diskusbooks Chapter 177 Qin Tiger Talisman
Chapter 177 Qin Tiger Talisman
Zhao Hengzhen hid in Huaishugang. In order not to reveal his whereabouts, no orders could be issued from the palace, let alone imperial edicts.
So he sent the Dark Cavalry to deliver a tiger talisman to Qin.
"I have always governed the Qin territory, and the troops are also under my jurisdiction. What does it mean that my father gave me the tiger talisman at this time?"
The "Tiger Tally" was a military talisman used by the monarch to convey orders and deploy troops. It consisted of two halves, each with identical inscriptions, with the right half kept in the central chamber.
The left half was given to the general who commanded the army. When mobilizing troops, an envoy sent by the monarch or emperor would combine the two halves of the talisman to allow the troops to be dispatched.
Zhao Qin didn't want to take responsibility, and even more so didn't want to lead troops to fight, so he was very repulsive to the Dark Cavalry who came to deliver the tiger talisman.
"Your Majesty's intention, we are only responsible for conveying it."
The visitor was Xu Hu, a captain of the Dark Cavalry Division, a man highly regarded by the Emperor. In the Imperial Palace, besides Wu Wei, there was Xu Hu. They carried a handwritten or even oral order; no one would doubt it!
"Okay, what does the emperor mean?" Zhao Qin had no choice, he didn't dare to disobey the order.
"You have to control all the military power in Qin." Xu Hu said in a deep voice.
"How easy is that! I only brought 500 personal guards with me when I came here. If it weren't for my mother helping me, I would have only had those 500 people!"
Xu Hu understood what Zhao Qin said. He was complaining about the small number of people given by the emperor.
A prince went to his fiefdom and was unable to form his own team. He complained at this time, and Xu Hu looked down on him.
However, he was a prince and a king, so he could only complain a few words in his heart.
"Your Majesty, if you have difficulty controlling the military power, I can stay and help you gain it!"
Are you kidding? He has the tiger talisman in his hand. If he still can't control the military power, what's the difference between this prince and a waste?
Zhao Qin didn't like being someone else's puppet, but Xu Hu was the emperor's man, and when he came to Qin, he was no different from one of his own.
"Okay, I've transferred General Yan to Hancheng to disperse our forces. I've placed the most capable fighters and those who might mutiny outside the city, making it easy to deploy them."
Xu Hu was a bit amused and confused after hearing what Zhao Qin said. If a major incident really happened in the city, relying solely on the city's soldiers and the prince's personal guards would definitely be too late.
However, there is no better way now, we can only transfer the powerful people back to Chang'an City to take charge.
"Then let's transfer General Yan back to the city. It will be much easier for us to gather troops from other places later."
Zhao Qin actually also wanted to transfer Yan Ruxiang back. He was worried that Sima Ling would cause a rift between the two of them because of this incident.
"Sima Yang has just been transferred out of the city. Would it be inappropriate to recruit General Yan Ruxiang at this time?"
Xu Hu was almost amused by Zhao Qin's words.
"You are the King of Qin, and General Yan is the general of Qin. He should be in a place where the troops are mainly stationed. What's the problem with being transferred back?"
Zhao Qin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing. Following Xu Hu's instructions, he transferred Yan Ruxiang back.
Hancheng.
Yan Ruxiang was in the camp wondering why they gave up Shangjun without fighting, when Zhao Qin sent a royal order.
"Let me go back and bring my personal guards with me?"
Although I don’t know why, it’s hard to disobey Wang Ling!
After arranging the defense of Hancheng, he returned with five hundred personal guards.
The general's personal guards were more than 500, usually 1,000. However, Yan Ruxiang was quite confident and he was not afraid to return with 500 men!
"King Qin, summon me. What's the urgent matter?"
Yan Ruxiang arrived in Chang'an the next afternoon, and after returning, he went directly to the King of Qin's palace.
"General Yan, the Emperor's Tiger Tally is here now. I don't have any soldiers around me, so I'm thinking about the General. Otherwise, the Tiger Tally would be useless in my hands!"
When Yan Ruxiang saw the tiger talisman on the table, he was shocked.
The emperor would usually not give this kind of tiger talisman, which symbolizes military power, to princes. Instead, he would give it to the general guarding the border or the prefect or co-magistrate of the garrison.
Only in special circumstances will it be given directly to the prince.
Obviously, the King of Qin did not know the relationship, so he whispered to Zhao Qin:
"Your Majesty, do you have any instructions?"
"Instructions?" Zhao Qin thought about the decree brought by Xu Hu, then said, "The emperor wants me to consolidate military power and wait for an opportunity to act!"
Integrate military power and wait for an opportunity to act?
Yan Ruxiang pondered these eight words in his heart.
"I understand, and I will obey your orders, Your Majesty."
If you don’t understand, just listen.
At this time, Xu Hu, who learned that Yan Ruxiang had arrived, walked into the reception room.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, General Yan!"
Xu Hu clasped his fists and saluted the two of them.
Although Xu Hu was close to the emperor, he was only a third-rank official, and Yan Ruxiang was a second-rank official, so they could only bow first when they met.
When Yan Ruxiang saw that the visitor was Xu Hu, he returned the greeting and took a seat.
"General Yan, I am sending the Tiger Tally in accordance with His Majesty's order to allow the King of Qin to take control of the military power, so I have summoned the General to assist."
"General Xu, the prince has just said what I should do next?"
"Do you need any guidance on military affairs?" Xu Hu's face was full of black lines. What did Yan Ruxiang mean by this?
He looked at Zhao Qin, and when he saw no reaction, he looked at Yan Ruxiang.
"What can you say, General?"
Seeing this, Yan Ruxiang had no choice but to tell the truth: "I heard that Qin gave up Shangjun, and now Beiliang has sent troops to garrison it. What is this...?"
Zhao Qin knew that this matter could not be concealed, so he said, "This is the result of a discussion between the prefect Sima Ling and me. Qin's territory is vast, and we cannot meet the enemy everywhere. We must gather together to resist the enemy's attack."
Yan Ruxiang listened and said nothing.
Xu Hu interrupted, "General Yan is a second-rank military official, and the prefect is a fourth-rank official. Shouldn't we discuss such a major matter of defense with General Yan?"
Zhao Qin knew he was in the wrong and said sheepishly, "The old general was not around at the time, so this was a hasty decision."
Yan Ruxiang knew that continuing like this was not a solution, so he tried to find a way out by saying, "Since we've already given up Shangjun, will Beiliang send troops after hearing about the Xiongnu invasion in Shizhou?"
Zhao Qin replied, "We've assigned them to defend Shangjun to protect against the Xiongnu coming from the north. As for Shizhou, Mayi should send reinforcements to defend it."
Neither Xu Hu nor Yan Ruxiang dared to agree with Zhao Qin's words, but as he was a prince at that time, neither of them dared to comment.
"Hey, Hancheng is five hundred miles north. Although it's not far, we have no rear base. I hope Suide is still there. I suggest we go north to defend Suide. In case of any situation, we can relax and slacken our forces."
Suide belongs to Shangjun, but to the King of Qin, it is all Qin land. Whoever he says it belongs to is its land.
"I think the general is right, King Qin, just follow the general's advice and head north to Suide."
Zhao Qin had no objection when he heard this.
"Then listen to the general!"
"Hancheng doesn't have enough troops. I heard that the troops from Shangjun retreated to Yanqing Prefecture. So let's split the troops from here."
Yan Ruxiang’s words made Zhao Qin’s eyes light up.
Yes, the soldiers in Shangjun are all border troops. Although they are under the control of Qin, they are the soldiers of the imperial court after all. It is definitely not appropriate to place them in Yanqing.
If he is sent to Suide again, there will definitely be complaints.
It seems that only Yan Ruxiang is suitable to handle this matter. After all, he has the tiger talisman in his hand, and the border troops have to obey his orders.