Chapter 1184: Misjudgment (Third Update)

Compared to the simple and fierce pike-and-firearm household retainers, the mounted retainers, drawn from a motley mix of backgrounds, had always lagged in discipline and morale. They had even stirred up trouble that violated the rules of the Zhao Character Camp, and some, unable to endure the harsh training and strict constraints, had plotted to desert and return to banditry or offer their services to government troops or local strongmen. Through the rigorous enforcement of regulations, the mounted retainers were slowly whipped into shape. The discipline among government cavalry was even worse, and Zhao Jin naturally had no wish to repeat past mistakes.

The horses killed or wounded among the government troops pained the company commanders deeply, but there was nothing to be done. Under the concentrated fire of firearms and bows, there were no lightly wounded that could be treated. They could only be handed over to the locals of Suzhou to be skinned and eaten. The government troops' scant remaining supplies and fodder could not be taken along either, and would simply serve as provisions for the prisoners over the next couple of days. About three hundred rideable horses remained, but the old, sick, and scrawny ones did not meet the mounted retainers' standards. Only about two hundred were truly serviceable.

After the interlude of Le Qianhu leading his troops in a breakout charge, the morale and resistance of the entire Fengyang government army collapsed completely. Without the retainers needing to shout orders or threaten them, they hung their heads and meekly obeyed. The local militia also began to take part in escorting prisoners and conducting searches. Compared to the dejected government troops, the entire Zhao Character Camp was brimming with high spirits.

Everyone assumed Zhao Jin would immediately arrange for the march to depart, but to their surprise, he ordered Le Qianhu's personal guards brought over for questioning. The men were all a bit puzzled — the commander had shown no interest in the enemy general, so why question the personal guards?

With their commanding general Le Qianhu kneeling there begging to surrender, his personal guards and soldiers naturally put up no resistance or stubborn defiance. Four of their leaders were brought forward and knelt obediently before Zhao Jin.

"Your general wishes to surrender. As soldiers of the Great Ming, did none of you think to stop him? Did none of you think to serve the Great Ming?" Zhao Jin asked.

At this question, looks of astonishment crossed the faces of the four captured government soldiers. They exchanged glances, and even cast a few discourteous looks at Zhao Jin before one of them finally spoke: "We are kept by our general. Our food and necessities all come from his money and grain, so naturally we must serve him. Whatever our general wishes to do, we must naturally obey. This principle of loyalty — we understand it."

Zhao Jin fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand to have the men taken away. Turning to those beside him, he asked, "What those men just said — do you think it is right or wrong?"

"Master Jin, what those soldiers said isn't really wrong, is it? We subordinates serve you, Master Jin — isn't it the same?" Tao Gui said hesitantly. After a few words, Xu Yong beside him tugged at him. Xu Yong shot Tao Gui a glare, but this expression was caught by Zhao Jin. Smiling, Zhao Jin said directly, "Xu Yong, what do you say?"

Xu Yong grinned and said, "It's not the same. When we subordinates serve you, Master Jin, it's just like how they ought to be loyal to this Great Ming. As for this 'general' or whatever — if you, Master Jin, appoint a general to command us, we'll obey him, but we are still loyal to you, Master Jin."

Tao Gui, standing nearby, couldn't help but slap his own forehead. Xu Yong's words were all jumbled up, but he could more or less grasp the meaning.

Zhao Jin smiled but did not press the matter further. He merely said with a sigh, "The Great Ming's soldiers belong to their commanders. The court issues pay and provisions to this Le Qianhu, and though the higher-ups skim layer by layer, Le Qianhu also skims to support his personal soldiers and guards. Then these personal soldiers don't feel the pay and provisions come from the Great Ming — instead, they think it's their general's gracious favor. Don't you find this absurd?"

"Truly absurd," everyone chimed in agreement.

Zhao Jin did not continue. He simply said, "Once this manor is fully cleared, we head north back to Xuzhou immediately. If the local militias everywhere are as capable as Zhong Gongxian, then there's really no rush."

"Master Jin, wouldn't that mean no more battles to fight?" Xu Yong chimed in playfully. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "Do not underestimate the enemy. Before victory or defeat is decided, do not make rash judgments. And do not think the imperial court has only this much ability. If it truly comes to an all-out fight, this is only the beginning."

By the time the sun was sinking in the west, the manor had been thoroughly searched. There were indeed some government soldiers who had clung to wishful thinking and hidden in various places, hoping to slip by unnoticed. All were dragged out and taken prisoner. Zhao Jin was very generous toward Zhong Gongxian's forces: all the dead horses and the government troops' baggage and supplies were left to them, along with a hundred and fifty good horses. They were also given first pick of the captured government weapons, though the rest had to be registered in the books.

This arrangement filled the militia with delight. Horse meat was a rare taste of meat and fat, and the other items provided some subsidy as well. This expedition had truly cost them almost no casualties, yet the rewards were bountiful. More crucially, this battle against the government troops had filled everyone with confidence. Originally, when word came of multiple armies closing in on Xuzhou, the farming settlements around Suzhou had been in a state of panic, with many begging Xuzhou to send the Suzhou Regiment over to steady the situation. But this time, they discovered that their own forces could handle quite a lot. And they could also see the long-term prospects — with the elite household retainers this fierce and powerful, what could they not accomplish?

After a brief rest and reorganization, Zhao Jin and his men set off for Xuzhou with the cavalry. This time they took the main official road, passing directly outside the city of Suzhou. Had Zhao Jin not given explicit orders, many people in the Suzhou magistrate's yamen would have been put to the sword days ago. As it was, nothing now fell to the magistrate to handle; the clerks and runners within the yamen were the ones making all the decisions.

They had been closely following the news from this direction. As soon as they learned of the great victory, they hurriedly opened the city gates and went to elaborate lengths to prepare rewards and military supplies for the troops. They even hired a drum-and-gong troupe, setting up a grand welcoming formation along the Zhao Character Camp's inevitable route. When Zhao Jin's cavalry passed by, there was another round of fanfare — though the drummers and gong-players, upon seeing the iron-armored mounted retainers, were so awestruck they lost their rhythm and went off-key, which was quite embarrassing.

"The time for celebration has not yet come. You are all too kind. Everything everyone has done and said this time, I, Zhao, will keep firmly in mind. Once matters are settled, there will surely be generous recompense!" Zhao Jin dismounted and exchanged a few polite words, making his stance very clear. Hearing this, the gentry and local strongmen of Suzhou all beamed with delight.

They harbored no fear of being implicated. In fact, there were sons of various families, armed and on horseback, waiting in readiness. The family elders told Zhao Jin directly to let them go and risk their lives defending Xuzhou for Master Jin. According to intelligence passed back by the Internal Guard's informants, everyone had already made up their minds to join the winning side.

Moreover, four thousand government troops had been penned up in a manor and beaten by three thousand militia. Once the household retainers arrived, it was a complete and utter rout. Everyone could see how vast the disparity in strength was. Not to mention witnessing with their own eyes the Zhao Character Camp's iron-armored, iron-weaponed troops, fierce as dragons — such might truly filled one with confidence. After all, after this battle, there were no government troops left in the vast Fengyang Prefecture. The Suzhou militia was now the strongest armed force around. What was there left to worry about? Everything had to be seized quickly, lest they be too late and unable to catch up.

Zhao Jin did not refuse these sons of Suzhou who were willing to defend Xuzhou, but neither did he let them march with the cavalry. Instead, he told them to wait a few days until he had returned to Xuzhou and settled in; coming over then would not be too late.

Returning to Xuzhou from Suzhou, Zhao Jin brought back only a thousand household retainers. The rest were sent to rejoin and reinforce the main body of the Third Brigade. Dong Bingfeng's Third Brigade should have already set out — it remained to be seen whether these mounted retainers could catch up.

Several dozen li past Suzhou city, they encountered a messenger sent from Xuzhou. After annihilating over a thousand government troops at Fushan, Zhao Jin had dispatched a messenger north to Suzhou, ordering the city gates shut, and then on to Xuzhou to report his movements and arrange coordination there. Although Zhao Jin's own column had been delayed a day on the road, overall they were still much faster, and Xuzhou's response this time had not been slow.

The Suzhou Regiment, led by Li Wu, along with three hundred volunteers, was hurrying over in this direction. Originally, the Suzhou Regiment had been stationed at the border between Xuzhou and Fengyang Prefecture, but with the government forces so massive this time, they had to come in support. Even though they knew Zhao Jin's cavalry had the matter well in hand, for absolute certainty, no mishap could be allowed.

"Draw twenty company commanders from your regiment to go take charge of the militia over there. You, return to your original post and await orders. The Suzhou militia can handle things on their own," Zhao Jin issued the command directly upon meeting Li Wu.

He could not compare to Lu Da, the most senior and earliest loyal follower. He could not compare to Zhang Hubin, with his outstanding ability and dazzling battle honors. Nor could he compare to Li He, who had been a government battalion commander. That Li Wu could hold the position of regimental commander, in the eyes of outsiders, was solely because he was the second most senior, having followed Master Jin for so many years that it was simply his due. As for any real ability — that was debatable.

Moreover, in the Zhao Character Camp's structure, the ability demanded of commanding officers in the brigades, regiments, and companies was not all that high. Even without heaven-sent tactical genius, they could still devour the enemy simply by pushing forward with the household retainers. So the private assessment of Li Wu was never very high, and meeting him in person only reinforced that impression. Li Wu seemed slick and amiable, very good at ingratiating himself, which easily led people to think he had climbed the ranks through flattery and opportunism.

However, Zhao Jin and his companions did not rate Li Wu poorly. Whatever task was assigned to him, Li Wu would invariably handle it impeccably. Wherever his brigade or regiment was stationed, he could master every detail — the manpower and resources available, who to approach and who to guard against in war and peace. Few could match this meticulousness. He was very competent as a regimental commander.

As for what others thought, Li Wu did not much care. His only frustration was that the Suzhou Regiment never got a chance to see real battle. He had thought this time they would finally face the Fengyang government troops, but who could have guessed that Zhao Jin would personally take action? That hope had fallen through once again.

Zhao Jin paid no mind to Li Wu's little preoccupations. After a few words of instruction and encouragement, he led his troops straight for He Village. It was not that he was in a hurry to get home, but that He Village was now the main encampment. There he would rest, resupply, and then head to the front lines.

Originally, the Xuzhou Zhao Character Camp had judged that the Daming government troops would first take Kong Village at the three-province border, then cross through Feng County and Pei County, seeking to devour the Feng-Pei Regiment. After that, they would attack Jingshan, the supply base for the Zhao Character Camp's coal and iron. Next, they would encamp on the northern bank of the Yellow River and, depending on how the battle developed, either coordinate with the Shandong grand army to pincer the First Brigade, or join forces with the new Henan army to threaten the Xuzhou headquarters.

Third Update

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