Tiger Guards

Chapter 275 Meng Hou Lu Bu
Approaching Cao Cao's main camp, Zhao Ji reined in his horse south of the Bian River.

Standing on the earthen embankment of the river canal, Zhao Ji looked out at Cao Cao's army camp, which was a cluster of camps.

The camps, large and small, were nested together to form a large camp, and there was also a passageway leading to Xiangyi.

The passageway was not very wide, less than twenty steps wide.

To protect against arrows, the fences on both sides of the passageway had been piled with soil and built into low earthen walls, providing reliable cover for the Cao army officers and soldiers who passed through or were stationed there.

As Zhao Ji gazed into the distance, the military officers who had accompanied him on the reconnaissance mission began to draw up observation maps.

Reading and drawing maps... these are also special skills.

During the large-scale military training in Jinyang, the officers' knowledge of mathematics and geometry has been strengthened. Now, more than twenty people are gathered together and using their skills to draw a scaled-down map of Cao Cao's army camp.

Some riders started by feeding the horses, while others gathered firewood and lit a fire to boil water.

"Your Excellency, the wheat cakes are hot."

Chang Mao handed over a hot wheat cake, which Zhao Ji took and casually sat cross-legged on the ground, looking at the Cao army camp in the distance: "I regret that I should have listened to Zang Hong and joined forces with him to sweep through Jibei, Dongping, and Dong'e, and force the Qingzhou soldiers to surrender."

Chang Mao knelt down on one knee next to Zhao Ji, holding a wheat cake in his hand. He blew on the charcoal ash that clung to it, took a bite, and said, "Minister, Cao's army has been attacked from both the east and the west. What is there to regret now?"

"I'd rather capture Cao Cao's family than defeat him."

Not only were Cao Cao's family members there, but also the families of his main civil and military officials. If they were captured, what would it matter if Cao Cao controlled the court?
Without the families of his numerous mid-level military officers, how could Cao Cao command his various armies?
Therefore, theoretically speaking, if Cao Cao's family members were taken away from the upper echelons of his army, Cao Cao would be rendered useless, and he would no longer have the ability to hold the court hostage.

Thinking about the choice made by the imperial court, Zhao Ji felt even more depressed, his eyes revealing his undisguised melancholy.

They could have simply seized, confiscated, or ransacked the property, but instead they rushed to negotiate peace.

The old nobles were no longer simply conservative; they were conservative to the point of being anti-intellectual.

These ridiculous anti-intellectual behaviors are backed by a set of behavioral logics or self-righteous truths that were once accepted by the nobles.

And these people still dare not tell this truth.

It's nothing more than wanting to kill yourself.

Chewing on a crisp wheat cake, Zhao Ji asked, "A-Mao, I feel regret because I think I did something wrong. I dare to admit I was wrong, but the court was wrong. Shouldn't it admit its mistake?"

Chang Mao was puzzled by this question and couldn't understand it at all: "How could the Attendant-in-Ordinary be wrong? The Attendant-in-Ordinary led us here to defeat Cao Cao, what could be wrong about that?"

The purpose of coming here is to defeat Cao Cao's central army. After defeating them, what problems could there be?
Even if there were problems, Chang Mao understood them to be minor issues.

Seeing his matter-of-fact manner, Zhao Ji asked again, "To put it another way, between you and your father, if he did something wrong, should he admit it?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Mao fell into thought and shook his head: "I don't know. My father was seriously injured and died in a fight back then. I don't know if he was right or wrong at the time. Now that I think about it, he shouldn't have been injured. If he were alive, and did something wrong, I don't think he would admit it."

Chang Mao immediately retorted, "Why does the Attendant-in-Ordinary ask this?"

"Family matters, national affairs... if you make a mistake, you should admit it, and once you admit it, you must correct it."

Zhao Ji glanced at Chang Mao's innocent eyes and said, "The livelihood and prosperity of a family of dozens of people cannot be decided solely by the elders; without understanding the changing times, the entire family may fall into hunger and cold. When the court makes decisions on national affairs, even a small mistake can lead to the annihilation of thousands or tens of thousands of families. I cannot imagine how many millions of people those bandit leaders have harmed, yet they still shamelessly sit in the imperial court!"

"I am very disappointed. I thought that after the mutiny in Anyi, some officials would have a change of heart and be motivated to act bravely. But instead of being ashamed and committing suicide to atone for their sins, they have become even more outrageous!"

The nearby officers all listened intently. Zhao Ji couldn't help but sigh, "We have exposed the true nature of these beasts. After this battle, we must quickly return to Hedong and Taiyuan, otherwise they will mobilize the forces of the Central Plains to annihilate us patriotic and loyal men."

Chang Mao nodded, but said, "Your Excellency, are we just going to let those bandit leaders go so easily?"

"Of course not. After defeating Cao Cao, we will go to see the Emperor. This time, I will rip out their hearts!"

The surrounding officers did not object. According to Zhao Ji's original plan, there was no need to fight any tough battles or hard-fought engagements.

As long as the emperor arrives in Chenliu, just like when he attacked Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Zhengding before, he can rout Xiahou Dun's army.

With Cao Cao's army in Chenliu collapsing, how could Cao Cao's main camp escape unscathed?
As a result, the ministers misled the emperor, and he changed his route to Yingchuan.

If it weren't for the immense pressure they exerted on Cao Cao's army here, would Xun Yu of Yingchuan have so easily submitted to the imperial court?
This is no longer a simple act of reaping the benefits; it is a betrayal that ignores the sacrifices and risks of the Bingzhou soldiers!
The Bingzhou troops already had a series of successful precedents. If they fought using this method, they would suffer fewer casualties and capture more spoils.

However, the imperial court chose to monopolize it and merged with the surrendered Ru and Ying people.

With so many scholars in Ruying, once they enter the court, they will definitely choose to suppress the scholars from Hedong and Bingzhou.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the imperial court was an enemy.

While they were chatting, a small flotilla of their own ships arrived upstream; their own cavalry on the north bank of the Bian River also approached the riverbank to obtain supplies nearby.

Meanwhile, Lü Bu, who had crossed the river at Ge Township downstream, also detoured to the north bank, leading more than a hundred cavalrymen northward.

Lu Bu was just over forty years old, in the prime of his life, and his steed, Red Hare, was exceptionally powerful. When he arrived, Zhao Ji had already crossed the river.

The fleet transported the curtain, which was then erected below the earthen dam on the north bank.

Zhao Ji scrutinized Lü Bu, and Lü Bu also scrutinized Zhao Ji.

Lu Bu was tall and imposing, clad in armor, resembling an upright security door.

In the past six months, Zhao Ji has grown five or six inches taller, reaching nearly nine feet in height, which is half a head shorter than Lü Bu.

Lu Bu ignored Zhao Ji's unsettling face and focused on Zhao Ji's helmet and hat, then smiled and asked, "Marquis of Pingyang?"

“It’s me. Someone like me is hard to be impersonated by anyone in the world.”

Zhao Ji's gaze fell on Lü Bu's eyebrows and eyes, and the two looked at each other: "Someone like Lord Meng is also unparalleled in the world."

"Unparalleled in the world?"

Lu Bu shook his head: "I have heard that some people have compared you to someone else, saying that I am the fierce tiger of Jiuyuan, and you are the vicious tiger of Hedong."

"I have never heard of it."

Zhao Ji raised an eyebrow: "A hero like me, who does not love money or lust after beauty, who wins battles, is loyal to his officers and soldiers, and has made great contributions to the country, is actually called a vicious tiger. This shows that the world is unable to distinguish right from wrong, and that morality has declined beyond redemption."

As he spoke, Zhao Ji took a half step back and stepped aside to make way for him: "Let's not talk about these things anymore, let's talk about how to deal with Cao Cao."

"That is precisely why we have come."

Lü Bu strode confidently into the curtain, followed closely by a dozen guards, completely disregarding Zhao Ji's feelings.

Zhao Ji straightened the sword hanging at his left waist, completely unconcerned about the guards' behavior. If it were him, his guards would have gone even further.

Upon entering the curtained area, Lü Bu was already seated on a large folding chair, examining the newly drawn map laid out before him.

Zhao Ji sat opposite Lü Bu, who looked at the map and asked, "Where is Zhang Zhishu?"

"He'll be here shortly; we arranged to meet in the afternoon."

Zhao Ji pointed northeast on the north bank of the Bian River: "Currently, Cheng Yu has over 10,000 soldiers in Jiyin, mostly from Qingzhou; Cao Ren, after attacking Zang Shijun at Baima, also withdrew his troops into Jiyin and received soldiers from Cheng Yu, now numbering around 10,000. Adding to that Li Zheng's elite Zongbing, there are 30,000 enemy troops in the Jiyin direction."

"Not enough to worry about."

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing Li Zheng's name, but spoke in a nonchalant tone: "After the autumn rains, the Bian River will rise, and they will find it difficult to cross the river as they come from afar. If we cannot capture Cao Cao's camp together, their arrival or absence will not make any difference. However, you must be wary of Cao Ren taking a detour and attacking you from behind."

"Yes, I'll set up four battalions of Hebei soldiers to garrison the area. Even if Cao Ren comes, it will delay him for half a day."

Seeing Lü Bu's smirk, Zhao Ji said, "Apart from Chunyu Qiong, the families of the other major military officers are all in my hands. Without Yuan Shao's orders, they won't easily defect. Before the outcome is decided, the Hebei troops are reliable for now."

Lu Bu merely chuckled and asked again, "So, you have seven thousand cavalry and two thousand soldiers from Yanzhou, while Zhang Zhishu has over ten thousand men?"

“No, I only have five thousand knights, and the two thousand Yanzhou soldiers are mostly weak and useless. Although they are eager to fight Cao’s army, it will only cause them to die meaninglessly. I will leave these two thousand Yanzhou soldiers to set up a feint, which can tie down two or three thousand of Cao’s army, so it will not be a loss.”

Zhao Ji took out a handful of black pieces from the chess box and placed them on the map. One black piece was equivalent to a thousand-man team.

Finally, he pushed the two black pieces in his hand in front of Lü Bu: "The previous alliance is still valid. A little later, two thousand cavalry and three thousand horses will go around the Bian River and go to serve under Lord Meng from the north bank."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's brows relaxed, and he picked up the two chess pieces without ceremony, smiling: "Actually, I already have a plan to defeat Cao Cao, but my concern is that the pursuit will be insufficient to inflict serious damage. If he is defeated but not completely routed, and my morale is broken, then fighting him again will inevitably be dangerous."

The corners of his mouth curled up higher and higher, and he felt that Zhao Ji's features were becoming more amiable. He said, "Leave the task of breaking through Cao Cao's camp to me and Zhang Zhishu. What Marquis Pingyang needs to do is lead five thousand cavalry to pursue and kill Cao Cao when he is defeated!"

Lu Bu grinned maliciously: "Cao Cao is no benevolent man, and Yuan Shao is even more ruthless. Let's see who will give him a horse this time on the banks of the Bian River!"

Zhao Ji understood that this meant Cao Cao was being driven towards Cao Ren and Cheng Yu.

Seeing that Zhao Ji understood, Lü Bu's smile became even brighter: "You must not hold back, Cao Cao is cunning."

"Don't worry, Lord Meng. I would rather fight the suddenly powerful Yuan Shao than risk my life on the eve of battle."

Zhao Ji naturally understood that if Cao Cao died here, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Cheng Yu, and others would turn around and defect to Yuan Shao.

"Yes, after we win here, our two families will join forces again to fight a battle in the Central Plains."

With Zhang Yang as an old acquaintance, Lü Bu already knew about the changes that had occurred in the court... If the officials hindered Zhao Ji's arrangements, Zhao Ji could simply turn around and withdraw his troops without incurring any other losses.

But what about Lü Bu?
Having already locked in a fierce battle with Cao Cao, without the support of Zhao Ji and Zhang Yang, even if Lü Bu manages to break through, he will suffer heavy losses in terms of his followers and family.

Therefore, Lü Bu's resentment here is far stronger than Zhao Ji's.

(End of this chapter)