Chapter 39: Racing Against Time
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After eating several meat pies, Zhao Ji sat cross-legged and activated “Concentrate the Mind and Gather Qi.”
Seeing how seriously he took it, several of his personal guards pretended to imitate him. They did not dare speak loudly, finding the whole thing rather miraculous.
Advancing this skill would probably require gradual refinement over time.
The moment he activated it, Zhao Ji’s body and mind relaxed. He could feel the burning pain from strained muscles throughout his body.
The county soldiers accompanying the baggage train drove the prisoners to carry away the corpses. Prisoners whose injuries did not prevent them from moving were also permitted to rest by the campfires.
It was not out of kindness. Purely and simply, as long as they stayed around the fires, they could not use the darkness to escape.
Various pieces of equipment were gradually collected and piled up in front of the wagon train, arranged by category.
Knights carrying torches kept returning, most of them in small groups. Some drove prisoners before them, while others herded a dozen or so horses.
After the campfires were lit, many ownerless horses came over of their own accord.
Before long, Zhao Ji’s stomach began to growl. The skill automatically ended, and he opened his eyes, feeling bereft.
Han Shu had already returned and was eating a wheat cake. He asked, “Commander, what were you doing just now?”
“This? You could call it meditation, or entering a state of Zen concentration. Some people simply call it sitting in silence. It can dispel distracting thoughts and calm the mind for contemplation. It also helps with the practice of martial skills.”
As he explained, Zhao Ji reached for a cake and began eating.
Several of the resting guards also sprang to their feet and imitated the silent meditation.
At that moment, Xiangli Bao and Wei Xing approached and sat down beside Zhao Ji. Xiangli Bao asked, “When do we set out?”
“Let everyone rest a little longer. Many have only just finished eating.”
Zhao Ji asked in return, “How did the interrogation of the prisoners go?”
“Hou Mo and Hou Chen, the younger brothers of Hou Jing, have both been struck down. The estate had fewer than a hundred guards.”
Xiangli Bao replied, then added, “But they possess many powerful crossbows, making a direct assault unfavorable.”
“Then bring two more wagons. Surround the estate, set fires and raise smoke from the windward side, and charge through under cover of the smoke. Those taking part in the assault must wear two layers of armor. How much armor did we seize?”
“Thirty-seven iron cuirasses, along with more than a hundred pieces of leather armor and leather clothing.”
Xiangli Bao raised a hand toward the pile of armor nearby and continued, “If we cannot break through, we can surround the estate without attacking and wait for the main force to arrive. Then we can suppress them with bows and crossbows before breaking through.”
“Very well.”
Zhao Ji looked up at the Northern Dipper to judge the time and said, “We must breach the estate before dawn. Li Le is the true adversary.”
Only by taking the Hou estate would the Tiger Braves obtain enough supplies to organize and train servants and auxiliary troops.
And only by killing Li Le swiftly and decisively could the court, Yang Feng, and the others enter negotiations with their minds at ease.
As for what came next, even if they did not set out to suppress the various Xiongnu tribes in the Pingyang region, those Xiongnu would organize raiding parties of their own to seize supplies.
Fortunately, the Tiger Braves were still young. Most were unmarried, full of ardor, and for the time being there was no need to worry about military pay or similar matters.
So long as plunder could sustain them and support the growth of their organization, the army’s structure could be maintained.
As Zhao Ji pondered these matters, he knew that they were not yet suitable for discussion with Xiangli Bao.
Tactics could be discussed, but the Tiger Braves’ development and strategic direction had to be deliberated with Pei Xiu, Jia Kui, and Wei Gu.
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Even Maqiu Xing’s influence carried greater weight than that of camp commanders such as Xiangli Bao, Jia Tong, and Jing Chun.
Allowing those men to participate in such discussions would simply be inviting trouble.
If the Son of Heaven and the ministers could not be relied upon because of their weakness, then he would have to join forces with these camp commanders.
Being subject to others was an unpleasant feeling, but the legitimacy of the imperial court truly was useful.
Without the court’s legitimacy to inspire and rally them, the Tiger Braves could never have brought their own horses and equipment to risk their lives alongside him.
Therefore, the Hou estate had to be taken before dawn—that was, before Wei Gu arrived.
The Hou family could not be allowed to retain any worthy heir. Otherwise, if a few of these powerful local gentry exchanged private words, they would be able to divide the spoils among themselves at will.
The armor, weapons, horses, and grain in the warehouses could certainly ease their immediate difficulties, but the Hou estate’s inexhaustible productive capacity was what mattered most.
Once they seized that, the Tiger Braves could continue to grow.
Only after the Tiger Braves had expanded would they possess room to negotiate and mediate further.
While Zhao Ji was thinking, the Tiger Braves began searching through the armor and equipment for items suited to their own use.
The county soldiers also freed up two empty wagons to carry reserve equipment.
In less than half an hour, Zhao Ji set out with his own unit and Wei Xing’s unit. Behind them came the Second Camp of the Tiger Braves, led by Wang Fu.
Wei Gu looked at the piles of Han and barbarian heads. The heads of Hou Mo and Hou Chen had been placed nearby.
If he did not want his own head displayed at someone else’s feet in the same manner, he would have to proceed with the utmost caution.
That afternoon, he had still been drinking with the three Hou brothers.
He had never imagined that the sudden passage of a swarm of locusts would throw everything into disorder.
The swarm had not been particularly large, but it was certain to stir up the Xiongnu. Raids by various Xiongnu bandits south of the Fen River had practically become a way of life.
If the line of the Fen River fell, how could the Xiongnu possibly spare the relatively wealthy Anyi?
If the Xiongnu could come and go freely in Anyi, how could Li Jue and Guo Si possibly wait their turn with courtesy?
At a time like this, even if the court sent an imperial edict to the Xiongnu Chanyu, and the Chanyu agreed to restrain his tribesmen, everyone knew exactly how much force such a promise would actually carry.
Yet this step could not be omitted. It would prevent the various Xiongnu tribes from forming a united army.
With that formal step completed, any Xiongnu killed in the fighting that followed would naturally be Xiongnu bandits who had disobeyed the Chanyu’s orders.
How to fight the war was the responsibility of Zhao Ji and the other camp commanders.
How to suppress and constrain the Xiongnu in broad strategic terms was what men like Wei Gu had to consider.
Pei Xiu, Maqiu Xing, and Jia Kui each had their own roles as well. Jia Kui’s task was to keep mobilizing the sons of the powerful families in the Pingyang region.
He could obtain support in troops and equipment, persuade their retainers to arm themselves and join the fighting, and, most importantly, provide intelligence of every kind.
Once Li Le had been killed, Jia Kui would be able to bring his advantage in intelligence fully into play.
By then, the powerful families of Pingyang would no longer dare to underestimate him and would naturally cooperate with his efforts.
Pei Xiu’s task was to continue securing the support of Pei Mao. Pei Mao could not obtain equipment or grain, but he could win the Son of Heaven’s support for the Tiger Braves.
Maqiu Xing’s role was simpler. As long as Maqiu Xing was present, Pei Xiu could not monopolize the channel of communication with the Son of Heaven.
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How far the Tiger Braves might develop in the future remained a mystery.
But what could Wei Gu accomplish after leaving the Tiger Braves?
His family possessed wealth and armed retainers, but most of that would eventually pass to his elder brother. He was only a younger son.
Moreover, although his branch of the Wei family was affluent and could invoke the prestige of the Wei clan of Hedong, its reputation was poor, far inferior to the branch descended from Wei Ji.
Wei Ji’s branch managed its household frugally and enjoyed an excellent reputation in the local community. It placed great emphasis on the transmission of learning, with advancement through officialdom as its primary pursuit.
As long as a branch like Wei Gu’s existed, men such as Wei Ji, who devoted themselves entirely to a career in government, could never starve.
Among the great families of a commandery, every branch had its own role.
Even if Wei Ji’s line made a mistake in its official career, a powerful kinsman such as Wei Gu could easily support the rise of another Wei Ji.
As Wei Gu considered his prospects, he felt more and more keenly how important Zhao Ji and the Tiger Braves were.
Even the destruction of the Tiger Braves would not necessarily be so serious. They might suffer military defeat and scatter, but those Tiger Braves who survived would remain companions with whom he could build something anew in the future.
Zhao Ji in particular would be such a valuable partner. With a companion like him, anything Wei Gu wanted to accomplish later would become easier.
At the very least, he could protect the borders, keep the people safe, preserve his family’s position, and prevent its decline.
When he thought of Zhao Ji’s background, Wei Gu felt even more pressed for time.
With only a few days remaining—especially once Li Le was killed and the pass and main road were cleared—the Pei family, being so close, would certainly try to make the first move.
The Zhao and Pei families were far too closely connected. Zhao Ji’s father and elder brothers had married Pei women, and his elder sister had also married into the Pei family.
Fortunately, Pei Xiu was his family’s only child. If he had sisters, what opportunity would Wei Gu have to intervene?
Yet he found it difficult to make decisions about his own household affairs.
After some thought, Wei Gu decided to send a family letter as soon as he returned to camp.
For now, he could only hope that Li Le would come quickly after dawn. Once Li Le was killed and the road cleared, his attendants would be able to return safely to Anyi.
Within the military camp, Pei Xiu was standing watch.
In the latter half of the night, Jia Kui came to relieve him and escorted him back to his quarters.
The two men spoke in low voices about the campaign against the Hou estate.
Jia Kui grasped Pei Xiu’s arm. “I have already instructed Jia Wenzhen to keep watch over Wang Zhi’s quarters. If Wei Zhongjian and Zhao Aji fail to take the Hou estate, and Li Le arrives as well, then we can do the following…”
Pei Xiu listened in silence before stating his concern. “I am worried that once Li Le enters the camp, he will lose his senses and harm all of us along with the rest.”
“How can anything in this world be made perfect?”
Jia Kui countered. He cupped his hands toward Pei Xiu and said, “We need only do our utmost and remain without shame before our own consciences.”