Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 468: Dark, Bright

Pseudo-Zhou, Hanzhong.

The generals stood outside the city and, led by Yuwen Xian, came out to welcome the prince.

The Pseudo-Zhou no longer looks like a temple, but has become a group of chaotic soldiers. Among the people who came out to greet them, there were few prestigious ministers, and they were all military men.

Yuwen Xian stood at the front, and a look of joy finally appeared on his face.

Since Chang'an was captured, bad news came one after another, and Yuwen Xian was almost overwhelmed.

Now that the prince has been released and can inherit the throne, it is the only happy event.

Several old ministers who were there to make up the numbers stood beside Yuwen Xian, wiping their tears and saying that it was not easy.

However, Yuwen Xian’s close friends did not seem so happy at this moment.

These people were very disappointed that Yuwen Xian did not inherit the throne himself, but wanted the crown prince to come back to inherit it.

No matter how smart Yuwen Yun is, he is just a kid. How can a kid manage the current situation? If he doesn't ascend the throne, the same thing will happen to Yuwen Hu. Where are Yuwen Hu's confidants now?

Things that happened once in the past can always give future generations something to reflect on.

They don't want to see the story of Yuwen Hu and his close associates being slaughtered again.

Yuwen Xian might know it in his heart, or he might not, anyway, no one could tell from his face that he was thinking otherwise. Everyone was helpless about this and were thinking about how to solve the problem.

A fast horse came from a distance and informed the prince of the situation of his carriage.

After reporting this several times, the prince and his escort finally appeared in the distance.

Yuwen Xian finally smiled and ordered several important ministers to follow him to welcome the prince.

The prince's carriage stopped and with the support of Yuwen Shan, the prince got out of the carriage.

Yuchi Jiong held the hilt of the sword and followed Yuwen Yun.

As for Yang Su, he stood quite far away. In such an occasion, he certainly had no right to move forward.

Yang Su's expression was calm. He quickly looked at the people who came to greet him, and his eyes searched for Gao Jiong.

He wanted to find Gao Jiong, to see the anger and disbelief on Gao Jiong's face, and to let this arrogant little thief know what kind of mistake he had made! !

His eyes successfully locked onto Gao Ying among the crowd.

Gao Ying was actually looking at him at this moment.

The two looked at each other.

There was no anger in Gao Jiong's eyes, but rather extraordinary calmness. He just looked at Yang Su and then nodded with a smile.

Yang Su was horrified.

wrong! ! wrong! !
How come this guy isn't angry at all?

Is this a trick? !
Yang Su quickly began to ponder, if Gao Jiong deliberately asked him to do this, what was his purpose? Did he want to gather all those who were unfavorable to the King of Qi and then eliminate them together?
That's not right. When facing external enemies, it would be enough to get rid of the crown prince. Letting the crown prince gather the opposition and then getting rid of them all, isn't that crazy?
What is that?
Is it because he just doesn't want to admit his failure, pretending to be calm, trying to scare himself? To make himself think too much, and then reveal his flaws?

No, Gao Jiong doesn't look that calm on weekdays. He gets angrier than anyone else when his plan fails.
In just a moment, many thoughts flashed through Yang Su's mind.

Yuwen Xian had already held Yuwen Yun's hand, looking excited.

"It is a blessing for the Great Zhou and the world that His Highness can return."

Yuwen Yun looked a little unnatural. Having Yuwen Xian holding his hand like that, he stammered in thanks, which seemed a bit strange. This attitude didn't seem like that of someone treating his own uncle.

Yuwen Xian just thought that Yuwen Yun was frightened and didn't take it seriously.

Yuchi Jiong stood not far away and looked at Yuwen Xian with a cold look.

That day, he went to the prince's side and listened to Yang Su's explanation of everything.

The people under Yuwen Xian wanted to kill the prince, and they also didn't want him to return alive. Yang Su said that he had told his bandits that Yuchi Jiong was too famous in Bashu and had too much experience.
Yuchi Jiong was very angry.

Yuchi Jiong has always been loyal to the Great Zhou. When Yuwen Hu was in power, he assisted Yuwen Hu wholeheartedly. When Yuwen Yong came to power, he continued to assist him. After all, as long as the emperor still had the surname Yuwen and was the most suitable candidate at the moment and was beneficial to the Great Zhou, he would assist him.

When Yuwen Hu was killed, he was outside and had a large army under his command.

Someone advised him to lead his troops directly to Chang'an, and then the whole world would have to obey his orders.

But Yuchi Jiong directly executed the man. He would not do such a treacherous thing. Although he was a frontier warrior, he also knew loyalty and righteousness.

He didn't understand why Yuwen Xian wanted to get rid of him as well.

Yuwen Xian looked at Yuchi Jiong and became even more excited.

"Duke Shu, now I am no longer afraid of the Han army."

Yuwen Xian's voice was trembling, and Yuchi Jiong became even more confused. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like Yuwen Xian wanted to kill him.

Could it be that it was just the people under his command who acted on their own?

Yuwen Yun finally found an opportunity and pointed at Yang Su in the distance and said, "This Lord Yang is loyal and devoted. Thanks to his guards, I was able to return to the country smoothly. I would like him to be my attendant. I wonder if the King of Qi agrees?"

Yuwen Xian was very surprised. "Your Highness has come back to inherit the throne. Why are you asking me about such a trivial matter?"

Yuwen Yun lowered his head hurriedly, "Uncle, I am still young. Now that the enemy is outside and the country is in turmoil, I am incompetent and cannot take on such a heavy responsibility. Moreover, before my father passed away, he issued an imperial edict, entrusting the affairs of the world to you. Please accept this edict and inherit the throne. I am willing to assist you, pacify the world, and carry forward my father's legacy!!"

Yuwen Yun had been hesitating just now, but now he suddenly became very fluent. He spoke such a long paragraph without pausing, as if he had been reciting it all the way.

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Be it Yuwen Xian's confidants or the veteran ministers and generals, no one dared to speak at this moment.

The smile on Yuwen Xian's face gradually froze.

When he looked at Yuwen Yun, there was suddenly some loss and sadness in his eyes.

"Your Highness."

"Did the Han people say anything to you?"

"Or did something happen on the way?"

Yuwen Yun hurriedly explained: "Uncle! This is truly what I, your nephew, say from the bottom of my heart!"

"It's nothing else, it's just that in this situation, how can I inherit my father's ambition and resist the powerful enemies outside?"

Yuwen Xian said calmly: "Brother issued the edict to me because the situation was critical and the prince was not in the country. When Your Highness returns to the country, it will be considered that Your Highness has inherited the throne. Your Highness does not need to say more!"

Yuwen Xian's tone became much stiffer, and then he asked everyone to take the prince back to the city.

The atmosphere became a little weird. Everyone walked towards the city, but no one spoke much.

Gao Jiong was riding a horse at this moment, but caught up with Yuwen Xian.

"Your Majesty."

Gao Jiong said quietly, "I have already told you about the Crown Prince. He is young and ignorant, but there are always ambitious people who want to use him to do some despicable things."

"It really worked today."

"The Han people released the prince in order to cause internal strife among us so that they can benefit."

"In the past, I thought the prince was smart and must have understood the truth. He would not think about power right away, but would first think about how to resist the foreign enemies. But the king has also seen it today."

"The Crown Prince doesn't care about the general situation of the world at all. After arriving, the first thing he said was to give up the throne. This is obviously forcing the king. This is forcing the king to let go and retreat. If the king withdraws, then the Great Zhou will be completely destroyed."

Gao Jiong shook his head and said with emotion: "I know you are kind and righteous. Given the current situation, I think it would be better to send an envoy to the Han Kingdom to surrender to the Heavenly King."

"Liu Taozi is trustworthy, so maybe we can save the clan."

Yuwen Xian was furious. For the first time, the gentle gentleman's face turned ferocious. He looked at Gao Jiong, "Gao Jiong! Is this what a minister should say?!"

Gao Jiong refused to give in.

"Then what does the king think we should do? With external enemies at hand, is the king thinking about calming down the internal conflicts while resisting the powerful enemies outside?!"

"The government's orders are inconsistent, the upper and lower levels are divided, the generals and officials each stand in their own position and fight with each other. Does the king still remember the battle of Xiazhou when several dukes fought against each other?!" "The world is already in the most dangerous time, and now it is even worse. In my opinion, in the end, it will only increase casualties and be captured by the Han!"

"In this case, why not surrender earlier?!"

"Someone is coming!"

"Drag this fellow away! Twenty strokes of the cane!"

The prince entered the city.

Of course, it was impossible for Yuwen Xian to hold a banquet to welcome the prince, as he was there to attend a funeral.

After entering the city, the prince immediately went to the late emperor's spirit tablet and cried and observed mourning.

This is the most important thing, nothing else matters.

Yang Su, as the prince's attendant, stood guard at the door and mourned with him.

Yuchi Jiong and others could have left earlier.

The prince has entered the city smoothly, and caught Yuwen Xian off guard by giving up his throne during the meeting. Next, even if it is just to prove that he has no ulterior motives, Yuwen Xian has to make some concessions. After the prince inherits the throne, he can promote his relatives and use Yang Jian and Yuchi Jiong to share Yuwen Xian's military power.

The current military power is in the hands of Yuwen Xian, which is really frightening.

Fortunately, officials and generals from all over the country were coming to Hanzhong in an endless stream, and more and more people were gathering here, but Yuwen Xian was not in a hurry to win them over. There were also clan members who had been promoted by Yuwen Yong in the past, and these people could also be won over.

Yang Su thought about these things in his mind, but always felt a little uneasy.

He really couldn't understand Gao Jiong's thoughts.

However, Yang Su was not afraid of him.

Things have come to this point. If you want to come, let’s fight to the death and see who is the real man!

At this moment, Gao Jiong was lying in the house, and his wife was standing beside him, applying medicine to him.

Gao Ying was beaten, but his face remained calm.

The wife stood aside and said helplessly: "Why are you doing this?"

"The king has shown you great favor, why do you want to contradict him?"

"Do women also understand world affairs?"

Gao Ying asked directly.

His wife was a little angry, and she hit him harder, causing Gao Ying to scream in pain, "Why did you do this?"

"A woman doesn't know the principles of medicine either, please forgive me!!"

Gao Jiong had just taken the medicine and was resting when a servant came to report that the King of Qi had arrived.

Gao Jiong asked someone to help him up, put on his clothes, and limped out to meet him.

When Yuwen Xian saw Gao Jiong, some uneasiness flashed in his eyes, and he obviously regretted his previous order. He pulled Gao Jiong into the house, and then allowed Gao Jiong to lie down and talk to him, but Gao Jiong didn't think it was a big deal and still sat down and talked with Yuwen Xian.

Yuwen Xian then said: "What Lord Gao said before was really too much. It is not the words of a human subject!"

"How can you persuade me to surrender to the enemy? Dugu Qi and I are enemies and cannot coexist!"

"Don't say such things again, Mr. Gao!"

Gao Ying nodded his head and said yes.

After Yuwen Xian said this, he sighed deeply again.

"Today, a minister came to persuade me that I should let His Highness ascend the throne as soon as possible."

"Isn't this what the king expected? Why do you sigh?"

Yuwen Xian said directly: "Don't make fun of me anymore. There are three people who came to see me today. They all came back with the Crown Prince. I think their words are not for the sake of peace, but for the sake of following the Dragon. Although the Han thieves have released the Crown Prince and claimed to live in harmony, I see that their troops are frequently mobilized, and teams transporting food and grass have been found in various places. I think they will launch a large-scale attack after next autumn!! "

Gao Jiong listened to Yuwen Xian's words and suddenly smiled bitterly.

"No."

"It won't happen after next autumn, but after this autumn. Their army is probably ready to go now."

Yuwen Xian was stunned. "The enemy has been fighting for a long time and is exhausted. How can they have the energy to attack again?"

"The secrets are in their hands. The food and grass in various places are clearly known. This is the first. Send the prince back to the court quickly. This is the second. Liu Taozi wants to conquer the world. Since ancient times, those who unify should fight quickly. If we can gain a firm foothold in Bashu, we only need two brave generals to lead 50,000 to 60,000 elite troops to defend the pass. The enemy will be many times more difficult to enter. This is the third! At present, various places are still not obeying orders. The generals are separated from each other and cannot come to each other for assistance. Morale is low, the transportation of military equipment and food is cut off, and bandits are everywhere. This is the weakest time of the Great Zhou. This is the fourth!"

"Liu Taozi is a capable general, how could he miss such an opportunity? Even if it means exhausting the country's strength, he must attack quickly and will not hesitate!"

Yuwen Xian's expression changed drastically, "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"What's the use of saying it?"

"The king suspects that I am greedy for the credit of following the emperor! If I had said earlier that the enemy was attacking fiercely, the king would not believe it and would think that I was finding excuses to persuade the king to do something unworthy of a minister. Wouldn't I be beaten with a military stick again?"

Yuwen Xian could no longer sit still and quickly stood up, "I will call all the generals together now."

"A useless move!"

Gao Jiong also stood up and interrupted Yuwen Xian.

He said solemnly: "Your Majesty! The key to resisting the enemy lies in internal harmony. Today, even one city is not harmonious, and everyone has their own ulterior motives. How can we expect all parts of the world to work together to fight against foreign invaders?!"

"Your Majesty, do you think that if an external enemy comes, everyone will put aside their prejudices and face the enemy together?"

"Your Majesty may think so, but to me, foreign enemies are nothing more than opportunities and bargaining chips to increase my power!"

"How could they care about the gains and losses of the world? They only care about the benefits of one family!"

Gao Jiong spoke faster and faster, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, there are only three ways to accomplish great things now!"

Yuwen Xian was also very excited, his face flushed and his expression was agitated.

"you say!"

"Just kill! Soothe! Capture!"

"Kill, kill those who want to ruin national affairs with the pretentious intention of following the emperor! For example, the officials who came with him, such as Yang Su, that bastard. After His Highness arrived, why did he seek an official position for Yang Su first? This must be Yang Su confusing right and wrong in front of him!"

"If we can't kill all these traitors, we won't be able to resist the foreign invaders!"

"Appease! It is to appease those neutral ministers and royal family members, such as Yuchi Jiong. He has a great reputation in Bashu, and he is devoted to the country. He can temporarily abandon his personal honor and disgrace for the sake of world affairs! For example, Yang Jian, this person is tenacious. The king used to suspect that he had ulterior motives, but he and Liu Taozi had a grudge for killing his father. He is a strategic person who can know how to use people. Moreover, he is a relative. If he can be won over, he can become a temporary help to resist the powerful enemy!"

"Reign! It means to make the crown prince the emperor, and let the king take over the government!"

"The prince is young and ignorant. Your Majesty is kind-hearted and does not want to fight for him, but you cannot let those traitors bewitch the prince and make him ruin the great cause. Therefore, Your Majesty, please let the prince ascend the throne immediately, and then let the Grand Chancellor act as the king, hide the prince in the deep palace, arrange confidants, and forbid him from contacting the outside world. Then use the emperor to control the disobedient places, so that they will focus on the outside world and resist the powerful enemy!"

"When the time comes, Your Majesty will promote talented people to sit in various places, appease the people's livelihood, cultivate mulberry trees, recruit soldiers, strengthen the city, and make peace with the State of Chen, waiting for changes in the world!"

"Your Majesty is in your prime and has great potential! If God favors you in the future and you can restore the country to its former glory, Your Majesty will return the government to the emperor and live in seclusion. I am willing to follow you!"

Yuwen Xian let out a long breath.

He looked at Gao Ying.

"Do you want me to be Yuwen Hu?"

"If there was no Yuwen Hu, would the Great Zhou still exist today? For the sake of the country and the great cause, what's wrong with being Yuwen Hu?!"

"The prince resigned right after he came back. This is actually a good thing. If it is delayed until later, especially during a war, the Great Zhou will surely perish! For things like this, the sooner they are resolved, the safer it is!"

"Please don't hesitate any longer, my king!"

Yuwen Xian's body trembled slightly, and his hand grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"it is good."

"I will carry on my father and brother's aspirations, stabilize the world, and have no fear of death!"

(End of this chapter)