Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 361: Unable to See Through, Unable to Explain

Along the official road from Yecheng to Jinyang, a group of people were hurrying forward.

After passing Yecheng, Liu Taozi sped up the march. The army had also completed its rest and marching quickly was not a problem.

Zu Ting rode his horse and galloped beside Liu Taozi. Although Zu Ting was old, he was able to keep up with Liu Taozi's marching speed and did not feel any effort at all.

Zu Ting's horsemanship was superb. When Shi Wansui doubted whether he could march with the army, he performed a "somersault on both sides of the horse" for Shi Wansui, and Shi Wansui was amazed.

It is really amazing that he can complete such a set of movements on horseback at such a young age.

After passing one city after another, Jinyang was getting closer and closer to them.

"Lord."

Zu Ting suddenly spoke.

Liu Taozi glanced at Zu Ting, who was looking at the city in the distance. He asked, "That article has already announced the demise of Qi. So what identity should we take from now on?"

"My lord, are you going to be crowned emperor, or king first?"

In the past, Liu Taozi's power belonged to 'General Liu Taozi of Qi State' and was carried out in this name. Now that Liu Taozi has taken the initiative to tear off his skin and made it stink, they naturally need a new identity to gain a foothold.

The titles of King of Pingcheng and General came from Qi and were clearly no longer usable.

Liu Taozi did not hesitate. He asked, "What's the difference?"

"In fact, there is no difference. The Zhou people have been emperors for less than ten years. In the past, they regarded themselves as the king of heaven."

"Whether you call yourself a king or an emperor, there is no difference now."

"Anyway, all countries are still equally hostile to us. No matter what we call ourselves, they will just call us thieves."

"Its attitude will not change just because the lord joins the account."

"So Grandfather wants me to be emperor?"

Zu Ting chuckled, "It would be best if we could achieve it in one step, which would save us a lot of trouble. If you become the emperor, you will be on an equal footing with those people, and you can be appointed prime minister or general."

"So, Grandfather is not looking forward to my becoming emperor, but to himself becoming prime minister?"

"It makes no difference. If the lord is crowned king, he can still be enthroned. It would be difficult for us to draft a set of etiquette for the lord, and we don't have that much time. I'm afraid the standards will be the same."

Zu Ting's words and deeds were all hinting that Liu Taozi should become emperor.

Of course, not only Zu Ting, but many of his subordinates also hope that Liu Taozi can stand in a higher position. After all, if Liu Taozi's reputation becomes bigger, their reputation will also become bigger.

Heifeng seemed to agree with Zu Ting's opinion. At this moment, he shook his head and looked particularly excited.

Liu Taozi said softly: "I have never had any ambitions. All I want is to pacify the world. Now the north needs a commander, and I will be the commander."

"If I become the emperor, there will be a lot of trouble, such as establishing rituals and laws, and setting up internal officials. If I want to go to war, it will be a huge problem."

"Go ahead, Lord."

"The sooner the better. Don't make a big fuss. Just announce that Hebei has a new ruler and a new country."

Zu Ting smiled bitterly again.

"Others all aspire to be kings and emperors, but you use this as a means to achieve your goal. This is truly rare in the world."

The reason why the lord didn't want to be the emperor was that he thought it was too troublesome? ?

If someone else said this, Zu Ting would definitely think that the other person was hypocritical, but when Liu Taozi said this, he really believed it.

Over the years, Liu Taozi has changed his cognition countless times.

He said with a serious face, "My Lord, in fact, when I was in Shuozhou, I did some research on your origins."

Liu Taozi glanced at Zu Ting, "My origin?"

Zu Ting nodded seriously, "Not bad!"

"So what did you find out?"

Zu Ting lowered his head slightly and took out a document from the saddle with difficulty.

Because he was riding a horse, the document was constantly making noises due to the wind, making it difficult to read.

But Zu Ting didn't care, he just pretended to read the documents.

"Liu Bei, Emperor Zhaolie of Han, gave birth to Liu Yong, Prince of Lu, who later returned to Jin and was appointed Commandant of the Imperial Chariot. Liu Yong gave birth to Liu Chen, Marquis of Xiang. Liu Chen gave birth to Liu Xuan. There was chaos in the Central Plains, so Liu Xuan went to Shu and was granted the title of Duke of Anle. Liu Yong gave birth to Duke Liu Chao. Liu Chao gave birth to a son, Liu Qi. Cheng Han was destroyed, and Liu Qi was captured and taken to Jiankang. Liu Qi gave birth to a son, Liu Hu. Liu Hu gave birth to a son, Liu Bao. Song was established, and Liu Bao was granted the title of Marquis. Liu Bao gave birth to a son, Liu Dao. During the Yuanjia Northern Expedition, he served as a general. He was captured by Wei and went to the Six Garrisons as a cangtou. Liu Dao gave birth to a son, Liu Chengjia. Liu Chengjia gave birth to a son, Liu Taozhi. Liu Taozhi gave birth to the Lord!"

Zu Ting put away the document solemnly and looked at Liu Taozi with extreme seriousness.

"My Lord, according to my research, you are indeed a descendant of the King of Han! You are the descendant of Emperor Zhaolie, King of Lu Liu Yong!"

Hearing Zu Ting's serious expression, Liu Taozi smiled for the first time.

"How long did it take Grandpa to compile this stuff?"

"My Lord, this is a matter of great importance. How can I make it up?"

"I learned all this after searching through history books and records from all over the place and asking the elders of your clan!"

“These are all true!!”

Zu Ting slowed down a little, picked up the document again, and pointed to the densely packed textual research on it for Liu Taozi to read.

It can be seen that Zu Ting is indeed very attentive.

Moreover, we have been prepared for this.

Liu Taozi did not ask any more questions. "Well, just as Grandfather said, I am really a descendant of the Han Dynasty, so what? Grandfather wants me to become the King of Han?"

"From ancient times to the present, the only two Han dynasties that have been used to govern the world are the two Han dynasties. If the lord does not establish the King of Han, who can do so?"

"Emperor Gaozu of Han was called the King of Han because he owned the Han territory. Liu Bei was made the King of Hanzhong because he owned Hanzhong. What do I have under my command? How can I be made the King of Han?"

"Golden Sword Liu."

Zu Ting said seriously: "I know that the lord never cares about these things, but someone does."

"In the past hundred years or so, the prophecy of Liu the Golden Knife has become more and more popular, whether in the north or in the south, whether around the emperor or around the people."

"When the emperor of Southern Qi wanted to use a golden knife to eat melons, his ministers advised him not to use the golden knife, saying that there was a prophecy about Liu the Golden Knife among the people."

“This is what we can use.”

"The lord originally sent people to recover Hebei, but many people followed and fled to Henan. When we went to attack Guangzhou, the people of Guangzhou began to flee again."

"It's not because the lord is cruel, but because those who spread the reputation are our enemies."

"They can smear him as much as they want, but the people dare not take any chances. They all think that the lord is a traitor like Erzhu Rong, a butcher, and they flee one after another."

"But Liu the Golden Sword is different."

"There are so many prophecies, my lord, do you know why this one is the most popular?"

"I don't know."

"What everyone misses is not the name of the country hundreds of years ago, but the era that was stable for more than a hundred years."

"In that era, most people had morals. Officials could do vile things, but at least they could get away with it on the surface. The people could still suffer from tyranny, but at least they were not like now, living in fear all day long and without any order at all."

"If you claim to be the King of Han, then the prophecy of Liu the Golden Blade can be put to use for us."

"At that time, at least when we go to attack some places, the people will not run away so much. Perhaps the talented scholars in the south will come to us and participate in our assessment. This will definitely be beneficial to us."

"Two Han people"

Liu Taozi muttered softly.

"Ok."

"If I can really save the lives of fewer people, I will be the King of Han."

Zu Ting was relieved. He put the document away with a smile and said, "Don't worry, my lord. You have always looked down on prophecies. You don't even know how much impact this can bring. Even a bastard like Hou Jing dared to use the prophecy of Liu the Golden Knife and gained benefits. What about an orthodox person like my lord?"

"The lord is a benevolent ruler, known to the world, with honest officials and brave soldiers, and he is also equipped with the golden sword Liu."

Zu Ting laughed.

"No one in the world can compete with you, my lord."

Jinyang.

Tian Zili, Yao Xiong, Gao Yanzong, Wei Jiong, Tu Xiyue, Gao Xiaoyu and others were standing on the side of the official road, waiting for Liu Taozi's arrival.

Everyone was standing here, but the atmosphere between them was quite weird.

There is no longer the same harmony as before.

With the publication of the manifesto, many things will inevitably cause estrangement in people's hearts even if they are not said.

The three brothers of the Gao family were vaguely surrounded by the crowd at this moment, with Yao Xiong in front and Tu Xiyue behind, as if they were surrounded.

Gao Xiaowan's face was very dark and he was almost on the verge of exploding. Gao Xiaoyu held him tightly and asked him to calm down.

Even Gao Yanzong felt a little uncomfortable at this moment.

They, the royal family, seemed to be isolated.

They stood there, saying nothing, and no one talked, quietly waiting for the Lord to come. The ground began to tremble slightly.

The generals all looked into the distance.

The mandrill camp gradually appeared on the road, with flags fluttering in the wind and marching at an extremely fast speed.

Everyone was overjoyed.

Yao Xiong and Tian Zili looked at each other, then quickly separated from the crowd and walked forward.

"Greetings, Brother!!"

When Liu Taozi appeared in front of everyone riding a black warhorse, the two men were extremely excited and hurriedly bowed to greet him.

As the territory expanded, they could no longer be with their brother every day like they did in the past. They had been separated from Liu Taozi for some time and missed him very much.

Liu Taozi's expression softened, and just as she was about to speak, she suddenly noticed the three brothers in the distance.

The officials came to welcome Liu Taozi in a formation.

From Liu Taozi's angle, it was particularly obvious.

The officials and soldiers were arranged in a square formation, with the same distance between them. Only those three people were like enemies trapped in the formation, out of harmony with the people around them.

Liu Taozi's brows immediately frowned.

“Yeonjong!!”

"Take your two brothers with you!"

"come over!!"

Liu Taozi's voice was louder than Gao Yanzong's. The three of them were stunned and slowly walked forward.

The little fat boy's eyes were slightly red at this moment. When he saw Liu Taozi, he couldn't help himself and bowed hurriedly to greet her.

"Brother!"

"They sent people to supervise us and not allow me to go out. They came to greet us and surrounded us. I never thought of betraying them."

The little fat boy felt particularly aggrieved.

Liu Taozi was furious.

He suddenly looked at Yao Xiong and Tian Zili.

"Whose attention is this?! Yao Xiong?!"

Yao Xiong shuddered, "Brother, this time it really wasn't me! Tian Zili asked me to do it!"

Tian Zili didn't expect Yao Xiong to sell so quickly, but when he saw Liu Taozi's expression, he instantly understood how angry his brother was. He lowered his head and said, "Brother, I did it. When we were in Yangqu, Gao Xiaowan was rude to you many times, accused you of treason, and wanted to collude with others."

"I had no choice but to make this decision."

Liu Taozi looked at Gao Xiaowan, "Is there such a thing?!"

Gao Xiaowan has always been upright, even more upright than Gao Yanzong.

This was a ruthless man who dared to talk back to Gao Zhan when he was crazy, and did not change his words even when tortured to death.

"Have!"

Gao Xiaowan replied immediately.

Gao Xiaoyu's face changed drastically, "General, this is not the case."

Gao Xiaowan pushed him away and said loudly: "Tian Zili is right. When I saw the manifesto, I thought the general wanted to dismiss all the royal family members and throw them away after they were used up. I was very angry and wanted to take my brothers away!"

"But later, my eldest brother told me that the general only denied the three emperors. My grandfather, my great-grandfather, and Emperor Xiao Zhao were not among them, and their descendants would not be questioned and dismissed. General, is this true?!"

Gao Xiaowan raised his head and began to question Liu Taozi.

Seeing this scene that went against Tian Gang, Zu Ting was so angry that his beard stood up straight. He was about to give an order, but Liu Taozi nodded, "Your eldest brother is right. I will allow the temples and sacrifices of those three people to be retained and will not abolish them."

Gao Xiaowan nodded, "I see."

"You misunderstood me, so you dared to be powerless against me, collude with others, and want to abandon your official position and escape. Do you know your crime?!"

Liu Taozi questioned again.

Gao Xiaowan lowered his head and said, "I admit my guilt!"

Liu Taozi looked at Tian Zili again, "As a governor, there are many ways to solve the problem, but you insist on treating people who have made great contributions like this! Do you know your crime?"

"Know your guilt."

"Gao Xiaowan, thirty military sticks!"

"Tian Zili, forty military sticks!"

Gao Xiaowan glanced at Tian Zili and said, "I want to receive forty too!"

"Okay, give him ten more heavy sticks!"

"Take it down!"

The soldier came over quickly and took the two of them away.

Yao Xiong looked at Tian Zili who was walking away and winked at the soldiers who were escorting him.

"Xiong, do you want to get beaten too?"

"Don't want to, don't want to."

"If anyone dares to show favoritism, don't blame me for being rude."

Liu Taozi dealt with the two men and then looked at the rest of the people. "I issued a manifesto to punish the incompetent and tyrannical emperor. I am not targeting the current royal family. Even if they are descendants of those incompetent emperors, I will not pursue their crimes as they have not committed any faults themselves."

"How can you go against the royal family just because of this manifesto? Have you forgotten who is in charge of governing the North?!"

The officials bowed their heads and pleaded guilty.

Liu Taozi then looked at Gao Yanzong and said, "If anyone dares to do this to you in the future, tell me and I will put him and you in a separate room."

The grievance on Gao Yanzong's face finally disappeared, and he laughed so hard that snot came out.

He just wiped it randomly, "Thank you, brother!"

Gao Xiaoyu was also full of admiration at this moment, bowing his head and saluting him, "Thank you, General."

Liu Taozi then looked at Gao Xiaoyu and said, "Losing the title is not a bad thing. I heard that Wenxiang's descendants are all talented and you are all still very young. I think that with your talents, you may be able to make the worship of Wenxiang more prosperous in the future."

Gao Xiaoyu nodded and said yes.

Liu Taozi then led everyone into the city. Wei Jiong followed Liu Taozi and told him about many important events in Jinyang.

Gao Yanzong rode a war horse and followed Liu Taozi.

Faintly, Gao Yanzong felt a pair of eyes staring at him.

He turned around suddenly and found a little kid who was much younger than himself.

The guy's facial hair hasn't even grown back yet.

At this moment, he was staring at himself angrily.

Gao Yanzong didn't know this guy, nor did he know why he was looking at him like that.

He clenched his fists. His brother had just told us not to deal with members of the royal family, but this guy dared to stare at him like this. I'll wait for you to be alone later and make you suffer!
At this moment, Shi Wansui stared at Gao Yanzong fiercely.

He has always followed closely behind the general, serving as his personal guard.

This ugly fat guy came and dared to take my seat?
Are the members of the Pseudo-Qi royal family so great?

Wait until you are alone and see how I deal with you!
Wei Jiong, who served as the governor of Bingzhou, was reporting to Liu Taozi what was happening in the city. There was a great chaos in Jinyang, and many nobles and military leaders had suffered heavy casualties. As Wei Jiong spoke, he would occasionally glance at Zu Ting behind Liu Taozi.

To Wei Jiong, the turmoil in Jinyang was really weird.

It seemed as if someone had deliberately instigated it, with the purpose of eliminating the nobles in Jinyang and arranging the way for future deployments.

If these nobles had not died in the internal strife, what to do with them would have been a huge problem.

As soon as Duan Shao left, they suddenly started fighting each other, and it seemed like there was a hand behind them pushing all these things, creating discord? Giving advice?
Wei Jiong strongly suspected that this matter was related to Zu Ting.

Although Zu Ting was not present when the incident happened, he was on the other side of the river, but everyone knew that this man always took three steps at a time, and was so ruthless that his strategy of pacifying the nobles at the cost of the lives of so many innocent people was also in line with Zu Ting's character.

The general would never agree to such a thing.

Was it something Zu Ting did in private?

Should I tell the general?
When Wei Jiong looked at Zu Ting, Zu Ting was always smiling.

But that ordinary smile became more and more creepy the more I looked at it, and I always felt that it was a smile with bad intentions.

Liu Taozi frowned, "Mr. Wei, you have just told me all this. Are you sick? Or is there something wrong?"

"I have caught a cold."

(End of this chapter)