Tiger Guards

Chapter 475 A New Consensus
Jiangyi, the former camp of the Tiger Warriors.

When Zhao Ji arrived, Jia Kui, Pei Xiu, Liu Qubei, and others were holding a banquet in the city.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji did not go directly to Jiangyi, but instead came to the old camp of the Tiger Warriors.

This place has also been renovated and is one of the training grounds for the Tiger Step Army.

On the chariot, under a blue umbrella with a crank handle, Zhao Ji sat and looked out over the old camp.

All told, I only lived in Jishan for less than five days before I was conscripted and came to the old Tiger Guard camp.

So many things have happened here; Zhao Ji feels that this is the place where he was born.

The vehicles gradually came to a stop in front of the old Tiger Warrior camp. The twelve Tiger Infantry 100-man squads that had been resting inside the camp had completed their mobilization, and came out wearing armor, carrying swords and spears, and lined up on both sides of the gate.

The blades of the spears and halberds were covered with coarse cloth covers, and when they looked at the Grand Marshal's chariot, they all had longing expressions on their faces.

The sudden emergence of the Grand Marshal meant that not only did they no longer have to go hungry, but their families were also able to have enough to eat, and many people were able to start families again.

After receiving military land and being allocated household land and household land, any Tiger Infantry soldier of the rank of sergeant or above could afford to raise cattle and horses, with a minimum of three head of cattle and horses.

Furthermore, it abolished various exorbitant taxes and levies, allowing the people to rest and recover.

Even when they went out to fight, they did not burden their families.

For many families, ordinary people, and tenant farmers who remained in Hedong and Taiyuan, they did not even feel the impact of the war.

It's as if my family members were just serving in another province, and now they're simply returning with their spoils after their service is over.

Even if Zhao Ji didn't understand much, he still had several templates for governing the country in his mind, and had a general outline.

Within a distribution system where military power is the primary consideration, they managed to sever ties with the once-powerful, exploitative group in the short term.

The system of determining official rank and treatment based on titles, coupled with the continuous demobilization of military officers, is infiltrating and impacting the existing official and bureaucratic system.

The concept of a noble title... is actually quite familiar to Zhao Ji, and to everyone else as well.

Essentially, it was a system of tiered treatment for officials and ordinary people, with each rank enjoying corresponding benefits. These benefits were comprehensive, ranging from the selection of official positions, living conditions, children's schooling, and even the number of wives and concubines one could have.

The changes throughout history are nothing more than the difference between succession and demotion of titles.

As more and more people began to benefit from the Tiger General rank system, Zhao Ji's base of support became increasingly solid.

He had only come to the old Tiger Warrior camp on a whim, and was warmly received by the Tiger Infantry within the camp.

These Tiger Steps soldiers were divided into teams of fifty, with the lowest-ranking officer being a Tiger Warrior.

Even if one is a Tiger-like warrior, one is still a Tiger-like warrior, a court official, and a future pillar of the court.

Due to the succession rules within the Eight Hundred Tiger Warriors, most of them are young people, but there are also two middle-aged Tiger Warriors.

Their sons and nephews either died or were wounded in battle and retired from service, or were transferred to local positions. Since there were no suitable men in the family to fill the vacancies of the Tiger Warriors, the elders had to take over the positions of the younger generation and temporarily fill them.

The current Tiger Step Army can tolerate these middle-aged men whose physical strength and willpower are declining to some extent.

However, Zhao Ji would also make adjustments to these older, more experienced officers to prevent them from leading troops on the front lines.

However, they will not suppress them. It is precisely the appearance of these elderly Tiger Warriors that allows the Tiger Warriors to serve with peace of mind.

If a family of Tiger Warriors cannot find a suitable man, Zhao Ji's bottom line is that a seven- or eight-year-old child can take over the job.

Every Tiger Legion member must hold fast to their post; this is the key to maintaining the collective honor and interests of the Tiger Legion.

How many talented individuals can a family have?

Even with bad luck, maintaining the Eight Hundred Tiger Warriors family can produce several outstanding generals.

Zhao Ji inspected and reviewed a total of twenty-four teams of fifty men each on the left and right sides, and the armored vehicles entered the military camp.

He also got out of the car and walked, and couldn't help but think of Wei Gu.

Looking back at the many accompanying military officers, he remembered that Wei Gu had been recruited into the Grand Marshal's staff and was staying in Jinyang to work.

But then he spotted Wei Kai in the crowd. Zhao Ji's gaze swept quickly across the crowd, and he said, "I am very happy. My army has marched out of the Central Plains twice, and you are all here. You have never abandoned me."

Han Shu, standing in front, bowed and replied, "It is all thanks to the Grand Marshal's divine prowess and skill in battle that we were able to preserve our lives."

"It is not because I am good at fighting that it is because everyone is of one mind."

Zhao Ji looked around at everyone and said, "At this moment, I have a thousand words to say. Bring me pen and ink."

"Here!"

Several subordinates hurried to the carriage to fetch writing brushes and ink, and Zhao Ji chose a large wolf-hair brush.

The low tables that had been brought with the army were also taken out and arranged in a row, with silk laid on top. After Zhao Jirun brushed the brush and tested its tip, he hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the large brush with his right hand and began to write simplified regular script along the silk.

One scroll of silk reads from top to bottom, "Where there's a will, there's a way; with a do-or-die spirit, the Qin Pass will ultimately belong to Chu." Another scroll, also from top to bottom, reads, "Heaven helps those who help themselves; with perseverance and determination, the three thousand Yue soldiers could conquer Wu."

During the process, Zhao Ji dipped his brush in ink several times, writing each character with fullness and leaving gaps between phrases. Without needing to learn how to punctuate, one could read it fluently in one breath simply by following the gaps.

He handed the pen back to the subordinate official, and the two rolls of silk were quickly hung on the flagpole to make an unfolded banner.

Zhao Ji looked up at the two banners, then at his own white tiger-patterned banner and golden eagle-patterned banner. Everyone around him looked up as well, their hearts filled with excitement.

Although the Central Plains War went smoothly this year, many people were not satisfied.

"Restoring the Han Dynasty" is a great, bright, and righteous slogan. Shouting this slogan can inspire passionate killing of traitors and looting of grain.

This year has been particularly disappointing, so this period of low spirits is a good time to re-establish a slogan and consensus.

Looking at the banners, Zhao Ji asked Zhang Hong, who had come closer, "Mr. Zigang, what do you think?"

Zhang Hong stroked his beard, looking pleased with himself: "In my opinion, this article is grand and inspiring, but it cannot fully express the Grand Marshal's lofty ambitions. There is indeed something left unsaid in the words."

"Yes, there are actually seven hidden characters among all these words."

Zhao Ji smiled, Zhang Hong bowed deeply with his hands clasped, and the others also came to look out of curiosity and followed suit.

Zhao Ji pondered for a moment, then said, "The seven characters hidden are 'Dare to teach the sun and moon to change the sky.' The old and outdated ones should be resolutely discarded."

For a moment, Zhang Hong also felt a bit suffocated.

Guan Hai, one of the accompanying military officers, suddenly turned around to look at Xu He, one of the four commanders of Qingzhou. Xu He nodded, looking excited.

As everyone was stunned, Han Shu cupped his hands and said, "Grand Marshal, shall we forge another great banner to inspire the brave warriors?"

The word "brave warrior" has acquired a special meaning here.

Only those with enough courage to follow Grand Marshal Zhao in changing the world are true heroes.

When necessary, the Grand Marshal's exclusive white tiger-patterned banner, symbolizing military conquest, can be discarded and replaced with a new banner.

The golden eagle-patterned banner was seized from the Xiongnu people and symbolizes the status and contributions of the Xiongnu loyalists in the army, so it cannot be discarded.

As long as Zhao Ji goes on campaign, with the central army carrying a large banner adorned with golden eagle patterns, the Xiongnu people can rightfully call him the Great Chanyu.

Wei Xing and Ximen Jian followed suit, bowing with their hands clasped. The other military officers followed suit. Who would dare to deny their ambitions at this moment?
Seeing that the army's morale was high, Zhang Hong also sensed the heavy blow that Yuan Shu's title and system were to the prestige of the Han Dynasty.

Yuan Shu, whose family had held high office for four generations and enjoyed the Han dynasty's bounty for generations, betrayed the Han dynasty in this way. Other families, on the other hand, faced much less moral and public pressure when they established their own new regimes.

Zhao Ji hadn't eaten Hanlu for many days; every meal he ate was one he had to steal.
Not only did they refuse to accept the imperial stipend, they also led their poor companions to fight for food for the court.

Zhao Jilé pondered for a moment, then said, “Draw a large banner with a purple sun, a white moon, and a multitude of stars surrounding it. The number of stars should correspond to the number of prefectures in the Han Dynasty; the number of silk ribbons should correspond to the number of counties and towns in the Han Dynasty. In the future, if the territory of the country expands by one prefecture, one more star will be added; the newly added counties and towns will also be marked with silk ribbons. Once the sun and moon banner is completed, the white tiger will be the main banner, and the sun, moon, and golden eagle will be the secondary banners.”

"Here!"

Han Shu led the way, and the crowd bowed deeply once more, all looking up at the two banners.

Zhao Ji then looked at the former commander of the Tiger Legion, a Tiger Legion Lieutenant with two bars and two stars on his shoulder. Zhao Ji recognized him; he was a Tiger Legion teammate who had fought the entire match last year: "Lieutenant Li."

"The humble position is here."

Li Hu responded loudly, quickly stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting.

Zhao Ji stretched out his arm and pointed to the two newly painted banners: "This will remain in the old Tiger Guard camp. I hope you will keep it safe and well so as to inspire future generations. After the spring planting next year, I will expand this camp so that it can accommodate five thousand officers and soldiers."

"Here!"

Li Hu glanced at the flag fluttering gently in the wind, then looked at Zhao Ji: "As long as the flag stands, so shall we be!"

Zhao Ji nodded and said to the others, "My wish to revisit this place has been fulfilled. Come with me to Jiangyi for the banquet. Don't keep Liang Dao and Wenli waiting."

"Here."

The crowd responded again, which made some of the newly recruited captains feel quite uncomfortable.

They also thought that Zhao Ji deliberately came to the old camp of Tiger Warriors to take the opportunity to force Jia Kui, Pei Xiu, Liu Qubei and others who were hosting a banquet in the county to bring their personnel and supplies to the camp to hold a banquet.

It's not that Zhao Jiduo likes this place; it's more likely that he just wants to mess with these people to demonstrate the authority of those in power.

They were wrong. Zhao Ji really did just decide on a whim to come here and take a look, and found a starting point to build a new consensus.

This wasn't entirely unexpected; the seeds of the conflict were sown during the Anyi mutiny.

It is only just breaking through the soil, about to grow tall in the wind.

(End of this chapter)