Chapter 807

That was what they said, but the chance of anything slipping through was vanishingly small. Wang Zhaojing pulled his hand away from his face, though he still looked deeply dejected. Chen Sheng paid him no mind and simply said, "Looking at it this way, the Xuzhou Regional Commander's route is effectively empty. The several Battalion Commanders stationed around him won't dare move on their own—local militia can keep them pinned. They can't even mass their troops."

The nearly ten thousand troops under a Defense Regional Commander are dispersed across key points in the garrison zone—maintaining order in peacetime, concentrating for action in wartime. But the Xuzhou Regional Commander's garrison zone largely overlaps with the Zhao Battalion's territory. These soldiers have long known how formidable the Zhao Battalion is, and quite a few of them are already on the Zhao Battalion's payroll. If it really came to a fight, these men could be ignored outright—they might even be counted as an asset.

Of course, if those troops did turn against the Zhao Battalion, they would be annihilated without mercy—and local militia alone would suffice.

"No need to worry about Wolf Mountain either. If Lu Quanyou makes a move, the Third Regiment and militia over at Qingjiangpu will crush him immediately. Lu Quanyou may be called a Vice Regional Commander with over ten thousand men under him, but can he actually command even three thousand on a regular basis? By the time he masses his troops, our people will already be there!" Zhao Jin cut in.

Chen Sheng nodded. Zhao Jin continued, "That pretty much empties the eastern part of Northern Zhili north of the Yangtze. Fengyang still has a large force, Shandong and Northern Zhili will have some, Henan doesn't have many troops—worst case would be the Qin-Jin border army marching south."

"So the whole empire's army comes at our Xuzhou? Impossible. There are still the Tartars outside, and Liaodong needs even more guarding. By that count, Jiangnan still has a large army—we'd have to watch out for them crossing the river." Chen Sheng let out a scoff.

"Plan for the worst from the enemy—there's never any harm in that," Zhao Jin replied with a laugh. After saying this, he looked over at Wang Zhaojing and saw that his expression was still dazed and muddled. Zhao Jin's temper flared instantly. He fixed his eyes on him and snapped, "If you want to save your father, then stop sitting here in a stupor. There's too much to do—are you going to leave Mister Cao to handle everything alone? Get busy!"

Wang Zhaojing jolted at the scolding, his body shuddering. He stood up instinctively, silently clasped his fists, turned, and left the room.

As he walked out, he even stumbled over the threshold, looking utterly lost. Once the door closed, Chen Sheng's brow furrowed. He lowered his voice and said, "Looking at him now, he might manage to keep the bigger picture in mind—but after doing it this once, there'll likely be a knot in his heart. This brotherhood will be over after this. But sending him to the capital won't work either—he might just get arrested along with his father the moment he goes."

At this, Chen Sheng paused and said, "I still have a younger brother. I'll take some men and go myself. It's strange with us brothers—how come so many of us are only sons?"

"Ridiculous! You think there's no risk if you go? If you get caught in the capital, won't your parents grieve just the same?" Zhao Jin was so angry at Chen Sheng's words that he laughed, jabbing a finger at Chen Sheng's nose as he spoke.

Chen Sheng swatted Zhao Jin's hand away and said gravely, "Then what do you plan to do? Really just leave it alone? How much has Uncle Wang helped us? How many people below and around us are watching? If we handle this badly, a lot of hearts will turn cold."

"We will handle it—and make thorough preparations. Do you think this is just about rescuing someone? What we planned to do ten or twenty years from now might have to start right now. And we're still not fully prepared!" Zhao Jin's voice rose.

Chen Sheng shook his head and softened his tone. "It's not what we planned—it's what you planned. Whatever you plan, through life and death, through fire and water, the brothers will carry it out. Sometimes I really can't figure it out—we grew up together, so how do you think so far ahead, scheme so far into the future?"

"I won't let everyone down..."

"We're brothers—there's no talk of letting down or not. First, let's figure out how to resolve this matter of Zhaojing's. He's carrying too much weight on his mind. I'll ride over to the ferry crossing and take a look—we need to post militia and scouts there to keep watch." Chen Sheng stood, nodded in acknowledgment, and strode out.

Zhao Jin merely nodded back, remaining seated. Once Chen Sheng was out the door, Zhao Jin slammed his hand hard on the side table beside him. The porcelain cup on the table crashed to the floor and shattered, startling Niu Jinbao and the others—they rarely saw Zhao Jin in such a state. Zhao Jin took several deep breaths but still couldn't calm down. He ground his teeth and said furiously, "What the hell is going on? This baseless rebellion charge! Damned scoundrels!"

Zhao Jin's father, Zhao Zhentang, and Dong Bingfeng's father, Dong Jike, had left their respective garrison posts and taken their families to the estate on the eastern shore of Luoma Lake, telling outsiders they were simply going to Qingjiangpu for a few days of leisure.

A garrison commander leaving his post on a whim to go enjoy himself in a bustling city—strictly speaking, this was a capital offense under military law. But in Xuzhou, no one cared. In the Xuzhou region, what could possibly be bigger than the two old masters?

Besides, those two posts hadn't even had garrison commanders originally. It was only out of Lord Jin's filial devotion, to make the old men happy, that he'd arranged those garrison commander posts. Normally the two elders didn't manage much anyway—everything was overseen by company commanders sent by Lord Jin. Given all that, their going off for some leisure was of no consequence at all.

As for the troop movements of the various units, aside from those living nearby, no one across Xuzhou could possibly know about them yet. Because starting from Hejiazhuang, even with relay riders at top speed, a letter would take two to three days to arrive.

Today was only the third day. All anyone could know was the news that the old masters had gone off for leisure. All anyone could do was sigh in admiration at Zhao Jin and the others' filial devotion.

Even if someone knew about the movements of the Zhao Battalion's regiments and battalions, aside from the shrewd few who kept a constant eye on the Zhao Battalion's units, no one else would find anything unusual. It was nothing more than redeployment within their garrison zone.

On the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, the first team the Zhao Battalion dispatched to the capital set out. The team consisted of eight men in total—only two were household troops from the Internal Guard; the rest were managers and clerks from the Sun Family Trading Company. The managers and clerks knew nothing of Old Master Wang's arrest. They were going to the capital to survey the market for Hanjing Famous Liquor and, incidentally, to gather intelligence on the capital. The two Internal Guard household troops were traveling under the cover identity of Sun Family Trading Company managers as well.

Liu Yong returned to Xuzhou from Qingjiangpu. There was little he could do either—on one hand urging every network of eyes and ears to keep close watch on developments, on the other selecting the sharpest and most capable household troops from across the Xuzhou units. Various figures from the jianghu and the marketplace who were loyal to the Zhao Battalion were also being considered. Though no one held much hope for storming the imperial prison in the capital, what needed to be done still had to be done.

An urgent letter from Xuzhou was also sent to Linqing Prefecture, telling Lei Cai to remain there—after all, Linqing was closer to the capital and could respond more promptly. They also asked Inspector Li there to help make inquiries in the capital. Inspector Li, despite his low official rank, was a man of great influence with far-reaching connections.

At Ruhui's suggestion, Zhao Jin also sent orders to Zhou Xuezhi in Qingjiangpu, instructing him to observe the mood among Qingjiangpu's wealthy merchants. Those people were well-informed—if anything was amiss, they would certainly react. Or, before they did react, Zhao Jin could use them to gather information in the capital.

All the necessary preparations and responses had been made, yet the more they did, the more anxious everyone felt. Because the distance between Xuzhou and the capital was too great—even with relay riders at any cost, a one-way trip took seven days, and a round trip half a month.

With the passage of time comes change. In half a month, too many variables could arise. It was entirely possible that no matter how many preparations Xuzhou made, when the moment came, they would all prove utterly useless.

Mu Shulan had also mobilized her limited personnel from the Smelling Incense Sect. Her situation was somewhat different from the others—though only three days had passed, her conclusions were not the same as everyone else's.

"Xiaolan says that if your father were arrested and the court were planning to converge on Xuzhou in a punitive campaign, news of such a major event would definitely have been rushed back by the Smelling Incense Sect and spread in all directions. Because the moment there's military disaster and calamity, it's the perfect opportunity to recruit believers and stir up trouble. But so far, there hasn't been a single word from the flying-tally relay. That's far too strange. Xiaolan has a guess—she wonders if it's possible that the charge behind your father's arrest has nothing to do with Xuzhou?" Zhao Jin said.

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Wang Zhaojing could only manage two bitter laughs. Zhao Jin nodded and said, "She doesn't have many people at hand right now—the Xuzhou Smelling Incense Sect still isn't sorted out. But what she says makes sense. You shouldn't always assume the worst."

Wang Zhaojing nodded with a bitter smile and was about to speak when a household trooper announced someone outside. Entering the room, the trooper said, "My lord, there's a merchant from the salt market outside requesting an audience. When I asked his business, he hemmed and hawed and wouldn't say. Just as I was about to send him away, he asked me for paper and brush, wrote a few characters outside, and said that once my lord saw these characters, you would see him."

As he spoke, he handed a folded letter to Zhao Jin. The household trooper said in a deep voice, "I did not look at what was written. I folded it and brought it straight in. The merchant and his attendant are behaving suspiciously—I've assigned men to keep them under watch."

Zhao Jin nodded, reached out to take it, and unfolded it. At a glance, he first looked startled, then his expression turned solemn. Wang Zhaojing, seated to the side, immediately focused his attention—what major event could make Zhao Jin's face change?

To his surprise, after reading it, Zhao Jin simply handed the letter to Wang Zhaojing and said, "Bring them in."

The household trooper left to carry out the order. Wang Zhaojing took the letter, unfolded it, and looked. Written on it were a few characters: "Wang Youshan plots rebellion." Seeing those five characters, Wang Zhaojing blinked, then his body jolted violently. He looked at Zhao Jin.

"Suspicious indeed, at every turn," Zhao Jin said coldly.

Before long, the household trooper led the men to the door, but instead of bringing them straight in, he asked from outside: originally it was arranged for the merchant to meet Zhao Jin alone, but unexpectedly the merchant insisted on bringing an attendant with him. He was asking whether Zhao Jin would permit it.

This was indeed rather odd. Zhao Jin made a hand signal. Niu Jinbao strode to the door but didn't open it right away—first he peered through the crack and looked outside. Turning back, he said, "My lord, the household troops are watching them closely. Nothing seems amiss."

Zhao Jin nodded. Niu Jinbao opened the door and let the two men into the room. The household troops withdrew. Niu Jinbao closed the door and then stood behind the two men.

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