Tiger Guards

Chapter 358 A Different Situation
On the Qin Straight Road, Zhao Ji was accompanied by more than a thousand cavalrymen.

At a normal riding speed, the horse kept moving forward.

Even so, it's still faster than walking and it preserves the knight's stamina.

The only downside was that the Qin Straight Road was built along a mountain ridge, and there was a lack of continuous, large areas of grass along the way.

Even if they did, they lacked the time to find the right horse.

Besides warhorses, the accompanying horses consisted of draft horses and trotting horses used in rotation.

A day's march takes only four hours. At noon, they need to choose a place to rest so that the men and horses can drink water and eat.

Basically, once they find a water source, they will stop and replenish their water supply.

There were two factors that limited the marching speed: first, the supply wagons, which Zhao Ji abandoned; and second, the time wasted on setting up camp for the night, which Zhao Ji also gave up on.

This provided ample time for the march, but the cost was that the horses had to eat concentrated feed at every meal... eating fresh grass by the roadside was more like replenishing their water.

This resulted in the rapid depletion of the food supplies carried by the army. If supplies could not be obtained from Guanzhong, the men and horses would starve.

Even campsites without fortifications can be attacked.

At present, Zhao Ji's troops are in high spirits, so much so that he has to consciously control the marching speed to avoid falling too far behind the central army.

Jia Tong commanded the central army, and all the army's vehicles were here.

With Zhao Ji leading the way, Jia Tong didn't need to waste time setting up camp; they could simply camp around the cart each night.

In terms of the construction method of the Qin Straight Road, the biggest problem around the encampment was the water source, not enemy attacks.

The Qin Straight Road, built along the mountain ridge, offers excellent visibility during the day; at night, there are only a few small intersections nearby that need to be monitored and guarded, so no additional night watch troops are needed.

The entire army carried half a month's worth of supplies, and for the more than 500 li journey to Huangbai City, there was actually no need to collect supplies along the way.

Dividing troops to collect supplies would actually slow down the march.

If no more than one-twentieth of the vehicles are scrapped or damaged each day, there shouldn't be any problems.

When we camped out at night, the north wind blew and dust flew everywhere.

The leather tent Zhao Ji used was airtight, but it swayed slightly, producing a constant whistling sound.

Not only him, but few officers and soldiers in the entire army could sleep peacefully.

They were all dressed in armor and lay in their tents waiting for dawn.

Zhao Ji was still worried, so he took a torch and went out of the tent. The strong wind seemed to be blowing the torch out.

He arrived at the horse pasture, where tents were pitched around the horses, most of which had huddled together to avoid the wind after eating their fill.

Han Shu, leading several military officers, caught up and called out, "Grand Marshal?"

"It's alright, go back and rest."

Zhao Ji waved his hand, indicating that he was only slightly unaccustomed to such strong winds.

However, the Xiongnu volunteers in the vanguard were already used to the windy and dusty weather, where visibility was low from daytime onwards, making it typical and very suitable for launching an attack.

In such weather, the overall quality required of the attacking party is higher, and luck also plays a significant role.

The wind was blowing from the north, so launching an attack from the south would be inefficient and would also be hampered by sandstorms.

Unless Li Jue leads his troops to engage in battle, nothing bad is likely to happen tonight.

After inspecting the makeshift camp, Zhao Ji followed the directions of the tents and found his way back to his own tent.

Han Shu and his companions braved the wind and followed him into the tent.

Inside the tent, charcoal burned and water boiled in a copper kettle.

After brushing the dust off his body and rubbing his face, Zhao Ji sat down on his bed... which was simply covered with tree branches and a leather blanket sewn from black bear skin.

After tidying up, Han Shu picked up the copper kettle and poured water: "Grand Marshal, such a strong wind is truly heaven's help to our army."

Riding a horse with the wind at daytime, the feeling of being pushed back is simply exhilarating for both horse and rider.

Especially those carrying flags and wearing capes were almost being pushed and pulled by the wind.

We easily covered almost fifty miles more than we had anticipated.

"I don't like this unexpected change."

Zhao Ji took the water glass and suddenly asked, "Can we successfully defeat Li Jue and Guo Si in this battle?"

Han Shu exchanged glances with the other leaders, and then tentatively spoke up: "Grand Marshal, I believe that matters have varying degrees of importance and urgency, and crimes also differ in severity. The most urgent task at present is to send troops to Guandong to protect the country and punish Yuan Shikai."

"go on."

"Yes, so I believe that when we conquer Guanzhong, we should only kill the ringleaders and order the rest to atone for their crimes by serving in the army."

Han Shu looked up at Zhao Ji, whose face showed no emotion: "Indeed, this is the fastest opportunity to quell Li Jue and Guo Si. Previously, I was concerned about the many criticisms from the court and the public, so I wanted to pardon Li Ying and other members of the Li-Guo faction. Now, Yuan Shu has done me a great favor."

Han Shu felt much more relaxed and confident.

He merely sensed a shift in the situation. Previously, the greatest evils in the land were Li Jue and Guo Si; now, with the establishment of Yuan Shu, the evils of Li and Guo could be dealt with relatively leniently. Just like Ma Teng and Han Sui, for their crimes of invading Guanzhong and disturbing the imperial tombs, no traditional ruler would pardon or tolerate them.

Dong Zhuo, who seized power through a coup, did not have such great concerns. He did not need to adhere to any correct political logic or tradition, and could use a more pragmatic attitude and means to win over Ma Teng and Han Sui.

Previously, Li and Guo, who had inherited Dong Zhuo's mantle, were able to fight against Ma Teng and Han Sui, and then turn around and stop fighting and appease them.

Similarly, before Zhao Ji marched into Shangdang, he could have pacified the generals in Guanzhong, only executing the ringleaders and saving the vast majority of the people.

But he did not want to bear the blame for this, nor did he trust the sincerity of the generals in Guanzhong in surrendering.

The generals in Guanzhong had long lost respect for the imperial court; their surrender was more a matter of being forced by circumstances, and such surrender meant nothing to Zhao Ji.

Later, when he joined forces with Lü Bu to govern, it became even more difficult to persuade the remaining troops to surrender, given Lü Bu's hatred towards Li Guo and the people of Liangzhou.

But things are really different now. With Yuan Shu being such a great evil, what are Li Guo's evils compared to that?
This is the difference between a traitor and a villain. Killing the leader of the villainous group and driving the rest to attack the traitorous group... even if those former officials were to judge the case, they would think this operation was perfectly normal.

Two things are crucial: one is Lü Bu's attitude.

Yuan Shu established a bureaucracy, and Lü Bu had a responsibility to suppress it. If public opinion were to investigate, it was Lü Bu who led the emperor and his ministers to Nanyang for food, which gave Yuan Shu the opportunity to grow powerful and cause chaos.

Therefore, once Lü Bu understands the priorities, he will definitely be eager to quell Yuan Shu's rebellion.

Another key factor is the attitude of the generals in Guanzhong... Just because they say they won't pursue their cronies and subordinates doesn't mean these people will easily believe them.

The generals of Guanzhong, who followed Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si, had seen all sorts of terrible things.
In terms of suspicion, these people are no less suspicious than the nobles of old.

Now, faced with Yuan Shu's rebellion, these people will naturally cherish this rare opportunity to clear their names.

It's rare for the imperial court and the Grand Marshal to need them; if they don't cherish them, then they're truly courting death.

Strong northerly winds are blowing, and Huangbaicheng is also affected by the typhoon.

Inside the city, at the Grand Marshal's residence, Li Jue still maintained the pomp and circumstance befitting a Grand Marshal, ruling Yong and Liang with the air of someone who had established his own residence.

But now there are few decent scholars serving as his subordinates, and he has lost control of Guanzhong; even in the Zuo Fengyi region where Huangbai City is located, he can only watch helplessly, as the surrounding generals and captains have begun to refuse his transfer orders.

Any military action he takes will trigger vigilance and joint resistance from surrounding armed forces.

Under these circumstances, Huangbai City gradually declined.

As always, Li Jue lived a life of hedonism and blissful happiness with his family.

Although his words carried little weight in Guanzhong, he still held the power of life and death within Huangbai City and his own residence.

Having led such a decadent life, Li Jue is no longer capable of fighting, and he's even exhausted when it comes to women.

He could only numb his mind with alcohol all day long; otherwise, any sobriety or thought would bring him endless pain and regret.

After all, he was someone who had held the emperor hostage and used the court to command the people of the world.

The stark contrast in their current circumstances, coupled with their impending demise, has made him afraid to be clear-headed and unwilling to think about it.

He didn't want to face this bleak ending, but fate was sweeping towards him.

Zhang Xiu had already crossed the river at Longmenjin, and Zhao Ji's five battalions of 10,000 men and 5,000 chariot cavalry and infantry had also crossed the river from three directions: Longmenjin, Pubanjin, and Fenglingdu.

Duan Wei of Hongnong, Liang Xing and Zhang Heng of Zuo Fengyi in the east, also officially raised troops.

Zhao Ji had not yet arrived, but more bad news was already flooding into Huangbai City.

Even Yang Qiu, from the Youfufeng region west of Huangbai City, began mobilizing his troops. It was impossible for Yang Qiu to raise an army just to protect him; there must be only one purpose.

Even the Su family, which was besieged last year, mobilized their armed forces, seemingly wanting to dismember his body in exchange for a reward from the new Grand Marshal.

In his drunken stupor, Li Jue was in a daze.

Then he saw his cousins ​​Li Ying and Li Huan, along with more than ten nephews, cousins, and nieces, dressed in armor, rush up to the pavilion and loudly shout at and drive away his concubines and maids.

Li Yingqiang helped Li Jue to sit in the main seat. Li Jue lay on his side, covering his head with his hands and rubbing his temples with his thumbs. After feeling a little better, he asked, "Has Envoy Guo Si arrived yet?"

"Not seen."

Li Ying, as the elder of the clan other than Li Jue, sat in the first position on the left: "Brother, the survival of our three clans is in imminent danger."

"Just one more day, just one more day."

Li Jue's tone was absurd and bizarre: "Even that cunning old thief Yang Qiu dared to raise an army against me. With you all here, I can still live; why should Guo Aduo live? He's about to die, and so am I. Don't worry."

Seeing this, Li Ying glanced at his nephews and nieces, whose expressions varied, and said, “Brother, news has come from Hedong that Yuan Shu has seized the southeast, established a harem of concubines, and appointed officials. He is now sending three armies to attack Xuzhou. We are not without a chance of survival.”

"Oh?"

Li Jue jumped up and pressed, "Really?"

"What Mr. Wenhe said is probably true."

"Oh, it's him. I'm relieved."

Li Jue immediately lay down again: "Don't bother me. When that new Grand Marshal arrives, wake me up, and I'll fight him hand to hand to determine the ownership of Xizhou."

It's nothing more than offering up lives; if the way you offer up lives looks better, maybe you can actually save your three races.

(End of this chapter)