Chapter 503: Trial Run

"Old Li, come over here!" Hearing this greeting, Li Dajin didn't react at first. Only when he saw Liu Yong beckoning him over did he hurry across.

"Tell me again the layout of that estate you described yesterday. For the parts you're unsure about, just try your best to recall, and discuss it with these master builders."

Hearing this, Li Dajin was still confused. Only later did he realize that these middle-aged men, whose timid expressions didn't mark them as warriors, were actually master builders who constructed houses.

At first they all seemed somewhat fearful, but later they showed confidence. Someone took a charcoal stick and sketched directly on a wooden board. Several details Li Dajin described inaccurately were all corrected by these masters.

Though they were cautious and deferential here, in the building trade they were figures of great renown. For building a single house, one of them alone would take fifty percent of the labor fee, and still take a cut from the material costs.

After everything was explained, Li Dajin grew even more confused, having no idea what this was all for. Liu Yong didn't explain either, simply leading him to meet a few men from the Internal Guard. Li Dajin learned that the dark, wiry man was called Nie Hei, the lean youth was Wei Mugen, and the middle-aged fat man was named Wang Jincheng.

That day's training was very simple. Li Dajin learned that the hundred-plus household troops of the Zhao Camp did not form an entire company, but were drawn from several companies of the First Regiment. They still needed to train in coordination. Among those Tartars, not everyone was skilled in archery and horsemanship; some still hadn't acclimatized to the local conditions, and others weren't yet accustomed to following orders — these too had to be weeded out during training.

Though few words were spoken, the information conveyed was considerable. Yet Li Dajin found it puzzling. Everyone said speed was the essence of warfare — the longer the delay, the greater the chance of exposure, especially when dealing with a major power like the Feng family.

Still, the day was not without gains. Li Dajin earned the respect of the Internal Guard members.

Within the Zhao Camp, the Internal Guard was different from the other units. The Personal Guard, the Cavalry, and the two regiments — the household troops there valued discipline, obedience to orders, diligent training, and bravery in battle. The Internal Guard, however, currently drew its main strength from seasoned fighters recruited from the jianghu. What they valued was individual skill and reputation.

Li Dajin had arrived with a low profile. Aside from a few he'd briefly encountered, no one knew his background. Seeing such a tall, brawny man, no longer young and somewhat timid, they all felt a measure of contempt. But when they sparred during training, Li Dajin's blade-work and spear techniques proved far superior to most. After all, he came from the military elite — his form was rigorous and impeccable. What was rarer still was that Li Dajin had spent years roaming the outlaw world of the greenwood, so his experience in personal combat was exceptionally rich.

After a full day of this, everyone knew this "Old Li" was no simple man. He was likely some bold hero the master had recruited from somewhere — not to be slighted.

The next day, Li Dajin returned to the training grounds. He suppressed all his bewilderment. A man sold his strength for his keep — he would do whatever he was told.

Upon arriving, before Li Dajin could begin training, Liu Yong called him aside. He followed Liu Yong for a stretch and turned into what looked like a threshing floor, where he saw something strange. Fences and walls made of bamboo poles and rice straw enclosed a vast area. Inside, layer upon layer, partitions of the same material divided the space. Directly facing them was an opening.

"This is the main gate of the Feng estate. Follow me and see if anything's off," Liu Yong said, pointing at the opening as he spoke.

"The Feng estate's main gate"? Hearing this, Li Dajin was utterly baffled, but he still followed Liu Yong inside. Two master builders trailed behind them.

"This is the main gate. The first courtyard has a spirit screen — this is the spirit screen," the master builder explained from behind.

Approaching that opening, Li Dajin suddenly stopped. He understood in a flash. These walls woven and built from bamboo poles and straw — this entire setup was laid out exactly according to the Feng family mansion he had described. It was the very structure of the Feng compound. The walls were railings woven from bamboo poles and straw stalks; the buildings were simply circles enclosed by these bamboo poles and straw stalks.

Questioned yesterday morning, and built by today. Though these things were crude, such an enormous area — how much manpower must that have taken? What kind of efficiency was this? The Zhao Camp was truly formidable!

"Don't just stand there." Liu Yong called out, and only then did Li Dajin move his feet. His body felt somewhat rigid.

Once he grasped this, looking at the abstract bamboo-wall structures made everything much clearer. This was the spirit screen beyond the main gate. This was the rockery arrangement behind the spirit screen. This was the main hall. This was the winding corridor. This was the inner compound wall and gate. Though seemingly crude, not a single detail had been omitted. For instance, a pond on the grounds had been specially outlined with thin cord.

What was this thing built for? Li Dajin's confusion didn't last long. Zhao Jin was going to strike the Feng family. Setting this up beforehand allowed everyone to rehearse here, reducing the blind fumbling when the time came. This was a night raid with blades — killing. One more measure of familiarity, one more measure of preparation, meant one less measure of risk and mishap.

A brilliant method. Formidable. These thoughts churned over and over in Li Dajin's mind. Following this Zhao Camp would certainly not go wrong. This Zhao Camp was no simple local strongman or village bravo.

The outer areas Li Dajin was familiar with were very clear. The interior required careful deduction. The master builders brought in were from among the refugees, and they weren't very familiar with the mansion layouts of great houses like the Feng family. But the underlying principles remained the same. Li Dajin provided the general outline, and they could deduce the details.

Everyone knew, however, that if they truly charged to that position, the details would no longer matter much.

After walking through the site and explaining everything in person, the master builders withdrew, promising it would be completed very soon.

"Once everything is finished, we'll need to go through it one more time. You'll describe the guard placements inside and outside the estate, and the general layout of hidden sentries. We'll pull men over to play those roles," Liu Yong said.

"Master Yong, this method is truly brilliant. Train like this for a few days, and our odds improve immensely. Was this your idea, Master Yong?" Li Dajin praised sincerely.

Liu Yong smiled and said, "How could it be? Of course it's my elder brother's scheme."

"Master Jin is formidable! Master Jin is indeed a man of great ability!" Li Dajin was utterly convinced, prostrating himself in admiration.

Liu Yong's face was full of smiles. When Li Dajin praised Zhao Jin, he too felt an immense pride. Smiling, he said, "My elder brother is capable of anything!"

By afternoon, all the details of this simulated compound were completed. Then, the surrounding streets were specially recreated as well, even requiring the exact same widths. Li Dajin felt more exhausted than if he'd been in actual combat. These trivial details — things seen every day, never consciously noted. To actually articulate them with precision was truly taxing.

Once this was done, Li Dajin began describing the personnel arrangements inside the compound. More household troops were transferred over from He Family Village, each man wearing a black cloth hood that revealed only the eyes, nose, and mouth.

By nightfall, the various units Chen Sheng and Liu Yong had assembled were gathered here, and the drill began.

Many aspects of the drill seemed like a joke. For instance, the main force had to first halt within several frames drawn on the ground, then advance toward the bamboo walls.

In the pitch dark, with few torches or lanterns lit near the bamboo walls, each man wore fairly complete protective gear. Though this simulated compound had openings everywhere, they were deliberately made to climb in first from the wooden racks on the side.

Once inside, if discovered, those hooded household troops within would shout, raising lanterns and torches, and would even attack with wooden clubs.

And it was tediously troublesome. For example, once inside the wooden wall perimeter, if discovered and too many defending household troops rushed over, everyone had to start all over again. Even if they weren't discovered, if the time taken to charge in was too long, they also had to start all over again.

The household troops, mostly young men, found it amusing. The Mongols found it baffling. The jianghu folk found it boring. At first, no one took it seriously. But after being made to repeat it several times, everyone grew irritable, and some began deliberately disregarding the rules.

But those who broke the rules immediately tasted the consequences. Chen Sheng and Liu Yong were each leading men in the drill and had no time to observe every individual. But Zhao Jin arrived with his men. Seeing anyone not following the rules, he had them dragged out directly for military punishment, publicly announcing the penalty on the spot.

After this happened a few times, everyone knew this was no game. Each man settled down and followed through earnestly. Once they applied themselves, they actually discovered a certain enjoyment in it. They could feel that the bamboo walls were fortifications, the men inside were defenders. The mutual attack and defense was quite interesting.

Li Dajin, however, saw more clearly than the others. He could tell this was about disembarking from boats or carts, scaling the walls of the Feng compound, encountering those guards, charging into the inner residence, and then withdrawing.

What others saw as child's play and amusement, he found thrilling and soul-stirring. In a daze, he felt as if he were already charging and killing his way into the Feng household, blood everywhere.

After several cycles of entry and exit, Li Dajin grew increasingly focused. Suddenly, a thought struck him. If, back then at the Grass Den in Huai'an Prefecture, they had been able to build a stockade in advance and drill like this, they might well have taken it. This was far more effective than surveying the battlefield beforehand.

Thinking this, Li Dajin looked again toward Zhao Jin, who was overseeing the drill in the distance. Under the lamplight, that young, resolute face flickered. Li Dajin suddenly thought again — perhaps he had not made the wrong choice in throwing in his lot with the Zhao Camp.

The place where Chen Sheng and Liu Yong conducted the drill was the Cloud Mountain Temple estate. The manpower to build the simulated compound was drawn from the refugees. This area had been completely sealed off. At He Family Village, all anyone saw each day were the Zhao Camp companies marching in and out. Even if there were spies watching, all they could see was them entering the Cloud Mountain Temple estate.

Since it didn't go beyond the bounds of He Family Village, and the perimeter of that estate was so tightly locked down, people stopped paying attention. The Zhao Camp trained hard behind closed doors all day, with little else to worry about.

On the first day of the fifth month, the salt market officially opened. That day, they merely set off firecrackers and everyone shared a meal. Business, in fact, had already begun before this.

Just as those merchants with good foresight had predicted, once the salt market opened, besides the convenience in the salt trade, all other goods saw booming sales and purchases. Merchants from Shandong, Henan, and other prefectures of South Zhili gathered here in droves, bringing goods and trading local specialties, making He Family Village extraordinarily prosperous.

Thanks to the two readers, Special Great White God and Paper Grows Cloud Mist, for their tips. Thanks to everyone for your monthly tickets and subscriptions. Asking for everyone's monthly tickets, tips, and subscriptions.