Tiger Guards

Chapter 20 Xu Huang Gongming
Across the Fen River is Linfen City.

The more than 200 people recruited by Xu Huang were stationed in an abandoned village on the outskirts of the city, and some people were still searching among the ruins.

The Baibo Army broke out in Baibo Valley, which is not far to the northeast of Linfen, close to the Fen River.

On the east bank of Baibo Valley is Jia Kui’s hometown, Xiangling.

Going north along the Fen River from Xiangling is Yang County where Xu Huang was located.

Pingyang is located on the west bank of the Fen River between Yang County and Xiangling; the surrounding counties can all be regarded as the Pingyang area.

Thanks to the irrigation of the Fen River, Pingyang has always been prosperous.

But after the Baibo Army, everything was in ruins; after the Xiongnu moved south, the officials and people of Pingyang County could only live around large cities, fortified towns, manors, and camps.

Therefore, Xu Huang's recruitment this time was successful, and there was no shortage of people who dared to take risks in the counties of Pingyang.

After the Battle of Hongnong, the lowest rank of Bai Bo's former subordinates who retreated to Hedong was colonel.

Although this kind of captain does not receive salary and cannot command many people, he is still a captain after all.

In the morning, Xu Huang was feeding his horses. Later he would go to several towns to recruit soldiers.

Jia Kui came by boat across the Fen River. Just because he was Jia Kui, Xu Huang had to go out to greet him in person.

When Xu Huang welcomed Jia Kui into the tent, he saw Jia Kui examining the equipment inside and asked, "Since Jia Sheng has enlisted as a Tiger Guard, why have you come to see me?"

Xu Huang is now in his prime, with a thick beard, a strong body and a straight sitting posture.

Like many scholars in Pingyang area, Xu Huang had lost his family and was alone.

Jia Kui glanced at two old soldiers in tattered armor observing him from time to time at the tent door, and said with a smile, "It's like this. The Tiger Guards are new and haven't seen actual combat. Sima Wang proposed to go in and suppress the bandits in Jishan, and Commander Xu has experienced battles and is a fellow villager, so he crossed the river to ask for advice on military matters."

The emperor crossed the river and arrived in Anyi, where he bestowed titles on Xu Huang, including the rank of Cavalry Commandant and Marquis of Duting.

The Cavalry Captain is not the Cavalry Captain, but refers specifically to the three captains who command and control the Three Rivers Knights Battalion.

The Sanhe Knight Battalion and the Cavalry Commandant belong to the outer periphery of the Yulin Army. At this juncture, it is not a problem for Xu Huang's troops to be called Yulin soldiers.

Xu Huang stared at Jia Kui: "Jishan Bandit?"

"Yes, we have a guide and an insider. We hope Commander Xu can cross the river and teach us the strategy."

Jia Kui looked serious and sincere. Seeing this, Xu Huang said, "Without an imperial order, our troops should not participate in the war. If we are just discussing the war, it will not be a big deal. However, our camp is short of food and fodder. Can you lend us fifty dan?"

Fifty stone of grain was a lot. When the emperor ran out of food, he went to Li Jue for help. Li Jue threw out two smelly cow bones.

"It's not my decision to decide on the fifty dan of grain. If the commander is short of food, why not discuss it with Commander Wang? I also can't bear to see my fellow countrymen starve, so I will join my friends in speaking up for Commander Xu."

Jia Kui said calmly, "Since Commander Wang has already decided to attack the bandits at Jishan, I hope Commander Xu can present the situation fairly and persuade Commander Wang to withdraw his troops. The Tiger Guards are newly recruited and have never experienced combat. If any casualties occur, how will we explain this to the elders?"

As he spoke, Jia Kui bowed deeply with his hands clasped together, looking as if he was tired of war.

"Easy to say."

Xu Huang also stood up and hurried to support Jia Kui. "This matter should not be delayed. Once I have instructed the troops and made all the necessary arrangements, I will cross the river with Jia Sheng."

"Yes, I will wait for the good news from the commander."

Jia Kui took the initiative to walk out of the tent, and Xu Huang called together the new and old leaders to announce the matter.

When several conscripted soldiers from Xiangling saw Jia Kui, they came forward to pay their respects and ask questions.

Jia Kui did not hide his purpose. He said that Sima Wang Zhi intended to attack the bandits in Jishan to establish his authority, and he came to invite Xu Huang to join the army.

Xu Huang only brought three guards with him. After boarding the boat, Jia Kui and Xu Huang crossed the river first.

When they reached the other side and the boat left, Xu Huang said, "Jia Sheng, has anything happened in the Tiger Guards camp?"

"Nothing major has changed. We've simply deduced and gathered that some traitorous officials will collude with the Jishan bandits and the bastard Xiongnu to attack." Jia Kui faced the shimmering Fen River, his eyes narrowed. "Everything in the camp remains as usual. We won't prepare for battle until nightfall. If the enemy attacks, we can defend the camp; the challenge lies in capturing them. If Commander Xu can help us intercept the enemy's retreat, we'll surely reap a rich harvest."

Xu Huang, his left hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, stood half a step behind Jia Kui, also watching the boats on the Fen River. "If I mobilize troops without an imperial decree, General Yang will hold me accountable and will have my head chopped off."

After a pause, Xu Huang continued, "Even if Jia Sheng had an imperial edict, I would find it difficult to cooperate. It's not that I don't want to, but if you want to move your troops across the Fen River to join the battle, there will definitely be obstacles in my camp. Only by killing them with lightning speed can I lead the troops across the river. Otherwise, internal strife and turmoil will shake the morale of the army, making it useless."

He glanced at Jia Kui's profile as he spoke, "Killing these spies is easy, but after that, Xu will have no way out. Xu's life or death is a trivial matter. Now the court and General Yang are suspicious of each other. If Xu were to change, General Yang would be in a state of panic, which would be detrimental to the court."

Xu Huang also took a deep breath: "I also have a passion for serving my country, but why is it like this?"

"Since the captain has his own difficulties, we cannot force him."

Jia Kui blinked and said, "In that case, we will pursue them closely. If there is a fire during the night battle, I hope the captain can patrol the riverbank. If we are victorious, the captain can kill the bandits and gain merit... If we are defeated and the soldiers escape across the river, I hope the captain can rescue a few."

"It's not difficult."

Xu Huang agreed immediately. As long as the action was within a reasonable range, he didn't mind helping.

Seeing his agreement, Jia Kui immediately said, "The Huben Camp has been reorganized. Under General Wang, there are five divisions under his command. I have been nominated as the Warehouse Officer. Success or failure tonight is uncertain, so I will grant Commandant Xu a hundred dan of rice later. I simply hope the Commandant can gather boats from far and near, and after transporting the grain, we can say we have more to transport tomorrow and anchor the boats on the south bank for the night."

Xu Huang understood that if the Huben troops were defeated, many people could use these boats to escape.

While pondering, Xu Huang said, "Jia Sheng has a good plan. The boats will gather at the ferry crossing in Jiangyi. The Xiongnu bandits will have difficulty crossing the river and will have to cross upstream."

Jia Kui just smiled and asked, "Are there any loyal and righteous men like the captain among the generals under Baibo?"

Xu Huang thought carefully and replied solemnly, "If anyone had been so eager to pledge their loyalty to the court that they revealed their true intentions, they would have been eliminated by the other generals, or persecuted by the Li and Guo rebels. The only ones left alive now are those like me, so confused and disloyal that it's hard to tell who's loyal and who's not."

"Captain, you're joking."

Jia Kui responded, but it was not appropriate to continue discussing this topic.

The generals and troops of the Baibo Army who initially crossed the river to defend the king suffered extremely tragic deaths. Many of them were from the same hometown as Xu Huang and Jia Kui.

Only one out of ten survived, which is a true portrayal of the loyal Baibo Army.

Although Xu Huang was titled Cavalry Commandant and Marquis of Duting, he knew that such a reward would be difficult to convince the people.

Although Jia Kui is so polite, he just needs help from him at the moment.

He turned around and walked away, and God knows what people would say to him.

But Xu Huang was calm. After all, he had crawled out of a sea of blood and corpses, so he would not care about such a small matter.

As long as he gets the food promised by the other party, he can recruit dozens more soldiers.

These dozens of soldiers are much more important than Jia Kui's friendship and goodwill.

As for the Huns... he has already given a hint, and whether people like Jia Kui can understand it depends on their luck.

Anyway, he was really tired. No matter how much he disliked Yang Feng, he didn't want to be stained with Yang Feng's blood.

As Yang Feng's subordinate and fellow villager, he had the moral obligation to serve and protect Yang Feng and to humble himself to maintain his chastity.

Although he also has the obligation to be loyal to the emperor...but when the two obligations conflict with each other, all Xu Huang can do is wait for the result.

Given his background, even if he betrayed Yang Feng for the emperor, he would be looked down upon and suppressed by his fellow villagers, officials, and scholars.

It's so contradictory that I want to kneel on the ground, kiss your boots, and beg you to be loyal to the emperor and fight against your former master.

When you really succeed, they will not acknowledge your achievements at all. Instead, they will despise and attack your morals and ethics.

The case of Marquis Lu Wen is a lesson for us. After killing Dong Zhuo, if Wang Yun had been more willing to listen to advice and respect Lu Bu's opinions, how could the situation have become so chaotic?
All of this was chosen by the ministers, what could Xu Huang do?
If Yang Fengzhen ordered him to take action, Xu Huang would also take action.

The world is in such a mess, are the poor ministers really innocent?
(End of this chapter)