Chapter 1081: Spineless (Third Update!)

And this wasn't blind speed either — it was speed with fully-supplied logistics and provisions keeping pace. In other words, the moment these troops arrived anywhere, they could immediately launch an attack with no worries about their rear. Just how terrifying was that? Think about the Great Ming's government troops — among every ten thousand men, only a few hundred or at most a thousand cavalry could pull this off. What use was that?

Fortunately, although the First Brigade assembled, rested, and regrouped before setting out immediately, they didn't march fast on the first day — barely twenty li or so. Fortunately, when the First Brigade had gathered in Shandong, all sides had heard the news in advance. Whether it was the various court factions concerned with Shandong or the local Shandong officialdom, they all had large numbers of scouts and informants in the Yanzhou Prefecture area. Many wealthy gentry also passed messages between both sides. The moment there was movement here, word was immediately sent to the capital and to Jinan.

Yet everyone who learned the reason for the Zhao Camp's large-scale mobilization was utterly dumbfounded, expressions of disbelief on their faces. What? Two men from your trading company went missing in Zhangqiu County, and you're going to make this big a show of force to search for them? Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill? Isn't this a complete overreaction? If you want to rebel, just say you're rebelling — why put on this farce!

Before anyone could fully react, news came flying in from Xuzhou: Zhao Jin was personally leading his main force — the First Regiment of the First Brigade, the Suzhou Regiment, the Pizhou Regiment, and the Mounted Retainers Regiment — and had already crossed the Yellow River to the northern bank, ready at any moment to support Chen Sheng's operation. This news truly shocked many in Shandong. Was Xuzhou about to rebel? And if so, was it time to pick a side?

Should we stay loyal to the Great Ming court? Or would siding with Zhao Jin bring greater benefits? Even the officials in the various counties and departments within the Zhao Camp's sphere of control in Yanzhou Prefecture had no intention of committing suicide. Instead, they sent their trusted family members to make frequent visits to the farms and shops run by the Zhao Camp's land reclamation and trade operations.

Very quickly, the news from Xuzhou spread to every part of Shandong. The earlier reason for Chen Sheng's troop deployment was confirmed: two retainers from the Yunshan Trading Company had gone missing in Zhangqiu County, and they demanded entry to search. It was for this absurd reason, as trivial as a sesame seed? And they mobilized over ten thousand troops for it? Even if you had money, you couldn't waste provisions like this! Everyone found it utterly ridiculous and laughable!

But everyone soon understood what the Zhao Camp was signaling. The Shandong Grand Coordinator, the Shandong Regional Inspector, the Prefect of Jinan, the Shandong Brocade Guard centurion, and all the relevant figures gave the order to investigate Zhangqiu. Their meaning was simple: if Zhangqiu County didn't give everyone an explanation, it was hard to say what would happen in the future, but one thing was certain — everyone in that yamen, from the county magistrate down to the lowliest runners, would wish they were dead.

Under such pressure, the truth was quickly uncovered. When this truth was delivered to the various authorities, no one could even believe it. They thought, what kind of outrageous nonsense is this? A Xuzhou trading caravan passes through, and a mere village dares to falsely accuse them of stealing a sheep? Never mind that they actually paid silver for it — even if the Zhao Camp caravan had eaten your food for free and slept with your women, you should have endured it! And you actually dared to gather a mob and block them? Who gave you such nerve!

Further truths were then uncovered. The matter was simple enough: it was Lou Xianqi, son of the newly appointed Deng-Lai Vice Commander Lou Daliang, who, after a clash with Zhao Camp men inside Dengzhou Prefecture city — the usual drama of forcibly seizing a commoner woman and throwing his weight around — had run headlong into a brick wall and couldn't swallow his pride. He wanted to settle the score at Fang Family Town, never imagining it would lead to this outcome.

A dignified Vice General — the second-ranking figure in the Shandong government forces — with connections reaching all the way up to Eunuch Wei Zhongxian, the Supervisor-in-Chief of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who owed him a favor. But so what? After stirring up trouble this huge, would Eunuch Wei protect you or blame you? Anyone in officialdom with the slightest judgment could reach a conclusion.

When you thought about it, those Xuzhou local braves had already shown their might in Shandong twice. The first time, they defeated Baoding Garrison Regional Commander Lu Qin — a full six thousand government troops, swept aside like dry twigs. The second time, they quelled the roving bandit rebellion. Shandong Regional Commander Yang Guodong had suffered badly at the hands of the Smelling Incense Sect bandits, yet the moment these Xuzhou troops arrived, they put down the rebellion as easily as chopping melons. Right now, the Yanzhou government offices still stood, presenting a picture of peace, but who didn't understand how this peace had come about? It came from Zhao Jin's mercy. Think deeper — how exactly was the Lu Prince's entire household in Ziyang City wiped out by the bandits? Hadn't everyone learned their lesson yet?

Although no one knew why Zhao Jin regarded recruiting Liao refugees as so important — important enough to even raise troops over it — this was hardly a bad thing for Shandong. The deserters and refugees fleeing from Liaodong were growing more numerous by the day, and so were their clashes with the locals. If this situation continued, anyone with clear eyes could see a great calamity coming. Even recruiting Liao refugees as soldiers was no long-term solution. Since these Xuzhou people were willing to recruit Liao refugees to farm in Shandong, let them do as they pleased. These Xuzhou people wouldn't extort local money or grain, and the locals could even profit from the provisions allocated by the court. This was a matter of universal delight.

Yet this universal delight had nearly been ruined by a capital wastrel who didn't know the height of heaven or the thickness of earth — nearly brought a great calamity upon all of Shandong. The Shandong Grand Coordinator was furious, the Shandong Regional Inspector was furious, the Shandong Regional Commander was furious, the Deng-Lai Defense Circuit Intendant was furious. The Deng-Lai Circuit in particular — that Lou family brat had shown no regard for the inn under their protection. Even if it was just a servant's business, it was still a matter of their own face. How could they let this go?

Regional Commander Yang Guodong, who had been keeping a low profile for some time, was practically exploding with rage. He pointed at Lou Daliang's face and cursed him viciously, saying how could you face Eunuch Wei? With the court situation as it was, Eunuch Wei was managing things with the utmost caution, and now he was going to be dragged down by you! With blame raining down from top to bottom, Lou Daliang could only swallow his anger and endure it. Normally, he could throw his weight around under Wei Zhongxian's protection, but at a moment like this, the slightest weighing of pros and cons made it clear: Wei Zhongxian would only punish severely, would only throw him to the wolves.

Many people in Shandong, high and low, didn't believe Zhao Jin was making a move over the Fang Family Town incident. But right now, giving an explanation and shifting the blame off their own shoulders was the best course — just in case he really was making a move over this trivial matter. Still, no one could figure it out. Zhao Jin and his band of brothers, young as they were, were not reckless or rash. Why would they get into a quarrel with someone over such a petty issue? Puzzled as they were, every person of standing who could speak to both sides hurried to Yanzhou Prefecture to explain the Shandong officialdom's handling of the matter and to ask the Zhao Camp to stay calm for the time being.

Deng-Lai Vice Commander Lou Daliang was temporarily convalescing. A dignified Vice General, temporarily convalescing — though he would certainly return to his post before long, at least a gesture had been made. Lou Xianqi had both his legs broken and was paraded through the streets laid out on a large cart for all concerned to see, proving that punishment had indeed been meted out. He was then sent back to the capital, never to appear in Shandong again. As for Fang Family Town in Zhangqiu County, the families in town who had framed the caravan were exterminated and their property confiscated. The several personal soldiers of the Lou household who had handled the matter, along with all the various people in Fang Family Town implicated in the affair, were beheaded without exception. The residents of Fang Family Town were also ordered to relocate and scatter. From now on, there would be no such place as Fang Family Town.

A great general convalescing, the great general's son with broken legs, over twenty heads rolling — and then an invitation for the Zhao Camp to send men into Fang Family Town, Zhangqiu County to conduct a search, though the main army was not to enter. All these measures and gestures had their heads practically scraping the ground. Everyone in Shandong officialdom who was involved was utterly infuriated. Who didn't know that the Xuzhou side was a tiger? Couldn't everyone just turn a blind eye and muddle through? You just had to stir up this kind of trouble, forcing everyone to lose face.

Still, the Zhao Camp's response let everyone breathe a sigh of relief. The Zhao Camp's First Brigade withdrew to its various garrisons, and Zhao Jin's main Xuzhou force also returned to the southern bank of the Yellow River. It seemed they really had been targeting this minor matter. Something as tiny as a sesame seed or the point of a needle had stirred up this much commotion — in the end, they were still young. But everyone had to remember well how much importance these Xuzhou people placed on their trade routes, and not bring similar disasters upon themselves again.

Come to think of it, the Zhao Camp's various operations were quite active throughout the six prefectures of Shandong, and they had always followed the rules — no throwing their weight around, no forced buying or selling, never putting anyone in a difficult position. Yet they had exploded over this one matter. It seemed that what we considered trivial, they considered grave. Best not to touch this tiger's backside in the future.

From start to finish, the whole affair took less than a month. Aside from the shock at the Zhao Camp's "overreaction" and the chaos caused by this sudden mobilization, the civil and military officials of Shandong, along with all parties keeping an eye on the Zhao Camp, were once again stunned by the mobilization capability of the Xuzhou forces. In military operations, the ability to assemble and disperse as if it were routine is considered the highest skill. In under ten days, a great army had gathered and marched out; in likewise under ten days, that great army had returned to its garrisons. This could already be called divine speed. What was even more unbelievable was that the local areas hadn't even felt harassed. Just how wealthy were these Xuzhou people, to be able to pull this off?

This operation by the Zhao Camp did change the attitudes of many gentry and powerful families across Shandong. The gentry and strongmen already within the Zhao Camp's sphere of control went without saying. But in areas adjacent to Yanzhou Prefecture, like Dongchang Prefecture and Jinan Prefecture, and even Daming Prefecture in Northern Zhili, people who had originally just observed this Xuzhou power from a distance, keeping a respectful distance with the attitude of "well water doesn't mix with river water" and thinking they might never cross paths — many of them changed their minds after this Zhao Camp operation. Shaken by Xuzhou's strength, they began to consider their own present circumstances and futures they had never dared to imagine.

With the matter concluded, an explanation given, and the dust settled, it was already the second half of the eleventh month. The twelfth month and the New Year were just around the corner. Yet the Zhao Camp's Yunshan Trading Company caravans did not rest. After the Liao refugees who had already been gathered underwent an intense selection process, nearly three hundred more were chosen. They followed the Zhao Camp's various trade caravans north to Dengzhou Prefecture to recruit more Liao refugees there. After the Lou family incident, no one dared to court such misfortune again.

In Jinan Prefecture, local forces and Jianghu elements close to the government came forward to provide thorough protection for the various trade caravans. In Qingzhou Prefecture, the powerful magnate who had previously provided guides was now even more obsequious in his attentions. After this incident, he fully understood just what kind of colossal entity the Zhao Camp was. And upon entering Laizhou Prefecture and Dengzhou Prefecture, passage was completely unimpeded — government runners had smoothed things over at every step along the way.

Still 65 votes to go until the next bonus chapter. Someone said today that all my Alliance Masters were just me tipping myself, especially those few during the event. Truly speechless, boring talk...

Thanks to old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" and "Mu Ming" for their tips, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly votes. Great Ming Warrior needs more support from all of you. Thank you, everyone.