Chapter 395: You

No one expected Ruhui, usually so gentle and refined, to suddenly erupt like this. The guards beside him were caught off guard and reacted a beat too slow, but seeing the scene unfold, what was there not to understand? They all drew their blades and swords.

Those dozen or so sturdy refugees had nothing but brute strength, while the guards Ruhui brought with him were either household soldiers who had seen battle or seasoned fighters of the jianghu who lived by the blade. Setting aside their individual skill, their weapons were all top-quality goods. In a real fight, those dozen might not be their match, but everyone knew that with one shout from Zhong Gonghui, thousands of refugees would rise in uproar, and even the Su Prefecture militia and village braves would join against them. When that happened, the men from Xuzhou would truly die without a burial place.

"Master Cao, all I, Zhong, seek is a path to survival for these suffering brothers. The weather is bitterly cold, and the grain shipped from Xuzhou is too little. If they go like this, how many will starve? How many will freeze to death? Everywhere is already beginning to take people in. If they stay, they still have a chance to live. Master Cao, over ten thousand have already gone, and several thousand have already died. That's enough, isn't it…" Zhong Gonghui's expression was very calm, and his voice was even and steady as he spoke.

"Nonsense! My master spent so much silver, laid out so many plans, and you think your own pity and compassion can just end it? Shout! Tell everyone to move, now!" Ruhui bellowed with bitter hatred.

At this moment, Zhong Gonghui merely smiled and stood there with his mouth shut. One sturdy refugee youth couldn't help but take a step forward. The alert guards immediately pointed their blades at him, causing the crowd to stir at once. Many among the confused refugees on the periphery, who did not know where to go, also began to notice this side, and more and more people gathered around outside.

The cold wind cut like a blade, yet cold sweat seeped from the foreheads of Ruhui and his guards. The situation was now beyond salvaging. Zhong Gonghui could easily kill them all and then make his own decision.

"Master Cao, let's just leave this matter be. You go your way, and we'll go ours. We just want to live. If we can live, we'll accept even a life of oxen and horses." Zhong Gonghui said indifferently.

The refugee column of nearly two thousand finally halted and stopped moving. Nearly two hundred mounted "bandits" and militia riders circled around them, shouting as they rode, "Food and shelter provided!" The refugees had no great demands. Freezing, starving, hiding—all they wanted was a place of safety to stay alive. Now that there was one, why travel so far?

Ruhui's dagger pressed against Zhong Gonghui's neck. His control was poor, and it had already cut a small gash. Seeing the beads of blood flow out, Ruhui's face turned ashen gray. This assignment was ruined.

"Brothers, young and old, wait right where you are. Someone will come to receive you shortly. Hot soup and hot food have long been prepared for you. Don't let anyone trick you into going to Xuzhou—going there is a dead end!" The "jianghu bandits" of the past few days now wore faces full of amiable smiles.

"Look, the helpers over there have already arrived. They'll take everyone along soon. Work honestly for a few years and you can go home!" The shouting man turned his head to look. Not far away, a large force was already surging toward them, which put him even more at ease.

Meanwhile, the Xuzhou agents mixed into the refugee ranks all stopped their shouting and agitation, retreating backward in silence. The situation was beyond recovery.

The scene had quieted down. The refugees listened blankly to the man's loud shouts. Ruhui's hand also dropped weakly. It wouldn't be long before the large force from Su Prefecture arrived. By then, the outcome would be settled, and no more refugees would go to Xuzhou.

Zhong Gonghui touched his neck and waved for the tense, alert youths to fall back. He put on an awkward smile and was about to explain when a sharp whistle suddenly rang out. This sound did not belong in such a situation; it was unfamiliar to him, but Ruhui's guards immediately tensed up.

A burst of panicked cries and screams rose from ahead. The man who had been shouting loudly just moments ago was shot through the chest by an arrow and toppled straight off his horse to the ground.

Caught completely off guard, someone had been shot dead. The riders who had been circling and penning in the refugees immediately scattered in panic. Yet a few men still failed to flee in time and were struck by arrows, pinned dead on the spot.

"Who goes there?! The Wang brothers of Su Prefecture are handling business here! All you heroes on every path, show some face!" someone shouted loudly, but the shout stopped abruptly. An arrow entered through the man's wide-open mouth and exited through the back of his head.

The riders surrounding the refugees finally realized that the men approaching in the distance were not their own reinforcements and helpers, but a completely unfamiliar group.

This group, shockingly, also numbered several hundred riders, and their methods were viciously ruthless. At just over a hundred paces, over a dozen of their own had already been shot dead.

"Are you mad?! This was ordered by Eunuch Yu himself! Even the Prefect wouldn't dare say a word, and you dare—" Someone shouted in frantic rage, but the shout immediately turned into a scream. This man was lucky, though; he dodged fairly quickly and was only shot through the shoulder.

"Where are those men from?!"

"They're not from our Su Prefecture!"

"Could they be from somewhere else, here to snatch people?!"

"Damn it all! Even these wretches worse than beasts have come to snatch them? Don't they have their own?!"

The amiable, warm expressions from before were now completely gone. The refugees might have been numb, but they were neither deaf nor blind. They naturally heard these words. The Xuzhou agents who had retreated earlier began shouting again among the crowd, stirring them up: "Fellow villagers, look! They were lying to you! When the time comes, you'll work like oxen and horses without even a mouthful of food. These skin-and-bones bodies of ours will just be used to fatten their fields!"

That gang of "jianghu bandits" and militia braves had not yet gone far. For them to shout like this was incredibly bold. If the other side became enraged from shame, it would be huge trouble.

Yet each man's shouts grew louder and louder, because they had already recognized who the newcomers were!

They recognized them, but the men from Su Prefecture did not. The Su Prefecture men only felt that the other side's riders were actually as orderly as infantry in formation, and their weapons and clothing were equally uniform. The only troops like that in Fengyang Prefecture were those under the Garrison Eunuch.

"That ball-less bastard really can't be trusted!"

"That scum wants to swallow all these people for himself!"

Everyone knew there were several enormous imperial estates around the Fengyang Central Capital, and around those estates were vast tracts of land seized by the eunuchs. All that land required labor to farm. They never imagined the Fengyang Garrison Eunuch would be so faithless as to actually stretch his hand all the way here.

In their current panic and confusion, they could not see clearly that the opposing formation of mounted, spear-wielding riders actually had rather poor riding skills. Only the dozen or so archer riders were nimble, galloping back and forth, endlessly nocking and loosing arrows.

Amid the cursing and wailing, these local men from Su Prefecture were also mounted. Seeing the situation turn sour, they had no mind to collect their comrades' bodies and fled in haste.

Ruhui's face had been ashen with defeat. Hearing the commotion outside, he was first startled, then overjoyed. Pointing at Zhong Gonghui, who still had no idea what was happening, he burst into loud laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

The refugees were numb. Whether it was the bandits and militia who had surrounded them earlier, or this group that had suddenly rushed in, it made no difference to them.

The mounted, spear-wielding youths split into two columns, each a hundred strong. These two columns flanked the refugees on both sides and then halted, standing still. Several dozen riders then clustered around a few young men as they approached. Someone shouted from horseback: "Where is Chief Steward Cao?"

"Over here!" Ruhui shouted back in reply. The several guards beside him also showed joyful expressions. The group pushed aside the refugees blocking their path and went forward to meet them.

As Ruhui and his men broke free from the crowd, a few sturdy refugee youths looked toward Zhong Gonghui, as if waiting for him to make a decision. But Zhong Gonghui's face was wooden, and he gave no sign at all.

"Chen Sheng stayed behind at He Family Village to hold the fort. I brought the mounted men from the personal guard and the horse troop ahead first. Shitou is leading the Second Regiment behind," Zhao Jin said with a smile. Ji Xiang, Liu Yong, Wang Zhaojing, and Dong Bingfeng were all around him, each face flushed red from the cold.

Even the ever-composed Ruhui was now extremely agitated. He opened his mouth several times but could not speak. Finally, he said with shame, "Master, your subordinate has handled this matter poorly."

"This has nothing to do with you. We were the ones who thought this matter too simple, believing we could accomplish it just by spending silver," Zhao Jin consoled him. Ruhui recovered quickly and, not daring to delay, hurriedly recounted Zhong Gonghui's recent actions.

Without needing Zhao Jin's orders, household soldiers had already gone and brought Zhong Gonghui over. Facing the sharp, gleaming spears in the hands of the Zhao Camp soldiers and the fierce, disciplined bearing of the ranked men, even if those around Zhong Gonghui were unwilling, they dared make no unusual moves.

After hearing Ruhui's account, Zhao Jin and his companions naturally had no good expressions for this Zhong fellow. Zhong Gonghui's face was full of anguish and hesitation. He faltered several times without speaking. Finally, he dropped straight to his knees, kowtowed three times, and then said sincerely, "Master Jin, the people of Fengyang are suffering. Everyone just wants to find a way to live. Now, if they stay, they can also live. I beg Master Jin to show mercy and let everyone go, alright? One less death is an act of virtue. One less death is a kindness. Master Jin, show mercy!"

Zhong Gonghui spoke with the utmost sorrow. By the end, he was kowtowing as he pleaded. After just a few knocks, his forehead bled. Blood and tears mingled together—a truly wretched sight. As he kowtowed, many in the crowd close to Zhong Gonghui also knelt and kowtowed with him.

"…Master Jin, when the disaster struck, there were several hundred thousand refugees. But now there are only tens of thousands. Master Jin, no more can die…" Zhong Gonghui choked on his sobs, speaking endlessly of the refugees' misery.

Among those standing beside Zhao Jin, Ruhui's expression was ugly. Dong Bingfeng and Wang Zhaojing were visibly moved. Ji Xiang and Liu Yong remained expressionless. Liu Yong, moreover, was constantly making hand signals, maneuvering the men he could command closer to those who were kowtowing.

"Old Zhong, you're quite a good man," Zhao Jin said with a smile. Below him, Zhong Gonghui's kowtowing paused for a moment, then immediately resumed, because no matter how one listened, that laugh was a cold sneer.

Zhao Jin's expression became indifferent. He spoke calmly, "This matter was never about kindness from the very beginning. It is because I have a use for these people, and along the way, I give them a path to live. It is not out of pity or compassion that I expended such great effort to rescue them. Be sensible. The more people you gather to go to Xuzhou, the more lives you save. If you flaunt your laughable, useless kindness, even more people in Fengyang will die."