Tiger Guards

Chapter 389 Two Spies
The sky was overcast, and it was likely that a sudden downpour had occurred upstream of the Ying River, causing the water level to rise significantly.

On the riverbank, Zhao Ji invited Zhang Hong to eat hot pot, which was not a particularly novel way of eating for Zhang Hong.

What was a little unusual was the hot pot with two separate compartments for the meat, as well as a large basin of hailstones, and vegetables and slices of mutton laid on top of the hailstones.

Normally, when people eat meat, there are only a few ways to prepare it.

The meat slices mentioned by Zhao Ji are similar to kuai, which is a way of eating meat that is cut into thin slices.

Some people like to eat meat raw to enjoy its natural sweetness, while others prefer to grill it before eating.

In Zhang Hong's view, Zhao Ji's method of eating hot pot was just a slight improvement and not particularly unusual.

Zhao Ji stirred the soup pots; one contained a mushroom broth, and the other a broth made with beef tallow, beef bones, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, and cumin.

At his age, he doesn't like mushroom soup base. Now that his stomach is strong, he dips slices of chilled mutton into the boiling beef tallow soup, takes them out in less than seven seconds, and puts them in his mouth... He barely tastes them before swallowing them after a little chewing.

Zhang Hong preferred mushroom soup, which contained various dried mushrooms, red dates, goji berries, and a few slices of angelica root.

While Zhang Hong was enjoying himself, he also recounted Sun Ce's experiences over the past six months, as well as the current situation in Sun Ce's army and the actual situation in Xuzhou.

Seeing that Sun Ce and Sun Ben had a certain level of understanding, Zhao Ji felt somewhat relieved.

When Pengcheng and Xiapi are truly in danger, Zang Ba, Chang Ba, and Zhao Fan will naturally send troops to their aid.

Picking up the chilled sweet rice wine, Zhao Ji took a small sip and asked, "So now, what does Sun Ce want?"

"He wanted to devote all his efforts to attacking Yuan Shu, defeating Yuan Shu's various armies, and then pursuing him into Huainan before returning to Jiangdong."

Zhang Hong wanted to put down his chopsticks, but Zhao Ji gestured for him to continue eating. So he picked up his chopsticks and said, "I think Sun Ce is brave and ambitious, much like Xiang Yu. We shouldn't let him go back to the mountains. But Chen Deng of Guangling also has great ambitions. I'm worried that after Yuan Shu's defeat and death, Chen Deng will take control of the Jianghuai region."

Yuan Shu's civil and military officials certainly wouldn't surrender willingly; it became inevitable that they would surrender under certain conditions and attach themselves to a powerful patron.

Chen Deng had a very good reputation, and the Chen family of Xiapi was a prominent and influential family.

Furthermore, Liu Bei had a deep connection with the Chen family of Xiapi. Liu Bei was a student of Lu Zhi, and Lu Zhi was a student of the Chen family of Xiapi.

Back then, it wasn't just Mi Zhu who wanted to welcome Liu Bei into Xuzhou; the key figures were Chen Deng and his son.

"Chen Deng is not a threat."

Zhao Ji commented, picking up a piece of mutton and shaking it: "Even someone as healthy as me only eats tenderloin from half-year-old cattle and sheep when I eat raw fish. I've heard a lot about his fondness for raw fish, so he's probably not a long-lived person. His sons are young, and his brothers are also men of little renown or talent. It can be said that he has no successor, so there's really nothing to worry about."

Zhang Hong was taken aback, yet felt it was perfectly reasonable. He then asked, "Recently, many scholars in Langya have been fond of consuming locusts, and Taoist priests in the mountains are also taking the eggs and larvae of various insects to refine medicines and make elixirs. I wonder what the Grand Marshal thinks of this?"

"Nature creates all things to nourish people; if the method is appropriate, taking them will bring many benefits."

Zhao Ji pondered for a moment before replying cautiously: "Insects are used in medicine, and birds and beasts are used for nourishment, but they must never be eaten raw. This winter and spring, many of my civil and military officials suffered from typhoid fever. I was thinking about why the body would feel hot after pathogenic cold entered the body. It is probably because the body's heat can expel the pathogenic cold. Some people die from alternating chills and fever, probably just like this meat."

Zhao Ji picked up a piece of mutton, dipped it lightly in the pot, and lifted it out. The bright red mutton changed color: "He was weak and burned to death."

Thinking about the various techniques Taoist priests and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners use to process medicinal materials, they generally require drying them first, and many of them need to be cooked before they can be used in medicine.

Zhao Ji, who didn't know much about traditional Chinese medicine, continued, "If you have a fondness for locust poisoning, I have a few prescriptions. As for things like Five-Stone Powder, it's best not to take them. Zhang Ling, who preached in Sichuan, was swallowed by a giant snake. His magic can't protect him, nor can it bring wealth to his descendants. What good is it?"

Zhang Ling was from the State of Lu, and he was not a stranger to Zhang Hong. Five-stone powder or something similar was something that the Taoist priests of Langya had been studying.

After Zhang Ling's death, his grandson Zhang Lu was able to rise to prominence, thanks to Zhang Lu's mother, who also knew some medicine prescriptions and was able to take good care of the elderly Liu Yan, which gave Zhang Lu the opportunity to become an official.

Currently, Zhang Xiu, the separate commander of Hanzhong, is jointly stationed with Zhang Lu, the commander of the supervisory righteousness.

Together, the two men, acting on Liu Yan's orders, attacked and killed Su Gu, the governor of Hanzhong, cutting off the messenger route between the imperial court and Yizhou.

The Five Pecks of Rice sect was also led and expanded by Zhang Xiu. Now, Zhang Lu is just Zhang Xiu's deputy and cannot be considered wealthy or powerful.

The Five Pecks of Rice sect was founded around the same time as Zhang Jiao's Way of Peace, so Zhang Xiu was very senior, far surpassing Zhang Lu.

Zhang Lu at this time has not yet become the powerful ruler who dominates Hanzhong and most of Ba Commandery, so he cannot reverse the events of his grandfather Zhang Ling.

Zhao Ji didn't value the few pill formulas his subordinates had come up with, but to Zhang Hong they were extraordinary.

Talking about money is vulgar; these elixirs are enough to provide for the Zhang Hong family's livelihood in the future.

No matter how chaotic the world became, Zhang Hong's descendants were able to manufacture the Zhao family's direct lineage of products like the Green Locust Bone Strengthening Pill, Qi-Boosting Pill, and Body Strengthening Powder, making it seem like a small, inexhaustible gold mine.

He was overjoyed upon hearing this, and stood up, cupping his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your kindness, Grand Marshal."

"Sir, you are determined to avenge the Zhao family, yet you submit to Sun Ce's command. Your strategies for governing the country are thus rendered useless. How can the Zhao family ignore this?"

Zhao Ji rose and helped the agitated Zhang Hong to sit down. He continued, "Once this matter is settled, I will ask Sun Ce to appoint you as my chief clerk to preserve your reputation. When Sun Ce is defeated and unable to avenge his family, I will then recount to everyone your contributions to the country and to my Zhao family."

"I dare not." Zhang Hong hurriedly replied, trying his best to control his emotions. He was just following his nature and fulfilling his duty as a disciple of the Zhao family to avenge his master, Zhao Yu.

After a pause, Zhang Hong composed himself and solemnly cupped his hands: "I wonder when the Grand Marshal will be able to adopt a son under the name of Lord Yuanda?"

“I still need to discuss this matter with my grandfather, and I won’t hide it from you. From the perspective of patriarchal law, it would be most appropriate to choose one of my brothers to be adopted by Uncle Yuanda. However, my grandfather has always been picky and I’m afraid he wouldn’t want Uncle Yuanda to suffer any injustice.”

Zhao Ji also recounted the truth, stating that Zhao Yu not only had Zhang Hong as a disciple, but also other disciples and former officials who returned one after another to serve the Zhao family.

It wasn't just Zhang Hong who cared about this issue; these people did too.

Zhao Yu was also recommended by Zhong Fu, the Grand Master of Ceremonies. However, Zhong Fu's son, Zhong Shao, together with Ma Yu, Liu Yan's two sons, and Ma Teng, attempted a coup to kill Li Jue and Guo Si, but the coup failed and Zhao Yu died.

As early as when Li Jue and Guo Si launched their counterattack on Chang'an, Zhong Fu also led his troops to resist and died in battle.

By killing Li Jue and Guo Si, Zhao Ji had already repaid the Zhong family's debt of gratitude.

Zhong Ji, one of the five current attendants, is Zhong Fu's nephew and is also close to the Zhao family. After Liu Ai was appointed governor of Yangzhou, Zhong Ji will definitely be the next candidate.

The competition among high-ranking scholars was actually quite simple: following the Zhao family to eliminate the Yuan family, and then taking down a large number of famous and powerful families from the Han Dynasty, the Zhong family didn't need to develop anything further. They could maintain their current status and become big shots in the future.

When a new dynasty changes, if the Zhong family can seize the initiative and gain an advantageous position... it's not difficult to pretend to be deaf and dumb during the transition, or to resign due to illness.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was originally a rebellion by scholars from all sides against the Han Dynasty.

After the experiences of Dong Zhuo and Li Jue, no one wanted to go back to the past; they all wanted to try a new path.

If no new path can be found, defeating other scholar-official families of similar size and then establishing a new dynasty to make a living becomes a last resort.

Zhang Hong fell silent upon hearing this. From the perspective of patriarchal clan law, most adoptions were of nephews or cousins; it was extremely rare to adopt grand-nephews or grand-cousins.

Choose one of Zhao Ji's younger brothers to be adopted by Zhao Yu. Even if Zhao Ji takes care of him in the future, it will be limited.

You can choose one of Zhao Ji's children. Even without mentioning the compensation and care Zhao Ji will give to this child in the future, just the fact that the child has "superior bloodline" would be a great advantage.

After considering for a moment, Zhang Hong said, "In chaotic times, people often have no choice but to act. In my opinion, since the Grand Marshal was able to adopt Yuan Minggong as his heir, it would be fine to adopt one of the Grand Marshal's sons as Yuan Dagong's grandson."

"Well, Cai Bojie's daughter and I are mutually attracted to each other. If we have two or three sons in the future, would it be alright if we chose one of them?"

Upon hearing Zhao Ji's suggestion, Zhang Hong's eyes lit up again. He quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, rose, and bowed once more, saying, "That would be perfect!"

Zhao Ji could only help him sit down again, and said with a smile, "Then it's settled. As for Sun Ce, you must take care of your health and not put yourself in dangerous situations."

"Yes, I understand."

Zhang Hong then took out Sun Ce's handwritten letter and handed it to him with both hands: "This is Sun Ce's letter of apology, written by Zhang Zibu."

After a slight hesitation, Zhang Hong added, "In the past, Yuan Dagong went to great lengths to save Zhang Zibu's life. The Grand Marshal can also trust Zhang Zibu."

The two men followed Sun Ce and essentially avenged Zhao Yu.

Although Zuo Rong died, the Buddhist followers he gathered and developed scattered throughout Jiangdong and became a source of hope.

After reading the sincere letter of apology, Zhao Ji knew he would not agree to any of the requests Sun Ce made.

The Jiangdong region today consists of those who were defeated by Sun Ce in the past.

If they pursue them, Jiangdong will be forced to surrender at the mere sight of them, and they can instantly take over the power vacuum left by Yuan Shu.

The governor of Danyang Commandery was Zhou Shang, the governor of Wu Commandery was Sheng Xian, and the governor of Kuaiji Commandery was Xu Gong. Including Hua Xin's governorship of Yuzhang Commandery, these four commanderies had a population of over two million.

With Sun Ce's talent for scouting, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find three million people.

Including Jiujiang, Lujiang, and Guangling in Huainan, the population could reach four million.

Zhao Ji isn't crazy, there's no need for him to increase his own intensity.

Neither Liu Bei nor Sun Ce should be sent to Jiangdong; it is sufficient to continue supporting the Liu clan's vassal states.

After reading the memorial, Zhao Ji proposed, "Since he has a grudge against Yuan Shu, let him besiege Yuan Shu in Chen County. After I join forces with the General's troops to defeat Ji Ling, we will then go to Chen State to join forces with him. After Yuan Shu, there is Yuan Shao. If he achieves outstanding merit in this battle, I will submit a memorial to the Emperor and, together with the General, recommend him for the positions of Governor of Qing Province and General of the Rear. The position of Marquis of Qi is also not out of the question."

With such a large experience package from Yuan Shu, everyone who participates can exchange it for a title of marquis with special significance.

The Marquis of Qi's overall influence over the Qi region was no less than that of the Governor of Qingzhou.

If Sun Ce could become the Marquis of Qi, why can't I or my father become the Marquis of Jin?

Lü Bu could decide whether to give him a title of Marquis, depending on his wishes.

(End of this chapter)