Chapter 719: So It Was Like That

These people had come to Xuzhou to split the money. If they couldn't get their share in Xuzhou, they'd certainly go to Qingjiangpu to get it. The thought of so much silver being snatched away for nothing — Ma, don't let them really take it?

"What use is leaving now? They got a whole day's head start on us! And even if we caught up, what then? But don't worry — Xu Tiebiao and his lot won't come out ahead either." Ma Chonghao's cold sneer deepened as he said with contempt, "When things work out, there's profit to share. When they fall through, they still want to take advantage? You think those merchants in Qingjiangpu are pushovers?"

"Master, you mean..."

"That bunch of merchants will get the news long before they arrive. By the time they reach Qingjiangpu to collect the silver, they'll likely find the deal torn up and denied." Ma Chonghao said coldly. "Hmph, those heartless bastards — they won't get off easy either!"

The great merchants of Qingjiangpu had their own backers and their own armed forces. If they'd taken Zhao Jin and everyone shared the spoils, all would have been fine. But with Zhao Jin still standing, the terms they'd negotiated before would naturally be treated as void. If Xu Tiebiao, Battalion Commander Hu, and the rest tried to seize by force, a bloody clash would be inevitable. And now, with morale and spirit completely dissipated, and the loose ends from before still not cleaned up, who would dare force the issue? Besides, judging by the scene outside the Great Market that day, forcing the issue might not even yield any advantage. This loss — these men were going to have to swallow it!

The moment he thought of this, Ma Chonghao's mood suddenly improved considerably.

After they finished eating, Ma Chonghao's spirits were much better. Over on the other side, Ma said, "When we came, wearing the flying-fish robes was a show of authority. Right now, wearing them is just inviting disaster. Take them off!"

Seeing Ma Chonghao still so calm and composed, the others stopped panicking as well. Each did as instructed, then mounted up and headed east along the official road. They were leaving overnight. They were also fortunate that Zhao Battalion had built the roads in Xuzhou so well — otherwise, with the sudden downpour, they might not even have been able to travel by horse.

On the twenty-second day of the seventh month, Zhao Jin reviewed the troops in the rain. The rain poured in torrents, lightning flashed and thunder roared, yet nearly five thousand household troops stood below, utterly unshaken. Not many witnessed this scene, and Zhao Jin did not wish for others to see it either. Yet this very scene made Zhao Battalion itself more cohesive and driven. He had not expected that a mere troop review would produce such tremendous shock among the enemy forces, directly causing them to beat a retreat.

But shortly after the rain stopped, Zhao Jin still ordered each company back to the barracks to change into dry clothes at once. The kitchens hurriedly boiled water and prepared ginger soup. In this era, headaches, fevers, and catching a chill could be fatal.

The personal guard unit, which normally received the best treatment, remained in place. Only after the regiments and companies ahead had finished their preparations did they proceed to pack up — all out of fear of a sudden raid by Ma Chonghao's unit.

Fortunately, no attack came. Equally fortunate was that Zhao Battalion's soldiers were well-fed on ordinary days, trained to be robust, and had hardy constitutions. Most suffered no ill effects from the drenching rain. The only trouble was airing out and drying their clothes.

And so night fell. Though the weather had turned cool, Zhao Jin and the others were brimming with fighting spirit, without the slightest slackening. Should the enemy come, what awaited them was a head-on, crushing blow.

The several companions took turns keeping night watch, ready to fight at any moment. But late at night, word arrived from the other side: the Embroidered Uniform Guard's force had already set out on the return journey, and no more than a hundred men remained in the estate.

Could they have taken a wide detour, preparing to circle around and strike where least expected? Zhao Jin and the others thought at once.

But from that moment until the next day, as couriers on fast horses reported back continuously from every direction, they learned that these men had made no detour or flanking maneuver at all. They had ridden straight toward Pizhou. It looked like a withdrawal.

By the night of the twenty-third day of the seventh month, they finally received confirmed news: the large force that had come had already entered Pizhou's borders, and Ma Chonghao had also departed that estate, likewise heading east.

This news left Zhao Jin and his companions staring at each other, utterly dumbfounded. None of them knew what had happened. One day they had been aggressively setting up camp and preparing for battle; the next, they were suddenly gone. It was bizarre and uncanny. But one thing was certain: these assembled government troops had given up on the idea of striking the Zhao family and were each returning to their own garrisons.

Even so, Zhao Jin still dared not let down his guard, wary that the government troops might be playing some trick. Yet caution aside, the original strategy of pulling everything back and waiting for battle had to change. At his single command, Zhao Battalion's scouting riders and reconnaissance horses swarmed outward, and courier horses galloped in all directions — they wanted information, they wanted to know every movement.

By this time, the powerful families along the route had also learned that the government troops had returned empty-handed. Though they did not know the specifics, the mere fact that a government force of such strength had been forced to withdraw without achieving anything was enough to terrify these powerful families out of their wits. They hurriedly resumed cooperation with the Zhao family army, which in turn made Zhao Jin's eyes and ears all the more unobstructed.

The large force from Nanjing rode south along the canal without stopping. The troops from Fengyang Prefecture split off from the main force at Pizhou, entering Fengyang Prefecture's territory at Suining County. The Embroidered Uniform Guard agents went with the Nanjing main force, and the men of the Langshan Vice General also headed in that direction. As for the troops of the Xuzhou Military Commander, they encamped on the spot at the Pizhou barracks.

As these reports and movements kept coming back, it was only then that Zhao Jin and his companions believed that something had indeed gone wrong within the government army's camp — that this operation targeting Zhao Battalion had ended in failure. Moreover, combined with news coming from Nanjing, there truly were no new large-scale operations aimed at Zhao Battalion.

Zhao Battalion breathed a sigh of relief, but the local gentry and powerful families within Xuzhou and its surrounding areas grew nervous. The expected reversal and upheaval — the change of fortune that should have been a matter of course — had not materialized. Instead, everything remained unchanged. How would their earlier fence-sitting and wavering be seen in Zhao Jin's eyes? More than one person was asking themselves this.

Why had they come with such aggressive momentum, only to retreat like an avalanche? Everyone was curious. The routes along which the various forces retreated were full of local strongmen and underworld figures — getting information was easy. Besides, the Xuzhou Military Commander's troops were stationed between Xuzhou and Pizhou, and there were plenty of people who knew them. Naturally, inquiries were made, questions were asked, and very quickly, they got their answer.

A military formation like a mountain, towering and unshaken — lightning and thunder could not move it a fraction. Who would dare clash with such a mighty army? Everyone was here to make a fortune, to feed their families. Why would they throw themselves to utter destruction against such a military display? If there had been even a sliver of a chance, they would have dared risk their lives, but by every reckoning, it was certain death with no hope of survival.

Then these accounts grew more and more outlandish as they spread — tales of how those officials, watching Zhao Battalion's review in the rain, amid the lightning, thunder, and raging storm, saw a black dragon soaring and coiling above the formation; of how, within the sound of the rain, the roaring of tigers could be heard again and again...

Some believed such absurd rumors, some did not. But one point everyone could confirm: this force of nearly two thousand elite cavalry, drawn from the finest troops of the Southern Metropolitan Region's military, had been so awed by Zhao Battalion's power that they dared not advance, only retreat! Without even daring to fight a single battle, they scattered like birds and beasts!

As the news and the truth spread rapidly, Zhao Jin and the others, who had been deeply baffled by the government troops' actions, finally understood. Liu Yong, deeply ashamed, begged forgiveness, saying it was his incompetence that had allowed the enemy to infiltrate so close, nearly causing a disaster. But Zhao Jin's reply was simple. He said they could only have gotten that close — it was impossible for them to advance a single step further. This was not your mistake.

Now that the government troops had withdrawn, Zhao Battalion had no need to hold back. The Internal Guard and the city constables went to that estate and combed through it once more. The previous killing of the estate steward who had turned traitor had been Zhao Shiyi acting on his own authority, to prevent more people from slipping up. This time it was a joint operation. They questioned the estate workers one by one, and eventually someone had overheard the cavalrymen's conversations, confirming the truth.

Zhao Battalion's household troops were actually that strong? Everyone had known they were strong, but now they finally understood just how terrifyingly strong they were. This was an elite cavalry force assembled by the Duke of Wei's estate, the Langshan Vice Regional Commander, the Xuzhou Military Commander, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Fengyang Garrison Eunuch — a powerful force that could rampage across the Southern Metropolitan Region, even across all of Jiangnan. And yet, after witnessing Zhao Battalion's military might, they had not even dared to fight, but had simply been frightened into retreat? Just how powerful had Zhao Battalion become?

From north to south, more and more people learned the news. And more and more people also learned that Zhao Jin had recently had a son, named Zhao Long.

Then new rumors began to circulate. They said that on the day of the great review on the parade ground, as the rain poured in torrents, the infant Zhao Long, still in swaddling clothes, suddenly let out a loud wail. The wet nurse and the nursemaid attending him saw a black dragon fly out through the window. There were also tales of dreams of gods and buddhas before the birth, of a glow shining in the middle of the night, of gusts of fragrant wind, and the like.

No one paid any mind to these absurd rumors, but the entire Southern Metropolitan Region and every place connected to Xuzhou had already gone into a frenzy. Master Jin had a son — then they absolutely had to send gifts. When the Embroidered Uniform Guard had led men north to Xuzhou, more or less everyone had been watching the winds, trimming their sails and making little moves. Now they had to seize this chance to quickly send lavish gifts and mend relations. They couldn't afford to delay future profits — or their future survival.

Although rain fell everywhere across the Southern Metropolitan Region after the twenty-second of the seventh month, every day the official roads were packed with horses and carts rushing on their way, even busier than before. Everyone was hurrying to Xuzhou to deliver gifts, to kowtow to Xuzhou. It was also thanks to the fine roads Master Jin had built that they were not paralyzed by all these gift-bearing carts.

Beyond these considerations, everyone realized one thing: Zhao Jin had a son. Zhao Battalion's foundation was now more stable. It seemed that, at the very least, it would become a regional power in the future. With the world clearly growing more chaotic by the day, who knew what might happen later... Those with even greater foresight began to consider Zhao Jin's several companions — all of them were excellent prospects for marriage alliances.

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