Chapter 1177: They Can't Run

"Pass word to Eunuch Cui. He's seen my sense of restraint this time. There won't be a next time. Deliver the message. Understood?" Zhao Jin gave the instruction. The trembling fat eunuch nodded frantically, signaling that he understood.

Watching the fat eunuch jog over and relay the message to Cui Wensheng, Eunuch Cui looked this way. Zhao Jin smiled, cupped his hands in salute, then gave the order to march. After this brief rest, even though they hadn't stormed the Central Capital, everyone felt deeply satisfied. Supplies were ample, the horses' strength had recovered, and following orders, each unit turned and set off, heading north.

Once the Zhao camp's cavalry had left and the distant dust clouds were all they could see, many of those standing on the outskirts of the Central Capital, Fengyang, breathed a sigh of relief. Many who had been standing simply sat down on the ground, wiping away sweat and tears, overwhelmed by lingering fear and relief. Quite a few cursed while feeling utterly baffled. These Xuzhou bandits really were just common roving brigands — coming for no reason, leaving for no reason, not even knowing to occupy and plunder the Central Capital. What great future could they possibly have?

"Father Cui, the Xuzhou bandits are heading straight for Commander Yue's four thousand troops. What do we do? We must go warn them quickly, or it'll be too late!" The personal guard beside Cui Wensheng said, frantic with urgency.

Watching the Xuzhou forces head north, even a fool knew what this large cavalry force intended. But when they blurted it out in panic, Cui Wensheng, standing among the crowd, did not react for a long time. Only when everyone turned back, and even the prominent figures in the area had gathered around, did Eunuch Cui, standing there frozen, finally speak: "If the Xuzhou bandits had entered the imperial tomb grounds today — even if only a horse's hoof had stepped on them, even if only a single arrow had been shot — and someone reported it, do you know what the consequences would be?"

Eunuch Cui Wensheng's voice was utterly feeble. Everyone fell silent. Disturbing the imperial ancestral temple and mausoleum was a capital crime. By convention, the garrison eunuch and the Fengyang governor would face either forced suicide or execution. Everyone else involved would also face death or exile. Even worse, their backers would be stained by this, and political enemies would use it to ensure they could never rise again. Compared to that, the lives of those four thousand troops were not so important.

Only now did everyone realize the restraint shown by the Xuzhou Zhao camp. At this thought, all those gathered around Eunuch Cui felt utterly deflated and disheartened. If they sent someone to deliver a warning or made any other move, those several thousand tiger-and-wolf-like armored riders could turn and charge back, trample the imperial path, storm the worship hall, or even set fire to Dragon Rise Temple. Then they could all just wait for the extermination of their entire clans.

Thinking of this, they felt that having those four thousand government troops sacrifice themselves for everyone's future was not such a bad thing after all. Besides, Fengyang could send no reinforcements, and those four thousand troops might not be entirely without a fighting chance. It had nothing to do with them. Those who knew about this operation against Xuzhou were simply thinking: next time, don't act rashly. Otherwise, if those Xuzhou bandits came south, everyone would suffer even without losing a battle. Even more people thought they could not stay here any longer — disaster could strike at any moment.

After Eunuch Cui Wensheng finished speaking, his face grew even more ashen. He stood there dazed for a moment, his body swayed a few times, and he nearly fell backward. His personal guards reacted quickly, reaching out to support him. Everyone scrambled forward in a flurry — some pressed his philtrum, others shouted for medicinal soup. But Eunuch Cui soon came back to his senses and said in a tearful voice, "It's over... it's all over..."

"We make camp only when it's too dark to see the road. Push north as far as possible!" Zhao Jin gave the order. The cavalry force he led quickened its pace.

From Fengyang to Suzhou, and Suzhou onward to Xuzhou, this northbound road had no twists or turns. It was broad, straight, and level all the way, ideal for cavalry to gallop. At this time of year, there were few people on the official road, so they could ride at full speed.

As nightfall approached, the forward scouts brought back urgent news. While scouting ahead, they had encountered a light cavalry messenger from the government troops. The government cavalry rider was quite alert. Hearing the Xuzhou accent in their shouts, and then an arrow shot at him from horseback that missed, the government cavalryman wheeled his horse and fled for his life. The light cavalry gave chase but could not catch him.

"That government messenger likely saw the dust cloud raised by our main force. Our movements have probably been detected." On the battlefield, one must always prepare for the worst.

Upon hearing this news, the faces of Zhao Jin and those around him darkened. Zhao Jin pondered for a moment, then spoke: "The household troops we sent to deliver a message to Suzhou will certainly arrive before the government troops there. They won't be able to enter Suzhou city. If they want to stop us, they'll have to find a village or fortified manor to hold. If we can't smash them in the field, we'll crack them by force. Spread the scouts out farther. Sleep early tonight, rise early tomorrow, and pursue at speed!"

The battle at Floating Mountain had ended easily, and after flaunting their might at Fengyang, the mounted household troops' excitement had faded. Everyone was back to their usual orderly routine. Orders were given, and the men hurried to light fires and cook. The chickens and sheep seized from Fengyang Prefecture had eaten fodder and still showed no signs of trouble, so they were slaughtered and thrown into the pot, giving everyone some meat to build their strength.

"Don't worry, they can't run!" Zhao Jin's words didn't sound like reassurance — just a statement of fact.

"What? Several thousand cavalry? From Xuzhou?" Commander Yue Qianhu, the guerrilla general leading the Fengyang government troops, asked in alarm.

The scout kneeling before him still hadn't caught his breath. Hearing this, he simply said: "General, from the dust cloud I saw, it absolutely couldn't have been raised by a large infantry force. And judging by the clothing and speech of the opposing scouts, they're from Xuzhou. I feared delaying military intelligence, so I rushed back to report. I wouldn't dare claim absolute certainty."

Everyone understood the implication — saving his own skin came first. A military officer of rank high enough to command four thousand government troops was no greenhorn; he had seen things. After mulling it over briefly, Yue Qianhu understood. He first cursed, then said: "This means they couldn't hold them at Qingjiangpu. They've let the tiger out!"

The army was still advancing. A group of officers stood by the roadside listening to this intelligence, and every face changed color. Guerrilla General Yue Qianhu's trusted aides immediately cursed aloud: "They were sitting perfectly fine in Fengyang, but no, they had to provoke Xuzhou. Haven't they learned after suffering so many losses? Commander, let's go. Ride east, loop back around through Lingbi County. Better than running into those tigers."

"Run, my ass! Just abandon these several thousand brothers here? This was personally emphasized by Father Wei. To keep the civil officials from interfering, every governor and military officer involved is his trusted man. Even the Ministry of War was brought in line. With so much effort invested, if we flee in the face of battle, what do you think the consequences will be!" Yue Qianhu cursed angrily.

After cursing a few times, he saw the chiliarchs, company commanders, and several camp officers below him exchange shifty glances. Yue Qianhu understood this dynamic — if you won't run, then we all will. Guerrilla General Yue Qianhu's face darkened as he spoke again: "You think you can run? The Xuzhou bandits are sweeping up from the south. They've probably even hit the imperial tombs. If we flee on top of that, when the higher-ups assign blame, every one of us will be executed and our families exterminated. Go back for what? To let them pin the crime on our heads?"

"What do we do? Commander, make a decision. The brothers are all listening!"

"We're still a little over a day's march from Suzhou. Have the men push hard and hurry. Beat Xuzhou's forces into the city. We won't go out — just hole up inside. I refuse to believe Xuzhou bandit cavalry can breach the walls. The brothers can have some fun inside the city too. We'll hold out until word comes, then make our move. As long as we have our bargaining chips in hand, we don't have to fear any investigation." Guerrilla General Yue Qianhu said through gritted teeth.

Everyone nodded. Guerrilla General Yue Qianhu was Eunuch Cui Wensheng's trusted military officer, brought out from the capital garrison. He should have been utterly loyal, yet he came up with this bridge-burning scheme. It showed he was driven to desperation. And thinking of Suzhou city — reputed in recent years to be stable and modestly prosperous, a flourishing place within Fengyang Prefecture — being stationed there certainly wouldn't be a hardship. At this thought, everyone grew excited.

"The brothers all follow the commander's lead!"

"Since everyone agrees, this general will lay down a rule: anyone who flees in the face of battle will not escape military law!"

"Commander, rest assured. If it comes to that, no need for you to lift a finger — your subordinate will personally hack off the head of any blind fool who tries!"

The orders were swiftly relayed through the ranks. The government troops, who had still maintained some order, immediately fell into chaos. But there was no collapse. Upon hearing they could garrison inside Suzhou city instead of going to fight Xuzhou, the soldiers' morale suddenly soared. Every man strove to push ahead, and the army's marching speed abruptly increased.

However, no one noticed Yue Qianhu calling his personal soldiers and guards together and quietly instructing them: "You go back to Fengyang first to report. If things are bad inside the city, don't even enter — just come straight back. If all is quiet, go secretly see Father Cui and explain our difficulties. The old man understands how things work; he won't make trouble for us."

Once that man had acknowledged and left, Guerrilla General Yue Qianhu spoke to another: "Take a few men and get some commoners' clothes with no blood on them. Make sure every close brother gets at least one set. Don't go raiding villages — buy them at a high price. Understood?"

"You, keep our private savings secure. Without my word, not even the King of Heaven gets a copper of this reward money."

The orders were given. However wretched the government infantry might be, they could still sense something was wrong. And ever since setting out, everyone had been on edge. Back when Fengyang Prefecture was sending refugees outward, the authorities and local strongmen had dispatched soldiers to round up refugees as serfs. Many of these soldiers had suffered at the hands of the Xuzhou Zhao camp. Over the years, Xuzhou's fearsome reputation had only grown, and no one was keen to tug the tiger's whiskers.

Driven by unease and fear, they felt that danger would lessen greatly once inside the city walls. Add the allure of pleasures within Suzhou, and these four thousand Fengyang government troops quickened their march. What gratified Guerrilla General Yue Qianhu was that despite this sudden acceleration, none of the battalions had disintegrated, and very few soldiers had deserted. He knew that in any Ming army on the march, abruptly speeding up or slowing down was extremely dangerous — the slightest misstep could cause a rout or a mutiny in camp.

They marched on in noisy chaos for a day, even rising early and sleeping late, a rare thing. Any cumbersome gear that could be abandoned was abandoned. At noon on the fifth day of the first month of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, these four thousand Fengyang troops arrived beneath the walls of Suzhou city.

We didn't hit the target within the set time limit. Old Bai also failed to write the third update because he went to see Monkey King: Hero Is Back. Brothers, Old Bai is setting another goal — as long as we reach 1350 votes, there will be a third update today. Right now we're still sixty-one votes short. Actually, this number is really simple; brothers on Qidian and Chuangshi can easily reach it. Uh, this challenge feels a bit awkward now.

Thanks to "Wu Liulang, Yiliao Squad Leader, User 504293808, Qi Sanwen, Lily2007, Tian Tian Xi Xi Ha Ha, Book Friend 150715191520125, Feng Zhong Long Wang" — several old friends — for the tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and support.