Chapter 472: Disposition (Fifth Update!)

472. Chapter 472: Disposition (Fifth Update!)

"No need to thank me. It is I, Zhao, who should thank all of you. You risked life and limb to defend this refugee stockade. You have shown great kindness to these refugees, and to me as well!" Zhao Jin said in a clear, ringing voice.

At his words, the several jianghu men who had come over grew flustered instead, hastily protesting that they dared not accept such praise.

"After this ordeal, there will be no more major battles. As agreed beforehand, in just over two months, you will all go to Pi Prefecture to watch over the salt route," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

The men hurriedly expressed their thanks. Those escorting supplies in and out had been constantly sending back word that so-and-so from Xuzhou had struck it rich in the area around Pi Prefecture and Suining County, making everyone in the stockade itch with envy. Hearing this, they all grew excited.

"In addition, for all your hard work this time, I, Zhao, will also be issuing a separate reward."

Master Jin was indeed generous. Every face lit up with delight. One tactful fellow shouted down to the crowd below: "Master Jin is handing out silver!"

The jianghu men who had already begun bustling about immediately roared their approval and all bowed deeply toward Zhao Jin with clasped hands. Zhao Jin waved his hand. The lingering rays of the setting sun shone upon his armor, making his entire figure seem wreathed in golden light, appearing incomparably majestic.

Once this wave of commotion passed, Zhao Jin turned and called over a personal guard, giving him a few quiet instructions. The guard hastily acknowledged the order and ran swiftly down. Before long, voices were shouting both inside and outside the stockade: "Master Jin is distributing rewards! Master Jin is distributing rewards!"

After all, the refugees and the mixed militia in the stockade had exerted the greatest effort and suffered the heaviest casualties; they naturally deserved a heavy reward. There was no reason to favor one group over another and give outsiders more. With this announcement, everyone was overjoyed.

"You are the ones from the Dangshan squads, and you from Xiao County," Zhao Jin said, sweeping his gaze over the several leaders.

The seven leaders all nodded. One man, who looked to be in his twenties, hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Master Jin, we didn't really contribute much this time. Leader Zhang led his trusted men to fight at the front. I understand his approach — he can use his own people with confidence, while we outsiders are kept at arm's length."

Everyone turned to look at the young man, their eyes unfriendly, thinking: the matter is what it is, but saying it aloud spoils things. Isn't this just making everyone lose face?

The man continued recklessly, heedless of everything: "My men are all in their twenties or thirties. We can fight on the battlefield too, and we've always wanted to sell our lives for a good price. Casualties don't matter, as long as someone looks after our affairs after death. Master Jin, we are willing to follow you, to join this Zhao Camp. If you let us in, the casualties we'd suffer today would be no less than those of any militia!"

By the end, the man was pounding his own chest fiercely, his face full of heroic fervor. These jianghu warriors did not fear risking their lives; they only feared that after death or injury, there would be no good price paid. Under Zhao Jin's command, they had no such worry. Moreover, with Zhao Jin, the closer you were to the inner circle, the greater the benefits.

"Are you a relative of Yang Jisheng?"

"Master Jin is right. My family and the Yang family are clan kin within five degrees of mourning, only we live a bit farther away. This time, Big Brother Yang told us to follow Master Jin. I've thought it through clearly and made it plain to the brothers below: rather than being kept at arm's length, it's better to follow Master Jin directly. Master Jin would never shortchange us!" the young man said gruffly.

Hearing this, the other men also understood, but they did not immediately declare their stance. Instead, they exchanged glances and pondered in silence.

Joining the Zhao Camp had its advantages, but staying outside the Zhao Camp also had its perks; it depended on one's circumstances. This Yang family squad was all young men with no attachments, only thinking of using their lives and their spears and staves to fight for wealth and status. But many of the others had families, households, and their own setups; they still wanted to live their own modest lives and didn't want to take orders from others in everything.

"Do you know that the imperial court keeps a very close watch on private armies?" Zhao Jin did not answer directly, but instead changed the subject.

Seeing no one pick up the thread, Zhao Jin continued: "I now have nearly three thousand men under my command. Although they are distributed in various places under different designations, it is still far too conspicuous. If I recruit more men, I fear the officials will no longer be able to turn a blind eye."

The young man surnamed Yang was stunned for a moment before he realized that Zhao Jin did not want to recruit new men. A look of disappointment appeared on his face. He thought to himself that although his men were a bit older, they were only older than the seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds in the Zhao Camp. This standard was far too strict.

"The officials can't control what happens outside the city. Why should Master Jin fear them!" This remark came from another jianghu leader, his face full of utter disdain as he spoke.

Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head: "Now is the time to be cautious at every step. It's true the officials don't much care about matters outside the city, but they do have the authority to manage them."

Before anyone else could speak, Zhao Jin said: "I will establish a banner and open an estate here in Pi Prefecture. There is already an estate in Fengyang Prefecture. Both places will need to recruit militia guards. If you wish to earn your living under me, then go to these two places. Everything there will be the same as in the Zhao Camp."

Everyone suddenly saw the light. So Master Jin's long speech was not a refusal, but an arrangement he had long planned. Everyone knew that Master Jin had a large estate in the border area between Suzhou in Fengyang Prefecture and Xuzhou, and that it had been used to draw large numbers of refugees to Xuzhou. The process had been full of peril and twists, and everyone constantly recounted the tale.

The situation in Pi Prefecture was also firmly under Zhao Jin's control; opening an estate there would be a simple matter.

Those with quicker wits could figure it out: Zhao Jin was a Xuzhou man, and the Xuzhou officials kept a close eye on him. But if he opened estates and recruited guards in Fengyang Prefecture and Huai'an Prefecture, they naturally had no jurisdiction. If one wanted to take a gamble, going there was not a bad choice.

Who didn't know that Master Jin was a man of his word? If he said the treatment would be the same, it certainly wouldn't be a fraction less!

At that moment, Ji Xiang walked up the slope. He showed no particular courtesy to these jianghu men and simply said: "Gentlemen, carry on for now. I have matters to discuss with Big Brother."

Faced with Ji Xiang, these jianghu leaders were just as respectful and deferential. They hurriedly descended the slope. Ji Xiang was about to remove his helmet, but a glare from Zhao Jin made him release his grip with a sheepish laugh. Then, looking at those jianghu men, he said disdainfully: "That lot can only fight when the battle is already won. They're of little real use."

"No rush. We'll slowly win them over. Once our honor and disgrace are bound together, they will naturally fight to the death for us!" Zhao Jin said in a deep voice, not reproaching Ji Xiang for his slight toward these jianghu men.

Ji Xiang also lowered his voice and said: "Big Brother, at least half of these bandits were actually government troops — soldiers under a battalion commander subordinate to the Wolf Mountain Vice Brigadier General. It's said they even transferred several hundred men from another battalion commander. What do we do?"

A smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face as he said teasingly: "We've already killed so many. What else can we do?"

Ji Xiang was jolted, and asked in a muffled voice: "Big Brother means to finish them all off?"

As he spoke, he made a chopping motion with his hand. Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head: "Kill them all and we'll have made a mortal enemy. That Wolf Mountain Vice General is the foremost military official in Jiangbei. With connections here and there, if he's always scheming against us, it'll be trouble. Let me ask you: if these soldiers are released and sent back, will they come again?"