Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 315 Who reads "Jiu Gao" without wearing a helmet?
Changan.

It was extremely quiet in the Duke of Jin's Mansion at this moment.

Occasionally, patrolling soldiers passed by the road, but they also did not say a word. They just looked at each other and nodded.

A faint light could be seen from the window of the inner room.

Inside the room, Yuwen Hu sat at his desk with many documents in front of him. A young man held the lamp for him and knelt beside him, watching him handle government affairs attentively.

This young man had a handsome appearance and extraordinary manners, and he never showed any fear even in front of Yuwen Hu.

Yuwen Hu picked up another memorial, read it carefully, and then put it down with a solemn expression, "The kid from the Yang family wants to observe mourning for his father."

"Chu Dao, this is one of your people, what do you think?"

The young man's expression suddenly became complicated, and he said calmly: "My lord, this is just a strategy to avoid disaster and maintain hope."

"He also said that he hopes to inherit the title after avenging his father."

The young man's face changed drastically. "To avoid disaster, can you do this?"

Yuwen Hu smiled and said, "This guy is trying to earn himself a reputation as a filial son. He really does everything he can."

The young man's face was solemn, "Not only that, Yang Jian not only wants his own name, but also yours."

"Oh?"

"Why do you say this?"

"If the Lord really doesn't let him inherit the title, what will the people of the world think? What will those dukes think?"

"Just because you had a disagreement with your lord, you died on the battlefield but cannot let your offspring inherit your title?"

"This will have huge consequences and will alienate the dukes!"

Yuwen Hu woke up in shock. He looked at the document in his hand again and threw it to the ground. Those righteous words suddenly became very sinister, as if they wanted to eat people.

Yuwen Hu cursed: "You bastard! Do you want to continue to oppose me?!"

"Someone is coming!"

"Lord."

The young man spoke again, looking at Yuwen Hu, "Duke Sui died for the country. No matter what, we cannot do anything to his descendants or relatives at this moment!"

"My lord, you should reject Yang Jian's petition, give him a greater reward, reward the rest of his clansmen, and let him return to Chang'an to mourn for his father."

"Yang Jian has great ambitions and extraordinary talents, but as long as he stays under your watch, he won't be able to do anything. In a few years, you can punish him for other crimes."

The young man who accompanied Yuwen Hu was called Yang Su.

His father, Yang Fu, was the governor of Fenzhou in Zhou Dynasty. Like Yang Jian and his family, Yang Su also called themselves Hongnong Yang.

Yang Su became famous at a young age and had extraordinary talents, so he was valued by Yuwen Hu, who recruited him as a planner, kept him by his side, and entrusted him with important tasks.

Yuwen Hu was more receptive to advice. When he heard what Yang Su said, he smiled and nodded.

"Okay, let's do as you say."

Yuwen Hu then began to look at other documents.

The more Yuwen Hu looked, the more depressed he became, and the uglier his expression became. The situation in various places was not very good.

The previous battle had squandered all of Yuwen Hu's national strength that he had accumulated over the years. Twenty-four military headquarters were mobilized together, consuming millions of manpower and material resources, but in the end there was no result at all and they were beaten so badly.

The memorials from all over the country were all reporting worries.

They all said that they needed support from the government and that some taxes needed to be exempted.

Yuwen Hu rubbed his eyes and sighed.

He put these documents aside for the time being and ignored them, then looked at some memorials about the front line.

Most of them came from Wei Xiaokuan’s memorials.

"Liu Taozi officially established the military government!"

Yuwen Hu's expression was somewhat ugly, "This little thief! He is still using the military system of my Great Zhou!!"

"Look"

Yuwen Hu handed the memorial in his hand to Yang Su who was standing beside him. Yang Su was very knowledgeable about military affairs. He picked up the memorial and read it carefully.

"Lingzhou Military Headquarters of Huluxian, Shuozhou Military Headquarters of Yao Xiong, Youzhou Military Headquarters of Zhang Heizu, Yingzhou Military Headquarters of Pi Jinghe, Jizhou Military Headquarters of Kou Liu, Bingzhou Military Headquarters of Bao Xian, Hengzhou Military Headquarters of Huluguang, Qingzhou Military Headquarters of Potuo Luo Ku, Zhaozhou Military Headquarters of Tu Xiyue."

Yang Su took a few glances at it and handed the memorial to Yuwen Hu.

"My lord, even the enemy has begun to imitate our military system. Doesn't this just prove how excellent our military system is?"

Yuwen Hu was still a little worried. "When Liu Taozi had two armies under his command, it was already worrying. What should we do if he has ten armies?"

Yang Su replied calmly: "Although Liu Taozi is strong, the elite soldiers and generals under our command are no weaker than them."

"We have twenty-four military headquarters, which Liu Taozi cannot easily catch up with."

"My lord, don't worry. Liu Taozi has openly rebelled against Qi. If the north and south cannot work together, we will definitely defeat them one by one."

Yuwen Hu seemed to feel relieved and nodded.

"Ah Xian also said so. He said that we cannot easily engage in battle with the enemy at the moment. We must wait for the right time, develop ourselves, and accumulate more food and grass. As long as we can maximize the role of the Twenty-Four Military Offices and fight head-on, we don't have to worry about Liu Taozi."

"On the contrary, it's Wei Xiaokuan. His memorials are really worrying after reading too many of them!"

"As a Duke, I don't know why he is so afraid of Liu Taozi!!"

"He's afraid before the battle. Maybe we should let Yuwen Xian take over from Wei Xiaokuan!"

"No!"

Yang Su spoke again, and he said seriously: "Although the Duke of Qi is brave, he is young and inexperienced after all. The Duke of Yun may seem timid, but he is actually mature. Facing Liu Taozi, he will not easily reveal his flaws."

"The Duke of Yun may not be able to defeat Liu Taozi, but he will not lose to him either, at least he will not be completely defeated."

"The Duke of Qi may defeat Liu Taozi, but he may also return in defeat."

"Given the current situation, it would be most appropriate to let the Duke of Yun garrison there."

Yuwen Hu once again listened to the other party's advice.

He looked out the window. It was now completely bright.

Yuwen Hu had not slept all night and felt a little dizzy and extremely tired. Yang Su also noticed this, so he ordered the food clerk to come in and serve him, and he said goodbye and left.

Yuwen Hu ate a little. He didn't have a big appetite and didn't like to eat too extravagantly.

Yuwen Hu had relatively high demands on himself. He did not like to build luxurious mansions, nor did he spend excessively. He was frugal in all aspects. However, most of his close associates could not do the same, especially his sons. They competed with each other, and their food and drink expenses exceeded the standards, so no one dared to discipline them.

After eating something simple, Yuwen Hu lay down to rest.

But he didn't get to rest for too long. Not long after he closed his eyes, someone came to find him.

Yuwen Hu had no choice but to stand up to greet him.

The person who came was Li An, a doctor under the Ministry of Food, who was one of Yuwen Hu's confidants.

Li An sat in front of Yuwen Hu and whispered about the situation in the palace.

"Yuwen Zhi has been frequently entering and leaving the palace to meet with the emperor recently."

"He went to see Yuwen Xian yesterday and came out soon."

Li An whispered, "My Lord, Yuwen Xian is close to His Majesty after all. You trust him too much. You can send a few people to keep an eye on him and find out what they are talking about."

Yuwen Hu was stunned and looked at Li An, "He is close to the emperor? Am I not?"

Li An was stunned, "He is your Majesty's brother."

"I am not?"

"I"

Although Yuwen Yong treated Yuwen Hu as a junior, Yuwen Hu was indeed Yuwen Yong's cousin.

Li An didn't know what to say. Yuwen Hu laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. Your Majesty and Ah Xian are very respectful to me and will not do anything improper."

"It's just this Yuwenzhi"

Yuwen Hu's eyes gradually became unfriendly.

"This guy used to be close to me and wanted to get an official position. I was about to appoint him as a general, but after I appointed Yuwen Xian, he began to distance himself from me and even said things that were unfavorable to me outside."

"If he doesn't correct himself, let him go and accompany his brothers."

Li An shuddered all over and lowered his head quickly.

"Is there anything else?"

"His Majesty wants to see you, saying that something happened to the Queen Mother."

Yuwen Hu stood up helplessly, rubbed his eyes, and looked outside. "I am extremely tired. I really don't want to go out."

"If my lord is tired, it won't be too late to go tomorrow."

"Forget it. My fault has caused the country to suffer losses. If I am not diligent at this moment, how can I defeat the powerful enemy?"

Yuwen Hu sat in the carriage and headed towards the palace.

Sitting in the car, Yuwen Hu was staring blankly outside. Li An sat beside him, not daring to speak.

Yuwen Hu looked at the white banner hanging above the mansion outside and couldn't help but turn his head away.

"Have the rewards for the fallen soldiers been issued?"

"My Lord, it was completed twenty days ago."

"What a pity! I hesitated at the beginning whether to send troops. If the Turks hadn't persuaded me again and again, I would not have sent troops. It would have been better if I hadn't sent troops and continued to accumulate strength. I have accumulated it for many years, but it was all gone in this way."

Looking at the grieving Yuwen Hu, Li An persuaded him, "Wars can be won or lost. My lord will surely be able to pacify Qi and fulfill the last wish of the late king."

Yuwen Hu shook his head and said calmly: "I don't have the ability to go out to fight, as long as I can protect the Great Zhou."

The carriage continued to move forward. Children were chasing and playing on the roadside, humming nursery rhymes.

"If the grass is not protected, the ground will bury people, and springs will grow in the sand"

When the group arrived at the gate of the palace, the soldiers opened the gate directly. Yuwen Hu was able to drive directly into the palace. At that time, Yuwen Hu was the only one who enjoyed this special treatment.

Yuwen Hu got off the car and looked around, seeing soldiers everywhere.

When they saw Yuwen Hu, everyone bowed to him. Yuwen Hu asked Li An to stay here and he walked quickly towards the main hall.

Yuwen Hu is over 50 years old this year. Although he does not have any disease, his legs and feet are not as good as they used to be, and it is still a bit difficult for him to walk up the stairs.

As he walked, he was thinking about the things happening in the country and was worried.

Liu Taozi's rise was too fast. Although there were elite soldiers and generals in the country, many of them could not be trusted.

If you delegate too much power, they will bite back. If you don't delegate too much power, you will have no one to use.

After the defeat, all places needed help, but the government was not wealthy. In the next few years, it could only watch Liu Taozi grow bigger. Fortunately, the other party was unable to restrict itself and focused its energy on the homeland. Now, everyone was competing fairly. It depended on who would rise first, who would recover first, and then have a fair fight.

Holding the jade sceptre in his hand, Yuwen Hu walked up the stairs step by step and finally arrived at the Wen'an Hall.

But the emperor was not here, so Yuwen Hu waited here.

There were several eunuchs here, and Yuwen Hu called them over and asked them about the emperor's recent studies.

The eunuch naturally told the truth.

Yuwen Yong was very smart, but he didn't like reading and loved drinking.

Listening to the eunuchs' stories, Yuwen Hu frowned and shook his head repeatedly, "How can this be possible?"

A moment later, Yuwen Yong appeared here in a hurry. He was wearing a short shirt and was sweating all over. He walked quickly to Yuwen Hu. Yuwen Hu could even smell the stench on him.

Yuwen Yong smiled bitterly and bowed, "Excuse me, I didn't know you were coming. I was playing wrestling with a few guards just now."

Yuwen Hu frowned and said seriously: "As the Son of Heaven, how can you despise your studies?"

"Your Majesty spends all day drinking and playing games with the guards, but doesn't study hard. The teachers I found for your Majesty are all very talented. Why doesn't your Majesty study?"

Yuwen Yong looked bitter, "This study is really boring, I will definitely study hard in the future."

Yuwen Hu said a few more words to him and suddenly asked about Yuwen Zhi.

"I heard that the Duke of Wei came to the palace several times to meet with Your Majesty alone. What was it about?"

Yuwen Yong said helplessly: "I was just about to talk to you about this matter."

"He wanted to be in charge of the army like Yuwen Xian and be the commander of the army. He came to me several times and asked me to appoint him as a general."

Yuwen Hu thought about it and felt that this was indeed something that Yuwen Zhi would do. He sneered and said, "Your Majesty, please do not pay attention to him."

"He is jealous of the Duke of Qi, so he has such thoughts. As long as you ignore him, he will not bother Your Majesty again."

Yuwen Yong nodded and thought so too.

The two talked for a while, and Yuwen Hu said, "I heard that His Majesty wants me to meet the Empress Dowager?"

"Why are you going to see her?"

Yuwen Yong sighed, "Brother, you don't know."

"The Queen Mother is getting old, but she loves drinking more and more. She won't allow anyone to see her unless they are her closest relatives. She is sometimes happy, sometimes angry, and her temper is very abnormal."

"My previous attempts to persuade her were useless. She just wouldn't listen."

"I just think that she likes her brother the most. If her brother can persuade her a little, I think she will agree."

Yuwen Hu nodded, "Okay."

Yuwen Yong quickly took out a copy of Jiugao from his bosom and said with a smile, "You can use this to persuade the Queen Mother."

Yuwen Hu took the book, and Yuwen Yong took the jade scepter from his hand.

Under the leadership of Yuwen Yong, the two walked towards Hanren Hall together.

There were fewer and fewer armored soldiers on both sides, and more and more female officials and eunuchs.

Yuwen Hu strode forward and walked into the hall.

Empress Dowager Chi Nu was sitting in the upper seat, looking a little sleepy. When she heard footsteps, she hurriedly raised her head. In fact, Empress Dowager Chi Nu was just Yuwen Tai's concubine. She became the empress dowager only because Yuwen Yong succeeded to the throne.

Yuwen Hu met the empress dowager with formal courtesy as a subject.

Then he knelt down, took the book in his hand, and began to read aloud.

"The king said: Make the great destiny known to the sister country."

Yuwen Yong lowered his head, stood behind him, and listened to Yuwen Hu reciting.

Yuwen Hu's speech speed became faster and faster. The sound of wind could be heard from outside, mixing with the sound of Yuwen Hu's chanting.

"Bang~~~"

Only a loud bang was heard.

Yuwen Yong raised the jade scepter in his hand and smashed it hard on the back of Yuwen Hu's head.

Yuwen Hu only felt a pain at the back of his head and then fell to the ground. Yuwen Hu didn't know what happened. The heavy blow at the back of his head made him lose his mind for a moment and fell into confusion.

The eunuchs on both sides rushed forward, and Yuwen Yong shouted: "Kill him! Kill him!!"

The eunuchs looked at Yuwen Hu lying on the ground, but they did not dare to take action and trembled all over.

At this moment, a person was seen rushing out from the side.

The man was none other than Yuwen Zhi. He had been hiding here for a long time, holding a sharp blade. When he saw Yuwen Hu falling to the ground, he quickly rushed over, raised his sword, and started slashing at Yuwen Hu.

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

Yuwen Zhi had no intention of stopping at all. He was in a state of extreme excitement and kept swinging his sword.

He didn't know how many times he chopped Yuwen Hu in front of him, but he was completely chopped into pieces and couldn't be put back together.

Yu Wenzhi gasped for air, took a few steps back, his face full of fear.

He was covered in blood.

Today, he came to the palace early. As soon as he arrived, Yuwen Yong asked him to hide with the Queen Mother.

Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Yong were both born to the Queen Mother and were brothers.

Yuwen Zhi had no idea what his brother was going to do or what the plan was until he saw Yuwen Hu being knocked to the ground. Only then did he understand why he was hiding there.

He looked at Yuwen Yong standing beside him, his chest heaving violently.

"Brother, I killed him!"

"Brother!! We succeeded!!"

Yuwen Yong stood aside, looking at the pile of flesh in a pool of blood, but his expression was still the same as before, as if nothing had happened. He was not excited about killing a powerful official, nor was he venting hysterically. He just looked at Yuwen Hu's body calmly.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the empress dowager who was sitting in the upper seat with a look of horror on her face.

He then bowed to the Queen Mother.

"The Queen Mother was frightened."

"No problem, no problem, except for those people outside, what are you going to do?"

"These people are easy to deal with. I have already contacted them. Once Yuwen Hu is dead, we can take action against them."

"Please don't be afraid, mother, and wait for me here."

"Azhi, come with me."

Yuwen Yong led his younger brother and walked outside.

Yuwen Zhi had numerous questions at this moment. He had killed people, but what should he do with all the people and generals under his command?
"Pass on my decree, and have the Right Palace Earl Changsun Lan come to pay homage to me!!"

Yuwen Yong spoke loudly, then looked at his younger brother beside him.

"The great cause begins today."

(End of this chapter)