Tiger Guards

Chapter 357 Raising an Army in Luoyang
After the entire army crossed the river, Zhao Ji convened a collective meeting of all officers and deputy captains.

The veterans and advanced knights of the Tiger Warriors were familiar with this, but it was somewhat novel to the officers and deputy officers of the Xiongnu Righteous Cavalry.

Nearly four hundred people gathered together, while on the other side, a team of scribes were making the most of their time to copy the map.

These hastily copied maps lacked accuracy; their only purpose was to mark directions, the villages and towns along the way, and nearby cities, so that lost knights could correct their course and rejoin the group.

When Zhao Ji and the others arrived, they said, "Yuan Shu, who is currently facing Guandong, has been gathering troops to attack Xuzhou after annexing Yuzhou and Yangzhou. He has now declared himself emperor and rebelled, so we don't have any extra time to waste here."

Each 100-cavalry commander sat on a stool, with his commander and deputy commander behind him. Some of the Xiongnu 100-cavalry commanders were also accompanied by translators.

For a centurion whose language skills are not particularly proficient to be promoted to centurion, he must have made a great deal of merit.

Otherwise, the deputy team leader and team officer could easily block him.

Standing before the crowd, Zhao Ji continued loudly, "I've never even given a second glance to scum like Yuan Shu. If he hadn't declared himself emperor, he would have been nothing more than a Left General; his head would be worthless! Now that he's appointing dukes and ministers and establishing a system of officials, it'll be much more interesting to chop off the heads of these traitorous ministers one by one!"

With eager eyes, Zhao Ji continued, "Tonight the entire army will rest. Tomorrow I will lead the vanguard to attack Huangbai City. If we succeed in the raid, Li Jue will surely be beheaded. If he escapes, we need not concern ourselves with the rest of the army. Our objective is to regroup with the armies in Guanzhong, take the Hongnong-Hangu Pass, and head to Luodu to assemble!"

Zhao Ji pointed at Jia Tong: "The Right Sima will lead the central army, and Zi'ang will be responsible for gathering the rear guard and collecting any straggling officers and soldiers."

Jia Tong and Wei Xing both stood up and bowed, saying, "Yes, sir!"

Zhao Ji stared at these people, glancing around halfway: "Don't get distracted. Your task now is to take the Qin Straight Road into Guanzhong. When you arrive, I will be able to break through Huangbai City! After that, each team will advance separately and gather in Luodu! Don't fall behind. See you in Luodu."

"A gag order is in effect tonight. The first half of the night is for raising troops to attack Luoyang, and the second half is for protecting the nation and punishing Yuan Shikai!"

"Here!"

Jia Tong responded loudly, and seeing that the surrounding officers had all stood up, Wei Xing raised his arms and shouted, "Raise an army to Luoyang! Protect the country and punish Yuan!"

Jia Tong glanced at Wei Xing's excited profile, then raised his arm and shouted, "Raise an army to Luoyang! Protect the nation and punish Yuan!"

The crowd shouted seven or eight times before finally stopping.

Zhao Ji waved his hand: "Disperse, go back to camp and rest!"

"Here."

Wei Xing responded loudly, no longer worried about anyone taking advantage of him.

Yuan Shu was notorious for his lust for women, and he collected hundreds of beautiful women from all over the country.

After defeating Yuan Shu, he should be able to get one or two.

After the junior and middle-ranking military officers dispersed, Wei Xing, Jia Tong, and Han Shu surrounded Zhao Ji, who gave them detailed instructions: "The central army and the rear guard should prioritize marching. If vehicles are damaged beyond repair, abandon them decisively. If there are sick horses, slaughter them immediately and let the officers and soldiers share the food. Sick horses eaten during the march will be considered as having died in battle and will be given priority for compensation upon returning to Hedong and Taiyuan."

"I will send a letter to Duan Wei, and if there are no unforeseen circumstances, he will transport grain towards Luodu ahead of time, and set up a camp every seventy or eighty li so that our army can replenish its food supplies. If there is a shortage of fodder during this march, we can cut the young seedlings of the local people to feed the horses. Tell the people along the way that after I kill Li Jue and Guo Si, I will exempt Guanzhong from taxes for three years."

Jia Tong then asked, "When will Zhang Xiu and his men set out?"

After the previous withdrawal, Zhang Xiu, who was in charge of the Left Fengyi, moved his garrison to Fenyin and stationed his troops there.

Fenyin and Zuofengyi on the west bank are connected by Longmenjin. In the past six months, Zhang Xiu has also accomplished a lot of work behind enemy lines.

Others, such as Zhang He, Han Meng, Zhu Ling, Gou Huan, and Liang Xing, were all incorporated into Zhao Ji's Grand Marshal's Five Battalions, serving as Commandants of the Five Battalions respectively.

For example, Ma Wan, Li Kan, Hou Xuan, Cheng Yi, and Cheng Yin, five former chieftains and refugee leaders from Hedong, served as commanders of the five departments.

The Five Battalions were stationed and garrisoned in Hedong and Pingyang; the Tiger Infantry were stationed in Taiyuan.

When waging war against the Guandong region, the Five Battalions would naturally be the main force.

Zhang Xiu was originally a warlord with the title of county marquis, so he could not be mixed with others.

"Before crossing the river, I sent messengers to various units. They will head south, cross Shouyang Mountain, and cross the river to Hongnong to join our army. Zhang Xiu may be a step behind me, or he may be a step ahead of me to cross Longmen Ferry and attack Zuo Fengyi."

Zhao Ji then turned to Wei Xing and said, "When Zi'ang gathers the rear guard, he should not be too hasty. He should try to take in any officers and soldiers who have fallen behind. The war with Yuan Shu is destined to be a protracted one."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xing's expression changed: "Are we going to have to fight until Dongyue withdraws again?"

"I have a feeling that this time the troops will be withdrawn as soon as possible."

Seeing that Wei Xing looked dejected, Zhao Ji comforted him, saying, "Around August, I will be rotating the troops. If Zi'ang is tired of fighting, he can lead his troops back to Taiyuan in August."

"How can this be allowed?"

Wei Xing immediately refused: "If we go on a campaign for half a year, the officers and soldiers will inevitably miss their hometown."

"This year was truly unexpected, and I didn't want it to be like this. Next year, the expedition will last for three months, at most a hundred days, no more."

Zhao Ji made a guarantee, and Wei Xing then remained silent.

It wasn't that Wei Xing had too much to do, but rather that morale was low; no one liked being away for such a long time. Especially after the withdrawal and return last year, and the subsequent reassignment, almost everyone had a wife or concubines.

With something to worry about, one lacks patience for a protracted war and develops feelings of weariness.

It is precisely because of the drought in recent years that everyone cherishes the opportunity to eat food outside.

If we eat more outside, we can save that amount of food at home and in the rear.

Once grain production recovers and sufficient reserves are available in two or three years, the army's tolerance for prolonged warfare will decrease.

While promotions based on merit and the distribution of spoils can certainly boost morale, they cannot mask the underlying problems.

Ultimately, the Five Battalions and the Tiger Infantry were not truly full-time standing armies.

Since peacetime requires combining military service with farming and warfare, and we enjoy the benefits of this, we must also bear the drawbacks.

What is said to Wei Xing here will also spread throughout the army through the mouths of Wei Xing and his ilk.

However, the Xiongnu volunteers, due to their harsher living conditions, had a longer tolerance for service.

Once grain production in Hedong and Guanzhong stabilizes, the military system will not need major changes, but the personnel will need to be adjusted, with as many soldiers as possible being off-duty.

After seeing Wei Xing and Jia Tong off, Zhao Ji picked up the map and studied the route.

Following a rudimentary method of forced marching to conserve energy and horsepower, Zhao Jin was able to reach Huangbai City in five days.

If horseshoes and double stirrups were fully equipped for the entire army, this time could be extended to three days.

At the same time, horse wear and tear is reduced even more.

However, using such a powerful weapon to fight against the likes of Li Jue, Yuan Shu, or Cao Cao would be a waste of its potential.

If it's to be used, it should be used on the Xianbei people.

The first battle dealt a heavy blow to the Xianbei people and secured more than ten years of peace in the border regions. This is the true value of horseshoes, double stirrups, and shock cavalry.

Zhao Ji rolled up the map, returned to his tent, lay down, and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, his messenger sped all the way to Fenyin.

Zhang Xiu did not hesitate and immediately summoned his military officers to begin war mobilization.

During this period, their military garrison was located on land left behind by the Ma Shi clan, so Zhang Xiu, like the other captains of the five battalions, was subject to limited mobilization.

Only combat forces are mobilized, while many personnel who are not very good at combat are left in the garrison area until the crops are harvested.

Zhang Xiu was like this, as were Zhu Ling, Zhang He, and others.

Each of the five battalions is composed of five battalions, and each battalion is currently not at full strength; this time, Zhao Ji mobilized them to fight, but only three battalions from each unit were mobilized, about two thousand men.

The five battalions each had a strength of 20,000 men, with 4,000 men in each battalion, which was divided into five companies of 800 men each, forming seven companies of 100 men each.

This time, the five colonels were mobilized for battle, each leading three battalions of their respective units to the expedition; the remaining two battalions, under the command of the commanders, remained in their local areas to continue garrisoning.

If Yuan Shao were to mobilize troops to attack Taiyuan and Hedong, the five commanders left behind would have to lead their troops into battle, working together with the main force of the Tiger Step Army and the county troops to resist Yuan's army.

However, the two key hostages, Yuan Xi and Gao Gan, have not yet been released, so there is no need to worry too much about this issue for the time being.

Anyone who knows even a little about the story of the rivalry between the two Yuan brothers will not be too worried.

Imagine that after Yuan Shu defeated Liu Bei and subdued Zang Ba and Chen Deng, he swept through Qingzhou and officially bordered Yuan Shao.

At that point, how could Yuan Shao dare to send troops to attack Zhao Ji's stronghold?

Yuan Shao's preemptive move to seize the undefended Shangdang was actually a conservative defensive tactic, aimed at gaining defensive space to resist and delay Zhao Ji's offensive.

Now we can only hope that Liu Bei can hold Xuzhou. If he can't, then after Yuan Shu expands rapidly, all sides are very likely to join forces to launch a siege.

Even if Yuan Shu didn't have a title or an official staff, with his current rate of expansion, who wouldn't be afraid?
Perhaps Yuan Shu himself was also afraid, troubled by the lack of a reliable title or means to restrain his generals.

Fearing that something like what happened to Sun Ce might happen again, Yuan Shu established an official system, bestowed titles upon various generals, and forged a new and stronger relationship between ruler and subject with them.

Otherwise, without this do-or-die, life-or-death relationship binding both sides, Yuan Shu would have expanded his territory while Zhao Ji and Lü Bu, who controlled the court, began to discard official positions.

The more aggressively Yuan Shu expanded, the faster his generals and officers would split!
Objectively speaking, Yuan Shu had no other choice.

Lacking a formal authority to restrain their generals, if they don't want to self-destruct or split up, they can only create higher titles on their own.

(End of this chapter)