Tiger Guards

Chapter 602 Justifiable Reasons
In the afternoon, when the sun was scorching.

Wearing a wide-brimmed felt hat and light, durable clothes, Zhao Ji rode his horse lightly outside the camp, participating in the training of the camp's knights.

Holding a training wooden spear, he led his riders on a light gallop, getting used to each other's positions.

Ma Chao and his other subordinates, who were taking a midday rest, watched from inside the fence as the more than a thousand riders sometimes dispersed and sometimes gathered, following Zhao Ji's charge.

Ma Chao stared blankly, feeling a slight tingling sensation from the dead skin rubbing between his legs.

I long to ride a horse at full gallop and join this intense game.

He was lost in thought when his companion nudged his arm. Ma Chao turned around and saw several colleagues bowing to Chief Secretary Zhang Hong.

Ma Chao followed suit, bowing respectfully. Zhang Hong didn't seem bothered, saying, "No need for such formalities. I have important matters to discuss with the Grand Marshal."

"Here."

Ma Chao and his colleagues bowed again, turned to the right, and left together.

Zhang Hong led several subordinates a dozen steps further to the place where the battle flags were fluttering. There, a dozen strong and tall warriors waved blue and red flags back and forth, in rhythm with the sound of the only drum.

After Zhang Hong gave the signal, the drumming stopped abruptly, and the flags ceased waving. Instead, a black and white banner was erected that could flutter in the wind.

With long banners fluttering in the wind, the riders from the various training teams reined in their horses and slowed down upon seeing this.

Zhao Ji led a dozen or so cavalrymen toward the flag platform, and upon reaching it, he leaped off his horse.

The training cost of such a large-scale operation involving thousands of riders is very high. In addition to the incalculable losses of warhorses during training, there are also costs associated with riders becoming disabled or dying unexpectedly.

To prevent people from deliberately falling and injuring themselves, or from skilled riders or daring individuals performing tricks during training, injuries or deaths caused during training are only covered by basic compensation and are not considered deaths in action.

Horses that participate in training need to be fed better feed.

Better quality feed does not necessarily mean better conditions for horses.

Different horses require different feed ratios depending on their condition.

Now, relying on the Fen River for transport, the knights in the camp can eat fodder stored in nearby hayfields, as well as fodder transported from the Fen River.

With stable transport capacity, there is a wide range of sources of horse feed, which can be combined with various feeds to supplement the nutrients that the horses lack.

There was a sunshade near the flag platform. After Zhao Ji dismounted, he walked towards the sunshade. Gao Yanglong promptly handed him a light silk cloak, which Zhao Ji put on.

After sweating profusely and dismounting from the horse, one should protect oneself from the wind.

Inside the pavilion, Zhang Hong handed over a scroll of silk: "My lord, the General has sent an urgent report."

Zhao Ji reached out and took it, then unfolded it and held it in both hands to read. He could feel Lü Bu's joy between the lines.

She glanced at Zhang Hong again, and Zhang Hong also had a tense face and pretended to be solemn, but in reality, the gleaming smile in the corner of his eye was hard to hide.

Zhao Ji found it somewhat absurd: "Liu Bei actually pursued and killed the Grand Secretary?"

I was still hesitating and thinking about how to smear Liu Bei with a full load of indelible and unavoidable accusations.

But now, Liu Bei himself is stained with blood?

It should be noted that among the three departments, the five Attendants of the Secretariat did not hold any higher official positions; the Grand Secretary was the core head of the Secretariat; and the Department of State Affairs did not have a Grand Secretary, but only Left and Right Vice Grand Secretaries, who were slightly higher than the six Ministers.

Since the Anyi remonstrance, the imperial court has adopted the system of deliberation and administration by the Three Departments. The continuous military victories of the court in recent years have been interpreted by many as a result of the superiority of the Three Departments system.

Even Fu Wan, the Grand Secretary of the Secretariat, benefited from this and became famous throughout the country, like a renowned minister who revived the Han Dynasty, and a model among renowned ministers.

Zhao Ji first closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Is this really the General's handwriting?" "Yes, it was written by the General himself."

Zhang Hong's tone was clear: there was no way this matter could be wrong.

Zhao Ji looked up slightly at the light filtering through the shade, and thinking of Fu Shou's recent submissive and dependent behavior, he didn't know how to tell her.

The pity and sympathy quickly dissipated, and Zhao Ji nodded: "Since it's true, it means that Bi Chen's conspiracy to rebel is not an isolated case. This should be a multi-party rebellion. The Grand Secretary is deeply trusted by the Emperor, and his secret escape from Xuchang may be carrying a secret edict from the Emperor. In this light, Liu Bei has already taken the Emperor hostage and started a rebellion in Xuchang!"

Zhang Hong was not surprised to hear this, and simply cupped his hands and said, "Today the emperor has been kidnapped by treacherous ministers. I urge the Grand Marshal to raise righteous troops again, punish the wicked and rescue the emperor to bring peace to the country and the people."

"This is not advisable. The General has been deceived into moving from Xuchang to Luodu, which has allowed the treacherous minister's plot to succeed. Now that the treacherous minister Liu Bei has the Emperor hostage, if I raise an army, it will endanger the Emperor's safety!"

Zhao Ji's voice rose: "This matter is not urgent, but now that the Grand Chancellor's entire clan has been murdered, the Empress is all alone here. She is already heartbroken, and if she suddenly hears such bad news... if the Empress also falls seriously ill as a result, the situation will be even worse."

Despite saying this, Zhao Ji felt he would have to go through the tunnel to see Fu Shou again tonight, and might have to break his promise to Gao Yanglong in a small way.

In fact, Fu Shou was already mentally prepared for the worst fate that the Fu Wan family might encounter.

Things have always been simple; her fate was sealed the moment the Empress's palace was located in northern Pingyang.

If she were sensible, knew shame, understood the bigger picture, and could be considerate of her family and the emperor, she should have taken the initiative to hang herself, which would have been enough to keep Zhao Ji in a state of chaos.

But the Empress was a very opinionated person, and she was not the legitimate daughter whom Fu Wan had carefully nurtured and raised. So the strong side of her personality came out, and she forced herself to hold on, seemingly just to see how the Emperor and his ministers would end up.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Ji was able to conquer the various northern barbarian tribes in one battle and even incorporate their strength into his own forces.

Zhao Ji's core military strength has changed, and the empress's status is no longer an obstacle, but rather a source of forbidden pleasure.

If Zhao Ji wasn't afraid of ruining his reputation or being defeated and his clan wiped out, what did Fu Shou, who had faced life-or-death trials several times, have to fear?

It would be better if Fu Wan died; the reason for the war he gave was brilliant, there couldn't be a better reason for war.

However, Zhao Ji, who was determined to take the path of tyranny, no longer cared much about the reasons for war.

Therefore, the greatest significance of Fu Wan's death was that it freed Fu Shou from constraints and gave her more room to maneuver!

Otherwise, with Fu Wan outside, Zhao Ji would feel uneasy, and he would also be wary of Fu Shou and Fu Wan suddenly joining forces to launch a coup or coup from both inside and outside the country.

At this moment, Zhao Ji felt that Fu Wan's death was a good thing, as if it were to fulfill his and the Empress's wishes.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Ji suddenly remembered something and frowned in thought.

Zhang Hong listened intently, thinking it was a very important matter.

Zhao Ji did not speak, but read Lü Bu's handwritten letter again, his brows furrowing even deeper: "The Grand Secretary's wives, concubines, and children have all been murdered?"

When Zhang Hong heard Zhao Ji emphasize the word "all", he immediately became worried. He reached out and took the silk book from Zhao Ji's hands, carefully reading every word.

Based on the logic of the change in the situation, Zhang Hong asserted: "Your Majesty, it should be that the family members and servants accompanying the Grand Secretary were all killed."

Zhao Ji glanced at Zhang Hong, who hurriedly added, "The matter of escorting the lady is Zibu's responsibility. As far as I know Zibu, the lady will not travel with the Grand Secretary. Please wait a while, Your Majesty, for good news will arrive from Guandong."

"hope so."

Zhao Ji sighed, "The Empress's fate is tragic. If my betrothed wife is also harmed, the Empress will live a lonely life, which is not what I want."

The marriage with the younger sister of the Fu family was the key to Fu Shou's true entry into the game and becoming a partner!

(End of this chapter)