Tiger Guards

Chapter 65 Return to Beixiang
In the morning, Zhao Ji arrived in Beixiang.

Flag officer Gao Yanglong strode into Beixiang Township first, followed by two battle flags.

On one side is the "Liangzhou Governor" and on the other side is the "Han Zhengxi General".

Gao Yanglong looked around and saw no other figure except Hu Ban.

Hu Ban watched the Huben soldiers file in. They had no uniforms, their armor was in a disorderly pattern, with a variety of iron and leather armors, and most of their clothes were worn out.

From a distance, they looked no different from Li Le's troops before, all in a tattered state.

When Zhao Ji entered Beixiang, it was like revisiting an old place. The feeling was very different and quite novel.

He jumped off his horse and asked Hu Ban, "Why is Hu Bingcao here?"

"I lost my mount and had no choice but to stay here."

Hu Ban responded with a wry smile. This was also an explanation to Wei Gu.

Zhao Ji glanced around and asked, "Where are the village elders, the treasurer, the village head, and the mayor of the northern township?"

"They have all gone to recruit young men, and I don't know when they will return."

Hu Ban raised his hand and pointed to a corner of the village: "There are still old and weak people. Do you want to recruit them to cook for the officials?"

"No need."

Zhao Ji also took a few steps forward to make way so that the following Tiger Guards could move forward smoothly.

Following Hu Ban into a nearby courtyard, Zhao Ji asked, "What should we do if the military officer loses his stallion and the county magistrates punish him?"

Hu Ban was a county official, and he was equipped with clerks, county soldiers and a public horse. The clerks and county soldiers formed the Huben auxiliary troops, and Hu Ban rode alone south.

Hu Ban thought for a moment and said, "The only solution now is to buy more horses to supplement the public funds."

"I do have a few spare horses in my name. You may take a look at them first. If you think they are suitable, I will sell them to you."

Zhao Ji said this casually, and Hu Ban responded with gratitude, but his position as a county official would not last long.

With Pei Xiu and Zhao Ji pulling the strings, they could just stuff a horse back to the county, and the county wouldn't investigate further.

With the more than 500 cavalrymen under Zhao Ji's command, when he passes through the county on his way south, the local county lord Zhang will carefully consider and deal with it properly.

Soon, the Huben soldiers removed the harness from the horses, only in this way could the horses have a good rest.

As for the Huben, they were still wearing armor, sitting on the ground along the simple streets, and eating dry food.

Zhao Ji did not requisition houses at will. He rested in an open space in the market, built a fire and boiled some hot soup.

Hu Ban sat nearby and explained in detail the whereabouts of the Beixiang officials. Naturally, they took the young men and women out to avoid the chaotic soldiers. At this moment, they might be hiding in the nearby mountains and watching here.

Zhao Ji was not surprised. This was the right choice to survive in troubled times.

Of course, Hu Ban's apparent statement was that the officials of Beixiang had taken the young and strong men out to recruit volunteers, and it was unknown when they would return.

While they were chatting, Han Shu came hurriedly and said, "Captain, someone from the Pei family wants to see you with a letter from the legal officer."

"Bring him to me."

"Here!"

Han Shu left quickly again and soon brought back two young men, both of whom were acquaintances of Zhao Ji.

One is Pei Xiu's little follower Fu Yuan, and the other is Fu Yuan's cousin, Pei Bao, who is also the younger brother of his brother-in-law.

When the two men arrived, they were leading a panting horse. Pei Bao quickly stepped forward and bowed, his expression awkward: "Zhao Zhonglang."

"Just call me Aji, there's no one else here."

Zhao Ji couldn't help laughing: "It's been a long time since we last met, why are we suddenly so distant?"

"My brother said that in the army, we must address each other by title, and there must be order of rank, and no one should cross the line."

Pei Bao glanced at Fu Yuan as he spoke. Fu Yuan quickly took off the saddle and took out half a bag of hay to feed the horse.

After finishing all this, Fu Yuan brushed the grass debris off his sleeves and walked briskly to see Zhao Ji: "I greet Captain Zhao and have fulfilled my mission."

Then he took out two silk scrolls and handed them over, asking, "Where's Seventh Brother?"

"Seventh Brother will stay at the main camp and work with Infantry Commander Xue Zhu to reorganize and train the auxiliary troops."

Zhao Ji opened the silk book, which was written to him by Old Zhao. It contained more than a hundred words, emphasizing that he should be filial to Zhao Yan, not show his temper, listen to Zhao Yan's words if there were any disputes, and not make enemies with his comrades.

Looking at these words, Zhao Ji could almost hear Old Zhao's voice echoing in his ears. Especially when dealing with disputes and comrade-in-arms relationships, it was almost as if he was openly warning him not to hold back.

Old man Zhao is backing you up, and you still hold back. Now that Old man Zhao is gone, what will happen to your family?
While it's convenient now, grab the opportunity and do it thoroughly to avoid regrets later.

This is in line with Lao Zhao's personality.

When Zhao Ji was alone with Zhao Yan in the past two days, he finally found out the reason why Lao Zhao fled to avoid punishment.

It was not as simple as killing the powerful. The people killed were members of the royal family and the close relatives of the King of Langya.

Even if the imperial court grants amnesty many times, Old Zhao dares not return home, because the Langya King's lineage still has the ability to retaliate.

As long as he returns to his hometown, he will face the revenge of the Langya King's lineage.

However, the Yellow Turban Army had already dealt a heavy blow to the royal family of Langya State, and they had long lost their early arrogance.

After all, Lao Zhao has settled down in Hedong and doesn't want to struggle anymore.

Perhaps he feels guilty towards his clan, which is also one of the reasons why he is unwilling to return home.

Zhao Ji flipped through another silk scroll, also in his eldest brother's handwriting. It was a letter from Pei Xiu's mother. The letter stated that she had been properly settled and hoped that he and Pei Xiu would serve the country well and not be distracted by family matters. He hoped that Pei Xiu and he would support and rely on each other.

After reading the two silk scrolls, Zhao Ji asked Fu Yuan, "Brother Ziping, do you want to return to the team or go to Seventh Brother?"

"I will go to the main camp."

Fu Yuan pointed at Pei Bao and said, "Leave Abao to Captain Zhao."

Pei Bao also looked at Zhao Ji eagerly. Zhao Ji looked him up and down and said, "Abao, you can't be a Tiger Guard if you join the camp now. You can be my servant. I have fifteen riding slaves, who can help me manage them. Are you willing, Abao?"

"willing!"

Pei Bao immediately agreed and added, "I'd be glad if Aji could keep me here."

"Well, Han Shu, take Abao to find a set of armor, equip him with a bow and crossbow, and give him a stallion. The riding slaves will still be under your charge, and Abao will be your deputy."

"Here!"

Han Shu bowed, and Pei Bao followed suit. He glanced at Fu Yuan and followed Han Shu.

Zhao Ji then said to Fu Yuan, "Zi Ping should also go find Han Shu and ask him to replace two horses for you so that you can travel faster."

"Thank you, Aji!"

Fu Yuan showed gratitude on his face. He and Pei Bao rode the same horse when they came here, and the horse was already exhausted.

If he had two horses to take turns riding, returning to the Huben camp would not only be faster, but he would also be able to survive if he encountered an accident. If he lost one horse, his chances of survival would greatly increase.

Zhao Ji just nodded. He had a spare public horse in his hand, so there was no point in holding on to it.

The horses given to Pei Bao were his personal horses, which should not be confused.

Even if Pei Bao made meritorious service, he could only be promoted from the auxiliary troops system.

He would have to chop off about eight heads before he could be promoted to deputy captain; and after gaining command merit, he would be promoted to Jieconghu Ben.

By preventing the Huben from becoming overrun with soldiers from the people around them, the Huben will naturally enhance their collective sense of honor, and fewer of them will abandon the army and flee.

The more precious the Tiger Guard's identity is, the higher the probability of returning to the team after being disbanded.

He doesn't know much about military strategy, but he understands human nature.

If the number of Tiger Guards is expanded arbitrarily, it may seem like the scale has expanded, but it will actually be a bad thing.

After dealing with this small matter, Zhao Ji saw that the hot soup was ready, sprinkled some salt into his cup, scooped up the soup to wash away the salt, and grabbed the Hu pancake to eat.

At this time, three riding slaves brought a plate of freshly collected wild vegetables, which had been washed with well water, and put them into the pot.

They wore worn leather armor and sat on the ground.

As Zhao Ji's subordinates, they were more motivated and proud of this identity.

If there are any benefits, Zhao Ji will give them priority.

There is nothing wrong with this logic. The highest rank in the camp is held by the Tiger Guards, followed by them. Their treatment may even be better than that of auxiliary soldiers and laborers.

However, there were no auxiliary troops or laborers in the southern expedition team, so it is difficult to compare.

But if Han Xian is defeated or killed, a large number of prisoners of war can be obtained immediately, and the personnel can be screened to form new auxiliary troops and laborers.

(End of this chapter)