Tiger Guards

Chapter 571 Proactive Response
After accepting the surrender of the various Donghu tribes, Zhao Ji reported his achievements to the court while organizing the nomadic Han-Hu army to begin turning north.

To prevent attacks from the Donghu and Youzhou people, the nomadic army was deployed on the east side, while the west side was occupied by women and children who drove herds of animals and carried supplies during their migration.

Now, turning around and heading north of Yinshan, we only need to send a few scout units, while the rest of the troops remain in place, and the women and children's camp can be moved first.

Once the women, children, and animal herds have mostly migrated, the combat troops can be reorganized.

As for reporting merits to the imperial court, it was to appease those people.

At this moment, Zhao Ji was under increasing pressure. As long as the withdrawal from the northern foothills of Yinshan and the division of pastures were completed, the garrison system of six towns and five generals could be completed.

Once the system of six towns and five generals is completed, he can easily take control of Liangzhou.

After knocking Han Sui's skull open... it's not impossible for him to resign as Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty.

When that happens, the imperial court will organize a coalition of villains to attack, and you can simply hold your position at the pass.

A bright future awaits him, so he must find a way to stabilize the court and ensure the smooth withdrawal of the eastern expeditionary army.

We cannot show weakness to the court, the emperor, or people like Lü Bu now. If we reveal even the slightest vulnerability, these people will muster the courage to rush up and tear us apart.

Only by demonstrating one's own strength can the weaker doves within each party be encouraged to speak out and delay the actions of all parties.

In order to prevent attacks from the Donghu, Zhao Ji released Gongsun Zan and put him in charge of the people of Youzhou... The exact number of Han and Hu armed forces that could be mobilized in Youzhou depended on Gongsun Zan's personal abilities and the pressure Zhao Ji had put on the Han and Hu heroes of Youzhou during the recent hunt.

Youzhou has sufficient mobilization capacity to threaten the Donghu from the south and prevent the Donghu coalition from moving north to follow Zhao Ji's army.

It wasn't that Zhao Ji was afraid of the Donghu; he genuinely didn't want to get bogged down in this meaningless war.

Compared to the stability of the inner circle, the various Donghu tribes are not worth mentioning!
Therefore, Chen Qun and other envoys from the emperor and various court departments chased after Zhao Ji from the south of Yinshan Mountain to the east. Just as they were about to catch up, Zhao Ji led his elite central army to move quickly to clear the way for the large nomadic caravan of women and children.

As time went on, many envoys grew impatient with the climate beyond the Great Wall, were unaware of the dangers posed by local insects, and lacked reverence for unfamiliar ingredients from afar. As a result, members of the envoy team were constantly dying from illness.

But they must meet Zhao Ji, on behalf of those behind them, to uncover Zhao Ji's true purpose.

If possible... it's not impossible to cooperate.

Two hundred years ago, scholars could stage a grand drama of abdication for Wang Mang; how could they all be so resolute and loyal to the Han Dynasty today?

In fact, many high-ranking officials and nobles at the end of the Han Dynasty opposed Cao Cao, not because they were so loyal to the Han Dynasty.

It was simply that they disliked Cao Cao's autocracy or his personal style.

Compared to Cao Cao, Zhao Ji only occasionally broke the legs of some high-ranking officials, most of whom died, so his actual influence was limited.

In terms of the number of officials killed, Zhao Ji was far less than Li Jue, Guo Si, and Dong Zhuo, and even less than the number of officials killed by Yuan Shao, the leader of the coalition against Dong Zhuo.

The Zhao family's foundation was weak, and if they wanted to usurp the Han throne, they would actually lack allies.

Therefore, there was a potential opportunity for cooperation between the nobles and the Zhao family. In the eyes of many, Zhao Ji had no reason to refuse such a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Zhao Ji was pressed for time and feared that indulging in temporary comfort would cause him to overlook important military intelligence, leading to the attack and collapse of the nomadic army.

So I really don't have the time or the inclination to deal with these messengers.

Once Zhao Ji completes his nomadic military march around the Yin Mountains, he will be able to establish his actual rule as the Great Chanyu of the various Hu tribes!

By then, would we still need to cooperate with the court officials?
Beidi Commandery, Helan Mountain Camp.

Although called a main camp, it was more like an outpost for various armies to graze and garrison. Therefore, the Helan Mountain camp covered a vast area, and the troops gathered here did not need any additional supplies. The herds of animals they brought with them could provide the army with dairy products and reliable fuel by grazing.

The remaining food could be obtained through fishing in the Yellow River and collective hunting by the army.

Grain was precious, so the Helan Mountain camp could barely survive. However, considering the living standards of the nomadic tribes, they were doing quite well.

After being ordered to lead more than two thousand infantry and cavalry into battle, Ma Chao had always been under the command of Xu Huang, the commander of the vanguard.

Now, Xu Huang, the former commander-in-chief, and Duan Wei, the commander-in-chief of the southern route, have joined forces. Xu Huang has also been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the western route by Zhao Ji, and Ma Chao continues to be under Xu Huang's command.

As usual, he led his companions to practice charging formations outside the camp.

Ma Chao, confident in his bravery, naturally envied Zhang Liao's feat of beheading Qianman, the ruler of the Xianbei state.

If a suitable opportunity arises on the battlefield, he would naturally want to give it a try.

Just as Ma Chao spurred his horse and pierced the straw man with his spear, Ma Dai, who was watching from the side, suddenly spoke up, pointing into the distance: "Brother, look quickly, it's the Grand Marshal's envoy!"

"Uu~!"

Ma Chao gripped the reins with his left hand and pulled hard, turning his horse around on the spot. He twisted his waist and turned his head to look, and sure enough, he saw cavalry galloping towards them from the northeast.

The Helan Mountain camp area is vast. Although Ma Chao's camp has less than 3,000 infantry and cavalry, there are still more than ten miles of vacant grasslands for him to graze his horses and obtain supplies.

Therefore, the messenger appearing near his camp, having broken away from the main road, must have been delivering a message to him.

Xu Huang, the Western Governor's messenger, only had one feather on his back, unlike the Grand Marshal's messengers, who would carry two feathers, easily recognizable by their two purplish-red feathers.

Ma Chao recognized Zhao Ji's messenger and became excited. He gripped his spear horizontally, gathered the scattered cavalry around him, and pointed it northeast: "Follow me!"

Ma Dai also led his personal guards and cavalry to follow, but Ma Chao's horse was faster and caught up with the envoys first.

He dismounted and waited for Ma Chao's entourage to arrive and dismount as well. He then took out a scroll of documents and, instead of reading it aloud in public, handed it to Ma Chao with both hands: "The Grand Marshal has heard of Ma Chao's bravery and wishes to recruit you as a Gentleman of the General Staff, to serve under the Grand Marshal."

"The Grand Marshal actually knows me?"

Ma Chao deliberately asked in a loud voice, looking very happy, and his cavalrymen also became excited.

"If you didn't know, then where would this conscription order come from?"

The envoy responded with a smile, simply extending his arm to indicate that Ma Chao should read the official document himself.

Ma Chao nodded. His current official rank was rather low; he was an official in Longxi Commandery, a mere county clerk who was ordered to lead the Longxi infantry and cavalry to assist the Grand Marshal in suppressing the various Hu tribes.

He is not a candidate for the civil service examination, nor is he a court official or a graduate of the Imperial Academy; Ma Chao is currently a county official.

If he accepts Zhao Ji's offer of service, he will be a former official of the Zhao family, having come from the Duke's government!
If Zhao Ji or Ma Teng were to pull some strings for him in the future and secure him a place as a candidate for the Fufeng Xiaolian examination, then Ma Chao's chances of entering officialdom would be very high.

Ma Chao was in high spirits as he read the document. Then he looked at the messenger and said, "The Grand Marshal knows I am willing to use me, so why would I cherish this life? Please report to the Grand Marshal that after I hand over the document to the Western Commander, I will lead my personal cavalry to the Grand Marshal's army overnight!"

With his status as a disciple of the Zhao family and a member of the Duke's family, and by finding a way to secure a place among the candidates for the civil service examination, Ma Chao could be considered a high-ranking official. With all these factors combined, Ma Chao simply couldn't imagine how quickly he could be promoted normally!
If he rises in rank quickly enough, he can revitalize the Ma family of Fufeng and even become a master of classical studies and a great Confucian scholar of his time.

As for his strength and impetuous nature, that's easy to explain.

Confucius, wasn't he just like this?
(End of this chapter)