Tiger Guards

Chapter 421 Swearing
When Zhao Ji launched his campaign, Zhang Yang, the governor of Yanzhou stationed at Fugou in the north, also moved his troops northward to attack Junyi, where Cao Cao's army was gathered.

If he had launched his attack a day earlier, just after Lü Bu sent word of Cao Cao's death, he would certainly have been able to hold off Cao Cao's main force.

It was precisely during this one-day wait that Cao Cao's main force, two hundred miles away, split in two and scattered.

As Zhang Yang led his troops north, a dozen or so cavalrymen caught up with them.

Beside the road, Zhang Yang read the letter sent by Chen Gong, which described Zhao Ji's insistence on pursuing and executing Cao Cao's followers, a matter that deeply worried Chen Gong.

In the letter, Chen Gong argued that matters concerning Yanzhou should not be rushed. He believed that Zhang Yang, as the governor of Yanzhou, could rely on the righteousness of the imperial court and take advantage of the recent death of Cao Cao and the imperial army's victory over Yuan Shu to force the various armies in Yanzhou to submit to the imperial court.

They were practically urging Zhang Yang to divide his forces and set up roadblocks to prevent Zhao Ji from heading north.

The soldiers in Yanzhou were filled with panic and uncertainty, and with Chen Gong leading the way in providing assistance, Zhang Yang felt confident that he could take control of Yanzhou.

After a moment's thought, he decided to take Yanzhou himself and immediately looked at Lu Cui, the prefectural governor: "Prepare the memorial."

Lu Cui cupped his hands in greeting: "My lord?"

"First, I will submit a memorial to the court, stating that there are priorities in all matters. The various armies in Yanzhou are not difficult to quell, but the traitor Yuan Shu is besieged in Chen County. The Grand Marshal should not act rashly. If Yuan Shu is allowed to break through the siege due to the remnants of Cao Cao, it will become a long-term threat to the country. Since the court has entrusted me with the affairs of Yanzhou, I should do my utmost to share the burden for the country."

"Secondly, I will send a letter to the Grand Marshal, stating that I am capable of handling the matter of Yanzhou myself. My previous concern was only the ferocity of Cao Cao, but now that Cao Cao is gone, the rest is not a concern."

After Zhang Yang finished speaking, he turned to look at the several commanding officers: "Who is willing to lead their troops to set up a checkpoint at the border of the state to block the Grand Marshal's northward advance?"

The commanding officers exchanged glances, their faces showing difficulty. One of them asked, "My lord, there are no natural defenses on either side of the Honggou Canal. If the Grand Marshal insists on leading the troops north, what can we do?"

"If we cannot stop him, we will simply allow Sima Tong to pass through and make our people of Yanzhou's attitude clear."

Zhang Yang looked at the group and earnestly instructed them: "If he forcibly crosses the border, immediately send a messenger to inform the Grand General. Also, send a messenger to inform me by fast horse. I will send an envoy to the court to explain the matter and also send an envoy to comfort the Grand Marshal. Remember, do not forget!"

The captains looked troubled. If it was just a formality of setting up a checkpoint, they could simply bow their heads and apologize to the Grand Marshal as quickly as possible, and the Grand Marshal would naturally not pursue the matter.

Judging from this, Zhang Yang had no intention of stopping the Grand Marshal; he clearly intended to wait until the Grand Marshal forcibly crossed the provincial border before impeaching him through the imperial court.

Indeed, the Grand Marshal, acting on the imperial edict, led his troops north to join forces with Chen Gong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, in suppressing and subduing the various armies of Yanzhou.

However, as the governor of Yanzhou, Zhang Yang also had to express his opinion on this matter.

Otherwise, how would the people of Yanzhou view him as their governor?

Soon, Zhang Yang selected a captain to lead his troops south to join the remaining small garrison at Fugou, and set up camp ten miles south. This area was the border between Chenliu and Chen State, as well as the border between Yanzhou and Yuzhou.

Zhao Ji had boats to transport various supplies, and there were also supplies left by Zhang Yang in Fugou City, so Zhao Ji's army marched swiftly.

The motorcade arrived at the state border before noon, running parallel to the convoy, while the supply train was still en route.

At midday, under the blazing sun, Zhao Ji reined in his horse and looked at the more than three thousand soldiers of Zhang Yang's Yanzhou troops arrayed to the north, finding it all laughable.

These three thousand-plus Yanzhou soldiers had no will to fight and simply stood in four battle formations of nearly a thousand men each, arranged in a three-in-one formation.

It is clear that the officers commanding this army are very composed, placing the battle flag in the rear of the formation.

The captain who remained behind then sent a messenger with another letter from Zhang Yang.

Zhao Ji flipped through it; it was a private letter from Zhang Yang, still advising him to stop the advance and prioritize the execution of the traitor Yuan Shu.

At this moment, Chen Gong rode up and saw the troops arrayed to the north. He raised his hand to shield his eyes and squinted to observe for a moment before approaching Zhao Ji: "Grand Marshal, what is the purpose of the Yanzhou troops?"

“Lord Zhang hopes I will give him face, but the Emperor and the Grand General agreed to send troops to Yanzhou to suppress and subdue the various armies in Yanzhou. I have the Emperor’s edict. Am I supposed to defy the Emperor’s edict? Is his face more important than the Emperor’s edict?”

Zhao Ji turned to examine Chen Gong: "What should I do?"

"In my humble opinion, since Prefect Zhang of Yanzhou has his own ideas, why not submit them to the Emperor and ask him to make a decision?"

Chen Gong cupped his hands in the direction of Xudu and earnestly advised Zhao Ji: "Prefect Zhang is a kind and honest man, and I believe he would not want the people of Yanzhou to suffer from war again. In my opinion, with the Grand Marshal stationing troops outside the border of the prefecture, and given Prefect Zhang's magnanimity and benevolence, it may be easy to recover the various armies of Yanzhou. This is to show them our power and to unite them with peace."

“I understand what you mean. Only by wielding my sword can Zhang Yang, this good man, easily force the armies of Yanzhou to submit to the imperial court.”

Zhao Ji pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and pointed with his right arm at the procession of carriages and riders behind him, saying, "You've convinced me. Now go and convince them. If they don't object, I'll wait here for the Emperor's decision."

Upon hearing this, the Xiongnu centurions following closely behind Zhao Ji placed their hands on their sword hilts and forced smiles at Chen Gong. Chen Gong was taken aback, momentarily speechless, unsure how to handle the situation.

Zhao Ji looked at Zhao Jian: "Pass on my order to all the armies in Chen County: we shall break camp and head north at the fourth watch tomorrow!"

"Here!"

Zhao Jian, still on horseback, clasped his hands in greeting. He then rummaged through the large pocket of his jacket, pulled out a set of paper military documents, checked them to ensure they were correct, and then handed them to a messenger: "Send this message to all the armies!"

"Here!"

The envoy unfolded a stack of military documents in his hand and passed them to the other envoys around him. After each of them received a copy, they all turned around and headed south.

As they marched along the column, they were immediately followed by mounted escorts.

Chen Gong was speechless and indignant: "Grand Marshal, if the siege of Chen County is suddenly lifted, the General will not have time to take over. If Yuan Shu is let go, whose fault is it?"

Zhao Ji lightly kicked his horse, its head meeting Chen Gong's. Zhao Ji looked down at Chen Gong and said, "It's definitely not me. The biggest fault must lie with Yuan Shu's father. If Yuan Shu hadn't been born, how could there be such a traitor! Zhang Yang forced me to defy the imperial edict, and you're here trying to persuade me to do the same. I can't help but wonder whether the safety of the emperor is more important, the traitor or the emperor's safety!"

"Grand Marshal, what do you mean by this?!"

Chen Gong questioned in a hoarse voice, but dared not raise his voice, appearing weak and powerless.

Zhao Ji spoke calmly, forcing a smile: "The General is a skilled strategist, and his armies are all near Xuchang. If I were to issue an order to withdraw now, the General would have a full eight hours to redeploy troops, yet you doubt his ability to do so. Do you believe the General is colluding with Yuan Shu, which is why you have such doubts?"

More and more Xiongnu cavalrymen in the chariot and cavalry formation broke away from the marching column and surrounded Chen Gong and a dozen or so court officials and their cavalry.

Although they haven't gotten close yet, the scene already shows a pack of wolves circling and hunting.

Chen Gong immediately shouted angrily, "How can the troop movements be so closely coordinated!"

“I can do it, so why do you think the General can’t? If he can’t do it, why is he a General?”

Zhao Ji could no longer hold back and roared at Chen Gong, making Chen Gong's ears ring and his mount unable to stop retreating.

Zhao Ji spurred his horse to catch up, glaring at Chen Gong: "Don't give me that crap. I was the one who surrounded the traitor. Where are the others?!"

Other officials tried to ride closer, but more loyal knights also rode in from both sides of Zhao Ji, blocking the officials' cavalry.

Zhao Ji stared at Chen Gong: "I'm going to Yanzhou, and I'm going to kill the remnants of Cao Cao's forces! I want to see if the General will fight and kill me, his son-in-law and fellow villager, for these remnants of Cao Cao's forces!"

"When Cao Cao was alive, everyone wanted to exterminate his entire army and their entire families; now that Cao Cao is dead, what are they all thinking?"

Zhao Ji pointed at Chen Gong: "Think carefully, were all your relatives, friends and partners killed by Cao Cao himself? Who among them wasn't Cao Cao's henchman who killed them, robbed their property, and abused their wives and daughters day and night!"

"The scholars of Yanzhou who followed and responded to you are dead, but their wives and daughters are still suffering. I went there to rescue them! And you, do you still have any hatred for your former comrades? How many people do you think Zhang Yang can save by pacifying Cao Cao's followers?"

Chen Gong looked embarrassed, his face flushed, and he lowered his head.

Zhao Ji continued his tirade: "In your eyes, your dead friends and patriots are worthless, while the living murderers are more valuable to win over? If that's the case, then I dare not associate with you! I'd rather be your enemy than your ally!"

Zhao Ji pointed his right arm toward Yanzhou: "Think about it carefully. Those who succumb to Cao Cao's threats to save their lives, even if they were your comrades in the past, what is there to miss about them? Which of them who surrendered to Cao Cao didn't have the blood of their comrades on their hands?"

Chen Gong was stunned. Most of the people who were now following Cao Cao in Yanzhou were also the ones who had rebelled against Cao Cao back then.

That's how scholars are... slogans are slogans, and life is life.

In reality, the vast majority of people did not suffer as badly as Zhao Ji imagined. Only those scholars and officials who stubbornly resisted Cao Cao would end up with such a tragic fate.

Zhao Ji confused the concept of "people," as if all the scholars of Yanzhou who resisted Cao Cao back then were doomed.

That's not true at all. Less than one-tenth of those who were killed or had their families ruined back then.

These are the true martyrs who opposed Cao Cao, but Chen Gong's actions now negate the significance of their sacrifices.

Chen Gong still had some pride; even though he was scolded to the point of being unable to lift his head, he didn't refute it.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and her face turned red, like a monkey's bottom.

(End of this chapter)