Chapter 729: Different Treatment

That said, even without any official pretext, who wouldn't fear nearly two thousand elite cavalry drawn up in formation? Who could possibly stand against them? Never mind fighting — just watching over two thousand elite riders march past would make body and soul tremble.

Yet all these judgments and comparisons — so natural, so reasonable, so commonsensical — became utterly useless in Xuzhou, in front of Zhao Jin. Though the main forces of the two sides never clashed head-on, Ma Chonghao had seen the Zhao Battalion calmly preparing for battle despite knowing a large force of elite cavalry was bearing down on them, and he had seen a mountain-steady military formation amid the lightning, thunder, and howling storm!

Once he knew and saw that, Ma Chonghao knew he had no chance left. No matter how grand the show, how intimidating the name, they were only paper tigers. Everyone had come here to bully and coerce by flaunting power, to seize people and profit without drawing a blade — not to fight a real battle with real swords and spears and gamble away their own foundation. They had no wish for casualties, let alone the possibility of total annihilation.

These few words of appraisal and praise from Zhao Jin startled the companions around him, but they reddened the rims of Ma Chonghao's eyes. For a wily old head of the Depot Guard, at such a critical moment of switching allegiance, to show such visible emotion was improper — yet entirely understandable.

"Master Jin sees clearly. Right now... back in Nanjing, all across the lands north of the river, who knows how those people must be cursing this lowly one. I must already be a laughingstock everywhere. But the failure of this affair is no fault of mine — the fault lies only in Master Jin's extraordinariness. Who could have imagined Master Jin would have such a situation, such strength? That kind of might — this small one had only heard of it, never seen it. Facing a tiger-and-wolf army led by Master Jin, to have handled the matter this far is already no fault of the commander. Had it not been for Master Jin, this small one would have succeeded." As Ma Chonghao spoke, he grew agitated.

After he finished, the room fell quiet. Shi Ping'ao, who had been standing to the side listening intently, now smiled bitterly and lowered his head. Ma Chonghao noticed the silence once he'd finished speaking, and the indignation on his face turned to a bitter smile and dejection. He made as if to kneel, but just as his knees bent, Zhao Jin rose and caught him, helping Ma Chonghao stand straight. Looking at him, Zhao Jin laughed aloud. At Zhao Jin's laugh, everyone in the room couldn't help laughing too, while Ma Chonghao's face flushed scarlet.

"You're right. The reason you didn't succeed is that you ran into me. From the moment I became aware, to when you made your move — you planned thoroughly, used the greater situation to force me not to act rashly, made contact on multiple fronts, assembled a force impressive enough to bolster your own prestige, then sustained it all the way north to Xuzhou. From start to finish, you did very well. That you turned back in time at the Nanjing riverbank and dared risk coming to Xuzhou to offer your allegiance shows your mind is clear — you know what you want and you know how to go about it."

Zhao Jin spoke in a clear, carrying voice. At first, Ma Chonghao's face still bore that look of shame, but the more Zhao Jin spoke, the more solemn his expression became.

"You have nowhere to go now. Nanjing is hunting you. In the capital, your backers can barely look after themselves — going there would be a dead end too. Under heaven, only I can shelter you, only this place can let you live comfortably. Stay and do your work well!" With that, Zhao Jin sat back down.

Only then did Ma Chonghao perform the full ceremonial prostration, solemnly knocking his head on the ground several times. Zhao Jin sat and accepted it, then turned and said, "Xiaoyong, Ma Chonghao and the few men he brought will follow you for now, starting as household retainers, following the rules."

Liu Yong assented. Zhao Jin continued, "Since Ma Chonghao could plant spies among us that we couldn't detect, presumably he can also find the gaps and mistakes we've overlooked. Have Ma Chonghao follow the Internal Guard and screen Xuzhou inside and out once more."

Everyone assented again. Shi Ping'ao, standing to the side, kept his face expressionless, though inwardly he felt some ruefulness. The grand Nanjing Brocade Guard Assistant Commander, a high-ranking military officer of the fourth or third rank, was now reduced to a mere household retainer. Just a few dozen days ago, he had been scheming how to capture Zhao Jin, how to seize the Zhao Battalion's position and enterprises — yet today he knelt prostrate before the man to beg for a retainer's post. Truly, times had changed.

At this treatment, Ma Chonghao, however, was all smiles and hastily gave thanks — first a grand salute to Zhao Jin, then a grand salute to Liu Yong, formally paying respects to his superior.

When word had come that Ma Chonghao wished to surrender, Zhao Jin had already indicated to those around him his intent to recruit him. After roughly understanding the situation over these past few days and learning that Ma Chonghao's family was not in Nanjing and could be brought here, everyone knew the matter was all but settled.

Ma Chonghao was indeed capable. To throw the Zhao Battalion into such frantic disarray that they were ultimately ready to tear off all pretense and fight — that was real ability. Yet everyone still felt somewhat unsettled by his attitude. Only at the very start did he slightly resemble a defeated general; the rest of the time, he was entirely a new household retainer entering the Zhao Battalion. This demeanor made people a little uncomfortable, as if Ma Chonghao had kept this escape route open for himself from the very beginning, as if he had foreseen this outcome. Of course, everyone knew that was impossible.

After the audience, Ma Chonghao was led away. A household retainer was not qualified to stand and listen in this room. Zhao Jin turned to Shi Ping'ao and said, "I've already written to Lu Quanyou. Your family should arrive in Xuzhou within the next few days. Mister Shi, I am short of educated men who can get things done. We've dealt with each other so many times, and as the trusted aide of the Wolf Mountain Vice Commander, your abilities are surely not lacking. If you are willing to stay and work for me, follow Mister Cao as a steward and aide. If you'd rather not stay, you may go as you please. Should you lack traveling expenses or anything else, do not hesitate to ask."

These words took Shi Ping'ao utterly by surprise. He had assumed the other party would assign him some lowly position as well; he had never expected such generous treatment.

As if reading his unspoken question, Zhao Jin waved a hand and said, "You were only following orders, and you committed no fault. Decide for yourself — stay or go, as you wish."

Shi Ping'ao was stunned again. He had been the trusted advisor to the Wolf Mountain Vice Commander for many years, so his reactions were naturally not slow, yet this time he truly pondered for a long while.

"Many thanks for Young Master Zhao's — no, many thanks for Master Jin's kindness. At this moment, I truly do not know where to go, and Xuzhou is a rare place of peace. I would like to work for Master Jin for now, and after reuniting with my family and discussing our path forward, I will make a final decision." Shi Ping'ao spoke very slowly, but with great sincerity.

"That's fine. Follow Mister Cao for now. If you have anything to say, speak directly. Whatever you need, Mister Cao will arrange it for you." Zhao Jin's reply was crisp and decisive. Shi Ping'ao hastily bowed in thanks, then bowed to Cao Ruhui as well — though this was the bow of a junior to a senior, the two on relatively equal footing.

Shi Ping'ao then took his leave. Zhou Xuezhi, seated at the lower end, seemed about to speak but held back. Ruhui wore a faint smile but remained silent. Only Wang Zhaojing said indignantly, "Scholars are such trouble. Elder Brother spared his life, saved his family, gave him a way out — yet he still holds himself so aloof. I truly don't know what he has to be so proud of."

These were words only Wang Zhaojing could say. Zhao Jin smiled; he understood that Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi felt much the same.

"Shi Ping'ao comes from an old military affairs background, but his methods don't fit with ours. However, Shi Ping'ao knows the various forces north of the river like the back of his hand. As the trusted secretary to the Wolf Mountain Vice Commander, he naturally understands the Vice Commander's jurisdiction, and he surely knows the neighboring Xuzhou Mobile Corps Commander's jurisdiction as well. In fact, he is thoroughly familiar with the distribution of troops across the entire Southern Metropolitan Region, its internal and external strengths and weaknesses. That is his use. If he can be kept, having one more capable hand is of course good. If he won't stay, we part on good terms — these are things he must also say." Zhao Jin smiled as he laid out his reasoning.

"Xiaoyong, take Ma Chonghao and his men and thoroughly investigate every place under our control. We can tolerate those from the underworld, but the Smelling Incense Sect absolutely cannot remain — investigate strictly." Liu Yong stood and solemnly assented.

Zhao Jin drew a breath and sat upright. "It has been over two months since we pulled everyone back. Each regiment and company will remain a few more days, then must hurry back to oversee business and underworld matters. I have only one thing to say to everyone: do not grow arrogant because of this affair. Still follow the rules. Those outside who do not abide by our rules — deal with them now just as you dealt with them before. But do not go too far. I will add one more thing: we are still subjects of the Great Ming, we have not yet raised the banner of rebellion. All proper measure lies within these few words of mine."

Everyone nodded. Chen Sheng spoke: "Once this matter is settled, we must give the men below proper titles. For Zhang Hubin, Lu Da, Li Wu, and those each of us oversees — the titles of company commander and squad commander alone will likely leave some hearts discontented."

Zhao Jin nodded slowly. Solemn expressions appeared on everyone's faces. Zhao Jin said, "We will add a rank of battalion commander and formalize the battalion structure, commanding six companies or five. As for the Internal Guard and other areas, that still requires further discussion."

Seeing Chen Sheng about to speak again, Zhao Jin paused briefly, then cut him off directly: "The critical moment has not yet arrived. Letting them rise too fast is not good. So many household retainers — those who have been promoted have already far outstripped the others. If too much is granted, it will inevitably give them other ideas."

For a moment, everyone in the room was silent. Shi Manqiang spoke: "Elder Brother, our iron armor is still insufficient. Full suits of armor cost too much. At the very least, we must equip everyone with iron helmets. Although our retainer formations are steady, if the enemy truly gets close and shoots arrows, the armored front ranks are one thing, but the rear can easily suffer casualties. Wearing a helmet can at least offer some protection."

Dong Bingfeng, Ji Xiang, and Dong Bingfeng exchanged glances, all nodding in agreement. Ruhui, however, frowned, casually pulled an abacus from beside him, clicked the beads rapidly, then shook his head slightly.

What no one expected was that Zhao Jin fell silent, his expression none too pleasant. Shi Manqiang froze, thinking that what he'd just said had nothing wrong with it — it shouldn't have angered Elder Brother. Everyone else also quieted and looked toward Zhao Jin.

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