Tiger Guards

Chapter 627 Heroes of Longshang
Liangzhou, Didao in Longxi.

The garrison of General Ma Teng of Anxi was located in a dozen or so mountain gullies outside the city.

The entrance to this gully is surrounded by fences and trees; it is a small ranch that has been run by several generations.

More than ten households of Zhao's retainers lived scattered at various entrances and exits of the mountain valleys. They usually cultivated grains, planted trees, and repaired animal enclosures. In their spare time, they would gather in groups of three or five to hunt in the valleys, shooting and driving away wild beasts.

This is the traditional Longshang region, with a high altitude of over two thousand meters.

Therefore, the original trees here are mostly cold-resistant pine trees of various kinds, and this mountain pasture is no exception.

At this moment, Xin Pi, the governor of Dunhuang, was wearing a leather hat, and several members of the Zhao clan from Didao followed him on horseback as they hunted together in the valley.

More than a dozen Zhao clan knights led the way, driving and gathering the beasts so that Xinpi and his men could hunt in a flat, open area.

Xin Pi's appointment as the governor of Dunhuang was naturally a unilateral recommendation from Yuan Shao. Whether it would have any effect depended on whether Xin Pi dared to take up the post and whether the officials and people of Dunhuang were willing to welcome him.

There were other official positions to choose from, but Dunhuang was the most remote of the four prefectures in Hexi, where officials and people enjoyed a greater tradition of autonomy.

They felt that Xinpi was suitable, so they dared to welcome him.

Given the distance to Dunhuang, even if the news reached Zhao Ji... as long as Xin Pi could endure the humiliation and bow his head slightly, Zhao Ji would not send troops to raid... the military cost would be too high, far exceeding the tax revenue of Dunhuang.

Therefore, if the purpose of sending troops to Dunhuang or Jiuquan is merely to quell a rebellion, the gains will outweigh the losses.

Even so, Xinpi dared not go directly to Dunhuang to take up his post.

Instead, they went to the former official of the Xin family, the Zhao family of Didao, to observe the changing situation.

There are many branches of the Zhao clan in various counties of Longshang. Most of these Zhao clans are descendants of the Qin royal family, while others are Zhao criminals who migrated from the Zhao region.

Although Zhao Ji began constructing ancestral temples and altars in Jinyang, this did not involve any significant interests of the Zhao clan in other regions.

Zhao Ji could not possibly grant any political or economic privileges to the Zhao clan in various regions, so why would the Zhao clan in various regions serve him?
Therefore, Zhao, a former official of the Xin family, chose to uphold tradition and serve his former master, the Xin family.

Even if there are mistakes, it is easier to gain the understanding of the enemy because of loyalty to the former master.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the Zhao family members were fearless and complacent in serving Xin Pi and investigating Ma Teng's movements.

Zhao Pan, the eldest of the Zhao brothers, was wearing a black county official's uniform under his fur coat. He was wearing deerskin boots, holding the reins in his left hand and a bow and arrow nocked on the bow handle in his right.

He could shoot arrows with both hands while riding at full speed, and he was also one of the best archers among his peers in the area.

The only drawback is that his physical talent is not very strong, making it difficult for him to draw a strong bow, and he cannot be considered physically strong.

But it was more than enough for ordinary hunting activities. He spoke calmly as he said, "Pang De, the military officer of the county, came here on official business yesterday. He said he was going to requisition and allocate fodder. The county allocated 50,000 bundles of fodder, which I heard was because the troops previously under Ma Chao's command were withdrawing from Shuofang and Beidi."

Xinpi was also a skilled horseman. He held a bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right, with both hands holding a bow and an arrow, yet he remained steadily mounted on the saddle.

After listening carefully, Xin Pi asked, "Does Ma Chao command three thousand infantry and cavalry?"

"Yes, the expedition will be half infantry and half cavalry."

Zhao Pan said with envy, "After following the Zhao family to defeat the various Hu tribes, he made outstanding contributions. Now, Ma Chao's troops number about five thousand cavalry. The people of this county gathered at night to discuss and deduced that the Zhao family intends to send Ma Shoucheng and his son to lead troops westward to assist in the battle of Jincheng."

At this moment, his younger brother Zhao Tong spoke up: "The situation in Jincheng is unclear. Han Sui is a veteran general of Xizhou, and he is well-liked by the Han and Hu chieftains. He is not someone who will be easily defeated or destroyed. We also suspect that the situation in Jincheng is not going well, so the Zhao family has conscripted Ma Teng and his son to lead troops to assist in the battle. As a result, Longxi is left vulnerable."

“Yes, with Ma Shoucheng and his son leading troops westward, Longshang will surely be undefended.” Zhao Pan responded, then turned to Xin Pi: “The heroes of Tianshui have been living off the Han dynasty’s bounty for generations. The Zhao family is powerful and domineering, so they have no choice but to submit. If we can break the Zhao family’s military momentum, the heroes of our prefecture will rise up, and we can easily obtain 100,000 troops to come to the aid of the emperor.”

Xin Pi, however, had a serious expression, unlike the Zhao brothers who were optimistic.

The Zhao brothers naturally had reason to be optimistic. No matter how strong Ma Teng was, he could only obtain money and supplies through the county and prefectural governments he controlled, or conscript soldiers and laborers.

A powerful family like the Zhao family naturally didn't have to pay taxes or serve in the military; their relationship with Ma Teng wasn't that of wolves and sheep.

The Zhao family, with its numerous powerful clans, is more like a pair of bears and tigers guarding a mountain; generation after generation, they safeguard these assets. Even if they don't become extremely wealthy, they are still the most powerful in the county. Their descendants accumulate connections for official careers, and if they seize an opportunity, producing a prefect with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure) can elevate the family's status, open up higher-level connections, and increase the family's overall influence, radiating outwards to the surrounding areas.

Moreover, these powerful families intermarry for generations, so that a change in one can have far-reaching consequences.

Even though the Zhao family had people, troops, money, supplies, and horses, when Ma Teng suffered disasters a few years ago, they could only send envoys to borrow them or conduct some transactions; there was never any talk of directly robbing them.

If Ma Teng dared to rob the Zhao family of Didao, then what awaited Ma Teng was a joint attack from the powerful families of Tianshui, Longxi and the surrounding counties. Once such a war broke out, it would not stop until Ma Teng was driven away.

Therefore, Zhao Pan and his brothers naturally had the confidence to deal with and confront Ma Teng. Zhao Ji's foundation was weak, and Ma Teng's clan foundation was also weak.
In the past few years, locust plagues and droughts have occurred one after another. A war broke out between Ma Teng and Han Sui because their people fought over fields, pastures and forests. The things that their people were fighting over were things that the Zhao family of Didao did not want.

If the locust plague had not been contained and the drought had not been alleviated... given the accumulated tensions between the military and civilians over the past few years, the powerful clans of Longxi would have already joined forces to drive out Ma Teng and Han Sui.

The seeds of conflict have already been sown; now it is simply time for them to blossom and bear fruit.

Xin Pi pondered the various possibilities that might occur. Ma Chao himself had returned some time ago, but Ma Chao's army had not yet returned.

Compared to Ma Teng, Ma Chao definitely had a better relationship with Zhao Ji.

Xin Pi had to analyze the various impacts that would result from Ma Teng and Ma Chao leading their troops to participate in the siege of Jincheng.

While Han Sui certainly held a solid influence among the rebel forces in Xiliang and could easily draw in allied forces from the Qiang tribes of Hehuang and the four prefectures of Hexi, Ma Teng also wielded considerable influence among the Han and Hu chieftains in the Hehuang and Hexi regions.

Jincheng, which Han Sui was defending, was a fortified and large city, so he was not afraid of a strong attack by the besieging forces.

Therefore, Xin Pi was worried that after Ma Teng led his army to participate in the war, he could offset Han Sui's influence in the Hehuang and Hexi regions, causing the Han-Hu allied forces, which were already showing signs of splitting and internal strife.

Xinpi pondered for a moment and saw a dozen or so sika deer startled and darting out of the forest, heading straight for the flat, grassy area in the ravine.

He immediately spurred his horse to give chase. The cold wind blew against his face as the Sinpi man drew his bowstring taut on horseback, aiming at the small herd of deer.

The Zhao brothers lost interest in continuing the discussion and urged their horses to give chase, each wanting to draw their bows and shoot the deer.

Xinpi's horse was fast, and he shot an arrow that hit the deer's hind leg. The deer's speed immediately decreased, and Xinpi also slowed his horse down. After closing the distance by more than ten paces, he shot another arrow, which struck the deer in the side of its chest.

Seeing that the arrow had hit a vital spot, Xinpi triumphantly put away his bow and reined in his horse to check on the others.

The Zhao brothers paid no attention to Xin Pi, each chasing after the nearest deer and firing arrows.

The impromptu hunting trip thus came to a close with everyone enjoying themselves.

Kexinpi had no interest in eating venison; he was more interested in finding an opportunity to meet Ma Teng.

Ma Teng still has some integrity in this regard. If Ma Teng dares to arrest him, then he should be prepared for war.

Given Ma Teng's current status and situation, even if he were captured and sent to Jinyang, what could he possibly gain in return?
Therefore, Xin Pi was full of confidence and, with a young deer he had hunted, prepared to meet Ma Teng and discuss their views on the changing situation of the world.

(End of this chapter)