Chapter 610: All Men of Insight Think Alike

Wang Zhaojing forced a dry smile onto his face. Ji Xiang had just spoken the words he himself had left unsaid. Wang Zhaojing cleared his throat and continued, "Qinghe may be called a fort, but in reality it is a large city comparable to Fushun. Whether in the scale of its walls or the number of its garrison and civilians, both Fushun and Qinghe Fort have now fallen. Liaodong's eastern barrier is gone. Liaoyang and Shenyang, the two pivotal hubs of Liaodong, now lie directly under the threat of Jianzhou's blades."

Zhao Jin's eyes were slightly shut, his face expressionless, as if utterly indifferent to this news. The others in the room exchanged glances. Chen Sheng spoke up in a sullen tone, "In both these battles, the court was on the defensive. Strictly speaking, they haven't fought them in the field yet. We all know what the garrison soldiers manning the walls are like. Besides, just because the Liaodong Garrison has rotted, it doesn't mean the troops elsewhere are the same."

After saying this, Chen Sheng shook his own head. The Liaodong Garrison, the Jianzhou Jurchens, Nurhaci—because of Zhao Jin's inexplicable fixation on them over the years, the comrades and brothers around him had also kept a very close watch on that region. These two defeats might have caused panic and anxiety in the capital and the Liaodong Garrison, but the rest of the realm likely paid them no mind. Events so far away, what concern were they of theirs? Moreover, along the Great Ming's nine border garrisons stretching thousands of li, battles were fought every year; victory and defeat were commonplace. There was no need for excessive concern.

But the Zhao Character Camp was different. Because of Zhao Jin, everyone around him cared deeply about this matter, and the pressure upon receiving the news had multiplied. Both reports spoke of total annihilation and the fall of cities—crushing defeats that weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Last time, many excuses could be found: Li Yongfang surrendered without a fight; the Jianzhou Jurchen Jin army rested while waiting for the exhausted enemy; the relief forces, advancing in separate columns for a combined strike, had their weaknesses exploited by the foe. But this time, there was nothing left to say. It was a solid, undeniable defeat. They held a strong city in a desperate defense, fully equipped with firearms. The Jianzhou Jurchen Jin army arrived beneath the walls and began their assault. The city held for less than a day before being completely annihilated. It was a straightforward, upright battle. The Ming army held the strong city, the Jurchen army attacked—the Ming had the easy defensive position, while the Jianzhou Jurchens faced the difficult assault. Yet under these very conditions, total defeat came in less than a day.

At this point, one could only say the Jianzhou Jurchen Jin army won by sheer numbers. But everyone knew a bit of military doctrine and understood the saying, "Only surround when you outnumber the enemy ten to one." Storming a city is the most grueling and difficult of bitter fights. Furthermore, the Jianzhou Jurchens did not even possess cannons capable of breaching walls. Had the garrison of Qinghe Fort fought bitterly for over ten days, only falling when their arrows and provisions were exhausted, it would have seemed within reason. But the situation as it stood left one utterly speechless. To dwell on it was to feel a heavy weight upon the heart.

"Reading history, one can see that from the founding of the dynasty by the Great Ancestor until now, nearly two hundred years have passed. In these two hundred years, the border situation has never shown much improvement. From the Grand Preceptor Esen of the Oirats, to the Dayan Khan, to Altan Khan, the Great Ming has never won any real victories. Shanxi and Shaanxi were left to their raiding and plundering. The capital was besieged several times. There was even an Emperor taken north on a hunting expedition. Yet in the end, those steppe tribes either collapsed or declined. Only our Great Ming endures." Wang Zhaojing stated this in a very slow, deliberate manner.

Zhao Jin still had his eyes slightly shut, but the attention of the others had been drawn to Wang Zhaojing. He continued, "These Jianzhou Jurchens come with ferocious momentum, but if you count carefully, they are no stronger at their rise than the Oirats, the Chahar, or the Altan were. Over the long term, I fear they too have only one road—defeat and ruin."

The few people in the room all nodded. Ji Xiang pursed his lips, a look of considerable regret on his face. Zhao Jin remained as he was. Wang Zhaojing shook his head in confusion and couldn't help but ask, "What does Big Brother think?"

"All the men of insight in the realm probably think exactly as you do," Zhao Jin said slowly, opening his eyes. Wang Zhaojing was taken aback. Zhao Jin continued, "Liaodong is a full thousand li from here. What happens there has nothing to do with us. What we must do is strengthen ourselves—train better, earn more silver, and control a larger territory. Of course, all of this must be done under the rule of not rebelling and tearing our faces off."

The room fell silent. Previously, Zhao Jin had been the one most concerned with that region. Now, of all things, he was saying it was irrelevant. Wang Zhaojing paused, then smiled and nodded. "Indeed, it is irrelevant. Whatever happens there, it is useless for us to think too much about it."

For a moment, no one knew what to say. Wang Zhaojing shook his head again, put down the letter, and said, "There is another matter. Uncle Zhao has been made the Garrison Commander of Xiao County, and Uncle Dong has been made the Garrison Commander of Dangshan. The Ministry of War's official documents should arrive around the Mid-Autumn Festival. Once this is settled, the Zhao Character Camp's position in Xuzhou will be far more at ease."

This was happy news, but having first spoken of the great defeat at Qinghe Fort in Liaodong, then mentioning this, no one was really in the mood. Dong Bingfeng pondered for a moment there, then said, "We can station more of our men with Uncle Zhao and my father. The refugees will have another place to go."

"With the two uncles holding the garrisons at Xiao County and Dangshan, our position in Xuzhou will be completely stable. Neither the officials openly nor the underworld in secret will be able to move against us. Even that Xuzhou Assistant Regional Commander won't have many options left. Also, even though it's subject to all sorts of deductions, there will still be pay and provisions issued, and a place to stay. In the end, we can save a bit," Liu Yong said with a smile.

"Right, going off to be a soldier and eat—those poor wretches will definitely think it's better than breaking their backs in the stockade villages," Ji Xiang chimed in agreement.

Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't send over the first-rate or second-rate men. Send the third-rate ones. Every bit of their soldier's pay is to be fully deducted. Just let them eat their fill. If any train well, select them to be the Xuzhou Militia. If any become even better, bring them over to be our household retainers!"

"Big Brother, we have no reason to keep too many people right now. With two places like these available, we should be sending the very best over. After all, Uncle and the other Uncle are our own family elders; they'll certainly be of one mind with us," Ji Xiang said hurriedly.

Zhao Jin did not make a sound this time. Ji Xiang also stopped at once. He was a bit puzzled. It was a rare chance to offer a suggestion, and he hadn't said anything wrong, so why was Big Brother giving him that look?

The silence this time lasted even longer than Ji Xiang had expected. Just as Ji Xiang was starting to feel uneasy, Zhao Jin spoke again. Before speaking, he deliberately swept his gaze across everyone in the room, his expression quite solemn, though his tone when he spoke was very indifferent. "Why can a Garrison Commander lead troops? Because the court allows him to lead troops. Whether they are refugee able-bodied men or anyone else, all the benefits they receive after becoming soldiers, they will believe are given by the court. They will thank the court, and their respect and obedience will be for the court. When the time comes, what will any of that have to do with us?"

The room was silent. Everyone was quiet, their faces showing expressions of deep thought. The meaning in Zhao Jin's words seemed somehow connected to the great defeat in Liaodong he had just spoken of, yet also seemed to be about something else entirely.

"We must make them feel that working for the court is not as good as working for us. Only then will there be awe and loyalty. Otherwise, with our brothers' backgrounds and merits, what difficulty would there be in becoming a Garrison Commander?" Zhao Jin asked in return.

These words perhaps carried yet another layer of meaning. Among Zhao Jin's companions, only Shi Manqiang could hear them without overthinking. The others were all lost in contemplation.

Zhao Jin paid no mind to everyone's feelings and quickly changed the subject. He spoke, "The Yu family connection is still useful. Sea merchants and sea pirates truly are one and the same. This time, I need to stay in Xuzhou for a few more days. Xiaoyong will return to Qingjiangpu. Dasheng will take four companies to the refugee stockade at Pizhou, assemble the men, and await orders. This time, we'll take the able-bodied men from among the refugees out for a fight, let them see blood and gain experience."

Those whose names were called all acknowledged the order. Zhao Jin continued, "Once you reach the refugee stockade, Dasheng, someone on the salt route will come to meet you and guide you there. At that time, someone from Qingjiangpu will rendezvous with you."

Chen Sheng nodded. Zhao Jin stood up and said, "Some things I say over and over, and everyone gets tired of hearing them. We're all not even twenty yet. There's no need to rush anything. Rushing, on the contrary, tends to ruin things."

Everyone smiled and nodded. As they were leaving, Zhao Jin pulled Chen Sheng aside and said to him face-to-face, alone, "I've always kept you watching the home front. If this goes on too long, it becomes a problem. If you don't go out and fight a few times, not only will your own skills get rusty, but the brothers below won't be convinced either. This time you go out, you must make it a clean, beautiful job."

A trace of a smile surfaced on Chen Sheng's face. He said indifferently, "It's just a small matter like this, and you're worrying so much. Just rest assured."

"Blades and spears have no eyes. As strong as we are, we must always keep in mind..."

"... keep in mind the mindset of a lion pouncing on a rabbit. I understand. Come to think of it, I'm still a few months older than you. How come you treat me just like I treat Erhong?" Chen Sheng said with a laugh.

Zhao Jin patted Chen Sheng's shoulder with his hand, not knowing what else to say. Chen Sheng nodded, turned to leave, then stopped again. In a deep voice, he said, "You care too much about what everyone is thinking. It's true we're not old, but we've already come this far. Can we still turn back? You're at the front, and we follow. Saying too much, thinking too much—that, on the contrary, is the real trouble."

"Daxiang thinks quite a lot..." Zhao Jin quipped instinctively, then drew a deep breath.

They were all adults now, no longer quite suited for overly intimate or close gestures and words. The heartfelt trust from Chen Sheng made Zhao Jin want to say something, but in the end, he could only smile, nod, and remain silent.

Chen Sheng, however, did not mind this at all. He merely sneered and said, "Is Daxiang considered smart? That's just foolish. He's far worse than Shitou."

With that final remark, Chen Sheng nodded and strode away. That last sentence, however, made Zhao Jin ponder for a moment before he shook his head with a wry smile.

When Zhao Jin was not in Qingjiangpu, in order to look after their daughter-in-law, Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua, the parents-in-law, had come to He Family Village. By now, there was no longer any need to worry about the situation within Xuzhou city. Openly and in secret, it was all firmly in the grasp of the Zhao Character Camp.

Having been away for nearly a month, the whole family needed to gather upon his return. It was only before the meal that Zhao Jin remembered he had not yet told his father, Zhao Zhentang, about the matter of the Xiao County Garrison Commander post. For a moment, he felt somewhat ashamed. He had no idea if Dong Bingfeng had already told his family or not.

"I am your father. In a matter like this, you could at least have given me a heads-up beforehand. If Dong Jike hadn't come boasting to me, I still wouldn't have known." Zhao Zhentang's reaction was within expectations. Fortunately, Dong Jike had mentioned it earlier. If tonight had been the first he'd heard of it, Zhao Zhentang would have flown into a great rage.

On such occasions, Xu Zhenzhen never displayed her shrewdness and capability, merely listening quietly. He Cuihua, however, was quite astonished and couldn't help but speak up, "A Garrison Commander? That's a tremendously high official post."

Zhao Jin was taken aback, wondering how his mother even knew the official title of Garrison Commander. Xuzhou had never had such an official post before; there wasn't even anywhere one could have heard of it.

Thanks to the three old friends "Paper Tobacco, Yuan Heng Li Zhen, and Kong Se Liang Nan" for their tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Please continue your support.