Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 332 Don't Let Me Down
Chen State, Jiankang.

Chen Xu sat in the main hall, looking at the battle report in front of him, and remained silent for a long time.

Several ministers were sitting in front of him, with smiles on their faces.

Almost all the ministers in the State of Chen were opposed to sending troops.

Liu Shizhi was the leader among them.

The pressure Chen Xu faced was actually quite a lot, and he was anxious to see results.

After the three armies set out, the results were indeed good. Wu Mingche captured Jiangpu and then besieged Qinzhou. Huang Fachi repeatedly defeated the enemy and captured Liyang. The next step was to capture Hefei.

The old general Xu Du also received frequent good news. He captured two cities in succession and defeated Lou Rui head-on twice.

With this series of victories, these opponents in the court gradually shut up and pretended to be unaware of the situation.

Who could have thought that just when the situation was going well and the Northern Expedition was about to be successful, Wu Mingche suddenly wrote a letter saying that the Qi general Liu Taozi might have already rushed to the south and burned his food and grass, and hoped that the court would allocate more troops.

Chen Xu clearly ordered the news to be blocked, but for some reason, within a day, the whole Jiankang was talking about it.

The Zhongshutai is no longer reliable.

Chen Xu had just come to power and was unable to fully control the various departments.

Sure enough, before dawn today, these ministers, carrying memorials, forced their way through the armored soldiers and came before Chen Xu.

The north and the south are similar in many ways, but also very different.

Because the South has a system that has been passed down from generation to generation, it has always regarded itself as the orthodox one in the world. Unfortunately, the throne inherited by these people was a little biased. What they inherited was "my Great Jin".

Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, was famous for his generosity. It is difficult to find a founding emperor in history who was more generous than him.

Therefore, the social atmosphere in the Southern Dynasty was more relaxed than that in the North, and the treatment of scholars and officials was better. In the North, the Hu people were in power, and they would slaughter you no matter whether you were from a big family or not, just like Dugu Qi who killed Zhen.

But the South is a law-abiding place, and the emperor could not arbitrarily attack these scholars and officials without a legitimate reason.

Therefore, among the scholars and officials here, there are obviously more who dare to submit criticisms than those in the north. They even regard this as a means of becoming famous.

For example, Yuan Shu who was sitting next to him.

This man was commented on by famous scholars at a very young age and became famous. Later, when his father died, he always mourned for his father and was called a filial son.

Then he became an official, and rose to the position of Shangshu Zuo Pushe.

It sounds very familiar, and after thinking about it carefully, it is damn authentic! !
Even the last name and first name are so orthodox!
There was also Kong Huan who was glaring at Chen Xu angrily. This man of perfect morals had an excellent reputation and was indeed a good person. But when Hou Jing attacked, Hou Jing's subordinates captured Kong Huan and asked him to work for them. Kong Huan said to others: How can I flatter a vicious and ugly person in order to be perfect?

But did he do anything for "Xiongchou"?
Of course I did.

Many celebrities in the South value reputation above all else. Regardless of their talent, they must make sure to show off and create as much fanfare as possible.

Liu Shizhi saluted towards Chen Xu and said, "Your Majesty, we have long ago submitted a petition, hoping that Your Majesty can temporarily stop attacking the Northern Hu."

"The country has just been pacified. Although there is plenty of food and grass, it cannot withstand such a large number of troops for a long time. Wu Mingche took away so much food, but it was destroyed by the enemy in vain."

"Let us send food again."

"With more than 100,000 troops, how much food will they consume? If this continues, famine will break out in the country. Now, almost all of the country's money and food are spent on the front line. This is wrong."

“There are many more important things to do at home.”

Chen Xu frowned, "For example, use it to repair the classics?"

Several ministers were stunned, and Kong Huan slowly said: "Classics cannot be underestimated."

"But classics cannot be used to defeat the enemy."

Chen Xu said loudly: "The current situation is very clear. Xu Du defeated Lou Rui twice, and Huang Facchus destroyed the army of Yangzhou Xingtai. Wu Mingche besieged the enemy in the city. It is enough to see that our army is very strong, and the enemy is at its weakest and cannot fight us at all. Moreover, the army has already set out. If we call it back now, how can we account for our previous expenditure?"

Liu Shizhi said, "Your Majesty, if the situation is going as smoothly as you said, how could Wu Mingche's food and grass be destroyed?"

"I heard that the Hu general Dugu Qi was really cruel, a cannibal, and fierce in battle. No one could defeat him. He was in Hebei, defeating the enemy with a small force for many years. He once killed the Turkic Khan and the famous general Yang Zhong of the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty. He led thousands of people and almost broke through Chang'an!"

"Now that this person is on the other side, how can we feel at ease?!"

After hearing what Liu Shizhi said, Chen Xu was very angry. If he had known earlier, he would have dismissed these people as well.

After he came to power, he dismissed many old ministers, but he could not move on from the top few because he could not find anyone among his own people who could reasonably replace them.

This group of people do not understand war at all and have different intentions. Many of them are afraid of delaying their business, many others think that war is bad and not conducive to the country, and some others think that the government using money on war will hinder them from making money from it.

There are all kinds of reasons, but no one considers the overall situation.

Chen Xu was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he couldn't show it.

He said calmly: "Don't be afraid, Lord Liu. Dugu Qi is really dangerous and can't get across. The river is full of our navy and no one can get across."

"Besides, the number of cavalry under his command will not exceed three thousand."

"You all are worrying too much!"

Several people were about to speak, but Chen Xu suddenly stood up and said, "I am too tired, too tired. Let's stop here today and talk about it tomorrow!"

He waved his hand without paying attention to the reactions of these people and turned away.

Several ministers looked at each other. Liu Shizhi looked a little unhappy. He whispered, "Emperor Wen should not violate the etiquette."

The people around him were a little surprised and didn't dare to respond.

Liu Shizhi narrowed his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

After returning to the bedroom, Chen Xu was finally able to relax. He changed into his underwear, sat directly on the bed, and let out a long sigh.

If we listen to these bastards in state affairs, the country will be destroyed sooner or later!

He rubbed his forehead and fell into deep thought again.

In fact, he was also a little nervous about Liu Taozi. He still remembered how confident and arrogant the envoy was when he mentioned Liu Taozi's name when the State of Qi sent him an envoy.

Even his brother had praised this man highly and thought that Liu Taozi was a famous general of the time.

He was a little worried. The generals under his command had always been fighting against the weak Qi people in the south and had never encountered the iron cavalry from the north. Would anything go wrong this time? ? ?
I hope Wu Mingche can defeat Liu Taozi and not be defeated again.

If he fails again, these people in the country will not be able to suppress him.

Just when Chen Xu was worried, the important ministers of the country left the palace. Outside the palace, many ministers were already waiting for news.

When they learned that the emperor did not listen to their advice, these people became extremely angry.

The roads in Jiankang are clean and tidy, and scholars sitting in carriages can be seen everywhere. Their clothes are different from those in the north.

The elite migrated south.

They retained their clothes and hats, but that was all they retained.

There are many Buddhist temples in the city.

Golden Buddha statues stood everywhere in the city, and scholars came in and out, chatting and laughing with the great monks.

Magnificent mansions are located around the city center.

In the outermost circle next to the city wall, there lives a group of people who are invisible to anyone. They cannot enter the center of the city, and cannot even go to the inner city to worship Buddha. Their homes are bare and leaky on three sides.

Qi'an City.

On the city wall, soldiers were patrolling back and forth.

The city had not yet been attacked by the enemy, but it had already been devastated. The moment the army entered the city, the nightmare of the people in the city, whether it was the enemy's or their own, began.

In the government office.

Lou Rui was breathing heavily and looking angrily at the officers on both sides.

Lou Rui's face flushed as he wore armor.

He was defeated by his opponent twice.

Although the enemy failed to cause him too many casualties, they managed to repel him.

At first, Lou Rui thought it over again and again and decided to target the weaker Xu Du, but the result was this situation. He was defeated twice and lost all his face.

If he met Wu Mingche, would his head have been sent to Jiankang? Lou Rui did not dare to think about this question.

He had a stern face and looked gloomily at the soldiers on his left and right.

"Everyone, many of you are the elite of Ye City. How come you are facing an old man and are unable to break through their formation again and again?!"

"How long has it been? Why has it become like this?"

He looked at those officers, these brave generals from Yecheng, all of whom had big bellies and greasy faces.

Some people couldn't even put on their armor.

This elite force that Lou Rui was so proud of had transformed itself in just over a year.

This is not only true of the officers, but also of the knights. They are no longer as brave, strong, or agile.
When the officers heard Lou Rui's questioning, they couldn't help but lower their heads.

Lou Rui became even angrier.

"Look at you guys!"

"In just one year, it has become like this. They don't know how to control their troops, they just eat, drink and have fun all day long, and some even have more than a hundred concubines. How can they still maintain their combat effectiveness?"

"Look at the troops under your command, they are just imitating others! Damn it! They can barely ride a horse, and you still have the nerve to call yourself the elite of Yecheng?!"

"What on earth do you want to do?!"

The officers looked at each other, and one of them stood up and whispered, "My king, didn't we fight for years just to enjoy wealth and luxury?"

"Bullshit! Who said that?"

Lou Rui was stunned, and his anger gradually disappeared.

He was silent for a long time and couldn't utter a word.

It was he who did not supervise these people's training, it was he who indulged the officers in having fun, and it was he who sent the soldiers to run errands and do business for him.

Am I the culprit behind all this?
Lou Rui was suddenly a little surprised.

He looked at the officers in front of him, and for a moment, he actually saw his own shadow in their faces.

This made Lou Rui panic instantly.

"No, no."

He stood up and the officers looked at him in confusion.

"Get out! Get out, everyone!"

Lou Rui waved his hand, and the officers lowered their heads and had to walk out one by one. Lou Rui slumped in his seat, his thoughts in a mess.

Soon, Lou Ziyan walked quickly into the office, holding a document.

"Father!!"

"Great news!"

“This is really great news!!”

Lou Rui looked at his son, "What?"

Lou Ziyan said excitedly: "The general is here. He led the cavalry and killed the two Chen generals. He defeated the generals of Wu Mingche and Huang Fachi successively, and even destroyed Wu Mingche's food and grass!"

Lou Rui's eyes lit up, "Taozi? Taozi is here?"

"Yes, father! We are saved!"

Hearing this, Lou Rui's face changed drastically and he suddenly pushed his son away. Lou Ziyan lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"What do you mean by saved?! If it weren't for him, would I die here?!"

"I can't defeat Xu Du? I can't defeat Huang Fachu?"

Lou Rui suddenly became excited. "I have been with my uncle since I was ten years old. I could ride a horse and fight when I was fourteen. I became a general before I was twenty. I participated in so many battles and defeated many famous generals. I..."

Lou Ziyan sat on the ground, watching Lou Rui vent, looking at him in horror.

Lou Rui said this excitedly, then suddenly stopped and slumped down in his seat again.

"How did I become like this? I can't even beat Xu Du. So many elite soldiers were turned into useless people under my command. I..."

“How did I become so incompetent?”

Lou Ziyan stood up slowly, "Father, the enemy has a lot of troops, and most of the local generals have surrendered to the enemy and are familiar with us. This is not your fault."

Lou Rui fell silent again, and Lou Ziyan did not dare to persuade him anymore.

After a long time, Lou Rui seemed to have recovered. He looked at Lou Ziyan and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good."

"You are right. Now that Taozi is here, I can rest assured. Taozi is the most famous general in the Great Qi Dynasty. How can Wu Mingche be his opponent?"

"The southerners are weak and have never been a match for the northerners. Back then, Hou Jing was beaten by us in the north and fled everywhere. He led a few hundred people to the south, killed the emperor, and almost flattened the southern kingdom."

“This is the gap between the north and the south!”

"These people in the south all like to dress up. The generals don't act like generals. They can't wait to put flowers in their hair and put on powder. I hate people like this the most."

"Just watch, these people will die at Taozi's hands sooner or later!"

Lou Rui pondered for a moment and said, "However, Taozi has few soldiers. I am afraid he will be attacked from both sides. How about this? We will not fight Xu Du. We will make a feint attack to threaten Huang Fachi so that he will not dare to lead his troops to attack Taozi easily."

"I can still hold on. As long as I give Taozi enough time, he will be able to defeat them one by one!"

Lou Rui looked at the wine jug beside him, suddenly grabbed it and smashed it to pieces.

"From today on, alcohol and sex are prohibited in the army. Soldiers from top to bottom are not allowed to have fun. The entire army must practice drills and hone their formations. Anyone who dares to disobey will be executed!!!"

Jiangpu.

Wu Mingche's tens of thousands of troops were stationed here. The camps were connected to each other, surrounding the city in the middle. The scale was actually much larger than the city.

An army of more than 50,000 people, plus auxiliary troops and temporarily conscripted civilians, was a huge force.

A letter was sent from Jiankang, which was the emperor's personal letter.

Chen Xu expressed his understanding of Wu Mingche. After all, no one expected Liu Taozi to suddenly appear here. He hoped that Wu Mingche would not blame himself for the failure. He would find a way to deliver food and supplies as soon as possible. He also advised him not to have any pressure and hoped that he could go all out.

After reading the letter, Wu Mingche was speechless for a long time.

He picked up the map again and began to look at it.

Following the latest news, Liu Taozi was about to meet up with Lou Rui.

Lou Rui's troops have already begun to move, and Huang Fachi is sending people to various places to prevent the two from reuniting.

Wu Mingche felt that if Liu Taozi and Lou Rui wanted to join forces, it would be best for everyone to join forces as well and defeat them with the advantage of military strength.

Just as Wu Mingche was looking through the map.

"Boom~~~"

Suddenly there was a loud noise outside.

The entire ground began to tremble, as if hundreds of thousands of troops were charging towards them. The candle on the table suddenly fell down and almost burned Wu Mingche.

Wu Mingche quickly stood up and walked to the door.

"What happened?!"

"General!!"

"Chushui River!! The Chushui River has burst its banks!!"

(End of this chapter)