Chapter 404: Advance Preparations

"I'll head back to Yutou Town right now to get ready." Sun Jia stood up as he spoke, rubbing his hands together in excitement, every trace of a great merchant's bearing gone.

Zhao Jin and the others all laughed. Zhao Jin spoke up: "Uncle Sun, you've worked so hard traveling. Rest a day before you go."

Sun Jia shook his head firmly. "With something this big on your end, how could I delay? I'm leaving now."

Since the elder insisted, Zhao Jin had no choice but to see him off. Sun Dalin took a few steps past the gate to send him on his way before Sun Jia scolded him back, saying that since he was here now, he had to listen to Zhao Jin and not bring those household habits with him.

These words were meant as much for Sun Dalin as for Zhao Jin's side. At the road junction by He Family Village, a trench wide and deep enough had already been dug. No outside carts or horses could enter without the permission of the Zhao Battalion sentries on watch.

Sun Jia eagerly climbed onto the carriage and drew the padded curtain over the compartment. The carriage set off. Just as Zhao Jin and the others turned around, the carriage stopped again. Sun Jia stuck his head out and shouted, "Xiao Jin, you must take good care of Dalin."

Zhao Jin and his companions returned to the compound. Sun Dalin was waiting in the courtyard. The shouts of the household troops drilling outside drifted in, filling Sun Dalin's face with excitement and anticipation.

When he saw Zhao Jin and the others, Sun Dalin hurriedly bowed in greeting. Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. The look everyone gave this big, heavyset boy held little warmth — they all seemed to be looking at the Sun Dalei of years past.

"Dalin, have you studied martial arts?" Zhao Jin asked.

Sun Dalin nodded. Zhao Jin turned to Chen Sheng beside him and said, "Dasheng, go test his skills. Don't hurt him."

Chen Sheng nodded. Zhao Jin had his own reasons for choosing Chen Sheng. Sun Dalin was so big and heavyset that he might well have an advantage in raw strength. If any of the others fought him, unable to injure him or strike hard, they could easily end up on the losing side and fail to teach Sun Dalin the rules. With Chen Sheng, that was not a problem — he would not be outmatched in strength or technique.

The bout took place right there in the courtyard. The moment Zhao Jin saw Sun Dalin's opening stance, he could not help a wry smile — his worries had been unnecessary. Sun Dalin struck a pose that looked the part, but everyone here had trained long enough to see at a glance that it was all show.

When martial schools taught students, they often gave rich men's sons flashy, impractical moves, to keep them from causing trouble and hurting others, and to keep them from hurting themselves. That was exactly what Sun Dalin had learned.

"Only now do I feel he's nothing like Dalei. Dalei would hunch his back, narrow his eyes, raise both hands, and creep forward step by step, then explode with force the moment he closed in. He'd never just stand there posing like this." Shi Manqiang, standing beside Zhao Jin, muttered.

That was what Zhao Jin and the others all felt as well. The person before them merely bore a slight resemblance to Sun Dalei. Chen Sheng smiled too, then made his move.

Chen Sheng used no flourishes or feints — just a straight punch to the chest. Sun Dalin hurried to block it, but Chen Sheng's other fist was already following up. He blocked that one too, but could not block the next. Still, Chen Sheng held back; instead of slamming the punch into his face, he simply shoved with the momentum, stepped forward, extended a leg, and tripped him straight to the ground.

Thud! The impact was considerable. Sun Dalin fell hard, covered in dust and dirt, his face carrying a hint of grievance as he sullenly picked himself up.

"Not only did he learn showy moves, his strength is lacking too, and he's never been in a real fight," Chen Sheng said, turning his head.

Zhao Jin smiled slightly and said, "Then assign him to the Cadet Company for drill first. When you have time, you teach him."

Chen Sheng nodded. Zhao Jin called Sun Dalin over, fixed his eyes on him, and said seriously, "Your brother and I were brothers. I won't treat you poorly, but I won't spoil you or leave you idle either. You'll have to train just as hard as everyone else. Do you understand?"

Sun Dalin gave an "Mm." Zhao Jin's expression turned stern, and he raised his voice: "Here, you answer 'Yes!' Say it louder!"

"Yes!" Sun Dalin shouted back, aggrieved. Zhao Jin nodded. "From now on, you train hard. I can tell you this — even if you wanted to go home now, it's no longer possible. Do you understand?"

Sun Dalin's face paled a little, but he still shouted back, "Yes!"

Liu Yong had already called someone from outside to take Sun Dalin to his quarters and meals. Once he was led out of the courtyard, Ji Xiang laughed and said, "Looked like he was about to cry just now. Probably never imagined coming here would be like this."

"We have to teach him properly, or we won't be able to face Dalei," Zhao Jin said solemnly. Then he added, "We need to put all these young ones sent by the various families together in one place. They can't really train alongside the regular companies and squads — they wouldn't keep up and would just suffer."

The Cadet Company had been nothing more than a name on paper during the reorganization and had never been implemented. The youths sent from various places who met the standards were naturally assigned directly into the Zhao Battalion, but there were still some half-grown children and the like who had been grouped into a large company of two hundred, training along as a temporary arrangement.

After the reorganization, the Zhao Battalion's training had been set on the right track, but with so many matters to handle, some minor details had been overlooked — the Cadet Company was one of them. The Cadet Company had been established in the first place to win over the gentry and local strongmen, giving their sons who did not meet the Zhao Battalion's standards a chance. Zhao Jin had not put much thought into it, but now that Sun Dalei's younger brother had arrived, Zhao Jin was ready to take it seriously.

But that was still just a plan. At the moment, Zhao Jin had more pressing matters.

For major and important affairs of the Zhao Battalion system, Zhao Jin was accustomed to gathering everyone for discussion. Although most of the time he was the one making the plans and decisions, he still made sure everyone was involved.

However, what came before major and important affairs was the training of the Zhao Battalion's regiments and companies. To firmly hold the household troops, besides keeping them fed, clothed, and free of worries, he also had to train them personally and strengthen their bonds and connections with one another.

Although the Personal Guard had only four companies, every time Zhao Jin oversaw training, each of the two regiments would send two companies, rotating through so that Zhao Jin led their training in turn. The cavalry and archery units' training was also directly supervised by Zhao Jin. This ensured he met every single person in the force and never became disconnected from the rank and file.

The recruitment and training of the Internal Guard were likewise conducted jointly by Zhao Jin and Liu Yong, with no room for slack or laziness.

The afternoon drill lasted a full shichen and a half. In winter, darkness fell early; by the time they were dismissed, the sky was already dark. Some household troops muttered quietly, "Look at Adjutant Zhou's side — even the household troops and personal guards living in the city don't train every day. Here we drill morning and afternoon. It's just too grueling."

The company commander overheard this complaint and asked a few questions first: "Do you eat your fill here? Are you dressed warmly? Does anyone bully you? If something happened to you, would you have to worry about your family?"

"I eat my fill, I'm very warm, no one bullies me, and I don't worry!" The household trooper answered crisply and cleanly — then ran ten laps around the drill ground, and was assigned all the cleaning duties for an entire month.

While the household troops ate, Zhao Jin and his companions were wolfing down their food as well. They had their own small kitchen, but the meals could hardly be called refined. Tonight, for example, they were eating noodles with a lamb and radish stew.

"Mister Zhou, sort out the matters here, then head to the Sun family firm in Yutou Town. Buy grain, buy timber, and arrange the carts and horses so we aren't scrambling to gather them when the time comes." After the meal, Zhao Jin began issuing orders. He had already formed his plan during the afternoon drill.

Zhou Xuezhi agreed. Zhao Jin turned to Ruhui and said, "Draw reliable stewards and estate heads from the Cloud Mountain Temple's various manors. I need them to lead the refugees. Every hundred refugee households will form one unit, and each unit must have Cloud Mountain Temple people assigned to manage it."

Ruhui paused, then said hesitantly, "Master, is Cloud Mountain Temple reliable?"

As someone who had come from Cloud Mountain Temple himself, it was rather odd for Ruhui to ask such a question — but precisely because he asked it, it showed he had no selfish motives.

"They're not reliable. Those estate heads and stewards only fear us — they don't see us as their own," Zhao Jin answered crisply. Ruhui paused again, then broke into a pleased smile. For Zhao Jin to speak so frankly meant he truly no longer treated him as an outsider.

Zhao Jin continued immediately, "Better to use these unreliable estate heads and stewards than to let the refugees gather on their own. We must seize control of this quickly. The refugees we've gathered come from different prefectures and counties. Right now, they're still in shock and scattered like loose sand, but in a few more months, they'll start forming cliques, and people with agendas will try to stir things up."

Ruhui and the others nodded. Zhao Jin paused in thought, then added, "Give them the pay they're due. Zheng Quan has some insight into winning hearts and controlling commoners — put that to use where we can. I'll be recalling Lei Cai soon. When you use Zheng Quan's side, remember to consult with Lei Cai."

Hearing this, everyone was startled. Zheng Quan was the Xuzhou Assembly Master of the Smelling Incense Sect. Although he now took orders from the Zhao Battalion, that was still the Smelling Incense Sect — a heretical cult irreconcilably opposed to the Zhao Battalion.

And Lei Cai was currently managing Kong Family Village. Why bring him back? Wouldn't it be more convenient to go to Liu Yong for Internal Guard matters?

"Zheng Quan's side is indeed not reassuring, but right now the priority is controlling the refugees. Whatever Zheng Quan's side wants to do doesn't matter, as long as we keep a close watch. If there's any incitement or deception, we just kill them," Zhao Jin said, seeing everyone's misgivings and explaining to set their minds at ease.

"Mister Cao and Zhaojing, select two thousand households from the refugees in each area. They must be able-bodied young men and women with families of their own, and they must have no children. These two thousand households must not come from one place — we need people from both Shandong and Fengyang, and the prefectures and counties must be mixed together as well," Zhao Jin continued.

"Master, two thousand households of able-bodied young men and women may be hard to assemble. Those who've survived this long — the frail ones couldn't hold on. The old, the weak, the women, and the children have mostly died off. Most people's families are shattered and scattered; they're all alone," Ruhui said with some difficulty.

Fleeing disaster and famine, seeking survival and food — it meant scrambling, traveling far, and enduring torment. Those in poor health all died. The ones who survived were the fittest and toughest. Most of them were young men and sturdy women. The majority of their families had not lasted long enough to reach Xuzhou's shelter.