Chapter 244: Such a Grand Spectacle

He had spent a few days among the outlaws of the jianghu and knew that night raids were the hardest to defend against. When men charged in through the darkness, sometimes there was no time even to resist before everyone turned on each other. The moment he realized what was happening, this raw recruit had already started figuring out how to flee, yet he never expected the response to be so swift. Watching the series of reactions below, he couldn't help but feel his heart settle.

He was not the only one in a panic — the rookie squad caught in the incident was panicking too. But the veteran squad leader in charge did not panic. He simply followed the predetermined plan step by step. When the leader stayed calm, the men below followed orders with peace of mind. At the start, the unit was still somewhat disordered, but by the time the veteran squad stood ready and waiting, everything had fallen into neat order.

"The campfires have been smothered with sand!" "No enemy in sight!" The shouts came echoing back.

They dealt with the campfires in short order and rekindled them. Though no one said anything outright, everyone felt admiration for Zhao Jin's arrangement. It had seemed like a pointless waste of effort, but who would have thought it would prove so ingenious — those campfires could practically serve as sentries.

According to the rules set in advance, the outgoing shift would remind the incoming shift to stay vigilant. From this middle-of-the-night watch onward, Zhao's Camp remained on high alert, but nothing unusual occurred again until daybreak.

Before rising to practice his martial arts, Zhao Jin went with Liu Yong to inspect the spot where the campfire had been extinguished. At this hour, not many people in He Village were up yet, and all was quiet. Around the perimeter where the fire had died, they could see a confusion of footprints, along with a few scraps of torn cloth that looked like pieces of wrapping cloth.

"Digging up dirt in the middle of the night isn't convenient, so they carried it over wrapped in cloth. If they were going to take dirt, they'd only do it somewhere nearby. Send men to search — once we find the spot, we can roughly determine which direction they came from," Zhao Jin said.

The search party returned quickly. The trail turned in from a small path just northeast of here. Even raw recruits with no experience could make out the signs. At least several dozen people, maybe more, had come that way, because the fresh young grass along that path had been trampled flat in many places, and tree branches had been snapped off.

The men sent out also questioned the households along both sides of the approach route. The residents either said they had heard nothing, or admitted they had heard movement outside but dared not light a lamp or open the door. That was only natural — in the pitch-black night, no one dared venture out recklessly. If they caught the attention of bandits, they would be bringing disaster right to their own doorstep.

"They really can't wait!" Zhao Jin said with a cold laugh. As for who exactly was behind it, he had no interest — there were too many enemies who might make a move, so he simply wouldn't bother dwelling on it.

The few of them got up, and together with Liu Yong, who had just finished the last night watch, they ate breakfast first. The mule-and-horse depot and the inns were shrewd at business and had sent their staff to keep watch here early. The moment they saw Zhao Jin and his group rise, they hurried back to make arrangements, and before long, steaming hot food was delivered.

Even if they couldn't make a fortune off Zhao Jin, these merchants of He Village knew who would be calling the shots around here from now on, so naturally they wanted to curry favor.

"Big Brother, that idea of yours is really something. It's like we've got extra sentries out of thin air. Big Brother, how did you know to do that?" During breakfast, Ji Xiang asked with great excitement.

This was not from past experience, but something Second Uncle Zhao Zhenxing had taught him. Back during the pacification of the Yang clan rebellion in Bozhou, the Ming army often had to camp in mountainous and forested terrain. The various southwestern tribes, intimately familiar with the jungles, would frequently launch night raids, inflicting casualties in utter silence. The Ming army, from top to bottom, was driven to distraction by this. In the end, they resorted to this crude method: lighting campfires around the perimeter, with sentries hidden in the darkness inside the ring of fires, calling out to one another. No matter how skilled you were at concealment, you still had to pass by the firelight — and that made a stealthy attack impossible.

Here at He Village, the surrounding terrain was flat as far as the eye could see, with only one spot slightly higher in elevation. Once the fires were lit, there was no way to hide and sneak up — the only options were to put out the fires or charge straight in.

"Knowing we're prepared, they might try once more, or they might give up on night raids altogether. And even without the campfires, given our level of vigilance, they still couldn't gain any advantage. The night is not so easy to storm," Zhao Jin assessed.

"Big Brother is right. Plenty of men can't see clearly at night, and the darkness makes the heart panic — it's easy to get lost or fall behind. The slightest disturbance can cause chaos. Anyone capable of a night raid has to be elite troops and crack soldiers. We can field over a hundred able-bodied men at any time, and we're defending a large compound with high walls. Unless they commit five hundred elite troops, they have no chance of victory at all," Dong Bingfeng added in agreement.

At the mention of "five hundred elite troops," everyone felt much more at ease. They had great confidence in the household troops they had trained themselves. As for forces that could still be called "elite" compared to Zhao's Camp, and could field five hundred men at once — aside from the government, how many families in the entire Southern Metropolitan Region could pull that off?

"Don't exhaust them too much during daytime training. Leave them some strength. Arrange more sparring between the veterans and the new recruits," Zhao Jin gave further instructions.

The companions exchanged glances. Chen Sheng was the first to frown and speak: "This batch of raw recruits barely understands anything. They can't even hold formation. You want to teach them to fight right now?"

"If the night is hard to storm, they'll have to come by day. The enemy won't charge in under broad daylight. It'll be either at the first glimmer of dawn, or in the late afternoon when darkness is about to fall. And they won't wait until our defenses are fully in place to strike — they'll want to act as soon as possible. The fight will come within these next few days."

Hearing Zhao Jin say this, everyone's expressions grew solemn. Zhao Jin continued in a deep voice: "From now on, everyone must wear armor when going outside. Shi Tou's squad will stand guard right by the armory. When the fighting actually starts, put on every suit of armor we have. Everything we arranged yesterday must be pushed forward with all speed. Also, raise the purchase price of firewood by thirty percent. Whether it's for the night campfires or the distillery we're about to start building, we're going to need a huge amount of fuel."

The commotion last night had been so great that the neighbors surely caught wind of it. Today, people's attitude toward Zhao's Camp cooled slightly. But in their private discussions, the merchants all felt that while everyone in Zhao's Camp, top to bottom, was young, they handled matters with clear method and order. Perhaps they really could gain a firm foothold here in He Village.

In the morning, the household troops drilled as usual. Zhao Jin noticed a clear improvement in the quality and efficiency of the training. His companions no longer had to oversee everything personally — they only stepped in to correct and guide when they spotted shortcomings. Before, one man had faced a hundred or several hundred; now, one veteran trained twenty-odd recruits. The instruction was more meticulous, the supervision more thorough.

After lunch, Liu Yong came looking for Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin's companions had long since developed an unspoken understanding: whenever Liu Yong came to see him, the others would give the two of them space to talk privately.

"You're the head steward here now. Recruit all your old hands — the ones you truly trust. If you can get them to sign lifetime contracts, even better. Make them serve us with absolute loyalty." Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Liu Yong nodded hurriedly.

"Big Brother, news has come from inside the city." The messages delivered by those old cavalrymen went directly into Zhao Jin's hands. As for Liu Yong's side, his messages were carried by those young men disguised as peddlers and passersby. Any skill goes from clumsy to practiced — the disguises and concealment that had been full of holes at first were now quite impressive. No one suspected those young men coming and going at all; some had even made a profit on the goods they carried in.

"Big Brother, nothing much is happening anywhere in the city. It's just that one of the lads who went to deliver a letter to the freight yard mentioned something." At this point, Liu Yong hesitated, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

"It's just the two of us brothers. Speak freely," Zhao Jin said evenly.

"The cavalryman delivering the message went to tell Wang Zhaojing about the reorganization. Wang Zhaojing asked about it in great detail, and he was smiling as he asked. After he finished asking, someone heard what sounded like a cup being smashed inside the room..."

Hearing Liu Yong finish, Zhao Jin finally understood why he had hesitated. He couldn't help shaking his head with a rueful smile and said, "We're all brothers here. He's overthinking it."

The topic did not continue. Zhao Jin spoke directly to Liu Yong: "Go back to Xuzhou city today. Find Clerk Li from the Punishment Office and have him get Ruhui the monk. Tell Ruhui to find out where Cloud Mountain Temple has stationed its monk soldiers. Then send every thug and ruffian in the city out to gather information. A force of several hundred men would stand out like a sore thumb anywhere — how is it that we know absolutely nothing?"

Cloud Mountain Temple's monk soldiers numbered in the hundreds. There was no way a group that large could simply vanish into thin air, yet Zhao Jin's side had been unable to get any word of them. This infuriated him.

Zhao Jin had a rough idea why the response was like this. The outlaws of the jianghu, the riffraff and lowlifes both inside and outside the city — all of them were watching and waiting. They figured that once Zhao Jin left the city, he had lost his protective screen, and whether he could gain a firm foothold was still up in the air. With the forces of Cloud Mountain Temple and Kong Jiuying eyeing him like tigers, a showdown was bound to come sooner or later. There was no rush to place their bets until the two sides had settled who was stronger.

By the afternoon, He Village — which quite a few people had already taken to calling Zhao Village — was bustling with feverish activity. The able-bodied men of He Village's tenant households, along with the hired hands and laborers working for the outside merchants, had all been mobilized by Zhao Jin. He paid them triple wages, so of course they were willing.

Inverted-triangle wooden barricades were constructed. Around the perimeter of the He family compound, trenches were dug at the intersections, with wooden planks laid across as bridges. Seeing them make such preparations, some of the more cautious He Village folk began leaving to stay with relatives. When soldiers and disaster threatened, one always had to find somewhere to take shelter.

Liu Yong, who managed internal affairs, was swamped with a thousand things to do and couldn't get away for the moment. After lunch, he was busy for another hour and a half before setting out. He had already called for one of the old cavalrymen to take him back on a sturdy horse — otherwise, by the time he reached Xuzhou city, the city gates would be closed.

What no one expected was that less than half an hour after leaving, Liu Yong came back, accompanying two large carts. The carts were loaded with hemp sacks full of grain, clearly very heavy — the wheels left deep ruts pressed into the ground. Over the past few days, so many large carts hauling all kinds of supplies had been going in and out of He Village that no one paid any attention to these two.

What was notable, however, was that Liu Yong brought the carts straight into the He family compound. When he had left, the trenches hadn't been dug yet; by the time he returned, the carts could no longer get through. Liu Yong did not use He Village laborers. Instead, he called soldiers out from inside to help. The few cart drivers were also brought inside by him. These were all trivial little matters — no one would take any notice.

When Zhao Jin and the others saw these drivers, though, they were taken aback, because among them were Yan Heilian and a servant from Chen Sheng's household.

"Eldest Young Master, the Old Master and the Master sent this humble one to deliver some weapons."

As the servant explained, everyone understood why the grain sacks were so heavy. Inside were two thousand arrows, five bows, two hundred long spears, and twenty podao blades. The servant was an old hand of the Chen household and knew the ins and outs well. According to him, the Old Master, the Master, and a few other parties had all exerted a bit of influence, after which the Xuzhou armory had some "worn-out" weapons slated for disposal — and that was how these arms had come here.

For a force nearing a thousand men, this amount of weaponry was nothing much, but it was still quite useful. Once battle truly began, arrows were consumables, and long spears, blades, and swords wore out quickly too. Damaged weapons could still be used, but their killing power dropped considerably. Being able to replace them in time could save lives at critical moments.

But all these things were nothing compared to the news Yan Heilian brought. The moment Yan Heilian entered the courtyard, his face was full of flustered urgency, and he kept shooting meaningful looks, signaling Zhao Jin to send away anyone not directly involved.

"Master Jin, Kong Jiuying has sent a full two hundred-plus cavalry. Cloud Mountain Temple's monk soldiers total six hundred. They're encamped at an estate belonging to Cloud Mountain Temple's Xiao County lower cloister — the estate at Chu Wang Pavilion."

"Chu Wang Pavilion? That's less than two hours from here!" At Yan Heilian's words, Zhao Jin's face darkened, and the others immediately burst into an uproar.

Xuzhou had been the fief of the Chu kings during the Han dynasty. Chu Wang Pavilion was supposedly a pavilion where a Chu king had once halted — a large manor estate. They had assumed it belonged to some local strongman in Xiao County; they never imagined it was also Cloud Mountain Temple property. So close to here — this was truly a case of being blind to what was right under their noses.

But what made Zhao Jin and the others' expressions so grim was not just the distance, but the numbers. Kong Jiuying of Paoheyan was indeed a great magnate, to have sent over two hundred cavalry across county borders. A display of power like that — among the Great Ming's own official troops, probably only a Regional Commander or Mobile Corps Commander could pull it off. As for Cloud Mountain Temple's six hundred monk soldiers, that went without saying. The claim of "over a thousand monk soldiers" was mere exaggeration, but six hundred men was a very real fighting force. Facing them with only a few dozen unreliable cavalrymen, a hundred-odd veterans, and over four hundred raw recruits — and in this unfamiliar territory of He Village — the enemy held absolute superiority.

But the bad news did not stop there. Yan Heilian's voice was trembling as he spoke: "This morning in the city, I spotted a junior brother from among the monk soldiers. He'd come into town to buy wine — twenty jars in one purchase. When I caught him alone, I grabbed him and promised him five hundred taels of silver for the information. That's how I learned of this. The reason they're buying wine is to bolster their courage before battle. The estate has wine stored — they wouldn't come out to buy more unless they'd drunk it all. If they're in a rush to buy, they're in a rush to attack. That junior brother advised me to get away and take shelter..."

"How did you get out of the city with the carts?"

"There are a lot more Cloud Mountain Temple faces in the city. I was afraid word would leak."

Everyone turned to look at Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin pondered for a moment, then spoke with solemn gravity: "Before dark, before sunrise — those are the only two times they'll attack. It's now less than two hours until nightfall. Liu Yong, send men at once to beat the gongs and make the rounds shouting. He Village is under martial law — clear the streets. Announce that a large band of mounted bandits is coming. Everyone is to stay inside their homes. Assemble the able-bodied men and prepare to resist. Anyone who forces their way into a home — kill them. I will bear the consequences."

Liu Yong acknowledged the order and ran outside. Zhao Jin turned to the others: "Muster all squads immediately. Remove the wooden bridges around the He family compound and set up the barricades. Issue every suit of armor from the armory. Archers take the high ground. Fill every container that can hold water to the brim. Dismantle all door panels except the main gate, cover them with cotton quilts. Start now — move!"

His words had barely faded when his companions scattered, running in every direction. The sound of brass gongs and shouted orders began to rise inside and out. All of He Village suddenly boiled over.

Everyone was busy carrying out Zhao Jin's arrangements. The wooden bunks from the barracks were also hauled out and set up behind the high walls as simple wooden platforms, so the archers could climb up and shoot.

Water vats, water buckets, even water basins were filled to the brim. The well inside the He family compound proved its worth now. Door panels were taken down, and old bedding was soaked through and draped directly over them.

Outside, shouts of cursing and wailing had already begun. This was not an enemy attack, but rather that this was He Village's most leisurely time of day. The village folk and outside peddlers, after a long day's toil, were settling down to rest, and some had come over to see the novelty of Zhao's Camp. They never expected martial law to be declared so abruptly.

Zhao's Camp had only just arrived here. Even though they had once wiped out He Weiyuan's entire household, their presence still didn't feel that weighty. In broad daylight, with everything peaceful, suddenly there was talk of a large band of bandits attacking — something that hadn't happened in decades. The only time was back when the White-Robed Rebels, Liu the Sixth and Liu the Seventh, had passed through, and even that was already legend. With this coming out of nowhere, everyone found it unbelievable.

What's more, the men beating gongs and shouting were not forcing anyone — they were merely notifying. Some thought it better to believe and hurried home to take cover. Others paid no heed and sneered quietly to themselves. But whether they believed or not, when they saw the wooden bridges being pulled up and the barricades and chevaux-de-frise being set out around the He family compound, and those able-bodied soldiers running to and fro in full gear, even the disbelievers grew afraid and rushed toward their homes. The chaos of people acting at cross-purposes, shoving and jostling one another, threw the scene into utter disorder.

The mule and horse depot was a different story. The cattle and horse traders were armed to begin with and had seen plenty of trouble. At this sight, they immediately gathered their men, barred the gates, and stood guard on their own.

The clamor and uproar outside unsettled even the new recruits mustered within the compound. But this was where dividing them into squads paid off — the squad leaders bellowed orders, keeping their men from falling into chaos. In truth, the so-called veterans had only trained a few months or a year longer than the recruits, and alarm showed on their faces too. Yet each of them felt that since he had been made a leader, he had to put on a proper show.

When the panicking recruits saw that their leaders had not lost control, their own minds steadied somewhat. Still, every man's breathing was heavy, their faces either flushed scarlet or deathly pale.

After a spell of turmoil, He Family Village outside the He Family compound fell quiet. But this silence was even more oppressive. Zhao Jin, fully armed and armored, stood in the courtyard with a long spear in hand. Liu Yong hurried back to report: "The village households and merchants outside have mostly gone back inside. Some have fled beyond the village. I sent two of our men to follow them. If anything happens, they'll race back to the city to report and call for reinforcements."

"Quite the spectacle…" Just when tension gripped all within and without, someone spoke up at an utterly inappropriate moment.

Zhao Jin frowned and turned his head. He could tell from the voice — it was those old cavalrymen Dong Bingfeng had brought. A scene that had the old and new household troops of Zhao's Camp on edge was nothing much to these former personal guard household troops who had seen real battle.

Turning around and seeing the nine men standing there at ease, Zhao Jin suddenly realized this sort of banter had its uses. At the very least, his own old and new household troops relaxed right along with them.