Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 368: The New Dynasty
The next day, Liu Zhang hurried to Liu Taozi's house.

When she saw Huluqian coming out with a smile and greeting her, a trace of disappointment flashed across her eyes, but she quickly recovered.

However, from the direction of the front yard, bursts of shouting and killing were heard.

"Is this all you can do?!"

"Attack!! Attack!!"

Liu Zhang took her daughter-in-law to the front hall where the martial arts performance was held.

Liu Taozi stood there, holding a wooden stick, looking very aggressive, while Xiao Wu was covered in dirt and looked very miserable. He also held a wooden stick in his hand and circled around Liu Taozi, constantly moving and looking for flaws.

Liu Taozi kept provoking him, and Xiao Wu couldn't bear it any longer.

He rushed forward with a wooden stick raised.

"Crack~~"

There was a sound, and Xiao Wu was knocked to the ground with a look of pain on his face.

"Get up. Aren't we going to the barracks? You're like this? You still want to enter the Mandrill Camp?"

Xiao Wu gritted his teeth and slowly got up.

Liu Taozhi yawned and slowly walked from the back to Liu Zhang's side. "Are they still practicing? Xiao Wu has persisted for so long."

Liu Zhang was worried, "Xiao Wu is still young, how can he practice like this? My husband should dissuade him!"

Liu Taozhi looked a little unnatural. He cleared his throat and said, "What do you know? This is a good opportunity for Xiao Wu! It will be good for him to practice with his brother! Women's opinions!"

Liu Zhang said nothing more.

Liu Taozi stepped forward again and poked Xiao Wu's chest directly with the wooden stick, and Xiao Wu fell down again.

Liu Taozi scolded, "Who told you to use the stick like this?!"

"You are such a petty person, you only know how to dodge and then attack. Are you going to assassinate the enemy's commander on the battlefield? Or are you going to roll and dodge in armor?!"

Xiao Wu slowly looked at Liu Taozhi not far away.

Liu Taozhi's face turned dark.

"On the battlefield, the cowardly die and the brave live!"

Liu Taozi stepped forward again and pressed the wooden stick in his hand directly against Xiao Wu's forehead. Xiao Wu was so frightened that he was stunned and dared not move.

Liu Taozi then dropped the stick in his hand and helped Xiao Wu up. "Don't practice like this anymore. Killing people also has its own way. It's okay to use a short weapon, but for a long weapon, you must first have the courage to face the enemy. If you just dodge and think about attacking from behind, you will never achieve anything great!!"

Liu Taozhi on the side finally spoke.

"Have a meal!!"

Sitting in the house, Xiao Wu felt pain all over his body, but he had countless questions in his mind.

"Brother, if you can't dodge when facing an enemy, and you just go straight for it, won't you kill the enemy and yourself?"

“That’s why you need to eat more.”

"Eat more, get stronger, and then put on heavy armor."

Xiao Wu didn't ask any more questions. He took the meat in his hand and started eating it in big mouthfuls.

The family finished their meal, and Liu Taozi had just stood up when a soldier came to report: Zu Ting came to see you.

Liu Taozi walked to the front yard, where Zu Ting had been waiting.

Seeing the lord, Zu Ting's face immediately showed a smile. He walked a few steps to Liu Taozi's side and said, "My lord, everything has been done."

"Oh?"

Zu Ting hurriedly took out the document and handed it to Liu Taozi.

"They all want to follow the example of the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty and establish a royal reign title."

When Yuwen Tai was still alive, he abolished the reign titles of the Western Wei emperors. When Yuwen Jue was named Heavenly King, they were kings themselves, but they were still called Zhou countries, and the reign titles started from the first year of the Heavenly King and the second year of the Heavenly King.

Pseudo-Zhou likes to go retro.

It can be seen from their official titles and country names that they have restored the past to the Spring and Autumn Period.

Therefore, they followed the ancient practice of using the first and second years of the Zhou Dynasty, and continued in this way. After death, they added a posthumous title, so it was called the first year of King Wen of Zhou and the second year of King Wen.
Zu Ting thought this was very good.

There is really no need to spend energy negotiating a reign title at the moment. Moreover, the new reign title is not as deeply rooted in people's hearts as the first year of the Han Dynasty. Only by changing the title of the reign title can people feel that times have changed.

Zu Ting was quite supportive of imitating the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty. After all, they had been learning from the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty for a long time.

Liu Taozi nodded, and Zu Ting smiled and said, "In this way, many other things can be saved. We can continue to use the official positions and systems of the Pseudo-Qi Dynasty. There is nothing wrong with that."

"It's mainly about enthroning ministers and appointing generals, etc."

"As long as you do these things well, there will be no other problems."

Liu Taozi was very satisfied with this. "Then do it as soon as possible and post notices everywhere."

Zu Ting hesitated, "Your Majesty, I think it would be best if we held a grand coronation ceremony."

"Does this mean you have changed your mind?"

"Haha, Your Majesty, since we have a new country and a new system and have established an era name, then naturally you should address him as Your Majesty."

"Since you've already changed your mind, why do you need to hold a ceremony?"

Zu Ting said hurriedly: "It is mainly for the purpose of integrating the officials. I know that your majesty has always been frugal, but these things really cannot be omitted. We still have to do what needs to be done."

Liu Taozi nodded, "You just don't need to do this. I remember Wei Shou is the best at it, so let him do it. Also, tell him to keep everything simple."

"only!!"

On this day, the temple officially issued a notice.

The general officially ascended the throne and proclaimed himself King of Han. He abolished the previous reign titles and made this year the first year of the King of Han.

Of course, the notice is not just that simple.

What Zu Ting had said that day, including his political achievements, destiny, bloodline, etc., were also revealed so that the whole world knew about it.

Zu Ting seemed to be intent on highlighting the Han State's strong grassroots organizational capabilities.

He sent this notice to all parts of the country, requiring officials and even local clerks to spread the message everywhere, so that everyone in the world would know the news of the demise of Qi and the establishment of Han, and no one should be negligent!
In addition, he ordered provincial governors, generals, prefects and other important officials from all over the country to go to Pingcheng to participate in the coronation and witness the establishment of the country by their lord.

The most powerful force in the Han Dynasty has always been the powerful system of officials composed of the Law School. When Zu Ting began to mobilize, these officials began to spread the news frantically to various places, telling the people one by one, telling about the merits of the King of Han, his benevolence, the mandate of heaven, and so on.

It was like a huge rock fell into the still water of Pingcheng, instantly creating waves and ripples that rushed towards the surroundings and swept everywhere in a moment.

The scouts rushed on the road, and wherever they went, the officials immediately took action.

From the county, township, and even to the village, officials went around preaching.

They stood in front of the reporting wood, or blocked the road, or guarded the city gate, the inner gate, and everywhere, earnestly describing what was happening now in the simplest words.

Liu Taozi had been staying in the mansion the whole time and had no idea what was going on outside.

But now Hebei has begun to boil.

The good news spread from Pingcheng to those places where the great general had left traces, and the people cheered.

Liu Taozi's regime has not done enough at the moment. It has merely continued the Equal Field System, set up a military office, launched the imperial examination, and employed a group of good officials. In fact, there are also many problems internally, such as excessive law enforcement, too many restrictions, and poor people's livelihood.

But compared to the previous dynasty, this is simply a fucking saint!

What's the point of not allowing people to drink?! It's better than the nobles going crazy and killing people after drinking, right?

What's the point of not being allowed to leave the house without committing any crime? ? It's better than the heavy taxes and grain taxes that wipe out the in-laws, right?
What's the point of having officials supervise the farming? It's better than wandering around and waiting to die without any farmland, right?
What's the point of banning Buddhist temples? It's better than letting the barbarian monks take away your wife who works on the farmland, right?
In addition, the new regime has implemented many welfare systems, such as government medical benefits, educational benefits, etc. These are systems established by the previous dynasty but no one followed them. They are now implemented. Although medical care costs money and school attendance requires money, it is better than having nothing in the past, and the fees are all at the lowest standards.

The series of measures taken by the Northern Han Dynasty were all aimed at saving people's lives, to complete the recovery of the north as soon as possible, and to clean up the mess. In the eyes of some people, it was tyranny, but in the eyes of some people, it was benevolent governance that could save lives.

Those who survived because of this knew who was good and who was bad. It was not even a big challenge to win the hearts of the people from the Northern Qi in its final years. Anyone with a little bit of human nature could do it.

People from all over the country cheered and celebrated the founding of the country.

Even the soldiers on the front line are the same at this moment.

Hulugu learned the news outside the Great Wall.

Although he had expected this, Hulugu was still somewhat stunned when he actually heard these words from the scout's mouth.

When Liu Taozi issued the manifesto, Hulugu and even many of the former veteran generals seemed a little frightened.

After denying the previous dynasty, the next step won’t be to deny themselves, right?
But Liu Zhang quickly brought up the matter of marriage, and Hulugu finally felt relieved and continued to fight against the Turks.

Yuwen Yong married the daughter of the Turkic Khan, not as a bride, but as a bride.

Yuwen Yong's empress was a Turkic princess. She was beautiful, well-educated and well-mannered. Yuwen Yong loved and respected her very much, and even remembered to share some of his "elixir" with her.
This led to closer relations between the Pseudo-Zhou and the Turks.

In addition, the climate on the border had warmed up, grain production had increased greatly, and the Turkic Khan had dealt with his disobedient younger brothers one after another, so he put all his attention on Liu Taozi.

Unfortunately, bad luck.

The person he met was Hulugu.

At this moment, Hulugu led his troops to station at the foot of a mountain outside the Great Wall. On the left there was a camp that had just been reduced to ruins.

Hulugu doesn't like defense, he likes offense.

When Duan Shao was about to cause trouble and Liu Taozi went to the south, the Turkic Khan led a large army and wanted to plunder his hometown of Hengzhou. Hulugu gave up the defense and led his elite troops to attack him when the Turkic Khan's army had just arrived and had not yet completed its reorganization.

The two sides fought fiercely, and Hulugu shot and killed more than three Turkic generals, and the Khan retreated in a hurry.

Hulugu pursued them all the way, but because he advanced too far, he almost capsized in the Turkic Khan's tent and was surrounded by the enemy.

Fortunately, Bao Xian rescued him in time and Hulugu was able to break through.

Hulugu is like the sharpest knife, which can cause great damage once it is slashed out, but it is easy to be unable to bring it back.
The knights are feeding their horses.

There were a few bonfires scattered in the distance.

Duan Shao went into a felt tent, squatted down, and saw the old general wrapped himself tightly in Bao Xian.

He looked much thinner, and it seemed like there was only a skeleton left on his face, with not much flesh left.

The hair is sparse and lies close to the scalp.

There was a fire burning in front of him, but his body was still shaking.

Hulugu squatted beside him, "Lord Liu has been crowned king."

"Oh?"

"King of Han, change the reign title."

He handed the document to Bao Xian who was standing beside him. Bao Xian took the document tremblingly, looked at it for a moment, and then laughed.

"That's great, you guys are really lucky."

"It's a good time to meet you."

"You have beheaded many people this time. You can celebrate with the lord when you return."

Hulugu frowned, "It's a pity that I couldn't kill the enemy's Khan."

"Still not satisfied?!"

Bao Xian was a little angry. He said, "You are brave, but you are too greedy. An ordinary general would have to fight for many years to chop off the heads of three enemy generals. You have already done it, but you still want to continue. If I hadn't come to rescue you, wouldn't you have been defeated here?"

Hulugu didn't care much. He said calmly, "War has always been like this. If you don't dare to do it because you are worried about losing, how can you win?"

"Alas, you, it seems that you really can't do without failure the last time. You are so rebellious, sooner or later you will be defeated by the opponent you despise."

"Old General, please don't curse me. We will get up and go back tomorrow."

"Try to see the lord as soon as possible."

Bao Xian was stunned for a moment, and whispered: "I don't know if I can still see the general."

The sharpness in Huluguang's eyes suddenly disappeared, and his eyes became a little gentler, "Don't worry, old general, I will take you back."

Bao Xian's health was not very good, and this winter military deployment had made his condition worse.

When Bao Xian heard what Huluguang said, his eyes were very open-minded. "I am already sixty-eight years old. I have fought in more than a hundred battles in my life. I have not made any great achievements, but I have not experienced any great failures. I am already satisfied to be here."

"What I regret is that I am too old. If I were ten years younger, or even five years younger, I might be able to help the new king unify the country? And I might even be able to be enshrined in the ancestral temple after my death?"

"What a pity! I haven't even done anything yet, and it's already like this."

He slowly looked at Huluguang, "Mingyue, you must cherish it. The world has been in chaos for hundreds of years. Perhaps it is time for great unification. Assist the new king and complete the great unification. Then you will be remembered for thousands of years and worshipped by future generations. You must not be so reckless again."

"You are no longer a general who charges into the enemy's territory. You are a general who guards a place."

"You are no longer young, you can't be a fallen eagle captain anymore, you have to be a victorious general."

Huluguang frowned, looked at Baoxian's sincere eyes, and nodded slightly, "I'll remember that."

Hulugu was similar to Gao Yanzong, both of them were generals with superb martial arts, able to lead troops into battle, shoot and kill enemy commanders, and always lead the charge in battle. Therefore, among the three great generals of Northern Qi, his position has always been rather awkward.
Lingzhou.

The scouts brought the good news here, and everyone cheered.

In the government office, Gao Changgong sat in the upper seat and looked at the notice in his hand, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Huluxian was sitting next to him, and he had read the contents of the notice many times.

He smiled and asked, "Why does Governor Gao look unhappy?"

The two were stationed here together and fought with Wei Xiaokuan several times, and their relationship became closer and closer. Gao Changgong had told Huluxian about this matter a long time ago, and Huluxian was just joking with him.

Gao Changgong put away the documents and said, "This was done in a hurry. He didn't refuse. He agreed to the advice of the ministers. If I were him, I would at least persuade him a few more times. Maybe he would be remembered in history!"

Huluxian laughed out loud.

Gao Changgong then frowned again, "However, the governor and general are all going to Pingcheng. Lingzhou is too far away from Pingcheng. If we all leave, Wei Xiaokuan will definitely do something."

"Don't worry, Governor. Just go ahead. I'll stay here. Even if Wei Xiaokuan wants to send troops, he is powerless to fight now. I won't let him gain any advantage."

"I am the king's relative-in-law, guarding this place. The king will not blame me if I cannot go. But if the governor does not go despite being a member of the royal family, there will inevitably be villains who will slander me. There are also villains in Pingcheng."

Gao Changgong nodded, and then took out a lot of documents from the side.

"I plan to bring these with me as a reference for the temple."

"We can't be so passive and be held hostage by Wei Xiaokuan. If the court can help us a little, we can lock Wei Xiaokuan up by the river."

The two of them then ignored the issue of establishing a country and instead talked about how to blockade Wei Xiaokuan.

The two talked a lot and finally decided which suggestions to take to Pingcheng.

Looking at Gao Changgong who was very calm, Huluxian couldn't help but say, "It used to be said that the governor was the most important to the country, I didn't expect that."

He realized that he had said the wrong thing and quickly shut his mouth.

Gao Changgong didn't care at all. "I can't save Qi, but at least I can save the royal family and save the sacrifices for my father and great-grandfather. That's enough."

"A hundred years later, if Grandpa confronts me, I will also have something to say."

"What I am worried about now are my brothers. They are impatient and not good at studying. I am really afraid that they will do something stupid and end up quarreling with each other."

"Don't worry, Governor. Since the king has decided to do these things, he must have thought of everything in advance. How can he appoint the elder brother as Governor and kill his younger brother?"

"Oh, except your family."

(End of this chapter)