Tiger Guards

Chapter 35 The Power of the Gods
In the military camp, most of the Tiger Guards were avoiding locusts.

Even if it falls on them, these people just shake it off or grab it and throw it away.

Zhao Ji grabbed a broken bamboo stick and beat the locusts that fell beside him, leaving a pool of yellow-green juice beside him.

Upon hearing the news, Jia Kui also rushed over. He covered his face with his sleeves and watched Zhao Ji swatting the locusts around him.

In less than two quarters of an hour, the number of locusts passing through the border decreased slightly.

Zhao Ji took out a wooden hoe and shoveled the locust residue mixed with soil into a ball, which was about the size of a human head.

"We are determined to uphold the country and are not afraid of death, so why should we be afraid of the locust god?"

"If we don't kill the locusts and let them eat all the crops, what will we eat? What will our parents, brothers and sisters eat?"

"Or are you exchanging your children for cannibalism, and then eating your wives and concubines?"

Zhao Ji held the mud ball and leaned it against the low wall, patting it to shape. He turned and glanced at the people around him: "There were locusts two years ago and last year. Who didn't die? If we don't want to starve to death this year, we can either kill the locusts or rob the Xiongnu's cattle, horses and sheep! Even if they have to eat people, we will capture the Huns and eat them!"

He was so angry that he almost laughed at the useless people and idiots around him.

No one responded. Zhao Ji's eyes fell on Ximen Jian, who was more cunning than Ximen Jian. Ximen Jian knew he couldn't escape: "Captain... let's go kill the Xiongnu. If we can steal cattle and sheep, we can feed our families."

The boy beside him immediately spoke up, "That's right! When the locusts are born, there will be no grass in the wild. The Xiongnu herds will be starving, making it difficult for them to migrate. Their horses will be weak and powerless, making it a perfect time for an attack!"

“Haha! Ahahahahaha~!”

Zhao Ji could no longer restrain his smile and burst into laughter.

Several people who were nearby subconsciously took a few steps back.

Zhao Ji laughed so hard his stomach hurt. He rolled up his sleeves and wiped his eyes, taking a few breaths. "Gentlemen, would you rather fight the Xiongnu than kill locusts?"

Pei Xiu stepped forward to answer this question: "Aji, the Xiongnu may be just a large number of people, but they are still human. The locust is the king of all insects. The locust god was created by heaven and is not something we can offend."

Jia Kui, standing nearby, also took two steps forward and solemnly warned Zhao Ji, "When locusts rise, even birds and sparrows will die if they eat them, and humans and animals will also die from the poison if they eat them. This is clearly the locust god, destined by heaven, and no one can stop it."

Looking at the concerned and worried eyes of the people around him, Zhao Ji felt powerless.

He asked again solemnly, "When the locusts rise and we run out of food, we have no choice but to seek food from the enemy if we don't want to starve to death. Gentlemen, do you agree?"

Just as Pei Xiu was about to speak, a locust landed on his head. He picked it up and threw it away. "Perhaps the situation has deteriorated to this point because the Xiongnu migrated south and harassed Emperors Yao and Shun."

Jia Kui was also worried that Zhao Ji would continue to shout about killing locusts, so he immediately shouted to the crowd: "Gentlemen, ever since the Xiongnu crossed the Xihe River and invaded Pingyang, Hedong has been plagued by disasters! Future generations are unwise, and the celestial phenomena are a warning. If we allow the Xiongnu to cross the Fen River and offend the spirits of Emperor Shun and Hou Ji again, I am afraid there will be even greater disasters!"

He looked solemn and his words were sincere, not seeming to be faking it.

"Yes, ever since the Xiongnu invaded Pingyang, every year has been turbulent and unrest!"

Jia Tong was furious and drew his sword, raising it high: "If we want peace and tranquility, we must drive out the Xiongnu!"

He looked around and didn't find Xiang Libao in the crowd. Then he realized that these people followed Wei Gu to get supplies.

Jing Chun, the commander of the Third Colony, who had lived in the Puban and Fenyin areas for generations, also strode to Jia Tong's side, drew his sword, raised it high, and looked around with a fierce look: "Kill the Xiongnu and enjoy peace!"

One by one, the Tiger Guards drew their swords and held them high. Although they hated locusts, they really didn't want to follow Zhao Ji to kill them.

Locusts have a locust god, which is the will of heaven. What good will come of going against destiny?

But if all this is just a warning from God, telling them to kill the Huns... then what is there to be afraid of?

Kill the Huns and seize the herds of animals. Even if the locust plague cannot be quelled, at least the family will be able to survive the disaster this year.

Only a few people are still thinking about this possibility, while the vast majority of people have been enraged.

In their simple understanding, Pei Xiu and Jia Kui's explanations make a lot of sense!

The disaster in Hedong was that the Huns invaded Pingyang, disturbing the heroic spirit of Emperor Yao!

The crowd was indignant. Zhao Ji also jumped onto the low wall and stood there steadily, sword raised in his right arm. Under the gaze of everyone, he also shouted: "I will not settle down until I defeat the Xiongnu!"

The vast majority of the Tiger Guards were single, and they also followed suit, shouting, "I will not marry until we defeat the Xiongnu!"

Amid the shouts, a knight reined in his horse and approached, panting and shouting, "Jia Cang Cao! Captain Zhao!"

Zhao Ji turned to look. The knight raised a trembling arm and pointed in the direction due east and south of the camp. "The chief of Xiangli Village said that the Hou brothers would break their promise and loot food and equipment. Please send troops to support them immediately!"

Now, the Hu Ben soldiers were even more furious, with angry eyes.

Jia Kui rushed to Pei Xiu in two steps and said, "In my opinion, the Hou family is untrustworthy. They dared to attack and kill the Tiger Guards. How is this different from treason?"

If you dare to challenge them, isn't that treason?
Pei Xiu also disliked the Hou brothers, and since he was already passionate, he said without hesitation: "We must defeat them!"

He looked up at Zhao Ji on the low wall and said, "Aji, how do we fight?"

The surrounding Tiger Guards also had their eyes blazing with anger, as they were all people who had suffered from hunger last year and the year before.

Zhao Ji waved his hands left and right to silence the various voices of condemnation, then turned to look at Jia Tong. "Brother Wenzhen, you select a team of knights to go ahead! I hope Brother Wenzhen can stay in the main camp and lead the defense with Brother Wenqing."

Jia Tong immediately turned to look at Wei Xing: "Zi'ang, select the knights of our team and set off immediately!" "Yes!"

Wei Xing grinned, waved his arms and shouted, "Team Two, follow me!"

The other Hu Ben made way for him, and Wei Xing strode forward with his legs and feet moving fast. The knights under his command came out one after another and headed for the stables.

Zhao Ji then looked at the commander of the second garrison, Wang Fu, and said, "I will go ahead. The second garrison should build more torches and follow up."

"I am willing to obey Captain Zhao's orders!"

Wang Fu also agreed and understood the same thing.

The Hou brothers own manors, mines, and everything else. They have done a lot of business with the Huns in recent years and have a lot of horses.

Zhao Ji turned to look at Jia Kui and said, "Brother Liang, please lend us some horses so that we can continue our journey."

“This is my responsibility.”

Jia Kui looked up at Zhao Ji on the wall and said, "The Hou family's fortress is stockpiled with powerful crossbows. We must not be careless."

"Brother Liang, don't worry. Only by taking them down can we have a place to stand. I will act with caution."

As Zhao Ji was speaking, a locust flew past him. He reached out and caught it, then crushed it into crumbs in front of Jia Kui, as if he was crushing the Hou brothers.

Jia Kui was speechless, as if he had not seen or heard the sound of the crushing.

The Tiger Guards immediately got busy. Pei Xiu came to find Zhao Ji when he saw that everyone was almost gone.

Zhao Ji was currently putting on his armor, the Liu Fu armor that Jia Kui had borrowed. He had spent the entire day simply cleaning the lining and cloak, and removing most of the bloodstains.

But it was not dry at the moment and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

Pei Xiu felt very uncomfortable, but he was also stimulated by the smell of blood and his spirits were lifted.

As he examined Zhao Ji's quiver and sword, he said, "Aji went to support Wei Zhongjian, and I was worried about Li Le's attack."

"Don't worry, Seventh Brother. I'm only going to escort them. I won't take advantage of the situation to attack the Hou family manor."

Zhao Ji tightened his belt, took the sword from Pei Xiu, and hung it on his left belt. He continued, "I suspect Li Le will see us split up and head for Purple Gold Mountain, and will wait for an opportunity to ambush us along the road. When I set out, I'll only bring a few torches. Then, when Wang Fu sets out, have each of them carry a torch, spreading the troops apart to create a false alarm. After Wang Fu, have Jing Wenqing light torches and march out of the camp. Then, march three or four miles and retreat back to the camp."

Pei Xiu didn't know what the situation was with Li Le, so he could only agree.

Then he warned: "The words about killing locusts are shocking. Aji, don't spread them casually in the future."

Zhao Ji frowned and nodded: "I understand Seventh Brother's concerns, but if we don't kill the locusts, when will they be eradicated?"

Pei Xiu didn't want to hear such harsh words. He looked at Zhao Ji with a serious look: "You dared to kill the locust god, what else would you not dare to do? You should have a fearful heart, otherwise, who would dare to stand with you in the court?"

Zhao Ji said nothing and watched Pei Xiu leave.

Just as he was hanging up the quiver, Jia Kui walked in and asked bluntly, "How confident are you, Aji, in seizing the Hou family estate?"

"I don't know. With the locusts passing through, people are in a state of panic. Tonight is indeed a good opportunity."

Zhao Ji answered truthfully, "But Li Le is beside me, and I need to consider the safety of my companions in the camp."

However, Jia Kui's expression was serious. "If the Hou family's rebellion is suppressed, there will be talk of relocation within the camp. I'm worried that the Xiongnu, influenced by the locusts, will move south to attack the banks of the Fen River and plunder people and food."

"What does Brother Liang mean?"

"We can't abandon the Hou family estate, but we can't retreat into the mountains either. We need to take advantage of the Hou family's smelting and weaponry, and then plunder the Xiongnu tribes. Only then can we seize the opportunity to grow stronger."

Jia Kui said in a deep voice, "As far as I know, Xihe County is already in name only. Most of the powerful families in the counties have declined and lost their power. Of all the prestigious families, only the Xiangli and Wang families remain."

During the Western Han Dynasty, Xihe County had a registered population of nearly 700,000 at its peak; during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the registered population was around 20,000.

And now it is even lower. The Xiangli family of Xihe and the Xiangli family of Pingyang have the same origin, and the Wang family is distributed throughout Hedong and Taiyuan.

These two prominent families had their own troops and servants and were not included in the household registration system, but they were still attacked by the Huns and were on the verge of extinction.

The decline of the wealthy and powerful in Xihe County served as a warning to the wealthy and powerful families in Pingyang area.

Jia Kui's eyes were full of hope. Fighting against the Huns could inspire everyone's fighting spirit.

But if the imperial court offered high positions and generous salaries to Zhao Ji to take him away, there would be no hope of counterattacking the Huns.

"I promised Brother Liang Dao, and this oath still stands."

Zhao Ji stretched out his right hand as he spoke, and Jia Kui also reacted and stretched out his hand.

The two men held each other's right hands tightly, and Zhao Ji said, "I will help you drive out the Xiongnu, and you will help me control the locusts."

Jia Kui was in a state of excitement, and upon hearing this, he shuddered: "Aji, don't anger the locust god."

(End of this chapter)