Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 457: The World's No. Genius
"Wei Xiaokuan is here! Guards in the city, why don't you surrender?!"

When Wei Xiaokuan appeared outside the Zhou city riding a war horse and wearing light armor, the impact he caused was enormous.

The moment he appeared, the city guards seemed to have lost their souls and could not utter a single word! !

The Duke of Da Zhou actually surrendered to the enemy? ?
How is this possible?
Both the garrison commander and the middle and lower-level officers were stunned at this moment.

Looking at the silent city, Wei Xiaokuan shouted again: "Wang Chang!! I know you are in the city!!"

"The situation is hopeless now, we can leave it to fate!!"

"I will be the vanguard, and the Heavenly King will lead the army behind. If you wait for the Heavenly Army to come to the city, I will not be able to save you!!"

The city's defenders looked around in astonishment, "What can we do?"

One general said helplessly: "Even the Duke of Yun has surrendered, what are we still resisting? I heard that His Majesty has passed away and the Great Zhou has perished. Do we have to be buried with the Great Zhou?"

The defending general ordered the city gates to be opened and went down to surrender in person.

Zu Ting was standing not far away, watching Wei Xiaokuan getting to know those who had come to surrender and chatting animatedly.

The Duke of Zhou is indeed useful. Wei Xiaokuan does not have much weight in the eyes of the emperor, but he still has some status in the army, especially those stationed at the border. Most of them know him and have old ties with him.

Wei Xiaokuan continued to persuade people to surrender along the way, and many city checkpoints actually chose to open their gates and surrender without resistance.

This is very different from when the king of heaven personally went to war. I remember that when the king of heaven went to war, people in various places along the way chose to die rather than surrender, and very few people surrendered.

Just as Zu Ting was deep in thought, Wei Xiaokuan returned to his side again on his warhorse. Wei Xiaokuan did not seem to have much guilt, and he did not feel the slightest bit of shame for betraying the Zhou Kingdom and then bringing the Han Kingdom to persuade the Zhou army to surrender.

He is a person who will do what he has decided on and will not regret it.

Zu Ting felt both admiration and fear for him.

Wei Xiaokuan pointed to the tall and sturdy city in the distance.

"I have taken the city, and the key areas of Yanzhou are in our hands. If you believe in me, you can stay here temporarily and wait for my news. Then I will send officials to various places to prepare supplies."

Zu Ting laughed, "There's no reason why I don't trust General Wei. It's just that the knights under the Heavenly King are so arrogant. I'm afraid they might offend General Wei."

Wei Xiaokuan disagreed, "I have seen knights more arrogant than this."

"Grandpa, just be frank. Do you want to stay here and do the work, or do you want to continue with me and do it as we go?"

Zu Ting waved his hand and said, "General Wei, just go and capture the prefectures and counties along the way. I will stay here and take charge of everything. General Wei, don't worry about what will happen next."

Wei Xiaokuan laughed loudly and led his troops away.

Zu Ting then stayed at Luochuan Pass with the remaining thousand or so people.

The officials around Zu Ting watched Wei Xiaokuan leave and couldn't help asking, "Grandpa, he just surrendered, and you let him lead the troops out alone. What if he rebels again?"

Zu Ting glanced at him and cursed, "Fool! How can you persuade a state to surrender and then rebel again? Besides, he is leading my knights. Will he take them to surrender to Zhou?"

The clerk was scolded by Zu Ting and stopped talking.

In the following days, the two began to cooperate to capture the surrounding city checkpoints.

Just as Wei Xiaokuan said, the garrisons in various places had already lost contact with the imperial court. Even if they met the people sent by Yuwen Xian and saw his letters, it could not be said that they had established contact with the imperial court. After all, all Yuwen Xian could send were some soldiers, not court officials recognized by them in the true sense.

Moreover, within the Zhou territory, the news of Yuwen Xian's regicide spread like wildfire, causing great confusion. Officials in some places did not even dare to let Yuwen Xian's envoys in.

Relying on his reputation, Wei Xiaokuan set out from Yanzhou, first went to Zhongzhou, and then went all the way west, persuading the other party to surrender along the way. If the other party obeyed, he would take over the city, have people escort these surrendered officials to the back, and let Zu Ting send people to take over. If the other party was unwilling to surrender, he would directly attack the city. When the other party had little morale, Wei Xiaokuan could easily capture these cities and then continue on his way.

Zu Ting's work was carried out quite smoothly. The two of them took turns attacking and governing, with clear division of labor and proper cooperation.

At this time, the Zhou people finally took action.

On the official road, a group of cavalry were galloping towards Yanzhou.

The leader was none other than the Duke of Shu of the Great Zhou, Yuchi Jiong.

Yuchi Jiong was originally defeated by Gao Changgong in Yanzhou, and was ambushed by Gao Changgong, suffering heavy casualties. However, Yuwen Xian did not blame him for this. He assigned him knights and asked him to temporarily be responsible for pacifying the city checkpoints around Chang'an.

When Yuchi Jiong learned that Wei Xiaokuan had surrendered to the Han Dynasty and had been trying to persuade the city checkpoints to surrender, he became furious and immediately led his knights out of the city to fight.

Yuchi Kuan rode a war horse and followed Yuchi Jiong, and a large group of knights followed behind them.

Yuchi Kuan looked at the city gradually emerging in the distance and asked loudly, "Grandpa! Wei Xiaokuan is in the west, why did we come to Yanzhou?"

When Grandpa said he wanted to go out to fight Wei Xiaokuan, Yuchi Kuan tried to persuade him several times.

However, Yuchi Jiong did not listen to him. After leading his troops out of the city, Yuchi Jiong did not attack Wei Xiaokuan, but instead led his troops directly to Yanzhou.

Yuchi Jiong did not answer his son, his eyes were just fixed on Luochuan Pass in the distance.

The enemy only thought that they had been defeated once and would not dare to advance again. They would never think that they would dare to attack again!
Wei Xiaokuan led his troops to the battle and tried to persuade people to surrender. He had just surrendered. Even if Liu Taozi trusted him, he would not let him be responsible for such a big thing alone. There must be a manager behind him, and Luochuan was undoubtedly the best place. The enemy's manager was most likely here. If they could attack this place and capture the enemy's important officials, they might be able to exchange for a few important hostages, which would destroy Wei Xiaokuan's strategy of surrendering. Of course, Liu Taozi might even be angry with Wei Xiaokuan and kill him.
Yuchi Jiong had countless thoughts in his mind, and he was getting closer and closer to the checkpoint.

At this time, Zu Ting was in the government office inside the pass, checking the many documents sent from the front line and determining the candidates to be sent to various places.

His office efficiency was extremely exaggerated. He could remember any document after reading it once. He could also appoint officials with ease. Apart from anything else, his memory alone was truly terrifying.

Just when Zu Ting was busy, a soldier suddenly rushed into the house in fear and trepidation.

The soldier looked terrified, "Grandfather! This is bad!!"

"We have spotted enemy cavalry outside the pass! There are thousands of them, heading towards us!"

Zu Ting suddenly dropped the pen in his hand and looked up at him.

At the same time, the hall, which was originally noisy, quickly became silent. The officials were silent and everyone looked at the soldier.

Zu Ting looked at everyone with a solemn look.

"Grandfather!"

"Run!"

An official stood up and spoke hurriedly.

"run?"

Zu Ting asked back, "Do you think we can outrun the cavalry?"

"If we leave the city now, we will be dead. There is no hope for survival."

Zu Ting immediately looked at the soldiers beside him and said, "Send someone to ask for help now."

"I'll guard the checkpoint."

"Grandfather! We only have a thousand soldiers under our command, and they are all new recruits."

"No problem! You don't have to be afraid. The enemy's queen mother is on our side. Even if the checkpoint is captured and we are captured, they dare not kill us. They will need to use us in exchange for others. What is there to be afraid of?!"

After Zu Ting asked this, everyone immediately calmed down a lot.

Zu Ting sent people to ask for help and then began to deploy.

"Pass on my orders!!"

"Open all the city gates for me!"

"The soldiers guarding the city came down from the wall and sat inside the city!"

"No pedestrians are allowed to walk on the road, and no chickens or dogs are allowed to bark!!"

Zu Ting issued orders one after another, and although everyone could not understand them, they still carried out his orders.

When Yuchi Jiong led his army to Luochuan Pass, what he saw was a dead silent checkpoint.

Yuchi Kuan looked around blankly, "Grandpa, is this an empty city?"

"Impossible!! How could this be an empty city?!"

Yuchi Jiong frowned, staring at the quiet and almost eerie city in front of him, countless thoughts emerging in his mind.

"A Kuan, lead the cavalry to bypass the checkpoint and explore in the north and south directions to see if there are any enemy ambushes! If you encounter enemy soldiers, do not fight and evacuate immediately!"

"only!!"

"The rest of the soldiers, dismount and rest!" Yuchi Jiong did not dare to attack rashly. He first sent scouts to scout the surroundings and let the knights who had galloped all the way to rest and regain their strength.

After a long time, the checkpoint on the opposite side was still exceptionally quiet.

Yuchi Kuan led the army back and reported.

"Grandpa, I checked the surroundings and didn't find any trace of the enemy. It seems that they have indeed escaped. This place has long been an empty city."

Yuchi Jiong hesitated for a moment and looked around.

He selected two powerful generals and said, "You two, take the cavalry and go in through the south gate to see the situation inside the city!"

"only!!"

The two men received the order, but they still felt a little scared when they saw the empty city in front of them. They led the knights and began to approach the city quickly.

Just as they were about to reach the north gate, a deafening roar suddenly came from the city.

The sound of drums rose up everywhere, covering the whole mountain and plain.

The two Zhou generals were horrified and turned to run. At this moment, a man suddenly rushed out from the city gate. He was wearing a mask, riding a tall war horse, and pulling a strong bow.

"Whoosh~~"

With just one arrow, the leading Zhou general was shot dead and fell off his horse.

"Gao Changgong is here! Who dares to fight me to the death?!"

The masked guy roared.

This group of Zhou people had been beaten to a pulp by Gao Changgong not long ago. When they heard the sound, they were so scared that they ran towards the camp. The Han cavalry rushed over, arrows kept falling, and many were killed and wounded. The vanguard army fled in panic, but the enemy did not continue to pursue them. They closed the city gates, and flags were constantly erected on the city walls, cheering like the mountains and the sea.

Yuchi Jiong stood in the distance, watching the enemy's movements.

Yuchi Kuan was so frightened that his hands were shaking. "Grandpa, Gao Changgong! Gao Changgong is here!!"

"If it weren't Gao Changgong, he would have come running towards us a long time ago. They are trying to intimidate us, so don't be afraid!"

Yuchi Jiong said a few words to comfort him.

But it was obvious that the soldiers on his left and right did not quite believe this and looked frightened.

Inside the city, Zu Ting took off the mask on his face, and the soldiers threw the severed heads on the ground one after another, and their morale was high.

Zu Ting looked at the motivated new recruits in front of him and said with a smile: "What do the Zhou people have to fear? An old scholar like me who is old and weak can still ride out on horseback and shoot a general to death. What else do you have to worry about?"

"These people are here to bring us merit. We can take these heads and hang them on the city wall to provoke them to attack. Your Majesty is not far from us. If we can detain these thieves, will we still worry about not getting a reward?"

The soldiers were overjoyed to hear this and agreed one after another.

Zu Ting quickly began to make arrangements for defending the city.

Sure enough, not long after they hung the head up, the enemy launched an attack.

Yuchi Jiong led the attack. Zu Ting was still wearing a mask, standing on the city wall, holding a large bow, and shouting to kill the enemy.

Under his leadership, the more than a thousand old and weak men did not fear at all. They drew their bows and shot arrows, dropped rolling logs, and resisted with all their might.

Zu Ting also ordered the young and strong men in the city to reinforce the city gates.

They fought fiercely for a whole day, and the Zhou people only left corpses all over the ground, but failed to capture the city.

The next day, just as Yuchi Jiong's army gathered outside the city gate, the gate suddenly opened wide. Zu Ting once again led the knights to charge out, shooting arrows left and right, and the Zhou vanguard army was defeated again.

Eight days later.

Yuchi Jiong's face was full of unwillingness. He stared at the towering Luochuan Pass in the distance, his hands shaking.

"Grandma!"

"Withdraw!"

"The enemy's reinforcements are almost here. If we don't evacuate, we will be trapped here. Grandpa!"

Yuchi Kuan held on to his old father tightly. Yuchi Jiong was unwilling to accept this. “We can’t even grasp such a good opportunity!! Are we so incompetent?!”

"We've been fighting for so long, and we don't even know who the defender is!!"

"We left so many bodies behind but couldn't capture the city!!"

Yuchi Jiong became more and more excited as he spoke, and his face turned red.

Yuchi Kuan wanted to persuade him, but Yuchi Jiong pushed him away and rushed towards the checkpoint with several personal soldiers. When he was about to enter the range, he stopped and saw him holding up his spear. He asked angrily: "Who is the guard? You rat! Why don't you show your true face?!"

Hearing his question, the masked knight stepped forward and stuck his head out.

The next moment, he was seen taking off his mask.

"Yuchi the bastard!!"

"It's your great grandfather who is guarding the city!!"

"You can't even defeat a scholar like me, and you still want to fight against the generals?! Why don't you surrender early and recognize me as your foster father? I can even spare your life!!"

“Zuzu Ting!!”

Yuchi Jiong felt dizzy and became more and more excited.

Zu Ting continued to curse: "If you have the ability, don't run! If you run, you will be my grandson! You bastard, you usually call yourself a famous general, what merits do you have to be called a famous general?! You brag about your merits in entering Shu all day long! When you entered Shu, did you ever shoot an arrow?! You stood behind the army and let the generals fight, and this merit is yours?! You gave birth to a good ass, a bastard who relied on women to get to the top, why don't you continue to attack me?!"

"I am inside the pass today, let's see what you, a fraud who has cheated the world and stolen the reputation, can do to me!"

Zu Ting never stopped talking. In front of the two armies, everyone thought he would have some profound remarks to make. However, no one expected that he would start talking with all kinds of dirty words, which were unbearable to hear. He did not look like a noble man at all.

"Ancestor thief!! Do you think I will fall for your provocation?!"

"Just wait, sooner or later, I will chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs!!"

Yuchi Jiong also cursed back a few times, but it was obvious that he could not beat Zu Ting, so he did not stay any longer and quickly evacuated with his men.

Shortly after he left, a large number of Han knights came here from the rear, raising a cloud of dust.

Zu Ting hurriedly ordered the north gate to be opened and rushed out on horseback.

Zu Ting was shocked when the cavalry approached.

The person leading the team was actually Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi led the knights to the scene. When he saw Zu Ting riding out on horseback, Liu Taozi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Grandfather is alright?!"

"Your Majesty, do not hesitate! Chase! Chase! The bandits have lost their will and the whole army is exhausted. Chase them southwards!!"

Zu Ting roared.

Liu Taozi looked serious and said to both sides, "Chase!"

The knights whizzed past, and Zu Ting stretched his neck until they were all gone. He took off his helmet and threw it on the ground. He then asked someone to take off his armor, and then he just lay on the ground and fell asleep.

Yuchi Jiong did not escape for long before he was caught up by the knights of the Han State. Yuchi Jiong hastily formed a battle formation, but was no match for Liu Taozi and was defeated by Liu Taozi. His entire army was defeated and he escaped with only a hundred people.

When Yuchi Jiong fled to Yizhou in panic, the city gates were closed.

"Open the door!! Open the door!!"

Yuchi Kuan shouted.

The next moment, a man suddenly appeared from the city wall.

"Yuchi Jiong!! Wei Xiaokuan is here, why don't you surrender earlier?!"

ps: When they arrived at the city, there were bandits and many people rebelled. Ting did not close the city gates and ordered the guards to go down the city and sit quietly. The streets were closed to pedestrians and the thieves saw nothing and heard nothing. They did not know why and were suspicious as the city was empty and no guards were set up. Suddenly, Ting ordered people to shout and make a commotion to the sky. The thieves were frightened and scattered immediately.

Later, they formed a battle array again and headed for the city. Ting rode out on horseback and ordered Wang Junzhi, the military recorder, to lead the troops and horses. He personally went to the battle. The bandits had heard that he was blind and thought that he could not resist. Suddenly, they saw him in the army, bending bows and shooting arrows. They were surprised and frightened and stopped. Mutibha was very disappointed and wanted to let the city fall to the bandits. Although he knew the danger, he did not send rescue. Ting fought and defended for more than ten days. The bandits finally fled and the city was saved. - "Book of Northern Qi·Biography of Zu Ting"

By the way, in history, when Zu Ting used the empty city plan and rode out to fight against the Chen people, he was already blind. What a genius! !
(End of this chapter)