Tiger Guards

Chapter 379 Three Hundred Horses
North of Luyang, the sky is rarely cloudless.

Even so, the air remained stiflingly hot, and all the green vegetation, near and far, seemed listless.

A troop of scouts, a mix of Han and Hu people, emerged from the exit of Hanya Road and immediately split into two. One group escorted the captured mountain people to Luyang City to report their victory, while the other group turned their horses around and rode up the hillside, standing on the ridges and slopes at the north and south ends of the road.

The scouts dismounted as well, for even at such a high vantage point, there was no decent mountain breeze.

They loosened their clothes, removed the saddles from the horses, and rested to cool off.

Horses forage on the mountaintop. The vegetation on the sunny side of the mountaintop appears dark green from a distance, but upon closer inspection, it resembles dried tea leaves.

When horses hooves trample on it, the grass blades break into pieces and crumble into dust.

The knights rested for a while on the mountaintop. Seeing that no mountain people were chasing them, and after the rearguard scouts came out, the mountaintop scouts rode down the mountain.

There was no way Yuan Shu had any ambushes in the mountains west of Luyang; they were just conducting routine reconnaissance and hunting every day.

In the city of Luyang, Zhao Ji was opening Gan Ning's letter when he turned to look at Guan Shang: "Ah Shang, I have a task for you."

Guan Shang stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "What?"

“Select one hundred fine horses and two hundred inferior horses, and lead fifty riders to Ye County to deliver them to Gan Ning. Tell him that this is my gift to him. Tomorrow he will set off along the imperial road towards Xiangcheng. I will come around Ying Mountain to meet him in Xiangcheng, and then we will advance together to Yingyang and Yingyin.”

As Zhao Ji spoke, he turned to look at Zhao Jian, the clerk who had accompanied the army. Zhao Jian, who was sitting on the spot, quickly wrote a letter and then stood up to present it to Zhao Ji.

After reading it, Zhao Ji found it suited his taste, so he took out the six-sided seal and stamped it on three sides.

The letter was handed to Guan Shang, who took it and asked, "What if he refuses?"

"Delivering horses and relaying orders is your task; whether or not to obey is his business."

Zhao Ji patiently explained, and Guan Shang suddenly understood, but was still a little worried: "What if he accepts the horse and then tries to detain it?"

"I'll go find him. Just bring the people back safely."

Zhao Ji didn't want to explain anymore. He patted Guan Shang on the shoulder, put his other hand on Guan Shang's other shoulder, pulled and pushed Guan Shang to turn around on the spot, and then gave him a push.

Guan Shang still had some questions he wanted to clarify, and he could only follow this force and move forward.

Seeing him standing at the door, seemingly about to ask something, Zhao Ji glared at him impatiently: "If you keep acting like this, I'll send someone else?"

Upon hearing the sound, Guan Shang quickly left. Currently, scouts have already made three round trips between Luyang and Ye County, so there shouldn't be any ignorant warlords or bandits who would try to steal the horses.

Zhao Ji sat down with a helpless expression. Guan Shang was still too young and had always stayed in the countryside, never having suffered a loss at the hands of outsiders.

Unlike Han Shu, who came from a humble background and suffered a lot, Han Shu put in a lot of effort when carrying out his mission.

Tang Xian is experienced and mature; he does what he says he will do and doesn't strive for perfection.

There was no other way; there weren't many capable people among his peers in the village, and Guan Shang, being the youngest, had great potential for growth.

Stay in the army first to accumulate merits and experience, and then go to school so as not to be led astray.

Zhao Jian brought Zhao Ji some cool tea: "The Grand Marshal certainly dotes on Guan Zhonglang."

"When we were in the village, he treated me like an elder brother, and I treated him like a younger brother."

Zhao Ji took the teacup and said with a smile, "Although I have gained wealth and status by chance, how could I forget you?"

After taking a sip of tea, Zhao Ji asked, "Has Zhu Ling made any unusual moves?"

"Unnoticed."

Zhao Jian bowed and stood beside the table, whispering, "The scouts are a mix of Chinese, Han and Hu people. If there is any unusual activity, they will be able to detect it."

"We must not be careless."

Zhao Ji gave a word of advice: the worst thing in military campaigns is to be too soft-hearted. Since he set out for Yique Pass, within the scouts' reconnaissance range, any pedestrians or men and women encountered on the main road, regardless of their status, were either assigned to hard labor or assigned to the medical team to do odd jobs.

The men and women encountered along the path were collected and mixed together, and assigned to cut grass along the way to store fodder for the horses that would follow.

Those who traverse mountains and valleys are considered targets for scouts; capturing them alive results in a deduction of one rank in merit, and they are all regarded as prisoners.

Even those with official county or prefectural status were all detained.

Restricting the transmission of information by all means is the only way to ensure the safety of the military.

As for the envoy being detained, and what attitude the various counties would take... Zhao Ji didn't care.

When the army marched to the outskirts of the county town, the counties did not have many options regarding their stance.

There's really no need to respect these people too much. The autumn harvest hasn't been completed yet. Even if the county magistrates, officials, and powerful families are prepared to rebel, they won't be able to control the vast majority of ordinary people in the county, and it will be difficult for them to give up the autumn harvest.

Now that it's this season, let the counties rebel if they want, as long as they don't interfere with Zhao Ji's grain harvest.

He had no intention of developing his business in Ruying long-term; the support of the people of Ruying was far less important than the grain he had in his hands. Dusk fell in Ye County.

Gan Ning left the city and looked incredulously at the herd of horses driven by Guan Shang. These fine horses were even thoughtfully equipped with saddles and bridles.

Guan Shang sized up Gan Ning, who was dressed in bright red and green, and asked, "Is this Gan Xingba in person?"

Gan Ning also examined Guan Shang, who was riding on horseback. Guan Shang had a youthful face and was nearly eight feet tall. He rode steadily on the horse and had developed a strong sense of ambition after training for some time.

Gan Ning cupped his hands in greeting: "It is indeed this humble general. And who are you, sir?"

"I am Guan Shang, a Tiger-like General of the Grand Marshal's personal guard, from Hedong. I am here on the orders of the Grand Marshal to escort the horses to Gan Xingba, the Colonel in charge of suppressing rebellions, and to convey military orders."

Guan Shang reined in his horse and spun around once to regain control of his prized steed. He then asked, "How can you prove that you are indeed Gan Xingba?"

"Who would impersonate such an unknown person?"

Gan Ning couldn't help but laugh. He took out the copper seal issued by Liu Biao from his waist and handed it to his personal guard, who then passed it on to Guan Shang.

Guan Shang did not move, but one of his guards stepped forward, took the bag, and handed it to Guan Shang.

After carefully studying the inscription, Guan Shang handed it to the officer of the knights who was traveling with him. This Tiger Warrior also examined the bronze seal.

Well, this is a bronze seal hastily carved by Liu Biao's side. It's brand new, without any patina, and the craftsmanship isn't even particularly good.

The Tiger Warrior looked at the warriors who had followed Gan Ning out of the city. They all looked brave and fierce, so he stopped doubting and said, "It should be Gan Xingba himself. Ye County is so close. If there is any change, how could it be hidden from our scouts?"

"That's true."

In terms of scouting advantage alone, it was an overwhelming advantage over Yuan Shu and the Ruying counties.

Guan Shang then looked at Gan Ning and said, "I apologize for any offense I may have caused."

As he spoke, Guan Shang handed the bronze seal to the squad leader: "Hand over the horses to Captain Gan's subordinates."

"Here."

The officer took the bronze seal, handed it to Gan Ning's guards, and then turned back to direct the cavalry to drive the horses away.

Gan Ning, suppressing his surprise, sent someone to receive the horses, completely ignoring Guan Shang's inappropriate behavior, and cupped his hands to ask, "May I ask what the Grand Marshal's orders are?"

"The Grand Marshal has ordered Colonel Gan to lead troops along the Jing-Yu Highway to Xiangcheng tomorrow, and the Grand Marshal will also lead troops around the south of Ying Mountain to Xiangcheng."

Guan Shang thought for a moment and then said, "Our vanguard is already in Xiangcheng, but Commandant Gan should not be careless. The horses delivered today can be used by skilled riders to scout the distance and guard against ambushes and harassment by Yuan's rebel army."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

Gan Ning accepted Guan Shang's kind suggestion and immediately asked, "It's getting late. Why don't you go into Ye County to rest for a while, and then return to Luyang after your horses have had enough rest?"

"No need. We rode the same horses we came on, and they're still in good shape. The weather is cool, which is perfect for traveling."

Guan Shang pointed to the herd of horses being handed over, and Gan Ning couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Good, then after we arrive in Xiangcheng, I will host another banquet to thank you, General."

"I am carrying out orders. Commandant Gan can rest assured and follow the Grand Marshal's instructions. He will not wrong you."

Guan Shang also kindly offered a word of advice: Gan Ning's impression of him was alright, but he was afraid that the guy's stance would waver once he got the horse.

If Gan Ning disobeys orders or goes to obey Lü Bu's orders again, Zhao Ji will definitely deal with him.

How can we command the other armies if we don't deal with Gan Ning?

After the horses were handed over, Gan Ning watched Guan Shang and his fifty-odd riders return along the same route, filled with emotion.

He put his hands on his hips and said to his companion Shen Mi, "I never imagined there were such wonderful people in the world."

Shen Mi nodded: "This Guan Zhonglang is indeed romantic, and he seems to be a close confidant of the Grand Marshal."

They did act a bit silly, but they didn't have any bad intentions; otherwise, they would have inevitably cheated on the horses or given inferior ones.

No one would risk offending Guan Shang for a few horses; reporting Guan Shang for a few horses would certainly provoke hostility from many people.

If you get so emotional over a few horses, what will the Grand Marshal think of you?

Gan Ning said nothing more, quickly walked towards the herd of horses, grabbed a horse, mounted it, and immediately galloped away.

With the setting sun beside him, Gan Ning lightly kicked his horse's belly, letting it frolic freely.

His entire army had never had a single horse before!

The few horses that remained were the ones used by Liu Song, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, when he went to Luoyang to take up his post.

(End of this chapter)