Chapter 1106: The Sea Lord Comes Knocking

The one-armed Uncle Hai shook his head and said, "That I don't know, but you're not wrong — such a big fat piece of meat sitting right here, how come no one's touched it? Zhong Bin's crew is always running the Zhejiang-Zhili sea lanes, why wouldn't they make a move here? It's not like he's only raided the coast once or twice."

These mutterings kept drifting to the ears of a middle-aged man several dozen paces away. The more he listened, the more alarmed he grew. Squinting ahead, he said in a low voice, "Report this to the regiment commander's side. Have them send over armored patrolmen. These few are likely desperate, hardened bandits!"

Someone had just run off to deliver the message when they saw the clerk who had been timidly trailing behind suddenly collapse to the ground, then scramble backward on all fours, the very picture of utter terror. The seven men that this Fujian clerk was following all turned their heads, and a few of the younger ones burst out laughing. This sudden tension made the several lookouts tailing the group freeze in their tracks, instantly blowing their cover.

The middle-aged man in charge of surveillance was on the verge of blowing his brass whistle. One blast and the nearest patrolmen would come rushing over. But those seven toughs who looked like sea desperadoes didn't seem to care at all. After laughing a while, they turned back around and kept walking forward, utterly unconcerned.

They really think they're something, coming onto my Zhao Battalion's turf. Be you a dragon, you'd better coil up; be you a tiger, you'd better lie low — or else we'll show you what thunder and lightning really means. The other side's attitude made the watchers grit their teeth. At this point, there was no need to hide their movements any longer; they directly began mustering forces. The strange thing was, the men ahead didn't seem to want to run or fight either — they just kept walking forward on their own.

Twenty armored patrolmen with pole-blades had already arrived, along with more than ten men carrying long-poled lassoes, ready to seize the suspects at a single command. Yet the man in charge of this operation couldn't give the order, because the other side hadn't actually done anything illegal — they'd only spoken viciously. What if they were just sea merchants or sea lords here to do business? Acting rashly would be reckless. Besides, the fact that they showed no violent reaction after realizing they were being followed didn't make them seem much like outlaws either.

Anyone connected to the Zhao Battalion had absolute confidence in the Zhao Battalion's strength in Qingjiangpu. They didn't think the other side would try any diversionary tricks — doing so would be utterly pointless. The man in charge hesitated for a long while, then signaled for everyone to keep following.

But as they followed, the situation only grew stranger. Even passersby on the street could see those seven men walking ahead, with several dozen patrolmen trailing behind. No idle gawkers dared gather to watch, of course. The patrolmen had all sorts of ways to deal with rubberneckers who stirred up trouble, from flogging to dredging river mud, and had long since beaten the curiosity out of the idlers and onlookers.

Before their eyes, the men actually arrived at the entrance of the Cloud Mountain Trading House headquarters. After the Trade Office was established, the Cloud Mountain Trading House headquarters had moved from Xuzhou to Qingjiangpu, because this was the distribution hub for commercial goods — one could even say the distribution hub of the whole realm. Having the headquarters here naturally made business easier. The headquarters and the Trade Office were one group of people under two signs. Because Zhou Xuezhi held an esteemed position, and Dong Bingfeng's Third Brigade was garrisoned just outside Qingjiangpu, this place had become the core of the Xuzhou Zhao Battalion's presence in Qingjiangpu.

The Zhao Battalion from top to bottom strove for simplicity, but the Cloud Mountain Trading House headquarters in Qingjiangpu was different. In business, you had to let people see your foundation and strength, so this place was quite stately and imposing. In the riverside district of Qingjiangpu, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, they had actually carved out a vast flagstone-paved area for carriages and horses to park.

The Cloud Mountain Trading House here consisted entirely of two-story pavilions, with wooden bridges connecting one building to the next. Setting aside everything else, just the fact that it rose one story higher than the surrounding structures gave it an air of dominating Qingjiangpu. This architecture also set the benchmark for the wealthy merchants of Qingjiangpu. Though they tactfully refrained from building here, quite a few pavilions had recently begun construction around Qingjiangpu, many of them three stories or so.

"Not much different from those brick forts of the foreign devils in the Southern Seas."

"Go further into the mountains and you'll see earthen towers! No, wait — there are actually gun emplacements here. Do you see that up there, the one covered with wooden planks!"

Such exclamations came from among the seven men when they saw the architectural layout of the Cloud Mountain Trading House headquarters. Yet this broad plaza paired with the trading house's pavilions truly exuded wealth and grandeur, commanding respect. And unlike ordinary streets, everyone who came here was wealthy and noble — arriving on horseback, in carriages, or in sedan chairs. This overwhelming atmosphere of wealth was something found nowhere else.

The security here, however, was far stricter than anywhere else. This was one of the key defensive locations. A company of household troops was stationed here, a patrol squadron circled the perimeter, and various plainclothes internal guards were mixed in among the crowds. Even constables from Huai'an Prefecture were posted in the tea sheds at the edge of the plaza — if a situation required official intervention, they would step in.

Word had already spread, and the plaza side knew of these seven men's arrival. But there was no overly conspicuous precaution. Only when the younger sea men saw the household troops standing before the Cloud Mountain Trading House headquarters in armor and gripping long spears did they grow less relaxed. "We've seen the like in the Southern Seas, but the spirit and bearing here are far superior." Their awed murmurs dropped considerably in volume.

The one-armed middle-aged man shot an exasperated look at the men beside him and said gruffly, "So now you know to keep your voices down here."

After saying this, the one-armed middle-aged man turned around and waved at the several men still following behind. "A few brothers from Xuzhou, sorry to trouble you — could you come over a moment? I have something to ask."

The middle-aged man leading the surveillance detail felt a bit like laughing and crying at this point. He'd been treating this like a mortal threat, even making a fool of himself on the street, but now it looked more and more like a misjudgment. Still, the middle-aged man remembered what Liu Yong and Li Dajin always said — "Better to arrest wrongly than to let slip," "Stay vigilant at all times," and the like. He adjusted his mood, gave an awkward smile, and then stepped forward.

The one-armed middle-aged man raised his hand and bowed, cupping his fist in salute, then said politely, "I'd trouble you to pass word to whoever's in charge here. Just say that Li Laohai of Fujian has come to pay a visit and wishes to call upon Dragon Head Jin-ye."

As he spoke, a young man beside him even produced a visiting card from his bosom and presented it. The middle-aged internal guard leading the surveillance detail paused for a moment at the address "Dragon Head Jin-ye" before it clicked. Hearing the other party announce himself and present a visiting card with full courtesy, he dared not be negligent. He hurriedly accepted the card politely and said, "Please wait a moment, honored guests. I will go in and announce you at once."

Going in and out didn't take much time. During this interval, someone came over to observe unobtrusively, and after returning, confirmed Li Laohai's identity. After all, the man had been to the Zhao Battalion's controlled territory before and had a good relationship with Xu Housheng. His distinctive features had long since been noted down. The middle-aged internal guard leading the surveillance didn't come back out, but a manager from the headquarters emerged with some clerks and politely ushered the guests inside.

The Cloud Mountain Trading House network had frequent dealings with the Yu family of Songjiang, and many considered the Yu family to be their own people. But Zhou Xuezhi understood the situation more deeply. Everyone involved in Li Laohai's arrival was ordered to keep it secret. Li Laohai didn't linger long in Qingjiangpu either — early the next morning, household troops escorted him north to Xuzhou.

From Qingjiangpu to Xuzhou, both the canal and the overland route were incredibly busy. Li Laohai had been here once before and had some impression of it, but the sheer volume of people on the road still shocked him.

"Is there some festival? Or has some major event happened? Last time I came, how could there have been this many travelers and merchant caravans?"

"There is indeed a major event. Jin-ye's wife is about to give birth!"

The household trooper leading the way didn't treat Li Laohai as an outsider and answered directly. Watching the wealthy processions sharing the road, the several young men beside Li Laohai all clicked their tongues in amazement. "Now this is the style befitting our Dragon Head!" At this, Li Laohai grew a bit irritated. Saving face when outmatched wasn't meant for moments like this. How could the Li family Dragon Head ever command such grandeur? How would the local gentry ever associate with him? Many of the households on the road were clearly from families with official backgrounds.

However, the competitive spirit of Li Laohai's party evaporated completely once they entered the territory of Pizhou and Xuzhou. The prosperity, wealth, and orderliness of Xuzhou and Pizhou far exceeded their imagination. What shocked them even more was that this place was utterly different from the Great Ming, Japan, and the several flourishing cities of the Southern Seas. At a rough glance, the architecture and layout seemed the same, but a moment's attention revealed it was completely different. This novelty and strangeness shook them even more deeply, even carrying an unconscious edge of dread.

Forget about inns in Xuzhou. In past years, finding a room at an inn during this season was already tight; this year, it went without saying. But Li Laohai had personal ties with Xu Housheng and Zhu Xingshu, and they hosted him at their own residences, which could be considered a home away from home. The several young men accompanying Li Laohai were also introduced — all were his sons and nephews, all members of the great Li family gang of the sea. Interestingly, though they were all of the younger generation, some bore the surname Li, while others bore the surname Zheng.

Young men love excitement and novelty. After the welcoming feast, they went out and explored to their hearts' content, roaming all over Hejiazhuang inside and out. When they returned, they kept wondering: if this place was already so prosperous, what must the city of Xuzhou itself be like? Only after someone explained did they realize their mistake. They had also seen the might of the Zhao Battalion's household brigades. Traveling all the way from Qingjiangpu to Xuzhou, they had witnessed the scale of Zhao Jin's power and heard even more tales. The arrogance in their hearts finally subsided considerably, and they felt that being received by Xu Housheng and Zhu Xingshu was not a slight after all.

"It's not a matter of who needs whom, nor who's begging whom. We can complement each other. That's why Li Laohai has come!" The Zhao Battalion was quite pleasantly surprised by Li Laohai's arrival, truly feeling that fate and fortune were on their side — almost a miraculous case of getting exactly what one wished for. But Zhao Jin remained very clear-headed. Li Laohai had come more than once; Xuzhou also had things he needed.

Since there were talks to be held, and the Zhao Battalion had a real need for the maritime power behind Li Laohai, some planning was in order. Zhao Jin did not go to meet him immediately — partly because he didn't want to appear too eager, and partly because too many figures from all walks of life had arrived in Xuzhou. There were quite a few people he needed to see, and finding the time wasn't easy.

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