Tiger Guards

Chapter 45: The Old and the Young
In the camp, Zhao Yan sat at the head.

Wang Zhi had already removed the linen bandage that disguised his left foot, but he could only stand with County Sima Fan Zheng, Zhao Ji, Jia Tong and others.

Pei Xiu and Jia Kui sat on either side of Zhao Yan, and they talked about what had happened in the past few days.

Zhao Yan asked questions from time to time, and after understanding everything, he stroked his beard and sighed, "When the country is in danger, loyal and brave people have the ambition to help. It is really rare and precious."

Pei Xiu then asked, "Lord Zhao, do you think that now that Li Le has surrendered, Yang Feng, Han Xian, and their ilk will inevitably rebel against us? We wish to rally loyal and righteous men and march south to defend the Emperor and eliminate these villains? Could Lord Zhao persuade Xu Huang, the Cavalry Commander on the North Bank, to lead his men in this righteous cause?"

"I have met Xu Gongming several times. Judging from his conduct, he is also a loyal and righteous man. Now that I have received the emperor's secret decree, why should I fear the trouble of traveling?"

Zhao Yan agreed immediately, but his eyes fell on Zhao Ji's face. He then turned to look at Pei Xiu and said, "When I came here, I heard Li Le's troops say that there was a tiger soldier in the camp who was a good archer and could shoot at a distance of 120 steps."

"Mr. Zhao, this Xiu's relative is Zhao Ji."

Pei Xiu stood up, walked past Wang Zhi and Fan Zheng, and led Zhao Ji to the front row, hand in hand. He introduced him solemnly, "His nickname is Aji, and we've been friends since childhood. He has a bad temper, but his uncle Zhao is worried he might get into trouble, so he's living in seclusion in Jishan. Now that he heard about the national crisis, he came down the mountain to enlist."

Zhao Yan examined Zhao Ji carefully and asked, "Aji looks quite similar to an old friend of mine. Where is his ancestral home?"

Zhao Ji bowed, speaking with a Hedong accent. "My humble ancestry is from Langya. My grandfather was a lieutenant in Guangning County. In the first year of Emperor Huan's Yanxi reign, the Xianbei King Tan Shihuai invaded the border. He was convicted for public duty and, unwilling to be humiliated by the clerks, he drank the sword and died. My father, who kept a low profile, offended the local tyrants, so he lived in seclusion in Hedong."

"Zhao Lian?"

Zhao Yan frowned, suspecting it was a fake name, and said, "In the ninth month of the third year of the Yanxi reign, Lao Bing, a man from Mount Tai, gathered a crowd and started a rebellion, invading Mount Tai and Langya and killing officials. The prefecture and county were unable to control the rebellion, so the court sent General of the Central Guards and the uncle of the Nanyang Anzhong clan to lead troops to suppress the rebellion. My brother and I led our sons and daughters and fellow villagers to assist in the war and provide military advice."

As he spoke, lost in reminiscence, he continued to speak to Zhao Ji, who showed no emotion, "In November of that year, Shusun Wuji, a native of Mount Tai, rebelled and killed the county lieutenant, Hou Zhang. In the twelfth month, we followed our uncle and captured and killed Lao Bing, forcing Shusun Wuji to surrender. The rebellion was thus quelled, and later the court appointed me the magistrate of Gaomi for my meritorious service."

After a pause, Zhao Yan smiled and said, "During this period, my nephew Zhao Jian killed someone and fled, so I was dismissed from office."

Pei Xiu was pleasantly surprised: "What did Lord Zhao say?"

"It should be him."

Zhao Yan smiled with relief. He couldn't help but stand up and grab Zhao Ji's hand. He felt Zhao Ji's palm was warm, so he asked, "Aji, do you know where Langya is?"

"My father never mentioned it. It was only when I left home to enlist in the army that he told me about my background."

"It's rare for him to be so cautious."

Zhao Yan smiled, grasped Zhao Ji's hand firmly, and said to Pei Xiu and Jia Kui, "My courtesy name is Yuanming. Aji's grandfather was my uncle's son, the fourth child, whose courtesy name was Zhenming."

Jia Kui bowed and said, "May I ask Lord Zhao, is the former Guangling County Magistrate Zhao Yuanda a descendant of yours?"

"He is my eldest nephew. My brother was killed in the battle against the bandits in Taishan."

Zhao Yan restrained his smile. Two years ago, Cao Cao invaded Xuzhou and Tao Qian was defeated. When Cao's army massacred Xuzhou for the first time, Zhao Yu, the governor of Guangling County, took in the fleeing Zuo Rong and was assassinated by Zuo Rong.

The second and third generations of the Zhao family were severely damaged.

At this moment, Zhao Yan looked at Zhao Ji, as if he saw new hope.

His nickname was Aji, which meant that he must have an older brother who was still alive. Together with his cousin Zhao Jian, the Zhao family would not be without successors.

Pei Xiu was also an orphan and didn't know much about the Zhao family's background, but looking back now, the Pei elders were indeed too caring towards Zhao Ji's father.

At this time, Zhao Yan pulled Zhao Ji to sit next to him. When Zhao Ji sat closer, he found that the clothes under Zhao Ji's armor had been soaked and dried with blood, and was filled with a strong smell of blood.

This bloody smell was stronger, different from the bloody smell emitted by Li Le's head placed next to it.

The bloody smell of a fresh head is sharper.

Zhao Yan touched the exposed cords on Zhao Ji's arm armor, picking out the bloody scraps with his fingertips. "Why doesn't Aji wear proper armor?"

Pei Xiu replied, "Lord Zhao, you don't know that Aji is not only a master archer, but also extremely brave. In the past two days, he has fought three battles and killed no less than fifty bandit leaders!"

"Is Aji hurt?"

Zhao Yan immediately asked with a concerned look in his eyes, and Zhao Ji felt warm in his heart. Life is not easy for an orphan, and it is not easy for a child without a grandfather and with a bad-tempered father who takes out his anger on him at every turn.

Memories of his original self flooded back, and he could no longer suppress the inexplicable feeling of grievance. Tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks. He still gritted his teeth and held on. This was just his original self's sadness.

"My dear child, you have suffered."

Zhao Yan also knew his nephew's temper. He even dared to kill members of the royal family. What else would he not dare to do?
He trembled and rolled up his sleeves to wipe Zhao Ji's cheek. At this time, Pei Xiu was also a little sad. He turned around and winked at the others, and they all retreated.

After walking a few steps out of the barracks, Pei Xiu looked up at the dark sky and missed his father and grandfather a little.

When he was young, Zhao Ji's family had not moved away yet, so he naturally knew what kind of life Zhao Ji lived.

At that time, the Zhao family was already exhausted from raising three sons and one daughter, and the youngest son seemed dispensable.

If Zhao Ji was a girl and ate less, the family would naturally be harmonious. But he was a boy and could eat a lot.

It was a blessing from my ancestors that I wasn't beaten to death by Lao Zhao.

The more Old Zhao beat him, the more naughty Zhao Ji became.

As a result, Pei Xiu was able to easily accept the fierceness and bravery that Zhao Ji had shown the night before. This was all due to the training he had received from Old Zhao.

An ordinary child's physique would have been crippled by a kick from Old Zhao.

In the barracks, Zhao Ji probably managed to calm down after his tears dried up and his eyes became red, swollen and hot.

He wiped his face with the back of his hand, coughed twice, and then spoke: "Mr. Zhao, it won't be too late to reminisce and recognize our relationship after you see my humble father."

His voice was weak, and Zhao Yan also began to cry at this time: "It can't be wrong, you and my brother are 70% similar. Even if it is wrong, your family is from Langya, and you belong to the same clan, how wrong can it be?"

Zhao Yan wiped away tears with a handkerchief, calming down as he spoke, "I have three sons and two daughters. First, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, then the Luoyang Incident, and then the chaos in Guandong. All three sons were killed. My youngest daughter married in Pengcheng, but she was also killed by Cao's army. I have no news of my eldest daughter and her family, and I don't know if she is alive or dead."

"The emperor moved east last year, and your four brothers, who served as his guardians, all died in the service of the king."

Zhao Yan grabbed Zhao Ji's hand, fearing that Zhao Ji would leave him.

As an old man in his sixties, Zhao Yan burst into loneliness, his clothes were wet with tears and his nose was running, looking pitiful.

After a moment, Zhao Yan also gathered his emotions and said, "Now that all my descendants are gone, Aji is the only remaining son in the family... After meeting Aji's father, if we are from the same family, I will make the decision and make Aji an adopted son. If we are just from the same clan, I will also persuade your father to give up his son. I wonder what Aji thinks?"

"I don't know."

Zhao Ji turned his head and looked aside: "Lord Zhao, the current situation is critical. Please gather everyone to discuss national affairs."

"Just listen to Aji and let me clean up my appearance."

Zhao Yan also wiped his face carefully, adjusted his black gauze and jinxian crown, and coughed lightly a few times before nodding to Zhao Ji: "Aji, go and call everyone in."

"Yes."

Zhao Ji stood up and rubbed his face. When he walked out of the barracks, he saw Pei Xiu, Jia Kui and others leaning against the low wall to bask in the sun.

Pei Xiu also came over and asked in a low voice: "Aji, what's wrong?"

"Lord Zhao wants me to be adopted as his heir."

Zhao Ji responded and said, "I will escort Lord Zhao across the river to see Xu Huang later. If he refuses, I will seize the opportunity to kill him."

"Okay, we must keep Lord Zhao safe."

Pei Xiu said to Guanqiu Xing, who was walking up quickly with a look of curiosity in his eyes, "Ah Xing, go and select the men. Pick about thirty of them to accompany Aji across the river later."

"Yes."

Guanqiu Xing agreed, and at this moment, his eyes looking at Zhao Ji finally softened.

(End of this chapter)