Chapter 517: A Trivial Matter

The column pressed on. Riders constantly came up to pay their respects — everyone knew how to curry favor. A force of over a thousand men marching from Xuzhou would certainly consume huge amounts of provisions. The local established families here could readily supply grain, fodder, and corvée labor.

But those with such intentions also noticed the dozens of large carts at the rear of the Zhao Camp column, piled high and fully loaded with grain, fodder, and equipment.

When the Gui Defense Prefecture crowd saw this, they were even more shaken than when they saw the Zhao Camp's crack troops. To them, so-called fighting ability was merely a willingness to risk one's life — neat formations and fine equipment wouldn't lead them to deduce anything. But money and grain were tangible. Seeing such lavish resources, everyone understood exactly what kind of strength stood behind them. It made them realize they had been right to come here.

Mamu Market was twenty-five li from the Gui Defense Prefecture seat, Shangqiu. It had formed as a market town due to convenient water and land transport, much like the old He Village. Its layout was chaotic — market stalls and inns all jumbled together — and it bustled with prosperity.

Zhao Jin halted the column directly at this Mamu Market. They pitched camp on open ground, then sent men to summon whoever was in charge here.

Imperial authority did not extend beyond the county seat. Inside the city walls there were officials and runners; outside, the powerful gentry and local strongmen ruled. Mamu Market was a place where dragons and snakes mingled, with rich pickings to be had. Anyone who could dominate this area needed at least a hundred able-bodied men under his command. With such a source of income and so many men to support, he counted as a figure of some note within Gui Defense Prefecture.

The man running things here went by the nickname "Big-Head Wolf." He had clawed his way to his current position through sheer ferocity and ruthlessness. But after the Zhao Camp appeared, this local tyrant shrank back inside his compound, not daring to move, merely playing deaf and dumb. When the Zhao Camp sent men to summon him, he knew he couldn't hide. He ordered several dozen of his household's young braves to block the way while he, along with four trusted confidants, packed up his valuables, mounted horses, and fled out the back gate.

How could they block them? The moment an archer showed his head, he was shot dead. The Zhao Camp retainers didn't stand on ceremony either — they found a large log in the market, lifted it up, and rammed the gate open.

Fleeing was even more impossible. They had galloped less than a single li before the Zhao Camp's Tatar cavalry surrounded them. They weren't even given a chance to kowtow and beg for mercy. The bows were drawn and arrows loosed directly. All five men became hedgehogs.

The Zhao Camp horse team simply dragged Big-Head Wolf and his underlings back with ropes. At the sight of those corpses — usually so savage and overbearing, now bristling with arrow shafts — everyone in Mamu Market trembled with fear.

Because the Zhao Camp had arrived so openly and boldly, Big-Head Wolf's gang hadn't even reacted. The several headmen in charge, whether caught in the market or before they could flee, were all seized and brought over.

As evening approached and darkness fell, great bonfires were lit on the open ground. The bodies of Big-Head Wolf and his companions were dumped to one side, while several headmen knelt there.

"Who was involved in robbing the cattle and horse merchants? Confess them one by one, and I'll give you a quick end." Liu Yong stood before them and spoke.

If he had offered them a way out from the start, they might have haggled. But stating it so bluntly terrified them instead. After only a moment's hesitation, one man was dragged off into the darkness. Immediately, heart-rending screams rang out. The Internal Guard had several skilled experts in torture and interrogation.

The matter was simple. Watching the merchant caravans pass through time and again — merchants who were neither from Henan nor South Zhili, and whose goods were exceedingly rich — Big-Head Wolf had conceived the notion of murder for profit.

In the past, as long as that Chang Tongchui, Chang Bing, had been respectful toward Zhao Jin, Big-Head Wolf hadn't dared act recklessly. But recently, Chang Bing had been dominating his own territory and seemed intent on setting up his own independent operation. Big-Head Wolf felt his chance had come. The moment Wang Ziyang's caravan arrived, Big-Head Wolf immediately colluded with mounted bandits from all around to strike. This was a huge fortune — too much for one man to swallow alone.

Aside from the merchants themselves escaping under guard, everything else had gone smoothly. The gold, silver, copper coins, and felt rugs the cattle and horse merchants had brought could be used directly as currency or sold off quickly, so those were divided up on the spot. As for the large livestock and carts, those were stored at Chang Tongchui Chang Bing's estate.

Chang Tongchui had also sent over a hundred men to take part in the attack on Wang Ziyang's caravan. Large livestock and carts were not so easy to dispose of, but sold off slowly, they would yield an even greater profit.

Hearing this, the Gui Defense Prefecture men all cursed furiously, saying this Chang Tongchui Chang Bing had the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog — an ungrateful wretch who deserved to be struck by lightning.

They cursed with their mouths, but some thought to themselves: Chang Tongchui had brought misfortune on himself, yet he had also done a great service for Gui Defense Prefecture. From now on, Lord Jin would be the one calling the shots here, and they certainly wouldn't come out the losers.

That night was less an interrogation than a welcome feast for Zhao Jin. With Big-Head Wolf dead, Zhao Jin directly allocated thirty percent of Mamu Market's rights and interests to the few who had been first to greet him. The rest also received dry-share benefits.

A great fortune had fallen from the sky. Everyone who had gained something was elated. They laid out a banquet right there at Mamu Market and threw a grand feast.

At the banquet, everyone finally learned who Zhao Jin was. This Wang Zhaojing, Third Master Wang, was said to be a Provincial Graduate. This Ji Xiang was also quite famous. And this short fellow was Lord Yong — it was said that even the ordinary men of the jianghu in South Zhili had to obey him.

They also learned the reason behind the Chang Tongchui affair. It turned out Lord Jin had demanded he provide intelligence every three days. Hearing this, everyone cursed again, all saying that when Lord Jin gave you such face, to refuse it was to throw face away.

Chang Tongchui's estate was now less than ten li from the city. Everyone tactfully considered that Lord Jin, being an outside force after all, and with such an imposing presence, would inevitably encounter various inconveniences if he moved to strike there. They beat their chests and volunteered for battle, saying there was no need for Lord Jin to trouble himself — they would chop the man's head off and deliver it here.

Anyone could see that the sky over Gui Defense Prefecture was about to change. From now on, whether it was harboring stolen goods, salt smuggling, the various trades in the markets, the dealings of the Green Wood, or taxes and grain levies — all the previously negotiated and tacitly accepted shares in these would change. Whether one could scoop up some benefits here and rise a step higher depended entirely on how one performed now. Dead men didn't matter. Risking one's life didn't matter. As long as Lord Jin nodded and said yes, it was all worth it.

Zhao Jin, for his part, was happy to follow good advice and immediately invited everyone to join in the grand undertaking.

Chang Tongchui Chang Bing, however, was considerably smarter than Big-Head Wolf. That very night, someone from Mamu Market had rushed over to tip him off. He had only scraped together a few hundred men. The moment he heard Zhao Jin was coming with over a thousand troops, his courage shattered. How could he dare fight?

Moreover, the reason Chang Bing had acted so recklessly was precisely because he believed Zhao Jin would not cross the provincial border. Now that Zhao Jin had come here, all his reliance and confidence had vanished like smoke.

That night, Chang Tongchui packed up his valuables. Before dawn, he took his family and trusted followers and fled to Shangqiu County seat. He could reason this through clearly: no matter how arrogant and overbearing Zhao Jin was, no matter how strong his forces, he wouldn't dare attack a city, nor would he dare seize and kill people at will inside the city walls. As long as he could endure this period — the Zhao Camp was a Xuzhou force and would surely have to return — there would ultimately be a share of benefits for him in the Gui Defense Prefecture territory.

By the afternoon of the next day, the various forces of Gui Defense Prefecture had assembled at Mamu Market. Everyone who could make it had come. Then they began advancing toward Shangqiu City, with more people joining the cause along the way.

The Gui Defense Prefecture magistrate's yamen and the Shangqiu county magistrate's yamen were naturally not ignorant of the news, but they simply would not intervene. First, they lacked the strength — mere runners and civilian levies could never suppress this. What's more, the runners, civilian levies, and local militias had countless ties to these local tyrants and gentry. Second, they couldn't be bothered. It was outside the city anyway. If no one died, fine; if someone died and no one brought a lawsuit, also fine; if someone did bring a lawsuit, they'd deal with it then.

With the master having fled into the city, the men under him had no will to fight. The estate didn't hold out for even a single shichen — it was breached directly.

The fleeing estate servants and private soldiers had already taken quite a bit of the estate's valuables. Fortunately, the large livestock and carts were still there, and quite a lot of furs remained in storage. Though this was a prime opportunity to line their own pockets, the local strongmen of Gui Defense Prefecture who had come to join the righteous cause strictly restrained their men: no private looting or hiding. These things were to be returned to Lord Jin.

With Chang Tongchui's estate breached, the Gui Defense Prefecture strongmen's allied force did not stop. The perpetrators at Mamu Market that day had not only been Big-Head Wolf and Chang Tongchui, but also two bandit gangs from Xinji and Fengchikou. Such blind fools — they would be wiped out in one sweep.

Zhao Jin's force remained stationed at Mamu Market without moving. Those in Gui Defense Prefecture eager to curry favor took the initiative to arrange provisions and supplies and deliver them. While fawning, they also observed. They discovered that the Zhao Camp retainers were extremely disciplined. Right beside them was such a bustling place, yet none were tempted — they simply stayed inside the encampment and did not come out.

During training, although they saw no sparring or martial contests, those formations, marching, thrusting drills, and battle cries were dense with killing intent. Not to mention the cavalry and the armor — they had never seen such things even among the official troops.

Discipline meant they wouldn't exploit the locality in the future. Strength meant they could hold their ground for the long term. Such people were worth currying favor with.

The two gangs at Xinji and Fengchikou offered little resistance. Besides, those moving against them were local militias who knew each other inside out. When the fighting started, the gang leaders couldn't control their own men. In one gang, the leader was even stabbed by one of his own brothers and tied up.

The livestock and goods robbed from Wang Ziyang were quickly returned. Upon careful inventory, there was even a little more than what had been looted. Partly, the perpetrators hadn't had time to dispose of the stolen goods, but more importantly, in their eagerness to curry favor with Zhao Jin, everyone had deliberately or inadvertently added a bit extra.

After all this, there was one thing everyone found regrettable: Chang Tongchui had fled too quickly, and they couldn't eliminate this future threat at once. This man was well-acquainted with the people in the city yamens. If he was let off today, he might later use the backing of the authorities to cause trouble and become a major scourge again.

Besides, Lord Jin wouldn't be staying long in Gui Defense Prefecture — probably less than ten days before he left.

The day after those two gangs were taken down, clerks from the Gui Defense Prefecture and Shangqiu County yamens, along with runners, came knocking.

The clerks and runners were naturally not so arrogant. They didn't swagger directly up to the door, but instead asked connections from Dangshan to pass word first before coming to pay a visit.

Upon hearing this news, the good men of Gui Defense Prefecture — who had been thoroughly enjoying the fighting and killing these past few days and looking forward to good days ahead — grew very worried. They thought: if someone from the authorities steps in to mediate, what if Lord Jin lets Chang Tongchui off, or withdraws back to Xuzhou? The Zhao Camp would have recovered its losses, but what about all the trouble everyone had stirred up these days? Would there be a reckoning later?