Tiger Guards

Chapter 404 Withdrawal
After seven or eight days of continuous rain and overcast skies, the sky cleared up in Ruyang.

Perhaps the dust in the air had been swept away, and the sunlight was exceptionally bright.

Lu Bu's messenger was only responsible for delivering the message; it was Qin Yilu who actually came to consult Zhao Ji.

Along the banks of the Ying River, the original mudflats have long been submerged by the rising waters.

All of their boats were towed ashore to avoid the water. Once the water level of the Ying River returned to normal, they built a pontoon bridge and, together with Wei Yue and Zhang Liao, continued to besiege Ji Ling's western camp.

When Qin Yilu came to find Zhao Ji, Zhao Ji was observing Ji Ling's camp from the watchtower on the east bank, his expression very solemn.

When the flood occurred, the eastern camp was on slightly higher ground, so only the riverside area of ​​the eastern camp was submerged, and half of the ground in the camp remained dry.

The terrain of the western camp is low-lying... even if the average level is half a zhang lower than that of the eastern camp, it means that the accumulated water can reach a person's chest.

The light is good today and visibility is very high.

Zhao Ji squinted and stared, noticing that the officers and soldiers of Yuan's army in the western camp seemed to have been struck by a group disease similar to cholera or dysentery. Many of the officers and soldiers in the camp were no longer able to wear armor, were vomiting and having diarrhea, and were moving slowly. Many were lying around sunbathing... or perhaps they had already collapsed and died.

It can't be said that the entire camp was wiped out. At least Ji Ling still knew how to maintain appearances. The officers and soldiers on duty on the various camp walls and arrow towers were walking normally and looked healthy.

Pei Xiu's eyesight was not as good as Zhao Ji's, and he could only make out a rough idea: "It seems that Ji Ling's army dug a well for water, and people and animals lived together there. When the flood hit that day, sewage poured into the well?"

"This should be."

Zhao Ji was already considering retreating. Since Lü Bu had taken over, everyone was counting on the summer grain stored in the granaries after the heavy rains. Most of the autumn grain in the fields had already spoiled from the water. If they withdrew now, they could still get some grain from Xu Xia's residence.

If this drags on any longer, when the troops withdraw and want to share the grain, they'll have to resort to violence.

With his hands gripping the railing, Zhao Ji said, "If we don't impose any restrictions, or if we break through the camp, the plague-ridden bandits will scatter, and our army will have no chance of escape, nor will Zhang Liao and Wei Yue. Now that Lü Bu has arrived, I want to find an excuse to withdraw our troops."

"What about the Xianbei invasion? Or is it the Lushui Hu causing trouble?"

Pei Xiu had little interest in such achievements; it was about serving the court, and the rewards would come from Hedong and Taiyuan.

His newlywed wife was still waiting for him at home; the war had lost all its value.

I noticed it as soon as I arrived: the people of Chen preferred Yuan Shu, at least those who represented the people of Chen preferred Yuan Shu.

Moreover, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the people of Chen have lived in peace for more than ten years. They believe that their ancestors have protected them, so they are reluctant to leave their homeland and find it hard to give up this auspicious place.

Now that all the armies are gathered and eating the summer grain, the autumn grain harvest is likely to be poor. There are also kind-hearted armies helping to harvest the little remaining autumn grain. The people of Chen do not want to migrate before they are starving, but when they are starving, they will blame their own side for the mistakes and sins. Under such circumstances, how can they be willing to migrate?
If they refuse to cooperate, the migration of more than 2,000 miles will be very risky and unforeseen.

"Let's defeat the Lu Shui Hu and then restore Shangjun, Beidijun, and Andingjun."

Zhao Ji made a decision: if they couldn't get enough to eat here, they would have to find somewhere else to eat.

Every extra day spent away from home, with a good neighbor like Yuan Shao, meant an extra day of danger for the family.

As the two were discussing, Guan Shang rode up and shouted, "Grand Marshal, Military Supervisor, Qin Yilu requests an audience!"

Zhao Ji turned his head to look and saw Qin Yilu and a dozen knights leisurely approaching.

Victory over Yuan Shu is just around the corner. Ji Ling and Yuan Shu are isolated and vulnerable, so we can defeat them one by one.

Zhao Ji then instructed, "Seventh Brother, prepare the request for assistance and arrange for someone to deliver it later. I want Qin Yilu to see it in person."

"Alright, but if we withdraw like this, the morale of the troops may be unstable."

“We will plant the fruit trees well, and when Lü Bu comes to pick the fruit, he will have to pay a price. I will talk to him slowly.”

Zhao Ji patted Pei Xiu on the shoulder, turned around and went down the ladder to the newly erected curtain on the side.

He didn't want to repeatedly persuade Pei Xiu or the officers and soldiers in the army. Ji Ling was still holding on, but how many more days could he hold on?
With people and livestock living together, water sources polluted, and officials and soldiers who died and could not be buried, who knows what kind of monsters Ji Lingxi's nearly 20,000 men could cultivate?

If Ji Ling collapses, the diseased and defeated soldiers will explode and scatter everywhere. How many of the surrounding armies can escape?

And then there's Yuan Shu. If Yuan Shu knew about the changes on the battlefield in Xuzhou and suddenly withdrew and broke out, the various armies might start fighting each other first.

Putting aside everything else, if Yuan Shu withdraws and Chen Kingdom falls under the control of the imperial court... then how will Sun Ce manage his supplies?
If Sun Ce doesn't seize grain, his army will disintegrate and he will be easily manipulated by Lü Bu; but if he allows his troops to seize grain, he will be disregarding Lü Bu's authority and the imperial court's prestige, and the two sides will inevitably have to fight. As for pursuing Yuan Shu, there is simply no room for maneuver.

Yuan Shu's decision to come to Chen to defend the capital shows that he truly has a fearless spirit and deliberately came to the front line to buy time for the eastern battlefield.

That's not the case at all, because Chen State had enough grain to feed Yuan Shu's army; only Yuan Shu himself could suppress Chen State's army and allow them to perform well on the eastern front.

Huainan is still in a state of ruin. It is impossible for the Huainan region to resume spring farming production just because Yuan Shu led his troops to invade and occupy Chen in the spring.

On the contrary, the powerful clans led their retainers to follow Yuan Shu out to find food and fight, and even the production of their own manors was abandoned!

Given the current flooding, if you chase Yuan Shu to Huainan, you won't even have enough wild grain to eat from the enemy or plunder to replenish your military supplies; you'll go hungry if you go.

An army that is not well-fed will naturally disintegrate and collapse.

Behind the curtain, as Zhao Ji pondered, Qin Yilu handed him a letter from Lü Bu, saying, "Grand Marshal, Cao Jiande is leading over 20,000 troops, ordered by General Yuan Shao to cross the Honggou Canal and head straight for Chen to participate in the suppression of the rebellion. Now, his vanguard general Xiahou Miaocai has entered the outskirts of Chenliu Junyi and is gathering ships. The Grand General has specially sent his minister to consult the Grand Marshal's opinion."

Zhao Ji sat upright, perusing Lü Bu's letters, and asked, "What is the General's intention? He and Cao Jiande have been fighting each other, and their officials and soldiers have a deep-seated blood feud. Now that Cao Jiande is personally going to the front lines of the national crisis, if we bring up old grudges, we may lose the hope of the people."

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, when the General enters the court to assist in governing, he should naturally prioritize the country and not be concerned with personal grudges."

"It is rare for a great general to have such a broad mind."

Zhao Ji smiled and praised him, then pulled out a wad of silk from his sleeve and waved it around. Without showing it to Qin Yilu, he composed himself and said, "Since Cao Jiande is coming, then I will leave. To be honest, the Lushui Hu are causing trouble and have invaded the Guanzhong region. Once the news spreads among the troops, my officers and soldiers in Guanzhong will be homesick and their morale will be low. Furthermore, with the Lushui Hu causing trouble, the various Xiongnu tribes will also be unstable. To protect our homes, I must withdraw my troops."

Qin Yilu was greatly surprised and pressed, "Why is the Grand Marshal acting this way?"

“I’m not lying to you. I was in a dilemma before, but now that General Cao Jiande is leading troops to suppress the rebellion and is approaching the State of Chen, I can finally withdraw.”

Zhao Ji paused for a moment, then said, "Chen is a narrow country, and I worry that two tigers cannot share one mountain. Since Cao Jiande is coming, then Sun Taolu and I will withdraw our troops."

Qin Yilu now understood: the State of Chen was too small to accommodate the armies of Sun Ce and Cao Cao.

Xudu is too small to accommodate the joint command of the Grand Marshal and the General.

The arrival of the Grand General and the departure of the Grand Marshal seem not to be a bad thing.

As Qin Yilu pondered, Guan Shang, who was guarding the opening of the curtain, suddenly entered and bowed, saying, "Grand Marshal, the military supervisor requests an audience."

"Go and invite."

Guan Shang agreed and turned to lead Pei Xiu in, saying, "Grand Marshal, General Zhang, who has been suppressing the bandits, has crossed the river by boat and is already in the middle of the river."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji and Pei Xiu exchanged a glance, and Zhao Ji was not surprised.

Zhang Liao was experienced in leading troops and may have already noticed that there was something wrong with Ji Ling's army.

For a veteran like Zhang Liao, the moment before him was truly perilous.

Under the pandemic, all beings are equal.

If you don't run now, you might never have the chance or the need to run again.

Zhao Ji immediately asked Pei Xiu, "What is it?"

Pei Xiu took out a hastily written silk scroll and handed it over: "Urgent report from Guanzhong."

"They're urging us again; it seems the situation is critical."

Zhao Ji stood up with a sigh, reached out and took the document, unfolded it, glanced at it, and his face was full of displeasure: "The Lu Shui Hu are only ten thousand men, how could they have come to this?"

Pei Xiu spoke up: "General Zilong is leading more than 10,000 men through Zhiguan Pass and is about to garrison in Henan. We also need to guard against the troops in Hebei, so our rear will inevitably be vulnerable, and it will be very inconvenient to mobilize troops."

"Yes, I'll reply later."

(End of this chapter)