Tiger Guards

Chapter 520 Don't Trust Too Easily
The Qin Straight Road runs north for more than 500 li, to the south bank of the Yellow River.

When Zhao Ji's central army arrived, Zhang Liao had already captured a Xianbei settlement on the south bank.

The settlement was built on the site of the former Dujin Township. When Zhao Ji arrived, apart from the scouts on the outer perimeter, the rest of Zhang Liao's troops were reinforcing the low ice and snow walls around the perimeter with the captured men and women.

After crossing the snow wall that was being built, and walking another two miles, you will reach the Dujin Township, which has been expanded by the Xianbei people.

Because they had too many herds of animals to raise, the walls of the villages had long been destroyed. These Xianbei people lived inside and outside the village walls, while nobles and warriors of high status who did not need to herd livestock naturally lived inside the village.

Outside the villages were rows of houses belonging to the Xianbei herdsmen, which were also made of earth... Tents were only for emergency use during the harsh winters in the Shuofang and Hetao regions.

As Zhao Ji's heavy sled continued deeper into the dark, icy road, he came to see two mounds of ice and snow, each over ten feet high, piled up on either side of the road.

This made Zhao Ji take a second look; it was clearly not a standard Jingguan (a type of mound of earth).

Jingguan (a mound of earth statues) cannot be built near cities and towns; they must be sealed with layers of earth.

Basically, once the structure is built up, as the flesh rots, there won't be any overly horrific scenes.

At this moment, the features and expressions of the hideous heads in the ice and snow are vaguely visible. When the ice and snow melt in spring, they will inevitably collapse, which will pollute the nearby land.

Zhang Liao strode forward with his head held high and bowed deeply: "This humble general greets the Grand Marshal."

"Thank you for your trouble, General Wenyuan."

Zhao Ji jumped off the carriage, and his personal guards also got off and quickly went to take over the vacated main barracks.

Zhang Liao, looking excited, extended his arms in invitation: "Grand Marshal, I have already ordered my troops to cook sheep for a feast. Since yesterday afternoon, more than 3,000 fat sheep have been slaughtered, enough for the army to use for two days."

"Very good."

Zhao Ji strode toward the barracks, a tall building that Zhang Liao had rebuilt using timber collected from the surrounding area. It was crudely constructed, with load-bearing pillars and skylights inside, and a hearth in the center glowing red with charcoal.

When Zhao Ji entered, he felt the white frost on his eyebrows quickly dissipate.

Inside the barracks, there was no direct fire to warm oneself by. Instead, one had to go over the leather backdrop behind the main seat. There was no heat radiation from the red-hot coals, and the air was much cooler and drier.

Zhao Ji removed his helmet strap and handed the helmet to Cheng He. Looking up at the leather map, he saw that Zhang Liao had drawn marks on it with charcoal and asked, "What is the enemy situation?"

“Xianbei settlements within two hundred li of the surrounding area either crossed the river to migrate to Shuofang, but more people migrated eastward into Yunzhong.”

Zhang Liao stepped forward and pointed to Heyin City, which was about 70 or 80 miles upstream on the south bank of the Yellow River: "When news of Kui Tou's death came, the Xianbei royal court failed to collapse and flee. Instead, they elected Kui Tou's cousin, Qian Man, the son of the former king He Lian, as the new king. They also summoned the young men from the surrounding villages and tribes to assemble. The current scale is huge, with no less than 50,000 infantry and cavalry."

Zhao Ji turned his head to look at Zhang Liao's profile: "When did you gather 50,000 people to conduct the reconnaissance?"

"Yesterday at noon, the number would not have exceeded 70,000 at most, and would have been as low as 40,000."

Zhang Liao gave a brief reply, then pointed to a lake about fifty or sixty li downstream on the south bank: "This is Tiger Lake. Kui Tou's younger brother, Bu Dugen, led various tribes from the eastern part of Wuyuan and Yunzhong to gather here. Yesterday, during reconnaissance, there were about 30,000 infantry and cavalry. Bu Dugen also has ambitions to become the ruler of the country. He and Qian Mandu both sent envoys to the General of the Central Army, intending to submit to the Grand Marshal in order to consolidate the power of the people within the country."

"Does General Wen Yuan believe their envoys who pledged allegiance?"

Zhao Ji then untied his scarf, feeling much more comfortable. Zhang Liao didn't comment on this, only giving a simple, honest smile.

Seeing this, Zhao Ji smiled and said, "Cut him off."

"Here."

Zhang Liao readily agreed, adding, "Currently, the gathering of troops by both sides is progressing slowly. Once our armies unite, Qianman and Budugen will also have a combined force of 100,000, which should not be underestimated."

"There's no need to wait for the subsequent armies. My central army will take a short rest and tonight head straight for Huze to defeat Budugen. We don't have time to wear him down. After driving Budugen away, Qianman's troops will be terrified. Then we'll fight them to the death at Heyin to determine the ownership of the Western Tao."

Zhao Ji carefully examined the map: "Our army cannot remain stationed in the border prefectures for long, otherwise the Grand General will be without strong external support, and I fear he may be harmed by the villains around him. If we drive away Budugen and instill fear in him, we can ensure the stability of the Western Turks next year, and my people can focus on farming and herding, and recuperate. As for Qianman, he is the brother of the former king, and we must not let him live. If we decisively defeat the remaining forces of the royal court, even if Budugen is enthroned as king, he will find it difficult to command the Xianbei in the east and Liaodong."

Looking back at Zhang Liao, who was lost in thought, Zhao Ji said calmly, "By the end of the twelfth lunar month, our army must withdraw. Once the three prefectures have recovered and the granaries are full, we will fight the Xianbei again, focusing on wearing down their morale and fighting spirit, and gradually recover the four prefectures of Shuofang, Wuyuan, Dingxiang, and Yunzhong. After recovering these four prefectures and the three prefectures in the north, we can also record our achievements on Yanran Mountain and carve them in stone."

Zhang Liao nodded, his longing fading, but he still couldn't help asking, "Is the Grand Marshal certain that the General's entourage will be treacherous and cause trouble?"

"His decision to send Wei Yangzu to manage Heluo shows that he had already become aware of the situation."

Zhao Ji's face was expressionless, and his tone was grave: "He may think that Wei Yangzu's army, stationed outside Xuchang, can intimidate the officials and nobles of Xuchang. But he doesn't actually control the Jianghuai, Jingchu, and Qingxu regions. It's as if he's surrounded by wolves, with venomous snakes lurking beside his bed. Perhaps he can intimidate them to some extent, but if those few individuals make their move, the wolves will rise up in droves, and the generals in the court will be filled with suspicion and uncertainty. How can things end well then?" Zhang Liao listened with a solemn expression; he didn't want Lü Bu to fall into such a predicament.

Perhaps it was because he sensed the growing internal crisis that he took the initiative to follow Zhao Ji, accepting the offer he received.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Liao still said, "With Commander Gao here, even in a perilous situation, we can ensure that the General can retreat back to Luoyang."

"I fear that the emperor will fall into the hands of treacherous ministers."

Zhao Ji said solemnly, "However, I have already sent messengers on horseback to report the victory to Xuchang. The heads of Kui Tou and others, as well as more than fifty Xianbei minor kings and leaders, will be escorted to Xuchang. I hope this will deter the bandits and stabilize the court."

Zhang Liao declined to comment.

I just think it would be a good thing if the general could end things gracefully at the appropriate time.

He fought alongside Lü Bu in battles on all sides, and Lü Bu also suppressed him quite a bit.

Although they had a past relationship, they also had many conflicts.

Given Lü Bu's personality, neither Gao Shun nor Lü Bu could persuade him, and Wei Yue and Zhang Yang would also find it difficult to persuade him.

Even during his lifetime, Chen Gong was difficult to persuade.

On the contrary, the dead brothers Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao were able to get along well with Lü Bu.

It's possible that the Zhang brothers, Miao and Chao, were both renowned for their chivalry and were considered heroes in their own right, which is why Lü Bu took notice of them.

Even Liu Bei's words carried more weight with Lü Bu than those of his old comrades who had fought and died alongside him.

Zhang Liao stopped thinking about it, and he didn't want to say anything bad about Lü Bu.

After Zhao Ji inquired in detail about the military situation of Qianman in the west and Budugen in the east, he ended the inquiry and returned to the front hall to prepare for dinner.

Time was tight; there was only one afternoon of rest before heading straight to Huze, about 50 or 60 miles to the east, to fight Budugen there.

The Xianbei people had a tradition of fishing and hunting in winter, and Huze could be considered one of the Xianbei people's winter gathering places.

Therefore, there were earthen and wooden houses where the Xianbei people camped in winter around Huze. However, the Xianbei people were used to being fierce, so these were just earthen and wooden houses, and there were no large fortifications.

According to yesterday's reconnaissance report, Budugen did not excavate the ice surface of Huze to obtain water, so he did not follow Zhang Liao's example and build a low ice and snow wall.

The purpose of the low wall was to defend against cavalry charges and to coordinate with infantry and chariots in anti-cavalry operations.

Just as Zhao Ji had calculated, today the heads of Kui Tou and others were delivered to Xudu, along with a report documenting the beheading of over 34,000 and the capture of over 40,000.

In Xuchang, public opinion was in uproar. From the emperor and Lü Bu down to the officials, ministers, and servants in their homes, no one dared to believe the data.

The captured Xianbei nobles were still on their way, and no one could even verify the authenticity of Kui Tou's head.

In the Grand General's headquarters, Lü Bu carefully examined the severed head of Kui Tou, whose double chin had been removed, staring at it for a long time: "The Xianbei have not invaded the border for a long time, yet they have become so weak?"

He was unwilling to believe it, but felt that it was reasonable for the Xianbei people's fighting skills to decline.

He just wished that the achievement was his own, not Zhao Ji's.

The officials and retainers of the shogunate were speechless, unsure of what to say.

We can only make a preliminary determination by waiting for the Xianbei noble prisoners to arrive and be interrogated.

They even had to send people to the battlefield in Shangjun to investigate, as this was a major event concerning public opinion and the direction of people's hearts.

Not only Lü Bu, but also the emperor, high officials, and the various Liu clansmen wanted to find out the truth about this matter.

We must remain skeptical until we have thoroughly investigated the matter.

Even if you already believe it to be true, you can't admit it directly. Otherwise, if Zhao Ji says something in the future, are you going to make everyone in the court believe it?
Meanwhile, in the palace, the emperor was in a heavy mood, had no appetite for lunch, and was lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)