Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 293 A Little Credit
It was dark.

The triumphant army set up a bonfire without restraint, and everyone roasted food and ate it happily.

In the distance, empty villages and towns were vaguely visible in the darkness.

Gao Changgong sat next to Liu Taozi with a smile on his face, holding a large piece of lamb leg in his hand, and there was something wrong in his eyes when he looked at Liu Taozi.

"Knowing this, one can become the best general in the world."

"This great victory over the Pseudo-Zhou has a greater impact than killing Yang Zhong. Most of these elite cavalrymen were killed or wounded. If I were Yuwen Hu, I would have committed suicide outside the peach forest."

Gao Changgong really admired this old friend more and more.

When I first met him, he was just an ordinary man with a little courage.

In just a few years, he has grown to this point.

After Gao Changgong actually fought with the enemy today, he finally understood what the Great Zhou Iron Cavalry was.

The cavalry under Yuwen Hu's command was definitely the most elite force of the Pseudo-Zhou. They were able to fight even when forced to march, stay organized even when they lost their commander, and even tried to counterattack at one point. If they were equipped with a powerful general, they would not have to be able to defeat himself and Liu Taozi. As long as they could hold off the enemy for a while, the situation would probably be completely different.

The casualties among elite troops like these were huge, which was a serious blow to the entire Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty. It was unknown how many years it would take to recover.

If the Baibao or Jinyang soldiers suffered losses like today, Gao Changgong didn't dare to imagine how serious the consequences would be.

Gao Changgong ate the meat in big mouthfuls, completely changing his usual gentlemanly image, and became like Liu Taozi and his gang of savages, with stains all over his face.

He chuckled, and his uneasy heart seemed to calm down at this moment.

He never thought that one day he would be able to ambush Yuwen Hu within the Zhou territory and cause such heavy casualties.

He swallowed the meat and said, "If we charge again, we may be able to capture Yuwen Hu."

Liu Taozi shook her head. "Yuwen Hu is vulnerable, but the enemy is returning in batches. I think Yuchi Jiong, Da Xiwu, Wang Xiong and others may be behind. If we let them join together, no matter which general takes over this army, our situation will become dangerous."

“It’s great to have achieved such results now.”

"You can go back."

Gao Changgong laughed, "I'll listen to you!"

"Which way do we go from here?"

"Go north to Danzhou and cross the river to Pingyang."

"it is good!"

Gao Changgong had no objection.

After they finished their meal, they both began to rest. Gao Changgong looked at his old friend and suddenly asked, "How many years can this great victory protect the country?"

“It is still unknown.”

After a day's rest, the two men led their troops north quickly the next day.

They did not attack the checkpoints along the way, nor did they deliberately pursue the enemies they encountered. They headed to Danzhou as quickly as possible, preparing to return to their own territory.

After walking for six days, the knights bypassed several checkpoints and arrived near Danzhou. They hurriedly prepared to cross the river and return to their own territory.

At the same time, Yuwen Hu had gathered his defeated soldiers again and was cautiously moving towards Chang'an.

After learning from the previous experience and lessons, Yuwen Hu no longer dared to carry out forced marches recklessly.

It also took him six full days to finally reach the vicinity of Chang'an.

Chang'an soon noticed the arrival of reinforcements. Everyone was overjoyed and there was cheering in the city. Officials shouted the news of the arrival of reinforcements along the way, and the whole Chang'an was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Yuwen Hui and Hou Wanshou went down the city in person. Hou Wanshou even secretly sprinkled some dirt on his armor and face to make himself look more tired.

Yu Wenhui didn't notice his little actions, he was just anxious to meet his father.

In fact, each of Yuwen Hu's sons had his own thoughts.

Yuwen Hu's eldest son Yuwen Xun was not favored, so Yuwen Hu transferred him to a local official, saying that it was a training method. However, the treatment of princes living outside the local area was generally not very good.

Therefore, Yuwen Hu's other sons also had some little thoughts that were unknown to outsiders.

Yuwen Hui was very excited.

This time he defended Chang'an on behalf of his father and defeated the arrogant Liu Taozi!
With such achievements, he must have been able to catch his father's eye, right?

When Yuwen Hui led everyone out of the city and met his father again after a long time, the secret joy in his heart disappeared.

The morale of this cavalry unit that came from afar was extremely low. It was obvious that they had just experienced a tough battle. Even his father was in a very bad condition and was staggering.

Yuwen Hui looked at the knights on both sides in astonishment, and slowly came to his father.

"Father!!"

Yuwen Hui bowed and greeted him.

Yuwen Hu also got off his horse at this moment. He looked at Chang'an City in the distance, first breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at his son with anger in his eyes.

"Since Chang'an is not under siege, why has it lost contact with me?!"

Yuwen Hui was horrified, and he lowered his head quickly, "Father, Liu Taozi is coming to attack Chang'an, I dare not take it lightly, so I ordered people to guard the city gates and no one is allowed to go in or out, so as to avoid the city gates being lost."

Yuwen Hu nodded, his eyes full of bloodshot, "Then let me ask you, where did Liu Taozi go when she left Chang'an?"

"He went south, probably to Luozhou"

"Hahaha."

Yuwen Hu laughed and asked kindly, "Why didn't you send a carrier pigeon to contact us?"

Yu Wenhui was stunned again, "Father, I don't know"

Yuwen Hu swung his hand and slapped Yuwen Hui hard on the face. Yuwen Hui felt stars in his eyes and was a little dazed for a moment.

Hou Wanshou, who had already prepared to receive the reward, was so scared that he shrank his head, dared not speak, and secretly began to wipe the dust off his face.

Yuwen Hu became extremely irritable.

"You bastard! Because of you, I lost thousands of elite soldiers! How can I tolerate this?!"

"Someone is coming!!"

"Drag him out and chop him up!"

Yuwen Hu gave the order, and Yuwen Hui's eyes widened in fear. "Father! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!! Father, please spare me! Please spare me!!"

Yuwen Hu didn't care, but urged the soldiers to deal with it quickly.

The soldiers looked at each other and some of them did not dare to move forward.

At this moment, a man came galloping on his horse. It was Yin Gongzheng who stayed in the palace.

Yin Gongzheng rode forward, jumped off his horse quickly, flew in front of Yuwen Hu in a few steps, and knelt down to beg for mercy.

"Duke Jin! Please forgive me just this once!"

"My lord, you have defended Chang'an for more than ten days without leaving the city walls. Even if you have no merit, you have worked hard!"

"Please forgive me, Duke! If you must punish someone, please punish me!"

Yin Gongzheng kowtowed repeatedly, and Yuwen Hu quickly helped him up, saying helplessly: "What fault can you have? I hired the wrong people. To be honest, everything is my fault."

Having said that, he stopped talking about how to deal with Yuwen Hui. Yuwen Hui was still kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.

Only then did Yuwen Hu look at another defending general, Hou Wanshou.

Hou Wanshou was so scared that he quickly knelt down and apologized. Instead of punishing him, Yuwen Hu rewarded him. He wiped his tears and said that it was all because of him that his brother was defeated.

After a long time of trouble, Yuwen Hu finally led Yin Gongzheng into the city.

As they walked along the road, Yuwen Hu's face suddenly became solemn, and he asked in a low voice, "What's the situation here, Emperor?"

Yin Gongzheng also frowned, "My lord, something is wrong."

"Since Yang Zhong was killed, he has changed his previous behavior and has become less talkative. He even insisted on going up to the city wall to see it. I couldn't stop him."

Yuwen Hu was furious, "You let him out of the palace?!"

"Don't worry, sir. I went with him. He was standing on the city wall, looking into the distance, and he didn't say anything."

"I think this guy has begun to be dissatisfied with the lord. Although he looks stupid, he actually has a good relationship with many ministers. Yang Zhong just died in the battle, and he summoned all the ministers to discuss letting Yang Jian inherit the title."

"My Lord, I think you can reconsider the candidate."

"If you don't make a decision when you should, it will definitely be a big problem."

Hearing this, Yuwen Hu suddenly became sensitive.

He thought of the original Yubi City again.

Yuwen Hu led his army into Chang'an City, and the soldiers in the city cheered as if they were welcoming a victorious army.

Even if Yuwen Hu was unhappy, he still had to smile and nod to the soldiers in front of him. Everyone shouted again, but Yuwen Hu's mind was already in the palace.

He did not meet anyone, but rushed all the way to the gate of the palace. He ordered his soldiers to impose martial law inside and outside the palace, not allowing anyone to enter or leave, and then pulled Yin Gongzheng inside.

Yin Gongzheng's eyes flickered.

He has always hoped that Yuwen Hu could go further. At present, most of the people in the country who could threaten Yuwen Hu are dead.

And he didn't understand, he could obviously take the throne and become the emperor of the Great Zhou, why his lord insisted on clinging to the position of Grand Chancellor and was unwilling to move up a step?

If he became an emperor, he wouldn't need to be so cautious and so embarrassed.

There is a better solution to everything.

Of course, if Yuwen Hu took a step forward, then these people could also take another step forward and completely replace the ministers left behind by Yuwen Tai.

Many people under Yuwen Hu had similar ideas.

Yuwen Hu walked into the palace and walked quickly towards the main hall. Yin Gongzheng followed beside him, also chattering bad things about Yuwen Yong.

When Yuwen Hu arrived at the palace gate, Yin Gong said in a particularly serious tone: "My lord, if the emperor can't even go out to greet you, what's the point of having him?"

Yuwen Hu's eyes turned cold, he pushed the door open and rushed in.

Yuwen Yong was sitting in a high seat far away, surrounded by many eunuchs. When he heard someone pushing open the door, he screamed subconsciously, and the next moment, he saw clearly who was coming.

He suddenly pushed away several eunuchs in front of him, rushed to Yuwen Hu crying and shouting, and almost rushed into his arms.

"My Lord! You are finally here!"

"You're finally here!"

Looking at the emperor howling with fear, Yuwen Hu was stunned, and the murderous look on his face had faded a lot at this moment.

He subconsciously began to comfort the emperor.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. I have already defeated Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi can no longer threaten the capital."

After Yuwen Hu's repeated persuasion, Yuwen Yong's mood finally stabilized.

He wiped his tears, looked at Yin Gongzheng who was standing beside him, and asked in astonishment: "Yin Gong, why didn't you tell me that the master is back? Isn't this rude?"

Yin Gongzheng was immediately panicked, "I have been telling Your Majesty since yesterday that the Duke is coming back."

"When did you say that?"

Yuwen Yong was a little angry. He pulled Yuwen Hu and pointed at Yin Gongzheng and said, "When you were not here, he always threatened me, saying that Liu Taozi was going to attack the city. He also forced me to go to the city wall to boost the morale of the whole army. He also forbade me to meet with the ministers. I heard that Duke Sui was dead and wanted to ask the ministers what happened, but he sent people to drive me back and even sent soldiers with knives in front of the palace!"

"He also killed several palace maids in front of me to vent his anger."

Yuwen Yong spoke very quickly and incessantly, but Yin Gongzheng was panicked at this moment and he quickly looked at Yuwen Hu.

"My Lord, Duke, I am innocent! I am innocent!!"

Yuwen Hu frowned and looked at Yin Gongzheng calmly, "Why do you have to force me to do something I don't want to do?"

"Come here, drag this fellow out and give him sixty strokes of the cane."

"My Lord! It's unfair!"

Yin Gongzheng screamed and was dragged out by two soldiers.

Yuwen Yong stepped forward and cursed: "I let you bully me again. Now that the master is back, do you dare to do it again?"

Yuwen Hu felt relieved immediately. Yuwen Yong looked at him again, "Sir, did you defeat Liu Taozi?"

Yuwen Hu's heart trembled, and he remembered his glorious battle achievements.

He suddenly knelt in front of Yuwen Yong, tears falling instantly without even the slightest pause.

"Your Majesty!! I am incompetent!!"

"I failed in my expedition, causing Duke Sui, Hou Longen and others to die in battle, Yang Zhuo to be captured, and causing Your Majesty to suffer such a shock. I deserve to die! I deserve to die!!"

Yuwen Hu burst into tears, and Yuwen Yong immediately lost his composure and didn't know how to persuade him. He was at a loss.

"I absolve you of all guilt! Not guilty!!"

Yuwen Yong coaxed and persuaded Yuwen Hu for a long time before he stopped crying.

Yuwen Hu once again instructed Yuwen Yong on some important matters, and then said that he would be responsible for the matters of Yang Zhong and others, and then left the palace.

Yuwen Yong personally sent him out with a smile on his face.

Now is not the best time.

Many of Yuwen Yong's trusted aides were in charge of the army outside. If he were to take action against Yuwen Hu now, he would have no one to use in Chang'an, and the situation would definitely be unfavorable to him.

Only when Yuwen Hu's subordinates and those he could trust returned to Chang'an could he take action.

Yuwen Yong also knew in his heart that after such a huge battle, he would definitely summon many generals to discuss the matter afterwards.

That would be the best time to take action.

As long as he can deal with Yuwen Hu, why worry about the instability of the Pseudo-Qi? ?

Qi, Yecheng.

Hu Mansion.

Hu Changren, King of Longdong, sat in the upper seat, his face flushed, his eyes filled with indescribable excitement and joy.

Many insects were sitting on both sides of him, and they all raised their glasses to celebrate.

"If it weren't for the king, how could we have achieved such a great victory?"

"This time, the Pseudo-Zhou suffered heavy casualties, especially General Wei, who killed Yang Zhonghou and Long En in battle. The battle has even reached Chang'an!"

"General Wei is the best general in the world, and the king is the most handsome man in the world!"

Hu Changren stroked his beard and laughed so hard that he could hardly open his eyes.

He raised his cup again and drank with everyone.

"This great victory is also due to your contributions."

Hu Changren swallowed his drink and said with a smile, "I must commend you all for your contributions!"

Everyone was delighted and raised their glasses again.

Hu Changren looked at the expressions of the crowd and felt secretly delighted.

He didn't expect to win so easily this time. If he had known it would be so easy, he would have led the troops himself.

However, this is also a good thing. With such results achieved under his command, he can further consolidate his position.

However, he still had some concerns in his mind.

How can we take back the military power that has been surrendered?

Forget about Duan Shao, the emperor can't take back the military power of the Jinyang soldiers, but he has to take back the Yecheng soldiers in Lou Rui's hands!
He looked at everyone and whispered, "Everyone, in this battle, King Dong'an made great contributions, but I ordered him to return several times, but he was a little delayed. What do you think?"

The insects immediately fell silent.

If you ask them to toast and flatter, they are good at it, but if you really ask them about state affairs, they have no idea.

Zhao Yanshen suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, the general has made great contributions this time, and he deserves to be rewarded. He should be given the title of Grand Tutor, the title of Envoy with Special Powers, and the title of Governor of the Ten States of the Southern Kingdom."

"what?"

Hu Changren was stunned and looked at him in confusion.

Zhao Yanshen sighed and explained, "The general attaches great importance to the south. If he is asked to go to the governor of several states in the south, he will definitely be willing to go. Then the city will be..."

Hu Changren suddenly understood, and he clapped his hands, "Good! Good!"

Zhao Yanshen added, "Your Majesty, the other one is the King of Pingcheng. The King of Pingcheng must be rewarded. For such a great achievement, it is just right. After enthroning the King of Dong'an as the Grand Tutor, the King of Pingcheng can be promoted to the Grand General."

"Prince Pingcheng's contribution is enough."

"Alternatively, we can follow the example of King Dong'an and have him command the military forces of the ten states in the north."

Hu Changren frowned immediately, "I'm afraid this reward is too much."

Zhao Yanshen was speechless and didn't know how to refute for a moment.

Sangou hurriedly came online at this moment.

Zou Xiaoyu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, if you don't reward the King of Pingcheng for his achievements, I'm afraid he will lose the hearts of the soldiers all over the world. You must reward him."

Hu Changren was somewhat helpless, as he had originally wanted to give the position of general to his younger brother.

However, since Liu Taozi killed several Zhou generals and made some contributions, let's give it to him.
Anyway, I have to get it back sooner or later!

(End of this chapter)