Tiger Guards

Chapter 224 Loss of Confidence
On the sixth day of July, the vanguard Wei Xing set out from Jinyang.

Wei Xing is in high spirits today. He says he is a vanguard, but he is only in charge of transporting grain to Nie County in Shangdang County.

The county magistrate of Nie County was replaced by one of their own a month ago, and the local people also organized a volunteer army of nearly a thousand people.

Wei Xing's mission was not important, as it involved operating within his own controlled area.

He led 3,000 people by boat and after arriving in Qi County, he received food and vehicles there, and then escorted the transport team here to Nie County, where he built a grain storage mansion to serve as a front-line grain storage and logistics transit station.

Two days ago, Zhao Ji submitted a memorial to the emperor, resigning from the post of governor of Taiyuan County, and also recommended Jia Xu to take over.

Before the emperor's response arrived, Jia Xu wore the silver seal of the Taiyuan County Governor and went to Qi County to serve as the chief logistics officer of the Shangdang Campaign.

In the early stages, they mobilized troops to transport food and steadily managed Nie County. Only after storing enough food here would Zhao Ji lead the main force to join the war.

Even when participating in the war, the army set out gradually, first taking a boat to Qi County, and then moving step by step from Qi County to Nie County.

Camps and military stations were set up along the way to facilitate the army's journey and protect the smooth flow of food supply.

The most dangerous task at present falls on Xu Huang. Xu Huang has led his troops to retreat south from Yangqu, heading east through Yuci, and then turning south to Shangdang.

This is an external march and will be blocked or ambushed by Yuan’s army.

In order to prevent Yuan's army from taking Jingxing Road to penetrate Yuci and break into Taiyuan, Liang Xing also led 3,000 troops to Yuci and set up defenses around Yuci.

During the early period when Zhao Ji's main force was stationed in Jinyang, Yuan's army naturally did not dare to go through Jingxing to harass Taiyuan. Too few soldiers would be useless, and too many soldiers would put too much pressure on logistics.

Therefore, Liang Xing currently has enough time to deploy his defenses. Even if the main force of Yuan’s army attacks, Liang Xing does not have to fight a decisive battle, he only needs to defend Yuci City.

Zhao Ji wanted to cut the meat with a blunt knife and avoid a quick decisive battle with Yuan Shao.

As long as the two sides remain in a state of war, Gongsun Zan and Zhang Yan will gather troops during the duration of the war. When the scale reaches the limit, it will be Yuan Shao's turn to be in trouble.

After all, the army was trained to look like a real soldier, but there were still many flaws.

This stalemate phase of war is conducive to the integration of the army.

It will take until around the end of August for Zhao Ji's main forces to be deployed to the front lines, at which time Gongsun Zan will be able to complete the general mobilization of the Han and Hu armed forces in Youzhou.

Youzhou is at a high altitude, and the Han and Hu powerful people generally have animal husbandry, so the best time for them to mobilize is after autumn.

Whether they help Yuan Shao or Gongsun Zan, they will be involved.

If you remain neutral, you will be plundered by both sides.

After all, there are already conflicts and survival contradictions within Youzhou. When the scale of the war is large enough, everyone will be involved.

Many people supported Gongsun Zan, perhaps not because they liked Gongsun Zan, but because they hated Yuan Shao more, or because their enemy defected to Yuan Shao; those who supported Yuan Shao might also do the same, joining the enemy camp in order to oppose him.

As long as the internal conflicts in Youzhou still exist, Gongsun Zan will be able to build a large army again.

Zhang Yan's situation is even simpler. After the Black Mountain Army in the southern part of Taihang Mountain is eliminated, the northern armies will only want to fight back to their hometown. They will definitely take the lead in attacking Zhongshan, Zhao State, and Changshan, forcing Yuan Shao to divide his troops and garrison them to confront the Black Mountain Army.

What he had to do was to gradually increase the troops and put pressure on Yuan Shao to prevent him from gathering his main force to make a feint and then attack Zhang Yan.

As long as Gongsun Zan's army can be delayed until it moves south, Yuan Shao's Jizhou defense line will be shattered.

Zhao Ji's goal in this battle was very simple, which was to eliminate Gao Gan, Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan, compress Yuan Shao to the mainland of Jizhou, and cut off his external tentacles.

When Wei Xing led his troops south by boat, Jia Xu had already arrived in Qi County and led his team of officials to visit Wang Yun's former residence.

When he first crossed the river, he brought more than a hundred civil and military officials with him, who were Jia Xu's followers.

After most of the people were sent away, people from Hedong, Taiyuan County officials, Yanmen, Daijun, Xihe, and Shangjun were added during this period, and the scale was restored to a hundred people.

With such a large team of officials, Jia Xu was in charge of the coordination, and these people acted as his eyes, ears, and minions, thus achieving overall control.

Wang Yun's former residence was empty, with nothing in it. All the books had long been moved out by people sent by Zhao Ji.

What made Jia Xu most gratified was that Zhao Ji's revenge was very restrained, and he never did such meaningless things as digging up graves and mutilating corpses.

He even sent people to renovate Wang Yun's tomb in the name of the emperor. He did a great job taking care of the dead, but left no chance for the living.

After inspecting the area, Jia Xu sighed with emotion, "No family thrives forever, and no one is immortal. This is a truth. We are entrusted by the imperial court to govern a region, so we must be more cautious and self-disciplined. Remember this."

The accompanying officials had mixed origins and mixed emotions at the moment, so they all bowed deeply: "Yes."

"Come on, follow me to pay respects to Master Wang Zi's grave."

Jia Xu was in low spirits, for he knew that the genealogy of the Wang family of Qi County had been burned.

This time he was arranged to lead a county and be stationed in Qi County to be responsible for the logistics of the entire army. Although this was due to the unique geographical location of Qi County, it was also intended to allow him to continue the pursuit.

However, this kind of recovery does not have to be a formality, it can be done secretly.

Otherwise, if it were to be spread openly, it would be embarrassing for everyone. Jia Xu personally wrote a memorial, burned incense at Wang Yun's tomb, and sent an envoy to recite it. At that time, the news of the Jinyang expedition had already reached Shangdang.

The capital of Shangdang County was Changzi County.

Since taking office, Gao Gan has been seeking to visit scholars from the Central Plains who have fled to Shangdang to avoid the chaos, and many scholars have gathered around him.

Most of these scholars realized that things were not going well when the heroes were fighting against Dong Zhuo, so they abandoned their family businesses and migrated here with their families, relatives, and fellow villagers. Most of them settled in the mountains and valleys and were self-sufficient, so they survived.

Compared with the scholars in the Central Plains who suffered from the war, these scholars who took refuge in Shangdang were of better quality, more decisive, and had a stronger sense of crisis.

How could such a group of scholars who are proficient in the art of survival place their bets on high-ranking officials?
Gao Gan was only Yuan Shao's nephew, not his son.

In the short term, whether there are high-ranking officials or not, these visiting scholars still have to farm to be self-sufficient; in the long term, what benefits can they gain by relying on high-ranking officials?
In Shangdang today, when they are starving, even high-ranking officials may not be able to provide much relief.

Therefore, high-ranking officials often held banquets, and these people were happy to attend the banquets upon being invited, and after a lively discussion, they would go home to rest.

As for high-ranking officials...you think you can bribe these scholars who can already support themselves with just a few meals?

This is the collective consciousness of this group of scholars, and it is difficult for senior officials to change it.

Every time an invitation is given, neither the host nor the guest can ask for anything from the other. Instead, their status is relatively equal, and they can maintain a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere, as if returning to the time when there was no chaos.

They have a tacit understanding with each other and cherish this rare atmosphere.

As long as senior officials are willing to spend money to host a banquet, everyone will give them face.

As usual, senior officials held a banquet in the dense forests in the suburbs.

Inside and outside the curtain, the music of stringed instruments never stops.

There are the passionate singing of sad and indignant scholars when they are drunk, and there are also the sparse voices of men and women.

As autumn approaches, everyone cherishes the good weather.

Gao Gan was no exception. He was Yuan Shao's nephew, not his son-in-law, so he would not deliberately restrain himself when he was indulging himself.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came closer from afar. The senior official was holding the maid and shaking her hard, like a gambler who had lost all his money holding a coin pusher.

The sound of hooves came closer, and when they stopped, Gao Gan suddenly pushed the maid away, gasping for breath. The maid rolled on the straw mat, supported herself with her hands, let go of the skirt tied around her waist, and hid in the innermost layer of the curtain.

The senior official simply took out the front of his robe hanging on his leather belt, straightened his robe slightly, and rolled up his sleeves to wipe the sweat off his cheeks.

Just as he took a sip of wine from the bowl to moisten his throat, his personal attendants led the envoys in from behind the curtain.

The envoy took five or six steps forward and knelt on one knee: "Sir, the Jin army is marching!"

He held up a secret letter with both hands, breathing heavily, and looked more tired and exhausted than a senior official.

"How many troops are sent?"

"Xu Huang led 5,000 infantry and cavalry from Yuci via Yangyi. Liang Xing led 3,000 soldiers to follow Xu Huang. The Zhao thieves also sent their fellow townsman, Wei Xing, with 3,000 soldiers to Qixian, intending to transport grain to Niexian!"

The envoy answered in a deep voice. Gao Gan poured a glass of water first and signaled his attendant to bring it to the envoy.

Gao Gan himself broke the clay seal and opened the silk book.

As for what Zhao Ji did in Taiyuan, the senior officials naturally had no shortage of spies.

What can senior officials do?
He had no room to divide his troops and defend the city layer by layer.

Shentu Bei, the prefect of Yanmen County, was from Tunliu, Shangdang, and had a prominent position in Shangdang County. In addition, the Xun and Chen families had been generals for generations, and the Chen and Feng families of Lu County were once prominent families. Although they are now in decline, they are not people who can be easily destroyed or suppressed by high-ranking officials.

There is also the Tunliu Bao family, who have three dukes in one generation and have been two thousand stone officials for generations; the Taishan Bao family, that is, the Bao Xin branch, split from the Tunliu Bao family, and did not develop from Qi.

During this period, the imperial court recruited talents one after another. Shangdang was too close to Taiyuan, so sons from every family came to serve as officials in the court.

Senior officials don't trust these people, and it's not easy for them to take the initiative.

Even though these people feared and hated Zhao Ji, and were worried that Zhao Ji would kill the powerful and wealthy people in Shangdang... Gao Gan was more afraid that these people would betray him.

After reading the silk book, Gao Gan's emotions gradually stabilized. After regaining his composure, he felt fear.

Zhao Ji had been in power for only half a year, but he had never lost a battle.

Before Zhao Ji's sharp spear broke, it could pierce many people.

To put it bluntly, senior officials lack confidence in themselves.

He himself had no idea how many people his uncle would send to rescue him.

Therefore, it is a difficult choice to hold on and wait for help, and confront Zhao Ji head-on; or to lead the men back to Jizhou and preserve the manpower...

(End of this chapter)