Tiger Guards

Chapter 293 Riding a Tiger and Being Difficult to Dismount
"Attendant Zhao has arrived!"

Outside the curtain, a minor official sang loudly, but Zhao Ji did not dismount. Instead, he rode around to one side of the curtain and appeared at the curtain's exit.

Seeing Zhao Ji's rudeness, Lü Bu immediately stopped smiling and stared at Zhao Ji's face.

Zhao Ji looked gloomy and stared straight at him.

Zhang Yang quickly got up and strode to greet them, glaring at the dozen or so halberd-wielding guards who followed in, trying to stop Zhao Ji's personal guards: "Who dares to be so presumptuous! To displease the Attendant?"

"Don't dare."

The guards with halberds stepped back a few paces, then bowed their heads, resting their halberds on their hands.

Zhao Ji, holding his riding whip, glanced sideways at the guards who were fairly dutiful, and said, "It is my own unhappiness that is the cause of my distress, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"The Chamberlain is the son-in-law of Marquis Meng; how dare you stop him? Get out of here!"

Zhang Yang shouted loudly, and the guards dared not move. They looked at Lü Bu, who waved his hand lightly, and only then did the guards turn and leave.

Zhang Yang stepped forward to help the horse's reins and asked sincerely, "There are no outsiders here. Has something happened in the court?"

"It has nothing to do with them."

Zhao Ji leaped off his horse, tucked the whip into the harness, and patted Yue Li Hei's neck. The horse then went off to find food on its own.

Zhao Ji looked around and saw that there were only the three of them inside the curtain. He then said, "Yesterday's battle was fierce, but I failed to kill many people, and I am still frustrated. Today, while cleaning up the battlefield, the Meng family's men were making things difficult for my officers and soldiers. I have come here to demand an explanation."

Lü Bu stood up, took a few steps forward, and asked sternly, "How have my soldiers been making things difficult for me?"

Zhao Ji turned to look at Lü Bu: "So, Lord Meng was unaware? Since it wasn't Lord Meng's instruction, I'll handle it myself."

Zhang Yang quickly reached out and grabbed Zhao Ji's arm: "Does Your Excellency mean dead or wounded horses and weapons?"

“There are still live horses.”

Zhao Ji broke free from Zhang Yang's arm and placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword: "There are no outsiders here. Give me a straight answer: do you want to force me to fight you, or do you want to hand over the horses?"

Lü Bu stared at Zhao Ji: "You won't even give me this much face, Your Excellency?"

"So, Marquis Meng knew about it?"

Zhao Ji stared at Lü Bu: "People suffer from insatiable desires. Marquis Meng should know when to stop."

Lu Bu was on high alert, his right hand also resting on the hilt of his sword: "What do you intend to do?"

"Either I take my men and horses, or you hand over the military supplies you seized today and fulfill the previous agreement."

Zhao Ji was also wary of Zhang Yang, and continued, "These are the only two options. Marquis Meng can also choose to fight me and let this excellent situation be reduced to ashes!"

Zhang Yang stood rooted to the spot, no longer daring to move, and continued to persuade him: "Your Excellency, Lord Lü's former troops have long been engaged in the Central Plains and are in dire need of horses. It is likely that they have embezzled military supplies and horses. If the horses and military supplies are recovered, Lord Lü's authority will be lost, and how will he be able to command the troops?"

Zhao Ji went to see Lü Bu, but Lü Bu offered no explanation.

However, Lü Bu still gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, showing no intention of drawing it in a fit of rage, indicating that he was still restraining himself and could not bear to see the favorable situation before him crumble.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ji looked at Zhang Yang and said, "Lord Meng's reputation is important, but what about me? How am I supposed to explain this to my troops?"

Zhang Yang gritted his teeth: "If you don't mind, I will give you another four thousand soldiers left by Sui Gu and Yang Chou."

"I do not want."

Zhao Ji looked at Lü Bu: "Give me women, the more the better."

"can."

Lü Bu agreed and then asked, "After this battle, will you withdraw your troops and return to Taiyuan?"

"The main force withdrew along the original route, and I went to court to pay homage to the emperor and recount my merits to the officials and soldiers."

Zhao Ji narrowed his eyes slightly, observing Lü Bu's right hand: "Before the battle, I said I had no interest in the imperial court or the Central Plains. But as we part ways... never mind, you wouldn't listen anyway. Farewell. After I return, I will personally punish any who embezzle military supplies! If Marquis Meng wants war, then let's fight!"

As he spoke, Zhao Ji took a few steps back, nodded to Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yang could only nod back, standing there watching Zhao Ji leave.

Zhang Yang was also a martial arts master, so he naturally knew that any change in position would escalate the conflict.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves echoing and fading away outside the curtain, Zhang Yang finally relaxed and went to Lü Bu's vicinity: "Fengxian was too hasty. Now it's all right. He has returned to Taiyuan and will sell horses to Cao Cao."

"He dares!"

Lu Bu sat down angrily, his eyes wide, never expecting Zhao Ji to dare to turn against him like this. After taking a dozen or so breaths, Lu Bu finally caught his breath and began to ponder how to deal with the drastically changed situation, when suddenly there was the sound of hooves again.

Hou Cheng rode up in a disheveled state, only to fall in front of the curtain, an arrow wound in his left shoulder. He pushed himself up with one arm and strode towards Lü Bu, shouting, "My lord, Attendant Zhao has taken my horse!"

"He didn't kill you; that's already a sign of restraint."

Lu Bu, equally annoyed, turned and shouted, "Guards!"

Several military officers lifted the curtain wall, slipped in from the side, and bowed, saying, "My Lord."

"Order all armies not to compete with Zhao Shizhong's troops for military supplies!"

After speaking, Lü Bu waved his hand. Seeing Hou Cheng's indignant expression, Lü Bu was puzzled and looked at Hou Cheng with a question: "Since the morning when you were cleaning up the battlefield, how did Zhao Shizhong's men deal with the situation when you were fighting with them for military supplies?"

Hou Cheng covered his left arm with his right hand, thought for a moment and replied, "At first, Zhao Shizhong's men refused to back down, but then they made some concessions. When the officers and soldiers of the various camps saw this, they thought he was afraid of you, so there were even more cases of blatant robbery. However, the horses I obtained were all ownerless horses that I had gathered... Zhao Shizhong has gone too far."

"A stray horse?"

Lu Bu stared at Hou Cheng: "Besides him having so many horses, does Cao Cao have them? Do I have them?"

Hou Cheng opened his mouth but said nothing, his expression still unwilling.

Lu Bu raised his hand to rub his face, looked at the wall of people on the riverbank outside the curtain, and felt annoyed. He roared, "Execute them!"

"Here!"

The military officer outside the curtain responded, and immediately more than fifty guards poured out from both sides of the curtain, armed with spears and halberds, and stabbed the Cao army officer who was tied to the wooden stake to death.

It was a tradition to execute enemy military officers in the post-war period.

Lu Bu grew angrier the more he thought about it, and with a swift movement, he overturned the table in front of him: "How infuriating! How hateful!"

Zhao Ji's withdrawal of troops directly wouldn't have any impact. The key question is how the court and outsiders would view it.
If the two sides were to unite, the court officials would have to speak to him in a humble manner. He would control the court from the center, and with Zhao Ji's power, he could quickly subdue many powerful figures and rapidly expand his influence and sphere of control.

But now they've fallen out over some horses and weapons. If word gets out, Cao Cao and Yuan Shu will be laughing their heads off!

After the war, not only allied and friendly forces, but even officers and soldiers in the same battalion were vying for military supplies.

In these situations, it's best to confront the issue directly and resolve the dispute on the spot.

Zhao Ji's order for his soldiers to back down only fueled the greed of Lü Bu's troops... It's not that Zhao Ji was wrong to be polite, but rather that his behavior contradicted the usual habits of the various armies.

If subordinates were killed in infighting over military supplies, and were either less skilled or less perceptive, Lü Bu wouldn't care.

Throughout, Lü Bu believed that there was no problem with fighting for military supplies after the war, and that he deserved to be killed for provoking a powerful enemy.

He felt that Zhao Ji had used a feint to advance, which made him feel very uncomfortable!

A fantastic situation was clearly within reach!
By maintaining the alliance and claiming it as a father-in-law and son-in-law alliance, many wars can be avoided without the need for troops; the power and prestige can be used to subdue the enemy!

Therefore, the military supplies seized will be of no help to military operations within the next six months!

As long as the alliance is maintained, more horses can be obtained from Zhao Ji; by controlling the counties through the imperial court, even more machinery can be manufactured!

Before the sun had even risen, his dream of quickly taking control of the Central Plains had already been largely shattered.

So when Zhang Liao, Wei Yue, Gao Shun and others arrived here one after another, they saw that Lü Bu looked gloomy as if he wanted to eat people, and his face was even more frightening than Zhao Ji's.

Those whose horses had been stolen could only hold their breath and wait for Lü Bu's decision.

After a moment, Lü Bu gazed at the crowd: "Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao joined the army as a member of the Tiger Warriors, and his troops are known for their strict discipline. Just now, the officers and soldiers of various camps were fighting over military supplies. Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao initially yielded, but some of you became even more arrogant and offended him. He just expressed his stance to me, and I would like to ask you all: do you wish to fight and battle with Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao? If you all agree, I will immediately send an envoy to declare war, and we will fight for another day!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, and the resentment in their expressions immediately vanished.

Lu Bu should relinquish the choice and simply hand it over to them; whether or not to fight is up to them.

Do you want the horse, or do you want to fight?
Everyone remained silent. Zhang Yang stood up and said, "My lord, Attendant Zhao is young and impetuous, and his words may have been inappropriate. Allow me to go and mediate; perhaps there is still a chance for a change in the situation."

Now, only Zhang Yang can step forward to renegotiate with Zhao Ji. If they truly split and become hostile, Zhao Ji can still retreat to Bingzhou. Where can they go?
Many of those present had experienced the Luoyang Coup and were former members of the Imperial Guards of the Capital Garrison, so they naturally understood the importance of an alliance with Zhao Ji.

With this alliance in place, they could easily seize control of the imperial court and dominate the Central Plains.

By then, will we still lack the horses and military supplies we have now?
As for being angry?

When Lü Bu gave them the choice to start the war, most people instantly became rational and calm.

(End of this chapter)