Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 439: One Peach Kills Two Warriors
At this moment, the Han knights changed into clothes that were convenient for movement, took off their armor, and set off at full speed again.

They have walked this road several times.

This time, we went from north to south again.

The speed is faster than before. After all, I have walked this road several times and have become familiar with it.

Liu Taozi led everyone all the way south, but when they arrived outside Jiangxia County, they stopped and no longer moved forward.

He called Shi Wansui over directly and ordered him to arrange knights to deliver a letter.

After that, they stayed here, hiding their bodies and not moving forward.

This time, Gao Yanzong finally stopped asking.

Although he still had countless confusions in his heart, he didn't ask anything. There was no need to ask, just trust his elder brother!

Chen, Mianyang.

On the water surface, the waves are surging.

As huge ships slowly came over, the soldiers on the shore shouted and cheered.

They never dreamed that one day they would be able to regain their lost territory.

The land was also extremely lively, with a large number of soldiers gathering there.

Martial law has been imposed in the city, and almost every place within sight is guarded by soldiers.

Soldiers were continuously walking towards the parade ground. The Chen people were using their advantage on the water to frantically transport troops and food to the front line.

Huang Fachi was sitting in the government office at this moment, full of energy and vigor.

The generals sat beside him with smiles on their faces, congratulating him one after another.

Anzhou is close to Chen State on one side and Liang State on the other. It is the land guarantee of Liang State and a sword hanging over the head of Chen State. From here, ships can be sailed smoothly to the outside of Jiankang City. This shows how important this location is to the people of Chen.

Huang Fate was in a very good mood.

After taking over this place, the biggest benefit is that we can directly attack Liang State.

The military strength of Liang State was not very strong to begin with, and in the directions facing the Zhou people, there was basically no defense, no ditches or barricades, not even any checkpoints. People on both sides could enter and exit freely. It was called Liang State, but in fact it was just Liang County of Zhou State.

Now, we can go after our mortal enemy, and attack them at their weakest point!!

A lot of generals have gathered around Huang Fachi.

Including Chunyu Liang, generals from many places on the opposite bank were also ordered to come.

Chen Xu also attached great importance to this matter. If he could really defeat Liang State and recapture Jiangling, then Chen State would be able to extend its influence into the north of Jing and would no longer have to worry about the enemy coming from north of Jing to beat him up.

Jingzhou is very important to Jiangdong.

Huang Fachu was eagerly discussing with everyone about sending troops. He wanted to take Jiangling directly before the enemy could react!!!

Chunyu Liang was sitting aside, no longer as perfunctory as before, and became more active than anyone else.

He talked about his route of advance, "We will divide our troops into two groups. The general will lead the main force to attack Fuzhou from Mianyang, and I will lead the detachment to cross Zhangshan and take Jizhou."

While everyone was discussing enthusiastically, a scout came in and whispered a few words into Huang Fachi's ear.

Huang Fate was stunned and quickly stood up. "Everyone, please discuss first. I will come later."

No one dared to ask more questions and just said yes.

Huang Fachi walked out quickly and followed the soldier to the side room. There was already a man standing there. When he saw Huang Fachi, he hurriedly bowed to greet him.

"Greetings, General Huang. This is a letter from my Lord to you."

The knight handed Liu Taozi's letter to Huang Fatic.

Huang Fate hurriedly took the letter and read it carefully.

Seeing this, Huang Fachi's expression looked a little strange.

The knight looked at him with hesitation and embarrassment in his eyes, but he didn't say much. He just said calmly: "Please reply as soon as possible. His Majesty is still waiting."

"So that I can discuss this with everyone."

Huang Fachi walked back to the hall in a daze. Everyone noticed the change in Huang Fachi's expression. Chun Yuliang asked hurriedly, "General, what happened?"

Huang Fachi sat down and looked at the people in front of him.

"Everyone, just now the King of Han sent me a letter."

"He hopes that we can lead our troops north and follow him to attack Nanyang."

"He said he would bring his army to lure Wei Xiaokuan out, leaving Nanyang empty and making it easier for us to capture it."

"How can this be possible!"

Before he could finish his words, a general interrupted him angrily. The general was Xu Du's son Xu Jingcheng.

Xu Jingcheng was arranged by his father to join the army at an early age. He followed in battles for many years. He had his father's style and was considered a fierce general in the South.

At this moment, he seemed particularly irritable.

"What does this Han Lord think of us? His subordinates?"

"We are mobilizing the army this time to take Liang State. Why would we leave Jiangling alone and attack a small town like Nanyang?"

"I think the Han ruler doesn't want us to capture Jiangling and expand our strength!"

Xu Jingcheng spoke, and everyone nodded.

One general said, "General Xu is right. We are here to attack Liang State under the order of His Majesty. How can we obey Liu Taozi's orders when we have His Majesty's order? Wouldn't that be treason?"

Everyone was talking about it, and most of their words were unhappy.

Chunyu Liang suddenly thought of something. He secretly glanced at Huang Fachi and then closed his eyes.

I am only good at military affairs, and I know nothing else.

I don't understand what you are saying at all.

Huang Fate sat in the upper seat and sighed, "Everyone."

Everyone then quieted down and looked at him.

"We went on this expedition because of the order of the Han Lord. I followed him. If he hadn't feigned defeat and let the Mianzhou army out, we would not have been able to enter the city. Our ability to enter the city is the achievement of the Han Lord and must not be forgotten."

"Secondly, Chen and Han are allies. Your Majesty has repeatedly told us that the relationship must not be damaged. Now the Lord of Han has agreed that we will fight together again. If we don't go, wouldn't that ruin everything? Since the alliance, Chen has gained a lot of benefits, and now it has seized the important land of Mianzhou. If we become enemies now and break the alliance, what will we do in the future?"

"Finally, His Majesty gave me an imperial decree to let me be responsible for conquering the enemy country. He did not directly tell me to take Jiangling. Taking Nanyang would also have many benefits."

Xu Jingcheng looked at Huang Fate in astonishment, "General!"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we really going to meet up with Liu Taozi? General, although His Majesty has never said it explicitly, everyone knows that His Majesty sent troops to seize Jiangling. Are we here to obey Liu Taozi's orders?"

"You."

"I think what General Xu said is inappropriate!"

Suddenly someone stood up and started to refute.

Xu Jingcheng looked over and saw that it was Xiao Mohe who stood up. Xiao Mohe said solemnly, "Warfare is not about the gains and losses of a city or a place. Even if we capture Jiangling right now, what does it matter?"

"The Zhou people will be able to mobilize their troops and launch another counterattack soon. Do we have to fight them to the death on land?"

"Besides, if we don't obey the Han Lord and insist on attacking Jiangling, will the Han Lord come to rescue us when the Zhou people counterattack?"

"If the Han lord withdraws his troops directly, we will have to face the Zhou army, which is several times larger than ours, in Jiangling. By then, we may not even be able to defend Mianyang Prefecture!"

"I think what General Huang said is right. We can't delay the real important things just for a Jiangling!"

Xu Jingcheng was a little shaken at this moment and didn't say much.

"Bold!!"

Suddenly, someone stood up and pointed at Xiao Mohe and cursed, "You, Xiao, must be the remnant of the previous dynasty. Are you against us going to attack that fake dynasty because you miss your homeland?"

Xiao Mohe was furious and was about to explode, but when he saw the person who spoke, he gritted his teeth and couldn't say a word.

The person who spoke was very young, too young. His face looked childish, but he was wearing very delicate armor. He had fierce eyes and stared at Xiao Mohe, being extremely rude.

This man was General Pingdong and King Xin'an Chen Bogu, the fifth son of Emperor Wen Chen Qian.

How to say it, he and Chen Shuling are very good brothers, and they get along very well. This man has a cruel and rude personality. He always humiliates the old ministers and elders in the country. He likes to have fun and spends money without restraint. Anyway, he is just a royal family member similar to the Northern Qi royal family.

The reason why he appeared here, of course, was because he could eat meat here.

These generals and nobles in the country would not dare to go to fight against the Han and Zhou armies, but they could follow Huang Fachi and others, gain some military merits, get some gilded status, and then become Huang Fachi and others' superiors.

He scolded Xiao Mohe in such a way that even Xu Jingcheng, who had been refuted by Xiao Mohe before, looked a little displeased.

We are discussing military affairs here. How can a young boy like you be qualified to humiliate a powerful general?

But they were too embarrassed to speak.

This guy, like Chen Shuling, was deeply favored by the emperor.

Huang Fate's face changed drastically. He said quietly, "General Xiao has fought for many years and made countless contributions to the country. General Pingdong had better maintain some courtesy."

Chen Bogu, who had a defiant look just now, suddenly changed his expression and looked at Huang Fachi with a flattering face.

He dared to insult people like Xiao Mohe, but he didn't dare to provoke people like Huang Fachi.

In fact, Chen Bogu was always polite to those who came from big families. He only dared to bully those who were not as good as himself. No one he bullied was as good as the crazy royal family of Northern Qi, who dared to bully anyone.

Old Huang is a genuine Jiangxia Huang, a direct descendant of Huang Wan, the Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty. He is also a great general of the State of Chen, who has won numerous battles and is well-known for his bravery. In terms of his background, character, and ability, he is not someone you would mess with.

Chen Bogu lowered his head and said, "General, I was anxious just now and said the wrong thing. Don't blame me! Don't blame me!"

He hurriedly looked at Xiao Mohe again, bowed his head and saluted, "Don't blame me!"

Xiao Mohe's expression looked better then.

Huang Fate ignored these little bastards who came to gild their reputations. He said seriously, "I have made up my mind. I will respond to the order of the Han Lord and attack Nanyang."

"If your majesty wants to punish me, I am willing to bear the responsibility! Don't worry too much!"

"After we take over Nanyang, we can join forces with the Han Lord to defeat the enemy's subsequent reinforcements!!"

Huang Fachi no longer hesitated and made his choice directly.

The generals were in an uproar, with different expressions on their faces.

Chen Bogu lowered his head so that Huang Fachi could not see his face. His expression was extremely ugly and he was cursing under his breath.

Many generals felt disappointed. They thought it was a good opportunity to destroy a country and gain merit, but how did it turn into an ordinary war?

If they could follow Huang Fachu to destroy the country this time, the merit would be unimaginable. The merit of destroying a country is enough to be crowned a king, and any one of them can be made a Three Dukes. This is why so many people come here to gild themselves. As a result, they ignore the huge Liang State, which has made greater contributions, and instead go to fight Wei Xiaokuan. What should they do?

Huang Fachi didn't care about their thoughts at all. After giving the order, he immediately began to mobilize the army and prepare to march north.

Just after Huang Fachi ordered everyone to disperse, the generals dispersed, but some "people" gathered around Chen Bogu.

"My lord, what does the yellow magic potion mean?"

"Your Majesty told him to attack Jiangling, and Liu Taozi told him to attack Nanyang, but he chose to listen to Liu Taozi instead of Your Majesty!"

"Isn't this a rebellion?"

"Yes, I see he keeps calling you the king. You are the king. Then is Liu Taozi his king?"

"This fellow was lucky enough to get some military merits, so he started to get close to Liu Taozi and wanted to be his grandson. I think Huang Fachu can no longer be used!"

The war has not yet ended, but the old traditions of the South have already begun to take effect.

Hearing what these people said, Chen Bogu's eyes were filled with ferocity.

"Oh, he has great power, so let him do it first. He will have his say when he returns!"

The army set out immediately, heading north from Mianyang and rushing towards Nanyang.

At this time, the Zhou people were rushing towards the Liang State in an endless stream. They all thought that the Chen people were going to attack the Liang State.

From Mianzhou to the north, Huang Fachi did not encounter much resistance along the way. He defeated several armies in succession and was getting closer and closer to Nanyang.

The people in Nanyang had already discovered the enemy's movements and were in a panic.

Didn’t Wei Xiaokuan say that the Chen people would not come to kill us?
What does it mean?
They quickly sent people to ask for help from the surrounding areas.

Wei Xiaokuan waited for many days on the road that Liu Taozi had to take, but Liu Taozi did not come to attack him. Instead, he unexpectedly learned that the Chen people were attacking Nanyang from the south.

At this moment, Wei Xiaokuan was also confused.

He looked at the map in his hand and felt that he was in a dilemma.

What should we do now?
Return to Nanyang for rescue?
What about Liu Taozi?
Will he come from behind and join forces with Chen’s people to attack from both sides?

Continue to stay here?

What about Nanyang?
For a moment, Wei Xiaokuan felt a splitting headache and had no idea what to do next!
But he couldn't hesitate now. He thought for a long time and finally made a decision. He had to go back first. Even if he was defeated, it was better than doing nothing.

Wei Xiaokuan immediately led his troops back.

At the same time, Liu Taozi was still stationed in the Han territory outside Jiangxia and did not travel.

Liu Taozi knew that Wei Xiaokuan was not stupid. He had succeeded once and he would definitely not fall into his trap a second time. But this was not important. Liu Taozi had already achieved his strategic goal and destroyed the fortifications that the enemy was about to build in Zhongzhou.

From then on, no matter how the fight went, Liu Taozi would not suffer any loss.

Chen people wanted to capture Jiangling, which was a very bad decision in Liu Taozi's opinion. Just like Qi insisted on taking the jade disk, just like Zhou insisted on taking Heluo, what kind of magic was it? ?

What would happen if they took Jiangling? Mianyang Prefecture was enough for them to gain a foothold. If they were to attack Jiangling by force, they would have to wait for the Zhou people to attack from three sides. It would be better to take Anzhou. If they took Anzhou, Anzhou and Mianyang Prefecture could respond to each other, and they would have the troops from Lianghuai as backup, which would definitely be a more favorable situation.

Moreover, if the southerners attack Nanyang, Wei Xiaokuan will most likely not dare to come to him again, and will have to go back to rescue them. He can then slowly chase them and see if he can cooperate with the Chen people.

Changan.

"Asshole!!"

"Bang!!"

The emperor's angry roar was heard in the hall, and the eunuchs buried their heads even lower, pretending they heard nothing.

The soldiers were patrolling around, and when they heard the faint sound, they didn't dare to say much, but just silently quickened their pace.

Inside the hall, Gao Jiong stood aside with a guilty look on his face.

Emperor Yuwen Yong sat on the throne, with many documents scattered around him. Veins bulged on the emperor's forehead and he was furious.

"Wei Xiaokuan, Wei Xiaokuan!"

"Doesn't he always tell others that his talents are not being used? Why, is this all he has? He was played around by Liu Taozi. I gave him so many people, so much supplies, and so many soldiers, and he just gave Zhongzhou Camp and Mianzhou to Liu Taozi?!"

"I, I must"

Gao Jiong knelt on the ground hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, this is all my fault. If Your Majesty wants to punish me, please punish me."

Only then did Yuwen Yong remember that the proposer of the entire resolution was the young man in front of him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

After a while, he finally suppressed his anger.

"I don't blame you, but Liang State cannot be lost."

"We must not let the Chen people succeed!"

Gao Jiong pondered for a moment. "The Chen people are short of food. They consumed a lot in the previous battle with Hua Jiao. Although they have enriched the treasury through trade with Liu Taozi this time, I predict that their food on the front line is still insufficient. As long as we can hold off their attacks for a few times, they will definitely retreat. Your Majesty, can you let the King of Qi..."

"No need."

Yuwen Yong stood up slowly, his face looking extremely solemn.

"I will go there myself."

"Call all the military offices and generals."

"I will lead my troops to Jingzhou, defeat the State of Chen, and recapture Mianyangzhou. I will also plunge my sword into the Huai River and Huai River, so that the people of Chen will never dare to look to the land to the west again!!"

"As for Wei Xiaokuan"

Yuwen Yong clenched his fists.

"After the war is over, we will have our say."

(End of this chapter)