Tiger Guards

Chapter 411 Returning the Way
Under the cover of night, Sun Ce's camp, which had just exchanged camps with Zhao Ji during the day, began to move and cross the river in an orderly manner.

For the foreseeable future, Zhao Ji will be stationed in the northwest corner of Chen County, while only Sun Ce's empty camp and some soldiers will remain in the southwest corner.

Sun Ce's main force will travel by night and hide during the day, taking the old route through Liang and Shanyang. Then, they will split into two groups, one heading towards Mount Tai and the other towards Jinan, to seize Qingzhou.

Sun Ce left three thousand veteran soldiers behind and placed them under the command of Han Dang.

These three thousand men were to oversee the captured militia in the camp, creating the illusion of a large army encampment.

At the same time, we should try our best to select suitable soldiers from them to strengthen our own forces.

In the future, Han Dang's separate army will join the group of family members and hostages heading north and return to Qi together... Even if the family members and hostages can go north and Zhao Ji is willing to let them go, Lü Bu will most likely take action to detain them.

One cannot expect too much from anything, so Sun Ce could only suppress his concerns about his family and hostages and focus on the military matters at hand.

At the ferry crossing, Zhang Hong came to see them off.

As they parted, Zhang Hong grasped Sun Ce's hand and whispered a warning: "My lord, you have always relied on your strength and traveled alone on light cavalry. Have you not seen the lesson of Prince Chen? Even the Grand Marshal, with his strength and courage, is always accompanied by a hundred riders when he goes out. My lord, you must not be careless again, lest you be plotted against by villains."

Sun Ce wanted to refute, but Zhang Hong was telling the truth.

Seeing Zhang Hong's concerned expression, Sun Ce nodded solemnly, clasped Zhang Hong's hands together, and admonished him, "I understand, and I will follow your teachings. You should also take good care of yourself. I see that the Grand Marshal has enemies all over the country. If you make plans for the Grand Marshal, you will surely incur the hatred of petty people."

“I understand. Now that the affairs of the Central Plains are settled, if there is nowhere else to go, I will join you, my lord, in building a great enterprise in Qingzhou.”

Zhang Hong also made a promise, and Sun Ce shook Zhang Hong's hand before turning around and boarding the ship.

Zhang Hong stood still, and in the torchlight, he bowed deeply to Sun Ce with his hands clasped in front of him.

He didn't rule out the possibility of a permanent solution. Zhao Ji specifically asked him to stay and began the procedures to recruit Zhang Hong into the court as an advisor. Sun Ce had no choice but to give up.

This is the advantage of controlling the imperial court: having a sufficient pool of resources for personnel placement and relocation.

The position of Yilang was merely the starting point and stepping stone for Zhang Hong's official career. It was possible that he would be transferred to a local prefecture with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), or that he would be promoted every three days, or even become one of the Nine Ministers in just over ten days.

Given the shortage of personnel in the court, and Zhang Hong's reputation and talent, neither the court nor the public would be too surprised.

When Sun Ce crossed the river, Cao Cao also sent an envoy south overnight... Such a legitimate envoy would not be captured and killed by Zhao Ji's patrolling knights.

During the operation, everyone tried their best to block their own movement. For example, Zhao Ji arrested men and women within a hundred miles who dared to leave the residential area, and even the elderly and children were not spared.

They will all be arrested, gathered together to do what they can, and released after the military operation ends.

When Sun Ce set out from Mount Tai, he was even more domineering as he passed through. Within a radius of twenty or thirty miles along his marching route, any settlement that was easy to attack would be plundered by Sun Ce.

By conquering Chen along the way, Sun Ce's military supplies were naturally plentiful.

Vehicles are essential tools for family production and daily life, so breaking into residential areas can not only replenish military supplies, but also capture manpower and obtain various vehicles.

When the army marches and sets up camp, these laborers do civil engineering work, which actually helps to maintain the army's physical strength.

Zhao Ji would naturally not allow Sun Ce to take away the people he had plundered and looted along the way. To these people in distress, Zhao Ji was a savior, and it would be easier for him to recruit them and gain their trust and gratitude.

Therefore, it is unlikely that Han Jin will be very successful in recruiting new soldiers from these people in the near future.

However, among them were disaster victims, refugees, and servants who had been captured. For these people, responding to Han Dang's call for recruitment would immediately improve their lives.

The same applies to Cao Cao's military campaigns. Otherwise, if he had to transport military supplies from the eastern part of Yanzhou when he went out to fight, it would have worn him down.

In order to maintain morale, Cao Cao's army expanded its looting radius during its march.

Anyway, Chenliu County now belongs to Zhang Yang, and the people of Chenliu are the most vehement in their resistance against Cao Cao. Now that the army is passing through, there is no need for restraint or control.

The scholars of Yanzhou can be roughly divided into two groups. The western group consists of Dongjun and Chenliu. Dongjun is currently controlled by Yuan Shao, while Chenliu belongs to Zhang Yang. Both of these areas have strong anti-Cao sentiments and can be considered as the western scholars of Yanzhou. Representative figures include Chen Gong and Bian Rang.

The scholars in the east were mainly from Shanyang and Jiyin. The scholars from Shanyang were stronger, but the economy of Jiyin was more prosperous.

Other states, such as Jibei, Rencheng, and Dongping in the east, were small, fragmented states with far less influence than the other four prefectures.

Because of Liu Biao, and because Wang Qian of the Shanyang Wang clan had served as the chief secretary to General He Jin, the scholars of Shanyang actively became involved in the political struggle in Luoyang, suffering heavy losses.

The anti-Cao Cao faction, centered around the Zhang brothers, among the scholars of Dongping, was almost entirely wiped out, so Cao Cao currently lacks the support of local scholars in Yanzhou.

Under these circumstances, Cao Cao was even less likely to restrain or offend the army for the sake of the scholars' opinions.

The various armies have been fighting each other for so long, and they are very careful to cover up the secrets of their own operations. The frequent back-and-forth attacks are like a spoon slicing ice cream back and forth, and no matter how large the population is, it will not be able to withstand it.

The army's discipline was far worse than it had been during the Spring and Autumn Period. Zhao Ji didn't sleep all night, and only after Sun Ce's main force crossed the river did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and feel much more relaxed.

Zhao Ji was not so worried about being with Lü Bu's allied forces... because Lü Bu was old and would weigh things carefully before taking action, only acting when he was absolutely certain.

Sun Ce was only a little older than him, and was at an age full of courage and adventurous spirit.

Therefore, if I carelessly reveal an opportunity, Sun Ce will take a risk; if I am cautious and do not give him an opportunity, Sun Ce may also take a risk.

At the crucial moment of dealing with Cao Cao, Zhao Ji had no intention of using one enemy to defeat another or taking shortcuts.

In such situations, the fewer uncontrollable variables, the better.

If Cao Cao dares to lead his troops south, or even just observe Chenliu for a few more days... then Sun Ce will be able to launch a successful attack!

Given the opportunity, how could someone like Sun Ce possibly only want Qingzhou?
Even if we don't take Yanzhou's territory, causing trouble along the way, looting some supplies, and setting fires can effectively boost morale.

At the same time, focusing on population growth and developing a talent market can also stimulate Qingzhou's production vitality.

And so, as the sun rose, Zhao Ji seized the opportunity to catch up on sleep and regain his energy.

Cao Cao's two groups of envoys arrived in Xuchang and Chen County one after the other. The envoys carrying many letters and official documents went their separate ways to pay their respects to Lü Bu and send letters to Chen Ji, Xun You, Ying Shao and Fu Wan.

In the backyard of the Grand Herald's office, Chen Ji was escaping the summer heat, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, when he received a letter from Xun Yu.

Chen Qun happened to be there as well. Zhao Ji stripped Chen Qun of his post as the head of the Xuxia Pavilion and promoted him to the position of Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Chen Qun did not want to go to Luodu to work, so he stayed in Xudu.

Anyway, there are officials from the three provinces accompanying the emperor, so having one more Yellow Gate Attendant is no big deal.

The father and son were reading Xun Yu's letter. Chen Ji closed his eyes and fanned himself, speaking in a vague tone with a relaxed and languid expression: "Wenruo is getting anxious. The Grand Marshal is clearly trying to force Cao Cao to his death."

If Cao Cao were to perish, what would become of the scholars from Ru and Ying led by Xun Yu?
Should we swallow our pride and go to Yuan Shao, or find someone else?
Anyway, it's impossible for Lü Bu to get here. If Xun Yu and the others who faked their deaths are captured or killed by Zhao Ji in the chaos of battle, Lü Bu will get the evidence and immediately exterminate their entire families.

Chen Qun carefully read Xun Yu's letter. Xun Yu's attitude was pessimistic, and he even entrusted his family to Chen Qun.

However, Chen Qun did not believe that Xun Yu would not have a way to break the deadlock, so he asked, "Father, Lord Xuande has gathered all the armies, and his forces number no less than 100,000. If he were to cross the Huai River, capture Shouchun, pacify Huainan, and then lead his troops north, what would the situation be like?"

The Liu family has no shortage of precedents of such a turnaround. As things stand, Liu Bei does indeed have the potential and opportunity to annex Yuan Shu and control Xu Yang, thus dividing the southeast.

After all, Cao Cao had not yet arrived in Chen, and Zhao Ji had not yet formally launched a campaign against Cao Cao, so there was still room for maneuver.

If Liu Bei were to quickly annex Huainan during this period, and the vassal state were to grow powerful, Cao Cao would have the option of seeking refuge with Liu Bei and relying on Liu Bei's power for self-defense.

Chen Ji stopped fanning himself, squinted and pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Very difficult. Back then, Liu Bei coveted the benefits of Xuzhou, and now he covets the Jianghuai region. The more hasty he is, the harder it will be for him to succeed."

Seeing Chen Qun's suspicious expression, Chen Ji understood his son's thoughts and admonished him, "The Lianghuai region is depleted, and the officials and people lack grain. Although there was a flood this year, Chen's grain production is still the highest in Yuzhou. With the new grain from Chen, how can the General and the Grand Marshal be afraid of Liu Bei? Not to mention the General, even if the Grand Marshal only makes a slight move, Xuzhou will not belong to Liu Bei in an instant."

Chen Qun asked in a low voice, "What did Wenruo request?"

"This cannot be ignored. The position of chief clerk in the General's mansion is vacant and awaiting approval. Changwen, would you be interested?"

When Chen Ji asked, Chen Qun remained silent for a moment before bowing and saying, "I am willing to listen to Father's teachings."

"Once you are under the command of the Great General, you must serve him wholeheartedly and never cause trouble like Wenruo did."

Chen Ji opened his eyes and looked at the azure sky: "Liu Xuande is an upright man. The men of Jianghuai have lost their loyalty to Yuan Shu, so how dare they easily submit to Liu Xuande? If Liu Zifang leads his troops north, Huainan will fall to Liu Zifang. It's better if Liu Xuande doesn't send troops to Huainan, but what will happen if he does and encounters Liu Zifang?"

Chen Qun remained silent after hearing this, and could only pray that Liu Bei's luck wouldn't be too bad.

Liu Ai had a higher reputation among the imperial clan than Liu Bei, and he was also appointed by the court as the governor of Yangzhou. It was only natural for him to take over Jiujiang and Lujiang, which were originally under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou.

If Liu Ai dares to vouch for them, many thieves will choose him.

If Liu Bei were to gather various armies and head to Huainan at this time, Liu Xun, Sun Ben, and others would very likely launch a righteous rebellion and run off to join Liu Ai.

Compared to Liu Bei, Liu Ai had served as the chief secretary in Dong Zhuo's office, was a close advisor to the emperor, and was also trusted by Zhao Ji.

Yuan Shu's former subordinates naturally preferred Liu Ai, the governor of Yangzhou.

Chen Ji and his son discussed and decided to help Xun Yu, but Xun You refused to see any guests and did not even read the letter from this "relative and fellow villager".

On the contrary, Ying Shao, after reading the letter, immediately went to the palace to pay homage to the emperor and plead for Cao Cao's innocence.

Ying Shao represents Yuan Shao.

(End of this chapter)