Chapter 293: To Go or Not to Go

Zhao Jin's expression and manner were utterly sincere. He lowered his voice a little further and said, "Elder Cai, even if the city holds, when Adjutant Zhou returns and scatters the roving bandits beneath the walls, the countryside will still suffer the calamity. This year is already a severe drought; if the roving bandits wreak havoc on top of that, I fear the damage will cut to the very bone."

The moment he mentioned "Adjutant Zhou," Candidate Cai jolted as if shocked and suddenly raised his voice, "Right, there are the court's..."

He had shouted out only half a sentence when every gaze in the room converged on him. Candidate Cai hurriedly lowered his voice and said, "The court will certainly send a great army."

"Adjutant Zhou has just over four hundred cavalry in total, troops that can go and return quickly. But down below the walls are tens of thousands, even a hundred thousand roving bandits. What use could his four hundred cavalry possibly be? And if they muster a large army, Elder Cai, what difference is there between a great army passing through and roving bandits?" Zhao Jin's voice carried a hint of coldness.

Elder Cai was stunned. A helpless look surfaced on his face, and he nodded with a bitter smile. By now he had also calmed down considerably and said in a muffled voice, "Young Master Zhao's considerations are more far-sighted than this old man's. Indeed, we cannot sit back and delay. Whether the roving bandits are allowed to grow into a real force, or we wait for the court's great army to arrive, either would be a great calamity for Xuzhou. As for Adjutant Zhou's side, distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst. Young Master Zhao, what do you propose we do?"

Without waiting for Zhao Jin to speak, Candidate Cai continued, "The local braves and militia from our various places total at most three thousand. That is a mere drop in the bucket. How could we possibly resist the more than a hundred thousand roving bandits beneath the walls?"

"'More than a hundred thousand' is nothing but rumor feeding rumor. There are tens of thousands, certainly, but they are starved and exhausted along the way, weak and feeble, and all empty-handed. Our militia here are all able-bodied young men, well-fed and well-watered, and equipped with weapons. One against ten is no exaggeration. Moreover, as they assault Xuzhou, they will never imagine we would come to its rescue. When we strike them unprepared, we will be like tigers among a flock of sheep — a great victory can be expected."

Candidate Cai sank into deep thought. Only after a while did he speak again. "If we scatter the roving bandits, and they flee in all directions, won't that bring disaster to the countryside?"

"By then they will be small bands of starving refugees, not worth mentioning. Besides, once the city is saved, the people inside will also lend a hand, and they can be easily suppressed." Zhao Jin said.

Candidate Cai Zhengqiu furrowed his brow and asked another question. "If there are casualties, what about the silver for burial, aid, and compensation?"

The moment this question was raised, the brows of everyone at the table furrowed. They all thought to themselves how shameless these people were — using their own militia and local braves, yet still unwilling to pay that silver themselves.

But Zhao Jin already had a plan in mind. He smiled and said, "We contribute the effort and the rescue; naturally, the city must also show its appreciation. Elder Cai need not worry about that silver!"

"And what if the city refuses to pay?"

"With so many of us here, would they dare?" Zhao Jin said bluntly. Candidate Cai nodded, but could not suppress a shiver. He stared at Zhao Jin for a long moment without making a sound.

The welcoming feast could be considered a pleasant gathering that ended with everyone satisfied. Zhao Jin called his companions to his room. Before leaving, Ruhui asked in a low, curious voice, "Master, your subordinate has heard that you never attended private school, and your family could not have taught you either. How exactly did you come to know so many classical allusions and idioms?"

"I studied in secret on my own, and Wang Zhaojing also taught me quite a bit." To this question, Zhao Jin likewise had a long-prepared answer.

Once they were seated inside the room, Ji Xiang immediately asked, "Big Brother, will the various places join us in going to the rescue?"

"That depends on how Candidate Cai goes about persuading them. Today we have already laid out the stakes clearly. A man as shrewd as he is certainly knows how to weigh the trade-offs." Zhao Jin said.

Before anyone else could continue the conversation, Zhao Jin went on, "But regardless of whether they join us or not, we absolutely must go!"

Everyone was jolted. Each of them nodded — except Liu Yong, who spoke up. "Big Brother, your little brother knows that everyone's family, their parents, are all inside the city, and the urgency to rescue them is keen. But outside the city are tens of thousands, a hundred thousand. We only have a few hundred here. If we go..."

Everyone looked at one another, and no one spoke. Zhao Jin shook his head and said, "Our parents are indeed inside the city. But have you considered — where are the families and parents of the household troops under our command?"

Liu Yong was stunned, and then an expression of sudden understanding dawned on his face.

"Most of them are inside the city, and the veteran squad in particular all hail from within the walls. If we sit by and do nothing while the city is in danger, what then in the days to come? Who would still follow us with a true and loyal heart?" Zhao Jin said solemnly.

Hearing this, everyone's expressions hardened with resolve. Zhao Jin spoke. "Xiaoyong, go to the mule and horse market and prepare horses and carts together with Wang Ziyang. Bingfeng, find someone from a guard background who can ride and go now to the Xuzhou Guard to request reinforcements. However many men they can send, send them — any number is still a force. Shitou, you go inspect the weapons and armor. Ji Xiang, you notify the squad leaders of every squad to come here. Dasheng, after I finish giving instructions, you and Mister Cao select one hundred men from the militia — not from the Zhao Character Camp, and not the strongest ones — but men who, at the critical moment, will obey Mister Cao's orders. These men will guard Zhao Village and guard the distillery. If the worst should happen, the secret of brewing this liquor must not fall into others' hands."

Ruhui was taken aback for a moment, then immediately nodded. The group hurried out the door. Before long, the squad leaders of every squad in the Zhao Character Camp had arrived and were standing in formation before the door, awaiting orders. Zhao Jin walked out and stood firm. He swept his gaze across them and then spoke. "Tomorrow at dawn, we set out to rescue Xuzhou City. Go back and inform every single man under you. Rest early tonight. Tomorrow, if anyone causes a delay, military law will be enforced!"

A brief silence fell below, and then came a uniform, orderly response: "Orders received!"

The night had grown deep. In many places, the local braves and militia had simply spread out their simple bedding and slept outside. The weather was dry and warm anyway, and rising early would bring no particular discomfort. Yet within He Village, there was no sense of the deep night's stillness. Candidate Cai's group was engaged in heated discussion. All those who could cook had been gathered to prepare the next day's dry rations. At the cattle and horse market, horses and carts were being inspected. Sets of armor were being distributed down the line.

The leading figures of the nine mutual-defense districts were summoned to Zhao Jin's side. Zhao Jin explained his plan. Tian Ying and the others each looked somewhat troubled. Zhao Jin opened a chest that had long been prepared in the room, and Tian Ying and his group were instantly stunned by the glint of silver.

"Every man who goes will be given four taels of silver. You take it back and distribute it as you see fit. If any are wounded or die in battle, treatment, burial, and compensation will be borne by the Zhao Character Camp." Zhao Jin said, coming straight to the point.

Everyone stared at the silver, swallowing hard, each weighing the pros and cons. Taking this silver back to distribute themselves meant there was room to skim some off the top. But this was a matter of life and death. With so many roving bandits beneath the city walls, going there was practically walking to their deaths. What to do?

Zhao Jin's next words left them no room for further hesitation. "When it is distributed to each man, they must see at least two taels of ready silver in hand. Otherwise, you will cough up double the amount. Furthermore, tomorrow you have no choice but to go. To refuse is a dead end!"

If they went, there was silver to be had; if they refused, it was a dead end. Everyone knew which choice to make. Yet Zhao Jin had expressed it far too bluntly, making it very hard for everyone to accept. With so many roving bandits beneath the walls, wouldn't taking a few thousand men there be nothing but suicide? On what grounds should they be made to follow along?

Everyone from the mutual-defense districts thought this, but they looked at one another, hesitating again and again, and in the end, no one voiced any objection. No one had the nerve. Compared to Candidate Cai's various circles, they understood the true strength of the Zhao Character Camp far more clearly and knew this threat was no empty talk.

Everyone's faces had turned somewhat ashen, but in the end, they still mumbled their obedience and went back to muster their respective units. The people of the nine mutual-defense districts were all groaning inwardly. At a time like this, even faking the numbers was impossible. The Zhao Character Camp knew exactly how many men each of them could field.

As soon as this group left, Zhao Jin had a household trooper bring in a man. The man's face was full of exhaustion, and he appeared quite timid and cowering before Zhao Jin.

"What else did Zheng Quan tell you? Explain in detail. And everything you've seen these past days — describe it carefully as well. Do not miss a single point." Once only the two of them remained in the room, Zhao Jin said sternly. The man hurriedly nodded.

This man was the one Zheng Quan had sent to deliver a warning. The man said Zheng Quan had once saved his life and had later set him up at a nearby stall. In secret, Zheng Quan gave him silver to spend and often had him run confidential errands. This messenger had brought a token from Zheng Quan, and no flaws could be detected in his story, so Zhao Jin believed what he said.

Although the message Zheng Quan sent contained no explicit details, the implication it conveyed was self-evident. It was precisely because of these words that Zhao Jin had made the worst-case estimate of the situation in Xuzhou City.

After confirming there was no further news, Zhao Jin made a round of inspection through the village. Once he had arranged the night watch shifts, he went to rest early.

Ever since he began practicing martial arts, Zhao Jin's physical condition had been outstanding, and he always fell asleep quickly. But tonight he could not sleep. His heart was weighed down with worry for his parents' safety inside the city. Tossing and turning, he could not stop thinking. Zhao Jin wished he could lead the troops out right then, but he knew it was impossible. Apart from the Zhao Character Camp, the other units had no ability to march at night. Moreover, with the threat ahead, marching in darkness would certainly lead to mass desertions and stragglers. If only the Zhao Character Camp went alone, they would be too isolated and weak.

Xuzhou City must not come to harm. Before he could rush there, it had to hold on. Zhao Jin repeated this over and over in his heart, and so he drifted between sleep and waking until dawn.

The moment the window paper showed a hint of white, Zhao Jin rolled out of bed. He tidied himself up briefly and walked out the door. Liu Yong was already waiting in the outer hall. Seeing him emerge, Liu Yong picked up the armor beside him and said, "Big Brother, let me help you put on your armor."

"We'll be marching for a long time. Don the armor only right before battle — conserve your strength as much as possible." Zhao Jin instructed. Liu Yong paused, then quickly said, "Then I'll go notify the squads."

Liu Yong immediately turned and went out to pass the word. Zhao Jin walked out of the courtyard. The He family's large compound was a scene of bustling activity. Ji Xiang's father had led people in working through the entire night. Besides preparing dry rations for the march, they also had to make breakfast for this morning. And these dry rations and breakfast had to include the militia and local braves from every district — the workload had multiplied several times over.

Fortunately, Zhou Xuezhi had prepared for this well in advance. After requesting instructions from Zhao Jin, he had conscripted labor from among the refugees taking shelter and brought them over to help.

The soldiers of the Zhao Character Camp's various squads were eating breakfast. The household troops of the Zhao Character Camp all had good appetites, eating in large, hearty mouthfuls. They already had experience and knew the march to Xuzhou City would take a very long time. Without eating plenty, they would have no strength at all on the road. No fear could be seen on the household troops' faces — only a hint of excitement. They had already seen blood and experienced quite a few battles. And they knew that today, going to Xuzhou meant rescuing their own families.

"Big Brother, more than half of the local braves and militia from the various districts are on the open ground to the east. Breakfast has already been transported over. They probably still don't know about the rescue mission and are all wondering why they're eating so early," Ji Xiang came over and reported.

Zhao Jin's brow furrowed. Before he could speak, he saw Candidate Cai's group and the people from the nine mutual-defense districts walking over together toward him. Every one of them looked like they had not slept well — their complexions were poor, and dark circles ringed their eyes. Upon reaching him, Candidate Cai cupped his hands in salute, and the others all bowed deeply with great respect, exceedingly deferential.

"Young Master Zhao, this old man has discussed it with the fellow villagers. To protect and aid our homeland, we are duty-bound and cannot refuse. The local braves and militia from every district are at Young Master Zhao's disposal!" Candidate Cai said, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Zhao Jin nodded. The candidate's expression turned somewhat troubled as he said, "It is only that we worried if we told them of this matter too early, there would inevitably be desertions during the night, perhaps even mutiny. This..."

Tian Ying, standing nearby, heard this and hurriedly said with a dry laugh, "We underlings thought the same, afraid of delaying your important business, Master Jin."

"You were all waiting for Zhao to be the one to tell them, weren't you?" Zhao Jin laid it bare without courtesy. Although the local braves and civilian conscripts were under the jurisdiction of these leading figures, going to the relief of Xuzhou sounded at first hearing like a death sentence. It could very easily provoke public fury, and if a riot broke out, they might even cut down the one giving the order. The fierce and aggressive folkways of Xuzhou were no joke.

The moment he laid it bare, from Candidate Cai down to the headman of Little Stone Village, every face bore an awkward expression. Ji Xiang's face was full of fury, and he stepped forward, but Zhao Jin raised an arm to stop him. He spoke. "Go gather all your people on the open field to the east, and then come with me there. Don't waste time — quickly!"

Zhao Jin's tone was entirely one of issuing orders. The others did not dare show any displeasure and rather sheepishly hurried off in their respective directions.

"Big Brother, these sly foxes want us to be the ones to offend everyone! If a riot breaks out when we make the announcement, we'll be in trouble!" Ji Xiang said urgently.

"There are pros and cons, but right now we can't worry about that. After the Zhao Character Camp finishes eating, have them also form up to the east, right beneath the watchtower. Get moving!" Zhao Jin said with a grim face.

Ji Xiang still wanted to argue a few words, but seeing Zhao Jin's expression, he quickly strode off to make the arrangements.

The eastern area was spacious. Quite a few of the local braves and militia had camped there the previous night, so mustering them now was fairly easy. Before long, everyone had assembled. Although they had been surprised by the early breakfast, young men have good appetites and move fast, so by now they were mostly done and ready.

Over there, they stood gathered in scattered clusters, east a pile and west a pile, totaling less than two thousand. The number did not sound like much, but seeing them in person, it was still a vast, dark mass of people. The eastern open ground had already grown somewhat noisy. The local braves and militia were all discussing things among themselves in low voices, and those from neighboring villages and hamlets were shouting at the top of their lungs to ask what was going on. Zhao Jin and the others frowned at the sight. The Zhao Character Camp enforced every order and prohibition with strict, severe discipline. Seeing such a loose and slovenly unit was truly jarring.

The various squads of Zhao Character Battalion also marched out, forming ranks right at the gap on the eastern side of the He family compound. They stood in solemn silence, orderly and soundless. At first, the watching local militia and village braves found it a novelty, each one clicking their tongue in amazement. Once those ranks were fully formed, they unconsciously began to feel the pressure, and the noise in the open field quieted considerably.

"Same old rule: I say a line, and you brothers repeat it loudly!" Before ascending the watchtower, Zhao Jin gave the order. Chen Sheng nodded.

As Zhao Jin walked up the watchtower, another group arrived driving cart after cart, lining them up in a row beneath the tower. Local dignitaries like Honorary Licentiate Cai and others all climbed onto the carts and stood atop them.

Another stir rippled through the open field. Seeing their own masters and those of other households standing on the carts, everyone grew even more curious, wondering what on earth had happened.

"Gentlemen, I am Zhao Jin!" Zhao Jin declared from the watchtower with a voice full of vigor. The Zhao Character Battalion ranks below shouted it out in unison—a drill they had practiced many times in battle and were now thoroughly proficient at.

Several hundred men roaring at once nearly startled many of the gentry and local magnates on the carts into falling off. The restless, clamoring village braves and militiamen instantly fell silent.

"... According to reports coming in from all sides, the main force of roving bandits that crossed the river intends to besiege Xuzhou City..." Hearing this, the local braves and militia from every area all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the calamity wouldn't reach their own homes, and they could head back early.

"... Xuzhou City is in dire straits. I intend to lead the Zhao Character Battalion and all of you to relieve Xuzhou..." The moment these words were spoken, the scene fell deathly silent. Many faces showed expressions of disbelief. Then, as if erupting, the scene turned into a clamorous din. Everyone was asking each other whether what they had just heard was real.

"... When the roving bandits crossed the river, the city gates everywhere were shut—they wouldn't let us in. Now that the bandits are besieging them, why the hell should we go help!" someone shouted. Instantly, an even greater uproar erupted.

"There are tens of thousands over there, and we've only got this many men—going to throw our lives away for nothing?"

"You Zhao Character Battalion people go if you want. Our Qulipu men aren't going! Whoever wants to go, go!"

"Let's get out of here!"

Had the Zhao Character Battalion squads not been standing solemnly with their spears at the ready, the militia and village braves below might well have started a brawl. As it was, they held themselves in check for now, but the angry cursing did not stop.

"... Saving Xuzhou City is saving ourselves..."

"... If Xuzhou City is breached, the roving bandits' strength will surge, and they will surely ravage the countryside. When that time comes, all of your families will suffer the same calamity—either death or being turned into roving bandits..."

"... If Xuzhou City holds out, they will scatter to plunder the countryside. Can any of your homes and families possibly escape..."

As Zhao Jin spoke a line, the ranks below repeated it in unison. The clamor and noise could not drown it out. After a few lines, the crowd below fell silent once more, because what Zhao Jin said made sense. Once all this was laid bare, everyone realized that the siege of Xuzhou did not mean they were out of danger—rather, a great catastrophe was bearing down on them.

"... Right now, the only way is to defeat the roving bandits beneath the walls of Xuzhou City before the disaster spreads elsewhere..."

"... We are well-fed and well-watered, our troops strong and our horses sturdy, and we have weapons in hand. The roving bandits are hungry and weak, and they are empty-handed..."

"... Our Xuzhou is a land that produces heroes and bold men. This is a fight for the parents back home, for our wives and children, for our fellow countrymen. Can it be that you still dare not?"

"... When it comes to killing the bandits, the Zhao Character Battalion will charge at the very front. Follow us and go. Any spineless coward can crawl home right now. Those with guts, come with me to venture beneath the walls of Xuzhou City. Are you going or not..."

The shout of "Are you going or not!" rang out, and the scene fell utterly silent once more. Everyone looked around at each other, their expressions all different...