Tiger Guards

Chapter 183: Hand-to-Hand Combat

The sky gradually brightened in the emperor's camp.

Liu Xie looked through the charges previously written by the five ministers, and his emotions were somewhat fluctuating.

It was really unexpected that the five iron-willed ministers could not last more than two months with Zhao Ji before they began to write charges against him.

If these people were managed by Zhao Ji for three years, Liu Xie couldn't imagine how obedient and submissive they would be.

As an emperor, he was lonely.

Many insights and experiences must be kept in your heart and cannot be revealed to outsiders.

Even the queen would only listen to half of what he said.

This half of the truth must have its cause and effect reversed, and half of the lies mixed in.

After the hijacking incident, he no longer had anyone to confide in with whom he could tell half of his true feelings.

I can only bear it at this moment.

As for the Queen's advice for him to get close to Zhao Ji... these ministers were a lesson from the past, and he didn't want to end up like that.

"Your Majesty, Wang Rou's messenger has arrived at the camp, saying that Wang Rou has boarded a boat and will be crossing the lake."

Shi Qian entered, bowed, and said softly, "My lords and ministers have finished washing up. May I summon you?"

"Where is Zhao Qing?"

"The Marquis of Zhao is selecting his Tiger Guards to welcome Wang Rou."

Shi Qian answered gently that Wang Rou was an outsider and had to walk through the White Blade Halberd Gate when he met the emperor. This was a concrete manifestation of the emperor's majesty.

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment, but decided to give up meeting the ministers.

I just feel that seeing each other now will only add to the awkwardness and make things worse.

At this moment, three hundred tiger soldiers gathered, all wearing bright red robes and covered with gilded iron armor, standing there shining golden.

Dressed in red and golden armor, each one looks mighty and majestic.

In order to further demonstrate his power, Zhao Ji draped them with scarlet robes embroidered with simple patterns for both civil and military officials, with white strips of cloth hanging from their shoulders with the words "The Emperor's Tiger Guards" and "The Country's Minion" written on them.

Zhao Ji also carefully checked his sword and the hidden weapons on his waist. Under his cloak on his waist, there was still half a bundle of a one-and-a-half-foot-long short spear.

After everything was confirmed to be correct, he stood in the front row of the team and looked around at these people. Less than one-third of them were Tiger Guards.

Most of the Huben soldiers who had experienced actual combat were sent out as officers of the Tiger Infantry Army or commanders of a hundred men; those with disabilities were transferred to the Marquisate of Pingyang to work with Jia Kui and Pei Xiu.

Most of the Tiger Guards added later were descendants of the Tiger Guards.

As long as a Tiger Guard is promoted and leaves the Tiger Guard, or is injured or killed in battle, his children and relatives will be selected to fill the vacancies.

When recruiting new members, they would not deliberately select young people. As long as they could receive two arrows from Zhao Ji without changing their expression, they would be considered to have passed the assessment.

There are many examples of fathers and brothers filling in the gaps, so there are also some young and strong soldiers among them.

Facing Zhao Ji's gaze, the three hundred Tiger Guards stood tall, swords slung over their shoulders, and halberds in their hands.

Imperial Censor Dong Fen came hurriedly over and said, "Lord Zhao, the Xiongnu Lieutenant General has disembarked and is unloading the tribute."

"understood."

Zhao Ji raised his right hand and waved it towards the gate: "Let's go!"

"Here!"

Tang Xian led the first team of 100 men, followed by the second and third teams.

Three hundred Tiger Guards began to stand guard at the camp gate, in groups of two, stretching from the camp gate to the front of the central army gate. One hundred and fifty pairs of Tiger Guards stood face to face, filling the distance of one hundred steps.

Zhao Ji also boarded the chariot, shook the reins with his driver's hands, and drove the four-horse chariot out of the camp and stood beside the gate.

Yang Zhong, the Imperial Censor, was waiting there and stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Lord Zhao, Wang Rou has presented a large amount of local products, more than a hundred carts full."

"Taiyuan is very wealthy, which is evident from this."

Zhao Ji sighed and looked sideways to the north, where boats were docked and loading and unloading supplies.

The carriages and horses were all borrowed from various families in Zhongdu. Zhao Ji just looked at them without saying anything.

The place where the boats dock is a small ferry.

Sun Zi stood aside and chatted with Wang Ling in a low voice. He had already communicated with Zhao Ji face to face last night.

Two hundred thousand shi of grain and fodder were not enough for Hedong's use, and Zhao Ji's bottom line was five hundred thousand shi.

Hedong won't take it for free, you can pay for it.

Before the great chaos in the world, the general market price of grain was around 200 coins.

But that was the market price when the world was peaceful and crops were harvested normally; since the late reign of Emperor Ling, the market price has never been normal.

During the Three Prefectures Rebellion, a bowl of grain was worth hundreds of thousands of coins.

An equal weight of gold cannot buy an equal weight of grain; this is the price of grain.

Therefore, Zhao Ji offered a price for grain that he thought was very sincere: one thousand coins per stone of grain.

Five hundred thousand dan of grain was worth five hundred million, or fifty thousand gold.

Hedong must have such a large amount of money reserves. Five hundred thousand shi is probably equivalent to all the grain reserves in Hedong at present.

Not counting the summer and autumn harvests, one million dan of grain would barely be enough for the Hedong military and civilians to survive for four months.

Wang Ling was somewhat tempted, but 500,000 dan of grain far exceeded the bottom line of each family. "Yanlong, you know that each family is worried that the Hedong and Henei troops will not leave. If we give them 500,000 dan of grain in one fell swoop, they will have the confidence to stay for a long time. Then they will repeatedly demand money and food, and all the money and food will be taken by outsiders, right?"

Looking at Sun Zi seriously, Wang Ling made an OK gesture and said, "A maximum of 300,000 dan will be allocated. 100,000 dan will be allocated first. After the Hedong troops withdraw, another 100,000 dan will be allocated. After the autumn harvest, the remaining 100,000 dan will be allocated. We don't need Hedong or the Marquis of Zhao to pay for the grain. Just consider it a charitable act of our county to help our neighbors."

"It's still not enough. I will discuss it with Marquis Zhao again. I also thank Yanyun for negotiating with the various families to let them know Marquis Zhao's sincerity in purchasing grain. If this is successful, Marquis Zhao will commend Yanyun's achievements in the court."

Sun Zi did not rush to agree. Not to mention other counties, just by squeezing Zhongdu County dry, he could squeeze out 300,000 to 400,000 shi.

Adding the summer and autumn grains, it would not be difficult to collect 500,000 shi.

Before the Great Lake dried up, the nine counties of Zhongdu were so prosperous. Even locusts disliked the wet Zhongdu counties.

Seeing Wang Rou boarding the chariot in leather armor decorated with gold patterns, Sun Zi and Wang Ling stopped talking, returned to their riders, and mounted their horses.

Food is a big issue, so it is normal to discuss it for a few more days.

Even with 200,000 dan of grain, it would be difficult to drive away the Hedong and Henei coalition forces. If Taiyuan reacted quickly enough and blocked the coalition forces outside the county, it could still hold on for a while.

But the other party brought the emperor to inspect Taiyuan and saw the wealth of the counties in Zhongdu. He could not be easily dismissed.

Even the emperor and the court had to deliver the gifts to the right place, so as to avoid dissatisfaction and leave behind any bad reviews that were difficult to erase.

After a distance of more than a mile, they arrived at the camp gate in the blink of an eye.

On Wang Rou's chariot, Xun Ban pointed at Zhao Ji, who was wearing a gilded, bright-colored basin-collared armor with crimson and purple embroidered sleeves for both civil and military affairs, and said, "Mingsir, that is the Tiger Guards, the Lieutenant General, and the Attendant, Zhao Hou."

"Sure enough, he has a good appearance."

Wang Rou sighed softly, and was heard by Sun Zi and others behind him. Then Wang Rou instructed: "After paying homage to the emperor, please deliver the visiting card to the Marquis of Zhao on my behalf."

"Here."

Xun Ban responded loudly, and these words faintly reached Zhao Ji's ears.

When they were about ten steps apart, Wang Rou's chariot stopped and he stepped down to bow to Zhao Ji. "I am the General of the Central Army of the Xiongnu, Wang Rou, and I am here to pay you an audience with the Emperor."

Zhao Ji also got off the carriage, took a few steps forward with a firm step, and stretched out his arms: "The emperor is waiting in the camp, please come in, my lord."

As he was speaking, the well-dressed young men from Taiyuan who had come with Wang Rou dismounted one after another and gathered behind Wang Rou.

The vehicles transporting tribute also filed forward in a line behind, forming a train. All the vehicles were wrapped in red cloth, making it unclear what was loaded.

Each carriage had a servant in blue leading the horse, and two people pushing the carriage from behind. These servants were all wearing new blue clothes, and each of them had a strong build and a ruddy face.

Unlike the Tiger Infantry, they have only been able to eat their fill in the last month.

Wang Rou examined Zhao Ji carefully and asked with a smile, "How is Lord Yuan Ming?"

Seeing this, Zhao Ji took the initiative to bow and asked: "Does the prince have any history with my grandfather?"

"It's a long story. In his early years, Lord Yuanming served in Meng County and Yangyi. He also served in Yanmen and Mayi. The last time we met was when Lord Yuanming was summoned to the court and left Dingxiang County."

Wang Rou, lost in reminiscence, said with emotion, "In total, Lord Yuan Ming served in Taiyuan, Yanmen, and Dingxiang for twelve or thirteen years."

Then he suddenly understood and laughed to himself, "Lord Yuan Ming has sent me a letter, which he left in the carriage. I will fetch it for you."

Wang Rou turned and walked towards his chariot. Zhao Ji went to look curiously and saw Wang Rou take out a silk book from the box on the chariot. He held it up and waved to him: "It's here."

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji stood still. Wang Rou jumped out of the car and accidentally fell forward. Xun Ban and Wang Ling beside him exclaimed, "Lord Wang!"

At this moment, a dozen blue-clothed servants who were escorting tribute nearby pulled out powerful crossbows from the carriage covered with red cloth, aimed at Zhao Ji in unison, and fired almost without any order.

The crossbow string vibrated for a moment, and Zhao Ji turned around hurriedly. Five or six arrows hit his back and the back of his helmet, and Zhao Ji's body shook.

Xun Ban stepped forward, took the silk scroll from Wang Rou's hand, and raised it high, shouting at the top of his voice, "I obey your order to punish the traitor Zhao Ji. I will not question anyone else!"

More unarmored servants in green clothes drew their swords and rushed forward to surround Zhao Ji and snatch his head. Zhao Ji, who was shot by an arrow, turned around and drew his sword, but instead of retreating, he advanced. When he drew his sword, a white light flashed, and the Taiyuan warrior who was rushing in the front had half of his neck cut off by the sword.

When the crossbow was shot, the Huben soldiers near the gate turned around without hesitation and charged forward with their spears in hand, but Zhao Ji was the fastest.

From the moment he was shot by the arrow, the surrounding scenery seemed to slow down for him.

Unable to feel the pain in his body, he drew his sword and slashed it diagonally, then rushed into the group of blue-clothed servants with the sword in both hands, moving forward without retreating.

The sword and knife could not penetrate the armor. The opponent had no armor to protect his body and was like a vegetable under Zhao Ji's sword.

In an instant, he chopped down fifteen or sixteen people, and then cut off the neck of another person with a backhanded sword.

Zhao Ji had arrived in front of Wang Rou's carriage, raised his sword and stabbed it straight into Xun Ban's chest. Xun Ban tried to reach out to grab the sword, but Zhao Ji drew his sword back and cut off several of Xun Ban's fingers.

He was struck by several more swords from behind. Zhao Ji stepped forward and knocked Xun Ban away with his left elbow. He reached out and grabbed Wang Rou by the shoulder, saying with a smile, "No wonder he's an old friend of my grandfather."

Wang Rou was about to stab with the sword in her hand, but Zhao Ji thrust out the sword while he was speaking, piercing through the leather armor on Wang Rou's chest, entering through the gap between his ribs, and slowly coming out through his back.

Wang Rou gripped the sword tighter as intense pain hit her. She shrank her whole body and arched her back like a shrimp, trying to avoid the attack.

At this time, the Hu Ben rushed over, and the blue-clothed servant was unable to resist and was knocked over row by row. The halberd blades were like a forest, stabbing and hooking repeatedly.

In a moment, more than fifty servants in blue clothes died beside Zhao Ji. Han Shu asked anxiously, "Minister?"

"No problem."

Zhao Ji turned his head to look at him: "Send out the signal smoke and inform all the troops..."

"The Taiyuan clan thieves are plotting rebellion!"

After saying that, Zhao Ji slowly drew his sword. Wang Rou shivered in pain, her face turned pale, and her facial muscles trembled.

Without waiting for him to die, Zhao Ji drew out his sword and changed the angle, pushing it in slowly. The blade pierced through Wang Rou's leather armor on his back again, and the tip of the sword emerged from his cloak.

Sun Zi was so scared that he immediately distanced himself from Wang Ling. Wang Ling and others were panicked and were about to call for help, but they didn't expect that the Huben who followed up would throw a round of short spears at them. When Linghu Shao, who was beside Wang Ling, turned around to run, he was stabbed in the back by a spear. He fell to the ground and did not forget to reach out to Wang Ling for help.

Linghu Shao's voice was drowned out by the exclamations of other well-dressed young men. More and more tiger soldiers in red robes and golden armor rushed forward with spears in hand, like gods and heavenly soldiers, killing anyone they saw.

Zhao Ji stabbed Wang Rou repeatedly until her eyes widened and she showed no reaction. Only then did Zhao Ji calm down.

He drew his sword, raised his hand and pushed Wang Rou in the face, grabbed a corner of her cloak, and lifted the cloak to wipe the blood off the sword.

In the central military camp, Liu Xie sat on a wooden platform, surrounded by nobles on both sides, all watching quietly the assassination and counter-assassination at the gate.

Everyone was still in shock. Liu Xie urged Shi Qian, who was also horrified, "Go check on Zhao Qing's injuries!"

Shi Qian had no time to answer and ran towards the gate.

If Zhao Ji is seriously injured, given his vicious nature, none of them will have a good ending!

At this time, Wang Ling, who had drawn his sword and was barely resisting, had his sword-holding wrist hooked off by a halberd, and was pierced in the chest by two iron halberds while screaming.

Wang Ling fell to the ground with his face pressed against the cold earth. He saw the shy Guo Huai, who had been stabbed in the eye socket by a halberd, lying not far away, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

Before Wang Ling could think, the Huben soldier who passed by was panting, raised his halberd and stabbed it, hitting Wang Ling in the back of the neck. Wang Ling's vision suddenly became dark and the signal was cut off.

(End of this chapter)