Chapter 1176: This Is Taking

Seeing the scene before them, the men of Zhao Character Camp's cavalry began to grow agitated and tense, then became incomparably excited — this was a city without walls. Qingjiangpu over there had no walls either, but it was still shielded by surrounding rivers and lakes. This place, the Central Capital Fengyang, had nothing at all.

"You motherless whores, isn't this a stripped-bare broad?" someone muttered. The household troops burst into raucous laughter. Their backgrounds were mixed; they knew to observe discipline, but they couldn't control their mouths. Zhao Jin heard this and did not rebuke them. Though the words were crude, he had to admit they were quite apt.

Under shouted orders, the mounted household troops began to form up, splitting into five squads of three hundred riders each, slowly spreading apart. The street here was broad and without cover, perfect for charging in. At this moment, people inside the Central Capital's imperial city had already spotted the large force outside. Their first reaction was not fear or flight, but to come forward and see exactly who it was. Did no one think the beacon-fire smoke over Linhuai City was a warning? Did no one imagine that troops not belonging to the government army would come here? For several hundred years, it had been utterly impossible. How could enemies possibly come to such a place, deep in the heartland of the Great Ming?

When they drew near enough and saw the character "Zhao" on the banners, saw armor and attire completely unlike the government troops, and that elite, formidable bearing possessed only by the rarest few among the government forces, everyone finally thought of that rumored army. Recently, the government troops stationed in the Central Capital Fengyang had been shifting frequently, and everyone knew the reason why. Who could have imagined the other side would simply drive straight in like this, and was already near the Drum Tower...

Those who had come closer to look seemed scared out of their wits. They let out heart-rending shrieks, turned, and fled in a stumbling, frantic dash, shouting in distorted voices: "The Xuzhou bandits are here! The Xuzhou bandits have come to kill!"

Seeing the other side so panicked, the Zhao Character Camp cavalry's agitation and tension dissipated. They couldn't help but burst into jeering laughter. Zhao Jin smiled and gave the order: "All squads, rotate rest by threes, await orders. Bring those prisoners forward."

The several captured government army Battalion Commanders and Company Commanders who had been brought along were led before Zhao Jin. At this moment, the faces of these military officers also bore looks of inconceivable shock and horror. As military officers of the Great Ming, they naturally understood exactly what this meant. These rebels had actually reached the Great Ming's ancestral tombs. If they went in to burn, kill, and plunder, then the entire officialdom of South Zhili — no, even the powerful eunuchs and grand ministers of the inner court and outer court connected to this place — would all be implicated. Even without burning, killing, and plundering, merely arriving here was already an enormously grave matter.

"Take a message to Eunuch Cui for me. Tell him to prepare two thousand men, three thousand horses, and two days' worth of dry rations and fodder, then deliver them to me. I want a reply within two incense sticks' time, and I want the provisions within two double-hours. If it cannot be done, from this day forward, there will be no more Fengyang. Go!" Zhao Jin spoke.

Though they were prisoners, upon hearing Zhao Jin's demands, expressions of incredulity still surfaced on the faces of those government army officers. They were on the verge of uttering the word "impossible." Only when their bonds were untied and three horses brought over did they react. Faces deathly pale, they mounted and rode hurriedly toward the city of Fengyang.

"There has never been any era of perfect peace, nor any ironclad dynasty. Forgetting to sharpen weapons and train horses, forgetting to marshal armies and prepare for war, instituting that nonsense of civil superiority and martial inferiority — this is the result." Zhao Jin commented with a cold laugh. Those around him listened, seeming to understand yet not quite.

The Central Capital Fengyang's response was far, far faster than the officialdom's usual efficiency. This also had to do with Zhao Jin leading his large force right to their doorstep. A middle-aged eunuch, accompanied by the three prisoners who had delivered the message, rode over with a face ashen pale. The eunuch wore a crimson robe, indicating his rank was not low. The moment they met face to face, he looked familiar — he must have followed Cui Wensheng to Xuzhou before.

"You are committing such great treason and heresy..." the eunuch began with this sentence, but halfway through, the military officers beside him tugged at his clothes to warn him. He himself deflated as well. After a stunned pause, he gave a bleak smile and said, "Young Master Zhao, truly fine methods, fine strategy. You have brought a great calamity upon yourself."

"I am the cleaver, you are the fish on the block. Look at the might of my Xuzhou men. Even your five thousand troops would have been annihilated here, let alone now that you have none. Will you agree to my terms or not?" Zhao Jin said crisply and decisively.

The eunuch swept his gaze over the resting Zhao Character Camp cavalry. These nearly two thousand armored horsemen, and even more horses, were an utterly awe-inspiring sight. The more he looked, the paler his face became, and his body could not help but tremble. He stared at Zhao Jin, wanting to say something, but his mouth opened and closed without a single word coming out. In the end, he merely lowered his head dejectedly and said, "Please, Young Master Zhao, wait a brief moment. We will begin preparations immediately."

Zhao Jin nodded and added, "Don't think of tampering with the provisions. You will taste-test them, and livestock will taste-test them. The moment anything is amiss, I will scour this Fengyang clean, then set it ablaze. It won't matter if you lose your lives, but your families, patrons, and the like will all be implicated. Understand this clearly, then go and do it!"

"Please rest assured, Young Master Zhao. Everyone understands the gravity and stakes," the eunuch said, utterly crestfallen.

He turned his horse to leave, but just before departing, the eunuch could not help but look back and say, "Young Master Zhao, outsiders all say you are a vicious, reckless brute, yet your speech clearly shows you are an educated man. Do you truly not understand loyalty, filial piety, and the great righteousness?"

Zhao Jin shook his head, turned, and pointed at the desolation in the distance, saying, "This is the land where the Great Ming's dragon rose. Yet the common people are impoverished and destitute, fleeing famine and wandering as refugees. Go ask them if they understand this loyalty, filial piety, and great righteousness."

The counter-question left the eunuch speechless, even more dejected and dispirited. He spurred his horse and rode back into the Fengyang Central Capital.

"Master Jin, there must be no small amount of gold, silver, and stored grain inside this Fengyang Central Capital. Why not scour this place clean? It would save us some in the coming great battles," Tao Gui could not help but say. Xu Yong, Bayin, and several Company Commanders all wore expressions of agreement.

Zhao Jin waved his hand and said, "Not necessary. In coming to Fengyang this time, on one hand I wanted to replenish provisions; on the other hand, I wanted to make our stance clear. The next time we come, we won't be so polite."

Among those who had followed Zhao Jin here, no one could understand the meaning behind his words. The nuances of political advance and retreat were far too subtle and ambiguous. Everyone couldn't figure it out and couldn't be bothered to try, though the more quick-witted among them could vaguely sense that Zhao Jin might not intend to fight to the bitter end this time.

Not long after that eunuch returned, the desolate streets began to bustle. Yet the scene looked very strange. There were large carts loaded with supplies, and laborers carrying goods on their shoulders or in their arms, all manner of materiel being transported out. The reason it looked strange was that many of the laborers carrying loads on their shoulders or in their arms were wearing long gowns and official robes. Some looked like civil officials, others were inner court eunuchs. Of course, the majority were still the ragged commoners performing corvée labor.

During the Spring Festival, the Central Capital Fengyang did not have much manpower. The soldiers who normally could serve as laborers had all been dispatched elsewhere. To meet Zhao Jin's demand with its time limit, they had no choice but to mobilize everyone. Zhao Jin watched as sack after sack of grain and fodder were set down before him, with Company Commanders and Squad Commanders standing guard there. For every batch of goods, a sack would be randomly slit open and the porters made to eat a bit. If anyone had tampered with it, problems would quickly arise.

Zhao Jin also saw Cui Wensheng, the Grand Supervisor of Grain Transport and Fengyang Defense Eunuch. He was guarded by several dozen sturdy, robust men, watching the scene before him woodenly. The two sides were over a hundred paces apart, yet there was not the slightest intention to exchange greetings. It had only been a little over a year since they last met, but Eunuch Cui seemed to have aged ten years as a person. Zhao Jin was fairly confident he could confirm that it was very likely he had suddenly aged ten years just now...

Provisions and fodder confirmed to be without issue were swiftly divided into individual portions and taken away by the mounted household troops. The Fengyang side's transporting and placing seemed chaotic, whereas the Zhao Character Camp's side took them with orderly precision. Goods were taken away faster than they were set down. This comparison of efficiency made everyone in Fengyang, from top to bottom, increasingly tremble with unease.

"When pushed to the brink of life and death, they can still do a few things. But that's all they can do — just this little bit. If our Xuzhou faced the same threat, everyone would probably pick up tools and fight to the death," Zhao Jin remarked, watching the bustling scene before him.

Among those officials and eunuchs transporting supplies, very few could endure more than three trips. Many collapsed on the ground after two trips, panting heavily and playing dead. But at this moment, Cui Wensheng showed not the slightest leniency. The guards beside him went straight over and lashed them with whips, forcing people up to go back to hauling. The entire area was filled with wailing and pleas for mercy, yet the transporting never stopped.

Under this ceaseless stream of transport, the Zhao Character Camp quickly took enough of the demanded supplies. The household troops even began taking extra to feed the horses on the spot, since a long-distance raid was to follow.

"The rest is all yours! Take as much as you can carry!" After taking enough supplies for themselves, the household troops began shouting at the Fengyang civilian laborers. These were corvée laborers forcibly conscripted by the authorities. Not to mention being unable to return home for the New Year, even eating their fill was a luxury. Yet the Fengyang prefectural stores were so abundantly stocked — all these supplies, yet none of it was for these civilian laborers.

Upon hearing this, the civilian laborers' eyes all lit up, but no one dared to reach out and take anything. Some stole glances behind them at the officials and eunuchs collapsed from exhaustion on the ground. Others looked toward Eunuch Cui's group nearby. Cui Wensheng's face was ashen, but he said nothing. Someone boldly took a share and fled swiftly. Others followed suit. More and more civilian laborers came to transport goods, sweeping away all the supplies that had been brought out.

However, no one turned back toward the storehouses to continue hauling. They simply scattered in all directions with their goods. The officials and eunuchs watched all this, furious but not daring to speak. Zhao Jin had already mounted his horse and said to those beside him with a smile, "The Fengyang storehouses definitely hold weapons. If they had temporarily distributed supplies to the civilian laborers, given them weapons, and made them fight us, it probably would have cost us some effort."

Those around him all wore thoughtful expressions. Zhao Jin smiled again and said, "The Central Capital Fengyang already has hardly any government troops left. The pitiful commoners outnumber the officials and eunuchs tenfold, several tenfold. Looking at these storehouses bursting with wealth, goods, and grain, yet no one gathers a crowd to loot them. One side is foolish, the other side is dumb. The pitiable also have their detestable aspects."

After a few sighs of lament, Zhao Jin beckoned to a fat eunuch not far away. This man had not hauled many loads, yet was already drenched in sweat that streamed nonstop, which he kept wiping with his sleeve. When Zhao Jin beckoned, he didn't react at first. By the time a household trooper strode over, it was too late to run, and he could only obediently come forward.

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