Chapter 329: I

329. Chapter 329: I'll Handle the Aftermath

The moment "one or two old acquaintances" was spoken, Prefect Tong's expression changed. The handling of the refugee siege already had numerous loopholes and flaws. If it stayed suppressed within Xuzhou, it would be fine, but if it were reported upward, he could forget about keeping his prefect post—he might even be charged and thrown into prison. Though this prefect position was dull beyond words, countless people were waiting to take it!

Thinking this, Prefect Tong immediately straightened his posture and declared with righteous solemnity, "Mr. Wang is correct. This official was beguiled by that treacherous, petty villain and nearly caused a grave mistake. Tomorrow—no, today—this official will draft the official document to strip that unworthy petty man of his scholarly rank."

Wang Youshan nodded and said no more. That Xu Bende furrowed his brow, turned his head, and said a few words to the young man behind him. The young man strode quickly outside. Everyone was in deliberation, and all uninvolved persons remained respectful and silent, so this young man exiting was very conspicuous, drawing everyone's gaze.

But what drew everyone's attention now was not such a trifling matter, but rather pondering how to treat Zhao Jin from now on. This young master's abilities were simply far too formidable.

Not long after, that young man of the Xu family ran back in, stood behind Xu Bende, and whispered a few words into his ear. Wang Youshan was someone Prefect Tong could not afford to offend, and the Xu family had a Vice Minister of Works standing behind them—he dared not offend them either—so he could only pretend not to see.

"Gentlemen, Xuzhou has suffered a great calamity. The people are plunged into misery. Everywhere the roving bandits passed, the losses were devastating. This official has summoned you all precisely to devise a plan for relief and aftermath. I ask each of you to offer your strategies and proposals," Prefect Tong said listlessly.

Under normal circumstances, before such a relief and aftermath joint council was convened, each party would have already negotiated privately with the prefect, secured what they were due, and settled on the terms. Then, before everyone's eyes, they would simply go through the motions and it would be done. The prefect would call upon everyone to offer strategies, everyone would ask the prefect to decide, the prefect would then state his plan, no one would raise any objection, and the matter would be concluded just like that.

But now, no one bothered to pay any attention to Prefect Tong. The relief and aftermath work, which would normally be immensely lucrative, would yield little for Prefect Tong, so naturally he was listless.

After he finished speaking, everyone's gaze converged directly on Zhao Jin. As for whatever Prefect Tong might be feeling, no one cared anymore.

"Your Excellency, Zhao and the volunteer militia outside the city came to the prefectural city's rescue. After a bloody battle, the siege was lifted. The costs for provisions for men and horses, burial, and compensation total thirteen thousand taels of silver. I first request Your Excellency to approve and disburse this sum. The itemized list is here," Zhao Jin said, getting straight to the point, and casually produced a list.

Prefect Tong, seated over there, shuddered all over. His expression was extremely ugly. He wanted to glare at Zhao Jin, but Zhao Jin met his gaze with perfect composure. Thinking of the slaughter outside the city, thinking of the hundred-plus lives that had died suddenly in the prison, he no longer dared to meet that gaze and merely lowered his head in dejection.

"This sum of silver should be disbursed by Prefect Tong with all haste. Do not chill the hearts of the volunteer militia and the common people, making them think the authorities are cold and unfeeling," Wang Youshan at the side said coolly.

"Exactly, this money ought to be paid out quickly!"

"Without these righteous men, Xuzhou would have faced a great calamity!"

Voices of agreement rose one after another. Many had already returned the funds Zhao Jin had advanced to him, yet they still chimed in with great enthusiasm—firstly to curry favor with Zhao Jin, and secondly because Prefect Tong's handling of this matter had truly lost him the people's trust.

"Prefect Tong?" Zhao Jin asked again. Prefect Tong Huaizu's body trembled. Only after a long moment did he say feebly, "This official will disburse it with all haste. Give the list to the Revenue Office."

Zhao Jin nodded. The Revenue Office Clerk Liu, standing behind Prefect Tong, scurried over with an obsequious, fawning smile and accepted the list with both hands, saying in a rapid stream of words, "Please rest assured, Young Master Zhao, this humble one will certainly handle it quickly."

This Revenue Office clerk managed the tax collection for the entire Xuzhou and the government's silver receipts and expenditures. He was a major figure whose stamp of the foot made the whole region tremble. Great households and powerful families everywhere more or less had to curry favor with him. No one expected such a figure to be so fawning and obsequious before Zhao Jin, and to put on such a display right in front of the prefect, no less. Seeing this scene, everyone inwardly reassessed things once more, while that Xu Bende furrowed his brow tightly.

Having handed over the list, Zhao Jin, without the slightest hesitation, continued in a clear, ringing voice, "In the great disaster of this siege, many unclaimed properties and lands have appeared around the prefectural city. These properties and lands shall be sold off by Zhao on behalf of the authorities, and the proceeds used to aid the disaster victims. What do you gentlemen think?"

As he spoke these words, Zhao Jin did not even glance at Prefect Tong, and neither did anyone else. Hearing Zhao Jin say this, everyone exchanged looks, all feeling that this arrangement was fair enough—at the very least, this young master had not swallowed everything in one gulp.

"Young Master Zhao's proposal is fair. This old man finds it workable!" Honorary Licentiate Cai was the first to voice his approval. The others cursed inwardly, thinking that this man had stolen the chance to curry favor first. Everyone immediately chimed in one after another, all saying the proposal was fair. Some were even pondering whether to go pay their respects to Zhao Jin after the meeting dispersed—the sale of unclaimed lands was a business with exceedingly rich pickings.

Two people did not speak. One was Prefect Tong, who sat there with an utterly indifferent expression, merely waiting for the council to end. The other was Xu Bende, who merely furrowed his brow and listened intently.

"Young Master Zhao, the refugees passing through also wrought much havoc along the northern bank. There are many unclaimed places there. How should those be handled?" Xu Bende asked in a soft, measured tone.

The hall fell silent again. No one spoke. Those who had come prepared to watch a spectacle inwardly cheered, thinking the clash of dragons and tigers was about to begin.

"Zhao spoke of the area around the prefectural city. The northern bank—your Xu family can handle it yourselves. Why ask me?" Zhao Jin replied curtly.

Xu Bende was taken aback. Although this was their first face-to-face encounter, he had long heard of how domineering Zhao Jin was—not to mention that the Xu family had recruited several thousand refugees, which was tantamount to snatching food from a tiger's mouth. As for how the Xu family had previously allowed refugees free passage across the river and what private deals had been made, none of that could be brought into the open. With so much prior history, Zhao Jin would certainly not let the matter rest. Xu Bende had assumed the other party would press and make things difficult during the council, but he never expected the other party to be so reasonable.

For Zhao Jin, the most valuable assets were precisely these unclaimed properties around the prefectural city. As for the area on the northern bank of the Yellow River, he could not spare the attention, nor did it hold much value.

"If there are no objections, then the matters of aftermath and relief shall proceed according to Zhao's plan!" Zhao Jin declared in a clear, ringing voice, not even bothering to ask for Prefect Tong Huaizu's opinion.

Everyone naturally understood this logic as well. Once Zhao Jin spoke, it was settled. This time, Honorary Licentiate Cai did not get to shine alone; several people scrambled to stand and voice their approval, effusively praising Zhao Jin's wisdom.

Xu Bende, having come to his senses, also hurriedly stood. His attitude was already considerably more courteous than before, but what he said was not approval—rather, with some embarrassment, he said, "Young Master Zhao, please wait a moment. I will give my reply shortly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man behind him again strode quickly outside. By now, everyone understood: this young man going in and out was presumably delivering messages and receiving orders. As for who was outside, it had to be Xu Dajiao, who had entered the yamen in a sedan chair.

Not long after, the young man ran back in, leaned close to Xu Bende's ear, and said a few words. Everyone saw Xu Bende's expression first show astonishment, then ease. Then Xu Bende smiled, cupped his fists in salute, and said, "Young Master Zhao's righteousness reaches the heavens. The Xu family is willing to hand over all proceeds from the sale of unclaimed properties on the northern bank to Young Master Zhao, to be allocated and disposed of by Young Master Zhao in a unified manner. Should Young Master Zhao need the Xu family to do anything, the Xu family is also willing to assist."

Everyone was stunned again. They had thought that with two strong powers like Zhao Jin and the Xu family meeting, a clash of dragons and tigers was unavoidable. They never expected that just as some signs appeared, it would immediately turn into a happy ending for all.

Still, this was for the best. Without conflict, the sale of unclaimed properties would not be delayed, and everyone could take the opportunity to earn some profit.

The people in this hall naturally knew who had made the Xu family's decision. They murmured among themselves, and the nickname "Xu Dajiao" could be heard. Xu Bende wore a face full of wry smiles. Though the scene was awkward, it was not the first or second time they had encountered this.

Wang Youshan, seated over there, was somewhat curious. He turned his head to look at Wang Zhaojing. Wang Zhaojing immediately explained in a low voice. A look of surprise appeared on Wang Youshan's face as he gently stroked his long beard.

"In that case, the matters of relief and aftermath are thus settled. What does the Prefect think?" Zhao Jin turned, cupped his fists, and asked.

Prefect Tong's face was already devoid of expression. He merely sat there woodenly and said, "Let it be done so."

Zhao Jin nodded. He first bowed to Wang Youshan, then cupped his fists in salute to everyone else, and strode out of the main hall. Aside from Wang Zhaojing, everyone else followed. When Zhao Jin cupped his fists, no one dared remain seated and accept it; they all rose one after another, watching Zhao Jin depart.

"From now on, Xuzhou will be surnamed Zhao, won't it?" someone murmured.

"The area around Jingshan is still hard to say, but everywhere else indeed belongs to Heavenly King Zhao!" someone chimed in.

Suddenly, someone else came to a realization, rose, and chased after him, wanting to ask when the unclaimed lands outside the city would be sold and how they would be sold. This was a huge bargain. From beginning to end, no one paid any attention to the prefect sitting there. Everyone treated him as nothing more than a talking ornament.

"All the properties and lands have already been purchased by Xu'an Trading Company. If any of you gentlemen are interested in leasing them, seek out Zhou Xuezhi or Chen Hong. They will negotiate with you," Zhao Jin replied with a smile to the questions.

So in the end, all these things had still been swallowed whole by Zhao Jin. Though everyone was disappointed, they also felt it was only to be expected. The Zhao Character Camp had risked life and limb, fighting a bloody battle to lift the siege—they ought to take something back. Otherwise, what had they done it for?

The people who had come to attend the council bore no resentment whatsoever toward Zhao Jin, even though Zhao Jin had swallowed up the fattest, most succulent benefits. In the past, when such councils dispersed, everyone would crowd around the prefect and the various yamen officials, big and small, to flatter them. But this time was different. Everyone scrambled over one another to run out and chase after Zhao Jin.

Those whose own militia and village braves had taken part in the rescue and siege-lifting tried to claim connections and build ties. Those who had never met him before went to great lengths to observe every courtesy, some wanting to pay a visit to his residence, others wanting to establish a friendship. Those who truly could not find any connection simply said their families had grain and loved to drink, and they wanted to do business with Master Jin.

But nearly everyone was saying: they asked Zhao Jin to maintain peace and security in the region. Their own strength was insufficient. If Master Jin's Zhao Character Camp was willing to come, they would provide money and grain—he need only ask. They would absolutely not offer any objection.

The figures who could come here—whether local tyrants or scholars with official rank—could all casually muster a hundred or so men as a baseline. In their localities, they all ran brothels and gambling dens. Wanderers of the rivers and lakes passing through had to present visiting cards to establish ties. They were all fences for stolen goods and salt smugglers. To say their strength was insufficient was the greatest joke under heaven.