Chapter 396: First Respectful, Then Arrogant

396. Chapter 396: First Respectful, Then Arrogant

"Master Jin, Master Jin, the local gentry are now willing to take them in. If they stay, they'll at least have food to eat and a chance to live. But if they're on the road, who knows how many will freeze or starve to death!" Zhong Gonghui said, his voice hoarse.

Zhao Jin sneered twice and said, "To guard against the roving bandits entering Xuzhou again, the Zhao Character Camp will exterminate the threat. When that time comes, you won't even be able to beg for death by freezing or starvation. I have fewer than three hundred men right now, and you can muster nearly two thousand. Do you believe I could slaughter all of you in half a shichen?"

Zhong Gonghui's body first stiffened, then began to tremble. He had led people from Fengyang to Xuzhou, going first to He Village. He had never seen such a powerful militia. This force seemed even stronger than the government troops he had seen before. Such an elite unit, with cavalry and long spears — if they truly attacked, these fewer than two thousand refugees would be nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs. And Zhao Jin's words terrified him even more. If the Zhao Character Camp crossed the border to hunt down refugees, the officials might stop them before long, and there might even be clashes. But before that, who knew how many innocent refugees would die? Even decent families who hadn't become refugees would suffer.

A beast, feeding on the people, a man of great treachery and evil — to think he had gone to seek his help that very day. Fury surged through Zhong Gonghui's heart. He raised his head and roared, "You..."

But he only managed that single word. The moment he looked up, Ji Xiang and Wang Zhaojing both placed their hands on their weapons. The killing intent pressed down on him so heavily that he could not utter another word.

Jolted by that killing intent, Zhong Gonghui finally calmed down. At this moment, he had no choice, and he knew that Zhao Jin meant what he said and would do what he promised.

He raised his head, then kowtowed again. Zhong Gonghui's voice suddenly became utterly hoarse as he rasped, "Whatever Master Jin commands, this lowly one will do."

Zhao Jin said nothing more. He turned to Ruhui and said, "Mister Cao, let Old Zhong help you. First, send these people back to Xuzhou. After another two or three shichen of travel, there will be people ahead to receive them. Daxiang, arrange a company to escort them, and return after the handover."

Everyone who had been given orders acknowledged them. Zhao Jin and a few others headed to the farmstead's living quarters. The so-called living quarters were merely a reasonably intact farmhouse courtyard where Ruhui and the others were staying. Outside, a stretch of shacks had been set up, covered with dried grass, with dried grass also spread inside. These things were utterly useless in winter.

"Hmm, everything follows regulations, no sloppy work." Walking past the shacks, Zhao Jin commented with satisfaction.

When refugees gathered, if they were allowed to relieve themselves anywhere and the sick and frozen dead were ignored, disease would quickly spread. Zhao Jin had specifically planned the camp layout, with rules for cremation and latrines. When these measures were first implemented, everyone found them troublesome, but now they all felt the benefits and naturally adhered to them.

"Big Brother, the refugees are pitiful!" Wang Zhaojing suddenly said.

Zhao Jin stopped in his tracks and turned his head. "Did that Old Zhong persuade you?"

Wang Zhaojing quickly shook his head and hastily explained, "Whatever Big Brother does, this younger brother will have no second word. I just feel these refugees are pitiful. In this weather, heading to our side, they truly will freeze and starve. Many are also heading toward Huai'an Prefecture. If they stay here..."

"Do you think staying in Fengyang means survival? Since they've stayed, since they're worthless, why should I give them grain? Aren't there people in Bozhou gathering refugees from Henan? Those are even cheaper. When those Henan refugees arrive, these rootless ones will be driven away again. How many will die then?" There was no need to explain too much to Zhong Gonghui, but with Wang Zhaojing, he had to elaborate. Everyone had a compassionate heart — even Dong Bingfeng's face showed he could not bear it. If he didn't explain, resentments could easily take root.

"Do you think when the Fengyang officials take in refugees, they'll prepare food for them? Build them shacks? Have such strict regulations?" Zhao Jin fired off several rhetorical questions.

Never mind the Fengyang officials — when officials anywhere under heaven aided disaster victims, they merely set up porridge stations and periodically cremated the dead. Even that was already considered rare good governance. No one would ever be as thorough as the Zhao Character Camp.

"By then, they'd be left to spend the night in the open. I fear hundreds would die in a single night, and a great plague would follow the next year. Think about it — during the disaster and refugee crisis, Fengyang Prefecture suppressed the news and didn't report it. Let alone at a time like this, when they're wrapping things up," Zhao Jin added.

Dong Bingfeng nodded and said, "To be aided and arranged by the Zhao Character Camp is their good fortune."

Wang Zhaojing slowly nodded and said nothing more. Zhao Jin did not continue explaining. He had said enough.

Zhao Jin also knew there were some flaws in these reasons, but he knew even more clearly that in a few more years, the heavens would collapse and the earth would split. Righteous armies and roving bandits would rise everywhere, warlords would be brutal and lawless, and the Manchu Qing would breach the pass. By then, the dead would be far, far more numerous. What he was doing now was giving them a chance to survive in the future. Zhao Jin constantly made himself think this way, to steel his resolve.

From his past memories and this life's experiences, the misery of disaster victims and refugees was something he had only witnessed in these recent years. Zhao Jin was not made of iron and stone; he could not be unmoved. But his mind was very clear. He knew that at this moment, only by holding fast to his goal and pressing forward could he save more people. To let momentary compassion and soft-heartedness lead to total collapse — that was not mercy and kindness, but cruelty.

The refugees had all come here because of Zhong Gonghui's guidance and leadership. Now that Zhong Gonghui personally stepped forward, the already wavering refugees settled down again. Moreover, they now had a fully armed escort accompanying them. This force served as a deterrent on one hand, and on the other, it made people feel safe. The large group began heading toward Xuzhou.

After seeing off those several thousand people, Ruhui immediately had Zhong Gonghui and all his trusted aides detained and brought back, then came to Zhao Jin.

"Strike! From the border to Suzhou, clear out every obstruction along the roads," Zhao Jin stated his directive crisply and decisively.

"Master, we are, after all, the Xuzhou Militia. If we come here and act this way, won't it cause trouble?" Ruhui asked cautiously.

Zhao Jin smiled and set his mind at ease. "No one dares to reveal their identity, and no one dares to expose anyone else. So it simply comes down to whose fist is bigger."

Everyone nodded. Zhao Jin spoke again. "Mister Cao, in your letter you said the local powerful gentry have been constantly stirring, intending to make a move on this farmstead. Can you confirm which specific households or individuals?"

"Master, 'stirring' doesn't even cover it. This group has already made their move. It's not easy to identify every single one, but we already know about the Wang family of Fuli Bridge and the Yang family north of Suzhou City. These two households are top-tier powers in the Suzhou area. They hold no official rank, but they come from hereditary backgrounds in the Six Offices."

"We've brought two days' worth of dry rations this time. If needed later, we can have more transferred from Xuzhou at any time. But we need to eat, and the refugees need to eat too. Supplying too much grain will be very troublesome. Since these families lack discernment, we'll borrow grain from them," Zhao Jin said crisply.

The local hands hired by Ruhui had all been placed under guard. Thinking themselves natives of the area, they had acted without any restraint. As eyes and ears, they passed information and tipped people off without the slightest scruple, and Ruhui's men had discovered quite a few of them. Beyond that, Zhao Jin had also brought old runners from the yamen this time. These men had sharp eyes and knew interrogation methods. They questioned each one in turn, ferreting out exactly who had sent them.

While the farmstead was in chaos, Suzhou sent more people over. Everyone knew a force had arrived here, and everyone knew several men had been killed. So this time, official runners came — led by a constable in full uniform, followed by a dozen unranked runners.

"Don't you do anything rash! If I don't make it out, someone will immediately ride back to the prefectural city to report, and the court's great army will be here at once." This constable had probably drawn the short straw to be sent here. His face was a mask of misery. The moment he entered, he hurriedly made this clear, terrified of being silenced on the spot.

And he had indeed made some preparations — for instance, two men on horseback were waiting outside the farmstead, likely ready to ride back and raise the alarm at the first sign of trouble.

"You... gentlemen... someone just said they saw you kill people. Is that true?!" The constable had just raised his voice when he immediately lowered it again, his face full of caution.

Zhao Jin and his companions said nothing. At his side, Ruhui gave a cold laugh and said mockingly, "I went to the yamen to report crimes several times, saying bandits were harassing us, and you paid no attention at all. Now you come knocking — how diligent. You said, 'How could there be mounted bandits in broad daylight?' Well, I can tell you the same thing: how could there be killing in broad daylight? You're attempting to frame and extort law-abiding citizens!"

"You're framing an innocent man!" The constable nearly jumped up. The moment he moved, he saw two young men stand up with dark expressions. That posture was truly chilling.

The constable's mouth twisted. He quickly softened his tone and said, "Since there's no such thing, then I'll be going back. Someone must have been seeing things. Please be understanding, everyone. I'll go back and report now."

By the end, the constable's face was all ingratiating smiles. He left the room in utter fear and trepidation.

After stepping outside, he thought about how he usually threw his weight around inside and outside Suzhou City, yet had been scared witless by a scholar and a few young lads. Anger flared in his heart. He turned his head, ready to curse under his breath and spit a few times to vent his fury.

Unexpectedly, the moment he turned, he saw the sentries standing to the side. The Zhao Character Camp's household troops stood ramrod straight, their long spears pointing straight as a line toward the sky.

Many new recruits were being mobilized on campaign for the first time. Every one of them was brimming with passion, eager to perform well, hoping they might even earn merit and gain Zhao Jin's favor, perhaps a promotion in rank. So each of them performed with meticulous precision. Poor constable from Suzhou City — he had never seen any real scene before. The sight of such elite, disciplined household troops immediately gave him a start.

Looking further along, he saw household troops in the farmstead, holding horses and spears, forming up in ranks and preparing. Some stood at ease, others were already taking up sentry posts. Everyone moved in orderly unison. New uniforms, sharp blades, sturdy horses — everything exuded an aura utterly different from ordinary militias, village braves, and even government troops.

To an outsider's eyes, this was ferocity and killing intent — this was power.