Tiger Guards

Chapter 49 Planning Defense
After a simple meal, several people saw Zhao Ji out.

The Hu Ben soldiers who came with Zhao Ji also had a full meal, changed their horses, and were holding torches.

Pei Xiu escorted Zhao Ji out of the camp, but he had other concerns: "Aji, I've heard that there's a saying in the army that meritorious service should not be rewarded quickly. This is because they worry that if the officers and soldiers are given generous rewards, they will become selfish and afraid to fight, which will be detrimental to the battle."

Seeing that everyone else nodded, Zhao Ji also felt that Pei Xiu's concerns were reasonable. It was very offensive to say it on the spot.

He paused for a moment, thinking, and then said, "Seventh Brother, this refers to a conscripted army. They come for official titles, money, and rewards, and after receiving them, they will naturally develop selfish desires. We, who enlisted as Tiger Guards, come here to support the country and stabilize the people. If anyone takes the reward and leaves, just let them go. In such a chaotic world, carrying gold and walking alone is a way to bring disaster."

Zhao Ji looked at Jia Tong again and said, "Brother Wenzhen, after I leave, please inform my companions and auxiliary soldiers in the camp that the rewards will be distributed tomorrow and we can leave or stay as we please."

Jia Tong nodded slowly. "Yes, although I am also concerned about the dispersal of the officers and soldiers, we have sacrificed our lives to enlist here, and we should be rewarded and encouraged for our meritorious service. Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince the people if we do not reward our merits."

Wei Gu then spoke up: "Tonight Qilang and I will review the merits. Tomorrow, after the rewards are given, we can arrange for the postal service to transport the rewards back to the counties and deliver them to their families."

"That's fine, but I'd still like to let my campmates decide for themselves."

Zhao Ji looked at Wei Gu and explained, "The Tiger Guards will return home with their rewards. When they come back, they will have at least three or five companions, or more than ten. This way, our forces will be even greater."

"This is indeed a good idea."

Wei Gu no longer stubbornly insisted on his position and attitude, and agreed with it. He proposed to add: "Recruit five people and grant them the first level of merit; recruit ten people and grant them the second level of merit, and so on. Is that okay?"

Zhao Ji nodded, and Guanqiu Xing spoke up, "Isn't this a very excessive number of Tiger Guards?"

Pei Xiu said, "They can be incorporated into the auxiliary troops first, and the best ones can be selected to join the Tiger Guards."

"Just do as Seventh Brother says."

Zhao Ji also agreed. When they arrived at the camp gate, he turned around and bowed to a few people. Everyone also bowed and watched Zhao Ji step on the stirrup on one side and mount the horse nimbly.

Watching the thirty-odd riders slowly drive off, Pei Xiu sighed, "Aji truly knows military strategy. With this, we have another battalion of auxiliary troops, and they're from our fellow villagers, so they're very reliable."

Wei Gu agreed very much. Although it was dangerous to march to Anyi, he wanted to go there in person.

Zhao Ji was no longer the same Zhao Ji as before, although he was not very happy to be adopted by Duke Zhao.

But the lineage of Lord Zhao was extinct, and this was not something Zhao Ji could refuse just like that.

The Zhao family's disciples and former officials will naturally support and help Zhao Ji.

Now we can only hope to keep the news secret and prevent Yang Feng and others from kidnapping the emperor and escaping.

As for involving all the powerful people in Hedong... just involve them. After all, he is just the second son, and his personal future is much more important than the family business.

The career prospects of Hu Ben are so bright that staying in this big collective is better for individuals than staying in the family.

At the Hou family manor, more than a hundred county soldiers were dispatched during the day.

They were said to be county soldiers, but they had been disbanded by the Huben and then reorganized through screening. Their nature was similar to that of the Huben auxiliary troops.

Indiscriminately increasing the number of Tiger Guards will only damage the current cohesion and morale.

It is better to fill the vacancies from the families and fellow villagers of the Tiger Guards who have lost soldiers than to let ordinary soldiers make up the numbers.

Unless one has made enough achievements and raised the threshold, it will be helpful to maintain the status of a tiger guard.

Status is the guarantee of combat effectiveness.

In the manor warehouse, Jia Kui fiddled with the abacus, repeatedly calculating various expenditures.

He had military tactics passed down from his ancestors, which mainly focused on training troops, marching, setting up camps, and managing the army. The most complicated part was the calculation of supplies.

"Cang Cao, Captain Zhao is here."

An auxiliary soldier who was reorganized from the Xiangling County soldiers reported at the door. Jia Kui collected the abacus and put it into a bamboo tube. He stood up and was about to go out when he saw Zhao Ji striding towards him.

Zhao Ji glanced around and asked, "Brother Liang, where's Brother Liu?"

"My brother is at the smelting site tonight, supervising the forging of weapons."

Jia Kui led Zhao Ji inside and they sat together at a low table. He pushed a scroll of bamboo slips towards Zhao Ji and said, "Aji, take a look. This is the list of rewards I have drawn up."

Zhao Ji opened the bamboo slips and examined them from top to bottom.

The calculation of merit is relatively simple, with only three types, mainly based on gains, supplemented by casualties and participation in battles.

The Huben soldiers without horses have made relatively smaller contributions, so this time the reward will give them priority in receiving horses; the Huben soldiers whose horses have been injured or killed will also be supplemented or replaced.

The Huben were originally a cavalry unit, and their first imaginary enemy in the short term was the Huns. Jia Kui was naturally keen on strengthening the Huben's cavalry combat capabilities.

This made Zhao Ji very satisfied. As for other rewards, there were three types: the first was an official position, the second was money, and the third was captives and female relatives.

Zhao Ji flipped open the second scroll Jia Kui handed him. It contained the confiscated warehouse supplies. He was stunned. "Seven thousand two hundred bolts of cloth?"

"Most of them are old cloth, barely usable."

Jia Kui explained, "I have sorted them out. Xinbu will arrange for the maids in the manor and the women of the captives to sew military uniforms and flags, and Chenbu will reward them to the Tiger Guards."

"Unfortunately, time is running out. Brother Liang is right. Uniform uniforms and flags are indeed conducive to rallying morale. This is a very important matter." Zhao Ji briefly described the attitudes of the people in the camp and said, "If Yang Feng and his men are defeated in one battle, and the Tiger Guards return home with their rewards, the counties south of the Fen River will gain over a thousand more soldiers. In that case, we'll need more uniforms, around two thousand sets."

The camp has already reached a common decision, and can recruit surplus manpower from various counties before others... Jia Kui will never refuse such a thing.

The more manpower you control, the greater initiative and voice you will have in the subsequent war against the Huns.

The county soldiers and the coalition forces of powerful people cannot be relied upon. Only when the Huns take the initiative to cross the Fen River will these people's enthusiasm for fighting be stimulated.

If you want to cross the Fenshui defense line, you can only rely on the Hu Ben who are eager to achieve success.

There is a limited amount of young and strong manpower in Hedong, and every family must have a pillar of support.

Therefore, in the short term, the potential number of recruits is fixed.

Only by bringing these people into the Huben system can they play a greater role.

It was not that Jia Kui had strong confidence in Zhao Ji and the Huben Camp, but that he was very clear about the nature of the powerful coalition forces and the county soldiers.

"Two thousand sets isn't difficult, but time is tight and many armors are difficult to repair."

Jia Kui sighed slightly, then said, "Today, Lord Zhao asked for my opinion on the situation in Hedong. According to Lord Zhao, he intends to send an envoy to invite Duan Wei. Duan Wei is stationed between Weinan and Huayin, protecting the border and the people and establishing a large military base. His troops are well-stocked with food and fodder, and their officers and soldiers are well-equipped. He is not afraid of the two bandits, Li and Guo. If we can get Duan Wei's help, we can block Hongnong and prevent the two bandits, Li and Guo, from crossing the river at Fengling."

As he spoke, he picked up a brush and simply drew an "L"-shaped line on the table showing the direction of the Yellow River. Fengling Ferry was just around the corner.

Zhao Ji stared at the table. "If we can get General Duan's help, then the two bandits Li and Guo will have no choice but to go through Pubanjin. In that case, if our army has more boats, we can go down the Su River and wait for them to tire themselves out."

"Yes, I intend to store wood upstream of the Huishui and Sushui rivers to build more rafts."

As if to show off, Jia Kui picked up a brush and painted the winding flows of the Sushui River, Fenshui River and its tributary Huishui River.

Zhao Ji continued to stare with his eyes downcast. "Yes, the Hedong tyrants are more afraid of the Li and Guo thieves entering the country than we are. We don't need to worry about this matter. They just need to hold Puban for half a month, and we will be able to reinforce them."

Zhao Ji pointed at Puban, downstream of the Sushui River, and said, "Stationing a thousand troops there will be enough to hold it. We'll also deploy decoy troops at Fenyin, downstream of the Fenshui River. This way, if the Li and Guo thieves try to cross the river, they'll have no choice but to capture Puban first."

If Puyang is not captured, the army in Fenyin can sail down the Yellow River and cut off Li Jue and Guo Si's return route and food supply.

There will be another locust plague this year. If the two thieves Li and Guo come over, if you want to rob, you can only rob the powerful.

The same logic applies. Without taking over Puyang, they dared not split up their troops to plunder.

This battle became similar to the one back then, when Li Jue, Guo Si and others followed Niu Fu to fight against the Baibo Army, and it was a very difficult battle.

At that time, they were stationed in Shaanxi and Tianjin for a long time and did not dare to cross the river.

Whether crossing the river from Shaanxi and Tianjin in the south or from Puban, each attack point must be attacked and attacked, which will consume morale.

The defenders have a mobile force and can sit back and watch the front-line defenders use fortifications to consume the enemy.

Wait until the enemy is exhausted, then take advantage of your rest and attack.

That’s how Niu Fu suffered a crushing defeat back then.

Jia Kui listened to Zhao Ji's thoughts and asked, "Aji, if the two thieves Li and Guo split up their forces and attack Fenyin and Puban, what should we do?"

"They are no longer the same as before. They can still fight together, but if they are divided, who will be willing to fight with all their strength?"

Zhao Ji pointed at Anyi and said, "This is the most crucial place. With the Baibo generals executed, the imperial court seems poised for a resurgence. The loyal and righteous men under the command of the two traitors, Li and Guo, will naturally surrender to the imperial court. With the example of Wang Yun, I believe the imperial court will open the door wide and allow the generals in Guanzhong to reform themselves, regardless of past grudges."

"Rehabilitation?"

Jia Kui murmured, a smile forming on his face, "With Lord Zhao here, this shouldn't be difficult. Discussing military and national affairs with Aji is truly a pleasure."

"Brother Liang and I both have a sense of justice, so we can talk things over."

Zhao Ji, however, showed no sign of smiling. "The empire has become so corrupt, and the root cause lies with those above. I'm afraid that if the situation improves even slightly, these bastards will seduce the emperor into moving the capital eastward to Luo."

Upon hearing this, Jia Kui gradually stopped smiling. He felt that Zhao Ji was right to scold him, and he would not scold his Jia family.

His father died early, and his grandfather also stayed at home early because of the party imprisonment, which had nothing to do with the chaos in the past ten years.

However, their friendship is not yet deep, and some outrageous remarks are not suitable for conversation at the moment.

Facing Zhao Ji's probing, Jia Kui sighed, "Yes, the two Yuans in Guandong are fighting each other, and many villains have risen up. If we move to Luoyang, although there are eight dangerous passes, there are no soldiers to defend it. Going to Luoyang is like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth."

With the oil lamp beside them, the two men looked at each other and suddenly felt like they were close friends.

Zhao Ji felt that he should give Jia Kui a big push and let him become a Shangshu Lang.

It was nothing more than massaging the old man's shoulders and legs, and Old Man Zhao still had some face.

Even if two or three hundred tiger guards were arranged to guard the emperor, Jia Kui would still have the courage to chop people down given his violent temper.

Wei Gu looks arrogant, but he is actually soft and easy to fool.

I couldn't help but feel a little excited.

(End of this chapter)