Chapter 1148: Precautions in Qingzhou Prefecture

Just like that, they arrived at Yizhou in Yanzhou Prefecture. Met by the local Internal Guard, the company led by Zhao Jin set up camp at the Tian family estate. Only after halting there did Zhao Jin announce three days of rest and reorganization, with further movements to await orders. It was at this moment that everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief; by the customs of the Zhao Character Camp, this was when true rest and relaxation began.

When Zhao Jin arrived at this Tian estate, the locals only knew some great magnate had come, but not who. Only Tian Long of the Tian family knew the full story. He had long since come out from Yizhou city to welcome them, mobilizing the Tian family's supplies to provision Zhao Jin's thousand-strong cavalry force. Although the daily consumption of supplies by over a thousand men and horses, plus carts and draft animals, was enormous, the Tian family could afford it, because during their provisioning of Gegou Outpost they had already learned that the Zhao Character Camp would never take or use anything for free. The winter supplies they allocated now would be replenished before long, and there would be other benefits besides.

"Your younger brother is doing well in Xuzhou. His prospects won't be poor... You have many connections among the Shandong scholarly circles. Make some inquiries for me about any recent stirrings, especially concerning the Shu family — the Shu family of Juzhou, the one with relatives who are capital officials..." Zhao Jin gave Tian Long some simple instructions. Tian Long hurriedly agreed and went off to carry them out.

As for the stirrings in Shandong scholarly circles, particularly the causes and consequences of that scholar riot in Jining, Ma Chonghao and Lei Cai, who had rushed back, had already investigated most of it. With Zhao Jin's backing, Ma Chonghao had truly used thunderous measures this time, bringing all of the Zhao Character Camp's connections and deterrent power in Shandong to bear. The literati and scholars they arrested not only faced no trouble from the authorities, but even had their official examination degrees stripped. This struck directly at the scholars' very lifeline; without those degrees, many were left with nothing at all.

Moreover, when scholars speak of serving the country and the people, they are often full of righteous fervor, as if upholding the very truth of heaven and earth. Yet when truly faced with a crisis, few have the backbone to stand firm. There had been such men, indeed there had, but there were none in Jining this time — including that Licensed Scholar Chen who had charged to the front holding a spirit tablet. After being arrested and brought to the Patrol Regiment headquarters, he held nothing back and spilled everything, even exposing all the private misdeeds of his close classmates and friends.

This Jining disturbance, aside from the connivance of the local authorities, had eight scholars as its ringleaders: three Provincial Graduates and five Licensed Scholars. Except for one who slipped away quickly and went into hiding early with relatives in another province, all the rest were caught in one sweep. These men likewise poured out everything they should and shouldn't have said, leaving nothing untold.

The reason these men acted so recklessly and boldly was, astonishingly, also due to letters from the capital. Two capital officials of Jining origin had written to these few men, promising all sorts of future career benefits, and then instructing them on how to network and stir up trouble — even detailing how to deal with others if they tried to desert at the critical moment. By the conventions of the Great Ming officialdom, even those serving as officials in the capital had to maintain close ties with their home regions. Thus, these people all had mutual interests and connections. The scholars chosen by those two capital officials all had various relationships with them, and the promises made were all very enticing — some concerned examination degrees and official careers, others the care of their families — making it impossible to refuse.

Ma Chonghao, an old hand at investigating cases, also uncovered many details. The letter carriers were all traveling merchants passing through Jining; delivering letters along the way was a common custom. They would arrange for their subordinates to deliver the letters and then continue south or north. Not only did the recipients not know them, but the letter carriers themselves could no longer be found now. Yet this was an entirely commonplace practice.

However, the investigation could only go so far. The rest would have to wait for Ma Liu and the others to make inquiries in the capital. That Jining could erupt into chaos — aside from someone networking and inciting them — was ultimately because the locals resented the influx of Xuzhou people. The benefits of the officials and runners were affected, the interests of the gentry and local strongmen were encroached upon, and the Zhao Character Camp's rules and methods of operation were incompatible with the literati and scholars. In such an atmosphere, a single spark was naturally enough to ignite chaos. They just never imagined the Zhao Character Camp could bring so much force to bear and act with such resolve.

"To be able to arrange so many things and accomplish so much, he should know what kind of strength our Zhao Character Camp possesses, and should be able to deduce how we would respond. Yet he still did it. Why? Does he want to sow discord between us and the locals? To ruin our reputation? None of that means much. When have we ever cared about such relationships or reputation?" After receiving word from Ma Chonghao, Zhao Jin racked his brains but could not figure out the reason.

On such matters, none of the people accompanying him this time could offer any useful reference. Zhao Jin could only keep asking himself questions and answering them, trying to see if he could find a line of thought. Ji Xiang merely served as a listener.

"The situation in Jining is very similar to that in Yishui and Juzhou — all relying on letters from capital officials to push these disturbances targeting us, using borrowed influence to pressure people. Those approached dared not refuse, and being lured by profit, they often took the initiative to act. There's just one thing we don't know now: what exactly is the relationship between the one who came forward in Yishui and Juzhou, and the one pulling strings behind the scenes in Jining?"

"Big Brother, all this chaos stems from the river dike breach. Outsiders think our Xuzhou has suffered a severe blow to its vitality, and they're all recklessly swarming in to pick up the scraps!" Ji Xiang had his own judgment.

Zhao Jin nodded slowly and said in a deep voice, "You're not wrong. But it's also possible that whoever is orchestrating this knows our Xuzhou suffered no real damage and is simply using that news to fan the flames. Still, I don't think it will end so lightly. There must be a follow-up move."

"Daxiang, take half a regiment of the Personal Guard Brigade's First Regiment, assign you two hundred mounted household troopers, and recruit volunteer cavalry yourself. Then, I will organize fourteen Tuanlian companies here in Yizhou. You will command these men and thoroughly purge the area encompassing Yishui, Juzhou, and Mengyin." After pondering for a moment, Zhao Jin spoke.

Hearing this arrangement, Ji Xiang's eyes immediately lit up. Could this be letting him hold a territory on his own? Ji Xiang's heart surged with excitement, yet he still took a few deep breaths and said, "Big Brother, if your little brother is not by your side, who will lead the Personal Guard Brigade to protect you? Your little brother cannot bear to leave..."

Ji Xiang's insincere words made Zhao Jin burst out laughing. He pointed at Ji Xiang a few times and said, "You think you're being sent out never to return? Dream on. When the time comes, I'll still want you back. The Personal Guard Brigade must be led by you. Giving you this much strength means that area can be swept clean quickly. When it's done, you bring the men back!"

Every time he wanted to be posted out, every time it failed. This time was another false joy, but this false joy didn't disappoint Ji Xiang much. He chuckled dryly a few times and then said, "Big Brother, if we're just going to sweep the place, why use such an overwhelming blade? Leave one pike company and one firelock company, assign one three-pounder cannon, and then two hundred mounted household troopers — that's more than enough to sweep it clean!"

The strength of half a Personal Guard Brigade regiment was roughly the size of an ordinary regiment in the other brigades, not to mention adding mounted household troopers and volunteer cavalry, and then fourteen more Tuanlian companies. This was equivalent to stationing a brigade at the border between Qingzhou Prefecture and Yizhou in Yanzhou Prefecture. To deal with local gentry private troops, this was truly not using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken — it was using a tiger-slaying blade on a chicken. Ji Xiang's thinking was simple: if he was doing a job outside, using such overwhelming force wouldn't showcase his ability.

"That thousand elite cavalry we brought — do you think there's any enemy in the Yishui area that could stand against them? Counting even the government troops there?" Zhao Jin posed a question.

"Even if they gathered all their regular troops and local militia together, they'd be no match for us, and we'd sweep them away in a single battle." Ji Xiang answered without any hesitation.

Zhao Jin's expression turned solemn. He said in a deep voice, "This force is not for you to deal with the locals. It's to prepare to meet the government troops from Dengzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture."

Ji Xiang was stunned for a moment, then immediately became stern. The government troops of Dengzhou and Laizhou could be said to be the only threat to the Zhao Character Camp within Shandong Province. But Ji Xiang quickly asked in confusion, "Big Brother, but the Yishui and Juzhou region is a terrain with mountains on two sides and facing the sea on one. For the Dengzhou-Laizhou Garrison troops to come, they'd have to detour through Yanzhou Prefecture, and they'd certainly be blocked by Second Brother's First Brigade. Besides, we have so many eyes and ears in Dengzhou Prefecture — the moment they move, we'd definitely get word."

"But the eyes and ears have to detour too!" Zhao Jin said, then continued, "Although there's a mountain range cutting between them, there are also small paths through it. While these paths can't accommodate a large army, if they spare no expense and don't care about speed, they could still get through. They could even be brought up by sea from Andong Guard. The reason I rushed back in such a hurry is that this suddenly occurred to me. That area is a remote place — inconvenient for government troops to go, but also inconvenient for us to go. And the locals are hostile everywhere. If the government troops are willing to invest heavily, wouldn't we be in danger?"

These words made Ji Xiang start in alarm. He instinctively lowered his voice and said, "Big Brother, do you mean they're setting a trap over there?"

"Not necessarily a trap, but as long as the possibility exists, we must treat it with extreme caution. You'll take your force there and do several things. If a large body of government troops enters, and if they openly and brazenly garrison themselves, then you are to stand ready in strict formation. If they attack and harass us, we will resolutely counterattack. If you discover a large armed force of unknown identity, you must annihilate them. If necessary, have the First Brigade coordinate." Zhao Jin spoke slowly but resolutely.

Hearing Zhao Jin speak thus, Ji Xiang grinned savagely and said, "Rest assured, Big Brother. Even if all the troops in Shandong came, Second Brother and I could swallow them whole. When that time comes, all of Shandong will be our family's territory."

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded. The combined strength of the First Brigade and Ji Xiang's force was something the Shandong government troops could not contend with. He smiled and continued, "But the most likely scenario is that the government troops show their face once and then shrink back. If it reaches that step, we'll know who's behind this."

"If someone can command the Shandong government troops, then it must be Wei Zhongxian. Only he could mobilize such a large force and push multiple fronts to advance simultaneously." Ji Xiang was often at Zhao Jin's side; having listened for so long, he naturally had his own deductions.

"If it's Wei Zhongxian, then that's fine. What worries me now is whether someone else has gotten involved. If it gets complicated, there'll be trouble." Zhao Jin said in a muffled voice.

Thanks to old friends "User Dongfang, Qi Sanwen" for their tips, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Brothers, cast your monthly tickets for the beginning of July! Gotta change your luck from the stock market!