Chapter 1123: The Flood's Terror

Three men in their fifties were dragged out from the crowd. Compared to the other common folk of Stone Hollow, these three were far better in complexion and dress. Stone Hollow had two major clans; one was led by two brothers, the other by a single clan head — these were the three men before them.

After the three were brought forward, they tried to speak but were forced to kneel on the ground. Zhao Jin gestured to Zhao Shiyilang, took the long blade the man carried on his back into his own hand, and flicked his wrist. The blade reflected the sunlight, its chill deep and forbidding. The moment Zhao Jin took up the blade, the scene fell utterly silent. The headmen from the various villages who had been summoned to watch all shuddered, many subconsciously stepping back, while from the Stone Hollow villagers kneeling on the ground came low, stifled sobs — clearly, they were covering their mouths as they wept.

"Do you know how much grain I spend each year, how much labor I waste each year, building waterworks and repairing the river dikes?"

"Do you know how many people in our Xuzhou will suffer and meet disaster if the Yellow River bursts its banks?"

Each time Zhao Jin asked a question, the men kneeling before him trembled. Zhao Jin's voice was very loud; everyone present could hear him.

"How much effort have I expended, how much blood has the Zhao Camp shed, just so our Xuzhou could live good days? If this dike bursts, all of it will be destroyed — do you understand?"

The three kneeling elders merely kowtowed with lowered heads; none dared answer. Zhao Jin turned to look at the kneeling Stone Hollow common folk and raised his voice: "When did you first eat your fill?"

No one answered. Zhao Jin did not press further. He simply raised the long blade in his hand and said bitterly, "All of this, everything, nearly destroyed by you few wretched bastards. The good days of so many in Xuzhou, nearly ruined by your muddled foolishness. Do you still think you were acting for your clansmen and villagers, that your consciences are clear?"

After saying this, Zhao Jin looked toward the summoned headmen from the various villages. Swept by that chilling gaze, those trembling local strongmen and village elders all retreated in fright.

"I had intended to wash this village away. Fortunately, the damage is not great. But the death penalty for the three ringleaders cannot be commuted. The entire village's land is confiscated to the Cloud Mountain Trade House. All villagers are sentenced to five years of hard labor!" Zhao Jin said coldly.

As his words fell, the several hundred kneeling villagers immediately stirred. They had only just begun to live good days, and now suddenly the farmland their whole village depended on was being confiscated, and all the villagers were to be sent to hard labor. It was not that they did not know what hard labor was like — the toil of those convicted refugees at work was something everyone watched with dread. How had it come to be their turn?

"On what grounds? Only the court and the officials can punish us, can kill us! You are nothing but a village chief — on what grounds? Is there still law under heaven?!" One of the village elders kneeling before Zhao Jin raised his head and shouted.

The scene fell silent again. The Stone Hollow villagers kneeling over there began to stir, and the summoned headmen from the other villages also looked toward Zhao Jin. Even the household troops and militia surrounding the area wore expressions of doubt. Over on the other side, Zhao Shiyilang was frantic, looking at Zhao Jin as if he wanted to say something.

Zhao Jin's face, however, showed a cold sneer. He spoke, each word deliberate: "The court? The officials? The law? Here in Xuzhou, in the lands around Xuzhou, I am the court! I am the law!"

These words were practically roared. The content of the words need not be elaborated — for a mere village chief to speak so was outright sedition, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine clans.

Yet once these words were roared out, the stirring of the Stone Hollow villagers ceased. The headmen from the various villages all lowered their heads in deference and awe, while the expressions of the household troops and militia became resolute and steadfast.

"You deserve to die a thousand times over!" Zhao Jin gave another cold laugh. His hand rose and the blade fell, slashing in quick succession. Three heads dropped to the ground.

The blade technique for beheading was taught by his father, Zhao Zhentang. The blade was also a fine one, still barely stained with blood. These three cuts could be called clean and efficient. Yet Zhao Jin still felt a stifling knot of anger in his chest. He returned the blade to Zhao Shiyilang and raised his voice: "Anyone with a brain rotted enough to dig up earth, report immediately to the nearest Zhao Camp steward. This time, the punishment is only heavy — no one will be killed. But if any disaster is stirred up, the entire village will meet a bad end!"

The village headmen all bowed their heads in assent, each one utterly awed. Their attitude of submission and awe even surpassed what it had been before, and some of the younger figures among them looked at Zhao Jin with eyes burning with fervor.

It was already growing dark, even earlier than the day before. Zhao Jin raised his head and looked around, finding dense clouds massing on the horizon. From the experience of these past days, Zhao Jin knew it would likely rain again the day after tomorrow or the day after that.

Zhao Jin did not return to the He Estate. He simply found a place to stay nearby. That evening he ate with the household troops. While patrolling the great dike with Zhao Shiyi, Zhao Jin's anger still had not subsided. He said bitterly, "To guard against floods, we spend huge sums every year on waterworks, on repairing the great dike. And yet these common folk are so utterly ungrateful. Even if they don't trust us, can't they think of the families around them?"

"Master Jin, the common folk are all like this. Great causes and great affairs — they neither understand nor care to bother with. They only look after themselves and their own households. They can only grasp the affairs of their own family; anyone who can see the whole village's situation is considered a clear-headed man. They won't feel any gratitude for the benevolent measures you arrange, Master Jin — they'll just take them for granted. But in matters like digging up earth, they think themselves terribly clever, able to deceive heaven and cross the sea, certain no one will find out, and in the end their own family gains an advantage." Zhao Shiyilang, who oversaw matters in Xuzhou city and had dealt with much, had his own reflections to share.

"We must use strict law. Only strict law can make the common folk know awe. There are some things they don't necessarily need to understand the reason for — it's enough that they know fear and dare not do them." Zhao Jin set down his rice bowl and said heavily.

The weather turned out much as Zhao Jin had judged. Rain began in the middle of the night and continued without pause the next morning. After a brief inspection of the river dike, Zhao Jin started back toward the He Estate.

Upon arriving at the He Estate, he happened to catch a messenger returning from Henan with reports. In the Kaifeng Prefecture and Guide Prefecture watersheds in Henan, it had been raining without stop these past two days. Though the rain was not heavy, it had been continuous.

Another night passed in deep anxiety. Zhao Jin and his companions conferred and prepared to draw the Suzhou Regiment, the Fengpei Regiment, and one regiment of the Second Brigade to the Yellow River dike to stand guard. Even the nearby militia and estate braves were to be mobilized.

After the previous day's near-disaster with the breach, no one raised objections to massing the household troops to defend the dike. Still, they all felt it was too great a pity to use such precious strength for this. It never occurred to them that in Zhao Jin's mind, disaster relief and flood fighting were precisely the tasks where the household troops and militia should charge to the very front.

Wang Zhaojing drafted the documents and affixed the seals. Zhao Jin's orders were about to be sent out by fast horse. Everyone worked straight through until the afternoon before they could catch their breath.

After dark, just as they finished dinner, Zhao Jin was preparing to go see Mu Shulan and the mother and child. Sun Dalin again pounded on the door outside. This time, anyone could hear the panic in his voice.

"Master, Master! The Yellow River has burst its banks by the prefectural city! The water has surged into the city..."

Hearing this cry, Zhao Jin shot up from his seat. The sudden movement startled the just-sleeping Zhao Qi into loud wails. Mu Shulan and the nursemaid hurried over to comfort him, though neither voiced any complaint. Mu Shulan was composed, but on the face of the Xuzhou-born nursemaid, fear was already visible.

Zhao Jin drew a deep breath. In his heart, he kept wanting to take a blade and hack at something; otherwise, he felt stifled and suffocated.

"... Master Jin, the dike by the prefectural city was also undermined by earth thieves. Just as they were trying to plug it, the water burst through. Over a hundred men were swept away on the spot. For a moment, no one could follow up, the dike collapsed, and the water surged in. The prefectural city is now flooded. Four villages have been hit by disaster. The homes and courtyards of over a thousand households have been washed away. Two wine workshops are also flooded. The dead and injured already number over a thousand..."

Hearing the report of the messenger who had rushed over, Zhao Jin felt even more stifled in his heart. For this man to arrive so soon after the breach, he must have ridden at desperate speed. That meant the losses at the breach were still uncertain — or rather, one thing was certain: the losses were definitely greater than what this messenger was reporting.

Zhao Jin went first to the council hall. Sun Dalin and Niu Jinbao went to relay orders and assemble the personal guard cavalry. Everyone who could make it was to come.

"Elder Brother, at a time like this, the greatest fear is unrest among the people. We must be extremely careful. Elder Brother, you should remain at the He Estate. Let your younger brother go to Xuzhou." Wang Zhaojing spoke with grave solemnity.

"Here in Xuzhou, the people's hearts are not so unstable. You stay here — that will suffice. I must go. I need to see the Yellow River flood with my own eyes before I can make decisions. Now, send orders to the Suzhou Regiment, the Pizhou Regiment, and the Second Brigade: they are to remain in place and stand by. Send orders to all patrol squads to tighten security. Anyone who takes this chance to stir up unrest or incite trouble — kill on the spot. Send orders to Zhou Xuezhi and all trade supervisors: begin stockpiling grain and supplies now. Remember, the storage sites must be waterproof. From this moment, all household troops, militia, and volunteers in Xuzhou, Pizhou, and the Huaian North District are forbidden to take leave or leave camp. Full alert!" Zhao Jin issued a rapid string of commands.

The cavalry was already prepared. By now the rain had stopped. Traveling by night, lamps and lights were crucial; they deliberately brought extra lanterns, torches, and the like.

Just as Zhao Jin was about to depart, Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan appeared, draped in rain capes. Zhao Jin, already mounted, had no choice but to dismount.

"Husband, be careful!" Xu Zhenzhen said, very simply.

Mu Shulan's eyes were already red, and her voice faltered: "Husband, think of the children at home."

Zhao Jin and his wives rarely expressed their feelings so clearly. Zhao Jin did not know how to respond. Looking at the faces of Xu Zhenzhen and Mu Shulan, filled with worry, he only said gruffly, "Rest assured. I will return."

Over on the other side, Ji Xiang was already armored and awaiting orders. The entire Personal Guard Brigade, the Mounted Household Regiment, and the Firearms Battalion had all been mobilized for imminent action. Military orders had also been dispatched in all directions. The territory controlled by the Zhao Camp was about to enter a state of martial readiness.

Every man in the column carried lamps and raised torches, illuminating the path of the advancing cavalry formation bright as day. Light cavalry also roamed the flanks of the column, from time to time riding to the dike to inquire about the situation, and intercepting messengers coming from the direction of Xuzhou's prefectural city so that Zhao Jin could be promptly informed of the latest developments.

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