Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 389 The glowing elixir!
Pseudo Zhou, Xiazhou.

The weather gradually became colder. Wei Xiaokuan wrapped himself in thick clothes and led many officials and generals to wait at the intersection.

Several generals were somewhat helpless.

"Duke, you are the chief steward here, how can you take the initiative to come and greet these people?"

"We should welcome them and then take them to see you."

Yuwen Yong finally decided to adopt the suggestions of Yang Su and Yuwen Xian, gather an army to join Wei Xiaokuan, and then launch an attack on the long defense line of the Han bandits.

At the same time, he wrote a letter to his father-in-law, the Turkic Khan, hoping that his father-in-law could help delay Hulugu and not let the army behind Liu Taozi easily reach the vicinity of Lingzhou.

Forces on both sides are ready to make a move.

After learning the news, Wei Xiaokuan did not show any joy and remained calm as usual. When the army was about to set out, he chose to come out and greet them in person.

This caused some confusion among the generals under his command.

Yuwen Yong did not clearly indicate who would be the commander-in-chief. The army that went on the expedition was led by the Duke of Shu, but the army on the front line was led by Wei Xiaokuan, the Duke of Yun. The two men cooperated with each other and were not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

Who goes to meet whom is actually a relatively important matter.

Did the expeditionary army help the frontline army to recover lost territory? Or did the frontline army help the expeditionary army to achieve the purpose of the expedition?

The number of troops Wei Xiaokuan currently had in various places was around 30,000 to 40,000, but Yuwen Yong could not muster too many troops for the expedition, so this time the number of troops was only over 27,000.

The number of troops on the front line is significantly higher than the troops going on the expedition, and most of the food and logistics are borne by these counties and prefectures on the front line.

Wei Xiaokuan turned around and looked at the generals under his command. He knew exactly what they were thinking.

He said softly, "We have fought Gao Changgong many times in recent days, but we have not been able to gain any advantage. It is rare for reinforcements to arrive. Do we have to argue with them over something that is not worth it?"

"Our goal is the same, to defeat Gao Changgong and recover the lost territory."

"Since Liu Taozi occupied Yongfeng, we have gradually lost the natural barrier in the north. The enemy's bandits often plunder our checkpoints and humiliate our people, becoming more and more rampant."

"Liu Taozi's main force is now in Hanoi, and the domestic army cannot come easily. This is the best time for us to recover the lost territory!"

"But we must not delay important matters for some inappropriate reasons, otherwise, we will be sinners for all eternity."

Wei Xiaokuan spoke very sincerely.

When the generals heard what their commander said, they had no choice but to nod their heads in agreement.

General Han Xiong stepped forward and whispered, "Duke Yun, you don't have to worry."

"This time, in order to defeat Gao Changgong, His Majesty has sent many dukes, which can be said to be a group of brave generals! All the famous generals in the country have come here. Even if Gao Changgong is a good fighter, can he defeat so many people?"

Hearing Han Xiong's confident words, the worry in Wei Xiaokuan's eyes became even more intense.

He whispered, "That's what I'm worried about."

Han Xiong was stunned and couldn't quite understand what Wei Xiaokuan said.

They waited here for a long time, but saw no sign of the army arriving.

Everyone felt a little unhappy. Didn’t they themselves send someone to say that they would arrive on time at 3 p.m. today?

Is this a deliberate attempt to look down on us?
Just when the generals couldn't help but start talking, the army in the distance finally slowly appeared.

This time, Yuwen Yong convened the three major military headquarters and opened the arsenal, giving priority to arming. This year, the Great Zhou had stored a lot of grain, and Yuwen Yong had previously attacked the big families and seized a lot of good things.

Of course, these would not allow Yuwen Yong to summon an army of 100,000 or 200,000 soldiers. He could only mobilize three military headquarters. Yuwen Yong chose to take the elite route. He selected the three military headquarters with the highest quality soldiers, fully armed them, and then led by the country's top generals to meet up with Wei Xiaokuan.

The expeditionary army was gradually approaching, and their morale and equipment were obviously much higher than those of the soldiers brought by Wei Xiaokuan.

Looking at these tall and strong soldiers, the generals behind Wei Xiaokuan couldn't help but lower their voices and their expressions changed.

Duke Yuchi Jiong of Shu State rode his warhorse and walked unsteadily at the front of the team.

When seeing the flags raised by the welcoming army in the distance, Yuchi Jiong's eyes were obviously filled with surprise, and he turned over and got off his horse.

Yuchi Jiong was much taller than Wei Xiaokuan, with a sturdy build and no sign of old age at all.

"Duke of Yun!"

"Duke of Shu!"

He and Wei Xiaokuan greeted each other, and Yuchi Jiong looked at the generals brought by Wei Xiaokuan with a rather arrogant look.

"How can we get the Duke of Yun to come and greet us personally?"

Wei Xiaokuan shook his head. "I have been on the front line for many years without making any achievements. I have finally waited for the army to help me. How can I not come out to welcome them?"

Wei Xiaokuan put himself in a very low and humble position.

Before Yuchi Jiong arrived, he had thought of many scenarios, including how to "subdue" Wei Xiaokuan, the frontline general, and make him obey his orders. Seeing how obedient he was, Yuchi Jiong felt reassured and no longer guarded himself. He quickly grabbed Wei Xiaokuan's hand and said, "I have come from afar and I don't know the enemy's situation. I still need your help, Duke."

The two men exchanged a few words intimately, and then Wei Xiaokuan asked the generals to come and pay their respects.

At this moment, the other dukes also slowly stepped forward.

There were many other great generals, including Quan Jingxuan, Duke of Qianjin County, Yuwen Xian, Duke of Qi, Dou Chi, Duke of Deng, Yuwen Zhao, Duke of Zhao, and many other generals, including generals of chariots and cavalry.

Wei Xiaokuan met with them one by one.

Afterwards, they went to the nearest city to rest and discuss the expedition.

The army was temporarily stationed outside, while the generals set up a simple banquet in the office.

There were so many generals at the banquet that one room could hardly hold them all.

Everyone was in high spirits, talking about important matters of achieving great things.

Wei Xiaokuan asked Shu Duke Yuchi Jiong to sit in the upper seat to show his respect for him.

Yuchi Jiong was not polite either.

After everyone met and got to know each other, Yuchi Jiong cleared his throat and talked about his marching deployment.

"At present, the battle line we are using to attack Gao Changgong with a large army is very long, and we have few troops, but we have many generals. We can deploy the troops on many enemy defense lines and then attack together. Gao Changgong's army does not exceed 20,000 people. He will certainly be unable to fight back if he is attacked from multiple sides. Even if he wants to fight back, he cannot attack from multiple sides at the same time. As long as we can tear through one line of defense, we can disrupt all his deployments."

"What the Duke of Shu said makes sense."

Quan Jingxuan spoke. Because of his previous contributions in Yuzhou, Quan Jingxuan received many rewards and served as the governor of 19 states and the general manager of Jingzhou. He was originally stationed in the south, but because the court had recently repaired its relationship with the State of Chen, and Quan Jingxuan happened to come to Chang'an to report on the front line, Yuwen Yong simply captured this general and let him go to the expedition together.

Quan Jingxuan first affirmed Yuchi Jiong's strategy, and then said: "However, I think that Gao Changgong is good at attacking and raiding. If we divide the army and deploy them in different places, it will be easy for Gao Changgong to defeat them one by one, which will lose the meaning of gathering a large army. I think we should concentrate all our forces and advance all the way from the front line, not giving Gao Changgong any chance."

The veteran Dou Chi laughed, "Push forward all the way?"

"That's easy for you to say. We dispatched our troops this time because Liu Taozi's army was scattered, and we got a good opportunity. If we follow your strategy, it will take half a year or even more to attack Gao Changgong's capital, and it will cost a lot. How long can the Turks hold Hulugu? They have stabbed us in the back more than once or twice. When our army is attacking and advancing all the way, and we have suffered heavy losses, Hulugu suddenly rushes in. What should we do?"

"Wouldn't that mean we would lose our previous achievements and do useless work?!"

Yuwen Xian interrupted again and said: "I still think that we should divide it into multiple routes."

For a moment, the house was extremely noisy.

Only Wei Xiaokuan remained silent, sitting on the sidelines without saying a word.

General Han Xiong looked at the tense atmosphere at the banquet, and in an instant, he understood what the Duke of Yun meant.

Yuchi Jiong's face was dark.

He is the commander!!

He was not discussing with everyone how to send troops, but reading out his own orders!

Yuchi Jiong said unhappily: "This is a general's order. If you have any different ideas, you can write to His Majesty and ask for the position of chief general!"

Quan Jingxuan was somewhat unhappy. When Yuwen Hu went to attack Qi, all the generals were defeated, but Quan Jingxuan escaped and gained a lot, so he was rewarded. Later, Yuwen Yong also rewarded him and even intended to let him manage the entire southern defense line.

He was the leader in the south and was used to being a leader. Even though the other party's official position was higher than his, he did not think that the other party was necessarily more powerful than him.

He immediately retorted: "Duke, the army is gathering here to defeat Gao Changgong. Your Majesty has summoned so many generals here just to listen to your orders? Isn't it for us to discuss and work out a strategy to deal with the enemy together?"

Yuchi Jiong was furious. "Even if General Quan doesn't know much about military affairs, doesn't he know the old rule of one army, one commander?"

"I discovered something was wrong when we were marching. You disobeyed my order and went in a different direction, which delayed us."

"Oh, when we were conquering Heluo, the general's orders alone killed a lot of troops! You said I was wasting time, so why did I arrive at the front first and stop to wait for the general to arrive?"

Perhaps Quan Jingxuan received too many rewards, and his whole person changed drastically. He was no longer the humble general of the past, and the arrogance in his words surprised everyone.

Not only him, but the other generals also had their own ideas.

The banquet ended in a bad mood. Yuchi Jiong said that he would write a letter to dismiss Quan Jingxuan and ask him to go back to the south. Quan Jingxuan also said that he would write a letter to expose Yuchi Jiong's behavior of not listening to advice.

The generals left.

The young Duke of Wei, Yuwen Xian, watched all that was happening and felt a little uneasy.

He walked out of the office, looking a little dazed.

"Want to go for a walk?"

Suddenly, Yuwen Xian heard someone speaking behind him. He turned around hurriedly and saw Wei Xiaokuan with a kind face.

Yuwen Xian hurriedly lowered his head and saluted Wei Xiaokuan.

"General."

"Alas, your majesty is too afraid of Liu Taozi."

Wei Xiaokuan sighed and motioned Yuwen Xian to follow him. The two walked slowly on the road. Wei Xiaokuan then said, "Your Majesty has never experienced war and has only seen many things in books."

"Gathering many powerful generals does not guarantee victory over the enemy."

"Today's generals used to be the leaders of their own states and counties, but now they are forced together. They are not convinced and each has his own ideas. When Yuwen Hu was still here, he personally stayed in the rear and the generals did not dare to argue. He made the decisions. But now, it is not convenient for Your Majesty to go to the battle personally, so the generals have begun to argue."

"Although Gao Changgong has few people, everyone is willing to obey his orders and follow his instructions. Although we have many people, everyone has their own ideas and cannot work together."

Wei Xiaokuan slowly looked at Yuwen Xian.

"Duke Qi, this is the time when you need to step forward."

"what?"

Yuwen Xian lowered his head quickly and said, "General, although I know a little about military affairs, the generals present here have more experience than me, so I dare not speak rashly."

"I have to speak up."

"The Duke of Qi is your Majesty's brother. I am not saying that you should take charge of the army. I am just saying that you should write to your Majesty, or obey the edict, or hold the imperial seal, and then take charge of the area on your behalf to ensure that no one can disobey the Duke of Shu's edict and make everyone obey him."

Yuwen Xian asked curiously, "Do you also think that the Duke of Shu's strategy is correct?"

"It's not about who is right or wrong. There can only be one commander in the army. We must obey him. Once there is a situation of separation, failure is not far away."

Yuwen Xian immediately lowered his head, "I understand."

Looking at Yuwen Xian who was leaving quickly, Wei Xiaokuan lowered his head again, feeling particularly depressed.

When the army arrived, he did not see much hope of victory.

The situation seemed extremely unfavorable to Gao Changgong, but only Wei Xiaokuan, who had actually come into contact with the other party, knew the situation here. Some things could not be said openly, and saying them would be a crime of great disrespect.

After occupying these areas, Liu Taozi granted land to the people and implemented many of Qi's past policies in medical care and education.

Lingzhou had long become Lingzhou of the Han State. In the past, people fled to Lingzhou in large numbers. However, after Wei Xiaokuan came to power, the situation eased and not so many people fled.

But even though Wei Xiaokuan was able to implement benevolent policies, he could not escape the policies of the Great Zhou. Moreover, he needed a large amount of money and food to maintain the army. To be honest, the people on the Zhou side did not live as well as the people on the Han side.

In the past, Wei Xiaokuan led his army to recover his lost territory, but was betrayed by his former family members. The people revealed their location and even took the initiative to help Gao Changgong defend the city.

What the people want.

But how can this matter be discussed openly?

Wei Xiaokuan could only write to the emperor in an obscure way: the enemy is very good at misleading people, and the local people have been bewitched by the bandits.

As for how much the emperor understood, Wei Xiaokuan didn't know. Wei Xiaokuan believed that he could hold the front line, but he didn't believe that he could kill Gao Changgong, because he himself always believed that: whoever wins the hearts of the people will win the world.

Changan.

Yuwen Yong sat in his bedroom, surrounded by many urgent music.

The war hadn't even started yet, but these expedited documents had already been delivered without stopping.

Yuwen Yong was stunned. When he picked it up, he realized that the generals were arguing with each other.

But Yuwen Yong did not think this was a big deal. Just like himself, when he was handling government affairs on weekdays, he also liked to let everyone put forward different opinions and absorb different suggestions so that he could make the right judgment.

But the content of Yuwen Xian's memorial awakened Yuwen Yong. Yuwen Xian felt that it was better for an army to have only one commander-in-chief, and hoped that he could hold the authority, similar to the governor-general, to help Yuchi Jiong to unify opinions.

Yuwen Yong did not make a decision at the first time. After all, the tradition of brotherly love and respect was too common in the Northern Dynasties. A younger brother who was good at fighting suddenly wrote a letter saying that he wanted to help the commander-in-chief lead the army. Well, if Yuwen Yong moved closer to the Northern Qi Dynasty, he would have to clean up his brother's family.

But he did not do so. After thinking it over again and again, he decided to agree to his brother's petition.

After all, I don’t know much about military affairs, so it’s better to let someone who knows about it do it than to decide on my own.

After finishing these things, Yuwen Yong called his queen in.

Queen Ashina.

The two chatted about many things, and then Yuwen Yong took out a small box.

"Queen, I have been busy with state affairs these days and cannot be with you often."

"look."

Yuwen Yong opened the box.

Inside the box, there were two slowly glowing beads.

Queen Ashina was stunned.

"Is this a night-shining pearl?"

"No, it's not the Night Pearl, it's the elixir!"

"This is the elixir that Zhang Bin and his team made. Look at this elixir."

Yuwen Yong picked it up and showed it to Empress Ashina, "It can emit light without fire, and it is even more obvious when it is dark. I have tasted it, and it is true. After eating one, I feel refreshed and I don't feel tired even if I work until midnight."

"They refined two more. I'll give this one to you."

Queen Ashina was extremely moved, with tears in her eyes.

He even gave himself an elixir, which showed how much the emperor doted on him.

They each picked up the glowing bead, ate it gently, and swallowed it with water.

"How is it? Do you feel it?"

"I feel a little dizzy."

"It's normal. I was like this the first time, too. I'll get used to it slowly!"

(End of this chapter)