Tiger Guards

Chapter 57: Imperial Court Background
In the barracks, Zhao Yan saw Zhao Ji coming in and also stood up and walked forward.

In the brightly lit area of the gatehouse, he grasped Zhao Ji's hand and examined his armor carefully: "Excellent! Aji is truly majestic!"

Zhao Ji also showed off the details of the armor. Zhao Yan walked around Zhao Ji, observing him, nodding repeatedly, and told his attendant, "Go prepare the meal."

"Here."

The attendant happily agreed and retreated with a bow.

Han Shu, who had followed, stood outside the door holding Zhao Ji's horse-slaying sword. Inside, Zhao Ji took off his helmet and said, "Lord Zhao, I have already handed over the horse to Xu Gongming."

"Ah."

Zhao Yan sat down and said to Zhao Ji, who was sitting next to him, "I was worried that the soldiers of the Tiger Guards would be reluctant to part with the horses. It seems they are all concerned about state affairs. I was overthinking it. How many horses are left in the camp now? How many knights did Aji bring with him?"

"I lead 487 Tiger Guards, and another 25 Tiger Guards are blocking the pass of the Chi Road. They will join the team when we move south. In addition, there are 65 mounted slaves, 15 of whom are my own. These slaves are captured clan bandits, Han and Hu people, and their wives are also under my control."

Zhao Ji paused, then continued, "Except for the 113 horses delivered to Xu Huang, there are still 70 horses left to supplement military needs. Lord Zhao is forming a personal cavalry unit, and he can also use 30 horses."

"Well, Ma Zhi also suggested it last night. Today, we have selected a hundred strong men from the county soldiers and Xu Gongming's men to serve as my bodyguards. If we had another thirty horses, it would be more than enough."

Zhao Yan did not object to the "donation" of these thirty horses. It was also necessary to replenish them and build a guard.

The Huben were the emperor's personal guards. Without special imperial decree, no one could use the Huben as bodyguards.

Zhao Yanzi didn't want to be criticized for this little detail, so he asked, "I saw Xu Gongming waiting outside. What do you think of him, Aji?"

"A good general of the time can be a pawn of the country."

Zhao Ji's sincere praise surprised Zhao Yan, who looked him up and down, "How could I have imagined that my A-Ji had such insight? Why do you think so?"

"He was able to escape unscathed after crossing the river to defend the king, and even returned home to recruit soldiers far from Anyi. This shows that he is not only knowledgeable about military affairs and good at fighting, but also has a broad mind and will not follow the footsteps of the Baibo generals. However, he was controlled by others, and his talent was lost in the dark."

Zhao Yan raised his hand and stroked his beard after hearing this: "I thought Aji was young and proud, so he would be arrogant, but I didn't expect him to have such good judgment of people."

While praising him, he was also observing Zhao Ji's reaction. Zhao Ji's reaction was calm. He naturally recognized Xu Huang's ability. There was no false words or commercial flattery.

Zhao Yan was in a very good mood, but he couldn't show it, so he asked, "Yesterday, Pei Xiu, Wei Gu and others refused to attend the banquet to discuss matters. Has the Huben Camp made any decision on the southward march?"

"We cannot coexist with the traitorous ministers."

Zhao Ji then took out the memorial of tribute written by Jia Kui, a folded silk scroll, and handed it to him with both hands: "Please read this, Lord Zhao."

Zhao Yan originally thought it was an oath to punish the enemy, but when he picked it up, he didn't expect it to be a large sum of gold and silk as an offering.

Immediately, his eyes narrowed. "Five hundred gold, two thousand pieces of silk? Aji, how much wealth does the Hou family have?"

"The wealth of the Hou family is beyond the imagination of Lord Zhao."

Zhao Ji said with a hint of resignation, "We are caught in a dilemma. We want to offer gold and silk to alleviate the court's difficulties, but we are also afraid of implicating partners like Wei Zhongjian. Our only solution now is to kill all the Baibo generals and shift the blame to them. This way, the Wei and Fan families can also prove their innocence."

"How can they be innocent?"

Zhao Yan folded the silk book and placed it on the table. He felt something was wrong and handed it to Zhao Ji. "It's inconvenient for outsiders to know about this. After you deal with Han Xian, give it to me."

"Yes."

Zhao Ji took it and continued, "Lord Zhao, Cang Cao Jia Liangdao and his brother-in-law have made great contributions. After defeating the Baibo generals, I and others want to drive out the Xiongnu in the north, but I am worried that no one in the court will speak up. I would like to ask Lord Zhao to recommend Jia Cang Cao's brother-in-law Liu Fu as a Shangshu Lang. This will facilitate communication between the upper and lower levels."

Zhao Yan frowned: "Are they important to you?"

"Yes, when the Tiger Guards gathered, Jia Kui and I made an oath: he would help me stabilize the internal affairs, and I would help him drive out the Xiongnu."

Zhao Ji said seriously, "His brother-in-law is also a diligent and capable official, but Jia Kui has a unique talent for serving the country. Since I have made an alliance with him, I will do my best."

"Shangshu Lang..." Zhao Yan stroked his beard and pondered, "Given Liu's family background, it's not appropriate for him to start as a Shangshu Lang. He can be recruited as a Huangmen Lang. Once the emperor is familiar with him, he can be transferred to the court."

He made the arrangements and looked at Zhao Ji again: "Who else?"

Zhao Ji thought for a moment and said, "No, most of the Tiger Guards in the camp have gone south to fight the bandits. Lord Zhao can look for talented men. If they are useful to the state, you can recruit them. After defeating Baibo, I will go north with the Tiger Guards to drive out the Xiongnu. I'm afraid there will be many casualties."

"Do we have to expel these Huns?"

"Yes, the Xiongnu are also suffering now, and their foothold is unstable. If we delay for a few more years, we will not be able to drive them out."

Zhao Ji thought for a moment and said, "Every time we defeat a Xiongnu unit, we can rescue many captive children of good families and border residents, and also recruit Han and Hu people to serve us. If we suffer a setback in the war, we still have the natural defenses of Fenshui and Jishan to prevent Anyi from being affected."

"Five hundred Tiger Guards are heading south, and when we go north again, I can only let you take three hundred with you."

Zhao Yan thought of the situation in Anyi and said solemnly, "Perhaps you can only take a hundred men with you. The emperor and the imperial court are in urgent need of reinforcements. I can give you the surrendered soldiers I recruited, but as for money, food, taxes, and the like, the imperial court is currently unable to provide any assistance."

"A hundred men will do. I want to take Xu Gongming with me. He alone can defeat five hundred cavalrymen."

"Okay, I can make the decision on this matter."

Zhao Yan, recalling the attitude of Yang Biao and the others, responded, "Since you want to drive out the Xiongnu, go for it without hesitation, and don't be bound by moral principles. For the imperial court, your defeat of the Xiongnu is also a great victory. From now on, you will open up the three prefectures of Taiyuan, Xihe, and Yanmen, and the imperial court's prestige will naturally be greatly enhanced."

After pondering it, he still felt uneasy, so he said, "The two bandits in Guanzhong, Li and Guo, are hostile to each other. Even if they were to unite, it would be difficult to achieve it quickly. Once the Baibo bandits are pacified and no one is standing in their way, the court will naturally recruit Duan Wei. With Duan Wei guarding Huayin, we can buy you six months. In addition, Jia Xu and Jia Wenhe, the former Left Fengyi, are taking refuge in Duan Wei's camp. I will send an envoy to summon him. Asking him to advise Aji on military matters would give him some hope."

"Is he still in Huayin?"

Zhao Ji was surprised and his eyes widened.

Zhao Yan was also very surprised and looked at Zhao Ji: "Aji, do you know this person?"

"Yes, when I was in Jishan, I rescued two escaped Taiyuan scholars. I heard them discussing Jia Xu, calling him a traitor and a poisonous scholar from Xiliang."

Zhao Ji found an excuse and frowned, "Why is he still in Huayin? Could it be that he still has hope for the court?"

"Well, Aji, don't listen to the Taiyuan people. They have an inextricable hatred for the Liangzhou people because of the Prince Master incident, so naturally they resent Jia Wenhe. Jia Wenhe is only trying to protect himself. After the Prince Master incident, Jia Wenhe advised Li Jue and provided protection and assistance to the Emperor and the ministers. His kindness is not shallow."

Zhao Yan said this with a strange expression on his face. He continued, "Jia Wenhe is the Left Governor of Fengyi, and the official seal is still in his hands. If the court ever hopes to revive, Duan Wei can mobilize the people of Hongnong, and Jia Xu can gather the officials and people of Weibei. Together, these two can provide a strong defense for the court's western front."

Zhao Yan stood up, took out a sheepskin map, and unfolded it. He gestured to Zhao Ji, explaining the directions and the corresponding relationships between the various counties, emphasizing Taiyuan. "Since the court moved to Anyi, not only Wang Yi, the governor of Hedong County, but also Liu Xuan, the governor of Xihe County, have sent envoys to express their greetings. Only Taiyuan, despite its prosperity, has received no envoys. In February, the court sent a new governor, but he was ambushed by the Xiongnu on his way to Pingyang. If we drive out the Xiongnu from the north, the court will gain access to Taiyuan's resources."

He gestured with his hand at the Fen River, "If the money and grain from Taiyuan flow down the Fen River, it would immediately alleviate our current difficulties. In fact, even though Aji didn't mention attacking the Xiongnu, the imperial court also has this intention. Old men like us discuss military affairs in our spare time. Unfortunately, we are being coerced by the Baibo bandits, and our ambitions are unattainable!"

Zhao Yan was gritting his teeth, feeling as if he wanted to eat these warlords alive. Zhao Ji felt the same way when he saw this.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What if the people of Taiyuan refuse to pay tribute?"

Zhao Yan was stunned for a moment, then calmly rolled up the map, saying with a half-smile, "How does the Hou family's wealth compare to other families in Taiyuan?"

Zhao Ji understood that he really couldn't use his previous understanding to interpret this group of nobles who crawled out of the sea of blood.

They hate the two thieves Li and Guo, and the generals of Baibo. Don’t they hate the heroes in other places who stand by and watch like monkeys?

The villains in Guandong were probably also on the imperial court’s blacklist.

If we really expel the Huns who are entrenched in the Pingyang area, with such military force and the righteousness of the court...if the families in Taiyuan still don't understand, then we really have to consider changing the cage and replacing the bird.

Fortunately, there are not many officials left in this generation, and there is no successor.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to stand out by relying solely on military merits and competing with so many ruthless people.

　Sanjiang has a bright future, let’s work together!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)