Tiger Guards

Chapter 664 Man Suffers Without Feet
That night, Zhao Ji reviewed the military dispatches and battle reports sent by the generals at the front.

This is primarily from the perspective of these generals, recording their view of how the battle unfolded.

Zhao Ji looked through Zhu Ling's battle report, but it was blank.

"Zhu Wenbo was very dissatisfied."

Zhao Ji tossed Zhu Ling's battle report to Wei Kai, who caught it with both hands, glanced at the blank document, and subconsciously asked, "Grand Tutor, could it be that someone has tampered with it to frame Zhu Wenbo?"

"What's so bad about harming someone? Am I such a violent person who kills indiscriminately in a fit of rage?"

Zhao Ji countered, looking at Wei Ji: "Bo Yu, you draft a letter asking him how much he has wronged that he cannot express it in military or official documents!"

"Yes, I will immediately send a messenger to inquire about this matter."

Wei Kai stood up, holding Zhu Ling's battle report, and asked cautiously, "Should we warn Zhang Junyi and his generals to prevent them from being attacked unexpectedly?"

"Don't escalate the situation. If he's truly wronged, go and find out for him. I'll give him a chance to clear his name. If he wants to die, then attack Zhang He and Zhang Xiu."

Zhao Ji then turned around and asked those behind him, "Where should Zilong be?"

Wen Hui stood up and answered decisively: "I have not heard of any heavy snowfall in eastern Wuwei. There are no weather surprises. I suppose General Zilong is marching a hundred li every day and is proceeding in an orderly manner."

"We can't wait any longer. Nothing in this world is perfect."

Zhao Ji took out a tiger tally and handed it to Wen Hui: "Draft a military dispatch and send orders to Han Shu and Wang Qi. I want to have tea in Jicheng tomorrow at noon."

"Here."

Wen Hui bowed and stepped forward, extending both hands to receive the tiger tally, and immediately began to write the corresponding military orders.

While waiting, Wei Ji brought over a draft, asking Zhu Ling in Zhao Ji's tone and comforting her, explaining that the blank military dispatch was a sign of Zhu Ling's resentment.

In fact, harboring resentment towards Grand Tutor Zhao, who had risen to power, was already a grave offense.

After reading the draft, Zhao Ji, relying on his intuition, said, "The tone is too weak. Tell him directly that I have arrived and order him to cooperate with Zhang Xiu to march on Jincheng immediately. If he hesitates, I will send Zhao Rong's head to his army tomorrow afternoon."

"Here."

Wei Ji readily agreed and immediately went to revise the new draft.

He didn't care whether this harsh order would scare Zhu Ling into rebellion or suicide; he was only responsible for carrying it out.

Having fought so many battles alongside Zhao Ji, Wei Kai also developed a kind of blind confidence.

When Zhu Ling withdrew his troops from Jincheng, he abandoned a large amount of baggage, and now his supplies depend on the allocation from Zhang He and Ma Chao.

If Zhu Ling dares to rebel under these circumstances, we must immediately attack Zhang He or Ma Chao in Zhang County, otherwise we will run out of food.

But Zhao Ji has already arrived in Tianshui. If Zhu Ling dares to betray him, his own men will dare to kidnap Zhu Ling!

Having fought so many battles, Zhao Ji already had confidence in this regard.

There was almost no need for Zhao Ji to meticulously calculate the changing trends in morale; based on his intuition, he believed that Zhu Ling's troops would take decisive action.

With his dazzling military prestige, Zhao Ji trusted the lower and middle-ranking officers and soldiers in the army more than the senior generals.

Wei Ji took the final draft to look for a suitable envoy, while Wen Hui brought Zhao Ji a teapot, which Zhao Ji then poured himself a bowl of milk tea.

Zhao Ji sniffed the milk tea, blew on it, and seeing Wen Hui still beside him, asked, "Wen Man, is there anything else?"

"Is the Grand Tutor worried about unrest in Jinyang?"

"Yes, people are never satisfied. Once they have something, they want more. When will they ever be content?"

Zhao Ji answered softly, now he somewhat understood Liu Yu's difficulties and also envied Liu Bang's good fortune.

Since the old man took charge of Jinyang, I was able to go out on campaigns with peace of mind, without worrying about the house burning down. But the old man is getting old, and I, leading the troops in the field, don't need a backup plan.

In Jinyang, there has been no suitable candidate to serve as a backup in case of an emergency.

Jia Xu was no good, nor was Zhang Chang, who had already been killed.

Zhang Hong is a good candidate, but he must stay in the Pingyang camp and work with Pei Xiu to stabilize the army and maintain firm control over it.

This way, no matter what happens in Luoyang or Jinyang, the stability of the army can be guaranteed, and the ability to respond to emergencies can be maintained.

Otherwise, the army in the Pingyang camp would be usurped, becoming the biggest source of fire.

Zhao Ji pondered for a moment, then looked up at the blackened roof and beams: "It was too hasty. Grandfather shouldn't have worked so hard. After we get Han Sui's head, I'll withdraw my troops and leave Liangzhou to you."

Sensing Zhao Ji's worry, and with Wen Hui's intelligence, he even guessed that Zhao Ji would lead dozens of cavalry to rapidly retreat from Liangzhou, return to Pingyang at an incredible speed, and appear before everyone.

Just as Wei Kai did not offer any opinions, Wen Hui did not express any opinions after listening.

After thinking for a moment, Wen Hui said, "Grand Tutor is benevolent and filial. In my opinion, we should issue an order to all prefectures tomorrow to prepare horses at post stations along the way."

"No need. There are treacherous officials in the Three Auxiliary Regions who have leaked my whereabouts. If Zhang Lu hadn't turned against us with his own selfish motives, we wouldn't have been able to keep it from the people of Tianshui and Han Sui. Otherwise, the battle wouldn't have gone so smoothly. If I were to be tied up here and things were to change in Jinyang, we would all become homeless dogs."

Jinyang is very important, with the title of Empress Regent and the legitimacy of the eldest son, Liu Feng, being crucial!

Zhao Ji lowered his head and sniffed the milk tea again, seemingly hesitant to drink it.

If Zhao Ji hadn't wiped out Zhao Ang's more than 30,000 men who carelessly crossed the river, he wouldn't have stayed until now. The battle was going too smoothly for him, so smoothly that he couldn't bear to leave.

With a little manipulation and a few days of planning, Han Sui could be lured into a trap; even if Han Sui remained inactive, once we had fully rested and settled the surrendered soldiers and prisoners, we could deliver a powerful blow to Han Sui's head.

Therefore, the spoils of war were so abundant that Zhao Ji was reluctant to give them up easily.

Seeing Zhao Ji's anxious expression, Wen Hui couldn't help but swallow hard. He had already thought of the most likely person to leak the information.

Even without empirical evidence... such things require actual proof?

If Zhang Chang's unexpected death were to lead to the killing of another high-ranking official, it would naturally undermine the legitimacy and influence of the Empress Regent.

However, Wen Hui felt that he shouldn't be so hasty in killing them, as it would discourage many people within the organization.

Unless irrefutable evidence is obtained.

No one would be foolish enough to leave evidence. Wen Hui hesitated, then forced himself to shut up.

He was, after all, from Taiyuan, not from Hedong, and therefore had no right to participate in the internal power struggles within Hedong.

Zhao Ji's decision to support the Empress as regent naturally drew opposition from traditional scholars in Hedong, a move that had crossed the line of their duty as ministers.

The older generation was the least tolerant; while the younger generation of scholars were not so stubborn.

The true defenders of the Way in Hedong have all died out long ago, or they were either from the Tiger Guards.

If a young defender of morality comes from the Tiger Warriors... he will actually have flexible principles when facing Zhao Ji.

If these people knew that Jo Ki and the Queen had reached a firm oath and tacit understanding, they would naturally actively support the Regent Queen.

Seeing that Wen Hui had tactfully withdrawn, Zhao Ji took a small sip of milk tea, his face expressionless.

The internal enemies are far more hateful and unforgivable than any rebels in Tianshui or Hehuang.

Zhao Ji blinked, and couldn't help but recall the old man's evaluation... He was ultimately not ruthless enough; otherwise, he should have eliminated this useless person who posed a threat at the beginning of the year.

Hidden executions are a fine tradition.

(End of this chapter)