Chapter 1194: Qufu

Zhao Jin had seen a similar expression before — when the muskets fired a volley at the martial artists on the training ground, Niu Jinbao had worn that exact same look. When a warrior who revered close-quarters combat saw firearms appear on the field, no matter how unwilling he was, he knew that the skills he had relied on all his life were about to become obsolete. His spirits were never going to lift.

"Dalin, write down what I say. This Shang Family Manor must be restored as quickly as possible. It will be administered as an agricultural reclamation estate. Relocate three thousand households from the nearby Zhao Battalion estates into it. We'll also establish eight separate companies of local militia here. The required materials and labor will be apportioned and levied on the major households of Yucheng County, Xiayi County, and Shangqiu County. After that, for every prefecture, county, and garrison in Guide Prefecture — any family holding over five thousand mu of land must send their eldest son and one other son to Xuzhou. If they don't have that many sons, they'll send nephews. If a family line is ending, they'll send their daughters. Have Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui send out the notices and record the time they're received. Calculate based on the travel distance — anyone who takes more than ten days to set out after receiving the notice will be considered an enemy of the Zhao Battalion." Zhao Jin looked at the ruins before him and spoke in a deep voice.

Sun Dalin had already dismounted. He casually found a level spot, spread out paper and brush, and began rapidly recording. The Sun family was wealthy; even their martial-inclined sons could read and write. Sun Dalin now also handled some clerical duties, recording and relaying orders at any time. Behind his back, he had earned the nickname "the young clerk with a blade."

Zhao Jin also swung down from his horse and walked to a half-collapsed wall. He reached out and touched the broken edge. This section must have been hit by a cannonball of nine pounds or more — one side of the wall had been directly smashed down, and the part still standing was shattered throughout. Just as Sun Dalin was about to put away his paper and brush, Zhao Jin spoke again: "Anyone from Xuzhou, Pizhou, or the Huaian North District who is willing to come to Guide Prefecture to take up arms and work — grant each person three hundred mu of land, with a ten-year exemption from taxes and levies, regardless of age or background."

Over on the other side, Zhang Hubin was hurrying toward him. His face carried a trace of anxiety, but also some excitement. He came up and said, "Just now while counting the prisoners, Yang Zhaoji's personal guards were caught. They confessed that before and during the deployment of troops, Yang Zhaoji had been in constant contact with Datong Garrison and Taiyuan Garrison. Shanxi border troops could enter Henan at any time."

The troops of the Great Ming's Nine Border Garrisons were reputed to be the most elite. Shanxi's Datong Garrison and Taiyuan Garrison had always been the very front line against the Mongol tribes of the steppe — from the Oirat Esen Taishi back then, to Dayan Khan the Little Prince, then to Altan Khan later, and now Ligdan Khan. Although they had never won any notable victories, their combat experience was extensive, and they had always been regarded as a crack force. As expected, the court would not send just a single army — they were mobilizing the strength of the entire realm to come.

"Old Zhou has plenty of little schemes," Zhao Jin said with a laugh, but then added indifferently, "Knowing this news or not makes no difference. We'll have to fight them anyway once they arrive. Besides, they haven't even left Shanxi yet — there's still plenty of time."

Zhang Hubin nodded as well. Shanxi's terrain was naturally enclosed, known as a land hemmed in by mountains and rivers. Moving a large army outward always took considerable time. And counting the days, if they hadn't moved yet, by the time they mustered troops and marched into Henan, they would likely run into the ice breakup and spring floods on the Yellow River. At that point, crossing the river by boat would be impossible, delaying them for another ten days or more. Under such circumstances, there truly was no need to be overly concerned.

"Hubin, what do you think of this Shang Family Manor?" Zhao Jin asked.

"It's very well built. If it weren't for running into our Zhao Battalion, neither government troops nor bandits would have been able to take it easily. The high walls and deep moats were all constructed with care. The wells and hidden channels inside and outside the manor mean there's no fear of the water supply being cut off from outside. And there are well-stocked cellars and storehouses. Add to that the large population here, and it could easily withstand a siege by several times its number of troops," Zhang Hubin assessed in a measured, standard fashion.

Zhao Jin nodded and said, "By Guide Prefecture's organizational standards, we could station a brigade here, but that's not necessary yet. At the very least, there should be a regiment. I plan to build a fortress based around this Shang Family Manor. This will be our Xuzhou's western gateway."

"If this place were manned by our Xuzhou's household troops and militia, and equipped with our Xuzhou's cannons — never mind several times the government troops, even ten times or more wouldn't be able to take it!" Zhang Hubin said with a smile.

After saying this, Zhang Hubin drew closer to Zhao Jin and said in a low voice, "Master, do these prisoners really have to be sent to the Huaian North District? With fighting going on on several fronts right now, escorting these prisoners will inevitably tie up our forces. If any trouble breaks out during the escort, it'll be even more troublesome. Why not just leave them here under the guard of the estate militia?"

"If we keep them locally, the natives of this Shang Family Manor and the government soldiers will inevitably cause chaos. Even if we can suppress it, people will keep coming to stir them up and incite action. Send them to the Huaian North District — the port expansion, the dredging of the Salt Transport River, there's plenty of labor waiting for them to do. After a few years of hard work there, once their minds are settled, they can become our people." Zhao Jin replied without any room for compromise.

Zhang Hubin nodded, then lowered his voice even further: "Master, regarding the Second Master in Shandong, and Qingjiangpu..."

"We can. Only now do we have the chance to focus our efforts on building and consolidation. This is the first wave — we can still maneuver. We must seize hold of this manpower. If things truly reach an ugly stage, we won't have any leeway left for building!" Zhao Jin said decisively.

Qufu County in Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong, was the seat of the Ducal Kong Manor of the Yansheng Duke. This place was the fief of the Yansheng Duke's Kong family. The county magistrate and all the officials, great and small, within the county yamen were concurrently held by members of the Kong Manor. From the founding of the Great Ming to the present day, this place had been the second center of Yanzhou Prefecture. Together with the Lu Prince Manor, it had carved up and devoured most of Yanzhou Prefecture's benefits. It was even the third center of Shandong — the Kong Manor demanded a share of most of Shandong's benefits as well.

No matter who the Great Ming Emperor was, whether diligent in governance or absurdly hedonistic, their reverence and favor toward the Kong Manor never changed, growing greater with each generation. The scale and power of the Yansheng Ducal Manor swelled with each generation as well. Of course, this scale and power referred only to family property and wealth. The Kong Manor endlessly annexed land, endlessly monopolized commerce and trade, earning ever more money — without end.

But one could not say without end. This seemingly irreversible momentum of expansion was checked during the Tianqi reign, and even began to recede. The Kong Manor's estates began to change hands. The industries the Kong Manor monopolized began to be encroached upon by outsiders. Kong family sons even suffered death and injury outside. In past years, had such a situation occurred, even against a Zhu family princely fief, the Yansheng Duke would have dared to fight the lawsuit all the way to the imperial presence of the Son of Heaven. But this time, they were helpless.

Methods that had worked for centuries, rules that had been universally followed for centuries — none of them worked against that Zhao Jin of Xuzhou. In the past, powerful local magnates like this all had their limits. If things got out of hand, they would provoke a joint encirclement by government troops, and no matter how many tricks you had up your sleeve, you'd end up as scattered ashes and smoke. But this Zhao Battalion of Xuzhou was not afraid of government troops at all. Every time they clashed, it was a great victory. This left people utterly helpless. Even the Shandong Grand Coordinator and the Regional Commander had to swallow their anger and hold their tongues. At this point, the Kong family could only pinch their noses and endure it.

If the Kong family's interests were elsewhere, it might have been fine, but their core interests were precisely here in Yanzhou Prefecture. They had originally thought that with the Lu principality destroyed, the entire region would be their family's domain. They never imagined that even their own family businesses were about to be completely devoured and seized by the Zhao Battalion of Xuzhou. Yanzhou Prefecture bordered Xuzhou. Every step Xuzhou advanced, the Kong family could only retreat one step. But how big was Yanzhou Prefecture? In just a few years' time, they could already see there was no more room to retreat.

Many Kong clansmen and related sons who had been stationed outside managing affairs all returned to Qufu. They had been throwing their weight around and acting tyrannically outside, but once their business territories were gone, they could only come back and endure hardship. Here on Qufu's turf, the prestige and power you wielded outside counted for nothing. Everyone was stifled and frustrated, full of pent-up anger. Drunken brawls and fights broke out daily inside and outside Qufu city, making the common people's lives miserable.

After enduring this for only a short while, suddenly the court was going to send several armies to jointly encircle and suppress the Xuzhou rebels. The entire atmosphere in Qufu instantly became fervent. The firecrackers set off for the New Year this time were far more numerous than in previous years. Everyone discussed it with elated spirits — once the government troops wiped out those Xuzhou bandits, Shandong would once again be the domain of us descendants of the Sage. Everyone would also go to Xuzhou to make a fortune. They had heard about the distilleries, the salt works, the textile mills, and such — every one a business of mountains of gold and seas of silver. Even dignified Kong family elders and seniors had already begun quarreling over how to divide the spoils after victory.

The Yansheng Duke's considerations were even more thorough. He specially arranged for his second son to go to the capital to see Wei Zhongxian and deliver New Year's gifts, a way of giving advance notice and filing a report. The upright literati and scholars of the realm all dared not associate with the eunuch faction — doing so would mean immediate ruin of reputation and career. But the Kong family had no such fear. Even if they colluded and kept company with them, who could do anything to the Kong family? In the end, everyone would just have to pretend not to see it.

Besides the connections and arrangements to be made in the capital, Qufu itself also began organizing militia and village braves. It wasn't that they expected these civilian levies to go fight the Xuzhou bandits. Rather, after the government troops won, someone would have to go and seize those Xuzhou properties. When the time came, besides the prestige of being descendants of the Sage, they would also need the fists of their underlings and servants.

All this excitement and preparation of the Kong family had nothing to do with Kong Zhang of Fangshan Town. Fangshan Town lay southwest of Qufu County seat. For people from the Yizhou area in eastern Yanzhou Prefecture, and from Yishui County and Ju Prefecture in southern Qingzhou Prefecture, who wanted to reach the western part of Yanzhou Prefecture or reach the Grand Canal, passing between Mount Meng and Mount Peiwei, Fangshan Town was an unavoidable route. It was a small water and land dock. The town had quite a few shops, and business was thriving. Of course, all of these were Kong family-related enterprises.

These flourishing storefronts had nothing to do with Kong Zhang. What he managed was an estate that grew fodder and raised sheep. The Kong Manor was wealthy, and many of its servants ate meat. The demand for mutton was considerable, so the family naturally needed its own production. This estate might not look respectable, but in reality, a great deal of profit passed through one's hands. It could be considered a lucrative post among the Kong family's branch-line assignments.

Kong Zhang had always been an outlier within the Kong Manor, his status awkward and uncomfortable. His nominal position went without saying. But there was an unspoken understanding among all the stewards, high and low: this Ninth Master Kong need not be overly esteemed, but there was no need to mistreat him either. Just send him off to some place out of the main family's sight to enjoy himself.

Brothers and sisters of Qidian and Chuangshi,

It's not easy for me to post three chapters of Ming Wufu a day, so I've got to shout at the top of my lungs for monthly tickets!

The plot's at a climax, wave after wave — shouldn't our monthly tickets come wave after wave too?

Watching those monthly tickets climb and climb, Old Bai's fired up to write!

Let's push together, brothers! Hand over your second, third, fourth, and fifth monthly tickets of the month to Old Bai — hand them over to Ming Wufu!

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