Tiger Guards

Chapter 171: Serving the First One
In order to leave a good impression on Zhang Yang, Zhao Ji wore black patent leather armor today.

This is a set of leather armor with little wear and tear. The mold used to press it is very fine, and it has undergone intricate carvings.

The patterns on the armor are mainly in two colors of delicate red and gold, and it is polished and smooth with a texture like jade.

On the chest is a silver-colored Taotie mythical beast pattern, and the surface of the pattern is also covered with a layer of water-gloss varnish.

At first glance, it feels like cheap plastic.

But in this day and age, this is a very gorgeous armor... It doesn't even have any practical function on the battlefield, and it's more like ceremonial armor.

It's a pity that the original owner of this set of armor did not preserve it well and the helmet was lost. It is also possible that the head and helmet of a previous owner were lost during the transfer process.

Therefore, Zhao Ji wrapped his head with a red cap. He wore the cap relatively low, covering his entire forehead, close to his eyebrows.

As a kind of bad taste of Zhao Ji, a pair of eyes and eyebrows were embroidered on the forehead of the red hat, horizontally and perpendicularly to his eyebrows.

If you look into his eyes without paying attention, you will be attracted by the pair of eyes on his forehead.

In order to entertain Zhang Yang, Zhao Ji specially ordered the slaughter of a five-month-old castrated sheep.

"Minister, that is General Zhang's carriage."

Han Shu came under the awning and pointed at the chariot a hundred steps away. Zhang Yang had a dozen other cavalrymen following him.

Zhao Ji didn't have many people here, so he brought only twenty or so mounted slaves and volunteers.

Before this, all the people around him had been sent out to do things. Except for the general manager Han Shu's escort guards who stayed by his side, even the flag officer Gao Yanglong was sent by Zhao Ji to be in charge of the military settlement work in a township.

Seeing the carriage getting closer, Zhao Ji stood up and walked three or four steps outside the awning, standing at the edge of the road.

The chariot slowly approached, and Zhang Yang bowed to Zhao Ji. Xue Hong dismounted and introduced himself, "Minister, this is my General Zhang."

He then bowed to Zhang Yang and introduced Zhao Ji: "Mingsir, this is Minister Zhao."

Zhao Ji bowed and said, "General Zhang, please."

Zhang Yang was stunned for a moment, then he smiled and extended his arms: "Please come in, Minister."

I thought Zhao Ji would say something polite like "I've heard of your name for a long time", but I didn't expect Zhao Ji to be so direct.

Xue Hong also felt a little suffocated. He turned his head to look at Han Shu, who smiled back at him.

After Zhang Yang sat down, he lifted his heavy military cap, shook out his robe sleeves, and sat upright. "Minister Zhao was able to quickly pacify Hedong. His talent, ability, and insight are far beyond the reach of ordinary people. He invited me to the banquet today, so I'm sure he has some profound ideas."

"The ministers are so pedantic that they are unworkable. I have no choice but to resort to military remonstration and house arrest. I hope the general will forgive me."

Zhao Ji bowed his hands in apology and pointed to the silk book in front of him: "General, please take a look at these things."

As he spoke, he picked it up with both hands and handed it to Zhang Yang opposite him.

Zhang Yang reached out to take it, set the wooden tray in place, and flipped through the contents one by one. He read carefully with a frown, and asked calmly, "Can this solve my military food and fodder expenses in Henei?"

"I work with the Right Wise Prince Qubei, and I enjoy his company. I wouldn't break my promise to him, so how could I break my promise to the general?"

Zhao Ji smiled and said, "This is what I am worried about. Apart from this, not only the supply of food and fodder, but also the equipment and money we have obtained can be distributed according to our merits."

Zhang Yang nodded slowly and asked, "Hedong faces the threat of Li and Guo, while Henei faces the threat of Yuan and Cao. Can we form a defensive alliance?"

"If General Zhang is interested, I would be happy to do so."

Zhao Ji was slightly surprised and said, "The ministers have gone to Pingyang to rebuild the mausoleum of Emperor Yao. When the mausoleum is completed and the emperor leads all the officials to offer sacrifices, we can swear an oath here and conclude the alliance."

"Very good."

Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Yuan family is powerful and tyrannical. With such a powerful neighbor in Henei, we are uneasy day and night. The two thieves Li and Guo are already in their twilight years, and I am afraid that the people in Hedong will be dissatisfied because of this."

"The truth that the lips and teeth are cold needs no elaboration. Yuan and Cao are in cahoots and are both traitors to the country. Those who broke the alliance between Hedong and Henei must have ulterior motives and must be spies of Yuan and Cao."

Zhao Ji reiterated his position, and Zhang Yang nodded in agreement.

After reading these letters and the handwritten notes of the ministers, he said, "The only one in the Central Plains who can rival Cao Cao is Marquis Wen. I wonder if Minister Zhao would be willing to form an alliance with Marquis Wen, so that we can jointly defeat Cao Cao and drive him back into Hebei."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Han Shu: "Go prepare the meal."

"Well, I'll take my leave."

Han Shu answered loudly and glanced at Xue Hong.

Xue Hong also took the initiative to bow to Zhao Ji and Zhang Yang, and followed Han Shu to retreat, staying thirty steps away.

With no one around, Zhao Ji slowed down his tone and asked, "I wonder what the alliance you're talking about looks like?"

"I recommend that Marquis Wen be appointed governor of Yuzhou. I issue an edict to Liu Biao, Liu Yao, Liu Bei, and the Prince of Chen to ally with Marquis Wen, both to defend against Yuan Shu internally and to support him externally."

Zhang Yang said this, pulling out a drawn map from his sleeve and handing it to Zhao Ji with both hands: "Such a vassal alliance will be enough to compete with Yuan and Cao in the north."

Zhao Ji took the silk book, opened it and took a glance to understand Zhang Yang's plan. He felt that this guy wanted to take over Jizhou.

Henei and Weijun are adjacent to each other. After Yuan Shao ate Gongsun Zan, he turned around and wanted to eat Henei next to his head. Kong Rong of Beihai was right at Yuan Shao's feet, and he would not let him go.

The reason why Zhang Yang and Kong Rong are still alive today is that even though Yuan Shao did not have time to deal with them, he still needed them to act as a buffer.

Objectively speaking, Zhang Yang's active approach to and support of the imperial court was to seek a way to survive and retreat.

If there was a chance to defeat Yuan Shao, Zhang Yang only needed to seize the neighboring Wei County, which would basically mean he would have seized most of Jizhou.

If we force Lu Bu to be the leader of the anti-Yuan alliance, Lu Bu will definitely support Zhang Yang to occupy Hebei.

What does it have to do with me whether I’m from Hebei or not?
Zhao Ji was completely unconcerned and said, "As far as I know, when Cao Cao attacked Runan, Marquis Lü Wen and the King of Chen both watched from the sidelines and did not send any troops to stop him." "Alas, Marquis Wen was powerless."

Zhang Yang sighed. "From what I understand, Marquis Wen currently commands over 800 strong cavalrymen, but they're also struggling with a shortage of money and food. If he can secure the position of Governor of Yu Province, raising soldiers and money and food won't be difficult; the only thing he lacks is horses. If Minister Zhao can spare some of these horses, Marquis Wen will be able to strike back at Cao Cao, forcing him to retreat westward. Then, the imperial court can enter Luoyang with peace and security."

Zhao Ji didn't rush to answer. Instead, he studied Zhang Yang's hand-drawn map and said, "After pacifying Taiyuan, I will need to leave troops to garrison various locations. With Li and Guo at my side, I dare not leave easily anytime soon. It's mid-April now. If we wait until April, when the horses are fattened and strong, I will personally escort them to meet Marquis Wen."

Four months is enough time to have a higher-level dialogue with Lu Bu and the Liu brothers.

In order to curb the growth of the two Yuans, even the court led by Li Jue and Guo Si appointed Liu Yao to take over Yangzhou.

As long as the imperial court is strong-willed, the Liu clan's vassal states will naturally have no room to escape.

Even if we don't send troops, we must provide support.

Otherwise, the Liu clan vassal states would be crippling their own military power and internal problems would arise.

"The Minister is actually going to escort the horses himself?"

"Yes, I want to go and see for myself what it's like under Cao Cao's rule. Besides, although I've lived in Jishan for a short time, I have great respect for Lü Wenhou."

Zhao Ji turned his head to look at the green rice fields: "I want to meet him and compete with him in archery."

Zhang Yang understands the competitive spirit of young people.

He asked, "How many horses can the Minister provide?"

"How much do you think is appropriate, General?"

Zhao Ji asked in return, when it comes to business, Zhang Yang is more sensible than the court officials in this regard, and he should not get something for nothing.

Zhang Yang smiled. "If you send the horses to Marquis Wen in four months, I'll send an envoy. He can come to Luodu in mid-June, and we can discuss this important matter then. While Minister Zhao is escorting the horses, I can also dispatch troops from Henei to support the escort, covering a distance of 500 miles into Chenliu."

After a pause, Zhang Yang continued, "Marquis Wen will dispatch troops from Xiaopei, marching 500 miles north, and they can reach Shanyang to provide support. This way, the Minister of the Court can sail down the Ji River, where Cao Cao will be unable to intercept him. He can reach Shanyang within four or five days."

Seeing Zhao Ji object to the escort plan, Zhang Yang tentatively asked, "For this first escort, how about 500 horses?"

"Five hundred horses?"

Zhao Ji frowned. "What can we do? It's not worth the risk. We are about to embark on a great cause. Although I am poor, I am not a narrow-minded person. My original intention was to send two or three thousand horses. I would lead a thousand cavalry as an escort, traveling day and night. We would exchange horses but not men, and march straight to Xiaopei to join the forces of Marquis Wen."

"Three thousand?"

Zhang Yang lost his voice and glared at Zhao Ji. "I am impoverished in Henei, and Marquis Wen has lost power and is living in seclusion in Xiaopei. I'm afraid it will be difficult to pay the horse fare."

Among the allies, Zhao Ji was able to share horses and sell them to them, which was already a great favor.

From the beginning to the end, Zhang Yang had no idea of giving it away for free.

He also rose step by step from the common people and knew very well what three thousand horses meant.

Even though it was nominally the Battle of Jiangyi, so many horses were captured by Zhao Ji alone.

Even though it nominally belongs to Zhao Ben himself, horses are needed in all aspects of Hedong, and so many people are watching it.

Giving away three thousand horses for no reason would make many people in Hedong disappointed and resentful.

You don’t share it with your own people, but give it away to outsiders for free... If your foundation grows stronger, will you do even more outrageous things?
Only by distinguishing between close and distant relatives and ensuring Zhao Ji's personal interests can the collective interests of Hedong be guaranteed.

"Exchange them for craftsmen and women."

Zhao Ji said in a normal tone, "Just say it was presented to the court by Xuzhou or Yuzhou. If Cao Cao dares to kill him, we will unite our forces to fight him."

The reasons for the war were different, and the depth of participation of the counties and prefectures of Yan and Yu was also different.

If the people that Lu Bu presented to the court were intercepted and killed by Cao Cao's men, the outlying counties might watch the battle and not participate in it.

The two states of Yan and Yu after Guandu were in two different states from those before.

What's more, the court is in their own hands.

As long as Zhang Yang is tough and divides his troops to guard Sishui Pass and Yique Pass, Cao Cao will come to attack, and see if he can take it down!
Zhang Yang is being tough here, so Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao will definitely not just sit there and watch.

To resist the Yuan-Cao group, there must be an initiator.

Zhang Yang might not have dared to take the initiative to attack Yuan Shao or Cao Cao, but he did have the courage to send troops to defend the imperial court and garrison the eight passes of Luoyang.

Zhang Yang clenched his fists repeatedly and said in a deep voice, "If you want to achieve something big, you can't rely on oaths alone. From what I know about Fengxian, if the Minister can send him 3,000 horses, he will definitely treat you as a brother."

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes. "Well, on Fengxian's behalf, I will betroth my daughter to the Minister. I will send someone back to Hanoi to select a son and a daughter and bring them to the Minister as a token of my sincerity."

"Okay, General, when you escort the emperor and the court back to Luodu, my second brother can join your army and get a leisurely job."

Zhao Ji immediately used his power for personal gain and found a future and a way out for his second brother, who was a private.

Zhao Ji picked up the wine pot and poured himself some wine, then held it up and said, "I've had enough of these corrupt officials and nobles. It's a real pleasure to discuss matters with the general!"

He raised his glass and said, "Drink it up!"

Zhang Yang also lifted his wine glass with both hands and said sternly, "Drink it all!"

Yuan Shao would not give him a chance to live, and neither would Cao Cao.

If you don't resist, you will inevitably be turned around and your clan will be exterminated.

The real key to breaking the deadlock was the horses Zhao Ji got from the Huns!
Fengxian got three thousand horses, so how could Cao Cao dare to attack Runan so brazenly?
Zhao Ji exchanged three thousand horses for Lu Bu's daughter, and the people of Hedong could not find any fault with it!
Based on Zhang Yang's understanding of Lu Bu, he would not mind inviting his wives and concubines out to drink with him if he was happy, let alone his eldest daughter.

(End of this chapter)