Chapter 268: Zhao the Bao Zheng

"Good folks and fellow villagers, the authorities have appointed Zhao Jin, Young Master Zhao, as the Bao Zheng of He Village, to keep this region safe and peaceful!"

Someone bellowed the announcement, and with every shout, a dozen or so people would roar along in unison, while gongs and drums thundered to the heavens. There were even men standing on horse carts, flinging handfuls of copper coins into the crowd from time to time, which drew even more people over.

Zhao Jin had become a Bao Zheng? Everyone was first astonished, then immediately felt it was only right and proper — some even thought it was beneath his talents. Such a formidable figure was more than qualified to be a grand general, and he was only now becoming a mere Bao Zheng?

Some were even discussing how He Village was the very village where the He family — the one Zhao Jin had exterminated — had lived, and that before long it might well be called Zhao Village instead. When the talk reached this point, there was no shortage of envious sighs from the crowd. To think, at such a young age, he had already laid down a patrimony for his family that would last for generations. Truly, one simply cannot compare people.

If ordinary folk kicked up such a ruckus in front of the yamen, the bailiffs and runners would have long since come out to drive them away. But with Zhao Jin, things were different. Even with all the hubbub outside, the people inside the yamen just stood there watching with grins on their faces.

The news of him becoming a Bao Zheng might not have been all that startling, but the matter of scattering money was far too enticing. Not long after the gongs and drums started up, a crowd three and four layers deep had pressed in around them, and the several streets around the yamen were jammed so tight that not a drop of water could have trickled through.

"His Excellency Zheng is issuing the official document to Young Master Zhao!" someone else shouted at the top of his lungs. They saw an official in full official robes stride out of the yamen, followed by several attendants, one of whom was carrying a wooden tray. Wang Zhaojing, dressed in the blue robe of a Xiucai scholar, could be seen hurrying forward to greet him. His Excellency Zheng spoke a few words, then took a paper document and a wooden placard from the tray and handed them to Wang Zhaojing with great formality.

After Wang Zhaojing reached out and received them, he raised the document and wooden placard high. Gongs and drums clamored again, and firecrackers burst in unison — they put on a truly grand display.

Everyone knew this His Excellency Zheng; he was the Vice Prefect of Xuzhou, the number-two man second only to the Prefect himself. Everything else was just for show; only when it was personally issued by such a grand official right here in front of the yamen gates did it become real. It seemed the authorities also felt that Young Master Zhao, in protecting the region and keeping the people safe, deserved the title of Bao Zheng.

Before this, even though Zhao Jin had accomplished such great deeds and possessed such overwhelming power, everyone always felt it was somewhat short of proper title and legitimacy, and that it couldn't last long. But after seeing the spectacle today, they all felt it was perfectly justified.

Over on that side, after Wang Zhaojing received the document and wooden placard, he solemnly handed them to a man beside him. That man, holding the document and placard, boarded a horse cart that had long been prepared. Then the gongs and drums struck up once more, and a troupe of over twenty musicians, playing and blowing on their gongs, drums, clappers, and pipes, led the way, heading straight out toward the west of the city. Every fifty paces, they would stop, shout a few announcements, set off a string of firecrackers, and scatter a handful of copper coins, slowly and leisurely making their way out of the city.

The spectacle they had already made in front of the yamen was grand enough, and as they made their way out of the city like this, there wasn't a soul in the whole city who didn't know about it. What was even more unexpected was that after leaving the city, they kept up the exact same routine. On the official road, whenever they came across a village, they would stop, beat gongs and drums for a spell, set off firecrackers and shout, and after drawing the villagers out, they would broadcast the news that Zhao Jin had become the Bao Zheng. From the looks of it, they actually intended to do this all the way from inside the city to He Village.

While it was bustling outside, inside the constable station, Zhao Zhentang and Chen Wu sat facing each other, drinking tea. One would have thought this affair was their own children's doing, yet Zhao Zhentang seemed completely unconcerned. Chen Wu, sipping his tea, teased him: "That boy of yours really knows how to put on a show. This whole song-and-dance routine must have cost a hundred taels of silver or so."

"A hundred taels? More than four hundred went into it. You think this is a show? According to the boy's original plan, he wanted to parade through the whole city and then do the same across all four counties of Xuzhou. Isn't that just sheer nonsense?" Zhao Zhentang replied irritably.

"If he really kicked up that much fuss, someone would surely take offense, and it would stir up trouble for no good reason. Today's spectacle is already big enough; word will spread through all the surrounding villages in no time," Chen Wu said with a laugh.

To outsiders, it looked like a grand, flag-waving affair, and some did think Zhao Jin was making a mountain out of a molehill. They never imagined it was all done with deliberate intent.

The official document appointing a Bao Zheng hardly required the personal appearance of the Vice Prefect of Xuzhou, a civil official of the lower sixth rank. Normally, the Personnel Office would prepare the document, have the private secretary affix the seal, and then send a runner to deliver it directly — that would be the procedure completed. There would never be such solemn ceremony. However, although the position of Bao Zheng was lowly, it required the Prefect's approval, and the relationship between Prefect Tong and Zhao Jin could hardly be called good. That was why Wang Youshan had stepped in to help.

That said, when the authorities confirmed someone as Bao Zheng, they merely recorded it in the yamen files and wrote up a document of appointment. There was no such thing as a credential that looked like a waist-tag, and naturally, there was no such proper, formal bestowal by the Vice Prefect in front of the yamen gates. This Vice Prefect Zheng had only agreed to appear after receiving a hundred taels as a favor.

The reason Zhao Jin did all this was to let more people know about the matter — the greater the impact, the better. From Wang Zhaojing, who handled the arrangements, to Zhao Zhentang and Chen Wu, who lent their help, no one understood why.

"Maybe that boy of yours really is just happy about the Bao Zheng position. That would be far too small-minded. Don't you still hold the rank of a Hundred-Household Commander? With his skills, if he went to Vice General Zhou and laid down enough silver, how could he not get at least a Thousand-Household Commander's post? Even higher is possible. And if my eldest could be a Deputy Thousand-Household Commander or something, that'd be better than now too." Chen Wu truly didn't quite understand. They were all family here, so they spoke without standing on ceremony.

Zhao Zhentang shook his head with a bitter smile and answered helplessly: "If my boy wanted to join the military, do you think he'd need to wait for me to speak? There's no controlling him now. Let him do as he pleases!"

The gong-and-drum proclamation procession spent a full two days on the road, arriving at He Village only at noon on the second day. One would have thought that since the spectacle inside the city had been so grand, the celebration at He Village, the home base, should have been even more lively and bustling. But when the carts and horses arrived, they collected their silver, ate a meal, and then turned back. Zhao Jin's objective had been achieved; naturally, there was no need to expend more effort.

Just as had been anticipated, in less than a few days, the entire Xuzhou and even neighboring regions knew that Zhao Jin had obtained the position of Bao Zheng of He Village. In a sense, this meant Zhao Jin was now a local strongman recognized by the authorities.

Imperial authority did not extend below the county level. The most basic layer of the Great Ming's imperial authority was the County Magistrate. Beyond the county seat, the gentry managed their own affairs. Zhao Jin, as a Bao Zheng, was in a sense a kind of powerful gentry, possessing the function of managing commoner households on behalf of the authorities.

Compared to the news of Zhao Jin obtaining the He Village Bao Zheng position, the fact that Ruhui, the former guest reception monk of Cloud Mountain Temple, had become the new abbot was handled with extreme discretion, and almost no one knew about it.

"The Nanjing Buddhist and Daoist Affairs Office has already approved it. Ruhui's position as abbot is now true to the name," Liu Yong reported the news received from inside the city.

Ji Xiang, mulling it over at the side, hastily spoke up: "Big Brother, it's been almost ten days now, and this Ruhui hasn't shown the slightest gesture. Is he thinking of crossing the river and tearing down the bridge?"

If Zhao Jin hadn't led the surprise assault on Cloud Mountain Temple, Monk Ruhui would naturally have had no chance for revenge, much less the opportunity to become abbot. Yet now, after the fact, there was dead silence — this made Zhao Jin's companions very unhappy.

"Ruhui is a smart man. We'll wait another five days," Zhao Jin said in a deep voice. The fields, tenant farmers, and the shops and properties Cloud Mountain Temple had spread across Xuzhou's one prefecture and four counties were all very important resources to Zhao Jin; he could not possibly give them up.

After he said this, the others had nothing more to add. Zhao Jin added: "Draw a circle with He Village at the center and a radius of five li. Within that circle, there are two properties belonging to Cloud Mountain Temple. Daxiang and Xiaoyong, go there in three days. Tell them that from now on, their grain output and the like are to be delivered directly here."

The ones named immediately acknowledged the order. Zhao Jin spoke again: "Xiaoyong has been running back and forth between the city and the countryside, and his riding has improved tremendously. We brothers mustn't fall behind. We must train diligently and not let up on those below us who are learning to ride. Understood?"

His companions all roared their agreement. The daily training was now fully on track. The veteran company spent half the day on foot drill and half the day on horsemanship, toiling without pause.

Among the old cavalrymen, a few had gone back to recover from injuries. Luan Song and eleven others stayed behind, devoting themselves to teaching horsemanship. With horses to ride and experienced men to teach them, everyone was progressing rapidly.

Liu Yong now traveled between the city and the countryside every day, often accompanied by one of the three Qi brothers. After experiencing that great battle, the three Qi brothers had become somewhat utterly devoted. A force like the Zhao Character Camp was a place where one could stay for the long haul.

Among the crew with backgrounds in the underworld, like Tao Gui and Qian Yong, quite a few had been killed or wounded in the night battle. Some died in the exchange of arrows, while others, trying to show off their bravery when they went out to engage, charged ahead recklessly and broke away from the formation, suffering heavy losses as a result. Tao Gui and Qian Yong, on the other hand, had been put in their place by Zhao Jin when they signed up and knew the stakes, so they followed the rules and were fortunate enough to emerge unscathed. After this experience, they were finally able to settle down and train seriously.

As for that Zhuang Liu, he was highly regarded by everyone. Besides Zhao Jin and his companions, the squad leaders of the recruit company also felt this man was exceptional — outstanding archery, impressive martial skill, and a steady temperament to boot. Though clearly superior to the others, he never showed off. He put in his full effort during training and never acted as if he were special. Dong Bingfeng had already mentioned several times that placing such a man in the direct detachment as a mere archer was a waste, and that he would receive more thorough training and growth if put into the recruit company or even the veteran company.

The development of these people was within Zhao Jin's expectations, matching their original characters and backgrounds. What surprised Zhao Jin were his few relatives. Zhao Song and Zhao Wan were both quite good at riding, presumably from the training they got while trafficking livestock.

That Li Can looked simple and chubby, but he was actually very clever and nimble. That night, when they were charging outward, the squad leader of his recruit squad accidentally fell. In the chaos, everyone assumed the squad leader had died in battle and was about to scatter. It was actually this Li Can who shouted and rallied the squad to charge out. Moreover, though he had no martial skill when engaging the enemy, he fought with a ferocious tenacity. In Li Can's squad, he was the only one wounded, but he had also killed two enemies.

As for that dull and awkward He Zheng, he did everything by the book. No one called him a coward, but no one called him brave either. However, Ji Xiang's father, who worked in the mess hall, had a good impression of He Zheng. He said that when this young man helped out in the mess hall, he arranged everything in perfect order and was very accurate in estimating the ingredients needed for the meals.

This information was reported up along with the others'. For now, not many people knew about their relationship with Zhao Jin.

The reason they were sending Ji Xiang and Liu Yong to the Cloud Mountain Temple farmsteads near He Village in three days was because Zhao Jin wanted to establish a sphere of influence. Within this sphere, no enemies could exist. The reason it was three days later was that on the twenty-fourth day of the third month, Zhao Jin was going to hold a wine-tasting gathering at He Village, and all available strength had to be devoted to ensuring its success.

The news that Zhao Jin had become the Bao Zheng had just spread. The merchants who bought wine from the Hanjing Distillery, as well as those who wanted to buy but couldn't, were all thinking of taking this opportunity to send gifts and offer their congratulations, to build connections so that their quotas could be increased, or at the very least not reduced. They never expected that before they could even make a move, Zhao Jin's side had already sent out invitations, asking them to come to He Village for a wine-tasting gathering.

Everyone knew there was a large distillery at He Village as well, and they knew even more clearly that Zhao Jin intended to brew fine liquor there that was in no way inferior to the famous Hanjing wine from inside the city. This wine-tasting gathering surely meant the new wine was about to come out. Everyone was full of enthusiasm, ready to go and take a look. What further piqued their curiosity was the content of the invitation: Zhao Jin's side had asked them to bring along some of their stock of the famous Hanjing wine.

Although the famous Hanjing wine was in critically short supply, every household had kept back a few jars for personal use or for flexibility. Their stocks were easy enough to find. They filled small jars, wine pots, or gourds, and when the time came, they set off one after another.

On the twenty-fourth day of the third month, the sun shone brightly in the sky. The He family's large compound had been swept spotlessly clean, the ground leveled smooth, and water carefully sprinkled over it to keep the dust down. The village households and the cooks from the several inns and cart-and-horse shops were all bustling about. Though they couldn't produce any fine delicacies, they still had to prepare many portions of simple dishes to go with the wine.

The part of the He family compound near the distillery was now completely filled with wine jars, taking up nearly a third of the courtyard. The compound was now packed with people — not just the merchants from inside the city, but even the cattle and horse traders from the mule and horse market had come to join the excitement.

Over on that side, Zhao Jin stepped onto a wooden platform that had been set up in advance. Once on stage, he first cupped his fists in salute. The merchants below scrambled to return the gesture — who would dare accept a salute from Master Jin now?

"The daily wine output here is four times that of the distillery inside the city. Right now, we have eight hundred jars in stock — these right here. You all won't misunderstand and think I had these shipped over from the city, will you?"

"How could that be? Anyone shipping this much out would have been noticed long ago. Everyone would be thinking, just how big a fortune did they make!" Seeing Zhao Jin speak with a smile on his face, the people below relaxed considerably. A bold fellow called out in jest, immediately drawing a wave of laughter.

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile and spoke up again: "The old rule still applies. Every jar can be sampled. If the flavor isn't right, you don't have to buy. Before you taste it, take a sip of the stock you brought with you and see if it's the same."

He spoke very simply; there was no need to waste any more words, because these rules had all been set long ago.

When the merchants below heard Zhao Jin say this, there was a bit of a stir. With Zhao Jin's awe-inspiring reputation now, everyone was cautious and careful in his presence. When the invitation came, no one dared not to come, and no one dared not to buy. Even if the jars had been filled with plain water, everyone would have obediently paid up. They never expected the old rules to still apply — that they could taste first and buy later.

After speaking, Zhao Jin waved his hand and actually left the scene. With him present, no one dared to act out of line; once he left, everyone could relax a bit. Just as Zhao Jin had thought, the moment he was gone, a merchant stepped forward and ordered five jars. Immediately, a household guard brought over the five jars, broke open all the clay seals, and drew out the wine with a ladle. The merchant took out a gourd he carried with him, took a sip from the gourd, then took a sip from the jar, nodding as he drank. After finishing, he called out again: "Bring five more jars..."

Once he made this gesture, the others immediately saw the way the wind was blowing. Everyone scrambled to be first, fearing that if they lagged behind, they'd get one jar less. And everyone was also very cautious, afraid that among these eight hundred jars, some might have an off flavor, and that others would pick out all the good ones, leaving them to take a loss. They had to understand, this wine wasn't a matter of how it sold, but that every jar produced was a jar sold. Getting one share meant one share of profit.

"... The flavor of this wine might actually be a bit better than the one from inside the city..."

"... The water's good, the starter's good, the grain's good, and this distillery has been making wine for who knows how many years..."

"... No wonder they wiped out that Squire He..."

"... You've had too much to drink. Keep your mouth shut if you don't want to invite disaster..."

Fortunately, the Zhao Character Camp had many household guards. Before long, every jar of wine had been opened, and then every last one was bought out. Partly emboldened by the wine, and partly excited at the prospect of making money, everyone was asking how the wine sales would work from now on. The output here was even higher than inside the city, so each person's share would be larger, and they would earn more.

"Same as inside the city — from now on!" This was a reply arranged long ago.

"... Just because output has increased doesn't mean the price has to drop. Right now this wine isn't only being drunk in Xuzhou and the neighboring prefectures and counties — word is, plenty of people in Shandong, Northern Zhili, and Henan are drinking it too. Given our current output, there are many who want to drink it but can't get enough. If we increase output, people nearby can drink a bit more, but people farther away might also get to taste it. In the end, our wine will still be in short supply. In a situation like this, how could the price fall? It's only right that it goes up." Zhao Jin explained to his companions.

Watching the lively scene of wine-tasting and buying, Liu Yong had been worried that producing more wine would drive the price down. Zhao Jin explained with a smile.

"If it's as you say, Big Brother, then isn't our current price too low? Raise it a bit and they'd still be willing!" Shi Manqiang cut in.

Zhao Jin shook his head, smiling again. "Our current profit margin is already astonishing. As long as we can hold this price and keep increasing the volume we send out, that'll be enough to sustain our position."

Everyone listened, half-understanding, but looking at the bustle before their eyes, they all knew it meant a huge stream of income, and every face beamed with delight.

Just as they were talking, they saw the second of the three Qi brothers walking over quickly. From ten paces away he cupped his fists and bowed. Everyone paused in surprise. Zhao Jin nodded, and only then did Qi the Second hurry over.

"Master Jin, there's a bare-chested man outside, carrying a coffin. He's kneeling about a li away, saying he begs to see Master Jin. He says he's Fu Chuchuan, under Kong Jiuying's command." Qi the Second reported.

When the three Qi brothers weren't accompanying Liu Yong on his rounds, they were usually roaming and keeping watch around the estate. This was a measure of last resort, because most of the Zhao Character Battalion were poor riders and could only focus on intensive training, while the range foot sentries could cover was limited.