Chapter 1233: Brothers Discuss the Big Picture

There is another point: the current Haizhou Harbor is the only reliable port for resupply and stopover for the northbound fleet. If anyone wants to do business in the Ming northern territories, Liaodong, or Korea, or even follow this route onward to the Wa Kingdom, Haizhou Harbor is currently a critical node. Without this port, the northern sea route becomes highly unreliable. After all, Ming seagoing vessels all navigate by compass bearings and must advance along the coastline and islands.

"We still need our own fleet. Making money is secondary; the key is to seize the initiative." Zhao Jin was very urgent about this.

The Internal Guard had already prepared to deploy additional personnel at Haizhou Harbor, but the main purpose of the reinforcements was not surveillance, but to interrogate the captives from the foreign ships. The ones pulling the strings behind the scenes had acted very cleverly. However, the Internal Guard retainers coming to interrogate were not after the mastermind; they were here to extract every last bit of knowledge and skill the captives possessed.

"Big Brother, your younger brother has failed in his duty this time..." Once they returned to Zhao Jin's residence, Shi Manqiang immediately admitted his mistake.

But he was cut off by Zhao Jin halfway through. Zhao Jin's expression, however, was not one of comfort or indifference. With a very solemn look, he said, "We've campaigned east and west with few casualties. This time you lost nearly a hundred brothers, but this was not your mistake. If we run into an enemy equal to us, or even slightly weaker, the fighting won't be this easy. Cannons roaring, fire lances firing in volley, then face-to-face stabbing with pikes — how could casualties possibly be low? Our bitter, diligent training is precisely in preparation for that."

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Shi Manqiang's eyes widened. Ever since he had been stationed in Huaibei, his bearing had always been steady and composed. Yet today, just like when he was young, he was repeatedly shocked and shaken. On the ship, he had heard that a single foreign warship could carry over a hundred cannons, and now he was hearing Zhao Jin say this. He immediately caught on and asked solemnly, "Big Brother, is there any army under heaven stronger than ours? Or even one comparable to us? Could it be the Jianzhou Jurchens? Or the Mongols? That shouldn't be!"

Zhao Jin shook his head and said in a deep voice, "The Jianzhou Jurchens are not weak, but they follow a different path. The enemy I speak of is likely tens of thousands of li away and will not arrive in our lifetime. But back then, the Smelling Incense Sect used our drill manuals to train several thousand troops. Could someone else do the same? That Smelling Incense Sect bunch was just a makeshift troupe. What if it were people who do things methodically?"

These words made Shi Manqiang's face turn equally solemn. He spoke, "Big Brother, if that's the case, we should sweep the realm and pacify it as quickly as possible, to prevent such a calamity from arising!"

"Sweep the realm and pacify it?" Hearing this phrase, Zhao Jin let out a helpless laugh and looked at Shi Manqiang with amusement. Yet Shi Manqiang showed not the slightest hint of jest or wild fantasy, nor any particular solemnity, as if he were stating some perfectly natural plan.

Zhao Jin shook his head, then raised his voice and said, "Everyone withdraw further. I have words with Brigade Commander Shi."

The personal guards in the room all withdrew, and the retainers outside also moved farther away. After a while, someone shouted, "Master Jin, no outsiders remain." Judging by the voice, they had already moved quite a distance.

"Shitou, I thought you were joking with me, but you're not. Do you think our Zhao Camp should take the initiative, defeat the Ming army, and seize this realm — that I should become emperor and we all share in the wealth and glory?" Zhao Jin asked in a low voice.

Shi Manqiang nodded. He was even more puzzled by Zhao Jin's reaction. After hesitating a moment, he said, "Big Brother, although your younger brother has been stationed in this Huaian North District all along, I know full well what the surrounding government troops are like. Before our retainers, those soldiers are like chickens or dogs. Even without using firearms, we could skewer them clean with pikes alone. The officials are even more useless. In our farms and workshops, no one goes hungry; everyone is free from worry about food and clothing. But look at the common people under the officials' rule — they are worse off than livestock, truly living a fate worse than death!"

As he spoke of this, Shi Manqiang's face was filled with pride. His voice gradually rose, but Zhao Jin gestured for him to lower it. "Big Brother, we aren't even recruiting refugees right now, yet the people of Shandong and South Zhili still keep fleeing here to join us. If we hadn't started land reclamation in Shandong as well, the population of Yanzhou Prefecture would have been completely drained by us. This Great Ming court can't fight as well as us, and can't govern the people as well as us. Why should they still be allowed to occupy such vast territory? Big Brother, you should lead the brothers to seize it! Big Brother, you should be this emperor!"

Shi Manqiang spoke with utter seriousness. Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Shitou, keep these words hidden in your heart today. Do not speak of them outside. This is something only we few brothers can know. It must be kept absolutely secret. Do you understand?"

"Rest assured, Big Brother!" Shi Manqiang answered solemnly.

Zhao Jin pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps a clever person could guess why I am not in a hurry. Shitou, we now control territory roughly the size of a province. Looking at the whole realm, it's still a large province. We currently have nearly one hundred thousand troops, a directly controlled population of two million, and a population within our jurisdiction of nearly six million. We're doing quite well right now — our soldiers are fierce, our people are fed and clothed. But we are still only a dozen or so parts of this realm. If you count the steppes, the lands beyond the passes, and places even farther away, we are only a few dozen parts of this realm."

Hearing this, Shi Manqiang's breathing grew noticeably heavier. What he had been thinking of was merely the Great Ming's two capitals and thirteen provinces, while what Zhao Jin envisioned was far greater than that. But Zhao Jin's point was not aimed at that goal: "The Internal Guard and Cloud Mountain Trading send out realm-wide bulletins every month, informing you all of major and minor events everywhere. Do you know how many people in this realm suffer from hunger and cold, and how many places are in ceaseless turmoil?"

"Big Brother, apart from Jiangnan and a few major cities, nowhere under heaven is at peace. Your younger brother also doesn't understand — the officials exploit the common people so brazenly and without any method. Layer upon layer devours them, and not only is there no benefit, but it causes chaos. And what they devour can't even be channeled to useful ends." Shi Manqiang had indeed read the reports, and had thought about them carefully.

Zhao Jin nodded approvingly and continued, "If we were to split our forces and strike out now, needless to say, most of Henan, Shandong, North Zhili, and the Jiangbei part of this South Zhili would immediately fall into our hands. Going a step further, Shanxi, Shaanxi, even Jiangnan and Huguang would be no trouble. But what then? We become emperor — what do we do with all these common people in the territories? What about those local strongmen? Do you think we could quickly make these territories and populations as stable as Xuzhou?"

Shi Manqiang thought for a moment, then shook his head. Zhao Jin continued, "The strongmen are tigers and wolves; the common people are cattle and sheep. If we want to take the cattle and sheep, the strongmen will starve to death. Even in Shandong, Henan, and Xuzhou itself, those local strongmen could never be of one heart with us, rebelling several times. So what about the strongmen in these newly acquired territories? They are all rabble, worthless before our retainers. But in the end, we still have to fight, and there will still be casualties. Those common people won't find food and warmth for a time; instead, they will be trampled by the scourge of war. Do you think they will feel gratitude or resentment?"

"Resentment, without a doubt!"

"Resettling refugees requires vast amounts of supplies and manpower, and we also need to allocate enough reliable farm managers, stewards, and militia to consolidate control. If we suddenly seize so much territory and population, do we have enough supplies to do it? Do we have enough manpower to govern it?"

"No!"

"If we can't resettle them and can't govern them, then these territories and this manpower won't be our resources — they'll be our burden. Shitou, you've been rooted here in the Huaian North District for a long time. Let me ask you: why are our farm retainers and common people willing to follow us with all their hearts? Why are they willing to toil and labor so hard? Why are they willing to follow us on campaigns north and south?"

"Because we give them food and warmth, give them benefits... They also see the miserable state of the common people outside. If they leave us and go to the Great Ming officials, it will be very miserable."

"Exactly! Much of the strength and loyalty of our Zhao Camp comes from this kind of contrast. If we seize such a vast territory and so many people, can we still achieve this? To resettle the newly acquired territory and population, we would have to dilute our original foundation. Without this comparison, with lowered treatment, do you think these people's loyalty to us would decline? On the surface, our territory has grown and our population has increased, but in reality, our strength would weaken."

Zhao Jin's words sent a chill of alarm through Shi Manqiang. Following Zhao Jin's line of thought, he could immediately foresee the consequences. Zhao Jin softened his tone and said, "Shitou, the court still holds the mantle of righteous legitimacy. If we make a major move, who knows how many people under heaven would become our enemies. Even those oppressed commoners would see us as a great scourge. When that time comes, even if we succeed, everything would be unstable — we'd gain resentment and enemies for nothing. Why not wait?"

"Your younger brother was too impatient. Big Brother should also talk to Daxiang about this. Second Brother, Third Brother, Bingfeng, and Xiaoyong can all keep their cool, but Daxiang is even more impatient than I am." Shi Manqiang nodded.

Zhao Jin smiled. He naturally knew that Ji Xiang had sent a letter to Shi Manqiang, asking him to urge Zhao Jin on. But there was no need to mention that openly. Zhao Jin picked up his tea bowl, took a sip, and said, "We will hold fast to what we've taken, do well what we ought to do, and strive for constant improvement. Let all under heaven see the benefits we bring. When we have won the hearts of all, it won't be too late to take the next step."

Shi Manqiang coughed and asked hesitantly, "Big Brother, you always say we can't just assume what we want will happen. If we act this way, will the court allow it? The Great Ming court won't just watch us grow bigger and bigger, will they?"

At this, a wry smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face. He shook his head and said, "Hard to say. If the Great Ming court wants to live a few more years, they'll follow our tempo. But I reckon there are too few people in the court as sensible and clear-headed as Wei Zhongxian. Nine times out of ten, we'll have to fight another battle. The Eunuch Party has already learned what pain feels like. Once the Purists learn what pain feels like too, everything will proceed according to our tempo. They have no other choice."

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