Tiger Guards

Chapter 474 The Source of Happiness
At the western end of Zhiguan Pass, there is a precipitous bend, which is well known to everyone who has traveled this road.

After passing through the most treacherous mountain path at the western end, everyone unconsciously quickens their pace.

It's an easy journey down the mountain, and after another half-day's walk, you'll emerge from the mountain path and arrive at the relatively open and flat upper reaches of the Hui River.

"War ages people quickly."

Zhao Ji gazed at the curtain erected on the bank of the northern tributary of the Hui River, where colorful flags fluttered, welcoming and awaiting his arrival.

Riding on the 'Moonlit Night', Zhao Ji felt a sense of disorientation, as if everything had changed and he was in another world.

The tiger-like companions who were with him were also gazing into the distance, and at this moment, their homesickness was not so strong.

Apart from Wei Xing, who adapted to, liked, and enjoyed war, occasionally showing regret and reluctance, most of the others had a blank expression.

During this trip to the Central Plains, I didn't kill many people; I mainly did two things.

First, they sought sustenance in the Central Plains; second, they seized a large number of people during their withdrawal.

With limited grain production in various regions, their migration to the Central Plains for food meant that many people in the Central Plains would inevitably face a difficult winter.

The essential purpose of this year's expedition to the Northeast was to seize grain and talent. The low- and middle-ranking officers and soldiers followed orders without much effort, while these veterans of the Tiger Army knew exactly what they were doing.

This kind of thing is inherently negative; it's not an honor and not worth praising or showing off.

Unlike last year when they escorted the emperor back to Luoyang, the Tiger Warriors were full of enthusiasm and hardly felt tired.

This year, however, they succumbed to the pressure of food shortages. In order to feed their families, they had no choice but to mobilize their entire army, rampage through the Central Plains, and seize grain for their own use, appearing incredibly powerful.

But in essence, it's just armed begging.

Although a similar thing was done last year, last year it was to escort the emperor back to Luodu. How can this be the same?

Zhao Ji sighed for a moment, then lightly kicked the horse's flank, leading his men to ride along the north side of the road, towards the banks of the Hui River.

On the road, there were also troops marching normally, in groups of one hundred, maintaining a distance between them.

On the south side of the road, there are abandoned and damaged vehicles from time to time, as well as engineers repairing vehicles.

As Zhao Ji rode closer, Ximen Jian and the others, who had retreated earlier, waited by the roadside. They bowed deeply to Zhao Ji, saying, "Grand Marshal."

Zhao Ji noticed that there was also an atmosphere group nearby, consisting of about twenty women dressed in relatively clean plain silk robes. Each of them carried a small bucket in their left hand and a bundle of willow branches in their right.

Zhao Ji waved his arm in a gesture of support, saying, "Please rise, everyone."

Ximen Jian stood in the front row, stood up, and looked at the woman kneeling beside him with a smile: "Aren't you going to welcome the Grand Marshal?"

"Here."

The women responded at different times; some were loud and clear, while others were timid and hesitant, but most of their responses were shy and hesitant rather than fearful.

They split into two teams of twenty-four people and began to sprinkle water from willow branches.

Zhao Ji spurred his horse forward, and the women on both sides vigorously threw water droplets at him. Zhao Ji dodged several times, but couldn't help but smile. He simply raised his head and chest and enjoyed this brief moment of being cleansed by the water.

His fierce companions and accompanying captains were not spared the ritual of being sprinkled with water by the willow branches to cleanse them of dust.

Zhao Ji walked another twenty paces and saw Ximen Jian and others following closely behind. He reined in his horse, dismounted, and twirled the whip in his right hand, laughing as he said, "Yuanjie, you are the quick-witted one. It's a real pity that you are in charge of the army. You should be recommended to the court as a Grand Herald."

Ximen Jian smiled brightly: "My position is lowly and I have no merit. Isn't it a bit abrupt for me to suddenly enter the court and be ranked among the Nine Ministers?"

Wei Xing, standing behind Zhao Ji, spoke up: "The Grand Marshal said you are suitable, and we all think you are suitable as well."

The others joined in the commotion, and Wei Xing immediately asked Zhao Ji, "Grand Marshal, what is this humble general best suited for?"

"What does Zi'ang want to do?"

"Is this a choice? If I could choose, I would like to become the General Who Conquers the West and go to the Western Regions to see the true nature of the Hu women."

Wei Xing stared longingly at Zhao Ji, who turned around and lashed Wei Xing's armor with his whip: "Hu Ji? Be careful you don't die on her belly."

Wei Xing turned and ran a few steps to avoid her, then turned back and continued to argue: "Grand Marshal, Hu Ji will have children sooner or later. It's better for her to have children of this humble general than for Hu women to have children of our own!"

“That makes a lot of sense. Here, take this whip. I hope that in the future, Zi'ang will use this whip to drive his horse and trample the Western Regions.”

Zhao Ji casually tossed the riding whip over, and Wei Xing caught it with both hands, bowing in an exaggerated manner and shouting, "Thank you for the gift, Grand Marshal!"

Zhao Ji and the others didn't wait for him. Wei Xing finished bowing and quickly caught up, saying to those around him, "When I become successful, I will recruit a group of Hu women to come to Jinyang, and everyone's expenses will be halved!"

Han Shu simply elbowed him and sneered, "Half price?" Wei Xing just chuckled; he was serious and refused to offer a more favorable discount.

He was truly happy, as he could soon go home to embrace his wives and concubines and play with his children.

Before long, they arrived at the curtained area on the riverbank, where Zhao Ji saw two roasted lambs, which looked perfectly cooked.

There was also a large pot for simmering mutton soup. Zhao Ji took his seat in the main position and removed his helmet.

The others took their seats one after another, and Ximen Jian then organized the group of women from before to come in. They all carried wooden basins and served Zhao Ji and the others to wash their hands.

After washing his face and hands, Zhao Ji saw Wei Xing grabbing the woman's wrist and asking her something, but then quickly pulled away, looking disappointed, which drew the attention of the others.

Seeing Zhao Ji looking over, Ximen Jian leaned closer and whispered, "Grand Marshal, these are all my female relatives, not outsiders."

"Single or married?"

Zhao Ji was surprised. These women were generally quite young. If they were all unmarried, then Ximen Jian's influence needed to be reassessed.

"A few are unmarried, but most are widows."

Ximen Jian answered in a low voice, his expression helpless: "Among them, only a few can be considered my old acquaintances. Now that I have prospered, I have more relatives and extended family. My father can't stand favors, and I had no choice but to try to matchmake a few people. But since Zi'ang is like this, it seems that my father's plan will fall through."

Wei Xingjian vaguely described himself and also glanced sideways to observe.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji patted Ximen Jian on the shoulder: "We've all seen big scenes in Taiyuan and the Central Plains. Don't do this kind of thing again. If you have any difficulties, just say so. It's not good to cause trouble by making decisions on your own."

"Yes, Your Excellency understands."

Ximen Jian bowed deeply with his hands clasped, and said with a smile, "With someone like the Grand Marshal, I can also reply to my father, and he will make his own choice."

"Okay, bring the food quickly, I feel like I can eat five big bowls."

Zhao Ji urged, "This kind of thing really can't be blamed on Ximen Jian."

Ximen Jian's hometown was nearby. When he returned from the withdrawal of troops, the villagers forced Ximen's father to come and plead for mercy. Ximen Jian couldn't just refuse directly, as that would make his father lose face, and Ximen Jian would also be branded as unfilial. The two of them would be repeatedly criticized and ridiculed by the villagers.

These scoundrels are dreaming too much. If this tactic had been used when Hu Ben first applied for the job, some people like Wei Xing would definitely have accepted it.

Nowadays, who doesn't have two or three beautiful maids in their household?
Even Zhao Ji himself was only engaged; most of his young elite troops were also single.

Even after a winter of reflection last year, many Tiger Warriors have come to their senses.

He would rather keep his talented maidservant at home than marry into another of his elite warrior companions.

The inexperienced Tiger Warriors of last year are now growing rapidly, not only in their leadership skills but also in their knowledge and understanding in all aspects.

As long as you are born into the Tiger Guard, you will naturally enjoy endless benefits; why bother getting involved in too many disputes?

It's not that marriage is impossible, but marrying other sisters of the Tiger Warriors is the least rewarding option.

As for marriage alliances with prominent families and clans... unfortunately, they currently have no access to such opportunities.

The women from prominent families and clans that the emperor could come into contact with were mostly government slaves, and they were not allowed to redeem themselves or be given away.

Under Zhao Ji's restrictions, Hu Benlang's marriage became quite unusual.

The maids assigned to them were the best of the best, either possessing advanced textile skills, or other uncommon production techniques, or at the very least, accounting and business management skills.

At the same time, they all possess relatively good looks.

Why marry a wife who comes to take over the family's governance when you can be the head of the household and be the one in charge?
With a secure political future and the ability to enjoy supreme power within their own small families, very few people would go crazy enough to dig a hole for themselves.

Having followed Zhao Ji in committing numerous acts of extermination of three generations of relatives and the confiscation of all family ties, he was naturally aware of the hidden dangers in kinship relations and was very vigilant.

Just like now, Wei Xing, a man who was so frustrated and frantic during military campaigns that he was almost indiscriminate in his attraction to both men and women, immediately sat up straight and became a gentleman upon hearing the identities of these women.

It wasn't that he was afraid of these women's fathers and brothers harassing him, but rather that he didn't want to antagonize Ximen Jian.

He's very happy now. If there were another woman with a powerful background in the family, he would be annoyed to death.

Soon, as the food was served, the women could only retreat from behind the curtain, looking dejected.

The tigers showed significantly more interest in the food.

(End of this chapter)