Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 342 How to escape?
It seemed that he saw the anger in Duan Shao's eyes.

Zhang Siyan said seriously: "That's not the intention. The general once told us that if the situation is so critical that we need to see you, we must tell the truth."

“We told them the truth.”

"The Great Zhou has just experienced a war and has not been able to attack with a large army for several years. The Chen people fought against Liu Taozi and were defeated miserably. Perhaps the general does not know that the southern general Wu Mingche has been killed by Liu Taozi. Huang Fachu and Xu Du fought bloody battles with Liu Taozi around Liyang and other places. They were unable to retreat to the south safely and were chased by Liu Taozi all the way. Now they are fighting near Luozhou. We even need to send local troops to help them in order to slightly curb Liu Taozi's arrogance."

"And the current situation in Jinyang is also clear at a glance. Liu Taozi is gradually encroaching on Bingzhou."

"How many of Bingzhou's cities are left now? How much food is left?"

"When the city is officially out of food and the army can no longer survive, he will send people to persuade us to surrender. Even the Grand Marshal will not be able to stop him. By then, these tens of thousands of elite Jinyang soldiers will all be in Liu Taozi's hands. Liu Taozi can easily go south and seize the entire Qi State."

"By that time, even if Zhou and Chen join forces, I'm afraid they won't be able to stop him."

"My general has always believed that Liu Taozi is the biggest threat to the three countries. If the Grand Marshal does not want to see Qi destroyed, he should join forces with us. We will not seize Qi's cities or land, and will do our best to help Qi settle down south of the river. When the time comes, the three parties will join forces, and you can be the commander-in-chief. Together we will attack Liu Taozi and destroy him in Hebei!"

Duan Shao still had disdain in his eyes, "Jinyang is surrounded by enemies. Do you want me to leave with the emperor, tens of thousands of troops, and their families?"

"The Jinyang soldiers have lived here for a long time, and their families are also here. Do you think it's easy to bring so many people back to the south of the river?"

"As soon as my army leaves the city, it will retreat due to lack of food and fodder."

Zhang Siyan laughed, "These are not problems. As long as the Grand Marshal is willing to join forces, my general can solve these problems. You may not know that my general is now on the other side of the Fen River, watching this place."

"Liu Taozi is in the south, and the new army under his command has not been trained yet. There are two armies that can fight. One is in Hengzhou, led by Huluguang, and the other is in Ling, led by Gao Changgong."

"As long as the Grand Marshal is willing to leave, the Turks in the north will immediately fight with Hulugu. Once Hulugu wins some battles, he will continue to attack and charge. He will chase them away, and it will be difficult for them to come to support. As for Gao Changgong, he is too far away, so even if he wants to rescue him, he is powerless. What's more, we can send people to put pressure on him so that he dare not send troops easily."

"What we have to deal with are only the enemy's armies in Bingzhou and Shuozhou."

"The Bingzhou Army is still in training and cannot possibly fight the Jinyang Army. As for the Shuozhou Army, with more than 10,000 men, they can fight. However, can the thief general Yao Xiong stop you and my general?"

"Once you can reach Heluo, you will have Dugu Yongye there to rely on. By then, you will establish a country in the south, with so much food and grass supply, tens of thousands of elite soldiers under your command, and with the help of us and the State of Chen, you will be able to rise quickly. The three of us can join forces to destroy Liu Taozi."

Peach, Shuozhou, Yangqu.

Gao Yanzong walked happily in front.

The distance was full of lush greenery, and the road became flatter and flatter. Quite a few farmers and woodcutters could be seen standing in the distance, looking at them curiously.

The paths extending from both sides of the road lead deep into the dense forest, where you can see smoke rising from cooking.

Those are all brand new villages.

In the distance, you can hear the shepherds singing, their voices mixed with the wind and gently drifting towards this place.

Gao Yanzong felt the breeze blowing towards him and felt that he was getting further and further away from the evil behind him. He was truly happy both physically and mentally.

Gao Yan was walking in the middle of them. He had been in poor health recently, so he did not ride a horse but took a carriage.

Even though the weather was not that cold, he was still wrapped up tightly.

He just looked around stupidly.

As they got further away from Jinyang and closer to the enemy, the changes and contrasts in the situation became more and more obvious.

It has become difficult to distinguish between orthodoxy and rebellion.

Everything he encountered seemed a little unfamiliar, even though it was just a very peaceful countryside scenery. Gao Yan thought about it and realized that it was because he had not seen such a peaceful countryside for many years.

Beside Gao Yanzong, there was a minor official, who was a postman under Taozi and was responsible for leading the way for these people.

Gao Yanzong then pulled him aside and asked him questions, constantly trying to find out all kinds of information, just like a subordinate of Wei Xiaokuan.

"Now Yangqu belongs to Shuozhou? What about Sizhou? What about Xianzhou?"

"They were all allocated to Shuozhou."

"So big? Why?"

"I don't know about that."

“So how many states are there now?”

"Eleven."

“Recently, there is a new Gwangju.”

"Didn't they say Qizhou was also taken down?"

"All of them were allocated to Qingzhou."

"Such a large state, it's amazing, really amazing."

Gao Yanzong smiled and nodded, not knowing what the "awesome" he was talking about was.

The crowd walked forward for a distance, and finally, they came towards a large group of people, surrounded by many officials. These officials were all riding horses, none of them were in cars, and most of them were not very old.

When the two sides met, the clerk hurriedly reminded Gao Yanzong, "These are the officials of Shuozhou government office."

Gao Yanzong rode on his war horse and began to fall into deep thought.

Should I dismount and surrender, or should I reveal my identity directly?
Just as he was thinking, the group of people on the opposite side stopped first, and then a group of people quickly dismounted and walked over.

The people behind Gao Yanzong also got off their horses and cars at this moment.

Gao Xiaoyu limped out of the car and touched his thigh. The wound had almost healed, but because he had kicked his brother before, the wound was torn again, so he returned to the car again.

He looked at Gao Yanzong, who was standing between the two sides and had not dismounted from his horse, and his face turned pale. "Why don't you get off your horse? Do you think you are here to lead the troops to capture Shuozhou?!"

Gao Yanzong uttered an "oh", quickly dismounted from his horse and stood beside his brother.

Everyone centered around Gao Yan.

Things have come to this point, and no matter how reluctant Gao Yan is, there is no way for him to go back. He can only bite the bullet and take the initiative to step out and go to pay his respects.

"Tian Zili, the governor of Shuozhou, pays homage to the King of Pingyang!"

Gao Yan had only taken two steps when he heard the most familiar voice.

Gao Yan was stunned for a moment, and asked in astonishment: "Has Zi Li already started to take charge of Shuozhou?"

Tian Zili took the lead and led all the officials to pay homage to him.

Gao Yan quickened his pace, walked up to Tian Zilii and helped him up.

Tian Zili looks very imposing nowadays.

He was wearing an official uniform and had a tight beard that extended out a little and curled slightly forward. His face was calm and his eyes were peaceful. He really looked like a provincial governor.

Gao Yan looked at him and couldn't help laughing, "Being a governor really makes things different."

Many years ago, Gao Yan served as the governor of Shuozhou, and Tian Zilie served as the chief secretary to assist him. The two got along very well, had a clear division of labor, and did a lot of things.

After not seeing each other for many years, they met again and both of them had changed a lot.

Tian Zili looked at Gao Yan, who had suddenly become old and hunched, and didn't even dare to recognize him.

I still remember the gentle and graceful elder, but now he is wrinkled and looks like all the energy has been drained out of him.

When Gao Yan saw Tian Zili again, he even forgot about the people behind him and the purpose of his visit. He skillfully held Tian Zili's hand and said, "Shuozhou, the former Shuozhou, are you okay?"

"great."

"What about the Jizhou people we accepted in the past?"

"After the resettlement was completed, three new cities were built, and post houses were built along the way. Near Zhaoyuan alone, there were more than 20 villages, and there were fireworks everywhere."

"What about the road over at Xiqingshan? They've always said they were going to build it."

"It was repaired last year. Now there is a horse farm there, with more than 600 official horses."

The two of them were like old friends who had met after a long separation, and they talked enthusiastically about things happening in various places.

Just as Gao Yanzong was about to step forward to speak, Gao Xiaoyu stopped him and glared at him fiercely.

Gao Yanzong retreated behind them.

Gao Yan became happier and happier as he spoke, and all his previous sadness and pain disappeared without a trace. As he was talking, Gao Yan suddenly remembered that he had several nephews, and he quickly took Tian Zili's hand and looked at the nephews in front of him.

"This is Henan Prince Gao Xiaoyu, this is Hejian Prince Gao Xiaowan, and this is Ande Prince Gao Yanzong."

Several people met Tian Zili one by one.

Tian Zili also introduced the officials behind him. After the two sides exchanged greetings, they walked towards the city together.

Gao Yan no longer had the heart to pay attention to his nephews. He chatted loudly with Tian Zilie about interesting stories about Shuozhou in the past, laughing so hard that he fell backwards. For a moment, it seemed as if he had returned to the past.

Gao Yanzong was stunned. He didn't dare to look for his eldest brother, so he walked slowly beside his third brother.

"Third brother, why does it look like he tied us up?"

Gao Xiaowan was tall and strong, had a loud and powerful voice, was also able to lead troops in battle, and had a personality quite similar to that of Gao Yanzong.

When He Shikai was in power, this guy was the only one who dared to offend him openly. He has always had a good relationship with Gao Rui.

"It wasn't easy for my uncle either. When he was in Jinyang, every day felt like a year. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid none of us would be alive today."

"what??"

"I'm protecting him!"

"you?"

Gao Xiaowan glanced at Gao Yanzong and said, "The soldiers under your command were all given by Duan Shao. When you arrive in Jinyang, what will you use to protect your uncle?"

"You fool, don't you know that the emperor hates those traitorous princes very much, especially my fourth brother."

"Why?"

"After hearing that someone told this guy about my fourth brother's military achievements, he wanted to issue an imperial decree to recall him. However, his decree was never heard back. He thought that my fourth brother had killed his messenger."

"Oh, madman."

Gao Yanzong cursed in a low voice.

Gao Xiaowan continued, "Then he wanted to kill a few of us to vent his anger. He summoned Xiaoyu to the palace, poured him wine, and wanted to get him drunk before murdering him. There was a general in the palace who was very close to me, and he told me about this."

Gao Yanzong's eyes widened. He knew nothing about this matter.

Gao Xiaowan continued, "I led people to the palace to pick him up, but to my surprise, my uncle had already taken him away."

"My uncle has frequent contacts with Duan Shao, and the emperor dares not touch him."

"Then he invited me to go hunting again, and my uncle sent me to inspect the towers outside the city, so that we could not meet."

"Also, why did your uncle suddenly ask you to go find Duan Shao and ask him for advice on military tactics?"

"Isn't it just to get Duan Shao to be your backer?"

"And the matter of the military sticks. If uncle hadn't arrived in time, it wouldn't have been just 100 military sticks, it would have been 200 or more."

As Gao Xiaowan said this, many of the confusions in Gao Yanzong's mind were suddenly cleared up. So that's it!
"I'm not protecting him, he's protecting me??"

Gao Xiaowan ignored this little brother who didn't like to use his brain.

Tian Zilie invited a few people into the city, but there was no special reception place in the city, so he could only hold a small banquet in the county government office.

The food was not too much, and Gao Yanzong sat happily aside, watching the servants coming in and out.

"Why hasn't the wine been served yet?"

"No alcohol."

"what??"

Gao Yanzong looked frustrated, Gao Yan said with a smile: "Why put on such a face? If you really want to drink, then hurry up and make achievements. Take down an outer city. Then you can drink after you have ruled it!"

After they had eaten some food, Tian Zili looked around and asked in a low voice, "My king, was there anything unusual in the city before you left?"

Gao Yan looked confused, "No, it's just like usual, but what happened?"

"The emperor is dead, and Langya Prince Gao Yan ascends the throne."

"what?!"

Gao Yan's face was full of astonishment. It took them a long time to cross the front line where the two sides met. The Jinyang soldiers here were the elite arranged by Duan Shao. They had no place to go and had escaped temporarily. If they were discovered, they would be caught. They were few in number and could not break through so many Jinyang soldiers. It was Gao Yanzong who took the lead and led them around to find a gap. Gao Yanzong left first and contacted Liu Taozi's people before the rest of the people were able to pass safely.

Therefore, they were completely unaware of what had happened during this period.

The other members of the royal family were also stunned at this moment, except Gao Yanzong, who clapped his hands and shouted, "Is he really dead?!"

"died."

"Okay, how did he die?"

"It is said that he died of worry after being abandoned by Duan Shao. He must have been poisoned."

"Damn it, what a pity! He should be torn into pieces!"

Gao Yanzong cursed loudly.

Gao Xiaoyu and Gao Xiaowan looked at each other, and there was a hint of joy in the eyes of the two brothers.

This is a good thing.

Only Gao Yan could not believe it when he heard that Duan Shao had deposed the emperor and enthroned a new one.

"Duan Shao? How is this possible?"

"I heard that Gao Wei wanted to assassinate Duan Shao in the palace, but failed."

Gao Yan immediately shut his mouth. He believed what she said. It was something the little emperor could do.

Tian Zili frowned, "In fact, the more important thing is not just Jinyang, but also the Pseudo-Zhou."

"What does this have to do with the Pseudo-Zhou?"

"Could it be possible that the Grand Marshal could go and surrender to the Pseudo-Zhou?"

Tian Zili hurriedly said, "Wei Jiong, the governor of Bingzhou, sent someone to inform us that a lot of Zhou soldiers suddenly gathered on the other side of the Fen River, and scouts openly entered their defense line and fought with them. This place is not suitable for a large army to advance. In normal battles, the enemy either comes from Wuchuan or Heluo. This is obviously another conspiracy. Not only Bingzhou, but also Shuozhou has recently captured many spies."

"It's been a long time since Wei Xiaokuan has released so many spies. This makes us even more worried. The Turks in the north are starting to make moves again."

"I suspect that the Pseudo-Zhou may be trying to contact the Grand Marshal and want to attack us together."

"impossible."

Gao Yan shook his head again and said seriously, "I remember very clearly that before I left, the food in the treasury had been exhausted. There was no way to transport food and grass to the military camp. Even if we looted from the local area, I'm afraid we couldn't get enough food for the army to go out. It was not easy to stabilize the army, let alone send troops out."

"It's impossible for the pseudo-Zhou to send someone to deliver food to them, right?"

“Without food, nothing can be done.”

Tian Zili was not surprised to hear Gao Yan's words, because Tian Zili and others also knew something about the internal situation in Jinyang, and probably knew no less than Gao Yan.

But Tian Zili also had his own concerns. "At present, only the soldiers of Shuozhou can be used in the two states, but there are not many soldiers in Shuozhou after all, and they cannot be stationed in the two states at the same time. General Yao has already led his troops to Bingzhou, but we still don't quite understand what the Grand Marshal wants to do."

Gao Yanzong suddenly poked his head out and said, "They are not planning to go to Fenzhou, the Fenzhou in the past, to bypass Heluo, right?"

"Didn't some ministers say that we should flee to the south?"

Tian Zili frowned immediately. Fenzhou now belongs to Bingzhou, and the opposite side of Bingzhou is the Pseudo-Zhou, and the two are separated by a river.

Gao Xiaoyu shook his head. "It's impossible. The Jinyang soldiers will not leave. They have lived there for generations. Unless they are captured, it is impossible for them to leave Jinyang. Even Duan Shao can't let them abandon Jinyang and flee."

Gao Xiaowan also agreed with his brother's opinion. "I think this may be the pressure from the Zhou people on the border, forcing the general to return to defend earlier. After all, the Grand Marshal has no food. Whether he wants to leave or go on an expedition, he needs food. He should still be worried about the food problem. How can he lead the army to escape? If he escapes with the army, will he take the emperor with him? Will he take the harem with him? What about the officials? What about the families of the soldiers?"

"How many people can they gather? We don't have enough food to begin with. If they still dare to make trouble, we don't need to do anything. We can just wait for the Jinyang soldiers to surrender."

"What if we take nothing with us, only a small group of elite soldiers, gather some food, and run away with the emperor?"

(End of this chapter)