Tiger Guards

Chapter 147 Neutral Opinion
Next to the old camp of the Huben Army is the emperor’s camp.

The night wind was blowing gently, and Pei Mao personally escorted Guanqiu Yi out of the camp.

The guards followed behind, the torches were sparse, the night sky was clear and the crescent moon was like a hook.

Guanqiu Yi looked up at the exceptionally bright Milky Way, his expression dazed, and refused to speak first.

Pei Mao reined in his horse, which snorted loudly. He then said, "I never thought the Xiongnu would be so numerous and so scattered. Zhao Ji easily defeated their vanguard. This will only cause more trouble."

Guanqiu Yi also reined in his horse and stood sideways in front of Pei Mao. Unable to discern Pei Mao's expression, he said, "Brother Juguang, the Hui River is the boundary. The Huben and Hubu armies are all north of the river. We are now engaged in a fierce battle with the Xiongnu, and victory or defeat is uncertain. Please also warn Fu Gong: if you cross the Hui River without orders from Minister Zhao... From what I know of him, he will suspect that the traitorous ministers are in rebellion and are holding the emperor hostage to sell him to the Xiongnu."

Pei Mao listened expressionlessly: "This is not something I can decide."

"Then I cannot decide important military matters on behalf of Minister Zhao. I have only two hundred Yulin soldiers under my command, and they all have a deep hatred for the Xiongnu. Anyone who hinders Minister Zhao from defeating the enemy will be their enemy. If the emperor is kidnapped by treacherous ministers, the Yulin soldiers will be the vanguard of the rebellion. That's all I have to say. Brother Juguang, please proceed with caution."

As Guanqiu Yi spoke, the image of Zhao Ji leading his Hu Ben passing by him flashed through his mind, without even looking at him, let alone greeting him as uncle.

He could save him on the battlefield, but after saving him, he would not even bother to stop and talk to him; outside the battlefield, he could also kill him indifferently.

Sometimes personal life and death is not that important, but once this precedent is set, the Guanqiu clan must be suppressed.

Anyway, he has made it clear what should and shouldn't be said.

If there really are traitorous ministers holding the emperor hostage, then don't blame him for dying in the chaos of war.

Anyway, among the 500 palace guards and 300 officials accompanying the emperor, nearly 700 were from Hedong, so it was normal that there were hidden disciples and former officials of the Wei family among them.

It's okay if you don't cause trouble, but if you cause trouble from above, don't blame these people for taking the opportunity to mess with you from below.

Seeing no response from Pei Mao, Guanqiu Yi bowed and said, "Goodbye."

Pei Mao also bowed and watched Guanqiu Yi drive his horse north, followed by a dozen knights holding torches.

Looking at the bonfire in the camp to the north, Pei Mao thought for a moment, turned his horse around and returned to the emperor's camp.

Inside the big tent, a map made of fine silk was spread on the table. It was a newly drawn map, and the directions of rivers and roads were not very accurate. Even the markings of cities had large errors.

How could Liu Xie not love military affairs?

His fondest memory was reviewing the troops at Pingle Temple. At that time, the Yellow Turbans were pacified and the imperial court gathered elite troops from all over the country to form the Xiyuan Imperial Guards.

Even if the Yellow Turban Army in Yizhou rises again, without dispatching the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan, a Xiyuan County Sima can be sent to lead a small part of the Xiyuan Army to suppress it.

After a period of great chaos, the world is about to have an opportunity for peace and order.

However, Emperor Ling died of illness, which was too sudden for Liu Xie and most people.

During these years, although there was no adult emperor to supervise, and the old ministers around him kept the classics secret when explaining them, the wars were too frequent and happened around them.

Liu Xie was smart. At least he could understand the map and knew that he had to pay the soldiers and provide them with food.

As for being awarded a title of nobility for military merit, being ranked as a two thousand stone official, or being a county official, Liu Xie felt that such rewards were too heavy due to the influence of the ministers.

People who know how to fight should just focus on killing bandits. How can they understand how to govern a country and its people?
When Pei Mao entered, Fu Wan placed his chopsticks between Jiangyi and Jingcheng and said, "We have brought in many axes today. If nothing unexpected happens, we will cut wood tomorrow to build antlers and fences to keep out the Xiongnu in the north."

The chopsticks he placed on the map were like a fence.

Liu Xie asked, "Didn't we defeat their vanguard today and capture so many? Why is it not the Xiongnu who are building the fence, but our army?"

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu have many knights, and their gatherings and dispersals are unpredictable. Only by building a fence can we effectively eliminate the intrusion of their scattered cavalry."

Fu Wan reiterated the Xiongnu's cavalry advantage, saying that the Tiger Infantry had marched from Anyi to Beijiang and needed time to rest and recuperate.

It is not suitable to leave the camp today. Tomorrow, we can allocate manpower to build defensive fortifications under the cover of the cavalry.

When facing a war, the Han army's tradition was to build various civil engineering works.

There is no need to even send troops to garrison. If a small group of Huns breaks through, we can just send troops to pursue and kill them.

With things like fences, when there are no defenders, you can quickly destroy a passage; but if you are being pursued, you will be too busy to open a decent gap.

As Fu Wan was speaking, he saw Pei Mao return and stand by his side. He asked, "What does Guanqiu Wenqiang mean?"

"His intention is the same as that of the other armies. He aims to defeat the Xiongnu and eliminate the threat to Hedong. He has no other intentions."

Pei Mao simply expounded on Guanqiu Yi's position, avoiding exaggerating the conflict or reiterating his warnings. Fu Wan remained silent, pointing to the map and asking, "Does Ju Guang think that if the Xiongnu invade tomorrow while Minister Zhao is building the fence, we can repel them like we did today?"

Pei Mao took three steps forward, lowered his gaze to look at the map, and squinted: "Based on my understanding of the various Xiongnu tribes, the Xiongnu will also build antlers and fences tomorrow."

It made sense for both sides to build fortifications face to face, while providing infantry cover and cavalry harassment.

The Southern Xiongnu had long cooperated with the Han army in combat, using similar tactics.

They were better at wearing down the enemy with earthworks and would never use men to fight, and ended up being defeated by the Xianbei's strong attack.

Fu Wan thought Pei Mao's words made sense, so he took another chopstick and placed it to the south of Xingcheng, roughly parallel to the chopstick to the north of Jiangyi.

During the actual construction, how close these two lines of fortifications could be depended on the courage of Zhao Ji and the Huns.

At this time, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Zhao Rui, spoke up: "Guanqiu Sheren, you and Minister Zhao have been friends since childhood. You both enlisted as Tiger Guards and fought together in national crisis. You both have made great contributions to the court. In your opinion, what will Minister Zhao do tomorrow?"

Guanqiu Xing had squeezed himself into a corner of the tent as best he could. Zhao Rui called on him, and his colleagues made room for him. He then stepped forward and saluted, "Master Jian, in my opinion, if the Xiongnu were building fences and deer horns, Minister Zhao would have ordered his troops to defend them so that the soldiers could rest and recuperate."

Liu Xie was puzzled: "Why is this?"

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu themselves repaired the fence for Minister Zhao."

Guanqiu Xing tried to express his views in a calm tone as much as possible, but he still couldn't control his emotions, which were surging.

When it comes to fighting, he admires Zhao Ji very much, and he firmly believes that Zhao Ji will do so.

Not only him, but the young officials in the big tent also became emotional when they heard this.

Fu Wan frowned. "How can this be possible? The fence was built by the Xiongnu, and the gates are also controlled by the Xiongnu. They can come and go freely. Wouldn't this put our army in a passive position?"

Guanqiu Xing replied, "Marquis Fu is unaware of the impressive archery skills of the Minister of State Zhao, who could shoot a hundred and fifty steps. He attempted to seize the stockade, but the Xiongnu found it difficult to defend it, and were forced to surrender. Perhaps the Xiongnu were forced to build a second and third line of deer horns."

It was impossible for the Huns to abandon Xingcheng. Only by stationing here could they cooperate with the army on the north bank and effectively hold back the imperial army.

Even if they did not initiate a decisive battle, the Huns would stick to the imperial court, entangle the army here, and create opportunities for Guanzhong.

"Ridiculous! Can we build ten antlers?"

Seeing Guanqiu Xing praising Zhao Ji so highly, Fu Wan was naturally displeased: "Withdraw."

Fu Wan shouted, raised his hand and flicked his sleeves at Guanqiu Xing. Guanqiu Xing wanted to say something but stopped, his face flushed red.

He forced himself to lower his head and bow his hands. At that moment, he felt a pain in his spine and a heaviness in his chest. He wanted to kill Fu Wan, or at least spit at him.

He retreated back to the corner and swallowed the saliva in his mouth.

He just half-lowered his face, with a tense expression, and ignored the probing and scrutinizing glances of his colleagues around him.

Liu Xie carefully looked at the map and picked up a few chopsticks to gesture back and forth. If the Huns' shooting range was only two chopsticks, Zhao Ji could shoot the length of three chopsticks. As for fortifications such as fences, the Huns standing behind them would not be able to withstand it at all.

He thought of Lü Bu and asked, "Wen Hou used this tactic when he assisted Yuan Shao in defeating Zhang Yan?"

Fu Wan replied, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Wen is surrounded by brave cavalrymen from his hometown, and Minister Zhao is not skilled in horseback riding or archery."

"My point is that Zhang Yan's soldiers won't give up the antlers easily. If Marquis Wen can lead his cavalry over the antlers and kill the enemy, he must have used bows and crossbows to repel Zhang Yan's soldiers before that."

Liu Xie lowered his eyes to examine the map, recalling the terrain along the way. He said, "As Guanqiu Sheren said, it is not enough for the Xiongnu to build a fence."

Yang Zhong, the Imperial Censor, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up, "Your Majesty, if the Xiongnu army on the north bank of Linfen retreats back to the upper reaches of the Fen River, crosses the river upstream, and joins the Xiongnu in Xingcheng, they will number tens of thousands and come all at once. A decisive battle between the armies, and Minister Zhao, who is too arrogant not to set up barriers, will inevitably be in trouble."

Liu Xie listened with confusion and asked, "Then why didn't the Xiongnu gather together sooner and attack from the north?"

Yang Zhong was at a loss for words. Liu Xie looked at Pei Mao again, who cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the Xiongnu have assembled in haste, and their tribes have old enmity. Therefore, they have been divided into two groups based on geographical proximity and affinities. This opposition between the strong makes it difficult for them to unite and divide the weak. This is a strategy for the weak to survive. Furthermore, dividing the troops to defend the north bank is to prevent our army from crossing the river and attacking from behind."

Liu Xie thought this made sense, so he nodded and asked, "Do the Xiongnu really build multiple antlers and advance step by step?"

"I don't know, but from what I know about Minister Zhao, he will allow the Xiongnu to get closer, making it easier for them to attack."

When Pei Mao answered, he glanced at Fu Wan and sure enough, Fu Wan's face looked even worse.

Zhao Ji's arrogant and impulsive behavior treated the safety of the emperor and the survival of the court as a joke.

(End of this chapter)