Tiger Guards

Chapter 311
Three days later, Zhao Ji's troops, mixed in with the migrating army and civilians, finally arrived in Tangyi.

Liu Fu set up a banquet by the roadside to welcome Zhao Ji.

The wooden platform is surrounded by wooden plank walls on all four sides.

Zhao Ji finally took a hot shower and felt much better.

He sat alone in the main seat, with a wooden screen behind him, featuring a square "Zhao" character carved in relief, and hanging scarlet and purple ribbons.

As the military drums played, Zhao Jigang raised his glass as soon as he sat down and said, "Take off the drums and music."

Liu Fu immediately stood up: "Yes, sir."

He turned and left, and soon the drumming and music stopped. Liu Fu also dismissed the warriors who were about to go on stage to dance.

After Liu Fu returned to his original seat, Zhao Ji looked around at everyone and said, "People become timid when they get close to home. What should we do?"

Everyone composed themselves and observed each other. Wei Xing, however, seemed unfazed and cupped his hands in greeting: "Is the Grand Marshal reminiscing about the fallen officers and soldiers?"

“Not only them, but since the great victory at Bianshui and the withdrawal of troops, officials and people along the way, men and women, young and old, have followed our army. However, the grain reserves in Hebei are insufficient, and I am deeply afraid of failing the trust of the people.”

Zhao Ji sighed deeply, "Now is the time to overcome all obstacles, so let us feast for now. Before the harvest in August next autumn, we should stop brewing grain wine to relieve the people's burden."

Xu Huang rose and bowed deeply: "Grand Marshal, you are benevolent. This humble general obeys your command."

"Grand Marshal Rende, we obey your command."

Everyone stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji also stood up, holding his wine cup, and looked around at everyone: "With you all like this, how can we not achieve our great cause? From this day forward, I shall abstain from alcohol. Next time we drink, we shall drink chrysanthemum wine brewed from next year's grain for the Double Ninth Festival."

"I am willing to follow the Grand Marshal and abstain from alcohol!"

Xu Huang raised his cup and shouted loudly, and everyone else followed suit, since the strict rule was to brew wine from grains.

If we can wait until next summer, at the very least we'll be able to drink fruit wine.

Zhao Ji's men were mostly young and strong, and there were no middle-aged men who were addicted to alcohol.

So everyone followed Zhao Ji and drank a full cup. Zhao Ji waved his hand and said, "Please sit down, everyone, and drink to your heart's content."

"Here."

Immediately, guards brought forward a heated wine barrel to pour wine for everyone, while Zhao Ji turned his wine cup upside down and picked up a piece of venison with his chopsticks.

As he chewed, he sighed, "In the two battles of Zhen Ding and Bian Shui, I have no other concerns but fear that the horse meat will harm the stomachs of my officers and soldiers."

The officers who had participated in these two battles chuckled and laughed. It wasn't just Zhao Ji; they were all tired of it.

Zhao Ji disliked this situation of being surrounded and flattered by everyone. After putting down his chopsticks, he said, "Now that I hold an important position in the court, if I get too close to you all, I will lose my authority, and if my demeanor is not proper, the law will be in chaos. If I distance myself from you all, it will also offend people's feelings. I am in a great dilemma. What should I do?"

Seeing that no one answered, Wei Xing stood up and said, "We followed the Grand Marshal, donning armor and wielding weapons to serve the court with the intention of stabilizing the chaotic world. We all have merits and achievements. How could we be people who harbor ambitions for advancement?"

Feeling that his words might have been inappropriate, Wei Xing paused slightly and then said, "Grand Marshal, please rest assured. Right now, all industries in Hebei and Yongliang are in decline, which is precisely the time for us to work hard. We should prioritize official business and not spend our days and nights gathering for private pleasures."

“Zi'ang is right.”

Zhao Ji waved for him to sit down, then said to everyone, “You are my arms and legs. When a person wants to do something, how can he be bound by his face and chest? His arms should be outstretched and his legs should be straightened. We will have fewer opportunities to get together in the future, so please cherish today’s banquet and drink to your heart’s content.”

"Follow the order."

They responded in unison again. Zhang He, Han Meng, Zhu Ling, Gou Huan, and Zhang Xiu sat in the front row, with Zhang Xiu in the very front, tied for first place with Xu Huang.

Xu Huang held the title of Marquis of Duting, though it was unclear whether it should be counted, and Zhang Xiu also held the title of County Marquis, so they were both in the front row, sitting right next to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji then left his seat, signaling Liu Fu to proceed with the program according to the established plan.

After Zhao Ji left, the atmosphere on the wooden platform immediately became lively, and everyone relaxed.

Even those who don't particularly enjoy drinking let loose and joined in the revelry.

Zhao Ji left the banquet table to have dinner with his strategist Zhao Qi.

Zhao Qi was old and disliked noise. He was having a meal and chatting with several of his former students and officials.

Upon seeing Zhao Ji arrive, his former students and officials took their leave, and the guards who had been taking care of Zhao Qi served Zhao Ji a bowl and chopsticks.

Zhao Qi, his teeth nearly gone, stirred the minced meat porridge and said, "Why doesn't the Grand Marshal host a banquet for everyone?"

"There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors. When I'm on stage, they can't enjoy themselves to the fullest. They have to watch my expression in everything they do, which makes them quite uncomfortable."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he turned to look at the high platform a few dozen steps away, where the sound of drums accompanied him, and he could also hear Wei Xing's domineering voice as he forced people to drink: "Now it's very good, I have peace, and they can also revel."

"Tsk tsk, a temperament like that of the Grand Marshal is truly...rare."

Zhao Qi sighed, but what he really wanted to say was the contrast.

From the moment he learned about Zhao Ji, the various subsequent reports portrayed Zhao Ji as someone with thorns on his body, someone outsiders couldn't touch, for touching him would prick them.

His impression of Zhao Ji was that of a very impetuous, fierce, and brave person. Considering Zhao Ji's age and skill in battle, he became a border military leader who was very convincing and good at winning over those around him to fight against and attack others.

As it turns out, Zhao Ji now tells him that he doesn't like crowds and prefers to be alone.

Seeing that Zhao Ji seemed to have something to say to him, Zhao Qi didn't want to talk to him and took the initiative to say, "The army has returned in triumph, and the whole army is overjoyed. I know that the Grand Marshal is worried about the provisions, so please don't worry about it. Since I came to power, more than 60 years have passed, and the four seasons have been irregular and the climate has been abnormal, and the people, men and women, have been living in poverty."

“However, man-made disasters followed one after another, and men and women in various places did not all die. Now, under the Grand Marshal’s rule, the population is far better than before. If we still cannot survive, it is not the Grand Marshal’s fault, but the will of Heaven.” After comforting and reassuring Zhao Ji for a while, Zhao Qi picked up a wooden spoon and ate his porridge, calmly enjoying the delicious food.

Zhao Ji's mood improved somewhat. The Zhiguan Pass was not an easy road to travel, especially when a large number of people migrated together with the army. Every day, there were men, women, and children who were weak and exhausted and died on the roadside.

Although they were provided with food, these people were too weak to stay.

They were afraid of falling behind the army, cutting off supplies, or being kidnapped by the surrounding mountain people.

The vast majority of disaster victims barely managed to keep moving and eventually died from exhaustion.

What Zhao Ji could see, Zhao Qi could also see.

These people who followed Zhao Ji in his migration were far more fortunate than other migrants.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion forces in various regions were also organized with men and women mixed together. Hundreds of thousands of them migrated, living a precarious existence, constantly threatened by military attacks and annihilation.

The Black Mountain Army was similar; they were basically forced to retreat to the Taihang Mountains to make a living after the defeat and death of the three Zhang brothers, when Huangfu Song, as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Governor of Ji Province, was in charge of Hebei.

Of the million-strong Black Mountain Army that once existed, more than half are now gone.

Furthermore, when Dong Zhuo moved the capital, the people of Heluo were completely unprepared. In such cold weather, the army burned their properties located in the capital and its suburbs, leaving their fertile farmland and manors in ruins.

Their wealth was plundered by the army, and even their food and wives and concubines were hard to keep. They migrated in a state of numbness, with their families torn apart and living in constant fear.

If you were to travel that thousand-mile road from Luodu to Chang'an now, you would see rows of white bones lining the roadside.

Then there were the refugees from the Three Auxiliary Regions. More than 100,000 households of refugees survived and made their way to Nanyang via the Wuguan Pass. Some refugees even went to Xuzhou and gathered near Pengcheng, where they were slaughtered by Cao Cao.

Liu Yan seized control of Yizhou, and ordered Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu to cause chaos in Hanzhong and burn down the plank roads.

Despite these circumstances, a large number of refugees from the Three Auxiliary Regions still crossed mountains and ridges to migrate to Hanzhong. Many went even further, migrating to Sichuan and Bazhong, and becoming part of the Dongzhou army.

Compared to the aforementioned disaster victims, the 60,000 to 70,000 households who migrated with Zhao Ji were already very fortunate.

The accompanying army would not harm them, and would even allow them to help with their carts, providing them with daily rations.

Even if they died by the roadside, Zhao Yun, who was covering the rear, would collect and bury them, so that their bodies would not be left to rot in the wilderness and be eaten by birds and beasts.

Therefore, even though Zhao Qi witnessed many partings and deaths along the way, he still had no negative emotions.

She has done enough; he can't find any faults to criticize or find fault with her.

Therefore, Zhao Qi categorized Zhao Ji's current emotions as the enthusiasm unique to young people, and that such things would naturally fade away after a while.

Putting aside everything else, the sheer number of immigrants coming in presents a thorny issue: how to resettle them.

Anyway, the people of Hedong don't like these people, and these people are even less likely to be foolish enough to follow Zhao Ji's arrangements.

If these immigrants had a choice, they would certainly want to become residents of Hedong and enjoy the ten-year tax exemption granted to them.

Despite their gratitude to Zhao Ji and the Bingzhou army, they had no desire to bolster Xihe, Yanmen, or Daijun. Even Taiyuan held little appeal for them; all they wanted was the tax-free treatment in Hedong.

For many, the initial and most primal motivation for migrating with the army was simply to have a meal.

After learning about the situation in Hedong during their march and migration, their goals changed, and they wanted to become people from Hedong.

This problem must be solved, but the process of solving it will certainly not be harmonious or satisfactory.

Once Zhao Ji resolves this issue, his current pity for the disaster victims and displaced people will quickly fade away.

Therefore, Zhao Qi didn't bother to comfort Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji is Zhao Yan's grandson, but not his grandson.

Now that he is the Grand Marshal, Zhao Ji needs to handle all aspects of the matter.

Conflicts between officials and officers need to be balanced and mediated by Zhao Ji; those that cannot be mediated must be dealt with by crackdown.

Zhao Ji also needed to handle the production conflicts between the old and new people and the Xiongnu tribes.

After dealing with so many of these kinds of things, that little bit of pity and compassion just wears away.

Maintaining basic fairness and ensuring the survival of the majority is already an immense challenge.

Having witnessed the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, as well as the powerful relatives and ministers who held sway, Zhao Qi had seen plenty of messy and chaotic things. So when it came to Zhao Ji's current predicament, Zhao Qi remained calm and unperturbed.

Furthermore, he also believed in Zhao Ji's learning and adaptability.

Who dares to underestimate Zhao Ji's growth potential now?
The execution of the four generals of Baibo had an element of luck, and the military remonstrance at Anyi can also be said to be Zhao Yan's scheme behind the scenes; later, when he personally led the emperor to conquer the Xiongnu, Taiyuan, and Shangdang, there was an element of cunning and quick thinking.

He was able to escape unscathed from Yuan Shao's grasp, and then, in alliance with Lü Bu, achieved a great victory against Cao Cao at the Bian River with fewer troops.

He executed Huan Dian and then peacefully shared power with Lü Bu.

After all these actions, who would dare to underestimate Zhao Ji's learning and adaptability?
Aside from youthful enthusiasm and compassion being considered flaws, Zhao Qi could not find any other weaknesses in Zhao Ji.

As for the weakness of the clan... that's really not a disadvantage.

If Zhao Ji is in his forties or fifties, then the current number of family members is truly shallow.

But he was not yet twenty years old. If he could maintain his current base, twenty or thirty years from now, he wouldn't even need Zhao Ji to personally lead the campaign. Zhao Ji's descendants would be able to solve many problems for him.

(End of this chapter)