Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 476: The Northern Hu are cruel and brutal, none is more cruel than Liu Taozi

Jiankang.

The city was still bustling, and Nuo opera was being held in the outer city. Unlike in the north, the Fangxiang clan here were basically replaced by Vajra warriors.

However, the excitement and joy remain the same, and it is rare for people to enjoy such a happy time.

Inside the palace, there was dead silence, completely different from the joy and bustle outside.

Chen Xu sat in the upper seat, his chest rising and falling slowly.

His confidants sat in two rows, their faces filled with anxiety and fear.

Yuan Xian said at this moment: "The chieftains of the northern barbarians are mostly vicious, none is as vicious as Liu Taozi."

"Your Majesty, if you don't intervene, the Zhou Kingdom will be destroyed, and we will have to resist Liu Taozi alone."

Logically speaking, Yuan Xian shouldn't have flattered Liu Taozi in front of so many people and done such a thing to boost other people's prestige, but he felt that he had to make everyone sober up and stop indulging in alcohol and sex.

During the war between Han and Zhou, the famous officials in the country were arguing.

The reason for the quarrel was not about the war between Han and Zhou, but about the ranking of ghosts and gods in the official Nuo opera and the order of the Vajra Warriors, Bodhisattvas and others.

They quoted scriptures and summoned eminent monks to speak for them, and extended the issue to temples and other aspects.

Yuan Xian was dumbfounded.

Chen Xu remained the same as always, saying nothing.

It's not that he doesn't know how critical the situation is, it's just that he can't think of a way out of it.

Yuan Xian looked at the other ministers who were silent, "Everyone, Liu Taozi has already breached Jiange, and the Zhou army in other places surrendered. Now only Yang Jian and others are protecting their emperor, and they don't know what to do. If this continues, within a month, the Zhou emperor will surrender to Liu Taozi!"

"impossible!!"

A minister immediately refuted, saying unhappily: "Mr. Yuan should not believe these rumors. These are rumors spread by the Han Kingdom to intimidate us. Yuwen Xian is not an incompetent person. He has an army of 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers under his command. He is stationed in Jiange, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if Liu Taozi is a good fighter, it has been less than two months. How can he break through Jiange?"

Yuan Xian sneered, "Morale is low, soldiers have no will to fight, rumors are everywhere, and generals are alienated. How can this be impossible? When Yuchi Jiong attacked Bashu, there were tens of thousands of troops stationed in Jiange and other places. So what? They were taken down within three days!"

"Everyone in Zhou is saying that Yuwen Xian killed the emperor and established himself as king. The great clans of Bashu have started a rebellion again, cutting off the supply of materials. The Zhou army can't even get winter clothes!"

"Yuwen Xian's subordinates were all soldiers from Guanzhong. These people were forced to leave their hometowns, and their generals were moved by rumors."

"Under this situation, how can Yuwen Xian resist even if he is a good fighter?"

"The pass is dangerous, but aren't the soldiers who are responsible for guarding it the most important?"

"Chun Yuliang defected and colluded with Gao Yanzong to seize Jiangling. Jiangling is now at its weakest. Gao Yanzong's army will not exceed 5,000 and is scattered in many places. Most of them are newly recruited soldiers with low combat effectiveness. If we can gather a large force and activate General Huang to lead the army to attack Jiangling, I predict that Gao Yanzong will be defeated!"

"If we take back Jiangling, we can have General Huang harass Gao Changgong from the rear, making him unable to take care of himself. Most importantly, we can contact the Emperor of Zhou."

Before he could finish his words, a minister refuted him.

"Since Chunyu Liang has defected, how can we continue to use Huang Fachu?"

"He was closer to Liu Taozi than Chun Yuliang, and even received favors from Gao Yanzong. If you ask him to attack Gao Yanzong, he will definitely rebel!"

Yuan Xian hesitated to speak and looked at Chen Xu again.

Chen Xu's hands began to tremble, and he found that for a moment he seemed to have no one to turn to.

Xu Du died of illness, Zhang Zhaoda also died of illness, Chunyu Liang surrendered to the enemy, Huang Fachi was idle. Although the rest of the generals could still fight, they seemed to be far inferior to the top ones.

Take Xiao Mohe, the most powerful young man, for example. He had made great military achievements, but he had no experience in commanding 10,000 people.

Since Chen Xu did not express his opinion, it didn't matter what Yuan Xian said or what the other ministers said.

The court meeting could only end in displeasure.

Yuan Xian followed the emperor again. During these days, perhaps because Yuan Xian gave too many suggestions, Chen Xu was somewhat reluctant to meet him.

Everyone knew that the situation was not good, but when other ministers met the emperor, they basically talked about happy things.

Let's talk about the auspicious signs in the local areas and the battle records in various places. Only Yuan Xian was the one who fought to the death in the Han-Zhou War and kept requesting to take action.

Seeing Yuan Xian following him again, Chen Xu did not chase him away.

The two of them came to the other hall together, where many documents had already been piled up, waiting for Chen Xu to review them.

Chen Xu sat down, and Yuan Xian stood beside him. Chen Xu asked, "Can Zhou still be saved?"

"Yuwen Xian claimed to be a famous general, but he was killed in the battle against Liu Taozi within less than half a year."

"Your Majesty, this battle must be counted from the attack on Nanyang, not from the time Liu Taozi sent troops to Shu."

"However, these are not important. Whether Zhou Kingdom can be saved or not, we cannot turn a blind eye. The ministers at home are aware of this, but they dare not speak out. Your Majesty, Liu Taozi's three armies are advancing together. Yuwen Xian is dead, and Yuwen Yun has no one to rely on. Dukes like Yang Jian cannot be compared with Yuwen Xian. If we don't send troops, they will see no hope and will surrender directly."

"By that time, Han will have controlled one-seventh of the world. How can we resist?"

Chen Xu opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"At least, give Zhou some hope and let them not surrender so quickly. Once Zhou surrenders, Gao Changgong will quickly return and occupy Jingbei with his brother. By then, it will be impossible for us to take it back."

Chen Xu suddenly asked, "Some people say that Lord Yuan sent someone to deliver gifts to General Huang's mansion?"

Yuan Xian was extremely sad when he heard this. He looked dejected and said, "Your Majesty, I am devoted to the country."

Chen Xu interrupted him, "I know Yuan Qing's character and I have no doubts about him. But, can the Huang Fa Chu be used?"

"I know that he has always been close to Liu Taozi and has some relationship with Gao Yanzong. Moreover, I have previously..."

Yuan Xian raised his head and said, "General Huang is a loyal and good man of the Chen Dynasty. He will never defect. I am willing to guarantee that if General Huang has any other intentions, let me die first!!"

He immediately stretched out his hand and was about to swear an oath, but Chen Xu interrupted him again.

"Why does Yuan Qing have to do this?"

"I also know the pros and cons of the current situation, but I just feel that I am powerless to fight again."

"Your Majesty, are you planning to surrender to Liu Taozi?!"

“What are you talking about!!”

"If you don't want to surrender, why hesitate?"

"But Liu Taozi is powerful, and his army is unprecedentedly strong. Yuwen Xian occupied Jiange and fought hard, but was defeated by him after more than 50 days. This record is really frightening. How can you defeat him?"

"I don't know how to fight, so I don't have any idea, but General Huang should know what to do."

Yuan Xian once again shifted the topic to Huang Fachi.

Chen Xu was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Is General Huang well these days?"

"Nothing is wrong. If Your Majesty wants to visit me, I am willing to go with you."

Chen Xu smiled bitterly.

Even he himself felt that his behavior was a bit shameful. He arrested people when they were not needed, and then begged them to release him when the situation became urgent. However, there were some things that had to be done.

He stood up and asked people to prepare the carriage.

Huang Mansion.

There are no more guests in the mansion now, even some of Huang Fachi's close friends dare not come to pay a visit.

However, this did not affect the cheerful atmosphere in the palace.

Huang Fachi's life was pretty good. He spent the whole day with his two little grandsons, watching them ride on bamboo horses and play games. He himself held a wooden stick and served as a personal guard for the two little grandsons, and they had a lot of fun.

It's a pity for his son Huang Wan.

This was the best age for him to realize his ambitions, but he was imprisoned at home with nothing to do. Huang Fachi saw that he was idle, so he forced him to read military strategies and classics and take tests. This made Huang Wan suddenly dream back to 20 years ago, and his hands were shaking.

I'm already a father of two kids, why am I still coming? ?
Inside the mansion, two little kids were riding bamboo horses and charging at each other. They were holding small wooden sticks in their hands and bumping into each other.

As for Huang Fatic, he also held a wooden stick, stood behind the older boy, and charged forward with him.

Two is stronger than one. Under the attack of the two, the younger one was disarmed and lost his weapon. He started crying, "Father, you are my soldier! You should help me!!"

The older ones were also unwilling to accept it, "It was yours just now, now it's my turn!"

"Two against one, that's unfair!"

"War is inherently unfair." Listening to the conversation between the two, Huang Fate hurriedly helped his grandson up, "Don't cry, don't cry, I'll give you a soldier too!"

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Huang Wan standing in the distance, his face full of impatience. At this moment, he suddenly realized and stood up to leave.

"Play! Come here!"

Huang Wan looked at him with a wry smile, "Father, I still have some books to read."

Huang Fachi had a stern face and said nothing.

Soon, the two-on-one battle turned into a two-on-two battle.

Huang Wan, holding a wooden sword and with a dark face, stood behind his youngest son and started running around in the yard.

Huang Fachi had a lot of fun playing with the two little guys, but Huang Wan felt extremely miserable. It was already miserable enough, and now he had to go through this?

Just as the grandfather and his three generations were playing and having fun, the family servants rushed over in fear and trepidation.

"Master! His Majesty!! His Majesty sent someone to say that he will be at the mansion later."

"what?"

Huang Wan was shocked. What a big deal! It required the emperor to come in person.

Huang Fate just smiled after hearing this. He slowly put down the stick in his hand and looked at his son. "Take them to get ready and change their clothes."

"only!"

When the emperor comes, everyone in the palace must welcome him together, and all aspects of etiquette must not be neglected. Before the emperor arrives, the army has already arrived, and has searched and set up defenses around the palace inside and outside in advance. After a long time of trouble, the emperor finally arrives.

"I, the humble commoner Huang Fachu, pay my respects to His Majesty!!"

Huang Fachi's official title was taken away from him in disguised form, and now he is truly just a commoner.

After him, Huang Wan also hurriedly opened his mouth to greet him.

Chen Xu walked over quickly and helped Huang Fachi up. "General Huang, it's been a long time since we last met. You're still so strong!"

Chen Xu seemed quite enthusiastic. After helping Huang Fachiu up, he looked at the two little kids. "Are these the grandchildren of General Huang? Haha, not bad, not bad. You can tell at a glance that they will become great men. They will surely be like their grandfather and become pillars of our Chen!"

After talking for a long time, Chen Xu pulled Huang Fachi to the inner room, Yuan Xian followed behind them, and the rest of the people were not qualified to follow.

The three of them entered the inner room, and Chen Xu asked Huang Fachi to sit down first, showing him full respect.

Chen Xu was exchanging pleasantries. "When my brother was still alive, he always told me that among all the generals, you were the only one I could rely on!"

"The general is loyal and courageous."

Chen Xu finally put aside his pride and boasted to Huang Fachi.

Yuan Xian saw that the time was almost right, and he spoke in time: "General, His Majesty asked you to stay in the palace, not because he does not trust you, but for the purpose of arresting those thieves in the country."

"Many villains in the country fabricated rumors and tried to murder the general when he was away on the expedition. I suggested a plan to your majesty to have the general stay in the city so that these villains would surface."

Yuan Xian hurriedly took out a document from his arms and handed it to Huang Fachi.

"These are the people who came forward to demand the general's punishment and to murder you. All of them have been captured, and not a single one has been let go."

Huang Fate was silent for a moment, then looked at the emperor, "Your Majesty, I have never had any rebellious intentions. When I disobeyed the imperial edict in Jiangling, it was not out of selfishness, but only when Jiangling was in my hands could I protect myself."

Speaking of Jiangling, Chen Xu's face became a little embarrassed.

He slowly turned around and looked at Yuan Xian, not knowing how to open his mouth.

Yuan Xian hurriedly said, "It is indeed as General Huang said!"

"Now that Jiangling has been lost, we are powerless in the face of the bandits."

"what?!"

Huang Fachi's eyes widened, and he couldn't help raising his voice. In a moment, Huang Fachi's face flushed red. "Didn't they say that Jiangling had been captured by General Chunyu? How could it be lost?"

"Alas, it's all Chunyu Liang's fault. He defected from the Han Kingdom and then brought Gao Yanzong to attack Jiangling. General Zhang died of illness, and there was no one to command, so the city fell. If it weren't for Chunyu Liang, how could such a thing happen?"

"What? Chun Yuliang defected? Zhang Zhaoda died??"

Huang Fachi's face turned even redder, and his pupils were trembling.

These two sentences conveyed so much information to Huang Fachi.

Huang Fachi had been trapped at home all the time and had almost no idea what was happening outside.

In the blink of an eye, all the famous domestic generals are gone.

Huang Fate suppressed his shock and asked slowly, "What else happened?"

"Han launched a massive attack on Zhou, and Yuwen Xian was killed in the battle"

Yuan Xian explained the current situation to Huang Fachi. Huang Fachi was not surprised at this moment. After hearing several explosive news in a row, he felt numb. Even if he heard that Liu Taozi led his troops to appear outside Jiankang, he probably would not have any other reaction.

Huang Fate looked at the two people in front of him and immediately understood.

"Your Majesty, if the situation is like this, then Jiangling must be recaptured. The main force of the Han army is in the Zhou Kingdom. Both Gao Yanzong and Yao Xiong do not have many soldiers under their command. When they arrived, they only led about a thousand veterans. The rest of the army was added later. There are many important towns in northern Jing. Gao Yanzong has no reinforcements, and Yao Xiong and Wang Lin dare not rescue easily. As a result, the defenders of Jiangling may be less than 3,000 people."

"This is the best time to capture Jiangling. After we capture Jiangling, we can send troops to cut off Gao Changgong's retreat. Gao Changgong has always been good at marching fast. Once he is cut off from food, he will be in a dilemma and will surely be defeated. At that time, we can march straight in, form an alliance with the Lord of Zhou, transfer him to our side, use him to guard the southern regions, and then try to gather the former generals and ministers of the Zhou Kingdom. In short, retaining the Zhou Kingdom will be more beneficial to Dachen."

Huang Fachi gave many ideas without hesitation, some big and some small, ranging from how to send troops, how to capture the city, to how to cut off food supplies, how to counterattack, and so on.

After he made this inventory, Chen Xu couldn't help but look at Yuan Xian.

Chen Xu suddenly grabbed Huang Fachi's hand and said, "General, I don't know who else can accomplish such a big thing except you!"

Chen Xu completely put aside his worries. In the current situation, he would die if he did not do anything, so he might as well take a gamble. Even if Huang Fachi might defect, it would be better than sitting in Jiankang and waiting to die. Judging from Liu Taozi's current performance, Chen Xu really didn't think he could perform much better than Yuwen Xian. He was afraid that he would not even be as good as Yuwen Xian and would be defeated.

Moreover, after the Han State occupied all of the Zhou State's territory, the role that this navy could play was not as great as before.

He would rather die standing.

Huang Wan frowned and looked towards the inner room nervously. He didn't know why the emperor came suddenly, nor did he know what his father said to the emperor inside.

I waited like this for a very long time.

Finally, the emperor came out of the inner room with an excited look on his face. When he saw Huang Wan, he even smiled and said, "You should imitate your father!"

Huang Wan hurriedly nodded and said yes.

The emperor led everyone away, and Huang Fatichao and his family accompanied the emperor out.

After the other party left, Huang Wan looked at his father suspiciously.

"What exactly is going on?"

"No problem, His Majesty wants to reappoint me."

Huang Wan immediately reacted, "Did something big happen on the front line?!"

Huang Fate did not answer. He looked at his two grandsons who were excitedly talking about the soldiers around the emperor, and then looked at his son, "Huang Wan."

"Father!!"

"You have no talent. I was busy with military affairs and neglected many things. Don't blame me."

"This"

"I have to leave immediately. Military matters cannot be delayed. If you are unable to return, do not think of revenge, do not be hostile to others, and take good care of your family."

Huang Wan shuddered all over and looked at Huang Fatic in disbelief.

"Father!! You don't have to work so hard! They abandoned us in the beginning, why are they doing this now?"

"Asshole!!"

Huang Fachi spoke, his face solemn and his eyes determined.

"Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen have both been very kind to me. How can I not repay them with my own death?"

"The Northern Hu people know loyalty and righteousness, so how can I, the great Xia Zi, be inferior to them?!"

ps: It’s not that I didn’t try my best, but I just don’t have enough strength. I wrote more than 7,000 words today, but it can’t exceed 10,000. I will try to make up for it tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)