Tiger Guards

Chapter 299 The host and guest enjoy themselves
After Wei Yue and Xu Huang left, a band of musicians quickly came down from the stage and began to play music.

Zhao Ji refused to touch his chopsticks, even though the meal was prepared by the officials and soldiers of both sides. In the end, Zhao Ji did not lack this meal.

This further angered Lü Bu, as if he suspected Lü Bu of using treacherous means.

Given tonight's situation, he has no way of making any changes to the food.

With a sullen face and an unpleasant tone, he said, "Since you, Your Excellency, are so devoted to the country, let's discuss official business. What is your opinion on the matter of Yanzhou?"

"I had previously promised the emperor that I would punish the treacherous ministers Li Jue and Guo Si, and I had no intention of managing the Central Plains."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he bowed to the west where the emperor was located and continued, "General Zhang of Henan is humble and respectful to the country, and is suitable to govern Yanzhou."

Lu Bu glanced at Zhang Yang, and seeing no rebuttal from Zhang Yang, asked, "What about Hanoi?"

"General Zhang's subordinate, Miao Shang, is both a scholar and a warrior. I have met with him several times, and I believe he is capable of handling affairs in Hanoi."

Zhao Ji said calmly, "What belongs to General Zhang, I will not take. General Zhang is an old friend and partner of Marquis Lü. What is Marquis Lü's opinion on this matter?"

"I feel the same way, but I can't bear to be separated from him for so long."

Lu Bu took a sip of wine from his bowl, exhaled a long breath of wine, raised an eyebrow and said, "I have very few helpers in the court. With his merits, he should be appointed as a high-ranking official and become my right-hand man."

Zhao Ji then said, "The treacherous minister Cao Cao still has strength, and the Central Plains are not yet settled. It is appropriate to have a high-ranking official like General Zhang, who is skilled in military affairs, in charge. With no worries about Yanzhou, I think that with Lord Lü in the imperial court, he can also deal with the rebellious minister Yuan Shu with ease."

Lu Bu nodded slowly and looked at Zhang Yang: "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Zhi."

Zhang Yang composed himself and cupped his hands in greeting: "I dare not presume. It is my honor to be able to share the burdens of the court."

Lu Bu felt that Zhang Yang was incompetent, and then casually asked Zhao Ji, "May I ask, Lord Zhao, should the Emperor return to Luodu in the future, or should he temporarily stay in Yingchuan?"

“Ruying is rich and prosperous. The Emperor has long suffered the hardship of traveling back and forth. In my opinion, we should request that the Emperor stay in Ruying for the time being. After three to five years, when Luodu has accumulated some wealth, we can move back to Luodu.”

Zhao Ji answered according to his plan. Upon hearing this, Lü Bu picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, feeling extremely satisfied. He smiled and asked, "Then what about the position of Governor of Henan?"

"Since taking office, Luo Ye, the former governor of Henan, has failed to provide relief to the people and to encourage refugees to resume production. As a result, even when the emperor arrived in Luodu in July, he still had to endure the suffering of famine, which is truly unacceptable."

This Luo Ye came from a prominent family in Zuo Fengyi of the Three Auxiliary Regions, unlike Luo Jun, the Chancellor of Chen State, who was from Kuaiji.

Zhao Ji felt no guilt whatsoever about removing Luo Ye.

Looking calmly at Lü Bu, he asked, "After eliminating Luo Ye, does Marquis Lü have a suitable candidate?"

"Bi Chen of Dongping is loyal to the country, is he suitable?"

Seeing that Lü Bu directly recommended Bi Chen, whom Zhang Yang had already introduced, Zhao Ji looked around and asked, "Is he here at the banquet?"

Lu Bu turned his head and looked over. Bi Chen stood up. He was sitting in the front of the second row, close to Zhao Ji.

This was a scholar with a simple and honest appearance, nearly forty years old, and not particularly handsome.

Zhao Ji nodded slightly and said, "The Emperor appointed my grandfather as the Commandant of the Capital Region and gave him the imperial insignia. After you take office as the Governor of Henan, you must diligently govern the people, actively restore production, and accumulate money and grain for the court's future use. If you are greedy, tyrannical, lawless, or neglect your duties, do not blame my grandfather for being ruthless in enforcing the law."

"Don't dare."

Bi Chen bowed deeply with his hands clasped, and said, "It is my honor to be able to share the burden of the court. How could I not do my utmost?"

Lu Bu didn't expect Zhao Ji to be so easy to talk to. As for enforcing the law and killing Bi Chen, he thought that was just empty talk.

If we really have to deal with Bi Chen in the future, won't we have to wait and see?

If Bi Chenzhen is caught red-handed, we can simply replace him with someone else.

When he takes charge of the court in the future, he will have no shortage of officials like this under his command; he can simply choose a suitable successor.

After Bi Chen sat down, Lü Bu asked, "In this battle, the court officials misled the emperor, making the battle to defeat Cao Cao extremely difficult, and many officers and soldiers from both our armies died needlessly as a result. I wonder how you intend to punish such officials?"

"this matter……"

Zhao Ji looked thoughtful, as if it were a difficult situation. He glanced around at the people inside the curtain and then laughed, saying, "Even the illiterate men in the army know the importance of the Emperor's personal campaign against Chenliu. But the officials do not know this, yet they have incited and coerced the Emperor to head towards Yingchuan. If Zhang Xiu had not seized Yingyin to intercept the officials, perhaps by now these officials would have joined forces with Xun Yu to take the Emperor and all the officials hostage."

"Therefore, in my opinion, those officials who agree with or support the emperor's southward journey to Yingchuan are either foolish, like rotten wood and clay figures, occupying high positions without doing their jobs, which is truly wrong and should be dismissed; or they are morally corrupt, wanting Cao Cao and Xun Yu to take the opportunity to hold the emperor hostage. Such people are called Han officials, but in reality they are traitors and should not be let off lightly."

Zhao Ji's voice was loud and clear, and everyone present nodded in agreement.

If Zhang Xiu hadn't intercepted the officials' group, and Xun Yu had truly taken control of the court, then under the false edict, their side would have become the rebels, and Cao Cao's morale would have soared.

Therefore, the outcome of the Battle of Bian River is uncertain.

Even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory.

While most of these people might have the inclination to punish high-ranking officials for no reason, they certainly didn't have the guts.

Zhao Ji is different. He has already dealt with the officials and ministers, so now he is justified in dealing with them. The people of the world cannot find any obvious fault with him.

In dealing with court officials, even Lü Bu might not have the courage or confidence of Zhao Ji.

Since the Anyi remonstrance, Zhao Ji's army has undergone a mental transformation. The Liangzhou soldiers may have broken free from the court's oppression and brainwashing, but their actions were too crude, rendering their justifications meaningless.

Therefore, Zhao Ji acted cautiously, taking small steps to gradually demoralize his troops, ensuring that there would be no issues with morale or stance among them.

Perhaps because he had given his daughter away, Lü Bu found Zhao Ji more and more pleasing to the eye the more he looked at him.

He gestured for Du to pour him some wine, and Lu Bu took a sip with a grin. With a ruthless ally like Zhao Ji, he was no longer afraid of the high officials.

Zhao Ji was allowed to give the officials a good beating, but the officials instead asked him to persuade Zhao Ji.

With this arrangement, he has high-ranking officials on both sides, which allows him to secure his position in the court.

Even the officers who came with Zhao Ji, including Xu Chu, Zhu Ling, Han Meng, and Zhang He, felt that they should rectify and clean up the officials after listening to Zhao Ji's remarks.

Appointing more competent and virtuous scholars and Confucian masters to high-ranking positions is clearly a responsible act for them and for the people of the land.

Meanwhile, the generals and captains on Lü Bu's side were completely relieved.

They are not afraid of anything else, but they are afraid that their hard-won allies will stubbornly listen to the opinions of the court officials.

As remnants of the Imperial Guards of the capital, they had witnessed many coups and regarded nobles and officials as nothing special.

Putting aside everything else, there are countless people in the world who aspire to become high-ranking officials.

Killing a few more will eventually bring in a new batch of obedient ministers.

However, Lü Bu still wanted a good reputation and did not want to be stained with too much blood like Dong Zhuo.

Lü Bu was in a good mood after letting Zhao Ji deal with the officials, and he wanted to persuade everyone to start eating and drinking.

But seeing Zhao Ji's face, he felt there was no need to make a fool of himself, so he changed the subject: "The Governor of Xu Province, Liu Xuande, has been of great help to me. Now that Sun Ce has seized Xiapi and Pengcheng, what is your opinion, Your Excellency?"

"Previously, we were ordered to punish the treacherous minister Cao Cao, so we formed an allied force."

Zhao Ji spoke slowly, stating: "Lord Zang was seriously wounded and died due to Cao Ren's attack; Liu Bei resisted Yuan Shu's invasion but lost his base; and Lord Zang of Mount Tai attacked Yuan Tan in Qingzhou, but now he lacks the strength to continue. All of us who are allies should work together to support each other and must not do anything that breaks faith with others or abandons them after they have served their purpose."

Lu Bu nodded, deeply moved. If Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao had been willing to send troops to support him when he left the pass, the situation would certainly not be like this now.

In terms of alliances, Zhao Ji is a very reliable ally.

For example, in the case of Zhang Yang, Zhao Ji thoughtfully considered Zhang Yang's needs.

Although he didn't like the arrangement, he didn't object to it out of friendship.

It's better to appoint Zhang Yang as the governor of Yanzhou than to appoint Zhang Liao.

Lu Bu found the music and drumming annoying, so he glanced at Li Hei, who was in charge of the music and drumming. Li Hei understood and stopped playing.

Zhao Ji glanced at the direction of the drums and said, "Therefore, if we can persuade Sun Ce to cede Xiapi and garrison Pengcheng, it would be a good strategy. This is Sun Ce's envoy, Zhang Zigang of Guangling."

He spread his arms and introduced himself, Zhang Hong bowing to Lü Bu: "My lord, my general Sun led an army to rise up in rebellion under the command of the traitor Yuan Shu, and also has the heart to obey the emperor. He has nowhere to stay and has no intention of seizing Xuzhou from Lord Xuande. I beg you, my lord, to investigate."

Lu Bu was slightly surprised and asked Zhao Ji, "Is the ruin of Pengcheng satisfactory to Sun Ce?"

"Let's give it a try for now. If he's dissatisfied, then I'll ask Lord Xuande to retreat to Donghai and Langya, and cooperate with Lord Zang. Next year, after I've dealt with the traitors Li Jue and Guo Si, I'll lead my troops to the Central Plains again. At that time, we'll join forces with Lord Lü and march eastward, following the Emperor's decree, down the Bian River. Lord Xuande will then lead his troops from the rear, besieging Xiapi and Pengcheng. Sun Ce can be captured in one fell swoop, so there's nothing to worry about!"

Zhao Ji, brimming with confidence, surveyed the crowd: "Sun Ce has already lost Yuan Shu's trust, and with no strong allies outside Pengcheng and Xiapi, he is in dire straits. If he remains loyal to the court, I will allow him to serve as the Chancellor of Pengcheng. Otherwise, I will ensure the city falls and he dies, his death echoing through the capital!"

These remarks were exactly what Lü Bu was thinking. Seeing Zhao Ji's disdainful gaze, he nodded and said, "That's settled!"

He then looked at Zhang Hong and softened his tone: "Zhao Shizhong's decision is my decision. Please tell Sun Bofu frankly and ask him not to make a mistake. If he is willing to back down, next year when our allied forces are ordered to attack Cao Cao, I can decide to hand over the three commanderies of Dongping, Jibei, and Shanyang to him to raise officials and soldiers."

Seeing that Lü Bu had offered additional conditions, Zhang Hong went to see Zhao Ji again.

Zhao Ji smiled and said, "Lord Lü's opinion is my opinion. We will reply as such. If he agrees, he can become the governor of Nanyang in the future. He understands the intention behind this."

Zhang Hong nodded slightly and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your subject understands."

After Zhang Hong took his seat, Lü Bu, seeing that all the internal and external matters had been resolved, immediately raised his hand and clapped his hands lightly: "The official business is settled. Please enjoy the Liang Kingdom's song and dance performance."

He clapped his hands loudly, and the band started playing music again.

Thirty-two graceful women in flowing robes took to the stage barefoot and danced behind a curtain.

Zhao Ji was also observing these dances when Du Shi came over, holding a golden wine pot in both hands. She knelt on one knee beside the table and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, the official business is finished now, and this wine has gone cold. Would you like a cup of hot wine instead?"

"I am not a good drinker, and when I am drunk I go mad and no one can control me."

Zhao Ji declined, but after looking at the other person's face, he was indeed amazed. He then glanced sideways at Lü Bu.

Lu Bu was looking at him. Their eyes met, and Lu Bu smiled with pursed lips, raising an eyebrow in a gesture of apology. His smile was somewhat sly.

Zhao Ji simply smiled at this.

(End of this chapter)