Chapter 502: Why Not Set Out at Once

"Sticking your neck out for someone in the official circles and the jianghu—how can a nobody like me, with no roots or backing, ever protect them? Even a licentiate's degree is useless. If you truly offend some powerful house, a single note gets your degree stripped, and then you'll die without a burial place. Besides, those two kids of mine have a natural talent for stirring up trouble. If I let them carry on like this, a real disaster is bound to happen!" Li Dajin spoke with the utmost earnestness, and everyone gradually stopped smiling.

The so-called "Broken Boot Party" refers to the down-and-out among the scholars. To put it bluntly, these people are educated thugs and ruffians—they stir up trouble, monopolize lawsuits, and bully the good. You find such characters everywhere.

But to do this, you need to be a smooth operator with the temperament and skill to handle all sides. Otherwise, if you offend the powerful and mighty, a single misstep and you'll be crushed to pieces.

Wang Zhaojing said with a laugh, "Forget a licentiate—even a provincial graduate's degree can't protect you. We have a fine cautionary tale right here in Xuzhou."

Everyone laughed. They naturally knew who Wang Zhaojing was talking about. Strictly speaking, that Graduate Yang was also one of the Broken Boot Party, and one with backing at that. But in the end, he offended a powerful figure like Zhao Jin and even had his degree stripped.

Zhao Jin coughed once, and the room immediately fell silent. Zhao Jin asked sternly, "You don't want this, and you don't want that. Tell me—what do you want to do?"

Li Dajin placed both hands on the floor and kowtowed heavily. Raising his head, he said, "Master Jin, I want to send both of my children to the Zhao Character Camp and have you discipline them!"

Zhao Jin was taken aback, then asked with a smile, "Studying for a degree is a proper path to success. What I have here is just a local militia—if things go badly, we might even be treated as bandits. You're so eager for your children to get ahead; can you really bear to do this?"

"I can! I've seen quite a bit coming and going. If the children are sent to your side, Master Jin, they can learn real skills and their character won't be led astray. With that, I'll be content." Li Dajin spoke very earnestly.

After saying this, however, Li Dajin gave a self-deprecating laugh and added, "I didn't want the children to take up blades and spears, to live a life of licking blood off a knife's edge. But even in the private school, those two couldn't sit still all day—fighting others, leading others into fights. After what happened this time, I've come to understand: a man has to accept his fate!"

Zhao Jin said with a smile, "A man should not accept his fate. As long as you're willing to fight for it, anything can be changed. Stand up and speak!"

Li Dajin acknowledged the order and stood up straight. Zhao Jin tapped the table a few times and said sternly, "I'll take your two children. The Zhao Character Camp has a Cadet Squad, which takes in those from all over who want to learn skills but don't meet the standards. I keep these people by my side and teach them personally. Your children will be the same. In this Cadet Squad, as long as they apply themselves, they'll definitely learn real skills."

After saying this, Zhao Jin gave a wry smile, waved his hand, and said, "But this Cadet Squad has only ever existed on paper. I haven't yet found the time to attend to it. Once this matter is settled, I should properly get it in order."

Everyone laughed along. After the laughter subsided, Zhao Jin rapped the table and said, "Old Li, describe the layout and specifications of the Feng family mansion. In a few days, some carpenters and the like will help you make something."

Although nothing had been explicitly said, Li Dajin had already relaxed. He could sense from the atmosphere in the room that they were treating him as one of their own.

Li Dajin carefully recalled and slowly described the layout of the Feng household inside and out, though his impression of the several courtyards in the inner residence was very vague.

"To be honest with you, masters, the Feng family is extremely strict in guarding against outsiders. When they built this mansion, they hired craftsmen and laborers from Suzhou, and sent them back once construction was finished. Then, the inner residence is served only by a group of maids and old serving women. Only members of the Feng clan can enter. Although I've come and gone quite a few times, I couldn't very well look around freely, so I'm not too clear on it."

"They certainly take the separation of men and women seriously," Wang Zhaojing remarked offhandedly.

"There's plenty of filthy, sordid business going on—people just don't talk about it!" Recounting the Feng family's affairs had reminded Li Dajin of past slights and the times he'd been kept at arm's length, and a bit of temper inevitably crept into his words.

Zhao Jin and his companions paid no mind to his reaction, simply discussing the main topic. Liu Yong sketched roughly on the table and said, "The inner residence isn't too large. If the Internal Guard sends a few more men and we hire more skilled hands from outside, we can rush in and get the lay of the land very quickly."

"No need for so many jianghu men. This time, I'm bringing a full company," Chen Sheng spoke up.

The room fell silent. Zhao Jin nodded slowly. Chen Sheng continued, "That mansion has a lot of men, and many of them are skilled. I'm afraid it'll be a tough fight. Those hired from outside can't be relied upon. Our own men follow orders and can endure a bitter fight. Also, we need to select some men from the Archery Squad and the Internal Guard."

Li Dajin, standing off to the side, couldn't help but look up at Liu Yong. Although he hadn't been here long, from these past days and what he'd learned before, he knew the Internal Guard had many men from the jianghu and the greenwood. For Chen Sheng to say this was tantamount to saying Liu Yong's side couldn't be trusted. These leaders of the Zhao Character Camp were all young—surely hot-blooded and proud. Would this lead to a clash?

In the past, faced with such a situation, Li Dajin would have just watched the drama with a blank face. But after what he'd just said, his life and his family's fortunes were now tied to this side, so he couldn't help but pay close attention.

"Second Brother is right. Since these men are here for money, they'll do the job, but they may not be willing to risk their lives. I didn't think it through. However, the number of truly trustworthy men in the Internal Guard is limited—that's the difficulty," Liu Yong said frankly.

Chen Sheng nodded and said, "Arrange the routes there and back properly. What's left is how to fight. The key is a real, hard fight with real blades and spears."

"Second Brother, bring those Tatars along. They're reliable—they have no choice but to follow us wholeheartedly," Dong Bingfeng spoke up.

Zhao Jin patted the table and said, "Starting tomorrow, select the men and prepare. Old Li, tonight you'll stay in the Internal Guard's barracks. Once this matter is settled, you can go back."

Such a major affair naturally required secrecy. Li Dajin understood this and immediately acknowledged the order. Liu Yong stood up, led Li Dajin out, and assigned someone to take him over.

Once Li Dajin was gone, the room fell quiet again. Dong Bingfeng was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Boats aren't as fast as horses. Let me go along this time as well."

"What for? If over a hundred riders leave Xuzhou, the news will fly south in no time. Who knows how many eyes are watching us right now. You stay put. Just come to meet us when the time comes," Zhao Jin said sternly.

Shi Manqiang scratched his head, stood up, and said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, I haven't been out on a field assignment in ages. I'm always stuck guarding the home front. Letting the brothers go off to fight and risk their lives every time—it just doesn't sit right with me."

"Originally, I didn't even want to bring Little Yong this time," Chen Sheng said from the side.

Among the companions, Zhao Jin was the leader, but everyone was rather in awe of Chen Sheng. Calm and fair, always the first to face any challenge, his authority had been established naturally. Hearing Chen Sheng speak, Shi Manqiang opened his mouth a few times but ultimately sat back down.

Li Dajin was led by several men to a barracks. There were only three people inside: a dark, wiry man, a somewhat dull and lanky youth, and a middle-aged fat man with a perpetual grin. When the three saw Li Dajin, they all greeted him politely, then, without asking questions or making conversation, each quietly busied themselves with their own affairs.

The room wasn't locked, there were no guards posted outside the courtyard, and the few people inside didn't look particularly remarkable. Nevertheless, Li Dajin quietly tidied up, washed, and went to bed. He could sense that as long as he did as he was told, all would be well. But if he made any suspicious move, he definitely wouldn't leave this room alive.

Besides, it didn't take long for Li Dajin to realize something: during the sneak attack on the Grass Den when Zhao Jin had led the charge, that dark, wiry man in the room had killed quite a few people. His throwing darts were vicious and deadly.

There was no point in overthinking. He figured that by the next day, once the personnel were assembled, they'd set out for Yangzhou immediately. Better to get to sleep early, lest he lack energy when the time came.

The next morning, someone came early to deliver orders. It was the dark, wiry man who went to receive them. After breakfast, the dull, lanky youth went out on his own, while the dark, wiry man and the fat middle-aged man stayed with Li Dajin. Not long after, someone came to summon them, and the three left He Family Village together. Along the way, they could still see scattered groups of people leaving the village.

Li Dajin mused to himself that such a method could indeed serve as a diversion, but it was an unnecessary complication. He Family Village was already the Zhao Character Camp's territory—they might as well have done it openly. Going about it this way, if someone with ill intent caught on, it would actually cause more trouble.

After walking for over two hours, they arrived at a manor. It looked like the property of some Xuzhou landlord, though Li Dajin couldn't tell whose. The manor seemed very empty. Quite a few people were already waiting there. Li Dajin could tell that over a hundred of them were Zhao Character Camp retainers—that kind of well-trained, tough vigor wasn't something you saw in others. Several dozen more were gathered in a group. These men also looked familiar to Li Dajin, and it didn't take long for him to recall they were the mounted archers who had fought fiercely before the refugee camp—the ones Liu Yong had referred to as Tatars, no doubt.

There were also twenty-some men whose bearing was similar to the two he'd bunked with the previous day—likely the jianghu types in the Zhao Character Camp. But the others were harder to place. They looked rather timid, even seemed frightened by the scene before them. Moreover, they didn't look like they had any martial skills, nor did they appear to be carrying weapons.

And there were no horses to be seen in the area. Were they going to head straight to the Yellow River and take a boat? Li Dajin kept his mouth shut, just letting his thoughts wander.

Before long, everyone in the area, whether sitting or standing, rose to their feet to salute and greet the arriving Chen Sheng and Liu Yong. Even those Tatars did the same. Li Dajin even overheard someone behind him gossiping:

"... When that bunch of Tatars first arrived, they were defiant as could be, refusing to submit to anyone. But after seeing how the Zhao Character Camp trains, they all settled down..."

"... There were even some who got drunk and caused trouble, only to get beaten up by that group of brawny fellows from the market patrol. They went back to call for reinforcements, but then got thrashed again by the Personal Guard unit. After that, they settled down..."

Li Dajin felt like laughing as he listened, but he held it in. Chen Sheng swept his gaze across the assembly and said, "Each squad, go to your training first. Stand by for orders!"

A unified acknowledgment came from below, and everyone dispersed to train and wait. The few men who had been with Li Dajin also rose and left. Only those timid-looking ones remained.

Everyone, the end of the month is almost here—please send your monthly tickets, subscriptions, and tips!