Chapter 844: Hearts Turned Toward the Court

After Cai Huajun went out to await his assignment, Zhao Jin's expression grew even more severe. Staring at Ji Xiang, he said, "From this moment on, Daxiang, you will lead the cavalry company. I will take direct command of the rest of the personal guard unit. Charging into the fray, risking death to slay the enemy — Daxiang, do you dare?"

This was the first time Zhao Jin had ever asked such a question. Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment, then his face flushed crimson. He stepped forward, pounded his chest with a fist, and said in a rough voice, "This little brother's life belongs to Big Brother. As long as Big Brother gives the order, there is nothing this little brother would not dare. I am not afraid to die!"

These words made the atmosphere in the room abruptly tense. From the very start until now, although Zhao Jin had never relaxed, neither had he shown any impatience; he had been entirely composed and confident. But at this moment, one could sense something very different.

"Is it because of those few cannons?" Chen Sheng asked. Everyone knew the reason, but he was the only one qualified to voice it.

Zhao Jin nodded and said, "This is the most critical part of this battle. If it's handled poorly, we face the danger of total collapse!"

Chen Sheng nodded, half-convinced. Zhao Jin's judgment was never wrong — that was an impression built up over time — yet Chen Sheng also had great confidence in the Zhao Battalion's strength.

"The key this time lies with the cavalry company."

After saying this, Zhao Jin took a deep breath, then raised his voice slightly and said, "The first priority for the Internal Guard and the scouts right now is to ascertain the enemy's cannon positions — where they are in the encampment, where they'll be placed once battle is joined. We must also scout clearly exactly when the main enemy force will reach the field. As for provisions and fodder, begin preparing four days' worth of dry rations for all troops starting today, all to be transported by cart and horse. Every regiment and company is to prepare for battle and be ready to break camp and march at any moment!"

The men roared their acknowledgment and were just about to set out when Zhao Jin spoke again: "Scout riders and reconnaissance patrols — your duty is to probe for enemy intelligence, to let us know the situation on the battlefield. It is not to take heads and win merit. Those few heads they might earn are utterly useless to the larger picture and could well get them killed. The fate of those jianghu men is a warning. Tell the cavalry household troopers not to let their heads run hot!"

The main body of government troops was marching south. As the commanding general, Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin would from time to time rein his horse to the roadside to observe his column's movement, or spur his mount forward and back along the line, urging his men on.

Just as he had halted his horse to one side, an officer in the uniform of a Squad Commander rode up, stopped his horse, and reported, "General, the lads have taken five heads. This humble one has come to bring the general good tidings!"

Regional Commander Lu Qin had the classic build of a military officer — his whole frame looked square, immensely stout. Having risen to the rank of Regional Commander, he naturally understood every inner working of the army. Hearing his subordinate report merit, not a trace of a smile appeared on his face. He merely said coolly, "Military intelligence is so urgent, and the Shandong officialdom is already ill-disposed toward us. Pulling these useless stunts of killing civilians to pass off as merit — do you think we don't have enough trouble?"

The Squad Commander, however, was all smiles. He spoke again: "The general is most wise. But the lads were all very cautious — how would they dare deceive the general? This humble one has also inspected everything personally. The armor and weapons, even the mounts of the beheaded bandits, are all complete. There is absolutely no falsehood."

Hearing this, a trace of a smile surfaced on Lu Qin's face. Killing civilians to claim merit inevitably meant attacking common folk, and innocent commoners would have no armor, weapons, or mounts. If they had brought all that along too, it certainly could not be fake.

Taking five heads just before battle — that was a fine auspicious start. Lu Qin nodded approvingly and said, "Well done. This battle merit shall be recorded for now. When the time comes to assess achievements and bestow rewards, you will certainly not be shortchanged."

The Squad Commander acknowledged with delight, wheeled his horse, and went off to pass on the orders. Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin swept his gaze over the troops passing before him. Because the Baoding forces were stationed in the vital capital region, the Ministry of War's disbursements of provisions and pay suffered fewer deductions than elsewhere. Compared to other garrisons, the training of the Baoding troops was fairly good; watching this march, one could see the imposing air of a great army. He had originally expected that Deng–Lai Regional Commander Yang Guodong would fob him off with the old, weak, sick, and crippled, but to his surprise, these were all crack, vigorous troops, not one whit inferior to the Baoding soldiers. With the two armies combined, this gave Regional Commander Lu Qin even greater confidence.

"These rebel rabble are a joke. They actually try to imitate scout riders and reconnaissance patrols, and this is the sort of trash they produce. They'd be better off concentrating them in one place."

"What could a bunch of ignorant commoners understand? Being able to send out men who can ride at all is already pretty good."

The trusted officers behind Regional Commander Lu Qin were all murmuring among themselves, their talk brimming with contempt for the Xuzhou rabble, their tone utterly relaxed. In their view, cavalry were of course the finest elite of any army. If even the elite were this pathetic against government troops, the rest were hardly worth mentioning.

"Do not underestimate the enemy. You only see the five heads taken — what about our men who were wounded by arrows? And those who still haven't returned to the ranks?" A man in the uniform of a Brigade Commander said in a deep voice. He was right beside Lu Qin, constantly watching his commanding general's expression.

"... Don't say that. Some of these bandits really do have good archery and horsemanship. Even the Tatar slaves on the steppe are about the same..." someone muttered.

"... What does that count for? Taking a few potshots from cover, not daring to face us head-on..."

"Not returned to the ranks — those lads have probably slipped off somewhere to carouse..." The speaker cut himself off mid-sentence as the man beside him jabbed him sharply. He immediately took the hint and shut his mouth.

"Whether the enemy soldiers are Tatar slaves or rebel rabble, this is a military campaign. There must be no negligence. If anyone fails to understand the rules and jeopardizes vital military operations, they will be caught and severely punished under martial law!" Hearing this, Regional Commander Lu Qin turned his head, his face full of stern gravity. Everyone bowed their heads on horseback and acknowledged the order.

Whether there were sufficient provisions and pay, whether there was a full set of arms and armor, whether there was systematic and frequent training, whether there was a transmission of regulations and experience — these determined the strength or weakness of soldiers and troops.

In the government army, the only ones who could achieve all this were the cavalry. These were the personal foundation of officers at every level. Their personal soldiers and household troopers were often cavalry, and these were also the men they trusted most, the men they could confidently send out. Scout riders, reconnaissance patrols, and night sentinels all came from among them.

The pay of ordinary soldiers was docked and discounted, their weapons old and worn, but the officers would do their utmost to guarantee supplies for the cavalry. One must understand that their personal guard and household troopers could charge into the fray, could drive other troops forward into the charge as well, could likewise hold the line and cover a retreat, and could, at the critical moment, escort the commanding general to safety. Such a force was the very foundation upon which a commanding general built his career and preserved his life; naturally, they had to be trained into first-rate elites. Thus, the cavalry in the government army were invariably the most elite contingent.

The government army saw themselves this way, and they saw others the same way. After all, acquiring horses was no small expense. If you had already purchased the mounts and spent fodder and labor to keep them, then naturally they ought to be trained to be the strongest. In their minds, the cavalry they were now facing must be the most elite force Xuzhou had.

What they never imagined was that among the scouts the Zhao Battalion had sent out, quite a few were affiliated Xuzhou martial men. These men had none of the systematic training or complete equipment of government cavalry, nor even that much experience in battlefield slaughter. What these jianghu men relied on was often things they had figured out on their own.

In an actual encounter, they might gain the upper hand through individual martial prowess, but as long as it was not one-on-one — whenever the numbers were roughly equal — the Xuzhou martial men would come off worse. There were also situations where they gained an advantage one-on-one, only to be lured by the enemy into an area with greater numbers and defeated in a pincer attack. Now the two sides were drawing ever closer, and the clashes between scout riders and reconnaissance patrols were growing more frequent. Instances of suffering losses and getting killed were also increasing. Such a situation naturally led the government army to form a certain judgment.

A minority of elites like Cai Huajun would not make such mistakes. The Zhao Battalion's cavalry company strictly adhered to protocol, focusing on observation and reconnaissance, only counterattacking when truly pressed too hard. Those Mongol household troopers had long lived on the steppe, were masters of bow and horse, and were richly experienced in this game of chase and pursuit. Quite a few government scout riders had suffered badly at their hands.

However, those who could fight would disengage as soon as they clashed, while those who couldn't fight suffered losses. As the instances mounted, it naturally gave the government forces, from top to bottom, that earlier impression.

After observing from the roadside a while longer, Regional Commander Lu Qin wheeled his horse to rejoin the column. In the distance, another rider in the dress of a personal guard swiftly approached, stopping a few paces away. He clasped his fist in salute from horseback and reported, "General, the common folk have brought word that the Xuzhou bandits broke camp yesterday. Our army's scouts have also reported back on this. Judging by the dust raised, it is indeed the Xuzhou bandits. Reckoning the distance, we will encounter them around noon tomorrow."

Lu Qin's expression immediately turned grave. The trusted officers behind him also grew solemn. Lu Qin asked in a deep voice, "Is this intelligence reliable? Have the bandits divided their forces?"

"The intelligence is confirmed and without error. Our army's scouts have already reported back. The main bandit force shows no sign of dividing."

Regional Commander Lu Qin ignored the personal guard's report and instead said with a smile, "Earlier, it was also the common folk of Shandong who sent word, saying the Xuzhou bandit host numbered just over five thousand. This general has been in the profession for many years, yet this is the first time I have seen common people so devoted in their hearts to the court."

The trusted men behind Lu Qin were all smirking and exchanging glances. Regional Commander Lu Qin then grew solemn again and asked, "Has the number of the bandit host been verified?"

"Reporting to the general, the bandit host numbers right around five thousand!" the personal guard loudly reported.

When government troops were stationed in a place, that place had to bear part of the burden of supplies and provisions, and also had to raise corvée laborers and porters. Both manpower and material resources were heavily squeezed. Not to mention that the government forces, high and low, acted with little restraint, harassing the locality and clashing with the local populace — the tensions ran deep.

Generally speaking, wherever the court stationed troops, relations with the local area were never good. There was even constant friction and deep conflict with the local civil authorities. If the troops were local, they at least had some regard for their native soil and dared not run completely wild. But once they marched out to another territory, as a guest army there were no constraints whatsoever, and the locality was certain to suffer calamity and harm. Thus, common people everywhere were always exceptionally hostile toward outside government troops.

Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin naturally understood this dynamic. Before coming, he had imposed military discipline and had been fully prepared to be met with hostility by the local populace. He never expected that upon arriving in Shandong, the ones truly opposing him would be the civil authorities, withholding provisions and extorting favors, making things difficult on every front. Meanwhile, the local gentry and commoners were eagerly following along, contributing men where they had men and strength where they had strength, providing considerable convenience for the army's movements.

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