Chapter 783: You're Afraid?

At first light the next morning, Steward Zhou and his party set out. Though they itched to devour Zhao Jin and Xuzhou flesh and drink their blood, they also felt the roads of Xuzhou were safe — leaving early or traveling late, they never had to worry about bandits or highwaymen. Setting out at dawn held no danger. So they journeyed westward all the way, heading for the ferry crossing at Kaifeng City, then crossing the river back to Weihui Prefecture — that was the most convenient route.

The Xuzhou roads were busy with merchants and travelers coming and going from all directions. As Steward Zhou's group traveled among them, the further they went, the more they felt Xuzhou's prosperity — gold and silver seemed to lie everywhere. They couldn't help thinking: if that Zhao Jin had any sense, they'd surely have a share of this immense mountain of gold and sea of silver. But after all this trouble, they could only wait for the princely estate to swallow it up and then divide it among themselves. And when they thought about it, the Prince of Lu's estate could only entrust the local officials to act, with every layer taking its cut and skimming off the top. By the time anything reached the estate, it would be greatly diminished — and when they themselves reached in for a share, it would be even less.

The more they brooded, the angrier they grew; the angrier they grew, the more they ground their teeth. Their minds churned endlessly with how to deal with those blind, reckless fools in Xuzhou. They pressed on without rest, and after two days and one night, Steward Zhou and his party finally left the borders of Xuzhou in the Southern Metropolitan Region and entered Guide Prefecture in Henan.

The moment they entered Guide Prefecture, Steward Zhou and the others breathed a sigh of relief. This was Henan territory now. They had no way of knowing, of course, that this area was also under the Zhao Camp's control. Within that vast princely estate, only a handful of people had any contact with the jianghu. And the Zhao Camp's control over Guide Prefecture was, in a sense, a jianghu matter — the local government was still the Great Ming's government, and the laws enforced were still the Great Ming Code. By all appearances, this was still the sovereign soil of the Ming. What connection could it possibly have to some Xuzhou strongman?

Steward Zhou's party was in no hurry now. After suffering so much aggravation and hardship in Xuzhou, they needed at least one good night to rest and recover, to wash away all the filth and ill fortune clinging to them. If they showed up in Kaifeng Prefecture looking like this and were recognized and mocked by the Prince of Zhou's people, what then? Losing face for the Prince of Lu's estate would mean certain trouble when they returned.

Entering Xiayi County in Guide Prefecture from Dangshan in Xuzhou, after traveling about ten li past Qiulong Gully, they reached the Xiayi County post station. Steward Zhou was a subordinate official of the princely estate and had the right to rest at the post station. Besides, this was government territory — staying here put them more at ease.

As the post station came into distant view, the Prince of Lu's men relaxed even further. Some chatted and laughed quietly; others cursed loudly — cursing, naturally, about their ordeal in Xuzhou. The sun was sinking in the west, and travelers on the road were mostly hurrying into town or seeking lodging at the post station or inns. Every so often they overheard someone muttering about needing to find a place to stay quickly, that Guide Prefecture was far worse than Xuzhou, that the nights here were not peaceful.

By now, Steward Zhou couldn't stand hearing anyone praise Xuzhou, but out on the road there was nothing he could do about it. He merely spat angrily in that direction.

The gob of spit flew out — but brought with it a sharp, piercing whistle. Steward Zhou, who had done the spitting, jumped in fright, wondering how a mere spit could make such a sound. Then came a "thwock" — followed by a wretched scream and cries of alarm. Steward Zhou watched as an arrowhead burst through the chest of a companion beside him, who fell shrieking from his horse.

Caught completely off guard, the Prince of Lu's party stood frozen. Those who recovered their wits screamed in terror. The whistling sounded again and again — two more men were struck by arrows and fell from their horses. Steward Zhou's heart and gall were shattered with fear, but by now he had come to his senses. He lashed his mount frantically — run, just run first, everything else could wait.

The sun had not yet set. In broad daylight, on an official road close to a city, someone was committing murder. The merchants and travelers on the road were scared out of their wits and fled desperately off the road. The more timid ones had already collapsed in terror, lying sprawled and helpless right on the official road. Chaos erupted in an instant.

Steward Zhou and a few others were mounted and could only charge forward. In their minds, once they reached Xiayi County town, everything would be safe. At this critical moment, a thought surfaced unbidden in Steward Zhou's mind: the Xuzhou roads really were peaceful. If they were there, how could something like this ever happen?

As they fled, they saw several riders ahead wheel their horses across the road, draw their bows, and shoot in their direction. Just moments ago, these men had looked like ordinary traveling merchants — how had they suddenly turned into death-dealing demons?

Better lucky than skilled. Steward Zhou was fat and his horsemanship mediocre, yet when the arrows came head-on, it was his companions who fell from their horses first. Several arrows grazed past his scalp. Steward Zhou cared about nothing anymore. After galloping a dozen or so paces, he at least had the presence of mind to rein his horse around — he couldn't just keep charging toward death.

But Steward Zhou was fat and heavy, and his horse was galloping at full speed. The sudden turn threw him off balance instantly. Horse and rider crashed down together at the edge of the official road. One of his legs was crushed beneath the horse, and he lay at the roadside screaming like a slaughtered pig from the pain.

"I am—" In any situation, Steward Zhou reflexively announced his origins, but he got only halfway through before he heard something spinning toward him with a howl. His head felt as if a heavy hammer had struck it — and then he knew nothing at all.

"Strip the clothes, take the horses, leave the naked bodies," a big man, clearly the leader, said gruffly. Many of the other merchants cowering on the official road heard it clearly — it sounded like an accent from northern Henan.

Though they were not far from Xiayi County town, though the sun had not yet set, the sudden eruption of slaughter on the official road had cowed everyone. People thought only of scattering and fleeing for their lives — no one remembered to report it to the authorities, and the town remained completely unaware.

The passersby did not even know what the killers looked like. Perhaps they had glanced at them when they brushed past, but who could say which of those glanced-at faces was now masked and killing? And who dared lift their head to look now?

The bow-wielding killers who had blocked the road worked swiftly. Steward Zhou's entire party was stripped completely bare. All their belongings were casually bundled into a cloth wrap, tossed onto their own mounts, and then the killers simply left.

After the thunder of hoofbeats faded, the trembling travelers and merchants crept back onto the road. All they found were several naked corpses, bodies riddled with bloody holes. The fattest one's head had been split open — a ghastly, horrifying sight. Those with weak stomachs vomited on the spot.

About half a shichen later, after the sun had already set, the constables from Xiayi County finally arrived, tardy and clearly terrified themselves. They had gathered over a hundred able-bodied men before daring to come investigate.

"Must've been the Big Pole gang — this kind of ruthless cruelty, we can't touch this. Report it to Xuzhou, quick!" The head constable of Xiayi County knew his business. One look at the scene and he understood it was beyond their ability to handle. In any case, Xiayi County in Guide Prefecture was under the Zhao Camp's protection — handing it over to them saved trouble and effort.

Touch it or not, the investigation still had to be done. But the incident on the official road had erupted so suddenly that no one had seen the killers' faces. The only clue was that northern Yellow River accent. And the bodies yielded no evidence — every one of them had been stripped clean. From the skin, the build, and the passersby's descriptions of the group, it was clear the deceased were no ordinary commoners. But beyond that, there was no evidence at all. In these times, with bandits swarming everywhere, dying violently on the road was hardly a rare occurrence. If no aggrieved party came forward, the matter would simply be left unresolved.

Steward Zhou and his party had come eagerly, wasting no time on the journey. They had only stopped to rest in Shangqiu, the seat of Guide Prefecture, and had not paused in Xiayi County — which meant no one there recognized them at all.

No one knew that Steward Zhou's party's clothes, ornaments, and waist tokens had all been burned. What wouldn't burn was thrown into the Yellow River. The horses were slaughtered and then set ablaze; the charred remains were likewise dumped into the Yellow River. Not a single trace was left behind that could be followed.

It was the third day after Zhao Jin arrived at Qingjiangpu that Niu Jinbao and the others finally hurried over to regroup.

"Master, if this humble one may speak out of turn — killing people like Steward Zhou is useless. They're nothing but ants in the Prince of Lu's estate. If these few are gone, they'll just send others. Trouble will still come to you, Master. It would be better if this humble one went to the estate on the eastern shore of Luoma Lake — that would spare you some trouble, Master," Niu Jinbao said, very earnestly.

"Every time someone comes from Henan, my Zhao Jin's guards have to hide away? Then what's the point of maintaining the Zhao Camp? Don't worry about anything else — just guard me well. And don't worry about your mother; no one in Xuzhou can touch her," Zhao Jin replied, his tone quite relaxed.

Niu Jinbao was not good with words. Hearing this, he did not argue further, but only clasped his fists in a solemn, earnest salute.

Zhao Jin glanced around at the assembled companions and trusted subordinates. He noticed someone about to speak, their expression clearly one of wanting to offer counsel. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "As our power grows, we're bound to clash with the major forces around us. Those princely estates, the Kong family — which of them doesn't hold vast manors? Those manors control the local salt routes and trade routes. Do you think they'll willingly give those up? When they run into us, not only will they refuse to negotiate, they'll see us as nothing more than Xuzhou local bosses and think about swallowing us whole. Against people like that, what's the point of being cautious? If they reach out, chop the hand off. If they want to force the issue, hit them back."

Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui had stayed behind in Xuzhou, and Zhou Xuezhi had gone to Yangzhou to negotiate with the salt merchants. Those talking with Zhao Jin now were all military men, and naturally they had no objection to his words. As he finished speaking, Ji Xiang, Dong Bingfeng, Zhang Hubin, Li Dajin, and Cheng Dahu all had smiles on their faces. Ji Xiang even nodded and said, "In this whole Southern Metropolitan Region, who do we have to fear?"

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, then his expression grew serious. "Don't get careless. The first wave from the Prince of Lu's estate in Henan has come. The first wave from the Prince of Lu's estate in Shandong hasn't arrived yet. And after this first wave comes, there'll be a second."

At this, the expressions of everyone present turned grave. Dong Bingfeng frowned and asked, "Big Brother, if this goes on wave after wave, won't it eventually draw in the imperial army? Any conflict that touches the imperial princes is tantamount to rebellion — they'll surely mobilize a major force to suppress us. And unlike the Ma Chonghao affair, this time they'll have an imperial decree and legitimate authority."

Coming into conflict with a princely estate was tantamount to challenging the authority of the Great Ming imperial house. The prince would appeal to the court for help, and the local officials would not stand idly by. That the first few attempts would be beaten back was predictable — but it was equally foreseeable that, in the end, the imperial army would be sent to encircle and annihilate them.

At this, everyone in the room grew even more solemn. Zhao Jin looked around, then smiled easily and said, "What, you're afraid?"

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