Chapter 1119: Yu Zhiyuan Rushes Over

Seeing Zhao Jin in low spirits, the others did not quite know what to say for a moment. Zhao Jin took a few more steps and added, "The real trouble is the Huaian North District."

Wang Zhaojing and Liu Yong explained, "After the Yellow River rose, Big Brother asked many people who know the water and the land. They said that if it floods, the Xuzhou prefectural seat and the Xiao County area will both suffer, because that is low-lying ground that easily draws the water in. Then the stretch from Pizhou to the Huaian North District is even lower, and with Hongze Lake propping up the water level, when the floodwaters pass through, even if Xuzhou and Pizhou are spared, the Huaian North District will still be inundated."

Only upon hearing this did Liu Yong understand why Zhao Jin had relocated the population of the Huaian North District without replenishing it — this was also a precaution. Yet when he thought about it, his heart truly could not bear to let it go. The barren tidal flats there had been the foundation on which the Zhao Battalion rose, the means by which they had absorbed tens of thousands of refugees and laid the groundwork for their present strength. That such a foundation might now be destroyed by floodwaters was truly heartbreaking.

"Refugees coming over from Liaodong are to be settled in various parts of Shandong as much as possible. Too many people have died in Shandong these years, so the people we bring in will cause no hindrance. For those arriving at Haizhou, send them by land and water to Suzhou and Guide Prefecture; they can be settled there as well," Zhao Jin said.

After walking a stretch further, Zhao Jin even went down the river embankment to look at the water's edge, only instructing, "Post watchers day and night. The moment there is any news, send an urgent dispatch by fast horse. You may draw on nearby manpower and supplies, and request authorization after the fact. You must exercise judgment on the spot — flood conditions cannot suffer the slightest delay!"

Not long after Zhao Jin arrived here, Zhang Hubin, the regimental commander of the Second Regiment of the Personal Guard Brigade, hurried over from another section of the embankment. Only then did Liu Yong realize that the Second Regiment of the Personal Guard Brigade was already permanently stationed along the river embankment, and that Regimental Commander Zhang Hubin was here exercising overall command.

Zhang Hubin did not stay with the group for long before Zhao Jin sent him off to attend to his own duties. As soon as the Second Regiment's commander Zhang Hubin had left, Liu Yong could not help but say, "Big Brother, our Personal Guard Brigade is the most elite battalion. Those household troops are battle-hardened heroes tempered a hundred times over. Using them to guard the river and watch the dikes is truly too great a waste. Even if the Yellow River really does break, they should not be thrown away here."

"Aren't our household troops meant to defend Xuzhou? If the flood truly comes, who else but the household troops can be counted on to stand firm? If our own household troops do not go up, how can we expect others to go up willingly!" Zhao Jin said in a deep voice.

Liu Yong was about to speak again, but Wang Zhaojing at his side tugged him back. He understood at once — these words must have been said by the brothers long ago, and they had likely received the same reply.

"We must now rouse our spirits. Should anything happen with this Yellow River, the wolves around us will pounce at once. Do not be fooled by the quiet on all sides now — the moment disaster strikes, every side will be jackals and tigers!" Zhao Jin said solemnly.

Four days after Liu Yong returned to Xuzhou, Li Laohai brought men to call on them again. This time the visitor was the gang's third-in-command, Li Xian — a seafaring man in his thirties, his face perpetually dark and sullen.

Sullen as the man was, his work was thoroughly reliable. The reason they had come so quickly was that they had learned the Zhao Battalion had ships returning from Liaodong. Word had been passed by fast horse from Haizhou to Qingjiangpu, and from Qingjiangpu it was relayed on to Jiangnan. The Li Family's great gang had actually set aside fifteen large ships expressly for this, waiting somewhere in Zhejiang, and upon receiving word they had immediately sailed north.

To be able to do this, they had naturally seen the benefits of trading with the Zhao Battalion, as well as the enormous profits that would come once the Liaodong sea route was opened.

There was much that Li Xian could decide on his own authority. The Li Family wanted more ironware — everything from swords and weapons to farming tools and iron pots — and cotton cloth was also a bulk requirement. Even more important was the right to use the port at Haizhou.

Both sides had need of the other, so the negotiations went very smoothly. On the matters of training sailors and shipbuilding, the Li Family agreed with particular alacrity.

They could take responsibility for building a shipyard at Haizhou, provide craftsmen, and even arrange suitable large timber in the early stages. The costs, however, would be borne by the Zhao Battalion. To the Zhao Battalion this was a mere drop in the bucket, and could be agreed to with ease.

As for training the Zhao Battalion's apprentice soldiers aboard ship, they could send men to serve as instructors at the Foreign Affairs Academy. The apprentice soldiers would study aboard ship for a few months, after which half or sixty percent of that vessel's crew could be converted entirely to Zhao Battalion men. The Li Family would assign a small number of capable veterans to provide guidance. Under such conditions, the Zhao Battalion's men could learn to handle seagoing ships in the shortest possible time, and the Li Family could also transport household troops and goods on a large scale for the Zhao Battalion.

Beyond trade goods, the Li Family's demands were that each year they be allowed to load a portion of salt cargo at the Haizhou port; that the Li Family take a share of the timber the Zhao Battalion purchased back from Liaodong; that the Li Family's shops and personnel in Qingjiangpu receive the Zhao Battalion's protection; and that, aside from the Yu and Li families, other parties be barred as far as possible from the Haizhou port and any ports the Zhao Battalion might build in the future. Should there be any need, they hoped the two sides could first hold a discussion.

Household troops who had accompanied Li Xian from the Haizhou port confirmed that all fifteen of those large ships were of eight hundred liao burden or more, and all were empty vessels. This sincerity could be called absolute.

The Zhao Battalion offered terms of equal sincerity, granting the Li Family's great gang priority loading and unloading rights at Clam Harbor second only to the Yu Family. For a maritime merchant fleet, this was wealth equal to mountains of gold and seas of silver.

On this visit, Li Xian discussed the details. For example, if they went to Liaodong to transport people, they would fill the ships with grain and various supplies at Haizhou or Qingjiangpu, sail to Liaodong, and then carry people back. This in effect meant sailing empty for them. Pi Island was not large and was under pressure from the Jianzhou Jurchens, so the specialty mountain goods it could provide would certainly not be many. As for sufficient timber, for sea transport, especially ocean-crossing voyages, the profit was truly limited. They therefore hoped the Zhao Battalion could offer some compensation.

This time, however, Zhao Jin led Li Xian to view the weapons display once more. After seeing it, Li Xian immediately agreed. The reason was simple: this time the Zhao Battalion had shown Li Xian their cannons. The Zhao Battalion was also willing to sell cast-iron cannons of under three pounds without gun carriages, and could provide cannonballs as well.

The great gangs of the sea dealt often with foreign ocean-going peoples and were not particularly taken with firearms. But precisely because they had seen so many, they could tell good from bad, superior from inferior. Though bronze cannons were acknowledged as the finest, these cast-iron cannons of the Zhao Battalion looked exceptionally excellent as well. Moreover, they test-fired several rounds on the spot — the range, the heating and cooling of the barrel, and the accuracy were all plain to see. And the Zhao Battalion also provided the iron fittings to secure the cannons to the ship.

Li Xian, who spent his years at sea, naturally knew what this meant. With the Zhao Battalion able to offer such goods for trade, they naturally had to relax their own terms.

When the two sides concluded their talks, it could be said that all parted well pleased. Even as they were in detailed discussion, grain and other supplies were already being moved from storage in the Huaian North District toward Haizhou, to be loaded directly onto ships and made ready to depart.

The men to go to Pi Island to recruit the Liao populace had also been selected. Li Song, Li Sen, and the other sons of the Li Family were all assigned to the mission. From the one hundred households brought back from Pi Island, twenty men were also chosen. In addition, the Personal Guard Brigade and the Second Brigade each detached two companies to board the ships. Once the personnel and supplies were assembled, they would set out at once.

Beyond this, the Li Family also gave the date for the next shipment. These fifteen large ships were only the first fleet. After bringing the Liao people back from Liaodong, they would load up here with cotton cloth and ironware — goods the Li Family hoped the Zhao Battalion would have ready. At the same time, the next fleet would arrive sometime in the seventh month. Those ships would be filled with copper stock, gunpowder, and all manner of foreign goods needed by the Zhao Battalion and Qingjiangpu.

Li Xian departed Xuzhou thoroughly satisfied. He had been gone barely two days when Yu Zhiyuan came rushing to Xuzhou. The Yu Family's second young master had long been accustomed to a life of ease and comfort, and his travels were always meticulously arranged. From Songjiang to Xuzhou, he would ride his family's own large boats, the cabins elegantly appointed, with maids and servants to attend him. This time, however, after crossing the Yangtze to Yangzhou, he switched to fast horses and rode north the whole way. By the time he reached Xuzhou, he was utterly exhausted.

Though he arrived that very day, Yu Zhiyuan did not call upon them to request a meeting. Instead, he bathed and washed thoroughly, then slept soundly. Only the next day did he come calling, bearing gifts. By then his spirits seemed quite restored, betraying no sign of such a hurried journey — though, of course, his every movement could not be hidden from the Zhao Battalion.

"Big Brother, to move people and goods from Liaodong to Shandong and the Southern Metropolitan Region, our Xuzhou must use large ships. Moreover, the waters off Liaodong have sea ice in deep winter and early spring, so the turnaround voyages must be made in tight windows. Using merchant ships will inevitably cause delays. Your younger brother here has specially purchased five new Fujian ships, fully crewed, as a gift to you, Big Brother, to be used exclusively for transporting the Liao people. In another half month, the ships will reach Haizhou." Yu Zhiyuan made no mention of the Li Family, saying only that he wished to present a weighty gift.

The last time, Yu Zhiyuan had already given Zhao Jin one Fujian ship. Now there were six large ships in total. Fujian ships are broad, steady, and carry the heaviest loads — truly well suited to the Zhao Battalion's current needs. And this time Yu Zhiyuan was giving them as a gift, meaning they would belong to the Zhao Battalion for its exclusive use. The gesture was by no means small. One had to understand that in the present overseas trade, so long as these six Fujian ships avoided storms and pirates, a year's voyages would yield over a hundred thousand taels of silver in profit. Yet Yu Zhiyuan had simply given them away.

Yu Zhiyuan knew how to conduct himself. To bring up the Li Family now, or to speak of exclusive port rights, would only be inviting humiliation. Better to do well what could be done well. Yet as he spoke, Wang Zhaojing, seated beside Zhao Jin, wore an indifferent expression, and Zhao Jin himself only smiled placidly, showing neither delight nor excitement. Seeing this, a bitter smile surfaced on Yu Zhiyuan's face.

He remained silent for a moment, then spoke: "Your younger brother was wrong. The Yu Family was wrong. We all let the silver before our eyes muddle our heads and fell prey to this shortsightedness. I truly have no face to utter words of apology to Big Brother. Please, Big Brother, accept these ships, and watch how your younger brother conducts himself from now on!"

"Do you know what the matter is?" Since Yu Zhiyuan had brought it into the open, Zhao Jin asked him directly.

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