Tiger Guards

Chapter 613 The Strategy of Luring the Enemy
At the Pingyang camp, dozens of messengers made military intelligence trips every day.

Amidst this busy schedule, Empress Fu Shou would occasionally write letters to Zhao Ji to inquire about various military matters.

Zhao didn't want to be distracted by dealing with the other party, but he also felt that her focus on military affairs was a way to divert attention and reduce the grief of the family's destruction.

Therefore, each time, Zhao Ji would force himself to be energetic and carefully explain the changes in the military situation to Fu Shou.

As the old man said, Zhao Ji is becoming increasingly indifferent to women.

This state is roughly what the old man wanted.

Each time Zhao Ji gave Fu Shou a military summary, he also had the experience of reviewing the past and learning new things, and was able to more accurately understand the changes in the overall military situation.

After writing the letter to Fu Shou that day, Zhao Ji personally sealed it with lacquer and handed it over to his reliable messenger Pei Bao before going to warm himself by the charcoal brazier.

Pei Bao was responsible for delivering the letter to Jinyang, and after the Empress finished reading it, Pei Bao was also responsible for destroying it.

It wasn't that Zhao Ji didn't trust Empress Fu Shou; it was that he didn't trust the way she preserved things there.

He wasn't really afraid of being leaked; he really wanted to have a decisive and exhilarating battle.

Unfortunately, Liu Bei was not a strong contender and could not deal with the former officials. Liu Biao was also cunning and treacherous. Yuan Shao was also observing the situation and quietly waiting for Liu Bei to take on Chenliu and Zhang Yang.

Even Lü Bu ordered his troops to observe and rest his officers and soldiers, waiting for that rare opportunity to once again display his might over the world.

While warming himself by the fire, Zhao Ji picked up a piece of the hot wheat cake and took a bite; it was crisp and crunchy.

General Pei Bao, who was waiting nearby, put the book into a waterproof wooden box and tied it tightly to his body. He also came to the stove with half a pot of milk tea and poured some salty milk tea for Zhao Ji: "Grand Tutor, shall I set off now?"

"No rush. There will be a fleet heading north tonight. Ah Bao can take a boat back."

Zhao Ji gestured for him to sit down, and looking at Pei Bao, who had sent three letters back and forth during this period, and seeing that he was even thinner, he said, "There's no need to rush to send it to Jinyang. As long as it doesn't leak out, everything is negotiable."

"Yes."

Pei Bao sat stiffly, holding the teacup with both hands and just drinking the milk tea with his head down, not knowing what to say.

Zhao Ji had something to say: "Your marriage shouldn't be postponed any longer. Your sister wrote to say the same thing. I don't want you to marry a woman from a prominent family in Shangdang. They've suffered because of me, and I don't want to commit pointless killing. But they're showing signs of revenge, so this isn't pointless killing. Ah Bao, think about it, you don't want to kill the mother of your children, do you?"

Zhao Ji spoke of killing with a relaxed expression, as if he were discussing with Pei Bao where to cut grass the next day.

Pei Bao nodded: "I will listen to the Grand Tutor."

"Alright, after we defeat the bandits this time, I will choose a virtuous and beautiful wife for A-Bao from among the good families I have captured."

Zhao Ji made a promise, raising his hand to pat Pei Bao on the shoulder: "I'll give you a small task. After you return to Jinyang, stay at your sister's place for a few days. Find out which prominent female families are spreading rumors, and come back to me after you've investigated. I'll arrange for their whole families to go to Jiuquan and Dunhuang to graze livestock and settle on the border."

"Yes, I guarantee I'll find out the truth."

Pei Bao agreed, but felt a sense of unease in his heart; he was genuinely afraid of his sister-in-law, Zhao Shu.

Seeing his appearance, Zhao Ji said, "Don't worry, after this is done, I will arrange for you to be the county magistrate of Xihe."

This is to physically delete Zhao Shu's WeChat Moments. Her sister certainly won't hold a grudge against her, but she'll inevitably cause trouble for Pei Bao.

Pei Bao felt uneasy, but he could only force himself to remain calm.

The situation is becoming increasingly clear: he is no longer afraid of the Empress, but even more afraid of his sister-in-law, Zhao Shu.

After seeing Pei Bao off, Zhao Ji went to deal with the military documents again.

He received Zhang He's request for help and felt increasingly that without Jia Xu by his side, he was not only unclear about the situation in Liangzhou, but also had a vague sense of the importance and hierarchy of strategies.

From the outset, the purpose of sending Zhang He, Zhang Xiu, and three others to Liangzhou was clearly to take Han Sui's head, deter Ma Teng and other Han and Hu chieftains in Liangzhou, stabilize the western front, and facilitate the handling of the eastern battlefield. However, Han Sui was too cunning and refused to engage in open battle. Perhaps intimidated by their own great victory in the campaign against the Hu, he fortified his city, forcing Zhang He, Zhu Ling, and Yang Qiu's armies to engage only in construction work, leading to a stalemate.

Although Zhang Xiu plundered the four commanderies of Hexi and was able to recruit auxiliary troops, he could not fundamentally harm the Han and Hu chieftains.

Before dealing with Han Sui, it's not advisable to take any strong measures against these Han and Hu leaders. Otherwise, if relations break down, they might go back to their old ways and become Han Sui's supporters and allies.

Therefore, Zhang Xiu's territorial expansion was actually just a deterrent, to prevent the Han and Hu chieftains in the four commanderies of Hexi from causing trouble.

The auxiliary soldiers recruited by Zhang Xiu were merely a selection process, gathering together those who were loyal to his side and whom his side could control.

If the situation changes as expected, the four counties of Hexi will need to be cultivated in depth, and at this time, local human representatives will be needed.

Now, the report of unusual activity by the Qiang people in Huangzhong has left Zhao Ji feeling depressed.

He wanted to pacify the four prefectures of Hexi and also wanted to severely punish the Qiang people of Hehuang, where there was a rebel named Song Jian, second only to Han Sui.

However, the situation in Liangzhou was becoming increasingly dire, and it was no longer something that could be solved simply by appointing Ma Teng and handing Liangzhou over to him.

If things go slightly wrong, the Qiang tribes of the Hehuang region may unite to rise up, potentially triggering a chain reaction that could also lead to Han and Hu chieftains in the four prefectures of Hexi joining in the rebellion.

Unless the main force moves westward, no matter how they leverage external forces, the local faction in Liangzhou will be highly integrated into their own system and become a pillar force.

This will create various obstacles for the household registration policy and population migration in Liangzhou in the future... unless the situation stabilizes later and they settle scores and turn their backs on us.

After much deliberation, Zhao Ji decided to suppress Ma Teng and Ma Chao, intending to reinstate them after defeating Han Sui and eliminating the stubborn warlord forces in Liangzhou.

In this way, they are like trees without roots, and they are not afraid of causing other troubles.

At this moment, using someone else's strength against them and settling scores later seems to be a more time-saving and labor-saving strategy.

However, if Ma Teng and his son Ma Chao were to discover this, they would surely join forces with Han Sui after untying them, leading to a rebellion throughout Liangzhou and ultimately plunging Zhang Xiu, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Yang Qiu, and Wang Qi's supply train, which was about to head west, into a desperate situation.

If these five armies are wiped out, the western front will be completely ruined, and the main force will have no choice but to advance westward.

Therefore, we must show sincerity to Ma Teng to avoid him turning against us.

Instead of relying on Ma Teng's help, let Ma Teng jump out of this vortex.

The various armies in Liangzhou were also prepared to retreat to Longxi to hold their ground, and if all else failed, to retreat back to Tianshui. In this way, if the situation worsened, they could mobilize troops to put out the fire and prevent the western front from collapsing.

As long as the eastern front is fought well, the Han and Hu forces in Liangzhou on the western front will at most be just there for show. You can't expect these remnants of Dong Zhuo and the Liangzhou rebels from the late reign of Emperor Ling to have any noble sentiments or integrity in sacrificing themselves for their country.

Once his thoughts were settled, Zhao Ji turned his head and glanced around. Seeing that Ma Chao, an official, was copying official documents, he called out, "Meng Qi, come with me to the inner hall."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao stood up. Seeing Zhao Ji looking at him, he immediately put down his pen, untied his wide sleeves that had been rolled up and bound, shook his sleeves, and dressed like a black-robed scholar. He then followed Zhao Ji into the inner hall with brisk steps.

There was also a stove in the inner hall, but less coal was used at noon, so it was still hotter than outside.

Zhao Ji handed Zhang He's military letter to Ma Chao: "I really want to take Han Sui's head, but I want even more to dismantle the separatist regime in Liangzhou. Now I want to lure the rebel army from Guandong westward and fight them to the death."

Ma Chao held the military document in both hands and read it. His eyes lit up: "Grand Tutor wants to consolidate the armies of Liangzhou and let the old traitor Han Sui go free, so that he can gather forces from all sides to advance eastward. In this way, the western front will be guarded by Longxi, Tianshui, and the Longshan defense line. When the rebel army in Guandong hears this, they will naturally advance actively and fall into the Grand Tutor's encirclement?"

"Well, no matter what Mengqi does, you must persuade your father to come to court. I will appoint him as the Commandant of the Guards. Your father's old troops will be temporarily under Mengqi's command. After the war, I will provide ten battalions to settle your father, son, and their old troops from the same hometown. The rest will also be registered as households in the Three Auxiliary Regions, and land will be allocated according to the number of households so that they can enjoy peace."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he made a gesture of clasping his hands together and grabbing firmly. Ma Chao was greatly shocked by this and slowly nodded: "If it is for the sake of the world, I am willing to accept Father's blame and misunderstanding."

"Yes, thank you, Mengqi. If the situation in Liangzhou deteriorates rapidly, I will lead more than 10,000 elite cavalry to rush to our aid."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand!"

(End of this chapter)