Chapter 339: The Transaction

Zhao Jiu suddenly asked, and Zhang Jun was not caught off guard, because he had long realized that he would have to answer this question... only he had previously thought he would be handing the answer to the Privy Council and public opinion, but ever since the imperial tour of the Yellow River defenses began on a large scale, he knew he would have to report directly to His Majesty.

And to be honest, Zhang Boying felt the latter situation would be more comfortable, because there was no need to consider so much, just speak the truth. Relatively speaking, facing the current public opinion and officialdom's conventions, he instead found himself somewhat unable to comprehend, and a trace of fear arose... a feeling of being unable to keep up with the new era.

Of course, this unexpected situation was inevitably a bit nerve-wracking.

"Your Majesty, let me speak frankly to you." Zhang Jun said as he stood up and carefully poured half a cup of wine for His Majesty.

"In a private residence, at a private banquet, with private drinks, there's no need to deliberately address me as Your Majesty." Zhao Jiu took the wine cup and replied casually. "Say whatever makes you comfortable."

"Yes." Zhang Jun sat back down, sighed softly, and lamented repeatedly. "I... actually, deep down, I really wanted to say that the boy's crossing the river was done on my orders... if I said that, everyone under heaven would probably believe it... and according to the official gazette, as a Military Governor, I do have the authority to respond with opportunistic attacks... uh..."

Halfway through his speech, Zhang Jun simply couldn't recall the term, and could only turn back under His Majesty's strange gaze to look at his son-in-law, while Tian Shizhong, also under His Majesty's watchful eye, braced himself and whispered a reminder:

"Authority and responsibility."

"Right, authority and responsibility." Zhang Jun took over the conversation and turned back, speaking with utmost sincerity. "If I admitted it, at most I'd lose some face, but it would protect Zhang Zongyan down below. Your Majesty doesn't know, ever since Zigai was placed by Your Majesty in the Imperial Guard Vanguard Army, it's basically been Xiaotian and him running things here... besides, he only wanted to earn merit, that's why he underestimated the enemy, a miscalculation on the battlefield, but his original intent was good. However, on the other hand, I'm afraid to admit it. First, it would be deceiving Your Majesty, and I couldn't live with myself. Second, I am a commander of the Imperial Guard. If I admitted it, people would think the Imperial Guard Right Army fights so incompetently, needlessly tarnishing the reputation the Imperial Guard has painstakingly built over the years."

"So, this matter was entirely Zhang Zongyan's own doing?" Zhao Jiu more or less understood.

"Yes."

"You didn't suspect anything at the time?"

"I was busy with a private matter at the time..." Zhang Jun explained helplessly. "I was collaborating with maritime merchants from Jingdong East Circuit and old connections south of the Huai, planning to use Jingdong's seagoing ships and sailors to sell Huainan's commercial goods to Japan... At that time, I was fiercely competing with that kid Li Bao for ships over this matter, so I believed Zhang Zongyan's nonsense, thinking his deployments and his scrambling for military supplies and equipment were helping me! Who would have thought he'd take the opportunity to deceive everyone up and down the two Jingdong circuits?"

Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, lost in thought.

"Your Majesty." Tian Shizhong also lowered his head and interjected, adding a supplement. "Zhang Zongyan's crossing of the river this time mostly used the logistical supplies assigned to the Imperial Guard Navy by the Privy Council and local authorities, without touching the main granaries here in Qingzhou... that's how we were fooled by him."

Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then picked up another meatball, and while chewing, turned his head and laughed: "Boying, how big a business deal did you make this trip to Japan, that you had no time to attend to matters right under your nose?"

Zhang Jun stood up awkwardly, but dared not refuse to answer: "Thirty seagoing ships, twenty thousand bolts of silk, three thousand loads of tea leaves, five hundred cases of porcelain, preparing to trade for some silver and lacquerware... besides that, I arranged to use crates of copper coins as ballast on the outbound trip, and ordered barrels of sulfur mixed with water for the return trip."

Zhao Jiu couldn't help but be puzzled: "I've heard from Minister Wang of the Court of State Ceremonial (Wang Lun) that Japan is always cautious with Song's state letters, pretending not to understand whenever terms like 'serving the great' or 'tribute' appear, and they also place many restrictions on trade. With so many goods of yours... especially the twenty thousand bolts of silk as the main item, compared to the eight or nine hundred thousand bolts of silk and silk fabrics taxed annually in the two Huai circuits, it's naturally not much. But the two Huai circuits themselves don't have much for export. Twenty thousand bolts is almost the total annual maritime trade volume of the two Huai circuits in the prosperous years of the past. Aren't you afraid the Japanese won't buy?"

"Your Majesty, I've made thorough inquiries." Zhang Jun quickly explained. "First, since the Jingkang Incident, trade between the two countries has been severely restricted for many years, so they are indeed short of goods there. Second, the situation in Japan is reportedly a bit unstable... On one hand, the barbarian court at Japan's center is increasingly ineffective, and on the other hand, the provincial governors and lords below are acting on their own, as willfully as the feudal lords during the Three Kingdoms period... My plan is, if I can't sell everything in Kyushu Island to the east, I'll try to go further east. If that really doesn't work, turning back to Goryeo is also an option."

"What if it still doesn't work?" Zhao Jiu pressed seriously.

"Look at what Your Majesty says." Zhang Jun immediately stamped his foot and explained. "In business, especially maritime trade, not to mention anything else, just exchanging copper coins for silver yields double the profit. With silk and tea, it's several times the profit. Porcelain depends on quality; good porcelain can yield over ten times the profit... So, with thirty ships, if only six or seven return, I can break even. If over ten return, I can double my investment. Even if all thirty ships, exhausting every possible method, only manage to sell twenty, so what? As long as they come back, that's fine!"

Zhao Jiu was first lost in thought, then shook his head in sudden realization: "I know. After I returned, I vaguely heard about this from Li Bao and a few commanders of the Imperial Guard Right Army, but I never imagined you were doing business on such a large scale."

Zhang Jun was momentarily pleased with himself.

"Have the ships set sail?" Zhao Jiu asked again seriously.

"Delayed by this Zhang Zongyan affair..." Zhang Jun withdrew his proud posture and replied awkwardly. "We were supposed to take advantage of the winter, when the Sea Dragon King is less angry, to set sail quickly."

While the ruler and minister were conversing, Liu Yan, Tian Shizhong, and Zhang Zigai below were already dumbfounded... because no matter how you looked at it, the topic seemed to have taken a strange turn, didn't it? Zhang Jun acting like this was one thing, but how could His Majesty also be so interested in doing business?

"Your Majesty."

However, soon, as Tian Shizhong gave a slight nudge under the table, Zhang Boying immediately snapped back to attention and quickly spoke solemnly from his seat. "I know Your Majesty is worried about the finances. I still say the same thing... Whatever Your Majesty requires... whatever you command, I am willing to dedicate my entire fortune to serve."

"Boying." Zhao Jiu slowly shook his head from his seat.

"I am here."

"Let me first talk about the disposition of Zhang Zongyan... He is, more or less, a courageous military talent. I will not have him killed. You submit a document to the Privy Council, take half the blame, and I will issue an edict demoting him to Company Commander, to serve in the vanguard! The dead and wounded must also be well compensated, not a single coin can be leaked out!"

"I thank Your Majesty on his behalf..." Zhang Jun quickly agreed.

"Before today, you and I have actually had three detailed conversations, haven't we?" Zhao Jiu suddenly interrupted him.

"Yes." Zhang Boying also shifted with His Majesty's words, still answering promptly. "Once outside the Yingkou Pavilion, once at night in Xia Cai City, and once when Your Majesty summoned me to the mulberry grove by the fish pond, when Wu Jie was also present."

Zhao Jiu nodded slightly: "Actually, in those three previous times, I gave you a hint that you could be a bit indulgent with money, but not to the point of neglecting military affairs, right?"

Like the other three in the room, Zhang Jun became nervous again, but still answered immediately: "Yes."

"I came early today not just for Zhang Zongyan's matter. I don't think you would dare to hide that from me." Zhao Jiu said with emotion. "The main reason I came is that I met Ma Kuo at Heyang and once again understood the difficulty of the Northern Expedition. And as I traveled all the way, from Zhang Rong's Imperial Guard Navy, to Li Qiong's Imperial Guard Central Army Right Division (originally the Eight Characters Army), to Yue Fei's Imperial Guard Vanguard Army, and finally to you here... no matter how I look at it, the Imperial Guard Right Army has the worst combat effectiveness, the worst military appearance, and the worst discipline."

At this point, Zhang Jun had already stood up, Tian Shizhong followed suit, and then Zhang Zigai, helpless, looked at Liu Yan, then at his own uncle and his roundabout brother-in-law, and could only follow Liu Yan's example and lower his head to eat.

"Everyone sit down." Zhao Jiu continued with a sigh. "I actually know that your current conduct has not let me down... My meaning that day in the mulberry grove was that if you couldn't manage the lower levels for a while, you could take it slow, as long as you skimmed a little less yourself... And from what I've heard, at the commander level in the Imperial Guard Right Army, they can already receive eighty percent of the pay of their counterparts in the neighboring Imperial Guard Vanguard Army. With commanders getting eighty percent pay, the senior commanders are probably getting about ninety percent. You also have to support this Beiwei Army outside the city. Withholding ten percent and releasing ninety percent is already quite respectable."

Zhang Jun sat back down, his mood fluctuating with His Majesty's words, but now he breathed a sigh of relief.

"But Boying." Zhao Jiu picked up his chopsticks and continued to calculate for him. "You releasing ninety percent is indeed fair to me, but what about the lower levels? If a senior commander gets ninety percent and a commander gets eighty percent, how much does a Company Commander get? And in the end, how much reaches the common soldier? Moreover, is this ninety percent and eighty percent really ninety and eighty percent of full pay? It's eighty percent of the Imperial Guard Vanguard Army's pay! And the Imperial Guard Vanguard Army also has to support its Beiwei and Tabai units, except they openly display their accounts at the military headquarters, so everyone fights to join the Beiwei! Besides that, the biggest problem in your army is the exploitation of soldiers! The lowest soldiers get only sixty or seventy percent of the pay of their counterparts, and instead of training, they are forced to build houses, do labor, and transport goods for their superiors, being scolded as useless... You are an old soldier yourself. Tell me, can your troops, when they go into battle, compare with the soldiers of the Imperial Guard Vanguard Army?"

Knowing something in one's heart is one thing, but having it said to one's face is another. Zhang Jun was so ashamed his face turned bright red, and he could only lower his head and accept the reprimand.

And His Majesty, having vented his anger, finally reached the end: "Boying, I know you haven't betrayed our agreement. Instead, I am the one who has gone back on my word this time. But what can be done? If the Imperial Guard Right Army is not reorganized now, and when the day of the Northern Expedition comes, if the Imperial Guard Vanguard Army is defeated, I will only accept it, knowing it was beyond our strength. But if the Imperial Guard Right Army is defeated, I will only be filled with regret and despair!"

"Your Majesty, I still say the same thing." Hearing His Majesty stop, Zhang Jun finally looked up from his seat. "If Your Majesty requires anything, I am willing to dedicate my entire family to serve..."

"I don't need your dedication." Zhao Jiu frowned. "I already said, you have done your best in everything I commanded. Instead, I am the one who has gone back on my word, letting you down..."

"Then I will make every effort to reorganize..."

"Can you really reorganize it?" Zhao Jiu asked again. "Can you give up your business? Without you, could the goods of the two Huai circuits be matched with the ships of Jingdong?"

"Then I... am willing... willing to yield my post." Zhang Jun turned back to look at his son-in-law, and finally forced out these words with difficulty. At the same time, Tian Shizhong, Liu Yan, and Zhang Zigai all stood up solemnly. "Use this Zhang Zongyan affair as a reason, Your Majesty, dismiss me! Then... then select another high official... how about it?"

"I do have that intention."

Zhao Jiu responded, but shook his head, his words equally difficult. "But I cannot do that... because I am an emperor. I must keep my word to my ministers, especially you military officials who have risked your lives for me."

In the empty main hall of the Zhang residence, the other four standing men were all stunned.

"If it weren't for you at Xia Cai, I would have been driven into the sea by Wanyan Wushu long ago! Your merits are known to all under heaven! And many times since, at Yancheng, at Yaoshan, you have done your utmost, never delaying the overall situation! As for the personal relationship between you and me, we've just said it several times—you have not let me down, but I have gone back on my word..." Zhao Jiu spoke with increasing helplessness, yet within that helplessness was a firm sense of resolve. "Zhang Qing, the Imperial Guard army now numbers over two hundred thousand, and the military governors under heaven are almost all in place. Tell me yourself, if I lightly move against you today, how can I win the trust of the other eight or nine Military Governors in the future? How can I win the trust of the dozens of senior commanders? How can I win the trust of the two hundred thousand Imperial Guard soldiers who have only just gained a bit of honor and seventy or eighty percent of their pay? To make them believe that I will properly treat those who have rendered meritorious service in the future, and that I regard civil and military officials as equals? Using civil officials to control military officials is a matter of institutional design; equality between civil and military officials must start with me setting an example!"

The hall fell into complete silence.

During this time, Zhang Jun's emotions surged several times. He had the courage to confess his true feelings to His Majesty, to enact a scene of ruler-minister heart-to-heart like in the storytelling, a so-called self-sacrifice, a complete and willing surrender. But each time, he couldn't bear to part with the power, wealth, and various conveniences that came with his position as Commander-in-Chief, and he repeatedly lost heart.

In the end, layer upon layer of discouragement, this most senior Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard seemed to no longer know what to say, and simply stood with his hands at his sides, silent.

"But Your Majesty went back on your word for the sake of the greater good!" At this moment, Tian Shizhong, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard Right Army, suddenly spoke from behind his father-in-law. "When Your Majesty had those heart-to-heart talks with my father-in-law the first two times, what desperate straits were we in? Who would have thought that only three years later, we could win at Yaoshan? And when you spoke the last time, who imagined we could sweep the Northwest so quickly? Your Majesty was forced by the overall situation, struggling to such an extent. If we, as your ministers, rely on our merits, rely on Your Majesty being a reasonable and trustworthy person, and do not know when to advance or retreat, that would be the true path to disaster!"

Zhang Jun was stunned for a moment, then turned back to look at his son-in-law and his silent nephew, stunned again for a moment, then hurriedly turned back, knelt down directly, and while kneeling, helped pour a cup of wine for His Majesty: "Your Majesty! Everything is as Your Majesty says! I know that Your Majesty has been so sincere with me today and spared Zhang Zongyan's life because you must have some plan. Whatever it is, Your Majesty, speak it out, and I will listen and obey, with no second thoughts."

Zhao Jiu looked at Tian Shizhong, then at Zhang Jun, nodded, picked up the wine cup before him and drained it, then interlaced his fingers before him and spoke a reasoned argument:

"I have two proposals... The first is to keep the title but remove the substance... Meaning, I will make no open move against you, Zhang Qing. You will remain Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard Right Army. But in reality, you will hand over the military authority of the Imperial Guard Right Army to your son-in-law, Deputy Commander Tian. Then let Deputy Commander Tian report directly to Yue Pengju, letting Yue Pengju take control of the Imperial Guard Right Army. This arrangement will only be known to Yue Pengju and the five of us in this hall today... In this way, both ruler and minister will save face, and you can continue to maintain your facade and go on with your business."

Zhang Jun knelt beside Zhao Jiu, thought for a moment, but for some reason, his mind went directly back to that conversation between ruler and minister overlooking the Huai River at Yingkou, recalling those words of a stray dog by the roadside, and his whole body felt listless. Finally, he simply nodded: "I said, whatever Your Majesty commands, I will listen and obey... But there is one thing. The Imperial Guard Vanguard Army already has forty or fifty thousand men. If you also give him my authorized strength of twenty-five thousand, he will directly command seventy or eighty thousand... Your Majesty trusts this man, and I have no objection. But there must be institutional safeguards. You must leave Xiaotian a fallback option."

Zhao Jiu saw that the other had agreed, so for the rest of the speech he merely nodded and bluffed his way through.

Only after the other had finished did the Zhao Majesty continue: "Besides that, I have another point, which is that I cannot let you suffer a loss... As I said, Zhang Qing's merits and seniority are all here. Not only can I not wrong you openly, I must also compensate you privately!"

Zhang Boying's spirits suddenly lifted.

"However, Zhang Qing surely knows that I have no money at the moment, so I must make a long-term plan with you... How about this: from today onward, I'll go into the Japan trade with you! You just use my name and go all out! If you make money, I'll take my share and pay you back in installments?!"

Zhao Jiu leaned slightly to the side and finally grasped the other's hand. This gesture also made Zhang Jun completely shed his doubts and fears, and incidentally made Grand Commandant Zhang forget to reply to the Zhao Majesty's question, allowing the Zhao Majesty to continue:

"And not just the Japan trade—we'll also do business with Nanyue! Nanyue's grain, Japan's silver, just like the warhorses from the west, are things the state must have in the long term! As long as we can make it work, it will be a lasting source of income, like collecting rent while sitting on the land!"

Zhang Jun listened to these words, opening his mouth several times as if to speak but stopping. He was clearly tempted and had countless words and thoughts on this topic, ready to exchange ideas with the Majesty.

But the Zhao Majesty only held both of his hands and continued earnestly: "And if it doesn't work out, you need not worry. I've already asked around—east of Malacca, the Great Song calls the shots on the seas! There's no need to rush into conquering countries or starting wars. If anyone dares not buy our goods or sell us their gold, silver, and grain, we'll send the Imperial Camp Navy to burn their ports! And don't fear opposition from the court. I'll take the lead, and we'll bring together all the families in the Secret Pavilion and the Public Pavilion. Those with money will be forced to chip in shares, and those without will get some dry shares. Then we'll set up a big company to run this maritime trade together! How could they refuse? As for bigger countries like Japan and Nanyue, I don't believe it—it's just trade, how could it come to that? The future world will surely be an East Asian community... no... it will be a future where China and the Four Barbarians form a community of shared destiny... This is the trend of the times! There must be people among them who understand the times and are willing to cooperate with us!"

Zhang Jun certainly couldn't understand what a "community of shared destiny" or "East Asian integration" meant, nor did he know where Malacca was, and he could only guess at the meaning of "dry shares." But he understood that all the powerful families in the country would band together under the Zhao Majesty's name to do big business, and he understood even more clearly that if the Japanese refused to buy goods, they would send the Imperial Camp Navy to burn Japanese ports.

At this thought, Zhang Boying couldn't help but feel regret. If he had known his fortune would be tied to this matter, why had he gone out of his way to push Li Bao out at every turn?!

PS: Thanks to Lady Mei for the second patronage!

Then, as usual, I offer up the new book, "Great Yu's Heavenly Journey"... Exorcising demons and eliminating evils is so dangerous, but Zhao Shanhe has a cheat! His bookshelf can manifest poetry, complete talismans, summon delicacies, and even call upon great powers! Similar to "Da Feng" and "Great Zhou's Immortal Clerk."

A few more words.

First, historically, Zhang Jun did have an anecdote about trying large-scale maritime trade after having his military command taken away.

Second, at that time, the silk used for tax payments in the Two Huai regions was probably seven or eight hundred thousand—but I'm not sure if it was seven or eight hundred thousand strings of cash or seven or eight hundred thousand bolts... In any case, it was an extremely large number.

Third, I couldn't find specific Southern Song data on the annual export of twenty thousand bolts from the Two Huai regions, especially since the Two Huai had been reduced to barren land at the time, so there's no reference value. But I did find some Ming and Qing data. At that time, one province in Jiangsu exported over twenty thousand bolts of silk annually. Considering population and markets, I rounded that number, halved it, and placed it on the two Huainan circuits—roughly reducing the trade volume by four times compared to the Qing dynasty... If any expert knows the relevant data, feel free to point it out in this chapter's comments. Thanks in advance.

Fifth, regardless, there is no doubt that the export volume at the time was far from sufficient to absorb the Great Song's internal production capacity.