Chapter 567: A Day's Events

Though earlier startled by the horsed archers, the moment Constable Liu heard Zhao Jin spit out that single word "Scram," fury surged straight from his heart, a blast of heat shooting to the top of his head. Some country thug from Xuzhou dared speak to him, an official runner, like that? What so-called giant of the rivers and lakes — no matter how high his martial skill, no matter if he had a thousand men at his command, before the authorities he was less than nothing. A young country thug like you, relying on a bit of martial prowess, how dare you be so insolent!

"Are you trying to rebel?" Constable Liu roared.

Zhao Jin did not answer that question. He merely tugged the corner of his mouth into a smile, traced a circle with his long spear, and said coldly, "How many men did you bring, that you dare speak to me like this? Think just because you're wearing that official skin, no one dares touch you?"

Before Constable Liu could go on, Zhao Jin waved a hand and said, "Kill his horse."

Had all order between heaven and earth turned upside down? How could this young man not fear the king's law? The moment the thing he relied on proved useless, it was as if that last layer of skin had been stripped away. Constable Liu had nothing left; he felt ice-cold all over. Could it be he was going to die here?

Twenty-some constables were nothing compared to the several thousand men of the rivers and lakes on this side — even they were kneeling meekly on the ground. If it came to blows, what hope of victory was there? If they really were killed, the court might send a great army afterward to suppress the region, but what would that have to do with him? Once a man was dead, everything was finished.

Before he could think it through, five Zhao Camp household troops had taken up position on each side of the horse, holding sharpened bamboo poles in their hands — the kind still brand-new and unused.

With a shout from each side, they thrust the bamboo poles forward. They were careful to avoid Constable Liu's legs, driving the poles straight into the horse's body. The force from both sides was immense; with a piercing shriek, the horse did not even manage to jump — it simply collapsed limply to the ground. As the bamboo poles were withdrawn, jets of blood shot out wildly. Many people could not dodge in time and were splattered.

Constable Liu seemed to have gone completely limp with terror, his trousers soaked through by his mount's blood. In this state, no one noticed that he had already lost control of his bladder from sheer fright.

"... You... You people... such gall... monstrous gall... When Guard Commander Qin of Shanyang arrives with the government troops, when Guard Commander Qin brings his soldiers, the Grand Commander of Langshan..." Constable Liu was babbling incoherently.

Before he could finish reciting his list, Ji Xiang walked over with a cold sneer and laid his blade against Constable Liu's neck. Constable Liu fell instantly mute, not another word escaping him.

The scene, which had been stirring with murmurs and commotion, fell silent once more. Those who had stood up meekly knelt back down, staring dumbfounded at everything before their eyes. The normally awe-inspiring official runners turned out to be this worthless. On second thought, these runners weren't exactly three-headed, six-armed monsters, and they didn't outnumber everyone else. If it truly came to tearing off all pretense, they really weren't much to look at. But if you struck a runner and offended the authorities, once the court's great army arrived, everything would be over. The Guard Commander of Shanyang County had nearly a thousand troops under his command — what man of the rivers and lakes could stand against that? And behind the Shanyang Guard Commander was the Vice General of Langshan, a man who commanded a major force.

You, Zhao Jin, may have gotten your satisfaction beating up runners today, but sooner or later the court's great army will come — and it won't even be that late. Given the close communication between Qingjiangpu and Shanyang County, that Guard Commander could dispatch troops the day after tomorrow. We'll see how insolent you are then. But right now, there was simply no way this situation could be turned around...

"Are you blind? My elder brother was leaving you a sliver of face, and you went and got cocky yourselves. Really in a hurry to be reincarnated?" Ji Xiang said impatiently. Constable Liu did not dare move a muscle, much less offer any reply.

"You're using long spears, bows and arrows — privately stockpiling deadly weapons of the army and state. This is a capital crime!" Just then, a timid voice rang out. It came from a young man among the mounted constables.

The young man had fine brows, small eyes, and a sallow complexion, yet his face was full of righteous indignation. The moment he spoke, Constable Liu, without moving his body, cursed loudly, "Meng Chao, you wretched fool, shut your mouth this instant!"

The other mounted constables also glared furiously at the young man. Why open your mouth at a moment like this? Are you afraid we aren't dying fast enough?

A smile surfaced on Zhao Jin's face instead. He answered, "We brothers carry long spears because we practice martial arts daily. These bows and arrows are all for hunting, not military bows. What we use are bamboo poles."

They indeed had not brought too many long spears this time. As for the bows and arrows, that was pure nonsense spoken with eyes shut. Still, strictly speaking, there were differences between hunting bows and military bows — or sometimes none at all; both were normal.

Long spears and bows and arrows were indeed a taboo. Common folk used blades and axes, flashy and decorative but useless on the battlefield, whereas long spears and bows and arrows were standard-issue military weapons, strictly forbidden all along. Though enforcement was not so tight and most times officials turned a blind eye, once someone seized on it and refused to let go, it could be twisted into a major crime like rebellion.

Zhao Jin's decision to have his men bring sharpened bamboo poles was also made with this in mind. Of course, the tips of these bamboo poles had been fire-hardened and soaked in urine and excrement. In armed clashes of this scale, they might even be deadlier than long spears — once a wound was inflicted, survival was basically impossible.

The planning before coming had been very thorough. The killing had to be ferocious, the settling of accounts afterward had to be severe, to intimidate every faction of the rivers and lakes in Qingjiangpu as much as possible. Yet the matter also had to leave as few traces as possible. True, countless eyes were watching, but as long as no official document was formed with the authorities, no reliable physical evidence remained, and no one got a handle on them, that meant no traces were left.

The corpses on the scene would certainly be cleaned up. Once the bodies were disposed of, there would be no solid proof to investigate. So what if several thousand mouths talked? That was nothing but word of mouth with no evidence!

Since every angle had been covered, there was no harm in a few more lives. Twenty-some more made no difference — dead men leave no bodies, after all...

Mounted Constable Meng Chao had pointed out the crux of the matter, yet his colleagues felt not the slightest gratitude. Instead, each cursed him inwardly, thinking: one useless word from you, and don't you go burying all our lives here.

Yet his question and Zhao Jin's reply had eased the tension in the air somewhat. Seizing the moment before things stiffened to the point of violence, Constable Liu, his trousers filthy with grime and bloodstains, actually squeezed out a smile on his face. Full of apology, he said, "We lost our heads, came here for no good reason, and held up the important business of you gentlemen. Truly unforgivable. Once we're back, we'll certainly set out a feast to make amends. We'll leave now, we'll leave now!"

As he spoke, he took the chance to clamber onto the mount of a companion beside him. He was filthy beyond belief and stank terribly; that mounted constable nearly threw up on the spot, only just managing to suppress his reaction.

Constable Liu's complete about-face in attitude was, in effect, kowtowing with his head slammed hard against the ground. Seeing that the band of Xuzhou cutthroats around him made no move, Constable Liu shouted at the top of his lungs, "Go, go!"

Trembling with fear, the party of mounted constables urged their horses forward, about to leave just like that. They had not gone far when they heard someone cry out in a heart-rending voice, "Brother Liu! For the sake of our sworn brotherhood, save your little brother!"

The shout came from one of the ringleaders among those who owed the "colossal debt." Constable Liu's head twitched slightly, but he did not turn around. He only urged them to hurry away. The ringleader who had shouted was immediately met with fists and kicks; fortunately, no lives were taken.

The mounted constables from Shanyang County had come in haste and left in even greater haste. Only when they were a sufficient distance away did someone rein in his horse and look back, seeming to spit in this direction before frantically whipping his horse onward.

Everyone still kneeling on the ground was now utterly silent. Whatever they thought in their hearts, they now all lowered their heads. They could not win a fight, and when they had pinned their hopes on the official runners, the constables from the yamen had proven utterly useless. Now, the only thing to do was meekly bow their heads.

Next, people began to stand up. Under the supervision of the Zhao Camp, they set about collecting the corpses and such. The carts prepared earlier now came in handy. The various seized weapons and over a hundred corpses were loaded one by one onto the carts. In the distance, those who owed the "colossal debt" were also being driven away.

The casualties had not been that heavy to begin with, and with abundant manpower, the scene was quickly cleaned up. The carts hauling the corpses had long been loaded with dry grass and quicklime, so no bloodstains would drip along the way.

They busied themselves without pause. The sun was visibly setting, and the sky was growing dark. The crowd, which had been quiet and obedient for half the day, began to stir again. Everyone was wondering what treatment awaited them next. Could it be a massacre? It was not impossible — these Xuzhou men were simply too lawless.

When everything was more or less finished, several men with loud voices came around and shouted, "Lord Jin has ordered: everyone disperse, go back to your own homes, and await Lord Jin's instructions. Go on, go on!"

Just leave like that? They had assembled yesterday, fought today. Over a hundred lives had been lost here, some people owed a "million-tael" colossal debt, and even the official runners had nearly died here. Things had blown up to this extent, and they were being told they could simply leave?

For a moment, no one believed it. No one even dared rise from the ground, afraid that one wrong word or move would cost them their heads.

The Zhao Camp men, however, did not waste extra words. After a few shouts, they dispersed on their own. The archers came down from the rooftops and walls, the mounted troop went elsewhere, and the square formation holding bamboo poles also withdrew. In a moment, only those kneeling outside remained. Because the bloodstains and corpses had all been cleaned away, once the sky darkened, it seemed almost as if nothing had happened at all.

Could they really leave? Everyone looked at each other. Those kneeling at the outermost edge glanced around in all directions. Indeed, they could see no guards. Carefully, stealthily, they stood up, then broke into a frantic run. Sure enough, nothing happened. One person ran, then two, then three, and then a chaotic scramble as everyone fled outward, terrified that lingering would mean being kept behind. The result was another bout of chaos from shoving and trampling. Fortunately, with no weapons left in anyone's hands, even if they jostled and fought viciously, it was hard to take a life. Before long, the front of the cart company, packed solid all day, was completely empty, leaving behind only scattered shoes and hats.

Zhao Jin and his companions stood on top of the wall watching. Liu Yong said with a rueful smile, "Truly a heap of loose sand. It's a good thing Big Brother put so much effort into the arrangements."

After saying this, Liu Yong called out to a dozen or so cart drivers from the company, who went out with tools to sweep up, piling all the trash together and burning it.

The end of the month is near — if you have monthly tickets, cast them for Great Ming Wufu. Otherwise, they'll go to waste once this month is over. Thank you, everyone.

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