Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 346: Qi State's First General

Jinyang.

The city gates were open and many carriages formed a long queue at the gate.

Amid the shouts of the knights, the carriage slowly moved out.

If the soldiers and horses are not moving, the grain and grass will go first.

These carriages were covered with thick felt cloth, which made the whole carriage sink a little and groan from time to time.

The old horse pulled the cart with great effort, and kept moving forward with its long legs under the whip of the driver.

These convoys were heading in various directions and were very numerous.

Most of the soldiers were very excited. The Jinyang soldiers loved fighting and they loved military merit.

After officially announcing the expedition, Duan Shao began to send people to transport "food and grass" to various places to be attacked.

In short, the appearance of a massive attack is vivid and extremely realistic.

Zhao Yanshen stood on the city wall, looking at the carriages passing by. At this moment, he felt something was wrong.

He always felt that this matter was a little too bizarre.

Duan Shao didn't trust him, but told him everything.

It was as if he was intentionally letting himself leak the information.

He said he would pretend to attack the enemy, but now he was discussing sending troops with the generals all day long. The grain carts left one by one. Zhao Yanshen knew that there was no grain in Jinyang, but what if there was something else he didn't know about?
Zhao Yanshen has been working with Zu Ting for a long time.

As early as when Zu Ting just arrived in Shuozhou, he had sent people to contact Lao Zhao. Zhao Yanshen had experienced a lot of things and was the best at saving his life among all the ministers.

He secretly cooperated with Zu Ting, provided a lot of information, and did a lot of things.

Duan Shao's reaction made him somewhat suspicious.

He wondered if Duan Shao was setting up a trap, pretending to send troops but actually taking the emperor to the south, or if he was pretending to take the emperor to the south but actually wanted to disperse Taozi's troops and then really send troops?
Even though Zhao Yanshen knew the situation of the national treasury, he did not dare to look down on Duan Shao.

This man often does some unexpected things. Even if Liu Taozi came in person, Zhao Yanshen didn't dare to say that Liu Taozi could definitely beat Duan Shao.

This is the first-rate general who has truly experienced hundreds of battles and has won every one of them.

Zhao Yanshen hated this feeling.

He has lived from the time of Emperor Shenwu to the present. His superiors, friends, and juniors have either died, been injured, or become disabled. Only he has tenaciously survived to the present.

He always knew how to survive, and he was able to escape unscathed when facing different emperors. He was valued by various emperors, including Gao Huan, Gao Cheng, Gao Yang, Gao Yan, Gao Zhan, and Gao Wei. He was never punished or beaten, which was truly terrifying.

What he was best at was trying to guess the other person's behavior. He could even guess a little about Gao Yang.

But now facing Duan Shao, he couldn't figure out the other party's purpose. Perhaps it was because this time he was pushed directly to the front and had no room to pull.

Just as Lao Zhao was frowning in thought, a soldier hurried to his side.

"Mr. Situ, His Majesty has summoned you."

"what."

Zhao Yanshen instantly returned to his original appearance, a somewhat dull and not very smart face. He nodded and followed the soldiers down the city wall.

The city was in extreme chaos, with soldiers and officials running around everywhere, all busy with their own affairs.

Zhao Yanshen got into the carriage and then closed his eyes to rest.

He pretended not to hear the noise outside.

When the carriage stopped, Zhao Yanshen got off the carriage, without looking around, and walked straight towards the palace.

At this moment, in the hall.

The young emperor Gao Yan sat on the throne in a daze. In front of him was only Duan Shao and no one else.

Gao Yan looked stunned and looked at the Sima in front of him in astonishment.

Duan Shao said calmly: "Your Majesty, I never lie. This is what happened."

"If Your Majesty feels afraid or reluctant, I will never force you."

He raised his head and looked at the little emperor again, "Does your Majesty understand what I have said?"

Gao Yan closed his mouth and shook his head slightly.

"Grand Marshal, I have just started studying. I have only finished reading "Li" and "Shiji". I can't finish "Shangshu" and I have only read half of "Sanguozhi". I really don't understand what you said about the situation, major events in the world, and the pros and cons."

A trace of loneliness flashed across Duan Shao's eyes.

Gao Yan hurriedly said: "But, it is enough for me to know that you understand these important matters."

"I will listen to Da Sima. I will do whatever Da Sima tells me to do and will never drag Da Sima down."

Duan Shao raised his head in astonishment and looked at the little emperor in front of him.

Gao Yan said seriously: "In ancient times, the kings who governed the world did not have to understand major issues themselves, but they had to be able to select people who understood major issues to assist them. When my father was still alive, he often proudly told us that Jinyang had a Grand Marshal in charge, so we didn't have to be afraid of any villains."

"When the guards in the palace talk about the Grand Marshal, they all say that you are an invincible general, but you care about your soldiers and will not bully them."

"I am willing to believe Da Sima!"

This time, it was Duan Shao who stared at the little emperor in front of him in amazement.

The little emperor in front of him is only nine years old.

Duan Shao's grandsons are all older than him.

Duan Shao's expression suddenly became a little complicated. He looked at the emperor in front of him, his lips trembling for a long time, and in the end, he just sighed.

"Ugh"

Among the descendants of Emperor Shenwu, all kinds of people were born, including beasts, lunatics, and brilliant men. Sometimes, these three coexisted.

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be told to anyone yet."

The two talked for a long time before a soldier came in to report that Zhao Yanshen was coming.

Duan Shao asked the soldiers to bring him in.

Zhao Yan went deep inside and greeted the little emperor respectfully, not looking down on him at all because of his age.

Duan Shao stood aside with a stern face, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty has agreed. Now our troops deployed in Yangqu are ready to fight the enemy. I will take Your Majesty there and personally take charge of the front line. With Your Majesty there, it will surely boost morale and defeat the enemy!"

Zhao Yanshen looked at the little emperor.

Gao Yan showed some fear appropriately, "Grand Marshal, nothing will happen, right?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as I am here, no one can harm Your Majesty."

Duan Shao finally looked at Zhao Yanshen.

"Mr. Zhao, then do as we say."

Zhao Yanshen nodded and agreed.

Afterwards, Duan Shao left the little emperor to Zhao Yanshen, asking Zhao Yanshen to appease the empress dowager.

Zhao Yanshen originally thought that the empress dowager would never agree to the young emperor leaving Jinyang and going to the front line, but the development of things was somewhat different from what he predicted.

The Queen Mother did not object to this matter, perhaps because she knew that her opposition would be of no use in front of Duan Shao.

She agreed to it and even persuaded Gao Yan to listen to Duan Shao and never talk back to him.

Since the Queen Mother did not object, no one in the country would object either.

There was no one left among the ministers, as most of them were carefully selected beasts, and the generals did not care about this little emperor who was hastily put in place.

The next day, just after dawn, Duan Shao let the little emperor get into the carriage, and then quietly left Jinyang.

Zhao Yanshen stood on the city wall again and watched Duan Shao leading the Jinyang soldiers towards the front line.

They also took away a lot of food, but this time, the carriage was not as heavy as before. Could this be real food?
Zhao Yanshen did not come down from the city wall until the group of people disappeared in the north.

There was another flying pigeon in the sky, flapping its wings and leaping past.

Zhao Yanshen narrowed his eyes and stared at the flying pigeon.

The flying pigeon broke through the sky, drawing curves in the air with a graceful posture, sometimes going up, sometimes going down, and sometimes tilting, passing through countless villages, mountains, forests, and camps, flying all the way to the west.

Camp on the bank of Fen River.

The sky was gloomy and a cold wind blew the blood-stained bushes on the ground.

In the bushes, corpses were spread out on the ground, and soldiers were digging pits to bury the bodies. In the distance, knights were comforting their horses and feeding them.

The camp, inside and outside, was now controlled by fully armed soldiers. Some were carrying small boats and walking towards the Fen River, hanging the boats here, while others were carrying bags and building fortifications on both sides.

Everyone is very busy.

On the arrow tower on the shore, Zhou general Li Mu was gently wiping the blood stains off his sword.

The deputy general stood beside him, looking around vigilantly.

Under the night sky, the entire stream seemed a little turbid.

There was silence everywhere, and the only sound that could be heard was the rustling sounds made by one's own soldiers.

The deputy general wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Li Mu, "General, can we really pick him up tomorrow? We are deep in the enemy's territory and Yao Xiong will find out soon. Yao Xiong is not easy to deal with."

"We only have over a thousand people. If we are blocked here by him, I'm afraid we won't be able to go back."

Only then did Li Mu look at him with cold eyes.

They are here to do one thing.

It's not a big deal, I just came to pick up the emperor of Qi and take him away from Qi.

God knows what Li Mu was thinking when he learned of this order. For a moment, he even doubted whether this was Yuwen Hu's order.

After repeated inquiries, he learned that it was Wei Xiaokuan's order and that it was agreed by his own emperor.

Li Mu originally followed Yang Zhong to fight. After Yang Zhong died in battle, Yuwen Hu took the opportunity to remove him from his military power. It was not until Yuwen Yong came to power that he got the opportunity to lead troops again.

This time, he was ordered to lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry, and gather a large amount of food and fodder to station near Pingyang in Qi.

This was an old practice for the Zhou people. Whenever the two sides fought, Pingyang was often the first to fall.

When Da Xi Wu cooperated with Yang Zhong to attack Jinyang, Da Xi Wu was stationed in Pingyang and delayed going to Jinyang, which led to Yang Zhong's defeat.

After arriving in Pingyang, Li Mu did not lead his army to force its way north.

Because there are Tu Xiyue and Yao Xiong in front of them.

After learning the specific date, Li Mu gathered a thousand of his most elite men, marched quickly, bypassed Yao Xiong's direction, and rushed to the bank of the Fen River, which was also one of the directions Yang Zhong chose to evacuate.

From here we can attack Yangqu or Jinyang.

But with just a thousand people, they can't defeat anyone.

However, they did not come here to attack the city, but simply to wait for someone.

As soon as the people arrived, they would pick them up, and then escort them to defeat Yao Xiong and return to Pingyang, and then they could leave directly.

Li Mu once again thought of Wei Xiaokuan's many arrangements.

Even if I die, I can't delay this matter. I must succeed.

This time the government hardened its heart and gritted its teeth to send out 10,000 men for the expedition. Because of the previous defeat, even with these 10,000 men, it was already very strenuous, and failure was absolutely not allowed!

Looking at the somewhat frightened deputy general, Li Mu said calmly: "Yao Xiong has to guard too many places. He not only has to guard against us, but also Jinyang."

"Although Jinyang has no food, it is not completely impossible to go on an expedition. We can still fight while robbing."

"He won't send too many troops to fight us. Even if he does, he won't bring all his troops with him. Don't worry."

"General Wei also said that if things change, we can evacuate, and we can't trust Duan Shao easily."

This deputy general was a confidant arranged by the emperor to keep an eye on Li Mu. Although Yuwen Hu was gone, his style remained. The only acceptable thing was that the person sent this time would no longer interfere in military affairs. Although he was still not very experienced, at least he would listen and not act recklessly. This was much better than Yuwen Hu.

Yuwen Hu could not easily trust these generals, and Yuwen Yong would not completely trust them either. At most, he would be more restrained than Yuwen Hu.

After hearing what Li Mu said, the deputy general stopped asking questions.

Li Mu then ordered his men to change into Qi army uniforms and began to prepare for the reception.

The current Qi State is obviously very different from the past. Under the strict official system, it is not realistic to travel long distances through enemy territory as in the past.

Linfen County.

Soldiers were gathering outside the city, and many cavalry appeared from a distance, frequently entering and leaving the city.

Inside the county government office in the city.

Yao Xiong was tall and strong and sat in the upper seat. His beard became bigger and bigger, almost covering his lips. His lips were basically invisible unless he opened his mouth. Once he opened his mouth, the beard would stick into his mouth. The same was true for the sideburns on both sides, which were thick and dense, and together with the beard, they were twisted into a ball, covering his neck all the way.

He was wearing an exquisite, brightly coloured official uniform, which did not match his appearance at all.

At this moment, there were many documents in front of him.

There were many officials sitting on both sides.

Yao Xiong acted like some big shot, sitting arrogantly on the high seat, glancing at the people below, but no one dared to look him in the eye.

"Last night, some Zhou people bypassed the stone building and seized the camp at Wu Ze!!"

"I clearly gave the order that all the guards along the road must be alert to the enemy crossing the border and light the signal smoke in time!!"

"General Shilou thinks he is a close confidant who has followed my brother for many years, yet he dares to be so negligent!!"

"Immediately dismiss General Sun Jihu from his post! Put him in a prisoner car and deal with him after the war!"

Yao Xiong's voice was extremely loud, and every word sounded like a roar, which was frightening. He finally looked at one of his subordinates and said, "Li Qihu, you take over! This son of a bitch is not capable of anything great. I think he should be renamed Ji Quan!"

Li Qihu stood up hurriedly and bowed to Yao Xiong, "Yes!"

"Once you reach Shilou, set up defenses along the way and don't let the enemy escape from you again! I'll give you 400 men and horses, plus the troops in Shilou, is that enough?"

"enough."

"very good."

Yao Xiong looked at the others and said, "It seems that the news is true. The Zhou people have always been cunning. If they are not fully confident, they would not dare to send people to our hinterland like this!"

"The attack was fake, colluding with Zhou Ren was real!"

"Duan Shao colluded with the Zhou people and secretly defected to the enemy. He must not be forgiven lightly."

Yao Xiong tapped the wooden table in front of him with his fingers. "Immediately dispatch all the troops stationed in various places to the vicinity of Linfen. We can't just watch Duan Shao escape."

"They set out last night, so they must be joining forces today. The enemy in Pingyang will not watch us go to war. If I'm not mistaken, they will attack us today and tie us up, forming a pincer attack from both sides."

"Li Mu is a fierce general, and Duan Shao is even better than him. Don't underestimate him!"

Yao Xiong asked someone to bring out the map, placed it in front of him, and began to examine it carefully.

The current Yao Xiong is no longer the Khitan official who only knew how to bully others. He follows Liu Taozi and participates in almost every war launched by Liu Taozi.

Some generals are born famous, while others are honed through battles.

If you want to conquer the world, the talents of one county are enough.

Survive again and again, accumulate experience again and again, and complete the gorgeous transformation from various professions to famous generals and ministers.

A county official can become a prime minister through hard training, a musician can become a famous general, and a butcher can become a fierce general.
Yao Xiong analyzed the enemy's deployment and said, "We are caught between the two at the moment, which is both a good thing and a bad thing."

"We can't be led by the enemy. The most important thing right now is not to defeat the enemy in Pingyang, but to capture Duan Shao. I decided to leave one person to guard this place and personally lead the army to Wuze to capture Duan Shao."

"Even if Linfen is lost, we cannot let Duan Shao escape. The harm caused by one Duan Shao is far greater than the enemy occupying ten counties!"

Yao Xiong looked around and said, "General Dugu."

Dugu Jie hurriedly stood up and bowed to Yao Xiong.

"I'm going to leave the defense of this place to you."

Dugu Jie was a little stunned. He used to fight against bandits, and it had only been a short time since he was assigned to Yao Xiong's command. The two sides were not very familiar with each other.

Yao Xiong said seriously: "I have seen you train the army, it is very good. After I leave, you must defend the city to the death. No matter what the enemy does, do not come out. Defend it as long as you can."

Yao Xiong began to deploy tactics one by one.

Facing enemies in front and behind and the risk of being surrounded and beaten, he decided to adopt the strategy of "blocking one end and attacking the other end". Since he couldn't throw two punches at the same time, he would focus on the main target. Even if he was hit by several punches on the back, he would grit his teeth and kill the target first, and then turn around to deal with the next one.

At the same time, he also asked Tu Xi Yue in the east to quickly approach Jinyang and cut off the enemy's retreat.

On that day, Yao Xiong led his troops out of Linfen and marched towards Li Mu.

At the same time, Pingyang's army began to advance rapidly towards Linfen.

Linfen hastily withdrew its troops and voluntarily gave up some checkpoints in order to defend the city.

(End of this chapter)