Chapter 358: We Won't End Up Like This

After asking this question, Kong Jiuying suddenly noticed that among the two tall young men standing opposite him, there was a kid who looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall who it was.

This armor is truly excellent — wearing it into a fight, you'd probably need an axe or an iron mace to break through it, with only the mouth, nose, and eyes exposed. Come to think of it, how did he even determine these two wearing iron armor were young men? Was it by reading their eyes, or simply because everyone around them was young?

The courtyard fell very quiet for a moment; even the sounds from the house behind Kong Jiuying ceased. The maidservants had long since fled, and the Eighth Concubine was surely cowering in bed, too terrified to make a sound.

The two young men before him lifted their visors. They really were young — even excessively so. A jolt shot through Kong Jiuying, and it hit him directly who they were!

"You! You're Zhao Jin!" Kong Jiuying bellowed.

"Is this Kong Jiuying?" Zhao Jin asked with some puzzlement. He glanced at Little Zhong beside him, whose face was full of hatred, then at Liang San following behind, brimming with excitement.

"That's him!" the two said in unison, Little Zhong's voice even trembling slightly.

Zhao Jin looked at the old man before him, shook his head, and said with a frown, "Doesn't look the part."

"Really doesn't look the part — not what I imagined," Chen Sheng chimed in.

Known as Tiger Kong, his might shaking the borderlands of three provinces, the foremost boss among the outlaws of the jianghu, with all manner of battle exploits to his name — a man like that, you'd imagine, ought to be a fierce and formidable figure, or at the very least shrewd and sharp. Yet seeing him now, he was every inch a wealthy old gentleman, and one from a family rich for generations at that.

Tiger Kong stood before the door in a thin robe. Though the exposed skin bore scars, it was fine and fair; the scars were all decades old and had faded to near invisibility. His entire person was impeccably groomed, his clothing the luxuries enjoyed by the great wealthy houses of Jiangnan. And aside from those faint scars and a still reasonably straight back, there was nothing whatsoever to suggest this man was a martial artist — he felt like a man blessed by fortune, wealthy and noble from birth.

After guessing "Zhao Jin" and shouting it out, Kong Jiuying stood there frozen, silent, his gaze seeming to lose focus as he stared blankly ahead. It was as if he was not looking at Zhao Jin at all, but merely gazing beyond the courtyard.

Little Zhong, standing beside Zhao Jin, had already drawn his dagger. The moment he produced the weapon, Lu Da behind him shoved him violently aside; he stumbled and nearly fell. Yet Little Zhong paid this no mind, gripping his dagger and staring fixedly at Kong Jiuying, though he knew he could not act without Zhao Jin's order.

"I had originally thought to eliminate the roots as well, but it seems there's no need. You lot are nothing but trash." Zhao Jin smiled scornfully as he spoke, leveling his long spear.

Kong Jiuying shuddered again, his eyes splitting with rage, fists clenched as he prepared to lunge forward and fight to the death. Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng paid him no mind whatsoever, merely watching with amused interest.

But this state of desperate resolve lasted only a brief moment. Kong Jiuying saw the tall, robust Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng, saw the armored, expressionless young men behind them, and saw the fresh blood staining their weapons. His clenched fists loosened, the color drained from his face, and his whole body began to tremble.

With a "thud," Kong Jiuying actually dropped to his knees. He stretched out his hands, then drew them back, his voice quavering as he pleaded, "Zhao... Lord Zhao... Lord Jin, spare me, spare this lowly one. I have over ten thousand taels of silver stored here, and gold too, and bolts of silk. You... you, my lord, can take it all... spare this lowly one, spare this lowly one!"

His words had already taken on a sobbing tone. Kong Jiuying kowtowed heavily. The courtyard was silent. Zhao Jin's eyes were fixed on Kong Jiuying's hands, watching to see if they would reach elsewhere, but he only saw both hands pressed against the ground. Zhao Jin slowly exhaled.

Kong Jiuying on the ground jolted again, his hands flailing wildly as he said, "Lord Jin, I also have a residence in Feng County with several thousand taels stored inside. Lord Jin, the woman in my room here — I spent fifteen hundred taels to buy her back from Yangzhou..."

Tiger Kong was now utterly incoherent, waving his hands about as he blurted out everything he owned — gold and silver stores, the concubines and maidservants in his chambers — offering it all in exchange for his life. Anyone could see that Kong Jiuying had completely broken down.

Zhao Jin slowly shook his head, leveling the long spear in his hand. He turned to Chen Sheng beside him and said, "Rest assured, we will never end up like this!"

Before his words had faded, the long spear in his hand shot out like lightning, piercing straight through Kong Jiuying's throat, then was yanked back with equal speed. Zhao Jin flicked the spear shaft in the same motion, shaking off the drops of blood clinging to the tip, as if disgusted by the filth of Kong Jiuying's blood.

Kong Jiuying's eyes bulged wide; from his mouth came only a "gurgling" sound, frothy blood continuously spraying out. He clutched at his throat with his hands, but could only hold on for a brief moment before pitching forward onto the ground.

A woman's shriek rang out from inside the house, then turned into forcibly stifled sobs. Meanwhile, Little Zhong glanced at Zhao Jin, saw that no one was paying him any attention, and immediately charged over with a yell. Little Zhong raised his dagger and stabbed viciously down at Kong Jiuying's corpse, screaming as he stabbed, blood and flesh flying. Little Zhong could not hold back and burst into loud, wailing sobs!

"A hard trip, but seeing for ourselves just how pathetic the lot over here are — it wasn't a wasted journey. At the very least, it showed us not to become this wretched." Zhao Jin said, looking at the corpse on the ground.

"Life springs from hardship and toil, death from ease and pleasure. I never understood it when Wang Zhaojing used to say that, but today I get it," Chen Sheng added.

"We won't end up like this!" Zhao Jin emphasized once more, then turned and said, "Lu Da, take ten men. Zhang Hubin, take ten men. Go separately to Shi Manqiang's and Liu Yong's squads and relay the order: start the fires now, working from the inside out. Anyone who resists or attacks, kill without mercy. No wanton killing of innocents, no looting of property. Violators will be severely punished. Move out!"

Lu Da and Zhang Hubin acknowledged the order and swiftly led their men away. Zhao Jin waved his hand and said, "Begin setting the fires. Before lighting them, get the people out of the houses. Don't get careless and ambushed."

The household troops roared their assent and immediately busied themselves with preparations. Liang San and his few companions nearby were stunned. Liang San hurried forward and said, "Lord Jin, that old villain Kong has quite a hoard stashed away — are we really just leaving it?"

"Suit yourselves. We're leaving!" Zhao Jin answered indifferently.

The household troops of Zhao's Camp found kindling and firewood, along with lamp oil and cooking oil from the Kong household. Pile up the firewood, douse it with oil, and a spark would ignite a great blaze. With so much timber in the buildings, thick smoke soon rose everywhere. Fortunately, Zhao's Camp's household troops carried out their orders without cutting corners — they shouted warnings before setting each fire, so no one was burned to death inside.

Still, there was no real cause for tension. No one in the inner residence put up any resistance; most people simply fled in blind panic. Some took advantage of the chaos to steal valuables, and there were even a few who laid hands on the Kong family's women. Several of those who stole valuables were burned to death, while those who molested the women were dealt harsh lessons by Zhao's Camp's household troops.

Soon the inner residence was engulfed in flames everywhere. The force led by Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng withdrew to the inner stronghold. The inner stronghold had also begun to catch fire. But anyone in Kong Family Manor capable of fighting had already been eliminated, and those who could flee had already fled. There was hardly anyone left — only those who had clung to false hope and hidden inside their houses, now running out crying and screaming.

Waiting at the designated withdrawal and rally point, and seeing that the inner stronghold was now almost entirely ablaze, Zhao Jin ordered the bugler to sound the suona.

There were also quite a few fleeing people on the streets of the outer manor, carrying bundles on their backs, clutching their portable valuables, and dashing outward with desperate urgency. But so long as they did not attack, Zhao's Camp paid them no attention whatsoever.

The various squads quickly converged here. Liu Yong and Shi Manqiang walked over; their faces bore traces of soot and smoke, but they showed no signs of having been in a fight.

"Hardly any fighting at all!"

"This place isn't much better than Cloud Mountain Temple — utterly pathetic."

Each had his own lament; no one thought anything of this Kong Family Manor. Zhao Jin said little. Once the troops had assembled, he immediately led them outward.

Liang San beside him was stunned again. He ran a few quick steps to catch up with Zhao Jin and asked urgently, "Aren't we going to burn the outer manor?"

"I came to destroy the Kong family. What connection do these merchants have to that?" Zhao Jin answered coldly. Liang San was about to speak again, but Zhao Jin, without looking at him, said flatly, "You talk too much. One more word, and I'll burn you all along with it."

This Liang San was far too eager to see Kong Family Manor utterly annihilated, to the point of trying to issue orders to Zhao Jin's side. Zhao Jin had tolerated a few remarks, but would not continue being polite.

Hearing this reply, Liang San froze, then his face took on a somewhat embarrassed expression, while his several subordinates wore indignant looks. Zhao Jin naturally paid them no mind and led the main force out of the outer manor. Liu Yong glanced back and muttered quietly, "Those few are whispering about something — no idea what they're plotting. Big Brother, want to play it safe?"

As he spoke, he made a chopping gesture with his hand. Zhao Jin shook his head and said in a low voice, "No rush. If they try any tricks, we'll wipe them out afterward."

Just as prearranged, Dong Bingfeng had already brought over the horse carts that had been parked in the distance. In addition to those, there were several dozen horses rounded up from inside Kong Family Manor. The cavalrymen were busily fitting the tack, and by now the work was nearly complete.

"Those who can ride, mount up. First Squad, keep your armor on. Everyone else, quickly stow your armor on the carts. Have Batu lead the way up front," Zhao Jin called out loudly.

The men of Zhao's Camp immediately bustled into action. The one called Batu was an assistant under Wang Ziyang, a detail that left many puzzled — weren't Liang San's people supposed to be guiding them?

The armor was placed on the carts. The carts' jars were filled with cooled boiled water; someone used a wooden ladle to scoop out and distribute it to each man. After drinking and a brief rest, they formed ranks and prepared to march.

The sun had only just risen, yet everyone could already feel the heat. Shandong had suffered drought for several years. Though this area was near the Yellow River, it was still on Shandong's border, dry and rainless. Once a fire started, it was hard to extinguish. Moreover, the residents and families inside and outside Kong Family Manor had merely scattered and fled when Zhao's Camp charged in; they were likely still fleeing for their lives even now. Naturally, no one was there to fight the fires. The flames grew visibly larger, pillars of smoke soaring into the sky. Fortunately, the outer manor and inner manor were separated by roads, which served as a man-made firebreak, so the outer manor remained unscathed.

Despite having been rebuffed by Zhao Jin, Liang San still followed along. Guiding the way was their responsibility. With Zhao Jin's surprise raid on Kong Family Manor now a resounding success, they surely expected to be well entertained on the return journey.

Yet Zhao's Camp was acting entirely on its own. Batu rode at the very front on horseback; the others followed on foot behind. The direction was not the one they had come from.

"Lord Jin, where are we headed?" Liang San hurried forward to ask.

"Home!" Zhao Jin answered curtly. He said the word so naturally that Liang San thought he himself was mistaken, and only after looking left and right did he confirm that Zhao's Camp was marching south.

"Lord Jin, we should be heading east. You're going south..." He stopped mid-sentence, because he realized Zhao Jin was ignoring him, and Zhao's Camp was continuing south on its own.

Liang San did not pursue them this time. The few trusted guards of Xu Zhenzhen who had been guiding the way all along gathered together again and spoke in low voices.

"Do you all still remember when those bald donkeys from Cloud Mountain Temple came to attack the He Family Compound?" Zhao Jin spoke up. Everyone who heard this nodded — whether companions or household troops, this had been Zhao's Camp's first desperate battle, and naturally it was deeply etched in their memories.

"You all surely remember the end, when Liu Cheng led the cavalry charge and routed Cloud Mountain Temple's monk soldiers." This, too, everyone naturally remembered clearly.

Zhao Jin smiled leisurely and said, "We've smashed Kong Family Manor's core location, but they still have strength in their other branches, and there are government troops nearby. If we keep to the original route, what if the soldiers catch up to us? What if we're ambushed? And then the Xu family would become the undisputed greatest power in Xuzhou."

The men were first taken aback, then nodded solemnly. No matter how you looked at it, such a possibility did indeed exist.

Zhao Jin and his men kept heading south, ignoring the billowing dust behind them, and Liang San's group never gave chase.

From Kong Family Village straight south, there were no large towns along the way, only a few small settlements of less than a hundred households. There was plenty of wasteland along the route — anyone who knew farming could tell that the Yellow River flooded often here, turning the land into salt-alkali barrens impossible to cultivate. But being near the Yellow River had its advantages too: further from the riverbank, you could easily dig wells for water, and irrigation was more convenient than inland.

Every village they passed, the people inside either fled far away or came out to offer tribute with the utmost deference. Crude as these offerings were, Zhao Jin paid them no mind and simply ordered the column to keep advancing.

The cavalry split into two groups, one at the front and one at the rear. At noon, the entire force took a brief rest, finishing off the remaining dry rations. The chickens and sheep had been butchered and stewed ahead of time. When they set out again, the carts with no cargo were abandoned on the spot. Every cart loaded with armor and equipment had over a dozen Zhao Camp household retainers taking turns to help push.

These carts were heavy and cumbersome. Fortunately, the weather was dry and the ground was baked hard by the sun, though they still got stuck passing through ruts and potholes. With the village retainers helping, a great deal of trouble was saved.

"Someone on horseback followed us, but after watching from a distance for a while, they turned back. Just one rider — too far to make out clearly. Likely one of Liang San's people." During the march, the cavalry at the rear came to report.

"Reckon they wanted to see where exactly we're headed!" Zhao Jin said with a laugh.

The return journey had no cover — it was straight south all the way. As the sun was about to set, Zhao Camp reached the banks of the Yellow River.

Zhu Wangkou, where Kong Family Village lay, and Jiancheng Market had both been named for the Yellow River. Zhu Wangkou had once been a rather thriving ferry crossing, but when the canal transport hub moved from Xuzhou to Yutou Town in Pizhou, this place had long since fallen into disuse. Aside from a few shady dealings, no one passed through here anymore. Even figures of the jianghu now used the more convenient crossings.

But an abandoned crossing could still dock boats. Over the past few days, all manner of vessels drifting down the Yellow River had seen over thirty boats moored here — large and small, all anchored with cables tied to the shore.

Those who saw this found it puzzling, but no one bothered to investigate or ask questions. It was nothing more than dockside gossip. These boats were waiting for Zhao Jin.

The cavalry serving as forward scouts had already made contact with the boat captains waiting on shore. The moment Zhao Camp arrived, they began boarding at once.

Lanterns could already be seen lit on the opposite bank. Sailing the Yellow River at night carried no small risk. Though the waters downstream from Kaifeng were gentle, they still needed lantern light to guide the way.

As Zhao Camp's units boarded, the boat captains crowded around Zhao Jin, fawning and flattering, each more eager than the last. One said, "Master Jin summoned us — I dropped my business and came at once." Another said, "It's only right for Master Jin to make use of us. Why go to the trouble of spending silver?"

Dry rations, drinking water, and all supplies on the boats were fully stocked. As soon as the household retainers boarded, someone brought them out. There were enough boats at the crossing, and Zhao Camp's retainers moved swiftly — soon everyone was aboard. All the carts and the horses brought from Kong Family Village were abandoned. Only Zhao Camp's own twenty-some horses came aboard. One by one, the cables were cast off, anchors raised, and the thirty-some boats set out for the opposite shore.

Not long after these boats left the bank, another rider appeared at the crossing. He peered into the pitch-black night for a few glances, then spurred his horse and left swiftly.

The boats carrying Zhao Camp did not head directly for the opposite shore, but drifted downstream. Throughout the night, someone on the southern bank kept guiding them with lantern light.

On the night of the thirteenth day of the seventh month, near the ferry crossing closest to the prefectural city, the boats carrying Zhao Camp made shore. The retainers and horses disembarked — many still had to wade through knee-deep shallows to reach dry land. The entire river journey had taken just over a day and a night.

Someone had long been waiting on shore to receive them, and provisions, carts, and horses had already been prepared. After a brief rest around campfires, Zhao Camp set out for Cloud Dragon Mountain. By dawn the next day, the main force of Zhao Camp had arrived at Cloud Mountain Temple. The temple itself had been closed to the public for seven days.

Ruhui led a dozen trusted monks in guiding Zhao Camp into a manor in the rear mountain. This was a place used to entertain high officials and nobles, and for Cloud Mountain Temple's own senior figures to seek pleasure. When not in use, only a few monks stayed here to guard and clean. Since Zhao Camp was coming, they had all been sent away.

The moment Zhao Camp's household retainers entered this manor, they knew the journey was over. After Zhao Jin announced dismissal, many couldn't be bothered to follow the monks' directions — they collapsed straight onto the ground or slumped against the walls and fell into deep sleep. The journey had been exhausting and tense, with not a single chance to relax.

Even Zhao Jin, who always insisted on discipline and strictness, did not interfere. He simply arranged with Ruhui to have food and supplies delivered as quickly as possible. The appropriate signs also had to be put out, to make everyone believe they had indeed come to quell the rebellion.