Tiger Guards

Chapter 272 is chilling
After the ministers made their decision, several waves of envoys headed east that night, and some also went south to report the news to Zhang Xiu at Wankou.

The next day the sky was gloomy and autumn rain was coming.

After the fourth watch, the camp was filled with smoke from cooking fires, and Zhao Ji was inspecting the camp.

Three scouts accompanied two horsemen and went straight into the gate. Seeing Zhao Ji patrolling the camp, they drove their horses to the front of the small camp and dismounted together.

The two emissaries also dismounted with difficulty. They were both Hedong Tiger Guards who remained in the court.

Zhao Ji walked out of the small camp and recognized one of them: "Song Gao?"

"It's a humble position."

Song Gao had a shallow pink scar on his left cheek. He cupped his hands and said, "Minister, the court is heading for Yingchuan! I've heard that Zhang Xiu has already led his troops north from Wankou, Ye County, and Kunyang, joining forces with Li Tong, the powerful commander of Runan. They have a force of 20,000!"

The Tiger Guards who came with Song Gao also said, "The court promoted Xun You and Xun Gongda to the rank of General of the Left Guard yesterday. I and other old Hedong people have been dismissed from the Left Guard Office by Xun You."

Zhao Ji asked with a smile, "Anything else?"

Song Gao replied, "The people of Ruying are planning to defect from Cao Cao and welcome the emperor to Xu County. I have heard that Xu County has a military base and has received a million dan of rice and wheat this year. When we left, all the officials in the court were excited."

Zhao Ji nodded: "You guys eat and rest first, this is not a big deal."

As Zhao Ji was speaking, he went to see a guard. The guard stepped out and extended his arms to invite them. Song Gao and the other man bowed to Zhao Ji, and Zhao Ji also bowed in return.

At this time, a military officer strode over and handed over a wooden tablet with a mud seal: "Minister, this is presented by General Zhang's messenger."

Zhao Ji reached out to take it, rubbed the dried mud print with his thumb, untied the knot, and saw that the letter contained similar content.

Zhang Yang expressed his anger in the letter, feeling ashamed and angry at being betrayed by the court.

Running over to eat the rice of the Yingchuan people, what's the difference between this and surrendering?
"pen and ink."

Zhao Ji opened his mouth, and soon Zhang Zan handed him a brush dipped in ink. Zhao Ji then wrote his reply on the blank spaces between the two wooden slips.

Zhao Ji felt that this was a trap set for the imperial court. If this mob ran to Yingchuan and could not get any food, they would most likely be eaten by Xun Yu.

Would Xun Yu and his gang dare to surrender easily if they didn't defeat and severely injure Cao Cao?
Besides, the people of Taiyuan and Shangdang were a lesson for me. I had already told Xun Yu clearly that there would be no good consequences if I surrendered!
How could Xun Yu, such a smart person, not know this!
The imperial court could not protect Xun Yu, nor could it protect the Ruying family!

It was not him who wanted to take action, but Lu Bu. The King of Chen also hated his old neighbors, the scholars from Ru and Ying.

Therefore, after defeating and expelling Cao Cao in a field battle, the next step is to deepen the development of the Ruying area.

Food is so scarce this year that Lu Bu doesn't want to take action and wants to disband his army.

For Lu Bu, this was not a difficult choice.

I really can't eat Ru Ying here, so it's very suitable for her to be eaten by Lu Bu.

In order to establish a new order, stubborn groups like the Ruying scholars must be destroyed.

However, these former ministers were too short-sighted and used Lü Bu to clean up the Ruying area. Lü Bu did not have many reliable people to govern the counties.

Isn't the administrative power at the county level still in the hands of the officials of the imperial court?
It’s hard to imagine how these guys could be so blinded?

Perhaps it can also be understood this way: these old men understand everything, but they just pretend to be stupid and do stupid things.

So, this is an impatient peacemaking!

"Send a message to Generals Chunyu Qiong, Han Meng, and Zhang He, and order them to lead their troops to rejoin me. Tell them that Cao Cao is setting a trap in Yingchuan, and that this trip will not bring good luck."

"Send an envoy to Lü Menghou and tell him that when the Autumn Water floods, he must be on guard against Cao Cao breaching the dike and launching a water attack."

"Inform all camps, move south!"

Zhao Ji kept giving orders, and Zhang Zan beside him took up a pen and wrote. The message of breaking camp was delivered first. The guards beside him took the token and immediately went to get the horses and leave the camp to deliver the order.

The court was about to get out of control, and Zhao Ji had to do something.

Now they were heading straight for Xu County from Suanzao, which was about the same distance from the imperial court. Zhao Ji was confident that he would arrive there first.

But in this case, if he wanted to pass through Xiahou Dun's defense zone, he would most likely be blocked by Xun Yu and be ambushed by Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao.

By leading the emperor and the court to Yingchuan, Xun Yu could buy Cao Cao more time.

Otherwise, when the emperor arrives in Chenliu, Xiahou Dun's army will collapse and fall to pieces.

Xiahou Dun also had grain reserves while managing Chenliu. Receiving some of Xiahou Dun's grain reserves would be enough to solve the food problem for at least a month.

I really didn't expect that Cao Cao would lead the court away.

The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became, and Zhao Ji was almost furious.

How to describe this matter? It's like five or six thieves broke into the landlord's door, and you have already controlled the leader of the thieves, and all you need to do is ask the landlord to call for help or report to the police.

As a result, the thief threw out a steamed bun, and the landlord happened to be a little hungry, so he pounced on the bun and ate it, completely ignoring your safety.

At this time, you must not rush to save or stop it, you should just catch Cao Cao and beat him to death!
It was two hundred and seventy to eighty miles from Xingyang to Xu County, which would take seven or eight days at the imperial court's marching speed. During this period, he had been moving cautiously southward, and was only one hundred and sixty miles away from Cao Cao, which was only three days' journey.

There were also many reed rafts stored in the Bian River, which could help transport supplies. If we went to fight Cao Cao, it would actually take less than three days.

Chenliu Xiangyi was Cao Cao’s front-line grain storage area.

Cao Cao's field camp was thirty miles north-east of the township, also south of the Bian River, less than twenty miles away from Lu Bu.

Xiangyi is located on the bank of Suishui River, and downstream of Suishui River is Ningling where King Chen’s troops were stationed.

Cao Cao had quietly evacuated from the front-line camp and returned to Xiangyi. Looking at the gloomy sky, a heavy autumn rain could come at any time.

After the autumn rains, the last vestiges of the summer heat dissipated, and both sides could deploy their heavily armored armies. Zhao Ji and Lü Bu had heavily armored troops, as did Zhang Yang, and Cao Cao would have no shortage of them either.

It is still hot and humid at noon, which is not suitable for heavy troops to move.

Heavy troops need a cool combat environment... and so do their horses.

With so many troops gathered in the camp, it is no longer easy to withdraw.

If you withdraw your troops at will, the whole army will panic. Not only will Lu Bu dare to chase and attack, but King Chen's army will also cooperate in the attack.

Therefore, Cao Cao could only retreat to Xiangyi through the tunnel, and he could only stay there temporarily. He had to return to the camp to inspect the troops and handle military affairs. Otherwise, the front-line officers and soldiers would not be able to see him, especially the Qingzhou troops, and chaos would occur.

At this moment, Cao Cao flipped through Sima Fang's silk book and breathed a sigh of relief: "Very good! Chenliu has been saved from danger, thanks to Fengxiao's brilliant plan."

"Your Excellency, thank you for your compliment."

Guo Jia sat aside and just smiled gently. This was really not his idea, but Xun Yu's response.

However, Guo Jia predicted the reactions of Xun Yu, Xun You and the court officials, and the current situation is still not optimistic.

This temporarily avoided the risk of the emperor arriving in Chenliu, Xiahou Dun's entire army mutinying, and the collapse of the defense line.

Previously, Cao Cao's subordinates were still arguing about whether to welcome the emperor, but now that they have seen the emperor's power, no one dares to refuse him.

An unknown person like Zhao Ji from the countryside immediately became powerful because of his brief control of the imperial court.

Yuan Shao was beaten so hard that he was dizzy.

If we can control the imperial court and conquer Hebei in accordance with the emperor's edict, we will surely be able to swallow Hebei in one go!

Zhao Ji did not swallow up Hebei's foundation in one battle, but they did!

Cao Cao put down Sima Fang's letter and picked up the handwritten letter from his fellow townsman Long Kang Huan Dian.

There were officials in the court who spoke in his favor, but the Zhao bandits were too powerful and they could not speak out for the time being.

As long as he drags on here, Zhao Ji and Zhang Yang's food will soon run out.

If we wait until their food supply drops to the warning line, the initiative will fall into Cao Cao's hands.

Although because of Zang Hong, there were always powerful people in Chenliu and Dongjun carefully transporting food to Zhao Ji, but this amount of food could not last long!

Unless Zhao Ji can break through Cao's defense line and enter the vicinity of Liang and Chen, he can eat the rice of King Chen.

Cao Cao did not dare to be negligent here and continued to carefully observe the changes in all aspects around him.

For him, two crises have been overcome.

The first crisis was that Zang Hong proposed to invite Zhao Ji to join forces to sweep through Dongping, Jibei, Dong'a and other counties. If successful, the Qingzhou soldiers would inevitably be in chaos, which would affect Cao Cao's front-line army.

The second crisis was that the emperor personally led an expedition to Chenliu, which led to the collapse of Xiahou Dun and even the rebellion of the Chenliu troops.

The news that the court had turned south from Xingyang soon reached Xu County, and Xun Yu was unable to make any decisions on behalf of the court officials.

Since the ministers had chosen this path, Xun Yu could only wait quietly for the arrival of the court.

As soon as Xun Yu learned about it, similar news was sent to Zhang Xiu's army.

Zhang Xiu was hesitant and made a special trip to ask Zhao Qi for advice.

"Yang Ziqi and his men have decided to march south to Yingchuan, which will surely anger Minister Zhao."

Zhao Qi held the silk scroll in his hands, his gaunt face more solemn than ever before. "Although we're not completely incompatible, given Minister Zhao's past behavior, if the nobles fall into his hands, it will be more than just the stables and land."

"Are you saying that Minister Zhao is plotting to murder you, the ministers?"

Zhang Xiu asked, and Zhao Qi turned to look at Zhang Xiu: "If it were the general, he would probably kill more than just the ministers."

"Don't dare."

Zhang Xiu asked himself and felt that he would not be as rampant and crazy as Zhao Ji.

Zhao Qi put down the silk scroll and asked solemnly, "General, may I ask what your ambition is? Do you want to support the imperial court and spread justice throughout the world? Or do you want to establish a name for yourself and leave your name on paper?"

Zhang Xiu fell silent, and Zhao Qi continued, "I am nearly ninety years old, and my days are numbered. General, you are a kind-hearted man. If you were to fight for the throne, you would surely be targeted."

What decent strategist could Zhang Xiu find?
Zhao Qi didn't think that Zhang Xiu could find an excellent strategist who would consider everything for him. Such a strategist would work alone if given the chance.

Without such a strategist and think tank, no matter how hard Zhang Xiu tried, he would only be building a house for others.

"Please teach me, Mr. Tai!"

Zhang Xiu stood up, took two steps back, and knelt solemnly in front of Zhao Qi, kowtowed deeply.

"Don't be burdened by false reputation. How can the mere prefect of Nanyang be worthy of risking your life for me, General?"

Zhao Qi spoke slowly, "I have a plan. We will join forces with Li Tong and attack Xu County overnight to seize its grain. We will then respond to the demands of the Kings of Zhao, Lü, and Chen, and then retreat to Yongliang. If this is the case, we must be wary of Li Tong's plot to harm us."

Leave the Central Plains, where there are huge disputes, and go to live in a place with a relatively simple political environment.

Zhang Xiu was surprised and bewildered by this proposal. He looked up at Zhao Qi and said, "Your Excellency has been working for the court for years. Why are you thinking of resigning now?"

"Minister Zhao had already pointed out a clear path for Yang Qi, Fu Wan, and the others, but they were shortsighted and headed south. They let down more than just Minister Zhao and Zhao Yuanming."

Zhao Qi looked down at Zhang Xiu and said, "They couldn't tolerate Lü Fengxian and Zhao Shizhong, so how could they tolerate a general in the future?"

(End of this chapter)