Tiger Guards

Chapter 85 Peace is the most precious thing
Later, Zhao Ji and Qu Bei, who had a full meal, were tired, but driven by curiosity, they each led their leader and came to the cellar with torches.

This is not a cellar, but a series of small cellars and secret rooms distributed along the left and right sides of the secret passage.

It gave Zhao Ji the feeling of an ant nest.

Most of the cellars were filled with piles of Wuzhu coins, the hemp ropes were rotten, and the Wuzhu coins were stacked in piles.

Zhao Ji had no interest in these cultural relics. What Hedong lacked most now was food, not copper.

"Take me to the gold."

Zhao Ji looked down on these five-zhu coins, and Qu Bei also looked down on them.

The followers on both sides were wary of each other and led them to the secret room where the gold was stored with torches.

This place is obviously built with bricks, cement, and glutinous rice paste boards. The gate is sturdy and the interior is spacious.

There was a young boy and two Tiger Guard officers on duty in front of the gate, accompanied by three Xiongnu nobles, guarding the Wei family's treasury together.

Jia Tong didn't look very happy, and didn't seem excited at all. He stepped forward and bowed, "Zhao Zhonglang."

"Brother Wenzhen, why are you so depressed?"

Zhao Ji joked with a smile, and Jia Tong gestured with his arms outstretched: "I think Aji would also find it hard to let go after seeing this."

"It's okay. I'm used to being poor. I don't mind being poor for a few more years."

As Zhao Ji was speaking, Tang Xian holding a torch entered the secret room first, followed by a Xiongnu nobleman, and then Zhao Ji and Qu Bei entered together.

Soon other Hu Ben soldiers and Xiongnu leaders also entered.

The torches glowed orange with red, and under the light of the flames, the gold bricks appeared golden red.

These gold bricks are embedded in the wall and covered with a shell similar to lime mortar, which looks like a coating on the wall.

However, it was not tightly attached to the gold bricks, and after being pried open, large pieces peeled off and fell to the ground, revealing the golden-red gold brick wall.

Inside the secret room, there were bookshelves, and on the bookshelves were bamboo slips packed in brocade bags.

Some brocade bags were torn open and the bamboo slips were piled together.

Seeing Zhao Ji looking at the bamboo slips, Jing Chun said, "Zhonglang, these are the records of the Wei family, recorded every five years, and are very detailed."

Another Xiongnu noble, Huyan Guo, explained to Qubei, "When we discovered this place, we wanted to look through the bamboo slips in the brocade bag, but the Tiger Guards wouldn't allow us. As we pushed and shoved, we bumped into the wall and found a layer. When we pried it open, we saw a wall made of golden bricks. This matter is so serious that we dared not move, so we sealed this door."

At this time, Zhao Ji picked up a scroll of bamboo slips and started reading it, and Tang Xian moved the torch closer.

After quickly flipping through the scroll and glancing at it again, Zhao Ji said, "The Wei family manages all the affairs of the country with strict budget management, just like a state."

Whether it was the mountains, forests, mineral deposits, or the Hedong salt pond, as long as it was an industry that could make money and support people, the Wei family would get involved.

He put the bamboo slips back to their original place, turned around and touched the texture on the surface of the gold bricks again. He didn't know whether it was just a simple layer of gold bricks or thicker.

Zhao Ji looked at Qu Bei, who was also stroking the gold bricks. "Wise King, do you think this wall of gold bricks has been built up over generations, or is there another secret room where the gold is hidden?"

Qubei observed the cracks and turned to look at Zhao Ji: "Zhonglang, are you saying that the Wei family has more than one hidden gold?"

He also nodded slowly, understanding in his heart that they were going to chase the thieves and beat them to death.

Even if other Wei clan members confessed to owning the second and third palaces, how would the court know if your family owned the fourth or fifth palace?

If this is the case with the Wei family, how can clan traitors like the Fan family be exempt?
At this time, Zhao Ji looked around at the Huben and Xiongnu leaders in the secret room and saw that most of them looked slow, and it was obvious that their minds had been disturbed by the huge amount of gold.

This is a scene beyond the comprehension of most people. Such a large amount of gold has reached a terrifying state that cannot be looked at directly.

So Zhao Ji took off his leather belt, took out his weapon, and started shooting at the gold.

He also twisted his waist left and right, and the water line hit the golden brick wall in a beautiful arc. The angle was just right, no splashes were made, and the sound was smooth, without a single noise.

Everyone looked at each other, and their minds immediately became clear.

Qubei was at a loss for words. He also wanted to pee, but he felt a little nervous and couldn't.

Tang Xian handed the torch to the person next to him, untied his belt and attacked a gap in the wall.

Seeing this, the remaining Tiger Guard leaders followed suit. The Xiongnu nobles also turned to face the other wall. They couldn't show their weakness or lose face at this moment.

Qubei found a wall by himself, and after a moment of reflection, he regained his dignity.

He stood on tiptoe and shook himself, then fastened his belt. The smell in the secret room was very unpleasant and he felt a little dizzy.

Under the stimulation of this smell, both the Huben and the Xiongnu suddenly felt heroic and found each other much more pleasing to the eye.

Zhao Ji said, "I didn't want to come here because I was afraid these things would make me stupid. But if I didn't come, I was afraid the gold was fake. Now it seems that this stuff is not as good as a warehouse of rice and millet. It's just so-so. Anyway, I would rather die than defile the grain."

Cavalry officer Wang Qi also openly raised his hand to touch the gold brick, his expression more appreciative, and he sighed with emotion: "Yes, today's experience will be a wonderful thing to tell my children and grandchildren when I am old. I only regret that I am nearly forty years old. If I were twenty years younger, I would have achieved great things by following Zhonglang!"

"What are you talking about, Cavalry Cao?"

Zhao Ji raised his hand and patted Wang Qi on the shoulder: "In my opinion, forty years old is the right age. Most of the comrades in the camp are young, but we are lacking an elder like Qi Cao."

Qubei also came over and said, "Let's go. This matter is over. Let the court decide."

"Let's go, give the officers and soldiers a feast and have a good meal!"

Zhao Ji turned to look at the leader of the Tiger Guards and said, "After days of traveling, even I am tired, and you are all exhausted too. Rest for a few days, and when Lord Zhao comes to court, we will close the camp and practice cavalry warfare!"

"Here!"

The group of Tiger Guards bowed in response, their voices were so loud that they seemed enormous in the secret room.

Zhao Ji turned around, raised his hand, grabbed Qu Bei's wrist, and walked out. "When it comes to cavalry warfare, we still need your guidance. Although my comrades in the camp are brave and daring, most of them are rural warriors, not warriors from the battlefield. Your Majesty cannot refuse this matter."

"It is a blessing for us to be able to work with Tiger Guards."

As he walked, Qu Bei asked, "When will we submit this memorial to the court?"

"Submit a petition now. The court has arrived, and today is a rare day of leisure. Submit another petition tonight and postpone this matter until tomorrow. Also, the Tiger Guards and Xiongnu Yicong detachments are here to see the heritage of the Hedong Guan family."

Zhao Ji couldn't help laughing as he spoke. He thought that if a thousand people came here and everyone followed suit, the imperial envoys would be in a difficult position.

But this is just right, as it allows everyone to vent their resentment.

At this time, Jing Chun said, "Zhonglang, we need to prepare more clogs to prevent the soldiers from getting their shoes and socks dirty."

"Wenqing is very thoughtful. He will have the officers and soldiers come here after lunch to broaden their horizons and boost their courage."

In this way, more than twenty people holding six torches walked out of the secret passage. The entrance of the secret passage was located outside the grain storage warehouse, where firewood and fodder were stored.

If Qubei had not intended to set fire to the grain and moved away a lot of firewood, and if both sides had not moved fodder to feed the horses last night, they would not have discovered the entrance to the secret passage.

As we walked out of the secret passage, the air suddenly became fresh.

The atmosphere between the Huben and the Xiongnu leaders became much more harmonious. They went to the main courtyard of the Wei family together and began to summon the middle and lower-level leaders to prepare a grand feast for the officials and soldiers.

Have a good meal during the day and a grand bonfire dinner at night.

Zhao Ji made the arrangements and everyone was responsible for their implementation.

While drinking tea with Zhao Ji, Qu Bei asked, "It would be a little less interesting without a woman to accompany us. What do you think, Master Zhonglang?"

Zhao Ji was inspecting the tea stored by the Wei family when he heard this and asked, "Yesterday, the envoys of the virtuous king requested vehicles several times. Was it to transport the Wei family's property or the women? Are these women related to the palace?"

"This……"

Qubei hesitated, but when he saw Zhao Ji staring at him, he immediately replied, "Zhonglang, the palace ladies who can still come to Hedong nowadays are no longer very beautiful. I want to escort Zhonglang Cai Bojie's daughter to Wuyuan. A cousin in Wuyuan is obsessed with Cai Bojie's daughter. If I can facilitate this, I will have a place to stay in the future."

"Cai Boji's daughter? Where is she now?"

"They are kept in the other courtyard, and guarded by the prince's trusted warriors, who never neglect them in the slightest."

"I'll go see her later. If she doesn't want to go to Wuyuan, I hope the virtuous king will give me some face and let her go or stay as she pleases."

Zhao Ji pondered, "As for the women, there's no need to bother with that. Provoking a dispute would only damage the harmony among our officers and men. Peace should be our most precious priority."

"Yes, I'll do as Zhonglang says."

(End of this chapter)