Chapter 898: On the Hearts of Men

There had been some talk that Cheng Dahu of Qingjiangpu and several other strong fighters from Zhao's Battalion were supposed to come, but after the assassination attempt on Zhao Jin, no one dared risk that bad luck, and they all stayed put at their posts.

The martial contest even stirred the eunuchs over in Fengyang's Zhongdu. A steward eunuch with considerable standing under Cui Wensheng came to watch a couple of bouts, wagered a hundred-odd taels of silver for amusement, and then returned thoroughly satisfied.

No one paid much attention, however, to the fact that this eunuch made a detour toward He Village halfway back.

"... Brazen and reckless, utterly without restraint — you hold the king's law in contempt! Should anything of this sort happen again, the realm's armies shall converge on Xuzhou and grind you all to dust..."

Standing before Zhao Jin, the eunuch delivered these words with a fierce voice and stern expression. As he raised his voice there, Ji Xiang was already on his feet, hand on his saber, staring the man down as if ready to draw and strike the next moment. Chen Sheng and the others, though still seated and motionless, wore cold and grim expressions.

The eunuch recoiled two steps in fright, waving his hands repeatedly, then immediately switched to a different expression and tone — the change so swift it was impossible to keep up.

"Those were Eunuch Wei's exact words; I had no choice but to relay them to you gentlemen. But you need not be angry. Eunuch Wei's words carry another layer of meaning. Though no one knows who sent the assassins, Eunuch Wei will henceforth impose strict discipline, and nothing of this sort that might cause misunderstanding will ever happen again."

"Did you add that part yourself?"

"How would I dare? Eunuch Cui was concerned you gentlemen might misunderstand, so he instructed me to explain. Please rest assured — since Eunuch Wei has expressed such intent, it will not happen again!"

"Then carry our words back: if anything of this sort occurs again, it will be a life for every drop of blood. People will die in the capital, and the grain canal will be severed. We'll fight to the death without end."

Zhao Jin's reply turned the eunuch's face black. He merely nodded coldly in assent. The eunuch was only a messenger and left as soon as he had spoken, leaving behind no written proof. Yet everyone still breathed a subconscious sigh of relief.

"We must still stay on guard, but there won't be any more moves from that side," Zhao Jin judged.

"If they could wipe us out with a full army, they certainly wouldn't resort to assassins and night raids. And now that they know the consequences of a failed assassination or night raid, no one but a madman would try anything reckless." Zhao Jin's analysis was cool and level-headed.

Everyone nodded. The Great Ming had few troops to spare at the moment. In the depths of winter and early spring, they still had to guard against the Mongol tribes on the steppe. They could not keep targeting the "rebellious" Xuzhou mob — who had shown no "rebellious intent" — especially after already suffering one major defeat. Any further deployment of government troops would surely draw attacks from every faction at court.

But for a powerful eunuch like Wei Zhongxian, who knew the inside story, Xuzhou's existence was a dagger at his heart. He could not rest easy until it was removed. If open action was impossible, then covert means would do. A bunch of young whelps, barely out of boyhood, having won such a victory over the court, would surely be swollen with arrogance and utterly heedless. Seize that moment to send assassins — kill a few ringleaders, and this force barely a few years old would inevitably scatter.

And the linchpin of this so-called Zhao's Battalion surely was not that Zhao Jin, the figurehead propped up as a front, but rather the young prodigy, the refined scholar of noble lineage — Wang Zhaojing. Kill that man, and a few crude warriors would never hold the greater situation together. What remained would be nothing but a rabble.

Since the assassination had failed, Xuzhou's retaliation came swift and measured — they killed in the capital, yet could have killed far more and did not. This proved that Xuzhou feared no open confrontation and had equally ruthless answers for the covert game, yet also did not wish to push matters beyond repair. A eunuch of Wei Zhongxian's high station naturally knew how to weigh the balance and respond.

The several companions gathered at He Village, joined by the widely experienced Ma Chonghao, pieced together Wei Zhongxian's intentions, each adding their own thread.

Speculation from thin air could never be confirmed as truth, but the stakes and consequences were solidly real. Anyone who was not a madman would make the normal choice. Still, having reached this judgment, they grew even more cautious and vigilant than before, tightening their guard.

This envoy sent by the Grand Eunuch Superintendent of Grain Transport, Cui Wensheng, had essentially given everyone a reassuring pill. In any case, Wei Zhongxian's stance aligned with their own speculations — their optimism was not blind.

Not long after the eunuch departed, Liu Yong rose and asked, "Big Brother, I must head to the prefectural city soon to keep watch. Will you be going to watch the martial contest?"

At the mention of this, Ji Xiang immediately perked up, staring at Zhao Jin with eager anticipation. Zhao Jin glanced at him, smiled, and shook his head. "With the New Year approaching, I need to visit Stone and Ice Peak. Just go keep watch in the prefectural city yourself. Don't concern yourself with the greater Xuzhou situation — none of those troublemakers care about the greater situation. Act when you need to act, and don't go soft!"

Liu Yong acknowledged the order, while Ji Xiang hung his head, utterly deflated. Zhao Jin rose and said with a smile, "Xiao Yong, ride with me for a while. The rest of you, go attend to your duties."

Seeing Zhao Jin stand, Ji Xiang moved to follow, but Zhao Jin turned back and said, "You head back to the Guard Corps. Xiao Yong and I will just ride around the estate."

Though he said they would just ride around the estate, over fifty horsemen still followed, not daring the slightest negligence. Those who followed, however, had been instructed not to keep too close.

Everyone knew that Master Jin had private words for Master Yong. Liu Yong himself understood this well and simply followed in silence.

"How are things in the Xuzhou prefectural city?" Zhao Jin asked casually.

"I won't claim absolute certainty, but I'm nine-tenths confident nothing will go wrong. From the start until now, there haven't been many suspicious individuals. A few groups had already been marked, but after the assassination attempt, all of them withdrew from our territory. In truth, for this martial assembly, as long as Big Brother and the other brothers don't go to the prefectural city, nothing major can stir. Those martial contestants would only dare risk a desperate move at that moment." Liu Yong spoke in a low, steady voice.

Zhao Jin nodded. The Xuzhou prefectural city was currently a chaotic mix of dragons and snakes, noisy and disorderly, yet no major trouble had broken out. It was not that there were no schemers or hidden assassins among those warriors, but rather that striking there was pointless and would only bring disaster upon themselves.

Unable to kill leaders like Zhao Jin, they would instead provoke the wolf-like, tiger-like forces of Xuzhou inside and outside the city. What would be the point? Better to honestly compete for the championship — or simply leave.

As long as Zhao Jin did not show his face, it would stay that way. Zhao Jin had never intended to show his face. Others saw a grand spectacle — a chance for warriors to test themselves and win fame across the land — but Zhao Jin found it utterly tedious.

Yet once the topic was raised, Liu Yong hesitated on horseback for a moment, then spoke with shame and self-reproach: "Big Brother, this lapse was my fault. The Internal Guard failed to keep proper watch, and this incident happened..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Jin cut him off, shaking his head. "It's not only your fault. I am at fault too. All of us grew careless. We assumed that household retainers should be utterly loyal, that they should never harbor the slightest disloyalty. But how can the hearts of men never change? Our mistake was growing slack in this area."

"Big Brother, without you leading them, without you shielding Xuzhou, how could they have the lives they live today? They'd likely go the whole year without a full belly. Local tyrants, roving bandits, the Liao levy, famine and disaster — wave after wave scraping over them — who knows how many would even survive? How could they not know gratitude? How could their hearts change?" At this, even the steady Liu Yong's face flushed red as he spoke with fury.

Zhao Jin smiled. "Those who live well want to live even better. The grateful are few; the discontented and unsatisfied are many. There's nothing strange about that."

After saying this, Zhao Jin reined in his horse. Liu Yong stopped as well. The guards behind them spread out in a wide perimeter, encircling the area. It was fortunate that this was the twelfth month, near year's end, with few people coming and going at He Village. Otherwise, with Zhao Jin riding about outside, he could have ridden half a shichen without finding a quiet spot.

Though He Village still bore the name "village," it had already reached the scale of a bustling market town. The surrounding farmland had all been leveled — either built up with houses and residences, or turned into goods yards and livestock pens. Normally it was thronged with people, carriages and horses flowing like a stream, everywhere crowds rushing and toiling. Only near the New Year did it quiet down somewhat.

"We originally said we'd live inside the camp, but now the barracks are surrounded by the market town. How safe can that be?" Zhao Jin said with a smile.

The Guard Corps and First Regiment were garrisoned near He Village. At first, they had been far separated from He Village's salt market and trading fair, each unaffected by the other. But now more and more people were coming to He Village, residences were springing up constantly, and He Village kept expanding outward. When planning, everyone had at least remembered that this area was the household troops' encampment and could not be too close to civilian dwellings, so warehouses and goods yards were placed here. Even so, it was terribly inconvenient.

The reason Zhao Jin smiled as he spoke of this inconvenience was that its cause was He Village's prosperity — and proof that Zhao's Battalion was well-run.

"Big Brother, I've also pondered the matter of moving elsewhere. He Village is the hub of our Zhao's Battalion and Big Brother's foundation. It cannot be left even for a moment. If Big Brother moved outside, traveling back and forth every day — aside from the inconvenience, there would be risks on the road. And even more, if Big Brother no longer resided within He Village, what would outsiders think?"

Seeing Zhao Jin nod, Liu Yong continued, "I've thought it over. Big Brother would do best to remain in the original compound, but buy up all the surrounding residences. Those houses and streets would then become fortifications protecting Big Brother's compound. By day, everything would be as normal; at night, they'd be sealed off under curfew, with household troops stationed and patrolling, patrolmen keeping watch and guard on the outer perimeter, and the inner residence further secured by reliable, loyal guards..."

Liu Yong had clearly thought this through thoroughly. "There must be a main road between the First Regiment and Guard Corps and Big Brother's compound. In normal times, carts, horses, and pedestrians can pass. If anything happens, large forces can rush to the rescue by that road. That said, after this incident, the only ones who could enter He Village to cause trouble would be disguised thieves — there's no possibility of a direct assault breaking through."

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile and said with feeling, "Compared to you, Daxiang is more of a troop commander. These meticulous security matters — he truly cannot handle them."

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