Tiger Guards

Chapter 2: Tiger Gate
The next day, the two brothers carried the dried meat and valuables stored in the cabin down the mountain.

Follow the ridgeline down to the ravine and walk east along the ravine path formed by river erosion.

After walking more than 40 miles along the mountain road, we returned to the village where the Zhao family lived at noon.

Because a group of White Wave bandits passed through the village that year, nine out of ten houses were deserted, which is why the Zhao family had houses and fields to live in.

The two concubines that Zhao's father took in were widows from the neighboring family. There were more than 50 people living in the village now, and the Zhao family had 24 of them.

Zhao Ji's return did not attract much attention.

The mountain road of more than forty miles is not far, and the original owner would go down the mountain from time to time to deliver some meat and medicinal materials, and take some arrows, clothes or salt from home.

When I returned today, my father Zhao Lian and my elder brother Zhao Jian were burning charcoal in the yard. The kiln had been closed and they were waiting for it to be simmered and formed.

It was early March, and the five decades-old apricot trees in the courtyard were in bloom.

Several younger brothers and sisters were lying on the ground picking apricot blossoms, but they were not close to Zhao Ji.

In the shade of the tree, Zhao Ji washed himself with well water, feeling refreshed, and observed the courtyard.

At a few corners, we saw hidden light crossbows. This is a self-defense hand crossbow that can be quickly wound and is relatively cheap. It can only hurt people without armor.

Soon Zhao Lian also came out of the house, and his eldest brother followed him. His second brother came out holding a jar of rice wine, and his two half-grown younger siblings carried a small table with dishes and millet rice on it.

As for my mother, two concubines, two sisters-in-law, and two half-sisters who were about to come of age, these seven people went to the fields early.

The eldest and second brothers had four children in total, and they played together with the children born to their two concubines.

If nothing unexpected happens, I should marry a wife, work in the blacksmith shop, and my wife will help my mother manage the land.

When I have children in the future, I will play with my younger brothers and sisters, and my older nephews and nieces.

If the family has enough savings, I can also take a concubine after my eldest and second brothers take concubines in the future.

As a family grows stronger, by the time the sons reach their generation, that is, twenty years later, the Zhao family will have more than 200 people. Even if it is not as prosperous as the Pei family, it can still maintain its current assets.

While Zhao Ji was lost in thought, the low table was set and Zhao Lian sat down.

Zhao Lian was a poor scholar from a poor family, and that was what everyone around him and his family thought of him.

After the second brother finished pouring the wine, Zhao Lian asked, "I heard that the Xiongnu came down the Fen River in the spring, and more than a hundred of them came to Jishan to hunt. Did there happen any conflict between the mountain people and the Xiongnu?"

Zhao Ji listened in confusion. His original body truly lived alone. He shook his head, "I've never heard of it."

"I won't let you live in the mountains for two reasons. The Xiongnu's hunting range is getting farther and farther. If you were captured by the Xiongnu while living alone in the mountains, we wouldn't know about it, let alone rescue or redeem you."

Zhao Lian explained patiently in a gentle tone, "Then there's the Pei family. Someone among them spread rumors, saying you were living in seclusion in the mountains, but were actually stealing. It's also possible that the Xiongnu are becoming increasingly rampant, and a cow went missing half a month ago. The cow could have been lost, or stolen. It's hard to say."

Zhao Ji listened patiently and retrieved his original memory. He realized that this father in front of him, who was also handsome, only looked gentle. He actually had a very bad temper. The three brothers of the original body were often beaten when they were young.

He would break off a thumb-thick willow branch and then take another one. Old Zhao never used his fists or feet to beat his children. He always used willow branches and spare willow branches.

With the birth of his eldest brother's son and his original body turning sixteen and growing stronger, Old Zhao's personality began to become gentle.

To the extent that the original body was somewhat envious of the younger brothers and sisters born to the concubine, as these children had never suffered from hunger or been whipped by Old Zhao.

Zhao Lian was relieved to see that the third brother had become much calmer. The third brother often opposed just for the sake of opposing.

This change in the third brother will help him suffer less losses in the future, which is naturally a good thing.

Zhao Lian motioned for everyone to drink together, and he took the lead. After finishing a bowl of yellow rice wine, he said, "Losing the cow is not a big deal, and it has nothing to do with my family. However, my family's business has grown so big over the years that many of the elders in the Pei family have become dissatisfied."

The second brother, holding the wine jar and pouring wine, complained: "We don't eat a single grain of corn from his family, so why are you dissatisfied?"

Zhao Lian just smiled and said to the third brother, Zhao Ji, who was wiping the corners of his mouth with his sleeves rolled up, "In ten years, these old people will be gone, and the other members of the Pei family will have some acquaintance with me, or at least be familiar faces. My family is growing stronger, and they won't say anything bad. But now it's not possible. The mountains are not stable. Aji, you have no choice but to leave."

Zhao Ji remained silent, watching his second brother pour him a glass of wine. He then said, "I've heard of the Snail Horn dispute. I never thought I'd have to leave here for just such a reason."

"The snail horn that Aji mentioned is quite big."

The eldest brother, Zhao Jian, smiled and pointed around. "There are 200 mu of paddy fields around the mouth of this ditch, and more than 3,000 mu of other farmland. There are also many trees in the ditch, which are all money."

As he said this, he went to see Zhao Lian, who also said, "My family knows how to smelt iron and make charcoal. When we have more people in the future, we can mine iron from Jishan and make charcoal there. Before, we were alone, and you brothers were young. If we rashly expand our foundation, it will inevitably be usurped by outsiders."

Zhao Lian then took another sip of his wine and said with considerable pride, "I've been here for over twenty years, building my business from scratch. How many people of my generation in the county can compare to me? Only after the old man Pei dies can my family truly establish itself. If this is accomplished, even a hundred years later, I will have no regrets."

Then he looked at Zhao Ji and said, "Today's disaster may not be a bad thing."

Zhao Jian also said: "As father said, if it weren't for Aji's incident, Pei might have tried to harm my family in other ways."

The second-in-command, Zhao Yuan, never said a word, but just glanced at Zhao Ji from time to time.

"Yes, my father had a hard time starting his business. I have no other way to repay his kindness, and I cannot destroy his legacy."

Zhao Ji also took a sip of the wine. Just as Zhao Yuan threatened yesterday, he couldn't defend the wooden house in the mountains. If he really angered Old Zhao, he would go up the mountain and burn it down. What could you do?
It’s okay in the summer, as you still have time to rebuild it; but if it’s burned down in the winter, there’s really no way out.

The original body could immerse itself in the life of hunting in the mountains. Although I have mastered the hunting skills of the original body, I still lack the patience and tenacity and am not suitable for the solitary life of hunting in the mountains.

Seeing that Zhao Ji was willing to give in, Zhao Lian also breathed a sigh of relief.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't want to go to the mountains to burn down the third brother's wooden house.

Immediately, his expression and smile became much more relaxed, and he said, "You can go out and hide for two years. When you come back, you will have your own family business."

Seeing that Zhao Ji didn't agree, Zhao Lian said, "Alan and Axi are about to reach marriage age. I have discussed this with your mother. There is no point in marrying them to other people, and marrying them to the Pei family will hardly enhance the friendship between the two families." Zhao Ji looked at him strangely. The eldest and second oldest also glanced at him sideways, and the second oldest even swallowed nervously.

Zhao Lian asked Zhao Ji, "If you like anyone, I will marry them to you when you come back. If you don't like any of them, I want them to be your eldest and second brothers' concubines. In that case, when you come back, I will marry you a girl from the Pei family, and after a few years, I will marry you a concubine."

Zhao Ji went to see the eldest and second oldest brothers. The eldest brother didn't care about his attitude. No matter what, he would have an extra concubine. On the contrary, the second oldest brother looked at him eagerly and almost begged for help.

From the perspective of blood relationship, there is nothing wrong with this operation.

But Zhao Ji felt a little awkward and looked at Zhao Lian: "Aren't you afraid that Elder Pei will say that my Zhao family's family traditions are quite similar to Hu'er's?"

Zhao Lian didn't think it was unusual: "In ancient times, it was forbidden to marry people with the same surname. However, the descendants of Shun, Yao, Yu, Chen, and Tian, all had the same roots, and they all married, and the rites and laws didn't forbid it. Compared to that, what's the problem now?"

Zhao Ji finally understood that Old Zhao was going to fully tap into the family's breeding potential.

As long as he can raise a dozen or twenty sons and grandchildren before he dies, Old Zhao will be satisfied.

As the third child, I have been disobedient since childhood and not very obedient. It is even less likely that I will listen to the eldest child in the future. I guess I have been given up by Lao Zhao long ago.

The question was whether he was willing to marry the two stepsisters who were not related by blood, which was actually a test to see if he was willing to give in.

If you marry one of them, you will be firmly bound to this family.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Ji thought for a moment and decided to give up.

If you marry a wife, she will certainly take care of your daily life and make your life easier and more comfortable.

But if you want to have a wife in this state, you have to pay with more freedom.

Unless you kill your eldest brother in the future, it will be difficult to get rid of it.

For other young people of the same age, getting married sooner means enjoying life sooner.

For me, in my previous life, many people’s parents arranged their marriages. Even if the marriage partner was not so satisfactory, I would temporarily bow my head and enjoy myself first.

Some are even coaxed by their parents into promising to buy this and that if they get married.

When they grow stronger and maturer, and meet their true love and soul mate, they will have conflicts with their spouse.

This is true for men, and sometimes for women as well.

In today's chaotic world, where one's future is uncertain, getting married early and having children is the only reliable way to preserve the continuation of the family.

Zhao Ji didn't want to tie himself up here just because of a woman.

"Father, the world is vast, and I want to go out and see it. As for Alan and Axi, I won't keep them away."

When Zhao Ji made the decision, he noticed his second son sighing with relief, so he asked, "Father, what is the purpose of this recruitment?"

The current governor of Hedong County, Wang Yi, was appointed General Zhenbei because he provided protection and hospitality when the emperor moved east.

Under Wang Yi's governance, Hedong had not experienced any major disturbances since the Baibo Rebellion.

The Xiongnu continued to migrate southward and occupied the fields and wastelands near Pingyang. Their nomadic range became wider, and they only stopped in the Jishan and Baibi areas to the south, with no trend of continuing to spread southward.

"Since the emperor traveled east, the generals in Guanzhong have been pursuing him relentlessly, and many of the accompanying tiger soldiers have been killed."

Zhao Lian told Zhao Ji what he had heard, and Zhao Ji only then realized what year it was and was stunned.

"Now that the Emperor is about to return to Luoyang, Wang Zhenbei is recruiting soldiers to present tribute. If he sends veteran soldiers to Henei and they are recruited by the generals, wouldn't he be at a disadvantage? That's why he wants to recruit 500 new soldiers to escort the tribute."

After a pause, Zhao Lian lowered his voice and said, "I heard that Wang Zhenbei is recruiting new soldiers to fill the vacancies of the Emperor's Tiger Guards. If you can be selected as a Tiger Guard, it will be a good career path for you."

Working as a security guard at the emperor's gate is also a great job for people from poor families.

Zhao Ji was puzzled when he heard this: "Will the accompanying generals allow the emperor to expand the Tiger Guards?"

"Do these people dare to do what Dong Zhuo and Li Jue did?"

Zhao Lian asked back with confidence that the generals who escorted the emperor on his eastward journey were originally very powerful when they were entrenched in one area.

But now they had lost their territory and many of their soldiers were killed or wounded by Li Jue and others. Many soldiers could not bear such heavy casualties and fled one after another.

What's more, there are General Zhenbei and Hedong County Governor Wang Yi and Grand Marshal Henei County Governor Zhang Yang who are pressing down on them. The accompanying generals are hindering each other and it is difficult for them to dominate. Who can do what Dong Zhuo and Li Jue did?
Zhao Ji stopped arguing and just felt that this security job was not easy.

But staying in the mountains is boring, and there is no clue to improve the plug-in.

Maybe if you go out and kill a few thieves in self-defense and kill some wild monsters, you may be able to break through the limit.

The bandits in the mountains near Jishan are all from the same village, and they are related to each other, so it is difficult to target them.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Ji nodded and stopped arguing about this matter that had nothing to do with them: "Okay, I'll go."

He agreed verbally, but in his heart he was thinking about staying in Jishan for ten years and then emerging as a sword god.

Unfortunately, we cannot hide in hiding. Cao Cao has not yet welcomed the emperor. Surrendering to the emperor may be a good way to enter the officialdom.

It should be very comfortable to just stay in Jishan and be the Sword God.

With this regret, Zhao Ji raised his eyebrows and glanced at the clouds in the sky, and he couldn't wait to see these heroes of troubled times.

(End of this chapter)