Tiger Guards

Chapter 63: Using softness to overcome strength
In Jiangyi City, the Hu family residence.

Hu Qian sat angrily on the edge of the couch. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became and the more he couldn't sleep.

That’s eight mares!

There is also a good horse, a total of nine horses!
His archery skills were already well-known in the county. If he could defeat Zhao Ji with his archery skills today, giving away two or three horses would be of no consequence.

But he lost. Even though he hit the Hu pancake from 90 steps away in the third round, even though he performed beyond his level, people around him would only remember that he was not as good as Zhao Ji, and would only remember that Zhao Ji could hit the Hu pancake from 110 steps away!
Shooting a cake at the gate is almost a step away from hitting the target from a hundred paces away.

These nine horses have already severely damaged the Hu family's vitality.

Without the addition of mares, the Hu horse herd will not be able to grow naturally and make up for daily losses.

You have to give it. Reputational bankruptcy is more terrible than financial bankruptcy.

Hu Qian became more and more convinced that this was a trap set by Ximen Jian. The Huben soldiers were obviously aware of Zhao Ji's archery prowess and also knew the limits of their own shooting skills.

I am already 23 years old, while Zhao Ji has not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony. There is a four or five year age difference between them. Zhao Ji's archery skills will be even better in the future.

What if I win?

It was nothing more than helping Ma Shizhi suppress the morale of the Huben and gain more control.

I couldn't help but hate Ma Shitong. Doesn't this guy know Zhao Ji's archery skills?

Just as Hu Qian was feeling resentful and angry, footsteps were heard.

He collected his composure and walked out of the dormitory when he saw his younger brother Hu Yu coming to the door: "Brother, father is anxious to see you."

Seeing Hu Yu's bewildered look, Hu Qian couldn't help but ask, "But is there an outsider here?"

"Yeah, it looks like someone from the county government. It's dark and far away, so I couldn't see clearly who it was."

As Hu Yu spoke, he couldn't help but sigh when he thought of the loss his family had suffered today.

But he was only slightly sad. No matter how great the loss was, he would never lack horses for hunting trips.

In other words, Hu Qian lost. If he had lost, his father and brother would not admit it so readily.

Hu Qian ignored his brother's sigh, and the two of them immediately left the small courtyard and walked along the corridor to the main courtyard.

In the side hall of the courtyard, Hu Ding sat upright. On the low table in front of him was a large goose oil lamp with a curved neck, and the wick of the lamp was burning on the goose's forehead.

"Father."

Hu Qian felt guilty, his voice became much weaker, and he bowed in greeting.

"Sit closer and talk."

"Here."

The Hu Qian brothers came forward and knelt in front of the low table, then heard Hu Ding say, "Wengong, what do you think of Zhao Aji?"

"I've never heard of such a person in Wenxi. He has suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

Hu Qian calmed down and gave a relatively fair assessment, "Even if Lord Zhao hadn't been here, Zhao Aji, with his bravery, would have been a prominent figure in this county. I still don't understand why he remained so unknown until now, living in the mountains. Given the kinship between the Zhao and Pei families, and Pei's generosity, how could he have harmed him?"

So what if Zhao Ji is so powerful?
If one does not join the ranks of famous scholars or prominent families in his youth, there will be no guidance and arrangements for his career. Even if he is known throughout the county as a chivalrous man, he is still just a lackey.

If it weren't for the accidental recognition of his relationship with Zhao Yan, Hu Qian would not have looked up to Zhao Ji.

The Hu Ben of Wenxi would naturally speak highly of Zhao Ji's experience, but Beijiang and Wenxi were neighbors, and the Hu Ben of the two places knew each other and were related, so some information would also be passed on to the Hu family.

But the information was incomplete. Bai Bo was in chaos, the countryside was devastated, and Zhao Ji's family had to move. No one could clearly tell Zhao Ji's growth experience.

Just through these incomplete information, we can outline a fierce outline of Hu.

Hu Qian was puzzled, and Hu Ding couldn't figure it out either.

There was no reason for the Pei family not to cultivate Zhao Ji, and the Zhao family even threw Zhao Ji into the mountains.

But this question was not important at the moment. Hu Ding then said, "The county lord has reported that there was a disturbance in the main camp outside the city. Ma Shizhi attempted to persuade Lord Zhao to delay the dispatch of troops. Zhao Ji learned of this and charged him with disregarding the emperor's safety. Ma Shizhi resisted with a weapon and was beheaded by Zhao Ji."

Hu Ding recounted the story slowly, and sighed, "This man has a strong character and cannot be made an enemy."

Hu Qian and Hu Yu were also very scared, but fortunately they admitted defeat and handed over the horses to the other party.

Hu Qian immediately said, "Father, there's a banquet in the camp today, and Zhao Ji looks unhappy, and most of his companions are afraid to drink. I think Zhao Ji was already planning to kill Ma and shoot branches... How is the situation outside the city now?"

"The camp remains as it was, and there is no disturbance."

Hu Ding still sighed: "Ma Shizhi has been stationed in this county for nearly two years. He has always enjoyed prestige and is loved by the officials and soldiers. Today I realized that his kindness in the past two years is not as good as Zhao Ji's shooting of cakes. The common people fear power but not virtue. It's generally like this." The riot in the camp outside the city was a more reasonable thing in Hu Ding's eyes.

As a result, with the righteousness of the imperial court above and the military coercion of Zhao Ji and Huben below, and Ma Shizhi's death, no one stood up to resist.

This is the reaction of the camps outside the city, so the troops stationed in the city probably won't have much resistance.

Ma Shizhi died just like that, but more than a thousand county soldiers and subordinates were indifferent.

This made Hu Ding feel sad to some extent. If Ma Shizhi was like this, then he might be like this too.

The righteousness of the imperial court is so powerful and unstoppable.

After losing their leader, the remaining people had almost no courage to resist or retaliate.

The reaction of the county soldiers made Hu Ding feel deeply frightened.

There is a fear that the means of survival have been taken away.

He calmed himself down and said to his two sons, "The Tiger Guards are strong now. The county lord wants to recruit over a hundred good men from our town to serve as Tiger Guards. Whether this will succeed or not depends on Lord Zhao's decision. Are you two brothers willing to go with us?"

Hearing this, Hu Yu turned his head to look at his elder brother. He really didn't care.

Going to the Huben Camp and fighting under a man like Zhao Ji wouldn't be too bad.

Whether it was the previous ambush on the Huns, the attack on the Hou family, or the shooting of Li Le, Zhao Ji performed extremely well.

Hu Qian realized that this was an attempt to gain merit.

Ma Shizhi's plan to turn the tables failed and he even lost his life.

Since it is impossible to gather other powerful armed forces to suppress the Huben, then change your thinking and join the Huben.

There are now more than 700 Tiger Guards, and they are constantly being replenished on the way south. By the time they reach Anyi, there will be at least a thousand of them.

Those who joined later were originally the legitimate sons of wealthy and powerful families. They were already the big brothers of the local tiger guards and had a profound influence when they joined the camp.

Hu Qian didn't hesitate and bowed: "Father, I am willing to go."

"So does the child."

Hu Yu followed suit and expressed his position.

"Very good. Go pack your bags and leave the city with the county lord at daybreak."

Hu Ding gave some instructions and watched his two sons bow and retreat. He still had a younger son, so he could afford the risk.

First organize them, and when the Hu Ben troops move out of camp, wait by the roadside, and say all the nice things you can. It is also a time when the court needs people, so Zhao Ji will most likely not object.

Once they joined the camp and became Tiger Guards, Zhao Ji would no longer be able to expel them easily.

In the military camp outside the city, Zhao Ji had a barracks all to himself, and there was no light inside.

In the darkness and silence, Zhao Ji sat cross-legged and practiced the 'Concentration and Nourishing Qi' technique, thinking that this would enhance the digestion of food and speed up the recovery of physical strength and energy.

But in this state of deep meditation, he could indeed feel a surge of energy throughout his body, spreading outward in irregular waves.

This shouldn't be a perceptual illusion like bioelectricity. In this state, even if he wanted to be anxious, he couldn't be.

The whole person's thinking slows down and seems dull, as if holding a fishing net under a waterfall, waiting for the fish to fall.

Any slight change in the outside world can make his thinking active and synchronized with the outside world.

After confirming that there is no danger, they will become dull again.

Nearing three o'clock in the morning, Zhao Ji was forced to come out of this meditative state due to hunger.

Although his stomach was rumbling, he was in excellent spirits, looking radiant and his eyes were clear.

He picked up his helmet and walked out of the barracks. Han Shu was lying on his side with a sheepskin cloak on his back, sleeping on a haystack with several of his personal soldiers.

Two night watchmen were sitting around the campfire. At this moment, one after the other stood up and said, "Captain."

"You guys go to sleep, I'll go on patrol, and then I'll keep watch."

"Here."

The two bodyguards were already feeling sleepy, so they responded in a low voice, walked five or six steps to the haystack, lay down and fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)