Tiger Guards

Chapter 359 Change of Generations
Huangbaicheng is located between Zheng Guo Canal and Bai Canal.

The Zheng Guo Canal runs from west to east, connecting the Jing River and flowing into the Luo River, providing irrigation for the land along both banks.

Huangbaicheng is located south of Zheng Guo Canal, which in April was likely silted up due to years of disrepair.

What Zhao Ji saw before him was only the outline of the old Zheng Guo Canal, with silt and sand accumulating in the canal, and reeds that had grown out this year growing in patches and clumps.

Zhao Ji reined in his horse and looked at the dry canal in front of him; the nearby wooden bridge had long been destroyed.

As he reined in his horse to observe, dozens of knights dismounted, drew heavy weapons, and rushed forward to destroy the embankment of the canal.

Perhaps due to its proximity to Huangbai City, the dikes on both sides of the river were built with bricks and stones.

As more and more officers and soldiers dismounted, they peeled away the layers of bricks and stones, and in the blink of an eye, they created a ramp that allowed cavalry to pass.

Zhao Ji was the first to dismount, followed by more than two hundred knights in single file, and then a small team of knights driving the huge herd of horses.

Upon reaching the other side, Zhao Ji's troops immediately began feeding the horses to allow them to rest and recover.

The military and civilian outposts outside Huangbai City either closed their doors and defended themselves or retreated towards Huangbai City.

Before long, Li Jue climbed the city wall.

Although Huangbai City was the same size after the renovation, the city walls were newly plastered with yellow mud, without any peeling, and were nearly two zhang high, taller than ordinary counties.

Li Jue wears a bright green Shu brocade embroidered cloak on his back, symbolizing the vibrant life of spring.

He wore a gilded, original, luminous basin-shaped armor, a model of heavy armor in the world.

However, his body had been weakened by alcohol and women. Although he was in good physical and mental condition, he was already nearly forty years old.

The journey to the city wall made his heart race and his face flush.

One guard carried a blue parasol and followed behind Li Jue; another guard carried a battle flag with the four large characters 'Han Grand Marshal' embroidered in gold thread.

Observing Zhao Ji's performance as he crossed the Zheng Guo Canal from a distance, Li Jue assumed that Zhao Ji was leading the vanguard. He said to Li Ying and Li Huan, who were following him, "Judging from his restrained appearance at the front, we can tell that Zhao Yuansi is a traitor who guards his own home."

Li Yingze said, "Brother, based on my understanding of Zhao Yuansi, the one who dares to lead a thousand cavalry to this place must be Zhao Yuansi himself."

“How arrogant.”

Li Jue then commented, suddenly asking, "Were Yang Feng, Li Le, Hu Cai, and Han Xian truly killed by this person himself?"

"This is something that everyone in Hedong, men and women, knows, and it is not false."

Li Ying added, "Brother, if you are to fight him in battle, you must not be careless. This man is an unparalleled archer in this world."

"He was barely twenty years old, how many years had he been shooting arrows?"

Li Jue sneered, then turned to his personal guard general: "Select elite cavalry and follow me out of the city to defeat the enemy!"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then looked at Li Ying and Li Huan. Li Huan remained silent, but Li Ying advised, "Brother, you must not be careless. I will lead my troops to cover your retreat."

"Keep it."

Li Jue raised his hand and patted Li Ying on the shoulder, then turned to look at Li Huan: "You lead your troops to cover my retreat."

"Here."

Li Huan did not refuse, his face tense, and he squinted at the cavalry battle group outside the city.

Seeing this, Li Jue's personal guards could only organize the knights to go out of the city to fight.

After he left, Li Jue gazed into the distance, then turned to look at Li Ying, who was also looking into the distance at Zhao Ji's temporary camp, tears streaming down his face.

Li Huan remained silent, as he was not entirely clear about Zhao Ji's personal martial arts skills.

Furthermore, when it comes to archery, horsemanship, and martial arts, every male member of the Li family is brave and valiant, no less than anyone else.

Li Ying had personally witnessed Zhao Ji selecting and testing the squad leaders of the Tiger Step Army. Zhao Ji's archery accuracy was so high that it was as if he were walking in a leisurely manner, as if he were drinking water.

A moment later, the neighing of horses could be heard from inside the city gate. The horses were restless, and the riders tried to rein in their horses and control their emotions.

Li Jue turned and went down the city wall, ready to gamble.

If Zhao Ji or his vanguard general can be directly stabbed or captured, there is still a chance for things to turn around.

If it were Zhao Ji himself... that would be even better.

With the help of two mounted attendants, Li Jue climbed onto his horse. Once seated, he brandished his long spear and shouted, "Open the gate!"

With the combined efforts of more than a dozen people, the city gate was opened.

Li Jue spurred his horse out, followed closely by more than five hundred riders.

The fine dust blown by the strong wind was trampled and stirred up in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, the knights who were gradually emerging from the city were obscured by the dust.

Li Ying raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose with his sleeve, and subconsciously looked to his left and right. He saw that there were many crossbows on the city wall, and each crossbowman had two or three spare crossbows next to him.

He did not regret following his brother in seizing power; if they hadn't rebelled, everyone might have died.

If there's anything I regret, it's listening to Zhao Wen and advising Li Jue to release the emperor and move the court eastward.

If the emperor and the court were still in our hands, how could Guanzhong have gotten out of control?
Even if people go hungry and die one after another of high-ranking officials and ministers, there will still be many famous scholars, former officials, filial and incorruptible officials, and sons of meritorious nobles who enter the court to fill the vacant positions.

If we had followed Zhao Ji's example and kept the Empress under control, we wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

While Li Ying was pondering, his cousin Li Huan led more than a thousand infantrymen slowly out of the city. They were all heavily armed infantrymen, carrying spears and shields, with swords hanging from their left waists and powerful crossbows on their backs.

This infantry unit originated from the Flying Bear Army, but now it has no notable name.

Li Huan did not rush forward to engage in battle, but instead suppressed the marching column and tried his best to maintain order during the march.

On the south bank of the Zheng Guo Canal, when he saw smoke and dust rising from Huangbai City, Zhao Ji led five hundred cavalrymen to change into warhorses and took the initiative to intercept them.

However, Li Jue did not intend to charge directly. Instead, he gathered his cavalry and formed a large horizontal formation to push towards Zhao Ji.

The fields on the south bank of the Zheng Guo Canal were abandoned, making it easier for cavalry to deploy.

Zhao Ji also countered with a large horizontal formation. The two sides slowly approached, occasionally stopping in unison when they were about two arrow-lengths apart. A northern wind blew, and Zhao Ji's army was located northwest of Huangbai City.

When the two armies stopped, the dust they raised was quickly swept away.

Zhao Ji also abandoned the helmet he wore during marches, which was more like his ceremonial helmet.

Now wearing a heavy full-face helmet, he slowly reined in his horse and moved forward, gesturing to a knight beside him. The knight spurred his horse and galloped straight towards Li Jue's cavalry formation.

Li Jue reined in his horse, squinted, and examined Zhao Ji's location. Several battle flags were also erected there, including those for: Han Grand Marshal, Marquis of Pingyang Zhao, Raising Troops to Luoyang, and Protecting the Nation to Oppose Yuan.

Li Jue subconsciously looked back at his battle flags, which numbered only two: one bearing the inscription "Grand Marshal of Han" and the other "Marquis of Chiyang, Li".

Then he looked at his personal guard, who was holding his commander's banner, the handle of which was covered with gold silk, and the canopy was made of ninety-nine white yak tails.

Then I looked at Zhao Ji's commander's cape, which was a long cape with scarlet and purple tassels, similar to the rumors.

The presence of the long banner indicates that the other party is Zhao Ji himself.

Li Jue made his judgment, and then he saw Zhao Ji riding towards him, shouting, "Is that the Marquis of Chiyang here?"

"it's me."

Li Jue spurred his horse forward, exuding an extraordinary air, and scrutinized the rider: "Tell Zhao Yuansi that I met him alone on the battlefield."

"Yes."

The rider instinctively responded loudly, but then realized it was inappropriate and immediately turned his horse and rode away.

Li Jue then instructed his personal guards and a dozen elite junior officers: "If you see my gesture, swarm him immediately and capture him alive if possible."

"Here!"

These people immediately agreed; they were confident in their abilities.

Before long, Zhao Ji also rode forward alone, facing Li Jue face to face, only five or six steps apart.

Seeing that Li Jue had no face shield, Zhao Ji removed his helmet and neck guard, revealing his face. He examined Li Jue from head to toe and noticed that his face was dark red but his lips were pale and his breathing was disordered while riding a horse. He immediately asked with a puzzled look, "Are you Li Jue, the Marquis of Chiyang?"

"it's me."

Li Jue calmly replied, "Now that Yuan Shu has rebelled, why don't you go and fight him? Aren't you afraid of being questioned and slandered by the Emperor and the people of the world?"

"If I were afraid of what they would say, how could I have achieved what I have today?"

Zhao Ji was still suspicious: "I heard from the military captain that you are only thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, so why is your breathing disordered, like that of a dying man?"

Li Ying held the position of Colonel of the Upper Army.

Li Jue recalled the various deceptions the court had inflicted on him when it moved east, and seeing Zhao Ji mocking his health, he became extremely angry: "You and I are both traitors, what's the point of saying all this?"

“It’s different. You’re dying, but I’ll live a better life.”

Zhao Ji raised his long spear and pointed it diagonally at Li Jue: "Give me a straight answer, how do you want to die?"

Li Jue gripped his spear with both hands, glaring at Zhao Ji: "Then let's fight. If I win, you retreat; if I lose, this head is yours."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Please consider... never mind, there's no point in saying more."

Zhao Ji remained silent, spurred his horse backward, and at the same time raised his left hand to reattach the neck guard straps, covering his face and leaving only his eyes visible.

Li Jue was also worried that Zhao Ji would use a hidden weapon to injure him, so he also controlled his horse and retreated.

After retreating a dozen steps, Zhao Ji controlled his horse and turned it around, creating enough distance for a charge.

Han Shu rode up and said, "Who in the world doesn't know of the Grand Marshal's bravery? Li Jue's initiative to challenge him must be a conspiracy."

"It doesn't matter, that's what they admire."

Zhao Ji still instructed: "If any unexpected events occur, the Iron Cavalry will charge first, and the remaining teams can act on their own."

"Here!"

Han Shu agreed and immediately spurred his horse to retreat, while Zhao Ji raised his long spear to signal Li Jue, who was 120 paces away.

Li Jue also raised his spear in response. With the officers and soldiers of both armies watching, the two Grand Marshals of the Han Empire simultaneously spurred their horses to speed up.

Both were skilled riders, each gripping their lances with both hands, attempting to knock the other down in a single round.

Zhao Ji stared intently at Li Jue, who was also holding his breath and focusing intently.

As the two horses passed each other, Zhao Ji's lance became more stable, deflecting the opponent's lance, and the longsword-like blade pierced Li Jue's neck.

The spear blade thrust forward, slicing open most of the neck and cervical spine.

Li Jue's head immediately drooped, still hanging on his body by a bit of skin and flesh on the right side of his neck.

Just as Zhao Ji succeeded, Li Jue's personal guards led a dozen elite cavalrymen to charge at Zhao Ji.

Three more men grabbed the crossbows from the horse harness and cocked them at Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji deflected one crossbow bolt with his spear, another bolt whizzed past him, and yet another grazed his shoulder guard.

In the blink of an eye, they were all entangled together. Zhao Ji was highly focused, watching them as if they were in slow motion.

With a thrust of the spear, one could even feel the obstruction as the blade pierced the opponent's face.

More enemy knights broke away and charged towards Zhao Ji.

However, the battle area is limited, and no matter how many knights there are, they cannot get close to Zhao Ji. Instead, their formation is disrupted and they become difficult to control.

Zhao Ji, wielding a spear, provoked the enemy. No one could hold their weapon steady; a mere backhand thrust during the provocation sent a corpse tumbling from its horse.

After taking down seven or eight people in succession, the cavalry charged forward, spears in hand, trampling all around.

Without their commander, Li Jue's cavalry collapsed instantly and fled south.

(End of this chapter)