Tiger Guards

Chapter 71: Different Routes
The campfire crackled, and after Zhao Ji had eaten his fill, he crossed his legs and activated his skills.

The surrounding Tiger Guards followed suit, and it seemed that this really helped them relax their minds and recover their strength quickly.

Under the mental suggestion, except for a few Tiger Guards on duty, most people in the temporary camp sat cross-legged to rest.

Only some of the injured Tiger Soldiers were bandaged and then lay on their sides or rested.

Zhong Yao looked at this strange scene and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Tang Xian, who had been chatting happily along the way, was also sitting cross-legged in meditation, so Zhong Yao didn't dare to ask him.

He got up and walked to the campfire, throwing the collected wood into the fire.

The fire resumed, and the heat was oppressive.

He took five or six steps back, then sat cross-legged on the ground, beginning to ponder this sudden change.

If the emperor is unwilling to go to Luoyang, many things will be difficult to handle.

If we take Hedong as our base and gain a firm foothold, the situation will get out of control.

In the Guandong region, since the death of Dong Zhuo, the two Yuans have been fighting each other, and two huge groups have been attacking each other.

As a county governor, you are simply unable to protect the country and its people.

If you don't want to be eaten, you can only choose one side based on geography and personal relationships, or join the other side, or maintain friendly relations with the other side.

There is no room for neutrality.

Yuan Shao's side planned to establish Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, as emperor, but was rejected by Liu Yu; Yuan Shu's side had Que Xuan who claimed to be the emperor, and together with Tao Qian, they launched a counterattack against Cao Cao of Yanzhou and Ying Shao of Taishan, who were outside Yuan Shao's territory.

However, Tao Qian and Que Xuan's action of going up the Si River to attack Cao Cao's heartland failed, and they did not get the response of the heroes of Yanzhou. So Tao Qian turned around and defeated and annexed Que Xuan.

This naturally brought about the first retaliation of Cao's army. Tao Qian's fellow villager Zuo Rong was in charge of the grain transport in Xia Pi, Pengcheng and Guangling counties. As a result, he enriched himself while transporting supplies, worshipped Buddhism extensively, and spent a lot of money and food to attract believers.

Due to insufficient supplies, Tao Qian lost the decisive battle, and during the battle, Cao Song was killed by Zhang Kai, triggering the first Xuzhou Massacre.

Cao Cao's food supply was insufficient, and because Liu Bei came south to rescue him, Cao Cao retreated.

Soon after, the second expedition to Xuzhou was launched. This time, the main force went out of Mount Tai, bypassing Liu Bei's defense lines of Xiaopei and Sishui, catching Tao Qian off guard.

Liu Bei rushed to Tancheng, Donghai, where Tao Qian was, to support him, but was also defeated by Cao's army, and the second massacre began. The hometown of Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou who refused to declare himself emperor, was within the affected area.

Then Lu Bu captured Yanzhou and forced Cao Cao to return.

There were also princes of the royal family in Kanto and Hebei who were also interacting with the heroes in Kanto, seeking the opportunity to become emperor.

The Pingyuan royal family was already engaged to Yuan Shao's son Yuan Shang, and Pingyuan King Liu Shuo was the younger brother of Emperor Huan.

If the current emperor's only descendant dies, the Pingyuan royal family will be the closest to the imperial family.

In the entire Guandong region, Cao Cao was the most ferocious in recent years. He forced the surrender of millions of Yellow Turban troops in Qingxu; he defeated Xuzhou twice in a row and even attacked Yuan Shu.

At the most critical moment, only three counties in Yanzhou supported him, but he still gritted his teeth to expel Lu Bu and destroy the forces of Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao.

In comparison, Yuan Shao performed somewhat poorly.

After Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, it triggered rebellions in various counties in Youzhou, and officials and people also attacked and killed the county governors sent by Gongsun Zan.

Even so, Yuan Shao still failed to attack and kill Gongsun Zan.

In particular, Liu Yu's son Liu He was instigated by Yuan Shao to join forces with Liu Yu's former subordinates to counterattack Gongsun Zan.

In the Battle of Baoqiu, Liu He fought against the allied forces of Ju Yi and killed more than 20,000 of Gongsun Zan's men. Then Liu He disappeared.

With the disappearance of Liu He, the Han and Hu armed forces in Youzhou who were resisting Gongsun Zan retreated back to their local areas to observe the situation and no longer actively cooperated with Yuan Shao.

Compared with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao is more like a hero who pacified the world.

Especially after Dong Zhuo's death, Cao Cao sent envoys to Guanzhong to deliver gifts and pay tribute, which was fundamentally different from Yuan Shao.

If we can unite with Cao Cao and use his power, we can quickly conquer the world.

But now, the unleashing of military might from the humble Hedong clans has become a significant variable. If the emperor refuses to leave and relies heavily on the humble Hedong clans, how will the victor of the future showdown between Yuan and Cao view the imperial court?

In the dispute between Yuan and Cao, the ministers and officials discussed privately and believed that Yuan Shao had a higher chance of winning.

However, Yuan Shao was a very dishonest person. First, he deposed the line of Emperor Hongnong, then he plotted to establish Liu Yu as the emperor, and now he even married the King of Pingyuan, showing obvious signs of rebellion.

Cao Cao was relatively better, as his influence among scholars was not as profound as that of the Yuan family.

As the descendant of a eunuch, the Cao family was able to prosper thanks to the favor of the emperor.

After all, although this background sounds bad, it is a true birth of a slave in the imperial family.

Just as Zhong Yao was pondering how to reduce the uncertainty in Hedong, Zhao Ji, whom he considered the biggest uncertainty, had already finished his "training" and came to the campfire to roast three breads on a spear, muttering, "Chicken wings would be nice."

Zhong Yao glanced around and saw that the other Tiger Guards were all sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, pretending to sleep. He felt that they might be talking to him: "Zhonglang, do you like eating chicken wings?"

"Yes, the soft meat inside the chicken wing is the most tender and will not burn even if you fry or grill it."

Zhao Ji turned the spear handle and looked back at Zhong Yao, who was of similar height. "I heard from Lord Zhao that the emperor is benevolent, loves his people, and is wise and decisive. I wonder what the angels think?"

"The current emperor has the aura of a wise ruler."

Zhong Yao bowed towards the northwest and asked curiously, "Why do you ask this, Zhonglang?"

"I simply feel that the world is in chaos right now. If we want to restore the Han Dynasty for the third time, the emperor must lead the army himself. If we delegate power to others, when the world is about to be stabilized, with the precedent of Huo Guang, who would be willing to return the power to him?"

Liu Bingyi, whom Huo Guang assisted, was quite similar to the current emperor.

Zhong Yao didn't think this was Zhao Ji's attitude. It might be that Zhao Yan had discussed this matter with Zhao Ji, and this should be Zhao Yan's idea.

Zhong Yao asked in reply, "Does the emperor have to lead the army in person? Are there no loyal and righteous men among the heroes of Guandong?"

Zhao Ji glanced back at Zhong Yao, examining him closely. "Raising troops without a decree—what else could this be but rebellion? No matter how evil Dong Zhuo may be, he's only evil within the government. Even if he wreaks havoc on the world, how many men and women could he have murdered? This is my personal opinion, not Lord Zhao's."

Zhao Ji pulled back his spear, plucked out a piece of hot wheat cake, and took a bite. It was crisp and fragrant. He continued chewing, "At this point, I have a serious doubt. I hope the angel can answer it."

"Please speak."

"For example, who owns this abandoned village where you and I stand? And on a larger scale, whose Hedong is it? Does it belong to the imperial court, or to the people of Hedong? Do the prefectures and counties of Guandong belong to the emperor, or to the people of Guandong?"

Zhao Ji was really confused. On one hand, there was the propaganda of morality and law, and on the other hand, there was actual public opinion and specific control.

Zhong Yao's face turned red with anger, and he glared: "Zhonglang, be careful with your words. This world will naturally belong to the Liu family."

"If this was the Liu Dynasty, why would the heroes of Guandong, as the angels mentioned them, attack each other, disregarding the safety and honor of the emperor? Why not put aside past grudges, unite our armies, march west, welcome the emperor to Luodu, and have him assist us in government, restoring peace to the world?"

Without hearing Zhong Yao's words, Zhao Ji took a bite of his cake and said, "The situation has deteriorated to the point it is today. You are an angel, why do you still deceive yourself?"

"Why is Zhonglang so alarmist?"

Zhong Yao's voice gradually rose, and he waved his arm, gesturing diagonally toward the night sky. "Now that we have eliminated the Baibo bandits, the imperial court's prestige has been greatly boosted, and patriots from all over the country are flocking to it. With the imperial court's judgment and mediation, the disputes in Guanzhong will be resolved, and peace will naturally reign over the country!"

"Mediation?"

Zhao Ji took another small bite of the cake and swallowed it in one gulp. "Without my Hedong Tiger Guards, how could we have wiped out the Baibo generals? If Li Jue and Guo Si were to invade, would they listen to your mediation? They still have to rely on us to punish the treacherous ministers in Guanzhong. The Xiongnu in the north are growing stronger by the day. Would they listen to your mediation and take their young and old with them and cross the border?"

"You say it's easy to gather patriots from all over the world. I think you want to lure them here and starve them to death!"

The surrounding Tiger Guards began to stand up. Zhao Ji waved his hand, and they all sat down again. Zhao Ji stared at Zhong Yao and said, "This year is another year of drought and locust plague. We don't want to starve to death, so we want to seek food from the Xiongnu. I am a man of crude words, and I am afraid I may offend the emperor. I hope you can convey my message. If possible, I hope the emperor will lead the army in person. If we can drive out the Xiongnu and obtain the money and food from Taiyuan, the crisis will be immediately resolved!"

Regardless of whether this idea is feasible or not, Zhao Ji must speak out.

Demonstrating one's own united front value is one thing, but having one's own stance and plan to save the country is another.

As for bowing down and accepting the imperial court's distribution of benefits, he might be satisfied, but what about his fellow Tiger Guards?
The eight hundred tiger soldiers, just the salary alone, was enough to give the imperial court a headache.

Special merits and qualifications will become stumbling blocks for countless people.

How could he possibly survive alone when his fellow Tiger Guards were eliminated?

(End of this chapter)