Tiger Guards

Chapter 112 Embracing the Sun

A little later in the morning, Xu Huang woke up from his sleep.

He walked out of the barracks with a solemn expression, which aroused the curiosity of the guards and officials. One of them asked, "Sir, what did Zhao Zhonglang say last night?"

"It has nothing to do with Zhao Zhonglang. I had a strange dream last night... I don't know what it means."

Xu Huang sat on a wooden stake outside the door with a solemn expression, frowning in thought. "Wei Boyu is a man of profound learning. I would like to ask him to interpret my dreams. Go and invite him here."

An official bowed and said, "Yes."

They hurried away. Xu Huang still looked thoughtful, his brows drooping. He felt it was inappropriate to discuss the matter in public, so he said to those around him, "Prepare dinner. If Minister Zhao wakes up, come and let me know."

One of them bowed and replied, "Sir, Minister Zhao is well versed in Daoyin techniques. I've heard from his fellow villagers that he only needs two hours of sleep a day and night to be full of energy and tireless all day long."

The art of guiding has existed since the pre-Qin period. Dong Fen, the imperial censor in the emperor's eastward migration team, was good at it.

Dong Fen was most famous for suffocating while practicing Daoyin, which nearly killed him. He almost became one of the officials who were "killed in battle" when the emperor moved east.

As a serious person, Xu Huang would naturally not seek any guiding techniques in public.

Even if you are rich and powerful, you may not be able to learn this thing, not to mention that Xu Huang has no money and power. If he goes to ask Dong Fen for help, Dong Fen will not even look at him.

Therefore, when you have free time, you can just sit on the couch and try and deduce this kind of thing by yourself.

At this moment, Zhao Ji was sorting out the military documents of the Huben Army in the camp. Holding the bamboo slips, he pointed at the names, and a clerk beside him who was good at copying quickly picked up a pen and wrote down the names, or directly wrote the current positions under the names, or was promoted by Zhao Ji to a higher level, generally to Huben Langzhong, and only a quarter of them could be transferred to other places as Huben Shilang.

It's too high. In the past, you had to work independently and lacked experience, so it was easy to mess things up.

The clerk quickly copied the name, position, and transfer unit of the transferred Tiger Guard, and then copied the person's identity information in detail, recompiled it into five volumes, and sent them to the Zhongshu, Menxia, Shangshu, and Zuo and Youlang offices respectively.

The Secretariat was responsible for implementation, and Zhao Ji only selected three people, all of whom were former county officials and were familiar with government affairs.

If we really use the Tiger Guards, there will definitely be problems.

Therefore, Liu Fu, Hu Ban, and Zhou Wen, the county official who led the Anyi team, were recommended by Zhao Ji to the Ministry of Shangshu, and seven other young and relatively quiet tiger guards were recommended to the Ministry of Zhongshu.

He did not have much time to learn about the Huben in detail, so he could only refer to the military roster. If the information was well recorded and there was some impression of him, Zhao Ji would use him.

Give the other party the opportunity. You are at the highest point to bear the pressure, and there are also the tiger soldiers holding the military power below. If these people can't stand firm, just eliminate them. There is nothing to feel sad about.

As for the Menxia Province, it was simple. Zhao Ji selected five Huben with mediocre personalities; as for the three provinces that were still short of personnel, he let the other Huben take the exam themselves.

Examinations are nothing new. You need to take an examination to enter the Imperial College, to graduate from the course, to enter the court as a filial and honest official, and to be recruited by the government.

Although many exams are just formalities, they still have to be taken. If the examiners are more serious, they can effectively screen.

Just as he was working diligently on the military roster, Han Shu came in to observe the situation. He then approached Wei Ji, who was copying the Tiger Infantry Battalion roster with a pen. He said, "Mr. Wei, Commandant Xu seems to have had a strange dream and has sent someone to fetch him."

Han Shu's voice was quite loud, and Wei Ji stopped writing and went to look at Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji smiled and said, "It's worth going and taking a look. It's rare for him to be so serious. I have to go to the court later. You should come with me and don't delay too long."

"Here."

Wei Ji bowed, his face was scarred and red, and his posture was extremely humble, without any of the reserve of the high-ranking Wei family.

When Wei Ji walked out of the barracks, he saw Zhao Ji's riding slaves feeding horses not far away. A dozen unfamiliar people gathered together to look at the horses and comment on them seriously. No one dared to stop them.

Seeing these people's armor, which was not very neat but relatively effective, and their casual and chivalrous temperament and eyes.

Wei Ji understood the identities of several people and found out that they were bandits from Jishan.

But he was not familiar with any of them. They were not the people from the Wei family. Those people were shot to death by Zhao Ji and there was no evidence to prove their guilt.

Originally, there were indeed bandits in Jishan. As time went on, people found that the identity of Jishan bandits was very useful, so the number of Jishan bandits increased.

Wei Ji took a few more glances and then followed Xu Huang's military officers.

They soon arrived at Xu Huang's barracks. Xu Huang, with a solemn expression, invited Wei Ji to sit on the low couch in his bedroom. He then recounted, "Last night, when I returned home, I dreamed of a large sun entering my arms and then passing through my body. After waking, I felt a lot of discomfort in my chest and back. I don't know if this is a good omen or a bad omen. Could you interpret this dream, Mr. Bo Ju?"

"This……"

Wei Ji frowned slightly and pondered for a moment. "The commander's name, Huang, means the blazing sun hangs high in the sky, its bright light shining everywhere. He also chose the courtesy name Gongming, which means to shine brightly. The blazing sun's light shines upon all officials and common people, treating them all equally, regardless of their status or wealth. This is the most fair and just."

After a pause, Wei Ji said seriously, "In my opinion, the Captain's dream foretells the coming of a great sun, upon which all the people will be bathed in its glory. It is truly a good dream, and a very auspicious one." Xu Huang frowned, distressed. "To be honest, Master Bo Ju, although I come from a humble family, I also have the ambition to uphold the state and follow a wise ruler to bring peace to the people. I do not know who the blazing sun in this dream refers to, and I beg you to enlighten me. I will never forget this kindness."

"This……"

Wei Ji was in a dilemma again. He looked up at the small door to the dormitory. Xu Huang walked over and peeked in. "Please be clear, sir. Those outside the barracks are all my fellow villagers and comrades."

"Then Wei is so bold as to speak so wildly."

Wei Ji thought of the elders of his clan who had been tortured to death in prison, and of the women of various families who had tried to curry favor with the ministers and officials in order to rescue their fathers, brothers, and husbands.

His eyes flushed red as he took a deep breath. "From my perspective, Minister Zhao's appearance is as beautiful as a god. Although he lives in the secular world, he radiates with brilliance, visible among the crowd at a glance. What else could this be but the blazing sun of the human world?"

"Sir, please be careful with your words!"

Xu Huang was startled and quickly whispered, "Let's stop here."

Wei Ji calmed down and stood up, advising Xu Huang: "Both the Xu and Zhao families are descendants of Bo Yi. You should think carefully about this. Captain, please stay. I will take my leave."

As he spoke, Wei Ji waved his hand to stop Xu Huang. He walked backward out of the dormitory, glanced at the military officers who were eavesdropping in the outer hall, and then walked away quickly, as if escaping.

Xu Huang also came out and saw these military officers. He frowned and said, "The Wei family has been treated harshly by the court. Their words are arrogant and outrageous. Don't listen to them or spread them. Don't let them cause trouble for Minister Zhao."

"Here."

Several people bowed, and Xu Huang waved his hand to send them away.

He looked tired and returned to his bedroom and sat on the couch.

He is already a broke man. Apart from his skills, courage and ambition, what else does he have left?
After Wei Ji left, he headed towards the central army.

At this moment, Zhao Ji walked out of the barracks and saw Zhao Lian rubbing the horse's mane. Several people around him stepped back. Zhao Lian turned around and saw Zhao Ji. He was somewhat unable to recognize Zhao Ji at this moment and felt that he was very unfamiliar.

Zhao Ji, calm as ever, approached the horses, reached into the bean bag hanging from the pillar, grabbed a handful of beans, and threw them into the trough: "Father shouldn't have come to Anyi."

"You provoked the Jishan bandits. If you don't come to Wenxi or Anyi, where should my family go?"

Zhao Lian asked back, then immediately asked, "How is the court today?"

Previous examples of fathers, sons, and brothers all being granted titles of nobility and each in charge of imperial guards flashed through his mind.

Although these role models all ended up badly, they relied on external relatives to govern, unlike Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji watched his horse lick beans from the trough, not even looking up. "According to the law, my great-grandfather and I can each raise a son to serve as a Lang, and my eldest and second brothers can both serve as Langs in the imperial court. First, let me make it clear: once military affairs are in order, the emperor will personally lead the expedition against the Xiongnu north of the Fen River. As Lang officials, you are the emperor's personal guards and must wear armor and bear the brunt of the enemy's weapons. If you die for your country, do not blame me."

"I shall serve you till my death, while I am the ruler of the land."

Zhao Lian answered calmly. He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. There were so many people who wanted to die for the country but didn't have the opportunity.

He not only has three legitimate sons, but also a bunch of illegitimate sons, and his grandsons can all walk.

In terms of the long-term development of the family and their current circumstances, if the eldest and second sons do not make progress, it would be better for them to become medals on the family tree.

Although it is sad, compared to dying of old age, starving to death on the roadside, or being killed by bandits, this is a glorious death and a worthy death.

Then he asked, "What about your father?"

Zhao Ji looked up at him, and the expressions between father and son were cold: "The doctor has no official position, so he is here with the emperor."

There are many types of doctors. Seeing Zhao Ji's attitude, Zhao Lian didn't want to ask for details, so he just nodded.

Seeing Zhao Ji go to see Wei Ji, Zhao Lian said before leaving: "My family has been wandering around and it's been hard to make a living. Not having anyone starve to death is already a great honor. I shouldn't ask for more."

Zhao Ji did not respond, but he had to admire Old Zhao's ability to support his family.

Whether to forgive Lao Zhao is the original body's business and has nothing to do with the current self, and I don't want to establish a closer relationship.

As for the original body, he probably will never have the chance to forgive Lao Zhao in this lifetime.

The reason was dates. Thanks to the dried dates in the neighbor's cellar, the Zhao family survived the famine.

Not only Old Zhao, but also the eldest brother, the second brother, Mrs. Pei, and the eldest sister-in-law all took action.

(End of this chapter)