Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 470 Sima Xiaonan
Shunzheng County.

The Han infantry and cavalry advanced in a mighty formation.

The neat footsteps hit the ground, making a muffled sound, and the rhythmic sound could be heard from far away.

The general here is none other than another pillar of the country, Sima Xiaonan.

Sima Xiaonan was a descendant of the Jin royal family and the son of Sima Ziru, a founding hero of the Qi State.

He was intelligent since childhood, and later he married the daughter of Gao Huan. With many added statuses, he was promoted all the way after becoming an official. If nothing unexpected happened, he should have become a famous minister of the second generation of Qi State. However, Gao Yang later came to power.

Sima Xiaonan felt more and more how dangerous his situation was. Because he was involved in some matters involving Gao Yang's murder of his brother, he chose to flee in fear and defect to the Pseudo-Zhou.

The Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty naturally supported the surrender of such a person. Yuwen Hu specially asked Da Xi Wu and Yang Zhong to go and welcome him. After he returned to the country, he was granted the titles of General, Duke of Xingyang County, and Junior Prime Minister.

After Yuwen Yong came to power, he appointed him as Zhuguo.

Sima Xiaonan was in his prime, and he did have a good appearance, a handsome demeanor, and the bearing of a famous scholar.

Even during the war, he did not wear armor. Instead, he wore a luxurious robe, which was out of place with the current situation.

He narrowed his eyes, a look of worry on his face.

As soon as the news of the fall of Sanguan arrived, the enemy appeared in front of them.

The enemy's marching speed is really fast.

Wang Qian of Sanguan had a lot of troops, but his place was particularly empty, with only 6,000 guards in the city.

On the one hand, the Zhou State was short of troops and could not deploy heavy troops everywhere, so it could only select a few key places. On the other hand, Sima Xiaonan himself was a surrendered minister, unlike Wang Qian, who was born a loyal official. It was impossible for him to lead more than 10,000 troops alone.

After the enemy arrived, they did not launch a direct attack, but began to camp and rest outside the city.

The officers around Sima Xiaonan all looked quite frightened.

If the enemy arrives first, even if our reinforcements come, they may not be able to enter the city easily.

As long as the enemy isolates himself from the reinforcements, he is fully capable of attacking himself while carrying the reinforcements.

Morale in the city was quite low.

When Sima Xiaonan saw that the enemy could not enter, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

At this moment, inside the Han army camp outside the city, all the generals were requesting to fight.

"Your Majesty! Please let me go first in this battle!!"

Potala Ku, wearing heavy armor, started shouting.

His expression was solemn. "Since I followed Your Majesty, I have not made any great achievements to repay Your Majesty's kindness. In the previous battles, Shi Wansui broke through Sanguan, Zhang Heizu broke through Gudao, but I have not made any achievements yet! I am willing to break Shunzheng for Your Majesty!"

Of course, he was not the only one who wanted to be the vanguard. Except for Shi Wansui who was not in a position to continue competing, the other generals all hoped to have a chance.

Liu Taozi was surrounded by them, her face calm, but Zu Ting started to laugh.

"Generals, your ambition is commendable!"

"However, I still need to discuss this with His Majesty before we can make a decision!"

Potala hurriedly looked at Zu Ting, "Thank you, General!"

The others bowed and left.

Zu Ting previously served as Shizhong and Zhongshujian. During the war, Liu Taozi gave him the title of "Military Advisor General" so that he could legitimately follow the army into battle. This position was first created by Emperor Zhaolie of Han, Liu Bei. It was originally the title of Military Advisor General, set up for Zhuge Liang. Later, he was promoted to Military Advisor General. It was a temporary position given during a war and would be taken away after the war.

According to the research of Zu Ting and others, Liu Taozi was also a descendant of Emperor Zhaolie, so it was reasonable and legal for him to restore the official position established by his ancestors!

Although his rank is not high, as the first aide to the commander-in-chief, he is in charge of coordinating military affairs, which is quite powerful.

After the generals had left, Zu Ting stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you know who is on the city wall?"

"Sima Xiaonan."

"Does your majesty know what kind of person he is?"

"I don't know."

"Your Majesty doesn't know, but I am very familiar with it!"

"I am an old acquaintance of his. I have always known his true nature. He is very good at gaining fame by pretending to be famous. He intends to imitate the filial sons and sages of ancient times and become famous at a young age!"

"And this person is fickle, untrustworthy, greedy, opportunistic, talented but without moral integrity! This person is very close to Wei Shou, and we can imagine what kind of person he is!"

"I predict that with a large army coming to attack, he will be afraid, but he dares not surrender for the sake of face. We only need to send a capable person to persuade him, and he will be able to open the gates and surrender the city!"

Liu Taozi glanced at Zu Ting and asked, "Who else should we send besides Grandpa Zu?"

Zu Ting stroked his beard, "There is a military officer in the army, Gao Daohuo! He has been sent abroad many times before, he is eloquent and knows the big picture. Moreover, his father is Gao Aocao, a former general of Qi. Let him go and persuade them, maybe he can succeed!"

Liu Taozi nodded and immediately summoned Gao Daohuo.

Gao Daohuo soon appeared in front of Liu Taozi.

This man was tall and powerful. No wonder Gao Cheng fell in love with him at first sight and gave him so many rewards.

"Your Majesty, I, Gao Daohuo, greet you!!"

After Gao Daohuo paid his respects, Liu Taozi said, "I heard that you are eloquent. You have been sent as an envoy to the State of Chen twice and once to the Turks, and you have made great contributions both times."

"My grandfather said that the commander of the city, Sima Xiaonan, is fickle and we can send someone to persuade him to surrender without a fight. Are you willing to go?"

Gao Daohuo was overjoyed, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Since I followed Your Majesty, I have not achieved any great merit. Now I have the opportunity to repay my kindness. I would like to go to the city and persuade Sima Xiaonan to surrender!"

"it is good!"

"If you can accomplish this, it will be a great achievement for you!"

"I bow to thank Your Majesty!!"

Gao Daohuo stood up, but Zu Ting hurriedly stopped him. Zu Ting said with a smile: "There are some things I need to explain to you."

Gao Daohuo listened carefully to Zu Ting's words.

"I am a messenger!! Don't shoot arrows!!"

Gao Daohuo approached the city alone, muttering to himself.

Sima Xiaonan was still on the city wall, watching the enemy's formation. He had not returned to his office when he saw a man walking towards him. An officer beside him immediately said, "General, the enemy army is invading. There is nothing to say!"

"If I meet with their envoy, I'm afraid the court will be suspicious!"

"It's better to shoot them to show our determination and boost morale!"

Sima Xiaonan glanced at him and said calmly: "Our reinforcements are still on the way. If we shoot their messenger, it will only anger them and make them attack quickly. We only have a few thousand people in the city. How can we resist?"

"What we need now is time. If we can delay a little longer until reinforcements arrive, wouldn't that be better?"

"Go and pick him up!"

After hearing Sima Xiaonan's words, they had no way to refute and had to obey.

But they still didn't dare to open the city gate as it was too risky, so they lowered the basket, let the messenger sit in it, and then pulled him up.

After Gao Daohuo came up, he quickly locked his eyes on Sima Xiaonan, the only one who was not wearing armor, and hurriedly bowed to greet him, "But Sima Gong is here in person? I am the envoy of the Han Dynasty, Gao Daohuo, paying my respects to Sima Gong."

"Gao Daohuo?"

"I remember you. You are"

"I met you before Emperor Sejong."

Sima Xiaonan suddenly remembered, and Ying Gaodao climbed down the city wall. The two of them took a carriage to the government office and then sat down.

He asked someone to bring some food and called his trusted confidants to accompany him.

At this time, Sima Xiaonan smiled and said, "Long time no see. Are you well?"

"Nothing is wrong! It is a blessing to meet Sima Gong again."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries about the past.

But not long after, the smile on Sima Xiaonan's face disappeared. He put on a cold face and questioned, "Your family has also been receiving salaries from the emperor for generations. Liu Taozi used to be a minister of Qi and rose to power because of the favor of the emperor of Qi. But now he is usurping Qi and doing immoral things. He has demoted the emperors of Qi to common people. He is extremely cruel and evil. He is rare in the world. How can you work for such a person?"

Gao Daohuo raised his head and retorted unhappily: "My Majesty has been chosen by God!"

"He has been an official since Cheng'an, ruling Cheng'an, pacifying Liyang, pacifying Boling, garrisoning the border, and developing Hebei. Wherever he went, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the traitors fled everywhere! His reputation for benevolence and righteousness is known throughout the world! He won the hearts of the people with his merits!"

"He also defeated the Xi and Hu, defeated the Turks, killed Yang Zhong, defeated Duan Shao, killed General Chen, and attacked Chang'an. His military achievements were outstanding and his military exploits were the best in the world. No one could compete with him!"

"Qi's false emperors, such as Gao Yang, Gao Zhan, Gao Wei, and others, have no morals, oppress the people, behave absurdly, and commit many evil deeds. The world has suffered from these immoral and lawless rulers for a long time!"

"My lord was born in a humble family, but he has made great achievements, stabilized the world, and eliminated traitors. He is famous for his literary talent, meritorious for his military achievements, and virtuous. He is respected by the world, and the heavens have bestowed upon him a blessing!!" "This is the way to defeat the unrighteous, this is the benevolent and righteous attack on the unjust, just like Tang of Shang defeating Jie, like King Wen killing Zhou, like Emperor Gaozu destroying Qin. How can you say he is a usurper?!"

"As for the matter of demoting the false emperor of Qi!"

"In the country, there are still temples for the three kings of Qi, Shenwu Wang, Wenxiang Wang, and Xiaozhao Wang. These three are not damaged and are worshipped according to the ancient method! Moreover, members of the Qi royal family serve in the country without being feared. This is unprecedented in the history and was done by Tang of Shang and Wen of Zhou! How can it be considered unrighteous?"

After Gao Daohuo said this, Sima Xiaonan was silent for a moment.

Gao Daohuo quickly spoke up again, "Sima Gong, you are a former minister of Qi and the son-in-law of King Shenwu! Why are you serving the Pseudo-Zhou now?"

Sima Xiaonan was furious and immediately refuted: "How dare you use such a method to sow discord? The emperor has shown me great kindness, how can I not die for him?"

Gao Daohuo shook his head, "No."

"Your Majesty has always known your talents and has long heard of your reputation. Today, the two armies are facing each other and the generals want to attack first. Your Majesty does not allow it. Your Majesty believes that the city is guarded by Sima Gong and it cannot be conquered without 100,000 people!"

"Sima Gong's talent and character are known to everyone in the world."

"Sima Gong is so steadfast that even a thousand pounds of gold cannot sway his heart, and even a hundred thousand troops cannot yield to his will!"

"However, I am not worthy of being Sima Gong! I am afraid that hiding the truth will tarnish Sima Gong's reputation, so I asked to speak for myself!"

Sima Xiaonan stroked his beard gently, and he felt like he was flying, feeling light and airy.

He asked, "Why do you say that?"

Gao Daohuo said sincerely: "I heard that Zhou Lord Yuwen Yong was very kind to you and promoted you a lot. Is that true?"

"Not bad!"

"oops!"

Gao Daohuo clapped his hands and said hastily, "Sima Gong has been deceived by a villain!"

"Oh?"

"Does Sima Gong know how the Zhou emperor died?"

"It's a disease."

"No!"

"Lord Zhou is only thirty years old, still in the prime of life, how can you say he is ill?"

"The Zhou Lord died of illness, but he was actually poisoned by Yuwen Xian! After the Zhou Lord passed away, the people around him kept it a secret until Yuwen Xian arrived, and then they told the world. Why? It was to eliminate those who knew about it!"

"I heard that there was a Taoist priest named Zhang Bin beside Lord Zhou. He was recommended to Lord Zhou by Yuwen Xian. Under Yuwen Xian's instructions, he secretly made poison and took advantage of Lord Zhou's minor illness to secretly make Lord Zhou take it, causing him to become seriously ill. Where are the original imperial physicians beside Lord Zhou now? They disappeared a long time ago. These people knew about the situation, so Yuwen Xian naturally wanted to kill them to silence them!"

"We know these things and feel deeply ashamed, so we let the prince return. However, judging by Yuwen Xian's character, I'm afraid the prince is in great danger!"

"You have received great kindness from Lord Zhou. Now Lord Zhou has been poisoned and the country is about to be usurped. At this time, instead of avenging Lord Zhou, you are helping the villain who murdered Lord Zhou. Isn't this ruining your reputation?"

"I know you are a loyal and righteous man. How could you be deceived by a villain and do such a thing?!"

After hearing Gao Daohuo's words, even his confidants were in an uproar and started talking about it.

Sima Xiaonan's eye twitched and panic suddenly appeared on his face. He stood up suddenly, staggered, and seemed to fall to the ground. He rushed to Gao Daohuo and grabbed his hand.

"What did you say?!"

"Your Majesty was murdered by Yuwen Xian?!"

"Is everything you said true?"

"How dare I deceive Sima Gong?"

"Every word I said is true. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to summon the emperor's doctors and see if they are there or not!!"

Sima Xiaonan trembled all over, turned three times in an exaggerated posture, and then slowly fell to the ground and fainted.

Everyone was startled and rushed over to wake him up.

Sima Xiaonan opened his eyes, which were bloodshot and full of pain.

"His Majesty!!!"

He wailed and then grabbed Gao Daohuo who was standing beside him.

"If it weren't for Lord Gao, I would have been deceived by this villain and helped him do evil!"

"I have received great favor from the Emperor. Even if I am labeled a traitor, I must avenge the Emperor and kill Yuwen Xian!"

"Come here! Tell the whole army that Yuwen Xian killed the emperor and established himself as the emperor. Open the city gates immediately and accept surrender. We swear to avenge the late emperor!"

Sima Xiaonan stood at the city gate, with his head lowered, as if he was bowing.

The Han army was marching slowly towards us.

The city gates were wide open, and the generals and officials in the city stood on both sides. As for those who were unwilling to come to the scene, their heads were also there and hung here.

Liu Taozi, the Heavenly King of Han, rode a yellow warhorse named 'Changrui'. Heifeng had suffered too many injuries and had to retire along with Qingshi. This was the third warhorse Liu Taozi had replaced.

This horse was presented to Liu Taozi by the Khitans. It was equally handsome and mighty, slightly smaller than Heifeng, but more obedient.

Liu Taozi came to Sima Xiaonan just like that.

Liu Taozi got off the horse and walked quickly to him, followed by Zu Ting and others.

"Your servant Sima Xiaonan pays respect to Your Majesty!!"

Sima Xiaonan hurriedly bowed to greet him, but Liu Taozi helped him up and said, "No need to be polite."

"I have heard of the general's name for a long time, but I didn't expect to see him today."

"The general has made great contributions, which is truly admirable."

Liu Taozi's tone was still a little unfamiliar. Liu Taozi didn't like this person. Fortunately, Zu Ting quickly stood up and excitedly held Sima Xiaonan's hand.

"Do you remember me?"

Sima Xiaonan was shocked. Aren’t you Zu Ting who stole things at the banquet of Emperor Shenwu?

The thought was like this, but the words were: "It's Grandpa! I didn't know I could meet my old friend here!!"

When the two met, they were particularly moved. They wiped each other's tears, talked about the past, and chatted about the future.

If you didn’t know, you would really think that these were a pair of brothers who hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and you would be quite moved.

Liu Taozi asked Zu Ting to be responsible for meeting everyone, and he led the army into the city first.

Zu Ting did not show the slightest bit of arrogance. He was extremely respectful to those who came to surrender, especially to Sima Xiaonan. He had never seen him be so polite to anyone before.

"I have heard about the Emperor Zhou, Lord Sima, don't be sad. This time I must capture Yuwen Xian alive and avenge Yuwen Yong. When the time comes, I can report to the Emperor and have him build a temple for Yuwen Yong and grant him the title of King of Zhou."

Zu Ting spoke without any hesitation, and Sima Xiaonan of course expressed his gratitude as well.

However, he cared more about his official position.

When he implicitly suggested that he wanted to help Yuwen Yong to take revenge, Zu Ting was overjoyed.

"it is good!"

"Great!"

"You will follow us on our journey to fight. When the war is over, you will also sit on the throne!"

Sima Xiaonan no longer had any worries.

Sima Xiaonan's actions allowed the Han State to directly enter Shunzheng County, making Hanzhong's defense even worse. But that was not all, because Sima Xiaonan's remarks played an even greater role.

In order to show his loyalty, Sima Xiaonan, after getting Zu Ting's promise, quickly dispatched his subordinates to various places to tell them about Yuwen Xian's regicide and rebellion.

As word of this incident spread, the impact became even greater.

Yuchi Jiong was leading his troops forward, but the news he heard was worse than the last.

He was originally planning to go directly to Sanguan, but just as he walked out of the city, he learned that Sanguan had been lost. Two days later, he learned that Gudao had been lost. Just as he was about to go west, he learned that Sima Xiaonan had surrendered to the enemy.

Yuchi Jiong had no idea where to hold his ground.

As a result, Hanzhong was also directly facing a powerful enemy and lost its security. Like Chang'an, it was again under the enemy's attack.

Poor Zhou Chaoting had just settled down, but now he could no longer stay in Hanzhong.

Today's Hanzhong is not the Hanzhong of the ancient Three Kingdoms period. Over the past few hundred years, the environment has changed a lot. The roads in the past are completely different from the roads today, and the checkpoints in ancient times are also different from the checkpoints today.

Until this time, people from all over the Zhou Kingdom finally smelled the scent of destruction.

(End of this chapter)