Tiger Guards

Chapter 394 Sun Lang Shoots the Tiger
It took two days for Liu Xie to ride into Xuchang, while Zhao Ji's entire army arrived at Zheqiu City, south of Xuchang.

Located in the northwest corner of the State of Chen, this place is situated on higher ground and is not susceptible to flooding.

During this period, the dam built by Gan Ning has been continuously storing water, and the rising water level has spread to the vicinity of Xutian.

The dam is leaking more and more frequently, and it could collapse at any time without waiting for upstream rainfall.

When Liu Xie was arranged by Pei Xiu to quickly go to see Zhao Ji, Zhao Ji was hunting with Sun Ce in the eastern suburbs of Zheqiu City.

Both sides had over a hundred riders each to drive away the wild boar family, while a tiger pack of more than a dozen tigers was also in the hunting range and was startled.

The tiger roared, and most of the horses on both sides panicked and stopped moving forward.

Zhao Ji and Sun Ce's trusted cavalry were all on fine horses. When Sun Ce saw Zhao Ji turn around to chase after the roar of the tiger, he immediately reined in his horse and decided to abandon the hunt for the wild boars.

His cavalry general, Song Qian, reined in his horse and asked urgently, "My lord?"

"The Grand Marshal abandoned the pig to chase the tiger; how can I pursue these?"

Sun Ce shouted, raised his powerful bow as a signal, and spurred his horse to chase after Zhao Ji.

The remaining dozen or so riders followed suit, and the two sides competed in the hunt. However, each team had only three archers serving as hunters, while the others carried spears and halberds and acted as guards.

The temporary hunting ground served as a boundary, with Zhao Ji's army to the west and Sun Ce's army to the east.

The four surrendered Yellow Turban armies were transferred to Zhao Ji, but remained stationed near Sun Ce's camp.

At this moment, each side has three thousand infantry and cavalry participating in this hunt, arrayed on the east and west flanks as guards.

To avoid being underestimated by Zhao Ji, Sun Ce gathered most of the horses in his army, making his 3,000 guards half infantry and half cavalry, barely equal to Zhao Ji's guards.

In the fields, the tiger pack sought refuge in an abandoned village.

When Sun Ce arrived, Zhao Ji was stationed on the earthen mound outside the village shrine, observing the layout of the houses within the shrine.

Sun Ce sheathed his bow, spurred his horse to the top of the earthen mound, and looked at the tigers roaring and threatening within the village. He then asked loudly, "Grand Marshal, where did the tigers come from?"

“Coming from Chenliu in the north.”

Zhao Ji grabbed a piece of yogurt curd and put it in his mouth, saying, "Last year, I organized a hunt with the elite cavalry under the General's command, and most of the animal populations near Xuchang were wiped out. Chen has always been populous, so there is no space for tigers to live. Only Chenliu has a sparse population, and wild animals fill the wild."

Sun Ce immediately lamented, "The decline of Chenliu was primarily caused by Cao Cao."

Seeing this, Zhao Ji couldn't help but glance at Sun Ce, then took out his bow and pointed it diagonally at the village: "There are about thirteen or fourteen tigers. How does Lord Sun want to compete? What is the prize?"

"I am willing to follow the Grand Marshal's arrangements."

"Alright, whoever shoots the most tigers wins. If the numbers are equal, the meat will be weighed. As for the prize, what does Lord Sun want? Armor, horses, swords, or men and women?"

Zhao Ji pressed for an answer, and Sun Ce, eager to try, asked, "Isn't it just shooting a tiger?"
Sun Ce dared to gamble because he felt he had the upper hand; most importantly, he dared to win!
Sun Ce hesitated for a moment before proposing, "Why not offer all five as prizes? I have a family heirloom inner armor, a rare treasure from the Western Regions; my steed, though not as fine as the Grand Marshal's, is still a divine steed from the Jianghuai region. As for the sword..."

As he spoke, Sun Ce patted the longsword hanging at his side: "This is the Restoration Sword made by Emperor Ling. Although it is not a divine weapon, it is still of extraordinary significance. I wonder how men and women would gamble on it?"

Zhao Ji pointed to a senior horse slave behind him: "This gleaming heavy armor is a new type of weaponry for our army, used by the Iron Cavalry. Including the horse armor and mount, it constitutes both armor and horse. The horses will be given to Lord Sun—one male and three females—so they can be used to breed superior breeds in the future. As for the sword…"

This put Zhao Ji in a difficult position, but he still patted his sword and said, "This is the Shangfang sword bestowed upon me by the Emperor, and it has extraordinary significance. If I lose, I will petition the Emperor to transfer this honor to Lord Sun, and I will also petition the Emperor to grant Lord Sun the authority to act as an imperial envoy."

With the authority to act as an imperial envoy, Sun Ce was able to legally execute officials below the rank of two thousand shi.

Whether it's legal or illegal, in today's world, how many officials are truly innocent?

If there is a truly innocent official who cannot be found to have made any mistakes, he is a pillar of the region and a role model. Who would be willing to kill him?

Sun Ce nodded in agreement, and Zhao Ji then said with a smile, "It would be impolite to choose men as generals under your command. I have a horseman who is a Xiongnu archer, whose archery skills are second only to mine; as for women, I wonder if Lord Sun would dare to take them."

Whose daughter is she?

"There are two candidates: Princess Tang, wife of the Prince of Hongnong, and Lady Yin, wife of He Xian, son of the former General He Jin. Both women are exceptionally beautiful."

Tang Ji was just something Zhao Ji said on the surface. After rescuing her from Li Jue, she was sent to the Empress, and Sun Ce didn't dare to take her.

The Yin family's situation was simpler; they received gifts from Lü Bu, along with other women from prominent families, in exchange for warhorses.

Sun Ce nodded and said, "I have a fierce warrior under my command named Zhou Tai, who is exceptionally loyal and brave. He is willing to make a bet with the Grand Marshal. As for women, I have been staying in Qing and Xu for the past year without success. I am willing to offer my concubine, the daughter of Qiao Gong of Pei, as a bet."

He was confident of victory. Da Qiao was just a concubine. Sun Ce had no shortage of concubines and mistresses. He was currently an unmarried young man, just like Zhao Ji.

Anyway, Da Qiao isn't here, and whether we can bring her back in the future is another matter. We can use it as a gamble; even if we lose, Zhao Ji can still get back his other family members who are living in Yuzhang when he demands it back.

In Sun Ce's opinion, it wasn't a loss.

After wandering for over a year, who knows what happened to his family?

Seeing that Sun Ce dared to gamble like this, Zhao Ji raised his hand to remove his helmet belt, preparing to go all out: "Then let's make a vow with a high five."

"good."

The two men turned to the side, and Sun Ce turned his horse around, both extending their right hands to strike each other hard, causing their mounts to lose their balance.

Both sides are physically strong, so this can be considered a test.

Holding hands, Zhao Ji proposed, "I am in the west, and Lord Sun is in the east; in this contest, I will go from west to east, and Lord Sun will go from east to west. We will stop after the tiger pack is killed, what do you say?"

"it is good."

Sun Ce agreed, and he also raised his hand to untie his helmet strap and toss the helmet to one of the guards, Zhao Ji did the same.

They exchanged a glance and simultaneously spurred their horses down the earthen mound from the grave. Zhao Ji headed east with twelve guards and two pursuers, while Sun Ce also led fourteen knights.

They went their separate ways, and Sun He rode up to catch up with Sun Ce: "Grand Marshal is careless and unprepared. Of all the heroes in the world, only Grand Marshal is our formidable enemy."

Sun Ce showed his hand, which had been scratched red by Zhao Ji: "This contest will solidify the friendship between our two families, so there's no need for such talk. Yuan Shu's rebellion threatens my reputation; it depends on this one battle. How can I risk losing something so trivial?"

Sun He remained silent, then nodded and gripped the iron halberd in his hand tightly: "Then I'll scout ahead."

Sun Ce nodded, and Sun He spurred his horse to speed up. Four other guards with halberds followed, forming the vanguard. Sun Ce and two skilled archers formed the main shooting force, while Zhou Tai and the temporarily selected Lü Meng served as guards.

Behind them were Song Qian leading four other guards as the rear guard. The guards' halberds were decorated with colorful ribbons, which could effectively scare away the beasts when they waved them.

Zhao Ji remained silent, leading his fourteen cavalrymen in three groups, and entered through the east gate.

After the five escort riders entered, they made strange howls, disturbing the tiger pack. Some of the tigers also roared in protest, but none of them took the initiative to pounce or bite.

They had been chased all the way here, and after running for more than ten miles, they were exhausted and frightened, so they dared not take the initiative to attack.

As Zhao Ji entered, the drawn bow was immediately released, the arrow flashing past before plunging into the gaping mouth of a tiger fifty paces away.

The two sharpshooters on the left and right also silently fired their arrows; Zhao Ji had taken them out hunting many times.

Those who can remain calm and composed throughout a hunt of wild beasts are qualified to be promoted to intermediate-level military officers.

The three men shot and killed three tigers in the first round, and the rest of the tiger pack turned and ran, jumping into the ruins to dodge and move around.

The situation was the same for Sun Ce; both sides were chasing tiger packs in the ruins of Lishe.

Outside the ruins, over a hundred riders from each side gathered and drove the tigers that were trying to break through back.

Inside the ruins of Lishe, as the tigers died one after another from their serious injuries, the guards on both sides were no longer wary of the tigers, but rather of the other side's archers.

Zhao Ji let his horse roam freely, and with his powerful bow in hand, he aimed at the tiger's silhouette and shot.

Some tigers had arrows in their bodies, and Zhao Ji didn't care whether the arrows were from his own side or not; he would fire arrows whenever he saw a tiger.

The horses of both sides had barely warmed up when the ruins were empty of tigers running and dodging, and no longer any roars. There were only dead tigers and wounded tigers slowly dodging.

Immediately, the guards from both sides began to drive away the wounded tigers, hastening their bleeding.

Sun Ce's mood grew increasingly heavy.

He was now quite convinced of the rumors about Zhao Ji's archery skills.

As for feeling regretful about losing the bet, there was absolutely none.

A grown man like him can afford to lose something so small.

Even if we lose, it will be better. If we please Zhao Ji, we can get a little more when the spoils are distributed after the war against Yuan Shikai. That would be much more than what we've lost so far.

As for Da Qiao... Yuan Shu has no shortage of beauties.

(End of this chapter)