Chapter 1079: A Strong Dragon Crosses the Border

"If I'd known, I would've just gone around."

"Going around brings its own trouble too. Once the bailiffs get here it'll be even harder to untangle. Make a decision, quick!"

During this brief standoff, the two old men who'd been dragged inside were suddenly shoved back out, their hands covered in blood. The sight sent the crowd of Fangjia Town scrambling backward in fright. No one expected that the Zhao Camp retainers would seize this chaos to burst out, some even charging forward on horseback.

In the sudden panic there was no resistance to speak of. Even those posturing local militia fell into complete disarray. The Xuzhou men, armed with blades and spears, didn't kill or wound anyone, but they indiscriminately grabbed anyone who looked sturdy, had a healthy complexion, or was dressed a bit more neatly, dragging them back. Anyone who dared resist got a savage beating — several had bones broken outright. After the chaos and howls of pain, the two sides pulled apart to a distance of over a hundred paces, and only then did things quiet down.

Over on that side, they were still in shock, but the convoy on this side didn't seize the moment to do anything. They were busy sorting out carts, horses, and baggage. The unit that had been holding a defensive line also began to form up — unmistakably the posture of preparing to march out. Before the other side could figure out what was happening, the captured men were already shoved forward, blades pressed to their necks, their faces frozen in utter terror.

Dozens of people had been grabbed just moments ago. The town wasn't large, and those seized were all people of some standing — either respectable figures of the town or sons of various families. At this sight, everyone was frantic with worry, yet no one knew what to do. And no matter how those few obviously in charge shouted, they couldn't keep the situation under control.

"We're in a hurry to travel, not to block the road. Once we're far enough away, we'll naturally release your people. If you keep obstructing us like this, don't blame us for being impolite!" A retainer with a booming voice stood atop a large cart and bellowed.

Just as these words rang out, one of the captured men happened to try struggling. He barely thrashed once before the retainer behind him kicked him to the ground, then jabbed him viciously with the butt of a long spear, beating him until he rolled on the ground howling. The sight made everyone frantic with worry.

Yet at this moment, no one dared step forward. The few men leading the crowd saw the situation turning against them, looked left and right, and gritted their teeth as they shouted: "Fellow townsmen, charge in and save them! They wouldn't dare kill anyone..."

The words were only half out when several men from the Zhao Camp side rushed forward. The people of Fangjia Town had already become birds startled by the mere twang of a bow — the moment this side charged, that side fled in utter panic. Only those who'd been shouting were a beat too slow. The Zhao Camp men didn't pursue; they merely nocked arrows to their bows at a distance of a few dozen paces and let fly. Some arrows missed, but two struck true, hitting the lower bodies of two of the shouters — one took an arrow to the thigh, the other to the calf. Both toppled to the ground on the spot, able only to crawl step by step.

Once this was done, the people of Fangjia Town were completely dumbfounded. The other side didn't fall for their tactics at all, acting with clean, sharp decisiveness, and showed no sign of fearing bloodshed or killing. How could you stop murderous gods like these? Those who'd fled far stayed far, and the rest no longer dared block the path of the Zhao Camp convoy.

Seeing the road ahead now open, the Zhao Camp convoy, already nearly ready, began to advance. The children among the Liaodong refugees were all tied onto the carts so they wouldn't get lost in the confusion. The vanguard consisted of armed Zhao Camp retainers, with Xuzhou volunteer riders patrolling the convoy's flanks on horseback. The able-bodied men among the Liaodong refugees carried whatever usable implements they could find, tense and on alert. The great column moved forward just like that.

But a convoy this large couldn't move very fast, especially with hostages from Fangjia Town being held at the front. The townspeople were frantic with anxiety but had no recourse. Anyone who edged slightly closer was driven off. Two women from local families tried to make a scene, rolling on the ground and wailing, only to be seized outright, blades pressed to their necks as well. They lost control of their bladders and collapsed in public, then were beaten severely and forced to march forward. Once such ruthlessly harsh methods were revealed, no one dared try any more foolishness.

Fangjia Town was not small, and the Zhao Camp convoy had yet to leave the town's boundaries when someone was heard shouting: "The bailiffs are here! The masters from the yamen are here!"

At this shout, the commoners' emotions surged once more. The fear and frantic worry from moments ago were swept clean away. They all pointed at the Zhao Camp convoy, cursing viciously and issuing all manner of colorful threats, insisting that the Zhao Camp side release the hostages, or else the yamen and the king's law would make them pay dearly.

Before long, five mounted bailiffs wearing square caps and black robes appeared on the official road ahead, flanked by a dozen-odd unofficial runners acting as assistants. The bailiffs carried waist sabers and iron rulers, while their underlings bore chains, clubs, and the like — a thoroughly imposing sight.

The people of Fangjia Town, seeing the bailiffs arrive, rushed over to lodge their complaints as if they'd found their backbone. The town's local militia also fell in behind the bailiffs of their own accord.

Facing the seething crowd, the Zhao Camp column was extremely cautious. But facing the bailiffs of Zhangqiu County, the Zhao Camp had little to worry about. The county yamen bailiffs, for their part, didn't dare shout things like "Have you no regard for the king's law?" Although they'd come on official business after receiving a notice from Master Lou, what stood before them was a column of nearly a thousand people, several hundred of them armed with blades and bows. This was no benevolent lot, whatever you said. Zhangqiu County itself couldn't muster a force like this. Better to ask clearly first.

Unexpectedly, before the bailiffs could ask, several riders from the convoy galloped over, stopping at a distance of thirty paces. From horseback, they shouted: "We're the convoy of Master Jin of Xuzhou. If you know who that is, clear the road. If you don't, clear the road first and ask later — save yourselves from inviting disaster!"

Ji'nan Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture bordered each other, both being part of the flat terrain of Shandong's western three prefectures. News traveled far more freely here than in the semi-isolated Laizhou and Dengzhou Prefectures. Moreover, Zhangqiu County was very close to the provincial capital of Ji'nan, making it even better informed than other prefectures and counties across Shandong. And the name of Master Jin of Xuzhou was already thunder in the ears of Shandong's official circles — who wouldn't know it? Every official and runner was on guard, careful never to cross the threshold of Xuzhou. That was a man-eating tiger.

The Zhangqiu County bailiffs never imagined they'd actually run into them here. The few on horseback nearly tumbled from their saddles in fright. It didn't even occur to them to wonder if these people were impostors. On Shandong soil, if anyone dared falsely use the name of the Xuzhou Zhao Camp to throw their weight around, who knew how many would come looking for them — who would dare court such calamitous misfortune?

Everyone could figure it out: the Lou family had spent too long mixing in the capital and didn't understand the lay of the land in Shandong, so they'd smashed straight into this iron wall. If the Lou family wanted to court death, no one else was going to join them. The bailiffs on horseback quickly recovered their wits and instantly switched to smiling faces. The lead man clasped his fist in salute, beaming, and said: "We few heard that some unruly locals here were obstructing a merchant convoy from Xuzhou, so we came specially to disperse them and guide the way, lest you gentlemen encounter any inconvenience."

These words left the surrounding people of Fangjia Town utterly bewildered. Even the dozen-odd unofficial runners clustered around the horses were baffled. But the bailiffs on horseback changed faces in a flash — turning their heads, they were already the very image of wrathful guardian deities: "Mobbing and causing trouble — are you trying to rebel?! Disperse at once, or you'll all be thrown into the great prison!"

The people of Fangjia Town had never seen anything like this, and they were terrified of bailiffs to begin with. They scattered in all directions on the spot. But the few Lou family clansmen who'd gone to fetch the bailiffs grew frantic. They could tell something was very wrong now and desperately whispered reminders: "Our family's Master Lou sent a notice..."

"We can't worry about your family's Master Lou anymore. On this Shandong ground, who dares offend the great tiger from Xuzhou!" The mounted bailiff muttered back under his breath, then raised his whip and lashed down hard, roaring in fury: "Get out of the way! Don't delay the official business of the Xuzhou convoy."

Only then did the Xuzhou convoy, already prepared for battle, breathe a sigh of relief. The few men in charge called for the column to move forward, still without releasing the hostages. When they reached the smiling, apologetic bailiffs, they produced a small paper packet and handed it over, saying with a smile: "You gentlemen have worked hard. Please have some wine and tea on us."

The Zhangqiu County bailiffs didn't dare reach out to take it, but the Xuzhou convoy's lead steward was exceedingly courteous. Once the bailiff took the packet and weighed it in his hand, he knew this was a substantial sum, and the smile on his face deepened by several degrees. He also hadn't expected the Xuzhou men to be so reasonable in their dealings. After a pause, he gathered his courage and asked: "Good sirs, with us underlings keeping order, these unruly folk won't cause any trouble. Why not release them now? So many people following along is a hassle, after all."

"We'll talk once we're out of your Zhangqiu territory." On this matter, the Zhao Camp convoy showed not the slightest room for compromise.

After that, however, there truly were no more obstructions or troubles — everything went smoothly, one could say. The Zhao Camp convoy also kept its promise: upon leaving the borders of Zhangqiu County, they released the several dozen hostages they'd been holding.

A column of nearly a thousand people appearing beneath the walls of Ji'nan City would indeed cause a sensation, so everyone deliberately made a wide detour. But they still sent someone into Ji'nan City to request a recognition flag from the Cloud Mountain Trading Company branch inside the city. With that flag flying, everyone would know this was a convoy belonging to the Xuzhou Zhao Camp and the Cloud Mountain Trading Company itself — every side would have to show them some face.

In practice, the areas the Zhao Camp currently controlled effectively in Shandong were most of Yanzhou Prefecture. Dongchang Prefecture in its entirety and the western half of Ji'nan Prefecture were regions they could influence — everyone had to give them face there, and this flag proved useful. Further east, it wouldn't be of nearly as much use.

As they were about to enter Dongchang Prefecture, the Cloud Mountain Trading Company sent people to meet them. Those who were ill or frail stayed right there to recuperate and would be resettled once they recovered. After following the Grand Canal into Yanzhou Prefecture, militia companies began providing escort, and each day's rest could be taken at the farming estates of the Zhao Camp. Everything became much more convenient.

The commoners from Liaodong all breathed a sigh of relief, but every person leading the convoy had no leisure at all. Each of them, either writing jointly or alone, set down everything they had seen, heard, and encountered along the way in urgent reports to Xuzhou. Many events had occurred that contradicted prior assessments — these all had to be reported as quickly as possible. If follow-up convoys passed through later and ran into trouble because of it, the responsibility would be enormous.

"There's nothing wrong with this. Where under heaven are there so many perfectly satisfying good things?" Everyone knew the news coming back from Dengzhou Prefecture was of grave importance. Express riders were dispatched at once, and the messages were delivered overnight to Xuzhou.

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