Chapter 1086: Distant Guests (Third Update)

As he spoke, Li Dajin had already walked up to Liu Yong. Seeing the bloodstains and filth on Liu Yong's clothes, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch. He smiled wryly and said, "Master Yong, it's all well and good for you to charge into battle and kill the enemy, but you really didn't need to personally act as bait."

The others tactfully withdrew to a distance. Liu Yong waved his hand dismissively and said with a laugh, "We went to so much trouble to set up this trap. If I didn't oversee it myself, I wouldn't be at ease. Besides, everyone on our side is tall and strapping. Only someone like me could lure them in."

Li Dajin smiled wryly again. At a time like this, talk of loving bloodshed and risking one's life was out of place; after all, there was a hierarchy between superior and subordinate. Li Dajin coughed once and lowered his voice. "Master Yong, should we keep those men from the Nanjing Brocade Guard alive?"

"They're not important. The question is, if we let them go back or leave them untouched, will the Depot Guards in Nanjing and the capital get suspicious?" Liu Yong asked in a muffled voice.

Li Dajin shook his head. "That Hundred-Household Liu and his men at the inn haven't made any moves; they've been very obedient. If not for a stroke of luck, they wouldn't have sent word to us this time either. My thought is to just let them be. If they want to stay, let them stay; if they want to leave, let them leave. If the capital and Nanjing move against them, it's their own doing. If they don't, we'll talk about it later."

"I just think it's a pity. Those few could have been developed into our eyes and ears," Liu Yong said, nodding.

"Master Yong, you needn't worry. Those agents aren't like us. As long as you spend the silver, you can buy an inside line. They're riddled with holes like a sieve," Li Dajin said with a laugh.

Liu Yong laughed ruefully too. "I always imagine others are as strong as our Zhao Battalion. How are those men of the jianghu under you? Are they still behaving and obedient?"

"They all know their limits. After leaving the Feng family, it was us who took them in. They've also seen firsthand what we're capable of, so they naturally understand how to act," Li Dajin replied. Both men turned their gazes toward the personnel off to the side.

This operation to capture the Depot Guards and related personnel who had infiltrated Qingjiangpu had mobilized many people on site. Those who looked young and strong, with disciplined and orderly bearing, were patrolmen from the Patrol Corps. There was also a group, all in their thirties and forties, who looked very similar to the Depot Guard agents; these were men from the Internal Guard.

After the various organizational structures were finalized, Qingjiangpu, in addition to its existing Internal Guard retainers, began recruiting men from the jianghu to serve as an outer ring. After all, outside the Zhao Battalion's sphere of influence, relying solely on the Internal Guard retainers was simply impossible to cover everything. Training men under the Zhao Battalion system would take too long, so recruitment began. Once this news was secretly released, a considerable number of people from all walks of life came to apply.

The most reliable batch among them, and the first to be hired, were Li Dajin's old acquaintances—those jianghu figures who had originally been subordinates of the Feng family. Li Dajin knew these men's backgrounds inside and out. Moreover, they had personally witnessed the Zhao Battalion's might and knew to be more awed and respectful than others, so they were given priority in hiring.

The Feng family was now making quite a bit of money, but they had already become a vassal of the Zhao Battalion. Naturally, they wouldn't keep fighters and jianghu men around, wasting silver and inviting suspicion. Yet they didn't dare drive all these remaining men out of the household either. These men were not law-abiding commoners, after all; if provoked, they would cause trouble. So the Feng family kept them on in a lukewarm, indifferent manner, letting them come and go as they pleased. By the time the Internal Guard began recruiting, many had already left, and all the rest came over to join.

These men who had been holding out were not necessarily the most skilled in combat or the sharpest of mind, but they were family men with steady temperaments, rich in the experience of the jianghu and the marketplace, and had dealt with all sorts of people. They perfectly suited Qingjiangpu's current needs. In this ambush and trap, it was these men who had been operating in plainclothes around the area beforehand, and the Depot Guard spies hadn't detected them at all.

As for the trap itself, it originated from Liu Yong's disbelief that Qingjiangpu only had those agents out in the open. So he had word spread through unconnected channels, using the tone of jianghu men, leaking news of some critical account books throughout Qingjiangpu. To the uninvolved, this news naturally meant nothing, but to those concerned, it was extremely important, and they would naturally pounce on it. But what truly confirmed things was a chance encounter on the street with Hundred-Household Liu and his men. One agent who had been to the capital ran into an acquaintance, but the other man pretended not to recognize him. This agent didn't greet him either, but simply went back and told Hundred-Household Liu and the others.

Upon hearing this, Hundred-Household Liu's side immediately grew anxious. They thought that if anything really happened, they would most likely suffer the consequences too. Since you don't care about the lives of your colleagues, then I won't care either. They immediately leaked the information in a veiled, roundabout way. The Internal Guard, which already had some leads, confirmed things at once and quickly began laying out a targeted trap and setting bait, which led to today's ambush and encirclement.

After the scene was cleared up, Liu Yong, Li Dajin, and the others all changed clothes, disguising themselves as ordinary commoners or traveling merchants. Then they headed toward the Qingjiangpu Patrol Corps station, which also housed the local Internal Guard office. Everyone had been busy for a long time for this operation. Today it was finally accomplished, and it was time to catch their breath and rest. However, they knew they could rest for half a day or a day at most, because the current martial arts tournament and related events had made the area extraordinarily lively, keeping the Patrol Corps and the Internal Guard so busy they couldn't tear themselves away.

While the trap was being set here, the martial arts tournament also had to be watched over there. Wei Mugen was specifically in charge of the tournament, while Liu Yong and Li Dajin arranged this trap.

The Patrol Corps station, its full name being the Station of the Patrol Corps Commander's Direct Squadron, was so named because the other patrolmen were divided into battalions, companies, and squads stationed at various locations according to need, maintaining order throughout Qingjiangpu.

With the captives brought back, the Internal Guard retainers and local patrolmen were all beaming with joy. In peacetime, earning merit was not easy, yet this time everyone had gained credit, which would bring great benefits now and in the future. Those retainers and patrolmen responsible for interrogation were already rubbing their hands together, ready to set out and begin questioning.

Compared to their subordinates' elation, Liu Yong, Li Dajin, and Wei Mugen were not nearly as happy. When they closed the door, their faces even showed some worry.

"One can be a thief for a thousand days, but there's no defending against thieves for a thousand days. We catch one batch after another, but this will never end if it goes on. This trap netted several dozen people, but that doesn't mean we've caught them all. In a vast Qingjiangpu, there are bound to be spies from the Depot Guards and even other places. How do we catch those who can keep their heads down and wait?" Liu Yong said with a furrowed brow.

Li Dajin, seated in the lower position, pondered for a moment before speaking. "The waterways are very hard to guard, and it's not convenient to set up checkpoints on the land routes either. After all, Master Jin and Master Zhou have both given instructions: before we tear off all pretense, we mustn't hinder anyone's business. That would also hinder our own money-making."

Wei Mugen was the youngest of the three present, but the fatigue on his face was the heaviest. The martial arts tournament had taxed his mind and body; he couldn't afford to be distracted for a single moment.

Liu Yong and Li Dajin exchanged a few words, then noticed Wei Mugen hadn't joined the conversation. Thinking he was simply too exhausted, they were about to tell him to go rest when Wei Mugen looked up and said, "Master Yong, Commander, defending like this, we can't possibly guard against everything. Qingjiangpu has several hundred thousand people; how can a few thousand of us keep an eye on all of them? Even if the officials, wealthy merchants, gentry, and the jianghu marketplace were all of one heart with us, I'm afraid we still couldn't cover it all."

"This is a task Master Jin entrusted to us. Even if we can't cover it all, we still have to," Liu Yong said, his tone emphatic.

Hearing this, Wei Mugen knew the other man had misunderstood his meaning. But Wei Mugen didn't get flustered. He said slowly, "Master Yong, what I mean is, since we can't attend to every detail, we might as well focus only on what we can cover. Invest resources around all the locations belonging to our Zhao Battalion, and around the critical spots everywhere in Qingjiangpu, and plant hidden sentries. If the enemy comes to strike at us, they'll choose these places to act too. As long as they have designs and get close, we'll detect them immediately. We don't need to proactively set traps to catch anyone; we can just sit and wait for the enemy to come to us. Qingjiangpu is our own turf. As long as they make a move, our reaction will certainly be faster."

Li Dajin glanced at Liu Yong, then looked at Wei Mugen. He shook his head with a smile, thinking it was fortunate Liu Yong was young and devoted wholeheartedly to managing things for the Zhao Battalion. Otherwise, Wei Mugen's suggestion would likely have given great offense. But then again, if it weren't a young man like Wei Mugen, such direct and brash advice probably wouldn't have been spoken.

"What Little Wei means is like the net under the Yangzhou water gate. There's a net in the river channel, and ropes connect the net to a bell above. If anyone dives and touches that net, the bell will definitely ring, and the guards on the city wall will react immediately." Li Dajin explained with a couple of hand gestures. Liu Yong slowly nodded.

From Liu Yong's expression, it was hard to tell if he was pleased or displeased. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "This method can be tried, but we must seek Master Jin's approval before implementing it."

Li Dajin very much agreed with Wei Mugen's suggestion. It was essentially about investing their limited strength into protecting key targets, rather than scattering it like sprinkling salt as they were doing now—seeming to cover everything, but in reality finding it very difficult to achieve full coverage. But Li Dajin also understood Zhao Jin's thinking. He wanted the entirety of Qingjiangpu to feel the Zhao Battalion's presence, to make everyone here understand that they were under the Zhao Battalion's protection.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The expressions of the three men in the room immediately turned grave and solemn. Anyone who could reach this place naturally wouldn't be an assassin or attacker. Footsteps this urgent meant something serious must have happened. With so many people gathered in Qingjiangpu right now, any urgent matter was bound to be no small affair. The three men in the room all began thinking of various possibilities.

"An urgent report," the guard outside said. The man was immediately let in.

As soon as the man entered, Li Dajin's expression grew even more stern, because this man was the company commander of the Patrol Corps stationed at the docks, and also a member of the Internal Guard retainers. The essence of vast Qingjiangpu was all concentrated in the canal area. For something to happen there, and for this man to be the one reporting it, the matter was certainly not minor.

Once the door outside was closed, Liu Yong frowned and asked, "What is it?"

"Master Yong, Commander, Vice Commander, the brothers at the docks have spotted a few suspicious boats. There are seven foreigners on board dressed in Great Ming style, all around thirty to forty years old. After questioning their attendants, it seems they came from the Guangdong area," the company commander reported.

This is the third update today. Asking for monthly votes for the beginning of June. Please support us generously at the start of the month.

Thanks to the old friend "Suixin Ziwo 0" for the tip, thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly votes. Thank you all for your support.