Chapter 511: A Blade Left Sheathed Will Rust

Wang Zhaojing smiled and fell silent for a moment, then spoke: "Big Brother, from the official gazettes we can see, and the merchants traveling north and south bring plenty of news as well — Shandong, Henan, Huguang, Fujian, Jiangxi, even Northern Zhili, disasters are breaking out everywhere, and in every place there are crowds gathering to cause chaos. This realm is gradually growing unstable."

The pavilion fell quiet. Zhao Jin glanced at Chen Sheng and Liu Yong, their eyes meeting; all of them carried puzzled looks, unsure why the conversation had suddenly turned to the gazettes and the greater situation of the realm.

"Big Brother, outside famine stretches on and on, the people have no means to live, yet our Zhao Character Camp is well-supplied with funds and grain, its soldiers strong and horses sturdy. Though the Zhao Character Camp's household troops number no more than three thousand, if we truly mobilized, the tens of thousands of able-bodied young men in Xuzhou and Huai'an Prefecture would not be hard to gather..."

Wang Zhaojing continued, a smile lingering on his face the whole time. Zhao Jin's expression remained indifferent. Chen Sheng's brow furrowed, his look stern. Liu Yong, meanwhile, stood and swept his gaze around; the nearest household troops to the wooden pavilion were at least ten paces away.

"... Big Brother, our Xuzhou sits at a pivotal hub. Northward lies Shandong and Northern Zhili; southward lies the heartland of Jiangnan. Shandong is rotten through, with nothing to stop us — we could march all the way north. As for heading south, Huai'an Prefecture and Yangzhou Prefecture — who there would dare block our Zhao Character Camp..."

Wang Zhaojing spoke with eloquence and ease. Chen Sheng's face was dark and grim; normally, he would have rebuked him without the slightest courtesy, but now he remained silent, not uttering a word. Liu Yong simply fixed his gaze on Zhao Jin.

Wang Zhaojing, however, stopped there and did not finish his thought. Zhao Jin's gaze shifted outward, and he remained silent. Wang Zhaojing looked left and right, a smile surfacing on his face again. Before he could speak, Zhao Jin opened his mouth: "Are you talking about rebellion?"

The few men in the wooden pavilion all jolted at once. Wang Zhaojing's words had actually been very clear, but he had not pointed out this crucial point — yet Zhao Jin had spoken it with utter calm.

The moment the word "rebellion" was uttered, even the smile on Wang Zhaojing's face turned awkward. Liu Yong stepped forward and said hastily, "Big Brother, guard your words."

Zhao Jin shook his head and said, "Among our own brothers, there's nothing that can't be said. Speaking it out isn't a bad thing — better than keeping it buried in the heart."

Liu Yong hesitated a moment, then walked to the edge of the wooden pavilion and signaled to the household troops already in the distance, gesturing for them to move even farther away. Only after doing this did he turn back in silence.

"Marching north, you could enter the capital directly; heading south, you could seize Jiangnan. These two things are easy to say, but doing them is beset with a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships. You think everywhere is rotten through, but you haven't noticed — this year, disasters and popular unrest are everywhere, yet right now, there is no stirring anywhere at all. In Shandong, so many have gathered in revolt, but the moment government troops arrive, they are scattered like ash and smoke in an instant." Zhao Jin spoke with a solemn voice.

Wang Zhaojing wore a smile on his face and merely nodded. Zhao Jin continued, "We are indeed at a pivotal hub — going north or south is extremely easy. But by the same token, the water and land routes here are so convenient that the moment trouble breaks out, great armies will immediately mass. Northern and Southern Zhili, Henan, Shandong — these places are all vital regions to the Great Ming, with heavy troops garrisoned in peacetime. If anything happens, tens of thousands, even a hundred thousand soldiers will gather. What would our battle strength count for then? What use would those tens of thousands of able-bodied youths be? When it truly comes to fighting, wouldn't it still be the Zhao Character Camp's household troops? A few thousand against tens or hundreds of thousands of government soldiers — what odds of victory would we have?"

At these words, Chen Sheng, who was at the side, spoke up: "I heard my grandfather say that among the government armies, the only ones who can fight are the personal guards and household troops around the commanders. The rest are worse than refugees. Out of a hundred thousand government soldiers, how many personal guards and household troops can there be? I'd say less than three thousand. Our Zhao Character Camp has three thousand household troops — how are we inferior to them? Every one of our household troops is an elite soldier."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin frowned and said, "Dasheng, confidence is no fault, but arrogance and conceit are ruinous things. What we've fought are militia and private soldiers, bandits and roving outlaws. How many government troops have we actually fought? How can you think like this!"

"Li Dajin and that Li He both said that the ones who besieged the refugee stockade back in the Grass Den were government troops — and a battalion counted among the best under the Wolf Mountain Vice Regional Commander at that. Such troops were utterly helpless before our Zhao Character Camp. How strong could the others possibly be? Right now, I don't think I'm arrogant. I'm just puzzled — puzzled why we are so strong, puzzled why the government troops are so weak. We've all seen the soldiers under that Regional Commander Zhou Baolu. Aside from those household cavalry who still look the part, what are the rest even worth?" Chen Sheng spoke with utter seriousness.

Wang Zhaojing nodded and said with a smile, "I've heard Uncle He say that the troops of Southern Zhili are not considered weak compared to the rest of the realm. If Southern Zhili's troops are this helpless before us, what could the troops of other regions possibly do?"

A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face. He shook his head and said, "No matter how you put it, we are still only these three thousand. No matter how elite and strong we are, others can still wear us down to nothing. And the few examples you've given prove nothing. We still have no certainty."

At this, Wang Zhaojing's expression turned solemn and grave. But Zhao Jin continued, "You think you have such certainty? But do you know — the moment we declare rebellion, the several thousand household troops we've toiled so bitterly to train will scatter, more than half of them. They might even turn their blades directly against us."

The pavilion was silent. Zhao Jin asked again, "Do you know — right now, a single order from us, and everywhere in Xuzhou and the northern parts of Huai'an Prefecture, no one dares disobey. They dare not show the slightest negligence in contributing funds or men. But the moment you raise that banner, these very people will immediately turn against us. When that time comes, don't speak of rallying tens of thousands of able-bodied youths — I fear we would have to fight those very tens of thousands of able-bodied youths!"

"They wouldn't dare!" Chen Sheng said curtly.

"There's nothing they wouldn't dare. Those close to us might not dare, but they would be half-hearted and divided in their loyalties. Those farther away would strike immediately. Every side, every quarter would think of taking a bite out of us. When that time comes, friends become enemies, and we would be swallowed up in a vast ocean." Zhao Jin spoke with great force.

Wang Zhaojing nodded slowly. Chen Sheng fell silent. Liu Yong let out a breath. Zhao Jin softened his tone and said, "The hearts of the people — everyone under Heaven believes the Great Ming court is the true legitimate rule, believes it is immutable for ten thousand years. If we make a move, we will not win the people's hearts, no one will believe in us, no one will be willing to aid us. The only outcome will be destruction."

Chen Sheng lowered his head and simply stroked his scabbard without a word. The expression on Wang Zhaojing's face shifted and changed, finally settling into a smile of heartfelt conviction. He bowed with clasped hands and said, "Big Brother thinks with great clarity. If Big Brother can think this way, your younger brother has nothing to worry about. Our Zhao Character Camp can preserve this prosperity and wealth; we need not fear any great calamity."

"You were probing again? Does your mind always have to twist in so many turns?" Zhao Jin caught on and said, caught between tears and laughter.

Wang Zhaojing smiled and shook his head, saying, "Your younger brother, firstly, wished to see Big Brother's mind; secondly, I was indeed somewhat tempted. But the worries Big Brother has — your younger brother has also thought of them. That Big Brother can recognize this danger — your younger brother has nothing more to say."

Zhao Jin smiled. How much of Wang Zhaojing's words was false and how much was true, he did not wish to examine too closely.

Chen Sheng, however, stretched out his hand and pointed outward, saying in a solemn voice, "A blade left in its scabbard too long will rust. We've trained such an elite and powerful force — if we always keep it sheathed and unused, you think it's dull and boring. Do you think they won't feel the same?"

It was rare to see Chen Sheng so agitated. Before anyone else could speak, Chen Sheng continued, "A few days ago, someone in my family proposed a marriage for me. The household troops of our Zhao Character Camp have also reached the age to settle down and establish families. Once they marry and have children one by one, once they have burdens and concerns, they won't follow us anymore. By then, everything will have been for nothing!"

"But if we act now, it's certain death. Not to mention there's hardly any chance of success — I fear even rising again would be impossible. Do we want to gamble?" Zhao Jin frowned and asked in return.

Chen Sheng struck the scabbard in his hand heavily against the floor of the pavilion — thud, thud. After a few strikes, just as Liu Yong was about to step forward to dissuade him, Chen Sheng stopped the motion, let out a long breath, and said, "We can't afford to gamble, and no one would gamble with us. But I truly cannot accept this. With a force like the Zhao Character Camp, we ought to do something!"

After saying this, Chen Sheng's emotions settled, but he seemed somewhat listless and dejected, leaning against the side and saying nothing.

Zhao Jin looked at Chen Sheng, then at Wang Zhaojing, and finally at Liu Yong. Liu Yong also wore a bitter smile. Zhao Jin said, somewhat caught between tears and laughter, "When did you all start harboring these thoughts? I have always emphasized that our Zhao Character Camp is a household troop militia for guarding homes and protecting courtyards, that we have always acted with extreme caution under the officials and the king's law — precisely because I feared others would think we had such intentions. I have always spoken of protecting the territory and keeping the people safe, also for fear that others might misunderstand. If anyone outside thought so, whether we truly meant it or not, it would immediately bring great calamity upon us. I never expected that while I've been doing everything I can to avoid it, you all, on the contrary..."

Liu Yong, who had barely spoken the whole time, coughed and said, "Big Brother, the other day I heard Mister Zhou say something like, 'With a sharp blade on your person, the urge to kill arises of its own accord.' Our Zhao Character Camp is this elite and strong, and the government troops and the militias and private soldiers of other local strongmen are this weak — it's not strange that Second Brother and Third Brother think this way. Even your younger brother..."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin let out a "Heh," and pointed at Wang Zhaojing, saying, "Scholars have too many twists in their minds. Do you think he truly thinks this way? That's far from certain."

Wang Zhaojing merely smiled and inclined his body slightly. Liu Yong's expression, however, turned somewhat troubled. He hesitated a moment, then still asked, "Big Brother, what are your thoughts? If you speak them, we brothers will have a foundation to stand on. If it's truly difficult, it's fine not to say."

At this question, both Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng looked at Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin fell into deep thought. Liu Yong's expression grew increasingly uneasy, and he couldn't help but say, "Big Brother, if it's difficult, then there's no need to speak."

Zhao Jin walked toward the pavilion's exit and stood there, gazing at the lingering glow of the setting sun. Just when everyone thought he would not speak, Zhao Jin slowly began, "I've said before — for the next year, two years, even ten years, we can only wait. We can only calm our hearts and wait. But I never said what would happen after ten years..."

At this point, Zhao Jin paused, then added, "In ten years, none of us will even be past thirty. We can afford to wait."

After these ambiguous words were spoken, Zhao Jin turned around, as if answering Chen Sheng's earlier question: "You said a blade left too long will rust — but a blade is still a blade..."

On the first day of the month, Old Bai cannot help but ramble a few more words, asking everyone to cast your monthly tickets, subscribe to this book, and give generous tips — and I'll still be saying this over the next few days. Thank you, everyone.