Tiger Guards

Chapter 103: Hard Facial Bones
"Who is this?"

Zhao Ji stood up to question him. Xu Huang casually rolled the head over the campfire and wiped the blood off his hands. "I don't know either. The night watchman came and reported that this man didn't know the patrol orders and repeatedly asked to see me. The officer had no choice but to execute him according to the law."

Xu Huang simply recounted, "The rear military officer brought the head to report. I dared not delay and came to see the Minister of the Interior."

"I see."

Zhao Ji took a quick look and saw that he had a thin head and a beard around his face, which made some impression on him.

After a moment's thought, he said, "This is a court official. Perhaps he suffers from sleepwalking and has mistakenly entered Gongming's camp. Since we have executed him according to the law, we should write down the evidence of his crime and send his body to his companions so that they can bury him."

"Sleepwalking?"

Xu Huang, a man of great experience, frowned. "This is a grave taboo in the military. Fortunately, this man spoke softly and moved slowly. Otherwise, if he had caused a ruckus and incited a roar in the camp, even killing him a hundred times would have been insufficient to atone for his sin! Don't his colleagues know this? I believe they should be punished for their negligence and indulgence!"

"He has already served his sentence, so there is no need to investigate his afterlife. Instead, send an envoy to reprimand this man's fellow officials."

Zhao Ji made arrangements, Jia Tong picked up the head from the ground and went to find someone to scold him, and Xu Huang then took his leave and returned to the camp.

With five different armed forces gathered together tonight to spend the night, it was normal for him to be wary of mutiny.

Not only Xu Huang and Zhao Ji, but Qu Bei also tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

In the small courtyard, Yang Qi waited quietly. The officials sat on both sides of the living room, some leaning against the wall to take a nap, while others lay on their sides to take a rest.

Suddenly, a county soldier on duty ran in in a panic. Before he could speak, five tiger guards quickly chased him to the front of the hall.

One of the Tiger Guards held a torch, two held iron halberds, and another held a crossbow. The leading sergeant threw the head in front of the hall.

In the light of the torch, the head rolled and stopped in front of Yang Qi.

The seven eunuchs were startled awake, and one of them pointed at the Huben and said, "How dare you disrespect Minister Yang, you rude lunatic!"

The sergeant looked at the man and asked, "Who are you and what is your position?"

"I am Henei Xiang'an, currently serving as a Five Officials Officer."

"Wuguanlang, not Wuguanzhonglang?"

When the sergeant asked and got no explanation, he raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and pointed his thumb backwards at himself: "I am Lü Wei from Hedong. I followed Minister Zhao to kill the three bandits. I am now a Tiger Guard Doctor!"

At the same time, he walked towards the other party, opened his right fist and slapped Xiang An's cheek hard. With a crisp sound, Xiang An's neck tilted and he staggered backward, and was supported by his companion.

Lu Wei rubbed his wrist and said, "I am a palace guard, and you are also a palace guard. If you are dissatisfied, report it to your superiors and let them judge!"

He then said to those around him, "This man has a skinny face with no flesh and very hard facial bones, like a sharp weapon, and he actually injured my grandfather's hand."

Yang Qi stood up and asked, "Why did Doctor Lu kill the imperial officials?"

"So he really is a palace attendant?"

Lu Wei rubbed his wrist and asked, "Courtier Yang, didn't you know that the army was camping and the night curfew was strict? I don't know why he broke into the Hedong Knights' camp, and he didn't know the night curfew order. If he were a Xiongnu, he would have been killed long ago. I questioned him repeatedly, but he couldn't answer, so he was beheaded."

He bowed behind him and said, "I, Lu, am here to investigate under the orders of Minister Zhao. Was someone instructing him to break the rules and disrupt the army's rest, or is there another reason?"

Another eunuch stood there, bowing and answering, "We didn't know until Doctor Lu woke us up and we realized he was missing. Perhaps he went to the toilet at night and got lost."

"So that's how it is. But Minister Zhao concluded that this man suffers from sleepwalking. As colleagues, you failed to restrain and monitor him, nearly alarming the army and causing a mutiny. This is a serious crime!"

Lü Wei pointed at the palace guards and said, "Follow me, bury this man!"

The eunuchs went to see Yang Qi, who said in a serious tone, "How can Minister Zhao be so sure that Minister Sun suffers from sleepwalking? And how can you be so sure that the eunuchs are responsible for failing to control him?"

"If it's not sleepwalking, then he's deliberately breaking the rules, or perhaps he's being sent by someone!"

Lu Wei rubbed his aching right wrist again and forced a smile: "As a colleague, he's dead, and you guys wouldn't even dig a grave and bury him?"

Yang Qi shouted, "If you want to arrest the official, please ask Minister Zhao to come and speak to me in person."

Lü Wei ignored him and just looked around at the officials: "Are you going or not?"

No one responded, they all stared at him with their bright, round eyes. When people are very thin, their eyes really look big and round.

"The friendship between you gentlemen is truly despised by me!"

Lu Wei sneered and took two steps back as if to leave, but stopped at the door and instructed his attendants: "If you refuse to go, it means you have something to hide. Don't kill them. Take them out and interrogate them slowly!" These palace guards were really tough. Seven of them with frail bodies rushed forward one after another and actually fought back and forth with the three armored tiger guards.

Seeing this, Lu Wei reached out and took the torch from another Huben. This Huben also joined the fight, and the balance of victory immediately shifted.

Several county soldiers standing outside the door were blocked by Lu Wei and could only watch as the seven officials were beaten to the point of losing their ability to resist.

After the four Tiger Guards finished beating the enemy and picked up their weapons, Lü Wei turned to the county soldiers and said, "These skeleton bandits refused to bury their comrades. You should follow me."

As he spoke, he pointed at the head at Yang Qi's feet. Several county soldiers did not dare to resist. One of them bent forward to pick it up. He did not dare to look at Yang Qi's expression. He lowered his head, turned around and ran out quickly.

As Lü Wei was about to leave, he turned around and then turned sideways to the officials inside the room and said, "You all know whether his death was unjust or not. He was originally going to hang his head for public display. But Minister Zhao disapproved of this, so he ordered the body to be sewn up and buried."

After saying that, Lv Wei stared at Yang Qi for a moment. Yang Qi showed no fear at all, but Lv Wei had a complicated expression on his face, saying, "You didn't even look at someone else's son dying at your feet. I'll kill your son sooner or later! Let's see how long your old bones can hold on!"

Yang Qi's voice was hoarse: "Is this how Minister Zhao teaches his subordinates?"

"This is the voice of the Tiger Guards."

Lv Wei had been swearing and fighting since he was a child, making verbal threats: "If I kill your son, I will kill your grandson!"

He cursed like this a lot, but few people took it seriously. Only a few people took it seriously, like Zhao Ji.

After cursing to his heart's content, Lu Wei left in a happy mood. He was almost at a loss for words.

The torch disappeared from the doorway, and the courtyard outside was covered with a layer of white frost from the moonlight.

Yang Qi shuffled outside, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky. Feeling incredibly lonely, he sighed, "How unfortunate for the court to have such a wicked minister! Zhao Yuanming's grandson is no less detrimental than Dong Zhuo!"

The eunuchs came out, supporting each other, in silence, all with sorrowful expressions.

The Huben were different from the Baibo soldiers. The soldiers could only make fun of them and tease them, but the Huben had read a little and could skin them alive.

On the other side, Lu Weiwei held a torch and led several county soldiers to carry the corpse to the outside of the manor for burial.

When passing through the gate, you can answer the curfew signal and pass through without any obstruction.

The three county soldiers also heard it clearly. One of them held the head, and the other two carried the headless body.

The curfew code for tonight is four words: the clouds are clearing and the sun is shining.

But they could not go back, and by the time they could dig a grave and bury the dead, it would be dawn.

Things that can be done at night cannot be done after daybreak, and it is too late.

Zhao Ji led a squad, lighting fires and patrolling each camp to guard against any unexpected events.

He let the Hun camp go. He didn't want to provoke Qubei, nor did he want to jeopardize Qubei's oath.

If Qubei is not given the opportunity to break his oath, then he will naturally be a good and wise king who abides by his oath.

Amid the crowing of roosters, smoke from cooking fires filled the air.

The golden sunlight renders the distance and the outline of the moon is still visible in the sky.

Zhao Ji was wearing a golden helmet and golden armor, and a bright red Shu brocade cloak, and was standing on the simple gatehouse of Wei's manor.

Beside him, a battle flag with the Chinese character "Han" fluttered in the cool morning breeze.

In the southern part of Wenxi, Zhao Lian and Hu Zhong led more than thirty strong young knights on horseback and gradually approached.

These young knights are the true essence of Wenxi's powerful men, poor families, and good families.

They could be Hedong knights who fought for the imperial court to suppress the Yellow Turbans, or they could be Jishan bandits, Fenbei horse thieves or private salt dealers, and they were also the backbone of their respective families.

However, they often do not participate in rural fights; those who can work as minor officials in the township can become township or county elders when they are old.

A real man should not be caught in the act when he goes out. His identity is determined by himself.

As for the ages of people like Zhao Lian, they are in their prime and have rich experience, which is the best age for them to take up official positions or start businesses.

(End of this chapter)