Chapter 836: Reinforcements

The avaricious priest Louis from Europe was insatiably greedy — this was already common knowledge in the Zhao Character Camp. Yet the priest also knew a great deal about military matters and armaments, something everyone had come to sense. In firearms shooting training, Louis played an enormous role, and his old servant Hildor understood even more.

Zhao Jin did not interact much with Louis, but he demanded that the interpreter constantly probe and chat with him, with the content reported back promptly. From these reports, Zhao Jin learned that Louis had indeed seen real combat. After several probing contests conducted in jest, everyone also realized that Louis had likely killed men and seen blood; otherwise, he would not have grasped certain killing techniques so clearly.

Since he was so useful, and his Mandarin Chinese was progressing quite rapidly, they brought him along this time as well, to let him play his greatest role in this battle.

They made a brief stop at Jing Mountain. The Xu family was not particularly efficient in their affairs, but when it came to supplying their son-in-law's force, they were meticulous. Both the household troops and the horses received excellent care. Although the Zhao Character Camp had already brought its own attached craftsmen this time, Xu Bende still arranged for the Xu family's blacksmiths to come and inspect and repair everyone's weapons.

Just before departure, Zhao Jin's father-in-law Xu Benrong secretly came seeking a meeting. His face deathly pale, he proposed: could Xu Housheng be sent to hide somewhere in Yangzhou?

"Ridiculous. What 'close friends in Yangzhou'? More likely they'd truss up Xu Housheng and hand him over to the authorities for a reward. Keeping him at He Family Village to supervise the work is better than anything. Father-in-law, you should head to He Family Village early as well!" Zhao Jin's reply was thoroughly blunt.

Xu Benrong had never possessed the power to make decisions in front of his daughter and son-in-law. After being lectured without ceremony by a junior, all he could do was hold his nose and accept it.

"Second Uncle, my father-in-law is timid. Second Uncle, you understand what is essential and fundamental — manage the Xu family well for Zhenzhen!" After seeing Xu Benrong off, Zhao Jin directly summoned Xu Bende and gave him a few instructions. Back by the Yellow River, he had thought this second uncle was unreliable; only after meeting his father-in-law did he realize that judgment had been premature.

Xu Bende was not surprised by this outcome. He followed Xu Zhenzhen closely and had never once defied her. As long as Xu Zhenzhen remained Zhao Jin's principal wife and legal spouse, no one in the Xu family could replace him in his position — even if he was publicly rebuked by Zhao Jin, which made many people think their opportunity had come.

After a brief rest and reorganization at Jing Mountain, Zhao Jin led the main body of troops and set out. A good number of able-bodied young men from the Xu family mines and ironworks had been drafted and, under the escort of the militia, were transporting supplies.

From Jing Mountain to Pei County, and from Pei County onward to Guting Town in Yutai County — this was all internal-line marching for the Zhao Character Camp within Xuzhou. The manors everywhere, the warehouses of Cloud Mountain Trading, and even the properties of local gentry and wealthy households could all resupply the Zhao Character Camp at any time. The march was very relaxed.

Zhao Jin deliberately arranged for Louis and his servant to accompany him at his side. Both Louis and his servant could ride horses, and their horsemanship was passable. Only the interpreter could not, so they had to assign a small-statured household trooper to carry the interpreter on horseback and follow along.

"Master Jin is truly merciful. In my country and in those places I have visited, people like us could only follow the horses on foot." The foreigner Louis knew well how to seize the moment to flatter. His Mandarin was still not very fluent, so he had to ask the interpreter to convey it for him. Louis spoke at great length, but the interpreter's rendition was very brief — no doubt failing to fully express it.

Hearing this flattery, Niu Jinbao, riding alongside on horseback, felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. Zhao Jin was indeed amiable toward his subordinates, but with so many lives on his hands, the word "merciful" simply did not apply. The only reason he had them ride horses too was that he did not want to delay the marching speed.

Ji Xiang was curious by nature and very interested in what Zhao Jin wanted to say to this foreigner. He too rode over on his horse.

"You've been here for quite some time now. What do you think of Xuzhou?"

"Esteemed Master Jin, this humble one did not expect Xuzhou to be so large — it already resembles the small kingdoms of our homeland. Nor did this humble one expect Xuzhou to be so prosperous. That Master Jin could organize this march and so effortlessly mobilize such quantities of supplies, without needing to plunder or requisition, is truly remarkable." The foreigner Louis had been striving to express himself in Chinese, but after all, he was not very practiced and still needed the interpreter's help.

When the words "Xuzhou so large and so prosperous" were spoken, everyone following beside Zhao Jin could not help but laugh. Ji Xiang laughed even as he said, "You foreigner really know how to jest. Among all the prefectures of South Zhili, Xuzhou ranks at the very bottom. As for this 'prosperity' — ours is the poorest and most wretched place of all."

The moment Ji Xiang finished speaking, he realized it was inappropriate. He chuckled awkwardly and added, "Ever since Big Brother took charge of Xuzhou, this land has only gradually begun to flourish."

The atmosphere turned somewhat awkward for a moment. Zhao Jin continued his questioning: "Coming along this time, we may have to fight against the court's official troops. Are you afraid?"

This question made the interpreter's face turn very ugly, but a smile appeared on Louis's face. He chattered away at great length, and before the interpreter could speak, Zhao Jin turned to the interpreter and said, "Explain exactly what he says — do not add or subtract any words on your own. If I discover otherwise, you'll regret it."

The interpreter shuddered and hastily agreed. His subsequent translation was somewhat halting; many words and phrases required repeated back-and-forth before he could produce a less-than-smooth explanation. Still, the general meaning was understandable to everyone. And it was not just Louis speaking on his own — his old servant Hildor also supplemented.

What they said was no different from what Zhao Jin already knew. In the place Louis came from, in his country and Hildor's country, and in all the surrounding states, no one knew what peace was. Everyone's life was nothing but war and waiting for the next war. If you wanted to achieve something, if you wanted to change the life already ordained for you, then you went to join the army and fight, staking your life on the slimmest possible chance of a miracle and a change.

Louis and Hildor each had their own laments, and inevitably there were reminiscences of their homelands and the past. The interpreter's stammering translation did not dampen anyone's interest in the slightest; everyone's attention was thoroughly captivated.

"Life there must be terribly hard and bitter. You've had it rough!" Ji Xiang could not help but remark with feeling. His words reflected what everyone was thinking — with endless warfare day after day, drifting and displaced, to consider even a place like Xuzhou prosperous and vast showed just how harshly they must have lived.

"No, no. Where we come from, it is very prosperous because of the war..." Louis again offered an explanation.

Because of the demands of war, trade was extraordinarily vigorous, and the drive for outward expansion was extraordinarily vigorous. Vast quantities of gold, silver, and goods circulated ceaselessly. Tales of overnight wealth were heard by someone every day.

Seeing the skeptical expressions on everyone's faces, Zhao Jin took hold of the reins and explained in a deep voice: "When war rages without end day after day, a strong army is naturally forged. To sustain endless war, one must naturally keep amassing wealth and generating resources to supply this army. Those who can endure grow ever stronger; those who cannot are annihilated. Whoever holds out to the very end becomes the strongest."

These words set Ji Xiang to pondering. He thought for a good while before speaking: "Isn't that more or less the same as our Zhao Character Camp?"

After saying this, Ji Xiang added with some disbelief: "Big Brother, could it be that this foreigner is just boasting wildly?"

"It's not wild boasting. If not for the distance of ten thousand li, that army over there..." Zhao Jin shook his head and said, but stopped himself halfway. He then laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "If not for the distance of ten thousand li, they would never have developed into what they are."

These words came out of nowhere. Just as everyone was about to continue, they spotted several cavalrymen racing toward them in the distance. Everyone instinctively turned their attention that way.

At present, within the borders of Xuzhou, the only ones who still dared to gallop at full speed like this were the riders of the Zhao Character Camp and Xuzhou martial artists who had been granted permission. For them to come charging straight over like this, there was surely urgent business.

Firearms Company Commander Meng Zhiqi had already begun issuing orders. One squad of arquebusiers was loading and making ready, while Liu, the commander of the First Company who was following not far from Zhao Jin, cast a disdainful glance. He barked a couple of orders, and a dozen archers had already drawn their bows and nocked arrows in readiness.

None of these precautions proved necessary, however. The arrivals announced themselves, and were immediately led by the personal guard troopers straight to Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin's personal guard unit was thoroughly familiar with everyone around Zhao Jin.

"Lei Zi? Why have you come back?" Upon seeing who it was, both Zhao Jin and Ji Xiang were exceptionally astonished.

The arrival was none other than Lei Cai. The small, wiry Lei Cai's face was covered in grime — clearly a mixture of road dust and sweat — and combined with his exhaustion, he looked just like a refugee.

"Big Brother, Deng-Lai Regional Commander Yang Guodong has scraped together two thousand troops for Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin. Among them, three hundred are cavalry. Jinan, Qingzhou, and Yanzhou each sent a battalion commander leading troops. Your younger brother only learned of this at Dong'e County and immediately raced here on horseback to report." Lei Cai gasped for breath as he spoke.

No wonder Lei Cai had come in such a frantic rush. According to prior intelligence, Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin was leading four thousand government troops from Baoding Garrison, and Shandong was only sending a little over a hundred men to serve as guides. Who could have imagined that Shandong would directly commit two thousand troops?

In these times, troops were the capital of every military commander. Without strength, there would naturally be no official position and no benefits. Thus, every place was very "stingy" with its deployments. When an imperial decree landed on your own head, there was no helping it, but for an auxiliary assignment like this, the customary practice was to fob it off with the old, weak, sick, and crippled. Yet Deng-Lai Regional Commander Yang Guodong had directly committed two thousand troops, including three hundred cavalry.

Deng-Lai Regional Commander had fewer than eight thousand soldiers under his command in total. To commit a full quarter of them at once, and three hundred of the precious cavalry to boot — there was no way these could be the old, weak, sick, and crippled.

"So Lu Qin now suddenly has six thousand troops? Over eight hundred cavalry combined?" Ji Xiang blurted out. His voice was high at first, but he immediately lowered it, so as not to lose composure and alarm others.

Lei Cai's face was grim as he nodded. He explained, "Yang Guodong obtained his Regional Commander post by currying favor with Wei Zhongxian. This deployment of Baoding Garrison troops was instigated by Wei Zhongxian. Perhaps some word came from the capital, which is why Yang Guodong is putting in such earnest effort to support it."

It was indeed very earnest currying of favor. Zhao Jin saw the arrangement very clearly. Normally, Shandong's two thousand troops should have been led by a dedicated officer — a force of this size warranted a Mobile Corps Commander, or even a Deputy General. But if that were the case, Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin would not be able to exercise direct command. So instead, they assigned three battalion commanders, ensuring that no one could counterbalance or obstruct Lu Qin, giving him full authority to command.

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