Tiger Guards

Chapter 218: True Rebel
Zhao Ji had no interest in Gao Rou, nor in Gao Gan.

After a brief meeting, Zhao Ji went to find Pei Xiu to have a meal.

Pei Xiu lived and ate on the construction site, and when he stopped working in the evening, the air was filled with smoke from cooking fires.

When Zhao Ji arrived, Pei Xiu was calculating expenses. Seeing that he was concentrating on his work, Zhao Ji didn't want to disturb him.

Pei Xiu was not a skilled accountant, but during this period he also mastered the rules and techniques of multiplication and division.

When calculating, Pei Xiu had to stay focused in order to do mental arithmetic.

Counting tools such as counting rods and beads are suitable for beginners, or for experienced people to calculate big data.

When it comes to daily account calculations, these calculation tools seem cumbersome and inconvenient.

Liu Hong, a member of the Taishan clan, has improved the primitive abacus, which is more like a flexible counting tool, a combination of counting rods and beads.

The original abacus was used for counting, and although it had a set of algorithms, Zhao Ji didn't know this. He even forgot the abacus formulas he had learned in elementary school.

At this moment, I can only wait quietly for Pei Xiu to calculate, otherwise if I disturb him, I will have to start all over again.

However, Zhao Ji planned to make an abacus, which could increase calculation efficiency even as a counting tool.

After using it for a long time, you will naturally be able to work out a set of concise formulas and algorithms.

Pei Xiu was also anxious, but he managed to stay focused and finished the calculation in one breath, looking relieved.

Seeing that he had finished his work, Zhao Ji sat down opposite Pei Xiu and reached out to examine the account books and bamboo slips. "We need to recruit some more accountants and keep a few more people. Cross-audits will make things easier for you. With more people, you can train them well and there will be no shortage of people in the future."

"Okay, I'll write to Pingyang and ask Liang Dao to recruit accountants."

Pei Xiu agreed. Taiyuan also had computing talents, but these people were either killed or imprisoned collectively to do heavy physical work.

Even if we use these people, we still have to wait for a while.

In Pingyang, there is a group of clan bandits who are engaged in manual labor, and it is not difficult to select a group of accountants from them.

These accountants would probably cherish the opportunity to work while serving their sentence in order to reduce their sentences.

Pei Xiu fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan and looked at Zhao Ji, whose shirt was almost bare-chested. He said, "You are an important official of the state, a county lord. How can you be so frivolous and disrespectful of your dignity?"

"If I'm well-dressed, even if God sends down a gust of cold air on me, you can even let me wear a leather jacket."

Zhao Ji turned his head to look outside. The sun was shining brightly. "These newly built houses are better. They are cooler than the old houses in the city."

During this period, military training avoided the scorching heat in the afternoon. Training was conducted in the morning and evening, with a nap in the afternoon; or people would go out of the camp to the Fen River to take a shower and cool off.

The construction site is no exception, and everyone has to take a break at noon.

As Zhao Ji spoke, he handed Gao Gan's handwritten letter to Pei Xiu. It was a silk book.

Pei Xiu took it with both hands and placed it on the table, then wiped the sweat off his hands before spreading it out to read.

Gao Gan once traveled to Taiyuan and Hedong, and Pei Xiu met Gao Gan once. Gao Gan left a very good impression on Pei Xiu. He was a gentleman who was both civil and military, of noble birth, handsome, and gentle.

If one must point out a shortcoming, it is that Gao Gan is only seven feet tall, which makes him look a little short in the eyes of people in Hedong.

Gao Gan expressed his respect for Zhao Ji in the letter, and this respect permeated the entire letter.

There is nothing else to say except respect and praise.

Pei Xiu put down the silk book and pondered: "He wants to stop the war?"

"I think this is a tactic to humiliate the enemy, and there is no good intention behind it."

Zhao Ji reached out and took Pei Xiu's palm-leaf fan, fanning himself. "The court is trying to trick Yuan Shao into backing off with the title of General of the Cavalry, but Yuan Shao won't fall for it. I don't care about the title of General of the Chariots and Cavalry, but Shangdang's fate cannot be determined by the ministers."

You can choose not to join the party, but you cannot let the ministers mediate successfully.

Since the former ministers have been labeled incompetent, if these people prove that they do have talent and means, wouldn't that negate the justice and necessity of the Anyi military remonstration?
When working in a large group, it is inevitable that people will hold each other back.

You can't always let others hold you back. You also have to work hard and take the initiative to hold others back.

There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Only by holding each other back can we gain each other's respect.

Otherwise, they will bully you like a fool, and after bullying you once, they will be eager to bully you a second time.

Pei Xiu fell into deep thought upon hearing this, while Zhao Ji continued to fan himself.

Anyway, if you compare with the upper limit, you can't lose; even if you compare with the lower limit, you can't lose.

Pei Xiu folded the silk book and asked, "How did Zhang Yan respond?"

"Just wait until the heat subsides."

Zhao Ji returned the fan to Pei Xiu and continued, "Lü Bu and Liu Bei have pledged their loyalty to each other, while Liu Bei and Yuan Shu remain at a stalemate. If Lü Bu dispatches his forces, major changes will undoubtedly occur in the Xuzhou, Huaihai, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou regions. Lü Bu is probably waiting for me to make a move. I wonder what Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are waiting for."

He couldn't wait to die, nor could he sit on the sidelines and passively defend. Ever since Zhao Ji had appointed Lü Bu as governor of Yuzhou under the guise of the imperial court, the course of events had begun to deviate from the 'mainline' Zhao Ji had been familiar with, and his superior intelligence insights were rapidly collapsing.

So I came to Pei Xiu, wanting to see Pei Xiu's opinions and broaden my knowledge and insights.

As the saying goes, a stone from another mountain can polish a jade, so don't underestimate others.

Jia Xu may be standing at the atmospheric level, and his accuracy in grasping the changes in things may be as high as 70% to 80%; then people standing at the third or fourth level may also come to similar judgments as Jia Xu.

Wrong or incomplete information can occasionally lead to correct judgments.

Ask for other people's opinions and make your own decisions.

Pei Xiu was also thinking seriously, his mind was basically tied to Zhao Ji's.

After a moment, Pei Xiu said, "I've also heard about the difficulties in Hebei. Since Ju Yi's death, Hebei has been without a great general and has been forced to rely on the Wuhuan of the three counties to counterbalance Gongsun Zan. During this time, Yuan Shao forged an imperial edict in an attempt to win over Tadun, and the leaders of the Wuhuan tribes were dissatisfied with Tadun's abuse of power. Upon learning of Yuan Shao's forged edict, unrest will ensue within the Wuhuan."

This was Pei Xiu's view, that Yuan Shao was waiting for the internal conflicts among the Wuhuan to subside.

Last year, Ju Yi and Liu He were defeated in a decisive battle with Gongsun Zan, and Gongsun Zan immediately became powerful; and Yuan Shao had to use rough means to execute Ju Yi and Liu He, which shook the morale of the army in Jizhou and alienated Yuan Shao from the Han powerful people in Youzhou.

In particular, the death of Liu He reduced Gongsun Zan's hatred among the people of Youzhou, and instead made Xianyu Fu, Tian Yu and other heroes from the border counties who had previously actively wanted to avenge Liu Yu change their stance and began to fight against Yuan Shao.

It was a very dangerous moment as Ju Yi, the main pillar of the party, was lost and Gongsun Zan's power was restored outside.

But in the three counties of Wuhuan, if Tadun wanted to turn the temporary leader into a lifelong leader, he could only seek support from external forces.

Tadun attacked from the north, catching Gongsun Zan off guard and suppressing his rising momentum.

Otherwise, once Gongsun Zan and the Han and Hu warlords in Youzhou resolve their hatred and reunite, it will be Yuan Shao's turn to suffer.

The key reason why Yuan Shao looked down on Cao Cao was that he had an organized cavalry, while Cao Cao did not.

If Yuan Shao is compared with Gongsun Zan, whose power has been restored, Yuan Shao's cavalry is completely useless.

In the field battle, after Gongsun Zan regains his power, he will have an absolute advantage... This advantage is multifaceted. At the strategic level, Gongsun Zan can decide whether to fight and where to fight.

In a decisive battle, Gongsun Zan, with his cavalry advantage, could fight more fiercely, and even after a defeat, he could gather most of his troops; if he won, the pursuit and annihilation of the enemy by the cavalry would be a complete victory and encirclement.

After listening to Pei Xiu's point of view, Zhao Ji fell into thought.

After taking Dai County, Xianyu Fu, Tian Yu, Yan Rou and others had submitted memorials and paid tribute. If the court issued an edict, Gongsun Zan and the Youzhou locals would put aside their previous hatreds, unite and become Yuan Shao's nightmare again.

But why should I help Gongsun Zan get rid of his bad reputation?
It has been such a long time, and Gongsun Zan's envoy has not come to greet or pay a visit to me. This is really a lack of respect for me.

Face is given to each other, and I really don't care whether Gongsun Zan can unite with the powerful people in Youzhou.

Instead, he took the initiative to send an envoy to pardon Gongsun Zan, which would make Gongsun Zan and the powerful people in the border counties look down on him.

After all, Gongsun Zan detained the imperial envoy, forged an imperial edict to appoint officials from four states, and even killed Liu Yu... It is a bit difficult to whitewash himself.

The stains on Gongsun Zan's body will not fade away easily. If he washes them himself, they will be transferred and distributed to himself.

Seeing Zhao Ji deep in thought, Pei Xiu added, "Gongsun Zan is definitely not someone who would sit back and wait for death. I've heard that Xianyu Fu and others have a deep hatred for him. If the road is blocked and Gongsun Zan's envoys are not allowed to pass, then they will inevitably have to take a detour and waste some time."

"I hope so. If his messenger is willing to come, I will help him."

Zhao Ji spoke calmly. The court's right to use the system would soon expire. If Zhang Yang escorted the court to Luodu, and Lu Bu broke through Yuzhou and occupied Ru and Ying counties during this period, the court would naturally look at him with a different attitude.

He couldn't help but worry that after strengthening Lu Bu in the south and Gongsun Zan in the north, together with himself, they would directly defeat Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, forcing them to form a closer alliance.

After the alliance among the Liu clans was formed, the imperial court's influence increased greatly... Isn't that equivalent to the appearance of another mature version of Cao Cao?

There was no way. Although Cao Cao was very strong now, making Lu Bu and Zhang Yang dare not send troops to fight again easily; Yuan Shao was also very strong, pressing Gongsun Zan so hard that he could hardly breathe.

But the situation changes very quickly. Neither Yuan Shao nor Cao Cao were able to maintain stability. The world has only been in chaos for eight years. How stable could they be?
If you lose one battle, you lose everything.

I am no exception. The imperial court can keep losing. As long as it wins once, it will be able to turn the tables and become the master.

In fact, he, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are the real deep-level allies.

While he was thinking, the guards brought the meal and Zhao Ji stopped thinking about it.

We can only rely on the envoy from Gongsun Zan. If the envoy is willing to come and speaks nicely, it will give Yuan Shao a big surprise.

The world is already in such chaos, what if it gets even more chaotic?

I need time, so what if the court restores its authority?
Luodu is not far from Hedong. At worst, we can send troops to Luodu to purge the court and punish the treacherous and evildoers.

Therefore, the real enemy is the imperial court, not people like Yuan Shao.

Zhao Ji held the dinner plate, feeling that one day the heroes would unite again to fight a hearty decisive battle with him.

Pei Xiu seemed to have noticed something. He just glanced at Zhao Ji and ate without saying anything.

(End of this chapter)