Tiger Guards

Chapter 491 Managing a Fallback Plan

As Zhao Ji sharpened his sword and actively promoted the third war mobilization of the year.

Lü Bu was forced to withdraw his troops from Huaibei. As the weather turned cold, the transport capacity of the Ru and Ying rivers decreased.

To avoid unnecessary consumption of military supplies, Lü Bu had no choice but to withdraw his troops.

Zhao Ji also speculated that Lü Bu's presence outside the capital was to observe the changes in the emperor and his ministers, and that he might be plotting against Liu Bei.

However, Lü Bu was well aware of the poverty in Xuzhou. After two failed water attacks at Xiapi and Pengcheng, the autumn harvest in these two core areas of Liu Bei was ruined by Liu Xun and Zhang Xun.

Yuan Shu didn't gain anything, and neither did Liu Bei.

Only Langya and Donghai have some reserves, but even if they manage to drive Liu Bei away, Lü Bu can't easily get grain from Donghai and Langya.

The meager grain that Langya Chancellor Zhao Fan had was intended to provide relief to the families of the four newly relocated tribes of Qingzhou.

If the families of the four tribes of Qingzhou lose their relief, they will be unable to contribute to the workforce for next year's spring planting.

In order to make a living, these people had no choice but to rely on leaders of refugees and garrison commanders like Zang Ba and Sun Guan, who must have had grain in their hands.

But if anyone asks for grain, it means they are taking away the very foundation upon which Zang Ba, Sun Guan, and others stand.

Fighting you doesn't necessarily mean certain death after defeat; however, if they can't hold onto their food supplies, the foundations of these refugee leaders and garrison commanders will crumble, their followers will scatter, and they will become isolated and alone.

The food supplies in the East China Sea are also limited, and people are offering aid to Langya.

In Lü Bu's eyes, Xuzhou, though seemingly under the control of Liu Bei, the Governor of Xuzhou and General of the Left, was actually Zhao Ji's territory.

Lü Bu would not interfere with the transfer of official positions in Xuzhou, and Zhao Ji would not get involved in personnel matters in Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Jingzhou.

Even in Yangzhou, Zhao Ji only forcefully pushed through the appointments of Liu Ai, the governor of Yangzhou, Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, and Liu Xie, the prefect of Jiujiang, without intervening in any other county or prefecture positions.

Basically, Lü Bu had the final say in adjusting these official positions.

In order to appease Qin Yilu, Lü Bu instructed Wang Kai and Xu Si to propose that Qin Yilu be appointed as the governor of Danyang County in the Secretariat of Luoyang.

Zhao Ji's people did not pursue the matter further. This was true for Qin Yilu, and Zhao Ji made it clear that he would not participate in the appointment of other officials in Yan, Yu, Jing, and Yang provinces.

Even the reshuffling of some county officials in Yizhou was entrusted to Lü Bu... Although Lü Bu wanted to make sweeping changes, he really lacked reliable people.

With such a small number of people at our disposal, it's difficult to place them in important and crucial locations. Randomly dispatching them to Jing, Yang, and Yi provinces would not only require considering the attitudes of the three vassal states, but would also not significantly help the current situation.

Therefore, Lü Bu lacked the initiative to infiltrate personnel changes in the three provinces along the Yangtze River. The personnel changes of county and prefectural officials were mostly based on the recommendations of high-ranking officials, or the recommendations of Liu Zhang, Liu Biao, and Liu Ai.

In reality, Lü Bu still effectively controlled the two provinces of Yan and Yu, Hanoi, Henan Yin, and Nanyang.

Yanzhou is now practically empty, with fewer than 80,000 registered households.

However, a large number of excellent military farmland have been left vacant. If the troops are dispersed and resettled to take over these military farmland opened up by Cao Cao and the Qingzhou soldiers this winter, then they can be self-sufficient next year.

Having experienced this year's war, Lü Bu is once again suffering from insufficient reserves.

On the way back, he chatted with Wei Yue and expressed his concerns in this regard. He tentatively said, "When Yuan Si withdrew his troops, he opened the residence of the Governor of Henan. Most of the wheat and millet stored in the residence had been moved out, leaving less than 100,000 shi, which is only enough for the officials and people of Luodu to use until March of next year. Bi Chen is very dissatisfied and wants to organize civilian settlements, but he is worried that Yuan Si will forcibly requisition grain stored by the Governor of Henan again next year."

Wei Yue urged his horse forward and said without hesitation, "This year's grain reserves in Heluo were obtained from the military farms of Duke Zhao Yuanming. The officers and soldiers of the military farms have already followed the Grand Marshal back to Xizhou. The fact that they were able to leave 100,000 shi of grain for Bi Chen is already enough to save face for the court and my brother. If it were me, I would never leave Bi Chen a single grain of rice."

Lu Bu also knew that the grain was obtained from the spring planting organized by Zhao Yan. In fact, Zhao Yan had organized the sowing of winter wheat last autumn when everything was in ruins.

Luoyang military settlement is more convenient, and even in the most arid weather, it is difficult for the Luo River and Yi River to dry up.

Therefore, the military settlements in Luoyang relied on paddy field irrigation, resulting in very stable income.

Furthermore, the Luoyang Eight Passes defense system is actually quite suitable for military settlements... Anyway, Nanyang suffered a severe drought in late spring, followed by a major flood in the Jianghan River basin, which deeply hurt Lü Bu.

Driven by a sense of crisis, Lü Bu wanted to restore the military settlements in Luoyang, but he was afraid of entrusting the task to the wrong person and thus benefiting the court or Yuan Shao for nothing.

Therefore, he frankly told Wei Yue: "Bi Chen lacks courage and determination. I think I should appoint Yang Zu as General of the Guards and oversee the military settlements in Heluo. In such a change in the Central Plains, I can also protect the emperor and return to Luodu. Together with Yang Zu, we can rely on the strategic passes and have the support of Yuan Si. We will not be afraid of any rebellion by the imperial clans or the alliance between Yuan Shao and the imperial clans."

"Oh?"

Wei Yue looked at Lü Bu in surprise, greatly surprised: "Brother, don't you want to conquer Shouchun, capture and kill Yuan Shu, and achieve unparalleled merit?"

"Extremely difficult, what benefit would this achievement bring me?"

Lu Bu's tone was low, then he smiled: "The Marquisate of Wen in Henan already encompasses nine counties. Nine is the ultimate number. If something changes in the court, even if there are ninety or a hundred counties as fiefs, they will be stripped away by the court. It is Zhao Yuanming who is quite farsighted. Last autumn, he distributed the wheat. If it weren't for the wheat and millet from the military garrisons in Henan and Luoyang, would Yuan Si's withdrawal this year have been so smooth?" Wei Yue fell silent. The merit of finding the Imperial Seal for the court by taking Yuan Shu's head was actually an unparalleled achievement for other generals and officials, enough to be promoted to marquis and become a high-ranking official.

But for Lü Bu, it really meant nothing except increasing his prestige.

A continuously growing reputation makes it impossible to command other feudal lords.

Liu Ai is currently quite obedient, but once he has pacified the various counties in Jiangdong, his attitude will likely change.

Appointing Qin Yilu as the governor of Danyang was inherently ineffective, and it's hard to say how much impact he would have.

Given Qin Yilu's background and methods, Wei Yue did not believe that Qin Yilu could restrain Liu Ai.

If one day the various vassal states were to form an allied army, Xuchang would be attacked from three sides, and the more it defended, the more difficult it would be to escape.

If Yuan Shao were to lead a large army across the river during this period, it would mean being besieged from all sides.

By then, the hearts of the people will be won over, and even if Zhao Ji wanted to save them, he would face immense pressure.

Therefore, while we still have some initiative, we should try to transfer our best population to develop Heluo in advance.

If things don't go well in Guandong, then we should resolutely escort the Emperor back to Luodu... Once we get to that point, it doesn't matter whether we have a good reputation or not.

With the emperor in their grasp, relying on the strategic advantage of the eight passes, and having unruly figures like Zhao Ji as external allies, when allied forces come to attack, it will simply be repeating the old path of Dong Zhuo, with a decisive battle fought between the east and west around the eight passes.

As Wei Yue pondered, the thought of the oppressive feeling of the five armies of Liu Biao, Liu Ai, Liu Bei, Yuan Shao, and Sun Ce attacking from all directions suddenly weighed heavily on his shoulders, and the smile on his face vanished without a trace.

Seeing that Wei Yue understood the gravity of the situation, Lü Bu said, "Dong Zhuo built Mei Fortress, and Gongsun Zan also had Yijing. If Heaven no longer favors me, I will also choose a place in the Heluo region to build a new city. Even if the situation deteriorates and the world condemns me, I can still protect the families and children of my generals. In this way, Yuan Si can send troops to support us, and in the future, our descendants will also have a day of revenge."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yue opened his mouth to offer some words of comfort, but his mouth felt dry. After a moment, he said, "Brother, you are overthinking it. The Emperor is benevolent and has treated you very well. Things have not come to this."

"How could a powerful ruler like the Emperor, who suffered so much hardship in his youth, possibly hold onto old feelings?"

Lu Bu raised his riding whip, glanced at it, and smiled contemptuously: "If chaos reigns again, and he wants to leave, I won't force him to stay. Being far apart, so that neither of us will grow weary of the other, might be a good thing."

If the emperor were to observe the reactions of others, he would likely constantly recount his own merits.

But now, even if he were to lay bare his heart and liver for the emperor to see, what could the emperor do?
Zhao Ji's rapid rise to power had already made the emperor impatient.

Anyone with eyes to see knows that Zhao Ji only built his vast empire so quickly by relying on the emperor's authority and the prestige of the court.

If left unchecked, Zhao Ji will soon erode and seize this part of the state's authority for his own use.

So the emperor appeared calm, but his heart was in turmoil, and he was constantly in a state of extreme anxiety.

In such a situation, you cannot reason with the emperor.

How many peerless warriors like Zhao Ji, who could shoot an arrow more than two hundred paces away, are there in this world?
Especially in the face of war, Zhao Ji's composure and ruthlessness were unmatched by those nobles and sons of powerful families.

If the task were truly entrusted to the emperor or high-ranking officials, their fate of starving to death amidst ruins would be more in line with their abilities!
Lu Bu pondered for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

He knew the emperor too well, and was too aware of Zhao Ji's success, which put the emperor in a precarious position.

No one can persuade the emperor now. If you try to persuade him, he will only act humble and indifferent, as if saying, "My dear minister, there's no need for such formality."

If the emperor ever gets the chance, he will definitely tear you to pieces once he takes power!

Then, full of confidence, they went to issue orders, only to find that all the possessions they had acquired were either squandered or divided up by the officials and generals.

Helpless, Lü Bu could only manage a forced smile at Wei Yue.

Compared to the emperor, who seemed indifferent to power, it was his son-in-law Zhao Ji who truly wished for him to live a good life.

Lü Bu was certain of this; just as he hoped Zhao Ji would live well.

The Lü and Zhao families were actually very closely intertwined; it was not as simple as a marriage alliance.

Even without the marriage alliance, he would still trust Zhao Ji.

On the contrary, Lü Bu did not trust any of the high-ranking officials or nobles. The people who wanted him dead the most were the high-ranking officials, the Liu clan members, and Yuan Shao.

These people wanted him dead, so in order to gain support, the emperor would also decisively take his life.

(End of this chapter)