Chapter 319: Up the Mountain First

The moment that name was heard, those who had been worried immediately fell silent. Just as they had expected, as soon as Zhao Jin and his riders arrived, the clamorous encampment quieted at once.

"As expected of Lord Jin..." But before they could finish voicing that sentiment, the encampment erupted into an explosive uproar again, startling everyone on and below the walls into thinking an attack was coming.

"Lord Jin, you must see justice done for us!"

"Lord Jin, didn't you say the city would provide rewards and cover burial and pension costs?"

"The officials' conduct is utterly disheartening! We fought with our lives on the line — is this how we're repaid?"

Passions were inflamed, everyone shouting at once. In their eyes, Zhao Jin was a man of great standing whose word was his bond, and since he had promised them beforehand, of course they would turn to him to pour out their grievances.

Zhao Jin sat on horseback, letting these village braves and militia members shout, observing their agitated expressions. These men came from the countryside of Xuzhou, the product of Xuzhou's martial culture combined with powerful clans everywhere. They held no official standing. In times of peace, they might serve as a shield protecting their villages; in times of chaos, even the slightest instability, outside the city walls where no law held sway, they could just as easily prey upon the countryside or turn into bandits and brigands, plaguing the region.

Compared to ordinary able-bodied men, these people had seen blood and faced battle, possessed some notion of coordination, and had a certain mentality. Compared to bandits and mounted raiders, these men still had a sense of righteous courage and a conscience. Their roots were still in the Xuzhou countryside.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Zhao Jin raised his arm and shouted, "Everyone quiet down and listen to me!"

He rode back and forth as he shouted, and before long, the emotionally charged militia volunteers all quieted down. Zhao Jin's face still carried weight.

Zhao Jin reined in his horse and shouted from the saddle, "If you all trust me, Zhao, then wait here one more day. I will enter the city to plead your case. I won't let you shed sweat and blood only to shed tears as well. We must get these expenses paid in full, and not a single coin of the burial and pension money can be shorted..."

"What if the officials refuse? You said the same thing yesterday, Lord Jin!" These martial men were lawless sorts, and in their anger, they no longer cared about deference or awe.

"If the officials refuse tomorrow, I, Zhao, will pay this silver out of my own pocket. I will absolutely not shortchange any of you," Zhao Jin declared loudly.

The scene had still been somewhat noisy, but after these words were spoken, from front to back, nearly two thousand men gradually fell silent, all staring at Zhao Jin in disbelief.

Zhao Jin had made similar promises before, but everyone assumed it was just talk. He was saving Xuzhou — why should he pay out of his own pocket? Mere pleasantries, that's all. But now, in this situation, these words were no longer mere pleasantries.

Once the scene had fallen completely silent, seeing the doubt and incomprehension on everyone's faces, a smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face. He shouted again, "I, Zhao Jin, stake my name and my enterprises as guarantee — can it be that you still don't trust me?"

Silence again, until finally someone shouted out, "If Lord Jin says so, I trust him!"

This seemed to be the spark that set the scene boiling over once more. Everyone spoke at once, and what they said was much the same.

"Lord Jin's every word is solid as a pit in the ground — we trust him!"

"Captain Zhao's righteousness reaches the heavens — truly a man like a timely rain!"

"The single pillar propping up our Xuzhou!"

Zhao Jin, still on horseback, smiled and kept clasping his fist and nodding in response to their words, which only heightened the militia volunteers' fervor. Those who had been thinking of going it alone were now already mulling it over — should they go and pledge themselves to Zhao Jin? They could also spot familiar faces in the Zhao Camp, men who had previously been rather unremarkable but now looked spirited and full of vigor, one and all. Clearly, the Zhao Camp was a place that nurtured men and brought out their potential.

"Brothers, tonight the drinks are on me! Eat your fill of meat, drink your fill of Han Well Famous Liquor! Rest well for the night, and await good news tomorrow!" Zhao Jin shouted.

At this, cheers and applause erupted once more. Han Well Famous Liquor was not something one could drink casually, and because it was expensive, one couldn't drink freely either, which always left people feeling unsatisfied. This time, they were told they could drink their fill, and everyone grew excited.

"Thank you, Lord Jin..." someone shouted from below, and many others joined in.

At that moment, Zhao Jin raised his hand from horseback to signal for quiet, then dismounted. Raising his voice, he said, "You all fought side by side with me, braved death together, and saved this city of Xuzhou. It is not you who should thank me — it is I who should thank you all."

Having spoken, he solemnly bowed deeply with clasped hands to the crowd before him. First there was silence, then another stir. The leaders standing in the front rows all hurriedly returned the gesture, and some even scrambled to kneel directly on the ground in their fluster.

These burly, towering men could no longer hold themselves together at this moment. Many had tears streaming down their faces, feeling that all the bloody fighting and grievances had been worth it, and that following Lord Jin through a few more rounds like this would be no matter at all.

After Zhao Jin finished his bow, carts loaded with wine jars were already approaching from the city gate. Only then did Zhao Jin remount, saying he still had matters to attend to and would certainly give everyone an answer tomorrow. Everyone hurriedly paid their respects and saw him off, watching as Zhao Jin and his sworn brothers rode back into the city.

From the time Zhao Jin left the city to his return, Wang Zhaojing's gaze upon him had been very complicated. He understood perfectly well the purpose of Zhao Jin's performance — winning hearts and minds. Yet no one could find fault with this approach. If the officials themselves were unwilling to pay and left people disheartened, they could hardly blame others for stepping into the breach.

It was just that when Zhao Jin had bowed in thanks earlier, he had already been speaking on behalf of Xuzhou, as if he himself were Xuzhou. Yet everyone found this attitude perfectly natural.

In the time it took Zhao Jin to make a circuit outside the city and return, Xuzhou's defenses had already changed. The garrison strength at every city gate had doubled, and cavalry constantly rode in and out, conducting reconnaissance and scouting missions.

This atmosphere also made the militia volunteers in the encampment somewhat nervous. The quicker-witted among them had already figured out why the officials were acting this way. Earlier, they had agreed to everything because the city was empty and vulnerable. Now they dared to tear up their promises and deny everything because they had gained confidence.

The contrast only highlighted Zhao Jin's lofty righteousness and generosity, raising him even higher in everyone's estimation.

Men who handle blades and spears mostly enjoy drinking. Seeing that dusk was falling, they unloaded the Han Well Famous Liquor from the carts, broke open the clay seals, and began drinking. The prepared pork and mutton had also been cooked and delivered. With wine and meat both ready, their spirits rose even higher.

A sip, a curse at the officials; another sip, a word of praise for Zhao Jin. The atmosphere in the encampment was incredibly fervent, which actually made the people inside the city drop their guard.

Everyone was discussing how Lord Jin was busying himself inside the city on their behalf, rushing about for the reward and pension silver — truly a man of honor. Having such a man in the Xuzhou countryside was a blessing for them all. Tian Ying, Lin Er, and the others from the places linked in mutual defense with He Village had all risen to prosperity.

People from every village and hamlet gathered around to ask what benefits there were in allying with He Village. Tian Ying and the others were considered figures of some standing in their own locales, but meant little once outside. Rarely did they have such an opportunity to be surrounded and flattered, and each of them got carried away, spilling every last detail.

In their high spirits, they even mustered their own village's militia and had them demonstrate the foot drills they usually practiced at He Village for everyone.

As it happened, the village braves and militia from the nine linked villages had been mixed in with the Zhao Camp household troops and had borne the brunt of the refugee onslaught. Their casualties were somewhat heavier than those of the other areas. But they weren't worried about pensions and such — they knew Zhao Jin's way of doing things better than anyone else and were certain he would not shortchange them.

Seeing the foot drills from these places — though they lacked the imposing, disciplined air of the main Zhao Camp force, they still bore a rough resemblance. Drawn up for a gang fight, they might well prove more than a match for any group from the surrounding villages. And hearing about how Zhao Jin treated each area — though he could be somewhat overbearing, no one had come out worse off; strictly speaking, they had actually gained considerably more than before.

Moreover, Zhao Jin always charged to the very front in battle, and when it came to distributing rewards and fighting for compensation, he never kept anything for himself. A man like that deserved to be the leader.

News traveled fast. Before long, the fact that the officials were refusing to pay the militia volunteers outside the city was known even inside the city. If Prefect Tong Huaizu had previously been considered passable, now he was met with a chorus of curses. When the bandits came, he wouldn't let the outside militia enter the city, standing by while the villages outside were plundered. When defending the city, he hid in the yamen, and rumor had it he even tried to disguise himself to flee. And now, he was burning the bridge after crossing it — utterly unrighteous. A prefect like that, far from bringing blessings to Xuzhou, was more likely to bring disaster.

Zhao Jin's conduct, naturally, was once again praised by all. The Xuzhou region had a longstanding custom of powerful local leaders holding sway, and now everyone shared the same view: let the prefect stay where he was; for any matter, just seek out Zhao Jin to make the decision.

Everyone was talking about Zhao Jin, yet at that very moment, Zhao Jin was not in the city. He had taken one hundred and fifty household troops of the Zhao Camp out through another gate and headed for Cloud Mountain Temple.

The freight yard had already pulled out the Zhao Camp household troops' rosters and leave permits, sending men out in all directions to search. Although leave had only been granted that morning, they were now recalling everyone to reassemble.

They had also deliberately concealed their departure from the city, dispersing to exit and assembling outside. The guides this time were the same traveling merchants who had been used during the night raid on Cloud Mountain Temple.

Less than a month had passed, and the two traveling merchants looked much better. With Zhao Jin's patronage, they were now thriving both inside and outside Xuzhou. The quota for Han Well Famous Liquor, in particular, was a magnet for wealth and business — with liquor in hand, one could negotiate all sorts of other deals.

In front of Zhao Jin, these two naturally knew their place and were even more deferential than before. From Xuzhou city, up Cloud Dragon Mountain to Cloud Mountain Temple, it was a journey of at most three-quarters of an hour — very convenient.

After the hundred-odd men formed up briefly, they clustered around Zhao Jin and headed up the mountain. Unless heading into battle or on a long march, Zhao Jin always led from the front, and everyone had long grown accustomed to it.

Walking up the main road, the two traveling merchants introduced the local lore and amusing anecdotes along the way. Though Zhao Jin had grown up on this very soil, he had actually never visited more than a handful of times. The two merchants also shared quite a few unwritten rules of the rivers and lakes, which made for a relaxed and interesting journey.

As Zhao Jin and his group ascended, many people were coming down. Judging by their attire, they were nearby residents, carrying large and small bundles, some leading livestock or pushing carts. When Zhao Jin saw these people, both sides were rather surprised. The guides went over to inquire and learned they were common folk from the vicinity. When the great wave of refugees had passed through, many had suffered, and many had also fled.

Everyone had assumed beforehand that nothing would happen, but when the crisis came, the Xuzhou city gates were already tightly shut. The only place they could count on was Cloud Mountain Temple. Cloud Mountain Temple was a pure land of the Buddha — perhaps these refugees, out of respect for the Buddha, would not dare to violate it.

But this Cloud Mountain Temple, for all its talk of compassion, had not shown much compassion. Its great gates had been shut early, and able-bodied young monks, armed with implements, guarded every point, forbidding the commoners from entering. For these commoners to descend the mountain at that time would have been suicide, so they could only helplessly gather around the temple perimeter.

Fortunately, the refugees had been routed, and as word spread, the refugees were heading home — which was when they came face to face with Zhao Jin heading up.

"... Truly the Buddha's blessing, that those damned bandits, fit to be hacked to pieces, never came this way..." Such words drifted into Zhao Jin's ears.

Zhao Jin's expression was very grim. He naturally did not believe in any Buddha's blessing. Leaving Cloud Mountain Temple untouched when it was so close and so easy to strike, yet focusing on attacking Xuzhou city instead — this only further proved that the refugees had been acting on a premeditated plan, and whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes had been targeting Xuzhou from the start.

Before long, Zhao Jin's party arrived before the main gate of Cloud Mountain Temple. The sky had already darkened, and from a distance, the long spears carried by the Zhao Camp household troops were not visible.

In front of the mountain gate and outside the temple's perimeter walls, many monks were tidying up. The commoners had stayed for a day and a night, leaving behind a fair amount of refuse. Seeing so many people approach with Zhao Jin, they assumed it was villagers returning, or perhaps a wealthy household heading up the mountain.

Several young novice monks immediately ran over to greet them, but the moment they drew close and saw the long spears, they stopped dead in their tracks. One of them, voice trembling, said, "Don't they look just like those people who stormed the mountain gate that day?"

The monks instantly turned deathly pale. They stood there sizing up Zhao Jin and his men. When Zhao Jin had led the charge inside that day, even though they'd had sacks over their heads, that uniform, chilling presence was hard to imitate — anyone who had seen it remembered it vividly.

Once one novice shouted it out, the more the others looked, the more they saw the resemblance. Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore. He let out a terrified scream, turned, and fled, shouting as he ran, "The evil spirits have come up the mountain again!"

That one shout was all it took. The monks outside the temple froze for an instant, then erupted in utter terror. Some screamed, abandoned their tools and everything else, turned, and bolted toward the mountain gate. Others dashed straight into the nearby mountain woods.

In the blink of an eye, the area outside the temple was completely deserted — not a single figure in sight. Only the half-cleared rubbish lay strewn across the ground. The mountain gate was shut tight, and from outside, you could still hear panicked screams and turmoil within the courtyard walls. The chaos inside was clearly no small matter.

Zhao Jin and his party were also startled by this reaction. First they stared in shock, then they couldn't help bursting into loud laughter.

"Wait here. Someone from the temple will come out," Zhao Jin said with a laugh.

The area outside Cloud Mountain Temple's gate had originally been swept perfectly clean, but now rubbish was everywhere. Finding a spot to rest was no easy task. The two merchants called to each other, about to go tidy up a place, but Zhao Jin stopped them.

Sure enough, just as Zhao Jin had said, it wasn't long before the tightly shut gate of Cloud Mountain Temple opened again. A monk in an exquisitely crafted kasaya hurried out at a quick pace, followed by several sturdy young monks who stood trembling outside the gate, too afraid to step forward.

"That's either the abbot or the overseer!" The two merchants had sharp eyes and solid experience.

When the man drew near, however, he turned out to be an old acquaintance — none other than Zhenzhi, the one who had guided them that day. Back then he'd been a merchant; now he had returned to monastic life.

The moment he saw Zhao Jin, this monk Zhenzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He pressed his palms together in salute and was just about to speak when Zhao Jin spoke first: "Tonight, all of us will be staying here at your place. Set aside a separate area for us. You'll provide the evening meal and everything else, but don't come near. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Hearing this, the unease on Monk Zhenzhi's face vanished completely. He nodded hurriedly and said, "Please rest assured, Patron Zhao. This temple will handle the matter properly. Please wait just a moment."

With that, Monk Zhenzhi turned and strode briskly away. He called out a few orders from the mountain gate. Cloud Mountain Temple seemed to have a systematic routine for hosting guests. The time between the earlier rout and the monks reemerging had been very short, yet already men were carrying out tea tables, chairs, and stools. Behind them, others were even shouldering tea buckets. At the very least, the tea for receiving guests was fully prepared. The tables, chairs, and stools were set out for Zhao Jin; the tea buckets and wooden bowls were for the household troops behind him.

"Master Jin, the wealthy families of the city all come here to escape the summer heat. This temple has quite the system for hosting people at its gate — a bit of tea like this really doesn't count for much." Seeing Zhao Jin's puzzled expression, the two guides smiled and explained.

One source of income for temples and abbeys is hosting wealthy and noble patrons. When these patrons grow tired of the city, they often come to temples and abbeys in the hills outside town for a leisurely stay, enjoying fine food and drink. When they leave, they give a generous donation according to the unspoken custom.

Although Cloud Mountain Temple had abundant revenue streams, it hadn't abandoned this line of business. Officials and gentry often brought their families here, and it was through this that relationships on all sides were maintained.

As they spoke, the closed mountain gate swung wide open. A dozen or so monks walked toward them. Though fear still lingered on their faces, it was now overlaid with eager smiles. This really was a place that knew how to do business, Zhao Jin mused inwardly. He then ordered his household troops to follow the arrangements.

Hosting the nearly two hundred men of Zhao's Camp was, for Cloud Mountain Temple, an effortless affair. The place arranged for them lay on the west side of the mountain gate — a semi-detached compound with numerous rooms, spacious and immaculate. It was clearly meant for hosting wealthy and noble patrons.

Once everyone was settled, monks delivered the evening meal and all manner of supplies, taking excellent care of every single man in Zhao's Camp. This left the squad leaders deeply moved. They remarked that even back in their own camp at He Village, they had never lived this comfortably.

The monks of Cloud Mountain Temple, frightened as they were, still couldn't confirm Zhao Jin's exact background. Monk Zhenzhi, of course, understood perfectly and had been bustling about attending to them the entire time. But Zhao Jin simply told him to see to his own duties and assigned men to wait for Ruhui outside the mountain gate.

Night had fallen, and not long after they finished their evening meal, Monk Zhenzhi led Ruhui in. Ruhui was dressed in hunting attire. Despite being travel-worn, he carried himself with that noble, free-spirited ease of an aristocratic scion.

The moment Ruhui stepped through the door, he smiled, clasped his fists toward Zhao Jin, and said, "Congratulations on your great victory, Master. After this battle, there is no second man in all of Xuzhou!"

The same sentiment, when spoken by Ruhui, was especially pleasing to hear. A smile surfaced on Zhao Jin's face. At the same time, he noticed that Monk Zhenzhi, standing behind Ruhui, wore an expression full of deep emotion and wistful sighs.