Chapter 434: Here They Come

The sky gradually brightened. In **** Town, Zhao Jin's group took turns sleeping, though hardly anyone actually managed to fall asleep. The bloodstains on their armor and weapons had all been wiped clean, and they'd even dug out a few whetstones to sharpen their blades. By daybreak, everyone was in full armor, and the archers had counted their arrows several times over.

The gate of the courtyard they were holding had not yet been closed. Archers and riders came and went at intervals, reporting on the situation around ****.

Outside, the Feng family cavalry troop was taking no chances and showing no slackness this time. Their squads took turns patrolling and circling the perimeter, not letting a single person leave.

The common folk of **** Town had likely spent a sleepless night as well. As soon as the first hint of light appeared, people opened their doors to leave — entire families, young and old, carrying their valuables on their backs and heading out. Everyone knew blades would clash and blood would spill here; they wanted to get far away and avoid getting caught in the crossfire. But not a single person made it out. At first, the Feng family cavalry outside were ready to kill, but later, after desperate pleading — and even the offering of money as bribes — the townsfolk were merely driven back. Once back inside, they could only do as they had the night before: bar their doors securely, then burn incense and pray to Buddha that the violence would not reach their homes.

Amid this turmoil and chaos, Zhao Jin's squad had no intention of charging out, and the Feng family cavalry, cautious as they were, did not push inward either. But everyone knew this standoff would not last long.

The town had several thousand residents, so naturally there were plenty of young men — many skilled in martial arts, fond of brawling, or connected to the rivers-and-lakes underworld. They were certainly not willing to let two sudden bands of outsiders fight a life-and-death battle right at their doorsteps. The wealthy households and ordinary townsfolk thought the same.

Those who tried to flee were driven back. Before long, quite a few young men emerged from their homes again. They came out with fierce, aggressive swagger, but the moment they saw the corpses in the streets, their bravado halved. Even without much expertise, one could understand a great deal. Seeing so many dead, with weapons lying beside the bodies — weapons that were all of uniform, quality make — it was clear these ferocious men were locked in mortal combat. How could outsiders possibly interfere?

Once a few households on the eastern side of town spoke the name "Zhao Jin," everyone's will to fight vanished entirely, and they shrank back into their homes. Zhao Jin had recruited household guards in He Village, and many from **** Town had gone there for that. They were all too familiar with Zhao Jin and the exploits of the Zhao Battalion. A man like that coming here — how could they possibly afford to offend him? And as for the force that dared to surround Master Jin inside this town, that was even more untouchable...

After the early-morning turmoil, **** Town fell quiet once more, waiting for the battle to arrive.

"Here they come! Here they come!" Long after the sun had risen high, the archers posted outside rushed back to report. Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng left the courtyard together, went to the edge of the town, and climbed directly onto a wall.

In the distance to the east, they could see a large force approaching — a mounted troop in front, followed by a mass of infantry behind.

He glanced back at the sky and realized it was already noon. The Feng family men had gone back last night to summon reinforcements. Calculating the round-trip time, Zhao Jin couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Has the Feng family rounded up half of Pizhou?"

After assessing the situation, Zhao Jin recalled all the sentries back into the courtyard, leaving only elevated lookout posts stationed around the four sides of the compound they were holding.

"The houses and courtyards in **** Town use a lot of earth and stone, and the area around our courtyard has been mostly cleared — they can't use fire. In broad daylight, with so many traveling merchants and passersby around **** Town, they won't dare brazenly use the locals as a human shield. If they want to take this courtyard, they'll have to dismount and assault it head-on!" Zhao Jin declared loudly.

He didn't need to emphasize the disparity in numbers between the enemy and themselves. Simply mentioning that the enemy would have to dismount and attack head-on was enough to give his men confidence. In close-quarters combat, the Zhao Battalion feared no one.

After he finished speaking, the group hurriedly heated food and boiled water. Once the fighting started, they probably wouldn't have the chance, and if they needed to replenish themselves later, it would be a problem.

Encouraging words aside, after Zhao Jin finished, Chen Sheng quietly asked, "Can we hold out until nightfall?"

Fighting with the few against the many was fine for short charges and sudden strikes, but if they got bogged down in a grinding, bitter fight, the outnumbered side could easily collapse.

"We can!" Zhao Jin offered no explanation, only a resolute answer.

Chen Sheng nodded and went off to one side to begin his preparations. As Chen Sheng left, Liu Yong came closer. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "Big Brother, it's your little brother who has dragged everyone down."

"What nonsense is this? What does this have to do with you?" Zhao Jin frowned.

"If your little brother hadn't pitied those children, Big Brother wouldn't have brought..." Liu Yong was meticulous by nature and had thought many things through clearly.

But he didn't get to finish his sentence before Zhao Jin cut him off sternly: "We're brothers — no need for so much pointless talk!"

Liu Yong opened his mouth, stunned, and said nothing more.

The rumbling of hoofbeats drew closer and closer, then stopped. Immediately, loud shouts rang out one after another.

"Dismount!"

"Their archers are fierce — tear down some door planks and advance behind them!"

"The Feng family won't forget your hard work. When the time comes, the spoils in Xuzhou are yours for the taking."

Every face in Zhao Jin's squad darkened. No wonder so many had still come even after the Zhao Battalion's name was announced — they were using the Zhao Battalion's holdings in Xuzhou as the bounty.

Wailing, shouting, and cursing began to rise around **** Town. They were apparently starting to tear down door planks. Zhao Jin stood on the wall and peered out. Before him was a street leading out of town, and he could see men holding door planks aloft, crowding and pressing their way toward him.

Zhuang Liu stood beside Zhao Jin, pulling arrows one by one from his quiver. Zhao Jin suddenly turned his head and asked, "Are you afraid?"

"Not afraid!" Zhuang Liu answered calmly.

"The enemy outnumbers us by so much — you're not afraid?"

"Master Jin, only a few dozen men can surge against these four courtyard walls at any one time. How can those few dozen possibly beat our few dozen? No matter how many they have, we only face those few dozen. We crushed a hundred thousand roving bandits beneath the walls of Xuzhou — what do these men count for?" Zhuang Liu replied, brimming with confidence.

Zhao Jin smiled as he looked outward. "Your reasoning isn't wrong," he said, "but each of us only has the strength of one man. Once it's spent, we'll be in trouble!"

"Master, kill one or two hundred, and who outside will dare come again? Even the imperial army isn't that fierce," Zhuang Liu continued.

Zhao Jin glanced back in surprise and nodded. "I'd forgotten you came from a garrison background. Though what follows may not go as you imagine, it's remarkable that you can think this far."

At Zhao Jin's words, a flash of excitement crossed Zhuang Liu's face. But before he could continue, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked toward the west. Almost simultaneously, several of the jianghu experts in the courtyard, as well as those from the cavalry background, also paled and turned their heads.

The streets of **** Town were packed with men, holding door planks aloft, shouting and cursing as they advanced — a chaotic din like a marketplace, so naturally nothing could be discerned.

Outside the town, nearly three hundred cavalry had assembled. Having learned the lesson of the previous night, those needing rest and reorganization went a hundred and fifty paces away, while everyone else remained mounted. Even with nearly five hundred militia packed into the town, they had no confidence they could stop Zhao Jin's men.

Master Li, Li Dajin, had judged that they should force Zhao Jin's group to charge out, then smash them with the cavalry. This Master Li was deeply versed in military strategy and martial affairs, renowned throughout Huai'an and Yangzhou Prefectures, so naturally everyone deferred to him.

The men from Pizhou and Huai'an Prefecture on horseback all wore grave expressions. Among them were salt smugglers, powerful local gentry militia, and even mounted bandits. They made their living on this turf, so they naturally knew Zhao Jin's name and had heard of his various exploits. Before coming, they had of course weighed the matter carefully. But the Feng family's authority was long-established, and this Master Li had made it very clear: Zhao Jin and the Zhao Battalion's leaders were all in this group. If they could surround and kill them, the mountains of gold and silver in Xuzhou would be theirs for the sharing.

The Feng family's might, the riches of Xuzhou — no one could help being tempted. Beneath their grave expressions lurked a hint of excitement. Nearly thirty percent of the bold spirits in the vast Huai'an Prefecture had gathered here. How could they not devour a weary band of a few dozen men?

They thought of the distillery, of those vast manors, and their hearts burned with desire. Yet some unease remained. Even if they succeeded, would the Feng family truly share the spoils? After all, this Li Dajin was merely one of the Feng family's guard commanders — could he really make that decision?

As they pondered, they stole glances at Li Dajin's reaction. At first, Master Li's expression was calm, but then it suddenly changed. He dismounted in a single motion and pressed his ear to the ground to listen.

The moment he made this move, several experienced bandit leaders also realized what was happening. Their mounts had just begun to grow restless and uneasy. They too dismounted to listen.

"Three hundred riders... no, more... no fewer than five hundred..."

The count was quickly determined, and everyone's face changed. The hoofbeats were coming from the west. That meant only one thing — the Zhao Battalion's reinforcements had arrived.

Li Dajin, his expression utterly grim, remounted. His face flickered through several emotions before he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Get the men out of the town! Everyone pull back! Make it quick!"

Everyone had been waiting for these words from Li Dajin. The moment the order was given, men were dispatched in every direction, running into the town, shouting and yelling to bring everyone out.

The entire town was thrown into chaos, men and horses tumbling over each other. At the courtyard where Zhao Jin's group was holding out, everyone had already gripped their weapons, ready for battle. Then, suddenly, the enemy that had been closing in receded like a tide, withdrawing from the town.

Zhao Jin's side had naturally heard the commotion of the cavalry approaching from the west and knew exactly who it was. The moment they saw the enemy retreat, everyone was beside themselves with excitement, laughing and shouting, every man overcome with wild joy.

Zhao Jin, up on the wall, remained relatively calm. He merely murmured, "That was close..."

The large force the Feng family had assembled outside did not go far. They retreated about two hundred paces, then reformed their ranks — infantry on the left, cavalry on the right, in a well-disciplined formation.

"Here they come! Here they come!" The shout rang out again from the courtyard Zhao Jin's group was holding, but this time the cry held no tension — only overwhelming joy.

To the west, dust was billowing into the air. The main reinforcements were indeed about to arrive. Amid the elation, those still clear-headed enough were all pondering one thing: to go to He Village and return, the time was far from sufficient. So who exactly was coming? Could it be someone else looking to loot a burning house? But no one voiced this thought aloud.