Chapter 580: Distinction Between Close and Distant

Yet unexpectedly, they were all able-bodied young men, their bearing stern and disciplined. Their manner and presence, though not as crack as the household troops of Zhao Character Camp, still had about fifty or sixty percent of that flavor. That fifty or sixty percent was enough to overawe the local militias everywhere. What's more, these sturdy refugees were not local natives, making them hard to network with or befriend. There was another difference from Zhao Character Camp: the household troops of Zhao Character Camp were composed and quiet, whereas these sturdy young men carried a ruthless ferocity. Having been through so much, they had naturally hardened their hearts to cruelty.

The moment the sturdy braves deployed by Zhao Character Camp arrived, all grumbling ceased. Instead, the number of people heading to He Village to offer comfort to the troops increased. With blades and soldiers already laid out before their eyes, any further failure to understand how to act would truly mean the extermination of their entire clan.

The sturdy braves on guard duty at various locations rotated regularly, and every half year they would even rotate once with the refugee stockade, the purpose being to prevent infiltration and co-option.

But there was also one Xuzhou powerful family that had been playing its own little schemes at the time, yet afterward actually managed to salvage the situation — this was the Xuzhou Guard over here...

Several commanders of the Xuzhou Guard, along with several vice commanders and assistant commanders, plus a whole group of chiliarchs, first went to Dong Jike's home to plead bitterly. All of them had come up through the same guard unit; this was a face they could hardly refuse. Left with no choice, Dong Jike then led them into the city to seek out Zhao Zhentang.

Ever since Zhao Zhentang left the guard unit to become a constable and executioner, his ties with the Xuzhou Guard had grown distant. He cared nothing for any bond of former colleagues. But those commanders and chiliarchs were willing to throw away all face; they simply knelt outside the gate of the Zhao family courtyard, kowtowing and begging forgiveness. Although the streets nearby were quiet, there were still quite a few people coming and going, making the sight rather unsightly, and a crowd of onlookers even gathered around.

With face and sentiment pressed to this extent, Zhao Zhentang could only hold his nose and accept it. Too lazy to seek them out himself, he merely said, "I will arrange for someone to pass word to Zhao Jin. How it is handled will still depend on Zhao Jin's own decision."

If his own father and Dong Bingfeng's father sent someone to pass word, Zhao Jin still had to give this face. As for the manpower of the Xuzhou Guard, Zhao Jin had never given up on it. Though it had already become a landlord estate specializing in business, compared to ordinary commoners, the Xuzhou Guard still possessed a certain degree of organization. Many male members of military households had also practiced martial arts and undergone training — this was very rare. This time, it gave both sides a way to step down gracefully.

However, these commanders and chiliarchs of the Xuzhou Guard had no private soldiers or militias in their hands — at most a few bodyguards as escorts. The reason they came was mainly to have Zhao Jin take in the men of the Xuzhou Guard.

For the young men of the Xuzhou Guard, joining Zhao Character Camp was an excellent path forward. But the upper echelons of the guard unit had their own petty schemes, also wanting to gather men and horses to go out and grab a share of the spoils, so they blocked them from going. Zhao Character Camp then stopped recruiting these people as well, and once that road was cut off, everyone was left dumbfounded. Although the commanders more or less called the shots in the guard unit, the wishes of the men below still had to be accommodated to some degree. Otherwise, with no one to do the work, it would be colossal trouble. When the uproar grew severe, they could only come and plead.

This recruitment drive lasted over twenty days, but its significance for Zhao Jin was not merely enlisting new recruits. Rather, it was using this opportunity, with the thunderous force of an overwhelming mountain, to thoroughly straighten out all the various powers in Xuzhou, making them obediently submit and pledge loyalty. What is called the will of the people or popular sentiment is sometimes truly not worth mentioning in the face of military might.

However, after all the back-and-forth complications, although Zhao Character Camp had nominally recruited one regiment plus one company, along with other household troops proficient in bow and horse, in reality they had enlisted around seventeen companies of new recruits.

Among these seventeen companies, those who could ride horses and those who could shoot arrows together totaled just over eighty men, most of whom came from guard unit backgrounds. This was also unavoidable. Riding and archery required a household to invest considerable resources, and those who could obtain such training were usually the eldest sons and legitimate heirs of the family. These people were generally not let go by their families. Others were too old and did not meet Zhao Character Camp's standards. Fortunately, in the two areas of bow and horse, there were quite a few Mongols who could supplement them, so there was no need to worry.

The remaining sixteen companies, over sixteen hundred men, were not entirely organized into new recruit companies and new recruit regiments. Instead, according to prearranged plans, they were broken up and mixed in with the veterans. Veterans from the original personal guard unit and the First and Second Regiments who had performed outstandingly were promoted to squad leaders, and squad leaders were promoted to company leaders. They would lead the training of the new recruits, with old and new thoroughly blended together.

These promotions greatly boosted morale throughout Zhao Character Camp. The veterans all realized that as long as they were solid, diligent, and courageously pushed forward, there was a future and they could be promoted. All at once, sixteen company leaders and one hundred sixty squad leaders were elevated — nearly two hundred positions. About one in every ten men was promoted. Those promoted were naturally overjoyed, and those not promoted also felt that the opportunity was very close to them. This made everyone even more motivated in their work.

Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing both expressed concern over such thorough mixing. Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang also felt that a few companies of purely original household troops should be retained, otherwise combat effectiveness might be affected. After all, the new recruits had never seen real action and could hardly be counted as combat strength.

However, after observing the new recruits' training a few times, everyone set their minds at ease. The sturdy refugee young men were completely different from the sons of Xuzhou commoners. They had already undergone formal training in the refugee stockade and had even experienced battle. To some extent, they too could be considered "original household troops."

"What are you worried about? Right now, around Xuzhou and in all the places we need to care about, who would still dare to fight us!" Zhao Jin spoke with great confidence, but everyone also knew this was the truth. Moreover, after seeing the combat capability of the new recruits, their last trace of doubt was dispelled as well.

This time, two companies of the personal guard unit remained entirely composed of original household troops at all times. The other two companies were expanded into four companies — one more company than originally planned. However, the proportion of original household troops from the personal guard promoted to company leaders and squad leaders was double that of the First and Second Regiments. The vacancies among the original household troops were then filled by drawing from the First and Second Regiments.

The personal guard unit basically maintaining its original household troops was, in fact, the guarantee for this entire expansion. If any disturbance truly arose, the personal guard unit plus the cavalry unit would be more than enough to sweep it away or buy time.

Currently, the personal guard unit directly under Zhao Jin consisted of six companies plus an archery unit of over one hundred fifty men. The cavalry unit was already approaching two hundred. This was under Zhao Jin's direct command. For now, the cavalry unit had no designated unit leader; instead, it was jointly managed by Tao Gui, Xu Yong, and Bayin, with Zhao Jin issuing orders directly to each individual.

First Regiment commander: Chen Sheng. Second Regiment commander: Shi Manqiang. Third Regiment commander: Dong Bingfeng. It had already been decided that the Second Regiment would go to Qingjiangpu.

Zhao Jin acted very cautiously. To outsiders, Zhao Character Camp's strength had not grown at all, nor had it frenziedly expanded in violation of the court's laws.

But the personal guard unit had added two companies, and there was one more regiment of ten companies, plus another four companies. These four companies were not placed in Xuzhou under some artful pretext; instead, they were assigned to the new refugee stockade over in Pizhou. This time, a position was specially created for Zhang Hubin — Senior Company Leader — commanding four companies.

The establishment of this Senior Company Leader position greatly excited the several dozen company leaders in the core of Zhao Character Camp. Above them were only Zhao Jin's few close comrades. Though loyal, they also felt their own room for advancement was limited. But the creation of this Senior Company Leader position made them feel that they too had a chance to rise above, and each was somewhat stirred.

In reality, the manpower Zhang Hubin had the authority to deploy was far more than just these four hundred. The number of refugees he could mobilize in his hands even exceeded one regiment. However, for the four companies under his direct command, the company leaders and squad leaders were all from the personal guard's household troops, and the household troops themselves were composed of sturdy young men native to Suzhou and Xuzhou. The subtleties therein — or the not-so-subtle implications — were something everyone could figure out clearly.

The mixed-regiment militias were disbanded. Those who would farm went to farm; those who wished to continue brandishing blades and spears were incorporated into the local militias across Xuzhou. But they would not remain in Xuzhou; instead, they would go to work at the new refugee stockade. The best among them would even be sent to Guide Prefecture.

In the internal terminology of Zhao Character Camp, all forces outside the Zhao Character Camp household troops were called the "Xuzhou Militia." But externally, they were not referred to as such. Wherever they were stationed, they were called the local braves of that place. If this entire force were tallied together, it approached five thousand. If it formally gained a designation, it would inevitably provoke fear and suspicion among people, so it had to be disguised somewhat.

The entirety of Xuzhou was stirred by these arrangements of Zhao Character Camp. Everyone with family property was intensely concerned, and the Xu family, Zhao Jin's in-laws, was no exception.

Originally, when Zhao Jin discussed matters with his comrades, he had intentionally or unintentionally avoided mention of the Xu family. But when Zhao Jin returned to the inner quarters and occasionally brought it up, Xu Zhenzhen took the initiative to sacrifice her own family's interests. Xu Zhenzhen insisted on placing forces from outside Mount Jing within her own family's domain, and in large numbers at that.

"My father and younger brother are just two solitary men. The few uncles I trust are all weak and frail. I, your wife, am not there in person after all. There have long been many people playing tricks. Placing some men from Zhao Character Camp there will make them behave themselves." Xu Zhenzhen spoke very frankly to Zhao Jin.

Apart from this, several hundred sturdy young men from the Xu family mines and ironworks at Mount Jing were also transferred over.

"... If the Xu family is let off, how will others view it? There will inevitably be all sorts of schemes seeking shelter and pleading for favors..." Xu Zhenzhen truly showed no regard for her own family's face. Zhao Jin could only smile wryly.

He naturally had his own countermeasures for such possibilities — keep his informants watching closely, and whoever dared play these tricks would be severely punished without exception. But on the surface, he had to make things look agreeable, lest the pregnant Xu Zhenzhen become displeased. He never expected that Xu Zhenzhen's own decision would be even more direct and decisive than his.

Dong Bingfeng's father, Dong Jike, threw a grand banquet within the Xuzhou Guard. The prominent figures of the Xuzhou Guard all came to offer their congratulations. Even Vice General Zhou sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift. From now on, the son of the Dong family was a person of great importance, so of course everyone had to curry favor properly.

Because of Dong Bingfeng's connections in Zhao Character Camp, Dong Jike's status had previously been roughly on par with the several commanders. Now, he was already the one with the highest standing — because very few people still regarded Zhao Zhentang as someone who had come from the guard unit.

Although the Xuzhou Guard, due to various parties pleading on its behalf, had not been treated the same as the other powers in Xuzhou, it had still missed the expansion. However, the bond of one's own people still had to be honored. The sons of the Xuzhou Guard were not completely broken up. From among them, over twenty men with outstanding martial skills were selected. The rest were divided into two squads: one squad sent to Suzhou, the other to Kong Village. A private promise was made that if Zhao Character Camp expanded again, the men of the Xuzhou Guard would be given priority consideration.

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