Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 182: Hunter and Hound

Wang Xi and others stood outside the door, shivering.

The sky gradually became gloomy and gray.

The wind at the border became more violent as the sky darkened.

The cold wind kept blowing against their bodies, and Wang Xi felt that he was a little unsteady and swaying.

He just felt his body was numb.

The ministers standing beside him were not in much better condition at the moment, huddled together.

They were still standing outside the government office.

One of the ministers finally couldn't help it, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, has been having a private conversation with General Liu in the office for two hours!!"

"It's already dark! Look, isn't it?"

Wang Xi frowned and looked around. The soldiers had still surrounded the government office. Except for these important officials, no one could get close to here.

The emperor had been inside for a long time.

He hesitated for a moment, then signaled a soldier to come forward. He took out a document from his bosom and ordered, "Present it to His Majesty and tell him that this is the appointment of the generals."

The soldier nodded and walked quickly towards the government office.

When the soldier walked into the office, Gao Yan was still talking to Liu Taozi with a smile. When the soldier handed the things to Gao Yan, Gao Yan didn't even look at them. He took them directly and said unhappily: "Are you urging me to leave earlier?"

He looked at Liu Taozi and suddenly said, "Wait for me for a moment."

He walked out of the office quickly.

Seeing Gao Yan coming out, Wang Xi and others hurriedly saluted. Gao Yan waved his hand and said, "Don't wait here anymore. Find a place to rest. I have something else to do. I will set off tomorrow!"

Wang Xi was horrified, "Your Majesty, this is not a temporary palace, and we have to leave now."

"We are on the march, what are you talking about a palace?!"

"Go quickly!"

Gao Yan spoke very sternly, and Wang Xi and others did not dare to dissuade him, so they had to bow and leave again.

Gao Yan turned around and returned to the office.

"Okay, we can continue talking."

"Do you have anything delicious here?"

"I'm afraid Your Majesty has tasted all the delicacies here."

"Hahaha, you're right. Then let's ask someone to send some mutton so we can eat while we talk."

"it is good."

Gao Yan sat in the upper seat, but he was not as solemn as before. He looked much more relaxed. His armor had been taken away by the soldiers long ago. Liu Taozi sat beside him. The two seemed like good friends of the same age.

Gao Yan personally performed the operation to cut the flesh for Liu Taozi.

Logically speaking, this was against etiquette, but the young emperor was very stubborn, and just as Liu Taozi was about to cut the meat, he snatched the knife away.

The mutton in the large cauldron in front of the two men was boiling, emitting thick mist.

The mutton was pierced by barbs and connected to a handle. Gao Yan held the handle, lifted the meat, cut it with a knife, and ate it directly.

"In the current Great Qi, most of the civil officials are Han Chinese, and most of the military officers are nobles. If you want to promote Han Chinese to be military officers, especially those from the Central Plains, you will definitely encounter opposition."

“It can only be implemented slowly.”

"If it is as you said, with an elite Han warrior battalion stationed in Yecheng, a Han army of 100,000 in various border areas, and Han soldiers in counties and prefectures throughout the Central Plains who only obey my orders, then perhaps the nobles will be slightly more obedient. You are my reliance, and in the future, you will be the commander of this Han army."

"But, there is one thing I am curious about and want to ask you."

"Your Majesty, please ask."

"I see that under your command, not only the Chinese and Han people, but also the Di people and the Xiongnu people can be found. How did you do it?"

"How do you make them live in harmony?"

Liu Taozi said seriously: "Just treat everyone equally."

"Just treat everyone equally? Is that so simple?"

"I have kept them well fed and well watered, and have helped them get promoted and made a fortune. Therefore, although they have some conflicts with each other, they are unwilling to fight again."

"Whether they are Chinese, Han Chinese, or Xiongnu people, all they want is to be well fed and well watered. As long as you can cut the meat fairly and lead them to hunt more cattle and sheep, they will naturally stop fighting."

"Then you just advised me to let them fight?"

"Your Majesty, the ones fighting are the great families and the nobles."

"Those are just people who have nothing better to do. Here I am, there are only people who are hungry and those who are full and want others to have enough to eat, but no one is just people who have nothing better to do."

"Hahaha~~ This is the first time I've heard of this."

"Before I met you, I only thought you were a butcher who could kill people, nothing more."

"Now I feel that you are my future prime minister."

Gao Yan gave him another piece of meat and said, "My first brother made use of Han officials, and my second brother organized the Han army. They both failed, and because of them, I don't know how to start."

"Now I have an idea. I want to continue what they are doing."

"Do you have any good ideas for local officials?"

"Your Majesty, you know the good and bad officials. Don't pile up all the good officials in the government. If they are piled up in the government, they can't do anything and can only engage in useless struggles. Why don't you release these people to the local areas?"

"There should be many more people like Mr. Lu, Lu Qubing who was promoted by you to be the Imperial Censor, and Shi Yao from Liyang."

"There are quite a few, but they are so good at disguising themselves that I don't know whether they are genuine or just pretending."

Gao Yan chewed the meat in his mouth and said, "I'll make good arrangements."

"You have to make more contributions in this expedition."

"only."

The next day, the emperor left Wuchuan.

The ministers followed, and the soldiers led the way, and the procession was mighty.

The emperor did not send his troops to Wuchuan. He took a thousand knights from Wuchuan and allowed Liu Taozi to use the thousand knights from Wuchuan to participate in this war in the name of General Zhaoyong.

Of course, these one thousand knights do not include the Cangtou slaves.

The rest of the people must stay here, awaiting the military orders from King Dong'an, and be responsible for guarding against the Pseudo Zhou and the Turks.

Liu Taozi led everyone to watch the emperor leave.

The soldiers under his command were excited, rubbing their hands, and eager to give it a try.

"Brother, you spent the entire day with the emperor last night! Did he reward you with an official title?!"

Yao Xiong asked hurriedly.

Kou Liu bumped into him, Yao Xiong pursed his lips and didn't ask any more questions.

Liu Taozi slowly turned around and looked at the minions in front of him.

"Be prepared to go on the expedition."

In the first year of Huangjian, at the end of October, Emperor Gao Yan led the army in person and arrived in the north.

After the defeat of the Rouran people, the Kumo Xi people took the opportunity to enter the territory of Da Qi to settle the Rouran people. Ahui led five tribes to graze in the territory of Da Qi and even attempted to "attack" Wuchuan. His crimes are heinous and must be punished!

The battle line was extremely long, from Shuoheng to Youyan. The border troops on this long border, together with the central army brought by the emperor, became the main force of this war.

The Northern Qi's way of conquering the border areas was also completely different from that of ancient times. They had no unified command. Apart from the central army commanded by the emperor, temporary generals led the border troops to fight. It was like a huge hunting party. The emperor rode the horse and pulled the bow, and the generals needed to drive the prey for him and become his hunting dogs.

Liu Taozi led his elite Wuchuan soldiers to participate in this war.

After leaving Wuchuan, Liu Taozi followed Lou Rui's instructions and ran all the way towards Shuanghechuan.

When the emperor went out to battle, the hounds rushed out and began to bark hoarsely.

The Kumo Xi people suffered heavy losses on the spot. Even though the five tribes had united to form a preliminary organization, the Xi people were still unable to fight back when facing the attack of the Qi cavalry.

The hounds worked in unison, starting from the west and east and driving the prey toward the center, allowing the hunters to kill them easily.

At this time, there was a unique hunting dog. It ignored the prey along the way and galloped non-stop towards the east. Along the way, it scared away countless prey and caused birds and beasts to flee.

In the vast desert, Liu Taozi was riding a green lion, moving forward quickly. Yao Xiong followed beside him, with great confusion in his small eyes.

The elder brother led them all the way in. When they met large and small Xi tribes on the way, the elder brother didn't even look at them. At this speed, they were about to rush into the Xi people's hometown.

But now it is wartime, no matter how close their relationship is, he cannot question his commander.

But Yao Xiong still felt puzzled. What were we going to do? ?
After charging like this for many days, Liu Taozi finally led his troops to stop in front of a flat land where two rivers met.

This is the Two Rivers, located beside the Rushui River and the Suotou River. It is an important intersection for the Xi people to travel between the two places.

Of course, there is a Xi tribe stationed here.

But at this moment, the tribes here have withdrawn, leaving only an empty camp.

Liu Taozi immediately ordered to set up defenses here, facing west, and set up various barriers to prepare for fighting the enemy.

The soldiers took over the military camps left by the Xi people and began to build defenses there, although they themselves did not know what their purpose was.

In the Xianbei army, once the two sides entered into a battle, the other soldiers were not allowed to question the commander-in-chief. Even if no one could understand the commander-in-chief's orders, they would still execute them. This was a continuation of the bloody chieftain system that the Xianbei people had practiced in the past, and at this moment it became a guarantee of the combat effectiveness of the two northern armies.

Liu Taozi ordered Kou Liu to lead scouts to scout the surroundings, and then returned to the main tent that had just been set up.

At this time, Yao Xiong sneaked in.

Liu Taozi only brought warriors with him on this expedition. Tian Zilie, Cui Gang and others stayed in Wuchuan. In addition, he also left Zhang Heizu to assist Tian Zilie and others. Zhang Heizu was an old man who was taken away in Cheng'an. He had followed Liu Taozi for many years. Both his martial arts and his ability to lead troops were constantly improving, and he stood out from the crowd. What Liu Taozi valued most was his calm character.

When all the generals wanted to fight, Liu Taozi asked him to stay, and he did not feel angry or aggrieved at all. If it were Yao Xiong, he would probably be furious.

As it is now.

"Brother, what are we doing in this godforsaken place?"

"They didn't ask because they didn't dare to. They were afraid of being dragged out and chopped by their brother. But they always asked me privately why we have been out for a long time but have not achieved any military merits."

Liu Taozi said slowly: "The Xi people are no match for us. They will definitely be defeated. By then, their main force will surely flee from here."

"There are many ways out of the Great Wall. Why do we have to escape from here?"

"The hounds are fierce, and this is the shortest way."

"What if he runs away when he sees us?"

"Chase."

"If they are all wiped out and no one escapes, we will just stay here and gain nothing. It doesn't matter if we don't get military merit, but I'm afraid that my brother will be laughed at!"

"Disgraceful?"

Yao Xiong was worried, "Those generals don't like you anyway. You lead so many cavalrymen, but you can't even get a single head."

"It's okay. You shouldn't worry about these. Set up traps and prepare for battle."

"only"

The Wuchuan soldiers were stationed here and did not move. They dug ditches, built chevaux de frise, and piled up high slopes. They were extremely busy.

Because Liu Taozi's prestige was high enough, although these people were a little puzzled, no one dared to neglect him.

At the same time, Gao Yan's campaign was also extremely successful.

Compared to his brother, Gao Yan really picked a good easy target.

The Xi people have made some progress over the years, but it is really incomparable with the Da Qi. The disadvantage of traditional farming versus nomadism does not exist at all in the Da Qi. Whether it is war horses or people who can ride horses to fight, there are more in the Da Qi. Compared with the Xi people, they may be more in line with the characteristics of nomads.

Gao Yan led such a large army to attack the Xi people. The Xi people's Shi Jin should feel honored. You f*cking think I'm a Turk, right? ?
The Xi people collapsed across the board, and before they could even wait for the hunters, the hunting dogs almost ate them.

There are good news every day from Gao Yan's place, and the scouts delivering the good news are more numerous than those reporting the enemy's movements.

Gao Yan needed a huge victory to prove his status, and he also needed a fat and weak prey to reward his hounds.

"Still no news from the Wuchuan soldiers?"

Gao Yan was riding a horse and walking at the rear army's position. He suddenly asked Wang Xi who was standing beside him.

Wang Xi smiled bitterly and replied, "Your Majesty, since I reported to station at Erhechuan eight days ago, there has been no news."

"Ah."

At this moment, the hunting dogs that came back to report looked at each other with joy in their eyes.

More and more hounds came back to report. They all completed their tasks very well, and some even killed three times more enemies than themselves.

They were naturally rewarded.

"Your Majesty, it seems that General Liu intends to station himself at the main road and ambush any Xi people who want to escape."

General Liu Honghui said calmly, "General Liu is indeed a hero. He anticipated the enemy's attack. This is to prevent Your Majesty from being unable to annihilate the Xi people and letting them escape. Therefore, he ambushed them on the main road in advance to prepare for the aftermath."

This man's appearance is very similar to that of the general who was sent to the frontier.

Hearing his words, the Guard General Gao Changgong suddenly said, "The Xi tribes are numerous and widely distributed. Your Majesty led a large army to the battle, and the Xi people were afraid and fled in all directions, making it difficult to pursue them. General Liu was stationed here to prevent them from escaping so that Your Majesty could achieve the feat of annihilating the entire army. How can you make it sound like he is hoping that Your Majesty will fail?"

Liu Honghui laughed, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. When have I ever said such a thing? I dare not even think of such a thing."

"Then don't say something that could be misunderstood."

Gao Changgong said coldly.

Liu Honghui's face darkened, he looked away and ignored it.

Gao Yan glanced at his nephew and said, "Chang Gong, how dare you be rude to your uncle? Why don't you apologize?"

Gao Changgong then bowed and said, "Uncle, please forgive me."

"No problem, no problem"

Liu Honghui did not speak again, but his eyes were quite fierce.

Their family is close to Huiluo because of the friendship between their fathers. If it were not for Liu Taozi, King Shunyang would be making great achievements outside the Great Wall, making more military achievements, or even being able to step into the imperial court and serve as an important official.

But because of this money, this man ended up like this.

How dare that fellow follow you into battle? ? Who the hell is he? !

Liu Honghui narrowed his eyes.

Just wait. Sooner or later, you will know what will happen if you offend us.

At this moment, a scout suddenly rushed over, bowed to Gao Yan, and interrupted the depressing atmosphere.

"His Majesty!!"

The scout looked quite nervous. "Ahuishi led the three tribes of Ruhezhu, Mohefu, and Qige, broke out of our encirclement and headed towards Erhechuan!!"

"what?!"

Gao Yan was furious and subconsciously wanted to pull out his belt. Gao Changgong hurriedly rode forward and said, "Speak clearly! How did you let them run away?"

The scout shivered, raised his head carefully, and organized his words.

"Ahui scattered money and food all over the ground, and the border soldiers were eager to pick them up and present them to Your Majesty, but they ran away."

"Hahaha, giving it to me?! It's like snatching it away, right?!"

Gao Yan was so angry that he was almost speechless. He knew that after the sixth year of Tianbao, border soldiers in various places had experienced a decline in combat effectiveness and deterioration in military discipline, but he had never imagined that it would be so serious!
I am right here, and I dare to let the enemy's main force escape just to loot their property? ?
Is this how you become a hound?

If I can't capture the general of the Xi people even if I fight them on such a large scale, then my reputation will be lost. What will I say when I return? Will I say that I have returned with a great harvest of cattle and sheep? ?

If the Pseudo-Zhou and the Turks knew about this, they would probably look down on us! !
Just when Gao Yan was about to explode, Gao Changgong hurriedly said, "General Liu happens to be in charge here! His Wuchuan soldiers have strict military discipline and will never let the enemy escape!"

"Your Majesty, please let me lead the light cavalry. I am willing to help him keep the Xi people at bay!"

Liu Honghui hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, no wonder Liu Taozi wanted to move in early. He really saw this. Please let me go! I am willing to cut off the head of the Xi people and present it to Your Majesty!"

Seeing that this guy still wanted to fan the flames, Gao Changgong really couldn't help it.

He said angrily: "If there were fewer people like Prince Shunyang on the border who came to devour the military rations, perhaps the border soldiers would not rush to rob the food when they saw it! When Liu Taozi wanted to reorganize the army, my uncle made several memorials to oppose it, and now the bad consequences are coming!! "

"At this time when both sides are engaged in a war, you are still here talking to yourself and framing the general. Don't you have His Majesty in your eyes?!"

Liu Honghui's lips trembled with anger.

Gao Yan spoke coldly.

"Chang Gong."

"You go."

(End of this chapter)