Chapter 954: Wait or Not

Government troops, constables and runners, and local militia all mobilized. Every rumored Incense Sect congregation head and incense master was arrested. Any who resisted were killed without mercy. These Incense Sect ringleaders within the city were all men of the canal transport circles, with substantial family fortunes. The officials, runners, and militiamen who went to arrest them and confiscate their property all took the chance to line their own pockets. Everyone went about it with practiced ease, yet the whole city, high and low, was gripped by panic. Soon word spread that the officials had gotten a taste for it — several other wealthy households in the city were already being targeted, ready to be branded as colluders with the roving bandits, summarily executed, and their property seized, so everyone could get rich.

On the evening of the third day after the government troops' crushing defeat, over a thousand canal-transport Incense Sect followers within the city gathered at Jining's north gate. They drove off the defending troops there, coordinated from within and without, and let the refugee host outside the city enter.

Uproar broke out in the north of the city. The first wave of refugee fighters to enter numbered only a few hundred, but the entire city defense and its morale utterly collapsed the moment the disturbance began. Word spread through the whole city that a hundred thousand roving bandits had already entered — Jining was finished.

Rioting and chaos erupted directly inside the city. The refugees who had entered were still desperately trying to clear away the earth-filled sacks and sandbags blocking the city gate, but the city's hoodlums and riffraff, and even some of the very runners and militiamen who had been making arrests, all began to run wild. Some looted and killed, some broke down doors and set fires, some seized the chance to settle private grudges. The great and wealthy houses called up their household servants and retainers to resist; the common folk and small households bore the brunt of the calamity. The city was filled with wailing and weeping — at that moment, it seemed about to turn into a vision of hell.

The situation was brought under control in the latter half of the night. When the main body of refugees entered the city and saw the scene before them, the only thing they could do was suppress the rioters, lest they burn and destroy everything, leaving nothing at all.

On the tenth day of the fifth month, Jining fell to the refugees. Jining and Zou County were now linked in a single line. The countless supplies and provisions within Jining all fell into the hands of the Incense Sect. The Incense Sect's power swelled enormously, its prestige and might resounding far and wide. With Jining and Zou County as their center, the various refugee bands struck out in all directions. The prefectures and counties around Jining and Zou County sent out urgent appeals for help one after another. Threatening these prefectures and counties were not only the Incense Sect's refugee bands, but also the various local forces that had risen up in response everywhere.

"Xu Hongru has declared himself emperor in Yuncheng. Calls himself the Zhongxing Fulie Emperor. His dynastic title is Dacheng Xingsheng. He's made his younger brother Xu Hongju the One-Word Equal-to-the-Throne Prince and Grand Marshal of the Army, Xia Zhongjin the Grand General, Hou Wu the Grand Commander, and Xie Mingxuan and Hou Wu the Left and Right Chancellors…" Liu Yong recounted the news coming from Jining.

Hearing Liu Yong's report, Chen Sheng, Shi Manqiang, and Ji Xiang all kept expressionless faces. Only Wang Zhaojing shook his head with a rueful laugh and said, "These are all titles out of opera scripts. They sound utterly absurd and laughable."

Zhao Jin said with a smile, "Who cares what kind of daydreams that makeshift troupe of theirs is having? Tell us where the Incense Sect forces are."

Liu Yong nodded and walked over to the square table in the command tent. On the table lay a crude, simple map. He pointed and traced as he spoke: "Although Xu Hongru is only in Zou County, the movements of the Incense Sect's various divisions and units are centered on Jining. To the west, Juye, Jiaxiang, and Yuncheng; to the north, Dongping Subprefecture, Wenshang, and Ningyang; to the south, Jinxiang — all are already occupied by the Incense Sect or forces close to them. However, the city walls in these places are already damaged, and the counties don't have much in the way of stored supplies. Yet the Incense Sect bands still insist on occupying the cities."

"They don't understand military strategy. Xu Hongru and his lieutenants probably grasp the overall situation, and they may have learned how to drill troops by relying on our militia methods, but when it comes to actual strategy, they don't understand. They don't know that at a time like this, they should either be striking out or firmly holding every key communication route and strategic choke point. If they're allowed to swell like this, perhaps someone who does understand strategy will join them — and then the situation will be different from what it is now," Zhao Jin commented.

Liu Yong traced around the two points of Jining and Zou County again and said, "At present, the Incense Sect's main force — those several thousand men trained using our methods — remains stationary between Jining and Zou County. Their original core force of over two thousand men, together with tens of thousands of refugees, is heading toward Teng County."

"With the Incense Sect's momentum rising so vigorously right now, there are still people sending you intelligence?" Zhao Jin asked.

"Two headmen from the canal transport circles. They've kept in contact with us without a break, constantly sending news out. Right now, the canal transport men in Jining who followed the sect have all been placed under Xu Hongru's command. But these men are extremely resentful toward Xu Hongru. They hate him for his trickery — planting spies in the city to secretly inform on their own brethren, forcing everyone to open the gates and let him in. Quite a few of them were caught up in the upheaval in the city that day. Not only did they hand over and lose great sums of family wealth, but some in their families also lost their lives. And they can see clearly: the Incense Sect has beaten a few thousand government troops this time, but the court will soon send tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand. No one is optimistic about the Incense Sect," Liu Yong explained.

Ji Xiang, who had been listening intently from the side, couldn't help but interject: "If you reckon it that way, once the Incense Sect lays all its cards on the table, they've got about eight thousand men fit for battle in total. Five thousand trained by our methods, plus their own original two or three thousand…"

"More than that. Refugees wander; when they assault cities and fight in the field, the old, the weak, the sick, and the crippled can't survive. The ones left are all able-bodied young men. Even without any formal training, they've still seen blood and been through real combat. Those count as fighting strength too. In large enough numbers, they're still a threat," Zhao Jin said.

Hearing this, Ji Xiang's expression changed. He said gravely, "So you're saying this cult has eight thousand elite troops, and tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand common soldiers?"

"Chickens and earthenware, dogs and tiles. They can't compare to us," Chen Sheng said flatly.

At Chen Sheng's words, Ji Xiang turned to look outside the command tent. Throughout the military camp, men were bustling ceaselessly, all making tense preparations, yet there was not the slightest clamor or noise. That very quietness gave one boundless confidence. The tension he'd felt upon hearing those numbers moments before vanished completely in that instant.

Zhao Jin tapped his finger on the two spots marking Ziyang and Qufu and said, "The center of the Incense Sect's territory is Jining, but Xu Hongru is staying over on the eastern fringe, directly facing the pressure from the north. If he's not insane, then he means to take Ziyang and Qufu, then push east into Fei County and Yizhou, maybe even break through to the coastal part of Qingzhou Prefecture, linking all his controlled territory into one continuous, fully formed whole. If he accomplishes that, then he can march north, south, or west, and scheme for even more."

"Big Brother is right. The Incense Sect, from top to bottom, may not know military strategy, but they do understand the overall situation," Wang Zhaojing concurred.

"Declaring himself emperor and founding a dynasty this early — even if he understands the overall situation, it's still very limited," Zhao Jin said disdainfully.

Refugee uprisings are merely civil unrest and disturbances. The local authorities will strive to suppress them, while also doing their utmost to cover them up, lest the impact grow too large and harm their own wealth and positions. There might even be the possibility of offering amnesty and enlistment. But declaring oneself emperor and founding a dynasty — that is outright rebellion. If the local authorities try to cover that up and it gets exposed, the crime is execution and dismissal from office. Who would dare suppress it then? They would only report it up level by level, prompting the court to send a grand army to encircle and annihilate them.

They've occupied the cities of a few prefectures and counties, and in a poor, remote hinterland like Shandong at that, yet they think the great enterprise is already accomplished, that they can style themselves as sovereigns. Their vision is truly shallow.

"Not everyone possesses great breadth of mind and grand ambition. For that Xu Hongru, his vision perhaps extends no further than this," Wang Zhaojing said with a smile.

"Big Brother, do you want to meet with the two canal transport brigade commanders from Yutou Town?" Liu Yong asked.

"No. Tell them to do what they ought to do, and they won't be shortchanged when it comes to their reward. When does Shitou get here?" Zhao Jin said.

"Two more days. He's currently moving north along the river," Liu Yong replied.

"We won't wait. Break camp and march tomorrow morning. Ji Xiang leads the personal guard company and Lu Da's First Battalion at the front. Chen Sheng leads the First Regiment in the center. Zhang Hubin leads the Fourth Battalion at the rear. I'll take the cavalry company and the Xuzhou Volunteers as a mobile force. This encampment will be handed over to the militia for defense. Wang Zhaojing and Liu Yong, you two must keep your eyes on the fleet on the canal. Our entire advance this time relies on the canal waterway. Our lifeline is on those boats — there must be absolutely no mishap!" Zhao Jin said sternly.

Everyone, including Chen Sheng, rose to their feet in unison to receive their orders. Once the orders were issued, Ji Xiang rubbed his hands together in excitement and said with evident anticipation, "Usually we're only up against incompetents. This time, we'll get to fight a real hard battle!"

"Send all the Xuzhou Volunteers out tonight. Any who are prowling around the perimeter or whose movements are suspicious — kill them all without mercy. Have them bring back heads for payment!" Zhao Jin gave the order coldly. Since the army was about to move out, all the scouts and spies lurking and reconnoitering nearby had to be swept clean.

The initial unease and tension had dissipated, leaving only the excitement before battle. After every fight, Ji Xiang always said it wasn't satisfying enough, that the enemy collapsed as soon as they were hit. This time, since the enemy had been trained by their own methods, they would surely hold firm.

Zhao Jin knew that Ji Xiang seemed to have a somewhat bloodthirsty streak in his nature. He wasn't conscious of the bloodshed and danger in combat; instead, he rather enjoyed the experience. However, for a vanguard commander, such a disposition wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just that, for a personal guard company commander — a role requiring meticulous thought and all-around vigilance — this temperament tended toward recklessness. But that position wasn't meant for protection; it was meant to keep him tethered to Zhao Jin's side. It could only be arranged this way.

As everyone rose to go and make arrangements, Wang Zhaojing's face showed worry. He said, "Big Brother, the roving bandits number in the hundreds of thousands, with over a hundred thousand men fit for battle. Shouldn't we wait for Shitou to arrive, to add another measure of strength and make the main force's advance more secure?"

"His hundreds of thousands of people, his hundred thousand soldiers — they need to go where there's food. When they were stirring up rebellion before, great swarms of refugees could move without regard for life or death. Now that he wants to put down roots and build a base, he can't waste human lives so freely. The only places in this region that can provide him with food are the various ruined cities and villages, plus Jining and Zou County. His hundreds of thousands will naturally be scattered. His main force will naturally be stationed in the most critical areas. They can't make use of the canal transport, so the troops that can fight will only be garrisoned around Jining and Zoucheng. Their next move will likely be toward Ziyang. We won't run into large masses of refugees on the road. They won't have anticipated that we would come!" Zhao Jin explained.

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