Tiger Guards

Chapter 305 The left-right dispute
At night, Lü Bu tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Lady Yan got up to turn off the lamp, but seeing Lü Bu sighing deeply, she asked in a low voice, "Why is my husband hesitating like this?"

"Ugh……"

Lu Bu simply sighed, propped himself up with his hands and lay on his side, glanced at Madam Yan, and asked, "Zhao Yuansi is a fine son-in-law, and Yang Zu is very satisfied with him."

Lady Yan was startled. Having witnessed the coups in Luoyang and Chang'an firsthand, she covered her mouth and sat sideways on the edge of the bed, whispering, "Could it be that my husband is thinking..."

"Not what you think."

Lu Bu looked up at the bed curtains, which were decorated with phoenix patterns that he liked: "Later in the daytime, Lou Gui made a suggestion to me, and I thought his words made a lot of sense."

What did he say?

Yan had no good feelings towards Lou Gui and his ilk, especially regarding this kind of suggestion that caused Lü Bu great concern.

"The Empress and the imperial concubines have committed misconduct and should be deposed."

Lü Bu recalled the basis of Lou Gui's remarks and said, "My daughter is a perfect match for the emperor's age. If she can be made empress, it will be beneficial for my rule in the future."

Lady Yan stared wide-eyed at Lü Bu in disbelief, saying, "My lord, you must not do this. If you do, you will surely become enemies with the Zhao family, like fire and water, and no one will be able to avenge this hatred."

"This is also what I'm worried about."

Despite saying this, Lü Bu still felt tormented and somewhat annoyed by Zhang Yang.

Most importantly, the daughter has already been sent to Zhao Ji's camp for nearly half a month, and it would be difficult to convince the public to send her back to the palace.

Seeing that Lü Bu's words were not sincere, Lady Yan said in a low voice, "My husband, we should support the Han dynasty if we can. If the mandate of heaven is not on our side, why bother? I see that Zhao Yuansi has the appearance of the sun and the moon, and is a dragon among men. At the age of 18, his future glory is beyond words."

Even if Lü Bu fails, his descendants will still benefit from his legacy.

Lu Bu did not refute her, but only sighed in response: "Turn off the lights. Lou Gui and his ilk are always stirring up trouble and have ulterior motives. How could I not know that? But Zhao Yuansi is already engaged to the Empress's sister. How can my daughter stand up for herself?"

Yan remained silent, then rose and blew out the oil lamp.

Back on the cold bed, she felt she should find an opportunity to send a message to Wei Yue or Wei Xu.

The two brothers thought highly of Zhao Ji and wouldn't allow Lou Gui and his gang of Nanyang people to cause trouble.

As dawn broke and the morning mist dissipated, Zhao Ji led two thousand cavalrymen north to welcome the emperor, accompanied by over a hundred elite guards traveling in chariots.

Along the way, passing the camps of nobles and officials, the guards were desolate, as if covered in frost.

Near the Emperor's camp in the north, there were guards sent by Lü Bu, stationed in two battalions, left and right.

Wei Yue, who was in charge of the army guarding the emperor, dared not let Zhao Ji take the emperor away, nor did he dare to stop Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji was appointed as Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently served as General of the Tiger Guard, a position that allowed him to directly lead the Tiger Guard to meet the Emperor.

Wei Yue could only leave the camp and talk to Zhao Ji by the roadside while waiting for Lü Bu to arrive.

Basically, Lü Bu was notified when Zhao Ji sent out his troops.

Wei Yue didn't linger for long before Lü Bu arrived with over a thousand cavalry.

On the imperial road, Lü Bu and Zhao Ji rode side by side, waiting for the emperor's army to set off.

With no one else around, Lü Bu asked, "Is Yuan Si returning to Bingzhou after paying homage to the Emperor?"

"Lord Meng, we have gathered here in front of the Emperor's gate on official business. Please address me by my official titles."

Zhao Ji kept a straight face, completely unconcerned about Lü Bu's changing expression.

In any private meeting, he will always be the junior and will inevitably suffer losses.

We must never back down an inch from someone like Lü Bu.

The phrase "the fierce tiger of the world" refers not only to Lü Bu's bravery but also to his domineering behavior, which cannot be restrained by ordinary rules and etiquette.

Seeing Zhao Ji's expression, all sorts of unpleasant memories and displeasure immediately enveloped Lü Bu, his body seemingly shrouded in a grayish-white aura of hatred and fighting spirit. He tilted his head slightly and glanced at Zhao Ji: "After paying homage to the Emperor, will you, Attendant-in-Ordinary, return to Bingzhou?"

In response, Zhao Ji replied solemnly: "After paying homage to the Emperor, praising the merits of the officials and soldiers, and punishing the corrupt officials, I will discuss and decide on major policies with Marquis Lü. After that, I will personally lead the troops to withdraw."

Seeing that Lü Bu remained silent, Zhao Ji added, "After the court has finalized its major policies, since Lord Lü is in the court and I am in Bingzhou and Sizhou, we should both abide by them. If we do not, we will be breaking our alliance."

"Are you trying to scare me with the threat of betrayal?"

Lu Bu noticed that his Red Hare horse was agitated, so he gently tugged at the reins and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. I wonder how you intend to claim credit, Attendant?"

Zhao Ji smiled: "King Chen has already sent his prime minister Luo Jun to court to resign the seal of the Grand General. Marquis Lü wants it?"

"Who else would it be than me?"

Lü Bu smiled and said, "What does Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao want? General of Chariots and Cavalry? Governor of Bing Province? Or Grand Marshal? If it's Grand Marshal, I'm afraid I can't agree to it."

The last famous combination of a general and a marshal was Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the uncle and nephew.

Zhao Ji's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "I was just in a dilemma, and I must thank Marquis Lü for the reminder. I, Zhao, am more than willing to take on the position of Grand Marshal!"

Lu Bu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Then the position of Tiger-General?"

"Mr. Zhao is very attached to this position, so please forgive me for not being able to resign."

Zhao Ji added, "The position of Imperial Guard Commander can be recommended by Lord Lü. Based on the Imperial Guard Commander, and modeled after the Tiger Step Army, we can build the Eagle Soaring New Army. In this way, I will command the Tiger Step Army with the Tiger Guard Commander, and Lord Lü will command the Eagle Soaring New Army with the Imperial Guard Commander."

When the topic of military reform came up, Lü Bu immediately calmed down: "What about the palace guards and the soldiers of the five schools?" "They are just empty titles. Just place them in positions that are all talk and no action. Whether they stay or go is up to you, Lord Lü. I don't care."

Zhao Ji gently pulled on the reins, controlling his horse to run alongside Lü Bu, and continued, "However, the Three Departments and Six Ministries system is a major policy of reform, and it must not be changed."

In an instant, red lightning seemed to flash around Lü Bu's fighting spirit as he coldly stared at Zhao Ji: "Lord Zhao, are you perhaps toying with me?"

"Why do you say such a thing, Lord Lü?"

Zhao Ji remained calm: "The Secretariat is under my jurisdiction, the Chancellery under Lord Lü, and the Ministry of Personnel is responsible for implementation. Our two families are jointly governing; isn't this the essence of our alliance? Does Lord Lü intend to abandon the reform policies simply because I withdraw my troops and return to Bingzhou? Where would that leave me?"

Lu Bu shook his head again: "This won't work. You are far away in Hedong, while the imperial court is temporarily in Yingchuan. The distance is thousands of miles and communication is inconvenient. How can you govern?"

Seeing that Zhao Ji remained silent and stubborn.

Lü Bu then proposed: "If Lord Zhao insists on this, we can move all the officials of the three provinces to Luodu, and the emperor and ministers can dine with me in Yingchuan."

With Bi Chen, the governor of Henan, in charge, Lü Bu was confident in maintaining control over the Heluo region.

Maintaining basic administration doesn't actually cost much; the biggest expense for the court is the army's rations.

Zhao Ji did not directly refute, but asked, "When will the Emperor and the high officials return to Luodu after accompanying Marquis Lü to Yingchuan for their meals?"

"Once Luodu's reserves of money and grain are plentiful, I will personally escort the Emperor and his ministers back to Luodu."

Although Lü Bu said it, he was still unwilling.

Holding a puppet emperor and high-ranking officials in this way was somewhat useful when they went to war against Liu Biao.

If one wants to adjust the official positions in prefectures and counties, promote and reward officials, or recruit subordinates, one still cannot do without Luodu.

Since he cannot be separated from the Zhao family, many of his operations must be exposed to the Zhao family, who will naturally obstruct and sabotage them.

How is this any different from the joint governance with Wang Yun back then?
Having had enough of this feeling of being controlled by others, Lü Bu truly could not sever ties with Zhao Ji.

Only by maintaining unity can both sides create an atmosphere of hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty, continuously restore the prestige of the court, attract talents from all directions, and then use these talents to infiltrate and control all directions.

Only by maintaining a united front can they remain strategically proactive and avoid being passively attacked by the Yuan brothers and the Liu group.

Whether it was fighting Sun Jian under Dong Zhuo, confronting the generals of Liangzhou after the coup in Chang'an, or vying with Cao Cao for Yanzhou, Lü Bu always suffered defeats due to a lack of reliable allies. He understood all too well the importance of a reliable ally.

Zhao Ji's handling of Sun Ce's matter made Lü Bu feel that he was too rigid, but Zhao Ji and Liu Bei were not related by blood, yet he was able to uphold the loyalty of an ally. This behavior actually won Lü Bu's trust.

Zhao Ji represents not only Bingzhou and Hedong, but also Chen Wang, Liu Bei, Zang Ba, Zhang Xiu, Duan Wei, and may even represent the three provinces of Yong, Liang and Bing in the future.

Observing Lü Bu's perfunctory attitude, Zhao Ji asked, "In terms of prestige throughout the land, even if you and I were to combine our efforts, we would not be able to compare to one of the Three Yangs. Is this true?"

Lu Bu remained silent, which was clearly an admission of his consent.

Zhao Ji then said, “I led my elite troops to remonstrate with the emperor at Anyi, reforming the government and implementing the Three Departments and Six Ministries system, precisely to obstruct the rule of the high officials and prevent them from ruining important military and national affairs. As for the old system of high officials, they are well-versed in it, and you and I are no match for their methods. But in implementing reforms, how could you and I be controlled by them?”

Seeing Lü Bu deep in thought, Zhao Ji continued, "Lord Lü arrived in Yingchuan seven days before me. The officials and ministers are constrained by the new policies, unable to act effectively, so Lord Lü naturally doesn't feel any harm from them. If the new policies were abolished and the old policies reinstated, would they be so quiet?"

What have the high-ranking officials been doing during this period?
He did only one thing: he persuaded the emperor to change his route to Yingchuan.

If Zhao Qi hadn't stabbed them in the back, these people, after joining forces with Xun Yu who had military power and supplies, would naturally have dared to abandon the reforms and disrupt the government; at the same time, they would have allied with Cao Cao to attack the treacherous ministers Lü Bu and Zhao Ji.

After their failed coup attempt, they had no say in important personnel appointments, which were all controlled by the Secretariat in Hedong.

Since the Secretariat did not issue official documents, the Chancellery and the Secretariat, which were close to the emperor, had no resolutions that could be implemented or carried out.

Lu Bu is only now beginning to realize that the officials have indeed been too quiet lately.

Previously, they had only remained silent because they subconsciously believed that the officials were afraid of Zhao Ji's purge.

If they had a way to retaliate against Zhao Ji, how could these people possibly remain silent?

Since Zhao Ji had completely stripped them of their henchmen and they could no longer coerce the emperor, they could only passively wait for the situation to change.

Lu Bu suddenly realized, and most of the invisible fighting spirit that had been surging around him dissipated. His eyes lit up and he asked, "If it is as you wish, then we should each take on the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary?"

"The Three Provinces, as the name suggests, consist of three provinces."

Zhao Ji gestured with his hand: "The position of Attendant-in-Ordinary in the Secretariat needs to be adjusted. Only five positions will be retained: two from the Zhao family, two recommended by Marquis Lü, and Liu Ai will remain as Attendant-in-Ordinary. The Secretariat will be handed over to His Majesty to reassure the court officials. As for the Department of State Affairs, there will be no Minister of State Affairs. You and I will each lead the Left and Right Vice Ministers. How convenient it would be if all the major and minor policies were issued by our two families?"

Zhao Ji had previously wanted to secure the Three Departments and Six Ministries system, but he lacked the prestige. Now, by bringing Lü Bu along, he can complete the closed loop.

Lü Bu, whose thinking differed from ordinary people, asked, "Who will be the Right Minister?"

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the right side was considered superior. Although the Left and Right Ministers held the same position, there were subtle differences in their ranks, even if it was just a matter of their seating positions during political discussions.

Seeing Lü Bu's particular attitude, Zhao Ji said, "Lord Lü is an elder, so naturally he should be the Right Minister."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's expression became pleased.

Despite Zhao's painstaking efforts in promoting the Three Departments and Six Ministries system, he ultimately only managed to gain a slight dominant position.

Lü Bu then asked, "What about the position of Grand Marshal?"

Seeing Zhao Ji chuckle, Lü Bu retorted, "In winter, Ruying is short of food, and the imperial court has gathered more than 100,000 troops. If Liu Biao refuses to offer money and grain, I can't just dismiss the officials and soldiers and let them starve to death and become bandits, can I?"

In response, Zhao Ji stated confidently: "Since Liu Biao is disloyal and disregards the safety of the emperor and the survival of the court, we should simply punish him. What is there to hesitate about?"

(End of this chapter)