Tiger Guards

Chapter 674 Blocking from both sides
"Report~!"

Two envoys, one chief and one deputy, came together, moving slowly from one side against the advancing allied chariots and cavalry.

In the narrowest parts of the mountain valleys, the width is less than twenty steps.

Fortunately, the mountains on both sides are steep, making it difficult to ambush them; even if there were ambushes, they could only block the road with arrows and throwing objects, and would not be able to rush down to join the pursuit.

As the army marched, Zhao Ji observed the various pine trees, poplar trees, and willow groves on both sides of the road, all covered in snow.

They felt that the place was extremely dangerous, and completely abandoned their idea of ​​dividing their forces to attack the Hehuang region.

He had never been to the Hehuang region, but judging from the terrain of Longyou, he knew that the Hehuang region was also very harsh.

If the climate in the Hehuang region were better than that in Longyou, then the Hehuang region would have long ago had multiple prefectures or large, densely populated counties.

Unfortunately, among the three geographical units of Liangzhou, the most economically developed were either the four prefectures of Hexi or the prefectures of Longyou, and never the Hehuang region.

Anything related to the Hehuang region is inevitably related to various rebellions by the Qiang people.

As he pondered, a messenger approached from the front: "Grand Tutor, the rebel army in the Hehuang region has fled upon hearing the news, and the defeated general Yan Xing has led his remaining three thousand men to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng turned to observe Zhao Ji, who then looked at the cavalryman: "Ma Mengqi's firm defense of Zhang County has allowed our army to calmly quell the chaos in Longyou. I've heard that Ma Mengqi has a grudge against Yan Xing. Go and ask Yan Xing if he would dare to surrender if I handed him over to Ma Mengqi. If he is willing, I will accept his surrender."

At this moment, Ma Teng coughed twice and said, "Grand Tutor, how can personal grudges ruin the affairs of the state? Yan Xing is a famous scholar of Xizhou. He surrendered to protect his people. If he is killed, it will be detrimental to the Grand Tutor's reputation, and my family will also bear the infamy of killing a righteous man."

Zhao Ji nodded slowly, but still looked at the envoy: "My meaning remains unchanged. I will also convey the words of Duke Shoucheng to Yan Xing. I will also tell Yan Xing that if killing can bring peace to Liangzhou for a hundred years, then I will not hesitate to kill."

Seeing that Ma Teng did not express any further opinion, Qi Dang immediately nodded solemnly: "I obey!"

Seeing Zhao Ji nod, the rider pulled the reins, turned the horse around, and came to the roadside. Someone had already brought him a spare horse, and a new charioteer was also in place.

The chariot was still moving slowly forward. Zhao Ji stopped observing the snow-covered mountains on both sides and said to Ma Teng with emotion, "Since the start of the war, I have come to realize how treacherous the terrain of Longyou is. If I had known this earlier, I would not have been so aggressive."

"Grand Tutor, you are too modest."

Ma Teng spoke calmly and composedly, saying, "The chaos in Xizhou began in Liangzhou. Now, Han and Qiang people live together, and most of the people are subordinate to local leaders. Moreover, they are driven by profit and disregard morality. They are now mixed Qiang people, but will be Han people in the future. They have long forgotten the dignity of the court. In my opinion, only the heroic methods of a Grand Tutor can restore order and rebuild people's hearts and morality."

Liangzhou was a place of sorrow for Ma Teng, but he wouldn't have much emotional attachment to it.

Having already decided to go to court, he naturally wouldn't show any reluctance or concern for Liangzhou.

Fearing that his words might arouse Zhao Ji's suspicion and distrust, he expressed his support for Zhao Ji's ruthless methods to deal with the people of Liangzhou.

Seeing how well-behaved Ma Teng was, Zhao Ji would not be careless.

In other words, Ma Teng didn't go to Jinyang now. If he had stayed in Jinyang, it would have been his turn to worry day and night.

In contrast, Zhao Ji simply smiled.

The convoy traveled another seven or eight miles to a relatively flat and open area, where many sleds and armored vehicles stopped to rest.

Zhao Ji was no exception. Inside the newly erected curtain, a campfire was burning, and around the campfire were some freshly cut horse meat skewers. By glancing at the color and fibers, Zhao Ji could recognize that this was horse meat, not beef or something similar to beef.

Near the battlefield, it is best not to eat beef given by others, nor to pick up meat that resembles beef.

Zhao Ji removed his scarf as he approached the campfire and said to Wen Hui, who was carrying hot tea, "Wenman, convey my teachings: order Xiangwu County to be renamed Wushan County. It's all mountains; a new name is fitting. Also, appoint Han Shu as General Xinglongxiang." "Yes, sir."

Wen Hui served hot tea and immediately began drafting the relevant records. Once the time was right, he conveyed the document to Zhuge Jin, the Chief Clerk stationed in Tianshui, who then sent it to Jinyang for implementation.

Even Wen Hui was somewhat envious of Han Shu's rapid rise in rank.

In fact, the title of General Longxiang can still be loosely classified as a miscellaneous title, but it is on par with and symmetrical to Hubu, so it has special significance at this moment.

Han Shu's promotion cannot be described as a formal appointment; rather, his forces now have a more official designation and will be a permanent general's headquarters. The soldiers will naturally come from the various Hu tribes who serve in rotation in the four commanderies of Shuofang.

Zhao Ji blew on the tea and held the tea bowl in his hands to warm them.

Let alone the tea offered by Wen Hui, even if his two good elder brothers brewed tea for him and offered it to him, Zhao Ji would not drink a drop.

Ma Teng didn't have so many rules; being under someone else's roof, he didn't dare to be particular about so many things.

So after accepting the teacup from Zhang Wei and thanking him, he took small sips, and his upper body, which had been almost frozen, began to recover quickly.

On the other side, as Wen Hui was drafting the document, Zhang Wei came over and asked, "Brother Wenman, why does the Grand Tutor suddenly want to change Xiangwu's name? This reason seems a bit far-fetched."

"Gongyou may not know that Zhao Taifu served as the governor of Dingxiang County twice."

Wen Hui offered a word of advice, then continued writing, though he wrote rather slowly due to the cold.

As a member of a prominent family in Taiyuan, he was naturally aware of Zhao Yan's career path.

Zhao Yan failed to rise to prominence during the reign of Emperor Huan, who championed Taoism, and was thus placed on a blacklist, serving in various counties including Yunzhong, Wuyuan, Yanmen, Daijun, northern Taiyuan, and Dingxiangjun.

He served as the governor of Dingxiang Prefecture twice. Dingxiang Prefecture only had three counties, which was basically the same as the four prefectures in Yunzhong Prefecture, and had long been vacant.

In fact, Yanmen is almost empty, having been largely eroded by the people of Taiyuan.

For decades, the governors of Yanmen County were mostly from Taiyuan. It is easy to imagine what Yanmen County would become.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei immediately nodded and thanked Wen Hui.

He also secretly resolved that after the war, he must carefully inquire about and understand the various taboos of the Zhao family, so as not to bring trouble upon himself and implicate his family.

After warming himself by the fire, Zhao Ji began to study various military books.

His officers and soldiers also needed rest, and the hungry horses needed to be fed and recuperated.

This temporary rest is in preparation for launching an even more powerful attack next.

Han Sui had too many troops, and they were all concentrated in one place. Zhao Ji wanted to be like a gluttonous snake, chasing after them, taking a bite, digesting them completely, and then chasing after them to take another bite.

Otherwise, with so many prisoners and in such harsh conditions, many of these skilled laborers would have died inexplicably.

Just as Han Shu bypassed Yan Xing's defeated troops and pursued Han Sui's various forces deep into the territory.

Seventy miles away in Zhang County, Ma Chao and Zhu Ling abandoned their cities and camps, and deployed their troops in the fields and roads on both sides of the river, waiting for the arrival of Han Sui's rebel army.

They had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack. If they were going to eat, they wanted to catch fish with a net and catch as many fish as possible!
(End of this chapter)