Chapter 331: The Situation Shifts Beyond Fixed Rules

A roar erupted from below — it seemed the crowd truly hadn't come in vain this time. After Zhao Jin finished speaking, he shouted again: "Everyone, the Zhao Camp wants law-abiding, order-following good men — now disperse!"

With those words spoken, no one dared to appear disobedient. The crowds packed into the streets slowly scattered. Zhao Jin let out a breath of relief; having so many people gathered here was always trouble.

"Master Jin, how many men are we recruiting this time?" someone shouted out.

At this question, many turned back. Everyone cared about news of the Zhao Camp, and they immediately recalled that the previous recruitments had not been large — the Zhao Camp's current size was barely over five hundred.

"I haven't even given a number — why are you worrying about that?" Zhao Jin asked with a laugh. The crowd paused, then burst into laughter along with him and began dispersing again.

The news spread slowly along with the flow of people. All of Xuzhou City, and even places beyond the prefectural city, learned that the Zhao Camp was recruiting new men. And under deliberate or unintentional propagation, everyone believed that this time the Zhao Camp would expand massively, with no limit on numbers. The young and able-bodied men of Xuzhou all seethed with fervor.

Getting up early to see people off was nothing much. Pushing through the crowd, stepping out to shout, yet when he returned inside he realized he was sweating — not from exertion, but because this was the hottest time of year in Xuzhou.

"How many are we recruiting this time?" Chen Sheng asked directly once they were back inside.

"Two thousand. At least two thousand," Zhao Jin said.

A silence fell over the room. Chen Sheng and Dong Bingfeng exchanged glances, each able to see the excitement in the other's eyes.

"More men is good. That day beneath the city walls, if we'd had two thousand men, the refugees would have been swept aside directly — how could there have been so many twists and turns!" Chen Sheng nodded as he spoke.

Dong Bingfeng, uncharacteristically excited, rubbed his hands together and raised his voice: "Two thousand men, with elite troops like ours — in the official army that would be at least a Mobile Corps Commander, or at worst a Regional Commander."

Chen Sheng glanced at Zhao Jin and coughed, but Dong Bingfeng sensed nothing amiss. Zhao Jin nodded and said, "We have over ten thousand refugees in our hands, and tens of thousands of people at Cloud Mountain Temple — all of these need to be kept under control. And on the north bank there's still the Xu family, and to the west there's the Kong Estate. How can a few hundred of us be enough for all these places? We must have sufficient strength."

The Xu family of Mount Jing had never before come to the south bank and had focused solely on the coal and iron trade. Yet once contact was made and they understood them, they discovered the other side actually possessed such great power. Though the other party had shown goodwill, they could not afford to be unguarded.

"Mister Cao has arrived!" someone announced from outside.

Ruhui back so early? Everyone was somewhat puzzled. With so many refugees, to have finished resettlement in less than two days — that would be far too lax.

As they spoke, Ruhui had already entered the room. Once inside, he smiled and teased, "Master, everyone, your subordinate has not come back from slacking off. The work of gathering and resettling the refugees has already gotten on track at Cloud Mountain Temple — there's no need for your subordinate to trouble himself over it there."

Seeing Zhao Jin's skeptical expression, Ruhui waved his hand and said, "Master and everyone may not know this, but Cloud Mountain Temple has been doing this work of gathering refugees and providing disaster relief for so many years — they've long since become practiced at it, and who knows how much wealth they've made from it. Please rest assured."

Refugees and disaster victims with nowhere to go could only go work on the farm estates — in effect, recruiting free labor. Not to mention, the young women among the refugees were of even greater value. As a temple, Cloud Mountain Temple inherently had the function of providing relief and aid, so this line of work was naturally one they were practiced in.

Cao Ruhui swept his gaze over Chen Sheng and Dong Bingfeng, then smiled again and said, "Master, your subordinate has come this time regarding several important matters."

"Bingfeng and I will go take a look at the distillery. Those household troops on leave should resume drilling as well, lest they grow slack," Chen Sheng said, then took Dong Bingfeng and left together.

Ruhui smiled and bowed, seeing Chen Sheng out. Once only he and Zhao Jin remained in the room, Ruhui smiled and said, "Master, Chen Sheng is composed and magnanimous — he is truly worthy of great responsibility!"

"Anyone could see you were shooing people away just now. We brothers are barely past twenty, yet when you say it like that, you sound like an old man putting on airs," Zhao Jin said helplessly.

"Master has indeed read books. But since this matter has been raised, your subordinate must say a few words. That Master is the head is known to all, and everyone below also accepts this. Yet how are the seats ranked beneath Master? Though outside they already call Chen Sheng Second Master and Wang Zhaojing Third Master, there is no clear designation. In ordinary times such matters are fine, but at critical moments, if the order is not distinguished, chaos can easily arise." As he spoke, the smile on Ruhui's face turned solemn.

Zhao Jin sat there without answering. After a silence, he looked up at Ruhui and said in a deep voice, "You really do dare to speak."

"Your subordinate's life and property are all in Master's hands. Your subordinate still hopes to follow Master to glory and success — what is there to not dare say?" A smile returned to Ruhui's face.

Zhao Jin sat ramrod straight in his chair, his usual posture, but now he leaned back against the chair back, as if very relaxed, and asked, "How do you think they should be ordered?"

"Chen Sheng — steady and magnanimous. Among Master's several brothers, Chen Sheng never addresses Master as elder brother, yet in every respect he treats Master with the courtesy due an elder brother, loyal without a second thought. Such a man is like Guan Yunchang. Master, you—"

"Don't make these pointless comparisons. Speak of proper matters." Zhao Jin directly cut Ruhui off. A mere prefectural militia likening themselves to Liu, Guan, and Zhang — this was truly arrogant and reckless. Yet Zhao Jin only called it pointless.

Ruhui smiled and continued, "Wang Zhaojing comes from pure and noble origins, is accomplished in both civil and martial arts, and has deep family learning — clearly he possesses great strategic insight. If Chen Sheng is the martial arm, then Wang Zhaojing is the civil arm, precisely Master's right and left hands. Only, those who read too much have restless minds. If he can be like Chen Sheng, then there is no issue; if he cannot, then there is no need to labor to maintain it, and this ranking need not be discussed."

"Those two wooden chests are the court gazettes sent by the Wang family. They said to have you punctuate and interpret them, so I can understand the great affairs of the realm." Zhao Jin raised his hand to point to the other side, but did not answer directly.

Cao Ruhui paused, then nodded with a smile and said, "Your subordinate has heard that Wang Zhaojing met Master considerably later than Chen Sheng, and is ranked third."

"... Dong Bingfeng is taciturn yet highly capable, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and has the aid of the guard battalion — he is a great support to Master, and can be ranked fourth..."

"... Ji Xiang is fierce and sharp, with outstanding talent — he can hold a position on his own, and can be ranked fifth. However, Shi Manqiang is utterly loyal, able to go through life and death for Master without a word of complaint. The ordering between them must still be decided by Master..."

Zhao Jin had been listening quietly all along. Ruhui had not given an assessment of Liu Yong. Once he finished, Zhao Jin looked up at Ruhui and said with a laugh, "Are you ranking them by family background, by age, or by height?"

"If by family background, how could Master be ranked first? If by age, how could Dong Bingfeng be ranked fourth? As for Liu Yong, one who handles confidential internal affairs can only be a trusted confidant, not hold high rank — otherwise he cannot be controlled," Ruhui said with a smile.

Zhao Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, but his tone was easy as he said, "Is this the sort of bureaucratic and worldly scheming they teach at Cloud Mountain Temple?"

"The intrigues up at Cloud Mountain Temple are no different from those in the court and officialdom — merely a difference of coarseness versus refinement. Besides, your subordinate originally studied to take the examinations and win honors," Ruhui answered with a smile.

After saying this, Ruhui's expression became solemn and earnest. In a low voice he said, "Master, this ranking must be settled as soon as possible. The longer it is delayed, the more disputes will arise, the greater the trouble — it could even brew into a great disaster."

Zhao Jin opened his eyes and stared at Ruhui for a moment, then nodded and said, "I understand. This matter will not be delayed."

Before Ruhui could respond, Zhao Jin waved his hand and laughed, self-mockingly saying, "I'm just a military household-born martial man leading a few hundred in a militia, yet the way you talk about it makes it sound like some grand enterprise."

Ruhui glanced at the wooden chest holding the court gazettes, but did not respond to that. He merely smiled and said, "Master, your subordinate has already placed a heavy wager — I'm willing to gamble on this throw!"

"Did you rush back just to say these things?" Zhao Jin also changed the subject, extending his hand in a gesture of invitation.

There was no one to serve at Zhao Jin's place, and Ruhui had long grown accustomed to it. He picked up the teapot himself, filled Zhao Jin's cup, then poured one for himself. Sitting beside Zhao Jin, he said, "Master, gathering the refugees at Cloud Mountain Temple is simple enough, but the grain is somewhat insufficient. The sorghum and such are all on our side. This year's harvest hasn't been good, and the yields won't be high — we still need to keep reserves for emergencies this winter and next spring. With over ten thousand more mouths to feed, we're stretched thin."

"Give them our sorghum. For what's still short, buy from all around. The income from those unclaimed fields outside the city this time should be considerable — use it all to buy grain," Zhao Jin decided crisply and decisively.

Ruhui smiled and nodded, saying easily, "Since Master says so, everything will be simple."

Everyone knew in their hearts what needed to be done. But using the distilling sorghum to relieve the disaster victims rather than completely draining Cloud Mountain Temple's reserves, and using the Zhao Camp's silver to buy grain — all of these required Zhao Jin's nod before they could be used. Ruhui's position was sensitive; if he acted on his own authority, he would be violating a taboo.

Ruhui stood and walked over to the wooden chest holding the court gazettes. Opening it, he took out the thin booklets one by one and flipped through them, asking as he looked, "Master, these are from twenty years ago up to the present. From when does Master wish to begin reading?"

"Last year's and this year's. First get a grasp on the matters at hand, then we'll talk," Zhao Jin answered.

Ruhui nodded, set down the booklets, and asked again, "Master, this year's refugees can still be resettled. But if similar events occur next year, Xuzhou may not be able to hold them all."

This sentence was likely the real topic of the day. Why they must gather refugees year after year — neither man brought it up. Zhao Jin furrowed his brow and said, "Xuzhou has few people and much land. Cloud Mountain Temple also has so many estates. We can endure this year; next year the fields the refugees cultivate will also yield harvests. How can we not hold them?"

"Master, Xuzhou's fields are barren. And because of the Yellow River flooding, there are many saline-alkaline wastelands. Coupled with the poor harvests of recent years, though there is much land, the yields are low. Cloud Mountain Temple may have vast fields, but its own tenant farmers and field laborers must also be supported — these people are also Master's subjects, and we cannot favor one over the other. It would also be improper to encroach elsewhere. Xuzhou has many powerful families; if Master shows any intent to invade and annex, every quarter would immediately unite against a common foe." In his words, Ruhui first distanced himself, making clear he was not acting as a lobbyist for Cloud Mountain Temple, before laying out the reasoning.

"Can Xuzhou accommodate this year's numbers?" Zhao Jin asked.

"It can. The farm estates under Master's and Cloud Mountain Temple's names can still accommodate ten thousand. If we grit our teeth, even fifteen thousand can be sustained," Ruhui said.

Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, but thought of the jesting phrase "squeeze a little and there will always be room." This Ruhui truly handled matters like a seasoned official clerk, leaving himself ample room to maneuver.

But at that moment Ruhui smiled bitterly and shook his head. He of course understood what Zhao Jin was thinking. After a pause, he said, "Master must not think your subordinate has left much leeway. Master, if we simply sent the refugees back to their homes, that would be one thing — however many starve on the road, whatever suffering they endure upon return, it's done and over with. Taking them in may accumulate virtue, but it also invites a trouble. Your subordinate did not consider this at the time and only realized it when reminded by a senior brother. I beg Master's forgiveness first!"

"Don't beat around the bush — get to the point," Zhao Jin said with some impatience, especially upon hearing the words "senior brother," instinctively feeling that Ruhui was still looking after Cloud Mountain Temple's interests.

"Master, gathering refugee populations strengthens ourselves — one more person is one more share of strength. But we overlooked one thing. Right now, it's not only Xuzhou that has refugees — Shandong has refugees, Fengyang has refugees, Henan has them too. They are all seeking survival everywhere, with nowhere to go. Word that Master, in his great compassion, is gathering refugees will spread sooner or later. When refugees from all directions surge toward Xuzhou, what do we do?"

Zhao Jin's body jolted. Ruhui continued, "If they come to Xuzhou and no chaos breaks out, the land will be covered with corpses of starvation. If chaos does break out, it will be a great slaughter. And then, who would dare come anymore?"

Taking in refugees was giving them a path to live. In the past, refugees had nowhere to go and wandered aimlessly. Only when sects like the Smelling Incense Sect stirred them up and organized them would tens of thousands of refugees surge toward Xuzhou. But now that word has spread that Xuzhou is taking in and relieving refugees, people everywhere have a destination. Coming to Xuzhou means survival — it is no longer an inciting slogan, but a fact.

With refugees from all directions gathering in Xuzhou, no matter what, Xuzhou will suffer a heavy blow to its vitality, not to mention that Zhao Jin's long-term plans will also be ruined.

Zhao Jin had already risen from his seat, his expression grim as he said, "I'm afraid the neighboring areas will also spread this word, saying that we are taking in and providing relief."

The officials and powerful families everywhere are of course also troubled by these refugees. Having such a good opportunity to shed this burden, they naturally won't pass it up. And everyone looks after their own home territory — who cares about the life or death of neighboring areas, let alone when they're not even in the same province...

The refugees north of the Huai River numbered three hundred thousand; by now there are still over a hundred thousand. The refugees in Shandong likely still number in the hundreds of thousands. As for how many are in Henan, Zhao Jin does not know. But if they all come flooding in like this, it won't be a benefit — it will be a great calamity.

"Thought they had a clever plan, but it's a foolish move." Zhao Jin muttered this, his face dark as he paced back and forth.

After a few steps he stopped. Zhao Jin spoke: "The news won't spread that fast. It will be a month or even longer before the refugees truly come flooding in. During this time, the court will provide relief, there will be all sorts of changes — it may not necessarily be a calamity bearing down on us. And along the way, some will starve to death, some will die of illness. Those who make it here may not be so many. We will take in all of these people. As long as we can settle them, they will all become our strength."

Ruhui nodded slowly and said with solemn respect, "The East Master is indeed one who accomplishes great things. This subordinate will go make arrangements at once."

Some things are awkward to say aloud. For instance, that Zhao Jin had made a mistake — he did not argue to defend himself, nor did he become angry from embarrassment. Instead, he admitted it crisply and coolly considered ways to resolve it.

"You know this one prefecture and four counties better than I do. We need to get a clear picture of the farmland everywhere that can still be seized. On Xuzhou's lands, we can't rely solely on Cloud Mountain Temple — we must also exploit every opening elsewhere." Zhao Jin spoke again.

"The properties held in the hands of the various families are not few, and there is much that can be seized. However, will this not affect the East Master's reputation?"

"It's not as if we're going to swallow them whole. As long as they can be brought under our use, that's enough!" Zhao Jin said with a cold laugh.

Ruhui nodded with solemn respect. Zhao Jin stood there and let out a long breath, the look on his face easing. This time it was a self-mocking smile: "I thought after breaking the siege things would lighten up a bit. Never imagined there wouldn't be a moment's leisure."

"One who does great things and forges great vessels — how can he crave leisure?" Ruhui said with grave seriousness. After saying this, he stepped forward and advised lightly, "This subordinate was merely raising a potential hidden trouble; it may not come true. The East Master should not worry overmuch."

"In our undertakings, we must consider every contingency as far as possible. Whatever needs to be prepared, we must prepare. When real trouble comes, it will be too late." Zhao Jin said.

Ruhui smiled and shook his head, teasing, "This subordinate has said it so many times it's grown tiresome, but the East Master's steadiness truly does not seem like that of a twenty..."

He had only spoken half when the sound of running footsteps came from outside. The sentries in the courtyard and at the door did not stop the person, letting them straight through.

"Young Master, this humble one is Meng Zhiqi." A voice announced at the door, and having gained permission, he pushed the door open and entered.

Meng Zhiqi had not been to the goods yard many times. He was both curious and nervous. After entering, he was extremely proper, bowing as he reported: "Young Master, just now the Xu family of Jingshan sent our household a generous gift and also delivered a visiting card, saying they will come to pay a call this evening."

Zhao Jin was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Ruhui. They had just dealt with them at the yamen, and now they were coming to visit — the Xu family of Jingshan truly moved quickly.

"What were the gifts?" It was Ruhui who asked this. This time Meng Zhiqi paused. Meng Zhiqi came from a good background and knew a fair amount about propriety and rules; he naturally understood that asking about the weight of gifts was quite improper. But this Mister Ruhui was also the Young Master's advisor. Seeing that Zhao Jin did not object, Meng Zhiqi answered: "Six bolts of cloud brocade, ten bolts of fine silk, ten bolts of Songjiang fine cotton, six pieces of goldware, sixteen pieces of silverware, wind-dried lamb, wind-dried chicken, and eight carrying-poles of assorted fruits and pastries."

Ruhui had been smiling, but as he listened further, his expression grew serious. Zhao Jin's brow also furrowed. These gifts were truly lavish. Had they not been so, Meng Zhiqi likely would not have remembered them in such detail.

"East Master, cloud brocade is produced in Nanjing and Suzhou. In earlier years it was supplied only to the imperial palace and noble houses. One bolt likely costs no less than several hundred taels. This whole set of gifts is worth several thousand taels. The Xu family must have a major matter to request of the East Master!" Ruhui said this, then added with a smile, "If you reckon it against the price of those refugee laborers, this silver isn't much. A sturdy young man like that, fed well and brought to good health, would cost ten taels of silver apiece."