you want to break through the siege alone among thousands of soldiers?"

Shi Wansui said helplessly: "I just thought that my grandfather was captured, who knew that you surrendered?"

He was a little confused and had a complicated expression, "Grandpa, the government has been very kind to you, how can you surrender to the enemy?"

Shi Jing paused, then said: "I am not afraid of death."

"I just don't want to die for someone like Liu Yong."

"It's not worth it."

Shi Wansui lowered his head, with many things in his mind, but he could only give up.

"However, General Liu is really as fierce as the rumors say. I think his troops are even fewer than we expected, less than 3,000. This Shiya Mountain City was lost just like that."

The young boy's eyes were bright, and when he talked about military affairs, he didn't act like a kid at all.

"With the loss of Shiya Mountain City, the border defense will be greatly reduced. In the past, the big city and Shiya Mountain City looked after each other, which could prevent the enemy from being so rampant. Now that Shiya Mountain City has been lost, it is no longer up to us whether to fight or not, it all depends on what the enemy thinks."

Shi Jing looked at her son with some surprise.

He usually taught the other party the art of war, but sometimes he always felt that his son's strategic vision was better than his own. In terms of military affairs, this kid of his was really talented.

Shi Wansui continued, "It's over. It's completely over now."

"The defense line can only rely on Lingzhou and Xiazhou, but the most terrifying thing is not this."

"what is that?"

"It's Liangzhou and Ganzhou! Grandpa!"

"If we occupy Shiya Mountain City, we can send troops directly to the west to threaten Lianggan. If the imperial court wants to send reinforcements, they have to take a detour. Don't you think this is scary?"

Shi Jing's eyes widened, and for a moment, his thoughts were wandering.

Lingwu City.

The atmosphere in the city is very different.

The knights kept galloping back and forth in the city, much more often than usual.

In the government office, Yang Zhong with a gloomy face was reading the latest intelligence brought by the scouts.

Li Mu was sitting closest to them. He saw Yang Zhong's hands trembling and the beard on his face shaking.

"damn thing!!"

"Bastard thing!!"

Yang Zhong was furious. He dropped the document in his hand and pounded the case in front of him. He was extremely irritable.

Yang Zhong has always been calm and composed. Almost no one has ever seen him so angry. Even when Yongfeng fell, no one had seen him so furious.

But at this time, Yang Zhong couldn't bear it anymore.

He clenched his fists, his eyes flashed with ferocity, and his whole body was red, as if burning.

"Liu Yong lost the Shiyashan camp"

"From Yongfeng to Lingxia, the enemy will have no shelter and will have a smooth road ahead. They can even threaten Liang, Gan and other places."

Yang Zhong's face was shaking the whole time. When Liu Taozi sent out his troops, he set out from Chang'an and headed north, preparing to attack Liu Taozi three months later.

This is a dog shit! !
Beat Yongfeng? ?

Let’s attack Shiya Mountain first!
Can the Turks come to Shiya Mountain to cooperate with me?
The more Yang Zhong thought about it, the angrier he became. If he was defeated in a head-on encounter, he would not be angry. But he could not accept being defeated in such a humiliating way.

What kind of people are these that Yuwen Hu employs?
When Yang Zhong thought about the fact that he would use a group of officers composed of this kind of people to attack the Pseudo-Qi, he wanted to laugh.

The difficulty of retaking Yongfeng was already outrageous, and now it has increased again.

Yang Zhong was somewhat desperate. Facing Liu Taozi, he was actually at a loss as to what to do.

In the past, Liu Taozi could only be beaten at the border, but now, he has begun to take the initiative to attack, plunder food and capture cities.

Yang Zhong didn’t dare to imagine what would happen in a few years. Would the army advance into Lianggan?

Or a cavalry raid on Chang'an?

Liu Taozi's rise is already reflected in the current situation.

Can't wait any longer.

Something must be done. Perhaps what Zheng Daoqian said at that time was right.

Can such a person really accomplish anything if he governs the world?
Why did my Great Zhou meet such a person? ?

Qi, Yecheng.

"Help me kill Gao Rui now!!!"

Empress Dowager Hu stood in front of Hu Changren. Even though she was facing her own brother, she had no sense of shame. Her clothes were untidy and her hairstyle was wrong.

Her eyes were red and she stood barefoot in front of Hu Changren.

"I don't care!! You have to kill him!!"

Hu Changren's face was also shaking at this moment, just like Yang Zhong's. His face turned red. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Queen Mother, what has the Prince of Zhao done wrong? Although he is a bit strong, he is also a pillar of the government. How can you kill him just like that?"

"What kind of pillar is this? He keeps staring at the ministers and me all day long, causing trouble everywhere. So what if he is killed? Isn't there still Gao Yu? Gao Yu is so good, he never cares about these things and just stays in the office peacefully. But this Gao Rui is jumping up and down all day long. I must kill him!!"

Hu Changren certainly understood Empress Dowager Hu.

He knew that the other party was not very reasonable. He could only use the simplest method to persuade the other party, "Queen Mother, although Gao Yu is good, he does not know military affairs, and so do I."

"In the current government, only he and Lou Rui know about military affairs."

"And he is the only one who can transport food and fodder in a timely manner and coordinate military logistics."

"The Pseudo-Zhou army is gathering. There will definitely be a major battle this year. If we kill him now, what will we do with the military logistics in the future?"

"Didn't you say there was Lou Rui?"

"Let Lou Rui take charge of logistics?"

Hu Changren was shocked, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that although the Prince of Dong'an is brave and good at fighting, his character is not very good. If you let him manage the food and grass, I'm afraid that the food and grass will never reach the army."

"I don't care about that! Anyway, I just want Gao Rui to die. If you can't do it, I'll find someone else to do it!"

"Don't think that just because you are my brother, you can disobey me like this! I am the Queen Mother, and the Emperor's edict has no effect on me. If I am not happy, I will dismiss you too!!"

Hu Changren looked at his sister. He wanted to make sure if she was serious. He observed for a moment and confirmed that she really thought so.

At this moment, Hu Changren felt a little bitter.

"Please give me some time, Queen Mother. Once we defeat the powerful enemies of the Pseudo-Zhou, I will immediately kill Gao Rui."

Empress Dowager Hu let out a breath and her expression finally calmed down.

She waved her hand indifferently, "Then go and prepare. If Gao Rui doesn't die this year, someone else might die."

Hu Changren looked at her in disbelief and slowly stood up.

"only."

Empress Dowager Hu immediately looked at the female official beside her and ordered, "Go and call those monks in to worship Buddha and recite scriptures."

Hu Changren hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Queen Mother, this monk is a man after all, it is not appropriate for him to frequently enter the harem."

"All I called were nuns!!"

"Could it be that nuns are not allowed to enter the harem?!"

Hearing the question, Hu Changren was speechless and left with his head down.

Empress Dowager Hu snorted coldly and became more and more disgusted with this brother.

She had no choice but to urge the female official beside her again to ask her to come over quickly.

At this moment, in the front hall.

Lu Lingxuan was standing in the attic with Gao Wei, admiring the New Year scenery of the garden outside.

Gao Wei grinned and would pick a beautiful flower when he saw one. Then he would see another one that was even prettier, so he would throw the one in his hand to the ground, crush it, and then pick up the next one.

A group of female officials surrounded him, making Gao Wei laugh out loud and very happy.

Lu Lingxuan stood aside, squinting her eyes and saying nothing.

Suddenly, a guard walked over quickly, looked at Lu Lingxuan, nodded slowly, and then left.

Lu Lingxuan came forward and held Gao Wei's hand, "Your Majesty, why don't you go to Zhuhua Gate and take a look? I heard that there is a high platform over there, and you can see very far."

"Yeah!"

Gao Wei clapped his hands and led everyone towards Zhuhua Gate. Lu Lingxuan followed at the end but did not take the initiative to approach.

When Gao Wei arrived here, he happened to meet a group of people.

Neither side gave way and they almost collided.

Gao Wei was furious. He rushed out quickly, pushing aside the guards who were clearing the way for him. "Who dares to contradict me?"

As soon as he separated the guards in front of him, he saw the group of people opposite him.

There were also guards leading the way.

Behind the guards were many nuns. They lowered their heads, and many of them were chanting scriptures.

When Gao Wei saw these people, his eyes lit up.

He skipped to the side of the nuns and looked them up and down. The guards were sweating profusely.

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is eager to worship Buddha."

"What's the hurry?!"

Gao Wei glared at the other person. Ever since he successfully got the Queen Mother to leave last time, Gao Wei's fear of his mother had weakened a lot.

As an emperor, as long as he is not afraid, then the ones who are afraid are others.

Gao Wei already vaguely understood this truth.

He looked at the nuns in front of him with a smile, "Aren't they monks?"

"Your Majesty, they are female monks."

"Oh, there are also female monks. Okay, okay, let them play with me first, and then send them to the Queen Mother!"

The guard was shocked, "Your Majesty!!"

Gao Wei looked at him fiercely, "Do you want to disobey the imperial edict? Do you want to rebel?!"

The guard immediately knelt on the ground and said, "I dare not."

Gao Wei waved his hand, and his guards pulled the nuns away. The guards were very scared and waited until the emperor left before rushing to the empress dowager's bedroom.

When the Queen Mother learned about this from the guards, she was furious.

She immediately led everyone and quickly went to the emperor.

Her face flushed, her eyes full of anger. She never expected that this brat would dare to play this kind of trick on her? !
If I had known earlier, I would have let him die in my stomach! !
When the Queen Mother rushed into the Zhengxin Palace, Gao Wei's face was ashen. He was sitting in the upper seat, with guards on both sides.

And those 'nuns' were curled up in the corner, crying their eyes out.

The Queen Mother saw her son sitting on the throne and felt something was wrong. She was about to speak.
"male."

"They're all men."

"She looks delicate and pretty like a girl, but she turns out to be a boy!!"

Gao Wei was extremely angry, "How can I play this game?!"

The Queen Mother's heart trembled, she looked at the nuns and thought to herself that something was not good.

The anger and arrogance just now disappeared in an instant.

"Wei, don't make trouble,"

"These nuns are all highly versed in Buddhism and should not be humiliated. Our family is full of Buddhists and you should follow their example."

Gao Wei sat in the upper seat with a cold expression.

He looked at Lu Lingxuan who was standing beside him, "Big sister? What should I do?"

Lu Lingxuan looked at Empress Dowager Hu dimly, "Someone must have harmed the Empress Dowager. How could the Empress Dowager do such a thing? Why not capture the female official next to the Empress Dowager and interrogate her thoroughly to find out who is trying to frame the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Hu's face immediately changed. She pointed at Lu Lingxuan and said, "How dare you! You bitch!"

"And you! Gao Wei!! I am your mother!! I gave birth to you!!"

"Do you want to commit the crime of disobedience?!"

Gao Wei had a stern face, and a twisted ferocity appeared on that young face.

"Come here, arrest the female official next to the Queen Mother, and pass on my decree to have Prince Zhao enter the palace to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

At this moment, Empress Dowager Hu felt weak all over and was trembling with fear.

"Wei, Wei! What do you want to do?"

"Do you hate your mother so much?"

"What did i do wrong?"

Her eyes were red and tears welled up in her eyes.

But the guards on the left and right didn't care. They had already pressed the female officials to the ground, and many of them began to scream.

Gao Wei ordered his men to strip off their clothes, and sure enough, these people were all men.

The door was guarded and we couldn't leave.

Empress Dowager Hu stood here, feeling cold all over and shivering.

Lu Lingxuan looked at her, then looked at Gao Wei again, and whispered, "Your Majesty, she is the Queen Mother after all, and you cannot let her suffer too much humiliation."

Gao Wei looked at his mother again and was silent for a moment. "Send the Queen Mother back to the palace."

Empress Dowager Hu finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her son happily.

And in her eyes, there was some disgusting flattery.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)