Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 501 Heresy
Haian.

It was still dark and in the darkness, several huge ships were slowly moving across the water towards the ferry.

At the highest point, several soldiers were holding torches and waving them back and forth.

As these huge monsters continued to approach the ferry, countless torches lit up, and the entire ferry became exceptionally bright.

Ouyang He was wearing a thick coat, standing among the crowd, calmly commanding the soldiers on his left and right.

The large ships finally docked at the shore and the two sides began the handover.

A moment later, a young man in plain clothes, led by many followers, walked quickly to Ouyang He.

The young man's face was filled with a sunny smile, and even in the dark, Ouyang He could see the enthusiasm in him.

"Greetings, General Ouyang!"

The man bowed his head and saluted with a smile, "I have heard of your great name for a long time, but I never thought that I could see you in person. I am very fortunate."

Ouyang He looked at him for a moment, without responding, but instead looked at the large ships behind him.

"Three warships?"

"But didn't we agree on seven ships?"

"General Ouyang, please don't be angry. The river is under martial law right now. Seven warships are too conspicuous to bring. We spent a lot of effort and expense to bring these few ships here."

"We will hand over these three ships first, and the remaining four warships will follow shortly."

The young man explained with a smile, but Ouyang He's eyes were full of displeasure, "Who do you think I am? Do you think I will rob your warships and not fulfill my promise?"

"I dare not! I dare not! General, everything I said just now is true!"

The young man pointed at the three ships behind him and said, "I never thought that the general would misunderstand our sincerity. How about this, I don't want the money for these three warships for now. After the other four warships are delivered, I will pay them all at once to show our sincerity!!"

Ouyang He's expression finally eased a little. He stared at the boy in front of him and said, "I've never seen you before. Whose kid are you?"

The young man hurriedly replied: "My name is Shi Wenqing. I am not from a rich family, but from a humble background."

"Oh? With a humble background, you can accomplish such a great thing?"

"Da Chen once followed your example and promoted capable officials. As a result, I was valued by you and entrusted with important tasks."

Ouyang He wanted to laugh. "The State of Chen promoted capable officials just to do this. Well, forget it. Take me to see the boat."

Shi Wenqing took Ouyang He towards the three warships.

These three warships are not ordinary warships, but the golden-winged ships that Ouyang He is quite familiar with.

Ouyang He observed carefully for a long time, and then boarded the warship to check the interior in detail. These three warships were completely brand new, and there was no trace of having been on the battlefield.

Shi Wenqing accompanied him all the time and kept introducing the warship to Ouyang He. He didn't need to tell Ouyang He whether the warship was good or not, and it was not his turn to introduce it. He mainly introduced the origin of the warship and talked about their hard work.

After the two men got off the warship, Ouyang He was quite satisfied.

He waved towards the distance, and immediately someone drove a large number of war horses towards here.

Shi Wenqing's eyes lit up and he bowed to Ouyang He again.

"Thank you, General! Thank you, General! I will send the rest of the ships over in a few days. It will definitely be quick."

Just as the soldiers were handing over their horses, Ouyang He looked at Shi Wenqing in front of him and pointed to something not far away. "It will take some time to hand over. There is a pavilion over there. Come with me to have a chat."

"only!"

The two men strode over and soon sat down in the pavilion. Someone brought them wine and some meat.

Shi Wenqing was a little surprised and looked at the drink.

Ouyang He laughed, "This is fruit wine."

"The Han Dynasty's prohibition on alcohol has been changed. Fruit wine is allowed."

Shi Wenqing suddenly realized, "So that's it."

The Han Dynasty still prohibited brewing wine from grains, but it did not care about brewing wine from fruits, such as wine, which could be drunk freely.

Shi Wenqing also took a few bites and praised the dish repeatedly.

Ouyang He then slowly asked, "You know there are many southerners who trade with us, right?"

Shi Wenqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your country is vast and rich in resources. There will naturally be many people in Chen who are willing to trade with your country. I know that."

"Well, I won't ask about the situation at your master's house either."

"I just want to ask you something."

"Do you want a chance to make a contribution?"

Shi Wenqing didn't quite understand what Ouyang He said and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Ouyang He smiled and didn't care, "Then let's not talk about it, just drink some wine."

Shi Wenqing said quickly: "General, I come from a humble background. If I have the opportunity to make achievements, I dare not refuse it. But my family is all in the south."

"Do you think I'm trying to persuade you to surrender?"

Ouyang He shook his head. "I don't have that intention at the moment. I came to you for something else."

"General, just give your orders!"

"Look, there are so many companies doing business with the Han Dynasty, but everyone only dares to do small business, just a few warships, a few hundred horses, small-scale operations, in my opinion, it is not a big deal."

"Since you can cross the river defense with three warships, you can also cross with thirty warships."

“It’s just a matter of how much it costs.”

"Such small fights will have no effect even if they are repeated dozens of times. Instead, they increase the risk. In this case, why not do a big one all at once?"

"I have countless horses and iron tools here, waiting for you to take them!"

"There are many southerners who come to trade. Some I trust, some I don't. I really don't want to deal with so many people and have to test whether they are sincere. If you can exchange these things for me, from now on, I will only deal with you."

"If you can accomplish this, I think you will definitely be promoted."

Ouyang He paused and looked at Shi Wenqing.

Shi Wenqing's eyes were indeed somewhat fiery.

Like Ren Zhong, he came from a lower class background, had some skills, and was eager to move up, but there were some differences between the two. Shi Wenqing was willing to pay more for prosperity and was also more greedy.

"General, I will do my best."

"I will never let the general run back and forth for these trivial matters again."

"Okay, okay, come on, have another one!"

The two of them ate like this for a long time before Shi Wenqing got on board. He left the three warships behind and took a merchant ship to leave.

After seeing these people off, Ouyang He ordered his men to take the warship away from Hai'an.

After Huang Fachu's death, trade between the north and the south was reopened.

There was even a hint of a violent rebound. The trade volume in recent days was extremely large, exceeding that before it was banned. In less than ten days alone, Ouyang He had received three groups of people and bought eight warships.

Each of them is a medium to large warship, and each one is very expensive. The Han Kingdom also spent a lot of things on it, such as horses, ironware, etc.

But for the Han State, these two things are the ones it has the most, and it is definitely worth exchanging them for warships.

Before the State of Chen realized it, the State of Han had already begun its strategy against the State of Chen.

A large number of generals were deployed on the borders around the State of Chen to train the troops and stockpile food.

When they first arrived, the State of Chen was very panicked and gathered a large number of navy to prepare for battle. However, after a long time, they found that they did not launch an offensive, so the reaction of the Chen people was not so strong.

As for Wang Lin and others, they are also making every effort to expand the navy and prepare for war.

The reason why Ouyang He promised these southerners to conduct larger trade activities was for war preparations. They needed to obtain a large number of warships as quickly as possible.

The State of Chen has not yet reacted to the actions of the State of Han, and they are still very busy.

Recently they have been arguing about another big thing.

To be clear, this is still Chen Xu's problem.

Buddhism also developed into different things in the Central Plains. The contents in the east, west, south and north began to differ, and the differences became increasingly greater.

Chen Xu packed up all the monks from Zhou and Qi and took them home at once.

At first, everyone had no problem and just cursed Yuwen Yong and Liu Taozi together and went on with their lives as usual.

But after the people from the north were seated, the people from the three parties suddenly realized that something was wrong! There was heresy! !

The monks from these three countries had already had disputes in various aspects, and now that they were forced together, things suddenly became interesting. They began to debate in various ways.

Their respective supporters also joined in, and the scene became quite exciting for a while.

Famous people in the country are particularly concerned about this matter.

Even the emperor had to personally inquire about it.

On the bank of the river, several generals looked at the water in front of them, and saw many nobles' carriages crowded on the official road, rushing towards the south of the city. They felt indescribable emotions in their hearts.

Yang Su licked his lips and looked at the water again.

After Huang Fachi was killed, Yang Jian was finally given some important positions and was kept by Chen Xu. Yang Su also finally got a chance. Unlike Yang Jian, he had never been evaluated by Yuan Xian, but he was given the position of a general with a miscellaneous title, which was considered to be some small power.

The State of Chen is about to perish.

Yang Su thought silently in his heart.

Just as the two countries were about to start a war, a debate on Buddhism began here, as if this matter was more important than the destruction of the country. Everyone rushed over and discussed the matter day and night.

Here, he clearly saw that some nobles were leaving the river with more and more so-called eliminated warships.

Not long after, he returned here with a horse he had picked up from somewhere.

Everyone turned a blind eye, no one dared to intervene, and no one was willing to intervene.

The last person who was in charge of this matter was poisoned to death not long ago.

These people who went out to pick up horses became more and more rampant and unscrupulous. Yang Su has now begun to think about how to continue to escape.

The Chen Kingdom could no longer survive. If it didn't perish, it would be really unfair.

Once destroyed, you will die if caught.

I have to run, but the only place I can run to now is the south. I heard that there is a large area of ​​poisonous gas over there. Can I, a northerner, survive if I go there?

Yang Su pondered for a long time. Although he was always capable, he was a little undecided at this moment.

Just as he was hesitating, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

Yang Su was so frightened that he almost fought back.

Only after seeing who was coming did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He smiled and saluted, "General."

This man is his current superior, whose surname is Shen, and he is responsible for the safety of the ferry.

General Shen looked around and lowered his voice, "General, could you please accompany me for a while?"

"Ah? Of course, what do you want, General?"

"Oh, a patrol ship hit a reef. Just accompany me to take a look."

"it is good."

Yang Su agreed, and soon, several people boarded the boat one after another, and several small boats left the ferry together.

Standing on the boat, the generals gathered together from time to time to talk about something, and they also looked in the direction of Yang Su with eyes that seemed to be a little strange.

Yang Su had a calm expression as he stood at the bow, not panicking at all.

He can beat twenty of these fake men who hide away and take medicine every day and look sick with his bare hands.

What's more, they are wearing armor and carrying weapons. Even if they all attack together, it is hard to say who will kill whom.

After a long time, General Shen finally came to Yang Su.

"General Yang, actually, those small boats did not encounter any reefs."

"Oh?"

"So you want to?"

"I have contacted the buyers, and we have all agreed to sell these ships together. I brought you here today because I want you to join me. If you are willing to join, you will get a share of the ships sold in the future!"

Yang Su glanced at him and without asking what would happen if he didn't agree, he nodded straightforwardly.

"I'll join!"

At this moment, Yang Su made up his mind to run to the south.

Even if there is poisonous gas, we have to leave.

It's the end of this place.

Chen, Luozhou, Nanba County.

The sun was blazing.

The entire ground was burning in the heat wave, and the light seemed to be distorted.

Nanba County is an important ferry crossing in the south of the State of Chen. The population here is very small, and the city is isolated. Most of the people live outside the city.

There are many independent barbarian tribes here. Most of them do not live in the city, and some do not even live on land.

There is a group of water barbarians here. They came from the north and have always lived on the water. They have unique customs. Of course, not everyone is like this.

Regardless of their customs and habits, people usually call them Yue people.

At this moment, a large Yue tribe near the ferry seemed particularly lively.

On both sides of the mountain pass, there stood two men, singing loudly to welcome the distinguished guests.

Both sides of the road were filled with people. Most of the men had their chests bare and were beating their chests with their hands, using this dance to welcome the guests. Many of them were waving flags, and the animal on the flags looked vaguely like a snake.

Then I saw a group of people dressed in Central Plains clothes, led by the local tribal leader, striding towards the top of the mountain.

The tribal leader was still strong and in his prime, with beautiful tattoos all over his body. He led these distinguished guests into the lobby, and then they sat down and he had people bring them fine wine and delicious food to entertain them.

The messenger sat aside with a smile and tasted the local wine.

"It's been a long time since we last met. The drinks here are still as delicious as ever!"

The people dressed in barbarian clothes have Han surnames. In fact, after a long period of integration, these tribes that mainly live in the south have become more and more similar to the Han people in terms of customs, language, titles, names, etc. Usually, they have Hanfu at home and wear Hanfu when going into the city. There is not as big a difference as before.

When Chief Zhang heard the messenger's words, he was surprised at first, but then became disappointed.

"Since General Ouyang left, no one has praised our brewed wine."

"The new governor is a bad man. I sent my people to the city to trade, but his officials robbed our goods and arrested our people. I went to ask for our people, but was almost charged with rebellion. The tribes around here are the same. They keep forcing us to pay taxes and demand that we not use anything else to pay for food. They insist on paying grain and then sell it to us at the highest price and ask us to pay more."

"You are worse than an animal!"

"When will General Ouyang be back?"

As soon as the chief met the envoy, he couldn't help but start complaining.

When Ouyang He was the governor of Guangzhou, he was very prestigious among the barbarians. He was also feared by them. After he left, the next one was not so easy to talk to. He started to make money crazily. On the other hand, he also suppressed those forces close to Ouyang He and weakened their strength to prevent them from rebelling.

These envoys now came from Ouyang He.

They sailed for a very long time, disguised as southern merchant ships, avoided countless dangers, and finally succeeded in meeting with the chiefs here.

Upon hearing the chief's complaint, the messenger immediately straightened his face.

"General Ouyang is coming back soon."

"I came here this time just for this matter."

"This year, General Ouyang will lead the northern army to the south. Once he kills those evil people, this place will be managed by General Ouyang again. You will no longer be bullied as before."

Hearing this, the chief was overjoyed. He immediately stood up and asked, "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"In the past, we have received General Ouyang's kindness, but we were unable to help him. If he gives us an order, we will certainly obey it!"

"good!"

The envoy was also very happy. "When the northern army launches an attack, the troops from all over the country will be transferred to the north. By then, there will be no one to garrison here."

"If you can raise an army and attack Chen's army from the rear, so that they are attacked from both sides and cannot take care of each other, that would be a great achievement!"

"If we succeed, the emperor of the north will reward us one by one. He is different from Chen Xu. He has always rewarded those who have made contributions and punished those who have made mistakes, regardless of their background! General Ouyang and I can swear to testify to this!"

"No need to say more, General!"

"We are willing to follow the Emperor of the North!"

(End of this chapter)