Chapter 33: Reorganizing the Ranks

The meeting concluded, and the Tiger Guards immediately sprang into action. Holding their identity bamboo slips, they called friends and comrades to form squads.

Zhao Ji was the most popular leader—more than half of the Tiger Guards in the camp wanted to join his command. With no other choice, Zhao Ji had to test the courage of the Tiger Guards on the training ground.

He set up a target, and the Tiger Guards stood in front of it, thirty steps away, while Zhao Ji shot arrows. Many trusted his archery skills but feared that dodging arrows would invite ridicule from their fellow villagers and comrades. So, most stood their ground, neither dodging nor flinching.

To raise the standard further, Zhao Ji selected those who did not blink. This became a test of courage itself; those who passed it naturally gained confidence and bravery, establishing a baseline morale and earning the recognition and trust of their peers.

When Wang Zhi returned with his men, he saw a crowd watching Zhao Ji shoot arrows on the training ground, as if it were a game. Glancing at the formation of heads arranged like a square on the training field and observing Zhao Ji’s selection process, Wang Zhi guessed what was happening.

The five commanders welcomed Wang Zhi to an empty area, where he first shared his observations: “Jiangyi has not opened its gates. They mistakenly believe we were captured by the Xiongnu, hoping to deceive the garrison into coming to their aid and thus seize the city. Li Le also led troops northward, saw the beacon fires on Purple Gold Mountain, but unsure of the truth, withdrew.”

He studied the expressions of Wei Gu and Pei Xiu before asking, “Li Le camped in Beixiang today and must have sent scouts. What should we do?”

Wei Gu remained silent, pretending not to hear. His home was in Anyi, and he did not want to give the White Wave commanders an excuse to act aggressively.

Pei Xiu shared similar concerns. Ultimately, they all feared that war would devastate the areas surrounding Anyi.

When Wang Zhi’s gaze fell on Jia Kui, Jia Kui said, “The Xiongnu struck suddenly, with Li Le close behind. It’s clear he conspired with the Xiongnu to harm us; he even harbors suspicions of abducting the emperor. In my opinion, we should launch a surprise attack on Beixiang tonight and capture Li Le.”

Wei Gu’s brow remained furrowed. The White Wave commanders had over two thousand veterans who had survived fierce battles—completely annihilating them would be difficult, unless the local strongmen joined forces to encircle them.

But without the deterrent of the White Wave commanders, Li Jue and Guo Si would surely send troops to probe and harass, escalating the war further.

Food supplies in Guanzhong remained scarce this year, and Li Jue and Guo Si harbored plans to lead their forces into Hedong to seize its grain stores.

With Wei Gu and Pei Xiu withholding their opinions, neither infantry nor cavalry commanders dared to speak out.

Wang Zhi was reluctant to press too hard and said to Jia Kui, “This matter is no trivial affair. Let me change my clothes first, then we shall discuss it further.”

“Understood.”

The men bowed and watched Wang Zhi depart with his guards.

Pei Xiu commented, “Aji certainly has courage. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

“That’s only fitting,” Wei Gu agreed. If Jia Kui’s plan were to be executed, it would have to be Zhao Ji leading the assault.

As long as Li Le was captured, the situation could be controlled. Even Li Le’s old soldiers, all from Hedong, would not need to be slaughtered.

Wei Gu added, “I must leave the camp to visit the Hou brothers. Liang Dao and A Xiu will need to manage affairs here.”

Jia Kui merely bowed in response.

Pei Xiu asked, “Is it about the military equipment?”

“Yes. The Hou family has been ironworkers for generations. Whether it’s repairing weapons or replacing equipment, everything must go through them.”

Wei Gu’s expression grew grave. “I see Aji as magnanimous, giving the young prince’s head casually to A Xing. If he takes that head to the Hou brothers, they would not dare treat him lightly and might exchange many weapons.”

Liu Hedu’s head had its uses: the Hou brothers could present it to the court as a merit, earning official positions. At worst, it could be given to one of Liu Hedu’s other sons to gain their gratitude.

Pei Xiu knew the Hou brothers’ character well and immediately nodded. “Aji is approachable. The eldest brother saw him fight last night. Aji lacks a good weapon.”

“Yes. You ask him what kind of weapon he prefers. I’ll go change my clothes.”

Wei Gu did not plan to ask Zhao Ji in person. After making these arrangements, he quickly left with several Tiger Guards surrounding him.

Pei Xiu came to Zhao Ji’s side. Seeing him shoot light arrows with a soft bow, he no longer worried about Zhao Ji’s stamina.

Zhao Ji noticed and stopped shooting, stepping closer. “Seventh Brother, what does Wei Zhongjian want to do?”

“He intends to use Liu Hedu’s head to get some weapons from the Hou brothers. What kind of weapon does Aji prefer?”

Pei Xiu saw Zhao Ji was deep in thought and added, “Wang Zhi just returned and said Li Le led about seven or eight hundred men north. Upon seeing the beacon fire at Purple Gold Mountain, he retreated. Jia Kui believes Li Le is garrisoned in Beixiang and has sent scouts, proposing a night attack to capture him. Wei Zhongjian is now going to visit the Hou brothers, probably to gather information.”

“Beixiang…” Zhao Ji blinked, weighing the feasibility. He whispered, “It’s over thirty li away. If we don’t strike, Li Le will. Seventh Brother, without a clear imperial edict, attacking Li Le will be hard to justify.”

“Then we wait for Li Le to attack?”

Pei Xiu’s question was rhetorical; his stance was already set.

He did not doubt Li Le’s boldness. Even if the raid failed, given the White Wave commanders’ status and understanding, they would find excuses to defend themselves.

In the current court, no matter how arrogant Li Le was, he would be tolerated.

The Hedong people’s bottom line was clear: as long as no large-scale war erupted or Li Jue and Guo Si were invited in, everything else could be handled ambiguously.

Zhao Ji also thought a defensive counterattack was safer. The downside was that a veteran like Li Le, having survived so long, either possessed a keen sense of danger or excellent escape skills. The weakness of a defensive strategy lay in the difficulty of capturing Li Le.

If Li Le escaped, it would create even harder-to-control variables.

Pei Xiu asked again, “What kind of weapon does Aji want?”

“A horse-cutting sword—a heavy blade that can truly cut down horses.”

Zhao Ji answered without hesitation. He also desired a lance for cavalry, but its value was too high and likely beyond the Hou brothers’ craftsmanship.

Their strength was still in infantry combat, so a heavy horse-cutting sword sufficed.

Rashly learning cavalry tactics would likely result in being outmatched by other seasoned rogue cavalrymen.

Sticking to infantry skills and staying among the crowd was safest.

Before long, Zhao Ji finished selecting troops. His First Battalion numbered one hundred twenty-eight Tiger Guards.

He appointed Ximen Jian and Yang Ji as squad officers, each squad having fifty-two men. Besides one officer, there was also a flag bearer.

Only last night, to boost morale and ease command, these battalion commanders and squad officers had to hang their flags on their backs.

If facing regular Han troops or rebel forces, they would have long been targets for archers.

The remaining twenty-four men formed two teams of ten, plus a clerk, a flag bearer, a drummer, and a messenger.

The two teams had distinct roles: one was the personal guard, the other the flag escort.

After completing the reorganization, the Tiger Guards began moving their personal belongings to the new camp area.

This place adjoined the training ground, directly opposite the supply battalion’s gate.

Most of the barracks had their thatched roofs burned, needing repairs before nightfall.

Once this was done, Zhao Ji went to Jia Kui’s camp.

Here, thick horse meat broth was prioritized for the wounded. The large pot was limited, so others received horse meat to cook themselves.

Seeing Jia Kui recording something on a bamboo slip, Zhao Ji checked on the wounded soldiers.

Most were in good spirits, optimistic after eating meat.

Guan Shang, wounded by an arrow to the neck, lay on a pile of grass.

Turning his head upon Zhao Ji’s arrival, he asked, “Aji, is Jiangyi City still closed?”

“Yes. The defenders believe we were captured by the Xiongnu and are trying to dupe them into opening the gates.”

Zhao Ji sighed and sat beside Guan Shang, examining the seepage at the bandage site. He continued, “That fool Ma Yezhi doesn’t even acknowledge Commander Wang. Sending others is useless. We can’t rely on the city’s doctors or medicines.”

“Scoundrel!” Guan Shang cursed, “His nephew is in the Third Battalion. Why doesn’t he step up?”

“Commander Wang initially sent Ma Yetong. At dusk, Ma Yezhi refused to open the city. Later, Commander Wang went with Ma Yetong and two Northern Jiang men, but still no opening.”

Zhao Ji glanced at another Tiger Guard’s wound. “There’s nothing to be done. The Xiongnu raids make Jiangyi residents wary. Their parents and families are inside; how could they open the gates lightly?”

A Tiger Guard bandaging a comrade’s lower leg cursed, “Damn it, why don’t they send someone out to check?”

Zhao Ji smiled. Another Tiger Guard retorted, “Who dares venture out? No need to rely on Northern Jiang anyway. Battalion Commander Zhao can tend wounds just fine.”