Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 327 Send troops to defeat the puppet Hu in the north!
Jiankang, Taiji Hall.

The new emperor Chen Xu sat on the throne. Two months ago, Emperor Chen Qian passed away. Chen Xu officially ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Taijian.

During these two months, Chen Xu was busy with tedious rituals and appeasement work.

Chen Xu was not a mediocre person. He was valued by Chen Qian, so he obviously had some talents.

After he came to power, he rewarded many former ministers and promoted many talented young people. He then used these young people to share the power in the hands of the old ministers. Many important ministers who had originally followed Chen Qian now returned to their hometowns with full rewards, which was good for everyone.

After gradually gaining some power in the government, Chen Xu hurriedly summoned his favorite generals.

He was about to start the Northern Expedition.

Xu Du, Wu Mingche, Huang Fachi, Pei Ji and other generals sat around him, all with solemn expressions.

Chen Xu looked at these people and said slowly: "Before the late emperor passed away, he told me that the reason why he let me inherit the great cause was because the bandits were so aggressive and could not be stopped."

"He told me to march north as quickly as possible to strengthen our country and fight against the two bandits."

"At present, the Northern Hu territory is in chaos, the emperor is trapped in Jinyang, and the people south of the river are ruling their own territories and no longer obey the imperial edicts."

"The officials under the Hu people are cruel and vicious, greedy, corrupt, and have no fighting spirit. This is the time for our dynasty to conquer the north and make achievements."

"I have previously summoned important officials to discuss this matter with them. Most of them are against it and think that we should not start a war rashly. There are very few supporters. What do you think?"

"I hope Your Majesty will not listen to the slander of these bastards!"

The old general Xu Du spoke. Xu Du had a lot of experience. He had been under Chen Baxian's command when Chen Baxian was the Sima of Jiaozhou. It can be said that he participated in all the wars from the founding to the establishment and then to the consolidation of the Chen Dynasty, without missing a single one.

When Chen Qian met him, he would always stand up and greet him first.

This is the extent of my qualifications and achievements.

The old general had a hot temper and his eyes were sparkling. He looked at Chen Xu and said bluntly: "Most of the important officials summoned by Your Majesty have unspeakable secrets!"

"They have violated the laws of the court many times and have been trading with the barbarians in the north without permission!"

"Privately purchasing war horses, and then keeping them at home as a tool to show off to others!"

"They also organized merchant ships to sell large quantities of food!"

"Now is the best time to march north!"

"There are not many capable governors in the Qi territory south of the river, and they have no commander-in-chief. Lou Rui can lead an army in battle, but he cannot lead several armies in battle!"

"The only person I'm afraid of is Liu Taozi of Hebei. However, our military action was sudden. Even if Liu Taozi wanted to stop us, he wouldn't be able to come in a short time. Moreover, the governors of various places might not be willing to let him come to support us."

"This is a great opportunity that will allow us to take several states for free. If we still hesitate to act, then what's the difference between us and cowards?"

"The ministers dissuaded us because they were afraid of delaying their business!!"

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!"

Xu Du's voice was loud and clear, and his tone showed that he did not take the old ministers in the temple seriously at all.

The other generals listened to Xu Du's words and nodded, all thinking it made sense.

It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There was civil strife in Qi, the government had lost control, and everywhere was in chaos. These so-called governors and generals were dumber than each other, and only a few of them could fight.

When Chen Xu listened to Xu Du's words, he suddenly felt shaken.

His original idea was to let Wu Mingche lead 30,000 troops to try to capture several major cities on the other side of the river as a bridgehead for future attacks.

But after hearing what Xu Du said, Chen Xu suddenly felt that he was still a little conservative.

He couldn't help but ask, "General, how many troops do you think should be sent for the Northern Expedition?"

"Two hundred thousand."

Xu Du said calmly: "Two hundred thousand troops, divided into three routes, attack the states along the coast, advance steadily, kill the main culprit, and appease the others."

"The Northern Expeditions in the past always failed. This is because they always wanted to take back all the territories at once. Even if they gained an advantage in the early stage, they were worried that they would lose their footing and be defeated by the enemy. Therefore, they kept advancing, which eventually led to defeat and all the gains in the early stage were lost."

“It’s different now.”

"The Northern Hu basically have no ability to fight back."

"Except for the Jinyang troops and the border troops, the rest of the Hu army has little combat effectiveness."

"We will advance step by step with an army of 200,000, set detailed goals, and take over the entire Central Plains in five or even ten years."

Xu Du analyzed the situation. Although Xu Du had an impatient personality, he was very steady in fighting a war and the strategy he proposed was relatively conservative, attacking one city, ruling one city, and then attacking another city.

All the generals agreed with Xu Du's previous proposal, but they had different opinions on this point.

Huang Fachu retorted: "Old General, our purpose of conquering the North is to enhance our national strength. If we fight as you said, it will be a long-term battle. The army will be on the front line all the time, maybe for several years. How much will it cost? This is not enhancing our national strength, it is weakening it."

"Instead of doing this, it would be better to first concentrate our forces on conquering the big states, then set up a branch office to consolidate our rule, and then use this place as the core to attack smaller forces in the surrounding areas."

"Two hundred thousand troops are too many. If we don't have the intention of conquering the entire Central Plains, we can't send out two hundred thousand troops. Otherwise, we will not be able to make ends meet. I think we can send out one hundred thousand troops and take Qin, Guang, He, He, and Jiang as the five states that must be taken. We must capture these five states and then set up defenses."

Wu Mingche also has a different opinion.

Everyone talked about it.

Chen Xu was very happy. He was not afraid of everyone talking, but he was afraid that everyone would not talk.

The generals went to the Taiji Hall for four consecutive days, discussing the Northern Expedition every day.

But on the fifth day, a piece of news disrupted their discussions.

A spy arrived and brought the latest news from the north.

Liu Taozi, the great general of the Hu people, led his troops south and was attacking Qingzhou.

The generals immediately stopped arguing.

They believed that this was a sign that Liu Taozi was preparing to take over the southern part of Qi. Whoever came would take these pigs and dogs in the south of Qi. Now it was a competition of speed, and they absolutely could not let Liu Taozi get ahead of them.

Everyone quickly reached a consensus.

Chen Xu appointed Wu Mingche as the commander-in-chief with 60,000 troops to attack Qin County. He appointed Huang Fachu as the commander-in-chief with 40,000 troops to attack Liyang. He appointed Xu Du as the general commander with 40,000 troops to attack Tongyang.

Faced with the emperor's urgent decision to launch a northern expedition, many domestic officials expressed their opposition.

However, Chen Xu had the support of his generals, so he ignored these people. He immediately began to mobilize and used all national strength to carry out this first Northern Expedition.

More than one hundred thousand troops gathered in Jiankang continuously. The Southern Kingdom was ready to start the massive Northern Expedition.

Qi, Guangzhou.

Gwangju is full of greenery. Even on both sides of the official road, there are tall green trees. From time to time, you can see various animals roaming on both sides of the official road.

Liu Taozi led the mandrill camp towards the direction of Gwangju government.

After Wang Lin took over the government seat, the so-called Qingguang Front collapsed immediately. Generals and civil officials at all levels gave up resistance and chose to flee.

Liu Taozi easily passed through the defense line and continued to rush towards the government office.

Along the way, what I saw the most were the dead.

The dead were hiding on the roadside or in the distant mountains and forests. Some were still trying to move south. Fleeing people could be seen everywhere in the state.

Yan Heita was wearing a mask, and his expression could not be seen. He said unhappily, "It's still the same."

"It was like this in Hebei at the beginning. Except for Dingzhou, people from many places fled."

"It's still like this now. The lord never massacres the people and comforts the people everywhere. But these people just run away, keep running away, and insist on sending themselves to death."

"When we arrived in Qingzhou, they ran to Guangzhou to die. When we came to Guangzhou, they were ready to go south to die again."

Liu Taozi tilted her head slightly and heard the anger in Yan Heita's words. Although he didn't say it explicitly, his implication was that he treated these dead people as fools.

Liu Taozi looked at the mountains and forests in the distance and said, "There are many people hiding in that mountain."

"They have been hiding for decades, and the government of these states has sent soldiers to suppress them every year."

"For decades, no matter how much the government pardoned or rewarded them, they were unwilling to come down. Do you know why?"

"I don't know."

"Because the government used this method to trick them down and kill them in the beginning." Liu Taozi said softly: "In recent years, the government has never kept its word, and after the battle, it allowed the soldiers to plunder. These have become bad habits. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

"Let's not talk about how much these people know. Even if they heard that I would not massacre the city, I'm afraid they wouldn't dare to believe it."

"If one day, the people in that mountain forest put down their bows and arrows and go down the mountain to start farming, it means that the world has been well governed."

Yan Heita seemed to be thinking about something.

After Liu Taozi passed through the defense line, he was not in a hurry to occupy the other cities. These matters were handled by Zu Ting in the rear.

The main culprit in the government office has not yet been dealt with.

His original intention of leading his troops here this time was just to seize half of Qingzhou and the entire Guangzhou from Qi.

Gwangju will become the largest naval base under his command in the future and serve as the core for future southward advances.

The war has basically come to an end at this point.

After dealing with those people in Guangzhou and appointing officials, Liu Taozi had to go back.

The enemy that is most frequently fighting with the Taozi regime at present is the Turks in the north, and Liu Taozi cannot be absent there.

Liu Taozi marched very quickly. The people he met along the way dodged and fled screaming. In just three days, Liu Taozi led his troops to Ye County.

Wang Lin had already brought the captives out to greet them.

Wang Lin was dressed neatly, and the soldiers behind him held up the flag high.

On the right side of the road, there were hundreds of people kneeling and tied up.

The leader was the Gwangju governor Li Zuxun.

Even his wife, Cui, was also tied up and knelt beside her husband.

They have lost their former glory, their hair is disheveled, and they smell bad.

"Greetings, my lord!!"

Wang Lin walked up quickly and greeted Liu Taozi, who patted the impatient Heifeng under his crotch.

The Blue Lion had fought in too many battles and was covered in wounds. Besides, it was very old. Liu Taozi didn't want to see it die on the battlefield, so he changed its mount. Originally, he wanted to use White Fang's offspring, but several of White Fang's offspring could not withstand Liu Taozi who was wearing heavy armor.

Finally, Zu Ting presented a war horse to Liu Taozi. Zu Ting did not say where he got it from, but it was the Black Wind that Liu Taozi was riding now.

Black Wind is not as tall as the Green Lion, but it is strong, with muscles that are particularly distinct and clearly visible, strong and thick. Its temper is much more violent than that of the Green Lion, and it can't help but get angry once a stranger approaches.

Liu Taozi got off the horse and helped Wang Lin up.

Wang Lin captured the city extremely quickly this time, without even many casualties, which proved his ability.

Liu Taozi said softly: "The prince is really good at fighting."

Wang Lin blushed a little, and he shook his head quickly, "My Lord, you are too kind. To be honest, I have no intention of fighting here."

Wang Lin couldn't explain it too clearly.

The main reason is that the enemy is too weak.

In the entire Qi State, the only troops capable of fighting were the Jinyang soldiers, the Heluo soldiers, the Baibao soldiers, and some border soldiers.

The rest were just there to make up the numbers, especially the local troops, which were in a terrible state.

No matter whether it is the commander at the top or the executors in the middle, they are all useless idiots.

Wang Lin felt that beating these people would not prove himself at all. Even if he won, he would feel ashamed for fighting with such people.

Liu Taozi probably understood what he meant and did not say anything more. He looked at the captives in the distance.

Wang Lin signaled to his soldiers, and immediately someone pushed one of them out and made him kneel in front of Liu Taozi.

Li Zuxun raised his head tremblingly and looked at the extremely tall figure in front of him.

He hadn't reacted yet and had no idea how he had lost to the other party.
He raised his head and gave an extremely flattering smile.

"Great General, my dear brother, Li Zuqin, is under your command. He is in the Xingtai. Do you remember him?"

Liu Taozi just looked at him. "You come from a rich family and you live a rich life. How can you be so greedy? The taxes here are many times higher than those collected by the government. You have ruined such a rich place and left it with corpses everywhere. You even want to tax spring planting? What are you thinking?"

Li Zuxun looked around in fear, but could not find anyone who could answer his question.

He could only lower his head and said heavily:
"I know I was wrong!!"

Wang Lin added: "This Li Zuxun has no talent and is weak. It is really unbelievable that his wife is the one managing such a great state."

Only then did Liu Taozi look at the only woman among the prisoners.

The sergeant brought her along.

"Please spare my life, my king! Please spare my life, my king!"

She just kept begging for mercy and kowtowing, and she was so scared that she was like a sieve.

Liu Taozi shook his head and signaled to the soldiers around him.

"He will be beheaded in public tomorrow."

"only!!"

All that was heard was Cui screaming, and then she fainted, and Li Zuxun broke down and cried.

Liu Taozi ignored them and followed Wang Lin into the city.

The city was dilapidated and the roads were in disrepair.

They arrived at the government office, and the courtyard was filled with all kinds of treasures. These were Wang Lin's spoils, presented to Liu Taozi.

After sitting down in the lobby, Wang Lin started talking about his gains.

"This group of people may not be good at other things, but they are really good at amassing wealth. I have employed nearly a hundred people to count the food, money and other supplies found in the government office, and we still haven't been able to finish counting them."

"They had six storehouses inside and outside the city, where they kept their own money, grain, and other things."

"They live in a large house in the west of the city. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary house, but inside, it has been greatly modified and filled with grain, like a small mountain."

Wang Lin asked someone to take out the inventory book and report everything to Liu Taozi.

Ever since Wang Lin was defeated by Chen Baxian, his identity has always been very special no matter where he stays. After all, he used to be a prince, and no one dared to trust him too much. After taking the city this time, he took away too many things, and Wang Lin didn't want Liu Taozi to misunderstand him.

With the wealth accumulated by these two people, they can really do great things here.

Wang Lin didn’t know how they accumulated all the money. It seemed that all the money in Gwangju appeared in their house.

Liu Taozi then sent people to take over the food and other items, and rewarded the meritorious soldiers.

There is no need to say much about Wang Lin, but under Liu Taozi's command, the one who beheaded the most people was Shi Wansui. Liu Taozi promoted this guy to a higher rank and he continued to serve as an officer in the Mandrill Camp.

The follow-up troops arrived one after another, and Liu Taozi did not send out orders to other places. He sent his knights to join forces with the follow-up troops to capture the remaining cities in Gwangju.

The only ones who were willing to surrender to Liu Taozi were the officers among the county soldiers. The rest of the officials and the big families were unwilling to surrender the city. However, the combat effectiveness of their troops was far inferior to that of Liu Taozi, and there was no chance of stopping him at all.

Just when Liu Taozi was about to take full control of Guangzhou, Zu Ting hurried to Ye County.

He came in a hurry and rushed over without even finishing his business in Qingzhou.

He brought some not-so-good news.

"My lord, the Southern Kingdom has sent troops to attack various states, with a total of more than 100,000 troops. It seems that they want to take over Lianghuai and other places in one fell swoop!"

Zu Ting sat next to Liu Taozi, holding an urgent report in his hand, and hurriedly recounted the matter of the Chen State's military expedition.

Wang Lin sat opposite him, listening to his words, his brows furrowed more and more.

Zu Ting said: "Lou Da Wang has led his troops to the front, but he has less than 10,000 soldiers. If the soldiers from all the counties are added together, they can barely reach 100,000. However, these county soldiers have no fighting power, while the southerners are all elite. I am afraid that Lou Da Wang will be unable to stop them. The southern states and counties will fall into the hands of the southerners!"

"Your Majesty should gather the army to garrison Gwangju as soon as possible. I don't think they will stop here and may continue their northern expedition. Yu, Yan, Qing, Xu and Guang will all be their targets!!"

"We really can't compete at the moment!"

(End of this chapter)