Chapter 287

Fortunately, the Smelling Incense Sect had made a fortune in grain transport over the years, handling countless loads of tribute grain. Xu Hongju, who had always been in charge of weapons procurement, spent heavily to connect with the current manager of the Xu family and decided to set a trap. Taking advantage of the refugees moving south, they would break into one of the Xu family's estates and loot it clean. Before that, the Xu family would "happen" to have that estate piled high with finished weapons and armor, which would then be taken as a matter of course, with no connection to the Xu family.

The silver for purchasing the weapons had long been stored at a nearby evangelist's home, and the carts for hauling the arms and armor were already prepared. No one expected things to change at the last moment.

Upon entering Xuzhou territory, the Xu family envoy who was supposed to make contact arrived. This man was a trusted aide of that manager and also a clansman of the Jingshan Xu family, but he came covered in dust and with a mournful face, saying: "Our Third Master has already been confined by the Eldest Miss. The Eldest Miss sent this humble one to tell you all that the Xu family does not engage in law-breaking dealings. Everything previously agreed upon is void, and the silver will be returned at its original price."

The men of the Smelling Incense Sect were both shocked and furious. Fortunately, the envoy who came held nothing back. The head of the Jingshan Xu family, Xu Benrong, was in his forties this year. He had one daughter, Xu Zhenzhen, aged twenty, and one son, Xu Housheng, now only six years old.

Xu Benrong had a son late in life, so he had previously raised his daughter as a son, and with unexpected indulgence. A young lady from a wealthy family, yet she had not bound her feet. For a girl to reach marriageable age without foot-binding was a rare thing, so she earned the nickname "Xu Bigfoot." This Xu Zhenzhen was out and about all day, paying no mind to the rules of women managing the home and men the outside world. She learned household management and dealing with outsiders alongside her father. Xu Zhenzhen began participating in the Xu family's operations at twelve and could now make decisions for more than half of the family's affairs.

The Jingshan Xu family's vast fortune was eyed by countless members of the Xu clan. Previously, when Xu Benrong had no son, the close branches all had their own schemes. Some thought of adopting a son to Xu Benrong later and becoming the family head. Others, with less ambition, just wanted to grab as much as they could now.

But with Xu Zhenzhen there, all these plans came to nothing. Idle gossip was plentiful, and secret collusion and sabotage were inevitable, but Xu Zhenzhen suppressed it all. A clan uncle "accidentally" fell into an iron furnace and was reduced to ash. A senior cousin was crushed to death by a collapsing coal pile. Two others, while escorting goods, ran into mounted bandits and vanished without a trace. After these incidents, no one dared show Xu Zhenzhen any disrespect. Everyone obeyed completely. Even that Vice Minister in the capital had once said, "Why were you not born a man?"

Now, everyone in the Xu family had abandoned their own designs. The situation was clear to all: even if Xu Benrong passed away, Xu Zhenzhen could raise her younger brother and hand this great family enterprise over to him. Anyone else scheming was simply courting death.

And everyone was genuinely convinced, because Xu Zhenzhen was indeed brilliant and decisive. The Xu family, which had been on a subtle decline, grew increasingly prosperous in her hands.

The envoy naturally would not go into such detail, but it was easy for Xu Hongju to inquire about these things. He summoned the local evangelists and asked, and learned everything.

What the envoy said concerned this business deal. He said that the Eldest Miss knew about selling weapons to Cloud Mountain Temple and had always tacitly approved. But when the manager in charge tried to deal directly with Xu Hongju, the Eldest Miss turned hostile, had the man locked up, and then sent him over to deliver the message.

Such a major deal, cut off just like that. Xu Hongju flew into a rage and immediately turned hostile, issuing a threat: if they wouldn't give them, they would go take them themselves.

Unexpectedly, the envoy who brought the message replied with an utterly embarrassed face that the Eldest Miss had also instructed: if they wanted to try force, the Xu family was not afraid.

With words reaching such a point, they could only tear off all pretense and fight. Xu Hongju drove the refugees to attack the Xu family estate, but found it incredibly tough to crack.

The Jingshan Xu family's own able-bodied men numbered in the thousands, with high morale and united purpose. Their weapons were complete, and they even had firearms like bird guns and native cannons. They clashed at an estate on the outskirts of Jingshan. The refugees could not charge through at all. The first wave was routed by the Xu family's estate guards. The second wave, hit by firearms, also dared not advance. What further alarmed Xu Hongju and his men was that the Xu family lit wolf-smoke signals, and the surrounding villages and stockades, which had been huddled in fear, actually sent men out to attack.

Fortunately, Xu Hongju was not reckless, and Hou Wu and Xia Zhongjin were both veteran soldiers. They hurriedly pulled the force back, thus avoiding a major disaster.

Seeing this situation, Xu Hongju and his men felt their hearts turn cold. The Xu family could not be taken, and even if the several groups of helpers they had arranged arrived, they still could not take the Xu family. They would have to just make a show before Xuzhou's city walls and then return empty-handed.

However, the Jingshan Xu family did not press too close. The estate where they had fought was quickly evacuated. Inside, the refugees actually found several hundred old weapons, a few sets of armor, and over two thousand jin of grain. This was an incredible haul, and the refugees were wildly excited.

But the leaders found it strange. It had been so hard to crack during the fight; why was it so easy to take now? They did not wonder long before the Xu family envoy arrived again—the same man as last time.

"... You have all traveled far and endured hardship. Though the deal fell through, friendship remains. It would not do to send you back empty-handed..." The envoy brought Xu Zhenzhen's exact words.

The meaning was clear: do not offend someone to the bitter end; leave some room, so it is easier to meet again in the future. These arms, armor, and grain were a parting gift. Moreover, the Xu family had not acted to the extreme and even made a promise: if they breached Xuzhou city, there was an armory inside. At that time, the Xu family would provide weapons and armor at market price. This also gave them a story for outsiders: the armory was looted, and a large number of weapons scattered among the populace, so the Xu family would bear no responsibility.

Xu Hongju was furious upon hearing this proposal, but aside from cursing, there was nothing he could do. He had led his force here to take advantage of the chaos to carry off a large batch of weapons and then strike Xuzhou. He had never considered breaching Xuzhou city itself. The Jingshan Xu family had essentially offered nothing. But after venting his rage, he could only accept it helplessly.

By daybreak, however, a bit more confidence appeared on Xu Hongju's face. After meeting with the local evangelists and talking with Hou Wu, Xia Zhongjin, and the others, Xu Hongju realized that the matter might actually be feasible.

The refugee camp was only a few li from the Yellow River, about half a shichen's walk. Large groups of refugees could already be seen on the river's southern bank.

Ever since the refugees appeared on the northern bank, Xuzhou city had posted mounted constables and militia at several ferry crossings to keep watch, ordering them to report back immediately if anything happened.

Although the dense mass of refugees on the opposite bank had been visible since yesterday afternoon, the sentries at Zhenkou Lock were not particularly nervous. The Yellow River was wide, and there was no way across except by boat. Aside from merchant and civilian vessels leisurely sailing north and south, what usable boats were there on the river now? The officials were no fools. As soon as the refugees entered the territory, they had ordered all civilian boats on both banks ashore. Any that dared remain at the crossings would face severe punishment.

Without boats, they could not cross the river. The Xuzhou mounted constables on watch at the crossings were tense, but only so much. At night, they slept as usual, and the bold ones even brought some Hanjing Famous Liquor to drink.

Ever since word arrived that refugees had entered Xuzhou in South Zhili, a tense and panicked atmosphere had gripped the city and its outskirts. The daily hours the city gates were open had been greatly shortened. However, not many commoners fled into the city for refuge. Most people thought much like the officials: there was a river blocking them, so they could not cross even if they wanted to. Besides, with the poor harvests, poor families had little property to begin with and did not fear being looted into ruin. Those even worse off were refugees themselves, so what did they have to worry about?

The most secure were the residents inside and near Xuzhou city. Those inside felt protected by the city walls, while those nearby figured they could run inside when the time came. The refugees could not do anything to the city anyway. But at times like this, there were always people fishing in troubled waters and looting in the chaos, making life uneasy for everyone. In the past few days, in the villages and goods yards within five li of Xuzhou, a great deal of stored grain had been burned. The weather was dry, and several wells had run dry, so there was not even water to be found for firefighting.

No one knew if the fires were set deliberately or if people were just careless. At a time like this, nothing was certain. Fortunately, those who had stockpiled so much grain were either merchants or wealthy households; the common people were largely unaffected.

The harried officials sent constables to investigate but found no clues. They invariably reached the conclusion that the fires were accidents caused by carelessness.

So the night watch at the crossings did not sleep too soundly either. Often, late at night, a fire would break out somewhere. They would look, discuss it for a while, and then be unable to sleep.

In the early morning of the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, the day after the refugee horde was spotted on the opposite bank, two night-watch officers at Xia Family Crossing, the crossing closest to Xuzhou city, were chatting idly. They should have been asleep long ago, but the weather was hot and stuffy, and another fire had started somewhere. Unable to sleep, they simply chatted to pass the time.

"It suddenly struck me, it seems like fires have broken out at every one of these places outside the city. So many disasters and tribulations!" one sighed.

"Brother, you're quite observant. I really wonder which scoundrels are playing with fire, stirring up more trouble the more chaotic things get. But that's a small matter. Those hundred thousand refugee bandits on the opposite bank are the real calamity. If they get across, it'll be terrible!" the other chimed in.

The one who spoke first chuckled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Right now, there's not even a plank of wood on the river. Are they going to swim across? Even better—let them drown, and let the corpses wash down to Pizhou and bring them some bad luck."

The other man laughed twice along with him but seemed listless. The first man reached over and patted him, consoling him: "Don't let your mind run wild. Those refugees on the other side aren't stupid. Even if they wanted to cross, why would they come here? With city walls this high and a moat this wide, can those starvelings who can't even get enough grass to eat possibly bite through? Even if they came, they'd definitely go wreak havoc on the estates all around. Our Xuzhou territory has so many heroes and bold men; they can't break those estates either!"

"Brother, you really think things through!"

As they chatted, their eyelids began to droop. The darkest part of the night had passed, and the sky was starting to lighten. One man yawned and rubbed his eyes, but his movement suddenly froze. The other was sitting there with his eyes closed, dozing off. Something got into his nose, and he sneezed, blearily opening his eyes. Seeing his companion's expression, he could not help but wonder and asked groggily, "What's wrong?"

"Boats..."

"What?"

"Boats!" The frozen man let out a heart-rending scream. The other man jumped up in fright, looked where he was looking, and his whole body stiffened too. After freezing for a moment, their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably. The two stood there dumbstruck for a long while before one finally reacted, his voice distorted and trembling as he said, "Quick, quick, go back to the city and report! The refugee bandits are coming... they're coming..."

By the morning light, they could clearly see the opposite shore of the crossing. Boat after boat was moored at the bank. Dense masses of refugees were swarming onto the boats, then rowing toward the crossing.

The two sentries were already terrified. They could not bother to look or think much more and stumbled as they ran toward their mounts. They had no time to wonder where so many boats had come from, nor did they have time to notice that those boats all looked like grain-transport vessels, merely covered with straw sacks and rags as camouflage.

The refugees boarded the boats in teams according to prior arrangements. The men who still had some strength took up oars and rowed, paddling desperately toward the opposite bank.

For the refugees, hunger, death, and despair were about to reach their end. All these days, every day, someone had been telling them: cross the Yellow River, reach the south, and you can survive, you can live a good life. After entering South Zhili, this goal had been made even more explicit: Xuzhou!

Their minds were filled with this single thought. They could no longer realize that if they fled now, they might still have a chance to live. The refugees now only obeyed the orders of those incense masters—a title they had only recently learned. Those kind-hearted people led everyone in burning incense and chanting Buddha's name every day, worshipping Maitreya, worshipping the Eternal Mother. They were called incense masters.

The sooner they boarded, the sooner they escaped the sea of suffering. At first, the refugee horde could not even be restrained. Everyone scrambled to board the boats. Some were pushed off the boats, and some boats capsized. Corpses were already floating on the surface of the Yellow River.

At this point, the Smelling Incense Sect members mixed among the crowd tore off all pretense. The incense masters shouted and cursed loudly, killing anyone who disobeyed on the spot. Strong young men bearing weapons and showing no signs of weakness or hunger also began to appear. Any refugee group that did not obey the incense masters' orders was immediately disciplined. The river water at the boarding point had already been dyed red. Under the threat of death, order was barely maintained. Boat after boat rowed across the still relatively calm river surface and reached the southern bank.

Such a huge commotion was seen by more than one sentry post. Every scout who discovered the refugees had boats and were crossing ran madly toward the city. But at this hour, Xuzhou's city gates were not yet open. Every scout shouted themselves hoarse beneath the walls. A few particularly timid ones even bypassed the city entirely and ran as far away as possible.

Prefect Tong's mood remained extremely irritable. He had originally summoned his concubine to attend him, but before anything could happen, she somehow said something that offended him, and Prefect Tong Huaizu slapped her several times and sent her away.

Because Commandant Zhou still could not return to Xuzhou immediately. The unrest in Pizhou was not yet over. By the time Commandant Zhou reached Xuzhou, several detachments of troops had already come to rendezvous, totaling roughly four thousand soldiers. Such a force was using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken for pacifying this unrest.

The first engagement had also gone smoothly. In fact, the first engagement could hardly be called a battle. The refugees gathered near Pizhou scattered at the first charge, offering no resistance whatsoever. But scattering was not the same as being eliminated. The refugees had actually regrouped near Yutou Town, looting grain-transport supplies. Many grain boats that could not evade in time were set ablaze and burned.

Yutou Town was a critical grain-transport hub, the most vital one. It naturally could not be left alone. Commandant Zhou led his troops there without stopping, only to discover upon arrival that while there were refugees there, they numbered fewer than three hundred. At the sight of government troops, they simply scattered like birds and beasts. The inspector at Yutou Town came to report, saying that the fires had not been set by refugees. They had suddenly started in the middle of the night, very likely the work of someone exploiting the chaos to cause trouble.

Before Commandant Zhou could act, someone came galloping from Pizhou's prefectural city, reporting that the routed refugees had regrouped and begun looting the surrounding villages. These refugees numbered only a few thousand, but if they were not rooted out, they would remain a constant threat to the canal. Commandant Zhou had no choice but to redeploy his troops and request that the local government conscript able-bodied men, preparing for a thorough sweep.

But with all this back and forth, there was naturally no talk of returning to Xuzhou. This left Prefect Tong feeling deeply unsettled, and his mood grew increasingly agitated. He could not even sleep well. As soon as the window paper began to whiten, his eyes opened. He had just managed to feel a bit drowsy again and wanted to catch up on sleep when he heard hurried footsteps outside.

Upon hearing the sound, Prefect Tong immediately flared up. He turned over and sat up, ready to curse, but the footsteps had already reached the door. Without any regard for decorum, the voice shouted: "Master, the refugees are cross... crossing the river! They're head... heading straight for the prefectural city..."

Prefect Tong, still in bed, froze for a moment, then immediately jumped down barefoot. He strode quickly to the door, pushed aside the sleepy-eyed maid coming to attend him, and yanked the door open himself. Outside, Adviser Wang's long gown was open at the chest, one shoe was missing from his feet, and his face was filled with terror.

"The refugees crossed the river? How did they cross?!"

"A boat! A boat!"

"Quick! Go summon the bailiffs, go summon the militia, hurry — don't just stand there gaping, all of you get out there and find people!" Prefect Tong shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse.

With that, he ran out the door barefoot, seized the personal attendant who was just about to go call for help, and said sternly, "Go to the constabulary now. Have the bailiffs there notify the city gates — under no circumstances are they to open the gates. Go, quickly!"

The sentries posted along the river all ran madly toward the city. Reaching the walls, they shouted themselves hoarse with the news, begging the soldiers guarding the gate to open it and let them inside. But the gate soldiers refused outright, just gritting their teeth and saying that His Excellency the Prefect had given strict orders — the gates were not to be opened before the appointed hour.

The common folk who had long been waiting outside the city gate to enter also got word of it. Hearing it, they naturally panicked and began clamoring to be let in as well, but the city gate remained tightly shut.

Those quick to react gave up on entering the city and ran straight in the opposite direction. Those slower to react flailed about for a while, then dared not delay any longer and scattered in a frantic run.

The soldiers at the city gate, and the militia conscripted from within the city, upon hearing this matter, their first reaction was not to strengthen the defenses, or to go see in the direction the refugees were coming from just how large the scale was and how soon they would arrive. The first thing they wanted to do was to go notify their own families, relatives, and friends.

As a result, just as the sun was rising, there was not a single person in Xuzhou City who did not know of the matter. Everyone was in utter panic. Women and children were wailing loudly. People were running aimlessly through the streets. Looters even appeared, taking advantage of the chaos. Fires had been set in several places, smoke and dust billowing — chaos heaped upon chaos.