Chapter 837: Night Camp

"Have you informed Dasheng and Shitou?" Compared to Jixiang's nervousness, Zhao Jin was very steady. At this moment, his personal guard Niu Jinbao and the master and servant Louis were all watching Zhao Jin, while the interpreter, his face deathly pale, was translating. Zhao Jin had long since given the order: whatever Louis heard, he could know.

"Second Brother and Fourth Brother have both been told. They told me to hurry over — the sooner you know about this kind of thing, the better, Big Brother." Lei Cai answered with certainty.

"When can they reach the border between South Zhili and Xuzhou?" Zhao Jin asked in a deep voice.

"They probably haven't passed Jining yet. When I crossed Yutai, there was word from the Internal Guard — Lu Qin's Baoding troops were still halted near Wenshang County, waiting for that Yanzhou battalion commander's forces to come and join them."

"Haven't passed Jining yet…" Zhao Jin nodded. The column continued moving forward, and Zhao Jin gave no further orders.

Lei Cai and Jixiang looked at each other. Lei Cai asked for dry rations and cold boiled water and began wolfing them down right there on horseback. Jixiang hesitated, then couldn't help but offer his advice: "Big Brother, shouldn't we press the march and get there sooner?"

"No need. We haven't wasted any time so far. Pushing any harder will only exhaust men and horses. Gaining half a day or a day won't make any difference."

"Big Brother, speed is the essence of war."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin looked at Jixiang with a smile and said approvingly, "You've made progress. 'Speed is the essence of war' isn't wrong — but this time, we can't use speed!"

With those few words, the matter was settled. The column continued its normal march, though the cavalry moved much faster to begin with. By nightfall, they had already linked up with Chen Sheng and Shi Manqiang at the estate in Pei County.

Although everything on the road had followed the original plan, once he reached the encampment, Zhao Jin showed not the slightest trace of leisure. The moment he entered the camp, he issued orders from horseback, summoning all scouts, mounted spies, and attached riders present in camp.

"The main government army is moving south along the Grand Canal. I want their every move watched closely — how many troops they have, whether they're bringing cannon, when they'll reach where. I want every last piece of information. Every single report will be recorded in each man's merit. The Zhao Camp will not forget."

Surrounded by several hundred men, all eyes on him, Zhao Jin spoke in a clear, ringing voice. Everyone listened with rapt attention. This was the first time Zhao Jin had mentioned "merit," but every man knew the Zhao Camp would not mistreat those who had done things for it.

"These are government troops. When you go out scouting, they'll screen their movements too. There's bound to be fighting along the way — you might even lose your lives. I won't tell you not to be afraid. I'll only say this: if anything happens to you, don't worry about your families. Someone will take care of them for sure."

"Master Jin, when the head falls, the scar's no bigger than a bowl! We little men followed you here — we're not afraid of anything!" someone shouted. The words drew a roar of laughter from the crowd. The household cavalry serving as scouts, and the Xuzhou martial men who had come to follow, were all bold characters who staked their lives for wealth and glory. To them, as long as Zhao Jin kept his word and they could wager on the Zhao Camp for their futures, that was enough.

"Don't play the hero and act recklessly. Follow orders. Your merit is counted by information, not by heads. If you lack anything, speak up." Zhao Jin gave a few more words of instruction. The men below answered in a noisy hubbub, then dispersed. The company and squad leaders of the Internal Guard would naturally make the detailed arrangements.

Once they had scattered, Jixiang walked over, his face full of disgust. Lowering his voice, he said, "A loose pile of sand. One of our companies could take three hundred of them."

"In a pitched battle, they're no match for us. But when it comes to truly going out to gather intelligence, to hiding and lurking, only the Internal Guard among us can do that. Yet in martial skill and horsemanship, those household cavalrymen outmatch ours." Zhao Jin gave a fair assessment.

Before Jixiang could speak, Zhao Jin continued, "Do you know why they're so willing to risk their lives?"

"Our Zhao Camp keeps its word and pays generously!" Jixiang answered crisply.

"That's one reason. More importantly, they can't bear to see their skills buried. But in this Great Ming, they see no day when they can rise. Here with us, they see it — they know that even if they themselves don't make it, their sons and descendants will still have a chance to rise."

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Jixiang immediately followed up: "Third Brother and Bingfeng talked about this. They said that if you want to be enfeoffed as a lord or appointed a general in our Great Ming, you absolutely must have a Commander-level family background. Otherwise you can't reach the heights — you'll be blocked at every turn. They also said that Yu Something-or-other, just because he came from a Hundred-Household background, had who knows how many of his achievements stolen. Look at Commander Ge's side — no one in the whole family can even wield a blade, but the moment a son goes out to serve, he starts as a battalion commander."

His tone was full of indignation. Zhao Jin did not continue. Since he hadn't understood, there was no point in deliberately explaining.

Though the sky was already darkening, light cavalry scouts carrying provisions still rode out of camp into the distance. The Zhao Camp's encampment — one company, two regiments — lay north of Pei County town, right on the Zhao Camp's own estate. Because it was their own property, lodging and provisions were all convenient and quick. Long before their arrival, sheds and tents had already been set up inside and outside the estate. Once the main force arrived, the estate tenants began bustling about in orderly fashion.

Because of all these conveniences and ample supplies, the household troops and trained militiamen of the Zhao Camp didn't feel at all like they were on a distant campaign. It was more like moving from one camp to another.

As for those Xuzhou martial men who hadn't yet been sent out, they were even happier. They had already resolved to come and risk their lives, and had steeled themselves for hardship — only to find that everything was no different from being at home. And because they were guests, the estate's hospitality was far better than what the household troops received.

Still, there was a distinction between insiders and outsiders. The household troops and trained militia were in the inner circle, while the Xuzhou martial men were placed in the outer circle. After crossing the river and receiving Zhao Jin's instructions, those who hadn't yet set out were too excited to sleep. They gathered around the campfires, talking in low voices about the promises Zhao Jin had made them, and about the government troops' movements.

Zhao Jin, along with Chen Sheng, Shi Manqiang, and Jixiang, made the rounds of every camp. The household troops were just as excited and unable to sleep. This was, after all, their first long-distance campaign. That night, far too many men were chatting in hushed voices. After inspecting three barracks, Zhao Jin simply gave the order: company and squad leaders were to supervise everyone going to sleep. Whether they actually closed their eyes and slept didn't matter, but they had to keep quiet. Otherwise, military law would be applied. After a hard day's march, as long as no one spoke, the quiet would soon put them to sleep.

"…This unit really is just like its commander. The First Regiment is solid, the Second Regiment is steady, and the Personal Guard is fierce. None of us brothers do things halfway — who do we have to fear…"

The brothers talked quietly among themselves as they walked through the camp. Shi Manqiang, commanding the Second Regiment, was stationed on the outer perimeter. Zhao Jin couldn't follow up on every detail, but this inspection left him very satisfied. In both the big picture and the small details, he could see Shi Manqiang's meticulousness — absolutely no cutting corners.

Compared to the Second Regiment, the Third Regiment was farther away, yet Zhao Jin actually knew more about it. That was because the Internal Guard and the Cloud Mountain Trading Company both had large numbers of eyes and ears in Qingjiangpu. Every rustle of wind and stir of grass there was promptly reported back to Zhao Jin.

As they were talking, they arrived at the camp of the attached Xuzhou martial men. Compared to the Zhao Camp's orderly encampment, this place looked far more chaotic.

"Dogs and chickens, tiles and clay — they don't even post a sentry," Jixiang said disdainfully. His speech now habitually carried a few classical allusions and idioms.

"This is inside our camp. Our men are guarding all sides — they don't need to worry about anything," Zhao Jin said with a smile. Then he ordered Niu Jinbao to go and let the forward sentries know not to alert the people inside. The etiquette for household troops in the Zhao Camp when seeing a superior was very simple, but the fawning eagerness and elaborate formalities of these Xuzhou martial men were truly tiresome.

After giving that order, Zhao Jin continued, "But compared to us, if they were camping in the wilds at night on their own, even though every one of them is experienced, they'd still be easier to ambush. The reason is this lack of discipline."

The household guards on duty did not announce them, so none of the Xuzhou martial men in the camp knew Zhao Jin had come. Grouped by origin and connections, they sat around their campfires chatting and resting. The Zhao Camp's household troops were excited, but these men were just as stirred up. They talked and laughed without pause. Around several fires, men could be seen passing leather flasks and gourds — the smell of liquor was quite strong.

Zhao Jin didn't want to be too strict with these men. A little drink might even help them sleep earlier, as long as no one caused trouble while drunk. The scouts and spies who had already left camp had all been warned: drinking meant death.

With everyone sitting around the campfires, the light was blocked. Between the various fires it was actually very dark. Everyone felt safe inside the Zhao Camp, and no one looked back except those heading to their tents to sleep or getting up to relieve themselves. No one even noticed Zhao Jin and the others.

"…Let me tell you, these Baoding troops aren't the same as our South Zhili lot. You know why they're different? They're northern soldiers. Northerners are all tall and brawny, and they guard the capital — of course they're not like us worthless southerners…"

"Nonsense. I've seen people from North Zhili before. They weren't any taller than me, and not as sturdy either. By your logic, those Tartar lads under Master Jin ought to be even taller and sturdier…"

The moment those words were spoken, someone shot back. Laughter erupted around that campfire. The young Mongol men Wang Ziyang had brought to Zhao Jin were considerably shorter than Xuzhou men of the same age.

"Why worry about that? Master Jin isn't going to put us at the very front. Let me tell you — back when Master Jin led a few hundred men to put down the roving bandits besieging the city, I was there too. That was a few hundred against a hundred thousand! Master Jin just walked at the head like that and told us all to follow behind. This is only a few thousand government soldiers — what's there to be afraid of!"

"Master Jin's got prestige! Old brother, why didn't you join Master Jin's service back then? You'd be rich and honored by now!"

"Don't bring it up. I couldn't bear to leave the wife and kids at home. Now I regret it!"

The confidence all sides in Xuzhou placed in Zhao Jin was built on his every victory. Listening to them talk, Zhao Jin and the others found it rather amusing.

Thank you to Qidian reader "meitao" for the reward, and thanks to all readers on Chuangshi and Qidian for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, and rewards.

Chuangshi readers, your second monthly ticket should be out by now — how about casting it for Great Ming Wufu?