Chapter 566: Do You Not Fear the King's Law?

Everyone knew that Zhao Jin was a remarkable figure and that the Zhao Character Camp was a major power, but hearsay is not the same as seeing with your own eyes — if you haven't witnessed it yourself, you'll always have doubts. Every year they heard tales of three-headed, six-armed heroes out in the wider world, but it was just something to enjoy hearing about; few took it seriously, few even cared. After all, it wasn't in Qingjiangpu, so why bother? And no one would ever imagine that a cart business run by some independent drivers and carters could have anything to do with this Zhao Jin.

Sure, they were all from Xuzhou, but Xuzhou still had one prefecture, four counties, and several hundred thousand people. What connection could there possibly be between a carter from a military household's surplus son, who'd gathered a bunch of stray dogs to open a cart business, and that Zhao Jin? The thought simply never crossed anyone's mind.

Once Zhao Jin announced his own name, all those things everyone had been ignoring began to surface: the neat, orderly ranks, the bamboo poles in hand, the cavalry unit, the archers, the killing without blinking an eye. One by one, these details matched the legends about Zhao Jin, and only then did everyone understand — that great power from Xuzhou had truly come.

The crowd below went from whispering to a buzzing murmur, then fell silent again. Each person gazed up in awe and dread. So many had died; they had now witnessed Zhao Jin's strength and ruthlessness firsthand. All they could do was see what this young master intended to do next.

Of course, their faces were full of awe and dread, but what they thought in their hearts was another matter entirely. Sure, you, Zhao Jin, are mighty today, but you're not in your own home territory. Once you're done stirring up trouble, let's see how you deal with the authorities. Let's see how you get out of this!

Once the crowd below had quieted, Zhao Jin spoke again: "From now on, in the territory of Qingjiangpu, what I say goes."

This statement was just as simple, but the silence below was instantly shattered. The crowd erupted. In the less conspicuous spots among them, people couldn't hear clearly, and when the words were passed along, some even burst out laughing.

Everyone's thoughts were more or less the same: You young man, you really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Qingjiangpu is not some poor, backwater place like your Xuzhou. Here, dragons lurk and tigers hide. A shopfront along the canal might well have big shots from the capital or Nanjing behind it. A scholar on the street, if you trace his connections, might have relatives in the Grand Secretariat or the Six Ministries. You, a local thug from Xuzhou, want to call the shots here? It's truly laughable.

They could think what they wanted, but in the current situation, no one dared say a word. They merely listened with feigned obedience.

"The customary fees for doing business, the rules for sharing profits up and down the line — all of these will change. How they change will be decided by me, and you will simply follow. I am not one to squeeze people dry. I'll make my own fortune, but I'll also ensure everyone gets by comfortably. However, I do things by the rules. I set the rules, and for those who don't follow them — those lying on the ground are what happens."

Zhao Jin's voice was very resonant, and everyone listened with an appearance of respect, but in their hearts, each had their own plans.

"Qingjiangpu will likely have many vacant positions this time. The Big Cart Gang is disbanded on the spot. As for the other outfits, you can sort yourselves out — I won't interfere on my end."

Hearing this, everyone's minds began to stir. The various leaders had either been beaten to death or saddled with "enormous debts" and would likely spend the rest of their lives toiling like oxen and horses in Xuzhou, with no chance of returning. That meant the leadership positions everywhere were now vacant. Didn't that mean those below could step up a rung?

At this thought, many in the crowd forgot the numbness and soreness in their legs, and forgot their earlier sneers and ridicule. They were all thinking that this Zhao Jin in Qingjiangpu wasn't so bad after all — at the very least, there was a chance for advancement...

Just as these thoughts were running, those near the outer edge heard the sound of hoofbeats again. The streets were full of kneeling people; when that mounted troop approached, these people would surely have to rise and dodge to avoid being trampled and injured.

But this time, they weren't just dodging. After getting up, they began wailing and shouting: "Officers! There's been murder here!"

"Officers! They're from Xuzhou..."

The wailing and shouting arose because this mounted troop wore the uniforms of Shanyang County's mounted constables. The lawmen had finally arrived. People in the jianghu inevitably had to deal with government runners and bailiffs, and the jianghu heroes of Qingjiangpu were all local figures with standing in the community, which meant they had even more connections with the constables.

Before this big fight, they had even notified the Commissioner's office and gone themselves to give a heads-up, to avoid trouble afterward. At the time, they had been thinking of keeping themselves clear of homicide charges; how could they have imagined things would turn out like this, with them just trying not to get killed?

Hearing that the lawmen had arrived, the vast crowd kneeling on the ground stirred and erupted. The lawmen were here! The King's law is greater than heaven! You can throw your weight around in the jianghu, but do you dare resist the lawmen? Do you dare rebel?

The Zhao Character Camp retainers guarding them simply brought their bamboo poles lashing down, but they still couldn't suppress the crowd. Though it hadn't yet reached the point of seizing weapons and fighting back, some people stood up, pointing at the Zhao Character Camp retainers and cursing loudly.

Then screams rang out — utterly harrowing screams, the unmistakable sound of killing. The scene quickly fell silent again, because those on the outside had already seen: the men wielding long-bladed podao had charged straight over and were hacking people down. The few who had shouted "Officers!" and jumped up most eagerly were cut down right there in the street, blood flowing everywhere.

Killing people right in front of the lawmen? Had these Xuzhou savages gone mad? Did they truly think this was some lawless, godforsaken backwater?

Everyone had plenty of questions in their hearts, but they all wisely knelt back down on the ground. If you got hacked, who could you complain to? Anyway, the lawmen were here now — the rampage of these Xuzhou folk was about to reach its end.

The constables and runners of Shanyang County, mounted on their horses, were furious at seeing people killed right before their eyes. The one in the lead, a stout, heavyset man who looked like a head constable, bellowed from horseback: "Stop! Stop! Do you have no regard for the King's law?!"

The constables and runners of Shanyang County recognized many of those kneeling on the ground and lying in pools of blood. They had friendships with them, had even been given a heads-up beforehand. Seeing this scene, they too grew frantic, all shouting and cursing from horseback: "This is rebellion!"

"This is a capital crime!"

"When the great army of the court arrives, you will all be smashed to pieces!"

As they shouted, they all drew the sabers at their waists and brandished them wildly. Some swung their chains with a whooshing flourish. But with the kneeling crowd refusing to rise, the horses couldn't advance quickly, and their twenty-some riders didn't look nearly so imposing.

A county's constables and runners were divided into foot runners and mounted runners. These were the military force directly under the county magistrate, the muscle the Revenue Office relied on to collect taxes and grain. The mounted runners had the strongest fighting capability — pursuing and capturing major bandits, quelling armed brawls, all depended on them taking the field. Because Shanyang County bordered Qingjiangpu, it was somewhat better funded than other places, so the mounted runners' equipment was good: sturdy horses, quality blades. Add to that their official status and the backing of the King's law, and they were quite effective when deployed.

But now, something was strange. They kept shouting, but no one below paid them any heed. One after another, thick bamboo poles stained with blood lashed down mercilessly. Men with blades patrolled ceaselessly; anyone who didn't behave was cut down with a single stroke. In their eyes, where was any regard for lawmen or the King's law?

"Head Constable Liu, you're too late!" someone kneeling on the ground cried out aggrievedly. At least he was kneeling — those words didn't bring a killing blow upon him.

Head Constable Liu, the man in the lead, bellowed furiously from horseback, but his eyes darted everywhere. When he saw the corpses in front of the carts, he couldn't help feeling a surge of glee. This was Qingjiangpu territory, after all, and the locals' information was ultimately quicker. As soon as this side lost the fight, someone had immediately gone to spread the word everywhere.

But the various factions had already drained all the available manpower in Qingjiangpu — who was left to send? Even if someone could be sent, they wouldn't dare move. Two thousand men on this side had already lost; sending more would just be delivering food on a platter. At a time like this, the only ones who could show up with righteous confidence despite their small numbers were the lawmen.

Although a notice had been sent in advance saying neither side would help the other, with deaths on this scale, the implications involved couldn't be suppressed by a notice from a capital official. Dispatching the lawmen was only to be expected.

These men from the Shanyang County yamen had deep ties with the jianghu crowd to begin with. The moment they heard, they immediately mustered a troop and rode over. However, Head Constable Liu did not see his one-armed colleague. Those men had been ordered around by the Big Cart Gang all day and normally didn't spend time at the yamen. This time, nursing injuries and illnesses, they were all holed up in the Big Cart Gang's quarters, so the Shanyang County yamen actually had no news of them.

As for his surge of glee at seeing the corpses — that was because he felt the evidence of both witnesses and material proof was solid. The reason they'd ridden over at full speed was precisely the fear that this Cloud Mountain Cart Business gang of Xuzhou savages would clean everything up beforehand. If they really denied it then, there'd truly be no recourse. After all, a notice had been sent to the yamen, and the Prefect had said to show consideration. If they wanted to deny it, they could simply deny it. But with corpses everywhere and those kneeling jianghu folk looking at him with faces full of hope, witnesses and material evidence were complete. A case this big, even if it went all the way to the heavens, there'd be no fear of it being overturned. In Huainan's Qingjiangpu, since when was it the turn of Xuzhou men to run rampant!

He stared intently at the corpses on the ground, silently counting the number in his mind. When the count passed forty, Head Constable Liu felt a chill of fear himself. These Xuzhou savages were far too ruthless. He'd have to mind his limits in a moment and not provoke a clash on the spot — his twenty-some men were no match for them.

Then Head Constable Liu saw the Zhao Character Camp's mounted troop. Fifty-some riders, all bearing blades and carrying bows on their backs, staring at them coldly. At the sight, the constables who'd been brandishing sabers and chains all lowered their hands. The mounted runners' prestige came precisely from the fact that the further south you went, the scarcer horses became — their riding horses gave them an enormous advantage. Now, seeing that the other side had even more riders, their hearts couldn't help but pound.

Next, they spotted the archers on the rooftops and walls. This made Head Constable Liu and the constables and runners behind him somewhat fearful. Though they had the King's law to rely on, the other side's martial force was simply too overwhelming.

He thought of all those river-and-lake bandits — some with high martial skill, some in gangs and packs — but the moment the lawmen arrived, they'd scatter like birds and beasts. One shout of "When the great army of the court arrives, you will all be smashed to pieces!" and they'd be terrified, unable to resist. This thought bolstered Head Constable Liu's courage somewhat.

Riding up before the corpses in this manner, seeing those familiar faces on the ground, and recalling the benefits he'd received from them in the past, rage surged from Head Constable Liu's heart. Eyes bulging, he roared: "Killing the innocent in broad daylight — do you know your crime?! Do you not fear the King's law?!"

Behind the corpses were the carts, and on a cart stood Zhao Jin. Hearing the man's bellow, Zhao Jin merely raised the long spear in his hand and pointed it. The spear tip glinted coldly. Head Constable Liu shrank back in fright, and even his mount couldn't help retreating a few steps. Zhao Jin's face was grim as he said just one word: "Scram!"

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