Tiger Guards

Chapter 660 Destroying Deterrence
After Zhang Lu and Zhang Wei visited Zhao Ji in Xinyang County on the north bank of the Wei River, they crossed the Wei River that afternoon and returned to Shanggui.

Shanggui City had already been handed over, and Zhang Lu's more than 8,000 Hanzhong soldiers could only be stationed outside the city.

In the military camp, Zhang Lu looked worried and troubled.

It is now clear that Zhao Ji captured and killed no fewer than 30,000 people on the north bank of the Wei River alone, beheaded approximately 3,000, and built a mound of skulls near the north bank of the Wei River.

Including the powerful officials, commoners, men and women who rebelled in Shanggui City, Zhao Ji needed to suppress nearly 70,000 people here.

However, Zhang Lu believed that Zhao Ji's forces were already stretched thin.

With the cooperation of Jiang Xu, Wang Qi and Han Shu had completely surrounded Ji City, but they had only managed a full siege and had not yet managed to capture it.

This means that the powerful local forces in Jicheng are still holding back Zhao Ji's main army. Zhao Ji is currently suppressing and managing prisoners who are ten times his size with about six or seven thousand men. Since the Hanzhong troops left Qishankou, they have not fought any formal wars. It is no exaggeration to say that they are a fresh force.

Zhao Ji had six or seven thousand men who had experienced war and needed to suppress and manage seventy thousand prisoners of war, but there were still more than eight thousand Hanzhong soldiers who were still in high spirits.

At this moment, these thoughts collided repeatedly in Zhang Lu's mind. If he simply withdrew his troops, he could certainly obtain the Empress Dowager's edict and take over Hanzhong as the Prefect of Hanzhong.

But the more Zhang Lu pondered, the more unwilling he became.

Zhao Ji sent troops to take over Shanggui, while he himself remained on the north bank of the Wei River. This was in itself a reaction of being wary of the troops in Hanzhong.

He didn't ask his brother for the key hostage. How should this be interpreted? ... It can be understood that Zhao Ji didn't covet Hanzhong. How could he not want more after getting what he wanted?
Therefore, this matter can be understood as Zhao Ji lacking confidence and being afraid of angering himself.

Zhang Lu grew angrier the more he thought about it, feeling intimidated by Zhao Ji's empty reputation.

As for the complete annihilation of the more than 30,000 Han and Qiang allied troops in Longnan that Zhao Ang led... Zhang Lu himself looked down on such a rabble. In terms of morale and obedience, this rabble could not compare with his followers and troops.

Putting everything else aside, these eight thousand-plus soldiers from Hanzhong, while unlikely to fight to the death alongside their brothers, can at least manage to lose half of them.

Seeing that Zhang Lu was getting angrier and angrier, Zhang Wei didn't want to cause any conflict with him, so he called Yan Pu over instead.

When Yan Pu arrived, he was carrying a jar of wine. Seeing Zhang Lu's depressed and anxious appearance, he asked, "Master, why are you so indignant?"

"Oh~!"

Zhang Lu sighed deeply, wanting to say something but feeling embarrassed, so he turned slightly away from Yan Pu, gritting his teeth: "Ugh!"

"Master, you may tell us a few things, and the Chief Priest and I can offer some suggestions."

Yan Pu stepped forward with the wine jar to pour wine for Zhang Lu. The wine was poured into a lacquered wooden bowl, and the tent was immediately filled with a refreshing and sweet aroma that stimulated the appetite.

Zhang Lu then turned around and said, "My dissatisfaction lies in the fact that Grand Tutor Zhao's army only numbers six or seven thousand, yet he has divided his troops to detain more than seventy thousand men, women, and soldiers who followed the rebellion, while my army numbers no less than eight thousand. Yet he has humbled himself to curry favor with Grand Tutor Zhao, hence my resentment."

"Furthermore, regarding the matter of Chengdu, our army has come from afar without experiencing a single battle. If we were to return to Hanzhong now, we fear we would be looked down upon by Liu Zhang."

At this point, Zhang Lu composed himself and his expression became serious: "If Liu Zhang looks down on our army and thinks that I and my officers and soldiers are all cowards who dare not fight, then my mother and the families of the officers and soldiers will be in danger."

Not getting the spoils he wanted was only one reason for Zhang Lu's anger and dissatisfaction; another reason was that he had not established any significant achievements.

When Zhang Lu led his troops from Hanzhong into Qin Chuan, the things he did that would be recorded and discussed by the world were that he assassinated Zhang Xiu and seized military power, and also attacked and seized Shanggui, becoming Zhao Ji's accomplice and henchman.

Although when he divided his troops to seize Shanggui, Zhao Ang, who was crossing the Wei River to the north, had just suffered a complete defeat.

Outsiders, however, would not see it that way, and the powerful clans of Tianshui would not accept this fact. Therefore, it was highly likely that the rumor would spread that it was Zhang Lu who seized Shanggui, cutting off Zhao Ang's retreat route on the north bank and causing his army's morale to waver, allowing Zhao Ji to launch a successful attack. In this scenario, Zhang Lu would not only bear the immoral charge of assassinating his superior Zhang Xiu, but also the infamy of turning against his own side in battle and causing the annihilation of his allied main force.

It's one thing to have a bad reputation and a long list of misdeeds, but the other is to lack any deterrent effect, which is fatal.

Zhang Lu looked worried; he knew Liu Zhang all too well.

If the Hanzhong soldiers could experience major battles, achieve some results, and demonstrate their adaptability to warfare as well as their fanatical and ruthless nature, then Liu Zhang and the officials of Yizhou would naturally not dare to easily harm the families of the high-ranking military officers of the Hanzhong soldiers.

This is important; only by demonstrating deterrence and offering attractive incentives can they force Liu Zhang to take the initiative to communicate with them and resolve the hostage issue through negotiations.

When Zhang Lu was brooding alone, he was thinking about the difference in troop strength between himself and Zhao Ji's central army... Such thoughts are best kept to himself; even if he were to increase the number of his Hanzhong troops to three or five times, he would not dare to easily engage Zhao Ji in battle.

After Yan Pu started and steered the conversation, Zhang Lu regained his objective thinking and immediately realized that the biggest weakness was the lack of destructive power that Liu Zhang feared.

The destructive power of war is not determined by how loud you are or how harsh your words are, but by your ability to command troops.

If one is skilled in military strategy, one can naturally train a ragtag army into an elite force.

After Zhang Lu expressed his concerns, Zhang Wei realized that he had been short-sighted... He had never realized that the Hanzhong troops currently lacked the ability to deter external forces, nor did they have the ability to deter Chengdu.

Zhang Wei, with five hundred men, captured Zhang Jin by deception and a sneak attack, and also captured Shanggui by means of deception and a sneak attack.

He thought he had acted very fiercely and aggressively, but this little thing did not increase the overall deterrent power of the Hanzhong troops.

Only by participating in major battles and achieving victories can one gain deterrent power.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Wei said, "Why not tell Grand Tutor Zhao the truth about your difficulties? I see that although the Grand Tutor is young, he is a wise and benevolent ruler. If you, brother, explain your difficulties, how could the Grand Tutor ignore you?"

Zhang Lu offered no comment, but instead looked at Yan Pu, who was holding a cup and taking a light sniff: "What do you think, sir?"

Yan Pu put down the wine bowl with both hands, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Grand Tutor's refusal to accept hostages from our army is truly benevolent. If our army were to switch sides and oppose Grand Tutor, we would face condemnation from both inside and outside the court, making it difficult to form an army, and we would have nowhere to stand in this vast land. In my opinion, Master Zhao should earnestly request that we offer hostages, and also ask Grand Tutor to send a capable general to supervise and protect the army in Hanzhong. In this way, Master Zhao can use Grand Tutor Zhao's power to force Liu Jiyu not to harm our army's families."

When necessary, this military supervisor, military advisor, or guard from under Grand Tutor Zhao can also be politely escorted out of the country.

Caught between Zhao Ji and Liu Zhang, the most important thing is to redeem the hostages, seize Hanzhong before Liu Zhang can react, control Hanzhong, and then act according to the changing situation.

Even if one doesn't achieve any outstanding feats, one can still use Hanzhong as leverage to obtain a duke or marquis position.

In order to redeem the hostages from Liu Zhang, it is understandable to temporarily expel the military supervisor or guardian sent by Zhao Ji.

Yan Pu described another operational plan and route. Zhang Wei listened and nodded repeatedly. He didn't care about secession in Hanzhong. He only wanted to save his family. This was also the urgent need of many core military officers and key members of the Five Pecks of Rice sect.

Zhang Lu's anxiety quickly dissipated. Ultimately, his anxiety stemmed from the moral and emotional guilt he felt due to his inability to reliably redeem the hostages, as well as from Zhao Ji's rejection of the hostages.

In fact, as long as Zhao Ji had taken the hostage, Zhang Lu would feel at ease.

If you take hostages and then defect, the moral pressure isn't that great; everyone is just following the rules.

If Zhao Ji does not take hostages and treats them with sincerity, and then focuses on defecting, it could really lead to the split and collapse of the Five Pecks of Rice sect.

(End of this chapter)