Chapter 530: This Is What We Fought For With Our Lives

A buzz of murmuring rose from below. Zhao Jin immediately swept a stern glare across them. Everyone wore expressions of utter bewilderment. Lu Da, standing at the very front, looked left and right.

This reaction made Zhao Jin very impatient. He simply barked out the question: "Lu Da, if there's something you don't understand, ask it directly!"

Lu Da instinctively snapped to attention, chest out, and said loudly: "Master, what is a Brocade-One-Tail..."

His Xuzhou official dialect wasn't very authentic, but everyone understood him. The company commanders and squad leaders of the battalion commander rank all nodded in succession, clearly sharing Lu Da's exact question.

Zhao Jin and his companions were instantly stunned, then looked at each other in dismay. A "Ha—" of laughter rang out. Everyone looked over and saw it was Ruhui who couldn't hold back a laugh. Noticing everyone looking at her, she just waved a hand and lowered her head.

Everyone looked at me, I looked at you. No one knows who couldn't hold it in first and also laughed out loud. Chen Sheng smiled and shook his head. Wang Zhaojing's smile held a bit of shame. Shi Manqiang and Dong Bingfeng smiled very relaxed. Ji Xiang laughed very loudly. Liu Yong stood there looking at Zhao Jin, smiling wryly without stop.

Zhao Jin started with a slight smile, then couldn't help but laugh out loud, and finally burst into roaring laughter. The laughter echoed. Ruhui, watching everyone laugh, raised her head and whispered a few words into Zhou Xuezhi's ear beside her. Zhou Xuezhi, who had kept a taut face, also shook his head and laughed.

The leaders up here were laughing, and Master Jin was laughing so heartily, which instead made the company commanders and squad leaders below utterly confused. It had started so solemnly; why was it so relaxed now? What exactly was going on?

The Brocade Guard's fierce reputation awed the realm, and this reputation had spread for nearly two hundred years. Officials and scholars turned pale at the mention of them. Every year, people denounced the Depot Guard, calling them wicked sycophants, calling them a source of calamity and chaos.

But what did these matters have to do with the common folk below? The Brocade Guard wouldn't go around bothering these ordinary people. The commoners inside and outside the city toiled hard every day. The biggest figures they ever saw were no more than the neighborhood head and the village chief. Even constables and minor clerks were high and mighty to them. What could they possibly know?

In the city yamen, anyone wearing a long gown and official boots was called 'Master.' Those with a bit of worldly knowledge knew the biggest in the yamen was the Department Magistrate Lord, but how many knew the Deputy Magistrate or the Assistant Prefect?

Knowing that much already made one a savvy person. It's not that there were no commoners who knew the Brocade Guard's fierce reputation. In the capital, the very hub of the Great Ming, under the Emperor's feet; in Nanjing, the largest city under heaven, a place of splendor; in Suzhou, the wealthiest region—the people there were well-traveled and knowledgeable, hearing and seeing much. Of course they'd heard of the Brocade Guard's deeds, and often joined in righteous indignation. But what did people elsewhere know?

And speaking of which, even the Brocade Guard's own agents were muddled about Xuzhou. How then could the common folk know of the Brocade Guard? How many had even heard the name?

The household servants who had followed Zhao Jin from the very beginning were none of them from good backgrounds. Although Xuzhou had a flourishing martial culture, if a family had any prospects, any means at all, how could they let their own sons sell themselves into servitude, to a status akin to cattle and horses?

Bitter training, life-and-death fights with desperadoes, bloody battles against the refugee hordes, death duels with the great figures of the Jianghu. Time and again, casualties were heavy; time and again, they fought bathed in blood. Those who cherished their lives left. Those families who couldn't bear to see their sons suffer also pulled out. Those who stayed, while certainly drawn by the pay and prospects, also stayed because they had no other choice.

With such poor and humble origins, besides what Zhao Jin taught them and instilled in them, they truly didn't know much else.

If it were those Jianghu men in the Inner Guard, they would naturally know what the Brocade Guard was. But the main Zhao Battalion units elsewhere trained and stood guard every day, rotating only between the camp and their posts, unable to contact outsiders. How could they know what the Brocade Guard was? Those few from guard post backgrounds did know, but they now remained silent, and their faces showed considerable disdain. The Brocade Guard had hardly ever come to Xuzhou; they didn't think much of them either.

Zhao Jin could naturally figure out this snag, so after laughing, his face was full of embarrassment. This feeling was rather uncomfortable, like winding up a punch with all your might, only to hit empty air.

Looking at his key subordinates, still with faces full of confusion, Zhao Jin waved his hand in exasperation and said: "At ease for now."

Everyone complied, but the others were still in this state of barely suppressed amusement. Wang Zhaojing turned sideways and teased: "There's a common saying, 'making eyes at a blind man.' It seems quite fitting for this moment."

At these words, even Chen Sheng, who had calmed down, couldn't help but laugh. Zhao Jin glared, then smiled wryly. By this point, embarrassment aside, teasing aside, the earlier heaviness had all vanished like smoke. Everyone's mood had improved considerably.

When they first entered the room, Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi at the side had both worn very solemn expressions, but now their faces had also relaxed. The two chatted in low voices for a moment. Ruhui stood up and walked over, whispered a few words into Zhao Jin's ear. Zhao Jin nodded.

"Disregard what was said earlier. I ask you, how is life at home now?" Zhao Jin waved his hand and said.

Why the sudden change of topic? But compared to the earlier muddled state, asking something everyone could understand was better. The Zhao Battalion's culture was very straightforward. An order given was an order carried out immediately, no questions asked, even if it meant going through fire and water. This direct style was what everyone liked and was used to.

"Replying to Master, my family's doing quite well. My family burns incense and prays to Buddha every day, saying that having today is due to good deeds in a past life. I've sent word a few times, what's the use of praying to Buddha? Better to pray to you, Master. My family having today is all thanks to Master!" In the Zhao Battalion's battalion commander ranking, Zhang Hubin currently held the most authority, but the one ranked first was Lu Da, after all, his seniority was deepest, and his merits were also in the top three.

"... In the past, my family could only rent other people's land to farm. This year we have our own land. My father even thought of having me go back to farm. Isn't that muddled? If not in the Zhao Battalion, how could we have this property..."

"... My family sent word, saying the first time the whole family ate meat, the whole family cried..."

Everyone spoke over each other, all saying life was good now. These company commanders and squad leaders of the Zhao Battalion were the first batch to reap benefits from the Zhao Battalion's merit system. They had received merit reward silver, been allotted farmland, and knew these would increase year by year.

Their families rose in status along with them. In the Xuzhou region, having a family member serving in the Zhao Battalion was as prestigious as having someone serving as an official in the yamen. Poor families couldn't find wives for their sons. These young men of the Zhao Battalion used to have to trade their sisters in exchange marriages. Now, matchmakers offering dowries were practically breaking down their doorsteps.

Everyone could see that Zhao Jin's control over Xuzhou was growing ever more meticulous. Being connected to someone within Zhao Jin's system always provided an extra layer of security.

The atmosphere in the room gradually grew warm and lively. The company commanders and squad leaders spoke of their families' good lives now, recalling the bitter poverty of the past. Even the most taciturn Zhuang Liu had a smile appear on his face. The more they talked, the happier they became.

"Brothers, there are now government agents who want to seize our property, to take all the wealth and land of our Zhao Battalion, leaving nothing for us at all!" Amid this warm and cheerful atmosphere, Zhao Jin spoke.

Instant silence. The company commanders and squad leaders were all stunned, then looked at Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin nodded with a solemn expression.

"What do you think? Speak up!" Zhao Jin said again.

All trace of laughter was gone from Lu Da's face, which now looked fierce and ruthless. Gnashing his teeth, he said: "Master, these things were all earned by us brothers following you, risking our lives! Why should we give them to others? If they want to come take them, they'll have to trade with their lives!"

"... Want to take for free? They'll have to ask if the weapons in our hands agree!"

"... They've got some nerve, daring to come take advantage of our Zhao Battalion!"

Upon hearing that the wealth and land they'd fought for with their lives were to be seized, every man was enraged. Whether they had never heard the name Brocade Guard, or those few guard post sons who knew something, each one roared. The only sentiment expressed was: the merits earned through risking life and limb, whoever dares take them will have to fight to the death!

Zhao Jin and his companions exchanged glances. Everyone nodded slightly. Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi watched all this with keen interest.

"The Zhao Battalion's success today was led by me, carved out by you with blade and spear! How many brothers died along the way, never seeing the good life we have today? If some government agent can just come and take it all away, then we'd not only be failing ourselves, but also failing those brothers who died!" Zhao Jin raised his hand. The room fell silent, everyone listening to his clear, loud speech.

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, and hearing "those brothers who died," every man nodded. Some eyes had already reddened.

"Those Brocade Guard agents are used to throwing their weight around. Seeing any family with money, they think to seize their property. Seeing our Zhao Battalion's life thriving and prospering, they also think to come forcibly rob and swallow us up. Things brothers traded their lives for—why should we give them to others? Whatever they intend to do, I, Zhao Jin, will absolutely never agree!"

As Zhao Jin spoke, the silence in the room was gradually broken. Though everyone knew the rules, they couldn't help but stir restlessly. Every man was agitated.

It wasn't just the company commanders and squad leaders below who were agitated and stirred. Ji Xiang, Shi Manqiang, and Liu Yong, standing at the front, also had shifting expressions. Relatively speaking, the other few still managed to keep their composure.

The moment Zhao Jin finished, Ji Xiang stepped forward and shouted: "Whoever dares come, we'll slaughter them! We've put down bandit rebels, wiped out Tiger Kong, even government troops are no match for us. Who else dares act arrogant before us? Whoever dares come to seize our things—unless we're dead!"

An uproar from below. A few with hot tempers already shouted along: "Whoever dares mess around, we'll slaughter them! Who can beat us!"

At this point, the room actually fell silent again for a moment. Zhao Jin tensed, thinking something was off with everyone's mood. He didn't expect the company commanders and squad leaders below to exchange glances, looking at each other, their faces glowing with a new light.

And this change in expression wasn't just on the young men below. Even his companions at his side wore similar looks. Meanwhile, Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi, sitting to the side, exchanged a glance, their expressions ones of considerable shock and alarm.

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