Chapter 712: Only Two

Zhao Jin's lair is just ahead — could some local bully like that really stand against us? he thought to himself.

Just then, a sudden breeze sprang up. The wind gently stirred the small pennants on the lances; the military banners, unfurling in the wind, slapped against their poles. The cavalrymen still advanced with uniform, measured strides. The harsh glare flashing off their armor from time to time only made them look all the more fierce and imposing.

A surge of indescribable heroic pride suddenly welled up in Ma Chonghao's heart.

With an army's might like this at his command, what more could a man want in life?

Then he raised his hand, pointed his riding whip forward, and shouted, "Listen up, all of you! That scoundrel Zhao Jin has tyrannized the countryside and long since piled his home full of gold, silver, and treasures. Put your backs into it! Once we flatten the Zhao household, you'll have three days to do as you please — I won't ask a single question!"

"Yeah!"

"Take Zhao Jin down!"

Among the cavalrymen, wave after wave of cheers rose higher and fiercer until they merged into a single deafening roar. These shouts coalesced into a thunderous cry that drove away the last trace of unease the soldiers had felt since entering this unfamiliar territory.

Yet even though he believed this battle was as good as won, Ma Chonghao still directed his forces with caution. At his suggestion, the various contingents moved together in a mixed formation. Ma Chonghao and the leaders of each contingent positioned themselves behind the Embroidered Uniform Guard cavalry, keeping an eye on their surroundings as they marched, ready at any moment to deal with sudden developments. They had, of course, also noticed the scattered riders shadowing them from behind.

"Sir, shall we send men to sweep away these scouts?" someone came to report and ask.

"No need. Our main force isn't here to fight a war — we're here to handle a case. We'll crush Zhao Jin in one overwhelming blow, that's all. There's no point getting tangled up with riffraff like that." Ma Chonghao gave his verdict. "If we detach troops to stay here, and then when we take Zhao Jin they don't get their fair share of the spoils, how are they going to accept that? Ignore them. Just press straight ahead."

As soon as he said this, the other leaders immediately voiced their agreement. Though each contingent had its own ideas along the way, they had grown accustomed to following Ma Chonghao's orders during the operation. He might have come from the Inner Guard, but he was no slouch when it came to marching and deploying troops. Besides, on this whole journey north and west, there hadn't been any real fighting — it was just routine movement. Could that scoundrel Zhao Jin really stand against an army like this?

For the cavalrymen below, however, marching in such sweltering heat was no easy duty. Their bright red flying-fish uniforms, paired with capes, looked awe-inspiring, but in this muggy weather they were perfect sweat-inducers. Every man wearing one was drenched in sweat, to say nothing of having to keep marching. Mixed with the dust kicked up along the way, every exposed face was streaked and smeared.

The others, even if not as fully outfitted as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, weren't much better off. Their superiors had issued strict orders that they must be fully dressed to display the dignity and might of the imperial army. Fortunately, they'd been given advance warning: their gourds were filled with lightly salted cool boiled water, and every man had heatstroke medicine. Otherwise, some would likely have collapsed from heatstroke along the way. Even so, quite a few were feeling unwell, and some horses had already dropped dead on the road. Without the constant motivation of "take Zhao Jin and split his money and women," far more men would probably have been unable to keep going.

Ma Chonghao was naturally just as uncomfortable, but his face was now full of excitement. He had expected the fighting to start the moment they entered Xuzhou, yet things had gone so smoothly. Of course, he knew that the smoother things went, the more prudent he had to be — he mustn't give Zhao Jin any opening to exploit. He could also see how exhausted everyone was after marching for so long, so he decided to stop and rest first.

"Bear with it a little longer, everyone. Xuzhou city has too many variables — if we ride our cavalry in, it'll be easy for someone to ambush us. A dozen or so li west of Xuzhou, there's an estate belonging to Cloud Mountain Monastery. We'll commandeer it directly and make camp there to rest!" Ma Chonghao shouted.

Listless replies sounded from all around, but Ma Chonghao raised his voice and roared again: "Brothers, we're about to take Zhao Jin — we're about to strike it rich!"

Sure enough, just as always, these words instantly fired the men up. They answered with something close to a howl, then found the energy to keep marching.

Nearly two thousand elite cavalry advancing in force, deliberately making a show of their might, had indeed shaken the whole of Xuzhou. Even though they hadn't entered the prefectural city, many people were still awed. On top of that, quite a few who had witnessed this military display along the road returned to the city and spread the word, so now the city was already in a state of panic. Still, there were also not a few who clapped and cheered at the thought that Zhao Jin's end was near.

The estate Ma Chonghao had designated as their campsite had originally belonged to Cloud Mountain Monastery. After Zhao Jin took the monastery, this estate had submitted early, so it had been left largely as it was without major changes — only the master to whom it paid tribute had changed. There weren't even any household troops or militia stationed inside, nor had any refugees been settled there.

A place like this naturally had no capacity to resist. Seeing such a large force of cavalry arrive, how would the estate stewards dare say a word? They could only obediently open the main gates and invite the military gentlemen in.

The cavalrymen from the various contingents, exhausted after two days of hard travel, could finally rest for a while. But since this was still, after all, within enemy territory, they certainly couldn't relax and take it easy the way they would elsewhere. As they dismounted and reorganized, the leaders of each group barked out assignments, designating sentries and detailing men to patrol the perimeter.

Though this place was no more than three hours away from He Village by fast horse — whether going there or them coming here, it was very close — the night was quiet. No one came to harass them, and even the number of scouts and spies had dwindled significantly. A few still hung back in the distance; heaven only knew if they were just passing through or actual scouts.

After darkness fell, the cavalry Ma Chonghao had posted around the estate actually caught someone. But this man wasn't one of Zhao Jin's spies — he was a messenger sent by the Prefect Tong Huaizu.

"... Should you, my lord, capture that traitor Zhao Jin, this humble official will certainly cooperate fully..."

The messenger had brought only this one verbal message, not a single thing in writing. Ma Chonghao, who had been in a good mood, now wore a dark expression, because even this brief message had a hidden catch: if he failed to capture Zhao Jin, then nothing more would be said.

The exalted head of an entire prefecture — in other regions, a figure akin to a living god — yet under Zhao Jin's tyrannical sway, he had been reduced to this timid, cowering state. Now, even with the imperial court's grand army here, he still didn't dare openly declare his stance. Wasn't being an official like this more wretched than being a dog? Ma Chonghao sneered inwardly.

From the moment they set out from Nanjing, crossing the river to Yangzhou, then to Qingjiangpu, and then pressing all the way north, every power along the route that had once submitted to Zhao Jin, upon seeing these several thousand elite cavalry and learning that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had come to arrest rebels, had openly or covertly curried favor and fawned over them. They obediently offered up gold, silver, and women, discussed how the spoils would be divided later — who among them would dare harbor any other thoughts?

By all rights, this Prefect of Xuzhou, of all people, should know best just how much wealth Zhao Jin was sitting on. Seeing that the tide had turned decisively, he ought to have come to discuss matters in detail. Instead, he sent this lukewarm verbal message and nothing else — not even a polite word inviting the main force into the city, let alone any mention of supplies.

Was Xuzhou still part of the Great Ming or not? This state of affairs darkened the face of even the perpetually high-spirited Ma Chonghao. In his heart, he was seething: Just wait until I've taken Zhao Jin — I'll make sure to report you, Prefect, for colluding with the bandits. If this doesn't count as collusion, what does? When the time comes, not only will that dog official lose his post, but he can forget about keeping his family fortune too. We'll all split his share along with the rest.

According to the messenger, the man Prefect Tong Huaizu had sent hadn't even been lowered from the city wall in a bamboo basket after dark. Instead, he had slipped out of the city stealthily before the gates closed and hidden nearby the whole time, only daring to approach after nightfall. The guard who escorted him in had deliberately asked why. The answer was simple: if he'd been lowered from the wall, Zhao Jin would inevitably have found out... Just who was the prefect of this Xuzhou city, anyway?

What frustrated Ma Chonghao and the leaders of the various contingents even more was that, aside from this messenger sent by the prefect, no one else came at all. The cavalry around the estate had clearly established a tight security cordon — no Zhao Jin underlings could possibly be lurking around to spy — yet still, no one came. Were the local strongmen all deaf and blind? Normally, shouldn't they have come scurrying over eagerly to reward the troops? How was it that such a massive show of force had arrived in Xuzhou, and yet there was absolutely no reaction from anywhere?

However, late in the dead of night, when even the still-bewildered estate tenants had gone to sleep, a sentry did come to report to Ma Chonghao and the others that someone was asking for an audience. This at last gave the assembled leaders a jolt of energy.

But when the man requesting the audience came running over, their hearts sank again. It turned out they had already seen this man during the day — he was the steward of this very estate. The moment he saw these officials, the steward immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed, swearing oaths and beating his chest, declaring that his heart had always been with the imperial court. He had only feared Zhao Jin's brutal power, he said, which was why he had endured humiliation and lain low here all this time, waiting precisely for this day when the clouds would part and he would see the blue sky.

He also said that his former master and grandmaster had both been enlightened monks of great virtue, full of compassion, yet they had been murdered by the arch-bandit Zhao Jin. He himself had no choice but to bow his head and submit, preserving his useful body until this very day.

Truth be told, none of the leaders much cared about any of that. Who gave a damn about those bald donkeys from Cloud Mountain Monastery? But what the steward said next did whet their appetites.

The steward thumped his chest and declared that once the imperial army had taken Zhao Jin and the overall situation was settled, he could lead these leaders to unearth the hidden treasures within Cloud Mountain Monastery. He knew the locations of all the treasure caches, he said, as well as all the monastery's properties now concealed in various places. He would guide the great lords in taking over everything. All he wanted for himself was this estate outside the city and those two estates to the east.

They held their noses and listened to this man's offer of allegiance. Everyone knew he was an opportunist who shifted with the wind, who, seeing the awe-inspiring might of the imperial army, simply wanted to carve out a share of the spoils for himself. What he said couldn't really be taken as reliable. Still, as the saying goes, spend a thousand in gold to buy a horse's bones — having someone make a show of support right now was at least something. So they placated him with a few perfunctory words and sent him off bustling about, thoroughly delighted with himself.

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