Chapter 1211: Winning This Way Doesn't Sit Right with Me

"Husband, is everything settled with Father-in-law?" Xu Zhenzhen asked. Seeing Zhao Jin nod with a heavy expression, she hesitated, then added, "I've consulted physicians I know. They say Father-in-law's illness is serious this time — it's stirred up many lingering remnants of old ailments and injuries. It's very troublesome."

Zhao Jin nodded glumly and said, "I know. It's very troublesome this time. We'll do everything we can to care for him and treat him. There's really no other way."

After supper, Zhao Feng and Zhao Long were coaxed off to sleep. Mu Shulan went to tend to Zhao Qi. Zhao Jin and Xu Zhenzhen also retired together. The lamps were extinguished, and the bedchamber sank into darkness. Zhao Jin made no sound, but neither did he sleep. Countless thoughts tumbled through his mind — how could he find calm in a moment like this? Just then, Xu Zhenzhen, whom he had thought already asleep, spoke up: "Husband, how long will this fighting go on? Can we win?"

Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then let out a muffled laugh. "What, are you worried?"

Xu Zhenzhen nestled closer to him and said softly, "When I married you, I thought we were just the foremost power here in Xuzhou — clashing with other great houses, keeping the yamen runners off our backs. I never imagined it would come to this: fighting pitched battles against the imperial court, time and again, and never once losing. But I can't help thinking — the court has over a dozen provinces and tens of millions of people. The territory we hold now isn't even one province, just a few million people. Using the few to strike the many — it's far too perilous."

"Don't worry. We will win. Even if the court wants to keep fighting on a grand scale, we will still win. It's just a bit troublesome — only a bit troublesome, that's all." Zhao Jin drew his wife into his arms and comforted her gently.

Xu Zhenzhen said nothing more. Husband and wife lay in each other's arms in silence for a moment. Then Zhao Jin spoke: "We can win, but it doesn't sit right with me at all."

The words startled Xu Zhenzhen. Before she could ask, Zhao Jin continued in a heavy voice: "The court is waging war on several fronts — the Jianzhou Jurchens, the steppe Mongols, the southwestern tusi — and now they have to fight us as well. If they keep sending more troops here, they'll inevitably have to neglect those other fronts. Those enemies will easily seize the chance to press their advantage. A situation like that... it's as if I'm colluding with those barbarians and savages, inside and out, striking in concert. Just thinking about it makes me sick."

Xu Zhenzhen was silent for a moment, then laughed lightly and said, "A win is a win. I was worried earlier that fighting few against many would cost us dearly!"

"From the outside, it looks like the few against the many. But if you really do the sums, our household retainers and trained militias are no fewer than the government troops — in fact, they're more numerous!" Zhao Jin did not continue the earlier topic, instead offering a few words of explanation with a smile.

"Let's sleep early. Tomorrow I still need to send letters to Xiaoyong and Leizi, telling them to make arrangements for matters in the north." After Zhao Jin said this, husband and wife both fell silent, and just like that, they sank into deep sleep.

Liu Yong and Lei Cai were now both stationed in Shandong, overseeing matters there. After the battle that routed the Shandong government forces, a huge number of prisoners had been taken. The First Brigade of the Zhao Battalion made temporary arrangements: the prisoners were divided into groups of several hundred and, under the escort of trained militiamen, sent off to work at various farming estates. But many of these prisoners were originally soldiers from the Liaodong Garrison. Among them, there might well be men who had previously feigned surrender, only to rise up and strike as internal saboteurs when chaos erupted. These had to be screened out.

Rooting out these men was simple. Survivors from every farming estate that had suffered — Yao Qi among them — had been seconded to serve under Liu Yong and Lei Cai. They would not forget the faces of those enemies. Once identified, the men would be interrogated, and through them, the Zhao Battalion would trace the official network the prefectural authorities had laid out in Yanzhou and the other prefectures of Shandong, uncovering exactly which gentry and powerful houses had been involved.

Tian Zhu and his trusted subordinates, who had been kept in Xuzhou in a state of semi-confinement and semi-indoctrination, were also dispatched there. As local power-brokers of southern Shandong, they had an intimate grasp of the region. This time, the Zhao Battalion would show no quarter to the local powers. They would act strictly by the book. Anyone who had taken part back then would be rooted out entirely.

The routed Shandong Regional Commander, Yang Guodong, had gathered over three thousand surviving troops. Instead of returning to the Deng-Lai Garrison, he had withdrawn directly into Hejian Prefecture in Northern Zhili. He encamped near the Grand Canal, placing himself directly under the command of Supreme Commander Zhao Yan and Army Supervisor Wei Zhongxian. That location was the gateway for entering Northern Zhili via the canal.

The situation in Shandong was now utterly deadlocked. Dengzhou and Laizhou Prefectures were training new government troops, but this was not aimed at the Xuzhou forces — those prefectures directly faced Liaodong. The region had been in constant turmoil due to refugees from the Liaodong Garrison. Without government troops to maintain order, chaos would surely erupt. To avoid any misunderstanding with Zhao Jin, they had even specially sent an envoy from Qingzhou Prefecture to give advance notice.

In Dongchang, Jinan, and Qingzhou Prefectures, bandits and mounted highwaymen were growing rampant. Even local riffraff were gathering mobs, raising the banner of "Heavenly King Zhao of Xuzhou," and running amok. On one hand, they sent men to Zhao Jin to pledge loyalty and beg for official posts in a new dynasty; on the other, they burned, killed, and plundered. The only thing the local authorities could do was bar the city gates and defend — the brigands could never breach the walls. But that was the limit of what they could manage, because they could no longer even muster the civilian braves and trained militias.

The Zhao Battalion's handling of the matter, however, came as a relief to them. Mounted household retainers from Xuzhou, Xuzhou volunteers, and local mounted fighters from Yanzhou Prefecture rode directly into Dongchang and Jinan Prefectures and began sweeping away these bandits who were exploiting the chaos. Heads were strung up one after another. After the villages and mountain strongholds involved were put to the sword, the situation quickly stabilized.

In Dongchang Prefecture, many farming estates began spending money and recruiting men to organize self-defense forces. However, these guard units were small in number and were coordinated under a single commercial firm. These guards also helped maintain local order. On closer inspection, all these farming estates were major cotton producers. The background of that commercial firm was obvious without needing to be stated.

Qingzhou Prefecture fared somewhat better. Once it became clear that these "Xuzhou vanguards" had no connection to Xuzhou, the government troops and local armed forces of Qingzhou took action and swiftly cleaned them out.

This stance by the Zhao Battalion allowed the terror-stricken Shandong officialdom to relax a little. Some began to wonder whether a peace offering might be possible. Since the other side showed no inclination to burn all bridges and fight to the bitter end, and was even being so reasonable, why resort to massive military action and needless bloodshed?

But no one dared voice this thought aloud. The troops massed in Hejian Prefecture had already surpassed thirty thousand. After the Capital Garrison arrived, border troops from the Xuanfu Garrison, along with government forces from Baoding Garrison and Zhending Prefecture, also began concentrating there. With a great army assembling, Xuzhou was no fool — words of peace overtures simply could not be spoken.

Every farming and reclamation estate of the Zhao Battalion was now a hive of activity. The estate laborers who had previously fled had all returned and were preparing for the spring plowing. The laborers were somewhat on edge, but strict orders had come down from above: as long as the fighting had not reached their doorstep, they were to settle down and farm, to break new ground. Better to die in battle than to starve. This reasoning resonated with the laborers — had they not become refugees in the first place because they were driven by hopeless hunger?

The men now guarding the farming estates were called "Reserve Trained Militia." Each estate had a force of just over one hundred and forty men. These able-bodied men were not detached from production; their daily labor was simply half as long as the others', with the remaining time devoted to drill. The original trained militiamen, meanwhile, were being concentrated into formations the size of a regiment and stationed at various strategic points. Chen Sheng now directly commanded nearly fifty trained militia companies. Following the regimental structure, company vice-commanders from the First Brigade were sent to lead and direct them.

These fifty trained militia companies did not even include the forces in the eastern part of Yanzhou Prefecture, around Fei County and Yizhou. The volunteers and trained militia there added up to another twenty companies.

The trained militiamen concentrated at strategic points were full of drive and high morale. Word had more or less reached them: the trained militia being concentrated this time would, in all likelihood, be promoted to household retainers. This was evident from the most recent recruitment drive. The First Brigade was adding six firelock companies, and the recruitment and selection for firelock retainers was not limited to the retainer units alone — the trained militia had the same opportunity.

With so many able-bodied men detached from production, the Zhao Battalion's Yanzhou administration was feeling the strain. Fortunately, the labor force was supplemented by prisoners. Moreover, the grain merchants in Jining were even more eager to sell than those in Qingjiangpu. Many transactions involved entire warehouses — the grain and the warehouses themselves could simply be taken over. Still, the trade and agricultural reclamation departments were both wringing their hands. No matter how they juggled the numbers, they probably wouldn't be able to remit much to Xuzhou this year. Just managing not to need subsidies from there would be a fine achievement.

The trained militia in Shandong consumed enormous quantities of supplies. However, the thirty full-time trained militia companies in Guide Prefecture placed no burden on the Zhao Battalion's finances, because the pay and provisions for these companies fell directly on Guide Prefecture itself. The gentry and powerful houses of Guide Prefecture might harbor grievances, but they could only swallow them. They had no one to blame but themselves for backing the wrong side this time.

Over thirty thousand prisoners had been taken this time. Among them, military officers from wealthy families had a slightly better lot. As long as their families provided enough silver, they could live in some comfort. Ransom was out of the question, but exemption from hard labor, better quarters, and better food and supplies were achievable. They could even reunite with their families — though they would have to live together within the territory controlled by Xuzhou. The rest would be sent to various places to perform hard labor. Their future would be decided only after they had adapted to the rules here.

But some had rather good fortune — for instance, soldiers with a specialized skill. Carpenters, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and those with other trades: anyone with a craft to their name was pulled out and put straight to work. Xuzhou's several great workshops were now running around the clock, especially the workshops for casting weapons and forging firearms. They needed to produce firelocks in large quantities for equipping the troops, to cast cannons, to make blades, spears, and iron armor — every single item demanded labor. Quite a few prisoners were even sent directly to Jingshan, to dig coal and smelt iron. Countless grueling tasks in the mines awaited them there.

To an outsider, Xuzhou seemed calm and tranquil, while Northern Zhili bristled with tension. Yet if one pieced together reports from across Xuzhou, it became clear that Xuzhou, too, was mobilizing its forces. A closer look would shock and stun any discerning observer: Xuzhou could actually muster such immense strength, could produce so many men at a moment's notice, and seemingly without greatly affecting its supply lines or other affairs.

Compared to the tension in Xuzhou and Shandong, Huai'an and Yangzhou Prefectures were quite relaxed. After the necessary arrests had been made, the remaining government troops shrank back into their barracks. Everyone else was busy doing business with all haste. Despite edicts from the imperial court and urgent orders from the Ministry of War, the various parts of Jiangnan made no major moves — indeed, they made almost no moves at all. Songjiang, for its part, was very anxious to prosecute the war and even wanted to contribute military funds, but this was quickly suppressed.

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