Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 491 Three Masters Join the Battle

The third year of Tianyuan.

This year was a double blessing for this new empire.

First, the empress gave birth to a son for the emperor, and both mother and child were safe. Then news of a great victory came from the border. Hulugu defeated Tuoba Khan outside Hengzhou Pass and captured countless spoils. He sent the captured supplies back overnight.

In his battle report, Hulugu vowed that when he was fighting the enemy, a strong wind suddenly blew up, disrupting the enemy's formation. Then stars rose in the sky, making the night as bright as day. The enemy was terrified and fled at the sight of the wind.

At this time in the palace, Zu Ting was sitting next to the emperor, holding a war report, smiling from ear to ear.

"These old warriors are just so clumsy in their work!"

"He just lacked the words 'A saint descended from heaven to defeat the enemy'. This grandpa is good, good!"

Zu Ting and Liu Taozi had a close relationship, and even when it came to some relatively secretive matters, Zu Ting was not shy about it and would say whatever he wanted to say. This was the key to ensuring that the monarch and his subjects were of one mind, and they had no guard or fear against each other.

Liu Taozi glanced at the battle report and said, "I think there is something wrong."

"How can the achievements of tens of thousands of our soldiers on the front line be imposed on a child?"

Zu Ting shook his head. "The General of Chariots and Cavalry is a little anxious, but the warriors in the country have always been like this. Hulugu dared to make such a report, so it must not be his own decision. The people around him probably have the same idea. Besides, he is the eldest prince, so no matter how many miracles he has, it will not be a problem. Your Majesty does not need to worry too much."

As Zu Ting spoke, he suddenly stuck his head out and looked around.

"Your Highness is still with the Queen?"

"When I am with the Queen Mother, I am told that I cannot see strangers. Even I am not allowed to hug her too much."

Zu Ting laughed loudly, then stroked his beard and said with emotion: "Grandson is closer than son. When my grandson was born, I held him in my arms all day and didn't dare let others hold him. My grandson is more promising than his father. Maybe he can become a minister of Your Highness in the future. As for my son, he can only be a county magistrate in this life."

The two chatted about family matters for a while before Zu Ting shifted the topic back to major issues.

"The northern barbarians will no longer be a threat to us in the short term, and the border is initially stable."

Liu Taozi looked at him and asked, "Can we send troops to destroy Chen?"

"That'll have to wait."

Zu Ting's original recuperation period was set at three to five years. It was already the first month of the third year, but the local situation had not changed significantly.

Zu Ting had a lot of documents brought and piled them aside.

"These are compiled from memorials from various places."

Zu Ting then analyzed these memorials one by one.

During these three years, there have been changes in the local area, but they have not yet reached the level of qualitative change. The results of the policy of self-cultivation are really slow. Various places are still recovering, but they are just recovering. Taxes in many places have not yet been paid, and roads and buildings are still in a dilapidated state, as for arable land.

Restoring arable land is the most difficult. Land that is abandoned this year cannot be used next year. Every piece of land requires a great deal of effort to cultivate, and once it is abandoned, it will be even more difficult to pick it up again. The national treasury is still relatively empty.

But Zu Ting himself was not worried. "Although the results are slow, the localities no longer seek help from the imperial court as they did in the past. The local situation has begun to stabilize. The bandits have been eliminated, and a large number of refugees have returned. The people in Zhou land have also gradually recognized the Han Dynasty. If we wait another year, we may see great changes."

Liu Taozi shook his head and said calmly, "It's okay. We can't rush to destroy Chen. This is what our ancestors told me. I'll just wait."

Zu Ting took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. It won't take too long. I already have some ideas."

When Liu Taozi saw the malicious smile on Zu Ting's face, she could roughly guess in her heart that the State of Chen was in trouble.

However, he didn't say much and just let Zu Ting do it.

After Zu Ting left the palace, he took a carriage to his own residence.

There were fully armed soldiers leading the way in front and behind, there were hundreds of them. This was a special case for the prime minister. The prime minister's clothing, travel, entourage, etc. were one level higher than those of other ministers and only slightly lower than the emperor.

Zu Ting's mansion was also an exception. According to etiquette, the height of his mansion was the highest among the ministers, but Zu Ting did not care much about this. Since he became the prime minister, his bad habits had been restrained a lot, and things like stealing and adultery were rarely heard of.

Of course, some people spread the rumor because no one dared to catch him.

And when it comes to his personal enjoyment, Zu Ting is actually pretty damn honest!!

He didn't enjoy life very well. His clothes were not luxurious, his mansion was not top-notch, and he didn't even have many servants at home. He just had a few more soldiers to protect him.

Zu Ting returned to the mansion, changed his clothes, and learned from the servants that the two guests had been waiting for him for half an hour. Then he went to meet them with a smile.

When he arrived at the reception hall, the two guests hurriedly stood up to greet him.

One of them was Wei Xiaokuan.

The other person is Zheng Daoqian.

When Zu Ting was not back, the two of them just sat in the lobby, looking at each other. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

Zu Ting suddenly appeared, and both of them seemed relieved.

Zu Ting smiled and asked the two to stand up. He sat in the upper seat, and the two sat on his left and right.

"Please don't blame me, I was planning to come back earlier, but His Majesty insisted on taking me to see His Highness. His Highness has a good appearance, a heavenly figure, so I held him for a long time, which delayed me for some time."

Zheng Daoqian hurriedly shook his head, "How dare I blame you, how dare I blame you."

"When His Highness was born, the dragon energy converged in the west, and a saint descended from the sky to help defeat the barbarians. This will definitely be the master who will inherit the great cause."

Zu Ting did not interrupt him and just listened to his nonsense.

After the war, Wei Xiaokuan first served as a governor, and was later promoted to the court by Zu Ting, who let him work in the Three Offices and appointed him as a Shangshu, which was considered not a bad treatment. Zheng Daoqian did not have much talent in government affairs, but he had made great contributions and had to be rewarded, so he was appointed to a position in Zhaoxuan Temple, nominally managing those monks and Taoists.

The official positions of these two people were not adjacent at all, so it was quite strange that Zu Ting summoned them both at the same time.

Wei Xiaokuan had some judgment at this moment. After the two people in front of him had been praising each other for a long time, he spoke up in time.

"The Grand Master suddenly summoned us. Could it be that he has something to tell us?"

Zu Ting gently stroked his beard, "The domestic situation is getting better and better, so we have to start preparing for the destruction of Chen."

"I called you two here just for one person."

"Oh?"

"I wonder who it is?"

"Yellow basil."

Chen, a Qin county.

The sky was hazy and there were few pedestrians on the street.

The sound of soldiers' trumpets was heard again in the distance, and dogs barking suddenly broke out in the city.

After a while, more people came out. They didn't seem so panicked. They went to the fields in groups of three or two, carrying farm tools.

Although it shoulders the heavy responsibility of defending the entire border, there is not much depression in the city. Everything is so peaceful and harmonious.

Huang Fachi is now stationed in Qin County, in charge of the entire Jiangbei defense.

Huang Fachi did a very good job here. On the one hand, he strengthened training, established a defense network, strictly investigated the whereabouts of missing warships, and prevented smuggling between the north and the south. As for people's livelihood, although he could not intervene too much, he prohibited soldiers from bullying the people and told local officials to govern with leniency, which also played a significant role.

Under his governance, Jiangbei's defense line became stronger day by day.

The sky was already completely bright, the people began to work, and the whole city became busy.

On the road, children began to run back and forth, holding snacks that came from nowhere in their hands and singing nursery rhymes.

"The sky is dark, the earth is yellow, follow the laws of heaven and earth, and control the great river~~"

"The flying general is here, the troops are strong, if the Hu people don't cross the river, the country will not perish~~"

The sound of children's songs could be heard everywhere. Several craftsmen who were doing carpentry work at the door of a restaurant heard children singing in the distance. One of them stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"What are these guys singing? Why is it so weird?"

"I don't know. It's been being sung everywhere recently. I heard it's about General Huang." They were busy when a waiter came out of the restaurant and handed water to everyone. Everyone drank the water and continued to talk about the nursery rhyme.

The servant smiled and said, "Isn't this singing about General Huang? General Huang guards the river, the Hu people can't cross! The country won't perish!"

He couldn't help but praise him, "General Huang is truly a pillar of the country. After he came to garrison, the soldiers did not harm anyone, and the officials did not dare to act recklessly. He also patrolled all day and treated us very well. It is an honor for all of us that the country has such a general!!"

The craftsmen also nodded, General Huang was indeed very good.

“It’s my duty to sing again!”

Everyone praised for a long time and then continued to work.

The adults ignored them and just smiled when they heard these nursery rhymes.

But many people can't laugh.

Including Huang Fate himself.

Huang Fachi soon discovered something unusual. At the same time, a large number of nursery rhymes appeared from Lianghuai to Jiangnan.

He quickly summoned all his men to discuss the matter.

Opinions vary on the issue of nursery rhymes.

Everyone sat in front of him, talking about their own things. Xu Jingcheng said with a smile: "General, you are really worrying too much. You are in a hurry to summon us. I thought something big had happened. It turns out it was all because of the nursery rhyme."

He shook his head. "General, you have made outstanding contributions and pacified the people. You are deeply loved by the people. It is normal for nursery rhymes to appear among the people to praise your contributions."

"When my father was still alive, there were children's songs praising his bravery, and he was very happy for a long time."

Huang Fachi had a stern face. He looked more haggard than ever, and was aging faster and faster.

"If there were only one or two cases, it might be true, but now, similar nursery rhymes have appeared in more than a dozen surrounding cities, and even around Jiankang. This can no longer be said to be a spontaneous behavior of the people."

"What's wrong with that? Your contributions are well known to everyone in Dachen. You defeated the Qi people before, and everyone knows about it. Moreover, you have captured so many traitors and returned the things they stole to the people in various places."

"If you ask me, there is not a single false word in the nursery rhyme."

As Xu Jingcheng spoke, his eyes were full of admiration.

It can be seen that it is not only the common people who respect Huang Fachi, but even the generals also have special respect for him.

Huang Fate is a very stubborn person who can do things that they dare not even think about.

For example, the problem of warship depletion has existed since the reign of Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen banned it many times and arrested people many times. It subsided for a while, but broke out again during the reign of Chen Xu, and even private behavior was brought to the surface.

This kind of warship trade involves a large number of participants, and they are often big shots who cannot be provoked.

Among them were royal family members, powerful clans, great monks, and generals. When these people joined forces to do business, even the emperor had to think twice before acting.

When Huang Fatic first said that he wanted to thoroughly investigate the matter, no one was optimistic about him. Even the generals around him felt that the matter was a bit mysterious.

But Huang Fachi gritted his teeth and continued the investigation. During these three years, Huang Fachi was very busy. He uncovered 19 cases of treason involving the sale of warships.

A large number of generals who embezzled money and eliminated warships were arrested from the army, and the dignitaries involved in the case were reported to Chen Xu. Chen Xu was unusually tough and dealt with these nobles severely. Although this intensified domestic conflicts, it was very effective.

Huang Fatic not only arrested those who sold warships, but also killed a lot of bastards who were causing trouble for the local area. The more he did, the more the generals around him admired him.

Huang Fatic glanced at Xu Jingcheng. If he didn't know the other party's background, he would have suspected that this guy was sent from the north.

He looked at the rest of the people.

Someone asked in confusion: "General, do you suspect that these nursery rhymes were made up by the Northern Hu?"

Huang Fate narrowed his eyes, "This is very similar to the method used by the Northern Hu."

"But the nursery rhymes they spread are not bad for the general, they are all praising the general, oh"

The man reacted instantly and his expression changed immediately.

Several people around reacted one after another, but no one dared to speak out.

Xu Jingcheng came back to his senses and said hurriedly: "General, His Majesty has always trusted you, but you have offended too many villains before, and I am afraid that these villains will harm you. I think it is better to tell His Majesty the truth about these nursery rhymes and let His Majesty know that this is a plan of the Northern Hu!"

Huang Fachi frowned and thought for a long time.

"Order a thorough inspection of all roads, and strictly check the northerners who have come recently. Also send people to investigate the spreaders of the nursery rhyme."

"General Xu, you should personally lead a group of soldiers to investigate this matter. Do not let the local officials take over."

"only!!"

Huang Fachi then issued many orders, all of which were about preventing enemy spies from entering his own territory and capturing spies who spread rumors in the country.

However, Huang Fachi's actions still failed to stop the increasingly intense trend of nursery rhymes. The generals were still not very familiar with this kind of thing and were far less familiar with it than the northerners.

He had no choice but to follow the generals' advice and report the matter truthfully to the emperor.

It is always better to know it from yourself than from others.

Jiankang.

The river ferry crossing was now under strict control. It was no longer as free to enter and exit as before, and it was difficult for merchant ships to go out. Only a few small fishing boats could be seen. The entire ferry crossing had become deserted and was far from what it used to be.

A small fishing boat slowly approached the ferry. Several soldiers at the ferry walked forward. When the fishing boat docked, three fishermen walked out of the small boat.

The soldiers were stunned, looked at each other, and then looked straight at the old fisherman.

The old fisherman skillfully handed over his ID, which was very heavy. Several soldiers took the ID and returned their identities.

"go Go."

The soldiers turned around and left, and these people quickly disappeared on the road in the distance.

Recently, the State of Chen has repeatedly carried out many reforms and made changes to become stronger.

They changed the civil service laws, recruited many soldiers, built new warships, set up defenses on the river, and so on. They did a lot of things.

However, getting things done requires investment. The Chen State's treasury was not rich to begin with due to several previous wars. Now that a lot of investment was made, the money could only come from the people. The economy further deteriorated, grain output decreased, and the soldiers' food and wages were inevitably affected.

If the soldiers do not have enough food, many things will be easily adjusted.

These people disappeared outside Jiankang, and the next time they appeared, they were in a prominent mansion in Jiankang.

This house is located in the south of Jiankang.

It covers a large area and its decoration is quite northern in style. One can even see several Hu servants passing by, which is surprising.

In the lobby, these people dressed as fishermen have transformed themselves into scholars and are drinking and chatting with the owner of the house.

The owner of the house is tall, with sunken eye sockets, and his appearance is quite different from that of a southerner.

He took a sip of wine silently, and then said: "The current situation is different from the past. The inspection is very strict. The warship cannot be sent over easily."

"Know, know."

The leading scholar smiled and said, "Lord Dugu, we are not here to urge you to settle the goods."

The man was stunned for a moment, "Oh? What's the purpose? And you came here in person."

The leader sighed and said, "Lord Dugu, we are here for you this time."

"for me?"

"Yes, you are originally from the north. Although your father raised an army to fight against the Han Kingdom, it was a long time ago. There are also many people in the Han Dynasty whose relatives or even themselves have fought against the Han Dynasty in the past, but they are still respected and have not been implicated."

"Why do you insist on it?"

At this moment, the man sitting in front of these spies was Dugu Yongye’s son, Dugu Xuda.

(End of this chapter)