Tiger Guards

Chapter 654 No choice
At Shanggui City, Zhang Wei led his 500 elite troops to rush there in an attempt to take up a position.

However, the defenders on the city walls were completely unaware that Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu had sent troops to assist in the battle, nor had they received prior instructions from Zhao Ang.

However, after Zhao Ji continued to break through and forced the Qiang people guarding the cattle, sheep and supplies at the crossing point on the north bank to surrender, Shanggui finally opened the city gates and allowed Zhang Wei and more than 500 men, as well as boats and sailors, to enter the city.

Zhang Wei quickly climbed the North Gate Tower and looked out over the north bank.

The sun was high in the sky, its rays scorching the eyes.

Zhang Wei pointed to the scattered boats moored on the mudflats and at the makeshift dock on the south bank: "Quickly send troops to gather the boats, either tow them all ashore or let them float downstream, so they won't be used by the enemy!"

The garrison commander of Shanggui frowned and felt panicked. Seeing that Zhang Wei's words made sense, he said in a mournful voice, "The officials and soldiers in the city have suddenly encountered a great change. Now the soldiers have no will to fight. I beg the general to send troops out of the city and gather the boats."

Zhang Wei shook his head: "Our army has come at double speed and is already extremely exhausted and in dire need of rest. Where would we find the strength to go out of the city to retrieve the ships?"

After a pause, Zhang Wei explained, "My brother Zhang Gongqi and Zhang Xiu, the prefect of Hanzhong, were ordered by Liu Gong of Yizhou to lead their troops out of Qishan Pass to cooperate with Zhao Weizhang in attacking the traitor Zhao Ji. However, Zhang Xiu is cowardly and colludes with the traitor Zhao. Before our army even left Qishan Pass, the traitor Zhao had already led his army through Longshan Jieting!"

The garrison commander was shocked and asked urgently, "How did you know such a secret, General?"

"Thank God, my brother intercepted Zhang Xiu's messenger... Otherwise, my brother and I would have been killed by that traitor Zhang Xiu!"

Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and stared at the defending general: "The Zhao bandits are swift in their military campaigns and have won every battle. In my opinion, for the sake of the officials and people of Shanggui, I urge you, General, to quickly gather your boats so that the Zhao bandits cannot cross the river... We can then protect the people and retreat to Hanzhong. If the situation changes in the future, it will not be too late to march out of Qishan to punish the bandits!"

While the garrison commander hesitated, Zhang Wei sneered, "My brother has already killed the traitor Zhang Xiu and is about to lead the army back to Hanzhong. I came to Shanggui for no other reason than to monitor the movements of the Zhao rebel army. I can leave at any time, but the general must consider the long-term future of the men and women in the city. As far as I know, once the Zhao rebels break through the city, all the men and women, regardless of social status, will be reduced to slaves!"

The garrison commander now came to his senses and immediately said, "General, please rest and recuperate with your officers and soldiers. I will immediately send someone to slaughter an ox as a reward. The boats outside the city will also be collected and burned."

Since they're no longer needed, even if the boats are sent downstream, they won't drift very far before being salvaged by the bandits and put back into service.

Only by dragging them all ashore and burning them all in one go can we delay Zhao Ji's crossing of the river and buy time for the officials and people of Shanggui and the surrounding areas to retreat into Hanzhong!

It's better to be a traveler in Hanzhong than to be a government slave or tenant under Zhao Ji!
Given his family's situation, he might not even be able to become a government slave or a government tenant, and would most likely be sent to a mine or a harsh, cold place to serve as a government slave... It would be a blessing if he could be selected as a suicide soldier.

The garrison commander calmed down and regained some of his composure during the conversation.

Some of the fear he felt towards Zhao Ji was also dispelled.

If we burn the surrounding boats, we'll have a chance to retreat into Hanzhong.

No matter how terrifying a tiger is, it becomes less terrifying when it's kept in a cage.

If you can't put a tiger in a cage... then put yourself in a cage, and the tiger won't be so scary either.

As long as you're separated from a tiger by a fence, you're safe whether you're dancing wildly or fast asleep.

The garrison commander no longer had any doubts and immediately dispatched fresh troops from the city to gather the boats and prepare to set them on fire.

Zhang Wei remained on the north city wall, observing the situation inside the city from time to time. The city was already in chaos, and in order to maintain order, some local powerful tribes had to attack and kill the Qiang and Di tribes from Longnan who had entered the city to rest.

Before the ships outside the city could gather and set fire to the city, some frivolous individuals inside the city began attempting to set fire to create chaos. This might have been to facilitate their looting and enrichment, or it might have been to seize the city amidst the chaos as a way to advance their careers.

Zhang Wei remained calm, but one of his trusted confidants couldn't help but ask, "Master, many of Shanggui's capable soldiers have gone out of the city to burn the ships, and chaos has already broken out inside the city. Although our army is small, we can still capture the city in one fell swoop. Why are you hesitating, Master?"

"I'm thinking about my mother."

Zhang Wei sighed, "If we seize Shanggui and offer it to Grand Tutor Zhao, my brother and I will certainly be highly valued by him. But what about the families of those held hostage in Chengdu? How can they escape unscathed?" The confidant glanced around and whispered, "Zhang Xiu is foolishly loyal, yet he is so distrusted. The Grand Tutor and the Master are quite popular, but how can that last? It would be better to temporarily submit to Grand Tutor Zhao and take control of the strategic pass of Hanzhong. I doubt Liu Jiyu would dare to harm our families then."

Although he also had family members in Chengdu, his wife in those chaotic times was not his parents or siblings, so why should he worry about her too much?

If I were to be executed, wouldn't my wife just become someone else's wife?

Zhang Wei frowned, his usually calm expression turning troubled. He didn't want to think about these things; these difficult matters should be left to his elder brother, Zhang Lu, to consider.

Hanzhong is definitely something we need to seize, but we need to figure out how to seize it.

The question is whether to continue to rely on Liu Zhang and replace Zhang Xiu in governing Hanzhong, or to rely on Zhao Ji and become the vanguard force for Zhao Ji's management and conquest of Yizhou.

If it's the former, then if Liu Zhang could deal with Zhang Xiu this way, he would also find a way to deal with his brothers.

Since they were subordinate to Liu Zhang, Liu Zhang could easily place his people in Hanzhong; he might even be able to eliminate them in the next war, or even before a war began.

Especially regarding Zhang Xiu, whether he arrives in Chengdu alive or dies on the way, he will become an unstable factor between the brothers and Liu Zhang.

If they temporarily submit to Zhao Ji, they can actually negotiate with the Chengdu authorities.

Even if they couldn't redeem their family members, it would make the Chengdu authorities hesitant to harm them.

After figuring this out, Zhang Wei looked at another trusted confidant and asked, "What do you think?"

The man gave a bitter smile: "With the intelligence of the chief priest, he can naturally figure it out..."

"What do you want to understand?"

"Why did Master Shi choose the Chief of the Imperial Academy when he could send someone else to seize Shanggui?"

The man looked depressed and had no smile on his face. His tone was also dry: "There is only the principle of surrendering to the powerful but not to the weak. At the age of Libationer, if you do not surrender to the Grand Tutor now, are you going to follow Liu Jiyu and surrender to the Grand Tutor in a few years or a dozen years? As for our family members, even if we are killed, it is not the fault of Libationer, but the fault of Liu Jiyu."

Zhang Wei felt that this guy hadn't made himself clear, and he really didn't have the mind to ponder it slowly, so he glared at him and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

“The Chief Priest and the Master are brothers. Now that the Master cannot make the decision, only the Chief Priest can make it.”

The man, devoid of any interest in life, glanced sideways at the city gates and said, "If we don't act now, it will be too late."

Zhang Wei suddenly realized something. He didn't want to take any risks, but considering Grand Tutor Zhao's reputation, he thought it would be possible for his brothers to use his influence to force Liu Zhang to refrain from killing anyone.

However, if the deterrence fails and Liu Zhang executes the hostages left behind by various families on a large scale, the resulting resentment among the followers and the army will be something he will have to bear.

Zhang Wei didn't care about that; he cared more about his mother's safety.

If I lose the bet, my mother is killed, and I have to endure the accusations from the church members and the military... it's all just a drop in the ocean, nothing to worry about.

Anyway, he had no intention of replacing his elder brother. At worst, he would just give up his pitiful military power and lead his trusted followers to expand his territory on his own.

After thinking it through, Zhang Wei took a deep breath: "Let's do it. If the ships are burned, I can't afford to bear the Grand Tutor's wrath."

"Here."

(End of this chapter)