Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 437 No Longer Enemy
Zhou, Zhongzhou.

This place is still as lively as ever, with a large number of soldiers and civilians gathered here, post stations and roads built along the way, and many soldiers training day and night around it.

Inside the training ground, the sound of killing shook the sky.

The officers were working hard to train these brave men under their command, and their voices were loud and clear.

In a small house at the south gate of the parade ground, Duke of Yun, Wei Xiaokuan, was drinking with the guests, holding drinking utensils.

Wei Xiaokuan was wearing a very loose robe with some stains on his sleeves. The guest sitting in front of him was his relative Yang Duoluo, a Zhonglang official of the Sikong Department, who had come from Chang'an to visit him.

This is his wife's brother.

The two had a good relationship, and Wei Xiaokuan personally poured some tea for him.

"That's what happened. That evil thief Dugu was really unreasonable. If he wanted to kill Yang Su, he could have just killed his family, but he arrested many people from my family and killed them along with them. These were all innocent people, and they were also very wise and kind people in the local area."

Yang Duoluo complained, he looked at his brother again, but found that Wei Xiaokuan still had the same expression as before, calm and unperturbed.

Yang Duoluo was a little surprised. He asked, "Brother, why do you look a little different?"

"Oh?"

"What is the difference?"

"In the past, whenever I visited you, as long as you were in the army, you would be dressed in armor and I would not dare to neglect you. But now you are just wearing ordinary clothes. Also, in the past, you always asked me about many things in the court, but now you don't ask anymore."

The more Xiao Yang looked at Wei Xiaokuan, the more he felt that he was weird.

Originally, Yang Duoluo went to take up the post of Deputy Governor of Yingzhou and had been away for some time, and had not met Wei Xiaokuan. This time when he returned to the court, he hurried over, but found that Wei Xiaokuan had changed greatly.

Indescribably weird.

It was like he didn't care about anything anymore.

He couldn't help but ask, "Brother? What happened?"

Wei Xiaokuan took a sip of tea and said, "Nothing happened. I was defeated by Gao Changgong in Xiazhou and had nowhere to go. I was supposed to continue to serve as the governor of Yanzhou, but the front lines were lost. Yanzhou became a strategic location at the gate of Chang'an and could only be defended by members of the royal family."

"So, I was sent here to build the city. It was said that Cui Qian was in poor health and wanted me to replace him as the governor of Anzhou and Jingzhou, responsible for fighting the enemy in the south."

Yang Duoluo suddenly got excited, "Isn't this great?!"

"Brother, these two states are very rich. One side is close to Chen and the other side is close to Qi. They are perfect places to recruit soldiers and build achievements! Even Cui Qian has been rewarded year after year and his achievements are the best in the world. If you come, won't you be able to build even greater achievements?"

Different from Xiao Yang's excitement, Wei Xiaokuan remained cold and indifferent!

Yes, it is indifference.

He just sat there, listening to his wife's brother excitedly talking about the benefits in the future, but his eyes were particularly cold, "Maybe so."

Yang Duoluo left very quickly. He had asked for leave for this visit and could not be away for too long.

Wei Xiaokuan had just seen this person off and had not had time to ask anyone to clean up the house when a scout came hurriedly to report.

This scout was an old man who had followed Wei Xiaokuan for many years. At this moment, he seemed a little flustered.

Wei Xiaokuan immediately realized how serious the matter was.

"General, Huang Fachu of Chen State colluded with Liu Taozi and led cavalry to attack Nanyang, Anzhou. Nanyang is now under siege. Cui Qian is in Nanyang City!"

"Ok?"

Wei Xiaokuan's expression finally became serious, a change from his previous leisurely look.

"Where are the troops in the cities surrounding Nanyang?!"

"Chief Steward Cui has issued an order, asking them not to move forward."

The scout hurriedly handed the letter in his arms to Wei Xiaokuan. Wei Xiaokuan took the letter and looked down at it. This was an order sent by Cui Qian to the people around him. The content was to let them stay where they were and not rush over. They could obey Wei Xiaokuan's orders.

Wei Xiaokuan's brows furrowed more and more, and he silently calculated the time in his mind.

"not good!"

"I'm afraid it's too late!"

"Quickly gather the troops!!"

Several people around him hurried out, and Wei Xiaokuan clenched the documents in his hand.

After encountering so many bad things in the north, Wei Xiaokuan had kind of given up on himself. He just wanted to be an official in peace and not make any more trouble or offer any advice.

However, when he heard Liu Taozi leading his troops to appear in front of him, he inevitably felt a wave of emotions in his heart.

He and Liu Taozi have known each other for a long time.

But until now, the two have never officially fought each other.

Moreover, Cui Qian was the emperor's most trusted and beloved minister. Six or seven imperial edicts had already been issued praising him. If he was not well supported and died at the hands of Liu Taozi, his situation would probably become even more unfavorable.

Wei Xiaokuan quickly summoned the troops without hesitation and informed them of the current situation.

The current size of this army is quite acceptable, and the generals of the two nearby military headquarters are waiting for his orders, but their purpose of coming here is to build a city, and Wei Xiaokuan does not have the power to take them out of Zhongzhou and go south.

The situation was urgent, and Wei Xiaokuan had no choice but to act exceptionally. If he was afraid of being held accountable and did not go, the consequences would be even more serious.

He immediately led his army southward.

While walking on the road, Wei Xiaokuan began to analyze Liu Taozi's behavior.

Liu Taozi really scared Wei Xiaokuan. Wei Xiaokuan came to Zhongzhou to build cities and gather troops in the south. In fact, he was following Gao Jiong's plan to extend the front line and harass Yuzhou and other areas, so that Liu Taozi could not develop his internal affairs in the south with peace of mind. At the same time, he would strengthen his own defense line here to prevent Liu Taozi from attacking from both sides.

When Wei Xiaokuan led his troops out of Chang'an, he thought that Liu Taozi might make a big move.

However, it was slightly different from what he expected.

Wei Xiaokuan thought that Liu Taozi would strengthen Danzhou and Yanzhou, mobilize troops from Hebei, and join forces with his troops in Xiazhou.

Unexpectedly, Liu Taozi would start from further south.

From a broad perspective, this is a battle between two masters.

Gao Jiong wanted Liu Taozi to divide his troops and garrison there, but Liu Taozi turned the tables and told Gao Jiong, "If you want to start a war from this side, you'd better extend the front line a little longer. I can still attack you from further south!"
The reason why he dragged Chen State into this was probably because of this consideration. If Chen State got the upper hand this time, Zhou State would have to be on guard in more places in the future.

Alas, I am still young.

Wei Xiaokuan shook his head. He was against doing this in the beginning, but he said nothing. No one would listen to him anyway. They would rather listen to those young men talking nonsense than listen to his analysis. So what else could he do?
Just do it.

Wei Xiaokuan was moving at full speed. Although the road from Zhongzhou to Anzhou was very long, fortunately the road here was flat and the transportation was convenient, so Wei Xiaokuan could travel a lot every day.

During the march, he also sent out many scouts to inform the many cities around Nanyang as soon as possible to reach the Huzhou Pass in advance. As for the troops further south, he simply asked them to stay at home and not go out.

At this moment, because the Zhou people had seized many territories in Hezhou, there was no need to take a detour when going south from Zhongzhou. However, this route would easily alert the enemies on the east side.

Wei Xiaokuan knew that he could not hide the truth, and he had no intention of concealing it, so he made a big fuss along the way, hoping to force Liu Taozi to retreat.

Nanyang.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the entire city looked particularly dilapidated.

The siege engines bombarded the city indiscriminately, but the defenders in the city were powerless to do anything about it as they lacked such large-scale equipment.

During these days, the Han army launched fierce attacks on the city wall again and again. Gao Yanzong and Shi Wansui took turns to go into battle, climbing up the city wall several times and almost breaking the city.

Cui Qian, however, relied on his great prestige to organize counterattacks again and again. This old man in his sixties, holding a sharp blade, stood on the city wall and killed the enemies together with the rest of the people. None of the soldiers retreated.

Many young and strong men in the city also went up to the city to garrison.

All I can say is that there was a reason why Yuwen Yong liked this old man so much.

As another wave of enemies slowly retreated.

Governor Liu walked tremblingly to Cui Qian, who was sitting on the ground with his back against the city wall.

Cui Qian was now sitting helplessly on the cold ground. His condition was worse than before and he was dying.

He was already seriously ill and old, so he couldn't withstand such ordeal.

He sat there, unable to open his eyes, his whole body shaking slightly, his clothes were tattered and smelled strongly.

The prefect felt very distressed when he saw this. He squatted on the ground, and there was no longer the panic and helplessness in his eyes from the past few days. He looked exceptionally resolute.

"Mr. Cui, you can go back. It's all right. The enemy has been repelled again!"

"Tomorrow, our reinforcements will arrive!"

Hearing the governor's words, Cui Qian's eyes suddenly opened, "Is the reinforcement coming?"

"It's coming. It's coming."

"The Duke of Yun has sent a carrier pigeon, and will come to repel these bandits tomorrow!"

Cui Qian seemed relieved. "That's good. With the Duke of Yun here, all the states in the south won't be taken away by the enemy."

"Yeah, you don't have to worry."

The prefect spoke stiffly.

"Even if the enemy is unwilling, they have to withdraw."

The Han army camp outside the city.

The soldiers lit bonfires and gathered in groups of three or four, talking loudly about something.

The atmosphere here is nothing like what the governor just said about the unwillingness and imminent retreat. It seems that the morale is extremely high and there are not too many casualties.

Inside the inner room, Gao Yanzong bit off the lamb leg in his hand, broke it into pieces, and swallowed it directly.

He glanced at Liu Taozi who was sitting in the upper seat, "If my brother had allowed me to attack fiercely, I would have taken the city long ago. Why is it like this now?"

Liu Taozi did not let everyone attack by force. Once the casualties increased, he asked them to evacuate. Most of the time, he used his own outstanding craftsmen to carry out "long-range bombing".

Shi Wansui laughed at this moment, "Brother, if we don't do this, why would Wei Xiaokuan come here? How can the Chen people capture the city?"

"We will have a chance to make contributions sooner or later, so don't worry!"

Gao Yanzong whispered, "I really want to show those southerners, but brother, can those southerners really accomplish anything?"

"Huang Fateu can still be trusted. Don't worry. We will start evacuating and escaping tomorrow morning."

"it is good."

"I hope Huang Fate won't let you down!"

The three of them went back to rest. The next day, just after dawn, the Han army launched another attack. However, this attack was short and hasty. The enemy only bombarded the city wall a few times. Then, the prefect saw that they had destroyed their machines and the army began to quickly evacuate their camp.

There was a sudden cheer on the city wall, and the governor was even more shocked.

He said that he had received a letter from Wei Xiaokuan, which was actually used to appease the old man. How could Wei Xiaokuan know a young prefect like him and write to him?

But looking at the enemy's posture, could it be that our reinforcements have really arrived?

Did they really hold on? Did they defeat the rumored Liu Taozi?
The prefect could not believe it for a moment. Cui Qian was escorted to the government office in the city at night by people he sent. Because his condition worsened, he had fallen into a coma.

He really wanted to tell his steward the good news, but until now, the steward showed no signs of waking up.

The prefect was anxious and angry, and summoned more doctors to check Cui Qian's body.

At the same time, he also informed all places that Liu Taozi had withdrawn his troops! !
Liu Taozi came very quickly and evacuated very quickly, moving towards Yiyang Pass at full speed.

Wei Xiaokuan had just arrived in Huzhou and was reuniting with the reinforcements there. In the midst of training and reorganization, he received an urgent notice from Nanyang, saying that Cui Qian had led the soldiers in the city to repel Liu Taozi's attack, and the Han army had suffered heavy casualties and had to evacuate in a hurry.

When Wei Xiaokuan first received the letter, only two words came to his mind: "It's a fraud!"

This is just like the Chen cavalry coming to attack the Pseudo-Zhou. It is a very difficult thing to digest. Cui Qian is indeed powerful, but he is so old and just fell ill not long ago. He will not survive this winter. You think he led less than 10,000 soldiers from Nanyang City to repel Liu Taozi? ?
Is this reasonable? ?
Even if it is what the people want, even if there are young and strong people in the city to help, the strength gap between the two sides is so huge, how can this be possible?
Wei Xiaokuan even suspected that Nanyang had been captured and the prefect had surrendered to the enemy. This was a letter intended to help Liu Taozi lure him into an ambush!

Wei Xiaokuan gathered his army in Huzhou and did not dare to pursue the enemy. Instead, he began to send scouts to investigate the situation in Nanyang to see if it had really been captured.

Wei Xiaokuan stopped here, but the situation was different for the defenders in the south.

Armies in places like Anlu, Shicheng, Mianzhou, and Chanchuan, upon learning that Liu Taozi had been defeated, hurriedly sent troops to Nanyang for rescue.

Their chief steward is there. Regardless of whether it is out of public or private interests, whoever can reach Nanyang first and complete the rescue mission will definitely reap the benefits in the future.

Even the emperor will definitely not treat badly the loyal minister who saved his old minister!
All of a sudden, the armies of these states and counties left the city and hurriedly headed towards Nanyang County.

As soon as they left, another army arrived at the city.

That’s right, the army that came here was the army of the State of Chen.

Huang Fachi led his infantry and cavalry and launched a fierce attack. Mianyang Prefecture, which was short of troops, was simply unable to stop such an army. Several county towns fell one after another. There were only dozens of cavalry and infantry in the city. How could they take on the task of defending the city?
General Xiao Mohe led the charge, wearing heavy armor and killing his way forward. He was always the first to fight in every battle and was invincible. No one could stop him. Huang Fachi's offensive became more and more fierce. After capturing Mianzhou, he took Mianyang south of Chachuan and surrendered directly. Huang Fachi was so excited that he could not speak. He frantically sent letters to his rear, asking them to advance quickly.

The fall of these areas allowed the Chen people to directly surround Liang State from three sides and officially extend their hands to the area around Jiangling. Strategically, they changed from being a passive defender to being able to attack.

However, when these local troops learned that they were attacked in the rear and hurriedly turned back, it was already too late.

Huang Fachi used Xiao Moha as the vanguard to defeat the Zhou army that had turned back halfway.

The area south of Nanyang was suddenly in ruins.

At this time, Wei Xiaokuan had already arrived in Nanyang. He met with the prefect and visited Cui Qian, who was seriously ill. Before they had spoken a few words, he learned that Mianyangzhou and other places had been attacked.

Wei Xiaokuan then realized that Liu Taozi was in a hurry to evacuate in order to cooperate with the Chen people to capture Mianyang Prefecture!

At this moment, Wei Xiaokuan did not dare to move directly towards Mianyangzhou. He was afraid that if he fell into the pocket, Liu Taozi would cut back and block the gap from behind. Then it would not only be Mianyangzhou that would be lost!

Wei Xiaokuan was caught in a dilemma.

As for Liu Taozi.

He really withdrew. After he withdrew from Yiyang Pass, he followed the road that led him here, following Wei Xiaokuan's footsteps, and ran all the way, but he went to Zhongzhou in the north.

This is also the place where Wei Xiaokuan started.

The Zhou people built a city here, gathered a large amount of food and laborers, and prepared to set up a long battle line.

However, the Zhou people were also worried that it would be dangerous to leave so many supplies and civilians on the front line. After all, the enemy's cavalry was very powerful, and they were the looting Qihu, so they had to be on guard!
Therefore, the Zhou court asked Wei Xiaokuan to supervise and protect them.

We must ensure that they do not escape and also protect them from being persecuted by Liu Taozi.

But now.
Wei Xiaokuan doesn't seem to be here anymore.

(End of this chapter)