Tiger Guards

Chapter 465 A Useless Battle
Night falls in Shooting Dog City.

Wen Chou sat quietly in front of the fire pit, waiting. Without the order from Ju Shou, the commander of the vanguard, Wen Chou had no way to mobilize his troops to attack Zhao Yun, who was about to cross the river at night.

Compared to Yan Liang, Wen Chou came from an even lower social standing.

Calling him a vanguard general is less accurate than calling him a vanguard fighting general or a spearhead general.

Apart from his personal guards, Wen Chou had little influence over the other officers and soldiers.

Because this was not a regular army of Ji Province, for the vast majority of soldiers and officers in Hebei, wars always come to an end.

They spent most of the year living in counties, townships, or manors. Although Wen Chou was the bravest warrior in the army, it had little to do with their lives.

Even if they made meritorious contributions, the registration and assessment of their military achievements were not something Wen Chou could interfere with or manage.

In Hebei, whether it was the local troops or the conscripted soldiers... the rewards for meritorious service of ordinary soldiers had always been a problem.

Simply put, the spoils of war by the soldiers are all recorded on the master's records. After the master receives the reward, he then decides how to reward these soldiers.

Conscription through household registration was even simpler; their leaders and county officials would simply take advantage of the situation.

Unless your achievements are exceptionally remarkable and so great that others cannot take them from you, various rewards will not directly benefit you.

Therefore, the military system in Hebei was not as erratic as that of Yuan Shu, and it still retained some of the characteristics of conscription during the Qin and Han dynasties.

As a result, the army was still controlled by powerful families, and military generals from humble backgrounds, such as Wen Chou, who rose through the ranks based on military merit, could only become dedicated fighting generals and charge generals.

Only in the face of battle can they still have some tactical command authority.

At other times, the military officers under Wen Chou's command also acted perfunctorily and would not obey the military orders issued by Wen Chou without authorization.

The true command of the entire army remained with Ju Shou, the commander of the vanguard.

Although Ju Shou was not in Wen Chou's army, he firmly held Wen Chou's military power.

Wen Chou was indeed Yuan Shao's favorite general. The more Yuan Shao trusted Wen Chou, the more he was guarded against and suppressed by the traditional powerful clans.

Therefore, Wen Chou could only act within the scope of normal military orders.

This suppression also comes from continuous development and compromise. With such a large base in Hebei, military power, a matter of life and death, naturally leads to repeated struggles and infighting, which is why the current balance has been barely maintained.

In particular, after Yuan Xi and Gao Gan were completely annihilated and captured by Zhao Ji, and another valiant general from humble origins, Qian Zhao, was also annihilated and captured by Zhao Ji, Yuan Shao's share of military power actually decreased.

Wen Chou was essentially Yuan Shao's tool for gaining military power, and Wen Chou was willing to fight desperately for such an opportunity to rise to prominence.

Yuan Shao would still give him a chance to rise to prominence. The powerful families in Hebei wished they could have hereditary official positions and titles, with officials and generals as one family.

Allowing military generals from humble backgrounds like Wen Chou to rise to prominence is already a significant concession.

After all, there were many military generals from humble backgrounds like Wen Chou who held power, and it was entirely possible that they would cooperate with Yuan Shao to wipe out the powerful families of Hebei.

"General, General Jiao and Colonel Ma have arrived outside the city."

When a guard came to report, Wen Chou got up, grabbed his helmet, and put it on his head: "I will go to greet him and prepare a feast immediately."

"Here."

The subordinate responded, and Wen Chou strode out of the room and fastened his helmet belt.

Jiao Chu was a native of Zhongshan State, from a prominent family. Among his close relatives was Jiao He, the governor of Qingzhou.

Jiao He was superstitious and believed in Taoist magic. He attempted to use "ice-trapping pills" to melt the ice on the river during the final battle in order to kill the Yellow Turban army. However, the ice-trapping pills were ineffective, and the Qingzhou government army suffered heavy losses. From then on, the Qingzhou government army lost its ability to suppress the Yellow Turban army in Qingxu.

When Jiao He governed Qingzhou, he was fond of empty fame and idle talk, and Taoist priests and diviners were always by his side; it was under his rule that the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou and Xuzhou merged and became too powerful to be controlled.

Before Jiao He, Huang Wan served as the governor of Qingzhou. He ranked first in the civil service examination, and Qingzhou was well-governed, quickly recovering from the Yellow Turban Rebellion. However, when Jiao He took over, the political situation was chaotic. When the Yellow Turban army from Xuzhou entered the territory, it was difficult to suppress them. As a result, fires broke out in various parts of Qingzhou, making it the first of the four central provinces to perish, thus losing the opportunity for external expansion.

Although Jiao Chu suffered a defeat alongside Yuan Xi, he managed to escape alive from Zhao Ji.

He was already depressed and burdened with a lot of public criticism and pressure.

However, Zhao Ji and Lü Bu then joined forces and defeated Cao Cao in Chenliu, almost annihilating Cao Cao's central army. This year, they successively defeated the two traitors Li Jue and Guo Si, and raised the banner of protecting the country and punishing the rebels. Braving the summer heat, they went out of Hulao Pass and rampaged through the Central Plains, directly causing Yuan Shu's forces to collapse.

Therefore, the public criticism against Jiao Chu disappeared immediately, and even his fellow villagers forgave him.

Jiao Chu was defeated by Zhao Da Sima, and the fact that he managed to escape alive already shows that he was a capable general for a time, so we shouldn't ask for too much.

The other Ma Yan is from the state of Zhao. Judging from his surname, he is a descendant of Zhao She, the Lord of Ma Fu, and comes from a traditional prominent family in the Zhao region. Although his family's current strength is not as great as Jiao Chu's, Jiao Chu experienced the defeat at Wuji, and both sides have similar military strength, with a scale of over two thousand troops.

As members of powerful clans who led troops, Jiao Chu and Ma Yan still held Wen Chou, a commoner and a fierce warrior, in relatively high esteem.

Their clan elders might dislike people like Wen Chou who challenge the established order, but if they were neighbors with powerful figures like Zhao Ji, Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan, and Sun Ce, and had more common backgrounds for military generals like Wen Chou, then people like Jiao Chu and Ma Yan would be safer.

Those from prominent families who are personally involved in frontline combat are actually more tolerant of people like Wen Chou.

Of course, if the powerful neighbor is eliminated, then the one who would be least able to tolerate someone like Wen Chou, as a direct competitor, would be a powerful family's son who leads troops, like Jiao Chu.

Before long, Wen Chou strode confidently, leading Jiao Chu and Ma Yan into the courtyard. After entering the house, they each took off their helmets.

Wen Chou, seated in the main seat, asked, "Do you two know what kind of person Zhao Zilong is?"

Jiao Chu and Ma Yan exchanged a glance. They had discussed this when they arrived. Zhao Yun was their age and not a stranger.

They could all be considered the best and most outstanding people in their county, and they must have met several times in their early years.

In terms of background, Zhao Yun's background was higher than Wen Chou's, but lower than Ma Yan's.

Jiao Chu replied, "Zhao Zilong served under Gongsun Zan in his early years, and later followed Liu Bei to Pingyuan. After his brother died in battle, Zhao Zilong bid farewell to Liu Bei and returned home to mourn. Last year, Grand Marshal Zhao took the emperor hostage and led him out of Jingxing Pass. He sent envoys to persuade the people of Changshan to join him. Many people in Changshan responded and recommended Zhao Zilong as the commander of the prefecture and the lieutenant of Changshan."

As Jiao Chu was speaking, he looked at Ma Yan, who then took over the conversation: "Zhao Zilong is exceptionally brave, and it is said that he is no less than Grand Marshal Zhao. Grand Marshal Zhao also regards him as an elder brother. This man is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and he came across the river at night. I suspect there is a trick involved."

Wen Chou nodded in agreement: "I also thought this was a trick devised by Grand Marshal Zhao to lure us into a surprise attack. During the Battle of Changshan last year, when their entire army retreated, the Grand Marshal, with his bow, and Zhao Zilong, with his spear, rode side by side to cover the rear of the army. Our officers and soldiers were filled with awe and respect, so they did not pursue them. The people of Changshan also regarded this as a good story and it was widely circulated."

Jiao Chu understood; Wen Chou didn't want to rush to attack Zhao Yun, who was crossing the river and whose foothold was unstable.

Even if the commander-in-chief Ju Shou were to issue the corresponding military orders, Wen Chou would adopt a very cautious approach and would not send his entire army to attack.

Seeing Wen Chou's caution, Jiao Chu and Ma Yan both breathed a sigh of relief.

When Wen Chou suffered a defeat, most of the dead were his subordinates and powerful retainers. When they suffered a defeat as well, the dead were either their relatives and fellow villagers, or their servants and retainers.

Therefore, their style of foreign wars tends to be more conservative.

Gongsun Zan is different; he's really here to seize territory, so we must fight back hard.

Now that Grand Marshal Zhao is retreating from the Central Plains, he only needs to pass through western Henan; if it weren't for their encampment at Shequan, it's likely that the Grand Marshal's officers and soldiers wouldn't even have set foot in Huai County.

The situation has indeed escalated to this point because of provocation by the Hebei soldiers.

Ju Shou made the provocative and probing decision, but they were the ones who carried it out.

This is somewhat unfair. If Ju Shou had led his troops westward from Qishuikou to join the battle, Jiao Chu and Ma Yan would have had a different attitude.

At this moment, Jiao Chu took out a scroll of military orders from his bosom and handed it to Wen Chou with both hands: "This humble general also believes that Zhao Zilong's crossing of the river is actually a trick to lure us into a surprise attack. Based on this humble general's understanding of the Grand Marshal, he may also have crossed the river from Ao Cang and come with Zhao Zilong."

In terms of experience in fighting, Jiao Chu can indeed confidently say that he knows Zhao Ji very well.

Those who fought against him were either killed or captured.

Wen Chou took the military order from Jiao Chu and, after confirming that it was issued by Ju Shou, suppressed his last smile: "Since the Commander-in-Chief has already made his plans, we have no choice but to comply. I will lead my own troops as the vanguard, and the two of you will provide support."

A standard, unremarkable answer; there's nothing wrong with it.

But Jiao Chu and Ma Yan already understood that Wen Chou wouldn't launch any decent attack.

It will likely be a probing exercise... As a key vanguard general, Wen Chou still has some decision-making power on the spot.

If a slight probing reveals something amiss, then one can retreat with a clear conscience, unafraid of being pursued by Ju Shou.

If Wen Chou could escape unscathed, there was naturally no need for Jiao Chu and Ma Yan to desperately provide backup.

The three of them together numbered only eight thousand infantry and cavalry, although this was a military force capable of changing the course of Hanoi.

However, compared to Zhao Da Sima's central army, it still appeared thin and weak.

If the vanguard suffers a slight setback during a raid, and the entire chain of defeats occurs, will there be no chance for the 8,000 infantry and cavalry to retreat?

Ji Province is currently unable to make effective outward expansions, and the population growth of its various tribes is very limited.

It's a state of competition for existing resources; once a batch is lost, it's very difficult to quickly replenish them.

Wen Chou was not afraid of his soldiers sacrificing themselves, but Jiao Chu and Ma Yan were not willing to sacrifice themselves.
(End of this chapter)