Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 328 I want to fight!

Zu Ting never imagined that he would encounter so many things during such an ordinary expedition.

The Qizhou incident was not a big deal and could be dealt with, but the impact of the Southern Kingdom's Northern Expedition was simply too great.

Zu Ting said seriously, "My lord, our soldiers in various places have not yet completed their training, and the field troops are all in the north. Even if we want to transfer them here, I'm afraid it will be too late, and the journey is very long."

"The armies of several states in the south are mostly unable to fight, and King Lou has never commanded a large army. All places may not obey him. They fight on their own and will be defeated one by one by the southerners sooner or later!"

"If the enemy knew we were in Guangzhou, they might gather their forces, cross Huaizhou and Haizhou, and come to Jiaodong to block our way."

"The enemy's navy is also quite powerful. If they can capture Guangzhou and Huaizhou, they can even go north directly to attack Guangzhou by water!"

"My lord, we must return to the north of the river as soon as possible."

After hearing Zu Ting's analysis, Liu Taozi frowned and said nothing.

Wang Lin, who was sitting on the side, also said in a low voice: "What the grandfather said makes some sense. My lord, please do not underestimate these southern generals. Xu Du is a veteran general of the State of Chen. He has a lot of experience and has made great military achievements. Although he has a fiery temper, he is extremely cautious in marching and fighting."

"Wu Mingche is even more extraordinary. He is the leader of the powerful General Chen. He is extremely brave and good at coming up with surprising plans. The whole army admires him very much and he is deeply respected by the soldiers. He has many brave warriors under his command, and each of them can fight against a hundred people!"

"Huang Fachu is a benevolent general. He is strict in military discipline and clear about rewards and punishments. When his soldiers pass through the city, they can avoid invading the civilians!"

"Moreover, the State of Chen has been at war for many years, fighting with the generals around it. The more than 100,000 people they have gathered now are veterans who have experienced several years of war."

"Three powerful generals, plus more than 100,000 elite soldiers, this is not something we can easily defeat."

"Besides, as Grandfather said just now, if they knew that the Lord was in Gwangju, they would definitely try their best to attack. Their navy is also very powerful. If we set up defenses on the front line, they will go around and Gwangju will be surrounded by the sea on three sides, so it will be impossible to stop them from landing."

Wang Lin was also a little shaken.

As a southerner, he knew the enemy's situation better than Zu Ting.

Although he also wanted to take revenge and fight the southerners, judging from the current situation, the enemy was still too strong and capable of threatening them.

Liu Taozi looked at the two annoyed people and couldn't help but look at Shi Wansui who was standing at the door.

"Hurray, send for some tea."

Shi Wansui nodded his head and said yes, then hurried out.

Soon, someone brought tea and placed it in front of the two men. They didn't know what Liu Taozi's intention was, but Zu Ting was not polite and just took the tea and drank it.

Liu Taozi then slowly said, "Don't be anxious, have some tea first."

"The current situation is that Lou Rui is using thousands of elite troops, plus soldiers from all over the country, to fight against the three generals of the Southern Kingdom."

"In my opinion, Lou Rui is bound to lose."

"But once Lou Rui is defeated, given the moral character of these provincial governors, I'm afraid none of them will be able to fight to the end and will choose to surrender. In this way, Chen will be able to get the most fertile areas south of the river without any effort. Yan, Yu, Huai, Qing, and Yang are all the richest places in the world. If we give them to Chen, then in the future we will be in Hebei, fighting against the Turks in the north, fighting against Yuwen Yong in the west, and fighting against the Chen people in the south."

"We are surrounded by enemies on three sides, which is extremely disadvantageous to us."

"The only one who can fight against us at the moment is Yuwen Yong. Chen is far inferior to the north. But if we allow them to take these areas, the situation will be very different."

"The navy of Chen State can transport the elite troops from the Central Plains to our coast. From Anzhou to Qingzhou, this coastline may be attacked everywhere, and we have no ability to resist."

"That's something I will never tolerate."

Zu Ting drank the bitter tea, and what he was worried about finally happened.

Our master is good in every way except for one thing: he doesn't like to bow his head and run away. He is too stubborn.

He had no choice but to secretly look at Wang Lin and wink at him.

Just as Wang Lin was about to speak, Liu Taozi said, "Although the enemy is numerous, they have few cavalry. Moreover, they are all southerners. I'm afraid they are not used to fighting in the north."

"It is already autumn, and winter will soon be here. If they fail to defeat Lou Rui in the next few months, they will have to wait until next autumn to send out troops. They cannot fight in the north in the cold winter. Otherwise, if more than 100,000 troops gather together and some disease breaks out, what will happen?"

If Liu Taozi just talked big about the enemy's danger and the need to fight, Wang Lin would definitely persuade him to retreat.

But when Liu Taozi began to explore the enemy's weaknesses and shortcomings, Wang Lin became hesitant.

He added slowly: "In fact, these three people are not working together."

"The three of them all have their own strengths, but they are not convinced by each other. They all hope that their contributions are the greatest. They are entangled with each other and it is impossible for them to work together."

Liu Taozi nodded. "The enemy is not invincible. Although our soldiers are few, they are elite knights. Although the enemy is numerous, they may not be able to put together a cavalry unit that can match ours."

The horse shortage problem in the south lasted for a long time. War horses from the north were often sold at sky-high prices when sent to the south. There were also very few cavalry units in the south, and even a few qualified cavalry officers could not be found. Of course, they could still be found in the Lianghuai region, but the Lianghuai region had been separated from the Southern Dynasty for a long time.

Seeing that Zu Ting remained silent, Liu Taozi asked someone to take out the map and place it in front of him.

This map is rather rough, and only marks the location and divisions of states and counties. It cannot be considered a qualified military map.

But this is enough.

Liu Taozi pointed on the map and said, "The enemy is currently attacking Qin, He, and Jiang states, but Nanguan has never been attacked. In other words, Huai, Hai and other states are currently free of enemy forces. It is impossible for the enemy to enter these states without taking Nanguan."

Wang Lin sat aside and nodded in approval.

Liu Taozi's finger moved all the way down the map and tapped heavily on a place.

He looked at Zu Ting, "Grandpa, I know you are worried."

"Don't worry. Even if I'm at a disadvantage in the fight, I won't lose my life there. The cavalry has northern horses and southern boats. They can't be caught up by those people if they run."

Zu Ting frowned and said seriously: "My lord, you are not a fierce general under His Majesty's command now. You are the lord of Hebei and the king of the border. There are millions of people under your command, and countless people are alive because of you. You can't always lead the troops like this. Although you are brave, on this battlefield, swords have no eyes. If you hurt my lord, what should we do?"

"This time the enemy has sent out 100,000 troops, and you only have 3,000 elite cavalry under your command. You are still thinking of engaging the enemy. This is really risky, and I will never agree to it."

Zu Ting put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and walked to the opposite side of Liu Taozi, then he knelt down and stretched his head forward.

"If you insist on going to fight, please kill Zu Ting first. The day you go to war, Zu Ting will die."

Wang Lin, who was standing by, was startled.

He looked at the guy in front of him carefully. Zu Ting's expression was very serious and he didn't seem to be joking at all.

And Zu Ting was certainly not joking.

If it was other generals who came with him today, Zu Ting would have instigated them to take the initiative to fight without them having to speak, and help Lou Rui solve the problem.

But the person who said this was his lord, so Zu Ting would never dare to agree.

As a local lord, how can you lead your cavalry to charge into battle every day?

If something goes wrong, the good situation will be ruined in one day.

Liu Taozi was not angry, "Grandfather, you stand up first."

"I am not standing up because I don't trust you, my lord. I know that you will surely win a great victory if you take action. But I am worried that this victory will boost your arrogance. In the future, you will be the first in every battle. Who can stop you?"

"If you insist on going to war today, please kill me first!"

Zu Ting was extremely tough and refused to give in at all.

Wang Lin was stunned.

Zu Ting has always given him the impression of being a sycophantic official. Even if he has some talent, he is definitely not a loyal official.

But I didn’t expect Zu Ting to be so tough today.

Liu Taozi looked at Zu Ting and said, "I know Zugong's temper, and Zugong also knows mine."

"If I need to replace the general now, the only cavalry general who can replace me is Gao Changgong, and Gao Changgong is far away in Lingzhou. The others cannot be considered cavalry generals. Yao Xiong, Kou Liu and others still have many shortcomings."

"I promised my grandfather that this will be the only time, and it won't happen again, okay?"

Qinzhou. "Kill!!"

"Boom~~"

The catapult made a loud noise, and then the huge stone was thrown up and smashed towards the tall city wall.

Stones flew and hit the city walls heavily, causing the walls to shake, stones to crack, and dust to fill the sky.

The soldiers on the city wall shouted and aimed the crossbows at the catapults in the distance. As they started, the crossbows whizzed and shot, and the huge arrows directly broke through the wooden shields, piercing through the people and their armor.

Outside the city, the mountains and plains were filled with soldiers.

They did not surround the city on three sides and leave one side open, but directly surrounded the city completely, with catapults bombarding it crazily from all sides.

We saw more and more enemies in the distance, and some shieldmen had already started to line up, ready to launch a general attack.

On the city wall, the flags were constantly changing and the defenders were running around.

Qian Zhubu looked at the countless enemies outside the city wall with fear in his eyes. He was wearing an armor that was much larger than himself. The armor hung on his body, and it always felt empty. His face was pale, and his hand holding the knife was shaking.

He had never worn armor in his life and had never fought in a battle.

The person standing next to him was the local governor, Lu Yao.

Lu Yao looked much weaker than before. He was also wearing armor and holding a long sword.

He originally served as the governor of Jiangzhou, but was sent to Qinzhou because he interfered with the local commercial relations with the south. Qinzhou of Da Qi was in the south. Although Qinzhou was also close to Chen State, there was no trade here because the navy camp of Chen State was across the shore. When Chen Qian was in power, the control over his subordinates was relatively strict. At least under his nose, the navy camp would not let smugglers go.

Because Lu Yao was sent here to serve as the governor. It's ridiculous that the governor who stood on the front line against the enemy was a man who knew nothing about war.

Lu Yao's ancestors had been generals and had made many contributions, but by his generation, they had already begun to study classics. They could be said to be more Han than the Han people, without any trace of the old Xianbei.

When Lu Yao was young, he even looked down on his old Xianbei relatives who only knew how to fight and kill.

But at this moment, Lu Yao stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the dense enemy troops outside, and suddenly began to regret why he was not an old Xianbei who only knew how to fight and kill.

The enemy's main general was a famous general who had experienced many years of war, but I, on my side, had only read some military strategies. Although I had served in the army, I had never been a general.

Lu Yao's forehead was covered in sweat, and he didn't know if he could hold on any longer.

The more Qian Zhubu looked, the more frightened he became, and he kept getting closer to Lu Yao.

"My lord, can you hold on?"

Lu Yao just looked at the enemies under the city and said, "The enemy just has a lot of soldiers, there is nothing to be afraid of!"

"Our reinforcements will arrive soon, why are you afraid?!"

"Tell all the soldiers everywhere, after you defend the city and repel the enemy, I will become the emperor and reward everyone!!"

"only!!"

As a scholar who is not good at tactics, Lu Yao can only choose to fight by boosting morale.

The enemy launched a fierce attack the next moment. Lu Yao always stood on the top of the city, holding a sword, and led everyone to fight back.

Wu Mingche stood in the distance, watching his soldiers rushing towards the enemy like a flood.

His eyes were full of confidence.

He almost knew the situation in the city. The governor Lu Yao was a scholar and had never fought in a war.

Based on his understanding of the northerners, people like this would probably not be able to withstand even a single charge.

When his soldiers successfully approached the city wall, Wu Mingche had already begun to think about which city to attack next. Just as he picked up the map and began to observe it, bursts of shouts and screams broke out from the city wall. Wu Mingche raised his head suddenly and saw that his own ladders were burned one by one. The soldiers were covered in flames and rolled on the ground screaming. Arrows from the city wall continued to fly out, more each time than the last, and the soldiers attacking the city fell to the ground one after another.

Wu Mingche slowly put down the map and began to concentrate on the battle.

The siege continued. Chen's soldiers launched four attacks in succession, but the enemy's counterattacks were stronger each time.

Wu Mingche's face turned completely dark.

Before setting out on the expedition, he had solemnly told the Emperor how weak the northerners were at that moment. It had only just begun, so was the resistance so great?
Soon, the vanguard general appeared in front of Wu Mingche, covered in wounds.

Looking at the panting pioneer, Wu Mingche asked coldly: "What's going on?"

The vanguard was helpless. "General, the defenders in this city are fighting very hard. Some of them even jumped onto the ladders with torches in hand. This..."

Wu Mingche frowned and quickly summoned several deputy generals to discuss the matter.

One of the generals who was in charge of gathering intelligence from various places took out a lot of documents and said, "General, this Lu Yao is not a treacherous minister. After he came to Qinzhou, he dealt with the local tyrants, treated the people generously, distributed land equally, and rewarded the soldiers generously. Everyone, from top to bottom, had no complaints about him and thought they had received a lot of kindness from him. Therefore, although he knew nothing about the military, everyone in the city was willing to fight to the death for him."

Wu Mingche was somewhat surprised, "There are actually people like this among the Hu people?"

He pondered for a long time, "Stop the attack first. Tomorrow, I will go to the city to meet the governor. Although he is a Hu man, he is a good official. If he can surrender to us, he will surrender to us."

The siege stopped.

The next day, Lu Yao was still guarding the city wall. When he was taking a nap, a scout came running from outside the city, "My general, please discuss with Governor Lu!!"

Lu Yao stuck his head out and looked at the scout.

He said angrily: "But I have nothing to discuss with your general!"

"Go back and tell him!"

"That great general Liu Taozi was recommended by me. If he knew I was under siege, he would definitely lead his troops to rescue me! If you little thieves run into him, you will only die! Run away before he arrives! Don't lose your life!!"

Lu Yao roared loudly, and the scout turned around and left.

Cheers were heard again from the city wall.

Qian Zhubu was a little excited at this moment. He asked ecstatically: "My Lord?! General Liu is coming?"

"If he comes, why would he be afraid of the southerners?"

When the scout went back and told Wu Mingche these words, the generals around Wu Mingche were also extremely surprised.

Wu Mingche looked at the panicked crowd and said angrily, "Why are you panicking?!"

"Can't you see that this is Lu Yao's plan to boost the morale of his troops?"

"Liu Taozi is in the north, and his army is outside the Great Wall. How can he attack here?"

"A bunch of idiots!!"

Wu Mingche scolded him, and then said: "But this Lu Yao is really a righteous man. It's a pity that such a person cannot be used by us."

Wu Mingche frowned, his face solemn.

"Who is willing to help me break this city? I will reward you handsomely!!"

"I am willing to go!!"

Suddenly, a man walked out from among the many generals.

When everyone looked closely, they saw that the man was tall and strong, with a thick beard and wide-open eyes.

Many people didn't know this guy and asked in a low voice: "Who is this?"

Those who knew him were full of respect.

"This is the governor of Bashan."

"Xiao Moha!"

(End of this chapter)