Tiger Guards

Chapter 420 Fire and water are incompatible
On the eve of curfew, Zhao Ji sat in front of the map, fiddling with war games.

Pei Xiu sat opposite him and saw that under Zhao Ji's command, the already weak garrison in the southeast of Chen County was even thinner, like an eggshell.

Finally unable to contain himself, Pei Xiu asked, "Are you so certain that Yuan Shu will break out tonight?"

“I have already made it clear that I am withdrawing, and I do not believe that Yuan Shu cannot see it.”

Zhao Ji gripped the chess piece, staring intently at the map, his mind instinctively calculating the marching routes and order of the pieces in his hand. He then said, "The imperial court and Lü Bu won't let me claim the credit for defeating Yuan Shu. I already have the credit for initiating the campaign, defeating Ji Ling, and turning Liu Xun against his cause. If I were to claim the credit for defeating Yuan Shu as well, what would Lü Bu think of me? What would all the other factions in the world think of me?"

Pei Xiu remained silent, only feeling disappointed, his expression dejected: "Is there really no one in the court who is wholeheartedly devoted to the country?"

"They used to exist, but now they're all dead."

Zhao Ji manipulated the chess pieces in his hand, placing them on the map, searching for the flaws in this marching plan.

After making a slight adjustment, he turned to Zhao Jian and said, "Mr. Shumao, let's determine the marching order of each army according to this plan, and inform each army at the fourth watch."

"Here."

Zhao Jian held a large wooden tablet in his left hand and a writing brush in his right, standing by the table sketching out the chessboard layout before drafting detailed orders based on it.

Zhao Ji rose and walked out of the tent, hands on his hips, looking at the setting sun in the west: "The setting sun already carries a chill; autumn has arrived. If I'm not mistaken, when I lead my troops to pacify Yanzhou, Cai Zhaoji will send good news. Seventh Brother, guess, is it a man or a woman?"

Pei Xiu squinted at the sun on the horizon and smiled: "Your father and brothers all had eldest sons, so it must be a boy."

"I have the same feeling."

Zhao Ji gazed at the fiery sunset in the west, his expression serene, a smile spreading across his face: "I'm thinking about who will become my ally after this battle. After much thought, I realize there's not a single one. Our army has achieved great merit, possesses strong combat power, and dominates the western border. Who would be willing to sincerely ally with us?"

Pei Xiu nodded. At this time last year, his side was in Shangdang, while he was still supervising the construction of the new city of Jinyang.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard hurried footsteps. He turned around and saw Guan Shang walking quickly towards him: "Grand Marshal, Wei Xu, the Commandant of Changshui, has come on the orders of the General-in-Chief, with only a dozen or so riders following him."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xiu glanced at Zhao Ji, who chuckled and said, "The fact that Qin Yilu wasn't sent means this is a shady mission. Go and invite him into the camp."

"Here."

Guan Shang agreed and turned to leave quickly.

Pei Xiu frowned: "Does Lü Bu intend to change his orders?"

"It doesn't matter."

Zhao Ji smiled, but there was little joy in it: "It seems Cao Cao killed them too early. When the people of Yanzhou were being held hostage, coerced, and driven by Cao Cao, we could kill them without restraint. But now, they are probably seen as sheep in Lü Bu and Chen Gong's own pen. How could they bear to let me slaughter them?"

Pei Xiu thought of the emperor and the high officials, and felt that these people would definitely support Lü Bu and Chen Gong.

Without saying anything, Pei Xiu turned and entered the military tent when he saw Guan Shang leading Wei Xu over.

While Zhao Ji was dealing with these petty and trivial matters, Cao Cao's army stationed in Chenliu had already begun to mutiny and collapse.

The first to break apart were the Qingzhou soldiers who were assigned to various generals. These Qingzhou soldiers united, looted supplies in the camp, and headed east to Dongping Kingdom.

Xiahou Dun could not stop them, so he led his personal guards to suppress the rebellion, and died in the chaos.

Under the cover of night, Li Zheng and Li Dian led more than 3,000 of their Li clan followers to break away from Junyi in an organized manner, seize boats, and sail down the Ji River toward their main camp at Juye Marsh.

Led by them, Lü Qian, Lü Zhao, Yu Jin, and others led their troops and fellow villagers to seize boats and escape under the cover of night.

Cheng Yu, the governor of Jiyin Commandery, led three thousand new soldiers from Jiyin to join forces with Yue Jin, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, and others, and supported Cao Ang as they headed towards Baima Ford, preparing to cross Liyang and join Yuan Shao.

Xun Yu, Guo Jia, and other men from Ru and Ying gathered more than a thousand people and followed Yu Jin to retreat to the rear.

If they move quickly, they can also consolidate some of the remaining troops, and no matter where they go, they will have a certain status and will not die in the chaos of battle.

At such times, refugees who abandon their armies and wander alone in the wilderness will band together to hunt such people.

The guards at the passes and fortresses along the way were all under the command of whoever was in power, and these local tyrants would also be ordered to intercept and arrest anyone suspicious of attempting to cross the pass.

Only when you have the army involved will these local bullies disguised as officials turn a blind eye and allow you to pass.

Otherwise, I wouldn't mind taking you and exchanging you for merit in the county.

The entire Cao army consists of people who have survived countless battles and bloodshed; how could they possibly wait obediently in place?

Before Zhao Ji even dispatched his troops, Cao Cao's army had already broken into two groups, heading east and north respectively; as time went on, they would become even more fragmented.

Even if Cao Cao were to be resurrected, it would be very difficult to gather them together again.

Meanwhile, on the Yangtze River, Sun Ben, who always marched by boat, received a letter from Sun Ce when he was stationed at Wankou. Under the cover of night, he broke away from Chen Deng's troops, who seemed to be supervising the army, and headed towards Pengze Lake in Yuzhang County.

Sun Ben not only received Sun Ce's letter, but also the official documents from the Grand Marshal.

With this official document, Sun Ben was able to obtain the family members and hostages from Sun Ce's side from Hua Xin, the governor of Yuzhang Commandery, and Liu Ai, the governor of Yangzhou.

This matter cannot be delayed. If Zhao Ji's situation changes, or if there are changes on the Central Plains battlefield, then Zhao Ji's official document will become invalid.

Liu Bei's army was actually divided into three, maintaining a state of concealment and not informing Zhao Ji and Lü Bu. Liu Bei left Guan Yu to guard Xiapi and Zang Ba to guard Langya. As a leader of displaced people, Zang Ba would not leave his garrison area.

Changba admired Liu Bei, which is why he led his army to follow him. Together with Liu Bei, they formed an army of more than 20,000 men, and together with Liu Xun's more than 30,000 men, they crossed the Si River and entered the Huai River to form the Northern Route Army, which marched towards Shouchun.

The Southern Route Army was a combined force of Chen Deng and Sun Ben, which traveled along the Yangtze River to plunder territory, mainly attacking Lujiang and southern Jiujiang.

However, Sun Ben restrained his troops and refused to deploy them; Chen Deng, seeing this, was even less likely to divide his forces.

Sun Ben truly dared not divide his troops, as his army included forces from powerful Yangzhou clans sent by Yuan Shu; when the entire army was assembled for action, Sun Ben could barely maintain control due to the pressure of the imperial court.

Once they split up to seize territory, it becomes difficult for them to regroup and they lose their influence over other regions.

After the troops were divided, Sun Ben's main force was at a disadvantage and was more likely to be attacked and killed by other forces.

Chen Deng was in the same boat, his army was scattered and carrying out orders... Unless they were winning a battle, they would be devoured by the various powerful warlords of Yangzhou.

After Yangzhou was transformed by Yuan Shu, it became difficult to resolve the issue through political means, and military means were not something that a rabble could sweep through. Instead, the local powerful clans would try to nibble away at and annex the area.

Sun Ben led his troops out of control, and all Chen Deng could do was immediately notify Liu Bei and Liu Ai, the governor of Yangzhou.

However, Sun Ben's sudden unconventional march caused the already dissatisfied and disloyal warlords of Yangzhou to take advantage of the darkness and the cover of the storm to lead their troops away.

When Sun Ben arrived at Pengze Lake at dawn, nearly half of his troops had dispersed, leaving only about 10,000 men.

But these 10,000-plus people were already a cause for concern for him, as they were all his former subordinates with relatively reliable backgrounds.

With over ten thousand men as his backing and Zhao Ji's official documents in hand, Sun Ben was confident enough to demand the families of all his soldiers.

After all, besides their families and children, those who remained in Yuzhang included the generals and their troops, totaling more than 20,000 people.

Not to mention Hua Xin, even when they were evacuating down the Yangtze River, Chen Deng couldn't stop them!

On the battlefield in Chen, Zhao Ji completely ignored Lü Bu's private message.

His mission to send troops was a decision made after discussions between the emperor, Lü Bu, and himself. How could he stop it on his own just because of a private letter and threats from Lü Bu?
I'm really scared of Lü Bu. Who knows what other ideas this guy might come up with next?

When dealing with someone like Lü Bu, it's better to provoke him and make him furious than to let him think you're easy to manipulate.

You can't reason with Lü Bu, nor can you reason with the imperial court.

The imperial court is full of talented people; hundreds of heads are sewn together, and with so many mouths each saying their own thing, there's never a shortage of arguments, and you can't win against them.

Therefore, at the fourth watch of the night, Zhao Ji dispatched his troops as usual.

Chen Gong and the hundred or so officials in charge of taking over Yanzhou could only follow the army. Chen Gong rode on horseback, the sky was clear and the sun was shining beside him. Chen Gong felt that the reeds and roads in his sight were desolate and bleak, exuding a coldness.

Zhao Ji insisted on obeying the imperial edict to go north. He couldn't allow Lü Bu to send troops to intercept him, nor could he allow the emperor to change his orders so frequently.

Chen Gong looked sullen and unhappy, as if he had already witnessed Zhao Ji's army passing through, and how powerful families and gentry in Yanzhou, like the scholars of Taiyuan, were uprooted.

Even if Cao Cao was wicked, he only carried out various killings in order to establish his authority, subdue the people, and force the people of Yanzhou to submit and cooperate.

Zhao Ji, on the other hand, wanted to eliminate all the families in order to acquire various types of land.

If Zhao Ji acquires the land and keeps it for himself, then there is still room for cooperation among the families, and there will be a chance to reclaim the ancestral property in the future.

However, if Zhao Ji establishes a system of official tenant farming, the county and prefectural officials will actively support it, and the tenants will also support it, directly cutting off the opportunity for powerful warlords to intervene and regain their influence.

Worse still, Zhao Ji's tax system was anchored to "official land," extracting land rent from the land rather than corvée labor and poll tax.

In other words, no matter how many retainers you raise or how many hidden households you establish, it's all for naught.

Because Zhao Ji doesn't plunder resources from these people, but rather from the land you've seized.

People can run away, but the land cannot.

Unfortunately, land taxes and rents were directly linked to the revenue of the prefecture and county governments and the scale of military land. Prefectural and county officials and military officers and soldiers were two separate groups, and both desired to expand the scale of their official land.

This led to a mortal feud between the officials, the army, and the local warlords under Zhao Ji's rule, a relationship of mutual antagonism and irreconcilable enmity!

As for the other parties, the strength and size of the army, as well as the amount of supplies to be collected, are determined by the level of support from the powerful commanders!
Although Chen Gong was slow to develop his intelligence, he was not stupid.

After Cao Cao was lured and killed, and the cloud of hatred dissipated, the more Chen Gong pondered, the more he felt that Zhao Ji's rebellious nature was obvious, and that his evil was far beyond what Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si could match.

Even the worst of these bumpkins like Dong Zhuo yearned to coexist with scholars.

But Zhao Ji's policy of restoring land and equalizing land distribution is tantamount to undermining the foundation of the entire nation's civil society!
If Zhao Ji were to use the pretext of punishing Cao Cao's remnants to severely damage Yanzhou, wouldn't he become a sinner against the people of the Central Plains for all time?

Chen Gong pondered, his expression growing increasingly resolute.

A sense of mission arose spontaneously.

(End of this chapter)