Chapter 43

In fact, the others in the cargo yard weren't that timid. When Zhao Jin and the dozen or so teenagers were sitting in a circle chatting, a few people had already returned. Actually, quite a few people had seen the five ruffians beating themselves, and the news was spreading. Everyone admired Zhao Jin and felt reassured to come back.

Those who arrived early would share a piece of pastry, and the young boys and children in the cargo yard, who usually could only enter the top eight, rarely got to eat such treats. This time, being able to get a piece made them very happy.

A person's status in a group can be seen from their subconscious positioning. Even if others didn't fully understand, they would subconsciously know who was the center and whose words carried weight.

In the cargo yard now, whether it was the wealthy young master Wang Zhaojing or the strong Chen Sheng, they all sat next to Zhao Jin. The usual top eight and those from better-off families were all surrounding Zhao Jin. Everyone knew that Zhao Jin was the leader and the big brother of the cargo yard.

Before, this was just a vague understanding, but the events of the past two days had made it clear. The saying "adversity reveals true friendship" could also apply here.

Today there was no martial competition, so everyone chatted and laughed happily. Suddenly, the sound of hooves was heard, and the young boys all looked in the direction of the sound. They saw three riders appear at the intersection. The two behind looked like soldiers, wearing nearly new mandarin jackets, with sabers hanging from their saddles. The one in front was a young boy about their age, riding a small horse.

This young boy was very heroic, just over ten years old, with long arms and a narrow waist. He was dressed appropriately and even wore a small set of leather armor. The saber hanging from his saddle was also small, and a set of bow and arrows hung beside it.

The young boy on the horse had a distinctive appearance, with a high nose bridge and slightly deep-set eyes. In this era, he would be thought to have Mongol blood, but in the other world, he would be considered a standard heroic and tough man.

All the young boys in the cargo yard stood up. While there were many people riding horses in Xuzhou City, there were no major roads here, so they wouldn't pass by. Moreover, while there were many people who rode horses, a young boy of this age and such heroism was rare.

Some curious ones looked back at Wang Zhaojing and then at the young boy on the horse, whispering, "It's really rare here. Both Master Wang and this one are like characters from plays!"

In plays, young masters, whether civil or military, were always handsome and wealthy. Wang Zhaojing and the young boy on the horse really did look like them.

The young boy on the horse scanned the scene. When he saw the ordinary young boys, he made a dismissive expression, but when he saw Wang Zhaojing, he was surprised. The difference in status and wealth was too obvious. Wang Zhaojing, a wealthy young master, mingling with these people, was indeed strange.

When he saw Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, and the others, the young boy's expression became more serious. Whether they had trained in martial arts or not, Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, and even Shi Manqiang behind them exuded a fierce and formidable aura. Ji Xiang and Liu Yong also looked strong, while Sun Dalei, who was chubby, only looked cheerful and didn't seem particularly martial or strong.

The young boy on the horse tugged the reins, and the small horse obediently ran a few steps and stopped. He asked with a hint of confusion, "I heard there's a martial competition here, and the winner is the strongest young boy in Xuzhou?"

When did this become a thing? Zhao Jin was initially stunned but then laughed, raising his voice, "It's right here."

...

The young boy's surname was Dong, and his name was Bingfeng. He also carried his weapon, which was a staff, about six feet long.

There were only about twenty young boys in the cargo yard today, and it was already late. Zhao Jin and Dong Bingfeng agreed to meet again at the same time tomorrow.

Although Dong Bingfeng was disappointed, he didn't say anything and was about to leave. However, the two soldiers who came with him exchanged a few words after seeing Zhao Jin. One of them dismounted and asked with a smile, "Are you surnamed Zhao?"

Zhao Jin nodded, and the soldier asked, "Is your father the hundred-householder Zhao Zhentang?"

People in the city called him "Old Master Zhao" or "Lord Zhao," and they knew he was a constable and executioner in the government. This was the first time someone mentioned his "hundred-householder" status. Zhao Jin nodded in acknowledgment.

"Ah, so you're Old Master Zhao's son," the soldier said with a smile, patting Zhao Jin's head, then mounted his horse and escorted Dong Bingfeng away.

Perhaps it was an acquaintance, so Zhao Jin didn't think much of it until dinner time when he remembered the incident.

"Was that boy's nose high, and did he look like he had Mongol blood?" Zhao Jin asked, and Zhao Zhentang immediately responded, accurately describing Dong Bingfeng's appearance.

Seeing Zhao Jin nod, Zhao Zhentang sneered, clearly showing disdain, but said to He Cuihua, "The Dong family should just stick to being landlords. Why bother with martial arts, putting on airs?"

Zhao Jin didn't expect his observation to spark a conversation among the adults. His parents and uncle started talking about memories and old stories.

It turned out that Dong Bingfeng's father, Dong Jike, was a thousand-householder in the Xuzhou Guard. Among the five thousand-householders in the Xuzhou Guard, he was quite a figure. However, Zhao Zhentang served under another thousand-householder, so they had little interaction.

Dong Jike was called "Dong the Wealthy" because, compared to other military households in the Xuzhou Guard, he was particularly skilled in business. He had two estates on high ground that wasn't prone to flooding, an oil mill, a flour mill, and a shop in Shandong, which did a significant amount of business.

The Xuzhou Guard commander and other thousand-householders mainly focused on land rent, but the land in the Xuzhou Guard was poor, and even with harsh measures, they couldn't extract much. In comparison, Dong Jike was the wealthiest.

Wealth often invites envy, but the position of thousand-householder was passed down through generations, so even if there was envy, there was nothing that could be done. However, the commanders and thousand-householders at this level were often called to war and had to maintain a group of personal soldiers.

These personal soldiers were trained daily, well-fed, and well-equipped, and could only be used in battle, not for profit, which was very expensive. Dong Jike only maintained five, but since he had the money, the commander made him support fifteen more.

Dong Jike had to accept this, but he had some skills. He maintained the personal soldiers under the commander's command, and although they would follow the commander into battle, they only took orders from him in peacetime.

Even so, Dong Jike was still unsatisfied. He often said, "I can't just spend money to support other people's soldiers; I need to use them myself." He had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son was learning business, the daughter was already betrothed, and the youngest son, Dong Bingfeng, was being pushed to learn martial arts.

"Learning martial arts is fine, but it's better to have the personal soldiers teach him. Instead, he says they're not good enough and hires a few martial artists from the江湖 (jianghu) to teach him. What can he learn from them?"

Zhao Zhentang said this with clear disdain, and Zhao Jin had nothing to say. The various officers in the guard, who usually managed their subordinates, collected rent, and paid taxes, and were called to serve as military leaders in times of war, were actually ignorant of military and martial skills and were more skilled in business. The Ming Dynasty was indeed too peaceful.

Thinking about this, Zhao Jin looked at his uncle, Zhao Zhenxing. Both his father and uncle were from military households, and they were both very strong. His uncle had likely fought real battles on the battlefield.

At this moment, Zhao Zhenxing said, "Xiao Jin, don't underestimate him. Dong Bingfeng has been well-fed since childhood, and his physical foundation is solid. Although he learned from martial artists, his father has good relations with the personal soldiers, so they might teach him real skills."

Zhao Jin nodded solemnly. Actually, seeing that the other boy also used a staff, he was a bit worried. If they both used long weapons, and the other boy had learned battlefield techniques, he had little chance of winning. Moreover, he had started training later in life, unlike others who had trained from a young age.

Seeing Zhao Jin's serious expression, Zhao Zhenxing smiled and added, "Don't worry too much. You're not that far behind."