Chapter 1255: The Calm Before Battle

Niu Jinbao watched Zhao Jin, still wholly absorbed in his martial practice, and said in a low voice, "This is killing technique. This is real skill. No matter how many flourishes you pile on, it all comes down to one thrust, one slash. Master these, and you can roam the world. All that's left after that is the experience to adapt when facing an enemy."

The personal guards wore expressions of half-belief, half-doubt. Niu Jinbao did not explain further — combat and real experience would make them realize this in time. He himself had only grasped it after coming to Zhao Jin's side: martial skill and battle technique must be pure, tempered through thousands of hammer blows, and paired with alertness and focus. That was more or less enough.

The sound of small drums rose within the Zhao Family Army's encampment. The noise would not carry beyond the camp; the drummers would beat their drums as they walked through every corner of the encampment. Upon hearing this sound, every company had to rise at once and begin preparations. Before this, the cooks had already lit their fires and started cooking.

Hearing the small drums, Zhao Jin withdrew his stance and stood firm. The personal guards handed over a towel to wipe away sweat. Zhao Jin took it, wiped himself down a few times, and walked silently toward the command tent. Niu Jinbao hurried to follow.

"A great battle is near, yet I feel not the slightest fear or tension. Instead, my mind keeps drifting to the past and the future. Isn't that too strange?" While eating breakfast, Zhao Jin remarked offhandedly to Niu Jinbao.

"Master simply does not regard the government troops across the way as worthy opponents. With confidence in your heart, you are naturally this relaxed," Niu Jinbao answered with a smile.

"Summon the deputy regimental commanders and all higher-ranking officers to my quarters for a council." Zhao Jin did not continue the topic and issued the order directly.

By now, the sound of drums and horns from the direction of Jinghai County seat could already be heard. With a great battle imminent, the government troops also had to rise very early. Reports of movements from the city came in one after another. The gates of Jinghai County seat had opened far earlier than usual. Troops and horses could be seen marching out from within the city. The eastern side near the canal could not accommodate too many troops; it was already apparent that the enemy army's western flank was one of their key points.

As these pieces of intelligence converged, the officers of every brigade and regiment arrived at Zhao Jin's position. They ate earlier than the common soldiers precisely so they could take charge and make arrangements. Zhao Jin looked over his comrades and subordinates. Some wore expressions of calm solemnity, while others were visibly excited. There were also those whose faces were composed, yet the dark circles under their eyes betrayed that far more of them had not slept well the night before.

The excitement before a great battle keeps men awake. Zhao Jin had experienced this many times. Among the brigade and regiment troops brought out this time, many officers had never taken part in a battle of this scale. This reaction was unavoidable.

"We have now arrived before Jinghai County seat. From here, it is less than seventy li to the borders of Shuntian Prefecture. If they allow us to enter Shuntian and threaten the capital, the Supreme Commander leading the army, the commanding general, and everyone else involved will likely be arrested and thrown into prison. Therefore, they will certainly fight us." Zhao Jin began by making the situation clear.

The commanders all nodded. Though they were outnumbered, what the Zhao Family Army's officers at every level feared most was that the government troops would avoid battle or flee. Hearing Zhao Jin's analysis, the commanders all breathed a sigh of relief — though had the government troops learned of this relief, who knows what they would have thought.

"Since they intend to fight, there is nothing complicated or fancy about it. The government army numbers nearly eighty thousand. Apart from the forces left to guard the rear and hold the city, the rest will likely pour out in full strength. They may attempt a three-sided encirclement, or perhaps try to lure us deep. Let them do as they please. Let them scheme with a thousand stratagems — we will simply drive straight down one path!" Zhao Jin said in a deep voice.

Zhao Jin tapped the makeshift sand table with his hand and spoke: "Winning is easy. But what we must do is annihilate the enemy to the greatest extent possible, and at the same time temper our soldiers. The early years were fine, but the soldiers recruited these past few years have trained hard and diligently, yet they have experienced almost no real combat. After a battle, it was common to see long spears that had never tasted blood. Soldiers like that can only fight when the wind is at their backs. If they encounter hardship, they will collapse easily. Today's battle is a fine opportunity to temper them."

The expressions of everyone in the command tent grew serious. Zhao Jin continued, "Let our soldiers press forward. Let them kill the enemy with real blades and real spears. Let the government troops know that we do not rely solely on cannon and firelocks. In today's battle, the Second Brigade will take the vanguard. The First Regiment of the Personal Guard Brigade will protect the right flank. The First Brigade will protect the left flank. The artillery and mounted troopers attached to each brigade will all be under my direct command."

"Big Brother, are the firelocks also not to be used?" Shi Manqiang asked in a muffled voice.

Zhao Jin was first taken aback, then replied with a wry smile, "Of course they will be used. Victory in battle is the first priority. But you, as commanding officers on the scene, must exercise restraint. Give the soldiers below more chances to temper themselves by killing the enemy. Do you all think today will be a bitter fight?"

The solemn, heavy atmosphere relaxed at once. But Chen Sheng spoke with stern gravity: "We fight again and again, and the enemy is defeated again and again. Even the local strongmen of the Smelling Incense Sect knew to train a new army. Will the Great Ming court not do the same? Everyone, do not grow complacent just because we have won a hundred battles. The slightest slackening of vigilance will bring catastrophe and disaster!"

Chen Sheng's words set everyone thinking. Zhao Jin nodded approvingly, then spoke: "Why was the Smelling Incense Sect able to train a new army? Because they had only Xu Hongru issuing orders, and his commands could be carried out at once. The Great Ming court cannot do this. Whatever the Emperor wants to do, those below may not be willing to carry it out. The Eunuch Party has one agenda, the Donglin faction another, and every other clique has its own designs. Nothing can be implemented. How could they possibly train a new army?"

Everyone in the room was part of the Zhao Family Army's core, so they naturally knew many details of the Smelling Incense Sect's failed uprising. Back then, at the risk of exposure, the sect had purchased vast quantities of grain in Xuzhou, conscripted able-bodied young men, and even gathered up scattered Zhao Family Army militia trainers. Only then had they managed to train a force of a few thousand men. What was an easy process for the Zhao Family Army had required the sect to exhaust all its strength, nearly crippling its vitality.

But it was only because the Smelling Incense Sect followers regarded Xu Hongru as a true god and true Buddha descended to the mortal world, and because Xu Hongru had sufficient control, that they could accomplish such a great undertaking. The Great Ming court, however, found it difficult. With all sides obstructing and bickering, before anything could be done, they first had to argue right and wrong, first had to see what benefit or harm it would bring to their own faction, and then they would invoke ancestral laws and the great principles of the sages to contend with one another. In this way, nothing could ever be accomplished. Even with the strength of an entire empire, they could not fully mobilize it.

"After this battle, even if the court does not train them, others will likely begin training in earnest. But they started several years later than us — they will be no threat!" Zhao Jin delivered his judgment.

Seeing everyone listening intently, Zhao Jin waved his hand and said with a smile, "Return to your camps, marshal your troops, and prepare. This is no time for a lecture. I spoke of restraint just now; let me also tell you the bottom line. This time, I want victory — a great victory. And I want to annihilate and inflict casualties on the enemy to the greatest extent possible. Is that understood?"

"Your subordinates obey the command!" came the unified reply from below, and they dispersed.

As the others left, Chen Sheng lagged a step behind. Niu Jinbao and the personal guards tactfully withdrew as well. Once only the two of them remained in the command tent, Chen Sheng asked, "Are you willing to let our sons and brothers go to their deaths?"

"We have always fought too smoothly. If I am unwilling now, I fear we will suffer a far greater loss in the future," Zhao Jin answered in a muffled voice. In the current Zhao Family Army brigades and regiments, the long-spear soldiers were too thoroughly protected by firelocks and cannon. And apart from their cavalry, the government troops and local militias were too weak — there had simply been no opportunity for them to fight at the front.

"If this continues, our soldiers will grow accustomed to victory without ever engaging the enemy. If the enemy ever reaches our lines and it comes to hand-to-hand combat, they will easily break and collapse. This time, with all the brigades and regiments gathered, look at the reinforced regiments and the third and fourth regiments of each brigade — their soldiers are clearly tougher than those in the main regiments. Why? Is it not because they have no firearms shielding them and must rely on their long spears to kill the enemy!" Zhao Jin laid out his assessment.

Chen Sheng nodded and said in a deep voice, "You are right. They have indeed been coddled. But we must still prioritize victory. We absolutely must not take risks or treat this as a game."

"Rest assured on that point. I can distinguish what is important," Zhao Jin said with a smile. Chen Sheng was a man of few words, but he was never ambiguous on matters of rules and details — a model of the upright minister and candid friend. Zhao Jin felt only appreciation and gratitude toward him. In the current Zhao Family Army leadership, Chen Sheng was precisely the kind of man they needed most.

Chen Sheng was just about to turn and leave when Zhao Jin called him back. Zhao Jin hesitated a moment, then asked slowly, "Dasheng, do I look like an emperor to you?"

The question made Chen Sheng pause. He was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Even before you asked, I often thought about this. I felt you should be one, yet something seemed not quite right. Later, I understood why. You are only in your early twenties — far too young. And you were not born into the imperial family; you carved out this realm with your own hands. It always feels unreal."

"You truly speak your mind plainly. I think the same. I often ask myself: am I to become emperor at such a young age? But hearing you say it today, I have come to an understanding. What we brothers are doing is an earth-shattering, unprecedented great undertaking. How could it be the same as before? The old rules are not the rules. What we establish — that is the rule!" Zhao Jin laughed with great delight.

Chen Sheng nodded heavily and said, "Whatever is to be done, you lead us, and that is enough. Your brothers will follow you!"

By the time the sky was fully bright, the thunderous roar of drums resounded inside and outside Jinghai County seat. Amid the pounding of the war drums, the various encampments of government troops, both within and outside the city, began forming up in battle array south of the city and at other positions, following the plans discussed the previous night by the Supreme Commander and the commanding generals. The government troops' encampments were a clamor of noise, a boiling cauldron of sound — their display of force was truly considerable.

The commotion from the government troops' side was clearly audible even within the Zhao Family Army's encampment. Each regiment could only hear the drums and horns of its own unit; anything farther was drowned out by the din and hubbub. But the tireless, unremitting training in peacetime was more than sufficient to allow the soldiers to move in orderly formation. When the sound could not be heard clearly, there were still the signal flags to follow.

As the troops of both sides ceaselessly marched out from camp and city, their respective light cavalry had already ridden out before the battle lines, wheeling and turning, seeking opportunities to harass the enemy formations and observe the enemy's situation. This was also the moment for the two sides to compete in spirit and settle personal scores. The storybook tales of generals dueling before the armies would naturally not occur on a battlefield like this, but light cavalrymen fighting in matched pairs was the prelude to a great clash of armies. Though victory or defeat in these skirmishes mattered little to the overall situation, it bore heavily on army morale and fighting spirit.

The border army elite cavalry from Xuanfu, Ji Town, and Shanxi were numerous, and there were also remnants of the Two Yangs' forces. All of them were now full of pent-up energy, eager to perform before the troops of the other garrisons and to redeem themselves for the losses they had suffered earlier. They not only taunted with words but even rode close to the Zhao Family Army's main formation, only wheeling their horses back when they came within range of firearms and bows — drawing a wave of cheers from their own massed ranks.

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