Chapter 1149: Preparing for a Rainy Day

Once the discussion was settled, after a few days of rest and recovery, Zhao Jin took seven companies and departed. Ji Xiang and the three companies belonging to the First Regiment of the Personal Guard Brigade remained behind, waiting for the follow-up forces to arrive. His three companies were not weak in Yizhou; the local militia from several surrounding farmsteads had already been concentrated and placed under his command. Even the Tian family themselves had organized two hundred able-bodied men to serve.

Beyond this, Ji Xiang also issued hero invitations through the Tian family. Following the precedent set by the Zhao Character Camp in Xuzhou and Pizhou, they recruited volunteer riders in the counties and districts of the eastern half of Yanzhou Prefecture. Anyone who had a guarantor, brought their own horse, possessed skilled martial arts, and met these conditions could register. Once qualified, they would be recruited, with all food, clothing, and expenses covered by the Zhao Character Camp, and rewards given based on merit.

As soon as the news spread, many Shandong martial artists from all directions came to join them. Even among the already gathered Liaodong deserters, many were eager to try. The Shandong officialdom, the military, and the top gentry and magnates of every prefecture all knew what kind of colossal entity the Zhao Character Camp was. The areas around Jining and southwestern Shandong had even witnessed the Zhao Character Camp's might during the Smelling Incense Sect rebellion. These people and these places were naturally filled with extreme awe.

But for the counties and districts in other parts of Shandong, the presence of the Xuzhou Zhao Character Camp was not strong. In places where the Zhao Character Camp's farming and trade systems had not reached, and which had not been affected by the great chaos, everyone thought the Zhao Character Camp was merely a legend, still very far from their own homes, and not something they needed to pay much attention to. That was why the Tian brothers of Yizhou dared to stir up trouble, only to have Zhao Jin charge over and capture them directly. Only then did the eastern part of Yanzhou Prefecture become respectful and submissive, while the three districts of Yishui, Mengyin, and Juzhou and their surrounding areas repeated this same process.

When Xuzhou established farmsteads there, gathering Liaodong refugees and opening up wasteland, the local gentry, magnates, and the outlaws of the rivers and lakes all felt that outsiders had come to seize territory and benefits. Not only did each harbor hostility, but they even coveted this seemingly "unsupported" piece of fat meat. The instigation behind the scenes was certainly a reason, but there is no wave without wind; the two sides hit it off immediately.

Four farmsteads were broken and massacred. The local magnates divided up the farmsteads' fields. Those who acted felt they had gained a great advantage, while those who did not were all watching Xuzhou's humiliation, thinking that Xuzhou didn't understand the rules and deserved such an outcome. No one imagined that retribution would come so quickly. Before everyone had even enjoyed a few days of satisfaction, over a thousand armored, mounted warriors came charging over.

Conflicts between villages, stockades, and mounted bandits, with mutual attacks and defenses, were all common, and the fighting could be described as brutal. But all these battles had rules. For example, when villages fought each other, no one reported it to the authorities. If government runners came to the countryside, the fighting had to stop. If the authorities came to investigate, everyone kept each other's secrets. They would even only start fighting at dawn and dusk, because there were fewer people around then, fewer witnesses, and the disturbance wouldn't spread far. When mounted bandits targeted a village, they wouldn't go near one too close to a city, nor would they desperately assault a particular place, because that would alert the authorities and make everyone share a common hatred. And sometimes, if a surprise attack failed, those earthen-walled strongholds were indeed impossible to crack.

Who could have imagined that Xuzhou's warriors paid no heed to any rules whatsoever? They simply fought their way straight through in a bloodbath. No matter how steep the mountain stronghold, no matter how impenetrable the village, all were smashed as easily as breaking dry weeds and rotten wood. Then everyone involved had their heads chopped off. Lü Family Village, which was close to the city, was massacred in broad daylight just like that. And then those Xuzhou troops weren't even afraid of government soldiers. They turned back and scattered several thousand local militia, then swaggered off with great fanfare.

As for tales that these Xuzhou men all rode tall, large horses, that every man wore iron armor, that they supposedly had cannons capable of blasting down gates and thick walls, and that each man was a green-faced, tusked monster who ate people and drank blood — these were all legends that grew more absurd the further they spread. Yet people couldn't help but believe them. If they weren't such demons and monsters, how could they have destroyed cities and taken strongholds, sweeping through both the righteous and the underworld here?

When Xuzhou had originally lain low without making any moves, everyone thought it was a big cat. Only after it rose did they discover it was a tiger. Once they discovered such a colossal entity, those who had been watching and waiting naturally understood what to do. The state has its king's law, and the locality has its own rules. The local rule was that the strong devour the weak. Since the Zhao Character Camp was sufficiently powerful, everyone knew how to act. The scene of sons and brothers joining the army, just like in Xuzhou and Pizhou, appeared once more.

On the fourth day after Zhao Jin left Gegou Shop, at a place twenty li north of Gegou Shop, the farming and land-reclamation farmstead began reconstruction. But this time, the farmstead was not the least bit simplified. Defensive fortifications and everything else were fully equipped. Moreover, an old local militia company from the northern district of Huai'an was transferred to take charge. Digging earth and building in winter was all hardship. The reason everything could be completed so thoroughly was that they had commandeered the local villages and stockades.

As for the villages and stockades involved in attacking the Xuzhou farmsteads, those that were completely massacred need not be mentioned. For the rest, the entire village population was relocated elsewhere to reclaim new land. People connected to the Zhao Character Camp's trade and farming operations openly and directly approached the government offices, demanding they issue documents, and directly swallowed up the village fields of those who had colluded with the bandits.

This move was the true deterrent. Yishui, Mengyin, Juzhou, and the surrounding areas were all silenced like cicadas in winter. Although the lives of those relocated commoners might perhaps be better in the future, for the majority of people here, this was uprooting them completely, ensuring they wouldn't even have a hometown. This was true ruthlessness that cut off one's descendants. How could it not make their hearts and gall bladders tremble with cold, terrified of being caught up in it?

Single riders, and teams of three or five volunteer cavalry and Zhao Character Camp light cavalry, began roaming the southern part of Qingzhou Prefecture. They paid no attention to the stirrings of the city governments. The movements of local tyrants and gentry were no longer worth caring about. They were all watching to see if large groups of government troops appeared.

Near the twelfth month, government troops appeared. Their numbers were roughly over three thousand. They looked exhausted, bedraggled, and as if they had suffered greatly. At least half of this government force had Liaodong accents. Even the Battalion Commanders and Brigade Commanders were men from Liaodong. According to news gathered from villages along the way, they must have traveled through the mountain paths, which explained why they were so worn out.

However, while this government force was marching through the mountain paths, news traveled poorly. Their movements over ten days or even longer might not be known. Once they were known, this force's movements were also quite interesting. They simply marched east along the main road, apparently planning to take the main road back to Dengzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture. The First Brigade and the Zhao Character Camp's various forces in Shandong were naturally on high alert and arrayed for battle. However, this government force was as cautious and careful as possible, seeking above all to avoid any misunderstanding or conflict with the Zhao Character Camp.

The appearance of this government force in southern Qingzhou Prefecture could be said to be very sudden. But those with a nimble mind, connecting the events of this period, could roughly deduce the truth. Yet few people took the initiative to speak of it openly. Everyone understood tacitly and let it pass with ambiguity.

"It must be that the officials and people of Yishui and Juzhou sent urgent reports begging for help. But given our actions, the Shandong government and military dared not interfere. The only one who could move them is Wei Zhongxian. As expected, it is Wei Zhongxian." After this news was urgently reported to Xuzhou, Zhao Jin made his judgment.

Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui, who were also in the council hall, both felt somewhat relieved. Wang Zhaojing smiled and said, "If there were still someone in the court eyeing us, then the time to act and undertake great matters would have to be moved forward. But this year is not a good time. The matter of the river embankment breach is not major, but the rumors are not small. Many people around are worried and watching."

In this era, most people would never leave a region a hundred li in diameter around them their entire lives, or even just a few dozen li. This was true not only for the poor commoners but also for the wealthy gentry. Without leaving their locality, their only channel for news was hearsay. Others said the embankment here in Xuzhou had breached, floods had caused disaster, so many had died, and the losses were so severe. There were always doubts, yet they believed. Few people, because of their doubts, went to Xuzhou to see for themselves. These increasingly absurd rumors became the source of truth.

Who didn't know the immense harm of flood disasters, washing away city walls and fields, drowning people and livestock? The disasters of the Yellow River need even less mention. Thus, from south to north, except for Xuzhou itself and the counties adjacent to Xuzhou, everywhere else believed Xuzhou's vitality had been severely damaged. Only after the Zhao Character Camp killed the chicken to warn the monkey in Yishui did the suspicions begin to lessen.

"The matter of recruiting workers and relocating people cannot stop because of the New Year. Feel free to spend the money in our treasury; it won't be used up too much," Zhao Jin instructed.

Starting from autumn, the Zhao Character Camp's Artisan Hall had begun recruiting labor on a large scale. Skill or lack thereof was not a restriction, as long as one was willing to work and exert effort. However, the scope of labor recruitment was limited to the commoners within Xuzhou City and Xiao County's county seat, as well as the villages outside the cities. After recruitment, entire families were relocated to the area southwest of He Family Village to work. Here, large weaving factories had already been built one after another. Outside the factories were the weavers' residences. Everywhere were orderly, connected rows of newly built villages.

Besides the weaving factories, the ironware workshops were also recruiting labor. The port and lumber yards in Haizhou also had a great demand for manpower. Moreover, the Zhao Character Camp's farmsteads in the Shandong region were also recruiting Xuzhou commoners to go and populate them. Those who went were immediately exempted from grain taxes for five years and granted farming tools and seeds. If they were willing to follow the Zhao Character Camp's arrangements, the benefits would be even greater.

Then, within the designated area, if you wished to continue living there, the Zhao Character Camp would collect "Peace Regular Fee," "Flood Control Regular Fee," "Maintenance Regular Fee," and a motley assortment of other levies. Their methods of scraping the earth were far superior to the government's. But as soon as you no longer lived in this area, these fees would immediately cease to be collected.

Anyone could see the Zhao Character Camp's intention. It was to transfer the population of Xuzhou City and Xiao County's county seat area as much as possible. The combined population of these two places was nearly two hundred thousand. Such a relocation was a matter of enormous expense and great consequence. Although the commoners of Xuzhou had already realized that working was better than farming, and that being at He Family Village was better than enduring hardship in Xuzhou, many still found it hard to understand. Many were reluctant to leave their native land.

The common people were originally just enduring hardship in the city. The Zhao Character Camp gave them a better livelihood and a way out. For the sake of supporting their families, there was no real talk of being unable to leave their native land. The best example was the distilleries. The three large distilleries in Xuzhou City all moved to the Dangshan area. After the distilleries agreed to take everyone along and provided houses for resettlement, few were willing to stay behind. This time, with the weaving factories and workshops recruiting labor, many people might not necessarily be willing, but they knew how to choose.

Thanks to old friends "Mu Ming, Bu Junxiao, Qi Sanwen, Duan Yichen, Dai Bawang, Feng Zhong Longwang" for the tips. Thank you everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. At the start of the month, please give plenty of support with monthly tickets.