Tiger Guards

Chapter 274 No Taboos
The entire Central Plains was covered by rain clouds, and just as the imperial court was about to leave the territory of Henan Yin, it finally began to rain extensively.

With torrential rain, military operations on all sides had to be slowed down.

The road surface has long been hardened, and rainwater washes away the surface soil, forming shallow puddles.

Excess water flows into the drainage ditches on both sides of the road. The ground in the middle of the road is very hardened, and even with the wheels rolling back and forth, there is no obvious sign of softening.

Emperor Liu Xie's chariot rolled over puddles, with a dozen tiger guards wielding halberds trotting after him.

Raindrops and splashes of water had already soaked their armor and robes as they escorted the emperor's carriage into an abandoned village by the roadside.

Grand Chamberlain Shi Qian held up an umbrella, and Liu Xie got out of the carriage and went into the house.

The roof of the house had been temporarily repaired. Liu Xie looked up and saw that only the wooden frame had been rebuilt and the roof was covered with bundles of reeds.

At this moment, the rain gradually seeped in, dripping and pattering inside the house.

A bonfire had been lit inside the house. Kong Rong and the others stood up to greet Liu Xie, who had suddenly arrived. Their clothes were soaked by the autumn rain.

As soon as Liu Xie entered, he was choked by the smoke. He coughed twice, turned around and went out. After breathing in the fresh, cool air, he immediately felt much better.

Kong Rong and the others chased after him, only to see Liu Xie reach out to catch the rain dripping from the broken eaves: "I just left Sizhou, and it started raining. What does this mean?"

Kong Rong and the others looked at each other, none of them willing to answer.

A court official replied, "Your Majesty, the heavens have sent down a timely rain to cleanse Your Majesty of the dust."

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Xie turned around and saw a stranger, a court official. He asked, "What is this dust?"

"The dust of loyalty and honesty is the soil, while the dust that rises against the tide is the work of traitors."

The official bowed deeply, saying, "This is an auspicious omen, foretelling the defeat of the traitor Cao."

Liu Xie remained silent, looking at the rainwater held in his palm: "So it's an auspicious sign. I thought the heavens were weeping."

Seeing that the official was about to answer, Kong Rong gave him a look and waved his hand to stop him. The official then shut his mouth and returned to his place in the ranks of officials.

Shi Qian leaned close to Liu Xie and whispered, "Your Majesty, the person who spoke just now was Wu Fan from Shangyu in Kuaiji. He is skilled in calendars, astronomy, and the Book of Changes, and once served under Tao Gongzu. When Wang Jingxing, the governor of Kuaiji, was ordered to recommend virtuous men, Wu Fan was recommended as a Gentleman of the Palace for his virtuous conduct."

Those who possess the Way, understand the classics, understand the law, are virtuous and good, upright and honest, and have literary talent are all different from the candidates for the civil service examinations based on filial piety and integrity or outstanding talent.

The imperial court lacked talent in this area, so it issued an edict to the prefectures and kingdoms, who would then recommend relevant talents to the court. After passing the examination, they could be appointed as officials and put to use when the time was right.

After the imperial court moved east, it was in dire need of various technical talents.

When Zhao Yan and other Attendants first took office, they issued an edict to recommend talented people from all the prefectures and kingdoms in the country. Wang Lang, the governor of Kuaiji Prefecture, was from Donghai and was close to Langya. Naturally, he responded enthusiastically.

Liu Xie took a few breaths under the eaves before leading the people back inside to warm themselves by the fire and ward off the cold.

Seated in the main seat, Liu Xie then asked, "How are the officers and soldiers of the various armies taking shelter from the rain?"

"Your Majesty, the military tents are well-equipped, and the officers and soldiers are setting up the tents in the rain. They will be able to withstand the rain soon."

Kong Rong replied, but his complexion was not good; the rain came too suddenly, and the army had no time to collect firewood.

If the rain continues and there's no fuel, many soldiers will suffer from typhoid fever.

What we fear most is that the rain will continue day and night, delaying our march and causing our soldiers to suffer from hunger, cold, and disease.

Liu Xie felt relieved after hearing this and turned to look at the rain through the broken window.

After entering Yingchuan territory, Changshe is to the east of the imperial road and Yangdi is to the west. These two counties have already sent envoys to prepare supplies for transport here.

It was this rain that hindered the transport of supplies; otherwise, he could have had meat and a hearty meal today.

If you continue south along the imperial road, you will reach Yingyin, and to the east of Yingyin is Xu County.

The south side of a mountain and the north side of a river are called "yang". The place names Yingyin and Yingyang do not quite follow this rule because the Ying River has two main tributaries that run almost parallel to each other.

The river where Yingyang is located is longer, and it is the main stream of the Ying River. Yingyang is on the northeast bank of the main stream of the Ying River, so it is Yingyang.

Yingyin is also located on the northeast bank of the tributary Xunshui River... However, the Xunshui River makes a 'C' shaped bend, and Yingyin is located in this bend. It can barely be considered as having the geographical feature of 'south of Yingshui River', and that's how it became Yingyin.

After the rain stops, we'll travel for another two days and reach Yingyin. With enough food to get through the winter, everything will be alright.

Liu Xie gazed silently at the rain outside the window, lost in thought about the Empress and the pregnant Consort Dong.

To redeem them, it is essential to maintain sufficient goodwill with Zhao Ji and then find a way to recruit Zhao Yan to the court to assist in governance.

Transferring Zhao Yan away from Hedong would actually not be difficult for Zhao Ji to handle.

As he pondered, Liu Xie's expression relaxed.

Amidst the rain, Zhang Xiu's army, clad in rain gear, took a detour north under the cover of the rain, coming from the north side of the Wanyu Highway.

They came from the direction of Xingyang, looking every bit like the emperor's army, advancing in the rain and approaching the north of Yingyin City.

Zhang Xiu's troops stayed in Nanyang for a year, and the army had many local strongmen and clansmen, so they had no shortage of rain gear.

Unlike Zhao Ji's Bingzhou soldiers, they had no concept of rain gear... However, the army had plenty of leather, so they didn't need any rain gear.

Upon hearing the news, Magistrate Li Xuan climbed the city wall on the north side of Yingyin. He saw soldiers below wearing bamboo hats and straw raincoats, and frowned: "The royal army is coming from the north, but why do they look like soldiers from Jingzhou?"

Li Xuan was the grandson of Li Ying, a leader of the partisan faction, and like Gao Gan, he was Yuan Shao's nephew. However, Li Xuan's biological father favored Cao Cao more and repeatedly warned him on his deathbed. Only then did Li Xuan refuse Yuan Shao's invitation, stay in Yingchuan, and take up an official post.

For Li Xuan, being appointed magistrate of Yingyin County was not a favor, but rather a gesture of respect to Xun Yu and Cao Cao.

The true commander of Yingyin was Liu Ruo. Liu Ruo calmly observed the troops outside the city and did not rush to answer.

Although he held military power, he and Li Xuan were from completely different worlds.

So when Li Xuan asked the question, he didn't ask him at all, but instead asked the registrar Zheng Ziqun, who had married Chen Qun's cousin, a prominent family in the county.

However, the world was in chaos. After Lü Bu took office as the governor of Yingchuan, he sent troops to seize Yanzhou. Zheng Ziqun's wife was separated from Lü Bu's army and her fate was unknown.

Zheng Ziqun also stared at the soldiers outside the city who were making a ruckus and shouting: "My lady, Liu Jingsheng, the governor of Jingzhou, has sent 5,000 soldiers to transport grain to Luodu. The soldiers under the city now sound like soldiers from Nanyang."

Li Xuan nodded, then turned to look at Liu Ruo: "Lieutenant Liu, who is coming?"

He claimed to be Deng Ji from Nanyang.

Liu Ruo added, "Liu Jingsheng has a lieutenant general named Deng Ji under his command, so it should be this person."

Li Xuan frowned upon hearing this. He had assumed that the person was a direct descendant of the Deng clan of Xinye, but the fact that he had become a general under Liu Biao indicated that he was a collateral branch of the Deng clan of Xinye, a powerful and influential lineage.

Those from prominent families with legitimate official careers would not stoop to bullying the locals and incurring a bad reputation.

Immediately, Li Xuan asked, "What is Deng Ji doing here?"

"Intending to enter the city to avoid the rain."

After Liu Ruo answered, the registrar Zheng Ziqun immediately said, "No."

Li Xuan shared this idea and nodded, "Let them choose a place to shelter from the rain themselves."

Liu Ruo looked troubled, but Li Xuan saw it and pretended not to.

Liu Ruo gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Deng Ji is arrogant... He said he would not open the city gates and went to Dexing Township... Gaoyangli to take shelter from the rain."

"This is a traitorous general!"

Li Xuan cursed in a low voice, "The Xun clan lives together as a family, and has lived in Gaoyang Village for generations."

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, they passed through Yingyin without attacking Gaoyangli. During the winter campaign against the Yellow Turbans in Ruying, the two sides fought back and forth, but the Yellow Turbans in Ruying did not retaliate against the Xun family.

Now look what's happened, this Jingzhou army dares to threaten him like this.

There was no other way; with such heavy rain, the soldiers, driven to desperation, were in chaos and might actually run into Gaoyang and exterminate the entire Xun family.

Even if the Yellow Turban rebels revolt again, they are local rebels. The leaders of the Yellow Turban rebels, big and small, are all educated, and when they study, they cannot avoid the teachings of Xunzi.

What does the virtue of the Xun family of Yingchuan have to do with the soldiers of Nanyang?
Li Xuan pondered briefly: "Mobilize the soldiers to be cautious. Commander Liu, select an area to settle the Nanyang soldiers. When letting them into the city, be sure to repeatedly warn them not to disturb the people. Otherwise, military law is merciless, and they will be executed without mercy!"

"Here."

Liu Ruo bowed deeply, but he also felt the situation was tricky.

In this situation, if pushed to the limit, the Nanyang soldiers might actually dare to burn and kill in Gaoyangli.

When you send troops to rescue them, won't you still have to fight against the Nanyang troops?
It would be better to back down and let these Nanyang soldiers in.

After being soaked in the rain for half a day, hungry and cold, what fighting power could they possibly have?

What kind of elite troops could be sent by Liu Biao to Luodu to build palaces?

Anyway, it was Li Xuan who gave the order to let them pass. How could a mere captain like him have the right to refute Li Xuan?
And so, the city gates slowly opened.

The Nanyang soldiers who were the first to enter the city were truly cold and hungry, and they crowded together in front of the city gate, causing a traffic jam.

The Nanyang soldiers who entered the city, carrying spears and halberds, only wanted a hot meal and were completely unprepared for battle.

Seeing this, Liu Ruo and Li Xuan gradually relaxed and waited for their commander Deng Ji to enter the city so they could ask him about the emperor and the court in person.

Thus, under Zhao Qi's plan, Zhang Xiu seized Yingyin without bloodshed.

Yingyin was a large city in Yingchuan. Although it was not as large as Yangdi, where the emperor's rule was located, it was still larger than an ordinary county.

Normally, tackling this challenge would be extremely difficult.

However, the Xun family in Gaoyangli outside the city is the biggest weakness of the local garrison and the county magistrate, and also Xun Yu's Achilles' heel!

Zhang Xiu might still hesitate, but Zhao Qi knew very well what Xun Yu's weakness was.

A family like Zhao Qi's, where the entire clan was wiped out except for his nephew Zhao Jian... is extremely rare in this world. Either the whole family is exterminated, or some manage to escape.

But back then, the Zhao family offended the eunuchs, and the eunuchs were ready to kill the entire family.

After his entire family was wiped out, Zhao Qi became exceptionally powerful.

If the clan were still around, how could this old man dare to instruct Zhang Xiu to capture the Xun family?
Since he wasn't afraid of retaliation from the Xun family or other clans, Zhao Qi naturally did whatever was convenient for him.

With no taboos, everything will naturally go smoothly.

(End of this chapter)