Chapter 1153: Those Participating in the Martial Contest

At present, beyond the territory controlled by the Zhao Character Camp in Xuzhou, to the north lay the government troops of Shandong's Denglai Garrison, to the west the Daming government troops and the newly established Henan government troops, to the east the sea, and to the south the government troops of the Central Capital Fengyang, the personal troops of the Fengyang Grand Coordinator, and the government troops of the Langshan Vice General. Even in the heartland of Xuzhou, there was still a force of the Xuzhou Military Commissioner.

From the broader strategic picture, the Zhao Character Camp was completely encircled by government troops, who also held the advantage in numbers. Yet anyone familiar with the true strength of both sides could easily judge their relative superiority. The Daming army, drawn from the three prefectures of Daming, Shunde, and Guangping, had a role to play in the grand scheme, but if it truly faced the Zhao Character Camp, its effect would be negligible.

The information Lei Cai had gathered went far beyond this. Letters sent from the capital to Yanzhou Prefecture, and the various people traveling from the capital to Yanzhou—Linqing was an unavoidable route. Though it was impossible to monitor every passing official and merchant exhaustively, there were still eyes watching them.

Yet before, during, and after the incidents in Jining and Qingzhou Prefecture, no suspicious individuals had crossed through.

"Since we can't figure out the truth, there's no need to waste too much effort on it. We'll stick to our old approach: when the water comes, block it with earth; when trouble arises, deal with it." Zhao Jin made this decision.

On the third day of the twelfth month, Zhao Jin gave his reply to the Qingjiangpu Chamber of Commerce, stating that he would participate in this year's martial contest. The contest was to be held on a grander and more ceremonious scale this time. Wherever financial or manpower support was needed, the Cloud Mountain Firm would provide assistance.

The moment this news was released, from Xuzhou to Pizhou, from Pizhou to Qingjiangpu, from Qingjiangpu to Yangzhou, from Yangzhou to Jiangnan, northward to Jining and Linqing, and westward to Kaifeng—all the wealthy idlers already following this martial contest were stirred into excitement.

Whether Xuzhou had been ravaged by the floods, whether its vitality had been severely damaged, how the court and local authorities would react because of this, what changes the situation might undergo—these wealthy idlers could not be bothered to care. Their only concern was whether the martial contest would still be held.

Such thrilling martial bouts, such revelry of sensual pleasures and entertainment, and moreover, a gathering of rich and profligate young masters from every corner of the realm, bringing their families' most boast-worthy possessions to compete—where else under heaven could this be found but Qingjiangpu?

After experiencing it last year, everyone had been thinking of it ever since. This year, all manner of splendid tales and anecdotes had already spread across the land, north and south. Wealthy and noble figures from the capital, Shanxi, Fujian, and Guangdong had even arrived in Qingjiangpu as early as the tenth month to wait. They were even more impatient than those great merchants who had invited Zhao Jin to come in person.

Once it was confirmed, everyone cheered and leaped for joy. They all understood perfectly: last year, without Zhao Jin present, the martial contest had already been a dazzling spectacle of unparalleled excitement. This time, with Zhao Jin here, what kind of wild revelry and grandeur would it be? This year, there would surely be spectacular sights to behold.

They were not the only ones cheering and leaping for joy. The various sorts who had made names and fortunes here in Qingjiangpu last year had long since arranged for people to keep watch here. As soon as this news spread, they hurried over to make preparations.

The pleasure houses and brothels of Yangzhou and Jiangnan, the various theater troupes, and the performers of acrobatics and variety shows all began rushing toward Qingjiangpu.

Even the merchants who had established trade connections here last year felt this was a rare opportunity. Pleasure and entertainment were one thing, but abundant business opportunities and the chance to make money together were another matter entirely.

With the news that the martial contest would be held and that Zhao Jin would attend in person, many people could not even see the year out properly, and some did not even plan to celebrate the New Year. Take, for instance, the largest jewelers of Jiangnan and Yangzhou. During last year's Qingjiangpu martial contest, aside from the martial bouts, those shameless profligate sons were competing in beauty pageants, while those who knew some decorum yet refused to be outdone flaunted their wealth—comparing their jewels was one of the events.

Seizing this opportunity, the jewelers had done considerable business. When they settled their accounts afterward, everyone was shocked. The business done in a mere half-month rivaled several months of the off-season, and was even comparable to peak seasons like the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival. Moreover, for the jewelry trade, this was an excellent chance to build their reputation. Those famous shops of Suzhou and Nanjing, with their exquisite designs and fine materials, had reputations confined to Jiangnan. After doing business at the Qingjiangpu martial contest, their fame could spread to places north of the Yangtze, all the way to the capital, and even to Shanxi. For the long term, they naturally had to come again this time.

Everyone had originally conducted business only where their shops were located. But after this martial contest, they all understood something, realizing the importance of a trade distribution hub.

Beyond the jewelry business, there were also dealers in fine silks and fabrics, merchants of cosmetics and perfumes, and even the largest slave traders from both sides of the Yangtze. Anyone whose business catered to the wealthy and noble flocked here.

Whether they were rich profligates or the various sorts who did business with them, they all knew one advantage Qingjiangpu had that no other place could match: there would be no riffraff causing trouble. If you went elsewhere, you first had to offer tribute to the local boss who had the final say, and you also had to pay your respects to every local power faction. As for those honey-trap extortion schemes, rigged gambling setups to cheat and blackmail, even drugging people unconscious to rob them, or murder for profit—none of that existed here. There were not even beggars or pickpockets on the streets. One could enjoy oneself at ease and stay with peace of mind.

Last year, it had not been so peaceful. Qingjiangpu, being a water and land hub and a gathering place for all manner of bold figures, saw many wealthy idlers and those doing business here suffer losses and misfortunes. They had gone to the Zhao Character Camp to air their grievances, though they held no hope for any resolution—they merely wanted to vent their frustrations and resentment. Who could have imagined that the subsequent handling would be so swift and decisive? Pickpockets, bandits, swindlers, and all such sorts were caught, beaten, or killed, and stolen goods were returned. The efficiency was immeasurably higher than that of the government offices. Before long, Qingjiangpu had become a realm of perfect peace. For the sake of this peace, people were willing to come here.

Of course, the heart of this martial contest was still the martial bouts themselves. The merchants of Qingjiangpu and Yangzhou had invested heavily to make this contest a glorious event, inviting all manner of powerful and skilled fighters to compete.

The origins of these martial arts masters were not at all like those described in storytellers' tales and romances, where the more ignorant a village child, the more likely they were to encounter some great master or renowned teacher—such as a beggar, monk, or Daoist possessing supreme skills, who, because the child gave them half a corn bun or helped them up, would generously impart martial arts and let them become famous throughout the land.

There are not that many miracles and coincidences in this world. What is called martial prowess—natural talent and comprehension are certainly important, but even more critical are postnatal training and equipment. To put it more bluntly, it is the common saying: "Poor in letters, rich in martial arts." No matter how innately brilliant you are, no matter how high your comprehension, if you are frail and weak, holding a wooden stick or a rusty blade, you cannot defeat an opponent of mediocre talent who is robust and strong, wielding a sharp weapon of forged steel.

To learn martial arts, the fundamental requirement is to eat one's fill. This alone excludes the children of many commoner households. To have strength, one must eat meat—a condition that even families of middling means cannot easily satisfy. To avoid suffering losses in a fight, one naturally needs weapons and protective gear forged from good iron and fine steel, which even a small landlord in a poor, remote area might not be able to afford. As for learning techniques and understanding how to adapt in combat, that requires hiring a renowned teacher, which is yet another expense. If you then factor in archery and horsemanship, there is simply nothing more to be said.

Moreover, the career paths for martial learning were few. From the guard-battalion military households of the Great Ming's government troops to the present-day recruited armies, military officers had always emphasized hereditary origins. That is to say, if you wanted to become a military officer or general, it was not enough for a commoner to enlist or to come from an ordinary military household. You had to hold some hereditary rank, such as hundred-man commander or thousand-man commander. Although there were exceptions like Ma Fang, these were, after all, exceptions. Consider Yu Dayou, who rose to prominence in the Jiajing era—what merits did he not achieve? Yet because he came from a hundred-man commander background, his official career was exceptionally fraught. In contrast, Qi Jiguang, with whom he is often paired, had a smooth path, one reason being that Qi Jiguang held the hereditary rank of assistant brigade commander.

There is an even more absurd point: if you wished to learn martial arts to serve the nation, enlisting in the army would only make you a common soldier. Some might say you could take the military examinations, but the path to official rank for the Great Ming's military households was open only to those of guard-battalion origin. Commoners were not qualified. Since there was no future, and since even a starving poor man could study books to gain official rank and bring glory to his ancestors, and in this world civil was honored and martial despised, who would still be willing to learn martial arts?

Outside of these hereditary military households, who would learn martial arts? Who could master martial skills well? And why would they learn? In truth, only the sons of local hegemonic and powerful families would devote themselves to learning. Of course, there were also children from poor families and commoner households who loved practicing martial arts, and there were literati and scholars fond of swordsmanship and archery. But the majority who learned, and who could achieve mastery, were either from hereditary military households who made it their profession, or the sons of local hegemons.

Local strongmen had vast family enterprises to watch over and maintain. How to guard against mounted bandits and raiders, how to suppress unruly tenant farmers and hired hands, how to contend with other strongmen over water and land—hiring martial instructors was one method, but instructors were, after all, outsiders. Having sons study books to gain official rank was another method, but not everyone could succeed at that. Even if one passed the examinations, someone still had to watch over the family.

Therefore, true martial practitioners often came from hegemonic and powerful families, or had inextricable ties to such households. Only in such an environment could one eat one's fill, have sufficient strength to train, and have the wealth to sustain the consumption and equipment.

Zhao Jin had originally thought that those sects and schools were merely the stuff of novels and legends; he had not expected that such factions truly existed. The factions within the cities sheltered prostitution and protected gambling, while those outside the cities committed murder and robbery. But more often, these factions relied on armed force to seize farmland, set up roadblocks and toll stations, or traffic in illicit salt. To name one example, the Shaolin Temple from which Niu Jinbao hailed was a great hegemon of Henan. All the farmland around Mount Song belonged to Shaolin Temple, and by exploiting the tax-exempt privileges of monks and Daoists, Shaolin Temple had also enclosed and occupied vast tracts of land.

How was this land enclosed and seized? Using influence to pressure people was one way, but the crucial factor was the multitude of warrior monks who could wield blades and staves. Under such armed force, even the magistrate's office of Dengfeng had to swallow its anger and hold its tongue. The local landlords and gentry could only mutter their assent. This was even more true for the illicit salt trade and various businesses within the Mount Song area. Setting aside those operated by Shaolin Temple itself, if other powers came to operate without showing proper respect to Shaolin Temple, how could they possibly carry on?

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