Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 336 The world has been bitter for a long time
Jiankang.

It was not yet fully light, but low crying sounds could be heard outside the door.

The crying became louder and louder, gradually sweeping across the entire street.

The door of the mansion was gently pushed open, and the two soldiers at the door turned around immediately.

The person who opened the door was a young man, who was obviously dressed differently from the southerners. He looked around curiously, "What happened?"

The two soldiers looked at each other and said, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Please go back and rest."

The young man smiled and nodded, looked at it thoughtfully for a few seconds, closed the door, and quickly returned to the inner room.

He walked all the way into the innermost study and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in."

When the young man walked into the room, he saw a young official with extraordinary appearance sitting at the desk, holding a book in his hand and reading something.

The young man sat aside cautiously and said, "Young Grandmaster, there were cries on the street. I went out to see and found that many people in the city were mourning and crying."

The official immediately put down the book in his hand and his expression became slightly solemn.

"Could it be that the southerners have been defeated?"

The young man shook his head and did not dare to give a definite answer.

"Send someone to tell the Southern Emperor that I want to see him sooner."

"only!!"

The young man turned and left, leaving the young official alone in the room.

The young man was called Yuwen Xiaobo.

He was born into a royal family and was born on the same day and month as Emperor Yuwen Yong. Yuwen Tai was very surprised, so he took him in and raised him personally, letting him grow up together with Yuwen Yong.

Therefore, his relationship with the emperor was closer than that of brothers. After they grew up, their relationship was particularly close. When Yuwen Hu was in power, Yuwen Xiaobo helped the emperor complete liaison work many times because of his special status.

Now that Yuwen Yong is in power, he has become one of the emperor's closest confidants.

Yuwen Xiaobo slowly took out the document and began to look through it again.

This was given to him by the emperor before he went on a diplomatic mission to the southern country.

Yuwen Yong talked to him a lot and wrote something for him, instructing him on how to fulfill his mission.

Yuwen Xiaobo came here this time to form an alliance with the Chen people.

When Emperor Yuwen Yong vaguely learned that the southerners were going to go on an expedition, he sent Emperor Yuwen Xiaobo as an envoy to the State of Chen.

The think tanks under Yuwen Yong all agreed that since Liu Taozi was south of the river, it would be impossible for the Chen people to achieve their goal.

Liu Taozi would not watch the Chen people take advantage of the situation and occupy Henan.

As for the military strength of the Southerners, how should I describe it? They are indeed very good at defensive battles, but they are much worse at offensive battles, especially when they actively attack the Northerners.

His think tanks all thought that they could join forces with the Chen people. The Chen people had their advantages, and the Zhou people had their advantages. The two sides reached an agreement to attack Liu Taozi together, first kill this suddenly rising powerful enemy, and then everyone could fight to the death.

After Yuwen Xiaobo arrived, Emperor Chen Xu was not in a hurry to see him.

And if the southerner has been defeated, then he might meet with me.

Yuwen Xiaobo began to prepare to enter the palace to meet Lord Chen.

They waited from morning to night, and when it was almost dark, a soldier suddenly came to the door and asked them to go to the palace.

This is not in accordance with etiquette at all. No king of any country would receive foreign officials at this time.

The people who were on the mission were a little angry, thinking that this was a disrespect to them, but Yuwen Xiaobo was not angry. He comforted the people under his command and then followed the soldiers to the palace.

Walking on the road to Jiankang, Yuwen Xiaobo secretly looked outside.

There were countless people outside mourning.

Almost every household was crying and mourning.

The white banners hanging high at the door were terrifying.

There were some funeral processions in the distance, and Yuwen Xiaobo ordered his men to avoid them and not to collide with them.

When they arrived at the gate of the palace, Yuwen Xiaobo faintly smelled some blood.

The soldiers in the distance were looking around vigilantly as if they were facing a great enemy.

They were interrogated six times before they were allowed to enter the palace.

There was also a sense of depression inside the palace.

Yuwen Xiaobo watched all this and was almost certain that the southerners had been defeated, and they had been defeated miserably.
They met Emperor Chen Xu in the Taiji Hall.

Chen Xu sat in the upper seat, his face was livid, and there was still anger in his eyes. Even when he saw these distinguished guests from other countries, he could not force a smile on his face.

Yuwen Xiaobo hurriedly bowed and took the seat to the emperor's left.

Thinking of Yuwen Yong's instructions, Yuwen Xiaobo immediately asked, "Your Majesty, what happened outside?"

Chen Xu was silent for a moment, "In a war, there are winners and losers, it doesn't matter."

Yuwen Xiaobo shook his head and sighed, "When Liu Taozi attacked Chang'an, Chang'an was in the same situation. Every household was in mourning, crying was endless, and the streets were full of people offering sacrifices. Even His Majesty issued an edict to offer sacrifices to the soldiers who died in the battle."

When Chen Xu heard Liu Taozi's name, his expression turned even worse and he almost wanted to drive the guest away.

Yuwen Xiaobo hurriedly took out the letter from his own emperor and respectfully asked the eunuch to hand it to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu took the letter and was somewhat surprised. "You have been in Jiankang for many days. How come your Lord's letter was only delivered today?"

Yuwen Xiaobo said: "If His Majesty has not seen our intention, then there is no point in submitting the letter."

Chen Xu opened the letter and began to read.

Yuwen Yong's letters were mostly greetings, without much substance, just to build relationships.

He put down the letter and looked at Yuwen Xiaobo, "You are here because of the Northern Expedition, right?"

The Zhou people were of course opposed to the Chen people's Northern Expedition. They were also afraid that the Chen people would gain control of the Lianghuai region. The main reason was that the Lianghuai region was a place for raising horses and training cavalry. If the southerners were allowed to gain control of this area, the situation in the world would immediately be different.

There are ships in the south and horses in the north. If the south has both ships and horses, what will the people in the north do?
When the Zhou people came to the State of Chen, Chen Xu and others guessed their intentions and thought that they were trying to dissuade them from launching a northern expedition, so they did not take it seriously.

However, after the Zhou people came, they refused to leave and stayed in their own territory. Today they submitted a petition again requesting a meeting.

Only then did Chen Xu come up with the idea of ​​meeting the other party.

When Yuwen Xiaobo heard this, he immediately shook his head and said, "That's not the case."

"Whether to launch a northern expedition or not is a matter for the State of Chen. What does it have to do with us?"

"Oh?"

Chen Xu was a little surprised. He looked at Yuwen Xiaobo and asked, "Does your emperor really think so?"

Yuwen Xiaobo said seriously: "Of course my emperor thinks so. Not only does he not intend to dissuade us, he also wants to help the Chen Kingdom complete the Northern Expedition."

"Oh??"

Chen Xu was even more surprised, "How can I help?"

"Your Majesty, the world has suffered from peaches for a long time!!"

Yuwen Xiaobo's face immediately became agitated, and he said angrily: "Liu Taozi is the biggest bandit in the world!"

"This is a disloyal, unfilial, unkind and unjust traitor!"

"He is cruel by nature, he killed our generals and slaughtered our people. Even if he is the emperor of his own family, he has now been sidelined in Jinyang. He is a threat to the world and has no benefit at all!"

"My Majesty has long wanted to kill him and rid the world of this evil, but the Great Zhou has not recovered from the previous defeat. Food and grass are scarce, and the people are exhausted and unable to fight again!"

"Before I set out, His Majesty told me that Liu Taozi is greedy by nature. If the Southern Kingdom wants to take over Lianghuai, he will definitely send troops to attack. This thief is very powerful, and I am afraid that the Southern Kingdom cannot defeat him. I hope that the two families can join forces to jointly defeat him."

"If the South Kingdom lacks horses, the Great Zhou will have them. If the Great Zhou lacks food, the South Kingdom will have them. If the two join forces, the Great Zhou will use cavalry and the Great Chen will use chariots and ships. Why worry about Liu Taozi not being destroyed?"

Chen Xu listened to the other party's words, his face showed some emotion, and he looked at the eunuch beside him, "Let the envoy sit closer, don't be so rude!"

The eunuch hurriedly changed Yuwen Xiaobo's seat, and Yuwen Xiaobo sat next to Chen Xu, very close to him, to show his trust.

Chen Xu frowned and said seriously: "My failure this time is also because of the thief Liu Taozi."

"This bandit is so vicious. I want to defeat him, but I don't have enough strength. I wonder what plan Lord Zhou has?"

Yuwen Xiaobo immediately replied: "My lord believes that Liu Taozi's foundation is still weak, and he can only use the troops of three states."

“The number is less than 40,000.”

"However, he is now aggressively building military headquarters in various states. If he is allowed to train these new troops, it will be difficult to destroy him." "My lord hopes to meet with Your Majesty in the south, and both sides will swear an oath to fight against Liu Taozi together."

"In the future, we will trade with each other and learn from each other's strengths to make up for each other's weaknesses"

Chen Xu clapped his hands, "Good, very good, but I am still separated from Liu Taozi by many states and counties. If Lord Zhou can send troops to help me contain Liu Taozi and clear the obstacles so that I can face Liu Taozi directly, then we can attack Liu Taozi together and divide his territory equally."

The corners of Yuwen Xiaobo's mouth twitched and he almost cursed out loud.

You really are not polite at all.

Help you take over Henan, and then divide Hebei equally? ?
How come you think so well?
How about giving you half of the Kansai land?
Yuwen Xiaobo realized that although the emperor in front of him seemed rough and reckless, he was actually not easy to deal with.

He laughed, "My Majesty has also considered this issue."

"We are sincerely allying with you, so there is no need to tell lies."

"It's really hard to decide who owns Henan right now. If we give it to Chen, I'm afraid the generals of the Great Zhou will complain. If we divide it equally, I'm afraid they will have conflicts and start killing each other before we defeat Liu Taozi."

"The Lord of Qi is now besieged in Jinyang, existing in name only."

"Our people in Jinyang sent a letter saying that the King of Qi was not a wise ruler and was doing a lot of evil things in Jinyang. His relationship with Qi's Grand Marshal Duan Shao was getting worse and worse, and the things he did were getting more and more absurd."

"My master's intention is to find a member of the Qi royal family and re-establish the Qi State in Henan. We will support them and send people to help them build an army to deal with Liu Taozi."

"From now on, we can borrow their road and go to attack Liu Taozi."

Chen Xu narrowed his eyes. Yuwen Xiaobo's words suddenly reminded him of some very bad things.

This is also an old trick.

Northerners have always been like this!

Chen Xu smiled lightly, "It's a good idea, but who should be the emperor? Will the Qi people in Henan obey him? What about the emperor in Jinyang? What about their army? What about the ministers?"

Chen Xu asked a series of questions.

Yuwen Xiaobo did not answer, he just bowed to Chen Xu again.

"These things can naturally be discussed."

"The most urgent thing at the moment is to eliminate Liu Taozi. If you can agree to this, the selection of the emperor, including the garrison, can be based on your ideas."

Chen Xu had just gone through the two most difficult days of his life.

Even when he was detained in the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty, he didn't have such a hard time.

When it was still the Southern Liang Dynasty, Jiangling fell and Chen Xu was captured to Guanyou. He was not able to return to the State of Chen until Chen Qian ascended the throne and actively improved relations.

Those days were nothing compared to what I experienced in the past two days.

When Chen Xu learned that Wu Mingche was defeated and killed, he almost vomited blood. His Northern Expedition plan had just begun, but fifty or sixty thousand veteran soldiers were sent away just like that. This loss of national strength made Chen Xu extremely heartbroken.

After this news spread, these civil officials in the country quickly began to counterattack.

They all rushed up and used various methods to force Chen Xu to make concessions.

Some scholars even committed suicide in front of the palace to express their dissatisfaction.

The whole country was in turmoil, and Chen Xu was numb.

But the worst thing was that he couldn't even refute it in the face of such a dilemma.

It was he who decided the Northern Expedition and sent the troops, so of course he was the one who had to bear the consequences of the defeat.

At this moment, listening to the suggestions of people like the Pseudo-Zhou, Chen Xu suddenly felt moved.

If even Wu Mingche couldn't beat Liu Taozi, then he really didn't know who else could beat him. Could Huang Fachi do it? Could Xu Du do it?

He wasn't sure.

But if we can defeat these Qi people with the Zhou people first
Chen Xu did not agree to the other party directly, but he did not neglect them as he had done before. He set up a banquet to entertain these guests from the State of Zhou.

At the same time, there was no peace in Jiankang.

Linhai Palace.

The young Chen Bozong sat in the upper seat, looking at Liu Shizhi who was sitting next to him with excitement on his face.

Liu Shizhi was once a servant of Emperor Gaozu.

He also taught Chen Bochong and had a very good relationship with the former crown prince.

Chen Bozong felt very aggrieved, and at this moment he was complaining to this honest and reliable old man.

"Mr. Liu, since my uncle inherited the throne, no one has come to see me. Everyone is avoiding me. I have wanted to go out to find them several times, but the people around me advised me to stay in the mansion and not go out."

"I just wanted to go see my uncle and tell him about this, but he didn't want to see me."

"I wrote to him several times, but he didn't respond."

"I thought Mr. Liu didn't want to see me either."

Listening to the little guy's words, Liu Shizhi shook his head, "Your Highness is no longer the crown prince, so these people naturally don't want to see Your Highness."

"I do not understand."

"Your Highness, when Emperor Wen was still alive, he worked all night long and never delayed important matters. The country is what it is today because of his contributions, but now, someone is secretly undermining his achievements."

When talking about his father who is no longer alive, Chen Bochong's eyes looked a little melancholy.

"With my father gone, many things are different."

Liu Shizhi was silent for a while again. He decided to change his approach and suddenly asked, "Your Highness, are you willing to stay in this mansion and watch Emperor Wen's career end?"

When Chen Bozong heard this, he immediately became anxious and shook his head hastily, "Of course I don't want to."

"Very good, Your Highness. I need your help to accomplish an important task."

"What kind of big thing is it?"

"This is a major event to support the world, and only Your Highness can take the lead in doing this."

"Your Highness may not know yet that Wu Mingche suffered a defeat in Jiangbei, and all his years of hard work have gone to waste."

"The country is now at its most critical moment, and this matter must be resolved as soon as possible."

Chen Bozong was confused by what he heard, but when he saw Liu Shizhi's particularly solemn face, he felt a little scared, "Will this matter anger my uncle? If it will make my uncle angry, then I'd better not do it."

"Your Highness, if this is successful, you don't have to worry about His Majesty blaming you. By then, no one will be able to blame Your Highness. Your Highness can inherit the great cause of Emperor Wen and restore peace and prosperity to the Southern Kingdom."

Chen Bozong seemed to understand, so Liu Shizhi took out another letter and asked Chen Bozong to sign and seal it.

After getting this thing, Liu Shizhi quickly left here.

The officer responsible for keeping an eye on Chen Bochong has been bribed by him.

After Chen Xu came to power, he began to recruit new people on a large scale, including this time when the army was sent out to fight. All the ministers suggested that General Huang Fachi or General Chunyu Liang of the Central Guard be the commander-in-chief, but Chen Xu insisted on letting Wu Mingche take the position, saying that he was from Jiangbei and was familiar with the local area. However, Wu Mingche lost his parents at a young age and then came to the South.

Liu Shizhi already understood that Chen Xu would drive them out of the center sooner or later.

Strike first to gain the upper hand.

He decided to dethrone Chen Xu first and let Chen Bochong inherit the throne.

According to etiquette, Chen Bochong should have inherited the throne, so how could it be Chen Xu's turn?

After this guy became emperor, his true nature was exposed. He began to suppress the old men everywhere and refused to listen to advice. He insisted on launching a Northern Expedition. The good situation was ruined by his Northern Expedition plan. Many people in the country are dissatisfied with him and are ready to get rid of him.

This is a good opportunity. In the name of the former crown prince, many officials can be summoned to bring down this black sheep.

Under the cover of night, Liu Shizhi sat in the car, holding the document tightly to his body, and gradually disappeared in the distance.

After he left, a man suddenly emerged from the shadows and looked towards the palace.

A man who looked like an officer walked out quickly and bowed to the black shadow.

"how?"

"He just deceived the king and made a false edict."

“When he came out, he even wanted me to sign my name on it to show my determination to resist.”

"Did you sign your name?"

"Yes."

"Very well, you did well."

"Next, we have to wait for Liu Ze to gather all the rats together, and then we can clean them up all at once."

(End of this chapter)