Tiger Guards

Chapter 548 Han-Hu Alliance
During the banquet with Xiangli Bao, Guan Shangben, who had recovered from his injuries and returned to the team, accompanied him.

But then he saw one of his hundred men peeking out from the door. Guan Shang glanced at Zhao Ji, and seeing no other reaction from Zhao Ji, he got up and smiled apologetically at Xiangli Bao, who returned the smile.

Guan Shang then left his seat, walked out the door, and led the military officer a dozen steps to ask in a low voice, "What is the matter that is so urgent?"

"Hebei Battle Report"

The centurion handed over the letter with both hands: "It was sent by Yan Rou on behalf of Xianyu Fu."

"Sent by Yan Rou's men? Where is the envoy?"

"Once inside the premises, I have arranged for guards to protect you and prevent you from socializing."

"Hmm, send another group of people to keep an eye on him and treat him well. The Grand Marshal might question this person."

"Here."

The officer bowed, Guan Shang waved the letter, the officer bowed again, took a few steps back, and quickly left.

Guan Shang stared at the letter in his hand. He didn't know what it contained, but the fact that Xianyu Fu himself didn't send anyone to deliver the letter, but instead entrusted Yan Rou, indicated that the battle situation on Gongsun Zan's side was not optimistic.

I felt this letter would spoil the Grand Marshal's good mood, but after thinking about it, I realized this matter couldn't be delayed.

Guan Shang composed himself, took the letter, entered the room, walked around the seats to Zhao Ji's side, handed him the letter, and whispered: "Grand Marshal, this was sent by Yan Rou at Xianyu Fu's request."

"So, Gongsun Zan's situation in battle is not good."

Zhao Ji had a similar prediction; otherwise, why would Xianyu Fu have asked Yan Rou to do it for him if he were to announce good news?
Zhao Ji immediately pulled out the short dagger from his boot, gently cut open the letter, picked up the thick stack of letters, first pinched it aside and shook it gently before starting to read.

Xianyu Fu recounts from his perspective Yuan Shao's retreat, Gongsun Zan's pursuit, and how he uncovered Yuan Shao's ambush plan, even going so far as to execute those in the army who were in league with Yuan Shao.

However, when Gongsun Zan retreated through Wuyi and Guanjin, he was intercepted by Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Wen Chou, Yan Liang and others. Some of the Hu tribes in the army rebelled and barely managed to break out with the help of Xianyu Fu.

Then Tadun led more than 50,000 Wuhuan cavalry from three commanderies to set up camp south of the Yi River. Yuan Shao led a large army to follow behind. Gongsun Zan attacked Tadun first, but the vanguard did not fare well in the battle, and his cousin Gongsun Fan was killed in action.

Among them, Xianyu Fu and others fought bravely, and Gongsun Zan was able to break through the encirclement and escape into Yijing.

However, the city gates were also closed to prevent other troops from entering the city.

Xianyu Fu and his men were surrounded by Yuan Shao's large army and had no hope of breaking out, so they had no choice but to surrender.

Of course, this is only Xianyu Fu's account of the war.

“Tadon…”

Zhao Ji muttered something to himself, then tidied up the letter and handed it to Guan Shang: "Transfer it to the Chief Clerk immediately. You and the Chief Clerk will question this messenger together. I want to know what Yan Rou and Tian Chou are thinking."

"Here."

Guan Shang caught the letter with both hands, took a few steps back, turned around and quickly left. It was only a little faster than normal walking, as his injuries had not yet healed and he could not exert any force.

Seeing Zhao Ji's ambiguous smile, Xiangli Bao asked, "Grand Marshal, has something happened in Hebei?"

"It was expected, nothing serious."

Zhao Ji raised his teacup in a gesture of respect and said with a smile, "Fine iron is forged through a hundred forgings, and even mixed iron can be roughly forged into good iron by melting it down. What we are worried about now is that the Yuan family and the various barbarian tribes, under the pressure of our army's power, will merge into one."

Xiangli Bao fell into deep thought. Seeing Zhao Ji's relaxed expression, he said, "This is a rabble, nothing to worry about. If I were to manufacture carts and boats in Wuyuan, I could transport military supplies to the front lines within five or six months." "No, we must adapt to local conditions and follow the customs of the land. Now that we have taken the seven counties of Hebei, we should use the tactics of the seven counties of Hebei to fight."

Zhao Ji leaned back in his chair, gently swirling the teacup in his right hand. He squinted at the swirling tea, his face calm: "If we still need to transport military supplies from the rear for the Eastern Expedition, that would be a disgrace. Your plan remains unchanged: take the Chouyang Road north out of Yinshan to meet our army. During this time, you must focus on vehicle manufacturing, and after the snow melts, send more key officers and soldiers to scout the roads."

"Here."

Xiangli Bao agreed, then asked, "When the army marched through Jincheng and the four commanderies of Hexi, was it possible for this humble general to lead an army independently and serve under the Grand Marshal in killing the enemy?"

"Yes, I can agree to that."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Xiang Libao: "In terms of cavalry, you are not as good as Zhang Wenyuan, Jia Wenzhen, Wei Zi'ang, and Han Wenbai. The surrendered generals I captured after leaving Guandong are either skilled in naval warfare, infantry and cavalry, or mountain raids. I like chariot troops, so you should study chariot tactics more. In addition to charging the enemy lines, chariots are also mobile fortresses, so you should study them carefully. If used well, five thousand chariot troops can defeat ten thousand cavalry."

Xiangli listened attentively, nodding slowly, while a troubled expression appeared on his face.

The first time he witnessed chariots charging into battle was when Zhao Ji led his Tiger Warrior chariots to charge the Xiongnu, using the traditional chariot charge tactics, which was nothing unusual.

What's remarkable is that when Zhao Ji leads his troops in an assault, he can quickly shoot and kill key enemy soldiers in front of him, thus neutralizing the enemy's tactical countermeasures.

Another remarkable aspect is that when the Tiger Warriors were first used on the battlefield, they charged along the imperial road, taking full advantage of the hardened surface of the road and avoiding the biggest weakness of chariot troops.

In Xiangli's mind, he felt that this was how chariot soldiers should be used: to charge into battle when appropriate, and to serve as transport vehicles for heavy infantry when not in use.

Compared to mounted heavy infantry, wagon-mounted heavy infantry have a more robust combat readiness and a sufficient and abundant reserve of equipment; at the same time, wagon-mounted infantry can complete a change of formation in a very short time during marches, field battles, and encounters, and enter a state of combat readiness at low cost.

Without considering or researching other vehicle tactics, as long as we rely on vehicle transport and study heavy infantry tactics... that should be enough for our development.

Xiangli Bao had made up his mind to start by training heavily armored infantry, solving the personnel problem first, and then talking about the armored vehicles.

Having made up his mind, Xiangli Bao couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Grand Marshal, why do you always assign me the tasks of transporting supplies?"

Zhao Ji also composed himself and thought about it carefully: "Perhaps it's because you are a calm and steady person. Not only am I at ease with you managing logistics, but Seventh Brother, Jia Wenzhen, and Jia Liangdao also thought it was appropriate."

Xiangli Bao was taken aback: "But I have never served as an official in charge of military provisions or transportation before. I only make a living by farming and herding at home and do not manage any property."

"Perhaps this was our prejudice. When we saw you, we thought you were a steady person, someone we could entrust with important matters. Besides, it turned out that you did very well, and we were right about you."

Zhao Ji casually analyzed that, having reached his current position, he no longer needed many polite words or titles.

Moreover, when in front of a valiant friend like Xiangli Bao, it is only right to be casual in one's speech during private banquets.

Upon hearing this, Xiangli Bao simply shook his head and said, "This humble general acts in accordance with the law; how can this be considered as being skilled in storage and transportation?"

"Ha~!"

Zhao Ji chuckled: "Holding military funds worth hundreds of millions and being able to follow the law is already an incredibly difficult thing. Let's not discuss this matter anymore. You'll work hard for half a year first, and then I'll make you my chariot camp commander."

"Here."

Xiangli Bao solemnly cupped his hands, feeling that Zhao Ji hadn't told the truth and that he had missed out on too many military achievements.

Although he held a high position, he lacked real achievements and merits, and even he himself felt a lack of confidence when speaking and acting.

(End of this chapter)