Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 298 I Have Seen Through the Victory and Defeat
The forests lining the road have grown taller and taller. Some trees could not survive the cold winter or have been damaged by human intervention. However, the road is no longer as desolate and empty as it used to be.

It’s spring time, with patches of green in the distance.

There is a dense forest on the south side, and the chirping of birds can be heard along the way.

Occasionally, one could hear the rapid barking of dogs and the calls of men, who were hunters looking for food in the mountains and forests.

Liu Taozi and Gao Changgong led the knights and walked slowly on the official road.

They have entered the territory of Sizhou, but there are no cities in this vast area. There are only a few garrisons set up in dangerous locations, and perhaps a few villages and towns.

There are many mountains and forests here, the roads are rugged, and dense forests are everywhere.

But this place is very important. In the hills and valleys in the south, there are many open-pit mines, full of important materials such as coal and iron.

Si, Xian, Fen, Shuo and other states would send people here to mine, and there were also considerable disputes among the states about the ownership of the mountains and forests on both sides. In the past, they had fought over the snatching of these leaky mines, and people had died.

It was not until later that Liu Taozi's men took over the surrounding garrisons and the ownership of this place was redistributed and divided among several surrounding states according to their geographical locations. Only then did such bloody incidents led by the government become less frequent.

After they climbed over a hill, Gao Changgong pointed his whip into the distance and said, "There is a big mine over there."

"When I was the governor of Sizhou, I went there many times. However, the situation here is very bad. Do you know Guang Agong Dou Tai?"

"know."

"His son sent people to occupy the mine here, not allowing others to mine, and not paying taxes. The government dared not interfere in his affairs. I issued orders several times to stop it, but failed to suppress it."

Liu Taozi nodded, "Yeah."

"These generals, especially those in Jinyang, are very fond of these mines, coal and iron business, and horse business. They secretly send their own private soldiers to occupy the mines. The government's army cannot defeat them."

"If a major conflict breaks out, they can even dispatch troops from Jinyang. Who would dare to provoke them?"

"Are you going to control Fenzhou next?"

"more than."

"Everything north of the river shall belong to me."

Gao Changgong was stunned, "You want to attack them directly?"

"Let the Northern Province Shangshutai issue an order and arrange officials from top to bottom. If any state does not comply, we will send troops to attack them."

Liu Taozi talked about her plan, "Before I left, I sent someone to deliver a letter, handing over the affairs of governing the states to Gao Yu, and the preparation work was handed over to Zu Ting."

"What do you mean by preparing for an errand?"

"A list of officials from the North, as well as enough clerks and soldiers."

"I'll have to discuss the specific plan with Zu Ting and others after I return."

Gao Changgong nodded gently and said with emotion: "So you have been prepared for a long time. However, the local area is full of bastards like Wei Shibian, so it is a good thing to take over earlier."

"What about the south?"

"My current reserves are not enough for the south."

Gao Changgong nodded and suddenly said, "If you want to promote some qualified governors, I can recommend a few to you."

"Well, let's go back to Shuozhou and discuss it."

Gao Changgong pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why not just take over Qingdu, march to Yecheng, and start killing the bandits from Yecheng?"

"Jinyang soldiers."

Liu Taozi said slowly: "I am not afraid of Duan Shao, nor am I afraid of the Jinyang soldiers, but if I force myself to fight Duan Shao, the casualties will be too great."

"At present, it is difficult to make them surrender without a fight as we have several border states."

"But if we wait a few more years, the situation will be different."

Gao Changgong suddenly realized, "So that's it."

"The Jinyang soldiers are the most elite troops in the country. If they die in internal friction, I would find it particularly regrettable. Although most of the Jinyang generals are cruel and do not abide by the law, the Jinyang soldiers are strictly disciplined and obey the orders of the generals. It all depends on the character of the general."

"If we can take in the Jinyang soldiers and use brave generals as officers, we will be invincible."

"However, the generals and officers are a little difficult to deal with."

As the two were talking, a convoy came from a side road. The cars were full of ores. These ores that had not yet been smelted would be sent from here to the city, where there were special smelting factories. Most of Qi's smelting factories were set up in Shuo, Si and Bing states, and were basically run by nobles. Even if Qi had detailed policies on salt, iron, war horses and coal, when they were actually implemented, there was no effect at all.

The convoys in the distance were a little panicked when they saw the marching cavalry.

They hurriedly stopped, some guards said something, and some even started walking back.

"General Yan, go check their passes and tax plates."

Liu Taozi spoke softly.

Yan Heitai immediately led his troops there, while Liu Taozi continued to march. After walking for a long time, Yan Heitai caught up with them again and informed them of the situation.

It has a permit and a tax license, so it is formal and licensed mining.

Liu Taozi didn't ask any more questions.

Although there are few cities here and the roads are rugged and difficult to travel, it has a unique scenery. The vegetation is lush and exudes a sense of New Year. The newly melted mountain springs flow continuously, clear to the bottom, cold and delicious, and are especially refreshing to eat.

The Zhou garrison on the distant mountain had been demolished, and there was no longer any scene of the Zhou and Qi people looking at each other at the top or foot of the mountain.

The Zhou people voluntarily abandoned their troops in this area in order to withdraw their defense line.

Yubi City.

The city was extremely busy. The city gates were open and many carriages were parked on both sides of the gates, transporting supplies in an orderly manner.

The same was true inside the city. The soldiers looked very busy, and knights on horseback and warriors trotting could be seen everywhere in the city.

Inside the government office.

Wei Xiaokuan, wearing thick clothes, sat in the inner room, calmly pouring himself tea.

Another sturdy warrior was sitting in front of him. In terms of physique, he was a lot bigger than Wei Xiaokuan. He wore a golden belt with thousands of nails around his waist and had a strong back and strong arms. It was none other than Taibao Da Xiwu.

Da Xiwu looked at Wei Xiaokuan pouring tea seriously and asked with a smile: "Will the Duke pour me some?"

Wei Xiaokuan poured some for him and said, "I just thought that General Da Xi didn't like it."

Da Xiwu took a few bites and said, "If it is a gift from the Duke, then of course I like it."

Wei Xiaokuan smiled bitterly, "Duke, Duke, I'm really not used to it."

"Isn't this what you've been looking forward to?"

Da Xiwu smiled and said, "It's hard for me to be crowned Duke and leave Yubi. I finally left this damn place, but I was sent back again."

Wei Xiaokuan was promoted and could finally leave Yubi City.

Yuwen Hu replaced him with Da Xi Wu, who had long-term experience in guarding Yubi, and at the same time appointed Wei Xiaokuan as Duke of Yun.

Wei Xiaokuan narrowed his eyes, there was no joy on his face, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“This may not be a good thing.”

Da Xiwu paused, then said slowly: "How can this not be considered a good thing? The Duke of Yun was promoted to Grand Minister of Works, and promoted to General Manager of Xiazhou, and Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of the five states of Xia, Yin, Sui, Yan, and Dan."

Da Xiwu shook his head, "This is a great gift from heaven."

Wei Xiaokuan didn't say anything.

"Why do I see that you are not happy at all?"

"This time, the Duke of Jin has regretted not listening to you and has made compensation. He has also decided to hand over the front line to you and let you make the decision. Isn't this a good thing?"

"regret?"

Wei Xiaokuan slowly raised his head and opened his eyes, with a hint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.

"When Liu Taozi came as an envoy, I wanted to kill him, but the Duke of Jin was afraid of him."

"Later, when I followed the Duke on his first expedition, I proposed to attack and kill Liu Taozi with all our strength, but he refused to listen."

"This time when the Duke of Jin led his army to attack, I suggested to him to attack Liu Taozi first, but he did not listen."

"Why are you regretting now that Liu Taozi has become the dominant force and has no rivals in the country? What's the point of regretting now?" "I'm over fifty years old. Does the Duke of Jin expect me to kill Liu Taozi?"

Da Xiwu was a little surprised. Wei Xiaokuan was different from the other generals. He was always gentle and humble. It was rare to see him so angry or speak so bluntly.

"Duke Yun, what do you mean?"

"General Da Xi, be honest, does the Duke of Jin really regret it? Has he really handed over the power to me?"

Da Xiwu paused and didn't dare to speak.

Wei Xiaokuan sneered and said, "Liu Taozi led his troops to attack Chang'an, and his general Yao Xiong defeated Yanzhou and was stopped in Xiazhou."

"Now the Duke of Jin doesn't want me to be the governor of Yuanzhou, but wants me to be the governor of Xiazhou?"

"Xiazhou can serve as a backup for Yan, Lingzhou and other two provinces are in the hands of the enemy, and Yinzhou next to us has been destroyed."

"Xiazhou is like a protruding piece, inserted in the heart of Liu Taozi. The city is broken, there are few people, insufficient soldiers, and insufficient food and grass. Fortunately, there is Yinzhou to serve as a buffer, otherwise we will be attacked from three sides! ”

"Are you asking me to defend Liu Taozi? You are using me as a target and throwing me in front of Liu Taozi, thinking that if Liu Taozi gets angry, he will hit me first to vent his anger, so that other places can develop peacefully. Commander of the five states? Who are the generals of these five states? Do they listen to me?"

"Things have come to this point, but the Duke of Jin still doesn't trust me. He only expresses regret in words. What does General Da Xi think?"

Da Xiwu was stunned. He said slowly, "You should know that I came here on the orders of the Duke of Jin."

"I know, of course I know. General Da Xi and Duke Jin get along well. I heard that the gold belt around your waist was stolen from the national treasury, but Duke Jin didn't blame you, which shows how much he likes you."

Wei Xiaokuan looked at the golden belt around Da Xiwu's waist and said, "But I know you won't tell these things to the Duke of Jin."

"You are different from Hou Longen. You are not his dog."

Wei Xiaokuan took another sip of tea, but Da Xiwu stared at him blankly, "General, why are you so out of control?"

"I know it's not easy to defend Xiazhou, but the government will certainly not just watch you get beaten. We will definitely provide you with enough food, fodder, and troops."

"Although we were defeated this time, we didn't suffer too much loss as a whole. We still have more than 100,000 elite troops in the country, and countless capable ministers and generals. A few small defeats are nothing, and we will definitely get them back in the future."

Wei Xiaokuan laughed and shook his head.

"The confrontation is over."

"We will definitely lose."

Da Xiwu immediately became angry. He frowned slowly and said, "Although I respect the general, I dare not agree with his nonsense."

"Liu Taozi is a famous general, but there are many famous generals in the Great Zhou. Even I dare not say that I can defeat him, but if our forces are equal, I will definitely not be afraid of him."

Wei Xiaokuan looked at the angry Da Xiwu and poured tea for him again with a smile.

"The victory or defeat I'm talking about has nothing to do with the war."

Da Xiwu was completely confused.

"Not related to the war?? I don't understand."

Wei Xiaokuan asked calmly: "I would like to ask the general, in your opinion, which one is stronger, Qi or Zhou?"

"In the past, it was probably the Pseudo-Qi."

"What about now?"

"Of course it's Da Zhou!"

"Why is this happening?"

“Because we have many famous generals.”

Wei Xiaokuan shook his head, his eyes becoming particularly bright, "I have always been afraid of Liu Taozi, but I am not afraid of his bravery, nor the elite soldiers under his command."

"What I fear is what he will do under his rule."

"Qi occupies the richest place, with the largest population and the most arable land. Even now, Qi's national strength is still stronger than ours. Even if we destroy Qi one day, at the moment of their demise, their national strength will still be stronger than ours."

"And the reason we were able to defeat them was because Qi had many internal problems that had not been resolved, and because of the contributions of those kings, they seemed to be the weaker party."

"But Liu Taozi is different. He can solve these problems."

"When he was in Wuchuan, and later when he occupied the frontier, he was not the only one who discovered the problem, nor was he the only one who solved it, but he solved it most successfully."

"After this battle, the Great Zhou will not be able to send troops to attack the Pseudo-Qi for at least five years, or four years in the best case scenario."

"Liu Taozi won a great victory and returned to Qi with the head of Duke Sui. Who can still oppose him?!"

"When he returns this time, he will no longer restrain himself. He will gradually erode Qi and turn these places into the ones he governs."

"A Qi State led by Hu Changren is not worth mentioning, but a Qi State led by Liu Taozi is so terrifying!!"

Wei Xiaokuan's eyes were full of despair, as if he had already seen the horrific scene.

For some reason, Da Xiwu shuddered suddenly, as if he saw a very horrifying scene. He shook his head hurriedly to fade these images.

"Will not."

Da Xiwu said seriously: "In recent years, our national strength has grown rapidly. If Liu Taozi can govern, we can govern too."

Wei Xiaokuan took another sip of tea.

"You are right. This has indeed been the case over the years. However, in recent years, many problems in our country have also begun to emerge."

"The population is increasing too fast. Mergers are reappearing. The equal distribution of land has been seriously damaged. Nowadays, officials even calculate the cultivated land by the number of people and then collect taxes based on the calculated cultivated land. It is really absurd!"

"The military and government soldiers in various places are based on the equal distribution of land. If the equal distribution of land is severely damaged and destroyed, the military and government will suffer even greater losses."

Da Xiwu was no longer able to speak. He slowly picked up the tea and drank it all in one gulp.

The room suddenly became quiet, and neither of them spoke.

After a long while, Da Xiwu finally asked, "What does the Duke of Yun want to do?"

Wei Xiaokuan suddenly threw off his cloak, raised his head, and his skinny face became extremely resolute.

“It’s just to serve the country.”

"I am old and my strength is insufficient, and I am even more powerless to remedy the domestic affairs."

"But, since the court has appointed me as a general, I will fight on the front line. Even if it means risking my life, I will stop Liu Taozi. As long as I am alive!! I will not allow Liu Taozi's troops to get close to Chang'an!!"

"General Da Xi, I know why you are here, and I also know what the Duke of Jin told you."

"If you still have any desire to repay the country, if you have listened to my words, then please do not do anything that would hurt your family."

"The soldiers of Yubi City have followed me for a long time. Indeed, they prefer to obey my military orders, but they are the cornerstones of the country. I have never thought of betraying the country, and neither will they. If one day, I die in Xiazhou and Liu Taozi leads the army to come, they will still be willing to fight Liu Taozi to the death."

"General Da Xi, I hope you can treat them well. Even if you want to dismiss them, don't beat them to death."

Wei Xiaokuan stood up and bowed deeply to Da Xiwu.

Da Xiwu's face turned red and even began to feel hot.

Because before he came here, Yuwen Hu did talk to him about this matter. Yuwen Hu believed that many of Yubi's soldiers only knew Wei Xiaokuan but not the Duke of Jin, and hinted that he could try to get rid of these people.

These things that could not be told to outsiders were revealed by Wei Xiaokuan. For some reason, Da Xiwu suddenly felt a sense of guilt and entanglement in his heart.

"Duke Yun, please stand up. Please stand up."

Da Xiwu raised his hand and said seriously: "I swear to heaven that I will never harm the soldiers of Yubi."

A smile suddenly appeared on Wei Xiaokuan's wrinkled face, and he finally sat down, no longer looking solemn and dignified.

"But, to be honest, I'm quite happy to be able to fight Liu Taozi on the front line and cause him some trouble!"

Wei Xiaokuan grinned, "I have wanted to fight him for a long time, but unfortunately, I have been staying in Yubi all this time, allowing this kid to do so many things. This time I go to Xiazhou, it is just right for him to see the abilities of us old men!"

Da Xiwu also laughed, "I wish the Duke of Yun a great victory!"

"Duke Yun has never made a mistake in his judgment of Liu Taozi over the years. I believe that you in Xiazhou will definitely make Liu Taozi dare not go south easily!"

"It's hard to say. This guy has always been a desperate person. He is a complete gambler. If he knows that I went to Xiazhou, he might abandon his own affairs and bring a large army to kill me. However, I am not as easy to kill as Sui Guogong. I am not as good as Sui Guogong in field battles, but when it comes to offense and defense, hahahaha, Liu Taozi is still a little naive!"

(End of this chapter)