Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 398: When Heroes Show Their Power
He Ruobi, wearing heavy armor, was patrolling back and forth at Suzhang Gate.

The gate of the imperial palace is not the small gate of an ordinary house. This gate is almost a small city with a barbican inside. You enter from here, pass the city, and then exit from another gate.

There are more than 300 guards guarding each gate.

Behind He Ruobi were more than twenty people, all fully armed and marching in unison behind him. The sounds of their armor colliding were particularly consistent, and one could tell at a glance that this was a strong army.

He Ruobi looked around vigilantly, his eyes sharp.

No matter whether it was the soldiers on the city wall, the soldiers at the gate, or the people following him, each of them stood straight and looked straight ahead.

This newly appointed general is really no ordinary person.

After he took office, he repeatedly enforced military laws, led his soldiers in repeated drills, strengthened inspections in various places, and looked for loopholes in past defenses. He was extremely diligent.

He was tall and mighty, and when he lifted the stone lock he did so with such force that the soldiers did not dare to contradict him.

But he was not the kind of person who only knew how to make trouble for his own subordinates. He was quite nice to his subordinates and especially protected them. Previously, when soldiers from other places had trouble with the soldiers from Suzhang Gate, He Ruobi stepped forward and started to fight them, causing the soldiers from other places to run away when they met the people here and never dared to contradict them again.

The soldiers quite liked the new officer.

He Ruobi was walking on the road, conducting inspections according to regulations. There were many arrangements for the inspections in the palace, but many people did not fully comply with them. They just walked through it once and were not as cautious and meticulous as he was.

In the past, He Ruobi was recruited by Yuwen Xian and served as an official under him. However, after Yuwen Yong took power, he was very opposed to his brothers' practice of recruiting outstanding young people from all over the place. He brought these people to his side and promoted them in various ways.

The emperor pulled He Ruobi away from Yuwen Xian. Seeing that he was tall and mighty, the emperor made him work in the palace and be responsible for garrison.

The sun rose slowly.

There was still a biting cold wind outside, and the sounds of shouting and killing were faintly heard in the distance. He Ruobi looked into the distance helplessly, with a complicated look in his eyes.

The enemy is outside the city now.

I heard that the number of people is not large, less than 5,000.

More than 5,000 people forced their way through Longmen and arrived here. They must be exhausted. If they could gather a cavalry at this moment, they would not need too many people, just more than 2,000 people, they could go out of the city and fight the enemy. Even if they could not defeat the enemy, as long as they caused heavy casualties to the enemy, they would retreat without a fight.

In such a big city like Chang'an, there was not a single person brave enough to go out and fight.

They all started to hide in the city like turtles.

It was the time when heroes could show their talents, but he could only lead these hundred people to patrol the palace and was unable to go out of the city to fight.

He Ruobi couldn't help but sigh.

I really don’t know when I will be able to make a name for myself.
As He Ruobi was walking, he heard the sound of armor and noise in the distance.

He Ruobi suddenly stopped.

The soldiers all looked into the distance.

There was a man riding a horse, with thousands of people following behind him, walking quickly towards him.

He Ruobi took a glance and roughly estimated the number of the enemy troops in his mind.

There are nearly three thousand of them.

How come so many people suddenly appeared here? ?
What does it mean?
He Ruobi suddenly became alert, looked at the gate in the distance and raised his hand to signal.

The city gate was quickly closed, and the soldiers behind He Ruobi quickly formed up and prepared to fight.

Yuwen Zhi rode a tall horse and walked towards the Suzhang Gate with a proud look on his face.

As soon as he approached here, he saw the young general stationed there.

That guy actually ordered the city gates to be closed and led the soldiers on both sides to form a battle line.

There are only a few dozen people.

Yu Wenzhi wanted to laugh when he saw it.

These people are really crazy about becoming famous.

Do you think you can be valued and promoted by yourself by showing this attitude?

madness!

Only my stupid brother would use such an ignorant person.

He won't use fools.

He didn't care at all and just rode his horse and walked up to the other party in a swagger.

The warriors around him came out and stood on both sides of him.

He Ruobi stared at Yuwen Xian fiercely, and the soldiers around him whispered something, and He Ruobi learned the other party's identity.

He slowly lowered the sword in his hand and asked, "Why did the Duke lead the troops here?"

Yuwen Zhi smiled disdainfully, "I have nothing to say to you, open the city gate quickly!"

"Is there any imperial decree?"

"You want an imperial edict? I'll write one for you later. Open the city gates!!"

He Ruobi shook his head slowly. "Without an imperial decree, the city gate cannot be opened. Duke Weiguo rode into the palace and led his troops to seize the palace. This is a serious crime. Please leave immediately."

Yuwen Zhi burst into laughter.

My brother always likes to use this kind of fool.

He looked at the warrior beside him, "She Di Qiu"

This warrior is good at shooting and is a top-notch archer under Yuwen Zhi's command.

When the warrior heard Yuwen Zhi calling him, he understood.

He quickly pulled out the arrow and aimed it at He Ruobi, "Swoosh~~"

His movements were extremely fast and smooth. In just a blink of an eye, he shot an arrow at He Ruobi.

"Snapped."

He Ruobi stretched out his hand, grasped the arrow firmly, and stared at the warrior coldly.

Shi Diqiu looked at the arrow in the other person's hand, his mouth gradually opened wide, his pupils also dilated, and he stood there in a daze.

He Ruobi threw the arrow with force, and it flew back and hit She Diqiu directly in the mouth.

She Diqiu fell down immediately.

All this happened so quickly, in just the blink of an eye.

Before Yuwen Zhi could react, his warriors had already fallen to the side.

The noisy warriors suddenly fell silent.

"kill!!!!"

He Ruobi raised his head and shouted.

His voice was like thunder. The warhorse under Yuwen Zhi's crotch suddenly raised its front hooves and neighed. Yuwen Zhi couldn't hold the reins properly and was thrown off.

He Ruobi, holding a short weapon, rushed out with the soldiers behind him.

When warriors stepped forward to stop them, He Ruobi killed them one by one with his sword, slashing left and right. The warriors fell one after another. Yuwen Zhi was supported by his confidants, and just as he stood up, he saw He Ruobi with a brutal look on his face rushing towards him.

Yuwen Zhi was so scared that he almost wet his pants. He screamed and turned and ran.

As he ran, the warriors around him also started running.

When the warriors started running again, the soldiers who had seen nothing also started running after them.

The commotion here quickly attracted everyone's attention.

There were still some Hu warriors under Yuwen Zhi's command who were willing to protect him with their lives. Those warriors brought Yuwen Zhi out and ran towards the west gate.

He Ruobi did not let him go, and he led his troops to chase and kill him all the way.

Then, the people in the distance saw a scene that was enough to shock them for the rest of their lives.

An army of several thousand men was being chased by a young man with dozens of men.
What the hell is this monster?!
Yuwen Zhi fled all the way to the street. A Hu man brought a war horse and the group quickly got on the horse. Yuwen Zhi never dared to look back at the palace and ordered everyone to run towards the west gate! !

We must escape from Chang'an as soon as possible!!

He Ruobi ordered the soldiers to shout that those who surrendered would not be killed. These soldiers who were forced to come here and had no idea what was going on could only squat on the ground and pray for their lives.

He Ruobi was unwilling to miss such a great achievement. He asked for war horses and took a few riders to chase Yuwen Xian.

Yuwen Zhi galloped on his horse on the street, his heart beating very fast.

He couldn't believe that his great plan ended in such a ridiculous way.

Just that young general, with a dozen people, defeated himself.

Yuwen Zhi fell into deep self-doubt. Normally, he was the most arrogant and thought he was the most knowledgeable about military affairs, so he looked down on Yuwen Xian and others.

But now, his pride and confidence no longer exist.

Can I really fight?

Now is not the time to think about these things. The truth has been revealed and the emperor will kill him.

He has to run!! He has to run away!!

No matter where you go, you have to run first!!

He ran all the way to the west gate.

This was his defense area. There were only a small number of soldiers at the city gate. When they saw their commander coming, they all came out to greet him.

"Open the door!! Open the door!!"

Yuwen Zhi shouted loudly, and the soldiers were extremely surprised. A Hu warrior nearby drew his bow and shot, killing a soldier who was stunned on the spot. The rest did not dare to hesitate any longer and hurriedly opened the city gate.

Yuwen Zhi rushed out quickly.

There is a gate outside the city.

Yuwen Zhi shouted again, and the second city gate was opened.

Yuwen Zhi led the warriors around him and finally escaped from Chang'an.

But as soon as he rushed out, Yuwen Zhi realized that something was wrong. He saw dust rolling in the distance and cavalry approaching.

Those are the enemy's cavalry.

It’s Liu Taozi’s army.

Yuwen stood there in a daze, with pursuers behind him and enemies in front of him.

He looked ahead and then behind, his face bewildered and at a loss as to what to do.

"My Lord!! There are Liu Taozi's troops ahead!! What should we do?!"

the warrior asked hurriedly.

Yuwen Zhi gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "It was the emperor who failed me first. I am also the son of Emperor Wen. How could the Han Kingdom look down on me?!"

His words clearly showed that he wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

The warriors were horrified.

Yu Wenzhi looked at everyone and was about to speak.

"Whoosh~~~"

An arrow flew from behind and hit Yuwen Zhi in the back.

Yuwen Zhi looked behind him in disbelief, blood gushing out of his mouth. He screamed and fell to the ground with a bang.

The warriors were so frightened that they jumped down hastily and asked for surrender.

He Ruobi put away his bow. The arrow just now came from his hand. He rushed over, ignoring the warriors, and quickly grabbed Yuwen Zhi's body and put it on his horse.

But his expression did not ease.

Because the knight in front is approaching quickly.

Gao Yanzong looked at the wide-open city gate in the distance, his eyes almost bursting with fire.

what's the situation? !

Following Yao Xiong's order, he went west to investigate the movement of enemy reinforcements. However, as soon as he arrived here, he saw the enemy suddenly open the city gate. Then, he saw a dozen people rushing out on horseback and running towards him.

Gao Yanzong was a little confused for a moment.

But he soon realized: Damn it, I'm going to be crowned the King of the Sky!

Gao Yanzong immediately led the knights and rushed to the city gate.

But in the blink of an eye, that man was killed by someone who came later.

He could probably guess that the person who just went out should want to surrender to the Han Dynasty?
But none of this matters, what matters is the open gate!!

Gao Yanzong galloped away. He Ruobi looked at the approaching knights but did not launch another attack. He retreated calmly to the rear, looking not afraid at all. He retreated to the city gate, put down the bodies, put away the weapons, and did not close the city gate. He just stood there, staring straight at the cavalry in the distance.

Gao Yanzong suddenly felt something was wrong.

If the two were in the same group, why did they kill each other? If they were not in the same group, why didn't they close the city gates after returning?
Gao Yanzong hesitated for a moment and slowed down slightly.

There won't be an ambush, will there?
He Ruobi glanced behind him and realized that it would take time to close the city gate.

The inner city gate was closing, but there was no movement at the outer city gate.

He Ruobi knew that he couldn't just run away, otherwise the enemy would attack him directly. But now the enemy was getting closer and closer.
He Ruobi clenched his fists tighter and tighter.

At this moment, a burst of shouting and killing was heard from the city.

The next moment, many flags were seen erected on the city wall and flying together, and then many cavalrymen rushed out from the city gate, and the sound of killing was deafening.

He Ruobi was overjoyed. He mounted his horse immediately, followed the cavalry and attacked the enemy together.

Gao Yanzong was shocked, and then became furious!
There was indeed an ambush!

Gao Yanzong directly engaged in combat with the enemy, and the two sides started fighting. Gao Yanzong was wearing heavy armor and charging ahead. The cavalry that rushed out was actually knocked back by him and his men, resulting in heavy casualties.

Then a young general was seen shouting and rushing towards Gao Yanzong.

The two men immediately fought.

This boy is tall, has very long hands, and is very strong when wielding a lance.

Gao Yanzong fought with him, but couldn't defeat him for a while! !

He Ruobi arrived shortly afterwards and joined the fight.

Gao Yanzong's pressure doubled and he could no longer move forward. The knights around him also began to suffer casualties and fell down one after another.

The two young generals kept pestering Gao Yanzong. Gao Yanzong became more and more frightened as the fight went on, and his hands became weaker and weaker.

"withdraw!!!"

Gao Yanzong knocked away the horse lance of a young general beside him, but refused to stay any longer and turned away.

The knights retreated one after another. He Ruobi wanted to give chase, but the sound of a bugle call came from behind, and the knights who had left the city hurried back.

They ran into the city and quickly closed the gates.

He Ruobi was gasping for breath when he saw the young general walking towards him quickly.

"He Ruobi? Is that you?"

He Ruobi looked at the man, and the man took off his helmet. He Ruobi could see clearly that this man, like himself, was under the command of Yuwen Xian in the past.

His name was Han Qinhu.

Han Qinhu looked at him, then looked at the corpse not far away, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

He Ruobi was about to ask, but Han Qinhu quickly stepped aside.

A man riding a warhorse came unsteadily in front of He Ruobi.

The man lowered his head and looked at He Ruobi.

He Ruobi saw the man in front of him. He had an extraordinary appearance, a high jawbone, deep eye sockets, and sharp eyes.

"Are you He Ruobi?"

"Exactly. Who are you?"

The man laughed, "Duke Sui, Yang Jian."

He Ruobi was startled and quickly adjusted his attitude, "Greetings to Duke Suiguo."

Yang Jian looked at the corpse not far away and asked, "Did you kill that person?"

"I killed him."

"Well, just catch him, why kill him?"

"Too late to catch."

"You follow me."

Yang Jian called a few generals and brought He Ruobi with him, and ordered them to carry away Yuwen Zhi's body. Then they left the place and quickly rushed towards the palace.

Wenzheng Hall.

Yuwen Yong looked at the corpse on the ground with a dark face and remained silent for a long time.

When he heard that his brother was bringing people to attack the palace, he was completely stunned.

He couldn't figure it out at all. Why? ?
You are my biological brother from the same father and mother. I watched you grow up, and I fed you when mother was busy.
Later, I heard that the city was broken by a young general at the city gate with dozens of people.

Yuwen Yong was confused again.

What is all this?

Later, he learned that Yuwen Zhi had opened the city gate privately, causing the enemy to almost break into the city. Fortunately, Duke Sui Guo arrived with his troops in time, repelled the enemy and saved the city.

Of course, he also knew that his brother was dead.

Yuwen Yong slowly looked at He Ruobi, his eyes extremely complicated.

He Ruobi knelt aside, "Your Majesty! I did this for the sake of the world. Please punish me, I will never regret it!!"

Yuwen Yong was about to say something but stopped himself, his face turning even darker.

Han Qinhu said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, He Ruobi has made great contributions. Please consider his contributions and pardon his crimes!!"

Yuwen Yong was even more troubled.

Yang Jian stepped forward, looked at the two young men, and whispered, "Your Majesty, He Ruobi failed to protect the Duke of Weiguo, causing him to be killed by the Han army. His crime is extremely serious, but please give him a lighter sentence for his meritorious service in defending the city and protecting the emperor."

"Oh? Han army?"

Yuwen Yong slowly raised his head, and Yang Jian said seriously, "That's right."

"I just saw clearly that He Ruobi had been protecting the Duke of Wei, but the Duke of Wei was afraid and did not dare to get close and mistakenly entered the battlefield, and was killed by random arrows."

"He Ruobi is a brave man, a descendant of a loyal and righteous man. His father was murdered by Yuwen Hu, and there was no one to teach him. He is a rough diamond. Your Majesty, why don't you keep him by your side and teach him carefully, so that you can have a minister who can protect the country?"

Yuwen Yong glanced at He Ruobi and looked at him for a moment.

"Well, considering your meritorious service in defending the city, I will not bother with your other crimes."

He Ruobi lowered his head hurriedly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

Then, he looked at Yang Jian again, "Thank you, Duke."

Yang Jian hurriedly shook his head, "No need to thank me, the Lord is kind and will not mistreat the warriors who serve the country. You must repay His Majesty's kindness with all your strength in the future!"

"only!!"

ps: Bi led a large army across the Yangtze River, but the people of Chen were unaware of it. He attacked Xuzhou in the south of Chen and captured it. He arrested its governor Huang Ke. His military orders were strict and no one was offended. There was a soldier selling wine among the people, and Bi killed him immediately. He advanced to Baitugang in Jiangshan. Chen generals Lu Da, Zhou Zhian, Ren Mannu, Tian Rui, Fan Yi, Kong Fan, Xiao Moha and others led strong troops to resist. Tian Rui attacked Bi's army first, but Bi defeated him. Lu Da and others advanced one after another, and Bi's army was repeatedly defeated. Bi knew that they were arrogant and the soldiers were lazy, so he urged the generals and soldiers to fight to the death, and finally defeated them. ——"Book of Sui·Biography of He Ruobi"

When the emperor went to Yunyang Palace, Zhi was in the capital. He raised an army to rebel and attacked Suzhang Gate. Siwu Wei Chi Yun closed the gate and refused to let Zhi in. The story is in Yun's biography. Zhi then fled, and was chased to Jingzhou, captured, pardoned and made a commoner, and imprisoned in another palace. Soon he had other intentions, so he was executed. - "Book of Zhou: Biography of Wei Assassin Yuwen Zhi"

(End of this chapter)