Tiger Guards

Chapter 102: Uniting the Army
At midnight, in the attic of the manor's small courtyard.

The music of the zither stopped, and the two guards on duty in the attic looked at each other, then stood there with their spears in hand, waiting for Zhao Ji.

On the attic, Cai Zhaoji was wearing a plain white dress with a curved skirt decorated with aqua green and light blue patterns. She was kneeling upright in front of a long zither, her waist looking slender.

Tonight she did not wear heavy makeup, her makeup was light, but she did wear blush.

The music stopped, and Zhao Ji stood up and adjusted the sword hanging on his left waist: "I am not well educated, and I cannot understand such a profound experience."

Seeing that Zhao Ji had no intention of staying overnight, Cai Zhaoji was not anxious and asked, "Would Minister Zhao be willing to learn music?"

"Yes, wait until I've dealt with those old dogs and the people of Hedong are stable, then I'll come and learn music. During this time, you can copy and edit the books in the manor. It doesn't matter if they are a little rough."

Zhao Ji looked at her sideways and said, "It's mainly about arithmetic. Understanding arithmetic is better than anything else."

Cai Zhaoji stood up and dragged the candlestick over to him. "I wonder where Minister Zhao learned his arithmetic?"

"I learned it by stealing."

Zhao Ji explained casually, and Cai Zhaoji chuckled and believed it casually.

She walked Zhao Ji down the attic stairs. The maid waiting at the foot of the stairs was obviously a little uncomfortable, but she still took the candlestick and accompanied Cai Zhaoji to see Zhao Ji out.

There was a campfire outside the door. The two Tiger Guards on duty immediately lit torches, followed Zhao Ji out, and closed the door.

Only after the door was closed did the maid ask, "Madam, Minister Zhao listened to the music in the middle of the night?"

"Well, he is a man of noble tastes and can understand the sound of my piano."

Cai Zhaoji sighed in a low voice with a complicated expression. What happened tonight was far beyond her expectations.

The ability to understand and sympathize is considered a relatively advanced mentality in today's world.

All she could do was express her anger through piano music, encouraging Zhao Ji to move forward bravely and not give up halfway.

The Wei family manor was quite large, so Zhao Ji went out on horseback and returned to the Huben overnight accommodation area.

He saw Jia Tong on duty at the campfire. He dismounted and strode over. Jia Tong also stood up to greet him: "Zhonglang, why are you here so early?"

"I only listened to a few songs. I thought she would finish playing after the meal, but the music kept repeating over and over again, and it almost annoyed me."

Zhao Ji hung his whip on the saddle and followed Jia Tong toward the campfire. Jia Tong questioned, "You only listened to a few songs?"

"If you don't believe me, would you like to smell it?"

Zhao Ji asked back, and the surrounding Tiger Guards chuckled. Jia Tong raised his hand to cover his face: "The words are vulgar and unbearable to read."

As they sat around the campfire, Zhao Ji asked, "How are things going in each place?"

"The knights of Hedong have retired early, and the newly formed auxiliary troops have just returned from patrol, and there's been no unusual activity. It's just that the Xiongnu have tightened their guard, with nearly half their officers on night watch."

Jia Tong replied, explaining, "Now I am strong and my morale is high. It may also be due to the treasury, so I am very worried about going to Bei."

"Don't worry about him. After tonight, he will believe my sincerity."

Zhao Ji looked at the other Huben soldiers on his left and right and gave them a wink. One of the Huben soldiers reacted and pulled the person next to him, so the five Huben soldiers got up and went somewhere else.

Jia Tong restrained his smile and asked, "What's the matter, Zhonglang?"

"Yesterday I sent Brother Wenzhen to lead the team to protect the emperor's headquarters. Brother Wenzhen, do you have any explanation?"

"It's a trivial matter, not worth bothering Zhonglang."

Jia Tong stared at the campfire in front of him and said, "I didn't agree, and because of that, I was sent back without even seeing the emperor's carriage."

"I know."

Zhao Ji removed his helmet and lay back on the fine cashmere blanket, folding his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the starry night sky. "I had originally wanted to hold back for a few more days to see what the nobles could do. But when Xu Huang arrived a day earlier than expected, I knew Lord Zhao was anxious and concerned for our safety. Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to act."

Upon hearing this, Jia Tong took a sip from the earthenware jar and said, "I am tempted, but my clan has lived in Pingyang for a thousand years. The only one who could drive out the Xiongnu and look east to Hedong is Zhonglang. How could I bear to ruin my clan's foundation for my own career?"

“Well, I know that too, that’s why I asked you to go that day. Otherwise, Tang Xian would not be able to do such a small thing.”

Zhao Ji said in a deep voice: "Normally speaking, if the ministers place us together with the Xiongnu, even if everything is peaceful, the leaders of the Tiger Guards, big and small, will rush to visit the ministers and the offices to show their talents in order to seek their respect. However, there is a treasonous store here, which attracts people's hearts, and no one goes to visit the ministers for a while. Our army's morale is united, and in the eyes of the ministers, we have already disregarded the court, which is a high treasonous act." Jia Tong watched Zhao Ji rise step by step. With the emperor by his side, it was abnormal for Zhao Ji to bear not to move around.

After another long silence, Jia Tong asked, "Did it come from Lord Zhao?"

"He didn't say it explicitly, but when Lord Zhao recounted the deeds of the nobles, I could sense his anger. Perhaps he was worried that if he told me, I wouldn't be able to control myself and be harmed by them."

Zhao Ji chuckled, "The Hongnong Tiger Guards have died one after another, but the sons of Yang Qi and Yang Biao are still alive. The people of Hongnong dare not say anything. Can the Yang family still control us Hedong people? Don't you want us to make some assumptions?"

After a pause, Zhao Ji continued, "Li Jue and Guo Si are not as bad as you and I imagine. They are just foolish and don't know how to deal with the court. There have been two consecutive years of severe drought and locust plagues. Rumors in Guanzhong say that these disasters were caused by Wang Yun's murder. Why were there no droughts or locust plagues when Dong Zhuo was alive? You see, you and I have a mouth, and we can explain natural disasters."

Regarding this topic, Jia Tong just smiled dryly and did not give a direct response.

"When Lord Zhao introduced me to Minister of the Interior Zhao Wen, he told me a story. His brother, Zhao Qian, had died of illness. Zhao Qian's father-in-law, Chang Qia, had died in battle while protecting the emperor, and his body had been perfectly preserved."

Jia Tong listened attentively as Zhao Ji continued, "According to Lord Zhao, Li Jue's cousin Li Ying was a former official of the Zhao brothers. When Li Jue wanted to kill Zhao Wen, Li Ying offered him considerable protection. Chang Qia's daughter sent two former officials from Shuzhong to Guanzhong to attend to the funeral, and they have already brought Chang Qia's body back."

Jia Tong was shocked: "Zhang Lu from Hanzhong didn't kill him?"

"Zhang Lu was merely a guard dog kept by Liu Yan and his son. Such a righteous act wasn't worth his killing. What surprised me was Li Ying; it was he who took the initiative to properly dispose of Chang Qia's body."

Zhao Ji sighed deeply. "This world is so unfair. Li Ying protected his former master, Zhao Qian's wife, Chang Qia, yet no one has said anything good about him. In the future, when Li Jue's situation becomes critical and his entire family is executed, I doubt anyone will dare to protect his wife and children. This is why I exercise restraint. It's the royal family and nobles who judge people's good and bad, not us."

Upon hearing this, Jia Tong's expression grew fiercer. "Don't worry, Zhonglang! We, the people of Fenbei, will never side with them. If something goes wrong and you kill all the nobles, and we escort the emperor into the Xiongnu, with Zhonglang's methods, we'll be able to fight back sooner or later!"

We must prepare for the worst and send troops to Anyi after dawn, otherwise people around us might suddenly attack us.

During this period, Huben had already developed military confidence. The various Xiongnu tribes that entered the Great Wall were still fighting among themselves, so Huben had the opportunity to defeat the Xiongnu.

The terrain inside and outside the Great Wall is two different types, and the Huns cannot escape long distances.

As long as the battle is within a limited distance, Jia Tong is familiar with the Huns' tactics and does not think that the Huns are a difficult enemy.

Seeing Jia Tong's serious statement, Zhao Ji felt a little relieved.

Tonight, let alone Cai Zhaoji, even if ten legendary Diao Chans were piled together, Zhao Ji would not touch them.

Listening to the piano is just to calm my mind.

Cai Yong is a lesson for us, Wang Yun is a lesson for us, and Dong Zhuo is even more of a lesson for us.

The nobles are very good at cutting off their own tails to survive, and they are also very aware of the current situation. If you are not paying attention, they will get close to you and become your friend, and then stab you with a knife out of righteousness.

But the problem of the ministers cannot be solved by just killing them.

The reason why the imperial court is the imperial court is because the ministers are the people who are respected throughout the country and have extremely high influence in various states and counties.

They hold shares and decision-making power in the court, so the imperial edicts can be recognized by their disciples and former officials.

At this level, parasitism and transformation have been completed.

Fortunately, people like Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu were more powerful than the other. The old scholars in the Guandong counties were killed one after another, and there were fewer and fewer old scholars who had a disciple-like relationship with the nobles.

Even if there were rising stars or leaders of public opinion in each county, they either surrendered to these warlords or were killed, leaving them with no room for further growth.

The new generation of scholars has become increasingly alienated from the current officials.

In other words, it has become difficult for the dukes and ministers to gain support and strength from the local areas.

The Hedong Tiger Guards were able to take shape because Pei Mao exerted his local leadership power, not because he respected any nobles.

If Pei Mao and Pei Xiu had not applied, there would not have been so many people who responded.

The two of them were silent, each thinking about their own things.

A Tiger Guard came over quickly and said, "Zhonglang, Xu Gongming wants to see you. He has brought a head with him."

Zhao Ji sat up and smiled at Jia Tong: "Look, Xu Gongming is a smart man, I like him."

Jia Tong stood up and said, "I will go to meet him."

(End of this chapter)