Tiger Guards

Chapter 135 Breakup Signal
With Zhao Ji's shout, the whole room was shocked.

They all turned their heads to look outside the door, and Zhao Yan was no exception.

It would be funny if the ones rushing in were not the Tiger Guards.

In the blink of an eye, the sounds of footsteps and the friction and collision of armor plates became dense.

A dozen of Han Shu's fellow soldiers rushed in and shouted, "Here!"

The eunuch standing at the end of the table was so frightened that he dodged to the sides, while the emperor turned a blind eye and watched quietly.

When Guo Yuan tried to resist, he was hit on the back by a Huben soldier holding a halberd. He fell to the ground with a scream of pain. Two Huben soldiers stepped forward, one stepped on Guo Yuan's right hand with his hard leather shoes, and the other kicked Guo Yuan in the face. Guo Yuan immediately started bleeding from his nose and fell to the ground in a daze.

Zhao Ji straightened up and bowed to Liu Xie. "I've heard that Yuan Shao once intended to support Liu Yu as the governor of Youzhou. Liu Yu refused, so Yuan Shao deliberately restrained his troops and allowed Gongsun Zan to attack and kill Liu Yu. Last year, he sent Zhu Ling and others to lead troops to follow Cao Cao into Xuzhou and slaughtered them. Liu Yu's son Liu He brought Liu Yu's body back to his hometown in Xiangben. Along with the men and women from the surrounding counties, they were all slaughtered by Yuan and Cao!"

He turned around and pointed at Guo Yuan, "Such a traitorous envoy has come here openly to boast about his crimes. Are you trying to blackmail the court into giving you your official position? Or are you taking advantage of the fact that we have no one in the court or Xuzhou!"

"Warriors, drag this thief away and present his head to the steps!"

"Here!"

No one tried to stop them, even Fu Wan, the third-rank official in the Imperial Court, just watched quietly.

Zhao Ji worked hard to plan the northern expedition against the Huns. Was it out of kindness that he was helping the people of Hedong and Taiyuan maintain public order?

The only purpose of expelling the Huns from Fenbei is Taiyuan!

It is inevitable that he will be hostile to Gao Gan, the governor of Bingzhou appointed by Yuan Shao!
The court moved to Hedong for more than half a year, but the envoys of high-ranking officials did not come early or late. When the court eliminated the Baibo generals and dug out the Wei family's treasury, the court sent envoys to the court. What was the intention?
The Yuan-Cao coalition forces carried out two consecutive large-scale killings in Xuzhou. As the representative of the Xuzhou people in the court, Fu Wan dared to stop Zhao Ji, so he shouldn't blame the Xuzhou people for digging up his ancestral graves!
In a moment, a shrill scream was heard.

Soon, Guo Yuan's head was placed on a plate and two tiger guards brought it over.

Zhao Ji stepped out of the formation, staring at Guo Yuan's furious face. He asked his attendants, "Even a high-ranking envoy is acting so arrogantly here, as if he were the envoy of the Celestial Empire. If Cao Cao or Yuan Shao came in person, you would probably go thirty miles out of the city and greet them with open arms."

"Count carefully, how many people have been killed by Dong Zhuo, Li, and Guo? How many more have been killed by Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu? There are few loyal and honest people in the world. You don't even dare to calculate this, and yet you dare to boast about supporting the court!"

Seeing that no one said anything, they dared to offend Zhao Ji. They really did not dare to offend Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, especially those from Guandong.

Zhao Ji didn't know how Liu He died, so he made up rumors at random, but when people in the court heard it, they thought it was reasonable and had no loopholes.

Feeling extremely bored, Zhao Ji said to the Huben, "Hang his head at the north gate. Three days later, take it down and give it to Zhong Yao. Tell him to take this as a warning and educate his sons and nephews well, and pass on the family tradition of loyalty and righteousness."

"Here."

As soon as the Tiger Guards responded, the newly arrived Counselor Zhang Shi of Anyi stood up and bowed, "Excuse me, Minister, what does your family's legacy of loyalty look like?"

"Who are you?"

"Counselor Zhang Shi."

Zhang Shi stood up straight and looked at Zhao Ji with a righteous look, as if he was ready to die.

Zhao Ji frowned. "Your face is plump and your figure is round. You must be a new councilor. Since you wish to know the loyalty of our Zhao family, I have no choice but to ask you to go to the Lord of Mount Tai and ask him in person."

As he spoke, he pushed off the ground, raised his legs, and as he was kicking, the fat Zhang Shi flew backwards more than ten steps and flew out of the hall.

Zhao Ji went to see Fu Wan and said, "I know there's no one available at court. Does looking like a human mean you can become an official? I, the Zhao family, am a loyal and valiant man. How can I allow this man to question me?"

"Zhao Qing is naturally loyal to the court."

Liu Xie began to define the incident, saying, "I have granted Zhao Qing the imperial sword. Zhang Shi has insulted Zhao Qing's family, and his crime is serious. Zhao Qing, from now on, officials with a rank of 600 dan or more will be handed over to the Supreme Court for judgment."

"only."

Zhao Ji bowed and replied, "Your Majesty loves me, and I am deeply grateful. Just now, this man was trying to gain fame by selling his integrity, which embarrassed me. Although I am angry, I do not want to argue with him. However, he receives a salary from the court and holds a position in the court. From this court, he should discuss national military and political affairs. This man questioned my family's integrity, which is nothing but a swindler and unworthy of his position. The court is in danger and suffering everywhere. To condone and tolerate such a treacherous minister is to be disloyal to the court and to the suffering people of the world.

"Why should we use the law to punish such traitorous and treacherous ministers? All of us who are reformists and patriots should be punished by the people of the world!"

Then he bowed again and said, "Forgive me, I will take my leave."

"allow."

Liu Xie agreed, watched Zhao Ji retreat five or six steps, then turned and left.

Zhao Ji left, and Cheng He, holding the sword, followed him out.

Zhao Yan also stood up with a depressed look and bowed to Liu Xiechang: "Your Majesty, I feel unwell." He was really disappointed. Zhang Shi insulted the Zhao family's reputation, but the emperor was indifferent, and the officials who moved east with him were also indifferent.

There was not even anyone who stood up to scold Zhang Shi, Zhao Yan felt very tired.

Liu Xie wanted to persuade him, but he felt that the occasion was not right, so he just kept a straight face and said, "Okay."

After Zhao Yan saluted, he took three or four steps back, turned around and walked to the threshold, suddenly stopped, and turned back to look at Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui looked hesitant, but still sat there without getting up.

Seeing that he didn't show any reaction, Zhao Yan looked up and squinted at the rising sun. The persistence in his heart was immediately melted and dissipated by the bright morning sun.

Zhao Yan let out a long breath, stepped over the threshold, and a palace official brought him a pair of wooden clogs.

After putting on his clogs and hanging up his sword, Zhao Yan placed his left hand on the hilt, feeling relaxed, a little lost, and empty.

After walking a few more steps, he suddenly saw Zhao Ji standing in the sunlight a few steps away waiting for him, dressed in golden clothes.

Zhao Ji cupped his hands and asked, "Why did Grandfather Zhong come out too?"

"It's quite boring."

Zhao Yan paced forward, Zhao Ji following a short distance behind. He then heard Zhao Yan say, "When we march north, take everything we need. If Your Majesty is determined to go to Taiyuan, Aji can refuse. My family is of humble origin and cannot shoulder the responsibility of supporting the imperial court. This responsibility should fall to the Yuan and Yang families. They have received greater favors from the state than my family has."

"Yes, I will listen to Grandfather Zhong."

Zhao Yan added, "I will help you defend Anyi. They won't be able to take a single penny from the Wei family's treasury. The millet from Hedong can only be eaten by the people of Hedong. They can't even tolerate you and me, so how can they tolerate the heroes of Hedong?"

As he was speaking, Zhao Ji suddenly stopped and turned to look behind him.

Pei Mao actually came out as well, putting on his boots, hanging up his sword, and walking quickly towards here.

Zhao Ji and Zhao Yan looked at each other. Zhao Yan saw mockery in Zhao Ji's eyes, while Zhao Ji saw murderous intent in the old man's eyes.

"Dong Yuanming, stay!"

When they were about seven or eight steps apart, Pei Maocai made a sound. Zhao Yan asked with a smile, "Why did the huge light appear?"

"Eh~!"

Pei Mao sighed deeply, looked at Zhao Ji, then at Zhao Yan: "Lord Yuan Ming, why did this matter have to come to this?"

"I am deeply chilled."

Zhao Yan said with a chuckle, "I have served this country for thirty-five years. Over thirty people, both in the two generations above and the two generations below, have sacrificed their lives for the country. Now I am old, my physical strength is failing, my spirit is scattered, my clan is emaciated, and I am on the verge of extinction. Since I cannot assist the government, I must step back and protect the country and its people."

Pei Mao looked distressed: "Now that Lord Yuanming has withdrawn, how should I deal with this?"

The three provinces and six ministries have just begun, and without the control of the Zhao family's ancestors and descendants, they will definitely be ruined and abandoned.

Zhao Yan pointed to his ears and said, "At the age of sixty, I cannot bear to hear any dissenting voices. A troubled mind will not live long. Ju Guang, it's time for me to think about my own affairs. No need to persuade me any further."

No one cared about Zhao Yan's feelings before, but it was different now. Zhao Ji started to attack without any warning.

If they catch any sign of trouble, they will pull you over and beat you to death on the spot. At worst, they will break your legs to make you lose the motivation to cause trouble.

Pei Mao went to see Zhao Ji again, and Zhao Ji replied directly: "The state treats its people like grass, and the people still regard the state as a thief. How much more so the scholars?"

As a soldier who holds military power, if he is not respected by the monarch and the country, he will naturally take more drastic measures than the common people!

Now is not the time for Pei Mao to argue with Zhao Ji about tampering with the classics. Pei Mao has been overwhelmed by deep fear.

As for the powerful people in Hedong, being robbed by Zhao Ji and being robbed by the imperial court... are actually two different mentalities.

Being robbed by Zhao Ji was actually an internal conflict. He was not as skilled as his opponent and was willing to accept defeat. He would just take revenge when he had the chance.

Being robbed by the imperial court... This is totally lawless, how dare you rob me!

Pei Mao, I really don’t want to go hungry anymore.

(End of this chapter)