Chapter 271: The Neighbors (Congratulations on the Second Update)

The clamor of gongs and drums outside grew louder and louder, carrying the distinct air of a bustling crowd. People came from places like Hongjia Hollow, Lijia Bank, and Chen Family Village, all beating gongs and drums, bearing gifts of pigs, sheep, and the like.

These villages all lay within a fifteen-li radius around He Family Village. Normally there was little contact between them, though people from each place did come to the He Family Village market to buy, sell, and set up stalls — but that was the extent of it.

Beating gongs and drums was a way to make a public declaration and show solemnity. The Xuzhou region was barren and poor; to come bearing pigs and sheep was already a heavy gift, which showed how seriously they regarded this visit.

Before long, the guards at the main gate brought in visiting cards. Their purpose in coming was unanimous: to pay a call on Zhao Jin and foster neighborly goodwill.

The companions who had been busy elsewhere all gathered together. Once everyone had arrived, the first thing Zhao Jin spoke of was not this. His expression was very stern as he said, "Every household guard who was on sentry duty today is to receive five strokes of the rod and go without two meals!"

Everyone was stunned. Chen Sheng spoke up directly, "What mistake did they make? If you misuse military law, then military law will lose all authority in the future!"

"A large group of men marched all the way in, and they didn't even react. Just because they were beating gongs and carrying gifts, does that mean there's no need for vigilance? What if they were enemies hiding weapons?" Zhao Jin said in a deep voice.

Only then did everyone understand. Dong Bingfeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "Big Brother, should we reward Qi Er's side with something?"

"Why reward him? He only did his duty. We cannot afford to relax in the slightest. Have we all forgotten the great battle just days ago, with all those dead and wounded?" Zhao Jin spoke with great gravity, and no one had anything to say in reply.

"Punish them publicly, and make this reasoning known. Don't let the pain be forgotten once the wound heals!" Zhao Jin concluded.

After this was said, Liu Yong stood up, deeply ashamed, and said, "Big Brother, today's lapse was also my fault. The surrounding villages made such a move, and I knew nothing of it."

"It's not your fault. We've all been focused on this He Family Village. Aside from inquiring about the background of nearby places at the start, who has paid them any attention since? This is not the time to discuss that. Everyone put on your armor and come out with me to receive them. Two veteran squads and five recruit squads are to form up and stand by. One veteran squad and two recruit squads will follow us out. Uncle Ji, prepare tea and things for entertaining guests," Zhao Jin arranged.

There were nine groups that came from outside, varying in size. They did not all arrive at once, but the difference in their arrival times was not great. The leaders of each group greeted and exchanged pleasantries with one another politely.

These arriving groups were quite self-aware and waited on the open ground to the east. The merchants coming and going to transport wine watched curiously for a while.

The eastern wall of the He Family compound had not been rebuilt after being smashed down. Barricades and wooden palisades had been set up there, and the fallen bricks and stones had been used to build a taller, sturdier watchtower. Inside, squads of household guards were jogging out to form ranks, taking their positions according to Zhao Jin's orders.

All of this was clearly visible from outside. The visitors from various places looked on curiously, whispering among themselves, their faces showing expressions of shock — the same reaction everyone had the first time they saw the Zhao Battalion training.

Their visiting cards had already been sent in, and they were waiting for a response from within. But standing on the eastern open ground, besides seeing the disciplined training inside the compound, they could also see the prosperity of He Family Village, which prompted even more discussion.

Just then, they saw the barricades and wooden palisades being moved aside by the household guards inside. Two squads of able-bodied young men, dressed in short robes of identical style and holding long spears, jogged out swiftly and stood at attention in formation on both sides. This sent a jolt through the nine groups, and the expression on every face became somewhat more respectful.

Their robes and weapons were all uniform, their formation orderly, their steps in unison. At a glance, they exuded a murderous aura. Though the weather was clearly warm, everyone felt a slight chill. Even the soldiers under that Grand Commandant lord probably didn't have such bearing. Truly formidable — seeing this and thinking this, they could not help but be respectful.

Next, they saw six men in iron armor, with an even more intimidating column of long spears behind them, striding out with great purpose. Although the young men in iron armor wore smiles on their faces, the nine groups waiting there stirred restlessly, every face showing alarm, because the momentum was too terrifying, as if they were charging into battle.

"Honored elders and fellow countrymen, I am Zhao Jin. I pay my respects to you all here." Zhao Jin truly did not know what etiquette to use, so he simply cupped his fists and bowed, gesturing in several directions.

To his surprise, when he cupped his fists and bowed, the people in those nine groups all changed countenance. Five groups knelt down entirely, from first to last, saying repeatedly, "Constable Zhao, you overwhelm us with such courtesy. How could we lesser men ever be worthy of Lord Jin's bow?"

The other four groups also bowed deeply at the waist, bending as low as they could, and responded in uneven chorus, "We lesser men pay our respects to Constable Zhao, to Lord Jin."

Zhao Jin's face was full of smiles, but his gaze lingered a moment longer on the four groups that had not knelt. Liu Yong at his side leaned in and said, "Big Brother, the first one on the right who didn't kneel is Tian Ying of Tian Family Village. The second is from the Liu Family Mine. The third is from the Lin Family Stockade. The fourth, I don't recognize."

Liu Yong did not introduce the other five; he knew Zhao Jin only wanted to know about those who had not knelt. Zhao Jin nodded slightly and said, still smiling, "You have all come so suddenly. I, Zhao, was not prepared. Please don't stand outside drinking the wind and eating dust. Come inside."

Zhao Jin's words and actions were not necessarily perfectly in line with etiquette, but they were expressed appropriately. After exchanging courtesies twice, everyone rose and walked inside.

On such an occasion, the beating of gongs and drums could not stop. The gong-and-drum troupes took turns playing in sequence outside, or sometimes joined in an ensemble. The gifts of pigs and sheep were displayed in a conspicuous place. Zhao Jin, of course, had no lack of such gifts, and the gift-givers naturally understood this as well. Doing this was to make it known that they had come.

Even the smallest group had over a dozen people, but when Zhao Jin extended the invitation, only two or three from each group walked inside. Everyone was very self-aware.

Not all of Zhao Jin's companions followed inside either. Liu Yong hung back to arrange for men to receive the gifts and provide tea and food for the members of the nine groups. Also, one veteran squad and two recruit squads were resting at ease there, on standby — in reality, they were also keeping an eye on these newcomers. Not long after, Liu Yong himself removed his armor and came over with tea and food, chatting very casually with the people from the neighboring villages.

Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang each led a squad on a rough patrol through and around He Family Village. Dong Bingfeng mounted his horse and led a few riders on a wider sweep of the surrounding area.

Only Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng led the guests into the house. Ji Xiang's father came in with two servants to serve tea.

This house was actually the former residence of He Weiyuan. It was somewhat spacious, and Zhao Jin and his companions lived here, making it the nerve center of the He Family compound. However, most of the furniture and such inside had been moved away. The conditions here were very crude, with only ten chairs and a few tea tables in total.

Everyone took their seats. Those seated were, naturally, the leading figures of each group. At the seat of highest honor, some people hesitated, not daring to move. Only when Chen Sheng took his place standing behind Zhao Jin did they dare to sit down next to him.

"Constable Zhao lives far too simply. What can these clumsy, rough-handed folk do? I have a few servant girls on my estate, fairly clever and comely. I'll send them to serve Constable Zhao in his chambers..."

"I also have a younger sister..."

The moment they entered the room, these people had not stopped exclaiming over the simplicity and pondering ways to curry favor. When Zhao Jin accepted his tea and said, "Thank you, Uncle Ji," they realized something was amiss and each fell silent, embarrassed.

Once the tea was served, Zhao Jin came straight to the point: "I have not been here long, and there has been too much to do. I haven't had the chance to visit my neighbors, nor do I know any of you. Please introduce yourselves by name and identity, so things will be easier going forward."

The crowd was first taken aback, then caught on. Tian Ying of Tian Family Village was the first to stand and introduce himself. Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. Tian Ying was of a similar build to Chen Sheng, with large, thick-knuckled hands and movements different from ordinary people — one look told you he was a martial arts practitioner.

When the other party stood, Zhao Jin responded while remaining seated. Tian Ying's expression stiffened somewhat. The one who came from the Liu Family Mine was a manager, also surnamed Liu. The Liu Family mine was the property of a certain gentry scholar who had moved to Yangzhou two years prior, leaving trusted clansmen as managers. This manager was currently the highest authority there. He was in his early forties and looked every bit the businessman; his name was Liu Fulai. The Lin Family Stockade was a fortified stronghold on flat ground where the Lin clan gathered for self-protection. Its leader was also called the Stockade Master. The old Stockade Master Lin was already over sixty. This time, his second son, Lin Erneng, had come — a brawny man in his early thirties.

The places Zhao Jin felt warranted attention were just these three: Tian Family Village, the Lin Family Stockade, and the Liu Family Coal Mine. But they were only slightly different from the other six places, and compared to the strength of the Zhao Battalion, they were not worth mentioning. The rest of the people who came were prominent local households or high-ranking members of their clans. As for the one who had not knelt, he was the village head of Liu Family Village. Liu Family Village had only sixty-some households and was essentially one entity with the Liu Family Coal Mine, so naturally they followed its lead.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Zhao Jin said with a smile, "I am Zhao Jin. This is my brother Chen Sheng. There are a few more outside whom I will introduce to you shortly. What is the purpose of your visit?"

This question was again very direct. The faces of the nine seated men all showed a touch of awkwardness. They exchanged glances. Those who had not knelt all wore expressions of displeasure — how could this young man be so ignorant of etiquette, not even bothering with pleasantries? Zhao Jin knew exactly what they were thinking.

After exchanging glances, the one who finally spoke was Tian Ying. This time he did not stand, but merely cleared his throat and said, "Constable Zhao, our various places are not far from one another. On foot, it would take no more than an hour and a half at most. One could say we share the same breath and are branches of the same tree, one single body."

The fact that he could produce the phrase "share the same breath and are branches of the same tree, one single body" somewhat revised Zhao Jin's opinion of the man, even though its use here was rather incongruous. In a certain sense, these nine places and He Family Village were indeed one body.