Tiger Guards

Chapter 324 Dong Zhuo's Legacy
To welcome Liu Biao's envoy, Zhao Ji returned to Jinyang a few days in advance.

Liu Bei's envoy, Sun Qian, is still staying in Jinyang. They have indeed brought more than 400 cartloads of goods and are continuously selling and trading the horses they need.

Sun Qian's caravan would only return to Xuzhou when spring arrived and vegetation grew, making it easier for horses to migrate.

During this period, General Gongsun Zan, Marquis of Ji, and General Yuan Shao, Marquis of Kangxiang, remained locked in a stalemate at Xindu, and Gongsun Zan's detachment failed to capture Nanpi.

As the weather was about to warm up, and Gongsun Zan could not wait for support from Zhang Yan, Zhao Ji, or Lü Bu and Zhang Yang, he submitted a memorial to the court expressing his dissatisfaction and began to withdraw his troops from Xindu.

If they don't retreat now, when the river thaws and the swamps and wetlands overflow, Gongsun Zan's army will be stuck in the mud and unable to retreat quickly.

As the weather warms and the snow melts, the poor road conditions are also detrimental to the health of the army and horses.

Having long been stationed in the border regions and fought several battles with Yuan Shao in Hebei, Gongsun Zan acted decisively. He submitted a memorial to the court expressing his dissatisfaction and immediately began withdrawing his troops.

If they don't retreat now, Yuan Shao won't just stand by and watch them slowly withdraw once the road conditions worsen.

If they can retreat safely, Gongsun Zan can gather more troops, or even more, to march south next winter to seek food from the enemy and plunder some supplies along the way.

For the powerful Han and Hu families, officials, and soldiers of Youzhou, who lived in harsh winter conditions, being able to travel south to Jizhou for food in winter would naturally alleviate the food burden on their families.

Gongsun Zan did not fail to capture anything; he abducted more than 20,000 households and retreated north.

Those with relatives or friends outside might be able to be redeemed; otherwise, some would be distributed to Han and Hu powerful families, while others would be detained by Gongsun Zan and subjected to military settlements on both sides of the Yi River.

If war breaks out again next year, these captured young men will also become part of Gongsun Zan's forces and participate in the battle.

Zang Ba of Beihai also wisely withdrew his troops. He wanted to take over Qingzhou entirely, but there was only one major prerequisite.

That is, Gongsun Zan dealt a heavy blow to Yuan Shao in the field battle that winter, making it impossible for Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to take care of Qingzhou.

If they don't retreat now, even without Yuan Shao's intervention, the combined forces of Cao Cao and Yuan Tan alone could overwhelm Zang Ba.

However, Zang Ba was appointed and dismissed by the imperial court as the governor of Qingzhou. Even if he returned to Langya, he could still exert influence and accumulate strength for a counterattack.

As for Sun Ce, after advancing into Jinan, they rested and reorganized on the spot, as they were not accustomed to fighting in winter.

As an adjustment, Yuan Shao also dismissed Yuan Tan from his post as governor of Qingzhou and transferred him to be the governor of Bohai Commandery, while appointing Feng Ji as the chancellor of Pingyuan State.

With Gongsun Zan's retreat, Yuan Shao was able to stand up straight and begin sending envoys to Jinyang to discuss the ransom of the prisoners.

In Jinyang City, Zhao Ji and Cai Zhaoji, who had been separated for nearly a month, spent another night together.

In the early morning, Madam Du led several maids inside to help Zhao Ji wash up; she was already used to it.

Cai Zhaoji was also a renowned figure of her time, yet she had no official status and thus became entangled with Zhao Ji... Du Shi was not surprised at all.

As for Cai Zhaoji being the teacher of Zhen Mi and Lü Qi, she found it even less strange.

In the vast city of Jinyang, no woman could resist Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji could do whatever he wanted, and almost no one could stop him.

Even Zhao Yan, who moved to Luodu to govern, sent envoys to Langya to search for eligible women from his hometown, in order to enrich Zhao Ji's inner court.

Because he was going to meet Liu Biao's envoy, Zhao Ji washed his hair.

He lay back in the rocking chair, and Du sat behind him, combing his hair. Zhao Ji's hair was exceptionally thick and voluminous, and she needed a maid to help her tie it up.

After putting on a small purple-gold crown, another maid held up a bronze mirror for Zhao Ji to look in. Zhao Ji turned to look at Du Shi and said, "In the whole world, who is more handsome than me?"

As Madam Du was tidying up her comb, she turned around and replied, "If I were dressed as a man, I would be no less than you, my lord."

"Hmm, tomorrow you will dress as a man. If you look good, you will become my female attendant who carries my sword, with an annual salary of three hundred shi (a unit of grain).

As Zhao Ji spoke, he stood up and looked down at the chest of her black and red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). She was more magnificent than Cai Zhaoji and appeared even whiter and smoother.

Du took a deep breath and tightened her waist, glancing at the bed behind the curtain.

Zhao Ji just smiled, and his hand involuntarily reached out to her, causing several maids to cover their mouths and giggle.

Du put away the wooden box, turned and walked away. Her obviously bulging belly did not hinder her at all; she was still radiant.

As they left, they left behind a basin of steaming water. Cai Zhaoji also stood up and asked, "Who is she?"

"She was originally a palace lady named Diaochan, from the Du family of Duling. During the chaos in Luoyang, she was taken in by Wang Yun and moved to Chang'an before being presented to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo then bestowed her with Qin Yi, a member of the Prime Minister's household."

Zhao Ji made no secret of his relationship with Cai Zhaoji; they were actually closer.

Cai Zhaoji merely pursed her lips. In terms of looks, she was only average, but she had the advantage of temperament... However, compared to a true beauty, her temperament was inferior.

Hearing that Lady Du had served as a lady-in-waiting to Diao Chan, one knows that she came from a scholarly family; ordinary palace women could not have held such a position. Judging from Lady Du's age, she was probably sixteen or seventeen when she became a lady-in-waiting, which puts her among the most outstanding palace women.

Being assigned to be Diao Chan's lady-in-waiting effectively disqualified her from becoming a close attendant to the emperor in the harem, likely due to being sidelined.

The noble families of Guanzhong had long since declined, and most of the eunuchs came from Guandong. The beautiful palace women from Guanxi were neither close to nor trusted by them.

Diao Chan, a female official, had close daily interactions with the various court attendants, making it impossible for her to be promoted to the inner court.

Even if the emperor liked it, he would only use it briefly.

Cai Zhaoji washed herself and said, "Wang Can is my father's successor. He has not yet arrived, but a messenger has already sent a visiting card to my door. If he has any requests, how should I respond?"

"You can decide on minor matters yourself, but you can discuss major matters with me."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he walked to the wall, took down a precious sword and hung it at his left waist. He then put on a white bear fur cloak with a sable coat over his shoulders and turned to her, saying, "This spring and summer, Lü Bu will be busy governing his military settlements and will not attack Liu Biao. When I discussed this with Mr. Wenhe and the strategist, I determined that Liu Biao would urge Lü Bu to attack Yuan Shu. If Wang Can has come for this reason, then agree. When I send troops to Guanzhong, I hope that Liu Biao can also send a detachment through Wuguan Pass to support our army."

"Here."

Cai Zhaoji agreed and stepped forward to scoop water from the basin. Suddenly, she looked up at Zhao Ji and asked, "Does Your Excellency intend to follow in Dong Zhuo's footsteps?"

"Let's talk about it for entertainment. Just looking at her will make me feel better."

Zhao Ji smiled, and Cai Zhaoji didn't take it to heart. She bowed and washed her face, while Zhao Ji turned around, walked around the screen, and left the bedroom.

Upon arriving at the outer hall, many of the shogunate's staff had already arrived and were preparing for the meal.

Zhao Ji preferred that everyone sit around a large table to eat, but since winter had brought frequent cases of typhoid fever and colds, Zhao Ji followed the people's wishes and implemented a separate meal system to maintain the order of seniority.

Upon seeing him enter, everyone rose and bowed, saying, "Your subjects greet the Grand Marshal."

"No gift."

Zhao Ji responded and sat in the main seat, observing the seats in the front row: "Where is Mr. Wenhe?"

Han Shu replied, "This morning, Mr. Wenhe's guard came to report that Mr. Wenhe has typhoid fever and is taking leave today."

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "If you have a cough, dizziness, headache, or feel unwell, just ask for leave. Don't force yourself. There are few official duties in the government now, so there's no need to perform your duties while sick."

"Here."

Han Shu bowed to everyone, and soon the guards brought out breakfast. Zhao Ji had a large appetite, not only because he had a good digestion, but also because his size meant he could eat enough for three people.

So everyone had a plate, while Zhao Ji used a plate to serve the dishes and a bowl to serve the staple food, and then used a small bowl to serve himself.

Zhao Jixian picked up his teacup and blew on it, then suddenly looked at Chief Secretary Zhang Chang and said, "When Liu Zhennan's envoy arrives later, do you know his deputy, Fu Xun?"

Zhang Chang cupped his hands in greeting: "I've known you since my younger days, but we've never been close."

"Now we can get closer. The Fu family in the north is also a powerful clan. If they can stay here and serve me, they can also help Liu Zhennan. In the future, I can entrust them to handle matters in Jingzhou."

"Here."

Zhang Chang immediately agreed; this was a favor he was doing for him, so naturally he had to accept.

Pei Xiu, who was sitting behind him, looked up at Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji simply nodded at him, so Pei Xiu remained silent and picked up his chopsticks to eat.

Before the formal meeting, both parties should visit each other privately to discuss everything that needs to be said, and then just go through the motions in the formal setting.

Pei Xiu also wanted Pei Qian, who was familiar with Jingzhou, to be in charge of this diplomatic matter, so that adjustments could be made after they became more familiar with each other.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji made a different decision and chose an outsider, Fu Xun.

However, it doesn't matter. Given their friendship, if Pei Qian is willing to come, he can start by being appointed as a Gentleman of the Palace or an Attendant, ranking alongside Pei Xiu.

Pei Qian could even manipulate the selection of candidates for the Hedong Xiaolian program in the second year of Jian'an.

However, being a filial son is somewhat difficult. If we want an honest official, we should arrange for Pei Qian to serve as a county official in Hedong.

Zhao Xu will definitely give him face, but this process will take a bit longer.

In the first year of Jian'an, the quota for filial and incorruptible officials in Hedong had been finalized: Hu Ban was selected as the filial son, and Liu Fu as the incorruptible official.

Liu Fu has already gone to Luodu to serve as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He will be transferred here after a while.

At the age of thirty, being appointed as the governor of a small prefecture in a remote area is barely acceptable.

(End of this chapter)