Chapter 1083: Another Option

The sailors to man the ships, the fleet bound for Liaodong, and the warriors to venture deep into enemy territory — all these could be made ready by the time shipping resumed next year. But Yu Zhiyuan raised one more point: once the ships were filled with the common folk of Liaodong, although the ports of Dengzhou Prefecture were the closest, it would be best not to settle the Liaodong refugees there. Setting aside the long, arduous journey from Dengzhou Prefecture to Yanzhou Prefecture and Xuzhou, the Zhao Camp's reach there was one layer removed, making it all too easy for other troubles to arise.

The Liaodong refugees all held the court in their hearts. Arriving in Dengzhou Prefecture, they would surely believe they were under the governance of the Great Ming's officials, better than anywhere else — and by the time they tasted hardship, it would be too late. Yu Zhiyuan had thought this through deeply. He suggested avoiding any extraneous complications wherever possible: the ships carrying refugees would not enter the ports of Dengzhou Prefecture, but would only anchor at offshore islands. Supplies would be shipped out to those islands, and then the refugee vessels would sail south along the coast and disembark here at Haizhou.

Haizhou bordered the sea, and the nearby waters were full of shoals and sandbars, making navigation difficult. But once the hydrology and sea conditions were thoroughly understood, it would not be a major problem. More crucially, landing at Haizhou and then moving inland led directly into the Huai'an North District of the Zhao Camp — that was the diehard territory of Zhao Jin's followers. The moment they came ashore, they would be under control; there would be no runaways, and no trouble.

"To be frank with you, Big Brother, this proposal of mine is not without selfish motives. The sea conditions around Haizhou are not well suited for ships coming and going, yet Haizhou's location makes it an excellent harbor. By turning it into a supply relay port, my fleet can range farther north, adding sea routes to both Japan and Korea." Yu Zhiyuan laid out his calculations plainly.

"You plan the harbor construction. I will provide the men and the money. Don't worry about any trouble within Haizhou city — but we must also communicate well with those people, so they don't make a big fuss over nothing!" Zhao Jin mulled it over briefly, then gave his answer.

Building a new port and docks required enormous manpower and material resources. Silver was a small matter for the Yu family, but manpower was the difficulty. Zhao Jin's support was decisive. Yet Haizhou was the hub of Huai salt production. Within that tiny prefectural city, who knew how many officials had means that reached the heavens — a mere minor clerk might have a vice minister or a marquis standing behind him. Once a port was built outside, these people would inevitably be alarmed. If the alarm spread too widely, it would clash with the Zhao Camp's current way of doing things.

On this point, Yu Zhiyuan had a well-thought-out plan. He merely smiled and said, "Please set your mind at ease, Big Brother. We ship so much salt out of Haizhou every year; everyone, high and low, shares in the profits of the business. How could they not make things convenient for us?"

Hearing Yu Zhiyuan's words, Zhao Jin also broke into a rueful laugh. After settling matters with Zhao Jin, Yu Zhiyuan did not linger long in Xuzhou. He still had Qingjiangpu on his mind — Yu Zhiyuan was also a member of the Qingjiangpu Chamber of Commerce. This martial arts tournament was enormous in scale, and it would not do for him to stay out of the organizing.

While Yu Zhiyuan was present, Wang Zhaojing had only chatted idly with a smile, spending the rest of the time silently taking notes. Once Yu Zhiyuan had left, Wang Zhaojing, with great gravity, cautioned Zhao Jin: "Big Brother, the income from the sea is growing larger by the day. If this recruitment of Liaodong folk by sea also begins, the sea will become vital to us. Yet at present, we still cannot reach into maritime affairs — the Yu family runs it all. This is not to say that Yu Zhiyuan harbors disloyalty, but in the long run, this is no lasting solution."

"But for now we can only rely on the Yu family. Yu Zhiyuan has placed a heavy wager on us; there will be no twists or dangers."

"Big Brother, we must also consider that Yu Zhiyuan's elder brother is an official in the provinces. How does brotherly sentiment compare to wealth and goods? What's more, the ventures that currently make the Yu family their fortune are not greatly tied to us. Cutting them off would hurt, but it would not be fatal." Wang Zhaojing was very insistent about his concern.

Zhao Jin nodded gravely and said in a low voice, "Yu Zhiyuan is still reassuring. But the hidden dangers and latent worries you speak of do exist. However, for now, matters related to the sea can only be entrusted to the Yu family. Once the Cai family men have learned seafaring, and once those Liaodong sailors can be reliably used by us, then we need not worry."

At this point, Ruhui interjected, "My lord, according to those familiar with the open sea, learning to handle ships and navigate takes at least three to five years. Given the current momentum of our Zhao Camp, three to five years is far too long. Yu Zhiyuan has done a great deal for us, but he has also made a huge fortune from it. Your subordinate will speak out of turn: how much of our silver and manpower will building a harbor at Haizhou consume, and we must also risk conflict with the Haizhou salt administration and local authorities — yet he brought it up as if it were only natural."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin smiled and looked around at the several men in the room, saying leisurely, "You've all certainly kept your patience."

"Young Master Yu has done much for our Zhao Camp and rendered great service. But if his is the only family on the sea, it will be hard to avoid arrogance and a reversal of roles, losing sight of who depends on whom. If trouble arises from that, it would also be bad for Young Master Yu." Wang Zhaojing spoke in a deep voice; it was clear he had long since reached his own conclusion.

Zhao Jin nodded. Although Yu Zhiyuan was not as close as the brothers and companions here, he was still one of their own — and one of their own at the core level. Nevertheless, Zhao Jin did not stop Wang Zhaojing's words. Making such profound considerations was precisely Wang Zhaojing's duty. Zhao Jin also knew that he himself had indeed been negligent in this regard. Of course, Zhao Jin mostly did not care very much. Yu Zhiyuan's fleet would always have to anchor at a port or dock, always have to load and unload cargo on shore. With the root in hand, what was there to worry about?

"You must already have a plan. Let's hear it." Zhao Jin said with a smile. While Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui had been speaking, they had been watching Zhao Jin's reactions. His attitude let them breathe a sigh of relief.

Wang Zhaojing paused briefly, then spoke: "Big Brother, Housheng has dealt with that Li Laohai a few times. From Li Laohai's attitude, he seems inclined to get closer to our Zhao Camp, though he doesn't appear to be in any great hurry. Perhaps we should take the initiative?"

Ever since Xu Housheng first dealt with this Li Laohai in Macau, Li Laohai had helped the Zhao Camp many times. From the foreign craftsmen to the current Zhu Xingshu, all had been of great use to the Zhao Camp's manufacturing. Although he had earned plenty of silver, everyone could sense his goodwill. Of course, everyone understood that his lack of urgency was simply because he was keeping the connection ready for some future need — after all, Li Laohai's side was already reaping substantial profits.

"We can reach out to him. The terms can be lenient. We mustn't think ourselves so extraordinary — when we need to take the initiative, we take it." Zhao Jin agreed to Wang Zhaojing's suggestion, then added a word of advice. Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui both assented with a smile.

Zhao Jin spoke again: "Your consideration on this is very thorough. Walking on two legs is always more secure. A single family dominating everything is bad for us, and bad for them too. But in the final analysis, we must still have our own fleet, our own ships on the sea. This must be treated as a matter of great importance — just like firearms manufacturing. Don't worry about spending silver!"

"Please set your mind at ease, Big Brother. Your younger brothers are already pressing ahead with it. Maritime enterprise is not merely an expense — a ship that sails out and returns is sure to come back laden with silver. There's no need to worry about the cost!" Wang Zhaojing replied with a smile.

"Those matters of the Yu family must not be delayed. His selfish motives are a small thing; what he does benefits us all. We must still press forward with them." Zhao Jin gave this instruction. Though he did not say it openly, Zhao Jin could still perceive that, both being scholars by background, both very young, and both sons of official families, Wang Zhaojing and Yu Zhiyuan harbored a certain covert mutual rivalry. But since it had not delayed any proper business, there was no need to point it out.

"Big Brother, set your mind at ease. Your younger brother understands." Wang Zhaojing replied.

After Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui left, Zhao Shiyi appeared at the doorway carrying a wooden chest. With great deference, he asked, "Master Jin, there are some sect dossiers here that require your review."

Although Zhao Jin and Zhao Shiyi were distant paternal cousins, Zhao Shiyi had always known his place, never addressing Zhao Jin as anything but "Master Jin" and avoiding any terms of kinship. Originally, Zhao Wan and Zhao Song had both addressed Zhao Jin casually and without formality, but they changed their ways following Zhao Shiyi's lead.

"Bring them over, let me see. When is Xiaoyong coming back? Is Nie Hei also not here?" Zhao Jin waved his hand with some vexation. Zhao Shiyi entered the room with the wooden chest. Sun Dalin walked over, took the chest, opened it first at the door, and then passed it on to Zhao Jin.

When Zhao Jin had been exerting pressure on Dengzhou Prefecture in Shandong, Liu Yong had taken his men to Qingjiangpu — not for the martial arts tournament, but to use the occasion to select personnel and simultaneously arrange the confidential details for operations against Yangzhou and Nanjing. Nie Hei was active in the Yizhou and Jining area, while Lei Cai was between Jining and Linqing. This meant that Zhao Jin was currently the only one available to oversee the Internal Guard's affairs.

The work itself did not give Zhao Jin a headache, but everything now concerned the myriad matters of the Smelling Incense Sect and the White Lotus Sect, and that irritated him somewhat. Mu Shulan could not help much now; her belly was growing larger by the day. Xu Zhenzhen's two pregnancies had never affected her work — she managed the household and still looked after Zhao Jin. But after becoming pregnant, Mu Shulan was gluttonous and drowsy, languid all over. She had originally kept a very close eye on sect affairs, but after Xu Hongru and Wang Haoxian were executed in the capital, she had largely stopped paying attention. And Zheng Quan, You Zhenrong, and the others were all building their careers in Yizhou and could not help either.

Yet the tighter the manpower became, the more the dossiers on the sects multiplied. This was because Tian Zhu, who had come to Xuzhou, was cooperating fully, holding nothing back and telling everything he knew. The White Lotus Sect and the Smelling Incense Sect shared the same origin, and their structures and details were very similar. With the cooperation of Tian Zhu and his core subordinates, the sect framework that had once seemed so vague began to grow clear.

"If Xu Hongru tried to stir up trouble in Shandong now, we could snuff it out at any moment — or we could fan the flames at any moment." This was the assessment of Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing.

"Back then, You Zhenrong stood out among the Xuzhou men. Why does he not even hold the rank of company commander or squad commander now? Because he couldn't bear to part with his own little setups. This Tian Zhu will go much farther than him in the future." This was Ruhui's appraisal — it was the difference between daring to place a heavy wager or not.

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