Chapter 1072: The Merchant Convoy Bound for Dengzhou Prefecture

There was also word that the great merchants of Qingjiangpu and the Yangzhou salt merchants had already locked horns. One side had invited masters from Shaolin Temple, while the other had summoned household guards from a noble family in Nanjing, each preparing to vie for supremacy. Beyond this, the two sides were also competing in ostentation, organizing treasure-display contests and beauty pageants to compare their rare curios and lovely courtesans — these would serve as the stakes wagered on the martial tournament. It was even said that Qingjiangpu planned to use the occasion to hold a horse-racing meet; any family with a famous steed or fine colt could compete for top honors, with betting and prize pools opened on the races, and outsiders could also wager silver to try their luck.

Once this kaleidoscope of news spread, not only the scions of great houses and wealthy magnates from every region, but even the idle men from all corners of the Southern Metropolitan Area wanted to go join the excitement. In any case, the year's end was already approaching — leisure aside, everyone still had a bit of spare silver in hand, and going to see such a spectacle could only be a good thing.

The various sorts of people already in Qingjiangpu could feel the feverish intensity of the preparations even more keenly. The martial arena and the tournament platform had already been erected, and the surrounding seating and private boxes were nearly complete. On the outskirts of Qingjiangpu, land was still being leveled — said to be in preparation for the horse-racing grounds. The inns all over Qingjiangpu were growing ever more scarce; rooms for the days of the tournament, whether expensive or cheap, had been swept clean. Many who had vacant houses were already doing short-term rental business.

On the streets of Qingjiangpu and along the canal wharves, one could catch glimpses of painted barges and pleasure boats everywhere. With a bit of luck, walking the streets, one might even catch a startling, fleeting glance of a beauty from a passing sedan chair or carriage. The denizens of the pleasure quarters in Yangzhou and Nanjing dared not swagger northward when the time came; instead, they had to bring their women ahead of schedule to pay respects to the local powers, to obtain the permission of the local bosses, and to build momentum in advance so that every household would lend their support — lest they find themselves with no patrons and lose face.

These people, however, did not encounter the usual extortion of money and sex. The local dragon head, Li Dajin, merely ordered them to abide by the rules, to pay the required fees without delay, to refrain from stirring up trouble, and to report any incidents promptly. He demanded no favors from them, much less accepted any personal services or the like. It was entirely businesslike and by the book. Those who had never dealt with this place before were somewhat apprehensive, thinking they were being snubbed, and only later learned that this was simply the local custom. For a time, all were exclaiming in astonishment and admiration.

By mid-tenth month, the rivers of Shandong had already frozen over. In previous years, the number of vessels passing through Yutou Town would have dropped sharply by this time, but this year was different — both boats and travelers were far more numerous than in years past. Many people from Henan were taking the Yellow River waterway south by boat. As for Qingjiangpu, there was not the slightest sign of quiet; the wharves bustled like market fairs every day. Many local bigwigs of Qingjiangpu made appearances, for with so many distinguished guests arriving, they had to receive them in person.

No one found such bustle and social obligations tiresome. Those fond of pleasure need no explanation, but even those solely intent on making money could see countless business opportunities in the excitement. With so many wealthy and noble figures arriving, if even a small fraction took an interest in looking over business prospects, then everyone's chance would come.

Amidst all this excitement, news also arrived from the capital: it was said that Xu Hongru and Wang Haoxian, the ringleaders of the Smelling Incense Sect rebellion, had been publicly executed, carved by a thousand cuts at the execution ground. Yet no one paid this news any mind — who cared whether they lived or died? And who were these two men, anyway?

It was also because of the excitement stirred by this martial tournament that many people came to know the name Zhao Jin. To possess such influence, to organize a grand event of this scale — if one were not a top-tier magnate, if one lacked heaven-reaching connections, it surely could not be done. A figure like this must be remembered; one never knew when they might have to deal with him.

At this time, when outsiders thought of Xuzhou or thought of Zhao Jin, the first thing they would associate him with was the martial tournament. In the eyes of outsiders, everyone in Xuzhou, from top to bottom, must surely be busy with the affairs of the tournament. There were even "men of insight" who lamented, saying that Zhao Jin and his companions, though possessing spirit, ultimately lacked great ambition — they only knew how to engage in these pursuits of sensual pleasures and idle amusements. Their vision was simply too narrow; they could never accomplish anything of real significance.

But Zhao Jin and his comrades cared nothing at all for the martial tournament. Beyond what appeared in the regular reports, no one ever brought it up. At present, the most important matter for the Zhao Character Camp was the Liaodong refugees in Dengzhou Prefecture. Preparations at sea were still underway, and for now, passage was impossible. Once winter arrived, the coasts of Liaodong and the coasts of Shandong Prefecture would both freeze over, and with the fierce winds and towering waves, ship navigation was extremely difficult. They could only wait until early summer of the coming year to begin.

Of the eighty-odd Liaodong civilians sent over by Li Ziyou, after overt and covert observation and assessment, eleven of the most trustworthy were selected to serve as guides. Three of the Li brothers were also assigned among them. These men had already set out with a Cloud Mountain Trading Company merchant convoy bound for Dengzhou Prefecture to recruit the Liaodong commoners there. The Cloud Mountain Trading Company's connections in Shandong had already begun to stir — whether paving the way with gold and silver or calling in personal favors — in short, the proper greetings had been extended, and when the time came, accommodations would certainly be made.

Among the eleven selected, the deserter Old Peng and the miner Old Xiong were both included, while that Scholar Hou was not chosen. According to reports from the eyes, Scholar Hou openly voiced many complaints, yet privately was quite pleased. This Scholar Hou had already made plans to settle permanently in Xuzhou and even inquired whether he could transfer his household registration to take the civil examinations locally. He spouted things like, "If I pass the exams, I shall surely repay this kindness," but no one paid him any attention.

The dozen or so Liaodong civilians tasked with giving personal testimony first arrived in Jining. There, a force composed of Zhao Character Camp household guards, patrol guards, Cloud Mountain Trading Company caravan men, and Xuzhou volunteers had already completed its preparations. After the two groups converged, they would proceed north together. For this operation, Ma Chonghao had also entrusted Tian Long, who was in Yizhou, to contact a major figure of the Jianghu in Qingzhou Prefecture and ask him to provide some assistance. This magnate was a dragon head in his locality, a man whose stomping foot made the ground tremble, yet upon hearing that Zhao Jin of Xuzhou had a request, he was utterly awed and promptly agreed.

The party heading to Dengzhou Prefecture numbered over two hundred and thirty men in total, with twenty light horse-drawn carts and nearly a hundred horses, carrying close to twenty thousand taels of silver. By all reasoning, for a first formal visit, they should not have brought such a large sum of silver. But everyone could sense the importance Zhao Jin placed on this matter, and since they had already sent people to Dengzhou Prefecture several times to sound things out, it was only natural to make arrangements on a grand scale.

After departing from Jining, they traveled north along the canal. Within the borders of Yanzhou Prefecture, the names Cloud Mountain Trading Company and Zhao Character Camp were already resounding brands — no one dared show any negligence. After entering Dongchang Prefecture, they traveled a stretch before turning east into Jinan Prefecture. In both Dongchang and Jinan, the face of Sub-bureau Chief Li of Linqing carried considerable weight, and both high and low could provide assistance. However, they had been specially cautioned beforehand: the prefectural seat of Jinan was where the provincial administration was located, and grandees like the Grand Coordinator, the Regional Inspector, and the Provincial Administration Commissioner all resided within the city. Those officials cared nothing for local strongmen, so they were to be as cautious as possible and avoid any conflicts.

This concern proved unnecessary. The Zhao Character Camp had always conducted its affairs by the rules and with a low profile; they never engaged in the vile business of bullying others through power. After proceeding northeast from Jinan Prefecture and entering Qingzhou Prefecture, a dozen or so riders from Qingzhou came to meet and escort them. Once inside the borders of Qingzhou Prefecture, the situation became different from what lay before.

Shandong's terrain is, in fact, divided by mountain ranges and hills into two large regions. The three western prefectures — Jinan, Dongchang, and Yanzhou — are mostly flatlands, while the three eastern prefectures — Qingzhou, Laizhou, and Dengzhou — are predominantly mountainous. Aside from a few official roads connecting them, travel back and forth was very inconvenient, and the Zhao Character Camp's reach could not extend here. Moreover, the three eastern prefectures were where the main army of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Regional Commander was garrisoned, so upon entering Qingzhou Prefecture, they had to be cautious in all matters.

The official road running from Qingzhou Prefecture to the coastal line of Laizhou and Dengzhou Prefectures was not far from the sea. In winter, the sea breeze carried dampness ashore, making the region bitterly cold and snowy, and travel was very difficult. However, this Zhao Character Camp party was thoroughly prepared, and the roads, frozen iron-hard by winter, made travel by cart and horse quite convenient. Only resupplying men and horses was not so easy. The villages and stockades of the three eastern prefectures were even more tightly fortified. According to the guides, these earthen-walled forts were meant to guard against bandits on one hand, and against soldiers on the other — the slightest carelessness could easily see one plundered clean.

Still, with the guides sent by that Qingzhou magnate, they were given some face everywhere along the route. Once genuine silver was produced, grain, fodder, and even civilian laborers were willingly supplied. The Zhao Character Camp party did not haggle over trifles and was very generous with its spending. The guides found it somewhat hard to watch — if they were this wasteful, wouldn't the Qingzhou men lose face afterward? Yet when they raised the matter privately, the party from Xuzhou explained very clearly: "We still have the return journey. This time we're building good karma; next time, it'll be easier to deal."

These words left the Qingzhou guides quite convinced. After leading the way for several days, the dozen or so of them were all clicking their tongues in amazement. There were plenty of tales in the Jianghu about the men and horses of Xuzhou, but for them, this was the first time seeing them in person. Truly, the men were strong and the horses sturdy, their equipment was of excellent quality, and their spending was generous. The onlookers were filled with envy and admiration, and they could not help but wonder whether this Xuzhou party had been handpicked, or whether this was simply their usual standard.

Moreover, the conduct of the Zhao Character Camp party also inspired awe and respect. Whether marching by day or encamping by night, everything was executed with the utmost rigor, watertight and leaving no gap to exploit. A few times, when things seemed amiss at night, before these dozen or so guides — who fancied themselves old hands of the Jianghu — could even react, the Zhao Character Camp party had already assumed defensive positions, ready for battle. Even the seemingly frail clerks and bookkeepers remained flustered but not panicked, knowing exactly what they should do.

"Aside from those dozen or so northern savages who are just dumb and foolish, these Xuzhou men are truly extraordinary. These two hundred men could probably hold their own against a thousand. Unless the big pole-bearers pooled their shares, they wouldn't be easy to swallow." Such were the private discussions.

"Our boss spends every day scheming how to curry favor with Heavenly King Zhao. This time, when Heavenly King Zhao's men came knocking, the boss was so overjoyed he nearly went mad — otherwise, he wouldn't have sent us brothers out to serve."

Beyond the speculation and admiration, there was also some bewilderment. The Zhao Character Camp party made no secret of its purpose: they were going to Dengzhou Prefecture to recruit Liaodong refugees. In the eyes of Shandong's local commoners, these people were poor, bitter, and viciously violent, always thieving and committing crimes. What was there to recruit? Why squander all that silver?

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