Tiger Guards

Chapter 580 Like Fire and Water
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the wheat harvest in Xudu began.

After sending his wife, Lady Yan, and some of their children to Luoyang, Lü Bu remained in Xuchang to oversee government affairs.

However, Liu Bei, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, is now surrounded by visitors, and his words carry more weight than those of Lü Bu... This shift in the political climate is overwhelming.

Officials and commoners alike had long been fed up with the previous dual-headed rule by Lü Bu and Zhao Ji.

If it weren't for the fact that they were simply no match for Lü and Zhao, assassinations or mutinies would have already broken out in the court.

Although Liu Bei's background was somewhat humble, barely qualifying as a poor family, he was still a member of the imperial clan; moreover, he was a disciple of Lu Zhi and had a lineage with other great scholars of Confucian classics.

Unlike Lü Bu and Zhao Ji, who had no background in classical studies, Lü Bu was merely a military man from the border region. Although his father and grandfather held official positions, those positions in the four commanderies of Yunzhong were worthless trash that even Emperor Ling couldn't sell when he was selling official titles.

Therefore, Lü Bu was a poor scholar from a remote border region, and Zhao Ji wasn't much better.

The rise of the Langya Zhao clan was due to Zhao Yan's knowledge of Taoism, astronomy, and mathematics, and his military achievements in suppressing rebellions.

However, Emperor Huan revered Taoism, and Zhao Yan failed to seize this opportunity and was ousted. After Emperor Ling ascended the throne, Zhao Yan was relegated to a lowly post in a border prefecture. To the central government and scholars of Confucian classics, someone like Zhao Yan, who rose to prominence through Taoist arts, was an anomaly.

The Langya Zhao clan was able to establish its reputation entirely thanks to Zhao Yu, but unfortunately, he trusted Zuo Rong, the leader of the Buddhist sect, and was easily killed.

Zhao Yu was a person who had truly mastered the study of the classics, and he was upright and peaceful in his conduct, although he also possessed the strong-willed side characteristic of the Zhao clan.

However, this man, who should have been a key figure in the rise of the Langya Zhao clan, was assassinated due to a moment of carelessness and gullibility towards outsiders.

In comparison, Zhao Yan, who started his career with Taoist arts, paid great attention to his personal safety; while Zhao Ji was unparalleled in martial arts and was accompanied by no less than three hundred soldiers every day, far surpassing Zhao Yan in terms of pomp and circumstance.

There was really nothing that could be done about the Zhao family's side in the dual rule, and Lü Bu had also thwarted the rebellion of the Liu clan last year.

Although Lü Bu did not kill the Liu family members afterward, it made him more vigilant.

Now, the positions of Lü Bu and Liu Bei in Xuchang have been reversed... This is also a headache for Liu Bei, who is afraid that Lü Bu will not stay and will suddenly change his mind and attack him.

Finally, the armies under Gao Shun's command withdrew from the Huaibei front, breaking the somber atmosphere in Xuchang.

The Great General's Office, West Pavilion.

Lu Bu climbed to a high place and looked around. The staff, clerks and related officials in the General's mansion had all put on a sleeveless two-piece armor over their black official uniforms.

The guards at each gate were heavily armed and on high alert, and the guards on patrol and waiting in the barracks were also wearing armor.

The families of staff, clerks, and guards have been evacuated from Xuchang first; this is the most direct way to ensure their loyalty.

After looking around the mansion for a moment, Lü Bu glanced at the General of Chariots and Cavalry's mansion, which was about two hundred paces away. It was also a temporary conversion and was staffed by elite armored soldiers.

From here, you can see two arrow towers inside the mansion, each with five people on it.

After seeing the number of people, Lü Bu couldn't help but chuckle, not taking it seriously.

Hearing the steady footsteps, Lü Bu turned around and saw Yang Jun, also dressed in armor, with a double sword at his waist and a sealed document in his right hand, walking quickly towards him: "My lord, urgent dispatch from Luoyang."

Lu Bu casually reached out and took the knife from Yang Jun, who then handed it to him.

After checking that the mud seal was intact, Lü Bu took a knife, cut it open, glanced at it casually, and handed it to Yang Jun: "Gan Xingba's navy has completed its assembly at Mianchi and is ready to set sail for Mengjin at any time."

Yang Jun took the document and read it carefully. It revealed that not only Gan Ning's navy was being mobilized, but also two armies that had withdrawn from the border regions and rested for three months. One was the vanguard under Han Meng, a colonel in the Grand Marshal's five battalions; the other was the Tiger Infantry, a reorganized force of seven battalions totaling five thousand men, commanded by Wei Xing, a fierce general under the Grand Marshal. The army's protector was Guanqiu Yi, the father of Guanqiu Xing, a comrade of the Grand Marshal.

Zhao Ji didn't have time to remotely control the troops; Zhao Yan was in charge of their deployment.

If these 10,000 elite troops are stationed in Mengjin, they can assist General Wei Yue in suppressing the various armies in Luozhong and preventing them from causing chaos.

After a moment's thought, Yang Jun said, "Guanqiu Yi is a veteran general of the dynasty, known for his composure. He is an ordinary person, and the fact that he is appointed as a guardian shows that Lord Yuanming has no ill intentions towards you, my lord."

Lu Bu nodded in agreement. Guanqiu Yi was a general in the court during the Luoyang Coup, and he escaped the disaster that nearly wiped out the high-ranking officers of the Imperial Guards in the capital.

Guanqiu Yi then wisely obeyed and cooperated with Dong Zhuo. After moving west to Chang'an, he escaped a series of chaotic battles caused by Li Jue and Guo Si. Even when the emperor moved east and the officials were ruthlessly eliminated, this veteran general of the dynasty remained as steady as ever.

Looking back now, we can see that this veteran general may not have been particularly skilled in warfare, but he certainly had a knack for dealing with people and affairs.

If Guanqiu Yi were appointed as the military protector of Gan Ning, Han Meng, and Wei Xing's armies, even if these three wanted to take risks, they would likely be suppressed by Guanqiu Yi.

After all, the purpose of this composite army coming to Mengjin was to provide support, not to fight.

After a moment's thought, Lü Bu said, "Send an order to Yang Zu to conduct a thorough reconnaissance of the eastern part of Hanoi. If there are any signs of Yuan Shao's army sneaking in, then inform Guanqiu Yi to ask them to abandon Mengjin and move their defenses to Xiaopingjin on the south bank. In addition, the summer grain obtained in Luoyang should be divided into 100,000 shi and transported to Xiaopingjin and Dagu Pass for delivery to the other side."

"Here."

Yang Jun agreed, his expression grave: "Does Your Excellency intend to lead Yuan's army to Hanoi?"

"Yes, back when Dong Zhuo was in power, Yuan Shao and the various armies of Hebei set up camp near Mengjin. Although Dong Zhuo managed to cross the river by feinting to the east and defeat Wang Kuang's armies, he could not fundamentally harm Yuan Shao. Now that we are fighting again, I want to see if Yuan Shao dares to come to Mengjin again."

As Lü Bu spoke, he secretly clenched his fist. Back then, he had also suffered under Dong Zhuo's command. Many battles could not be arranged according to his wishes, and he could only be a puppet being commanded by Dong Zhuo.

Times have changed; the Bingzhou army is exceptionally powerful now.

As long as Zhao Ji eliminates or severely damages Han Sui, there will be no decent resistance forces in the entire Liangzhou region in the short term.

Back then, Dong Zhuo also had to guard against Huangfu Song and Gai Xun in Guanzhong, and even against Ma Teng and Han Sui, who were traitors.

Even though Dong Zhuo, a man from Liangzhou, could bypass Ma Teng and Han Sui and recruit various Qiang, Qin Hu, and Xiongnu tribes from western Liangzhou as mercenaries, he was still unable to fully deal with the various factions in Guandong.

If they were to fight another battle now, and he were to take charge of the Luoyang defense line alone... Lü Bu was absolutely confident that even without Zhao Ji's reinforcements, he could still show the new Guandong coalition his prowess!
Yang Jun, a native of Hanoi, was already numb to this major battle that was about to drag Hanoi into once again.

Most of the Hanoi people have been relocated and properly resettled by Zhao Ji. Strictly speaking, Yang Jun's relatives and friends are more in the new Western Army camp.

Now, the most difficult thing is how to leave Xuchang in a dignified manner.

If he didn't care about maintaining appearances, Lü Bu could leave at any time.

The family issues have all been resolved, so it's okay to not care about appearances for now.

As long as we win the final battle in the future, and our retreat from Xudu is a bit disheveled... we'll kill all the witnesses, and who will know?
Yang Jun took a deep breath and looked out at the General of Chariots and Cavalry's Mansion not far away.

One can't help but imagine that if the Grand Marshal were here, perhaps standing on high ground, he could easily subdue the people in the General of Chariots and Cavalry's mansion with just one man and one bow.

While Lü Bu and Yang Jun, the emperor and his minister, were observing the residence of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, inside the palace, Liu Xie solemnly bestowed upon General Dong Cheng a summer robe of Shu brocade, meticulously embroidered by Consort Dong, along with its wide belt.

(End of this chapter)