Tiger Guards

Chapter 695 The Young Man from Hedong
Jiting Pavilion is located on the north bank of the Fen River.

Wei Ji led more than twenty guards to this place and went straight to Ji Pavilion on the side of the road.

He spurred his horse into the earthen compound, then suddenly reined in his horse. Seeing the soldiers looking bewildered, he shouted, "Where is the village head?"

The deputy pavilion was filled by a strong, able-bodied man from the surrounding area. He was a capable person who was familiar with the surrounding villages and had the prestige and eloquence to mediate ordinary conflicts.

At this moment, more than twenty riders in fine clothes and riding spirited horses arrived, which even made the eloquent Deputy Pavilion Master somewhat apprehensive.

How many years has Hedong been stable?

The guards in the courtyard focused their attention on the deputy guard, a middle-aged man with a thick beard and a ring of fine stubble on his chin and sideburns. He stepped forward with a forced smile and asked, "May I ask who you are, sir?"

“The Shogunate’s official in charge of defense.”

Wei Kai showed his waist token, and the deputy pavilion chief immediately looked at him with admiration and bowed deeply: "Reporting to my superior, Pavilion Chief Han received a letter from home the day before yesterday and asked for leave to return home to attend the funeral. With Pavilion Chief Han absent, I will temporarily handle the affairs of Ji Pavilion. I wonder what instructions my superior has?"

"Change to twenty male horses, and immediately prepare hot soup and horse feed, with the best hay and feed!"

Wei Ji dismounted and didn't even look at the deputy pavilion chief. The two came from different backgrounds and had different perspectives. After this meeting, it would be very difficult for them to see each other again.

If it were a minor official, perhaps in his early twenties, Wei Ji would be happy to ask him a few questions.

But a middle-aged deputy pavilion chief... Wei Ji racked his brains but couldn't figure out how the other party would step forward.

Thanks to Zhao Ji's command of the battles and his valiant tactics of leading the charge to defeat the enemy, the military officers within the Jin army system did not suffer any significant disruption.

Thanks to a proactive and effective medical system, and Zhao Ji's strict defenses, the army avoided approximately two major plague attacks.

These factors combined to ensure that Zhao Ji's army continued to grow stronger, and that it had no shortage of loyal, brave, and capable junior and middle-ranking officers with a strong fighting spirit.

Compared to those outstanding young people, this middle-aged deputy pavilion chief had almost no advantage.

Being in the army, a great melting pot, junior and middle-ranking military officers can passively or actively learn all kinds of knowledge simply by staying in the military; but what can a deputy clerk do?
Aside from flattering and entertaining officials during welcoming and sending-off ceremonies, all that remained was mediating conflicts among those around them.

The best way out for the future is probably to become a village elder.

Wei Ji had no intention of provoking this deputy pavilion official; he didn't need to establish any sense of superiority over this country bumpkin.

It's not that I'm afraid of the other party, it's just that I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Those who survive in such chaotic times will inevitably have some problems.

Perhaps an unintentional provocation could cause the other party to lose control and go on a killing spree.

If you provoke someone and create enmity, and the other party happens to make a contribution and climb the ranks, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Wei Kai's knowledge, personality, and family tradition prevented him from doing anything meaningless or pointless.

Out of caution, Wei Ji entered the pavilion and turned to look at the wall, where a list of job titles was displayed, including Pavilion Chief Han Song, Deputy Pavilion Chief Fan Bai, and Clerk Liu Hui.

Seeing that the other party's name was Bai, he guessed that this name was also proposed and newly chosen after he was elected as the deputy pavilion chief.

There are many pine and cypress forests near Jishan. People who suddenly rise to prominence without the help of their own clansmen often name their places after pine and cypress trees.

Wei Kai also guessed that Fan Bai, the deputy of the pavilion, had been in office for at least two years, and that Fan Bai existed before Han Song arrived.

Otherwise, when Han Song was the village head, he would not have allowed someone else to choose a name that was the same as his elder brother's.

Although Wei Kai did not conduct any investigation or inquiries, he made a rough deduction about Fan Bai's general information based on his knowledge of rural common sense... Wei Kai did not care about the deviations in these matters; he just felt that Fan Bai deserved this fate and experience.

While he was pondering, he sat down near the stove. The armored cavalrymen who accompanied him went inside. Perhaps it was the coldness of their armor, or perhaps it was the opening of the doors and curtains, but in any case, the room became much colder.

After entering, these soldiers took the dry rations from their food bags and at most used boiling water from the pavilion to brew some tea or pickled vegetable soup or sauce soup.

Wei Kai's personal guards also brought him a cup of ginger tea. Wei Kai sipped it slowly, pondering what might have happened to Pei Xiu.

If the thing he maliciously speculated about really happens, then we need to find a way to avoid 'knowing' about it.

Anyone who knows about this will certainly incur the hatred of Zhao Ji and Pei Xiu, and may even be silenced. The Wei family is currently walking on thin ice; how could they dare to take such a risk?
As Wei Ji was drinking tea, Tingfu Fan Bai lifted the curtain and came in: "Sir, there is smoke rising from the east side of Jishan Mountain. It is a warning signal."

"Oh?"

Wei Ji, curious, picked up his teacup and walked outside, saying, "Take me to see."

"Here."

Fan Bai smiled broadly and led Wei Ji out the door and onto the nearest watchtower.

From the observation deck, one can see smoke signals rising alternately from the south and north banks of the Fen River.

At a normal glance, the specific meaning of these smoke signals is completely unclear.

But the beacon fires definitely signified military action, which would cause local officials and civilians to end their fieldwork and quickly return to their villages.

The watchtower was nailed with wooden planks, which had various tiny holes in them.

Each hole corresponds to a beacon tower. Wei Ji was unsure of the identification symbols inside Jiting, but he observed through the small holes in the wooden board and indeed found that the smoke signals this time were regular.

Wei Ji glanced at it a few times, then waved for Fan Bai to come and look, as he had already seen it once.

When faced with the invitation from Wei Ji, an official of the shogunate and a member of the Wei clan of Hedong, Fan Bai carefully observed the situation once and said, "This is a warning signal from Jishan. We must guard against bandits and rebel soldiers burning, killing, and looting. Sir, when I, Jiting, see this kind of signal, I will open the armory and recruit local militia and brave men to form a single force for future use."

"Just do what you're told, don't worry about me."

Wei Ji's attitude was mild. After all, with the smoke of war rising, Fan Bai, who now had excellent relations with the surrounding villages, would soon gain control of the gathered local militia, and his actual influence would no longer be described as that of a mere deputy commander.

At this moment, in the northern part of Wenxi, only one of the three elders of the northern village, along with Youjiao and Sefu, gathered the villagers within the village.

Every now and then, nimble young men would ride back and forth on horseback, heading to the vicinity of the Pei family manor to observe and gather intelligence.

Since the tax exemption in Hedong, coupled with the additional war benefits, the people of Hedong are now generally well-off, with an average of one pair of horses and one pair of cattle for every three households.

The new generation of teenagers hears mostly stories of bravery and heroism about Grand Tutor Zhao and the Tiger Warriors.

According to what some elderly people have heard, Grand Tutor Zhao led the Hedong Tiger Warriors to kill people like mowing grass.

These young men from Hedong, who were born into a carefree and fearless youth, are far more valiant than the recruited Tiger Warriors of four years ago.

As if they could inherit the glorious tradition from their elders at any moment, these onlookers felt only excitement at the impending battle in Kitago.

They didn't care how much trauma the Pei family would suffer, and even some of the young people who were related to the Pei family didn't care too much about the fate of the Pei family.

These young men from Hedong didn't have to cater to the Pei family like their fathers and brothers. They had stable career paths ahead of them. As long as they served in the army and made meritorious contributions, they could enter officialdom. This was much better than becoming a disciple of the Pei family.

Since they have no need to rely on the Pei family, nor do they need to curry favor with or fear them, they can naturally watch this sudden battle unfold with great enthusiasm.

The Pei family manor... well, it can't really be called a manor. His family simply lived together as a clan, gradually encroaching on and occupying the original neighborhood.

In order to prove and promote the benevolence of the Pei family, it was as if the reputation of benevolence would inspire reverence in thieves from near and far. They would not only refrain from actively harming the Pei family, but would also be reluctant to hurt or offend them when passing by.

Therefore, the village where the Pei family lived was almost equivalent to a simple manor where clans lived together.

Just as Zhao Ji did not repair the walls of Jinyang, the Pei family did not repair or reinforce their inner walls either. In fact, many Pei families did not even have courtyard walls, as if there was no need to demarcate the boundaries between their families.

This loving and inseparable family, without any proper defensive fortifications, will directly bear the brunt of the charge and sweep of three hundred elite cavalry.

Two other hundred-cavalry units were observing the battle from the sidelines, one hundred-cavalry unit was watching from a high vantage point, and another hundred-cavalry unit split into two to block the road.

Within the village where the Pei family lived, shouts of "Kill the traitors!" could be heard everywhere.

(End of this chapter)