Tiger Guards

Chapter 568 The Envoy's Danger

Above the clouds, on the grassland road.

To the north and south are vast plains. The newly divided units of 100 and 100 households have begun nomadic life and are looking for suitable sites to build winter pens and huts.

Chen Qun traveled with envoys from various parties of the imperial court, forming a large entourage of over three hundred people.

They followed the latest assembled Tiger Step Army by vehicle; for a tribe whose main way of life was nomadic, walking was a waste of time.

After conquering the Qiang people in the three prefectures and the Xianbei people in the four prefectures, and after absorbing the carpenters and related technical personnel from the various Hu peoples, the newly built vehicles this year are characterized by high wheels and large carts.

The new supply wagon has a simpler structure, and this covered wagon, in Zhao Ji's eyes, is very suitable for transporting heavily armed infantry during migration.

When camps are built around wagons during wartime, there is no need to set up any military tents. The accompanying soldiers can take turns resting inside the wagons or on duty outside.

These are just designs; the actual results will depend on real-world application.

Different commanders have different levels of understanding of vehicle troops, different personal command abilities, and different battlefield situations.

We cannot overestimate the military value of covered wagons or other types of vehicles because of a major victory, nor can we simply deny the value of a vehicle type because of a defeat.

Before being put to the test in real combat, the research and development and manufacturing of new vehicles take civilian effects into priority.

After being tested in actual combat, targeted modifications were made based on the feedback from officers and soldiers at the front.

Therefore, the caravans traveling along the official road in the clouds at this moment are still mainly used for transporting troops.

The grassland was cool, and even at midday when the sun was high in the sky, as long as there was a breeze, the heavily armored soldiers would not feel any discomfort. They chatted and laughed all the way, enjoying themselves immensely.

Around noon, after traveling about forty miles, the caravan arrived at a newly built military camp.

The walls of this military camp are quite unique; they are not made of rammed earth, but rather by excavating blocks of sod and peat moss and piling these blocks of mud with sod attached into the walls.

This year's rainfall has been plentiful, and some soil debris was washed away from the peat grass walls, but the layers of turf are thriving.

As Chen Qun and his envoys approached the camp, they saw that the earthen walls on both sides of the camp gate were covered with green grass, and small yellow flowers, common in grasslands, were blooming densely.

The camp was divided into various clearly defined areas, with large circular tents as the main feature.

Judging from the way this camp was constructed, Chen Qun knew that it was a temporary camp.

Along the way, he had seen all sorts of roadside camps... These camps were called military outposts within the Grand Marshal's office; but in Chen Qun's understanding, they were a combination of granary and military barracks.

Upon closer observation, it becomes clear that the soldiers stationed at these outposts were not simply stationed there; in addition to maintaining the defense and order of the camp, they were also responsible for gathering various intelligence.

Scouts and scouts are an open military reconnaissance operation. In addition to scouts, the outposts also purchase medicinal herbs, fresh meat, or leather from nearby herders, and conduct intelligence inquiries during the transactions.

Inside the military station, Chen Qun and several companions, dressed in civilian clothes, strolled around the trading area with smiles on their faces.

This area is located on the outermost edge of the camp, enclosed by a rope. Only here can those resting inside the outpost conduct transactions.

Having suffered many losses along the way, Chen Qun no longer dared to consider himself an envoy of the emperor... At least before meeting the Grand Marshal, he was merely Chen Qun, a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate; only when he was conveying the emperor's edict in person was he an angel, not to be offended.

In the city where trading services were available, Chen Qun bought a bunch of fresh, white, round mushrooms with five zhu coins.

The mushroom seller was a thin, sallow-faced girl. Her slightly yellow, dry hair was tied up in the style of a Han Chinese child. Her face was scorched by the sunlight and whipped by the cold wind, making it appear dark red.

He was wearing a leather jacket made of pika leather, which was a complex gray-white color and a larger style. It was clearly a heirloom and perhaps had a complicated story since its creation.

Chen Qun was a man who had no concept of money. He had no concept of money before the chaos of the times, and he had even less so after the chaos began. But now, selling these white mushrooms, Chen Qun had no choice but to abide by the designated price set by the local trading district.

In addition to the military officers who supervised the operation, there were also Han and Hu soldiers on duty and patrolling in the city. They would publicize prices and prohibit selling at low prices or high prices.

Chen Qun felt sorry for the little girl, so he could only afford to spend two more five-zhu coins to buy the little girl's small basket made of grass stems.

Carrying less than two jin of white mushrooms, Chen Qun looked around. Someone next to him said, "The Grand Marshal manages the army strictly, and the prices in the military post and city are also controlled. No wonder prices in Hedong and Taiyuan are stable, and the officials and people are at peace."

Chen Qun nodded in agreement. Lu Chun, the Tiger General who had been supervising them, walked over with a smile and said, “Gentlemen, you may not know this, but due to the inconvenience of communication between the Han and Hu peoples, misunderstandings often lead to armed fights and even murders during trade. Therefore, the Grand Marshal has strictly ordered all official markets to clearly state prices. If a dispute arises due to prices, both parties will be punished.”

"I see, thank you for your help, Lü Zhonglang."

Chen Qun, carrying a basket of mushrooms, bowed and thanked him. He would not overlook Lü Chun, a Zhonglang official of equal rank to him. This man could be promoted to Commander-in-Chief or Commandant at any time, and within three years he could accumulate enough merit to become a general or prefect.

There was no other reason than that Lü Chun was from Wenxi Xixiang, and was the same age and fellow villager as Zhao Ji.

Lu Chun simply nodded and smiled, then led two guards to buy some fresh ingredients.

His rank of Tiger General with two bars and four stars on his shoulder insignia was already the second highest rank in the Tiger General path; the highest rank was Zhao Ji, who always concurrently served as Tiger General.

Therefore, the supply depot had abundant food corresponding to his status and military rank. However, Lü Chun was no longer the lowly squad leader under Zhao Ji. He didn't lack food, but rather novel food.

Zhao Ji had Lü Chunlai monitor these envoys to prevent them from causing trouble.

Their rise was so rapid that many of their subordinates were influenced by the officials who had moved east before they even rose to prominence.

These people didn't actually have the opportunity to cause trouble; they were just afraid of being blackmailed by high-ranking officials using past incidents.

By preventing these envoys from moving around, the lower- and middle-ranking military officers influenced by the high-ranking officials would not receive signals of coercion or threats, thus maintaining the stability of the army.

Today, the eastward migration of the Han and Hu nomadic armies looks impressive, but it also has its vulnerabilities.

Putting aside others, even Zhao Ji himself, if he were on the opposing side, would want to lead his elite troops in a surprise attack... If they succeed or fail, the hundreds of thousands of nomadic troops sent on the eastern expedition might repeat the Battle of Fei River.

Although there has been no Battle of Fei River yet, Zhao Ji, having heard of this story, would try to prevent such a thing from happening.

Therefore, not only is Lü Chun keeping an eye on things openly, but there are also two other groups of people ordered to supervise these envoys from various parts of the imperial court.

If necessary, the fleeing remnants of the Xianbei royal court would launch an attack to kill some of the envoys, eliminate any potential threats, and warn the other envoys.

Compared to the safety of hundreds of thousands of nomadic troops, Zhao Ji felt at ease even knowing that he might kill some people by mistake.

Killing a tiny minority for the benefit of the vast majority... This is a choice that any competent military officer, let alone Zhao Ji, would know how to make, if not the choice.

After all, the job of a Han envoy has never been one that a person of integrity could be competent for.

Those who dare to act as messengers will not value their own lives.

If he doesn't cherish himself, why should Zhao Ji cherish him?
For Chen Qun and his companions, the biggest takeaway from their journey was that the Wuzhu coin was not very practical.

In the market, there were also herders selling fresh game such as gazelles, clouded leopards, and deer. These people generally did not like the five-zhu coin; they preferred... military scrip.

Only with military scrip could one exchange for various household utensils.

(End of this chapter)