Chapter 1263: Dispositions by Sea and Land

When the Zhao Family Army cavalry saw no enemy ahead and had not yet reached Tianjin city, Ji Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, then called for everyone to raise the government troops' banners.

The cavalry's advance slowed, using the opportunity to let the mounts catch their breath while also giving them supplementary feed. By this point, the Zhao Family Army riders were all somewhat hungry, yet not one of them put a mixed-grain cake into his own mouth — each broke it into pieces and fed it to his mount.

Once the government troops' banners were raised, traveling along this main road became much simpler. The routed soldiers from behind had not yet caught up, and others had no idea that the government army at Jinghai County had already suffered a crushing defeat. In fact, even if Ji Xiang told passersby or those who had not witnessed it firsthand, no one would believe it — with more than triple the advantage in numbers and elite border troops, how could they possibly have lost so disastrously?

They advanced boldly and openly like this. By the time Tianjin's city walls were nearly in sight, the canal boats on the waterway beside the road began to multiply. Seeing this, even the tense Ji Xiang could not suppress a laugh. The government troops had only just begun transporting grain and fodder from Jinghai County — truly unhurried and unruffled. Such an arrangement was not exactly wrong; it was methodical and by the book, because no one could have imagined the government troops would be defeated so quickly, so utterly, and still less could anyone have imagined that the Zhao Family Army's cavalry had already come killing their way here.

When the cavalry unit Ji Xiang led appeared near the Tianjin canal shipping docks, no one paid much attention. The banners were those of the government troops, so the riders on horseback must naturally be government cavalry. Many could not even be bothered to spare an extra glance, simply assuming it so without a second thought.

Once they were truly close, Ji Xiang was in no hurry to charge. They advanced in a passable formation, and if anyone drew near, they immediately barked and cursed them away in a loud voice — every inch the manner of government troops. Several hundred government soldiers were stationed at the Tianjin canal shipping docks, but they were not there to guard the place; they were overseers, there to speed up the loading of grain at the docks.

"It's the Xuzhou bandits!"

"How is that possible!"

When Ji Xiang's large force arrived right in front of them, the government banners were flung straight to the ground. The bloodstains on the Zhao Family Army cavalrymen had already dried, and both riders and mounts were drenched in sweat. Yet even seeing all this, the government soldiers guarding the docks still refused to believe it. By their reckoning, those bandit troops should only have been encircled and devoured by the government forces — there was no way they could have launched a surprise raid here.

When the Zhao Family Army cavalry charged forward and began the pursuit, the government soldiers here had not the slightest will to fight. They scattered and fled at once. The civilian laborers and conscripts on the docks were even less worth mentioning. The grain transport boats all frantically hoisted sail to flee into the distance — who would dare linger and cause trouble here?

Apart from one company of Zhao Family Army cavalry standing by on alert, the rest split into small squads of ten or five riders to search the canal shipping docks thoroughly. The aim was not to kill the enemy, but to drive away anyone who had not managed to flee in time. A sprawling area of warehouses and cargo yards like this — if someone set a fire in a spot no one was watching, it would be a disaster. And if the government troops inside the city seized the opening while they were fighting the fire, that would be even worse trouble.

"Fifth Master, should we move grain sacks to build fortifications? That's what we did at Linqing," First Regiment Commander Xu Yong asked for instructions.

"No need. The government troops inside Tianjin number four thousand at most, and of those, fewer than five hundred are cavalry. What is there to fear? If we build fortifications and hold a defensive position, we'll only box ourselves in!" Ji Xiang refused crisply and decisively.

Ji Xiang looked back at the cavalrymen rotating through rest and patrol behind him, then looked at the Tianjin city walls not far away, and said with a smile: "They still don't know the government army has been crushed, so this canal grain storage site is ground they must contest. Once we smash this first wave, and they learn the news, we'll have nothing left to worry about!"

Given the overall situation, the government troops' reaction held no surprises. Though dusk was falling, one could still see the cavalry sent out from Tianjin city making a wide loop and racing south — no doubt to deliver a message to the "government main camp" over there. This was the site of the supply base headquarters; absolutely nothing could be allowed to go wrong. The forces inside Tianjin city alone were insufficient; they needed Jinghai to dispatch troops back in relief. Only, whether that messenger could make it back in time was hard to say.

After sending riders out with the urgent message, the government troops inside the city did not dispatch any forces. Unlike the Zhao Family Army, which frequently fought and marched at night, for the vast majority of government troops, nightfall meant all was quiet — everything had to wait until daylight.

Ji Xiang settled the raiding troops to rest. There was certainly no shortage of provisions and supplies at the docks; even stoves and cooking pots could be found. They ate supper in shifts, then rotated through night watch and rest. Half the men had to remain on guard at all times, and even those sleeping kept their armor and weapons on their persons.

The government troops launched no night raid. Tianjin and Jinghai County were too close — even if the enemy had seized this canal grain dock, the main government force at Jinghai had ample time to return and stamp them out. Under such circumstances, the city naturally had no wish to go looking for trouble.

After a full day of fighting and hard travel, every man in the Zhao Family Army was utterly exhausted. In the first half of the night, buoyed by excitement, they could still hold out. But deep into the night, many could not help nodding off. Though they strained desperately to keep their eyes wide open, leaning against the grain stacks, they would stand there and drift into a daze. The only thing that kept them awake was the company and squad leaders constantly patrolling — the moment they saw someone drowsing, they would deliver a slap, and from time to time they had to slap themselves as well.

Tianjin is where nine waters converge, famed as the meeting place of nine rivers. By now, however, people only knew of two great rivers: one was the canal running south to north then bending west, and the other was the Hai River, which flowed from Tianjin city to Dagukou and then into the sea. The two rivers met and connected beneath the walls of Tianjin. The Tianjin canal shipping docks were, in fact, docks on the Hai River as well — seagoing vessels of suitable size would load and unload here.

During the day, Ji Xiang's unit had revealed their presence, and the canal boats had all scattered without a trace. The seagoing ships had also hoisted sail and departed. The Zhao Family Army paid them no mind — peace and quiet was best. But in the latter half of the night, the Zhao Family Army soldiers on watch saw lights flickering in the direction of the Hai River and immediately grew tense.

Before nightfall, Ji Xiang had already given orders: if there was any movement on the river, it was to be reported directly to him. When the news arrived, Ji Xiang was leaning against a haystack, dozing. Hearing the report, he sprang straight up from the ground, summoned the two companies on standby, and together they headed toward the direction of the lights.

Originally, this advance cavalry of the Zhao Family Army had been strictly forbidden from using lights. But now, they cleared an open space on the riverbank, placed three piles of firewood at equal intervals, and lit them. As soon as they lit fires here, three lights on the river answered in response. They then lit a fourth bonfire, and in the darkness on the river, only a single swaying light remained.

By this point, even the most clueless understood that this was mutual verification of a secret signal. When the fourth bonfire was lit and then extinguished, lights could be seen appearing one after another on the river's surface. By the glow of these lights, one could make out a dozen or so medium-sized Guangdong ships approaching in sequence.

"Light bonfires along the bank to guide the boats in!" Ji Xiang ordered in a muffled voice.

His order given, the soldiers, muddled by drowsiness and the sudden turn of events, did not react. Ji Xiang could not help raising his voice: "They're our own people's boats! Don't stand there in a daze, or you'll be waiting for the lash under military law!"

Hearing Ji Xiang's words, everyone first paused in surprise, then let out low cheers. Although the northward march had gone smoothly all the way, they were still a lone army deep in enemy territory. Now, having reached Tianjin, to hear that their own side's seagoing ships were here to meet them — the faint unease and worry they had felt all vanished like smoke, replaced by a sense of reassurance.

Though navigating by night was inconvenient, with bonfires and lights to illuminate the way, and with the boatmen exercising caution, there were no mishaps. The ships all came alongside the docks. Each vessel lowered a gangplank, and people disembarked. It was clear that those aboard were also very cautious. From all seventeen ships, only five people came down in total; the rest remained on board on alert, sails half-lowered, weapons in hand.

The people on the boats were on strict guard, and the Zhao Family Army soldiers on shore dared not be careless either. However, these soldiers who had followed Ji Xiang on the lightning raid to Tianjin had mostly served as Zhao Jin's retinue, traveling northeast and west, visiting many places and meeting many people. They quickly recognized some familiar faces — men from the Zheng Family gang, from the Yu Family, and from the Zhao Family Army itself. From the boats, too, voices murmured down: "No mistake, it's Fifth Master!"

With the secret signals exchanged earlier and faces now mutually recognized, the atmosphere relaxed at once. The Zheng Family gang was clearly somewhat reserved; the one who had disembarked merely exclaimed in admiration: "Your Great General has truly built a magnificent situation!"

Over on the Yu Family side, there was a buzz of discussion, their expressions complicated. The Zhao Family Army's own sailors and boatmen, by contrast, were all radiant with delight. Their own troops had already reached the walls of Tianjin — one could well imagine the string of great victories along the way. This was Tianjin, less than two days' distance from the capital. The Zhao Family Army had already fought its way here — could the great accomplishment be far off now?

"The Great General is mighty! We were somewhat worried at first, but now we can truly breathe easy!" said the man leading the Yu Family contingent. Zhao Jin styled himself the Xuzhou General, but nowadays outsiders all added the word "Great" when addressing him. Everyone felt that to address him otherwise would be unworthy of Zhao Jin's current achievements and strength.

The man speaking up for the Yu Family wore an ingratiating, fawning expression. The Yu Family boatmen and sailors behind him, however, were murmuring quietly among themselves, saying that they had originally been practically one family with Xuzhou, yet had stubbornly stirred up trouble and grown estranged — who knew how much wealth and advantage had vanished like smoke along with it. What was the point of all that bitterness?

"We've been waiting here for quite some days now, constantly afraid that the Great General's troops might not make it. We asked around every day, but there was never any reliable news. We were on tenterhooks the whole time. Several of our families were discussing whether to leave, or to send men upriver to gather information. Who could have imagined the Great General would really come? It's simply incredible — if one hadn't seen it with one's own eyes, one truly couldn't believe it!" Compared to the Yu Family's anxious calculations of gain and loss, the Zheng Family's flattery was far more composed. Everyone knew what the arrival of the Xuzhou troops here signified.

Ji Xiang nodded with a smile, then raised his voice and declared: "Gentlemen, my elder brother has crushed the government troops at Jinghai County. Tomorrow he will strike camp and march north — arriving here tomorrow night at the earliest, or by the morning of the day after at the latest!"

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