Chapter 304: Opening

Outside the resplendent Great River Silver Bank, gongs and drums thundered in waves, the roar of firecrackers was deafening, white smoke and paper scraps swirled everywhere, and the watching crowd seethed with excitement.

The Great River Silver Bank, originally scheduled to open at the start of the tenth month, finally launched in the middle of the month. For the people of Nanjing, this was a major spectacle — thanks to promotion through every channel, this silver bank was already known to all before its official opening.

What drew people in was not only its magnificent appearance, but also its model of paying interest on deposits — something no silver bank had ever done before. In the past, people only knew that borrowing meant paying interest to the bank; there was no such thing as depositing silver. Issuing silver notes and exchange drafts barely counted as depositing, yet you still had to pay the bank a handling fee. For the vast majority of commoners and merchants, there was no channel or ability to lend money out — keeping silver stored at home was practically the only option.

But now this Great River Silver Bank paid interest on deposited money, which was essentially the same as lending to the bank and collecting interest. Though it couldn't match the rates of usury, it was a viable way to generate wealth and held great appeal. Still, everyone remained cautiously watchful of this new thing, and most of those who came today were here for the spectacle.

Amid the jostling crowd, Jiang Shuqiong had just squeezed her way in. She had already been transferred to manage the gambling house in Nanjing, which stood diagonally opposite the silver bank. In her spare time, she had gone inside the bank to look around. She had once thought Bai Shun Tang's decor was top-tier, but compared to the silver bank's opulence, it now looked like a rundown household.

During the earlier soft-opening period, the silver bank had already gained some clients, with deposits reaching four hundred thousand taels, and many more who had made inquiries were waiting for this opening day, because the interest rate on deposits today was even higher.

On ordinary days, the gambling house also had to promote the silver bank's benefits, and she had drawn in quite a few high-level clients. She was here precisely to receive these people, and the guests were already waiting at Bai Shun Tang. Who would have known that the crowd of onlookers would be so huge, with even more people blocking the road as they surrounded the bank's helpers to ask about depositing silver, making the street utterly impassable. Growing impatient, she took matters into her own hands to force open a path. But by the time she had squeezed this far, Jiang Shuqiong felt her strength failing and had to stop to catch her breath.

On the broad platform in front of the silver bank stood over a dozen honored guests. One of them was loudly reading something aloud, but it was completely inaudible amid the surrounding din. Liu Ruogu stood respectfully in attendance at his side.

Someone nearby exclaimed in awe, "That is Mr. Yushan — an extraordinary man. He's come to deposit silver too?"

Another person pointed up at the platform and said, "The man beside him is also an official, I've seen him before. What was his name again?"

Jiang Shuqiong shot him a disdainful glare. "An official? That is the Outer Garrison Commander, the Marquis of Ningyang."

The two men let out another round of exclamations. Jiang Shuqiong, rather satisfied, continued, "They only accept deposits of three hundred taels and above. People like you can forget about it..."

She had just managed a couple of condescending remarks when she suddenly heard someone behind her shouting, "Jiang Jiejie, wait!"

Jiang Shuqiong stopped and turned to look. The Mao girl's head was visible beyond two people; she was straining to stretch her hand over. Jiang Shuqiong reached out and pulled, and the Mao girl slipped through the gap between people.

The Mao girl was drenched in sweat. The surroundings were a chaos of noise, and the two men, noticing a woman present, deliberately squeezed in tighter.

Jiang Shuqiong ignored them, tilting her head up to watch the situation on the platform, waiting for Liu Ruogu to have a free moment so she could go up and discuss the client matter.

The Mao girl shouted from behind, "Jiang Jiejie..."

"What Jiang Jiejie? Call me Chief Steward Jiang."

"Chief Steward Jiang, those guests are all asking — they say other people have gone in through the back door, and several horse carts hauling silver have passed by. They're asking why the ones the gambling house contacted still can't get in now. They say if we lack the ability, they'll find someone else."

"Those sons of bitches can't even wait a moment?"

The Mao girl said anxiously, "If someone else pulls them away, our middleman fee is gone."

At that moment, the ceremony on the platform concluded. Liu Ruogu accompanied Mr. Yushan and the others as they walked inside.

"What 'our'? It's my middleman fee."

Jiang Shuqiong raised her sleeve and roughly wiped her sweaty, plump face. Suddenly she let out a shriek and rammed forward with all her might. The front rows instantly toppled like dominoes, and Jiang Shuqiong also pitched to the ground — but the moment she hit, she bounced right back up, darted swiftly onto the platform, and shouted curses at the black-clad guards, ordering them to clear a path at once.

Taking advantage of this brief interval, Jiang Shuqiong pulled the Mao girl over and said smugly, "Mao girl, let me tell you — today your big sister is taking you inside to open those dog eyes of yours."

With that, she dragged the Mao girl through the side door into the main hall. It was the Mao girl's first time inside. The instant she entered the main hall, the first thing she saw was a dazzling brightness. Every pillar, beam, wall, and counter in the vast hall was covered in gold leaf. The chairs were mostly red, making the entire hall a base of gold and crimson. Lanterns were lit even in broad daylight, and even the lantern frames were lacquered gold. Sunlight streamed in through the glass windows at the front and back, bathing the hall in a golden glow. At the center of the hall stood a tall red coral, strikingly vivid amid all the gold. On a gilded wooden platform against the left wall, an array of exquisite pastries was laid out. Attendants dressed in uniform white robes with blue trim moved in orderly fashion, receiving the guests who had come to deposit silver, serving them pastries and tea. The guests sat high on carved chairs, eating and drinking as they waited for their silver to be weighed, while the accountants behind the counters meticulously prepared the silver notes.

The Mao girl walked and stared in a daze, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth. Even the colored glass, which had once fascinated her most, could no longer hold her attention.

When the two reached the wooden platform with the pastries, Jiang Shuqiong reached out and took a piece of candied fruit to eat. The Mao girl, seeing this, also reached out to take one. Jiang Shuqiong smacked her hand.

"That's for the guests. Do you even have the silver to deposit here? And you dare eat?"

The Mao girl, utterly unfazed by the smack, continued staring around blankly. She reached out again, took a piece, and put it in her mouth. Only after a long while did she say, "Jiang Jiejie, you haven't deposited silver either."

Jiang Shuqiong gave a snort. "You think I'm as poor as you? Let me tell you, it's just that there are too many people today. Tomorrow I'm coming to deposit, and I've already arranged it with Yueru meizi — I'll still get today's highest interest rate."

The Mao girl's eyes immediately swiveled to Jiang Shuqiong. "Then Jiejie, talk to Zhou Yueru for me — I have forty taels, I want to earn interest too."

"The minimum deposit is three hundred taels. That pittance of yours, they won't even look at it. To be honest with you, there are over two hundred people waiting to deposit silver today, all with thousands of taels. If not for my bond with Yueru meizi, who knows when my few hundred taels would ever get deposited to earn interest."

"Then... then Jiang Jiejie, can you deposit mine together with yours? When the time comes, just split the interest with me according to my share."

Jiang Shuqiong's eyes darted around. She turned and studied the Mao girl for a long moment, then nodded. "That works, but I'm taking twenty percent of the interest."

The Mao girl immediately poured out endless thanks. Jiang Shuqiong chewed her candied fruit and murmured thoughtfully to herself, "This is good business."

Just then, she happened to see Liu Ruogu enter through the back door. A subordinate was speaking to him about something.

Jiang Shuqiong remembered her real business and hurried over, intending to help her high-level clients cut in line. She had barely gotten close, before she could even speak, when she heard Liu Ruogu ask his subordinate in astonishment, "When did Eunuch Zhang die?"

At Old County in Susong County, Anqing Prefecture, inside the simple Central Army tent, all was quiet. Pang Yu lay prone on the bed without a sound.

"Young Master, just because the silver's gone doesn't mean you can stop eating."

"Can't eat." Pang Yu buried his face in the pillow and waved a hand dismissively.

Pang Ding lowered the tent flap and said quietly, "That Zhang Yixian died so suddenly — no one could have foreseen it."

Pang Yu flipped over and sat up, his face full of dejection. He sat blankly for a moment, then raised his head to stare at the tent roof and cursed, "A Central Army tent this big only cost seventy taels of silver, and two dead eunuchs used up six thousand taels of mine. That's enough to build a hundred and fifty zhang of city wall."

"Young Master, that Liang Hongtai from before didn't die."

"That's even more of a dead eunuch."

Pang Ding held out a bowl of noodles before him. "If Young Master doesn't eat, where will you get the energy?"

"No appetite. Handle business first."

Pang Yu stood up and walked to the tent flap. He raised his hands and rubbed his face, wiping away the dejected expression, then threw open the flap and strode out of the Central Army tent.

Outside the tent, sunlight blazed. Two rows of officers stood waiting. By the Old County River, military formations stood in dense array, banners of every color fluttering overhead. The Second Division, Third Division, Personal Guard Division, Cavalry Division, and Land Combat Division were all assembled here. Though some units were understrength, the total still reached over three thousand men.

This was the second full-army combined drill. Since mid-tenth month, Roving Bandits had been appearing frequently around Anqing. The Anqing troops had maintained strict defense, and so far no bandits had broken into the interior. The Garrison Battalion's divisions had been deployed separately and had been unable to conduct a full-army combined drill. This time, a dispatch report from the Director-General's Department stated that tens of thousands of Roving Bandits were at Guangji. Shi Kefa mobilized the Garrison Battalion's main force to Susong. Pang Yu seized the opportunity to transfer the Marine Corps troops stationed at Taihu and Huaining, finally getting a chance to drill the troops and familiarize them with the terrain.

In the original history, Anqing's forces consisted of the Garrison Battalion, the Path Biao Battalion, the New Courage Battalion, and the Army Courage Battalion. In the eighth year of Chongzhen, the Garrison Battalion had a strength of one thousand — five hundred each for the Land Battalion and Water Camp. Pan Keda served as Garrison Commander with the concurrent rank of Mobile Corps Commander. In the ninth year of Chongzhen, it expanded by one thousand two hundred; Pan Keda was promoted to Mobile Corps Commander with the concurrent title of Assistant Regional Commander, specifically commanding the Land Battalion. Shi Kefa directly led four hundred officers and soldiers of the Path Biao Battalion. The New Courage Battalion and Army Courage Battalion both drew from the Anqing Guard's troop quota, numbering four hundred and five hundred respectively. Anqing's garrisoned army totaled roughly three thousand men. Additionally, there were Jiangnan Army troops transferred as reinforcements by Zhang Guowei, mainly from the Wu Region, numbering roughly between one thousand five hundred and three thousand depending on the urgency of the situation. Anqing's total troop strength ranged between four thousand five hundred and six thousand. Excluding those defending the various cities, roughly four thousand could be assembled for field battles.

After the Garrison Battalion's meteoric rise, the one thousand two hundred troop quota originally assigned to Pan Keda was largely redistributed to Pang Yu. On the court's military registry, the Garrison Battalion was supposed to have two thousand Land Battalion troops and five hundred Water Camp troops. After the rally to the king campaign, Zhang Guowei applied for an additional five hundred Water Camp troops, while also adding the task of patrolling the river sections near Chao County and Hezhou. Pang Yu's registered troop count now stood at three thousand. Although the Path Biao Battalion, New Courage Battalion, and Army Courage Battalion remained at their original quotas, Pang Yu's forces had no empty slots. Overall, actual troop strength had increased, but this also triggered other changes. Zhang Guowei not only reduced the Jiangnan Army reinforcements transferred as aid, but also assigned Pang Yu the task of reinforcing Jiangnan. In the tenth month, he further sent Pang Yu a dispatch report: a large force of Roving Bandits was active near Chao County, requiring readiness to reinforce Puzikou at any moment. Pang Yu was forced to deploy the Land Combat Division separately in Wangjiang County and Huaining County along the river, further dispersing his forces.

This time, Shi Kefa mobilized forces to defend Susong. The order was not written with full clarity, so Pang Yu used the opportunity to move his subordinate units along the post road to Susong. The Garrison Battalion's forces were finally able to concentrate. Pang Yu transferred the Marine Corps troops overnight. Although the First Division still remained to guard Tongcheng, this was the largest force he could assemble.

Plumes of white smoke burst from both flanks of the formation. The seven light cannons delivered by Bao Yu began firing. The Garrison Battalion deployed in a three-rank-deep formation, simulating an assault on enemy troops crossing the Old County River.

Amid the rolling thunder of the cannons, Pang Yu felt for the first time that what he commanded was an army, not a local armed force.

Pang Yu was rather brimming with high spirits. His earlier displeasure over the lost silver had vanished without a trace. He turned to Xie Zhaofa beside him and asked, "Apart from this place at Old County — present-day Liangting Town — where else in Susong do you think defenses should be established?"

"In this subordinate's opinion, Chemache River and Erlang Town. In terms of strategic importance, the most critical is Erlang Town, but... the Circuit Intendant did not establish a fortified stronghold there. Chemache River, however, has two. If we are to face the Roving Thieves in battle, fortified strongholds can serve as a screen for the main army and allow advance stockpiling of provisions and fodder. Engaging at Chemache River would be optimal."

The Chemache River that Xie Zhaofa mentioned was also called Meidun Fan (note: present-day Hualiang Village, Susong County). Because the river channel intersected with the post road, in peacetime it was a prosperous merchant town along the post road; in times of chaos, it became contested ground. Shi Kefa had overseen the construction of two stockades here — Tufeng and Chenghe — one of the few defensive constructions Pang Yu actually approved of. The operational concept for Susong was to lead the army and fight relying on these stockades. The Roving Bandits could not bypass Chemache River before achieving victory, and assaulting fortifications was the bandits' weakness.

But achieving this effect still presented considerable difficulty: stationing troops near Susong long-term was challenging. Garrisoning at Shipai was slightly too far, and given the Roving Bandits' high mobility, Pang Yu worried about not reaching Chemache River in time. This required greatly strengthening reconnaissance toward the Huguang direction, especially in the bordering counties of Guangji and Huangmei, in order to obtain battlefield intelligence in a timely manner.

When the cannon fire ceased, the Central Army's Big Drum sounded, and the formation advanced, simulating an assault on an enemy halfway across the riverbank. Three Hundred cavalry waited in the rear, ready to launch a Pursuit once the enemy collapsed. Following the Central Army's banners, the Personal Guard Division's Heavy Armor Infantry committed to the attack.

Pang Yu felt a stir of excitement. He glanced around, then beckoned Pang Ding over and whispered, "Do you know how much silver was deposited on opening day?"

Pang Ding shook his head. Pang Yu gave a sly chuckle. "Four hundred thirty thousand taels."

Pang Ding was momentarily speechless. Pang Yu said smugly, "Zhang Yixian's investment was a loss, but Qian Qianyi's investment was a huge win. I gave him a thousand taels, but how much silver your young master can earn from that congratulatory essay of his — Qian Qianyi wouldn't dream of it. This is pure profit, no risk at all."