Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 184 The Second Gao Aocao
As the sun sets, the sky gradually darkens.

The army sent by Liu Taozi and Gao Changgong drove the prisoners of war and cattle and sheep back to the Erhechuan camp in a mighty manner.

Gao Changgong came to greet him personally.

When the two met again, Gao Changgong was filled with emotion.

He took Liu Taozi's hand and sat down in front of a campfire.

"Zhizhi, you weren't hurt, were you?"

"I should have reported to His Majesty earlier and asked him to send more people to help you."

Gao Changgong felt a little guilty.

Liu Taozi was very calm, "Your Majesty, I'm fine."

"In the past, when the emperor went to war, the hounds performed their duties conscientiously and won great victories. Even when facing the Rourun people, they never escaped from their main force."

"The head hound was too full and started to guard the food. The others had nothing to eat and would snatch the food they saw."

"The border troops are no longer the border troops of the early years of the Tianbao era."

"I know."

Gao Changgong frowned and said seriously: "It's not just the border troops. You must have seen the local county troops before. They didn't recruit the best Han people from the local area. They just captured some men, forced them to form an army, withheld their food and grass, and left them alone. At present, many prefectures and counties have empty training grounds, and the county Han soldiers exist in name only."

"When I first arrived in Sizhou, only one out of ten soldiers in the counties and prefectures remained, but the military pay remained the same. It was ridiculous!"

"And the central army is not much better."

"They formed cliques and factions, fought against each other, the orders were not communicated, and the military discipline was not in place."

"If this continues, I'm afraid we'll be broken into by the thieves sooner or later."

Liu Taozi asked, "Is Your Majesty in command of the central army now?"

"I can't be considered the commander of the Central Army. The organization of the Central Army is chaotic, there are too many generals, and there are clear factions. I can only be considered to be serving in the Central Army."

Gao Changgong suddenly said, "General Liu Honghui has ill intentions towards you. You should be more careful."

Liu Taozi nodded slightly.

The two of them just calmly looked at the bonfire in front of them, watching the flames swaying and forming various shapes.

Gao Changgong sighed, "I was thinking that I could meet you and reminisce about the past, but I didn't expect that you would start talking about these ugly things as soon as we met. I knew that Zhizhi was a great talent, but I didn't expect that after a year of separation, Zhizhi would go to war with me."

"I promised you a promotion, but I broke my promise."

"Your Majesty, since you helped me before, it is not a breach of promise."

"It's not me who helps you, it's you who helps me. You're helping me with my family affairs, how can I just ignore it?"

"After this battle, Zhizhi will return to Yecheng with me to serve as a cabinet general, right?"

"I'm at the frontier, and I have many things to do."

Liu Taozi suddenly looked at Gao Changgong, "My king, I have something to ask of you."

"Know and speak."

"Please accept this military achievement, Your Majesty."

At this moment, the bonfire in front of the two men seemed to shake. Gao Changgong slowly took off the mask on his face. There was anger between his brows. If someone else had spoken in this way, he would have started cursing.

"Does Zhizhi look down on me like this?!"

"Don't dare."

"It's just that if I get some military merits, it will be enough for me to stay in the frontier. If the king gets these military merits, it will be enough for him to dominate the central army."

"Oh? The central army is the leader?"

"Your Majesty is a benevolent and righteous man, and is good at commanding the army. If you can truly command the central army, you can enforce strict military discipline and rectify its irregularities. Since ancient times, there have been no harms greater than the harm of the army. If you can reduce the harm of the army, it will be a blessing for the people of the world."

Gao Changgong understood Liu Taozi's meaning. He smiled and waved his hand, and the deputy general brought the wine bag.

He took a big bite and said, "You want me to make further progress with these military achievements, and then take charge of the army and train and reorganize them, right?"

"Correct."

"I do not want."

"Your Majesty?"

"I will take the military merit myself, not someone else's. This is your military merit. Your subordinates shed blood and sacrificed their lives. How can I benefit from it?"

"It's yours, not a single bit less. I will personally report this to His Majesty and have him award the reward accordingly."

He looked around again, then laughed, "With these military achievements, you will eventually become a general with real power. Then, you will be able to do more things."

Liu Taozi shook her head slightly, "I'm not a Xianbei, I'm afraid I can't do it."

"There is no need to mention this matter again!"

Gao Changgong skipped this topic and asked, "I heard that you are settling civilians in the border areas. What is your method of settlement?"

"It means allowing them to build houses and live there, and giving them two meals of rice porridge a day."

Gao Changgong was stunned for a long time.

"Is that so?"

"That's it."

Gao Changgong didn't say anything else, and both of them were exceptionally silent.

The next day, Liu Taozi was still cleaning up the battlefield, while Gao Changgong led his men in pursuit.

When the emperor led the army and many other hunting dogs officially appeared here, Gao Changgong had already completed six attacks and pursuits. He was very talented in rushing. The pursuit outside the Great Wall was not an easy task, but Gao Changgong did an excellent job. The captives of the two were gathered here, almost blinding the eyes of the hunting dogs.

The two men stepped forward to greet Gao Yan.

Liu Taozi offered Ji Jin's head.

Looking at the processed head, Gao Yan was furious. He lifted the head up, stared into its eyes, and asked, "Just because Wenxuan passed away, do you think that there is no one left in my Great Qi?!"

He asked twice in a row.

Unfortunately, the head did not answer him.

While Gao Yan did not take more drastic actions, Wang Xi hurriedly submitted a memorial, requesting Gao Yan to reward the meritorious soldiers.

Gao Yan then stopped messing with the dead man's head. He asked the soldiers to keep the head safe and then looked at the two young men in front of him.

Gao Changgong and Liu Taozi are of similar age.

But they are all so talented, which makes Gao Yan happy.

"Qi Haizhen, you have made a great contribution this time."

Gao Yan spoke with a smile, and the generals around him were a little surprised.

"With your contributions, you can be appointed as a general and guard the border for me!!"

"His Majesty!"

Wang Xi stepped forward again and said, "General Liu has made great achievements in killing the bandit chieftain. However, this is due to the cooperation of other generals, not just one person. We should share the rewards. I think General Liu will not object."

Hearing his words, the hounds around him nodded.

Liu Honghui stroked his beard and said affectionately: "If it weren't for the generals forcing the bandit chieftain to rush to the river, how could General Liu have achieved such success? This battle killed the bandit chieftain, defeated Kumoxi, destroyed his camp, and captured his cattle and sheep. This is the merit of the entire army, and even more so the virtue of Your Majesty!"

"That's it! That's it!"

A general agreed.

Liu Honghui then looked at Liu Taozi and said with a smile: "Qi Hai is the real murderer. It is not easy for General Liu, a Han Chinese, to get such a name. It is really not easy. It is really not easy."

Gao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Wang Xi suddenly sensed the emperor's anger.

At this moment, someone suddenly shouted, "We let the main force escape. Should we reward them instead of punishing them?!"

For a moment, the noisy scene became silent, and everyone looked at the person who spoke.

Lanling King Gao Changgong.

Gao Changgong said angrily: "General Liu led a thousand knights to intercept 80,000 Xi people! They defeated their army, killed the bandit chieftain Ahui Shijin on the battlefield, and captured more than 30,000 people. Generals, you are dignified people of the country. If you don't want to make achievements for yourself, how dare you try to take credit for such a great achievement?!"

He looked at Gao Yan, "Your Majesty, the faults of the generals who escaped the bandit chief should be investigated! Reward the generals who made great contributions! Rewards and punishments should be clearly distinguished!"

Wang Xi was about to speak, but Gao Changgong looked at him again, "Lord, this is a family matter, please don't speak!"

Wang Xi fell silent immediately, and even the hunting dogs slowly closed their mouths.

If you say so, then there is really no way for me to interrupt.

Gao Yan looked at Liu Taozi and said, "Although the generals have made mistakes, they have also made many contributions."

"As for this town general."

Gao Changgong walked quickly to Gao Yan and bowed, "Your Majesty! If there is a villain who is jealous and wants to frame General Liu, I am willing to guarantee him with my own life!!"

Liu Taozi stood there, saying nothing.

Gao Yan laughed, "What nonsense! Why would I need you to be my security guard?!" "General Zhaoyong Liu Taozi defeated the enemy with a small force and killed the enemy chief in battle. He has made great contributions and is specially appointed as Zhen General. He is granted the title of Kaiguo County Prince and ordered to stay in Wuchuan and lead the military affairs outside Shuoheng!!"

At this moment, the atmosphere became even heavier.

The hounds stared at Liu Taozi without saying a word.

Only Gao Changgong showed a happy expression.

No one spoke. Gao Yan looked around with an extremely solemn expression.

Since Gao Aocao, there has been no Han Chinese capable of serving as a general in the Great Qi.

When Gao Aocao was still alive, Gao Huan would speak Chinese when issuing military orders. If a general dared to speak Chinese, Gao Aocao would beat him. If Liu Gui ran away, he would gather the army to attack the enemy until the nobles surrendered and came to surrender.

This man, who was called the Xiang Yu of the modern times, was an unrivaled master of horse and lance, and was extremely brave. He once defeated an army of thousands with only dozens of men, making the nobles uneasy. The Han people had not completely lost their voice in the army, and the implicit rule that Han people could not be generals or soldiers had not yet come into being.

He later died.

The cause of his death was that his own people refused to open the city gate for him and even refused to lower the rope.

He hacked at the gate of his own city feebly, but could not break it open.

When the pursuers found him, the tough guy dropped his weapon, looked up and told them, "Here, I'll give you the title of Duke of the Kingdom!"

It's a pity that the soldier who killed him never got the title of founding duke until his death. It is said that the reward for him was paid in installments and was not fully paid until the end of the Sui Dynasty.

As for the nobleman who closed the city gates and refused to open them, Emperor Shenwu's nephew, Gao Yongle, Duke of Yangzhou, was beaten with 200 military sticks, but of course, he did not die. He was later appointed as the Governor of Jizhou and engaged in corruption for several years. After his death, he was awarded the titles of Grand Tutor, Grand Marshal, and Recorder of the Secretariat, and was posthumously named Wu Zhao.

Since then, Da Qi has not produced any famous generals of Han descent, or even any high-ranking generals of Han descent.
Perhaps they were afraid that a second Gao Aocao would emerge, so the nobles joined in the effort, and until the demise of the Great Qi, there was not even a single serious general who claimed to be a Han Chinese.

At this moment, right in front of the emperor, the hounds seemed to see a second Gao Aocao slowly descending.

"Your Majesty, no."

Liu Honghui spoke.

Liu Honghui's father was Liu Gui, the man who spoke out for money and was beaten by Gao Aocao. He ran all the way to the camp and hid. In the end, he had to rely on the other generals to rescue him to survive.

And Liu Gui was not even a Xianbei, he was a Xiongnu.

But it was these generals who were of Khitan descent who cared the most about classification. If their own people rode on their heads, they would find someone weaker than themselves to ride on.

What they hated most was a fierce horse like Gao Aocao.

After Liu Honghui spoke, many generals who had followed him to the battle stood up one after another.

Heba Ren, She Diluo, Dugu Zhi, Moduolou Jingxian, Houmochen Jingui, Po Liuhanyou, Murong Sanzang.
The Northern Qi Dynasty had no shortage of generals, and there were so many that it even gave the emperor a headache.

At this moment, Gao Yan's face looked extremely ugly.

Wang Xi lowered his head helplessly. He had tried to dissuade Liu Taozi several times, not because he had a grudge against her. He was just worried about this matter.

The nobles are arrogant, how could they allow another Gao Aocao to appear before them?

If the emperor issues the order by force, it will certainly cause great chaos.

These people are different from the obedient ministers in the court. Names are of no use to them, and swords are the most effective.

If the emperor gives in, his situation will become even more dangerous in the future.

Wang Xi tried to dissuade him several times, but Gao Changgong still provoked the disaster by opening his mouth.

Liu Taozi slowly placed her hands on her waist and looked up at Gao Yan.

At this moment, Gao Yan trembled all over. For some reason, he suddenly thought of his nephew who had been dismissed by him.

Just a while ago, he stood beside the emperor, and the warriors below looked at the little emperor, waiting for his orders.

"Your Majesty!! I think it's appropriate!"

At this moment, someone suddenly spoke.

When the hounds discovered that the voice came from their side, they were all shocked and angry, and they all turned around to look at the person who spoke.

The person who spoke was the Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard, Gai Fengle.

He had a white beard and narrowed his eyes. He said kindly, "This is not the first time that General Liu has made achievements. It is not excessive to receive such a reward. I think the current General Zhen, as I remember, is the younger brother of Lord Liu. He has never made any military achievements and has never led troops."

Several hounds looked at him fiercely, but the other party remained unmoved.

This man was an old man in the army and had once served as Gao Huan's slave.

Later, he served as the commander-in-chief of the imperial guard, responsible for the emperor's safety when he traveled.

After him, several more people came out and said yes.

The official positions of these people were not very high, but they were all governors or deputy governors holding important positions such as left and right guards, sword and sword guards, etc.

And these people have a common identity: King Gao and the old man from the Lou family.

Liu Taozi ignored the old man or anyone else who spoke. He just looked at Gao Yan, wanting to know what the emperor said.

Gao Yan seemed to know it. He avoided Liu Taozi's gaze and looked away intentionally.

This scene is really similar to the original one.

Liu Honghui and the others were displeased and wanted to argue with them, and Gao Changgong also joined in, "Your Majesty has given an order, are you going to disobey?!"

"Do you really think that the Heavenly Family dares not kill people?!"

Gao Yan interrupted the argument and said, "I have given the order, so be it."

After he finished speaking, he did not give those people a chance to refute, and turned and left. The soldiers followed the emperor and protected him as he left.

The nobles were still feeling angry at this moment and were particularly displeased with such rewards. They bared their teeth and loudly expressed their dissatisfaction in the Xianbei language.

Liu Honghui slowly walked in front of Liu Taozi, raised his head and looked at the tall man in front of him.

Gao Changgong appeared beside Liu Taozi at some point and looked at him.

Liu Honghui nodded and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Yes, yes. It's not easy for General Zhen to manage the border troops. You have to be careful."

"One penny."

"Shua~~~"

Liu Taozi slowly drew out his sword.

His eyes were cold and he stared straight at Liu Honghui in front of him.

Liu Honghui wanted to say the last word, but his years of experience in fighting told him that the guy in front of him was not threatening him, he really wanted to chop him to pieces.
Liu Honghui moved his lips and turned away.

Most of the nobles looked at Liu Taozi with cold eyes, but occasionally there were a few friendly ones, such as the tall man riding a horse without saying a word. He nodded at Liu Taozi, and Gao Changgong explained: "That person is Julu County Duke Huluguang"

Gai Lefeng walked up to Liu Taozi with a smile and said, "It's been so many years, and you have grown up so much."

"Taozi, although we are half Chinese, we are not real Chinese after all. Don't contradict them. There will be no good ending. There are too many ways to kill you, openly or covertly. Sometimes, it is not a bad thing to be more tolerant."

The old man said a few words, and then reminded: "Be careful on the way back to the army. Don't fall behind. If someone tries to stop you, run away if you can, don't fight."

"This group of people are used to being arrogant and can do anything."

After that, he turned and left.

Gao Changgong was a little surprised, "Does Zhizhi have any history with this person?"

Liu Taozi shook her head and did not answer.

Watching these people gradually disperse, Gao Changgong finally let out a sigh of relief, "This is too much. They really don't take His Majesty seriously. They even looked like they were forcing the emperor to abdicate. If it weren't for Lord Gai, I'm afraid I would be in great danger."

"These people should all be killed."

Liu Taozi said calmly.

Gao Changgong quickly pulled him back and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Just now you put one hand on the sword and looked at His Majesty. What does that mean? Do you think I can't see it?"

"These people cannot be touched. They all have their own armies and are friendly with each other. Not to mention whether you and I can kill so many of them, even if we can, I'm afraid it will cause a big chaos. At that time, it will only be convenient for the Pseudo-Zhou!"

"Don't be impulsive!"

Gao Changgong knew how honest his former subordinate and now friend was, but like Wang Xi, he did not want to see a major rebellion in the country. Even the emperor had to be tolerant of them, let alone people like them.

Liu Taozi suddenly looked at Gao Changgong.

"Your Majesty."

"Ok?"

"If the king takes charge of the central army."

"I command the foreign army."

"Is it possible to kill all the traitors, clean up the world, and support the country?"

Hearing his words, Gao Changgong was stunned for a long time, "Maybe."

"Then I will encourage the king."

"Let's encourage each other!"

(End of this chapter)