Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 357 Qi Da Sima
Pseudo-Qi, Southern Qiaozhou, Qiao County.

Heavy snow fell on the city, and a foul smell emanated from the dilapidated houses along the streets.

The soldiers were walking on the road carrying carts.

The road was not very clean. As they were walking, they suddenly stopped and grabbed an arm from the snow on the side. They pulled it out and the arm was broken, but not much blood came out. They threw the arm into the car, cursed a few words, and then continued digging.

Soon, they dug out a body, picked it up and threw it into the car, then continued on their way.

Soldiers were advancing on the roads everywhere in the city.

The carts loaded with corpses were being transported out of the city.

This is always the case every winter. Many people cannot survive the cold winter and die in their houses or on the roads. The kind-hearted masters in the city are afraid that these corpses will cause diseases, so they will kindly send people to collect the bodies.

Sometimes, the soldiers would enter the yard to collect the bodies, clean them, and take away what they could.

Sometimes when they enter the hospital and there is no corpse, they will help turn the other person into a corpse and then help him clean up the mess.

Inside the governor's office.

Duan Shao held the scalding hot tea and took a sip.

Duan Shao was wearing armor, and there were many armored soldiers standing on both sides of him.

The governor Murong Ziyong knelt aside, tears in his eyes, looking very moved.

"Thanks to the timely arrival of the Grand Marshal, otherwise, I really don't know how to resist the Liu and Chen thieves."

"Earlier, Lu Qian asked me to lead the troops to help. When I was approaching Yangzhou with my army, I learned that he had been captured. I encountered the enemy's vanguard and killed more than 5,000 people. The enemy did not dare to pursue me, so I returned to Qiaozhou."

Duan Shao looked at him deeply.

"I see."

"You had a battle with Huang Fachu?"

"Yes, it's Huang Fachi's men!"

"How many people did you bring with you?"

"I brought more than 10,000 people with me."

"How many people does Huang Fachu have?"

"This seems to be a similar number of people, but the southerners are all vulnerable. After I encountered Huang Fachi, I directly ordered a fierce attack. Huang Fachi left behind half of the bodies and turned around and ran away."

Duan Shao took a few more sips of tea and didn't answer.

Murong Ziyong felt a little embarrassed. He looked at the soldiers standing around him, swallowed, and looked at Duan Shao.

"Grand Sima, I am loyal to the court."

Duan Shao finally put down the teacup in his hand. "Since you are so loyal, I ordered the governors of each state to send people to Jinyong City. Why are you unwilling to come? Where is my envoy?"

"Ah, I haven't seen your messenger here, Grand Marshal, you really misunderstood, misunderstood."

"I really didn't see any messenger. I didn't even know you were coming until my men told me you were in the state. I then learned about it and quickly ordered the city gates to be opened to welcome you!"

"Grand Sima, if I had any ulterior motives, why would I go out of the city to welcome you?"

Murong Ziyong spoke very sincerely, with tears in his eyes, saying: "My father was framed by Liu Taozi and I was demoted to a commoner. Thanks to Emperor Wucheng, I was able to serve as a governor. How dare I be disloyal?"

Looking at the crying young man, Duan Shao sneered.

"I really don't understand. I issued an order in Jinyong City and sent messengers to report. The provincial governors in various places are willing to surrender. But there has been no news from you for a long time, and my messengers have disappeared."

"Now that I am leading the troops here, you claim to be a loyal subject. Is it true that your loyalty will only be revealed when you meet the army?"

Governor Murong was startled and shook his head hurriedly, mumbling something to explain.

"Pfft~~"

Duan Shao was quick with his hands and he drew out the knife without anyone noticing. Only a flash of the knife was seen.

Governor Murong still maintained his original posture. Suddenly, blood spurted out from his neck, splashing directly onto the tea in front of him and even onto Duan Shao's body.

Governor Murong fell to the ground in disbelief.

Duan Shao glanced at the other person.

After he came to the south, relying on his own prestige, he quickly began to clean up the chaos and stabilize the country. This governor Murong killed his envoy and had the idea of ​​establishing himself, and Duan Shao happened to kill him.

On the one hand, this place is important and can be used to attack the southerners. Duan Shao needs to completely control this place. On the other hand, killing Governor Murong will also let others know what the consequences of opposing the government will be.

Duan Shao glanced at the tea in front of him.

“What a shame for the good tea.”

"Take him out and announce to everyone that this is the consequence of disobeying the imperial edict!"

"Tell the other states and counties to send people to pay homage to the emperor as soon as possible!!"

"only!!"

The soldier lowered his head, then chopped off the head on the ground and strode out of the house.

Duan Shao wiped the table in front of him, then took out a map from his arms, put it down, and began to look at it carefully.

There were already countless traces drawn by Duan Shao on the map.

These are the plans for recovery that Duan Shao had in mind.

The area north of the river in Qi State has always been the political center. Almost all of the most elite soldiers, generals, and ministers came from Hebei. The area south of the river was not as bad as imagined. The population, money, grain, and land here were greater than those in Hebei.

He had previously pretended to cooperate with the Zhou people and taught them a lesson.

He was sure that the Zhou people would not send troops again in the short term, even if Jinyong City became an empty city, they would not send troops.

After Yuwen Hu's disastrous defeat, they gritted their teeth and finally raised some troops, but they were defeated by themselves. It's hard to say what the situation is now.

Duan Shao was also not worried about Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi has a lot of things to deal with in the country. Not to mention the Jinyang issue, it will take him more than half a year to deal with it.

The only people he had to deal with now were the southerners.

The people of Chen took advantage of the chaos in the north to seize the Lianghuai region. However, the Lianghuai region was rich and could not be easily handed over to others.

Fortunately, the Chen people had been fighting with Liu Taozi for a long time, and the army could not afford to waste time. It was also a cold winter, so they dared not retreat.

At most, they would leave behind a brave general to cover their retreat.

As long as he was not facing an army of one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand Chen people, Duan Shao had nothing to fear. As for the generals of the Chen people, Duan Shao felt that he could still handle it.

Just as Duan Shao was thinking about the strategy of sending troops, the loud sound of horse hooves was heard in the courtyard.

After a moment, the sound of horse hooves turned into footsteps.

"Report!!"

A dusty soldier rushed into the house and bowed down before Duan Shao.

Duan Shao asked softly, "Is there anything unusual with Liu Taozi?"

"It's a manifesto. Liu the traitor had someone write it, announcing it to the world."

"The content of the manifesto has spread from Guangqing to other places, and many people have seen it."

The soldier had obviously read the manifesto. His face was pale and his whole body was trembling.

Duan Shao disagreed.

Duan Shao read out the anti-rebel manifesto in Jinyang, announced Liu Taozi's many crimes, dismissed him, and returned to the south.

Duan Shao would be surprised if Liu Taozi did not respond.

He had long expected that Liu Taozi would issue a manifesto to refute him, and might even establish a new king to compete with him.

He said with a smile: "No problem, bring the manifesto to me."

The soldier took out the document from his arms and handed it to the other party with trembling hands.

Duan Shao picked it up and said with a smile: "Liu Taozi was a little slow to react. I thought he would announce it a long time ago."

As he spoke, he picked up the article.

The next moment, the smile on Duan Shao's face froze.

He didn't even dare to read the article in his hand. He threw the document away subconsciously, as if he had suddenly encountered some ferocious beast.

The soldiers knelt on the ground hurriedly, not daring to speak.

Duan Shao just stood there stiffly. After a while, he picked up the thing and continued watching.

The more he looked, the uglier his expression became.

After watching it over and over again, Duan Shao's breathing became heavier, his face turned red, and his hands began to tremble.

“Traitor!!”

"How dare you!!"

Duan Shao angrily threw away the document in his hand, stood up, and drew his sword. He thought that Liu Taozi would insult him, insult Gao Yan, and deny the new court.

But he never expected that Liu Taozi would directly deny the Great Qi. The target of his proclamation was actually the Emperor of Qi! !
Duan Shao staggered a few steps, anger rushed to his head, and his head was splitting!

Is this guy crazy?

He himself was born into a Qi family, how dare he do such a thing?
After a long time, Duan Shao finally managed to calm down.

He looked at the soldiers in front of him seriously, "The traitor Liu openly rebelled, which once again proves my original manifesto."

"Send someone to inform all the states and counties to strictly prohibit Liu Taozi's article. No one is allowed to read it, circulate it, or keep it privately!!"

"Violators will be beheaded!!"

"only."

After everyone left, Duan Shao slumped in his seat. He looked at the clerk in front of him again, and the anger in his eyes began to dissipate little by little, but finally became extremely complicated.

This was totally different from what he expected.

When he snatched the emperor and the imperial seal, announced his legitimacy first, and was waiting to argue with Liu Taozi about who was the legitimate one, Liu Taozi hit him in the face with a stick. The things that Duan Shao valued most were worthless to Liu Taozi. He didn't care about his reputation, other people's opinions, or even any etiquette or rules.

Duan Shao suddenly became alert.

If this judgment is wrong, then future strategies must be adjusted accordingly.

Liu Taozi obviously does not intend to take the appeasement route, so he will certainly take the hands-on route when dealing with domestic affairs. In this way, he should be able to handle domestic affairs faster, and he will have to defeat the southerners earlier, and at least the counties that are not near the river will be in his hands.

There is still much to be done.
Duan Shao tried hard to think about what he was going to do next, but the more he thought, the more confused he became, and he lost his previous calmness.

Just then, someone pushed the door open and walked in.

"Da Sima!"

Duan Shao raised his head and saw that standing in front of him was Dugu Yongye's son, Dugu Xuda.

Dugu Xuda looked very much like his father, but he was not a warrior. He was elegant and easy-going, and dressed like those Han scholars.

He bowed politely to Duan Shao.

"General, I heard that you executed the governor?"

"How can I not kill someone who killed my messenger and attempted to establish himself?"

Dugu Xuda nodded and said, "Yes, he should be killed. However, Qiaozhou is a big state and is very close to the enemy. Shouldn't we consider the position of the governor carefully?"

"Why? You want to be the governor?"

"How dare you, how dare you."

Dugu Xuda hurriedly bowed his head and said, "I don't have much talent, so I don't dare to hope to be a governor, but I am willing to recommend someone to you."

"General Ping Zijing has made outstanding contributions, is kind to the military and civilians, and knows about war. If he can be appointed as the governor of this place, I think it would be the best choice."

Dugu Xuda began to brag about this person and talk about his past military achievements.

Duan Shao narrowed his eyes, "Ping Zijing? The son of the late Sikong Ping Wengong?"

Dugu Xuda was very happy, "Yes, it is him. Duke Pingwen was a capable minister in the world. When he was still alive, he served as a governor. The people were grateful for his kindness and his reputation was known throughout the world."

"I know him."

"Is that the Ping Zijing who tried to rape his father's concubine when Duke Ping Wen died?"

Dugu Xuda's face paused, "Many of them are just rumors, and they are all unbelievable. Ping Zijing is an open-minded person, and is known for his benevolence and righteousness."

Duan Shao waved his hand and said unhappily: "Your father has recommended enough provincial governors in recent days."

"I don't need you to recommend me for the post of governor of Qiaozhou anymore."

"I know who should take on the role!"

Perhaps the previous manifesto made Duan Shao unhappy, so he sent Dugu Xuda away.

Dugu Xuda walked out of the door with a dark face. Just as he walked out of the yard, a short young man appeared in front of him with a smile.

The young man looked sickly, with a gleam in his eyes and a shifty look.

"Prince, what did you say?"

"Am I the governor of Qiaozhou now?"

This person is Ping Zijing.

He has been serving under Dugu Yongye for some time and has been working under him.

Dugu Xuda shook his head and looked back at the office unhappily.

"He kicked me out."

"what?!"

Ping Zijing's face changed drastically, and he said angrily: "When Duan Shao was chased by Liu Taozi's men and ran to Heluo like a dog, we took him in, gave up Jinyong City, and let him live in the mansion where the general used to live!"

"Now he actually dares to be rude to the prince?!"

He rolled up his sleeves, grasped the hilt of the sword and was about to walk in.

Dugu Xuda hurriedly pulled him back, narrowed his eyes, and whispered, "Don't be reckless."

"Sir, why are you afraid?"

"Which of these soldiers who came out is not one of ours?"

Dugu Xuda shook his head again, "It's okay. With Duan Shao's help, we have been able to accomplish things very quickly. In the blink of an eye, many states and counties are already under our control. The governors and prefects appointed by my father are also training the army and storing food and grass for us!"

"He is still useful. We can't do anything to him."

"But this Qiaozhou."

Dugu Xuda laughed again, "What are you afraid of? The government didn't want my grandfather to be the governor at first, but didn't they obey the appointment in the end?"

"He doesn't have the final say here. If he wants to appoint a new governor, then we will make his new governor miserable. In the end, this position will still be ours."

"Don't worry about him!"

"let's go!!"

The two quickly disappeared through the door.

Inside the house, the former chief secretary of Qiaozhou was advising Duan Shao with an embarrassed look on his face.

The father of this chief secretary had an old acquaintance with Duan Shao. It was he who leaked the news of the governor's murder to Duan Shao and coaxed the governor to open the city gate to welcome Duan Shao.

The Chief Secretary said with a worried look on his face: "Grand Marshal, you really shouldn't treat Dugu Xuda like this."

"This father and son seem to be open-minded, but they are actually narrow-minded."

"Originally I shouldn't say more about these things, but Grand Marshal Dugu Yongye is a man you shouldn't trust easily. In order to stay in Heluo, he specifically ordered his subordinates to cause chaos in the local area after he left, coercing the people to pretend to surrender to the Zhou people, and forcing the court to give him power. It can be seen that this man is ambitious! ”

"I think it's inappropriate for the current Grand Marshal to rely on such a person to accomplish great things."

"He is just using the Grand Marshal to expand his own power. If the Grand Marshal lets it go, sooner or later he will do the same thing as Liu the thief!"

"I heard that he was privately discussing changing his last name."

"This is proof that he has ulterior motives."

Duan Shao was not surprised at all when listening to the chief historian's advice.

No one knew the generals in the country better than him, including Dugu Yongye. He had known what kind of person the other party was very early on.

"Don't tell anyone about these things. From now on, just focus on your work and don't get involved in anything."

"As for Dugu Yongye, I have my own way."

"only!!"

Duan Shao put away the map in front of him, stood up, and walked out of the house quickly.

When he walked into the courtyard, he saw many soldiers guarding there, waiting for his orders.

Duan Shao looked at these people. When he led the troops out, the ones he brought out were all Dugu Yongye's men, while Bai Bao stayed in Jinyong City.

Dugu Yongye was very happy about this and was willing to lend the army to Duan Shaolai.

During the expedition, Duan Shao gradually became familiar with the soldiers, had exchanges and conversations with them, and learned a lot from them.

"Da Sima!!"

Everyone bowed their heads in greeting.

Duan Shao smiled, "Everyone, taking Qiaozhou this time is a great achievement."

"If we go further, we will come into contact with the southerners. I heard that the southerners defeated Liu the thief and became very famous."

"Are you willing to follow me to defeat the thieves and make merit?!"

"I am willing to defeat the bandits with the Grand Marshal!!"

(End of this chapter)