Tiger Guards

Chapter 234: Be strong without desire
Shangdang, on the road north of Nie County.

The emperor's carriage moved forward in an orderly manner, traveling forty to fifty miles every day.

Scouts and messengers are constantly coming and going, and each messenger and scout is a reflection of the "comprehensive national strength".

Information transmission has a cost, and the more efficiency you pursue, the higher the cost.

In order to avoid making mistakes, Zhao Ji would copy all the military books he had handled and send them to Jia Xu, just like handing in homework for a teacher to review.

This has nothing to do with face. Losing the battle and causing many people to die in vain is what Zhao Ji considers shameful.

Even if military intelligence would be leaked, Zhao Ji didn't care much.

The road conditions determined the nature of this battle, and it was difficult for both himself and Yuan Shao to play tricks.

In Zhending, Zhao Fan, as the court envoy, would report to Zhao Ji every day.

When Zhao Fan's messenger arrived, Zhao Ji was fishing with Liu Xie by the Nie River.

On the road, the army was still advancing in an orderly manner, but this did not prevent them from fishing and spending time.

This Nie River is the North Nie River, a tributary of the Zhuo Zhang River, flowing eastward; after entering Wei County, it merges with the Qing Zhang River coming from the north, and then flows through Yecheng.

The main tributaries of the Zhuozhang River converge in the Huguan Basin, and the Beinie River also flows southward into the basin after some twists and turns.

Zhao Ji was not very interested in fishing. He preferred to deal with various military books. Only when he processed information and grasped the changes everywhere did he feel safe.

When Zhao Fanjun's letter was placed in front of him, Zhao Ji couldn't help but squint his eyes. He didn't expect the surprise to come so quickly.

In order to avoid alerting the enemy or causing other unexpected incidents, he did not instruct Zhao Fan to focus on "exploring" Zhao Yun, whose courtesy name was Zilong.

I didn’t expect Yuan Shao to be so unpopular. Zhao Yun rebelled against Yuan Shao back then and he rebelled against Yuan Shao again this year.

Perhaps, Yuan Shao should reflect on this.

Seeing Zhao Ji scowling as he studied the military document, Liu Xie asked, "What troubles you, Lord Zhao?"

"This is military intelligence from Changshan. The officials and people of Changshan hate the Yuan family. Upon hearing the imperial edict, they have risen in arms, fearing that Yuan will invade and kill innocent men and women. Therefore, I request your permission to arrange for soldiers to assist, so that the people of Changshan can move to Taiyuan to escape the Yuan army."

Zhao Ji handed the silk book to Liu Xie with both hands and said, "I already know what Yuan Shao wants to do. The people of Changshan also know who Yuan Shao is. They will fight to the death."

Liu Xie did not care about the names of the heroes and righteous men who rose up in rebellion in this military book. What he cared about was whether Zhao Ji had lied to him or misled him when describing and discussing the military situation.

Liu Xie knew very well that he couldn't command the army without Zhao Ji's permission, but he still thought seriously: "According to Lord Zhao, is the Yuan family planning to repeat their old tricks?"

"Well, the battle against the traitorous minister Gao Gan may seem to be in Shangdang, but it's actually in Changshan, or even in Zhending County."

Zhao Ji felt the fishing rod shake, and he shook it casually. With the amplification of his skill, a river fish weighing three or four pounds was thrown out of the water, and the fish's tail flapped in the air. Liu Xie could still see the string of water droplets flying in the sunlight, refracting and flashing.

After removing the fish, Zhao Ji pinched a fresh green locust onto the hook and swung it down. "I don't think Yuan Shao can succeed, and Zhang Yan is no incompetent man. We suffered the same loss back then, so why would we repeat the same mistake this year?"

When it comes to digging earthworks, all armies are good at it.

Yuan Shao wanted to allow the Black Mountain Army to plunder, arouse public anger, and wear down the Black Mountain Army's fighting spirit.

The first Black Mountain troops who came down the mountain were the ones with the strongest fighting will, but as the looting continued, these people's fighting spirit quickly faded. The more they looted, the more bloated these Black Mountain troops became.

The Montenegrin troops that came down the mountain later had lower overall quality and low fighting spirit. They just came to steal things.

If they encounter a battle, they are very likely to scatter in panic, which will disrupt the order and morale of the elite Montenegrin Army.

Let the Black Mountain Army plunder and plunder. When the Black Mountain Army gathers more and more, Yuan's army will be able to launch a fierce attack.

It doesn’t matter how many Black Mountain soldiers were killed or wounded. What Yuan Shao wanted was to crush them psychologically and morale-wise and solidify this advantage.

So let the Black Mountain Army rob as much as they want. The more they rob, the more volunteers will resist the Black Mountain Army. The higher the probability of Yuan Shao defeating the Black Mountain Army in one battle, and the greater the psychological impact on the Black Mountain Army after the war.

Yuan Shao had his own plans, and Zhang Yan had his own responses.

Anyway, Zhao Ji is not in a hurry. His only idea is to capture high-ranking officials.

Even though Yuan Shao defeated Zhang Yan, he could not save his nephew Gao Gan. For Gao Gan's life and to restore his reputation, Yuan Shao had to submit a petition to the court to apologize.

If he fights first and then apologizes, Yuan Shao can still maintain his base and even train his troops to increase their resistance to the righteousness of the court.

If he were to bow his head and apologize upon hearing that the imperial court was attacking him... that would be the reason he collapsed.

Liu Xie pondered these things and couldn't help asking, "I've heard that Hebei is home to many talented people. How could they be unprepared for Zhang Yan?"

"What good is being prepared?" Zhao Ji couldn't help but smile. "Yuan Shao has never been afraid of Zhang Yan. If he were to send troops to engage Zhang Yan's fierce troops now, how would Yuan Shao respond when Your Majesty and I lead the troops out of Jingxing? Your Majesty, don't underestimate yourself. When the Emperor's banners leave Jingxing, Yan and Zhao will be shaken. How can Yuan Shao resist?"

Only by defeating the large and low-morale Black Mountain Army cleanly and efficiently can the resistance of Yuan's army to the righteousness of the court be strengthened.

Hearing what Zhao Ji said, Liu Xie also smiled.

Since modern times, the emperor's heirs have been selected from the genealogy of the kings of Hebei, and most of the imperial family's relatives are also from Hebei.

For example, Liu Xie’s maternal family came from the Wang family of Handan.

If Yuan Shao cannot maintain stability here, when the emperor's flag appears at Jingxingkou and Zhending, it is very likely that various units of Yuan's army will defect!

What Zhao Ji has to do is... prevent this from happening.

If Yuan Shao behaved stably enough here, Zhao Ji would dare to let the emperor leave Jingxing and give Yuan Shao some support.

The emperor's personal expedition put too much psychological pressure on local officials.

The pressure from these people will also be transferred to Yuan Shao and his main supporters.

These people have successfully withstood the pressure, and just like tempering, they will definitely become a little different.

Yuan Shao was in such an embarrassing situation, let alone his nephew Gao Gan.

The biggest mistake of senior officials is that they overestimate their own importance and the importance of the party.

With such little influence on your part, Gao Gan still wants to incite the officials and people of Shangdang to confront the royal army led by the emperor himself?
Since the expedition, the soul rings of the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty have been hanging above the troops led by Zhao Ji. The bodies of the Taiyuan clan thieves have not yet rotted away. Who dares to resist now?
Unless Gao Gan commits suicide immediately to apologize for his crime, no matter how the situation is handled in the end, the reputation of the Chenliu Gao family will be ruined and difficult to clean up.

But Gao Gan couldn't stand the pressure and committed suicide, and the pressure on Yuan Shao immediately increased dramatically.

So Zhao Ji was really worried that Yuan Shao would shatter into pieces like glass in an instant.

Although Yuan Shao was relieved, it was his turn to be in trouble.

Liu Xie was envious of Zhao Ji's calmness.

Ever since he could remember and understand things, he had a fear of the army.

Even those as strong as Jian Shuo and He Jin were killed; and Dong Zhuo often used killing to intimidate the enemy when dealing with military affairs.

The mass execution of surrendered soldiers was used to intimidate officials, and even the county governors and generals who rebelled in Guandong would be boiled to death in public.

However, everything was in order when Zhao Ji was marching and fighting, as if he was not fighting a war, but inspecting Shangdang.

Even on the Zhending battlefield, which was currently gathering the attention of countless people, Zhao Ji held an indifferent attitude.

Liu Xie really envied this calm and composed attitude.

At that time, Dong Zhuo seemed to have defeated the Guandong coalition forces one after another, but he was afraid of Sun Jian. He sent people to seek peace and marriage, and he was just short of asking Sun Jian to become his brother and worship Sun Jian as his elder brother.

If Dong Zhuo had been as calm as Zhao Ji at that time, there would probably not have been any plan to move the capital.

He is not Zhao Ji and cannot understand Zhao Ji's mentality.

Now the armies of all sides still have an indelible piety towards the sacredness of the emperor... If Yuan Shao is crushed with one punch this time, this sacredness will immediately surge, and Zhao Ji himself will have to kneel.

Therefore, Yuan Shao could not be destroyed, he was simply taking the emperor on a tour.

Yuan Shao doesn't go too far, and Zhao Ji won't force him to death.

Delay Yuan Shao and buy time for Gongsun Zan.

It is not until late September that Gongsun Zan performs.

Zhang Yan is just an appetizer. If the Black Mountain Army cannot quickly break through Yuan’s defense line, they will definitely withdraw and return to the various valleys before the snow falls.

When they withdrew, Gongsun Zan's Youzhou Han-Hu coalition forces came to attack, so Yuan Shao's life could be fulfilled and not boring.

In this way, he would have the energy to intervene in the Central Plains and see how big Cao Cao's pants were.

As for the sacredness of the emperor... take the emperor for a few more walks, and after all parties get used to it, it will be just that.

Only by sending the emperor back to Luodu can the possibility of rapid expansion of the court be eliminated, so as to avoid digging a big hole to bury itself.

Thinking about this, Zhao Ji lowered his eyes and looked at the fishing rod in his hand with an expressionless face.

Invite me to go fishing together... Am I so easy to bribe?
(End of this chapter)