Tiger Guards

Chapter 418 Zhangyi Commandant
Chen County, on the north gate of the city wall.

Yuan Shu wore gilded armor and was followed by warriors carrying canopies on both sides. He made such a public appearance as if he was afraid that the soldiers and civilians in the city would not see him.

Only such a magnificent performance could inspire the morale of the city.

He looked out at the dock three or four miles outside the city, where more than three thousand Cao soldiers had been incorporated into Zhao Ji's army and were undergoing a mass hair-shaving ceremony. They would be collectively incorporated into the suicide squad.

It turns out that the two thousand-man teams that were reorganized from Li Jue and Guo Si's units will be mixed with these three thousand-man teams. The suicide squads of Li and Guo's units are naturally composed of veteran backbone members and squad leaders.

Today's newly formed suicide squad can only be reduced to new suicide recruits.

Between turning over and shaving their heads, the soldiers were generally pragmatic and would naturally make the wise choice.

Furthermore, the policy of shaving heads was only in effect during the service of suicide soldiers. Once they had accumulated enough merits to redeem themselves, they would naturally return to normal.

Yuan Shu narrowed his eyes as he saw the pile of hair being burned: "Cao Cao has been cunning and deceitful since he was a child. Now he has been tricked and killed by Zhao Ji. It can be said that he has received his just deserts."

Yan Xiang said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, if Zhao Ji lures and kills Cao Cao, he will surely abandon Chen County and lead his troops north to pursue Cao Cao's forces."

Chen County is a fortified city, and there is no hope of it being breached in the short term.

Deploying troops outside the city will not yield any additional gains besides consuming food.

Therefore, leaving enough troops to continue besieging Chen County and leading them to devour Cao Cao's demoralized old troops became the best option.

First, attack Cao Cao's old troops, then force them to become the main force in the attack.

If you were in Yuan Shu's shoes, you would have made the same choice.

Therefore, Yan Xiang didn't need to remind us of anything. What Yan Xiang reminded us of was that the opportunity to break through was right now, and we should cherish it.

Yuan Shu remained silent, still deep in thought: "Zhao Ji has a large cavalry force and a tight blockade. I am worried that he might set a trap to lure our army out of the city and then ambush and kill us."

He wouldn't have believed Zhao Ji's one-sided story the last time he risked leaving the city.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jina's arrow that severed the umbrella's handle also left him with nightmares all night.

If he remembered correctly, Zhao Ji's hint to him that night was simple: it would force Cao Cao to lead his army to attack, allowing Yuan Shu to wear down Cao Cao's army.

After wearing down Yuan Shu to a certain extent, Zhao Ji will give Yuan Shu a chance to break through.

Judging from the current situation, after Zhao Ji devours Cao Cao's old troops, he will drive them to launch a strong attack on Chen County... In that case, Zhao Ji will certainly not keep his promise.

Ultimately, his own head was now only slightly lower than Wang Mang's, and no less than Xiang Yu's.

Too many people wanted to cut off his head, limbs, and torso to claim a generous reward from the imperial court.

Therefore, if the siege lasts for a certain period of time and no reinforcements are received from the eastern front, or if bad news is received, there are countless people in the city who would like to exchange his head for a title of Marquis or Township Marquis.

Based on the timeline, Zhao Ji could subdue most of Cao Cao's army in as little as twenty days. This means that the besieging forces would have more than twenty days to prepare for battle, by which time all kinds of siege equipment would be ready and sufficient.

Once Zhao Ji returns, he will launch a general offensive.

By then, reinforcements from the eastern front should have arrived by now... If they hadn't, morale among the soldiers and civilians in the city would have been low, and a mutiny would have been imminent.

Zhao Ji doesn't need to attack; he can't hold the line on his own.

Therefore, the window of opportunity for a breakout is very short. After Zhao Ji leads his troops north, Lü Bu will send troops to fill the gap in manpower.

The best time to break through may only be one night.

Yuan Shu carefully considered how to escape.

The fact that Cao Cao was lured into a trap and killed had already terrified him.

No matter how many other people died, Yuan Shu felt nothing.

Cao Cao, with whom he had grown up, was barely considered a human being in Yuan Shu's eyes, and Yuan Shu finally developed a sense of dread about kinship with him.

The last time I had this feeling was when my brother Yuan Ji was killed.

Three or four miles north of the city, captured Cao soldiers lined up to have their heads shaved.

Those who refused to have their heads shaved or struggled in resistance were dragged to the bank of the ditch by the veteran daredevils who were responsible for shaving their heads without any hesitation and beheaded on the spot. The red ribbons that had been dyed red were left to spread, diffuse, and fade along the river surface until they eventually disappeared.

After the Cao army officers and soldiers had their heads shaved, they were not given a chance to regroup.

The veteran suicide squad members come here in pairs to select new recruits, choosing only three to form a new squad.

When these two squads merge, the senior and meritorious squad leader is promoted to platoon leader; five platoons form a fifty-man squad, with squad officers and deputy squad leaders transferred or supplemented from other armies. The centurion is always a former Tiger Warrior, firmly holding control over the daredevil soldiers.

The officers previously selected from within the suicide squad had already accumulated command merits, redeemed themselves, and were assigned to other units as new recruits.

Therefore, this round of reorganization aims to prevent daredevils from becoming military officers and to prevent them from taking the fast track.

The positions of captain of the daredevil squad and centurion were actually lucrative ones. For military officers, promotion was all about reaping the rewards.

The daredevil soldiers were all veterans, and they all longed to fight and accumulate merits.

Theoretically speaking, a team of fifty daredevils would need to achieve a level of 500 to redeem themselves.

Their team leaders, even if they only have one bar and one star, can be promoted to two bars and one star by earning 500 levels of profit, and can be promoted three levels in a row!
Other units often suffer unnecessary casualties due to issues with soldiers' combat experience and mindset, which are all recorded and will affect the performance evaluation data of military officers.

Veteran units can largely avoid accidental casualties and are inherently more capable of achieving victories, so officers and soldiers of the suicide squad accumulate merits particularly quickly.

Currently, the only officers who can serve as daredevils are Zhao Ji's trusted confidants.

This meant that even before the suicide squad was fully reorganized, it had become Zhao Ji's trusted followers, with an influence equivalent to the Tiger Infantry and the Righteous Knights, far surpassing the Five Battalions and the Guanzhong Army.

As for the armies of Guan Hai, Xu He, and others in the four divisions of Qingzhou, they belonged to miscellaneous collateral branches; they were only one level above the laborers in the army.

Zhao Ji personally supervised the reorganization work, and the camp was to be broken up and head north at the fourth watch of the next day.

The daredevils will naturally stay here to put pressure on Yuan Shu. Tomorrow, when he heads north, he will only lead chariot and cavalry troops, as well as Gan Ning's troops who are skilled in sailing, totaling no more than 11,000 men.

Although there were more than 30,000 Cao troops in Chenliu, Zhang Yang also had six or seven thousand men along the way in Fugou.

By joining forces with Zhang and Yang's allied forces and marching north, they would be able to hold off Cao Cao's main army.

Cao Cao's army either retreats or scatters immediately upon hearing the news, or if they remain in place and are caught up in, then things will be much easier to handle.

After all, the fact that these people did not choose to collapse, evacuate, or defect to Yuan Shao shows that they originally had a desire to serve the imperial court, and such people are easy to recruit.

If they didn't evacuate, and stayed behind without wanting to submit to the imperial court... that shows they're a fool, and even easier to deal with.

An army may have so many people, and even if the commander makes a foolish mistake, the large team of officers may still have plenty of intelligent and brave individuals.

Therefore, as long as an army remains and does not leave, it is easy to deal with, regardless of its intentions.

As for the retreat... Cao Cao, the highly respected general, was executed by the court and left the military camp. The retreating army would lose order and structure. Even if the retreat was successful, half or two-thirds of the officers and soldiers would scatter, or even the entire army would perish during the retreat!
Unless Yuan Shao also sent troops stationed in Liyang to cross the river and head south on the very night he killed Cao Cao.

This army doesn't need to be too large; even a thousand or so would be enough. They symbolize Yuan Shao and the attitude of Hebei, and can serve as the core of Cao Cao's old army, reconstructing hierarchy and cohesion.

Unfortunately, the probability of this happening is too low.

On the shore, as Zhao Ji pondered and analyzed the situation in Chenliu to the north, Chen Gong led more than a hundred officials on horseback, followed by a chariot with the emperor's banner erected on it.

Chen Gong rode over on horseback, but he dared not put on airs as an angel of imperial decree in front of Zhao Ji.

If Zhao Ji agrees to perform the ceremony, given his past behavior, he will certainly retaliate afterward; if he refuses to perform the ceremony, it will needlessly damage Chen Gong's own prestige.

Therefore, Chen Gong, like an old acquaintance, rode over, dismounted with agility, and strode towards Zhao Ji, smiling warmly: "Grand Marshal, I have been ordered by the Emperor to escort the Emperor's banner and follow the Grand Marshal in his campaigns to suppress and pacify the various armies of Yanzhou."

As he spoke, Chen Gong first bowed in greeting, then took out the imperial edict and presented it with both hands.

Zhao Ji received the imperial edict and frowned: "Since it is an imperial edict, I will obey it."

Clearly, the emperor's edict transcended the limitations of the Three Departments' governance.

Chen Gong also realized what was happening and immediately explained, "In urgent situations, we must act expediently."

"It's alright. I wonder how the court intends to deal with Chen Rong and the others?"

"The Grand General believes that Chen Rong acted righteously, avenging the country's loyal subjects by assassinating the treacherous minister Cao Cao, and should be commended and richly rewarded. I wonder what the Grand Marshal's opinion is?"

Chen Gong bowed and replied, "Minister Zhao believes that a minor punishment should serve as a warning, so that the Grand Marshal can pacify the various armies in Yanzhou; while the General of the Auxiliary State is similar to the Grand General and believes that he should be richly rewarded as an example."

The various armies that have gathered in Chenliu are currently defined by the imperial court as the armies of Yanzhou, not as Cao Cao's former troops.

Previously, Cao Cao commanded all the armies as the Governor of Yan Province, and the armies could only obey Cao Cao's orders. Now that Cao Cao is dead, the armies of Yan Province should naturally regain their freedom, obey the orders of the court, and go to rely on Zhang Yang, the Governor of Yan Province.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji said, "In that case, the minority shall submit to the majority. I will soon submit a memorial to the court recommending Chen Rong as the Commandant of Zhangyi, and I will appoint the righteous men of the Zhangyi Corps under his command as my guards, to show my trust in him."

(End of this chapter)