Chapter 1175: Zhongdu Ahead

When they saw Zhao Jin arrive with his large force, it wasn't just the government army captives who felt relieved — the villagers felt the same way. Thank goodness they had come out to show their sincerity; otherwise, once this wolf-and-tiger-like troop arrived, what use would their earthen walls be? They'd be flattened in an instant.

The government troops had brought civilian laborers to transport supplies, and these were also rounded up at the same time. After leaving them a day's worth of food and water, all the fodder and provisions were replenished on the spot by the Zhao Camp. Then they took all the government troops' horses, collected the weapons and piled them up to set ablaze. Though spear tips and blades wouldn't be ruined by fire, the knife handles and spear shafts would be warped by the flames and certainly unusable afterward.

"This will all be Zhao Camp territory in the future. We haven't reached a point of desperation yet — no need to be too ruthless." Because Tao Gui and Xu Yong both wanted to take all the stored provisions from this village, Zhao Jin said this to them. Still, he did have the village provide a day's worth of food for five hundred men, then gave them a share of the government army spoils they couldn't carry, and watched them close the stockade gates.

Once this was done, the Zhao Camp began advancing with the captives. Every two hundred paces, they released a hundred men. They marched and dispersed them as they went, until the government troops were thoroughly scattered. Don't underestimate those two hundred paces — without officers to enforce discipline, none of the soldiers were willing to go back. They could only scatter and flee in all directions. As for the battalion commander and the two company commanders, they were all trussed up tightly and carried on horseback.

This battle didn't excite anyone. Instead, it felt like gathering all your strength only to punch empty air — even somewhat uncomfortable. But emotions aside, once the government troops had been completely dispersed, the leading company commanders and platoon commanders gathered around Zhao Jin to decide their next move.

"The Huai River is frozen over. We just tested it — the ice is solid enough. We could cross now and pursue those four thousand government troops all the way. There are no market towns or villages along this stretch. If we chase them like this all the way, the men and horses will likely have to fight on half-empty stomachs. And if we don't engage near Suzhou, follow-up supply will also be a problem." Zhao Jin laid out the situation ahead.

The men's faces showed caution. Mounted retainers consumed enormous amounts daily for both man and horse. If supplies couldn't be guaranteed, combat strength was out of the question. Tao Gui thought for a moment and said gruffly, "Master, those four thousand troops heading north to Suzhou are probably much tougher than this thousand-man rabble. And they'll be marching faster too."

Everyone nodded. The distribution of government troops from Zhongdu Fengyang was very clear: this thousand was merely a flanking force, mainly for coordination, while the four thousand heading to Suzhou to strike Xuzhou's southern line were the main force, meant to join with the Daming and Henan government troops to encircle and attack Xuzhou. A force like that would surely have officers in firm control, guaranteed provisions and supplies, and no slackness in their marching speed.

"Relieving Xuzhou is the priority. If there's no food, leave the grain for the mounts — we'll slaughter the horses and eat the meat. Once we smash the government troops, we'll have the estate send food over." Bayin said through gritted teeth.

In steppe warfare, when fighting grew desperate, horses became food. Bayin immediately proposed this idea, which startled the others, but they all nodded in agreement right after. Compared to the horses, smashing the troops threatening Xuzhou was far more critical. Zhao Jin pondered for a moment, then spoke: "Fighting this thousand-odd government troops still costs a day's worth of provisions no matter what. Then changing direction to take small roads and detours will also consume extra."

He muttered a few words to himself, then clapped his hands and said, "Then we'll find a place to replenish provisions, take the official road to pursue them, and meet those four thousand government troops on the official road. Bayin, send three men to Suzhou to deliver a message — have Suzhou close its city gates and refuse to admit the government troops."

Zhao Jin ordering local government offices not to admit government troops sounded somewhat absurd and paradoxical. But Tao Gui and the others couldn't spare attention for that — they were concerned about the arrangements to come. The vast Fengyang Prefecture couldn't even compare to a place like Pizhou in the past; where was there any place to replenish provisions?

"Master, where are we going?"

"To Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum to scavenge!"

Hearing this, everyone was startled, then grew excited. When Zhao Jin had spoken earlier, everyone had instinctively avoided Zhongdu Fengyang. They hadn't expected he really meant to go there. This was where the Great Ming's ancestral tombs lay. Though geographically it didn't count for much, in the hearts of all under Heaven, this was one of the top three most important places, second only to the Capital and Nanjing. These ancestral temples and mausoleums were the spiritual continuation of the Great Ming.

The several company commanders and platoon commanders naturally didn't think that deeply, but in their hearts, striking Fengyang was tantamount to striking a Great Ming capital. This signified even more that the Zhao Camp was about to do great things — great wealth and glory were right before their eyes.

"Keep yourselves in check when we get there. We haven't reached the point of tearing faces yet," Zhao Jin cautioned them. But the men's faces showed a hint of dismissal. If this wasn't tearing faces yet, then what would count?

Their subsequent march became far more leisurely. Originally, with attacks coming from all four directions, Zhao Jin had assembled the cavalry for rapid strikes and withdrawals — smash the troops in Fengyang Prefecture, then return to Xuzhou to take charge of the overall situation. But after arriving in Fengyang Prefecture, the first battle had been so easy it couldn't even be called a battle. This made Zhao Jin change his plans. The roads and travel times in Fengyang Prefecture had long been thoroughly scouted by Xuzhou's overt and covert agents. Either go hungry to gain half a day, or take it easy and lose a day or two. Though speed is precious in war, those four thousand infantry on the other side couldn't move that fast either.

After weighing the options, Zhao Jin made his choice. And this change also brought an added benefit.

Marching along the official road by the Huai River, their speed was indeed much faster. Though the first battle had been far too easy, the Zhao Camp from top to bottom showed no slackness whatsoever. They sent out even more light cavalry scouts to the surroundings, screening their movements more tightly. Yet they detected no enemy activity. Despite being very close to Linhuai and Zhongdu Fengyang, and despite this being the moment when armies from all directions were besieging Xuzhou, Fengyang had deployed no reconnaissance riders roaming about.

"Probably not that they didn't want to send any, but that they couldn't. In the whole vast Fengyang Prefecture, a thousand troops have been smashed by us, four thousand are on the road, and their cavalry has been annihilated. Now, likely only that Eunuch Cui's personal escort remains at his side. Hmm, given Eunuch Cui's nature of handling affairs with diligence, he might even have sent out his escort cavalry too — they simply can't dispatch any scouts."

After taking prisoners in that battle, everyone could finally determine the date with certainty. This day was already the third day of the first month of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign. Calculating the distance, they could reach Fengyang by noon. Originally, the cavalry carried fixed-ration provisions for rapid advances, with strict daily consumption controls. Before setting out that day, everyone relaxed their rations somewhat.

In the first month, Linhuai and Fengyang were bustling with activity. When this vast, mighty column of cavalry appeared, everyone was stunned. The Zhao Camp did not touch Linhuai. Linhuai County's city gates were shut tight. They were still some distance from Zhongdu Fengyang and the imperial mausoleum. After closing the gates, there was no way to sound the alarm — they could only light beacon fires on the city walls. Smoke columns shot into the sky, hoping Fengyang might take warning. It was a matter of doing what they could and leaving the rest to fate.

The large force of mounted retainers led by Zhao Jin thus arrived at Zhongdu Fengyang. Looking at the distant cluster of buildings, amid the thunderous hoofbeats, Zhao Jin could still sense the breathing of those around him growing heavier. Everyone seemed somewhat tense, yet somewhat excited.

Among the gentry and commoners everywhere in the Great Ming, regardless of wealth or status — especially in a place like Xuzhou, once a thoroughfare of the realm and a hub of information — who hadn't heard of Zhongdu Fengyang? Who hadn't heard of this place where the Great Ming's founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was born and rose to power, famed as a true dragon treasure land where dragons coiled and tigers crouched?

Here were the imperial tombs burying Emperor Taizu's parents and brothers, the Great Dragon Prosperity Temple where Zhu Yuanzhang had once become a monk, and the Imperial Clan Detention Courtyard where criminal members of the imperial lineage were imprisoned. This was the source of the Great Ming's legal and spiritual authority. Zhongdu Fengyang was nominally a single prefecture, yet this one prefecture was nearly the size of half a province or a whole province elsewhere. Its mountain ranges and river systems formed a self-contained whole. Though located in South Zhili, it was different from every other part of South Zhili.

Because of this semi-isolated situation, although Xuzhou's Zhao Camp was very close by, few had ever come here. Moreover, Zhongdu Fengyang carried far too much weight — the Zhao Camp still didn't want a complete rupture, so naturally they wouldn't touch this forbidden ground.

"The places we passed before were so poor and bitter, yet here it's magnificent and splendid — even more orderly than Qingjiangpu!" Many retainers voiced such questions and exclamations.

All along the way from Xuyi, the places they passed through had been utterly dilapidated. The mounted retainers had been out on campaign many times and had seen Shandong after it was ravaged by great disasters. In their eyes, Fengyang here was about the same as Shandong. But this was the seat of the Great Ming's Zhongdu — the areas around the Capital and Nanjing were all incomparably prosperous. How could it be like this here?

"... Our place here produced an emperor, but we haven't basked in any glory at all. The imperial grain tax we pay is less than everywhere else, but the corvée labor is far too much. Year-round we're detained by official runners and taken off to work — repairing imperial mausoleums, palaces, great temples, doing labor for all manner of gods and immortals. Where's the time to tend our own fields? Damn it, working for the Zhao Camp at least gets you something to eat — here you even have to bring your own food. Anyone who can flee, does..."

"... Suzhou is lucky it was taken by Lord Jin. If not for Lord Jin, it'd be just like what we've seen along the road!"

Among the retainers were some who had once been refugees from Fengyang. They naturally knew the local conditions well and spoke of them with gnashing teeth, without the slightest nostalgia. Everyone had seen along the road those desolate villages, fields long gone to waste. Riding hard for over two days, what they'd seen along the way was hardly different from uninhabited territory. It hadn't suffered great disasters like Shandong, yet the conditions were similar to Shandong after its great disasters. The exploitation was staggering.

Looking again at the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum and the city not far away — because construction of the Zhongdu had been abruptly halted back then, the city walls and such had been dismantled and sent to Nanjing for building projects. Add to that the geomantic considerations of the underground palace and offering halls of the imperial mausoleum, and there was no city wall here. What could be seen were towering, magnificent palaces and temples, broad and level streets, neatly arranged official compound buildings, and drum and bell towers more spectacular than anywhere else. The imperial mausoleum was an artificially piled mountain tumulus. Over more than two hundred years, it had long since grown thick with trees, so lush and verdant it looked no different from a real mountain.

In other great cities and metropolises, people came and went in bustling excitement. Here, there were only officials, runners, and garrison troops stationed. There weren't many residents. It seemed as if only those buildings sat there — at first glance, it indeed felt somewhat otherworldly.

Brothers and sisters of Chuangshi, yesterday Old Bai posted a single chapter notice over at Qidian saying that at 1320 votes he'd add an extra chapter. Currently it's at 1201 votes. At the speed after the two sites merged, we can vote it up tonight — want to give it a try?

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