Tiger Guards

Chapter 314 Preliminary Plan
After resting for a day in Anyi, Zhao Ji led Zhao Yun to the south of the city the next day to visit the Wei family's treasury.

The floor inside the vault was covered with a layer of wood ash, and the ground had been hardened, but the efflorescence was obvious, and the surface looked like a thick layer of frost.

Wearing a mask, Zhao Ji held up a torch to observe the gold brick wall.

Seeing Zhao Yun reach out to touch it, Zhao Ji said, "Don't touch it, these gold bricks are tainted. If you want to use them, they need to be recast."

Zhao Yun, holding a torch, leaned closer to examine it: "Yes, I thought it was just a rumor before, but I never imagined that the Wei family's treasury was so magnificent."

"Yes, it is magnificent. The gold is here, but the people who accumulated the gold bricks generation after generation are nowhere to be seen."

Zhao Ji observed the surroundings and said, "I plan to build the Golden Terrace in Jinyang City for soldiers, civilians, men and women to enjoy day and night. If we leave it here, the court will be concerned about it day and night, and sooner or later something will happen."

Zhao Yun listened without offering any opinion. After spending some time with Zhao Ji, he realized that Zhao Ji had this idea, which Zhao Yun considered quite normal.

The more Zhao Yun thought about building a golden platform for people to admire, the more he felt that if this matter was accomplished, it might attract the covetous eyes of the Xianbei people.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yun said, "Grand Marshal, the two traitors Li and Guo are still alive in Guanzhong. If we build the Golden Terrace in Jinyang, the Xianbei will send a large army, and we will inevitably face danger."

"Yes, we'll start this after we've eliminated Li and Guo."

As he spoke, Zhao Ji kicked the wall in front of him and continued, "Countless ancestors went to great lengths to dig these things out of the ground. Burying them in the ground now is disrespectful to our ancestors. I also want to see how much wealth the generals of Guanzhong have plundered. I will build a Golden Terrace there, and the two terraces will stand opposite each other to see which one is bigger."

Han Shu, holding a torch on the other side, asked in confusion, "Grand Marshal, what if the military supplies are insufficient?"

"Civil and military administration rely on food and equipment; what does it have to do with gold?"

Zhao Ji glanced at Han Shu and continued, "The less I touch gold, the more abundant my military supplies actually become."

Han Shu didn't understand, but Zhao Yun did: "Does the Grand Marshal mean to use gold to win over the hearts of the people?"

"Yes, although a thousand pieces of gold can be returned after they are spent, as long as they are distributed, no matter how they are distributed, it will seem unfair. Rather than that, it would be better to build the Golden Terrace for officials and common people to visit."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he handed the torch to Zhao Yun and began to undo his own belt.

The only downside to the improved and promoted jumpsuit he designed was that it wasn't very convenient for taking out his weapon.

Previously, under the hem of her clothes were shin guards and leggings, which would cause water to seep out from the sides when she walked.

At this moment, there are some additional processes involved.

Zhao Yun took a few steps back and saw Zhao Ji start to spit water, saying, "The smell here is so suffocating, I really can't stand it anymore."

Han Shu then placed the torch in the corner of the wall and began to unbuckle his belt, facing the other side of the wall.

Zhao Yun inexplicably felt the urge to urinate, but he couldn't hold it in.

Zhao Ji shook himself, fastened his belt, took the torch from Zhao Yun, and the two walked out of the vault chamber one after the other.

Han Shu quickly followed Zhao Ji out with a torch, continuing to inspect the other money cellars, only to find that three cellars had been emptied.

Zhao Ji was slightly surprised: "When our army fought the Xiongnu at Jiangyi, we opened two mines; now, almost five months have passed, and only one has been used. My grandfather was merely cutting costs; it seems that it is thanks to Lord Zhao's skill in making money that we have achieved this."

Zhao Xu is definitely good at open source. He cracked down on the black market for locusts and arrested Zhao Ji's people. Now the two sides are cooperating to make money, and the sales channels are even better.

Even the generals of Guanzhong, whether to curry favor with Zhao Ji or for some other reason, sent people to make purchases.

After autumn arrived, Gou Sheng's inventory was running low, and sales had ceased.

Zhao Xucai started selling and earned even more.

The retreating troops, in particular, held the little green locust in high esteem.

With official status, they could also suppress other counterfeit and substandard Xiaoqinghuang pills, making their business incredibly successful.

If possible, Zhao Xu would also like to participate in the business in a private capacity.

However, the situation in Hedong did not allow it. If he wanted to keep his current official position, he could only try every means to increase the non-tax revenue of the prefecture.

When the finances are really in dire straits, Zhao Ji will naturally kick him to the curb. At that time, if he were to pursue his past crimes, Zhao Xu would be severely punished, if not killed.

After the inspection of the gold brick chamber was completed, Zhao Ji and his two companions walked out of the secret passage, where their accompanying officials and soldiers were queuing up outside.

Zhao Yun had already guessed the outcome. He watched as the officials and soldiers entered with torches, admiring the golden brick chamber and, in imitation of the original Tiger Warriors, carrying out the plan to flood the chamber.

Afterwards, Zhao Ji did not linger. He led the group northwards lightly equipped. He parted ways with Zhao Yun in Anyi, changed horses, and then galloped northwards under the cover of night.

Zhao Ji didn't want to travel along the Wenxi road during the day, as some people would surely come to plead for leniency on behalf of the county elders.

They rode swiftly through the night to Beixiang, where they changed horses and entered Jiangyi at midnight.

Jia Kui had already left Pingyang and arrived in Jiangyi to wait.

Jia Kui, who was awake that night, heard the commotion and, wearing a sheepskin cloak, came to greet Zhao Ji.

At the county magistrate's residence in the city, Zhao Ji saw that Jia Kui had become even thinner. He immediately dismounted, walked over quickly, and gave Jia Kui a big hug.

This made Jia Kui very uncomfortable. Zhao Ji then picked up Jia Kui and spun him around, laughing and saying, "Brother Liang, the heroes of the Central Plains are just as they were discussed before, nothing special!"

Seeing Zhao Ji's radiant spirit, Jia Kui was also infected by his enthusiasm: "That's not it. It's truly because the Grand Marshal is so composed in his military strategy."

"No, no, no, it is the divine might of the Emperor. Though they are called heroes, they are in reality a multitude of women! Wherever the Emperor's banners go, all submit to him!"

Zhao Ji exclaimed loudly, continuing to dig a pit for Lü Bu, grabbing Jia Kui's arm and pulling him inside: "We've come all this way at breakneck speed, let's eat quickly!"

"Yes, sir!" Yang Ji, who was guarding the mansion, answered loudly. Zhao Ji looked over upon hearing this, smiled, and stepped forward to punch Yang Ji in the chest armor: "Remember, I don't drink alcohol."

"I understand the humble position!"

Yang Ji's face flushed red, and he became agitated. He turned around and quickly went to make arrangements.

Zhao Ji pulled Jia Kui inside, surrounded by more than a hundred people holding torches. Among them, more than twenty were officials from the Pingyang Marquisate, and were filled by disabled Tiger Warriors.

Even if a Tiger Warrior was lame or had a broken leg, Zhao Ji and Jia Kui would arrange for them to be in charge of guarding the granary or watching the gate.

Many tiger warriors have not yet been assigned wives and concubines, but these disabled tiger warriors have been given priority in their assignments.

The quiet magistrate's residence immediately became lively, with everyone arranged in the hall, corridor, and courtyard, while Zhao Ji and Jia Kui were behind a screen.

Zhao Ji also removed his armor, revealing a black bear fur coat over his shoulders, with fluffy sable fur on both sides.

He was very uncomfortable with the bulky, loose, but actually lightweight fur coat and sat lazily opposite Jia Kui: "I'm away on a campaign, and I've troubled you with everything back home, elder brother. Seeing how tired you look, I don't know how to thank you."

"It's just to share the burden of the country."

Jia Kui also observed Zhao Ji: "It is the Grand Marshal who, in his journey through the Central Plains, is like a dragon entering the sea, something we cannot achieve."

"I am only temporarily ahead of you, elder brother. There is no need for you to be modest. It is only a matter of time before you reach the position of a high-ranking official."

After Zhao Ji finished speaking, he laughed, and Jia Kui laughed along with him: "It's better not to be a high-ranking official like that."

After laughing, Jia Kui picked up the rice porridge and stirred it, then asked, "What is the Grand Marshal's opinion on the affairs of Pingyang?"

“I thought that there would be many troubles after I returned. But now it seems that even if I stay in Pingyang for this period of time, I probably won’t do any better than my elder brother. My demands remain the same: regardless of whether they are Han, Xiongnu, Qiang or other non-Han peoples, they should be treated equally in terms of service and taxation within the territory of Pingyang, without distinction of rank.”

Zhao Ji also picked up his bowl of rice porridge, slurped it down in one gulp, swallowed it, then poured himself more porridge and continued, "Now I'm facing a dilemma. The Grand Marshal's office is about to be established, and I really want my elder brother to come to Jinyang to help me, but I'm afraid that I might entrust the affairs of Pingyang to the wrong person. Could my elder brother recommend a virtuous and capable person?"

Given Jia Kui's talent, influence, and their relationship, it was inevitable that he would be brought into the Grand Marshal's staff.

Entering the Grand Marshal's staff was inevitable, but it didn't mean Jia Kui had to go to Jinyang to work.

It depends on Jia Kui's own intentions. If he wants to do a good job in all the counties of Pingyang and see things through to the end, then Zhao Ji will recruit Jia Kui as an aide in the Grand Marshal's staff and concurrently as the Chancellor of Pingyang, allowing him to continue to stay in Pingyang.

Jia Kui pondered for a moment and said, "With the merits of the Grand Marshal, he is entitled to the fiefdom of five counties surrounding Pingyang. I am from Xiangling and also belong to the State of Pingyang. If I were to serve as the Chancellor of Pingyang again, it would inevitably attract criticism."

"It's not like I'm the magistrate of Xiangling, so there's no need to avoid suspicion."

Zhao Ji immediately rejected the idea. Seeing this, Jia Kui realized that Zhao Ji had no suitable successor, so he said, "In that case, allow me to stay for another year so that the Pingyang treasury can be replenished before I leave."

"Yes, elder brother, you should also search for virtuous and capable people. I do not expect my successor to be as diligent and capable as you, but he should follow the established rules and regulations to prevent Pingyang from falling into ruin."

"I accept your order."

Jia Kui solemnly cupped his hands in greeting before taking a bite of the porridge.

Zhao Ji then said, “In that case, I will appoint my elder brother as an official in the government. Once everything in Pingyang is stable, I will transfer him to the Western Office to oversee all the offices.”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

Jia Kui stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Ji.

Although he had established a legal relationship with Zhao Ji as the Chancellor of Pingyang, the Han Dynasty continued to weaken the power of the vassal states, so this legal relationship was not secure.

For scholars, the relationship between ruler and subject formed by recruitment and appointment was more solid, and they were more likely to identify with this master-servant relationship.

Zhao Ji also got up and helped him up, asking, "What are your opinions, Brother Liang, on the selection of the Chief Clerk, the Western Clerk, the Eastern Clerk, and the Registrar?"

Jia Kui helped Zhao Ji to his seat and then returned to his own seat. Only then did Jia Kui say, "The Grand Marshal will be campaigning against the traitors of the Three Auxiliary Regions next year. I believe it would be wise to appoint renowned scholars from the Three Auxiliary Regions as his chief clerks. The position of the Western Office, responsible for selecting and appointing officials from various departments, is an important post. We might as well appoint Zhuge Junda to the Western Office."

Using Zhuge Xuan as the Western Cao ensures that the list of recommended candidates is controllable.

As is typical of the era, Zhuge Xuan would naturally include some people from Xuzhou in his team, and there's nothing wrong with that.

We can't only think about cultivating relationships with people from Xuzhou when we're using them.

You have to accumulate wealth little by little on a regular basis; mergers and acquisitions are a mutual process.

Famous scholars from the Three Auxiliary Regions served as Chief Clerks, while Zhuge Xuan from Xuzhou served as the Western Clerk.

Seeing Zhao Ji listening attentively, Jia Kui was quite moved and said, "The Eastern Secretariat is responsible for recommending virtuous and capable people to the court. I think it is possible to use those who are nominally capable but lack real power. If Han Yuanchang of Yingchuan is willing to take the position, then the recommended officials will be more likely to be appointed."

Han Rong used his influence to endorse the officials recommended and presented by the Grand Marshal's staff.

Zhao Ji shook his head: "Impossible. My grandfather is going to Luodu to take charge of the government. What he cares about most is the Imperial Academy in Anyi. Han Rong was willing to stay in Anyi because he wanted to revive the Imperial Academy. After I transferred Zhuge Xuan away, only Han Rong was left to be in charge of the Imperial Academy. If he leaves too, it won't be right for my grandfather."

Han Rong was quite insightful. Despite the criticism from his fellow villagers, he came to oversee the Imperial Academy. He first used Han Rong's influence to build up the academy before considering anything else.

Upon hearing this, Jia Kui asked, "What about Zhao Rui, Zhao Zimao, the former Director of the Imperial Secretariat?"

Zhao Rui also severed ties with the court, fearing he would be implicated in the Zhao Guifei affair.

“Okay, I’ll go talk to him.”

As he spoke, Zhao Ji picked up his bowl and quickly began to eat.

(End of this chapter)