Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 419 How to steal this?
Pingcheng.

Liu Taozi was wearing a black military uniform, looking very heroic.

He sat in the upper seat, looking at the document in his hand, and his eyes were particularly complicated when he looked at Zu Ting.

"Your Majesty, this is what's going on. From the southernmost part of our country, it will take four months for the cavalry to travel day and night, constantly changing horses! If we don't move the capital, something terrible will happen in the south!"

Liu Taozi nodded gently, "It seems that I should reward Yao Xiong first."

Zu Ting was stunned. "What did your majesty reward Yao Xiong with?"

"I thought he had just arrived in the south, but I didn't expect that he would expand his territory in such a short time. As my grandfather said, it would take four months to gallop. I think Yao Xiong has already reached Jiaozhou, so how can I not reward him?"

Our emperor has always been good at playing this kind of weird game.

Zu Ting smiled and said, "I exaggerated a bit. Three months."

Liu Taozi narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

"Then two months?"

Zu Ting's number was reduced again.

Liu Taozi rubbed his forehead and said, "Okay, Grandpa, you don't need to say more. I already understand your thoughts."

"So do you think we should move to Yecheng?"

"It can only be Yecheng."

"Luoyang is too close to the Zhou people and is in ruins. It needs to be transported with food and grass from outside. It is also too far from the north. The same problem applies to the cities south of the river. They are too far from the north."

“Our roots are in the north, we cannot go south.”

"I thought about Jinyang, but the terrain of Jinyang cannot bear the responsibility of a capital city. It can only serve as a military center."

"In the past, Qi State had its capital in Yecheng for a reason. Now, many ministers are against it and say they can choose Cheng'an or Jizhou. Some even suggest Puyang or Xuchang."

"The reason they objected was that they couldn't be like the fake Qi."

Zu Ting laughed, "Which of the etiquette systems we use is not left behind by the Pseudo-Qi? We have already used all of them, so why should we be afraid of using their capital?"

"Whether it is from Luozhou, Guangzhou, or the important towns in the north, Yecheng is not too far away. It is located in the center of various places, with roads extending in all directions. The city is tall and covers a large area with a lot of arable land. There are several cities around it, and there is abundant manpower."

Liu Taozi did not hesitate.

He originally established the capital in Pingcheng because his sphere of influence was in the north. But now, the defense line in the north is becoming more and more solid, and neither Yuwen Yong nor his father-in-law can break through it easily. On the contrary, the south is in ruins, and Yecheng is conducive to the recovery of the south, so it is possible to move the capital.

He had not formed any old aristocratic group at the time, and everyone had just made their fortune. Besides, even if someone was dissatisfied, they would not dare to disobey his orders.

After confirming that Liu Taozi agreed, Zu Ting immediately added: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. The ministers in the country came to persuade him to ascend the throne."

"They wanted me to take the lead in persuading him to move the capital, but I didn't agree. Then they said they would help me submit a petition to move the capital in exchange for my help. I drove them all out and didn't agree."

"These people are really hateful."

"In their eyes, national affairs are just bargaining chips. They don't care whether these things are beneficial or harmful. As long as they can help them and gain benefits for themselves, they will do it."

Liu Taozi looked at Zu Ting dimly and didn't speak for a long time.

"Well, I see."

"Grandpa, please go and handle the matters related to the relocation of the capital."

"only!!"

After seeing off this important official who loved to flatter others, Liu Taozi handed the rest of the memorials to several subordinates for review, and then returned to the mansion.

After fighting for a long time, Liu Taozi finally had time to rest.

He didn't have so many things to do. Liu Taozi was keen on delegating power. With three stations as his team, he usually listened more and seldom did other things himself.

When Liu Taozi returned to his own residence, Liu Zhang happily took him to the villa.

Liu Taozhi is also here.

What appeared in front of Liu Taozi was a peach forest that had not yet taken shape.

Mrs. Liu Zhang was quite happy. "These are the peach trees planted by your grandfather himself. In a few years, we will be able to see the peach forest again. He has been busy with this every day these days."

Liu Taozhi also smiled, which was rare. "I don't want to get involved in government affairs or national affairs. Please don't bother me. We have important things to do."

Liu Taozi looked at his father and hesitated, "I plan to move the capital."

"We have to move to Yecheng."

"what?"

Liu Taozhi's eyes widened.

Are you targeting me?
I just said I built a peach orchard, and you told me you were moving? ?
Seeing Liu Taozhi's face flushed instantly, Liu Zhang hurried forward and held her husband's hand. "After we conquer Henan, we will naturally move the capital. Isn't it good to move to Yecheng? We can live in the old peach forest in Cheng'an."

"But this."

Liu Taozhi took a deep breath and finally endured it.

Liu Taozi didn't explain anything.

Although Liu Taozi did not do everything himself, he was not completely idle either. He was a person who could not sit still. During this period of time, Liu Taozi changed into ordinary clothes and took Lu Qubing and Cui Gang to patrol back and forth in Pingcheng and the surrounding cities.

He pretended to be the son of an official in Pingcheng, and secretly investigated things in various places under the guise of travel.

What the king of heaven sees is completely different from what ordinary people see.

Although Han was a brand new country, it still had many bad habits inherited from Qi. In the hands of some big merchants, one could see ironware stamped with the seal of the official iron factory.

In the hospital, you can see people who know nothing about medicine, but pretend to be doctors to fleece the government.

As long as people are alive, they will inevitably suffer from various diseases. The same is true for the country. Nothing is perfect. All Liu Taozi can do is to try his best to make up for these problems.

Liu Taozi's inspection mission was interrupted halfway by two letters from Guangzhou.

Zu Ting said that it would take four months to travel from south to north, which is really an exaggeration and purely misleading.

If there were post houses along the way, and urgent documents were transported from Gwangju to Pyeongseong, with people changing horses and working day and night, it would only take more than four days to deliver them. Of course, the premise is that there are no accidents, the road is flat, there are enough officials, there are no thieves and wild beasts, and there are no problems with fast horses and soldiers. But this is impossible. Nothing is perfect, and there will always be unexpected things. At the same time, unless there is a life-threatening war, the government will not use this method to transport letters on a large scale.

After all, it can kill people.

Such an expedited transport might result in the knight's death on the road.

The first letter was from Lu Yao to Liu Taozi.

The document mentioned that some southerners had come to seek refuge voluntarily.

These were nothing, but the news that followed aroused Liu Taozi's vigilance.

He quickly summoned Zu Ting to discuss the matter.

Zu Ting also flipped through the memorial. After reading it once, he was reluctant to put it down and read it over and over again.

He raised his head, with the same expression on his face as Wang Lin.

"How many??"

"More than two hundred golden-winged ships???"

"Is this too exaggerated?"

"Anyway, that's what the man said. It may not be that much, but the shipbuilding thing should be true."

Zu Ting frowned and whispered, "After Chen Xu came to power, he killed the former crown prince and also killed all the ministers left by his brother. Hua Jiao was just a minor official at first. When Hou Jing came to the south, he continued to be a minor official."

"Later, Chen Qian was detained. This minor official took good care of Chen Qian because he saw that he was handsome. After Chen Qian gained power, he treated him very well, promoted him all the way, and made him his confidant."

"I think this guy saw Chen Qian's son die tragically and his former colleagues were killed one by one. He felt uneasy and that's why he had the idea of ​​rebellion."

"Oh, Grandfather, do you think that the governor of Xiangzhou is indeed planning a rebellion?"

"If he didn't intend to rebel, why would he seize the ships that had been built? It's obvious that he has other ideas. Even if he doesn't have other ideas, he will be hated by the emperor because of this action. It's only a matter of time before he rebels."

"It's a pity that Xiangzhou is too far away from us. We can't intervene at all. There is no way to steal these ships!" "If the Zhou people mobilized Yuwen Xian, they probably have contacted this Hua governor."

"Perhaps Governor Hua wants to give the warships to the Zhou people to save his life."

"With so many warships, Yuwen Yong will definitely help the other side even if he is willing to break the alliance."

"If the Zhou people get these so-called 200 golden-winged ships, the Emperor of Chen will not be able to sleep well."

Zu Ting's fingers kept tapping on the table in front of him, his mind full of thoughts. It was obvious that he had a lot of things on his mind and was a little anxious.

"Chen Xu will certainly attack with a large army. It is impossible for him to let the Zhou people gain such an advantage. How can we give away the warships that we have worked so hard to build to others?"

"In this case, they will certainly mobilize Chunyu Liang or Huang Fachi."

Zu Ting narrowed his eyes, "Your Majesty, no matter who gets the warship, it will not be a good thing for us. It is too far away for us to intervene, but we may be able to seize some important cities in Lianghuai. The Chen people dare not fight on two fronts. If we want to save the warship, we must abandon some important towns in Lianghuai."

As Zu Ting was speaking, Liu Taozi slowly took out the second memorial and handed it to the other party.

Zu Ting picked up the document with some surprise.

"This was written by General Wang."

"Look at it."

Zu Ting picked up the document, looked down at it for a few seconds, and was shocked.

Then Zu Ting burst into laughter.

"I was just about to say that, but I didn't expect that General Wang and I had the same idea. While the Chen people are withdrawing their infantry and cavalry to quell the rebellion, let Yao Xiong and Gao Yanzong pretend to attack fiercely. The enemy will definitely dispatch their naval forces stationed in the Yangtze River to enter the Huai River and assist the Huai River defense line to block the attack!"

"General Wang can enter Hai'an Port and cut off their retreat. The enemy can't leave the city, and our infantry and cavalry can occupy the port. They can't dock, and they can't leave. They can only wander back and forth in the Huai River. As long as General Wang can stop them in Hai'an, these navy can be trapped in a jar. Once the water is drained, they will suffocate, lack food, and let us do whatever we want!!"

"Their main naval forces will have to be divided to deal with the Zhou people and the rebels."

"If we can use this to capture the enemy's warships, there will be hope for the formation of a navy!!"

Zu Ting immediately changed his rhetoric from capturing the city to capturing the warships.

"We just fought a battle in the north, can we continue to fight with the south?"

“Will this affect the local people’s livelihood?”

Liu Taozi asked, and Zu Ting said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, it may have some impact, but the opportunity is rare."

"The warships of the Chen people have always been large and powerful. In the past, the navies of Zhou and Qi combined were not as numerous as those of the Chen people. If a rebellion breaks out in the territory of Chen, this is a great opportunity for us!"

"Under normal circumstances, we would not be able to intercept the enemy's warships. Firstly, the enemy has a large number of infantry and cavalry to assist, and secondly, if we intercept one ship, another will come."

"If we can't make good use of this opportunity when the Chen people go to suppress the rebellion, I'm afraid there will never be another chance to seize a large number of warships at once in the future."

Zu Ting explained a little, and then said: "Besides, since Wang Lin dared to say such a thing, he must have known the cost. He knows your majesty and will not ignore the local situation for the sake of merit."

"Besides, if Chunyu Liang and others are really sent there, so that the enemies in Lianghuai can only defend the city and dare not come out, I think a team of cavalry will be enough."

"After the enemy occupied Lianghuai, they trained many infantrymen on horseback and called them knights."

"These knights they are talking about cannot stop our knights."

Donghai County.

Donghai County is a small county outside Haizhou.

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is an important channel connecting the north and the south, and is also the main hub for southern merchants to reach Gwangju.

A speedboat quickly docked at the local pier.

After meeting the officials, his superiors quickly got into the carriage and disappeared on the road.

After walking southwest for more than ten miles from Donghai County, you will directly enter the territory of Langya County.

But whether it was Donghai County or Langya County, both revealed a different kind of bleakness at this moment. There were almost no people on the roads, and the people who were farming in the distance also looked tired. Even the officials guarding the city gates looked worried.

When Dugu Yongye came up, this place actually did not fall into Dugu Yongye's hands, because it was too close to Guangzhou, and if you were disobedient, you would be beaten.

Officials here have always expressed their closeness to Liu Taozi.

They said so, but in reality, after these officials transformed themselves into separatist forces, they completely threw away the human skin they had worn and revealed their true colors.

Langya and Donghai, as wealthy regions, were afflicted one after another and took turns to be attacked.

People left or died, and even the ships passing by were unwilling to dock here.

The carriage traveled for a long time without much rest. Finally, it arrived in front of the government office in Langya County.

Only after the carriage stopped did Wang Lin get out.

Wang Lin looked around habitually. Seeing the bleak situation around him, he couldn't help but shook his head.

These states and counties were such wealthy places in the past.

The official at the door had known that he was coming. After bowing and greeting him, he immediately took him to the inner room.

Yao Xiong woke up from his sleep and learned that Wang Lin had arrived. He quickly changed his clothes and hurried out to greet him.

Yao Xiong looked apologetic.

"General, I traveled all night and just arrived today. I took a rest first. I didn't know you came so quickly."

"No problem, no problem!"

The two men asked everyone else to leave, and then discussed important matters alone in the study.

Yao Xiong was called over by Wang Lin. He was originally conducting patrol and reconnaissance in Hai'an area. When he learned that Wang Lin had important military matters, he rushed back to meet him overnight.

Wang Lin also traveled a long way.

Wang Lin didn't say anything nonsense and directly took out a map. The map was not too big. After spreading it out, it only occupied a wooden table. It was relatively small among many maps. This map was not a military map or a city map. It was a waterway map, which marked the distribution of many waters of the Huai River defense line. Basically, all large and small water systems were included.

Yao Xiong had learned how to read maps, and water maps were also a must. If he couldn't understand them, he wouldn't be able to march. War horses and knights both needed to drink water, so water sources were particularly important.

However, the water map that Wang Lin took out was somewhat different from what Yao Xiong knew.

Wang Lin said seriously: "Right now, there is a huge fortune waiting for us to take."

"what?"

"I learned that a rebellion is about to break out in the Chen people's country. I have confirmed it again and again, and this is true."

"I speculate that this war will break out soon, and the Zhou people are involved. At least half of the troops stationed in Lianghuai will have to be sent to reinforce and defend against the Zhou people. I'm afraid the enemy's navy will have to send out more."

"By then, the troops in Lianghuai will be empty."

Yao Xiong was a little embarrassed. "General, I understand what you mean, but I don't have enough troops right now. Besides, there is a shortage of food in various places. If we go to war, we will need civilians to transport food, which will delay local affairs."

"Not taking the city."

"what?"

"It's to get the boat."

"The Chen navy is heading north from Hai'an and can even threaten merchant ships near Guangzhou, but we can only watch them and do nothing about them."

"I even have to worry about them attacking my shipyards."

"If I want to compete with them, I will have to build a ship for at least ten years."

"You are now guarding the south, so you should have discovered the difference from the north, right? Here, the Chen people's navy has a great advantage. They can land from anywhere via warships and even destroy our transportation and cities."

"I heard that the Chen people built more than 200 large ships on the Xiang River. The Xiang River is too far away for us to take, but we can still give it a try as the enemy's fleet is on the Huai River."

"You don't need to send too many troops. Just two cavalry units will be enough."

"You don't even need to attack the city."

(End of this chapter)