Tiger Guards

Chapter 586 Military Adjustments
Inside the main tent, senior retainers of the shogunate and generals sat on either side.

Those who served under Ma Chao, Su Ze, Zhuge Jin, Sun Zi, and others could also enter the main tent, but they could only stand near the tent wall.

After handling the affairs of the three counties, the strategist Jia Xu urgently went to Wuyuan to take charge and manage the military and political affairs of the four counties of Yunzhong.

Pei Xiu stayed in Yunzhong, partnering with Jia Xu to oversee the implementation of various tasks.

Jia Kui was in charge of the actual administrative affairs of the three northern prefectures, so Jia Xu, Jia Kui, and Pei Xiu were not here.

After everyone was seated, Zhao Ji finally put his legs down from the table.

It wasn't that he thought the position was particularly cool; it was just that he had gotten used to lying down like that these past few days and habitually wanted to straighten his torso and limbs.

After the drumming outside the tent completely stopped, Zhao Ji looked around at the people and saw that they were all tanned.

Zhao Ji said with a smile, "This success is all thanks to your willingness to risk your lives for me."

Chief Secretary Zhang Hong cupped his hands and rose, turning to look at the generals in the tent. His gaze fell on Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, and Duan Wei, then on Right Wise King Liu Qubei, and generals and lieutenant generals such as Zhang Xiu, Yang Qiu, Zhu Ling, Zhang He, Xiangli Bao, Wang Qi, and Han Shu.

Seeing the pleased expressions on everyone's faces, Zhang Hong said, "As the saying goes, a fine horse is common, but a discerning eye is rare. The great achievement of urging the generals to bravely eliminate the harm of the barbarians and sweep away their dens to bring peace to the border regions for a hundred years belongs to the Grand Marshal. We dare not take credit for it."

Upon hearing this, the generals rose, cupped their hands, and said in unison, "We dare not take credit for this."

"That's too modest. Today's unparalleled achievement was not accomplished by me alone; we were all indispensable. How could I possibly enjoy such merit and glory all by myself?"

Zhao Ji rose and gestured with his hands to signal everyone to sit down before continuing, "The court has been slow to reward merits. Although I am at the highest rank and have no further titles to bestow, what does that have to do with you all? Previously, we were busy suppressing the remaining bandits and could not spare any attention for other matters. Now that the work has been accomplished, how can we remain inactive?"

Zhang Liao, whose merit in killing generals was second only to Zhao Ji, was immediately enraged. His expression was furious, and he was the first to stand up and cup his hands in greeting: "There are treacherous officials in the court. I am willing to follow the Grand Marshal in raising an army to Luoyang to rectify the court!"

Zhang Hong, known for his decisive and ruthless leadership, was equally eager to take the lead, bowing deeply and saying, "Grand Marshal should enter the court to govern, so as to appease the discontent of my officers and soldiers."

Xu Huang also stood up again, cupped his hands, and said, "Only the Grand Marshal can quell the chaos of the world. I implore the Grand Marshal to consider the well-being of the people and raise troops as soon as possible to eliminate the traitors!"

Seeing that the others were standing up one after another, preparing to speak in turn according to their status, Zhao Ji waved his hand to press them down: "Sit down, everyone."

Xu Huang reacted the fastest, sitting down abruptly. Zhang Liao, looking indignant, also obediently sat down. The others, feeling a lump in their throats, could only follow suit, their anger bottled up inside.

Zhao Ji looked around at everyone and said calmly, "How can we rashly raise a large army? Since the spring of last year when we quelled the rebellion in Guanzhong, our army has successively sent troops to fight Yuan, followed by the campaign against the rebellious Qiang in the three prefectures. Then, the battles continued one after another, with fierce fighting taking place north and south of Yinshan. This has led to our great achievements today. Now, most of our officers and soldiers are exhausted and homesick. Even I slept soundly for three days after returning here. We should know that small things can lead to big results and that we should think long-term."

As everyone remained silent and observed each other, Zhao Yun raised his head, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting: "As the Grand Marshal said, our army truly needs rest and recuperation."

Some who still wanted to take advantage of the victory to launch an attack on Luoyang and regain control of the court all turned their attention to Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao was no exception.

Once the court is back in our hands, we can simply write whatever official positions or imperial edicts we want.
Zhao Ji gestured for Zhao Yun to sit down, then looked around and said, “The Emperor doesn’t starve his soldiers, and I cannot force my officers and soldiers to fight year after year. We all have families. When we fight abroad and make contributions to the country, what we seek besides fame and fortune before and after our deaths is also a desire to live a prosperous and peaceful life with our families. It’s time to let our soldiers return home with their merits and spoils to reunite with their families. We can’t delay any longer. As for the imperial rewards, I need to ask the General about that first. Our army will fully support this. If the General can eliminate the corrupt officials in the court, then a little delay is nothing.”

Zhang Liao straightened his back and clasped his hands. Seeing Zhao Ji nod to him, Zhang Liao said, "I fear that the court, under the guise of distress, will engage in indiscriminate rewards and empty titles."

I'm giving you the title of County Marquis with a fief of ten thousand households. Now, where will you collect the taxes and rent from your fief?
"Yes, General Wen Yuan's concerns are reasonable. I will discuss this carefully with the General. If we are of one mind, and yet someone still tries to obstruct us, then that person is our enemy!"

Zhao Ji then looked at the others: "As you all know, the court has not yet recovered. It is difficult to actually distribute money and silk. Judging from the current situation, it is unlikely that they would want to deceive me with empty promises. We must be wary of the court slandering us and engaging in malicious delays in payment. Therefore, we must take all necessary precautions."

Zhang Hong immediately cupped his hands and said loudly, "The ruler regards his subjects as worthless weeds, and the subjects regard the ruler as an enemy. This principle has been clear since ancient times. If they betray the virtue of loyalty between ruler and subject, why should we be blindly loyal and bind our own hands?"

Zhang Liao nodded immediately, glaring at the generals around him, his threatening intent quite obvious.

As for the captains, lieutenants, and commanders outside the tent, they do not need to express their opinions at this moment; they only need to carry out the orders.

The lower-ranking officers and soldiers had even less say at this moment. They were also unable to express their feelings; they could be described by Zhao Ji as weary soldiers eager to return home, or as elite troops after a great victory.

The specific next steps can be adjusted accordingly through public opinion adjustments.

The officials and soldiers were homesick and exhausted, which were objective facts; at the same time, their high spirits and arrogance were also another fact.

The current army, marching straight in, has almost no one they dare not kill.

Just like the edge of a sword, it is extremely sharp, but lacks resilience.

It will inevitably break when it encounters something hard.

The army is disbanded and then re-enlisted. It takes time for the disbanded soldiers to return to their hometowns, and living in their hometowns for a period of time also requires a long vacation.

Reassembling also requires time and resources; adapting to military life and gradually entering a state of combat readiness after reassembly also requires time and resources.

In short, Zhao Ji did not want to take over the court too quickly, and he did not even want to take over the Han Dynasty court, which was burdened with a heavy historical baggage.

Clearly, after his entrepreneurial success, Zhao Ji no longer liked the Han court, which was old, had complicated relationships, and was full of trivial matters.

Everyone could sense that the rewards bestowed by the Han Dynasty... in the end, wouldn't they still have to exchange them for official titles and ranks in the new dynasty through Zhao Ji?
Therefore, even Zhang Liao was no longer so concerned about the rewards bestowed upon him by the Han court.

The reason they seemed to care so much was that the rewards and honors bestowed by the Han court were ultimately decided by Zhao Ji.

Ultimately, the ranking of the generals' merits and status was determined by Zhao Ji's comprehensive assessment of them, which directly linked to their future positions.

Seeing that there were no other objections in the tent, Zhao Ji was not surprised and continued, "When a chariot charges at high speed, it is indeed extremely destructive, and no one dares to stop it. However, a shallow pothole or an inconspicuous stone on the road can damage the chariot and kill its rider."

His tone remained calm as always: "Of all those present, only Chief Secretary Zigang is slightly older, though he is only middle-aged. If Chief Secretary Zigang is not in a hurry, I believe you all can also wait patiently. Giving the court a chance will also reduce our risks, so the matter has been decided, and the army will return on schedule. However, Han Sui of Liangzhou has been slow to obey orders to send troops to suppress the various Hu tribes, which shows that his rebellious intentions are stubborn and beyond redemption!"

As soon as Zhao Ji finished speaking, Ma Chao immediately stepped forward, turned to face Zhao Ji, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and looked up with a sorrowful expression: "Grand Marshal, the old traitor Han Sui has a blood feud with me for killing my mother and my siblings! I beg the Grand Marshal to give me a chance for revenge!"

Zhang Xiu, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Yang Qiu, and Wang Qi, who had not yet made any significant contributions, immediately rose and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble general requests to fight."

Zhao Ji didn't answer, but turned to look at Xu Huang: "What does Gongming think?"

"This humble general will obey the Grand Marshal's orders."

Xu Huang stood up without offering any opinion, behaving in a very smooth and diplomatic manner.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ji said, "Since there seems to be a change in the court, let us temporarily appoint Gongming as the General Who Conquers the West, in command of Ma Mengqi and the five generals, each leading their own troops to conquer the rebellious minister Han Sui."

"I will obey your command."

Xu Huang led the way, and seven people stepped forward to bow deeply to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji then looked at Zhao Yun: "The rest of the armies shall return south, while General Zilong shall stay behind to cover the rear."

"The last general takes orders."

Zhao Yun bowed, also relieved, as he didn't want to face Liu Bei.

(End of this chapter)