Chapter 423

Zhao Jin had come to Grass Den Wasteland this time with secrecy as his paramount concern, determined not to let outsiders discover him. If he exposed himself over the feud between Ding Family Enclosure and the Feng family, the gain would not be worth the loss, and the risk would be immense. Even if Zhao Jin didn't say it, everyone could figure that out.

Yet the words just spoken sounded, no matter what, like he was searching for reasons to convince himself.

By the time they reached Ding Family Enclosure it was already afternoon. They spent time there and came back out; they had not traveled long before the sun set.

"Big Brother, should we make camp now? If we push on, I'm afraid we'll run into that lot!" Liu Yong called out a warning.

Zhao Jin swayed in the saddle, clearly having been lost in thought for a long while. What Liu Yong said made sense — the mounted troop that had sacked Ding Family Enclosure was carrying women and children as captives, so their movement could not possibly be fast. They would certainly have to make camp early as well. If they pushed on, the two sides were very likely to meet.

"Fine. Right here, then..." Zhao Jin looked around. Both sides of the road were well-suited for making camp and resting. After this night passed, by the next afternoon they would reach the vicinity of Suqian County town.

Hearing Zhao Jin say this, everyone began dismounting, but Zhao Jin himself did not move in the saddle. It was rare to see him in such a dazed state. Chen Sheng was about to call out to him.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Zhao Jin, who had been making to dismount, halted his motion. He straightened up in the saddle and said, "I know going there is inappropriate, but damn it all, I just can't swallow this. If I don't wipe out those bastards, I won't be able to enjoy the New Year!"

The men below were somewhat confused. Zhao Jin spoke up: "Xiaoyong, share the pastries you brought with everyone. Supper can wait. We'll chase them down, exterminate those animals, and then make camp and rest!"

Everyone looked at one another. The gloomy expressions on their faces gradually faded, replaced by smiles. Chen Sheng shook his head, but remounted his horse and said teasingly, "Doing this is hardly steady, hardly considering the bigger picture. And the risk this time is not small. Didn't you yourself list a whole bunch of reasons against it?"

"To hell with the reasons. If I don't kill those bastards, my heart won't be at ease. Same goes for all of you — you haven't said a word the whole journey!" Zhao Jin retorted with a laugh.

Chen Sheng laughed heartily. Dong Bingfeng's face was full of delight. Liu Yong was visibly stirred. Ji Xiang chimed in, "Looking at Ding Family Enclosure, I felt a stifling anger in my chest. Big Brother, we should capture a few of the Feng family's men and interrogate them thoroughly for information. Going this time is also for the bigger picture."

The group burst into laughter. Zhao Jin's gaze sharpened, and he said sternly, "The enemy outnumbers us. We still must be cautious. Pass the order down: eat and feed the horses now. No delay!"

His companions answered with excitement and immediately began preparations. As the order was passed down, the household troops' spirits rose as well. Everyone had been sullen the whole journey, swallowing their anger and stifling their resentment. No one had felt comfortable.

Liu Yong had not brought many pastries. When they abandoned the cart, he had taken the pastries with him — pastries with sugar and oil make the best dry rations.

Everyone was allotted two pieces. Someone directly took theirs to give to the children, but this act was stopped by Zhao Jin's shout: "Fill your own bellies first! When they get back to Xuzhou, I'll let them eat all the good food they want. Don't confuse what's important. Feed dry rations to your horses!"

They were about to launch a charging assault, so the horses had to have sufficient strength. Those coarse-grain flatbreads were all brought out, broken into pieces, and fed to the horses.

Ding Jun, at the very rear of the column, had naturally heard Zhao Jin's order as well. His face flushed red once more. He rushed forward quickly, knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and pleaded, "Master Jin, this lowly one wants to go with you. This lowly one wants to contribute his share of effort too."

"Don't speak. Obey orders. Otherwise, I'll cut you down with one stroke first. Go get ready!" Zhao Jin said offhandedly.

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Chen Sheng was about to object. Once Ding Jun had left, Chen Sheng spoke up: "This man is full of hatred, and his martial skill is mediocre. I'm afraid he'll be more of a hindrance than a help if he goes."

"Not bringing him along is what would cause trouble. Who knows if he'd do something reckless." Zhao Jin had his own considerations.

Before long, preparations were complete. To the west, there was still a trace of twilight and sunset glow; to the east, it already looked like night. The ones going out first to take point this time were Dong Bingfeng and Qi San. The two of them had sufficient riding skill and decent martial ability, able to handle any situation they might encounter.

To ensure the horses remained quiet, all the horses were fitted with bits. The armored riders wore mail, while Zhao Jin and his group wore only breastplates and helmets, with the rest of their armor carried on the packhorses following behind.

Two household troops who had suffered minor injuries were left behind. They were tasked with guarding the guide and the women and children. The rest followed in silence as they set out.

They had ridden for less than half a shichen when the sky darkened completely. Zhao Jin hesitated for a moment, but still arranged for the men to light three pine-torches, positioned at the front, middle, and rear of the column. The three torchbearers kept track of one another, and the others used the torches as reference points. Otherwise, riding through this pitch-black grassland hollow, it would be very easy to fall behind and get lost.

The reason for his hesitation was that in this pitch-black wasteland of wild grass, torches were far too conspicuous and could easily be spotted.

With the torches lit, the pace of Zhao Jin's mounted column slowed. They traveled like this for the better part of a shichen, then Zhao Jin extinguished the torches and ordered the column to halt, because they could now clearly see the glow of firelight in the distance. That was surely the place where the camp had been set.

"Master, why..." Ding Jun squeezed forward to ask anxiously, but his words were cut off halfway by a blade. Chen Sheng had drawn his short knife and placed the back of the blade across Ding Jun's mouth. Zhao Jin turned his head and said, "Keep your mouth shut. Next time you speak or move out of turn, I'll cut out your tongue."

Ding Jun shuddered and immediately dared not say more. From the moment they met Zhao Jin and his men at Ding Family Enclosure, these young men, around his own age, had seemed gallant, righteous, and decisive. At this moment, he discovered that Master Jin and his people were terrifying — he had no idea how much blood stained their hands.

They had not waited there long when two riders came back. Neither rode fast; they came at a trot, so as not to make too much noise.

"The other side numbers roughly two hundred and thirty. No one is posted as a lookout. They seem to have hunted some game and are drinking and making merry, violating those captured women. The children have been placed off to another side," Qi San reported.

Dong Bingfeng nodded in confirmation and added, "They simply cleared a patch of ground by the roadside. The horses are circled on the outside as a windbreak, and the men are inside the circle around the fire, making camp."

"No one posted as lookout?" Zhao Jin ignored the other details and confirmed this point again. Qi San nodded and said with absolute certainty, "No one around the perimeter."

Qi San shared the same blood-deep hatred for the Feng family. As he spoke, his face was full of excitement: "When men are bent on evil, even Heaven cannot bear to watch. Master, these Feng family horse-bandits have no precautions whatsoever. They're a meal served right up to us. Charge in, and not one of them will escape!"

"It's not Heaven. It's because they never imagined there would be other people in this grassland hollow. They think the refugees and common folk here are nothing but pigs and sheep waiting for slaughter," Zhao Jin said coldly.

Everyone had already dismounted. Chen Sheng suddenly spoke up: "When we entered, many people saw us. Could these men know?"

The moment this was said, everyone grew alert. Zhao Jin narrowed his eyes, watching the firelight to the west, and his voice turned icy: "If they don't know, we kill them. If they do know, we still go and kill them. Right now, there's no difference."

Zhao Jin swung back into the saddle, stood on the stirrups to gaze into the distance, and gave his orders directly from there: "Three men stay to guard the mounts. The rest of you, don your gear and follow me forward!"

Low voices acknowledged the order as each man made ready. After dismounting, Zhao Jin said only one thing to Ding Jun: "Make a racket on the way, and I'll kill you!"

The crowd formed a long line and advanced in silence. Ding Jun followed, but before long his stamina began to flag. He had been on the move from morning till night, and the great grief and anguish back at the Ding family compound had drained him badly. Though he hadn't lived poorly there, the most he ever got was a full belly — how could that compare to the battle-hardened retainers of Zhao's Camp? His breathing grew ragged, sweat beaded on his forehead. Ding Jun glanced at the silent men around him, gritted his teeth, and still did not fall behind.

The glow of the distant campfire was their target. Walking while watching it, judging distance and direction was easy. When they were about three hundred paces away, Zhao Jin raised a hand and halted everyone. They all stooped into a half-crouch.

"Da Xiang, Xiao Yong, each of you take three men into the grass. See if there are any hidden sentries inside. If there are, kill them outright," Zhao Jin said in a low voice.

Ji Xiang and Liu Yong nodded, each called three men, and stooping low they ducked into the dead grass beside them. Someone began to mimic bird calls — one call every incense stick's worth of time, to mark a bearing for those who had crept into the grass.

Everyone waited. The night on the grassy waste and barren shoal was very still. Even three hundred paces away, Zhao Jin and his men could hear the laughter and merriment at the campfire. Now and then, shrieks and sobbing drifted over as well.

Squatting there, Ding Jun's eyes nearly split with rage, but he no longer dared fidget. He could sense that if he made another reckless move, the two men beside him would not be polite.

After a little less than half a shichen, the dead grass rustled. Ji Xiang emerged from the roadside, while Liu Yong circled out from up ahead — it was easy to lose one's way in the dead grass on a dark night.

"No hidden sentries."

Hearing that terse reply, Zhao Jin bared his teeth in a grin and waved. "Just as I thought — no precautions at all. If it were me, I wouldn't have expected the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, either. Follow me!"

Zhao Jin took the lead, the men behind him following in order. As they walked, everyone kept their bodies slightly stooped and bent. No one spoke; only the rustling clink of armor plates sounded.

They walked to within about twenty paces. Absurd as it sounds, the two hundred-odd men encircled by their mounts were laughing and making merry around the fire, utterly unaware that people were closing in from outside.

But in the pitch-black night, in this desolate grassland, everyone wanted to huddle by the fire, everyone wanted to amuse themselves with the women they had seized and would soon sell — who would bother looking into the darkness? It was pitch-black anyway, and nothing was visible.

The camp had used the horses as walls, ringing them in a circle to block the cold wind, and piled up luggage and the like to lean against. With all that blocking their view, they were even less inclined to look outward.

Zhao Jin's hand rubbed up and down the shaft of the spear he gripped. Chen Sheng discarded his scabbard. Beside them, Dong Bingfeng still hesitated — should he loose one arrow and then switch to a melee weapon, or just charge in with his long-handled saber from the start?