Tiger Guards

Chapter 390: Forget Each Other
Three days later, Sun Ce's vanguard, Taishi Ci, crossed the Wo River and besieged Wuping.

Zhang Hong also arrived at Meng County by fast horse and joined up with Sun Ce's main force.

Along the way, there were frequent strong winds, and Zhang Hong arrived a day later than expected.

Sun Ce's army of over 30,000 marched out of Mount Tai, and has since swelled to over 50,000 men and 7,000 chariots.

Outside of Meng County, the camp is encircled by vehicles.

When Zhang Hong arrived, he saw that a talent market had already been set up outside the camp, auctioning off men and women captured along the way to local powerful families.

Some powerful families came to ransom people, while others came purely to buy slaves.

Sun Ce's army also raised the banner of protecting the country and opposing Yuan Shikai, and the prisoners sold all had the seal of Sun Ce's army as proof.

In other words, the men and women who were bought and sold were anti-people members of the rebel Yuan Shu's side.

Even if they were sold into slavery, they could still argue their case with the imperial court.

The powerful families came to buy slaves, which was essentially paying protection money.

Buying slaves was tantamount to supporting the imperial army's campaign to protect the country and overthrow Yuan Shikai.

In Mengcheng, Sun Ce was very busy, with messengers providing him with real-time updates on the status of all units in the army.

To the north are Jiyin and Shanyang, where Cheng Yu and Cao Hong are jointly stationed. Sun Ce needs to ensure the safe passage and movement of his army.

Therefore, even after arriving in Montreal, his attention remained focused on the rearguard troops.

If things go wrong, we must adopt a fierce stance of turning around and confronting Cheng Yu and Cao Hong in open battle. Only in this way can we effectively deter these two Cao armies.

Zhao Ji was the same; while staying in Xudu, he kept a close eye on intelligence gathering from all directions. Only after most of the army arrived in Luodu was Zhao Ji able to lead his elite cavalry to Ruyang to provoke Ji Ling and suppress the activities and morale of Ji Ling's spies.

Under these circumstances, Sun Ce and Zhao Ji were both on edge. Zhao Ji was alright, as he could quickly digest food and recover his strength and energy by using his skills. Sun Ce, on the other hand, had to guard against the four newly formed Yellow Turban leaders in the army causing trouble and escaping, and he also had to be highly vigilant about Cao Cao's actions.

Sun Ce's former subordinates had no family burdens, while the four Yellow Turban armies had families with them, and their families were still in Mount Tai.

However, they also broke away from Mount Tai and migrated towards the border of Mengyin and Langya in the south of Mount Tai.

If Zhao Ji's permission is obtained, Langya Chancellor Zhao Fan will also step in to settle these four Yellow Turban armies.

In other words, once their families moved to Langya and settled down, the four Yellow Turban armies' dependence on Sun Ce would greatly decrease.

But Sun Ce had no choice. He couldn't expect able-bodied men to serve in the army, so he cruelly abandoned their families and relatives to Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

These Yellow Turban rebels had nowhere else to go. Last year, they clung to their freedom and did not align themselves with Zang Ba, which led to their falling out with him.

Yuan Shao has begun a strong crackdown on Qingzhou this year. If they do not relocate, all that awaits them is annihilation and enslavement.

Therefore, these four remnants of the Yellow Turban army were not in good condition, and their relationship with Sun Ce was more like a mutually dependent cooperation rather than a complete subservience.

In order to stabilize these Yellow Turban rebels and their families, Sun Ce left Zhang Zhao to be in charge of the relocation and resettlement of these families.

Zhang Zhao was a renowned scholar from Xuzhou, making it easier for him to gain the trust of the Yellow Turban rebels' families and less likely to be attacked by Zang Ba and Zhao Fan.

If news of an attack on the families of the soldiers were to come from Langya, the more than 10,000 soldiers from the four Yellow Turban armies would immediately mutini.

The pressure Sun Ce was under, both internal and external, was immense. Upon learning of Zhang Hong's return, Sun Ce immediately abandoned his work and personally came to welcome Zhang Hong.

At the entrance of the county government office in the city, Sun Ce personally came to greet him: "I am grateful for Mr. Zigang's trouble in making this trip. I wonder how the Grand Marshal will respond?"

"We failed to achieve our mission, but we also gained something."

Zhang Hong bowed apologetically to Sun Ce, who quickly helped him up, saying, "Sir, there's no need for that. I know the Grand Marshal is no ordinary man. Any gain is better than nothing. May I ask how the Grand Marshal respond?"

Leading Zhang Hong into the courtyard, Zhang Hong replied, "The Grand Marshal said that Yuan Shu is rebelling right before our eyes, and the brothers have been fighting each other for a long time. How could Yuan Shao fall behind Yuan Shu? He also said that you, General, are the little tyrant of our time. For the sake of the country's long-term interests, how could we dare to let you return to Jiangdong?"

Sun Ce's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and forced a smile: "Does the Grand Marshal really say that about me?"

"Yes, how could it be false?"

Zhang Hong pointed towards Xuchang: "The men of Ruying are all aware of General's formidable reputation as the Little Conqueror."

The prestige belongs to oneself; as long as one lives, the prestige will continuously generate benefits.

Sun Ce felt that the prestige Zhao Ji recognized was more important than the promise of conquering Jiangdong. His expression became even more cheerful, and he asked with a smile, "What else is there? Please tell me all at once, sir."

"Yes, regarding the current war in Chen, the Grand Marshal intends to combine the General's troops and form an allied force to attack Ji Ling in Ruyang; while the General will besiege Yuan Shu in Chen County. After the Grand Marshal defeats Ji Ling, the three allied forces will then surround and kill Yuan Shu in Chen County."

Zhang Hong paused deliberately as he spoke. Sun Ce led Zhang Hong into the hall, and after Zhang Hong sat down, he said, "The Grand Marshal promised that after exposing Yuan Shu, he would join the General in presenting a memorial to the Emperor on the steps of the palace, and would promise to appoint the General of Qing Province and the General of the Rear. He also said that the General's merits are outstanding and that he is worthy of the honorary position of Marquis of Qi."

"Marquis Qi?"

Sun Ce had just sat down when he suddenly jumped up and stood straight: "Is it really the Marquis of Qi?"

"I dare not deny it, it is indeed the title of Marquis of Qi." Zhang Hong's tone was certain, his gaze firm: "Yuan Shu's rebellion shook the country and stirred the hearts of the people. The merit of defeating Yuan Shu is enough to reward the honorary title of Marquis of Qi."

Sun Ce slowly sat down and said, "So, it seems that the Grand Marshal also has designs on the title of Emperor."

On this point, Zhang Hong had nothing to hide: "Today the emperor is young and the officials are without virtue. If Heaven were to bestow this favor upon us, who could refuse?"

Even close advisors to the emperor like Liu Ai would consult with the Grand Historian about the survival of the Han dynasty. For hundreds of years, scholars across the land had reached a consensus on whether the Han dynasty would perish.

No country is indestructible, and the Han dynasty was destined to perish as well.

What everyone is curious about is when it will end and who will inherit it.

Judging from this, it can be considered a popular topic of discussion among scholars.

In terms of ideological constraints, the Han Dynasty was relatively open. Even the Liu family didn't shy away from it, so what do you have to be afraid of?

Sun Ce calmed himself down a bit; he was determined to seize Yuan Shu and beat him to death.

Yuan Shu's establishment of a title and system has already whitewashed Sun Ce's act of betrayal.

Even now, having broken away from Yuan Shao's command, they can still clear themselves of any wrongdoing. Yuan Shao is a traitor to the state, while the Sun family has been brave and valiant for generations, refusing to associate with him. It's that simple.

However, the literati had a different set of logic in their minds.

That is, Yuan Shu was the former master of both Sun Jian and Sun Ce.

As a former official of the Yuan family, it's understandable that Sun Ce sensed Yuan Shu's intention to rebel, broke with him prematurely, and joined Yuan Shao's forces.

But one thing he absolutely must not do is to lay a hand on Yuan Shu.

As the former master, I can rebel. It's one thing if you disciples and former officials don't support me, but if you even raise an army to fight me... you might as well raise a dog.

Sun Ce wasn't unaware of this logic; rather, he acted according to it. As a former subordinate, he was at a great disadvantage and in a passive position.

Therefore, they could only advocate the idea that "traitors and national enemies are irreconcilable," and set their own families as loyal and righteous ministers of the country, completely negating the logic of the literati.

In other words, whoever rebelled against the imperial court was an enemy of the Sun family.

Zhao Ji was very generous; the mere title of "Little Overlord of Jiangdong" was enough to justify this cooperation.

Not to mention that he himself had the motive to eliminate Yuan Shu in order to whitewash his reputation, not to mention the honorary titles of Governor of Qingzhou, General of the Rear, and Marquis of Qi.

As for sending Zhang Hong to negotiate with Zhao Ji... he hadn't even considered the matter of returning to Jiangdong, and didn't think Zhao Ji would agree.

It's purely a matter of buyers and sellers asking for prices; the asking price is one thing, but the final transaction price is another.

Sun Ce never expected that Zhang Hong could handle things so well, and that the results far exceeded his expectations, things he had never even dared to dream of before.

Zhang Hong also had his own interpretation, which was simply that Zhao Ji arranged for Sun Ce to distract Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

Even if Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were at odds, and Sun Ce had Yuan Shu's blood on his hands and used it to rise to power, how would Yuan Shao view this?
In fact, Zhao Ji didn't care what role Sun Ce could play in Qingzhou.

It was only out of respect for Zhang Hong that Sun Ce had given him so much. If he were to take Zhang Hong away at an opportune moment, Sun Ce wouldn't be able to say anything more.

Having obtained such a generous gift, Zhang Hong no longer owes Sun Ce anything and can leave at any time.

By paying back all the favors in one go at a premium, I can kill you without feeling guilty.

Seeing that Zhang Hong did not show much joy, Sun Ce immediately composed himself and asked, "What about the families of the officials and soldiers of Yuzhang and the troops who migrated south from Mount Tai?"

"The Grand Marshal has ordered Langya to have Zhao Zikai do his utmost to assist Zhang Zibu in settling the families of his troops. However, the Grand Marshal also wants to demand the troops of Guan Hai and the other four divisions."

"This matter is not difficult. Once I explain it to the generals, they will naturally be willing."

Sun Ce sensed that Zhang Hong hadn't yet revealed the true price, so he asked, "What about Yuzhang?"

"After defeating Yuan Shu, the Grand Marshal will order Hua Xin to allow our soldiers' families to travel north. As for whether they will be handed over to the general, the Grand Marshal has not made it clear."

Zhang Hong paused, then lowered his voice and said, "Furthermore, since I am a disciple of Zhao Yuanda, after the Grand Marshal defeated Yuan Shu, he wanted to recruit me as the Chief Secretary of his staff."

"This……"

Sun Ceze was surprised, then laughed and said, "This is a good thing. With you by the Grand Marshal's side, and me outside, we can look after each other."

Even the issue of the families of all soldiers would be easier to handle with Zhang Hong speaking on Zhao Ji's behalf.

We all work together for the sake of a better future.

If you can both have better futures after breaking up, why cling to each other so desperately?

Sun Ce also advised Zhang Hong: "Master Zigang, as the saying goes, it is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to be together in hardship. The situation in the world is ever-changing, and the Grand Marshal and I are the youngest, and our future success or failure is uncertain. Having you by the Grand Marshal's side will be of great benefit to both of us."

(End of this chapter)