Tiger Guards

Chapter 415 All Five Poisons
Behind the curtain, many people wore expressions of anticipation.

People like Kong Rong, in particular, were eager to witness Zhao Ji's legendary archery skills.

When Cao Cao questioned Dian Wei, Dian Wei turned around to think. Their eyes met, and Dian Wei immediately understood. He clasped his hands and bowed deeply, saying, "Since I have followed you, how could I have harbored any disloyalty? Furthermore, how can a man of principle serve two masters?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao turned to look at Zhao Ji, his face showing difficulty and hesitation.

Wan Qian, who had accompanied Cao Cao, stepped forward from behind and bowed deeply to Zhao Ji, saying, "What the Grand Marshal cherishes is Lord Dian's loyalty and bravery. If he were to switch allegiance to the Grand Marshal now because of a bet, Lord Dian would not have betrayed his past loyalty and bravery. What benefit would that bring to the Grand Marshal?"

Zhao Ji stared at Dian Wei with a stern expression: "Lord Dian, are you truly unwilling?"

Dian Wei bowed deeply and said, "Reporting to the Grand Marshal, I also admire your reputation, but I have already joined Cao Cao's forces and it is difficult for me to join another. If you insist on taking me, I will have no choice but to be torn to pieces."

"Dian Jun is truly a martyr."

Seeing this, Zhao Ji could only sigh, take the empty cup, pour wine, and walk over with both hands, handing it to Dian Jun: "I am proud of my bravery and admire warriors. I have long heard of Dian Jun's reputation for bravery, and it is truly regrettable that we cannot become comrades-in-arms. I offer this cup of wine to console my heart. Dian Jun, please."

"Thank you for the wine, Grand Marshal."

Dian Wei reached out and took the wine cup with both hands. He glanced at Cao Cao, who smiled and nodded. Dian Wei then tilted his head back and slowly drank the wine without spilling a drop.

Before Zhao Ji could reach out, Dian Wei took the opportunity to hand the wine cup back.

Zhao Ji took it and handed it to Guan Shang, saying, "Shang, seal the wine cup used by Dian Jun as a memento."

"Here."

Guan Shang stepped forward quickly and took the wine cup. Zhao Ji did not let go of the cup. He turned to look at Kong Rong and said, "Lord Wenju, may I inscribe something on this wine cup? I have a winery in Jinyang. If it produces fine wine next year, I will give it to you as a token of my appreciation."

Kong Rong propped himself up on the table with both hands, beaming with a smile: "It is my great honor to leave a message for such a loyal and brave warrior."

Dian Wei bit his lower lip tightly, lowered his head, and glanced sideways.

Cao Cao let out a long sigh of relief. Was Zhao Ji asking for Dian Wei?

It seems that they want Dian Wei, but as the leader of Cao Cao's personal guards, Dian Wei knows too many of Cao Cao's secrets.

Moreover, if Dian Wei cannot be protected, then no one else can be protected either.

In other words, Zhao Ji could use a forced bet to poach Dian Wei with a high salary, and he could also poach other generals and officers from other clans.

This precedent must not be set; if it is, Cao Cao's army's last line of defense and cohesion will be destroyed.

Fortunately, Dian Wei withstood the pressure and upheld his personal principles.

Otherwise, if the subsequent army marches south to participate in the war, and Zhao Ji poachs several powerful generals from other clans, the interconnected influence of these people's relatives, friends, and connections will inevitably lead to the division of the various prefectures and kingdoms in eastern Yanzhou.

The generals of Cao Cao's army today are the result of various wars and divisions. They can die in battle, but they cannot lead their troops to defect to other forces intact.

This is also the key reason why Sun Ce immediately obeyed Zhao Ji's arrangement to seize Qingzhou after losing to Zhou Tai.

If Sun Ce doesn't leave soon, Taishi Ci could easily be lured away by people like Zhao Ji and Kong Rong.

Taishi Ci is gone, so what about Jiang Qin and the others?
There are also rising stars like Xu Sheng, a junior officer from Xuzhou, who will most likely be pulled away by Zhao Ji without much thought or by following the crowd.

Yuan Shu's head and the great achievement of capturing Chen County were certainly very attractive to Sun Ce.

Maintaining the independence of his army was the foundation of Sun Ce's rule.

Only by staying away from Zhao Ji can Sun Ce ensure his independence.

Look at Sun Ce's trip to Chen State. Along the way, he seized people from Shanyang and Liang State. He followed Han Dang and three thousand others to stay in the Chen County camp, continuing to pretend to be the main force of the army.

After six months of work, the families and hostages of the four tribes of Guan Hai, who had been incorporated from Qingzhou, went to Langya with Zhang Zhao; the more than 10,000 people of the four tribes of Guan Hai also remained at the camp on the east bank of the Honggou Canal east of Chen County, and were directly subordinate to Zhao Ji.

Even Zhang Hong, whom Zhao Ji regarded as a trusted advisor, was recruited by Zhao Ji as an advisor and remained in the State of Chen.

Besides gaining the officially recognized titles of Governor of Qingzhou, General of the Rear, and Marquis of Qi, Sun Ce also suffered significant losses this time.

Even now, Zhao Ji has not yet formally initiated the reassignment of Sun Ce's official position.

Such a significant reshuffling of official positions was not something that could be accomplished simply by issuing an edict to Sun Ce; it would also be announced to other prefectures and counties.

Seven or eight days later, when Sun Ce moves to the vicinity of Mount Tai, Zhao Ji will announce the matter through the imperial court.

Once Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and the Qingzhou forces find out, there will be no time to react, allowing them to assist Sun Ce in launching a surprise attack.

There was no other way but to help Sun Ce like this.

Regardless of whether Yuan Shao has any plans to attack Taiyuan or Hedong, as long as Sun Ce draws his sword in Qingzhou to the east, Yuan Shao will have no choice but to retreat to defend.

This can be considered another form of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao," forcing Yuan Shao to divide his troops and weaken his central army group.

At this moment, as Kong Rong inscribed the wine cup, the atmosphere at the banquet became even more harmonious.

Zhao Ji returned to his seat, coughed twice, and Han Shu, who was standing near the entrance of the curtain, raised his arm and waved, causing the military drums and trumpets in the corridor outside the curtain to stop playing.

Cao Cao also composed himself and solemnly awaited Zhao Ji's instructions.

The most difficult hurdle has been overcome, and now Zhao Ji will officially issue him military orders. He is also mentally prepared to sacrifice more than 10,000 officers and soldiers to launch a strong attack on Chen County. If he pushes hard enough, there is a certain probability that he can frighten Yuan Shu's soldiers.

Everyone in the Central Plains knows that if you defend to the death when Cao Cao's army attacks a city, you will surely be slaughtered.

This was an ironclad rule maintained by Cao Cao. It was precisely because this cold and stern image was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that Cao Cao was confident he could scare Yuan Shu away before the war even began.

This had nothing to do with Yuan Shu's own courage; it was a test of the courage of the garrison in Chen County and the men and women of the city.

These people dared not defend themselves and were unwilling to fight... So all Yuan Shu could do was wait for an opportunity to break out and escape this desperate situation.

Therefore, Cao Cao had some expectations for a strong attack on Chen County. If the city was captured without a fight, such a great achievement would demonstrate the fighting power of Cao's army, and the imperial court would have to show its appreciation.

For example, Cao Cao wanted to try out the vacant position of Rear General.

Under the watchful eyes of more than fifty people behind the curtain, Zhao Ji sat down and composed himself, his face and demeanor devoid of any smile: "There is something I don't understand. Former Grand Commandant Cao Hou was murdered in Xuzhou. As the eldest son, why didn't General Cao resign his post to observe mourning?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Cao Cao looked at Kong Rong, who was looking down at the wine cup on the table, as if the bright moon was reflected in the cup.

When Cao Cao saw that Zhao Ji had brought up this topic, he looked grief-stricken and said, "To avenge my father, I dare not resign from my post. Furthermore, Yanzhou is home to a million Yellow Turban soldiers from Qing and Xu. Without me, no one can suppress them. For the sake of the livelihood of the people of Yanzhou, I can only continue to lead the army as before."

"Father's revenge?"

Zhao Ji picked up his wine cup, chuckled coldly, and said with a sinister smile, "You knew that the former Grand Commandant Cao Hou was on good terms with the King of Langya and that his whole family had fled to Langya to avoid the chaos, yet you still sent troops to attack Tao Qian. Such unfilial behavior is rare in history."

Cao Cao glared at him angrily; this was his Achilles' heel, and anyone who touched it would die!
With such a significant image flaw being brought up in public by Zhao Ji, how can he possibly gain the respect of the people in the future?

The atmosphere inside the curtain was tense. The twenty-odd guards on both sides were on high alert and searching for a suitable target.

Zhao Ji took a sip of wine: "Military struggles can be settled by determining the victor and the vanquished. However, among the warlords of Guandong, only General Cao has slaughtered surrendered soldiers, setting a terrible precedent. This is heinous. Not only surrendered soldiers, but also refugees from Luoyang and Xizhou who sought refuge in Pengcheng were killed. The men and women of Xuzhou were innocent, yet they were slaughtered like wheat by the general's men. This is cruelty and inhumanity."

"Even when trying to persuade the Yellow Turban rebels in Qing and Xu to surrender, the general resorted to deception, killing the leaders of the Yellow Turban rebels during negotiations. Such cunning is unbelievable. He was able to take control of Yanzhou with the help of Chen Gongtai and Zhang Mengzhuo, two famous scholars from Yanzhou. After gaining power, he harmed the scholar Bian Rang. Doesn't this count as breaking his promise?"

“Zhang Mengzhuo and you shared a deep bond, a sworn brother to whom you could entrust your family. However, after General Cao defeated the two Zhangs, he exterminated their entire family, men and women alike, showing no mercy even to infants, leaving no survivors. This can be described as cold-blooded and unjust.”

"Yuan Shu rebelled, yet you raised troops to observe Xuzhou, intending to play the role of the fisherman. You dare to boast that you have been fed by the Han dynasty and claim to be loyal and virtuous. If I hadn't defeated Ji Ling's army and sent envoys to urge you on, why would you have rushed here so quickly? Instead, you left the main army behind, intending to use it to blackmail the court?"

Zhao Ji let out a long sigh and glared at Cao Cao: "General Cao, such a vicious person who is unfilial, unkind, untrustworthy, unjust, and disloyal is truly one of the five vices, rarely seen in history. I feel deeply uneasy and ashamed to join forces with you to fight the rebels!"

Cao Cao's face flushed with anger, but he still forced himself to endure it for the sake of that sliver of a chance to live.

Dian Wei glared angrily at Zhao Ji, the throwing knife hidden in his sleeve already in his palm, ready to strike at any moment.

Zhao Ji looked at Dian Wei: "I couldn't bear to see a pure warrior like Lord Dian corrupted by you, so I wanted to help him serve the court and make the most of his talents. Now it seems that this matter can only end regretfully."

Even after all that had been said, Cao Cao still held back. If he made the first move, his death would be in vain.

Zhao Ji dared to do this because he was confident and had nothing to fear.

Zhao Ji sighed and looked at Cao Cao: "Now that things have come to this, General Cao, do you have anything to say?"

Cao Cao slowly rose and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the northwest direction where Xuchang was located: "The court will understand my actions. Otherwise, it would not have granted me the titles of Governor of Yanzhou and General Jiande, and allowed me to inherit my father's title."

"Li Jue also despises your character. Mengde is without virtue, which is why he was given the title of Jiande. Do you really think it is a title with a beautiful meaning?"

Zhao Ji also stood up, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and looked at Dian Wei: "I originally wanted to compete with Lord Dian in archery, but now that things have come to this, let's fight to the death. Lord Dian, you only have one chance to make your move."

At this moment, Han Shu looked at Guan Shang, who, along with several guards, pulled Kong Rong, Mi Heng, Zhao Jian, and others aside and slipped out through the curtain.

The curtain was lifted slightly, revealing the figures of armored warriors in robes, some half-crouching and others standing in two rows, each holding a crossbow.

Dian Wei still did not make a move, and the accompanying warriors all kept their hands on their sword hilts, remaining vigilant, with no one daring to be the first to draw their swords.

Cao Cao bowed, grabbed a wine cup from the table, and laughed heartily: "If the Grand Marshal kills me, wouldn't that be giving Yuan Shao and Lü Bu a free ride!"

At this moment, the curtain was cleaved by a sword, and a military officer jumped out, pointing at Cao Cao: "Cao Cao, you traitor! I am Chen Rong from Guangling, here to avenge Lord Zang!"

As he spoke, Chen Rong led a dozen or so officials and soldiers from Yanzhou and Guangling, armed with spears and halberds, and charged toward Cao Cao.

Zhao Ji remained motionless with his sword drawn, while Cao Cao, disregarding any pretense of drinking, threw his wine cup at Chen Rong.

Chen Rong dodged to the side, and Cao Cao drew his sword and clashed with Chen Rong. After the collision, Cao Cao retaliated first, thrusting his sword into Chen Rong's waist and abdomen, but it was blocked by the armor and failed to penetrate.

"Cao Jiande attempted to assassinate the Grand Marshal!"

Han Shu shouted, and a dozen warriors around him drew their swords and charged forward. Cao Cao's dozen guards and attendants also drew their swords and stepped forward to block them.

Dian Wei raised his hand and threw a flying knife at Zhao Ji. A flash of cold light appeared in front of Zhao Ji, and the flying knife was knocked away by his sword.

Before Zhao Ji could make any move, Dian Wei drew throwing knives from his waist and threw them at Zhao Ji alternately.

Zhao Ji slashed left and right with his sword, knocking away seven flying knives in a row.

Dian Wei gripped two throwing knives in each hand, no longer throwing them, and shouted to Cao Cao, "Lord Cao! Run!"

(End of this chapter)