Chapter 987: Screening Through the Net

They had expected a desperate, bloody battle — fighting room by room, courtyard by courtyard. But once inside, they found only panicked women and children. The yamen held nothing but the women and children the Smelling Incense Sect leaders had seized. Every room was piled high with plunder; much of the gold, silver, and valuables was still stained with blood, and the women all bore the brutal marks of abuse. It was all too clear what those Smelling Incense Sect ringleaders had done.

The Zhao Battalion had its own military code regarding women and property. The women and children in these compounds were driven out, and the rooms stuffed with valuables were sealed. Every squad searched with gnashing teeth, wishing they could tear up the ground three feet deep. Yet not a single one of the Smelling Incense rebel leaders — not even their personal guards — was to be found. To the Zhao Battalion, the entire district magistrate's yamen was empty. How could the various companies accept this? While some men were sent to interrogate the women and children, others went to fetch the Internal Guard retainers to see if there were any hidden passages or cellars.

But before the knowledgeable Internal Guard retainers even arrived, the questioning had already yielded results. Xu Hongju, Xia Zhongjin, and their ilk — the moment the city gates were opened — had on one hand barked orders for their underlings to fight to the death, and on the other gathered up all the valuables, changed into the clothes of city commoners, and secretly fled. No one knew whose house they were hiding in now. In a city as vast as Jining, they would not be easy to find.

It was just past noon, and the midday meals assigned to various households throughout the city were already being prepared. The city had fallen quiet. No one had imagined it would be settled so quickly. Even the great households like Chen Rongqi's had been prepared: whenever troops entered a city, there would be street fighting with the enemy, then the soldiers would amuse themselves and loot, and the local riffraff would follow suit, looting in the chaos. A huge disturbance was inevitable, lasting at least two or three days. If it meant the Smelling Incense Sect gang could be driven out sooner, everyone was ready to endure it. They had simply told their families to prepare — at the critical moment, either resist or hide in the cellars and such places.

But none of them had expected the Xuzhou troops to act with such order. By this time, the streets were already largely quiet. All they could see were column after column of dejected Smelling Incense Sect rebels and refugees, marching out of the city under guard. Outside the city, the Zhao Battalion had already set up a containment camp. All these people were to be treated as spoils of war.

The local ruffians who had tried to loot amid the chaos were all slaughtered clean by the Xuzhou cavalry. What astounded the people of Jining even more was that these Xuzhou troops truly enforced orders strictly and committed no offense against the civilians. Apart from mopping up enemy soldiers and roving bandits, no one trespassed into civilian homes, and no one plundered property. This was something even the regular army could not achieve. They praised this high virtue, never realizing it was because the company commanders, squad leaders, and Internal Guard retainers were watching with extreme vigilance. Anyone with unclean hands, anyone who broke the rules, would face severe punishment afterward. It was precisely this threat of harsh punishment that ensured such strict discipline and order.

What made Jining marvel and sigh was not just this military discipline, but also the lightning speed of the operation. They had assumed that with the Xuzhou troops entering from the south, the refugee rebels would inevitably flee from the other gates. They never imagined that as the main force entered the city, the cavalry would immediately seize control of several key thoroughfares, while others cleared the city walls and then swept through the streets. So many Smelling Incense Sect refugees and rebels became turtles in a jar, left to be slaughtered at will.

Such strength, such ferocity — it made people think of many things, and made them understand how they ought to act. They had heard many stories before about the Xuzhou Zhao Battalion, knew they had defeated government troops and pacified roving bandits. But those were all just hearsay; they heard it but didn't quite believe it, thinking it too absurd and fantastical. Today, seeing it with their own eyes, they finally understood it was truly that formidable — perhaps even more formidable than they had imagined. Faced with such power and ferocity, everyone naturally understood what choices to make and what to give up.

Jining City could be considered recovered. At last, everyone was free from the bullying of those deranged, demonic cultists. Yet Chen Rongqi and his associates could hardly be described as beaming with joy. Zhao Jin did not hide the truth from them, saying that after pacifying Jining, they would leave as soon as possible. The reason, as everyone could guess, was that the main government army was about to arrive. These Xuzhou militia and village braves had to make way — or at least, appearances had to be maintained.

But once the Zhao Battalion left, they would leave behind a great deal of trouble. For instance, the Smelling Incense Sect's main force had been killed or surrendered today, completely collapsing. Yet many remnants of the Smelling Incense Sect rebels were still hiding in the city. As long as the Xuzhou troops were here, they certainly wouldn't dare stir. But once the Zhao Battalion was gone, how could the city's own militia and private soldiers possibly control the situation?

"Within two days, I will cleanse Jining!" The young Master Jin made this promise. Everyone expressed gratitude on the surface, but in their hearts, how could they dare believe it? A city this vast, with your troops numbering less than ten thousand — how could you possibly cleanse it house by house?

They flattered him to his face, but in private they contacted each other, discussing whether to pool together a sum of money and grain to keep the Zhao Battalion here until the government army arrived, then let them leave. After all, with the city elders mediating, some face could surely be preserved. The task of stepping forward to make this request fell to Chen Rongqi.

But Canal Transport Commander Chen Rongqi could find no opportunity to speak, because these young men from Xuzhou worked at a truly relentless pace, leaving not a moment's leisure. The fighting in various parts of the city had just ended, and the prisoners had barely been locked in the camp when orders were issued: all clerks, constables, and runners from the district magistrate's yamen, as well as all manner of unofficial assistants not on the official rolls, were to assemble at the yamen. Word was also sent out through Chen Rongqi's side: the city's jianghu and marketplace figures were to come and report as well. At the same time, Chen Rongqi and his associates were ordered to hand over their household retainers and private soldiers to the Zhao Battalion's command.

Handing over their own forces was no big deal. After witnessing the Zhao Battalion's might, the men they had were as good as nonexistent — utterly unreliable. Everyone cooperated. What they hadn't expected was how severe Zhao Jin's two orders were. Clerks, constables, jianghu and marketplace figures — anyone who failed to report before midnight would be deemed a collaborator with the bandits and a rebel, to be killed without mercy.

What exactly was he planning? No one could figure it out. But the killing intent radiating from Zhao Jin's orders made everyone's hearts tremble. They busied themselves helping to spread and relay the message. Beyond that, the Zhao Battalion also sent carts through the city with men beating gongs and shouting, precisely to disseminate this order.

The Zhao Battalion's strength was not only witnessed by the Jining gentry and powerholders like Chen Rongqi. The clerks and constables hiding in their homes, and the jianghu and marketplace figures who had profited from the chaos, also saw it clearly. Though they had no idea what the Zhao Battalion intended, those with a clear conscience hurried over to report, stating where they lived in the city and providing all kinds of information.

Of Jining's four city gates, only the south gate was open. Now, only prisoners were being continuously escorted out of the city, while prisoners from earlier days were brought in to collect corpses and cart them out for cremation. Two-thirds of the cavalry was deployed outside the city for mobile operations. The First Regiment was tasked with guarding the prisoner camp. The canal was already bustling with activity: one grain transport boat after another arrived, unloading all manner of supplies. Aboard these boats were also various forces from Xuzhou — managers, stewards, and clerks from Cloud Mountain Trading, and militia from various routes originating outside Shandong. They had all come to screen and take away these thousands upon thousands of prisoners, and also to set down roots and open shops here in Jining City.

That night, Zhao Jin declined the banquets offered by the city's great households. Anyone would know that attending meant not only rare delicacies, but also beautiful women and sensual pleasures. But Zhao Jin paid no heed to these invitations. He ate his evening meal with his retainers as usual, only adding some fish and meat sent by the city's wealthy and prominent figures. That night, he camped with the cavalry and firearms company outside the district magistrate's yamen. At the same time, he ordered the able-bodied commoners mustered by the Jining gentry and powerholders to take shifts on night watch.

This austere conduct made the city's wealthy, long accustomed to extravagance, sigh with admiration, and gave the truly astute much food for thought. At the same time, Zhao Jin's arrangement of having the city's own able-bodied militia stand guard — and the trust this gesture implied — set everyone's minds at ease. The Zhao Battalion was too powerful, too awe-inspiring; it truly made everyone tremble with fear, dreading that they might suddenly turn hostile and strike. If that happened, they could only submit to the slaughter.

Centered on the district magistrate's yamen, the Personal Guard, the Second Regiment, the First Great Company, and the Fourth Great Company were stationed in the four quarters of Jining City. A night curfew was imposed. Cavalry and infantry patrols roamed the streets; anyone found wandering would be killed without mercy.

These arrangements were all to be expected, and everyone complied. But for those clerks, constables, jianghu figures, and household retainers and private soldiers who had come to report, it was utterly baffling. After arriving, they were registered and listed, but not allowed to go home for the night. Though meals were provided and the attitude was fairly amiable, what on earth was this about?

The next day, just as the sky began to brighten, all four city gates were shut. Everywhere, the Zhao Battalion began lighting fires to cook. Then, the various regiments and companies stationed in the four quarters of the city came to collect their assigned people. Where did you live? Where did you usually work? Where did you usually operate? Those who matched one or several conditions were taken along. Group by group, the people were led away. Then, mounted retainers began racing through the city, issuing orders: no one was to leave their home; violators would be dealt with as curfew breakers.

Chen Rongqi and the other Jining gentry and powerholders also learned of this. They could not fathom what was happening. Inevitably, some guessed that Zhao Jin and the Xuzhou troops were about to begin sacking the city in a great massacre. Hearts trembling with terror, they were utterly helpless. Some gnashed their teeth in secret fury: in these times, the authorities were useless. Once this calamity was endured, they swore they would go and establish a great fortified manor, raise several hundred able-bodied young men, and then they too would wield power.

The Zhao Battalion's various units all began to move. At every traffic node in the city, squads of several dozen men, mixed pikemen and musketeers, were stationed. At several key intersections, there were even cannons deployed. Mounted retainers roamed the entire city as a mobile force. On high rooftops, men stood watch with bows drawn and arrows nocked. Then, the remaining retainers split into ten-man squads and, guided by the city's constables, clerks, jianghu figures, and the bully-servants of powerful households, began a house-to-house search. Not a single place was overlooked.

The search was extremely meticulous. Every room was inspected. Of an entire household, only the women were not required to show their faces. The elderly, the men, and the children all had to come out onto the street. The three nearest neighboring households had to mutually identify and confirm each other. Any stranger whose origins could not be clearly explained was immediately seized. A door that stayed shut naturally carried heavy suspicion, and several squads would often be called in to break it open and search.

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