Chapter 311: Encamping Outside the City

Among the household troops gathered here, someone had already begun to cry. As soon as the weeping started on this side, a wounded man lying on the other side let out a pained shout and sat up. Though he had been bandaged, blood had already soaked through the white cloth. He must have suffered a severe injury to his chest and abdomen. The man's face was deathly pale from the pain, his features already twisted.

Zhao Jin and a few others turned around. The gravely wounded household trooper clenched his teeth and asked, "Master, my family can still get the full five taels of silver and five dan of grain each year, right?"

"My word is good. They'll get the full amount!" Zhao Jin nodded and said. This sum was precisely the compensation for household troops killed or maimed.

A smile appeared on the gravely wounded trooper's face, though it looked exceedingly strange on his twisted features. Hoarsely, he said, "Worth it, worth it. Dying was worth it!"

He muttered these words twice, then a surge of agony made him convulse. He cried out hoarsely, "Master, give me a quick end, give me a quick end. It hurts, it hurts too much..."

By the end, the household trooper was shouting it out. Zhao Jin drew a deep breath, reached out and covered the trooper's mouth, and with his other hand drew the short blade at his waist and stabbed it into the man's heart. The trooper's body convulsed violently once, then his expression grew peaceful and he moved no more.

"Jia Er could fight, and he looked after the men in his own squad. I was going to tell you, he was also qualified to be a squad leader. Damn it!" Chen Sheng, standing behind Zhao Jin, suddenly spoke. At the end, he cursed under his breath, then simply raised his head to look at the sky.

Zhao Jin wiped the blood from his blade. After standing up, he lowered his head and remained silent for a long while before raising it and saying, "The brothers who fell or were wounded must be properly compensated. Don't let their blood be shed in vain and chill their hearts. We must all keep a close eye on this matter."

"Rest assured, Big Brother. If a single one is shorted, I'll answer with my head!" Liu Yong replied solemnly.

Zhao Jin shook his head and said, "It means all of us must take it to heart. It's not that you've done a poor job."

Liu Yong was responsible for the miscellaneous and internal affairs of the Zhao Character Battalion. Although Ru Hui and Zhou Xuezhi had also taken on many tasks, the full handover was not yet complete.

"Don't use water from around the battlefield. Better to drive the carts to a distant place and haul back well water. All food must be cooked thoroughly. Mix quicklime with water and scatter it around the camp perimeter. Don't leave any spot uncovered." The leaders of the various local militias and volunteer forces had all gathered around, and Zhao Jin gave his instructions in a deep voice.

Someone immediately acknowledged the order and took on the assignment. Zhao Jin continued, "Everyone contributed men and effort to rescue the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians inside and outside this city. The authorities ought to give us an explanation. Everyone report your expenses and casualties to me. I will deal with the authorities. If a single bit is shorted, I'll make it up to you!"

The militia and volunteer leaders gathered around Zhao Jin were all stunned, then a stir ran through them. They exchanged glances, seeming to doubt Zhao Jin's words.

"Zhao's word has always been solid. Everyone here has helped me this time, and I will not treat you unfairly. If there are any doubts, Zhao will advance these expenses first." Zhao Jin spoke very plainly.

"How could we accept that!" "We aren't worthy!" "Master Jin's word is as good as a chiseled mark—I believe it!" The crowd shouted out one after another. After these instinctive replies, someone gave a heartfelt thumbs-up and said, "I rarely dealt with Master Jin before. Today, having gone through life and death alongside Master Jin, I finally understand his lofty honor!"

"Master Jin is truly the pillar that holds up our Xuzhou, safeguarding the peace of our Xuzhou!"

"Does Security Chief Zhao only protect He Family Village? Aren't all of us protected by Security Chief Zhao!" One after another, everyone spoke up, all sincere and heartfelt in their praise.

They had come to the rescue for their own safety, and also out of righteous indignation and fervent zeal. But after the joy of victory had passed, many matters now lay plainly before them.

Although the Zhao Character Battalion had led the charge in battle, withstanding the strongest force and fiercest counterattacks of the refugees, the militias and volunteer forces had also mostly joined the fight. Yet their equipment was far inferior to that of the Zhao Character Battalion. Most of the household troops at the front of the Zhao Character Battalion had armor protecting their bodies; they were well-equipped and full of stamina, and they coordinated with one another. The militias and volunteer forces that had followed from various places were far inferior in comparison. Their casualties were even greater than those of the Zhao Character Battalion, though measured against this victory, the casualties seemed negligible.

However, aside from Zhao Jin, the most prominent among the others was merely the master of a fortified stockade. Whether it was the expenses of leading their men to rescue Xuzhou, or the compensation and aid for their fallen and wounded subordinates, it was all a very heavy burden.

After the fervor and excitement had passed, everyone was worried. They had all dealt with the authorities before and knew their ways: before a task was done, they promised everything; once it was accomplished, they would drag their feet on the settlement as long as possible. What's more, this time the authorities had not even initiated the request for their righteous rescue. How to get reimbursed and compensated afterward was a headache just to think about.

Yet their headache had not lasted even half a shichen before Zhao Jin's promise set all their minds at ease.

"This evening, Zhao will arrange the guard duties. Although the refugees have scattered in defeat, they are still numerous and strong. We cannot afford to be too careless. Do as I just instructed. Everyone, eat early and rest early. There will be more to keep us busy tomorrow!" Zhao Jin arranged.

Everyone agreed. Zhao Jin and his companions walked toward their own camp. The crowd had not yet dispersed and were discussing animatedly as they watched Zhao Jin's retreating figure.

"So young, and yet so honorably generous. Remarkable!"

"He charged to the front during the fight, and at the end he's thinking of our welfare. For a broken-down place like Xuzhou to produce such an outstanding hero!"

"We must stick close to him from now on! Once this matter is settled, we can say we've established a connection with Master Jin. There's a bond of friendship now!"

"On the soil of Xuzhou, Master Jin must be a hero of the first rank!"

"What first rank? Master Jin is the foremost in Xuzhou!"

Zhao Jin could not be bothered to pay attention to the words behind him. He simply walked forward with his head down. Wang Zhaojing naturally fell into step on his right, just as before.

"From what the people delivering supplies said, you also had a fierce battle inside the city?" Zhao Jin spoke first to start the conversation.

At the mention of this, Wang Zhaojing could not help but show a lingering look of fear on his face. Shaking his head, he said, "Everyone thought these refugee bandits had no way to breach the city, thinking they were out of their minds to attack a big city like Xuzhou. So no one made any real preparations. Who would have thought it wasn't the refugee bandits who were out of their minds, but the various gentlemen inside the city. That band of refugee bandits had arranged many backup plans within the city. If Zheng Quan hadn't turned coat in time, heaven knows how great the chaos would have been!"

Hearing this, everyone's expressions grew solemn. Zhao Jin said slowly, "If the refugees had breached the city, there would have been nothing the Zhao Character Battalion could do. With over a hundred thousand famine victims surging out, we couldn't have beaten them regardless of their will to fight."

After walking a few steps, Wang Zhaojing said sullenly, "Everything was peaceful and calm. How did it come to this?"

"Peaceful? There are three hundred thousand refugees in Fengyang Prefecture. A hundred thousand or two hundred thousand at least. They've gone along the waterways to wreak havoc on Pizhou. Shandong has suffered severe drought for two years straight. Henan is plagued by locusts. Have the refugees in our Xuzhou been any fewer? In years like these, how can you speak of peace..." Zhao Jin said with a smile, but then he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Everyone looked over at him.

Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "If someone deliberately diverted the refugees toward Pizhou, and Pizhou is the key junction of the canal transport route, Vice General Zhou would have no choice but to go to its aid. Then Xuzhou would be left empty—the perfect moment to strike..."

"There were already no boats on the Yellow River, yet the refugees managed to get enough boats to cross. There was something fishy about this from the start!" Chen Sheng also spoke up.

A look of shock and astonishment appeared on Wang Zhaojing's face. He could not help but lower his voice and say, "If all of this was intentional, and the refugee bandits' march all the way south from Shandong to Xuzhou was also instigated by someone—what kind of figure possesses such skill to overturn clouds and summon rain?"

"From today's fight, how could that last wave that came at us possibly be refugees? They forcefully broke through our lines. If Big Brother hadn't led us to hold the front, we would have faced a great calamity." Ji Xiang also spoke up. Everyone was now piecing everything together.

"Big Brother, should we tighten security tonight to guard against a raid on our camp?" Liu Yong quickly asked.

Zhao Jin waved his hand and said with a smile, "We've already sent out scouts and sentries. If the refugees come, our temporary preparations will be enough. I also don't believe they have the ability to raid a camp at night. If they had that skill, they could have attacked the city under cover of darkness and taken Xuzhou long ago. Besides, from start to finish, the refugee leaders have performed quite well. At this moment, their only option is to flee quickly. If they don't leave now, Vice General Zhou will be leading his troops back soon!"

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, everyone laughed. Shi Manqiang chuckled and said, "Raid the camp at night? They might not even get one meal a day. At night, they're certainly blind."

Not having enough to eat leads to various ailments. Being unable to see clearly at night, like a blind person—the so-called "night blindness"—is one of them. Even if one eats their fill, if they consume too little meat and rich foods, many people still cannot see clearly at night.

And that was for ordinary households. As for these refugees who had come from Shandong to Xuzhou, although they could get food, the provisions supplied along the way by the Smelling Incense Sect were only enough to keep them from dying, maintaining their hunger and desperation. As for anything else, it went without saying.

Unable to see clearly in the darkness, there was naturally no question of launching a night raid. If they attempted any action, it was entirely possible they would cause a panic in their own camp and turn on each other in the chaos.

As for those cult followers and core members disguised as refugees, they might not have any problems seeing at night. But as long as they lacked the resolve to fight to the death, their top priority now was to flee—cross the river, scatter, and escape the coming purge and pursuit by the imperial troops.

Though the Great Ming's military forces were riddled with corruption and weakness, they still represented a sufficiently massive power. This time, the refugees' siege of Xuzhou had relied on a trick, diverting Vice General Zhou and his elite troops to Pizhou. If Vice General Zhou had been allowed to prepare at his leisure, there probably would not have been a siege of Xuzhou. Instead, the imperial court would have assembled troops from several provinces for a coordinated extermination campaign.

An attack on Xuzhou by tens of thousands of refugees was enough to shake the court and the realm. The next step would inevitably be the massing of the great armies to pursue and exterminate the refugee bandits. Moreover, the refugee bandits and the local strongmen of various regions were mortal enemies. The militias and village braves would also join the offensive.

As long as the leaders commanding the refugees still possessed any reason, their most urgent task now was to flee. And after crossing the river, they would have to scatter. Otherwise, it would mean total annihilation, with not even a hiding place in the countryside, because the covetous strongmen and their private armies were there as well.

Even if the enemy truly cast aside all reason and launched a frenzied attack, after the day's battle, Zhao Jin was confident he could defeat them again, and with even greater results.

Despite this optimistic assessment, after they had retired deep into the night to rest, the Zhao Character Battalion still maintained a rotation of three shifts.