Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 427 Chen Xu is just an ordinary man

Zhou, Chang'an.

The palace gate is heavily guarded.

Several people put on official uniforms, lowered their heads, and thought about the many etiquettes they had just learned. There is still a big difference in etiquette between the north and the south.

Hua Jiao was among them.

They were defeated by the Chen people at the front and fled back to Liang State. Huang Fachu and Chunyu Liang had no choice but to give up, take back the lost prefectures and counties, and leave.

Judging from the battle front, the Chen people put down the rebellion and recovered the lost territory, so they should have won. But if we look at the results, Hua Jiao brought back a large number of shipbuilders, a large number of warships, and a large number of talents who are proficient in naval warfare.

The Zhou Kingdom made a lot of money.

Yuwen Xian was standing aside with a smile on his face at this moment, and there was no frustration after the defeat. He never thought that he could smash the Chen Kingdom's navy on the water. It was normal that he could not win, and bringing the things back would be a huge profit.

Hua Jiao and several of his trusted aides seemed rather uneasy.

In name, they surrendered to the State of Liang, and now Hua Jiao is the Minister of Works and the General of Liang.

Several of his trusted confidants also received rewards, and even Qian Ming was given one of the Nine Ministers of Liang State.

They also issued an order to Xiao Kui to pay a visit to Emperor Zhou.

Come meet the true king.

Yuwen Xian said, "Don't be afraid. Your Majesty is a generous person, especially to ministers who have made contributions."

Only then did the few people calm down a little.

They followed Yuwen Xian into the palace formally, and then came to the main hall. Yuwen Xian took them in to meet Yuwen Yong.

Yuwen Yong was dressed quite gorgeously, sitting on the upper seat, looking majestic and imposing.

Several people hurriedly bowed to him.

Yuwen Yong's expression gradually relaxed and he was no longer so serious. "Please sit down, everyone. No need to be polite."

After everyone was seated, Yuwen Yong asked Hua Jiao about his family situation as a greeting. Hua Jiao was a little flattered and answered cautiously.

"General Hua's decision to abandon the dark and join the light is a wise one. I have heard of General Hua's reputation for a long time. Now that I have the general's help, I am even more powerful."

After Yuwen Yong praised her a few times, Hua Jiao became even more excited.

After the two sides talked for a long time, Yuwen Yong asked: "General Hua, do you want to stay in Liang State, or do you want to take up an official position in Zhou State?"

Hua Jiao's face was a little hesitant, but then quickly became firm.

"Your Majesty, I wish to stay in Liang State!"

Several of Hua Jiao's trusted aides suddenly looked at him with surprise in their eyes, and even Yuwen Xian was a little stunned.

Yuwen Yong smiled and asked, "Why?"

Hua Jiao said with a stern face, "I am proficient in shipbuilding and water affairs. If I were in other places, I would not have the opportunity to display my talents. Only in Liang State can I continue to work for Your Majesty, defeat Chen State, and recover Jiangnan as soon as possible!"

After hearing this answer, Hua Jiao's trusted aides felt inferior.

When it comes to flattery, it turns out that our own general is better at it. No wonder he is a general.

Yuwen Yong was really delighted. He looked at Yuwen Xian standing aside and ordered, "Send out 7,000 naval troops to General Hua to strengthen the military strength of Liang."

Hua Jiao said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I don't want any troops."

"Oh?"

Hua Jiao said seriously: "Your Majesty, although I understand naval warfare, now is not an opportunity for a direct battle with the State of Chen, so soldiers and horses are useless to me. I hope Your Majesty can give Liang two counties."

"There are still not enough counties in Liang State that receive water. If your Majesty is willing, I can open shipyards in these places, build warships, and train sailors and naval officers."

Yuwen Xian frowned slightly.

Several people under Hua Jiao's command were frightened again at this moment. Just take whatever the emperor gives you. Why do you have to talk back?

Yuwen Yong looked at Hua Jiao with a stern face for a moment, and suddenly said with emotion: "What a wise minister."

He then asked Hua Jiao to sit next to him, even higher than Yuwen Xian. He held Hua Jiao's hand and said seriously, "A wise minister wants to serve the king, so how can the king be stingy?"

"Pass on my decree to divide the three states of Jizhou, Pingzhou, and Yuzhou and return them to Liang State!!"

Hua Jiao hurriedly stood up and bowed three times to Yuwen Yong.

Yuwen Yong arranged a small banquet to entertain Hua Jiao and his men. They left only when it was getting dark.

Walking out of the palace, Qian Ming quickly followed Hua Jiao, his eyes full of fear.

"My lord is really scary. How dare you ask His Majesty for states and counties?"

Hua Jiao was not afraid. His eyes were bright. "Your Majesty is wise. You have seen it just now. He is definitely not a person like Chen Xu. This time, we have followed the right person!"

"The Zhou Kingdom is currently in need of people like us. As long as we can accomplish something in the Liang Kingdom, His Majesty will definitely not be stingy with rewards!!"

“Great things can be accomplished!”

When Qian Ming heard Hua Jiao's words, he laughed so hard that he couldn't open his eyes.

He said hurriedly: "I said at the beginning that surrendering to Zhou is the best choice. Cao Qing, who defected in the middle of a battle and brought his evil bandits to surrender to Han, will surely die a miserable death sooner or later!"

Hua Jiao shook his head. He did not blame Cao Qing. When disaster struck, they all fled for their lives, just in different directions. If it was about betrayal, wasn't he also betraying the State of Chen?
These things are not important. What is important is to open up the situation in Liang State and make some real political achievements.

Everyone left with full confidence.

Yuwen Xian stayed in the palace. Looking at his brother who was drinking tea calmly, Yuwen Xian couldn't help but praise him: "Brother, you are really courageous. You gave us the three states without hesitation."

"What's the difference between the prefectures being in Liang's hands and in ours?"

"The Emperor of Liang is nothing more than a governor under my command."

As Yuwen Yong spoke, he took another sip of tea. Lately, he didn't know why, but he was always inexplicably thirsty. The people around him had to keep water ready. If he didn't drink water for a while, he would feel dry mouth and tongue, which was extremely uncomfortable.

"Hua Jiao is exactly the talent we lack. We will need him to build warships for us in the future. We will also need his help in pacifying the State of Chen."

Yuwen Yong talked about things in the south for a while, and then the topic turned to the north and returned to the country.

"Ah Xian."

"Since I appointed these soldiers as attendants, the number of Han Chinese in the army has exceeded half. Many dukes privately said that such behavior would undermine the foundation of the country, and that we should give these Han Chinese new surnames and turn them into Chinese citizens."

"What do you think?"

Yuwen Xian was stunned, "Your Majesty, are you asking me whether I should grant you a surname?"

"No, I'm asking you, how do we shut these guys up completely?"

Yuwen Xian hesitated, not knowing what to say, but Yuwen Yong was very angry. "These people found that the soldiers were no longer under their command and began to obey me, so they couldn't sit still. I want you to help me again and shut them up completely."

"What is your majesty going to do?"

Yuwen Yong's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "When my grandfather was still alive, he issued strict military discipline and stipulated many things for generals and officers. However, these days, fewer and fewer people abide by military discipline. I want to revive military discipline. Since we are soldiers of the imperial court, we should not act like bandits. When we arrive at the garrison, we should not easily cut down the surrounding trees. On the march, we should not wantonly trample on the people's crops, let alone rob, kill and burn people."

"Many officers in various prefectures today are officials because of their ancestors. They have no talent and no morals. If we use military discipline as an excuse, we can eliminate a lot of troubles and let people with real abilities serve as officers."

"Besides, strengthening military discipline can not only enhance the momentum of the army, but also win the support of the people. Once the military discipline of the Great Zhou is spread, we will be able to gain some advantages when we attack other places in the future."

Yuwen Xian was a little worried and he looked at his brother.

Yuwen Yong was obviously much thinner than before. He had started to follow the pattern of Chen Qian, the Emperor Wen of the Chen Dynasty, and began to work day and night with almost no rest.

At the same time, he issued more and more imperial edicts.

From attacking temples, to restricting aristocratic families, to attacking local tyrants, to freeing slaves, to a series of military reforms, to issuing new currency, to unifying weights and measures within the country.
Now we have to enforce military discipline again.

Yuwen Xian felt that everything his brother did made sense, but he was afraid that his brother could not resist.

"Brother, there are already many things to do right now. Isn't it too hasty to do this military work? And your health is also..."

Yuwen Yong didn't care.

He raised his head, his eyes determined.

"Compared to Liu Taozi, we are already far behind. If we can't catch up, how can we compete with him?"

"I have implemented many new policies in the country, but they only say that I am a dictator who likes to show off, but they don't know how critical the situation in the world has become. If I don't hurry up, the world will fall into the hands of Liu Taozi!" "We must do what Liu Taozi can do, and we must do it better than him!"

"Chen Xu is just a nobody, not worthy of fighting for the world. Only Liu Taozi is my biggest enemy!"

Jiankang.

The palace was extremely lively.

Emperor Chen Xu held a banquet to reward the victorious generals.

The dancers swayed their bodies and danced, and the ministers raised their wine glasses to each other with smiles on their faces.

The musicians played with all their might, playing the most dignified and majestic music.

No matter how you look at it, this is the most orthodox thing possible, and the style of the Former Jin Dynasty is clearly visible.

Chunyu Liang, Huang Fachi, Xu Du and other generals sat among them, somewhat out of place. Their faces did not look as excited as those of the civil officials.

The old general Xu Du drank the wine, one sip after another.

He was defeated by Yuwen Xian in the north and luckily returned with the rest of the army. Chen Xu did not punish him because of his many past contributions and allowed him to continue to serve as a general.

However, the old general's spirit seemed to be shaken.

With equal military strength, he was defeated terribly by Yuwen Xian.

He couldn't find anyone here to fight against the two vanguards of the enemy.

What made Xu Du most sad was that both the enemy commander and the two vanguards looked so young, both young men in their early twenties.

The combined age of the three of them might be about the same as Xu Du.

But what about me?

Even the youngest, Huang Fachi, is fifty years old.

Who can take over in the future?

The more Xu Du thought about it, the sadder he became, and he ate more and more.

Chunyu Liang was also in a bad mood. He had just defeated Hua Jiao and returned to Jiankang, but then he learned that his Huaishui Division had been stolen by Wang Lin.

He quickly reported to the emperor, hoping that Chen Xu would send out navy to rescue again, but Chen Xu rejected his request on the grounds of insufficient food and grass, and only allowed him to take his original troops back to rescue, and before returning, he had to stay to attend the banquet.

Chunyu Liang could also understand that there was indeed not enough food and grass. This banquet was probably to boost morale as many people had defected recently.

But, sitting here is really like sitting on pins and needles!!!
The soldiers under his command were being killed by Wang Lin, and he was sitting here holding a celebration banquet? !
Huang Fachi is the most stable of the three. He is responsible for the defense around the capital, and the pressure on him is probably not as great as that of the other two.

But this time Hua Jiao escaped, and so many warships fell into the hands of the enemy. Huang Fachi was also in a bad situation. If he walked faster, could he defeat Hua Jiao and keep those warships?

Chen Xu probably also saw that the three generals were not in a good mood, and did not force them to join him in the joy.

Just as the ministers were drinking, reciting poems, listening to music and admiring beauties, suddenly someone made a noise.

"What are you celebrating?!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Get the wine!"

It turned out that Xu Du was drunk and he pulled the guard who was pouring wine for him and yelled at him.

"It's ok that there's not enough food and weapons, but why is there not enough damn wine? Did they even use the wine to offer to the Buddha? How come he can't die of starvation?!"

The lively atmosphere suddenly became dead silent. All the ministers looked terrified and dared not speak.

Chen Xu's expression paused, but he still didn't get angry.

"General Xu is drunk, let's send him home first."

After this incident, the atmosphere was no longer lively. When the banquet was over, Chen Xu kept Huang Fachi and Chunyu Liang and asked the rest to leave.

They changed places. Chen Xu had not drunk any wine just now, so the two of them were also sober.

The three of them sat in another hall, and Chen Xu then let out a long sigh.

"It's not that I enjoy myself, but I really need a victory now. Hua Jiao rebelled, Jiankang is not peaceful, and there are many former ministers of Emperor Wen, and the exchanges are becoming more frequent again."

"I really have no choice."

Chen Xu looked at Chunyu Liang and said, "General, it's not that I don't want to rescue the Huai River Division, but it's too late. We don't have enough food and grass. If we send the navy north now, even if we can make it, Wang Lin will have returned to the water fort. By then, he will have the local Han army to help him. How can the navy win? If we can't win, how much will it cost for such a large army to go back and forth?"

"I have already collected grain from the people before in order to go to war. The people are already suffering a lot, and I really don't want to collect grain again. I hope the general can understand."

Chunyu Liang's lips trembled, but he didn't say anything.

In fact, compared with many emperors of this era, considering their average performance, Chen Xu can be considered a good candidate. Apart from his love of Buddhism and indulgence of his son, there is no other fault with him. He implemented benevolent policies many times during his reign and continued the policies of Emperor Wen Chen Qian without destroying them. As a successor, he was not bad, at least he did not engage in perverted games and did not kill people indiscriminately.

However, that's all. Compared with Yuwen Yong and Liu Taozi, he is far inferior. Maybe Chen Qian can be compared, but Chen Xu is completely inferior.

Chunyu Liang was a very smart man, very good at observing the situation. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Xu, he did not show it. He just shook his head and sighed, "This is all my fault. I thought the enemy wanted to seize the city, but I never thought that the enemy wanted to seize the ship. Wang Lin was so courageous. His navy couldn't even get together ten golden-winged warships, but he dared to attack the Huai River Division."

Chen Xu comforted him at this moment, "General, Wang Lin has always been daring. How many horrific things did he do in the South Country in the past? You can't blame the general for not guessing his intention. Such a vicious person, often only the most vicious villain can see his intention."

Huang Fate suddenly interrupted Chen Xu's consolation and said, "Your Majesty, what are we going to do from now on?"

"Ok?"

Chen Xu didn't quite understand.

Huang Fate said seriously: "We are now facing the enemy from both sides."

"The Zhou people got Hua Jiao and his navy, and the Han people got several warships of the Huaishui Division."

"These two countries will never be at peace. The Zhou people are coming from the west, and the Han people are coming from the north. They are attacking us from both sides. What should we do?"

Chen Xu fell silent instantly.

After a while, he asked, "What do you two think we should do?"

Chunyu Liang immediately replied: "Your Majesty, we should continue to build water conservancy projects, store food and grass, station heavy troops in strategic locations, and resist the Han army in the north and the Zhou army in the west."

Chunyu Liang spoke some very ordinary words at a very fast speed. Chen Xu nodded after listening, and then he looked at Huang Fachi.

Huang Fachi's expression was much calmer than Chunyu Liang's, not excited at all.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should form an alliance with Liu Taozi."

"what?!"

Chen Xu was shocked. He said in disbelief: "Wang Lin is still besieging our navy, and the enemy's cavalry is shuttling back and forth between Lianghuai and Huaibei, but General Huang thinks we should join forces with the Northern Hu?"

"That is exactly what I meant."

"If we want to use military force now, Chen is no match for Zhou and Han. In the past, it could join hands with Zhou to fight against Han, and now it can also join hands with Han to fight against Zhou."

"Liu Taozi has recently acquired a lot of territory, so he will certainly not go out to fight easily. The Zhou people are thinking about replenishing the lost territory as soon as possible. The Zhou people don't dare to rush to attack the Han people, so they will attack us. Now, we should join forces with Liu Taozi to resist the Zhou people."

"As for the future, we will have to see the situation at that time and then make a judgment."

As Chen Xu was hesitating, a guard suddenly rushed into the room. The guard had a look of fear on his face and knelt down in front of Chen Xu.

This man was the head guard who had just escorted Xu Du back.

He knelt in front of Chen Xu and immediately started crying.

"Your Majesty, we just took General Xu to the carriage and sent him to the front of the palace. After we stopped the car, we found that General Xu had already left."

"what?!"

Chen Xu felt dizzy for a moment, as if he was struck by lightning, and he stood there in a daze.

Then he started crying sadly again.

"I have lost my best general!"

"Does Heaven hate you?"

(End of this chapter)