Chapter 314: Zhao Jin Enters the City

Everyone had witnessed the ferocity of the Zhao Character Camp and Zhao Jin's martial valor the day before. Today's words only deepened their admiration. A man accomplished in both letters and arms, who showed such consideration for his men—following him could bring no harm.

Down below the wall, they were hauling away corpses to burn and scrubbing the bloodstained earth and wall bricks. The atmosphere was heavy with solemnity. Hearing the cheers and jubilation from this side, they all looked over in puzzlement.

The riders from that direction arrived at a gallop. It was indeed Dong Bingfeng and his group. The three Qi brothers were also among them. Though nominally hired men, they could now be considered trustworthy. With matters so serious this time, they had been deployed as if they were the camp's own cavalry.

"Gentlemen, return and reorganize your men first. If you need anything, do not hesitate to tell me, Zhao." Zhao Jin smiled as he gave this dismissal. Naturally, no one dared to disobey. They all clasped their fists in respectful farewell and took their leave.

Once the crowd dispersed, Zhao Jin jumped down from the cart. He gave a self-deprecating smile, thinking that even just speaking nowadays felt like holding a mass rally, and he had to shout at the top of his lungs just to be heard.

But he immediately noticed that Dong Bingfeng and the cavalrymen all wore grim expressions. Had some major incident occurred? Zhao Jin's heart tightened, and he quickly called all his nearby companions over.

"Damn it all, it's not like we haven't seen the aftermath of a city purge in Huai'an Prefecture, but even that wasn't this brutal. What a sin!" Qi San cursed roughly. Some of the others sighed, some nodded.

Dong Bingfeng walked up to them. Only then did everyone see that the rims of his eyes were red—he had actually been crying. They were all the more astonished. Before anyone could ask, Dong Bingfeng spoke first: "Big Brother, it was simply too tragic along the way. The road was littered with fallen refugees. Some were still sitting by the roadside, leaning against trees. At first we thought they were alive, but when we got closer, we realized they were dead..."

"A few even had smiles on their faces. I was puzzled at first, but then I understood—being dead was better than being alive," Qi Da said in a muffled voice.

Zhao Jin nodded. From below the city wall, one could guess the scene from the night before. The refugees had been routed and fled. By then it was already dark. They probably couldn't even see the path clearly, yet they dared not stop, fleeing only northward. Along the way, they naturally collapsed from exhaustion and weakness until death. Such a scene was easy to imagine—it was hell on earth.

"What's their situation now? And what about those who fought us head-on?" This was what concerned Zhao Jin most.

"Big Brother, weren't there many boats when the refugees crossed the river? But now all those boats are gone. I asked the people by the riverbank. They said the boats had been moored there all along, but last night someone came from the north bank. Many boats were set on fire and sunk. The remaining boats, not daring to stay on this side, simply sailed downstream south. The refugees had no boats to cross. Many, upon reaching the riverbank, just wept and jumped straight in, drowning just like that. The rest are all stranded by the river..." Dong Bingfeng continued.

Everyone was stunned. Chen Sheng frowned and said, "Who would do such a thing? If they wanted to oppose these refugees, they should have acted when they were crossing the river. Why stir up trouble when they're fleeing?"

"How many people are still over there?" Wang Zhaojing asked.

"Still a great many. Over ten thousand, maybe even twenty thousand at least," Dong Bingfeng replied. With so many people, refugees utterly without any formation or order, it was hard to estimate a precise number.

Wang Zhaojing pondered briefly, then said, "Big Brother, with so many people still not dispersed, they will be a major threat if not dealt with promptly."

"What's there to fear? If they come, we'll slaughter them all!" Shi Manqiang said gruffly. A single glance from Zhao Jin silenced him immediately.

Wang Zhaojing looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "Big Brother, if we can swallow up this many people, it would be a tremendous benefit to us as well!"

Everyone paused. Zhao Jin, who had been pondering with his head lowered, slowly looked up at Wang Zhaojing. The address had changed from "Brother Zhao" to "Big Brother"—that was one thing. But for Wang Zhaojing to propose such a scheme was a significant departure from his previous attitude.

"These tens of thousands are all young men and women, no elderly or weak. As long as they can eat their fill, they'll surely recover," Liu Yong added, his breathing growing slightly ragged.

"But where would we get that much grain?" Ji Xiang asked from the side.

"We have it. The government grain stores, the great households' grain stores, and our sorghum," Zhao Jin said, raising his head.

They all looked at one another. After a moment of silence, they all nodded. Since the problem could be solved, it was indeed worth doing.

"What do we need so many people for?" Someone wanted to ask this jokingly, and more than one person was thinking it. But in the end, everyone remained silent.

Growing even a little stronger was always good. It would make the distillery business safer, make the Zhao Character Camp more powerful. And saving the lives of tens of thousands of refugees would be an act of great merit, a deed of immense compassion.

Yet the Zhao Character Camp, with only a few hundred men, already dominated Xuzhou. One strong enemy after another had been crushed, and it was clear the various local militias and village braves were also being brought to heel. What need was there for so many more people? Besides, that many people would require a colossal amount of grain and expenditure. Why go to the trouble? But no one voiced this question. It seemed no one thought of it, or perhaps they deliberately avoided it.

"Big Brother, this matter still requires the government to take the lead. If we act directly, it will be far too conspicuous, far too easy to give others ammunition against us," Wang Zhaojing said again in a low voice.

Zhao Jin glanced at Wang Zhaojing, nodded again, and then said, "You're right. For now, let's enter the city to rest and regroup. Everyone, return and organize your units."

At the mention of returning to the city, everyone roared in agreement and dispersed. Chen Sheng, being close by, did not leave. Watching Wang Zhaojing's retreating figure, he said, "I'm starting to find that kid a bit more agreeable."

Zhao Jin turned his head to glance at Chen Sheng and shook his head helplessly.

The Zhao Character Camp's forces finished assembling and marched directly toward Xuzhou's west gate. The militia and village braves from other areas, as well as those independent fighters, all remained outside the city. They were in no hurry. They had already sent men back to report their victory and safety, and with Zhao Jin's promise, they just had to wait here for news.

The camp and the city gate were quite far apart. Even after assembling, the march would take a while. Along the way were the people of Xuzhou collecting corpses. Seeing the orderly Zhao Character Camp approach, they all moved aside of their own accord.

Quite a few people within Xuzhou city had seen the Zhao Character Camp train, but back then the camp had only a hundred or so men, who also had to be distributed to various guard posts. Very few actually trained, and a few dozen men were hardly impressive.

But now the Zhao Character Camp numbered nearly five hundred. Their armor and weapons were fine, their foot drill was practiced. Advancing in formation, they naturally possessed a solemn, mountain-like presence.

Xuzhou esteemed martial prowess. The Zhao Character Camp's fierce performance below the wall the day before was already known to all. Now, seeing this kind of presence, even those who had only heard and doubted were convinced. Everyone watched with rapt attention. The older ones felt awe; the younger ones felt envy, wishing they could be among them.

"Isn't that the kid from the Hu family south of the city? He used to be a coward, but now he looks like a real man!"

"I know Old Seven from the Cheng family. He used to run from every fight. Look at him now, truly impressive."

Most of the recruits and veterans in the Zhao Character Camp were city natives, and many were recognized. The transformation they had undergone, inside and out, after training and bloody battle, was immense. Seeing this, their acquaintances all exclaimed in praise.

Some of these words reached the ears of the Zhao Character Camp's household troops. Thinking of the grueling training, the bloody battle the day before, and their fallen and wounded comrades, each man, consciously or not, puffed out his chest and raised his head, gripping his long spear tighter and marching with even more precision.

Zhao Jin and his companions, as the leaders, all rode on horseback at the front. Exhausted from the fierce battle the day before, they naturally could not maintain any military bearing and looked listless in the saddle. Yet who would dare look down on these brothers of theirs? Who didn't know what kind of men they were?

The various groups working below the wall had stopped their tasks and gathered to watch, spontaneously forming a crowd on both sides of the Zhao Character Camp. They watched and chattered, the noise a chaotic din.

"That's Master Jin!"

"Master Jin is truly a young hero!"

"What young hero? Master Jin is the number one true man in all of Xuzhou!"

"Number one! Who could be stronger than him?"

"Then Chen Sheng must be number two..."

The crowd below spontaneously began ranking them. Someone, no one knew who, first shouted, "Master Jin is mighty! Master Jin, a true hero!" A whole group of people followed, roaring their approval.

In such a fervent atmosphere, smiles appeared on everyone's faces as they looked at one another.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a blue robe came running quickly from the city gate toward them. Behind this middle-aged man followed two men dressed as official runners.

Many outside the city recognized this middle-aged man. He was Prefect Tong's personal attendant, considered a figure of some importance in the prefectural yamen. His surname was also Tong, and everyone outside called him Master Tong.

The prefect was a lofty figure, so his steward, attendants, and gatekeepers also became personages of note. They relayed orders and messages, bullying others under borrowed authority. Their prestige went without saying, and the perks were considerable. This attendant's status in the yamen was no less than that of the clerks of the six offices, and everyone treated him with great respect.

The moment they saw him approach, quite a few people greeted him attentively. But this Master Tong had no time for pleasantries. He just ran toward the front. Those watching closely could see that his expression was extremely troubled.

Before long, this Master Tong had run up to Zhao Jin's horse. He had rushed the whole way, his face covered in sweat and panting heavily. Zhao Jin reined in his mount and raised an arm from horseback. The drumming stopped, a suona horn sounded, and a tall, burly man raised a grimy, blackened banner and waved it. The entire column also halted.

Such an orderly force, transitioning from motion to stillness so crisply and cleanly—the whole scene fell silent, as if everyone felt something shudder. Master Tong himself trembled and stumbled back two steps in alarm. As for the two runners behind him, they had already slipped into the crowd of onlookers on either side, their faces showing complete detachment, utterly unconcerned with this man's plight.

The sweat on Master Tong's face only increased, but he had no time to wipe it away. He forced out a smile and said in a hoarse voice: "Zhao Jin... Young Master Zhao, His Excellency the Prefect has decreed that all local militias and village braves are to rest in place outside the city. None are permitted to enter. Supplies and rewards will be sent out from the city."