Chapter 241: Catch Them Off Guard

241. Chapter 241: Catch Them Off Guard

"They've all left," Zhao Jin answered. With so many hands outside, Zhao Zhentang wasn't worried about Zhao Jin getting the short end of the stick.

"How is Xiaolan doing now?" His mother, He Cuihua, was very concerned about this. An unnatural smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face as he answered, "Xiaolan is doing well in every way right now."

"I really miss that child." His mother, He Cuihua, murmured, then said, "We've been delayed so long, the food has long gone cold. I'll have Zhao San's wife go heat it up."

He Cuihua and Zhao Zhentang had both heard the conversation in the main room just now with perfect clarity, but both pretended they had heard nothing. His mother, He Cuihua, went off to arrange the reheating of the meal. Zhao Zhentang waved his hand and said, "Right now, everyone in Xuzhou City knows you're leaving the day after tomorrow. Quite a few people came by tonight to invite me for drinks and to have me pass along messages to you. Some even came asking about that distilled liquor business, saying that after you go to He Village, production will increase, and when it does, could they get a larger share? Have you got everything ready on your end?"

"Everything's ready."

"Be careful in all things," Zhao Zhentang urged.

Zhao Jin nodded silently. Before long, the reheated food was brought to the table, and the family of three gathered to eat. After dinner, He Cuihua was about to clear the dishes, but Zhao Jin stopped his mother and said, "Father, Mother, tomorrow morning, your son will be leaving for He Village. The guard detail at our home won't change, but I'll have to trouble you, Father, to put more care into the matters at the distillery."

Hearing these words, both Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua were stunned. He Cuihua reflexively asked, "Weren't you leaving the city the day after tomorrow?"

Zhao Zhentang, however, caught on and said with a smile, "Our child wants everyone outside to think he's leaving the day after tomorrow, so he can avoid whatever arrangements others have laid out."

His mother, He Cuihua, fell silent for a long time upon hearing this, and finally sighed and said, "Xiaojin, you absolutely must be careful!"

After receiving this advice, Zhao Jin did not linger at home for long. He led his men back to the goods yard, where Chen Sheng had already arrived with the luggage.

"Pass the order down: we rise an hour earlier tomorrow," Zhao Jin told his companions.

Though it was called passing an order, Zhao Jin actually had to go and shout the instructions himself. The more he did such tasks, the more he realized the urgency of properly organizing the household guards' command structure. But one thing kept pressing on the heels of another, and he could only start that once they had fully moved to He Village.

The household guards and new recruits had all toiled busily for the entire day. Aside from those assigned to night watch, everyone went to bed early. Zhao Jin and his companions, however, did not sleep. The few of them went to the silver vault and moved the chests containing gold, silver, and valuables onto empty carts. These items were of the utmost importance and had to be handled personally.

At the distillery tonight, Li Wu was leading the household guards on watch. Zhao Jin and his companions took shifts standing night duty, and they had to rise half an hour earlier than the household guards.

The moment before dawn breaks is the darkest hour of the day. Zhao Jin and the others lit torches and began inspecting every storehouse. Jixiang's father rose as early as they did, for whoever was in charge of meals always had to start cooking early. By the time the aroma of food filled the goods yard, the sky was just beginning to lighten at the horizon. The household guards and new recruits sleeping in the communal bunks were roused from bed by shouting.

The living facilities at the goods yard were very well-equipped. Many of Zhao Jin's designs had seemed like squandering money at the time, but now they proved highly efficient. Washing up and tidying were quickly finished, and steaming hot food was brought out. Although Zhao Jin had said nothing, a tense atmosphere gradually spread through the goods yard, and even the speed of eating increased considerably.

After breakfast, the household guards and new recruits began moving items from the storehouses. Dozens of large carts were already waiting in position around the goods yard. The cart drivers were feeding fodder to their draft animals, still under the impression that they would be departing in two days.

All the household guards and new recruits, carrying their bedrolls and holding long staves and long spears, formed ranks in front of the goods yard. The draft animals had already been hitched to the carts. Zhao Jin, long spear in hand, stood atop one of the carts and declared, "We head to the west gate now! We leave for He Village today!"

Everyone knew the departure was set for the day after tomorrow; no one expected they would leave this very morning. A stir of noise rose from below, but they quickly calmed down. After all, what difference did two days make?

The ox- and horse-drawn carts filed out in a line. The household guards flanked the carts on both sides. Zhao Jin and his companions led the new recruits at the very front. Among the new recruits, there were fifteen in total who could ride horses. For now, others led their mounts by the reins as they walked within the new recruit ranks, carrying bows and arrows on their backs. Zhao Jin had given an order: anyone who mounted a horse along the way was to be killed without mercy. For everyone else, shooting and killing such a person would earn a reward of fifty taels of silver. The three Qi brothers were to be handled the same way, and they were to move together with the main group.

Liu Yong remained in the city. He was responsible for notifying the carts transporting dry rations and food to head to He Village today. He also had to oversee the defense of the distillery and the Zhao residence, and to notify Dong Bingfeng, who had gone home yesterday, to catch up with the main group. He was also to have the elders of the Zhao and Chen families, along with Wang Zhaojing, take over the management of the distillery and city affairs.

Zhao Jin led the troop of men onto the street. The entire city of Xuzhou was still very quiet; they had risen too early, and few people were up yet. However, three of the old cavalrymen who had just settled in yesterday happened to be walking over, chatting and laughing. In their army days, they had been elite soldiers, accustomed to sleeping late and rising early. Now, older and even less able to sleep, they had wanted to come by for a look early on. They had not expected to see Zhao Jin leading a large group of men out of the city.

"Young Master Zhao, where are you headed?"

"Moving to He Village!"

At this brief exchange, the early-rising old cavalrymen were taken aback, then all burst into laughter. One of them said, "Young Master Zhao is truly a born commander. This move is brilliantly clever. What can we do to help?"

"I'd like to ask you uncles to ride out of the city with us and scout the road ahead for any ambushes or anything out of the ordinary!" Zhao Jin said openly.

"He's giving us the job of night scouts and mounted scouts. Hurry back, hurry back, and roust those lazybones still clinging to their beds!" The old cavalrymen were in high spirits, laughing and joking as they hurried back.

Zhao Jin did not wait for them. He led the main group onward. There were no idle onlookers, and night owls were extremely few. Just like that, in cold, quiet solitude, they reached Xuzhou's west gate. The west gate was also called the Awe-Inspiring Gate. Zhao Jin was very familiar with this place. Unless a major criminal was to be publicly executed before a great crowd, beheadings were usually carried out outside the west gate. Zhao Zhentang had come here quite a few times.

The journey had been cold and quiet. Only when they reached the west gate did the number of people increase slightly. Many city residents and peddlers were waiting for the gate to open so they could leave the city to handle business or trade. It was likely the same outside the city, with plenty of people waiting to enter.

Just as they arrived at the west gate, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. A dozen or so old cavalrymen had already ridden over. The Xuzhou commoners waiting in front of the city gate all stared at this scene in shock. Even the soldiers guarding the gate were alerted. The man in charge of the gate was a squad commander. Guarding the gate was considered a lucrative post, and anyone assigned here had some sort of backing. Even this squad commander, however, had to put on a smiling face and bow before Zhao Jin.

"Master Jin, it'll be another half an hour before the city gate can be opened. The weather's not warm; how about a pot of hot tea at my place?"

"Fifty taels of silver. Open the city gate for me right now."

Zhao Jin said this with a smile. The squad commander's eyes lit up, but then he put on a troubled expression and replied, "Master Jin, the opening and closing of the city gates have their rules. If I open the gate outside the scheduled time, my superiors will punish me severely. This..."

"I'll give you one hundred taels, plus two jugs of my distilled liquor. If you still won't open it, I'll just wait another half an hour. It's not long anyway," Zhao Jin said, still smiling.

Hearing this, the squad commander's eyes grew even brighter. He thought for a moment, then stamped his foot and said with a fawning grin, "Master Jin's liquor is truly excellent stuff, but the price is so high you can't buy it, and you can never drink your fill. This time, I'll risk a scolding and punishment to do Master Jin this favor."

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile and said, "Then I'll trouble you. But if too many people go out, that would break the rules even more. Just let the people outside come in, and don't let anyone else from inside go out."

Since the city gate was being opened ahead of schedule anyway, this small request would naturally be granted. The squad commander agreed with a grin, then hurriedly ran back. No one knew what benefits the squad commander promised his men, but the raggedly dressed soldiers began bustling about with great enthusiasm.

As soon as they saw the city gate open, the people inside tried to walk out, only to be directly blocked by the soldiers. Those outside were still puzzled when they were shouted at to hurry inside. This was quickly sorted out. Zhao Jin's group of nearly two hundred men filed out. The soldiers guarding the gate practically lined up to welcome them, standing there nodding and bowing with ingratiating smiles.

After they had exited the city, the city gate slowly closed behind them. Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, and Jixiang all turned to look back together. The city walls towered high, looking indestructible.

In truth, the city gate would open again in just another half an hour. A trip from He Village back to Xuzhou was only a half-day's journey, and riding a horse would be even faster. Yet Zhao Jin and his companions all felt as if they were embarking on a long journey, and that they might not be able to return for a very long time.

The old cavalrymen Dong Bingfeng had brought urged their horses forward with shouts, galloping ahead of the main group. Before long, they vanished from everyone's sight. These men loved to joke and flaunt their seniority, but they were not sloppy when it came to work. They did not all search along the official road; six riders broke off directly toward the flanks.

After brief training, Zhao Jin and his companions could manage riding at a slow pace, at least enough not to fall off their horses. Still, all three chose to walk. They proceeded in silence for a while before Jixiang suddenly spoke up: "Those soldiers guarding the city gate are way too shabby. They look no different from famine refugees or beggars. The long spears they're holding are nearly rusted away. One of our household guards could take on two of them..."

"They can't even eat their fill every meal; what's the point of talking about fighting?" Chen Sheng chimed in from the side.

Zhao Jin chuckled, glanced behind him, and lowered his voice: "Fighting? What fighting? Fighting government troops—isn't that rebellion? If someone overheard, it'd be a huge problem!"

The three exchanged glances and all snickered a few times, but did not continue the topic.

With Zhao Jin and his group suddenly leaving the city, even if someone inside noticed, it would take at least half an hour before the news could be sent out. Besides, no one was prepared at all. No one had imagined that Zhao Jin, a man whose word had always been his bond, would leave the city two days early.

Posting men to keep watch, passing messages, mobilizing manpower, preparing a response—all of this required time. No one could wait endlessly without rest; they could only adapt on the fly. Zhao Jin's sudden move caught everyone off guard, leaving them no time to react. In fact, they wouldn't even have time to receive the news.

A procession of over twenty large carts and more than two hundred people, including the drivers, simply could not move very fast. However, they had left the city early, and with few people on the road, the journey went quite smoothly.

The farther they traveled from the city, the more pedestrians began to appear on the official road. These people all stared at Zhao Jin's procession with astonished eyes. Not everyone recognized Zhao Jin; what they found strange was the procession itself. It looked like an official government or military convoy, yet there were no official robes or banners to be seen. It looked like a merchant caravan, yet it was fully armed, with a dozen or so cavalrymen dashing back and forth around it. Everyone's reaction, however, was much the same: they hurriedly scrambled to get out of the way.

A little over an hour after they left the city gate, Dong Bingfeng caught up from behind on horseback. He didn't complain about not being notified in advance; he simply asked Zhao Jin what he could do.

"Don't dismount. Follow the main group on horseback. If anyone moves without orders, shoot them dead on the spot!" Zhao Jin said it very crisply.

The sun gradually rose, but in the early spring weather, it wasn't hot at all. The household guards and new recruits walked with ease. The cart drivers had also recovered from the tense rush of the early morning and began chatting among themselves.

"We're pretty lucky. It hasn't rained since spring began. Otherwise, with such heavy loads, we'd be in for a real struggle if we got stuck in the mud halfway."

"What damn luck is that? If it doesn't rain soon, the crops in the fields will all wither and die. At least we're near a few rivers here; other places are probably facing disaster again."

Listening to the cart drivers' discussion, Zhao Jin suddenly realized that Xuzhou was also suffering from drought. Xuzhou bordered Shandong, which had been in great disaster for three years; it was impossible for this area not to be affected.

They had been traveling out of the city for two hours. Zhao Jin had the procession rest for a while midway. The cart drivers needed to feed their draft animals some fodder; after all, the carts were fully loaded this time, and the animals were under strain.

"Big Brother, by the time the sun is setting in the west, we should be able to reach He Village. We can just have lunch there," Jixiang said with some excitement.

By coincidence, an old cavalryman circling back overheard this remark. He teased from horseback with a laugh, "Your outfit here is really extravagant, feeding the men three meals a day. When you're not in a life-or-death fight, two meals is enough to send them off!"

"How can you have the strength to train if you don't eat your fill?" Zhao Jin answered with a smile.

"That's been the rule in the Great Ming for who knows how many years, and now you've gone and changed it." The old cavalryman had meant it as a reminder, but hearing Zhao Jin's reply put him in a sour mood, and he spurred his mount and rode off again.

After resting, they had traveled less than half a shichen when they spotted someone on horseback following them in the distance. Anyone could tell this was a tail — why else would someone ride hard to catch up, then slow down and trail behind?

A while later, more and more of these scout-like figures appeared along the road. Without exception, they all came galloping up on horseback. Some simply followed at a leisurely pace behind them, while others took one look and turned back.

"Should we grab one and bring him over?" Chen Sheng asked.

"Why bother with them? We go our way, let them go theirs. Seeing how frantic they are, they definitely didn't expect us to leave the city early. Whatever they're planning, it's too late now." Zhao Jin replied.

Ji Xiang was a bit nervous. He looked left and right and said, "Big Brother, if it's a mounted troop, they can still catch up to us."

Zhao Jin gave a scornful laugh and said, "To swallow up a squad like ours, they'd need no fewer than two hundred cavalry. If they dare come after us with two hundred riders in broad public view, that's outright rebellion. The authorities and the government troops would move to suppress them at once."

"With so many of us on horseback, anyone thinking of making a move will have to consider this — if they can't encircle and wipe us out completely, and someone on horseback breaks out and rides back to Xuzhou City to report to the authorities, that'll bring the officials and soldiers down on them." Zhao Jin continued explaining.

Most of the household guards and new recruits in the column had no idea they were being shadowed. Even Qian Yong and Tao Gui, who came from the jianghu, were quite oblivious. But a few had noticed — the three Qi brothers, for instance — and they had all shifted their weapons to positions where they could be drawn at any moment.

"So we're just not going to fight?"

"Of course we'll fight. Before life and death are decided, there's bound to be a battle. Most likely it'll break out around He Village." Zhao Jin said coldly.

When He Village came into distant view, the people trailing behind them all scattered in a hubbub — they had all seen the large force of men and horses coming out from the village to meet them.

Shi Manqiang led over a hundred household guards out to link up with them. Zhao Jin and his companions were fine, but the household guards and new recruits under their command couldn't help cheering. Over the course of the journey, these guards and recruits had sensed the outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense atmosphere. The sharp-eyed ones had also spotted the scouts around them and had grown somewhat nervous. Now that they had reached their destination and a place of safety, everyone was elated and jubilant.

"Leave half the men here. Send the other half back to the city to report that we're safe. And trouble them to keep an eye on the goods yard and the wine workshop in the city." Zhao Jin said to Dong Bingfeng, telling him to make the arrangements for those old cavalrymen.

Seeing Zhao Jin arrive, Shi Manqiang was thoroughly delighted. Chuckling, he said, "Big Brother, it's good that you've come. I've been here two days, worrying myself into a headache, having to help arrange everything."

Not everyone was pleased, however. Lei Cai wore a bitter face and, the moment they met, offered his apologies: "Big Brother, your junior brother has handled things poorly. Please punish me!"

Lei Cai had been under the impression that Zhao Jin would not arrive until the day after tomorrow, and several of the residences that had already been secured had not yet been properly tidied up.

"How many people can the He family residences hold?" Zhao Jin asked.

Lei Cai hemmed and hawed for a long while without managing an answer. Zhao Jin shook his head. Lei Cai had always been assisting Liu Yong, essentially gathering intelligence and placing informants. He truly had no skill for logistics and support work. It was just that they were short-handed here, so they had to make do with him.

"Call Zhou Xuezhi over!" Zhao Jin said directly.

Lei Cai's face flushed bright red. He hurried off to fetch the man. After being rescued from death row, Zhou Xuezhi had come to He Village with the first group and had been kept here in a state of semi-confinement.

"Lei works very diligently. It's probably just inexperience — he's been overwhelmed trying to manage things here." Chen Sheng said from the side.

"He's still better suited to working with Liu Yong." Zhao Jin muttered.

Zhou Xuezhi had not yet arrived, but outside He Village things were extraordinarily lively. Unlike other places, Three Immortals Terrace's He Village was also a crossroads of traffic and trade, with a mule and horse market and a trading fair. With the third month now approaching, merchants from all over had already begun doing business here.