Tiger Guards

Chapter 381 The Imminent Celestial Change
As more troops arrived, Xuchang also received extra spare uniforms.

Spare uniforms can sometimes play a crucial role. For example, last year, when prisoners were given new uniforms, it directly broke down their resistance and vigilance.

Most prisoners thought they had been incorporated into the army and cooperated with various tasks. After the withdrawal and return to Hedong and Taiyuan, they were still treated as prisoners and forced to do heavy physical labor.

Compared to other prisoners, these prisoners had cooperated willingly, so their sentences were reduced to half.

The new uniforms arrived, and Gan Ning's troops immediately began to change into the brand-new uniforms.

The equipment collected from the surrounding counties of Xudu has been replenished. So far, the only missing items are consumables such as armor, vehicles, tents, and arrows.

Over the course of a few days, Gan Ning's troops also learned about the treatment of Zhao Ji's officers and soldiers, and that Zhao Ji could not incorporate them all into his own ranks; in fact, the two sides were currently only cooperating.

If they wanted to join and gain the corresponding status, then Gan Ning's troops had to prove their worth in this campaign against Yuan Shikai.

On the banks of the Ying River, inside a military tent.

In front of Zhao Ji were three identical maps. The map in the middle showed the current troop deployment of various factions in the Central Plains; the map on the left was his worst-case scenario, and the map on the right was his expected normal development.

On the left side of the map, Lu Bu's 100,000-strong army in Nanyang has turned black, becoming the enemy; they will pour out from Wankou and cut off his retreat.

Yuan Shu also seized Xuzhou and gathered an army of over 100,000 to march from the east; Cao Cao also defeated Zhang Yang on the main battlefield and made a show of flanking and attacking Luoyang.

If things really develop to the worst possible point, even if Xiang Yu were to be resurrected, he would probably only be able to break through the encirclement and return to Hedong with a small number of troops.

On the right side of the map, Yuan Shu was expelled, forcing him to retreat from Huainan into Jiangdong.

They successfully rescued Xuzhou, joined forces with Liu Bei to sail upstream along the Si River, and together with Zhang Yang, beat up Cao Cao.

Lü Bu in Nanyang is currently the biggest destabilizing factor, and his actions are too abnormal.

Zhao Ji stared at the map on the left, wishing he could personally lead over a thousand cavalrymen to storm into Wandu and completely sever the tentacles that were entangled with Lü Bu.

Lü Bu had already severed ties with the scholars of Ruying, Nanyang, and Jingnan, but he was still not confident and dared not lead his army away from Nanyang; perhaps he was worried about uncontrollable changes during the campaign, or perhaps Lü Bu was reluctant to leave Nanyang.

"Grand Marshal, a messenger has come from Wankou, claiming to be a member of General Zhang Wenyuan's army."

Outside the tent, Guan Shang's voice rang out. Zhao Ji got up, scrambled the three war game maps, and stepped out of the tent. He saw Guan Shang pointing to the envoy being held captive by several guards not far away: "This is the man."

As he spoke, he handed the letter to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji picked it up and read it. There was a military dispatch from Lü Bu agreeing to send troops, as well as a letter from Zhang Liao to him.

He then asked, "Did you really come from Wankou?"

"Yes, we encountered our scouts at Wankou, and scouts from various counties relayed and escorted them."

Guan Shang added, "He was riding a Shuofang horse, and judging from the fire seal, it was produced in Yanmen, not one that was dispersed from our army."

In Zhao Ji's army, even the private horses of officers and soldiers, as long as they entered the camp to eat collective rations, they had to be branded with the corresponding fire marks.

The fire marks are like military medals; the more traversed a horse's history, the more fire marks it will have.

The fire mark allows us to trace the horse's origin and its general history.

All parties have similar horse administration policies, and horses are important social assets that must have distinctive identifying characteristics.

Under Zhao Ji's rule, records are kept of which household owns a horse. The lower the level, the more detailed the records of the horses. At the village level, even the fire mark information on each family's horse is recorded.

The same applies to horse trading; words are not enough, and a set of seals will be stamped on the horse after each transaction, including official and private seals.

"Bring it up."

Zhao Ji folded the letter he had just finished reading. Soon, Zhang Liao's envoy was led to him and bowed to Zhao Ji, saying, "Greetings, Grand Marshal. I am Mo Kun, an official under General Pingkou, from Fanzhi, Yanmen."

"Why was there no prior notification that the General had appointed Zhang Wenyuan as the vanguard?"

Zhao Ji asked, "With such a large-scale operation, Lü Bu would definitely have informed Zhang Liao before he set out."

The messenger, who called himself Mo Kun, was also puzzled: "As far as I know, the Grand General has already sent a messenger to inform me, and has also dispatched General Qin Yilu to the Grand Marshal's army."

"Follow me into the tent."

Zhao Ji turned and entered the military tent. Mo Kun and Guan Shang entered together, and Zhao Ji pointed to the map: "Northeast of Wandu, explain in detail who the various armies are stationed at."

"Here."

Mo Kun squatted down in front of the map, studied it for a moment, and then said, "The area around Wandu is where the general's former confidants are in charge of troops. In Zhixian to the north, Wei Xu, Wei Chengzhu, and General Hao Meng are in charge. Wei Chengzhu often travels around Wandu, so the military affairs, iron smelting, and construction of Zhixian are entrusted to Hao Meng."

Zhixian County is home to Nanyang's largest iron smelting base, the other end of the Hanya Road, and the source of the Yu River. Yuyang Pass is located within the Hanya Road.

Mo Kun then pointed to the road in the cold crows and said, "The garrison commander of Yuyang Pass is Li Hei, a trusted and valiant soldier of the General, and an old friend from Shuofang."

Mo Kun then pointed to Bowang on the Jingyu Highway and said, "Bowang Slope was previously garrisoned by my general. Now he is leading troops on an expedition, and I do not know who will succeed him."

Following the Jingyu Highway outwards, he added, "The three battalions of the Eagle-Flying New Army are stationed at Duyang, and the commander is Liu He, an old man from Shuofang."

Mo Kun, a confidant of Zhang Liao, knew many details of Lü Bu's troop deployment. He pointed to the counties along both sides of the Jing-Yu Highway and began to recount them in a coherent manner, indicating that this information was common knowledge to him. After he finished speaking, Zhao Ji said, "I haven't seen Qin Yilu. Regardless of whether he took the Cold Crow Road or the Jing-Yu Highway, as long as he reached within fifty li of Wankou, he would have encountered my scouts and patrol troops. As for the General's troop deployment report, I haven't received it. It's impossible for a messenger to go to Luodu first, bypassing the nearby route."

Zhao Ji's face was grim: "I will write two letters by hand, and you can report them to Zhang Wenyuan. Give one to him, and he can deliver the other to the General."

Meanwhile, Lü Bu led his cavalry on an inspection tour to Zhi County to check the temporary armory there.

Wei Xu led Lü Bu to inspect the various warehouses. Inside, the weapon racks were piled high with ring-pommel swords, and the air was thick with the smell of fish oil.

Lü Bu picked up a sword and saw the inscription: "Refined thirty times in Wan, by official He, craftsman Bai."

He carefully examined the brand-new ring-pommel sword, tested its feel, and nodded to Wei Xu: "It's acceptable."

Master craftsman Yang Zhong also followed, pretending to examine a ring-pommel sword, nodding in satisfaction.

Wei Xu then led Lü Bu to a nearby warehouse, where spears awaiting assembly were displayed: "General, Lord Yang, these are all ten-fold spears."

Yang Zhong extended his arms to Lü Bu: "General, please go first."

Lu Bu did not refuse. With the war imminent, much of the equipment had already been deployed, but spare equipment was also essential.

Lu Bu took the spear blade handed to him by Wei Xu, tested its feel, and was satisfied with its weight, but said, "I heard that Zhao Yuansi's troops make a lot of agricultural tools, so I'm afraid there will be a shortage of equipment this year."

Yang Zhong said, "That's not entirely true. I heard that after the Grand Marshal killed the two traitors Li Jue and Guo Si, he obtained the armory in Meiwu and Chang'an, which contained no less than ten thousand pieces of armor and crossbows."

Wei Xu, who was standing nearby, said, "It is not difficult to make swords, spears, and halberds, but it is difficult to make armor."

Lu Bu simply nodded, signaling several guards who had followed him to test the spear blades. The guards randomly selected spear blades, assembled them on the spot, and then used them to pierce the ground, pierce rocks, or simply pry open rocks.

Seeing the excellent test results, Lü Bu couldn't help but smile.

When his old associates asked him to manage civil affairs, he was only so-so; but when it came to supervising the manufacture of weapons, horse herding, grain collection, conscription, or the suppression of thieves, he was able to accomplish these tasks very well.

Soon, they arrived at the next warehouse. This warehouse was relatively empty, with only rows of cross-shaped armor racks, indicating a severe shortage of armor.

At a glance, there were fewer than thirty complete suits of armor.

Lu Bu's expression was not very good. Wei Xu explained, "The armor plates are all forged from five pieces. The new craftsmen are becoming more and more skilled. They can make a full set of armor in about a day. The production of iron plates and tube sleeve armor varies, with six to seven sets produced every day."

Yang Zhong also offered words of comfort: "General, there is no need to be so demanding. When the Grand Marshal withdrew, he had already selected craftsmen from among the disaster victims. Cao Cao and Yuan Shu had also long ago transferred the craftsmen from the counties and kingdoms of Yuzhou. Now that Nanyang is short of craftsmen, it is not an easy task for new craftsmen to make armor."

“It’s not that I’m being demanding, but last year Zhao Yuansi had over a hundred iron cavalry under his command. Now, with the weapons and equipment from various armies in Chang’an, there will be three to five hundred iron cavalry, and perhaps even a whole battalion of them.”

Lu Bu, who came from a remote prefecture, had an instinctive fondness for heavily armored cavalry. He patiently explained to Yang Zhong, "Only heavy cavalry can rival heavy cavalry. In this campaign against Yuan Shao, we must not let him monopolize the victory."

A single battalion of cavalry charging forward can tear open even the strongest infantry formation.

On the battlefield, such a large-scale cavalry force already has the effect of delivering a decisive blow.

How could someone like Yuan Shu possibly understand the ferocity of the iron cavalry?
Lu Bu looked at Wei Xu: "I will requisition old iron armor from various armies and transport it here for dismantling. You must speed this up. Two hundred sets of armor must be provided within a month. You also need to urge Hao Meng to put in more effort, or don't blame me for being ruthless in military law."

The knight's overcoat and horse armor together make a complete set.

Wei Xu cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, sir."

The armor was so precious that once a certain quantity was accumulated, it would be transported to Wandu and stored in Lü Bu's central army.

These heavy armors were also hastily made; Lü Bu only ordered their production to begin after Chen Wang was assassinated.

After inspecting the armory, Wei Xu led Lü Bu and Yang Zhong out of the armory. At this moment, Hao Meng hurried over to greet them: "General, the banquet is ready."

Because of the matter of the great armor, Lü Bu reluctantly nodded: "Yes."

Hao Meng bypassed Yang Zhong and approached Lü Bu with a fawning smile, saying, "There are two dances performed by a mountain woman and a barbarian woman from Luhun, both of which are quite exquisite."

Lu Bu was in a good mood and turned to glance at Yang Zhong, who remained serious and did not respond.

Lu Bu turned to look at Hao Meng and asked jokingly, "Just how exquisite is it?"

"This humble general cannot say either."

Hao Meng thought for a moment and then said, "She is very different from the women of the Central Plains. She is warm and generous, and very charming."

"it is good!"

Lu Bu patted Hao Meng on the shoulder, and Wei Xu's emotions also surged.

They stationed troops in Zhixian County, resumed iron smelting production, and the mountain people, both men and women, were willing to come and work there.

A short dagger or a bushel of grain is enough to get a mountain woman or a barbarian woman from Luhun Rong to have some fun with you.

Even just because you are tall and well-dressed, the women here will come looking for you.

Therefore, there is no coercion involved in today's banquet.

(End of this chapter)