Chapter 761: Settlement

They rested and recuperated for two days at the Xu family estate in Mount Jing, then headed all the way west, joining up with the detachments that had rested at the other two camps. Together they crossed the river to the south bank of Xuzhou, then made for He Village.

Once they arrived here, Zhao Jin, his companions, and everyone in the company could finally truly relax — they were home. The moment they set foot on the south bank of the Yellow River, Zhao Jin could clearly sense the shift in his companions' and men's mood. Though he too was relaxed, he remarked to Chen Sheng with a sigh, "The territory we control is no longer small, yet our people still can't leave Xuzhou behind. They treat this place as their root."

"Home is here, so there's nothing strange about it." Chen Sheng had far fewer sentiments on the matter.

Zhao Jin said with a laugh, "In the future we'll have many places. If we can never leave Xuzhou, then we'll never put down roots anywhere else. When it comes down to it, won't we still be clinging to Xuzhou alone?"

"It's still early to worry about that. You'd better think first about how you're going to explain yourself when you get home!" Chen Sheng made a rare joke.

"This trip to Shandong — it's not like the family doesn't know what I went there to do." Zhao Jin answered dismissively. But after he spoke, he couldn't help glancing back. Mu Shulan sat quietly on horseback, looking around Xuzhou with curiosity. This was Xuzhou, but it was completely different from a few years ago.

"Brother Jin, is this really Xuzhou? I remember it wasn't this bustling before." As they drew closer and closer to He Village, Mu Shulan finally couldn't hold back her question.

When others asked this, Zhao Jin could answer calmly. For some reason, when Mu Shulan asked, an inexplicable surge of pride rose in Zhao Jin's heart. He said with a smile from horseback, "You've been away for a few years — it's long since transformed. Our Xuzhou now is no worse than Linqing."

Mu Shulan nodded with a smile on horseback and said softly, "Two years ago I finally managed to bribe someone to come see Xuzhou. When he went back and told me about the bustling changes in He Village, I heard it in Linqing but simply couldn't believe it. I never imagined it was all true. It's even better than I thought."

Chen Sheng tugged his reins, letting himself fall behind a little, leaving Zhao Jin and Mu Shulan space to be alone. Only Niu Jinbao still followed.

Hearing the girl's words, Zhao Jin fell silent. After a while he finally spoke. "Why didn't you have that person tell me? I never knew you were in Shandong. I thought we'd never see each other again in this life. If you had told me, you wouldn't have had to suffer there, and it wouldn't have turned so perilous this time."

Compared to Zhao Jin's silence, Mu Shulan reacted quickly. The girl smiled and brushed back a stray lock of hair from her temple, shaking her head. "I was afraid of dragging Brother Jin down. Besides... besides, at that time you had just gotten married..."

When the conversation reached this point, for a moment neither of them knew what to say. Each fell silent, simply letting their mounts carry them forward.

When Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng were away from He Village, the ones in charge were Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui. Word of their return had been sent ahead long ago, and inevitably all the leading figures had to come out to greet them. Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui handled matters far more thoroughly than Zhao Jin and the others. Accompanying them out of He Village was a carriage reserved for the women of the household. And when they came to receive them, Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui broke away from the main group, bringing the carriage to the very front.

When they drew near, Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui both bowed with a smile, hands clasped. After they straightened up, Ruhui stepped back, and Wang Zhaojing said warmly, "Elder Brother has gone forth to display his might and returns in triumph. Your younger brother and Mister Cao offer our congratulations here."

Zhao Jin exchanged a glance with Chen Sheng on horseback, then laughed in spite of himself. "We're brothers. Why put on these fake formalities?"

Wang Zhaojing answered with a smile, "Elder Brother's position grows greater by the day. It's time to establish proper rules and protocols."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned solemn. The scale of the Zhao Camp was indeed growing larger by the day. Centered on Xuzhou, they had already seized control of Guide Prefecture to the west, pocketed Huai'an Prefecture to the east, and the south, Suzhou, was practically their own estate. Now to the north, their hand had reached into Shandong territory. With such vast domain and so many fierce, wolf-like troops under their command, with such wealth and power, it truly was time to set down rules. Third Master Wang was indeed Master Jin's chief advisor and strategist — this idea was brilliant.

No one expected Zhao Jin to dismount directly, stride over to Wang Zhaojing, and give him a fierce embrace. Then he heavily clapped Ruhui on the shoulder and said with a laugh, "We're brothers, family. What's the point of all these empty formalities? It's too fake."

Ruhui merely nodded with a smile. Wang Zhaojing, however, looked thoroughly exasperated. Zhao Jin, as if on purpose, clapped him even harder, and the exasperation on Wang Zhaojing's face turned into a wry smile. Everyone watched this scene with amusement.

After this bit of horseplay, Wang Zhaojing politely cupped his hands toward Mu Shulan and said, "Sister Mu, it has been a long time."

"Brother Zhaojing, you haven't changed a bit. And it's not just you — Dasheng and the others haven't changed at all either." Mu Shulan inclined her body slightly on horseback with a smile. But the meaning behind her words was clear to everyone: Zhao Jin had changed.

Just like that, they returned to He Village. Zhao Jin did not rush home but first went with his companions to the council hall. Mu Shulan followed as well, though she stayed in the rear hall. The dozen or so injured household troops were all helped in, supported by others.

Over four hundred riders had raided several hundred li, entering Shandong from Xuzhou, operating deep within the territory controlled by the Incense-Smelling Sect, and on the return journey had been pursued and intercepted by forces from every direction — and in the end there were only a dozen or so wounded. This alone was enough to shock the world, and enough to prove the might of the Zhao Camp. Zhao Jin and his companions had every reason to be proud.

But no matter how breathtaking this journey had been, they could not guarantee absolute safety. Armor protected the body, but injuries in battle were unavoidable. Horses were well-trained, but falls were still inevitable. Although the Zhao Camp had brought all the wounded back, at least seven of them would never again be able to fight as household troops. They had no reason to feel proud.

Having rushed the entire way, they'd had no chance to properly rest and recover. Everyone looked utterly listless. Originally the plan was to leave them on the north bank of the Yellow River to recuperate, and once their bodies were more or less recovered, return to He Village to await assignments. But none of the wounded were willing, so they simply brought them all back.

"Rest well and heal. Once you've recovered, return to your unit as soon as possible. For those who can't return, I have arrangements for you as well. You needn't worry about your futures." Zhao Jin came straight to the point.

The lightly wounded household troops struggled to stand straight, but those already crippled wore expressions of deep dejection. In the Zhao Camp, no one was particularly afraid of death, because the moment you died, your entire family was provided for — land, tax exemptions, and your sons could continue serving as household troops. But being wounded was troublesome. Although the Zhao Camp also offered care and support, the wounded still had to be looked after at home by their families, still had to eat and consume resources, which meant placing a great burden on the household. Life would be very hard.

Zhao Jin naturally understood their concerns. He continued, "Those who can't return to their units — once your wounds are healed, you'll go to the various branches of Cloud Mountain Trading to serve as apprentices. Don't put on those long faces. Apprenticing there means that in the future you'll be helping me manage things below. All you know is swinging blades and spears. If you don't go there to learn skills and rules, are you supposed to just go down and take charge like this?"

He spoke with great impatience, but the expressions on the household troops below improved. Zhao Jin went on, "You've followed me through life and death. You're the brothers I trust most. The territory's been conquered — I can only rest easy sending you to manage it. Is this path worse than being a household trooper?"

Hearing Zhao Jin's question, those household troops who could kneel knelt on their own, and those who couldn't had their comrades support them. In unison they declared, "Many thanks for Master Jin's great kindness."

Even the dullest among them could understand Zhao Jin's meaning. This was tantamount to being sent down as local officials. Everyone had seen the prestige and perks of the officials and clerks. A path like this was certainly no worse than being a household trooper.

"Don't think that just because you've followed me through life and death, you can do whatever you please. Being a household trooper has its rules, and Cloud Mountain Trading has its rules. Break the rules, and there's military law here — and the punishment there won't be any lighter than military law. Don't let your heads get muddled and act recklessly, only to regret it when the blade's at your neck. Put the same drive you had in training into your work, and you won't go wrong." Zhao Jin spoke very plainly. When giving these instructions to his own household troops, he truly had no need for tact.

"We understand. If we disgrace Master Jin's name, being hacked to pieces would be only right." Everyone answered with absolute resolve. The dejection on their faces had by now largely dissipated. Zhao Jin had pointed out a road for them.

After the household troops dispersed, Wang Zhaojing nodded and said with a smile, "The household troops have been through life and death with us, shed blood and risked their lives. Their loyalty is beyond question. Since Elder Brother wants to use them, should we consider the household troops who retired earlier? Right now the various Cloud Mountain Trading branches are desperately short of people — the wounded troopers would be a perfect fit."

"Only those who can learn and prove capable can be sent out. This rule must be strict. Otherwise, we'll just keep supporting them." Zhao Jin spoke very coolly at this moment.

Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui both nodded. Zhao Jin then said with a solemn expression, "The various Cloud Mountain Trading branches are also our foundation. They manage the territories for us, collect taxes and grain, conscript labor, and also serve as our eyes and ears on the ground. They handle many matters but don't have to risk life and limb. With great authority and great profit, it's very easy for problems to arise. Think of the clerks and runners handling affairs in the yamen — we mustn't let the managers and staff in our branches end up like them in the end."

Hearing Zhao Jin reach this point, Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui's expressions also turned grave. Zhao Jin turned his head to glance at Liu Yong, then said to Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui, "I'll say this up front: in every Cloud Mountain Trading branch, the Internal Guard will plant informants and will continuously investigate, both openly and covertly. Any wrongdoing will be rooted out. But you two can't just rely on the Internal Guard to investigate. Find your own method, recruit personnel specifically to inspect and uncover unlawful acts within the branches. Do it quickly, or once the branches multiply and matters pile up, it'll be beyond our ability to manage."

Wang Zhaojing glanced impassively at Liu Yong, then exchanged a look with Ruhui. He said to Zhao Jin with a smile, "I understand what Elder Brother means. This is like the Chief Surveillance Bureau or the Censorate — letting them hear rumors and investigate."

Thanks to the three friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," "User Lao Yang," and "Wu Liu Lang" for their tips, and thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets.