Chapter 699: You Lot Are Truly Carefree

Seeing his expression and hearing his tone, everyone fell silent. Zhao Jin continued, "The crime of plotting rebellion means the extermination of your clan and the confiscation of your property. Under the threat of such a crime, how many people do you think will still follow us? Those in Xuzhou, Pizhou, Qingjiangpu, and even Suzhou and Guide Prefecture who are usually so closely tied to us — when the Embroidered Uniform Guard leads nearly two thousand elite cavalry to bear down on them, what do you think they will do? Even standing by and watching would be considered reliable. Do you think there will be few who kick us when we're down, hoping to profit from the situation?"

The room fell silent for a moment before Liu Yong chimed in, "Big Brother is right. Country gentry and local tyrants see only profit and forget loyalty. They only look out for their own gain and won't speak of any code of brotherhood."

"Brotherhood? Under the crushing weight of such a crime, abandoning brotherhood and rules is called righteous duty. They'll do it with a clear conscience, without the slightest guilt." Zhao Jin said with a cold sneer.

"If that Ma Chonghao truly makes his move, truly bears down on us, we will witness a scene of utter betrayal and isolation. By then, the only ones still standing with us will be ourselves, our families, and these household troops who have faced life and death with us. By then, those local tyrants cannot be relied upon, those outer-circle affiliates who depend on us cannot be relied upon, and even most of the militia cannot be relied upon. To put it more harshly, even those household troops who have never seen blood might not be reliable by then!" Zhao Jin said, his tone grim.

No one spoke. Zhao Jin's words were deeply uncomfortable to hear, but everyone knew he was speaking the truth.

Zhao Jin continued, "In such a scenario, do you think the enemy will only be those fifteen hundred elite cavalry? Adjutant Zhou can mobilize four thousand infantry from nearby, and he can even rally the militia and village braves. Fengyang Prefecture will also send reinforcements. Those who currently serve us may become our enemies. By then, we might be facing an enemy several times, even ten times our number with only a few thousand, two thousand, or a thousand men. In such a situation, how can we possibly afford to be carefree?"

The others remained silent. Ji Xiang's face was flushed crimson, still brimming with agitation. The moment Zhao Jin finished, he could not help but speak, "Big Brother, my six companies plus the cavalry will never betray Big Brother through life or death. Second Brother's First Regiment can also be firmly held in hand. At Stone and Bingfeng's side, at least half the men can be kept under control. That still gives us over three thousand men. With these three thousand, so what if the enemy outnumbers us ten to one like a bunch of beggars? Back then, a hundred thousand roving bandits came, and Big Brother led a few hundred of us brothers and routed them. We're so much stronger now, what is there to fear!"

After blurting all this out, Ji Xiang let out a long breath, but immediately felt some regret. He had been scolded more than once for speaking rashly. Ji Xiang glanced hesitantly at Zhao Jin, only to find a smile on Zhao Jin's face. Ji Xiang was even more confused, but Zhao Jin turned to Chen Sheng and said, "If you weren't here today, Daxiang would also be saying that at least half the men in your hands could be held onto."

Ji Xiang coughed. He feared Chen Sheng even more than Zhao Jin. But this time, a smile also surfaced on Chen Sheng's face. He spoke, "The household troops in our hands have faced life and death with us, and through us, they've obtained farmland, fed and clothed their families, and can hold their heads high as men. Without you, without the Zhao Character Camp, everything they've gained will be lost. For that, it's worth risking their lives. Daxiang isn't wrong. We now have nearly five thousand household troops alone. Even if there are some spineless ones among them, we can count on four thousand at least. With these four thousand, we should fear nothing!"

"Big Brother, many new company leaders and squad leaders have joined this year. The land grants were originally scheduled for mid-year, and the additional land allocations were also set for that time. Why not get it all done before the fourth month?" Wang Zhaojing spoke up with a smile.

Zhao Jin frowned and smiled wryly, saying helplessly, "I dare not be the slightest bit careless, yet you lot are truly carefree. If we mishandle this even once, everything could collapse in an instant. The enterprise we've painstakingly built through life and death could be utterly destroyed. No amount of caution is too much."

Chen Sheng did not respond to that remark, but instead asked, "If it really comes to a fight, we can fight. But how long will it last? We do have grain stored in both Xuzhou and Pizhou, but it won't sustain us for more than a year. And once the fighting starts, there may be complications with that grain supply."

"If fighting breaks out, the Luoma Lake estate in Pizhou, the grand market at Qingjiangpu, and the estate markets in several places will likely all shut down, or be seized by others. The longer the delay drags on, the greater the trouble!" Wang Zhaojing added with a grim face.

Liu Yong hesitated for a moment, then echoed, "Once we make a move, it's hard to say what those local tyrants and mounted bandits will do. We've kept those areas under very tight control, and those people harbor resentment in their hearts. When our grip loosens then, it'll be hard to prevent chaos. If that lot joins forces with the government troops, it will truly be trouble."

Only at this point did Ji Xiang finally calm down, waiting for Zhao Jin to make a decision.

After another moment of silence, Zhao Jin spoke, "Our foundation is Xuzhou. If we can hold Xuzhou, we can retake everywhere else. Since we've already resolved to go all out, we can't fret over minor details. They won't escape our grasp afterwards anyway. As for when the fighting will end, that's simple too. We strike out from Xuzhou, seize Pizhou, and choke off Yutou Town and Luoma Lake. Within a month, they'll have to offer us amnesty!"

Hearing this, Ji Xiang was stunned and asked in bewilderment, "It's that simple?"

"The grain transport canal is the lifeline of the empire. If we seize Pizhou and the Luoma Lake area, the canal route will be choked off by us. The north will face the danger of running out of food. When that time comes, they will naturally offer us amnesty." Wang Zhaojing explained.

Ji Xiang was still confused and asked again, "But can't they still use sea transport? That Yu family has so many ships!"

"If they switch to sea transport, what happens to all the profits from the canal? From south to north, the benefits amount to over ten million taels of silver a year — how could they possibly give that up? Compared to those benefits, compared to all the officials high and low who take their cut from those profits, granting amnesty to a bunch of rebels is nothing." Zhao Jin said with a cold sneer.

Ji Xiang finally had a moment of sudden realization. Silence fell over the room again. Zhao Jin picked up his tea, long since gone cold, and drained it in one gulp. Wiping his mouth, he continued, "That Ma Chonghao has so many cavalry. They need to train together, cross the river, and prepare provisions for both men and horses. Unless he launches some surprise raid, the earliest he can move is two months from now. Before that, we can get all the necessary preparations done."

"Big Brother, should we strike first?" Liu Yong asked.

Zhao Jin shook his head again and sighed, "Although we've already decided to go through with this, everyone must remember: we cannot make the first move. It must be them forcing us. If they haven't come yet and we boldly start maneuvering on a large scale, then it means we harbored rebellious intent all along. At that point, people's hearts might truly scatter. But if it's those Imperial Guard scoundrels who stir up trouble and persecute us without cause, then reason is on our side. Others will sympathize with us, and when amnesty is offered afterwards, there will be room for maneuvering."

"Big Brother thinks everything through so thoroughly." Liu Yong nodded repeatedly. However, Chen Sheng let out two dry chuckles. Zhao Jin turned back to look at him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Why speak aloud what we all know in our hearts? We're putting on a show for others. How would most people know what we're really thinking?"

Everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh, and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Zhao Jin waved his hand and brought the conversation back on track: "Xuzhou is our foundation. Bingfeng and Stone are both to pull back. All three regiments must be stationed at the He Family Village. Zhang Hubin's six companies are to be brought back as well. The grain, fodder, and supplies stored in each estate must be inventoried immediately and transferred to the nearest secure location. Carts and horses must also start being prepared. Wang Ziyang's livestock, cattle and horses, as well as the carts from the market — none of them should travel too far recently."

Wang Zhaojing had already spread out paper and brush to one side and begun taking notes. After Zhao Jin finished, Wang Zhaojing said with a smile, "Mister Cao and Erhong are already handling this."

Zhao Jin shook his head again. Beside him, Chen Sheng frowned and asked, "If all the regiments are pulled back, how do we maintain control over those other places?"

"There are still militia there, led by our household troop cadres. That's the constraint we face. Recalling the household troops can still be justified, but if we mobilize all the militia, the commotion would be too great. And then Xuzhou and the other areas truly couldn't be kept under control."

On the sixteenth day of the third month of the forty-eighth year of the Wanli reign, fast riders galloped out from the He Family Village in Xuzhou, heading to every location to recall the troops. Everyone finally sensed a hint of danger and tension.

In Xuzhou, two corresponding events occurred. The first was at the salt market: the people from Yangzhou, except for two shops that remained open, all hurriedly returned to Yangzhou. When they left, they only took their valuables and light luggage, leaving all the heavy furnishings in their residences untouched. Anyone could see the implication — they intended to come back. The second was Adjutant Zhou taking his four hundred personal guards to garrison Pizhou, claiming he needed to inspect the defenses there. Everyone found this normal. If Adjutant Zhou's troops had stayed within Xuzhou city, the Zhao Character Camp could have bottled him up at any moment, preventing him from coming out!

The first to return to the He Family Village was Zhang Hubin. He brought all six of his companies back. Compared to the other locations, his large unit had one advantage: the full support of the Xu family. Carts, horses, and supplies were all handled by the Xu family, making the entire journey swift and smooth.

As soon as the unit arrived at the He Family Village, Zhao Jin summoned Zhang Hubin. Aside from the ever-present personal bodyguards, only Zhao Jin and Zhang Hubin were in the courtyard.

"I've never allowed you to build your own core cadre, always transferring you from place to place. Do you harbor any resentment in your heart?" Zhao Jin asked directly, coming straight to the point.

Zhang Hubin stood ramrod straight before Zhao Jin. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "This is the Master's care and protection. Your subordinate bears no resentment."

"Tell me what you're thinking," Zhao Jin asked with a smile.

"My seniority is not the deepest, nor are my achievements much greater than those of the senior brothers. Yet I am given independent command, with men and territory under me. If the Master did not do this, I would inevitably be resented by everyone. I might enjoy glory now, but great trouble would surely follow later." Zhang Hubin answered with clear articulation.

Thank you, everyone.