Tiger Guards

Chapter 440 Leaving No Trace
The rain subsided slightly, and as the sunlight began to shine, Yu Fan set off south again.

In Chenliu City, Zhao Ji also began preparations for withdrawing his troops.

During this period, a large number of official documents and letters needed to be packed and sealed. Zhao Ji squeezed out time to study them with Zhao Jian and Zhang Hong.

Zhao Ji mainly studied and reviewed the actions of the officials during this period.

Basically, the movements of the officials since Cao Cao's death have been recorded, including their meetings with people and the letters they wrote to. That's all we can find out so far.

As for the records of high-ranking officials entering the palace to meet the emperor, those are easy to find. What is difficult to find is the content of the conversations during those meetings with the emperor.

When Chen Gong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, was alive, he was able to monitor this.

Zhao Ji's infiltration and control over Xudu were not strong. Much of the intelligence was collected and reported by officials of the Zhao clan within Xudu.

There is overlap in the intelligence and there are normal errors. What Zhao Ji is reviewing is the comprehensive intelligence that has been refined and filtered, which allows him to have a direct understanding of the daily behavior of each minister.

Even Yang Biao, who was in prison, could be found out clearly who he had met and what he had talked about.

It was precisely because this intelligence was so clear that Zhao Ji didn't pay much attention to it, which inevitably involved a lot of empty talk orchestrated and directed by Yang Biao.

After reading it repeatedly, Zhao Ji placed the paper file on the table, feeling quite troubled: "The officials have not responded at all, which is truly disheartening."

Zhao Jian looked over upon hearing the voice, his expression one of utter astonishment: "Does the Grand Marshal mean that the officials in the court harbor ill intentions?"

"Yes, even the officers and soldiers in the army know that if I and the General were to fall out and break off our alliance, the restoration of the court would collapse. Did these officials not foresee that the General was misled by treacherous officials? Or did they foresee it and were just happy to see the General and I both suffer heavy losses, so that the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty would fail at the last moment?"

Zhao Ji said in a clear tone: "If they did not foresee the dangers involved, it means they are incompetent and are merely filling positions without real ability. They should be dismissed and replaced with more capable people. If they are talented but unwilling to consider the long-term affairs of the court, then they are morally corrupt, disloyal to their duties, and no different from rebels."

Zhao Jian was stunned by these words, and his expression became serious.

After all, the officials' performance during this period was rather perfunctory; they were unwilling to even make the basic gestures or actions of mediating or resolving disputes.

Does this mean they are certain the two sides will fight?
But that doesn't make sense either. If Zhao Ji and Lü Bu were to fight, the victor would certainly settle scores. Looking back, would they really let go of those officials who didn't speak up to mediate or seek a ceasefire?
However, Zhao Jian quickly realized that the reason why the officials did not express their willingness to make peace or cease hostilities was because they did not want to get involved in the struggle between Zhao Ji and Lü Bu.

Advising Zhao Ji would be useless, and advising Lü Bu would be futile, as both were under Lü Bu's actual control and were highly likely to be used as sacrifices.

If Lü Bu had killed a high-ranking official beforehand to sacrifice for his banner, how could Song Xian and Cheng Lian have dared to act so perfunctorily?

Zhao Jian was too embarrassed to target the high-ranking officials again. After Lü Bu eliminated the Three Yangs and left only Yang Biao as the sole heir, the influence of the court had clearly declined.

If we seize upon the inaction of the high-ranking officials now and deliberately exaggerate and severely punish them, it will further diminish the prestige of the court.

Even without killing or severely punishing the officials, the mere spread of Zhao Ji's remarks could cause damage to the prestige of the officials and the court that would be difficult to recover in the short term.

Zhao Jian looked hesitant, stammering and unable to utter a coherent sentence; he simply appeared troubled and deep in thought.

Seeing this, Zhang Hong spoke up: "If the Grand Marshal insists on reprimanding the officials for their dereliction of duty, it will only needlessly boost the General's prestige. They will not sit idly by and await their doom, and will surely join forces with the General."

Zhang Hong couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke, but still earnestly advised, "We must be on guard. In my opinion, it is not advisable to cause too much trouble. If the Grand Marshal withdraws his troops to allow the people of the western lands to recuperate, then the court officials and Lü Bu will inevitably fight each other."

The reason he laughed was because the nobles had previously joined forces with Lü Bu, which resulted in a riot in Xuchang. Lü Bu had handled the situation vaguely and had not pursued it strictly.

The chances of Lü Bu forming a deeper alliance with the nobles were slim. As the emperor grew older, the war for seizing power continued to rage.

Zhao Ji understood that Zhao Jian was reluctant to continue punishing the officials and wanted to let the matter drop, allowing the stagnant court to breathe a little fresh air. Zhang Hong, however, did not believe that the officials and Lü Bu could cooperate. In other words, the officials could not be weakened now, otherwise they would not dare to challenge Lü Bu. After realizing the harsh reality, they would change their strategy, adopting a softer approach to appease Lü Bu and lull him into a false sense of security, thus avoiding a fierce conflict between the two sides.

For someone like Lü Bu, if he could get the full cooperation shown by the nobles, he would definitely be overjoyed.

A cooperative attitude that is put on display can be more pleasing and enjoyable than actual cooperation that involves friction.

Therefore, we should not continue to eliminate the nobles now, otherwise the infamy and hatred will fall on our side, and Lu Bu will benefit, but in the end, Lu Bu may lose everything in an instant.

Zhao Ji was also somewhat hesitant. It was like fighting a war. Based on his current experience, he could either win or lose, and no matter how hard he tried, it would be a waste of time.

Zhao Ji lacked experience in handling disputes within the court, especially in making long-term decisions that would affect the court years later.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Ji asked, "Mr. Zigang, are you saying that we should encourage the officials this time?"

"Do not."

Zhang Hong looked at Zhao Ji with a solemn expression: "Grand Marshal, you don't need to do anything. Right now, the Grand Marshal can influence the political landscape with just a few words. In my opinion, the officials in the court are unwilling to choose between the Grand Marshal and the General-in-Chief. Such an ambitious person will bring disaster upon himself sooner or later."

"do nothing?"

Zhao Ji could also understand that Lü Bu's group had expanded rapidly in the past year or so, and was no longer the wandering military group that was partly composed of the Imperial Guards of the capital and the border troops of Bingzhou. It had become a mix of too many elements.

As long as one takes any action, it will inevitably leave a trace, which will be seen by the relevant personnel on Lü Bu's side.

If nothing happens in the future, that's fine. But if the nail I planted today ends up killing Lü Bu when he falls from his horse tomorrow, Lü Bu's former subordinates, who are all loyal to him, will definitely hold me responsible for the grudge.

As Zhang Hong said, doing nothing would certainly stimulate and encourage the courage of the officials, who might try more proactive and radical ways to seize power.

Alternatively, it can be understood that no one stepped forward to mediate the conflict from beginning to end, which in itself reflects the true attitude of the nobles.

But the nobles are also afraid of retaliation, and they are now inevitably somewhat apprehensive.

If we turn a blind eye, wouldn't that be tantamount to secretly supporting their attempt to seize power from Lü Bu?
That's right. They clearly had the opportunity, but deliberately missed it, instead of taking the chance to kick the nobles while they were ahead. In the eyes of the nobles, this was itself a form of encouragement and suggestion.

After careful consideration, Zhao Ji realized that there were no particularly hateful figures among the current officials, so he said to Zhang Hong, "I will leave this matter to you, Mr. Zigang. I also hope that you can go to the court on my behalf to present a memorial to the emperor, expounding on the evil deeds of the treacherous minister Chen Gong."

"I am willing to accept the order."

"Yes, first Chen Gong misjudged people and let a wolf like Cao Cao into the house, then he condoned the traitorous fellow villagers, which almost caused a mutiny. Such a treacherous minister should be punished by imperial decree."

Zhao Ji decided to spare the other officials and target Chen Gong, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, alone.

In such a huge dispute, only Chen Gong's head is of enough weight to quell many meaningless conflicts.

"After paying homage to the Emperor, you will also visit the Grand Tutor, Kong Wenju, and Wang Jingxing. As for the rest of the people, you may visit them as you please. I do not wish to provoke them, and I hope they will not ruin my plans."

Zhao Ji felt he should warn and reprimand these officials, and said, "Yang Wenxian is, after all, one of our seniors. I will write to the General to plead for his release. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, the General will release Yang Wenxian."

Not only will Yang Biao be released, but Lü Bu will most likely also bestow upon Yang Biao an important position in order to generate a huge public reaction and counteract his half-hearted military campaign.

Suppressing negative public opinion related to the military operation and praising Yang Biao back to prominence would certainly be a win-win situation for Lü Bu.

(End of this chapter)