Chapter 220: Containment

Under the blazing sun, the private port of Jinghai Guard was scorching. Groups of laborers used carts to transport crates of cigarettes onto two sand ships. Several other berths in the port were also occupied by merchant vessels. Liu Minyou was surrounded by a crowd of merchants, and it took him quite a while before an assistant from the trading company could take his place. Extricating himself, he saw the scene before him and, both excited and slightly worried, urged some workers to go unload cargo at the other berths.

When cigarettes were first distributed to Jiangnan, the response was lukewarm; many people were still accustomed to smoking with pipes. But after clove cigarettes were launched in Linqing and Jiangnan in April, their unique flavor immediately caught the attention of smokers, and sales began to skyrocket. Zhou Laifu kept sending letters urging more shipments. Even a few Huai'an merchants who were relatively close sent their own ships to Jinghai Guard, hoping to obtain goods directly from Wendeng.

When inspecting the cigarette factory, Liu Minyou often test-smoked cigarettes to check their quality, and as a result, he himself became addicted. He was now up to over half a pack a day. Before he crossed over, he had thoroughly detested smokers, but now, running this business, he had become one himself. Fortunately, Li Ranzhu was already pregnant, which lessened any urgency he felt to quit.

After the cigarette distribution channels opened, several shops along the Grand Canal had already gained many regular customers. Liu Minyou planned to use these channels next to sell bags and luggage, attracting more merchant ships to Jinghai and turning it into a bustling commercial port. Once there was a regular fleet of ships for sea transport, Wendeng could develop more new products and further reduce logistics costs.

Although trade was thriving, the gradually escalating tension between Dengzhou and Wendeng worried him somewhat. During Chen Xin's campaign, the Intelligence Bureau forwarded him a piece of intelligence. This intelligence concerned civil affairs. After receiving support from Dengzhou, Huang Gongcheng was again networking with some of the gentry and scholars, and had sent household servants to snoop around the two factories in Jinghai, especially the cigarette factory. According to news from Jingshi, the Chongzhen Emperor detested tobacco and had repeatedly expressed an attitude of banning it during court discussions. If someone reported that the Wendeng Battalion was producing cigarettes, it would likely leave a very bad impression. Although the factory was only opened under Liu Minyou's personal name, as long as someone with intent hinted at it, the Chongzhen Emperor would understand.

Liu Minyou did not know how far Huang Gongcheng had progressed now. He utterly loathed this man. Having such ill-intentioned people around always made him feel he could not develop things in peace.

At that moment, another merchant ship from the south was docking. Hanging from its mast was a large flag bearing the character Xu. Liu Minyou knew it was Xu Xinsu's ship, transporting tobacco purchased from the south—the thing he needed most urgently right now.

As the ship drew near, a person at the bow laughed loudly and said, "Brother Liu, could it be that you have divine foresight and are waiting here especially for me?"

Liu Minyou looked closely—it was none other than Zuo Changhao. Liu Minyou had a very good impression of this friend with whom he had once fought side by side against enemies. Meeting him unexpectedly, he was overjoyed and hurried over to greet him, calling from a distance, "No wonder magpies were calling today; it turns out a friend was coming from afar..."

Zuo Changhao walked across the gangplank, laughing heartily. "Brother Liu, you've been in business so long, your tongue has become even sharper than before."

Liu Minyou bowed in greeting and said, "It's just a genuine expression of feeling. The day I fought side by side with Brother Zuo is still vivid in my mind, as if it were yesterday." This was the truth; the bloody battle on the Qinhuai River was the most harrowing moment of his life, and it still often jolted him awake from dreams.

Zuo Changhao walked alongside him and said as they went, "Brother Liu is a man of true character. That day, I was fortunate that General Chen and Brother Liu were present; otherwise, I fear my bones would have long grown cold."

Not wanting to bring up the events of that day again, Liu Minyou changed the subject. "Brother Zuo is a man who handles ten thousand matters daily; how do you have time to come to Wendeng?"

"It's still because the cigarettes Brother Liu makes are too unique. Last time I bought a hundred crates and sent them to Fujian. Master Xu offered them to people to try, and now they won't even take Fujian pipe tobacco anymore. Letters keep coming urging more goods. I sent all the goods from Nanjing to Fujian, and then merchants from Lianghu also came asking for goods. I sent someone to Linqing to find Shopkeeper Zhou, but he had no surplus stock either, so I had to make the trip to Wendeng myself to ask Brother Liu to spare some."

Liu Minyou couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Zuo puts it amusingly, but things really are tight here. We ship out a batch as soon as it's made. It's not that we can't produce more, but tobacco leaves have always been in short supply."

Zuo Changhao pointed to the ship behind him. "I brought a shipload with me. I wonder what wondrous method Wendeng has to give ordinary shredded tobacco that kind of flavor." Hearing him ask about this, Liu Minyou felt a bit awkward, unsure how to refuse. The cloves were added in a separate workshop where all the workers even lived. The cloves were purchased through a shop in Dengzhou, transshipped twice before reaching the Four Seas Trading Company, processed in the Weihai barracks, mixed with other goods, transported through military channels to a warehouse next to the cigarette factory, and then delivered in batches into the factory. In the end, even the workers adding the ingredient didn't know what it was or where it came from. The factory had set up a fake warehouse on the premises to mislead spies and had even established a thirty-man security team. Such a heavily guarded secret naturally could not be revealed.

Seeing Liu Minyou's expression, Zuo Changhao shook his head and smiled. "Brother Liu, please don't be troubled. This is a secret technique of the Wendeng Battalion; I wouldn't be so tactless as to insist on prying. I was merely joking with Brother Liu."

Liu Minyou breathed a sigh of relief. The trend for tobacco was excellent now; this was precisely when they needed to make money. The secret of the cloves absolutely could not be leaked. Given Zuo Changhao's status within Xu Xinsu's group, he wouldn't casually leave Nanjing unless it was a major matter. Although cigarettes were currently showing good momentum, they had only just started, and that amount of trade was still nothing significant in Xu Xinsu's eyes.

Once inside Liu Minyou's office, Zuo Changhao's face darkened, completely different from his earlier cheerful demeanor.

"Li Kuiqi is dead," Zuo Changhao said in a deep voice. Liu Minyou looked over in surprise. When he was in Jiangnan, he had heard Song Wenxian talk about the situation in the southeast and knew how important this Li Kuiqi was to Xu Xinsu. It was precisely Li Kuiqi's powerful presence that gave Xu Xinsu enough capital to contend against Zheng Yiguan.

Meeting Liu Minyou's gaze, Zuo Changhao said, "I wish to see Master Chen."

Two days later, Zuo Changhao and Liu Minyou finally met Chen Xin at the military camp east of Wendeng County. Chen Xin was also very pleased by Zuo Changhao's arrival, still wearing his usual gentle smile. Liu Minyou, however, knew that Chen Xin also had many people to deal with, but compared to Xu Xinsu's crisis, Chen Xin's were currently only annoyances. Of course, Liu Minyou didn't know that Huang Taiji had also taken notice of Chen Xin.

This was Zuo Changhao's first visit to Wendeng. Jinghai Guard and the several tunbao near the camp area greatly broadened his horizons. Over the past few months, the tun households had built many of the windmills improved by Wang Zheng, using them to lift water for irrigation wells. The fields, just harvested of wheat, were already planted with beans or vegetables. Groups of farmers were busy repairing irrigation ditches, and an endless stream of ox carts and donkey carts moved along the roads, while the lands of ordinary civilian and military households remained dry and barren—as if they were two different worlds.

This was also Zuo Changhao's first time at the Wendeng Battalion's military camp. Chen Xin usually received some guests only at the old Guard Commander's residence in the old camp. He hadn't spent money to repair that government office, merely changing its sign to Assistant Regional Commander's Residence. But this time, he had deliberately arranged to meet Zuo Changhao at the military camp, to display his strength to Xu Xinsu's faction.

This camp area of the Wendeng Battalion now housed the farmer-soldiers and the training unit. After three months of training, these semi-amateur soldiers already had the appearance of a professional army. The earth-shaking slogans on the parade ground and the ever-imposing military bearing greatly broadened Zuo Changhao's horizons. He had never imagined an army could look like this. When he had seen Chen Xin's troops in Yongping back then, it was during post-battle rest and reorganization, so he hadn't witnessed the Wendeng Battalion's actual training and combat state.

His estimation of Chen Xin rose even higher. He knelt respectfully and said, "Master Chen, your military might is magnificent. Truly, seeing is believing. It was only when I arrived at Jinghai Guard's port that I heard of the Wendeng Battalion's great victory at Pi Island, beheading hundreds of Jianzhou Bandits and even capturing a Gushan Ejen alive. This humble one here first wishes you, my lord, further advancement and successive promotions."

Chen Xin quickly came around the table and personally helped Zuo Changhao up, repeatedly speaking modestly. "Brother Zuo, you must not do this. No matter how great the merit this official achieves or what rank he attains, Brother Zuo and Master Xu are friends I treat as equals."

After rising, Zuo Changhao did not stand on excessive ceremony and said to Chen Xin, "My lord, my coming north this time is at the behest of Master Xu. He wishes to ask General Chen to use some connections in the imperial court to curb Zheng Yiguan's momentum."

Chen Xin already roughly knew about the Li Kuiqi affair but still asked, "How did Zheng Yiguan kill Li Kuiqi?"

"Actually, Li Kuiqi did not die at Zheng Yiguan's hands; it was someone else who killed him," Zuo Changhao explained with a somber face. "Li Kuiqi lacked great ambition, content to be a pirate, and often couldn't control his men, who frequently harassed the coast, even landing as far as Songjiang and other places. This year, His Majesty was dissatisfied with the situation in Fujian and repeatedly urged Xiong Wencan to conduct a purge, which led Xiong Wencan to supply Zheng Yiguan with dozens of large ships, allowing Zheng Yiguan to recover his strength."

Chen Xin asked with some surprise, "By all accounts, Li Kuiqi dominated the open sea for years and had at least ten thousand underlings. Even with dozens of large ships, it seems insufficient to defeat him."

Zuo Changhao nodded. "Master Chen's insight is incisive. Zheng Yiguan indeed could not defeat Li Kuiqi, but Li Kuiqi was betrayed by one of his own. This man is called Zhong Bin, originally also one of Zheng Yiguan's gang, equally unruly and untamable. In his early years, he followed Zheng Yiguan in accepting amnesty, then in the blink of an eye followed Li Kuiqi in rebellion. He had his own force and was considered a powerful man under Li Kuiqi. This man has a treacherous bone at the back of his head. This time, he again committed treachery, killing Li Kuiqi, pulling out his own fleet, and is now constantly attacking and offering amnesty to the remnants left by Li Kuiqi. His strength has already reached forty large wu ships."

Chen Xin furrowed his brow. Since Zhong Bin wasn't allied with Zheng Yiguan, he was essentially just replacing Li Kuiqi, which actually had no impact on the maritime situation. He then asked, "Since this Zhong Bin is right off the coast of Fujian and was part of Li Kuiqi's group, he should be familiar with Master Xu. Why does Master Xu feel that Zheng Yiguan's momentum is unstoppable?"

"This man Zhong Bin is naturally cruel and has never been willing to submit to others. He was the one who let his troops plunder Zhejiang and Songjiang. Although Master Xu has always been familiar with him and provided goods for him to trade with the Dutch, this man is never grateful. Moreover, Master Xu has already received word that this man is also colluding with Zheng Yiguan. Zheng Yiguan privately contacts Zhong Bin constantly, but behind his back tells Xiong Wencan that Zhong Bin is born treacherous and absolutely cannot be granted amnesty. Master Xiong has almost been persuaded by Zheng Yiguan and is preparing to continue increasing Zheng Yiguan's warships. If Master Xu hadn't been active on many fronts, Zheng Yiguan's strength might have doubled. If he then annihilates Zhong Bin, he will certainly be promoted another rank and become too powerful to control."

"In other words, this Zhong Bin is even worse than Li Kuiqi, listens to no one, and will be no match for Zheng Yiguan." Chen Xin pondered for a moment. "Why have Pu Zhuang and the others delayed taking action after arriving in Fuzhou?"

Zuo Changhao sighed. "Pu Zhuang and the others haven't been there long, and Zheng Yiguan has been extremely cautious lately. Since May, he has often gone out to sea to exterminate Li Kuiqi's remnants and spends very little time at Zhongzuosuo. Pu Zhuang and the others set up an ambush once, but Zheng Yiguan changed his route at the last moment, so there's been no opportunity to strike. And... another traitor appeared by Master Xu's side. Zheng Yiguan has already learned that a group of people from the north has come to assassinate him and is conducting a massive search in Zhongzuosuo for people with northern accents. Pu Zhuang and the others have now withdrawn to Fuzhou."

"Damn it, this Zheng Yiguan really does have some skills," Chen Xin cursed under his breath. He had many people to deal with right now: the still-powerful Later Jin externally, superiors and Grand Secretaries internally, tens of thousands of mouths to feed, a bunch of clueless licentiates and gentry, and the soon-to-grow-stronger roving bandits. He truly had no more strength to commit to the southeast.

"Zheng Yiguan, the navy... or perhaps..." Chen Xin turned to look at Zuo Changhao. "Since Zhong Bin submits to no one, as long as he stays alive, Zheng Yiguan cannot dominate Fujian alone."

Zuo Changhao's eyes shifted, and after a moment, he nodded.

Chen Xin's brow relaxed. "Since Zheng Yiguan is so capable in battle, he should be put to use serving the country. This time the Jianzhou Bandits suffered a crushing defeat at Pi Island, and it's said they plan to greatly expand their navy, taking Pi Island first and then attacking Lvshun. If Lvshun falls, Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Tianjin will be shaken. This official will find someone to petition the court to transfer the Fujian naval forces under Zheng Yiguan to garrison Juehua Island, to curb this ambition of the Jianzhou Bandits."

Zuo Changhao's eyes lit up, but then he said worriedly, "Xiong Wencan has accepted a great deal of silver from Zheng Yiguan and won't easily let him be transferred away."

Chen Xin smiled. "Zheng Yiguan won't be willing to come north either. They just need a reason. Zhong Bin needs to stay alive. Xiong Wencan has been in Fujian for three years; who knows how much longer he can sit in the Provincial Governor's seat. As long as Zhong Bin doesn't die, we have time. This official will maneuver in the court. Even if we can't transfer Zheng Yiguan to Juehua, we must make him feel the possibility of being transferred away from the coast. Once this dragon leaves the sea, it becomes a snake. He himself will know he needs to keep Zhong Bin alive to maintain his own importance. Pu Zhuang and the others will remain in Fujian, seeking an opportunity to assassinate. This is a two-pronged approach. Coupled with Master Xu's ability to speak before Master Xiong, it won't be so easy for Zheng Yiguan to rise."

All of Zheng Yiguan's connections were in Fujian, and his only expertise was naval warfare. If he left that area, he would be, one could say, nothing. And the current Zheng Yiguan was far from the later Zheng Yiguan whose power was too great to control. If they truly wanted to transfer him, he couldn't coerce the court.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Changhao revealed a smile. "On Master Xu's side, we'll continue providing Zhong Bin with trade goods so he can trade with the Dutch, maintaining a balance of power. It's just that Zhong Bin is truly arrogant and causes trouble from time to time. His Majesty certainly won't want such a band of sea marauders off the coast of Fujian. If Xiong Wencan can't withstand the pressure, he will eventually take action to purge Zhong Bin."

"His Majesty will soon have no mind to bother with a minor Zhong Bin. According to this official's assessment, a major event is about to occur in the north. This official will have someone write a letter right away, having the people of Dongjiang Town report signs that the Jianzhou Bandits are establishing a navy..."

Liu Minyou listened until his head spun. Looking at Chen Xin's mysterious expression, he only then noticed that Chen Xin had even grown some white hair, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.