Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 323: Go south! Go south!
Hengzhou, Pingcheng.

The spring breeze is blowing gently, and the city is dotted with green.

Zu Ting rode on a tall horse and looked at Wang Lin beside him from time to time with a very proud look on his face.

After Zu Ting's trip, the north had already entered the early spring of the new year from the late autumn when he left.

During these few months, many changes have taken place in the North.

The ship docked in Youzhou and then headed all the way to Pingcheng. The scenery along the way made Wang Lin marvel and even a little bit unbelievable.

Along the way, they saw an orderly society. Everyone had their own division of labor. The people they saw along the way seemed to be very busy. These places from Youzhou to Hengzhou had belonged to Liu Taozi very early, so they had already shown initial prosperity. They were densely populated, with endless cultivated land, groups of merchants, and brand new villages appearing one by one. There was no place too desolate along the way.

The situation of a place can actually be seen just by looking at the expressions of the people. If the people are all thin, pale, and staggering when they walk, it means that there is a problem there. The living conditions in the south are probably like this.

What can be seen most in the south are huge castles and tenants who are dying and look like zombies.

In Hebei, most of the farmers Wang Lin saw were healthy, with very few disabled people. They had ruddy complexions, wore complete clothes, and had bright eyes.

The closer you get to the core area, the stronger the contrast with the south becomes.

Zu Ting said proudly: "My Lord, this is why I persuaded you to come here."

"My king governs Hebei not using the old methods."

"In the past, when the government governed a place, it would always pretend to send a few people to inspect everywhere. After they had walked around once, they considered the governance complete."

Zu Ting said disdainfully: "At that time, everyone was vying for the position of inspector. After such an inspection, there was no change in the local area, but the inspector's family property increased a lot."

"The North is different from other places. It's very clean here."

"From the provincial governor to the county magistrate, they are all carefully selected by the Xingtai. There may be hidden evil people among them, but there will not be a single incompetent person!"

"The castles and temples along the road have all been razed to the ground, so it can reach its current level."

Zu Ting showed off his thoroughness here. Wang Lin was not a simple general. He was once a prince and fought with Chen Baxian for the Southern Kingdom.

He had governed a local area before, so he could understand what Zu Ting said.

Wang Lin murmured, "When I was in the south, I heard that the general destroyed Wu Lei and forced the monks to return to secular life. I thought it was just a way for the general to make money in order to enrich the national treasury."

"I just found out today that the general has deeper considerations."

Zu Ting laughed out loud.

He looked at Wang Lin, "Isn't this destiny?"

"My general has made great achievements on his own. He has defeated the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty many times and marched into Chang'an. The generals and ministers around him all rose from humble beginnings. No matter what kind of system he wants to implement or who he wants to kill, no one can stop him. This is something that those two countries cannot do!"

"Among the three kingdoms, my lord's command is the cleanest. No one else can compare to it."

Before arriving, Wang Lin had heard many rumors about Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi is currently a hot topic all over the world and has a great reputation, but in other places, he is generally notorious.

They said he was a Qihu, a cannibal, a barbaric, a tyrannical Qin law, and that the people under his rule suffered misery.
Anyway, Wang Lin had never heard any positive comments. The only time he heard a positive comment was from Lou Rui. Lou Rui once told him that at present, the only generals in Qi State who could be regarded as famous as Duan Shao were Liu Taozi and himself.

The three heroes mentioned by Lou Rui are obviously different from the others.
Although Wang Lin would not believe in the rumors outside, in his heart he only regarded Liu Taozi as a powerful military leader, like the former Tianzhu General Erzhu Rong.

The general at that time had a worse notoriety than Liu Taozi, and his reputation was exactly the same.

Khitan, cannibalistic, barbaric, cruel and good at fighting!

Moreover, that person did it much more thoroughly than Liu Taozi. Liu Taozi only allowed his subordinates to destroy Wu Fort, but Erzhu Rong directly led his troops to massacre all the officials. Looking at the previous dynasties, it was a shocking feat!
When the Five Barbarians first wreaked havoc, they never massacred court officials like this.

Erzhu Rong was also very good at fighting. Among the many famous generals who fought in the Later Three Kingdoms period, twenty out of ten came from Erzhu Rong's side.

If it weren't for the small mistake of "entering the palace alone", it would be difficult to discuss who would rule the country.

Therefore, Wang Lin has always regarded Liu Taozi as a weakened version of Erzhu Rong.

But after arriving in the north in person, Wang Lin realized that Liu Taozi and Erzhu Rong were completely different. Erzhu Rong carried out the massacre in order to make money and eliminate political enemies, while Liu Taozi did so in order to govern.

Wang Lin hadn't seen such a prosperous scene for many years.

The countless ships moored at the Youzhou wharf made him dream of returning to Jiankang when the Bodhisattva was in power.

And that sense of order was something Wang Lin had never felt before.

During these years, the north was in chaos and the south was in disarray.

Here even the clerks at the post stations are very strict and there is no half-heartedness or perfunctory attitude.

Only those who have personally experienced many years of chaos can feel this kind of shock.

Looking at Wang Lin, who was full of admiration, Zu Ting cleared his throat, cupped his hands and said, "Lord Wang, there is actually one thing I have been hiding from you."

Wang Lin smiled and said, "The general never thought of summoning me. It was my grandfather who tricked me into leaving the south in order to make a fortune, right?"

Zu Ting was extremely surprised, and then he also smiled, "I underestimated the prince, what the prince said was both right and wrong."

"The general did not send me to meet you. I went to meet you on my own initiative. However, my purpose was not to make money. I went to meet you because I felt that you were someone who could truly serve my king."

Zu Ting asked again: "But how did the prince know about this?"

Wang Lin said calmly: "Before the grandfather arrived, the navy under my command had just seized several merchant ships. The southern monk on the ship said: Our goods are to be sent to the hands of Liu Taozi, the general of Qi State."

"I arrested them all and seized the goods."

"Not long after that, my grandfather came to invite me to go to the north."

Zu Ting laughed out loud, "I see."

"Then why are you willing to go with me?"

Wang Lin looked into the distance and whispered, "Just as my grandfather said, I have nowhere to go."

"Emperor Xiao Zhao gave me military pay and asked me to build a navy. Since his death, I have not received any military pay. The reason I detained those southern merchant ships was only because of the scarcity of food and fodder."

"If this continues, within two years, I will have to disband my army and serve as a civil official in the city, waiting for my enemy to come and claim my life."

Zu Ting nodded and agreed with it.

"That's exactly what it is."

Pingcheng in the distance became clearer and clearer, and the city gate was particularly crowded.

There were two long queues for those entering and leaving the city.

The soldiers hurried out, and under the organization of the city gate officials, they quickly made way for the pedestrians. Zu Ting and Wang Lin passed among them. Wang Lin saw that the people did not show much fear when they saw the soldiers, the clerks, and even himself, the "nobles", and he could not help but marvel again.

There are some strange things happening under this great general's command.

The people are no longer afraid of the army and officials!
Once you enter the city, you'll see even more strange things.

Outside the market, there were still merchants who dared to go out on the streets to sell their goods, and the patrolling soldiers around seemed not to see them.

Wang Lin widened his eyes and looked at Zu Ting who was standing beside him.

Zu Ting smiled and explained: "Our commercial tax is not collected based on the market entry, but based on the transaction amount. You are educated, so you should know the transaction vouchers during the Han Dynasty."

"I see."

When they passed through the city and arrived at the gate of the general's mansion, Wang Lin saw a burly man standing at the gate. The man was in his twenties, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a slightly dark complexion. He was wearing a military uniform and a black cloak. On the cloak were embroidered two tigers roaring at each other. He had a jade belt tied around his waist and an ancient long sword hanging on it.

Zu Ting dismounted in a hurry, and Wang Lin followed closely behind.

"Lord!!"

Zu Ting bowed to greet him, his face very respectful.

Wang Lin did not dare to despise him and hurriedly went to pay his respects.

Liu Taozi glanced at Zu Ting, then looked at Wang Lin.

He reached out his hand and helped Wang Lin up.

Wang Lin was pulled up before she could even react.

"I was going to go out of the city to welcome you, but I didn't expect you to arrive a few days earlier. I can only welcome you here." "How dare I, a defeated general and a lowly person, trouble the general?"

Liu Taozi shook her head. "I read Zu Ting's memorial. He said that you did not go along with the officials in the south, that you were serious and rigorous in your work, that you were brave and good at fighting, and that you were very good at training troops."

"Such a person cannot be said to be lowly. As for success or failure, it is only temporary."

Liu Taozi was not very good at small talk, so he led a few people into the mansion.

Lu Qubing was standing at the door. He greeted a few people with a smile, then hurriedly caught up with Zu Ting.

The two of them walked at the end, and Lu Qubing couldn't help but say, "Grandpa really has great abilities!"

"Everyone in the government and the country knows that you brought back a naval commander with you this time, along with more than 70 warships of various sizes and more than 2,000 sailors!"

"Everyone is stunned. Even Duke Wei praises you!"

Once Lu Qubing opened his mouth, it was difficult for him to stop talking, but Zu Ting listened with great interest.

At the front, Liu Taozi and Wang Lin were also talking.

"My Lord, I don't even have any navy under my command."

"In the past, there were sailors in several states and counties near the sea, but I disbanded them after I conquered them."

"These sailors became porters for the local big families, helping them with transportation and trade."

"Now that the prince has arrived, it is just the right time to make up for the deficiencies of the North. I intend to make the prince the commander and train the navy. What do you think?"

Wang Lin looked at Liu Taozi again. This great general was quite straightforward and never said anything unnecessary.

When they arrived at the lobby, they both sat down, and Wang Lin also expressed his views.

"General, the training of sailors is completely different from the training of other soldiers."

"First of all, it is the most important warship. There are many different types of warships, each of which has different responsibilities in a war. They are indispensable, just like the army needs scouts, cavalry, and archers, and the same is true for warships."

"Besides, warships are very time-consuming and expensive to build. When I was in Xiangying, I once built a four-story warship with a pole, which took me three years to build."

As Wang Lin spoke, a trace of sadness flashed across his face again.

He quickly pushed these thoughts out of his mind and continued, "That was the result of my gathering hundreds of shipbuilding masters and their careful preparation."

"Xu Shipu, I wonder if the general has heard of it?"

"Never heard of it."

"This man is a general of the Southern Kingdom. He is very good at building ships. The warships he built are all top-notch. I was defeated by the warship he built."

"In the South, there are many people like him who are good at building warships, but in the North, it is difficult to find a few who can match them."

After hearing Wang Lin's words, Zu Ting, who was originally sitting below listening to Lu Qubing's words, could no longer sit still.

"Prince!"

"That's not right. Is there no one in the North who can build a ship?"

"My great-grandfather invented the car and boat!"

Wang Lin looked at Zu Ting and couldn't help shaking his head, "You are talking about Zu Chongzhi, right?"

“He is from Jiankang”

"Nonsense! In terms of seniority, he is of the same generation as my great grandfather, and is from Fanyang. How can he be called a southerner?!"

Wang Lin did not continue to fight with Zu Ting for the origin of his elders. He looked at Liu Taozi calmly and said, "General, this is what I want to say. Even northerners can only build warships in the south."

"The north lacks such craftsmen and such skills."

"If the general wants to build a navy that can rival the Southern Kingdom, it will take at least ten years, or perhaps even less than ten years."

"Shipbuilding alone is not something that can be completed in a short period of time."

Wang Lin then introduced several other needs of the navy, including the need for a lake where the navy could conduct training, special wood for shipbuilding, and even auxiliary troops on the warships. There were many requirements.

The northerners present all felt that they had learned a lot after listening to Wang Lin's story.

If Wang Lin's description is true, building a navy is simply not something that can be accomplished in the short term, especially in the north. It may take a much longer time. The situation in the Huai River and Yangtze River regions is better, as both shipbuilders and sailors familiar with water are easy to recruit.

Lu Qubing also frowned at this moment and began to ponder.

So difficult?

Doesn't that mean we can only start building warships after we conquer Lianghuai in the future?
Zu Ting suddenly laughed at this moment, "In fact, things are far from as difficult as the prince said."

Everyone was stunned. Wang Lin looked at Zu Ting again. His face was full of helplessness. This guy was good in every way except that he liked to be stubborn and insisted on arguing over meaningless things.

Zu Ting ignored everyone and looked at Liu Taozi.

"My Lord, I have a way to solve these problems."

"Oh?"

Zu Ting said confidently: "Let's talk about the shipbuilders and sailors first. Your Majesty has been in the South for a long time, so you may not know that my Great Qi also has a large shipbuilding factory, not in Lianghuai, but in today's Guangzhou."

"The southern ships are not necessarily better than the northern ships. They each have their own strengths."

"The shipbuilders and sailors who are familiar with water that the prince mentioned are not scarce in Gwangju at all."

"My lord, we should send troops to capture Gwangju. It is strategically located, has fertile land, a large population, and can train the navy here."

“I discovered many things during my trip to Gwangju.”

Zu Ting said seriously, "Li Zuxun, the governor of Guangzhou, is greedy and incompetent. He allows officials to exploit the people. His wife is the one who decides the major affairs of the province. Guangzhou is a wealthy province, but the people live in extreme poverty. After the emperor went to Jinyang, Li Zuxun became even more fearless. He dismissed all the officials who impeached and opposed him, appointed his relatives and his wife's family as officials, and took the lead in amassing wealth, making Guangzhou people's lives miserable."

"Although Gwangju is large, it has no military strength. The county soldiers have been without food and pay for years. The commanders are all relatives of Lee Jo-hun. They have no talent and only rose to power by virtue of their kinship."

"With only a few thousand troops, we can easily capture Gwangju."

Zu Ting’s trip was not in vain. He quickly took out a thick memorial from his arms and handed it to Liu Taozi respectfully.

"This is what I saw and heard when I traveled to Guangzhou, and there is also a corresponding topographical map. My lord, you can take a look at it."

Liu Taozi immediately looked through it.

Gwangju is the former Donglai County and Jiaodong State, plus many cities in Dianqi County.

It is indeed a wealthy province in the Central Plains.

But looking at Zu Ting's manuscripts, this governor was indeed not a very human being.

In the past, when the government was in Ye, he could still restrain himself a little and did not dare to go too far. But after Liu Taozi started the rebellion, he completely let himself go, and his means of making money were astonishing.

He began to collect taxes on his own, set up new taxes privately, and levied taxes repeatedly, forcing the people to death. He not only forced the farmers, he even required officials to pay tributes to him, and to give money to the government for doing things for them. This was a return to the middle period of the previous dynasty. Of course, merchants were also one of his targets of persecution. He forced the merchants to not dare to dock at the original port.
The more Liu Taozi looked, the colder his expression became. The corner of his left eye suddenly twitched and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes.

He accepted the letter.

"Well, I see."

"What do you think, Prince?"

Wang Lin was a little surprised at this moment. Weren't they supposed to discuss the navy? How come they were talking about attacking Gwangju?
He replied: "General, what the grandfather said makes some sense, but as I said just now, even if Guangzhou can meet many conditions, it will take a long time to build warships. Taking Guangzhou can at most shorten this time. If the general thinks it is okay, then I am willing to take care of this matter. If the general is anxious to see the results."

Zu Ting interrupted him for the second time, "Prince, I can actually handle the warship issue."

Wang Lin couldn't help himself this time, "Grandpa, are you going to conjure up a warship out of thin air?"

"Don't be angry, my lord."

"This warship is indeed troublesome to build, but we can just buy a ready-made one."

"purchase???"

"Grandfather?? Where are you going to buy the warship??"

"If you dare to buy, who dares to sell?!"

(End of this chapter)