Chapter 1080: Searching for the Missing Retainer

Zhao Jin and those around him indeed took these letters very seriously, but as for the troubles encountered in Dengzhou city and along the road, Zhao Jin was not at all angered — instead, he was quite relaxed. Wang Zhaojing understood why Zhao Jin thought this way: "Big Brother is right. Now that these matters have surfaced, we can make preparations. That's far better than being thrown into panic when things suddenly come to a head."

Wang Zhaojing chatted with Ruhui and quickly offered a suggestion: "Vice General Lou should understand the stakes. This time when we go again, we'll arrange for someone from Cloud Mountain Trading to pay a visit and ease relations between us. As long as they don't cause trouble in the future, that's enough. As for that route through Jinan Prefecture, we'll also assign people to set up posts and build good relations with the common folk along the way."

To this perfectly proper proposal, Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head, rejecting it: "Your approach isn't wrong, but to outsiders, this would just look like a business matter for Cloud Mountain Trading. And if it's just business, then it's nothing major."

"What does Big Brother mean?" Wang Zhaojing was somewhat puzzled.

"Send orders to Chen Sheng and the head of the Agricultural Reclamation and Trade division in Shandong. Have them assemble the First Brigade at Jining, ready to advance north into Jinan Prefecture at any time." Zhao Jin declared in a ringing voice.

The moment this order was given, Wang Zhaojing, Ruhui, and even Ji Xiang were all stunned, staring at Zhao Jin in shock. The First Brigade entering Jinan Prefecture — that was tantamount to plotting to seize all of Shandong and pressing toward the vital capital region of Northern Zhili. Were they about to make a major move? It was far too sudden; even Ji Xiang didn't have time to get excited.

Zhao Jin smiled as he swept his gaze over everyone, then added: "Also send an urgent letter to Ma Chonghao. Have him spread this news throughout the Shandong official circles. Every civil and military official at every level who needs to know should know."

Only after these words did Wang Zhaojing let out a breath, laughing ruefully and shaking his head. Then he asked: "Big Brother, should the order to the First Brigade still be issued?"

"Issue it. The First Brigade is a unified whole, not four regiments scattered across four locations. Marching drills are also a necessity. Are the retainers of the Zhao Camp afraid of winter?" Zhao Jin said in a deep voice.

Wang Zhaojing nodded and directly picked up the paper and brush prepared at his side to begin writing. Ruhui, standing nearby, roughly calculated and then remarked with emotion: "Only our Zhao Camp has the resources for this. No other household would dare march troops like this. The militia companies on the various estates are going to be busy now!"

Once the retainer regiments stationed in various places mobilized, local defense would fall upon the militia companies within the agricultural reclamation estates. The Agricultural Reclamation Office, and Ruhui himself, would need to make arrangements. Wang Zhaojing's brush flew across the paper for a while, then he stopped and looked up to ask: "Big Brother, a show of force this large needs a pretext. The trouble our trading company encountered isn't quite suitable as a reason."

As the saying goes, "a campaign must have a just cause." Zhao Jin understood Wang Zhaojing's meaning. He pondered for a moment, then said with a smile: "We'll say one of our retainers went missing within the borders of Zhangqiu County, and we intend to conduct a county-wide search!"

Hearing Zhao Jin give this reason, the several people in the room were first taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh. Wang Zhaojing finished writing the draft with a smile and looked up: "Big Brother, this is truly using sheer force to bully others. They wanted a reason, so we'll give them one."

Ruhui, at the side, put away his smile and asked with great gravity: "Master, Zhangqiu County lies in the heartland of Jinan Prefecture, and Jinan Prefecture is the core of Shandong. Moreover, it borders the capital region of Zhili. The authorities will absolutely not permit us to enter. If the two sides clash head-on like this, will it ultimately lead to a real, full-scale fight? If so, we are not yet fully prepared."

"Right now it is late autumn, early winter — the season when the Jianzhou Jurchens and the Mongol tribes go to war. The court's main armies are all on high alert. What major forces are there in Zhili, Shandong, and Henan? If we make a move, they can only sue for peace. If they truly want to muster a large army and openly break with us, it will likely take them two or three months. By then, we will be ready." Zhao Jin had clearly long since devised his plan.

Ruhui nodded. Wang Zhaojing spoke up: "Right now, the political situation in the capital is in utter chaos. Who has the mind to worry about us?"

"What's most critical for us isn't the court's reaction, nor the fate of that short-sighted Lou family. What's most critical is whether the Liao refugees can successfully travel from Dengzhou Prefecture and by sea to the territory we control. That is the most important thing." Zhao Jin said in a deep voice.

"... Who knows how many more have died in the Shaanxi earthquake? That region still borders the Hetao. When the time comes and the Mongols ride south to kill and plunder, it will be a land of utter misery again. Yet right now, no one in court has the attention to spare for that place. Everyone is fixated on the matter of Lady Ke leaving the palace..." Wang Zhaojing said contemptuously.

Shaanxi had suffered an earthquake in the ninth month, with countless dead and wounded. Because the Hetao Mongols had invaded the previous year, over a hundred thousand people in Shaanxi had been afflicted, and its vitality was already severely damaged. Local relief efforts were already strained and could only appeal to the court for emergency aid. Yet the various factions in the central government paid virtually no attention, because the Tianqi Emperor was finally unable to withstand the surging tide of remonstrance from the hundred officials and had decided to send his wet nurse, Lady Ke, out of the palace.

This Lady Ke's status in the imperial palace was nearly on par with the Empress Dowager. The Tianqi Emperor followed her every word. The Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Eunuch Wei Zhongxian, could be so brazenly arrogant precisely because of Lady Ke's protection and support. Now that Lady Ke was leaving the palace, her influence over the Son of Heaven would be separated by a layer. The Wei Zhongxian faction, which had everyone struggling to breathe, would also weaken. This was the perfect moment for a counterattack. Right now, everyone was networking with one another, preparing to accomplish something great. When the time came and upright officials filled the court, naturally the seas would be calm and the realm at peace. The situation in Shaanxi could be endured for a while.

As for the Tianqi Emperor, he was deeply reluctant to part with Lady Ke, even weeping openly before his ministers. Several times he expressed that he could not do without this wet nurse, and even said that after Lady Ke left the palace, she must return frequently to the inner court to visit him. At this very juncture, Wei Zhongxian was selecting able-bodied young eunuchs, issuing them arms and armor for drilling. The inner palace resounded with war cries, a fearsome display of might — the so-called "Inner Drill." This action drove the hundred officials into a frenzy of rage. There were the Four Great Camps of the Imperial Horse Directorate's elite troops, the Eastern Depot, the Brocade Guard, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five Wards Military Command, and outside the city, the capital training garrisons. With so many troops guarding the imperial precincts, it still wasn't enough? You still want to create a force of armed eunuchs? What exactly are your intentions? Are you planning to rebel?

Memorials denouncing this matter piled up like snowflakes. Yet the Tianqi Emperor, who had been pressured into conceding on the matter of Lady Ke leaving the palace, this time held his ground. He completely ignored the outside clamor and allowed Wei Zhongxian to proceed as he wished. This, however, left the "upright and pure" outside feeling uneasy. What if Wei Zhongxian tore away all pretense and used these armed eunuchs to launch a bloody assault? Wouldn't everyone be utterly defenseless? Perhaps their current actions should be slowed down a bit?

Amidst this turbulent political struggle, the Tianqi Emperor's own younger brother, Zhu Youjian, was enfeoffed as Prince Xin. The ceremony was conducted with considerable pomp, attended by high officials and nobles. The Emperor had only this one younger brother, and the two siblings shared a bond of mutual dependence, so such attention was normal. However, no one paid much heed to what would follow. Zhu Youjian was still young at present. Once he came of age and left for his fiefdom, he would be nothing more than livestock penned up in some locality, utterly irrelevant to the politics of the capital. The only ones who felt any joy were the attendants serving Prince Xin. No matter what, it was a way out. Going to the provinces, they could lord it over others, which was far better than suffering indignities in the capital.

The political situation in the capital was turbulent and chaotic, and the situation on the borders was tactful enough, one could say. Whether it was the Mongol tribes on the steppe, the Jianzhou Jurchens in Liaodong, or the An and She clans in the southwest, none made any major moves. The grand ministers at court could devote themselves wholeheartedly to their internal power struggles.

Of course, no one cared that uprisings were now breaking out all across Liaodong. Gentry and commoners loyal to the Great Ming were rallying masses to fight desperate battles against the Jianzhou Jurchens. But what did that have to do with the Great Ming? That territory was now enemy land, and those commoners were now subjects of an enemy state. Whether they lived or died, no one would pay any heed. One spark after another, none kindled a prairie fire; each was extinguished one by one as the Jianzhou Jurchens mobilized their troops. Ming forces only launched a few counterattacks in the Jinzhou and Fuzhou regions. Even these counterattacks were condemned as reckless adventurism, with neither the Supreme Commander nor the Grand Coordinator providing a shred of support.

Meanwhile, in the Shandong and Xuzhou regions, officials, gentry, and commoners had already endured far too much that year. The great chaos of the Smelling Incense Sect had left everyone utterly exhausted. Now that peace had settled, they needed a good rest to recover their vitality the following year. But just as everyone was hoping for a peaceful New Year, and the wealthy and powerful were looking forward to the excitement of the martial arts tournament, Xuzhou suddenly made its move.

The officials, gentry, and commoners throughout Yanzhou Prefecture were left dumbstruck. They had witnessed the mobilization of court armies a few times before — always a scene of utter chaos, inflicting untold misery on the local areas. You could never tell if the government troops were going off to war or coming to plunder and trample the countryside. Often, they couldn't march out of a single county in days or half a month; they had to eat their fill and line their pockets first. Even on so-called urgent missions, the court armies would march in fits and starts, with deserters constantly slipping away to wreak havoc on the localities. Yet these Xuzhou local braves, this so-called First Brigade, when ordered to mobilize, moved with such astonishing speed.

The retainer regiments stationed in various places began their preparations the moment orders were received. The local agricultural reclamation estates and trading branch offices immediately began preparing supplies, allocating carts, horses, and manpower. Local militia companies took over defense duties. Ample supplies were quickly gathered. The retainer regiments set out with their weapons, never needing to worry about provisions or logistics, nor needing to harass the local populace. On the rare occasions when they needed to resupply locally, personnel from the trading and agricultural reclamation divisions would step forward to make purchases at fair prices, which the locals were happy to provide.

There were even fewer obstacles on the march routes. Volunteer scouts and Internal Guard members familiar with the roads led the way. Campsites and water sources had been planned out in advance. When a retainer regiment arrived at a location, it never conscripted local civilians for labor. Instead, the retainers themselves took up tools to construct camps and fortifications with meticulous precision. One would think that spending time building camp fortifications would surely delay the march speed, but the retainer regiments of the Zhao Camp had no such problem. It was simply a matter of long practice — skill born of repetition naturally made them fast.

The First Regiment of the First Brigade, led by Chen Sheng, was already waiting at Jining. The agricultural reclamation sub-district and trading branch office there had begun amassing large quantities of supplies. The logistics battalion was busily preparing, mobilizing carts and horses. Once the various regiments assembled at Jining, they could rest and reorganize for a single day before immediately setting out northward. Such speed shook the entire Yanzhou Prefecture. Anyone with even a modicum of understanding could see what this signified. If the Zhao Camp exerted its full strength, they could march all the way to Jinan Prefecture, even to Northern Zhili, before the Shandong provincial troops from Dengzhou Prefecture could even arrive.

Third update, between 7 and 8 PM. Eighty monthly tickets until the next bonus chapter. It's the end of the month, so let's cast them freely — next month they reset to zero anyway.

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