Chapter 1110: How Could Our Great Ming Lose

Once those words were out, before the Zhao Camp even had to move, every gang and bandit crew in Dongchang Prefecture joined forces and wiped out that blind fool completely. The heads of that gang's leaders were all delivered to Li Kunyi for inspection. What a joke. Right now, everyone has food to eat because Lord Jin of Xuzhou showed mercy. If the Zhao Camp were provoked into coming to Dongchang Prefecture, everyone would be swept away.

As for the various powers in Dongchang Prefecture, both official and underworld, they all placed their silver with the Cloud Mountain Trading House branch counters, letting them manage it to earn interest. Whenever any matter, big or small, arose, they always sought Inspector Li, Lord Li, to make the decision. This had gradually become habit. Of course, everyone also knew that behind Lord Li, it was Lord Lei who called the shots, only Lord Lei rarely showed his face.

This prestige satisfied Inspector Li greatly. In his own words, "The Li family has been in Linqing for over a hundred years and has never known such glory." Because of this power and wealth, the Li family and the Zhao Camp grew ever closer. Inspector Li might still keep some distance, but Li Yuliang was already practically a member of the Inner Guard, running errands everywhere with Lei Cai. Lei Cai had no objection to this; having the Li family's young master along made many things more convenient.

Only, Inspector Li Kunyi had never imagined that Li Yuliang would be so zealous for the Zhao Camp. This time, when Liu Yong arrived in Linqing Prefecture, he first took stock of the local Cloud Mountain Trading House and Inner Guard affairs, then met with the Li family. Partly it was courtesy and social obligation, and partly it was to ask the Li family for considerable help in Dongchang and Jinan Prefectures with the upcoming overland transfer of the Liao refugees—buying land and setting up farm estates there. The Li family's involvement would make things easier. To Inspector Li and his son, Liu Yong did not hide what he was doing. But no one expected that Li Yuliang wanted to go to Liaodong.

In everyone's eyes, as long as one had a stable life, or even if things weren't truly desperate, one should not go to sea to make a living. The wind and waves at sea were fierce; going there meant nine deaths and one life. Not to mention that those at sea were all Wokou pirates and the like, not decent folk. And the place Liu Yong was heading this time was Liaodong, already under the control of the Jianzhou Jurchen Tartar slaves. With these layers of danger stacked together, Inspector Li was even more unwilling to agree.

"Father, the sea is no dragon's pool or tiger's den. Look at how many people from Dengzhou Prefecture travel back and forth without stop, and aren't they all safe and sound?"

"What safe and sound? Every year, thirty percent of the ships going from Dengzhou Prefecture to Liaodong capsize in storms. That is tremendous danger."

"Didn't Father say that's just a means for the Deng-Lai Circuit to rake in money? Once reported, everyone splits the spoils from these losses..."

A few exchanges left Inspector Li speechless, regretting only that he had ever told that story. Li Yuliang, however, had his own calculations. He spoke with great earnestness: "Father, in the future we will rely on Xuzhou in many ways. Counting on Sister Mu's connections alone won't last. If your son works for the Zhao Camp and earns merit, that is what our family can truly count on for the long term."

At this, Inspector Li's face had just stiffened when he let out a long sigh and instinctively lowered his voice: "The root of our family is this inspector post. Further down, that means the imperial court. Things in Xuzhou are murky. Do you really think that far ahead?"

"What the court looks like, we father and son have seen. What Xuzhou looks like, we father and son have also seen. Your son thinks Xuzhou is the more lasting prospect..." Li Yuliang had his own judgment.

With the conversation reaching this point, beyond sighing, Inspector Li had little else to say. He only urged Li Yuliang not to tell the inner household this news, lest the whole family worry. Inspector Li had also wanted to assign Li Yuliang a few attendants, but Li Yuliang refused them all, saying that this time he would regard himself as a member of the Zhao Camp, doing solid work without seeking special treatment, lest he be treated as an outsider.

Liu Yong also did not want to bring Li Yuliang to Dengzhou Prefecture. The sea indeed had troubles of one kind or another. Li Yuliang's status was sensitive; if anything went wrong, it would delay many matters. However, there was not much time to waste in Linqing Prefecture, Dongchang. After asking Inspector Li Kunyi, he simply took Li Yuliang and headed east.

They had assumed this Li Yuliang was merely a noble scion, that the grueling travel would be troublesome and make him a burden. Liu Yong and his men also harbored a slight intention of letting this young master Li find the hardship unbearable and back down on his own. To their surprise, Li Yuliang was no slouch. His riding skill was decent, he handled interactions along the way with considerable poise, never once showed strain from camping or traveling, and eagerly took on tough duties like night watches and sentry posts—and did them well. After passing Jinan Prefecture, Liu Yong's squad accepted Li Yuliang as one of their own.

Entering Qingzhou Prefecture, Liu Yong made a point of visiting that powerful magnate who had once sent men to help. That magnate, upon learning it was Liu Yong coming to see him, was utterly terrified. To the martial fraternity and outlaws of Shandong, Liu Yong and Lei Cai were lofty, untouchable bosses whom they had no standing to deal with as equals. He never expected the man to come see him personally. Amid the terror, he also felt honored.

Liu Yong did not linger. He chatted only briefly, made his requests, and gave several promises: ensure the safety of the Liao refugees passing through, provide as much convenience as possible. Then he asked whether the magnate's sons or younger kin wanted to study at the Xuzhou academy. He also said that if there was any shortage of silver, weapons, or equipment, they could go to any Cloud Mountain Trading House branch to discuss it, just mentioning his name. These benefits would cause this Qingzhou strongman's family fortune and strength to skyrocket. As for the requests, he was already doing those things anyway. Such generosity left the man overjoyed and astonished. He not only escorted Liu Yong out of Qingzhou Prefecture but all the way to Dengzhou Prefecture.

Within the prefectural seat of Dengzhou, the Cloud Mountain Trading House branch was already quite sizable. Besides that, there were hidden outposts unknown to others, like the Sun Trading Company and the Zhao Freight Depot. There was even a small shipping firm at the port, under whose name were several ships belonging to the Yu family as well as vessels that could be hired locally.

When Liu Yong appeared at these establishments, few could recognize who he was. Liu Yong did not reveal his identity either. Following Inner Guard protocol, once he produced his token and secret orders, he could mobilize the resources here. They did not know he was Lord Yong of the Inner Guard squad, only that he was a high-ranking figure from Xuzhou.

To their surprise, the Yu family's ships had not yet arrived. According to the prior agreement, the Yu ships should have been docked here with supplies for several days already.

Because they had not arrived as agreed, the people here in Dengzhou Prefecture had already sent a fast horse with a message to Xuzhou. Calculating the days, it had just crossed paths with Liu Yong's squad.

Liu Yong knew what the Yu family had been up to, though he kept his peace. But their failure to arrive as agreed made him somewhat agitated and angry. True, sea schedules were hard to pin down to an exact day, but this was already a margin of nearly ten days. What exactly were they playing at? Could it be the ships had run into storms? If not...

Annoyed as he was, Liu Yong still went through all of the Zhao Camp's overt and covert assets within Dengzhou Prefecture's city, putting them in order. This left the accompanying Li Yuliang inwardly marveling. From top to bottom, the Zhao Camp cared nothing for comfort, only burying their heads in work. And their discipline was strict, meticulous and careful. No wonder they had achieved such things.

Having come here, a visit to the port and docks was inevitable. The city of Penglai, seat of Dengzhou Prefecture, was a naval port, bearing the heavy responsibility of reinforcing and supporting the Liaodong and southern Liao theaters. By all rights, the port and docks should have been heavily guarded. Yet Liu Yong, Li Yuliang, and the others strode in openly and directly; no one stopped them.

Within the city, one could still see refugees and beggars from Liaodong. Coupled with the fact that Penglai itself was no wealthy place, it had a distinctly impoverished and desolate air. But this Penglai naval port was rich and bustling. At first glance, it resembled the scene on the Qingjiangpu Canal. The docks were piled high with goods of every description, ships moored at their berths, shirtless laborers hauling cargo, and vessels hoisting sail to come and go from time to time.

"Looking at this, how could the Great Ming lose in Liaodong?" Li Yuliang remarked sarcastically.

The shady dealings of Dengzhou Prefecture's naval port were well known to the wealthy and elite of Shandong, and quite a few of them had a stake in the profits. Very little of these supplies ever reached Liaodong, and local consumption was limited. Everything was simply divided up among the relevant parties, then written off in various account books submitted to clear the ledgers. As for the circuit intendants, the grand coordinator, all the way up to the capital, every link had its participants. It was merely an unspoken understanding among them all.

Liu Yong was well aware of the situation here, but he had no mind for such reflections. He simply observed his surroundings, assessing matters related to future stationing and trade. With supplies so abundant, they could simply purchase on the spot. Liu Yong also realized another point: the Yu family's ships had been here before and naturally knew supplies were plentiful. The Zhao Camp and the Yu family were not unwilling to spend money, so the excuse of replenishing supplies was probably off the table.

As he looked on, Liu Yong noticed something unusual. Amid the mountains of assorted goods, he could actually see piles of timber. Being in the Inner Guard, Liu Yong dealt with all manner of things and had a rather broad scope of knowledge. He knew that large-diameter timber like this was already in critically short supply. After Liaodong fell under the control of the Jianzhou Jurchens, such timber became even rarer. Ironically, the other place that produced timber, especially large logs, was the Yunnan-Guizhou region, but the chieftains there were currently in revolt, locked in ceaseless warfare, which meant there was no nearby source to obtain it from now.

At present, the only source for thick timber was the Southern Seas, shipped in at great expense. It was time-consuming and laborious, and the maritime merchants were unwilling to take on such a troublesome business with no great windfall profit. Consequently, timber was in short supply everywhere in the Great Ming. The wealthier the region—the Jiangnan areas, for instance—the more the price of timber had doubled or even multiplied several times over. No one expected so much of it piled up on these docks.

They could also see men shouting as they loaded timber onto ships, a clear sign of the profit in a single shipload. There were many high-profit goods that could be shipped from south to north, but few from north to south. Shipping a boatload of timber back from Penglai naval port would surely bring no small profit.

"Why is there so much timber? Where did it come from..." Being from a commercial center like Linqing, Li Yuliang naturally knew how scarce timber was. But he stopped halfway through his question. The answer was obvious; there was no need to spell it out so clearly. A cold sneer had already settled on the lips of Liu Yong and his party.

Thanks to the three old friends "Mu Ming, Qi Sanwen, Yuan Heng Li Zhen" for their tips. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.