Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 496 Still hiding?
Shanyang County.

"kill!!"

Outside the city, the Han army’s flags fluttered in the wind, and the war horses began to charge.

A large number of defeated soldiers threw away their weapons and armor and rushed towards the city gate crying.

"Open the city gate quickly!"

"Open the city gate!!"

A general fled to the foot of the city first and shouted towards the city wall.

There were more and more Han knights in the distance, all wearing armor, chasing all the way. The soldiers found that they could not outrun the enemy, so they knelt down and asked for surrender. The knights put away their swords with difficulty and stopped killing people.

The military law of the Han Dynasty was extremely strict. Even generals who had made great contributions would be at risk of being punished or even executed if they violated the military law. Ordinary soldiers did not dare to violate it. The Han Dynasty would not kill those who surrendered.

This rule was established when Liu Taozi just started his army and has continued to this day, with huge results.

The Han army rarely encountered enemies who were united in fighting to the death on the battlefield. Even for a man like Yuwen Xian, many of his soldiers surrendered because they did not have to worry about being killed. This greatly undermined the enemy's morale.

The imperial court also formally incorporated this practice into military law, and even made other supplements, such as prohibiting the army from looting and massacres during the march.

The soldiers outside the city surrendered one after another, and the knights were getting closer and closer.

The general at the city gate was almost going crazy. He looked up at the city wall and yelled at them to open the city gate quickly.

Unfortunately, the city gate was still closed until the Han knights rushed to his side.

There was not even any counterattack from the city walls, not a single arrow was shot down.

The general suppressed his anger, jumped off his horse, knelt on the ground and asked for surrender.

There were discussions on the city wall, and after a while, the officials led the people in the city out to surrender.
Yao Xiong rode a tall horse and came to the city gate surrounded by many knights.

The local official was a southerner. When he saw Yao Xiong, he felt somewhat frightened, like a frightened bird.

"Don't be afraid. We don't kill those who surrender. Since you have submitted to the will of heaven, nothing will happen. We just ask you to stay outside the city for a while. When someone arrives later, we will contact you."

"only!!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Yao Xiong ordered the soldiers to keep an eye on the surrendered officials while he entered the city.

Yao Xiong's face was full of pride.

Not only him, but also the generals around him, were all smiling and talking in low voices.

"General, it only took us eight days to capture the entire Shanyang County! The enemy really has no intention of resisting. I think it would be better to attack Qin County directly and then order the rest of the places to surrender!"

"Bastard!"

Yao Xiong put away his smile and looked at them seriously.

"We are mostly cavalry, and our current speed is already very fast. If we ignore everything else and head straight for Qin County, what will you do if the enemy cuts off our food supply?"

"Eat where you are!"

Yao Xiong waved his whip, and several officers around him hurriedly moved away. Yao Xiong said sternly: "I have made an agreement! The court has issued an order to recover the two Huai regions, and we must not rob along the way! Huang Fachu knows that he does not harm the people. If we rob them all the way, wouldn't it be worse than deploying troops?!"

"Everyone, be careful. If anyone dares to break military discipline and ruin my plans, I will show no mercy!"

"only!!"

Everyone said yes.

Yao Xiong led everyone into the government office. The Han army took control of the entire city and then began to rest and recuperate locally.

Gao Yanzong and Yao Xiong received the news of the chaos almost at the same time, and then sent troops to attack under Wang Lin's orders.

Gao and Yao were not qualified to lead the troops on their own and could only attack with Wang Lin's permission. Gao Yanzong simply flew all the way to where there were more people, with the goal of destroying the enemy's main force. As for Yao Xiong, he captured important cities and then recovered the entire county, and then let the follow-up troops catch up and advance slowly.

There is already a clear difference in the styles of the two.

As he grows older and gains more experience, Yao Xiong is becoming more and more like the general he was back then. Bao Xian is very steady and cautious in combat and although he does not have many achievements, his experience is extremely distinguished and he can be called an undefeated general.

Just as Yao Xiong was reorganizing his troops and preparing to continue his attack to the south, a scout came hurriedly to report that a large army had appeared on the official road in the distance.

After some thought, Yao Xiong did not rush out to attack. Instead, he sent a part of his troops to set up camp outside the city, forming a horn with the city to fight against the incoming troops.

Jiangbei is quite chaotic nowadays, and it is difficult to judge who the other party is.

Jiangbei was now divided into many factions. Some rose up to surrender to the Han, some rose up to support Lao Huang, some supported the Chen court, some hoped that the court would come to quell the rebellion, and some were just waiting and watching.

Yao Xiong still hopes to see clearly which camp his opponent belongs to before making a decision.

The army soon arrived outside the city. When they found that the city had changed its flag, there was a commotion. Yao Xiong had been standing on the city wall, staring at the enemy in the distance with his eyes narrowed.

A moment later, someone rushed towards the city wall.

He stopped near the shooting range and announced his identity loudly.

"The defeated general Ren Zhong is here!!"

"I wonder which general of the Han Kingdom he is?!"

Upon hearing this name, Yao Xiong was stunned, and then overjoyed. He quickly sent someone to find a few captured officers, and after confirming their identities, he sent someone to reply: "General Yao Xiong, the East Guardian, is here!!"

Upon hearing this, Ren Zhong hurriedly dismounted, called a few of his trusted followers, and headed towards the city gate.

His close associates were somewhat hesitant, but Ren Zhong scolded them, "Now that things have come to this, what are you still worried about? In the current situation, can you save your life by staying behind the army?"

The confidants didn't dare to say anything more. Yao Xiong was very straightforward. He had the door opened and went down to greet them personally.

Ren Zhong looked quite fierce and didn't look like a southerner at all.

In fact, this person was from Ruyin (now Yingzhou District, Fuyang City), and was not really a southerner in the true sense.

He was born in a very humble family, was lonely and poor, and suffered many humiliations. When he grew up, he became strong and had a talent for archery. Only then was he recognized by his fellow villagers, and young men came to him one after another, and he made a name for himself.

He had followed Wang Lin and Hua Jiao and had been recommended by the Ouyang family. Anyway, his relationship with the State of Chen was not very close.

"Meet General Yao!!"

Ren Zhong looks rough, but he is actually careful, intelligent and cunning. Given his background, if he had only a body and no brains, he would not have been able to reach his current height.

He looked at Yao Xiong very sincerely, and said with some sadness: "I really have nowhere else to go, so I came here to seek refuge with the Han people. I hope the general can take me in."

Just as he was about to perform a great salute, Yao Xiong hurriedly helped him up.

Yao Xiong smiled and said, "General, please don't be like this! Before I set out, I heard General Wang talking about you. General Wang said that you are a natural military talent, but you just don't get the opportunity to display your talents!"

"General Wang?!"

Ren Zhong quickly said, "I haven't seen him for a long time. I'm ashamed, really ashamed."

Lao Wang’s connections in the south are so strong that any one of them can be linked to him. After all, he was the one who played the game of deposing and enthroning powerful princes in the south.

"Have a banquet! To welcome General Ren!"

Yao Xiong held his hand and gave instructions to his attendants.

A general came forward by chance and said, "General, can we go to war?"

"What are you talking about! Isn't it worth celebrating that a great general has come to us? Getting such a great general is better than getting ten counties! Follow the order!"

"only!!"

The Han army immediately set out and began to arrange for the troops that followed Ren Zhong. As for Ren Zhong himself, he was directly invited to the government office by Yao Xiong. Yao Xiong made an exception and asked someone to bring wine and drinks to entertain Ren Zhong.

The generals who came with Ren Zhong were also called to join the banquet.

The scene was quite lively.

Yao Xiong sat in the upper seat and said with a smile: "The Han Dynasty has laws that strictly prohibit drinking, especially during wartime. But today, we have distinguished guests coming, so we will drink a cup and then make up for our mistakes by doing something great!"

Ren Zhong was deeply moved.

He immediately stood up and raised his wine cup to thank Yao Xiong.

The same goes for everyone else.

Yao Xiong comforted them and did not ask about the enemy's situation. Instead, he asked about Huang Fachi first.

Speaking of Huang Fachi, Ren Zhong couldn't help but shed tears.

It is also difficult to tell whether these tears are real or fake. Perhaps there are real parts and fake parts.

"General Huang was devoted to the country, but he was killed by Chen Xu! We feel it is not worth it!"

"At the moment, the only thing we can do is to avenge General Huang!" Yao Xiong's face was somewhat sad. "Your Majesty actually likes General Huang very much. In the letters he wrote to me in the past, he often asked about General Huang's situation. I didn't expect that Chen Xu would even want to kill someone like him."

He sighed and said seriously: "This time, we must avenge General Huang and seize Jiangbei!"

The banquet returned to its previous liveliness.

Yao Xiong could more or less sense the cunningness of the General Ren in front of him. As a person from the same lower class background, he could understand this situation very well.

After the banquet, the other generals left, but Ren Zhong was not in a hurry to leave.

Only Yao Xiong and Ren Zhong were left in the room.

Ren Zhong just took out a few maps and presented them to Yao Xiong.

That’s right, these maps were exactly the defense maps of the surrounding Chen army. Yao Xiong didn’t know where Ren Zhong got them from and was extremely surprised.

"General, many of these garrisons are my friends. They have received favors from General Huang in the past. I am willing to persuade them to surrender to me."

"The only thing we have to worry about right now is the army led by Lu Guangda. General, you don't have to worry about them attacking us. You have to worry about whether they will escape!"

"Although I was driven out by them, their situation is extremely dire. The soldiers are disunited, and various places are constantly raising armies to attack us. Even Qin County is no longer safe. If the Han Dynasty wants to unify the country, we cannot let these elite troops in the north escape back to the south!"

Yao Xiong's eyes lit up, "Then do you have anything to teach me?"

"General, I can convince my friends to help the big man and hold back the enemy so that they dare not retreat rashly. As long as we arrive in time, we can attack them from both sides."

"Hahaha!"

"it is good!"

"If we can win this battle, I will ask His Majesty for credit for you!"

The moment he saw Ren Zhong, Yao Xiong had already given up his original strategy. With Ren Zhong here, why would he even need to consider how to fight? Of course, he had to make the most of Ren Zhong's ability, so he gave up the expedition and went straight to the banquet.

Yao Xiong's goal changed from capturing the city to directly swallowing up the elite main force of the State of Chen in Jiangbei.

Sheyang County.

A large number of ships appeared on the calm sea.

The warships flying the Han flag were rapidly approaching the shore.

The ferry had given up resistance, and a large number of Chen State warships were anchored at the ferry with no intention of fighting.

The death of Huang Fachu extinguished the last flame of the State of Chen.

The Han warships docked one after another, and a large number of soldiers disembarked. Like Yao Xiong, they allowed the local officials and generals to surrender.

After they occupied the ferry here, the rest of the fleet soon arrived.

The current Han navy is divided into several groups according to different regions. Each group has its own organization and they have no affiliation with each other. Only Wang Lin can give orders to them.

After several years of preparation, the naval strength of the Han Dynasty has increased significantly.

Two naval forces from different regions met here, and the two generals began to discuss the next major event.

"General Cao."

"General Ouyang!"

Ouyang He walked down the warship in a dusty state, still wrapped up, obviously injured. Cao Qing was shocked, and he hurried forward to support him, "General, what happened?"

Cao Qing came from Haizhou, while Ouyang He returned from the front line.

Ouyang He shook his head, "No problem."

"The enemy already knew we were stationed on a nearby island, and I was attacked by their main force, those large ships."

Ouyang He just shook his head, with a somewhat aggrieved look in his eyes.

At that moment, everyone was beating the enemy, but he was the only one who got beaten.

After the official battle, Ouyang He wanted to establish merit as soon as possible, so he led his navy quietly to the front line, hoping to see if he could win the jackpot and find a ship that transported troops on the river and seize it.

Unexpectedly, I won the prize! I didn't encounter the troop transport ship, but I encountered four giant ships. Ouyang He ran fast, otherwise the whole army would be left behind.

Cao Qing sent people to resettle the defeated soldiers, and he himself prepared to take Ouyang He back to the camp.

But after taking a few steps, he suddenly saw an acquaintance in the crowd.

Cao Qing was very surprised.

"Qian Ming?!"

Ouyang He also bowed his head.

Among those who got off the warship, there was an officer who looked unremarkable and covered in dust. When Cao Qing called him, he was frightened to the point of turning pale and shaking all over.

Cao Qing looked at Ouyang He and said, "General, please go back and rest first. I will come to see you later."

"it is good."

Ouyang He left quickly, but Cao Qing walked up to Qian Ming with a smile.

Qian Ming and Cao Qing were both old subordinates of Hua Jiao. Later, Cao Qing thought that he should surrender to the Han Dynasty, but Qian Ming slandered him for colluding with the Han Dynasty and insisted on surrendering to the Zhou Dynasty, and then they parted ways.

Qian Ming took a few steps back and forced a smile on his face, "General Cao, long time no see. You are becoming more and more heroic."

"Hahaha~~"

Cao Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I really didn't expect to see you here. Did you surrender to General Ouyang? What position do you hold now?"

"Thanks to the general's favor, after surrendering, I became the military commander of a certain department."

After Qian Ming finished speaking, he immediately looked at Cao Qing, his eyes full of fear, "It was my fault that I was blind and offended General Cao. Please forgive my crime for the sake of our past friendship. Please forgive my crime."

After hearing this, the hostility in Cao Qing's eyes dissipated a little. He said with emotion: "General Hua was shot by a stray arrow during the war and lost his life, which became someone else's military achievement."

"If you hadn't done the right thing at the beginning, and we had surrendered with so many warships, would the situation still be like this now?"

"Forget it. I'm not the kind of person who would take revenge for any slight. You can take care of yourself."

Cao Qing shook his head. With his current qualifications, if he went against Qian Ming again, Qian Ming could die in an accident at any moment. But seeing the fear in this guy's eyes and listening to his trembling voice, Cao Qing gave up on revenge.

No sense anymore.

Cao Qing turned around and left, surrounded by soldiers, looking very proud.

Qian Ming stood there in a daze until Cao Qing walked away, then he woke up.

Thinking about what happened again, Qian Ming almost collapsed.

If they had really listened to Cao Qing and taken those golden-winged ships to join the Han Kingdom, they would probably have brought wealth to their families for generations.

Thinking back to his own ridicule when Cao Qing left, Qian Ming felt like dying.

However, Cao Qing had already forgotten about him and was now discussing important matters with Ouyang He.

"The river water cannot be reached."

"The enemy has deployed heavy troops. As soon as I attacked, I encountered four giant ships and almost didn't make it back. I suspect that the enemy's giant ships are now deployed on our side. I'm afraid there are no less than ten of them. I think it's best not to rush south and let the army fight. We will follow the army all the way to recapture the ferry. Even if we want to go south, we have to wait for the general to come with the main force before we can take it."

“There is no main force.”

Cao Qing said, shaking his head.

"what?"

Ouyang He was stunned. "What does this mean? We still have the main battleships."

"No, General Wang has issued an order. General Chunyu will soon come to lead us to fight the enemy's navy. Including the huge ships he brought, this is the entire strength of our navy. There is no other main force."

Ouyang He figured it out, and he asked helplessly: "It has come to this point, why do you still want to hide?"

"We have to hide. As long as we can't capture Jiankang now, we have to hide. The army doesn't matter, they can be as strong as they want, but we can't be too strong and scare the southerners."

Ouyang He was a little angry, even to the point of laughing.

"So, I don't have to worry about the general blaming me for my defeat to the enemy's navy."

Cao Qing hurriedly comforted him, "General, don't worry. The day of destroying Chen is not far away. Even if we use all our strength, we can't defeat the enemy's navy. In this case, there is no need to show our claws and teeth. Let them run rampant for a few days and think that their navy is still invincible."

"Now that Huang Fachu is gone, trade can naturally resume. When the day comes when the Chen State is truly destroyed, our navy will give them a huge surprise!!"

"By that time, will the general still worry that he won't have the opportunity to make meritorious contributions?"

(End of this chapter)