Tiger Guards

Chapter 273 Not inferior to others
The rain clouds passed by, but no rain fell.

On the city wall of Chenliu, Xiahou Dun and Han Hao stood side by side, watching the Bingzhou soldiers leading their horses in the distance.

During this period, the Bingzhou soldiers not only built reed rafts and wooden rafts on the Bian River, but also collected many vehicles.

Only a few knights walked on foot, leading their horses; most knights wore armor and traveled in chariots, with their warhorses following alongside the vehicles.

This resulted in the Bingzhou troops marching in a rather long column, so much so that they were so arrogant that only about three hundred cavalrymen were on guard against the garrison in Chenliu City.

The Bingzhou soldiers had the capital to be arrogant. Since they were stationed in Suanzao, they had relied on their numerous knights to successfully cut off the internal and external communication channels of Chenliu City.

Chenliu City had cut off all correspondence with the outside world for four days, leaving Xiahou Dun with no other choice.

The messengers sent out rarely got far before being pursued and shot by scouts from Bingzhou.

Xiahou Dun, with his excellent eyesight, pointed to a group of infantrymen in white robes and white flags appearing upstream on the south bank of the Bian River: "Yuan Si, what is the reason for that?"

Han Hao stared intently at them: "I don't know... perhaps they are rebel soldiers from Yanzhou."

"That's my guess too."

Xiahou Dun couldn't help but sigh. He personally respected Zang Hong.

Han Hao remained silent, only gazing at the infantrymen with white headscarves and white flags.

Chenliu is right next to the Sui River, on its south bank; the inlets of the upper reaches of the Sui River and the upper reaches of the Bian River are both in Honggou, which is now Yingou.

Although the Sui River occasionally becomes blocked or stops flowing, it remains an important waterway that cannot be ignored.

After the Sui River passes Chenliu, there are Yongqiu and Huating, and then Xiangyi, where Cao Cao stored grain at the front.

After observing for a moment, Xiahou Dun said to Han Hao, "Light the beacon fire to warn Xiangyi."

"Here."

Han Hao agreed and turned to instruct the other officers to carry out the order, including lighting beacon fires after nightfall.

It was a cloudy day, and the thick black smoke rising into the sky was not very noticeable.

To the southeast of Chenliu, there are Jingzhou soldiers and cavalry everywhere, and now the only way to warn people is by sending out beacon fires.

Meanwhile, in Xingyang, the Fourth Battalion of Hebei soldiers marched toward Suanzao according to the established plan.

The court officials dared not, nor did they have the power to, coerce the Hebei troops to march south to Yingchuan.

In addition to the three battalions of Chunyu Qiong, Zhang He, and Han Meng, this Hebei army also included a battalion of soldiers that Yuan Shao had previously sent to Luodu to participate in the construction work.

The procession, totaling over 11,000 people, stretched out in a continuous line, pushing and shoving vehicles along the winding road.

Most of the vehicles were empty, and their food supplies were less than three days' worth.

Three days was enough for them to reach Suanzao and Chenliu, but not enough for them to go to Yingchuan.

Even though officers like Chunyu Qiong were willing to go to Yingchuan, the vast majority of soldiers from Hebei Province were unwilling to go.

Forcing the army to march south on an empty stomach carries the risk of mutiny.

Therefore, following the established plan to meet up with Zhao Ji in Suanzao would actually minimize the risk.

After all, Zhao Ji was able to escape unscathed after his fierce battles against Hebei in Shangdang and Zhengding. Following Zhao Ji was clearly more reliable than following the imperial court.

During the march, Zhao Ji's messenger arrived, and Chunyu Qiong and others immediately wrote military dispatches and entrusted the messenger to deliver them to Zhao Ji.

The morale of the entire Hebei army, on the contrary, began to stabilize and return to normal.

They could follow Zhao Ji to fight Cao Cao; as long as they won, they could discuss anything.

The imperial court's sudden southward march to Yingchuan left them feeling utterly hopeless.

If Zhao Ji hadn't crossed the river and lashed out at the imperial court, everyone would still be stuck in Luoyang, starving and waiting to be fed by Yuan Shao and Liu Biao.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows who they should follow now.

The imperial court truly lacked long-term planning. Zhao Ji was so eager to set off and leave the pass at the slightest provocation; he had only just reached Xingyang when he unexpectedly set off for Yingchuan, catching the generals of Hebei completely off guard.

Ying Shao, sent by Yuan Shao, also supported the court's decision, and Chunyu Qiong and others could not force the court to go to Suanzao.

Thus, the imperial army of over 20,000 was divided in two, parting ways in Xingyang, and racing toward their respective destinies.

Under such gloomy skies, Li Tong, the powerful chieftain of Runan, came to see Zhao Qi at his invitation.

Zhao Qi sat at the head of the table, and Zhang Xiu led Li Tong inside. The two bowed deeply and said, "This humble general pays his respects to Minister Tai."

"Please be seated, Generals." Zhao Qi pointed to a silk scroll on the table and said, "The imperial edict orders our army to follow the Jing-Yu highway and proceed directly to Yingchuan."

Zhang Xiu and Zhao Qi exchanged glances. Zhang Xiu tentatively reached out his hand, and seeing no objection from Zhao Qi, he picked up the silk scroll to read it. After carefully examining the imprint, he handed the edict to Li Tong.

Li Tong was appointed as the General of the Righteous Army. The last time he saw an imperial edict was when it appointed him as a General of the Righteous Army; that was the first time he had ever seen an imperial edict.

This was the second time. He respectfully accepted it with both hands, carefully examining the material and markings. It was the same as the edict he had seen before.

It's definitely a genuine imperial edict. Zhao Qi has several blank edicts here; whatever kind he wants, he can make do with whatever means necessary.

Li Tong handed the imperial edict back to Zhang Xiu, who folded it and put it back in its original place. He then sat down and asked, "Minister Li, is this the order from Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao?"

"Yes, Yingchuan has a large amount of grain stored up. Chen Gong is fighting a fierce battle with Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong at Ruyin. Our army is right next to Yingchuan, so we can strike at their heart and make it difficult for them to defend themselves from both ends. The emperor is personally leading the expedition and has already come from Xingyang."

Zhao Qi continued, "Xiangcheng and Yingyang counties have already sent envoys to submit, but Yingyin is blocking the way. I am in charge of the rear army, and I need the two generals to divide their forces. One of you should lead the troops to besiege Yingyin, while the other should rush straight to Xu County. There are already righteous men in Xu County, and when they see the imperial army arrive, they will open the city gates to welcome them."

The imperial edict was written on a blank edict, and the righteous men of Xu County were naturally fake.

However, it is true that several counties surrounding Xiangcheng and Yingyang defected.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiu and Li Tong both fell into deep thought, considering which task they were more suited for.

Obviously, the risk of encircling Yingyin is the lowest; simply surrounding or partially encircling it is sufficient.

When the emperor arrives in person, he will certainly meet with the general who is besieging Yingyin first, and will naturally reward him handsomely.

Li Tong was envious of this mission, but he also knew that Zhang Xiu and Zhao Qi had a deep relationship. Although he was very unwilling, he could only take the initiative to say: "Minister, my officers and soldiers are good at running around and can launch a surprise attack on Xu County."

"Yes, there is Xutian to the south of Xuxian. Between Yingshui and Xutian, there is a grain storage building built by the rebel army. If the general leads his troops there, he can divide his forces to recapture the grain storage building. This is a great achievement. I will present the general with a commendation in front of the emperor."

Zhao Qi drew a big pie in the sky, and Zhang Xiu stared at Li Tong upon hearing this, then looked away, looking slightly unwilling.

Li Tong cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, this humble general understands."

He knew all too well the importance of this grain; the credit for seizing it would certainly be greater than that for capturing Xu County.

With the grain in his hands, he naturally gained the upper hand.

At this moment, Zhao Qi comforted Zhang Xiu, saying, "General, you command the troops of Nanyang and bear the expectations of the court. You must not underestimate yourself."

Zhang Xiu looked slightly annoyed, but still cupped his hands in greeting: "What you say is very true, Minister Tai. I know the importance of this matter."

"In that case, the two generals shall organize their troops and proceed with their respective duties."

"Here."

The two men stood up, clasped their hands in greeting again, took a few steps back, and turned to leave the house.

Walking side by side down the narrow, old corridor, Zhang Xiu hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: "General Li, the grain promised is extremely important. You have fewer than five hundred cavalry under your command. I am willing to allocate three hundred elite cavalry to help you seize Xuxia's residence."

The construction of a mansion capable of storing a million bushels of grain was a considerable undertaking.

This residence was built on the east bank of the Ying River to facilitate the transshipment of grain.

For the garrison of Xu County, transporting grain to the official granary in the city was an extremely complicated task.

Most importantly, there were no existing granaries in the city, and if so much grain was transported there and not stored properly, it would rot and mold.

A million shi of grain, not a few hundred thousand shi.

Xu County was not a large county in Yingchuan to begin with, and its own official granaries were of limited size.

Faced with Zhang Xiu's goodwill, Li Tong was delighted and hurriedly turned around to thank him, saying, "I had the same idea, but I didn't know how to bring it up. Please rest assured, General Zhang, when I seize Xuxia's residence, I will share it equally with you."

"I dare not, General Li, please give me 50,000 shi of grain."

Zhang Xiu pointed to the sky: "The imperial court, Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao, and Marquis Lü Meng will all send envoys here. It is already a great fortune that General Li and I were able to keep 300,000 shi of grain."

By securing this grain, we can feed the army and also absorb other disaster victims.

Disaster victims absorbed through food can immediately become part of your own retinue... This way, you don't need to share the profits with other leaders!
If possible, Li Tong also wants to further develop his career as a top-notch coach.

He now commands a vast following, and the future governor of Runan will certainly regard him as a political achievement. If he doesn't want to cause trouble, he should take the initiative to distance himself from him.

But if he has 30,000 to 50,000 households, and Runan is so big, what's wrong with him occupying seven or eight counties?
Even to prevent him from further expansion, it would be reasonable to split Runan and create a new small prefecture for him!

Look at Zhao Shizhong's background and development... This contemporary phenomenon is inspiring every humble-born leader.

Then look at Zang Ba, the leader of the displaced people. Wasn't he supported by Zhao Shizhong's grandfather and transformed into the governor of Qingzhou appointed by the imperial court?
Zhao Shizhong and Zang Shijun are both acceptable. Li Tong is no less capable than them, so why should he bow down to a high-ranking family?

(End of this chapter)