Tiger Guards

Chapter 194 Pre-War Nightmare
Jinyang is located north of the Jin River, and on its east side is the Fen River that runs through the north and south.

There is Jinyang Lake in the north of the city, Longshan Mountain in the west, and Fen River in the east.

Therefore, it is quite difficult to besiege Jinyang.

Even so, the Taiyuan rebels continued to march northward unhindered.

It took five days to reach the north of Jin River and set up camp.

On the top of Jinyang City, Xu Huang watched the rebels and saw that they were divided into two parts.

Scouts reported back that most of the rebels had camped at the northern end of the estuary where the Jin River merged into the Fen River, while another group of rebels had camped on the east bank of the Fen River.

Xu Huang did not dare to leave the city easily. After repeated investigations, Xu Huang made a judgment.

Summon all the military officers in the city and gather them on the city wall.

Xu Huang pointed to the rebel camp southeast of the city and said, "Jinyang is strategically located and fortified. The enemy hastily assembled, lacking equipment, no renowned generals, and no logistics or reinforcements. Therefore, I conclude they have no intention of capturing Jinyang."

Wang Qi, the military commander assigned to Xu Huang, asked, "Captain, are you saying that the rebels are feigning an attack on the city in order to march north to support and rescue the Linghu and Guo families?"

"Only in this way can they have a chance of survival."

As Xu Huang spoke, he reached out and picked up the yellow mud blocks on the parapet of the women's wall. He rubbed them into yellow soil with his fingers and sprinkled them down carefully with squinted eyes.

The south wind blew, and dust flew towards him.

He looked around and said, "Guard all gates strictly without slacking off. Announce to all the residents of the city that no one is allowed to leave their homes at any time of day or night, or they will be treated as accomplices of the bandits. Patrol officers, be on high alert. If there is any sign of collusion between the bandits and the civilians, report to me immediately."

"Here!"

A dozen or so officers bowed, and Wang Qi suggested, "Since the enemy army intends to march north, why don't we take advantage of this situation and send out our elite cavalry to attack them when they flee?"

Xu Huang turned to look at Wang Qi: "No rush, I trust Minister Zhao."

Wang Qi and Xu Huang stared at each other for a moment, then stopped questioning and bowed, "Yes."

At this moment, more than 30 transport ships are sailing north.

The fleet stayed overnight at Gengyangjin, and traveled back and forth between the two banks of the Fen River, transporting some of the Yicong knights who arrived on the east bank to the west bank.

In Gengyangjin, Zhao Ji looked at the map and pointed at the area near Jinyang.

Han Shu brought a jar of pilaf and poured rice into plates for everyone.

Pei Xiu handed Zhao Ji a bowl of thick wine. Zhao Ji took it and used the wooden spoon in the bowl to stir the corn paste that looked like lees after brewing the wine. He first took a sip of the turbid and sweet wine, and then quickly ate a few big mouthfuls of the lees.

Seeing that the wine in the bowl was thin, he picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

Wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his left hand, Zhao Ji pointed east of Jinyang with his right index finger. "They have different opinions. Some want to ally with the Linghu and Guo families, while others want to take the Jingxing Road to join Yuan Shao."

Since the Han Dynasty, Taiyuan and Hedong counties have had six famous iron smelting bases and two salt mines.

The most famous one is the Hedong Salt Lake. Another salt mine is located in the north of Jinyang City. The output of this salt mine is far less than that of the Salt Lake, but it is still a salt mine.

There are many such small salt mines, including Yanmen Loufan, Yunzhong Woyang, Wuyuan Chengyi, and Xihe Fuchang, where the Fenshui River is formed.

But the largest iron smelting base in the entire Bingzhou is located at the foot of the mountain south of Jinyang and north of Daling County.

This smelting base has been in the hands of the Shang family since the troubled times.

The Shang family of Daling had sufficient equipment, craftsmen, miners, tenant farmers and miners. This was the confidence that allowed the Shang family to rebel under the surveillance of the Yanmen soldiers.

There must have been iron mines discovered north of Jinyang, but neither the Han Dynasty nor the Han Dynasty developed them in depth, and only focused on developing Jinyang's smelting base.

We are now only half a day's journey away from Jinyang, and we can approach and pin down the rebels tomorrow.

Pei Xiu looked at the map and said, "No matter what the rebels' intentions are, when our army attacks, Xu Huang's troops will be located on the west bank of the Fen River, making it difficult for them to respond."

The rebels were divided into two parts, the main force on the west bank and a smaller group on the east bank.

When the army marches north, it will certainly first attack the enemy on the east coast, which has the smallest number of troops, that is, the Shang clan's troops.

"He only needs to defend Jinyang. The Shang family's troops are well-equipped and even superior to the county troops. Tomorrow's battle, once the infantry and cavalry are in formation, we will attack them from both sides."

Zhao Ji turned around and took out a set of black and white chess pieces from the box. He handed ten black pieces to Pei Xiu and said, "Tomorrow, my seventh brother will lead a thousand cavalrymen north from the east bank. Choose the right time to set up your battle formation. Don't engage in a sudden battle."

He then took out five more and handed them to Wei Xing. "Zi'ang, lead five hundred cavalrymen and detour north along the east bank to join the battle. If the Shang army breaks out to the north, simply entangle them without engaging them head-on. If the Shang army collapses, intercept the fleeing troops."

Wei Xing, clutching the chess piece, suddenly asked, "If I set out early tomorrow, what if they head east to Yuci? Will they be entangled there as well?"

"Well, think of more ways, pool your resources, and focus on holding them back. Don't rush into a fight. The Shang family is now desperate, and a sudden fight would be like a trapped beast fighting to the death, resulting in heavy casualties."

"Here."

Zhao Ji took out five more black coins and handed them to Han Shu. "This time, you and I will fight separately. You will lead 500 cavalrymen on the west bank. After reaching the mouth of the Jin River, follow the Jin River westward and patrol the south bank. Carry plenty of flags and choose a place to deploy decoy troops. It would be best if you could detach a hundred cavalrymen to explore Longshan in depth. If you encounter the enemy, do not pursue them. Return to me."

Han Shu's face flushed, and he said in a loud voice, "Yes."

Zhao Ji placed the other black pieces in front of him and said, "I will lead the remaining knights."

Ximen Jian asked anxiously, "Minister, where is my humble position?"

"These are for you."

Zhao Ji counted out ten more white pieces and handed them to Ximen Jian, pointing them at the east bank of the Fen River. "Tomorrow, when the fleet sails north and approaches the battlefield, your ten teams of tiger-step warriors will disembark and form a battle formation facing north. When you meet Seventh Brother, cooperate with each other and do not engage in battle rashly." "Yes."

Ximen Jian sighed deeply and continued, "I thought I was in charge of the cavalry, not the infantry."

The others chuckled, but Zhao Ji looked at him gravely. "You're quick-witted, and once the infantry engage, it'll be hard to escape. I'm giving you the infantry because I trust you. How could I be so confident if I gave them to Zi'ang?"

Ximen Jian smiled as he listened and looked at Wei Xing proudly. Wei Xing didn't care because he had the right to act independently.

Zhao Ji looked at Xue Zhu again and said, "I leave the fleet to you. After the remaining infantry disembark upstream from the enemy, you will blockade the Fen River. All ships must advance and retreat together and not separate."

"Here."

Xue Zhuo bowed in agreement. After the infantry disembarked, the fleet was left with only the means of attack and collision.

The entire army had only one old warship, and the rest were transport ships, which were not conducive to naval battles.

The rebels must have small boats. Under the siege of the small boats, the individual transport ships that have left the team cannot stop it at all.

Seeing that the troops had been deployed, Zhao Ji said, "So, at the fourth watch, Wei Xing and Han Shu will march first. Then, the fleet will transport the infantry north. Finally, Zhao Ji and Pei Xiu will each lead a thousand cavalrymen and march north from the east bank. I will follow the river, and Pei Xiu will take a detour to form our right wing."

"Five or six miles from the enemy, I led a thousand cavalry to press the front. Ximen Jian led a thousand men to disembark from the boats, forming a battle formation and heading north. The fleet headed north on its own, and I led a thousand cavalry north, bypassing the enemy camp and exiting from the north to reunite with the fleet. At this time, Ximen Jian and Pei Xiu joined forces and used infantry and cavalry to block the southeastern part of the enemy formation without engaging in battle."

Zhao Ji did not call his courtesy name, but addressed him by his full name to show respect.

Everyone also looked serious. In fact, the combat mission was not difficult. The rebel cavalry was not strong, with only about 3,000 cavalry at most.

The most dangerous ones were Zhao Ji, Han Shu and Wei Xing, who acted alone. Zhao Ji was responsible for infiltrating the enemy cavalry and might encounter the main force of the enemy cavalry.

Han Shu and Wei Xing were exploring the way to find the enemy, and they might also encounter the enemy's main cavalry group.

But Zhao Ji was not too worried. In a war, if you don't even dare to show off your skills, then don't even think about making beautiful consecutive punches or having a high casualty ratio.

After all, my command team is composed of people from the same hometown, so they can implement an established tactic.

As for the rebels, they probably don't even have a unified command.

There are so many benefits to killing Wang Ling and his gang in one go.

It is also because of this that Jia Xu is slow and leisurely, not in a hurry for anything.

After the military meeting, everyone took a plate of pilaf and started eating.

Wei Xing squatted down near the light and ate, feeling very regretful: "What a pity that Jia Wenzhen and Shentu Wenfang are not here."

Zhao Ji spat out a piece of sheep bone and swallowed it before saying, "Wenzhen will help guard the main camp. This is a heavy responsibility. Once I am stationed in Jinyang, I will transfer Wenzhen north and he and Xu Gongming will lead their troops to attack the Linghu and Guo clans respectively."

As for Guanqiu Xing, no one mentions him now.

Everyone had a great appetite and soon had a second plate of rice.

Wei Xing couldn't help but say, "When I was leading the troops north and passing through Jiangyi this time, someone came to see me with a girl."

Then he looked at Zhao Ji and said, "He is also from Xixiang, and he brought a baby with him. He said he was looking for Ah Xing, so I brought him to Brother Seven."

Zhao Ji looked at Pei Xiu curiously: "Seventh Brother, is it really Ah Xing's?"

"It looks like it. If it's true, this guy has actually walked ahead of us."

Pei Xiu put down his chopsticks and said, "I asked the woman to dictate a letter and sent it to Ah Xing. He can handle it himself."

When he said walking in front of everyone, he was referring to a few people from Wenxi, excluding Ximen Jian, Xue Yu and others.

Xue Jun was already 32 years old. If it were a peaceful time, he would start looking for a suitable engagement partner for his child from nearby counties.

The oldest one, Wang Qi, is nearly forty years old. Once he retires from the Tiger Guard sequence, his eldest son will be able to take his place immediately.

Zhao Ji listened, took a sip of the thick wine, and said, "He should recognize it. His family's bloodline is not rich. Even if he doesn't recognize it, his family will recognize it."

After all, he is a concubine's grandson, and Guanqiu Yi can afford to raise him. All he has to do is find a concubine for Guanqiu Xing.

Several people around nodded, and Wei Xing said, "Minister, my son is almost due, but I don't think it's mine."

Seeing that he didn't care at all, Zhao Ji and the others just smiled. Zhao Ji said, "Don't worry, we will pay attention to it in the future."

"Everyone has his own destiny. It's useless to care too much."

Wei Xing stood up and went to get the third plate of pilaf, scraping the grease-soaked rice crust from the bottom of the pot. "If I die, you, Shizhong and Seventh Brother, can help raise me. His mother had a hard life anyway, and she was attentive when she served me. You can take care of her when the time comes, or even arrange for her to marry off."

Pei Xiu walked over and kicked Wei Xing in the butt: "Zi'ang, stop talking nonsense. Tomorrow we will beat them, not them beating us."

Wei Xing didn't hide, turning his head to look at Pei Xiu seriously: "Seventh Brother, I'm not talking nonsense. In my entire life, this woman is the only one who cares about me, even more than my mother. We've killed so many people, it's not a bad thing to make some preparations."

"Then go ahead and die without worry. I'll take care of you as if you were my own."

Pei Xiu was helpless and stopped correcting Wei Xing. Wei Xing wanted to say something, but felt unlucky, so he simply stopped talking.

Before leaving, Liu, who was given the item, cried, which made him feel very bad.

Even the dreams were not good ones.

(End of this chapter)