Chapter 577: Brothers

"Big Brother..." Ji Xiang couldn't help but speak up. Only after Zhao Jin shot him a glare did he lower his head, but after hanging his head for a moment he lifted it again, gritted his teeth and said once more, "Big Brother..." As a result, Zhao Jin's gaze turned even more chilling. Ji Xiang couldn't suppress a shiver, and this time he dared not speak again.

"This recruitment of new men won't form independent squads. They'll be mixed into the existing units, with veterans leading the rookies. The regiment Stone leads will have more of the old household guards; the ones Dasheng and Bingfeng lead will have more new recruits. Stone will take his unit to Qingjiangpu. Then, the personal guard company will expand by one company, the archery company will expand, and the cavalry company will be under my direct command." Zhao Jin laid out the arrangements concisely.

With those words, the day's discussion was due to end. Chen Sheng stood up, saying he needed to return to camp, and the whole group rose to take their leave. Ji Xiang, his face sullen, also lowered his head and walked toward the door.

"Ji Xiang, stay!" Just before they stepped out, Zhao Jin raised his voice and called out.

Ji Xiang stood by the door with his head lowered, not moving. Once the door closed from outside, Zhao Jin strode over, grabbed Ji Xiang by the lapels, and slammed him violently against the wall.

Zhao Jin's strength far exceeded Ji Xiang's, and his martial skill was even more superior. Ji Xiang had no way to guard against this sudden explosive move and was slammed directly into the wall with a loud bang.

"Master?" The household guard outside asked nervously.

"All of you, get back!" Zhao Jin barked. Hearing the acknowledgment from outside and the sound of footsteps receding, Zhao Jin grabbed Ji Xiang again and slammed him hard against the wall once more.

"What's with that face you're making! What right do you have to make that face!" Zhao Jin glared at Ji Xiang and roared.

Ji Xiang's shoulders twisted, but Zhao Jin's hands were like iron clamps—he couldn't break free at all. This was the first time Ji Xiang had seen Zhao Jin so furious. Back in the day, he had sparred with everyone at the goods yard, then learned martial arts and followed Zhao Jin out into the world to fight and kill. Much of his martial skill had been taught by Zhao Jin. The two were indeed brothers, but there was also something of a teacher-student relationship between them. Ji Xiang had grown up in a peddler's family; his insight, analysis, and judgment had all been learned from following Zhao Jin. On one hand, there was the disparity in martial strength; on the other, the awe and deference ingrained since childhood.

Normally, when they were used to being casual, this went unnoticed. But now, with Zhao Jin in a towering rage, Ji Xiang was afraid. He struggled once, then dared not move again, and could only explain, "This little brother just feels it's unfair..."

In front of Zhao Jin, speaking the honest truth was best. If you tried to cover up with empty words, it would only make Zhao Jin angrier. The brothers were quite clear on this point.

Zhao Jin grabbed the man, spun, and flung him. Ji Xiang nearly went airborne, stumbling backward over a dozen steps before crashing into a chair and coming to a stop. Ji Xiang's entire face was deathly pale, his body trembling. He had never imagined Zhao Jin would lose his temper so badly.

"Working by my side—do you find it shameful?" Zhao Jin asked.

Ji Xiang hurriedly steadied himself and shook his head. Zhao Jin strode over. Thinking Zhao Jin was about to strike again, Ji Xiang instinctively flinched, but he made no move to dodge. Zhao Jin pointed at Ji Xiang and roared, "Stay obediently by my side and do this personal guard captain job properly. With your temperament, the moment I send you out to handle things on your own, you're bound to be led astray by bad company. Who knows what kind of disgraceful mess you'd get into then. Until you've tempered your character, you'll be this personal guard leader for life. Do you understand or not?"

This series of actions and reprimands had already terrified Ji Xiang. Hearing Zhao Jin's shouted question, he instinctively snapped to attention and answered loudly, "Big Brother, this little brother understands. Whatever Big Brother says to do, this little brother will never say a second word!"

Zhao Jin let out several long breaths. The hand pointing at Ji Xiang did not lower, but his tone lost its ferocity: "Do you think you've been wronged? Think you haven't let me down, haven't let the brothers down? Your thinking is already off. This is the time when we, united as one from top to bottom, should be banding together to push outward, to fight outward—and here you are, fretting over rank and status. Ask yourself: Dasheng, Stone, and Bingfeng—which of them isn't more level-headed than you? Even Xiaoyong looks steadier than you. Look at yourself, how rash and restless you've become. Let me ask you: as this personal guard captain, is your position lower than others? Is the silver you receive not enough to spend? Or has someone looked down on you, made you feel wronged?"

These questions left Ji Xiang speechless. Zhao Jin snorted, kicked over a chair, sat down on his own, and sighed, "Daxiang, right now, how many people hate and envy Zhao Camp? How many want to kill me? If I had to be on guard at every turn, we wouldn't get anything done. I need the most trustworthy person by my side to protect me. This person can't be too rigid, can't follow rules too strictly, yet must be fierce and valiant. Among the brothers, you are the most suitable. That's why I chose you. Yet you're restless and impatient, always thinking about going out there."

Ji Xiang's panic gradually subsided, his emotions settling. Hearing Zhao Jin speak so earnestly and with such weight, tears could not help but stream down his face. Wiping them as he choked with sobs, he said, "... It was this little brother's mistake. Big Brother, this little brother's mind was indeed unsteady, thinking of this and that. It won't happen again. I will do this personal guard company duty well and protect Big Brother properly."

Zhao Jin stood up again, walked to Ji Xiang's side, and heavily patted his shoulder. Staring at Ji Xiang, he asked, "Daxiang, have I ever treated a brother poorly?"

Ji Xiang shook his head. Zhao Jin asked again, "Do you trust me?"

"This little brother naturally trusts Big Brother!" Ji Xiang said loudly, his voice somewhat hoarse. Zhao Jin nodded and said in a deep voice, "Then obediently follow my arrangements. I will not treat you poorly."

After sending off the sincerely convinced Ji Xiang, Zhao Jin did not have the personal guards on duty outside clean up. Instead, he sent someone home to summon Xu Zhenzhen's servants and had them come over to tidy the place up.

Before the serving women from home arrived, Lei Cai came to the door first. Lei Cai's back was somewhat hunched, his complexion poor, looking very haggard. The moment he entered, the disorder in the room startled him—it looked as if a fight had just taken place. However, Lei Cai glanced at Zhao Jin, saw that his expression was normal, and said nothing about it.

"Have those people all set out?" Zhao Jin asked.

"Apart from Qi Erkui, they've all set out. Calculating the distance, they should have arrived by now," Lei Cai answered steadily.

Hearing Lei Cai's reply, Zhao Jin frowned and asked, "Why hasn't Qi Erkui left?"

Lei Cai hurriedly explained, "Qi Erkui is bringing a lot of people this time. The thirty-odd men he trusts most all need to be gathered together, and settling their families is a bit troublesome."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin was somewhat surprised and asked with a smile, "He doesn't want his salt business in Xuzhou anymore?"

"Qi Erkui said that since Master Jin has given the order, he'll put his full effort into it. Master Jin won't treat him or the men under him poorly," Lei Cai replied.

A smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face. Smiling, he said, "Since he's so sensible, leave him his share of the salt business profits. Let it also serve as an example to others: only by obeying orders and deployments will there be benefits to gain."

Lei Cai hurriedly acknowledged. Before he could bring up other matters, he heard Zhao Jin say with emotion, "When have I, Zhao Jin, ever treated my brothers poorly? What's the rush?"

These words came out of nowhere. Lei Cai didn't understand, but he also didn't want to pry.

When Zhao Jin returned to rest that evening, Xu Zhenzhen asked about the matter in the council hall. Xu Zhenzhen's expression was quite serious. The Xu family serving women who had gone to clean had naturally seen the chaos there, and naturally reported it to their mistress upon returning.

"This concubine has already given the order: if any word of what happened outside gets out, everyone who went there will be beaten to death. You need not worry about any leaks."

Zhao Jin stroked Xu Zhenzhen's hair and said with a wry smile, "You don't need to trouble yourself over these matters. Take care of your own health, take care of your own affairs."

Her belly was growing day by day, but Xu Zhenzhen did not rest at home. The Xu family's business affairs still came to her for decisions. The Xu family business was still growing, so naturally she was getting busier and busier.

After a couple of words of reassurance, Zhao Jin explained, "As the situation grows larger, people's thoughts grow more numerous. This is normal."

Even between husband and wife, some things are not good to say too plainly. But Xu Zhenzhen was also well-versed in the ways of the world and did not press further.

The people who had gathered at He Village since early February had still not met Zhao Jin and his companions, nor had they made any decent progress with the various family elders in Xuzhou city.

After several fretful days passed like this, news suddenly came from various places: from the Wasteland Beach in Pizhou, from the border of Suzhou and Xuzhou, from Kong Village at the junction of Shandong, Henan, and South Zhili, and from the various estates within Xuzhou territory that had originally belonged to Cloud Mountain Temple and He Village—men were being selected and gathered toward Xuzhou, assembling at various estates around Xuzhou.

Many people in Xuzhou were not unfamiliar with news from the various estates and refugee camps, because people from their own families were also there serving as guards and working. According to the news coming through, Zhao Camp was selecting the best-performing young refugee men from each location and gathering them in Xuzhou to await orders.

At first, quite a few people got the wrong idea, terrified that Zhao Camp was planning to rebel. Only later, when they saw the numbers gathering from each place, did they realize their mistake. If it were rebellion, those young men would have been fully mobilized, not drawn at a fraction, a ratio of one in ten.

The young men gathered in Xuzhou numbered around four thousand. Of these, the young refugee men from various places accounted for roughly thirty-five hundred, while the tenant-farmer men from the original various estates numbered less than five hundred.

The young refugee men had fled famine the whole way, witnessing death and calamity all along the road. Even after settling down, it was hard for their minds to stabilize. Having seen the strife and killing on the refugee trail, having seen the competition among each other, they instinctively all wanted to grow stronger and seek advancement. So once Zhao Camp gave them a system of training and selection, everyone scrambled to be first. As refugees abroad, with no clan or fellow villagers, with nothing to rely on, they could only depend on their own efforts.

As for the tenant households in the Cloud Mountain Temple estates and the farming households in He Weiyuan's estates, although their affiliation had changed, they were originally Xuzhou natives, generation after generation, and didn't see anything wrong with the old ways. Even though Xuzhou valued martial prowess, some still felt that having their sons practice with blade and spear was courting trouble, a path to disaster. So they weren't so keen on Zhao Camp's system. On the other hand, when stewards and accountants recruited apprentices, the sons of tenant households were very enthusiastic about that.

Thank you everyone, asking for everyone's guaranteed monthly tickets. Can't afford to fall behind at the start of the month, please help.