Tiger Guards

Chapter 406 Lion, Tiger, and Wolf King
As long as Sun Ce is willing to go to Qingzhou to fight against Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, then he will be a solid and excellent ally.

Given Sun Ce's personality, how could he possibly establish a stable alliance with Liu Bei after securing Qingzhou?

Only with Sun Ce in Qingzhou could Liu Bei be prevented from quickly unifying Qing and Xu.

In the long run, Lü Bu is an ally, and Sun Ce is also an ally.

Allies are people who stick together for warmth and support, and are used to build bridges to cross rivers.

Once the weather is no longer so cold, and once we've crossed the river, allies will simply be enemies with whom we have a better relationship.

Zhao Ji felt perfectly justified in setting a trap for Liu Bei. As for Liu Xun's defection to Liu Bei... there was nothing to be angry about. As long as Liu Bei could not quickly capture Shouchun, Liu Xun would definitely break away from Liu Bei.

Even the cholera and dysentery outbreak in Ji Lingxi's army, and the possibility of widespread flooding triggering a prolonged plague... Zhao Ji really couldn't care less. It was already difficult enough to ensure that his army and their families had enough to eat, didn't starve to death, and were spared from being ravaged by a widespread plague.

After meeting with Sun Ce, Zhao Ji returned to the eastern camp in Ruyang, but he was unable to sleep.

Zhang Liao had already sensed the crisis at Ji Ling's western camp, and he certainly wouldn't fight such a lousy battle where poison would be released at the slightest provocation.

What is more important than the lives of the soldiers under my command?

Mid- to low-ranking military officers who are eager to make a name for themselves and get ahead are the ones who desperately need meritorious service and fame, while generals who command independent armed forces don't really care about these issues of reputation.

If the army is completely wiped out, even the best reputation is useless.

Have we not seen the lessons learned from the past actions of Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Gai Xun, and others?
In the camp, Zhao Ji warmed himself by the fire alone.

His education and common sense taught him how to be a good person, an honest person, a shrewd businessman, or a slick, mature person; there were very few, almost none, manuals on how to be a warlord or a villain.

Even those who are traitors or collaborators often have no way to betray their country, and when they are leading the way, they often can't let go of their pride and dignity.

In general, when it comes to anthropomorphizing birds and beasts, there is plenty of experience to teach you to be a cow, horse, pig, dog, chicken, duck, crow, magpie, fox, or mouse, but very little to teach you to be a lion, tiger, venomous snake, or crane.

Even wolves only teach you to become a pack of wolves, not a wolf king.

In his current position, he feels that he has shed his identity as the Wolf King and is beginning to advance and transform into a complete form at the level of a Lion and Tiger.

Sun Ce, on the other hand, is more like a little lion, Simba.

Sun Jian's several wrong choices back then can be said to have cost him the world.

Sun Jian had a limited understanding back then, always considering himself a wolf king rather than a lion or tiger.

This limitation has already caused Sun Jian to suffer greatly. Sun Ce, who inherited Sun Jian's mantle, may seem to be the new wolf king, but in essence he is a lion and tiger.

Both Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu were wolf kings, but they also had self-limitations in their understanding, which prevented them from acting freely. Even when they committed evil, they did not go too far in their evil deeds.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei were also wolf kings, but from the beginning of their wolf kingship, they dreamed of becoming lions and tigers.

If there is no real opportunity, then humble yourself and remain a wolf king; when the opportunity arises, you will naturally become a lion or tiger to practice and realize your ideals and ambitions.

As for himself, from the moment he launched the Anyi rebellion, he was no longer simply a wolf king or alpha wolf.

If it's going to rain, let the people outside the house get soaked and freeze to death.

Outside the houses, there are innocent people, as well as many vicious and two-faced individuals.

The houses are only so big, the amount of food produced is only so much, and the population that can be fed is ultimately limited.

Zhao Ji comforted himself alone. The campfire in front of him flickered, and he could almost see through the leaping and changing flames the desolate scene of thousands of miles of Central Plains where no roosters crowed.

As dawn broke, the sky grew overcast and the wind picked up.

Zhao Ji kept his entire army in seclusion, allowing the officers, soldiers, and horses to rest and recover.

Inside Xuchang, after Lü Bu woke up, he invited Chen Gong and Yang Jun to discuss Zhao Ji's withdrawal of troops.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gong immediately made a judgment: "The Grand Marshal's prestige is awe-inspiring in the Western Regions, and now all his elite troops have been deployed. Although the Western Regions are currently undefended, they are not something the Lu Shui Hu can easily disrupt. In my opinion, either the Guanzhong garrison commander is exaggerating the military situation, or Yuan Shao is colluding with and instigating the Lu Shui Hu to rebel." Did Yuan Shao have any motive to cause trouble for Zhao Ji?

Absolutely. It hardly needs any evidence; anyone with a modicum of knowledge would agree.

The Lushui Hu were not a powerful tribe; they were mainly composed of rebellious Qiang people, mixed with Xiongnu and Han border people. At most, they could mobilize 20,000 able-bodied infantry and cavalry.

When defending, such tribes are united and can unleash relatively strong resistance and a large troop size.

If they were to invade the Three Auxiliary Regions, Hedong, or Taiyuan, the Lushui Hu people wouldn't be crazy. Even if a few tribal leaders wanted to take a gamble, they could only mobilize three to five thousand cavalry, no more than that.

There was also competition and a hierarchy of contempt among the various Hu peoples. The Lushui Hu, a newly emerging Hu people, was originally a mixed Qiang and chaotic Qiang people, and was not the majority of the Qiang people.

In the eyes of the orthodox Hu people and the major tribes, they were just like bandits and horse thieves—unruly bastards, born to be slaves.

If the Xiongnu allied forces were to attack and conquer the Lushui Hu, the Beidi Hu, which also originated from the hybrid Qiang people, would not come to their aid, let alone other Qiang tribes that were far away.

Competition among the various Qiang tribes was already fierce, so who cared about the Lushui Hu and Beidi Hu, these hybrid Qiang tribes that had been driven out?
Therefore, from Chen Gong's inherent understanding, no matter how much the Lu Shui Hu rebelled, mobilizing three to five thousand people was the limit.

The generals guarding Guanzhong appear to be Pei Mao, the Prefect of Jingzhao; Jia Tong, the Right Prefect of Fufeng; and Zhang Xiu, the Left Prefect of Fengyi, but there is also Duan Wei, the Prefect of Hongnong.

These four men could easily organize a coalition of ten thousand men, half infantry and half cavalry; and they possessed field experience and courage, making them far beyond what Lu Shuihu could do.

Therefore, Chen Gong immediately concluded that the so-called Lu Shui Hu rebellion was highly problematic; either the generals guarding the Three Auxiliary Regions were at odds with each other and unwilling to cooperate, or Zhao Ji himself wanted to withdraw his troops.

Immediately, Chen Gong said, "Since Yuan Shao dared to instigate the Lu Shui Hu to rebel, he will not easily back down. Now Cao Cao has stationed his troops in Chenliu and Junyi, and can spy on Xingyang and Luodu; if the Grand Marshal is eager to withdraw his troops to rescue the Three Auxiliary Regions, how could Cao Cao let the opportunity pass?"

These words drew a sidelong glance from Lü Bu, but Chen Gong remained calm: "Please remind the Grand Marshal that when withdrawing troops, be sure to be wary of Cao Cao's ambush."

"Gongtai is very thoughtful."

Lu Bu coughed twice and then looked at Yang Jun: "What does Ji Cai think?"

Yang Jun composed himself: "Based on my understanding of the Grand Marshal, he is upright and honest. His intention to withdraw troops today is likely due to someone spreading rumors, attempting to sow discord between the Grand General and the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal has become suspicious, which is why he proposed withdrawing troops, intending to test the Grand General."

"Oh?"

Lu Bu sat up straight, immediately showing interest: "Ji Cai, please explain in detail."

"Here."

Yang Jun cupped his hands and frankly stated, "If the Grand General agrees to the Grand Marshal's withdrawal of troops, then the treacherous minister's scheme will succeed, and the campaign to protect the country and punish Yuan will face further setbacks, inevitably putting the court in a difficult situation. Given the current shortage of food and provisions, even if the Grand Marshal is willing to provide assistance, he will be unable to send troops."

Lu Bu listened and nodded slowly. If the situation were to change again, he would not be able to swallow his pride and ask Zhao Ji for help.

Yang Jun further said, "If we obstruct the Grand Marshal's withdrawal, the Grand Marshal, incited by the rebels, will inevitably doubt the General's true intentions. At that time, his intention to withdraw troops will be firm, and he will not easily aid the court. Therefore, I believe we should send an envoy to the Grand Marshal to explain our intentions, so that the Grand Marshal can take command of all the armies and focus on crushing the rebels. Everything else is not worth worrying about."

Lu Bu nodded slowly upon hearing this, indicating that he was going to delegate authority to Zhao Ji and hand over all command of the front lines to him.

Unconsciously, Lü Bu thought of Cao Cao again.

Lu Bu turned to look at Chen Gong, who also looked deep in thought.

It seems that Chen Gong and Yang Jun both wanted to use Zhao Ji to kill Cao Cao.

Lu Bu didn't particularly like Cao Cao, but he didn't want Cao Cao dead either.

With each faction in the land losing one member, the remaining factions will grow stronger, which is very disadvantageous for Lü Bu, who controls the imperial court.

As long as the imperial court was in control, Lü Bu's strength continued to grow, while the other factions grew weaker day by day.

This is determined by the court's appeal and prestige, so the more fragmented the world is, the greater Lü Bu's advantage becomes.

(End of this chapter)