Tiger Guards

Chapter 708 Kill the Big and Let the Small

As dusk fell, Wei Gu, who had assumed his new post, accepted Zhao Ji's invitation.

There was a newly built manor near the central military camp, where Zhao Ji received Wei Gu.

There was no one else at the table; Zhao Ji and Wei Gu sat around the stove eating mutton hot pot.

Wei Gu looked reserved. As Zhao Ji was recounting some fond memories of the early days of the Tiger Legion, he noticed that Wei Gu was simply listening attentively while holding a bowl.

So Zhao Ji took some meat slices from the hot pot and gave them to Wei Gu, who looked flattered and accepted the dish with both hands.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Ji said, "Such a big thing has happened in Hedong. As the saying goes, 'Rome wasn't built in a day.' There are rumors in the village about my family's affairs. I don't care whether they are right or wrong, but there is one thing that Brother Zhongjian needs to understand."

Wei Gu dared not bring up the topic of Hedong, picked up a slice of mutton, dipped it in sesame sauce, and asked, "What is it that Your Excellency is referring to?"

He was originally from Hedong, and was now naturally a subject of the Duke of Hedong, and a subject of Zhao Ji, the Duke of Hedong.

As a subject, under the Confucian principle of loyalty to the emperor, he should strive to expand the cause of his lord, Zhao Ji.

There were many factors contributing to the chaos in Hedong, one of which was that some people were not used to or resistant to the change in their identities.

Previously, they were all officials of the Han Dynasty, only their positions differed in rank, but their goals were the same: to strive for a peaceful and prosperous era for the Han Dynasty.

The establishment of the Hedong Commandery signified a collective decline in the status of the Hedong Tiger Warriors, who went from being founding partners of Grand Marshal Zhao to becoming subjects of Grand Tutor Zhao and the Duke of Hedong.

In any case, the Wei family's reputation has been ruined by the treasury incident, and it will be difficult to repair it even after several generations of efforts.

Only by establishing a new dynasty can the Wei family start anew.

Wei Gu naturally supported and was happy to see the establishment of the Hedong Duchy.

He didn't feel he was entitled to the privilege of dining at the same table as Grand Tutor Zhao and the Duke, so he kept a very humble attitude when he inquired.

"How should I put it..."

Zhao Ji reached into the wooden basin of ice water and picked up his crystal glass, which contained dark red wine. He swirled the glass, then held it to his nose and took a shallow sniff.

He took another small sip, swallowed, and then said, "As far back as I can remember, there were only two ways to eat meat. One was to hunt for yourself, or set traps to catch it. The other was to eat corpses; dead people or animals and birds all had flesh on their bodies."

He looked at Wei Gu with a serious expression and said, "When I was drafted into the Tiger Warriors, my family gave me a pair of slaughtered ducks. I would never have had such a good thing before. I didn't like it, so I took them out and ate them with everyone that night. After I was drafted into the Tiger Warriors, my brother Zhongjian spent money to buy sheep in Jiangyi. I ate the sheep very well."

"Your Excellency's archery skills are unparalleled in the world. I was merely acting in response to the occasion and dare not claim credit for it."

As Wei Gu spoke, he bent down, adopting a very humble posture.

Seeing this, Zhao Ji smiled and said, "Regardless of what Brother Zhongjian thinks, the mutton soup that night was especially warming. Now that things have changed in Hedong, I hope Brother Zhongjian can manage the affairs of the camp well."

"This is my duty, Your Excellency can rest assured."

Wei Gu put down his chopsticks, picked up the gin glass, held it up with both hands, looked down at the wine in the glass, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. His posture was decisive, as if he would drink poison with the same swiftness and efficiency.

"Yes, don't make them feel wronged."

Seeing his restrained appearance, Zhao Ji lost his appetite and said, "The Court of Justice will soon issue a verdict and will send people here to question him. Brother Zhongjian, please urge the officers and soldiers in the camp to cooperate with the Court of Justice."

"Here."

Wei Gu bowed again, but Zhao Ji stood up with the crystal cup in his hand: "I have other official business to attend to, Brother Zhongjian, please make yourself at home."

"Yes, Your Excellency, please take care."

Wei Gu got up to see him off, but Zhao Ji put his hand on his shoulder and patted him lightly: "You must be tired from the journey, Brother Zhongjian, you don't need to get up. Have a good rest after your meal."

"Your subject obeys the order."

Wei Gu could only stop and stand still, bowing deeply with his hands clasped, as if forming the number '7'. Seeing his observance of such etiquette, Zhao Ji felt even more bored.

Etiquette is a form of restraint, a reflection of social hierarchy, but it is also a form of protection for those who observe etiquette.

Being polite means knowing how to maintain boundaries and keeping a safe distance from others.

Zhao Ji was unsure for a moment whether this was Wei Gu's reserve, pride, and caution, or a deliberate act of not wanting to flatter or get close.

But that's not important. Eating alone is boring, and Wei Gu just happened to be here, so I invited him over as a way of entertaining him and also to have someone to eat with. The personal guards around me are also constantly being replaced by new ones; each new batch of personal guards is selected through a rigorous process.

The newer the personal guards, the higher Zhao Ji's status becomes.

Because of the distance and the mystery surrounding Zhao Ji, as well as the legends surrounding his achievements, the newly arrived guards were particularly reserved and cautious.

Through layers of selection, these personal guards, in addition to being brave and loyal, have eliminated those with rough personalities and frivolous and dissolute behavior.

With veteran soldiers acting as squad leaders and keeping them in check, the newly arrived personal guards were naturally kept in check... like puppets.

In fact, once these new recruits are promoted to squad leaders, they will strictly manage the new recruits assigned to them.

The term "new recruits" only applies to their status as personal guards; these are newly selected personal guards, while the rest are still brave and experienced veterans from various armies.

Being a bodyguard is a fast track to promotion, and the squad leader naturally didn't want any trouble to happen during this period.

Generally speaking, after serving a full term as a personal guard, one would be demoted to a squad leader, and a platoon leader would be demoted to a centurion.

Only those sergeants who have made outstanding contributions, are exceptionally brave, or possess special skills and talents can be promoted to officers of the personal guard.

Zhao Ji's personal guard of a hundred men was transferred to a post outside the capital, starting as a battalion commander.

Even if someone makes a mistake and is demoted, they will still be appointed as a camp commander.

The personal guards have also become so reserved, and they no longer have the custom of eating together with Zhao Ji.

However, while this restraint is maintained in daily life, everything will be simplified during wartime... Compared to the lonely life in the Pingyang camp now, Zhao Ji misses the battlefield.

After a hearty meal, Zhao Ji returned to his barracks, where Wen Hui, on duty, stood under the eaves holding a letter: "Grand Tutor, this is an official document from the Grand Preceptor."

"Ah."

Zhao Ji reached out, picked up the letter, tore open the envelope, and read the letter: "Wenman, guess what Grandpa said in the letter?"

"I don't dare."

"Grandfather asked a question about killing the chicken to warn the monkey, and killing the monkey to warn the chicken."

Zhao Ji had no interest in keeping the letter as a historical witness. As he spoke, he went to the stove and threw the letter and envelope into it.

The burning light illuminated his face, making it appear red: "Actually, rebellion is nothing special. Since the Luoyang coup, people all over the country have been restless and there are countless people plotting rebellion. For example, the troops of the two traitors Li and Guo. After I forced them to surrender, if we really judged them according to the law, these people should have been torn to pieces."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Wen Hui: "But there are differences. This is a conspiracy to rebel under my rule. Before I returned to the Pingyang camp, I notified the army that those who confessed would be spared death, but very few responded. I had no choice but to summon the generals and tell them in person, and only then did a dozen or so people confess."

“I made a prior agreement with these people that since they trust me, they cannot be killed. As for the rest… from the general down to the deputy captain, they must be severely punished.”

Wen Hui listened patiently and finally understood what Zhao Ji meant.

To deal leniently with the ordinary soldiers involved, the entire officer and military ranks must be executed.

If these military officers who can unite soldiers into an army are executed, then ordinary soldiers will not need to be so vigilant.

Only by severely punishing the military officers first, and then reducing or demoting the ranks of the soldiers, can these people not harbor resentment, but instead feel fortunate and cooperate.

Murder and the confiscation of wealth and resources must be done step by step.

In reality, fewer than fifty military officers could escape death. As long as others knew something but did not report it, even if they refused the other party's attempts to win them over, as long as they did not report it, it would be a capital offense.

Depending on the nature of the offense, family members suffered varying degrees of punishment.

Zhao Yan was also asking this question, and Zhao Ji seemed somewhat helpless.

The old man was even slowly teaching people how to kill, as if he himself really didn't know how to kill.

There was no way around it; the way the old man saw killing was different from how I saw killing.

You kill external enemies and obtain the resources dropped by them after they die.

The old man was more refined; after killing internal enemies, he would collect resources from the corpses and redistribute them.

(End of this chapter)