Tiger Guards

Chapter 361 An Unbearable Pressure
Two days later, Zhao Ji, along with Duan Wei, Zhang Xiu, Pei Mao, and others, launched a joint westward advance.

In this allied forces, Liang Xing and Zhang Heng were no longer qualified to form their own armies.

These men led the cavalry to arrive first and join Zhao Ji, while the infantry and logistics troops were still advancing in the rear.

They all assumed that Guo Si would not dare to engage in open battle, so they planned to set up camp after the cavalry arrived and launch a general attack after the main force arrived.

As the allied forces marched west, Jia Tong also led the central army to arrive.

The supply wagons and troops entered Huangbai City to rest and reorganize, and Jia Tong led several hundred cavalry to join the team, heading west together.

The journey from Huangbaicheng to Meiwu was about 250 li, and it took two days of marching. They arrived at Huailicheng on the night of the following day.

Zhao Ji deliberately slowed down the marching speed in order to maintain the army's field readiness.

Even the fastest march must be a forced attack.

Mei Wu was Dong Zhuo's carefully constructed stronghold, and Guo Si would certainly defend it to the death.

A fierce battle was inevitable here, but judging from the reaction of the soldiers and civilians of Huangbaicheng after Li Jue's death, the battle was not necessarily fierce.

Meanwhile, during this period, Duan Wei had already dispatched road-building troops towards Luodu to prepare roads and construct simple camps.

This way, when the various armies in Guanzhong marched eastward, they could save time and maintain better physical condition.

Within Huaili City, ruins were everywhere, but the city walls served as a barrier, and the ruins within the city could also provide timber, enough for the army to spend the night.

There are still many abandoned mansions of prominent families in the city. Although they were looted by rebel troops and starving people, no one lives there now.

All kinds of household utensils were looted, but the houses were relatively well preserved.

Huaili is the seat of Youfufeng County. Its most distinctive feature is that Huaili does not have any prominent clans, unlike the surrounding counties, which are full of traces of prominent clans and families.

Even so, the mansions of prominent families in Huaili City were still well protected, probably because of the care and protection provided by the county and prefectural officials.

Otherwise, it would have been demolished and occupied by the out-of-control military and civilians in the city long ago.

In such a chaotic world, it's impossible to dominate... Many people will simply set a fire and destroy everything.

However, there were obvious signs of excavation at the mansion of the large family where Zhao Ji stayed overnight. He observed it out of curiosity and asked Duan Wei next door before concluding that it was a consequence of the Wei family's treasury.

The Wei family's history can be traced back to the same clan as the great general Wei Qing, and their period of wealth and power was not as long as that of the prominent families and clans in Guanzhong.

Therefore, after the news of the Wei family's treasury reached Guanzhong, various forces always wanted to try their luck and dig it up, thinking that if they found something, they would make a fortune.
Of course, some people do dig them up, but how could those who do dig them up dare to expose them?
Huaili was the seat of the Right Fufeng government, and no matter how powerful the powerful clans were, they would not set up treasuries or money cellars within the city.

Zhao Ji and Duan Wei chatted by the broken wall, and the conversation was quite pleasant.

At this moment, a Tiger Warrior officer entered: "Grand Marshal, Zuo Fengyi is here to pay his respects."

Seeing this, Duan Wei smiled and said, "Then I won't bother the Grand Marshal any longer."

"No, Lord Zhongming should come to see me together. I think Marquis Xuanwei is eager for war."

Zhao Ji extended his arm in invitation, and Duan Wei stepped out from the collapsed ruins, asking with a smile, "How do you know?"

Why must Lord Zhongming feign ignorance?

Zhao Ji took a torch from a guard, held it up, and led the way, laughing as he said, "Our slow march is precisely because we're waiting for something to happen at Mei Wu. If we don't wait for something to happen at Mei Wu, are we going to wait for Wang Cheng and Yang Qiu to risk their lives to attack?"

"The Grand Marshal is truly a remarkable man."

Duan Wei laughed heartily, his laughter refreshing, and quickly followed Zhao Ji to the front yard.

With his old friend Jia Xu around, Duan Wei knew very well that last year, Feng Yi, the county magistrates of Jingzhao, and the leaders of minor warlords all sent the families of hostages to Taiyuan to eat rice.

Even Li Ying sent a group of family members, including Li Jue's concubines, daughters, and young sons.

Zhao Ji accepted the job without really understanding what was going on, and treated them all the same, providing them with food and assigning them some textile and garment-making jobs.

Li Jue's daughter even passed the examination and went to study under Cai Zhaoji, becoming classmates with Lü Bu's daughter.

Guo Si, being of humble origin, simply did not possess such a long-term vision.

Li Ying was a former official of Zhao Wen, and he dared to make underhanded moves behind Li Jue's back. Although the Guo Si family also had many members, they generally lacked vision and the courage to take the initiative in foreign negotiations.

Guo Si alone elevated the status of the male members of his family to an unparalleled level, and these Guo family men dared not disobey him.

Li Jue was a powerful clan in the north. His family was powerful because of its large number of members, great wealth, and the large population it controlled. This was not something that could be achieved by a single lineage; it was a vast family.

The members are diverse; if they can cooperate, they will cooperate; if not, they will each find their own way.

Li Ying was simply doing what he was supposed to do. As long as he could protect some of Li Jue's children, Li Jue could only be grateful and dared not turn against Li Ying.

If Li Jue dares to attack Li Ying, most of the men in the clan will abandon him... After losing the support of the clan, who can Li Jue rely on?
Guo Si may have been no less talented than Li Jue, but he was far inferior in terms of family background.

With Li Jue dead, Zhao Ji gathered his army and slowly advanced.

If you were a general under Guo Si, what would you think?
This is not the Guanzhong Allied Army fighting against Zhao Ji of Hedong, but Zhao Ji leading the Guanzhong Allied Army to besiege Guo Si!

If Duan Wei could understand these things, Zhang Xiu could naturally see through them as well.

Zhang Xiu's capture of Yingyin City had greatly helped Zhao Ji, but the credit should be attributed to Zhao Qi. Therefore, Zhao Qi became Zhao Ji's strategist, and this merit would eventually be realized and rewarded to Zhao Qi's nephew, Zhao Jian.

Zhang Xiu also gained something else: Zhao Qi recognized Zhang Xiu as his disciple.

Given Zhao Qi's seniority and reputation, Zhang Xiu also held a very high position among the scholars of Xizhou.

The current situation is chaotic, and the importance of qualifications and background is not yet apparent; once the Three Auxiliary Regions are restored and local scholars return, Zhang Xiu's influence will increase dramatically.

At least now, Zhang Xiu can sit and converse with the remaining prominent figures such as Wei Duan, Du Ji, Su Ze, She Yuan, and Zhang Chang.

These people cannot deny Zhang Xiu; denying Zhang Xiu would be tantamount to denying Zhao Qi.

Therefore, strictly speaking, Zhang Xiu had not made any military achievements since joining Zhao Ji's command, and Zhao Ji arranged for him to work separately.

It wasn't that Zhang Xiu's troops were particularly strong; in terms of the quality of his troops, Zhu Ling, Xu Chu, Zhang He, and Han Meng were all superior to him. In fact, the size of Zhang Xiu's own troops was not even as large as that of Gou Huan.

Zhang Xiu himself did not have many followers. His main followers came from his young cousin, who was Zhang Ji's legacy, and Zhang Xiu was only temporarily in charge of him.

He was appointed as the Left Fengyi Commander and the designated future General of the Central Army to the Xiongnu, based on his title of County Marquis and his status as the close disciple of the strategist Zhao Qi.

In a sense, Zhang Xiu already showed signs of the convergence of the Guanzhong and Longxi regions.

However, Zhang Xiu's own forces were not large, and he had a sense of awe for future changes, which is why he was eager to make a name for himself.

In the front yard, Zhang Xiu saw Zhao Ji carrying a torch and leading Duan Wei out. Zhang Xiu, disregarding his status as a county marquis, quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "This humble general greets the Grand Marshal and the Loyal and Wise Duke."

"Lord Zhang, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhao Ji handed the torch to the guard, feigning ignorance, and asked, "The night is about to end. Does Lord Zhang have urgent military news to report?"

Slightly embarrassed, Zhang Xiu said, "Grand Marshal, I am certain that Guo Si will die at the hands of his own men. I wonder what will be done with him then?"

"Our allied forces now have no less than five thousand cavalry at the vanguard, and if you include Yang Qiu and Wang Cheng, the number is no less than ten thousand."

Zhao Ji's smile faded, and he countered, "You've come all this way, is it merely for Guo Si's head?"

After a brief pause, Zhao Ji continued, "Here at Huangbai City, I have already demonstrated my tolerance to the armies of Guanzhong and Longxi. If I were to demonstrate tolerance again, how would I be able to command the people of Xizhou in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiu calmed down and bowed again, saying, "Grand Marshal is wise; this humble general was overthinking it."

"It is not that I am wise, but that since Beigong Boyu's rebellion, Xizhou has been in turmoil for more than ten years, and the people are restless and unable to find peace."

Zhao Ji's expression was ruthless: "If we don't show ruthless methods, Guanzhong will be in chaos again in the future. Rather than delaying and stalling, we should take decisive action and finish the job in one battle."

Duan Wei sighed as he considered the impending situation, but offered no advice.

He understood the mentality of the Guanzhong military officers even better; they were not just restless, they were practically inflated to the extreme.

They had all witnessed the emperor's and the court's predicaments, and had even personally contributed to these embarrassing situations on numerous occasions.

They have no respect for the court or the emperor; their current surrender is merely a temporary concession because they are no match for the enemy.

Zhao Ji spared Li Jue's henchmen, but Guo Si's henchmen could not escape their fate simply by presenting Guo Si's head.

Only severe punishment can deter the various armies and also make Li Jue's remaining followers feel grateful.

Otherwise, when faced with a harsh battlefield situation in Guandong, these Guanlong bandits would inevitably have some bad ideas and put them into action.

If not strictly controlled, it is entirely possible that the Guanzhong troops brought there might turn against Yuan Shu and defect to him in the face of battle.

This wasn't just Duan Wei's wild speculation; Yuan Shu, who was on the verge of becoming emperor, held a unique attraction for the bandit army in Guanzhong.

These bandits did everything, except for that final step.

Under the Han dynasty's system, they would have little chance of a bright future.

If they follow Yuan Shu and completely destroy this world, then their past sins will be wiped away.

Therefore, even if Yuan Shu's envoys were full of lies and made all sorts of unrealistic promises, the Guanzhong bandits would still choose to believe him because of their own interests.

Duan Wei, who was in his early fifties, did not offer any advice, and Zhang Xiu, who was in his early thirties, did not even ask how to handle the situation.

Even though Zhang Xiu didn't personally handle dealing with enemy troops, he had seen far too much of it.

In fact, Guo Si's sins were even deeper. He joined the eastward migration team and then rebelled. The direct losses caused by Guo Si were greater.

From the emperor's perspective, Li Jue was always an enemy, and no matter how bad things Li Jue did, there was a limit to the hatred.

But Guo Si was Li Jue's biggest accomplice. He also came to rely on the emperor, giving the young emperor great expectations. Then he suddenly rebelled and even sent troops to kill the emperor's carriage, almost succeeding.

Without the sudden rebellion of Guo Si's troops, how could the imperial army have suffered such a sudden defeat?
Therefore, no matter how severely Guo Si's subordinates were punished, public opinion in the court and among the people supported it.

Conversely, granting a pardon or handling the matter leniently would be detrimental to Zhao Ji's image and would also damage his relationship with the emperor and Lü Bu.

There are two types of relationships: one is a professional, business-related relationship, and the other is a personal, private relationship.

To pardon Guo Si's cronies would be tantamount to a complete falling out.

(End of this chapter)