Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 307 A Tyrant
Bingzhou, Jinyang.

The city walls were filled with armored soldiers.

Duan Shao led the generals to greet them outside the city gate.

Hulugu was standing not far away. Duan Shao looked at him and then lowered his head.

Duan Shao looked very bad, and the officers around him all lowered their heads and said nothing.

Liu Taozi finally rebelled.

Liu Taozi's action this time was to investigate various states and counties, dismiss officials, and arrange officials, which sounded really good in name.

But when Duan Shao looked through the name, he saw that Liu Taozi had sent General Kou Liu to split his troops into two groups, breaking through cities along the way, capturing officials, and deploying their own people.

This set of things would not be out of place if it were applied to the Pseudo-Zhou. This was not an arrangement for removal, but an attempt to capture various places.

They encountered no resistance along the way, just as the Pseudo-Zhou army encountered no resistance in the south. The provincial governors and prefects either surrendered or fled.

Liu Taozi easily captured the prefectures and counties north of the Yellow River without spending too much energy and time.

Da Qi has already lost half of its territory, and the remaining half is now in danger.

Duan Shao didn't quite understand why Liu Taozi didn't just make a concerted effort and take over the rest of the south.

After all, the South does not have much resistance against Liu Taozi now.

As for the emperor, he has now fled to Jinyang. In the end, it is likely that Jinyang will be the only city left in Qi State.

Duan Shao was worried.

He is a loyal minister.

He had thought before that Liu Taozi might take action, but he did not expect that the other party would act so quickly. Before he could react, the enemy army had already captured several states and counties in succession.

But this damn kid just refused to raise the flag of rebellion. Duan Shao could not wait for orders from the court and could only sit in Jinyang and watch the rebels capture cities.

Duan Shao would also feel a little nervous.

He believed that if he led the troops into battle, he would not lose to Liu Taozi. However, war is not limited to war itself. There are too many factors that affect the outcome of the war.

Duan Shao only felt that he could surpass Liu Taozi in command, but he couldn't guarantee anything else.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just the Jinyang soldiers. The Jinyang soldiers are extremely strong and one of the most powerful armies in the world, but Duan Shao can feel that his control over the army is not as strong as before.

The military leaders began to waver as Liu Taozi's prestige was too high.

There is another Hulugu Guang here.

Duan Shao looked around and sighed again.

Is Da Qi going to perish in such a miserable way?

Just when Duan Shao was deep in thought, someone suddenly walked up to him. Duan Shao turned his head and saw Hulugu handing him a wine bag.

Several lieutenant generals around tried to stop him, but Duan Shao smiled, took the wine bag from the other party, and took a few big mouthfuls.

"Hiss, what a spicy wine."

Duan Shao couldn't eat it, so he covered his mouth and threw the wine bag to Hulugu.

Hulugu smiled and then started eating with big mouthfuls.

"Grand Sima, I came to greet His Majesty today. Why do you look so sad?"

Duan Shao narrowed his eyes. "General Hulu has already prepared for the future. How can he understand my feelings?"

"Is Sima worried that Liu Taozi would rebel?"

"Worry??"

"He has rebelled."

"how could be?"

"Isn't it good to investigate the traitors in various places and assign wise people to govern? I heard that he assigned ten governors, all of whom are very capable people in governing the local areas. It seems that the area north of the river will be governed well in the future!"

Duan Shao said without hesitation: "Privately set up prefectures and counties, changed the original divisions, arranged governors, transferred officials, and even the system was different from the past."

"This is a system, and it's something that can only be done after becoming an emperor."

"Although Liu Taozi did not declare himself emperor to rebel, what he did was already what he would do after a successful rebellion!"

"Is Mingyue here to persuade me to surrender?!"

Duan Shao's eyes were wide open with anger at this moment. He no longer had the easy-going, elegant, and muddle-headed good-natured look of the past. His aura was rising greatly, and even Hulugu seemed a little overshadowed by him.

Hulugu glanced into the distance again.

"I am a rough man, I don't know anything about government affairs, I only know about wars."

"According to the orders of the imperial court, we cannot defeat the Pseudo-Zhou, but according to Liu Taozi's strategy, we can get close to the enemy's heartland."

"Destiny is easier."

Duan Shao always felt that Hulugu was a loyal minister like himself, someone who was willing to die for the country.

In the past, Hulugu had never clearly expressed his position. This was the first time he revealed his disappointment with the court and the change in his position.

Duan Shao was puzzled, "Mingyue, your family has been deeply favored by the royal family for generations."

"You have always prided yourself on being loyal and righteous, but in the end, is this the only loyalty you have?"

"Royal Grace?"

Hulugu looked at Duan Shao and said slowly: "My family has been the leader of the Chile people since my great-grandfather and great-grandfather, and each generation has been famous for its bravery."

"My father served the country well and made great achievements in battle. All the official titles and positions he obtained were earned through fighting with swords. When he was old, my father was still humiliated by the emperor and stabbed with a spear. Is this a favor?!"

"I have fought since I was young, and I have made many military achievements, but I am still feared. Just because I did not marry my daughter to the prince, I have not been promoted. Even though I shot and killed the enemy's general this time, I was not rewarded."

"Over the years, the government has been doing things even more ridiculous. They dare to withhold military rations and weapons. Those who have made contributions are not promoted, while those who only know how to flatter are ranked above us. They cannot provide any help during the battle, and even become a burden."

"Even if Liu Taozi hadn't been there, the temple would have perished in the hands of the enemy sooner or later."

Duan Shao frowned, his eyes cold.

"As long as I am alive, Da Qi will not perish."

"If Mingyue wants to destroy Da Qi, you can fight me."

Both of them were frank at this time. They no longer kept the words in their hearts and said them directly.

Hulugu looked at Duan Shao and said, "I am not afraid of the Grand Marshal, but I don't want the soldiers to kill each other because of something like this."

"Originally, I wanted to meet the emperor before leaving, but now, I can no longer serve here."

"You want to leave Jinyang?"

"I hate the fighting in the court the most. These things are not suitable for generals like us who can fight."

"Da Sima."

Hulugu paused, then suddenly said, "Why don't you leave with me? We can go and deal with the Pseudo-Zhou, we can go and attack the Pseudo-Chen, we can lead thousands of troops and march across the battlefield, invincible."

"If you stay here."

"You will be killed by these villains sooner or later."

"I don't like Da Sima, but I don't want to see Da Sima die in the hands of villains because of these despicable things."

Duan Shao shook his head and looked at Hulugu coldly.

"If you want to go, go ahead. Don't waste your time talking."

"I am not a traitor."

Hulugu saluted Duan Shao, turned around and left. He waved behind him, and immediately cavalrymen rushed out and followed Hulugu.

More and more soldiers followed behind him.

This movement immediately attracted the attention of many people. Hulugu acted as if he saw nothing. Just as Duan Shao made his own choice, he also made his own choice. He didn't want to stay in the city with these villains to play murder games. He wanted to go out, to a wider battlefield, to do what he was best at.

Duan Shao watched indifferently as Hulugu gathered the troops that had been prepared long ago and marched in formation in the distance.

A general hurriedly said, "Grand Marshal, Hulugu is planning a rebellion!"

"We can take this opportunity to attack him."

Duan Shao just looked at the people in the distance calmly without saying a word.

After trying to persuade Duan Shao several times and finding that he was unmoved, the general stopped talking. At this moment, Hulugu arranged the battle formation, led everyone, and slowly left.

The Jinyang soldiers were divided into two parts. Hulugu did not do it on impulse. Several of his relatives led their troops out to join forces. They had planned to leave Jinyang a long time ago.

Duan Shao no longer paid attention to these people. He looked at the official road in the distance again.

His expression kept changing, his eyes were full of sorrow. The army of Yecheng was advancing slowly.

The original elite troops of Yecheng were taken away by Lou Rui and never returned.

Some people even said that these troops were sold by Lou Rui.

The army responsible for escorting the emperor at this moment was the Jinyang soldiers, led by Gao Yanzong.

Gao Yanzong rode on his horse, looking back irritably, becoming more and more annoyed.

The army's advance was as slow as a turtle.

It was really too slow. They had left Yecheng for a long time, but had not yet reached their destination.

Gao Yanzong's impatient personality could not get used to such a speed.

The scorching heat waves gathered into phantoms on the ground, and the birds in the distant woods cried sharply. All this made Gao Yanzong even more irritable. He turned his head to look at his own caravan. The knights hung their heads. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, which was really not very friendly to these knights in armor.

The convoy was stretched out very long.

In addition to the emperor's carriage, there were also a large number of female relatives, officials' families, etc. in the team.

But the one who delayed the most was not the female members of the family, but the little emperor.

The little emperor was really not in a hurry at all. He regarded this matter as a pleasure.

At first, Gao Yanzong urged him several times before he was reluctantly willing to speed up. But later, he completely treated Gao Yanzong as a fun thing and was eager for Gao Yanzong to urge him. Then he came up with various ways to delay.

He thought he was playing a game with Gao Yanzong.

But the little fat boy just wanted to stuff some arrows into his mouth at this moment.

If Gao Yan had not protected the emperor, Gao Yanzong would really have done something to the emperor that would make him unforgettable for the rest of his life.

When Gao Yanzong found that the team had stopped, he couldn't help but ride his horse back.

As soon as he approached the emperor's carriage, Gao Yan hurriedly stopped him.

"Yanzong, His Majesty needs to look around, so please don't rush him."

"See what happens? See what happens? Want to see wild monkeys mating?"

Gao Yan glared at him and said, "Don't be rude."

Gao Yanzong sighed, "Uncle, I'm not being rude to you, but he is really too much. I have never marched like this in my life. At this speed, do I have to wait until next year to go to Jinyang?"

Gao Yan looked at the shadow of the city in the distance and said, "It's almost there. Just be patient for a few more days."

Gao Yanzong then stopped talking.

The emperor stayed here for a whole day and continued on his journey the next day.

Gao Yanzong just watched the city in the distance getting bigger and bigger, but he could never reach it. Just when he was about to go crazy, the people in Jinyang finally couldn't bear it anymore, and Duan Shao took the initiative to lead his troops to meet them.

The moment Gao Yanzong saw Duan Shao, it was like he saw a savior.

He hurriedly bowed to greet him, with unspeakable grief and anger in his eyes.

"Yanzong, what trouble did you encounter? The scouts informed us that you were coming four days ago, and I came out to greet you every day."

"Your Majesty is reluctant to leave too soon, and the King has arrived just in time."

Gao Yanzong explained and took Duan Shao to meet the emperor.

In the middle of the team, the little emperor was catching insects with a few playmates. They caught all kinds of insects and then forced the eunuchs to swallow them, torturing them for fun.

After hearing footsteps in the distance, Lu Lingxuan hurriedly asked the emperor to stop and dragged away the eunuchs who were lying on the ground.

Gao Wei's eyes became somewhat fierce.

"Sister, why did you let them go?"

"Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal is coming, we can't let him see this."

"Why not?!"

Gao Wei's voice suddenly became louder, his eyes were bloodshot, he looked around and said angrily: "At first they said there was Gao Rui, then Gao Rui died and they said there was Gao Yu, then Gao Yu left and they said there was Hu Changren, now Hu Changren is dead, and you still don't allow me to do something fun, Grand Marshal?"

"Does that mean that only when everyone in the world dies can I play without worries?!"

Hearing Gao Wei's question, Lu Lingxuan's face remained unchanged. She said gently: "Your Majesty, this is also a game, just like what you played with Gao Yanzong a few days ago. You do things they don't want to see, but they haven't discovered it yet. Isn't it fun to be praised by them?"

Gao Wei's mouth curled up again and he laughed out loud.

"well."

Several of his confidants around him looked at Lu Lingxuan, and their faces also showed unnatural expressions.

The emperor's transformation was accelerating.

During these days, he became more and more arrogant, cruel and tyrannical, and even became rude to Lu Lingxuan.

Although Lu Lingxuan had many ways to deal with the emperor, they always felt that if this continued, sooner or later, Lu Lingxuan would not be able to suppress this rapidly growing beast.

Gao Wei put away his ferocious expression, and his face became youthful and tender again, with a simple, harmless smile.

Duan Shao quickly came in front of Gao Wei and bowed deeply.

Gao Yanzong never came because he didn't like this emperor.

"Please stand up, King Pingyuan."

Gao Wei politely helped Duan Shao to stand up, and then asked, "Did something big happen in Jinyang?"

"No, I am worried that something may have happened here."

"Nothing has happened. This is the first time I lead people to inspect a place, so naturally I have to look around."

"The people under my command are living quite well."

Duan Shao pursed his lips, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Gao Wei allowed Duan Shao to get on his carriage and go to Jinyang with him. Sitting in the carriage, Gao Wei watched the scenery on both sides passing by with some disappointment in his eyes.

If Duan Shao hadn't come, I could have played for a few more days.

There is not much fun in the palace, but the common people outside are actually quite interesting.

If you catch them and beat them, they will be afraid. Then, if you give them huge rewards and official positions, they will be ecstatic and kowtow to you. But if you suddenly shoot their family members while they are kowtowing, they will go crazy again.

Gao Wei couldn't help laughing when he thought about this.

Duan Shao looked at Gao Wei who suddenly laughed, was stunned for a moment, and asked: "Your Majesty, what should we do about the general's matter?"

"Don't worry. Liu Taozi is just a young man. Although he has deceived everyone in the world to believe him, he will be exposed sooner or later. When everyone in the world knows his true face, he will have no place to stand."

Lu Lingxuan, who was not far away, frowned and quickly stepped forward, "Your Majesty, King Pingyuan is not an outsider, why do you have to fool him like this?"

Lu Lingxuan looked at Duan Shao helplessly and said with a smile: "Please don't blame me. This matter is of great importance. I advised Your Majesty not to speak lightly."

Duan Shao didn't say anything.

Gao Wei was very dissatisfied, "When have I ever fooled the Grand Marshal?"

"The affairs of the country still have to be handled by the ministers. I still have my own things to do."

Duan Shao pondered for a moment, "Your Majesty, many generals in the city have not received any rewards for their previous battles. If Your Majesty can receive the rewards, they may be able to help Your Majesty."

"Easy to say!"

"I will definitely reward you!"

"How many generals are there in Jinyang?"

“There are dozens of them.”

"Okay, I will reward you."

"Just arrange for them to meet me."

Gao Wei was full of confidence. He just looked into the distance and focused his mind. What was so difficult about that?

It would be nice to have a big reward or a special reward!
Duan Shao looked at the smug little emperor standing beside him, and suddenly felt shaken.

At the same time, Hulugu stood on a distant hillside, surrounded by many soldiers, and reined in his horse to look back.

He looked towards the direction of Jinyang with a look of pity in his eyes.

"Ugh."

"Pity."

(End of this chapter)