Tiger Guards

Chapter 351 Seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages
Zhao Ji has more experience and has seen or heard of all sorts of operations.

In his view, the top leaders of various factions are very likely to collude with each other.

Moreover, the Xiongnu of Xiutuge were already highly integrated with the Han Dynasty... Many border people became Xiongnu of Xiutuge voluntarily or involuntarily, often just to make their lives easier.

Therefore, the underlying levels of various forces are also constantly changing and flowing among each other.

However, when order is in chaos, once the changes have passed, a generation cannot change back, and their descendants will become deeply influenced by foreign cultures.

Now, the peace talks and trade agreements with the seven chieftains of the Xiutu tribe have not resulted in any sacrifice of the interests of the lower classes.

The interests of other nobles in the Xiutu tribe were sacrificed, as they could have previously competed for the position of chieftain.

If this generation can't win, the next generation will always have a chance.

Now that these chieftains have reached an alliance with Zhao Ji, they will receive the hereditary guarantee of being a thousand-household or hundred-household commander.

Therefore, the future chaos in Xiutu will be caused by other nobles who are dissatisfied and unite to cause trouble.

If these leaders can be suppressed, that would be best. If not, then the heavenly army of the superior nation can be invoked to suppress them together.

As for the grassroots herders, they are actually very pitiful. They don't even have their own personal rights. What choices can you expect them to make?

But these herders are also at their most vicious when they are on the verge of starvation after a disaster.

Often, the rebellions and border raids by various nomadic tribes were simply the result of the eastward shift of the scourge from the high-ranking nobles.

In terms of actual enthusiasm for war, these high-ranking nobles were actually the least enthusiastic.

They have no shortage of food, wealth, or status; those nomadic heroes who are passionate about war are always a minority.

Forced to wage a war of plunder, they either had to wear down dissidents in the lower and middle classes during the fighting, or seize resources to feed these people, lest the lower classes be driven to desperation and elect their own leaders to turn around and harm these high-ranking nobles.

In Zhao Ji's eyes, the Xiongnu were not a whole, but rather a collection of scattered parts; he only needed to grasp their vital points.

Thus the alliance was reached, and the Xian branch was divided into two, becoming two thousand households; the surplus settlements moved to Pingyang and became directly under Zhao Ji's command.

The seven chieftains of the Xiutu tribe also summoned their sons and nobles to swear an oath to abide by the thousand-household system.

Some families split up on the spot, while others, though from relatively remote tribes, would accept the system of thousands or hundreds of households.

In nomadic life, the worst thing is to eat alone.

The position of a thousand-household commander is hereditary, while the position of a hundred-household commander can be given to a brother or a powerful nobleman, so that everyone can share in the benefits.

As for those nobles who didn't get a share, they could lead some of the herdsmen to Pingyang, where they would be under Zhao Ji's jurisdiction and seek better prospects.

Qu Bei also gained the greatest benefit: he would lead his own tribe and the Huyan tribe to move to Xihe, and cede the western part of Pingyang to Zhao Ji.

As for the Xiongnu as a whole, they will follow Zhao Ji in launching a war of annexation against the various Hu and Qiang tribes in Shangjun and Beidijun.

By consuming the people, livestock, and land of these various tribes, all conflicts can be temporarily set aside.

As for Chanyu Huchuquan, it would be better for him to stay in Jinyang and cultivate his character.

Just as Zhao Ji was presiding over the division of the Tu Ge Xiongnu, Jia Kui, the chancellor of Pingyang, sent a messenger with a message.

Zhao Ji put down the secret letter, and Qu Bei, who was making merry with him, poured himself a drink and asked drunkenly, "Grand Marshal, has trouble arisen in Zhongyuan?"

Other leaders and commanders also looked over at the sound. Some of them found their maids in the way, so they waved their hands to dismiss the young men presented by their respective tribes.

Even the two young girls who served Zhao Ji wine kept turning back to look at him, reluctant to leave.

Zhao Ji didn't even bother to look at them, and handed the secret letter in his hand to Qu Bei: "It's good news, Consort Dong has given birth to the eldest prince in the imperial palace."

Upon hearing this, Qu Bei's eyes lit up, and he carefully read the silk scroll.

Zhao Ji picked up his wine bowl and fell into deep thought. Originally, finding a baby boy as a substitute was just a backup plan.

I desperately need an eldest son of the emperor, or even a son born out of wedlock.

It's good now. We can keep Consort Dong to raise the child for a long time, and we can also transfer people from the Emperor's side.

The more former court officials and nobles there are, the more it proves the legitimacy of the child.

In two or three years, once there are enough witnesses, Consort Dong can be sent to the emperor's side.

In this way, our side and Dong Cheng and his daughter became indirect allies.

No matter who the emperor falls into, or what illegal and chaotic orders they issue, we can always stand up for him.

With the eldest son of the emperor in their grasp, most of their subordinates gained the confidence to confront the imperial court in the long term.

At present, this confidence is still very important.

With this confidence and consensus in place, neither side would go too far once they captured the emperor or after the emperor seized power and assumed personal rule.

At least until they are absolutely certain, they won't go to extremes. If they do something that crosses the line, they can install a new emperor on their side and fight the other side to the death.

But in such a chaotic world, what is the real bottom line?

Isn't it just a process of testing the waters step by step until it hits bottom and rebounds?
As Zhao Ji pondered, the newly conceived idea of ​​political balance immediately vanished from his mind.

You can't expect the emperor, high-ranking officials, or other warlords to have any sense of bottom line. For these people, the bottom line is something that is constantly trampled on and broken through.

Even Liu Bei would constantly test your limits, taking a big, satisfying bite.

Therefore, the eldest son of the emperor is just a safety net; we can't expect anything from him. He should just be sent to Pingyang to grow up quietly.

In other aspects, we must continue to fight; we cannot allow the situation to calm down.

Once the situation stabilizes, the extensive networks of officials and warlords can come into play, reconnecting the scattered networks and accumulating strength to seize the opportunity to deliver a ruthless blow.

From Zhang Hong, Zhao Ji had already sensed the power of his former protégés and subordinates.

Among those around them and under their command, there must be former protégés or subordinates of the other party among their fathers, brothers, and close relatives.

Only by continuously disrupting the situation and keeping things in turmoil can we unite and form a cohesive whole, instead of being pulled away by the other side.

This feeling is a bit like cooking mung bean jelly.

It must be stirred; once it stops and solidifies, the other side will definitely have all the advantages.

He not only had to navigate through Lu Bu's defenses, but also through Sun Ce's.

Without Lü Bu, we would have been the ones to suffer the 'Xu Du riots'. The number of manpower lost was not important; the key issue was the damage to collective morale and mutual trust, which would have been fatal.

Therefore, Lü Bu has now become a frightened bird.

Even if his subordinates offered him sound advice, Lü Bu dared not adopt it rashly due to a crisis of trust.

While Zhao Ji was pondering, the silk scroll was being passed between the Xiongnu chieftains and commanders.

The eldest son of the emperor was born in Pingyang. Not only Zhao Ji's subordinates, but even these Xiongnu nobles felt that the future was bright and great things were to be expected.

The atmosphere around them became even more lively. Helan Lizheng took a sip of wine, wiped the wine from his lips with his sleeve, and pretended to be bold: "Grand Marshal, we're just sitting around anyway, why not send troops to attack the rebellious Qiang and mixed Hu tribes in Shangjun and Beidi as soon as possible? Then we can follow the Grand Marshal to Guanzhong and capture and kill the traitors Li Jue and Guo Si."

"This matter is not urgent. I have already dispatched troops to travel down the Fen River."

Zhao Ji looked at the other party, then glanced around at the other eager commanders and chiliarchs: "There are also insiders in Guanzhong. We will cross the river in a few more days."

Between Xihe County and Shang County lies the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon, where a well-developed Yellow River ferry crossing exists.

Upstream from this ferry crossing, the river becomes relatively calm, allowing for water transport directly to Yunzhong and Shuofang, and eventually leading to Jincheng and Yuzhong.

However, after the destruction of border prefectures such as Shuofang, the canal transport system on the upper reaches of the Yellow River also collapsed.

This time, Zhao Ji personally came to recruit volunteers, but he did not intend to recruit too many; he would only take the elite.

They planned to use the assessment method of the Tiger Step Army's squad leaders to recruit about a thousand cavalrymen as volunteers.

Recruiting too many people will make it difficult to allocate land in Shangjun later.

In particular, considering the campaigns in Guanzhong against Li Jue and Guo Si, both of them currently lack appeal.

In reality, being trapped in an isolated city, without any open field battles or decisive engagements, mobilizing too many Xiongnu volunteers would be meaningless, let alone asking these chieftains and commanders to personally lead their troops into battle.

These commanders and commanders have very high entry fees, but these fees are often unrealistic, making it virtually impossible for them to fight tough or difficult battles.

Unless it was for a war of annihilation or a pursuit, Zhao Ji had no interest in mobilizing or coercing these nobles to lead their troops into battle.

This will incur favors, which is very unwise.

The Xiongnu people, or rather the various Hu peoples, were straightforward in character, always pursuing profit and dispersing when there was no benefit.

At this moment, the more Zhao Ji did not want to mobilize the Tu Ge Xiongnu in Xihe Commandery and some of Shang Commandery, the more these people were itching to do so.

Several people turned to look at Qu Bei. Qu Bei hesitated for a long time, but feeling that he still had some face, he suggested, "Grand Marshal, as the saying goes, there are no fixed tactics in war, and one must assess the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. Although we are not talented, we still have the heart to serve the court. The two traitors, Li and Guo, have ruined the country and harmed the people, arousing the hatred of both gods and men. Although we are in a remote border region, we also have the heart of loyalty and righteousness to eliminate evil."

Xiu Tu Dada chimed in, "Indeed, eliminating these two traitors is a righteous act for the world. Why does the Grand Marshal look down on us?"

Jin Cheng also stood up and declared: "Although my followers are few, I have five hundred loyal knights who are willing to follow the Grand Marshal to punish the traitorous minister!"

The other commanders and captains also stood up and bowed to Zhao Ji, requesting permission to fight.

Zhao Ji calmly surveyed the group: “I only need the elite troops. Guanzhong has suffered from a severe drought for three years. With such a large coalition, they will surely suffer from a lack of food and supplies. I still hope that each tribe can rest and recuperate to strengthen their people and livestock. Once our country is at peace, I will lead the coalition to the border and fight the Xianbei to the death, and reclaim our lost grasslands and fields.”

When Qu Bei saw Zhao Ji looking at him, he immediately nodded with difficulty and regret: "Then we will wait for the Grand Marshal's military order. If the order is given in the morning, I will send troops westward in the evening."

(End of this chapter)