Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 386: No Match

Changan.

A carriage stopped at the door of a luxurious mansion.

The official got off the carriage and looked into the distance.

Several burly men came running over breathlessly, and ran all the way to the official's side, sweating profusely.

The official looked up at the mansion in front of him with some confusion in his eyes, and then said: "Just wait here first, I will send someone to let you in later."

The men nodded hurriedly and thanked him again and again.

The official cleared his throat and motioned for his two followers to go and knock on the door.

After a while, the door slowly opened and a young servant opened the door, looking up and down at the official in front of him.

The colorful official uniforms of the Han Dynasty were imitated from the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty.

The Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty used clothes of different colors to distinguish the identities of officials.

For example, the official standing at the door at this moment is wearing the six-life suit.

The Northern Zhou Dynasty not only imitated the Zhou emperor in title, but also in official positions. They were very retro and set up six officials, namely the Official of Heaven, the Official of Earth, the Official of Spring, the Official of Summer, the Official of Autumn, and the Official of Winter.

At the same time, their official titles here are not based on rank, but on destiny.

An official of the ninth rank is an official of one life, and an official of the first rank is an official of nine lives.

The official took out his business card from his bosom and handed it to the servant.

"I am the Chang'an Order"

Before the official could finish his words, the servant returned the business card to him and said, "My master does not see guests!"

After saying that, he slammed the door shut.

The Chang'an magistrate was stunned for a moment, with a hint of displeasure flashing across his face. This Chang'an magistrate was different from county magistrates in other places. Then he asked someone to knock on the door again.

It was the servant who opened the door.

The servant's face was filled with irritation, "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

"I have an important matter to discuss with the Duke of Wei. Someone is suing the Duke of Wei. I am here for this matter. Please go in and report to the Duke of Wei!!"

The official's attitude was quite firm, and the servant hesitated for a moment before turning around and entering the mansion.

Chang'an Ling stood here and waited.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the door was pushed open again, and the servant motioned for Chang'an Ling to follow him in.

Chang'an Ling walked on the servant's body, his face flushed, and he could hardly hide his anger. He had seen people of higher status than the Duke of Wei before, but none of them dared to humiliate him like this.
The mansion was very large, and the servant took him for a long time before finally arriving at a heavily guarded courtyard.

The servant stood at the door, gestured inside, and then remained motionless.

Chang'an Ling strode in.

As soon as I entered, I heard laughter coming from inside.

No one led the way for him, so he just walked into the inner room.

The house was filled with the smell of alcohol.

Duke of Wei, Yuwen Zhi, sat in the upper seat, holding two beauties on his left and right. There were also many warriors sitting there, all drinking and having fun with him.

Chang'an Ling saluted and paid a formal visit to the other party.

Only then did Yuwen Zhi look at him and let go of the beauties on both sides.

"I don't know you, what do you want to see me about?"

Chang'an Ling asked seriously, "Did the Duke hire sixty-two craftsmen to make furniture for the new house?"

Yu Wenzhi was stunned and shook his head, "I don't know."

He looked out the door, "Mixed Teeth! Mixed Teeth!!"

A moment later, a servant who looked like a Hu man quickly walked in and saluted Yuwen Zhi. Yuwen Zhi asked Chang'an Ling to question the other party directly.

"A craftsman reported to the government office that he spent half a year making a lot of furniture for the Duke's Mansion, but the Duke's Mansion did not settle the wages. Two craftsmen came to ask for it, and then they disappeared."

The Hu man frowned, but before he could say anything, Yuwen Zhi couldn't help but yell, "You're ruining my fun! Get out! Get out!"

The Chang'an Order had no choice but to follow the Hu man out of the house, but as soon as he walked out, the Hu man's face changed.

He no longer had the gentleness and smile he had just had. He seemed like a different person, with sharp eyes and arrogance.

"How dare you, a mere Chang'an official, interfere with my master?"

"Take those people with you and don't get close to this palace anymore. Just pretend you know nothing, otherwise..."

The Chang'an official was furious. "Are you threatening the officials in the imperial court?"

"threaten??"

“Hahaha, someone come!!”

Inside the palace.

Yuwen Yong stared at the map in front of him with a smile on his face.

Several of his confidants knelt opposite him, looking at Yuwen Yong eagerly, not understanding what the emperor was going to do by suddenly summoning them over.

"Liu Taozi's vanguard has already encountered Duan Shao."

"Sure enough, just as we expected, none of the armies under Liu Taozi's command, except for the Mandrill Camp, can fight."

"His Bingzhou Army and Zhaozhou Army could only watch Duan Shao pass by them, capture cities and wreak havoc everywhere, but they were unable to stop him."

"According to reliable information, Duan Shao has less than 4,000 cavalrymen under his command."

"That is to say, the 20,000 men under Liu Taozi's command cannot stop these 4,000 men."

"As long as we can avoid Liu Taozi's elite cavalry, the armies in other places are not worth mentioning. At least, they are not a threat now."

Everyone then understood why the emperor appeared so happy, and they all laughed and agreed.

It means that the Great Zhou army is invincible and Liu Taozi is not worth mentioning at all.

Yuwen Yong stroked his chin and looked at the people in front of him, "I want to recapture Lingzhou, what do you think?"

"what?"

The smiles on everyone's faces froze instantly. Gao Jiong was the first to stand up. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, no."

Yuwen Yong said seriously: "Liu Taozi has sent out 40,000 troops this time, which is his limit. His army has to fight the enemy in Hanoi. Dugu Yongye can still defend the city, not to mention anything else. In addition, he has set up fortifications on the front line these days, and has done a lot. Liu Taozi will never be able to break through easily!"

"Liu Taozi's main army is stuck in Hanoi, and the situation is empty. They can only passively defend, but it is difficult to attack. Moreover, Duan Shao's situation also proves that Liu Taozi's army's combat effectiveness is not high at the moment."

"We have a lot of harvest this year. If we can gather together and let a general lead the army to attack Lingzhou with Wei Xiaokuan and the Turks, and make Lingzhou be attacked from three sides, wouldn't that be enough to recover the lost territory?"

When Gao Ying heard these familiar words, he immediately understood.

He asked, "Your Majesty, are these what Yang Su reported?"

Yuwen Yong was very surprised, but he did not hide it. "It is indeed him. Is there any problem?"

Gao Jiong said seriously: "Lingzhou is indeed crucial, but there are two people in Lingzhou, Gao Changgong and Huluxian."

"Neither of these two people can be defeated easily."

Unlike Yuwen Hu, Yuwen Yong liked to listen to the ideas of different ministers and encouraged his subordinates to submit letters and make suggestions freely.

Therefore, he talked to Gao Jiong calmly.

"Gao Changgong is indeed good at fighting, but he is good at charging into battle formations. Once the situation becomes a battle involving tens of thousands of people, his advantage will not be so obvious."

"As for Huluxian, he can't be considered a famous general. At most, he is a capable general who can execute orders well, but he can't stand on his own."

"In our army, we have famous generals such as the Duke of Yun, the Duke of Qi, the Duke of Shu, the Duke of Zheng, the Duke of Deng, and many other generals. There are also many fierce generals who can compete with Gao Changgong. If the enemy had Hulugu Guang and Gao Changgong, it might be hard to say who would win. However, Huluxian is not Hulugu Guang, and the two are very different!"

"Why do you think you can't win?"

Gao Jiong said calmly: "The key to victory in war lies not only in the commander, but also in the strength of the troops."

"Yang Su is a man who thinks highly of himself and is eager to make achievements. He is anxious to establish extraordinary achievements for himself, so he despises Liu Taozi." "Liu Taozi dares to lead the army to attack Gudu Yongye, so he is absolutely sure to defend Lingshuo. This time he went to the battle, but Hulugguang did not go with him, and he still has a powerful general in the rear."

"Since Liu Taozi came to power, he has been promoting agriculture, implementing benevolent policies, and stabilizing people's livelihood. I predict that if we use a large army to attack Lingzhou, we will be entangled in the front line like Liu Taozi, unable to advance or retreat. We have just carried out many reforms and our national strength has barely begun to recover. If we get stuck in the quagmire at this time and cannot extricate ourselves from the enemy, we will definitely suffer!"

"Oh? So Gao Qing thinks that we should just watch them fight and do nothing?"

Gao Jiong said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the prosperity of a country cannot be determined by a few wars. The Great Zhou has been granted the Mandate of Heaven. It has a vast territory, a large number of soldiers, brave generals, and counselors. It can be said that the situation is overwhelming and cannot be matched by people like Liu Taozi."

"Since your majesty took power, you have made many reforms, making the country stronger."

"I hope Your Majesty will continue to focus on domestic affairs and continue with many reforms. The Great Zhou first won Shu and then Jing. The world is divided into three parts. Now the Great Zhou is the most powerful."

"Liu Taozi is keen on innovation, but Hebei has limited land, the border areas are desolate, and Henan is rich, but now it is caught in the flames of war. Qing, Guang, Lianghuai, and the Central Plains have all suffered huge wars and are not as good as before."

"Although the Southern Chen Dynasty occupied the Huai River and the Yangtze River, it paid a heavy price and the country was exhausted."

"Under the current circumstances, as long as we can hold on to our territory and continue to reform and strengthen our country, within ten years, the army of the Great Zhou will be invincible in the world."

Gao Jiong stood up, looked at everyone, and said his theory, "I heard that Liu Taozi used Yao Xiong as the vanguard, Yao Xiong occupied Gaodu, and fought with Duan Shao. Duan Shao was a famous general in the world, and had defeated Potala and Tuxiyue many times before. But facing Yao Xiong who came from afar, he could not win, and was chased by Yao Xiong everywhere, leaving him with nowhere to go. Why is this?"

“This is the difference in national strength!”

"Yao Xiong's army has no worries about food and grass. They are wearing armor, using sharp weapons, and have sufficient arrows. They have more soldiers. Therefore, even if Yao Xiong is not as talented as Duan Shao, he can still suppress Duan Shao and make him dare not fight head-on!"

"Therefore, the key to war lies in the power of the country."

"After Your Majesty took power, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou increased, and the military offices in various places recruited new talents and trained soldiers. This is a sign of prosperity!"

"At this time, interrupting domestic affairs and rashly sending troops will only delay the unification, but will not achieve any results. It is better to continue to focus on the country and sweep the world with the talent of a benevolent king. As the saying goes, a benevolent king is invincible."

Everyone listened to Gao Jiong's words and looked at each other.

Some people agree, some people disagree.

Yuwen Yong gently stroked his chin.

Yang Su wrote a letter, saying that now was the best time to attack Liu Taozi.

He even wrote a complete strategic plan to Emperor Yuwen Yong.

Yang Su believed that he should first take advantage of the time when Liu Taozi was entangled with the enemy to recapture Lingzhou, and then send troops to recapture Heluo when Liu Taozi defeated Dugu Yongye.

He himself has contacted people of noble character and lofty ideals from all over the country, and all of them are willing to follow him to join the Great Zhou. As long as the army can advance into the Heluo area, there will be great scholars to lead the way for them.

Yang Su's idea was quite radical, but it could not be said to be unfeasible.

Gao Changgong is strong, but he is still at a disadvantage in terms of military strength. Lingzhou is so big. Besides, the generals under the Great Zhou are also very capable, and there is no shortage of famous generals. Even if they cannot win in a one-on-one, they can always win in a ten-on-one or twenty-on-one fight, right?

After taking back Lingzhou, Liu Taozi was once again blocked in Shuoheng and could not pose an effective threat to Da Zhou.

As for Heluo, even if Liu Taozi took Heluo, he would probably have to pay a huge price, and the battle might take a year or even two years. It would be much easier for Da Zhou to reap the benefits than to attack Heluo by force.

However, what Gao Jiong said is not without reason.

When the national strength increases, all problems will be easier to solve.

Yuwen Yong did not rush to make a decision and continued to ask for advice from the others. They discussed for a long time, and after more than an hour, they left.

After everyone left, Yuwen Yong ordered his younger brother Yuwen Xian to come over.

Duke of Qi Yuwen Xian.

Yuwen Yong was a little wary of his younger brother.

Yuwen Xian was a good fighter, had a good reputation, was good-looking, and was excellent in all aspects. Although he was a little wary, Yuwen Yong did not make things difficult for his younger brother.

He will still hold the position as an official, still be given power, and his advice will still be listened to on some extremely important matters.

Just like now.

Yuwen Xian arrived very quickly, and as soon as the two sides met, Yuwen Yong could not wait to tell his brother the different ideas of several ministers.

He hopes his younger brother can give him some advice.

"What Gao Ying said makes sense, but he overlooked one point."

"Your Majesty, Liu Taozi is developing faster than us."

Yuwen Yong paused and raised his eyebrows.

Yuwen Xian continued, "After Your Majesty took power, you did a lot to deal with the big families and the Buddhists, but these things were just the beginning. After Your Majesty issued the restriction order on the big families, various places came up with various ways to deal with it, but only Chang'an County actually implemented it. As for the Buddhists, Your Majesty has not been able to make them give in until now."

"There are thousands of things to do in China, not just these two things."

"But Liu Taozi is very fast here. This year, they have been concentrating on the iron rule. I heard that they have arrested more than 14,000 people in a row. How good can the iron rule of the Great Zhou be?"

"Can we act as recklessly as he did?"

"If your majesty sends someone to investigate the iron government today, I'm afraid a general will rebel tomorrow."

Yuwen Xian was helpless. He shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, Gao Jiong was not lying. The struggle between countries does depend on national strength. But at least, in the next five or six years, we cannot compete with Liu Taozi. As for what will happen ten years later, who can tell for sure?"

Yuwen Yong frowned and asked coldly, "You mean, I am not as good as Liu Taozi?"

Yuwen Xian was horrified, and he said hastily: "Your Majesty, I am absolutely not that."

Yuwen Yong suddenly reached out and tapped Yuwen Xian on the forehead, then burst into laughter.

"Look how scared you are. There's no outsider here, is it so difficult to call me brother? You keep calling me Your Majesty, and someone who doesn't know would think we are outsiders!"

Yuwen Xian was still a little dazed, "My Lord, Brother."

Yuwen Yong sighed, "You are right. I am not as good as Liu Taozi. He founded the country with his military achievements. Generally speaking, he is the founding emperor, and I am just the successor. How can I act as recklessly as he did?"

"Look, he can flatten the temples in his country at will, and none of the soldiers dare to resist. But if I want to do that, I have to spend a lot of energy, debating, and looking for evidence. The army cannot be completely controlled in my hands, so I dare not take action against the temples."

Yuwen Yong never said such a thing to Yuwen Xian.

Yuwen Xian was very surprised when he heard this.

As the two were talking, a eunuch suddenly came in, walked quickly to Yuwen Yong's side, and whispered something.

Yuwen Yong was furious.

"Damn thing!!"

"They are both my brothers, how come there is such a big difference between us?!"

"Someone is coming!!"

The Duke of Wei’s Mansion.

There were traces of blood on the ground, and soldiers were standing at various positions in the mansion. The warriors who had been showing off their might a few days ago now looked like eggplants hit by frost, standing dejectedly on both sides.

Duke Weiguo Yuwenzhi was pinned to the ground, with two soldiers standing behind him, holding wooden sticks and beating him repeatedly.

Yuwen Zhi screamed in agony, but they did not stop.

It was unknown how long the fighting lasted before the soldiers stopped and left one by one.

The warriors rushed forward and helped Yuwen Zhi up.

The eunuch stared at Yuwen Zhi in front of him and said helplessly: "Duke Weiguo, His Majesty is very angry this time. How can a servant of yours beat up a local official? You are not beating up the official, you are beating up the emperor's face."

"You are the governor of Chang'an, but you were beaten by servants in your house. What are you doing? Heal your wounds first, and then go to His Majesty to apologize. His Majesty is your elder brother and loves you very much."

The eunuch gave a lot of advice and then took everyone away.

Yuwen Zhi slowly raised his head and stared at the eunuch who was walking away.

His eyes were full of resentment.

Yuwen Yong!
Yuwen Xian!!

If I hadn't killed Yuwen Hu, would you still be here today?
Now one of you is the emperor, the other is the prime minister, and I am the only one who gets nothing? ?

They all have the same grandfather and the same mother.

Emperor, you can do it, but I can't?

(End of this chapter)