Tiger Guards

Chapter 122 The family tradition is strong
Outside Wenxi City, Hu Ban led more than 200 young and strong men to cook hot soup.

Zhao Yan's follow-up troops arrived here, escorting two thousand pieces of silk and gold seized from the Hou family.

The team was led by Xiang Libao, who sat in front of the fire, drinking turbid sweet wine from time to time while listening to Hu Ban's story.

I always find it a little hard to understand.

Hu Ban couldn't explain the specific situation in Anyi. Xiang Libao thought for a moment and said, "Hu Bingcao can just defend Wenxi. With Zhao Zhonglang's skills, how bad can the situation get?"

At worst, he could retreat back to Fenbei, escape into the Xiongnu territory, and avoid the limelight.

Xiang Libao didn't want to listen anymore, so he grabbed the Hu pancake, took a bite, and gulped down the newly brewed sweet rice wine.

On the other side, Zhao Ji's sister Zhao Xing was wearing a coarse cloth dress with a shedding sheepskin shawl, and she was sitting in the carriage with a cold face.

Zhao Yuan sat on one leg against the shaft of the carriage and whispered, "Sister, the imperial angel will confer the title of Tongxiang Jun on mother tomorrow, and the imperial edict will be issued early tomorrow morning. You'd better stay. If you go to Anyi with Ah Hu, how will the people in the county look after your family?"

She remained silent and her face showed no expression.

Pei Hu was talking to Zhao Jian on the side. Pei Hu hesitated and was a little afraid to refuse.

Zhao Jian had no choice but to go over and persuade his younger sister, "Ah Shu, mother misses you so much. It would have been fine if you didn't come. But now that I know you're here, and you're only staying one night, you still want to go to Anyi. How can mother save her face?"

Zhao Shu, also known as Zhao Xing, with the nickname A Shu.

She raised her eyebrows and looked at Zhao Jian: "You kicked Aji out, but you didn't think about today? Don't bother me, or I'll call the Tiger Guards to beat you!"

Han Shu, drinking rice wine from a black pottery bowl in the distance, couldn't hear their words clearly. Seeing Zhao Xing's furious expression, he turned to look at Pei Bao: "You go, me? Or should I let him go?"

Seeing Han Shu winking at the cavalry sergeant beside him, Pei Bao had no choice but to drink up his share of rice wine and said angrily: "I'll go."

Handing the empty bowl to a nearby mounted slave, Pei Bao rolled up his sleeves and walked with a crab-like gait, ignoring all relatives: "Sister-in-law."

Zhao Xing saw him approaching and pointed at Zhao Jian and Zhao Yuan: "Abao, send the eldest and second brothers back to the city."

Zhao Jian forced a smile: "Abao, my aunt has also gone to the city. You should persuade Ah Shu not to make things difficult for me."

Seeing his eldest brother approaching, Pei Bao pointed in the direction of the mounted slaves resting about twenty steps away and said, "It's my turn now. If you don't leave, Aji's men will whip you when they get here. This was Aji's personal order when we set out, and they will whip you."

Pei Hu had no choice but to stretch out his hands and pull Zhao Jian and Zhao Yuan away.

Zhao Xing watched Pei Hu pull the eldest and second sons away to whisper to each other, then looked at Pei Bao: "Where are Third Aunt and Alan?"

"I'm with Corporal Hu. He said we'll be leaving the city soon."

Pei Bao glanced at the sun and said, "If we delay any longer, it will be dark by the time we get back to Anyi."

There was no one else around, so he whispered, "We're transporting gold to the court. It's dangerous at night."

"Got it. Go find Han Shu and ask him to urge him."

Zhao Xing has a thin face. Because she has been weaving at home for a long time, her skin is pale and lacks color, and her hands are rough.

The way she looked at Pei Hu, the eldest brother and the second brother was just like that.

When there is famine and no food, she is the first choice before getting married; she is also the first choice after getting married.

On the contrary, Pei Bao was closer to her, but the closeness was limited.

It was because Zhao Ji was too cruel and stubborn that she did not suffer any major injustice after her marriage.

But she had to restrain herself and endure some of the grievances she suffered, otherwise if she revealed them, it would lead to loss of life.

But now she really doesn't want to endure it anymore, and she dare not go to Wenxi City.

Soon, an ox cart drove out of Wenxi. Pei Xiu's mother in the cart lifted the curtain to look at the vehicles and guards gathered outside.

She didn't say much, but looked at Alan, who was sitting there uncomfortably in his new clothes. "Now that things have come to this, what are you worried about? It's better to leave."

The two yellow dogs were also washed clean and were lying comfortably in the carriage.

Alan had just showered and tied up her hair. She didn't even dare to answer, she just felt anxious.

The rapid changes in fate left her at a loss.

As they left the city, the entire transport team headed south along the highway.

Hu Ban bowed and said goodbye. He watched Xiang Libao, who was at the rear of the team, speeding up his horse to the front, and asked Zhao Jian beside him, "Wen Gu, why are you so unhappy?"

"Shumei missed Aji so much that she refused to stay for another day for her mother."

Zhao Jian sighed as he spoke. He was not used to the current changes. Zhao Ji gave up his title and credit for his achievements. Countless people around him envied his mother for raising a good son, which put a lot of pressure on Zhao Jian.

He seriously suspected that this title was not given for nothing, but was intended to offset the grace of giving birth to a child.

But this kind of thing cannot be publicized.

If the news were really spread, most of the young people from the village who had gathered around him and Lao Er in the past two days would disperse.

The title of Tongxiang Jun couldn't be inherited, and just thinking about it made him feel so painful that he couldn't breathe. Hu Ban observed the expressions of Zhao Jian and Zhao Yuan, but he didn't know what to say.

He had heard something about the Zhao brothers' affairs earlier; in the past two days, when the villagers gathered together, the rumors spread even more fiercely, including all kinds of bizarre rumors.

This has nothing to do with him, and he is not familiar with Zhao Jian.

Even his old man Hu Zhong and Zhao Lian are just normal friends and partners.

In Beixiang, the fact that Pei Xiu could be friends with Zhao Ji shows that Zhao Ji's reputation as a naughty and vicious person is not entirely true.

But looking at the incidents that have been involved during this period, it seems that Zhao Ji is no longer just an ordinary naughty boy.

But what is there to criticize about this?
He eliminated the four generals of Baibo, exempted Hedong from tax for ten years, and led the Hedong brave warriors to treat gold as dirt. Zhao Ji is the hero of the people of Hedong!
Even if the plan failed, Zhao Ji could flee to various places in Hedong and no one would expose or inform on him.

If the environment changes slightly and Zhao Ji survives, he can make a comeback at any time and gain a foothold in Hedong.

Hu Ban thought about it, and without saying goodbye, he turned around, walked a few steps, grabbed the saddle, jumped on the horse, and led the volunteers back to Wenxi City.

In Anyi City, in the mansion where Zhao Yan lived, there was a confiscated Fan family mansion.

To Zhao Ji's surprise, Zhao Yan didn't give him a cold look.

The tables were placed between them. Zhao Ji ate seven bowls of rice in a row before patting his belly and saying, "I'm full."

He ate happily, and Zhao Yan's appetite also improved. He ate a bowl and a half and was holding a small half bowl of rice.

Zhao Yan put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "Xiang Libao will arrive tonight. While the scouts and messengers were going back and forth, I sent a messenger to Zhongcheli to look for Aji's former residence. There is a date orchard next door to Aji's former residence, not just two date trees."

Zhongcheli was right next to the highway and was easy to find, so it was destroyed when the Baibo bandits passed through.

The former residences of other people are hard to find, but the former residence of the Zhao family is easy to find now.

Zhao Yan could more or less guess what happened back then, but he was also puzzled: "Aji, can you tell me more about it?"

"It was nothing more than exchanging children for food. My neighbor and friend saw that I was starving to death and gave me two dried dates. I gave one to my sister, and she gave it to my mother."

Zhao Ji's expression became gloomy. If he didn't think about things like his original body's memories, he wouldn't know.

When he recalls it now, he instinctively feels uncomfortable, angry, and helpless.

Zhao Ji suppressed his discomfort and forced a smile. "There are no jujubes from the neighboring families. First it was my sister, then me, and then it might be my second brother. My family is in such a bad situation, and there are similar ones among the Tiger Guards. It's all in the past. I have always admired my father for being able to gain a foothold in a foreign land."

The Zhao family has no background and lives next to the highway, which is the root cause of the disaster.

Other locals always have something hidden in the corner.

This was exactly what Zhao Yan had expected, so he said, "You broke Zhong Yao and Dong Zhao's legs today. That's good, but not great. I don't know where you learned all this knowledge of the three provinces and six ministries, but you should understand that the court's obedience to your ideas isn't due to your intelligence; it's the work of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and others."

Zhao Yan took a sip of the sweet yellow rice wine from his glass and gazed out the window at the distant blazing clouds. "Hedong isn't a good place. We need to use Hedong's power to massacre Taiyuan. Only then will you be able to settle down in Taiyuan. This is why Cao Cao rose to prominence in Yanzhou and Yuan Shao achieved success in Hebei."

Three-way interaction?
Now that they have started to rebel, who cares about your Three Mutual Laws?
The local powerful people know you well, so it is difficult for them to obey you, and bargaining is not smooth.

Since I'm not a member of the royal family, how can I get the strong support of the powerful people in my hometown?

Zhao Yan sighed as he spoke, "Dong Zhao's imprisonment means Fu Wan is leaning towards Luoyang. If we go to Luoyang, how will we survive?"

Zhao Yan then smiled silently: "Aji, listen carefully outside."

Zhao Ji frowned and listened attentively. Sure enough, he heard some slight noises and looked at the old man in surprise.

At this time, Tang Xian hurried to the window and said, "Minister, the official residence is on fire!"

Zhao Ji had to reassess the old man and said to Tang Xian, "I understand. If the fire spreads out of control, report to me again."

"Here."

Tang Xian clasped his fists heavily. This time he did not go outside the courtyard, but climbed up the ladder to the roof to observe the official residence area outside the two streets.

Inside, Zhao Yan picked up his bowl and chopsticks again. "These people have a bad memory. How many days have they had a full meal? Tomorrow, you will lead the army out of the city and set up camp. If any counties in Hedong refuse to obey, you will immediately suppress them. If you delay, my clan will be destroyed."

"Yes, grandson understands."

Zhao Ji bowed solemnly. In terms of cruelty, he was still a step behind.

Zhao Yanlu smiled now: "Guess who did it?"

"It was dry, so the fire must have been an accident."

Zhao Ji replied carefully, "It is also possible that the treacherous ministers took the opportunity to murder all the officials and put the blame on me."

"It was Zhang Zan who set the fire. I asked him to do it."

Zhao Yan stared at Zhao Ji and said, "Keep the troops under control. I will handle the court affairs."

"Yes, grandson understands."

(End of this chapter)