Chapter 746: Something

This was truly extraordinary. The hundred-plus sets of iron armor alone were dazzling to behold, but a discerning eye could see much more — the orderly ranks, for instance, which clearly showed frequent drilling; the near-identical blades and spears, proof of stockpiled reserves and perhaps even a dedicated workshop for forging weapons. The braves and private soldiers in everyone else's hands carried a motley assortment of arms — just having a piece of iron was good enough, some even wielded sharpened, fire-hardened wooden staves or bamboo spears. How could any of that compare to the martial grandeur before them?

As for those several dozen bows, they were even more remarkable. Drawing a bow and shooting an arrow required years of bitter training, not to mention the silver to purchase and maintain the equipment. These archers had to be specially trained. If a real fight broke out, a single volley from several dozen archers would be enough to shatter any encampment.

None of the guests here were ordinary figures. They had seen the world, witnessed official troops drilling, and even had various connections with the local garrisons. Thinking back to those beggarly soldiers they had seen, those rusted and tattered weapons, and then looking at these sturdy, vigorous men before them — the comparison was immediate.

With this force as the core, stirring up tens of thousands of loyal followers, what city could not be taken? The Great Ming was now a land where the people could barely survive. In Liao Town, in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, they had never won a battle. The dynasty looked like a ramshackle hut, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

Moreover, the Sect Hierarch of the Smelling Incense Sect, Xu Hongru, possessed such heroic vision and grand strategy. He had already built up every part of Shandong to this extent. If one could gamble on following him, great wealth and rank surely awaited.

Those who forsook the comfort and ease of being a local gentry tyrant in the countryside, instead risking decapitation to join the Smelling Incense Sect as an Assembly Master, were all ambitious men unwilling to accept the status quo. Looking at the formation before them, aside from being awed into submission, they also felt a kind of excitement — the thrill of a gamble worth taking.

"Gentlemen, this is not the sect's full reserve. In Yanzhou Prefecture, there are nearly a thousand more men fit for battle. In Qingzhou Prefecture and Jinan Prefecture, there are cavalry units. Dongchang Prefecture also requires an elite garrison. What you see today is merely what could be conveniently transferred from nearby." Xu Hongru remained as composed as ever.

After hearing his explanation, the crowd was even more awed and convinced. So this shocking display of power was not even the entirety of it — not even half of the sect's elite forces. Calculated this way, the great enterprise truly seemed within reach.

"The Sect Venerable has received Heaven's mandate, which is why so many fierce and elite warriors pledge their loyalty! The great rise of our sect is assured! With the Sect Venerable at the helm, it is truly a great blessing for the sect, and a great blessing for us subordinates! May the Sect Venerable live for ten thousand years, and lead us subordinates into that paradise of ultimate bliss!" Immediately, one of the Assembly Masters who had some education began to sing praises, and everyone else quickly joined in.

"May the Sect Venerable live for ten thousand years!" they all shouted in unison.

Xu Hongru's face betrayed no expression. He nodded and said coolly, "The sect's great rise is tied to all of you as well. So long as you serve loyally, I will not treat any of you poorly. I shall certainly share wealth and rank with you all, and we shall ascend to the immortal realm together."

After finishing this set speech, Xu Hongru swept his gaze across the crowd and added, "The Zeng family has been loyal to the sect, braving death to achieve illustrious battle merits. Starting from the first month of next year, Zeng Dalang will be the Assembly Master solely in charge of Jining Prefecture."

Jining Prefecture was the wealthiest and most prosperous place in all of Shandong. Serving a term as Assembly Master there brought more benefits than the entire prefectures of Dengzhou and Laizhou combined. A few years in that post, and one's family would be set for generations.

Old Master Zeng had not come; his three sons, Zeng Dalang, Erlang, and Sanlang, were attending at his side. Zeng Dalang was stunned at first, his face full of disbelief, then fell to his knees in agitation. His two brothers knelt as well — when one man finds the Way, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Zeng Dalang kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "This lowly one thanks the Sect Hierarch for his great kindness! This lowly one is willing to have his body ground to powder! This lowly one's entire family is willing to be oxen and horses for the Sect Venerable!"

"Rise! Serve diligently! Even brighter prospects await you!" Xu Hongru said with a smile.

The onlookers understood perfectly. Displaying the elite reserves was to show everyone his power; bestowing this rich reward on Zeng Dalang was to let everyone taste the sweetness.

Having reached this point, what was there left not to understand? Everyone began clamoring with flattery. A clever one among them even chimed in, "It's a pity the Mu family didn't know what was good for them, didn't recognize the Sect Venerable's heavenly might and compassion. If they had known to serve the Sect Venerable loyally, who knows what glory and splendor awaited them? But they had to harbor disloyalty and end up with their current fate. They deserved it! We all must not fail to recognize good from bad and follow in the Mu family's footsteps."

These words struck right at Xu Hongru's heart, making him nod with a smile. Seeing this, the crowd knew even better what to say.

"... That witch doesn't even deserve to be burned. Might as well just toss her into the wilds to feed the dogs. With so many starving corpses around these days, the wild dogs have gotten picky..."

"... Ridiculous, that fat pig Wang Haoxian, dreaming his big dreams every day..."

Few of those who had come were educated. Their back-and-forth chatter was utterly vulgar, and Xu Hongru gradually grew impatient. He waved his hand and said, "After you have witnessed the drill of our sect's elite guards, you must spread word of our sect's might far and wide and recruit new members. This system of Venerables, Assembly Masters, and Incense Masters is still too restrictive. If any of you render meritorious service, this sect will not be stingy with titles and rewards!"

Xu Hongru's words stirred everyone up once more. Over the years, Xu Hongru had deliberately suppressed the advancement of his followers. Many powerful figures were still mere Incense Masters, without even the title of Assembly Master. Within the Smelling Incense Sect, every promotion represented countless benefits. It was precisely because of this that many had previously been ambiguous in their attitude and harbored disloyal thoughts of one kind or another. Now, the Sect Hierarch Xu Hongru had not only demonstrated his authority but also promised rewards, deepening their loyalty by another layer.

Xu Hongru took in everyone's expressions, knowing the desired effect had been achieved. He nodded and waved a hand behind him.

At this gesture, someone immediately raised a banner and waved it. A drumbeat sounded — but only a single beat. As the crowd wondered at this, the thousand-plus men below let out a unified roar, truly a sound that shook like thunder.

This thunderous shout startled many of the guests under the earthen platform's canopy so badly that those with weaker composure fell straight to the ground. Even those who remained standing turned pale and struggled to breathe evenly. Xu Hongru, however, stood steady. Everyone understood the purpose of this routine — it was much like killing the chicken to warn the monkey. But the sheer intimidating force of that unified roar was indeed terrifying. They knew even more clearly that they had no way to resist; they could only follow.

The martial display below had already begun. The various elite units of the Smelling Incense Sect formed their battle arrays, advancing and parrying with an appearance of great discipline. Though the onlookers could not fully grasp the intricacies, they could still discern the fundamentals. They understood that a disciplined military formation like this was far, far superior to the rabble under their own command, who charged and retreated in a chaotic swarm.

"The men under your command can also be sent here for consolidated training. Once they are trained, they will naturally be returned to you. You won't need to cover any of the provisions or expenses," Xie Mingxian said from the wooden platform.

Was this a move to absorb everyone's strength? The thought ran through each person's mind, but no sign of discontent showed on their faces. Just as the atmosphere under the canopy grew subtly tense, Xu Hongru spoke calmly, "Gentlemen, rest assured. I have no interest in your meager assets. To accomplish great things in the future, we must sharpen the blades in our hands. I am sharpening your blades for you, then returning them to you, at no cost to you. What is there to object to?"

"We just couldn't bear to let the Sect Venerable incur such expense. But since you put it that way, we won't stand on ceremony." With the matter framed this way, refusing to hand them over would be a failure to understand how things worked. The Mu family's fate was laid out before them, and the murderous aura of the drilling troops below was plain to see. Who knew if these drilling men might come up and start killing if you refused?

"This lowly one has long wanted to send those rascals under my command to the main headquarters, but was just too embarrassed to ask. This works out perfectly!"

"How can we let the Sect Venerable pay for the grain and funds? We can certainly afford this much!"

Setting aside the private calculations of those below, the banners signaled and the gongs and drums beat. The various units of the Smelling Incense Sect shifted formations, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Awe was written on every face. The looks directed at Xu Hongru were filled with heartfelt submission. With such elite and powerful forces before them, and millions of Smelling Incense Sect followers, what under heaven could not be accomplished? So long as they followed with absolute devotion, glory and wealth seemed right before their eyes.

They had all seen killing, seen bloodshed, and seen the official troops of the Great Ming. But they had never seen such a strict and formidable force where every order was obeyed to the letter. At first glance, it looked orderly and impressive, but after watching for a while, their mouths grew dry and their tongues parched. An involuntary tension and trembling fear took hold. These thousand or so elite warriors were simply exuding a murderous aura that pressed down on them.

The atmosphere was simply too tense. The silence was too oppressive, making everyone involuntarily want to crack a few jokes to ease the situation.

"The Sect Venerable's thousand men move as one man. A thousand men strike out, a thousand men step forward, all at the same instant. When their feet land, the very ground trembles," someone remarked.

The ground was indeed trembling. Quite a few people had already felt the vibrations. Just as they were about to chime in with more praise, they saw Xie Mingxian, who stood beside Xu Hongru, had a drastically changed expression.

"Something's wrong!"

In the early hours of the ninth day of the eleventh month, Zhao Jin's company, having finished their rest, lit fires to cook a meal. They left behind one meal's worth of dry rations and consumed all the remaining provisions. Any dry rations the men couldn't finish were used as horse feed. With a cavalry charge imminent, the mounts could only maintain their full strength by eating grain.

The guides and the attached light cavalry set out first on horseback to clear the path of any common folk who might try to report their movements, as well as any potential scouts. Meanwhile, Zhao Jin's company advanced on foot, leading their horses in armor.

In the early morning hours, with Shandong in such chaos, naturally no one dared to be out and about. After marching ten li on foot, they made a brief halt, then mounted up and proceeded at a slow, jogging trot.

The sun had already risen, and common travelers began to appear on the road. Still bleary-eyed, their first reaction upon seeing such a large mounted column was to flee. A few bolder ones ducked to the roadside. The attached light cavalry had already gathered around the periphery of Zhao Jin's main force. They did not hunt down the fleeing pedestrians, but if anyone ran in the direction of Zeng Family Manor — whether coincidence or not — they would chase them down and kill them.

Thanks to old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen, User Cold Night, Auntie Niu, Wu Liulang" for the tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all.

My book has returned to Qidian. You can also find it by searching "Great Ming Warrior." Well, it feels... quite subtle.