Tiger Guards

Chapter 162: Conquering the Rebellious
At night, a group of five hundred young Xiongnu nobles and teenagers served as guards.

They are hostages, and Zhao Ji is also a hostage tonight.

Outside the central army camp, Xu Huang couldn't sleep, so he led a team of guards to patrol everywhere.

The reorganization of the Huns can only be said to have just begun today.

The five tribes of the Huns will undergo their initial reorganization tomorrow, with each tribe having 200 volunteers, which makes a thousand cavalry. Today's 500 guards and hostages are also knights.

After the reorganization of the five divisions is completed, the redundant tribes and settlements will be directly managed by Zhao Ji, which will allow him to recruit a group of volunteer knights.

Not counting the male and female soldiers who were redeemed later, Zhao Ben could get a Xiongnu volunteer force of 3,000 cavalrymen just from this reorganization!
In the next two days, we will be able to barely reorganize these 3,000 cavalry, and the rest will be the five Xiongnu volunteers.

In the central army barracks, Zhao Ji sat cross-legged in front of a table, flipping through bamboo slips. On the table in front of him was a plate of fine river sand.

He used his fingers to continuously draw numbers on the surface of the river sand to calculate various data on the bamboo slips.

He would pick up a pen and write from time to time, but his method of calculation was not very fast; because an experienced accountant could basically recite three-digit multiplication.

The four-digit multiplication rule is not often used, but you can do mental calculations when needed.

Abacus and counting beads are only used when there is a need to calculate big data... Accountants, especially experienced ones, are a critical type of talent.

Jia Kui has this ability, so Jia Kui is also working overtime tonight.

However, because Zhao Ji had the power of allocation in many matters, he was actually more efficient than Jia Kui when calculating.

The data that Jia Kui needed to measure repeatedly was just an "approximate number" in Zhao Ji's eyes.

After ensuring the overall direction of resource allocation, the rest are minor details and can be left to Jia Kui to take charge of.

As long as the allocation is not too outrageous, the people below can make appropriate adjustments when executing it and it can be implemented.

Putting aside the things in his hands, Zhao Ji hung up his sword and walked out the door.

Two Xiongnu guards stood at the door. When they saw him come out, they bowed and saluted: "Shizhong."

"Well, I'm going to go find Mr. Wenhe. If you're tired, you can rest by the campfire."

Zhao Ji took two steps, then stopped and warned them: "The night curfew is strict. It is a capital offense for anyone on duty to go out alone. Do not be negligent."

"Here."

The two Xiongnu nobles bowed, watched Zhao Ji leave, and then stood back with their spears in hand.

They also work in teams of five, working together on duty and taking turns to rest.

The five centurions were led by Huben soldiers as captains and commanders.

There are only two teams of 100 people on duty tonight, divided into two shifts, front and back night.

If there is any variable, it is that the Huns will come to steal horses tonight.

However, all the boats, large and small, on the north bank were gathered at the ferry on the south bank, and there were knights patrolling the Xingcheng Xiongnu group at night, so it was difficult for them to steal horses.

When Zhao Ji arrived at Jia Xu's barracks, the lights were dim, so he asked the guard, "Mr. Wenhe, can you sleep?"

"I don't know. I'll go ask."

The people on duty here were also Xiongnu nobles, but Jia Xu had selected a group of young men. Just as the young men were about to knock on the door, Jia Xu's long-servant pushed it open and came out, bowing to Zhao Ji: "Shizhong, Duke Wenhe invites you."

Zhao Ji nodded and stepped into Jia Xu's barracks.

In the room, Jia Xu was playing chess alone in front of the oil lamp. When he saw Zhao Ji come in, he slowly put away the chess pieces on the chessboard.

After Zhao Ji sat down, Jia Xu asked, "Why is the Minister unable to sleep?"

"I'm full of energy and have just finished some chores, so I came to bother you when I had nothing better to do."

Zhao Ji explained, raising his hand to help Jia Xu put away the chess pieces. Jia Xu then said, "In my opinion, the Minister of the Interior is in trouble because of the Taiyuan incident."

The road to Taiyuan is now open, and the court will definitely seek support from Taiyuan.

The army, money, food and supplies are support, and public opinion support is also a kind of support.

Naturally, Zhao Ji also wanted to seize control of Taiyuan.

Zhao Ji didn't deny it. "The court is nearby, and my great-grandfather is far away in Anyi, making communication difficult. Pei Mao is the only one capable of leading Taiyuan. You, sir, could also be a good governor, but I can't bear to let you go." Jia Xu simply smiled and said, "The Minister of the Interior grew up in Hedong and has deep ties to his hometown. This would only hinder his ability to display his talents. Taiyuan is truly a treasured land, how can we give it to someone else?"

The prestigious position cannot be given up, and the court has only one chance to legally appoint the Taiyuan County Magistrate in the short term.

If the people of Taiyuan resist, they are rebels, and we can deal with them however we want after we win.

The people of Taiyuan were obedient, so if you selected cruel officials to conduct a strict investigation, you would always find out something.

What's more, with so many Xiongnu nobles reaching an alliance today, it would be too easy to get evidence.

The longer it drags on, the less convincing the evidence presented by the Xiongnu nobles becomes.

You can get any kind of evidence you want, it just depends on who you want to attack.

If Jia Xu reflected on his own feelings, he would naturally know whether he was afraid of revenge from the Wang family of Taiyuan.

I promised Zhao Yan to help Zhao Ji. Isn't this the moment I've been waiting for?
Jia Xu maintained his composure and continued, "Attacking the enemy when they least expect it can yield remarkable results. With the arrival of the Henei troops, the court is worried about a conflict between the two tigers, resulting in mutual destruction. Taiyuan is truly a gift from heaven. If we fail to seize it and give it to Pei Mao, it will inevitably lead to disaster."

"I have the same concerns."

Zhao Ji was still hesitant, and letting Pei Mao be the governor of Taiyuan County would help him quickly gain the support of the people of Taiyuan.

The future trouble is that the people of Taiyuan rely on Pei Mao's protection and unite the upper and lower levels. Not only is their power stable, but there is also the hidden danger of rebellion in Hedong.

What Zhao Ji wanted was to be the governor of Bingzhou, but it was difficult for him to serve as the governor of Taiyuan County at the same time.

At least before sending the imperial court far away, it is not appropriate to hold both positions.

Also, if we provoke the people of Taiyuan now, just as Jia Xu said, we can reap miraculous results.

However, as the battle line lengthened and Li Jue and Guo Si attacked Hedong, the Henei soldiers appeared near Beijiang again, and they would be in a passive position at that time.

Zhao Ji hesitated only briefly before saying, "I understand. A bird in the hand is worth a thousand in the bush. Tomorrow I will submit a memorial to the court, leading the Xiongnu kings, both great and small, to impeach the Wang family of Taiyuan and Qixian for colluding with the Xiongnu, trafficking in human beings and weapons, blocking roads, and disrespecting the court."

"Tomorrow is too urgent."

Jia Xu immediately corrected himself, saying, "Wait until the Xiongnu tribes have been properly reorganized before submitting an impeachment petition. If I'm not mistaken, there should be correspondence and envoys between the Xiongnu tribes. Yang Qi, Yang Biao, and the others can also be released. After the emperor and the ministers approve, the minister will lead the emperor to fight against the rebellious officials, and there will be no failure!"

Jia Xu did not elaborate on the rest. No matter how the Huns were reorganized, the various Hun tribes would suffer losses. So many Han men and women were taken away, and the various Hun tribes could be said to have been severely damaged.

In order to maintain the loyalty of the five Xiongnu tribes, a common enemy was needed.

Taiyuan Haoqiang is really suitable.

Taiyuan has a unique terrain. Although it is in the north, the disasters it suffered in the past two years have not been that severe.

Only by completely eliminating the powerful people in Taiyuan can the people of Hedong and the Xiongnu survive this year.

The harder the fight in the north, the more likely it is that the two defensive strongholds of Puyang and Fenyin in the south can hold on.

As long as they guard these two gates, they will be great heroes in the future.

Seeing that Zhao Ji had made up his mind, he was ready to go and attack the Taiyuan tyrants himself.

Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Wang family of Qi County and their cousin the Wang family of Jinyang still existed, the terrifying network of in-laws would still exist.

From then on, he could forget about living a peaceful life. Even if he lived out his life carefully, his descendants would be suppressed by the people of Taiyuan.

Perhaps his son can still be ranked among the two thousand stones, but his grandchildren will most likely disappear.

Jia Xu didn't want to bother thinking about his grandson's future.

But the opportunities are right in front of him. With just a little push, Zhao Ji can eliminate all hidden dangers... So why hesitate?
He was calm and relaxed, and in a much better mood.

After a moment's thought, he instructed Zhao Ji: "The Minister of the Court should not be anxious. The troops from Henei are approaching, and the Minister of the Court is extremely powerful. The court is anxious, and the court needs the Minister of the Court. In my opinion, Duke Yuanming should appoint the Minister of the Court with the rank of Sili Xiaowei, equal to the three officials, and establish a government. The Minister of the Court can also hold the rank of Hu Ben Zhonglang Jiang, and lead the emperor's personal army to attack the rebellious Taiyuan."

Jia Xu gestured on the chessboard, "To the north, Yanmen is close by. With a strong pass to the north, we can gather the men of Hedong and Taiyuan and attack the Xiongnu in Xihe. With such a strong army and horses, who else can take up the post besides the governor of Bingzhou?"

"Okay, I'll listen to Mr. Wenhe."

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "I have also disliked Wang Shi for a long time. I will help you get rid of this worry."

Jia Xu's face twitched when he heard this, and he corrected himself: "This is not my personal vendetta. It is the Emperor's order to lead the royal army and punish the disloyalty."

(End of this chapter)