Tiger Guards

Chapter 688 Hard to explain
Chang'an was a large city, and many areas had become ruins.

Before the imperial court moved to Chang'an, many areas inside and outside the city had already been abandoned.

During Dong Zhuo's rule, the city of Chang'an was filled with people from both inside and outside Luodu, which enabled Chang'an to develop.

After Dong Zhuo was killed, the ensuing chaos of war among the armies exacerbated the destruction of Chang'an.

Then came a severe drought in the Three Auxiliary Regions, and Li Jue and Guo Si fought each other, and Chang'an returned to its previous state.

During Pei Mao's tenure as the Prefect of Jingzhao, all he could do was collect the various skeletons in Chang'an. He had neither the time nor the manpower to restore the city's various buildings.

Even the city walls were repeatedly damaged and collapsed, lacking the manpower to repair them.

The population of Guanzhong was already scarce, so all Pei Mao could do was set up wooden fences at various collapsed sites to prevent wild animals from roaming into the city and trampling and eating the cultivated land.

Therefore, when Ma Zhong led twelve riders, one man and three horses, to the western city of Chang'an, Pei Mao's side was completely unaware.

Wugong was very close to Chang'an, and Ma Zhong would issue a road closure order every time he passed a post station.

Although he did not have the relevant authorization, his group of thirteen riders were all dressed in bright armor and civil and military robes, and came from the west with a fierce look. How could the postmasters along the way dare to ask any questions?
Ma Zhong did not go through the main gate of Chang'an City. Instead, he broke through the wooden fence at the nearest collapsed section of the city wall, and he and his thirteen riders galloped straight towards the county army camp in the northwest corner of the city.

Outside the county soldiers' camp were fields that the soldiers had cultivated during their rest periods, where they had planted winter wheat. Now, the fields were covered with snow and stretched out flat.

When Ma Zhong's thirteen riders broke through the wooden fence and entered the city, they were spotted by the county soldiers on the watchtower of the military camp. After a brief observation, they informed the Commandant Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng was a senior member of the Tiger Guard, but when he was ordered to deal with the Wang family of Taiyuan, he failed to preserve the roster. At the same time, the Taiyuan Wang family members who were detained and guarded by Wang Cheng set fire to themselves, making it difficult to identify their charred bodies, which led to Zhao Ji targeting him.

Therefore, although he had extensive experience, he did not participate in several key battles, so his achievements were not that high.

His promotion to Commandant of the Northern Capital of Jingzhao was due to two main reasons: first, his seniority was so high that he was due for a promotion; second, Pei Mao made efforts to ensure Wang Cheng's appointment.

The original Northern Commandant had been transferred elsewhere after gaining military merit by leading troops in the campaign against the Hu. This is why Wang Cheng arrived first and then later to fill the vacancy left by his former subordinate.

There were also relevant regulations for the training of county soldiers. In Zhao Ji's plan, county soldiers were the force for maintaining order, while prefectural soldiers were the force for suppressing bandits.

Therefore, county soldiers did not need to maintain the same high-intensity training as field troops, and could only assemble during the off-season for farming.

It was now the twelfth lunar month, and Wang Cheng, the Northern Commandant of Jingzhao, only had about seven hundred soldiers. Normally, he would only have less than two hundred soldiers, barely enough for patrols and sentry duties near Chang'an.

Under these circumstances, Pei Mao and Wang Cheng's attempt to increase the training intensity for the county soldiers would be met with opposition from the soldiers themselves, and would also directly arouse the vigilance of the magistrates and county officers of the surrounding counties.

Unless there is a direct rebellion, everything will be under surveillance and carried out in secret.

Unless they were to join field troops on a long expedition, this county garrison usually only had about a hundred sets of armor in their camp.

Even if these county soldiers rebelled, Ma Zhong would still dare to lead his twelve heavy cavalrymen in a direct charge against them!
When Wang Cheng received the news, he immediately froze on the spot, his mind completely blank.

When he was doing things with Pei Mao, he naturally had a place to vent his resentment. He could let out his frustration and anger, and it was really enjoyable to brag a little.

And now, the more enjoyable it was to boast back then, the more painful it is now.

"Captain?"

Wang Cheng seemed not to hear, so the on-duty officer who came to report had to raise his voice: "Captain?"

The officer's voice was so loud that Wang Cheng's hunting dogs, which were kept in the army, were startled and barked wildly at him, "Woof! Woof woof!"

Amid the barking of the dogs, Wang Cheng realized what was happening and feigned confusion: "Did you see clearly? It really is Grand Tutor's personal entourage dressed up?"

"They dare not be fake; all wore robes with open sleeves in crimson and purple, and rode on magnificent steeds."

The military officer was also puzzled: "Should we send a knight to inquire?"

"Hmm, go and select a squad of knights. I'll send someone to ask... Why would the Grand Tutor's personal cavalry come to Chang'an out of the blue?"

Wang Cheng muttered to himself, gesturing with his chin. The officer on duty bowed and said, "This humble officer takes his leave." "Mm."

Wang Cheng agreed, and after the other party turned and walked away until they were completely out of sight, Wang Cheng sat on the cold chair in a daze.

The chair, made of hardwood with a lacquered finish, was very sturdy and solid. When Wang Cheng rested his elbow on the armrest, he immediately felt that the chair was very cold.

The icy coldness that came through the skin alerted Wang Cheng, who suddenly looked down at the handrail, then reluctantly stroked it with his hand.

He let out a long sigh, gripping the handrails tightly to support himself. His mouth felt dry. He turned and walked towards the inner room, his steps hesitant and slow.

Inside the room, he saw the sword rack hanging near the fire wall and remembered that he also carried a sword with him.

Instead of drawing his sword, he walked to the desk to grind ink. But then he felt that grinding ink was too slow, so he drew his sword directly at his left palm. As he gripped the sword with his left hand, he pulled it with his right hand, and his left hand was instantly slashed open.

Blood almost immediately slid down the blade from where he gripped the sword, and Wang Cheng seemed to have lost all feeling of pain.

He placed the sword on the right side of the table, reached for the pen, and let his left hand drip blood from the inkstone. At this moment, his gaze was indifferent, showing no yearning for life.

He knew very well that he was doomed.

Despite his frustrations and setbacks during the years he followed Zhao Ji, he had a wife, three concubines, and five children, one of whom was currently pregnant.

Only now has he realized that he had already possessed everything he had been pursuing about two years ago, but he had never cherished it. He even resorted to violence against his wives, concubines, and children to vent his frustration and anger.

Since his wives and concubines have been beaten to death, given his seniority, it wouldn't be difficult for him to remarry.

As long as you have wives and concubines, why worry about not having children?

Now, he will never have the chance to see his woman and children again.

Before he could be pessimistic, Wang Cheng dipped his pen in blood and wrote a letter of repentance to Zhao Ji on a piece of paper. He did not mention the current situation, but only wrote down the names of the dozen or so Wang family members who had advised him to let them go.

Too many people died at the time, and Wang Cheng was easily swayed. He listened to the other party's advice, found some corpses to impersonate, and burned them to a crisp.

After all, Zhao Ji and the imperial court might not have had the last laugh, and the Taiyuan gentry still had a chance to turn the tide.

As for what is happening now, Wang Cheng has no way of explaining it, nor can he explain it.

Just like back then, he was still afraid of the ever-growing power behind Pei Mao.

In truth, no matter how great that force was, it couldn't surpass Zhao Ji's.

The problem is that Wang Cheng has already separated from the group, and he cannot withstand the crushing power of Pei Mao.

If it were Han Shu, Wei Xing, Chang Mao, or Ximen Jian, and Pei Mao's men dared to bare their teeth, Han Shu and his men would dare to lead their personal guards to attack their door!

"By order of the Grand Tutor, take command of the troops of Jingzhao County!"

Ma Zhong, holding the order, galloped into the camp, followed closely by seven or eight knights on his left and right, with two knights behind him, shouting loudly at the county soldiers guarding the gate.

The county soldiers dared not resist and began to close the camp gates amidst shouts of reprimand.

Upon seeing this, the military officers within the county garrison system gathered their troops to watch without resisting or intercepting them, as Ma Zhong and his seven or eight riders charged straight towards the banner of the Northern Commandant.

Wang Cheng's personal guards dared not resist. Ma Zhong led his men straight into the camp, where they saw Wang Cheng had already slashed his neck with his sword, and streams of blood gushed out with each heartbeat.

In Ma Zhong's sight, Wang Cheng's bloodstained sword fell to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the few of Wang Cheng's personal guards who had followed Ma Zhong inside immediately felt guilty and panicked, collapsing to the ground in a panic.

(End of this chapter)