Chapter 347: From Now On, It

But Xuzhou was different from other places. The local customs were fierce and martial; exploitation and extortion always had to leave some leeway, otherwise it was all too easy to provoke bloodshed and armed clashes, so you couldn't bleed them completely dry.

Apart from that, the Commandants and Chiliarchs had turned vast tracts of garrison farmlands into private holdings, driving the able-bodied men of the military households to till them. But this was not public property, so the output could not be fudged — it had to be intensively cultivated, the more yield the better. That meant they couldn't treat the working military household men too harshly and had to show them a measure of decent treatment.

To put it bluntly, using the military households of the garrison wasn't free — it always cost something. But if they used refugees, that problem disappeared. For these refugees, simply eating their fill was already a luxury, so naturally they wouldn't demand anything else, and you could squeeze them without restraint.

Having the garrison settle the refugees looked on the surface like the garrison was spending money and effort at a loss, but in reality the garrison was gaining a huge pool of free labor and making a massive bargain.

Still, with Zhao Jin's fearsome reputation here, the garrison men didn't dare keep the profits to themselves in silence; they simply laid everything out plainly and shared the benefits.

By that reckoning, the few men before him didn't care in the slightest how many Xuzhou Garrison able-bodied men he recruited. The more the Zhao Camp recruited, the greater the advantage they gained.

Zhao Jin also recalled rumors he had heard — that Xuzhou had suffered military disasters several times, and the Yellow River had flooded several times. Each time, vast tracts of ownerless land appeared, and the lands near the Xuzhou Garrison were all swallowed up by the garrison.

Ever since the Great Ming established the garrison system, garrison fields everywhere had been steadily shrinking, because nobles and powerful families were all scheming to encroach on them, and the officers within the garrisons were also converting public fields into private ones. The Xuzhou Garrison was a rare case of continuously expanding, because they enclosed and swallowed up land even faster than they could privately seize it.

The growth of military household population in the Xuzhou Garrison had always been limited; when you calculated it, it actually turned out to be a situation of few people and much land. Settling refugees this time perfectly solved that problem.

Zhao Jin sat there weighing the pros and cons, sinking deep into thought. On the other side, Commandant Jia and the others did not urge him, whispering among themselves.

Ruhui, sitting to the side, glanced left and right and realized that everyone was anxious but had no idea how to interject and help. He rose and walked to Zhao Jin's side, saying in a low voice, "Master, I will go call Xuezhi in. He also once managed farm estates and agricultural affairs for He Weiyuan."

Zhao Jin nodded slightly, and Ruhui hurried out of the room.

"Commandant Jia, does our Xuzhou Garrison really have that much farmland to cultivate?" Zhao Jin spoke up, breaking the silence.

Commandant Jia chuckled, showing no embarrassment at being seen through, and answered with a smile, "To be honest with you, Young Master Zhao, our Xuzhou produces coal and iron. The Xuzhou Garrison also has several coal kilns here, and quite a lot of goods come upriver from Pizhou along the canal. Hauling and tracking those boats requires no small number of hands. Our brothers in the garrison find farming and labor too hard — how could they do coal mining and boat tracking? These refugees are just right for it."

Zhao Jin shook his head. This Commandant Jia was shrewd as could be when talking business, and he wasn't afraid to lay his own dealings out before Zhao Jin, knowing full well that Zhao Jin wouldn't forcibly seize them.

Not long after, Zhou Xuezhi walked in hurriedly. He had been busy outside and was drenched in sweat, but the excitement on his face could not be concealed. Being able to appear on such an occasion would surely benefit the impression he left in Zhao Jin's mind.

Commandant Jia and his group had already been sufficiently humble today. Seeing Zhou Xuezhi enter, they all rose to greet him, smiling and exceedingly polite.

When people who understood the trade discussed things, it was different. Zhou Xuezhi did not even mention profit-sharing. Instead, he said that harvests varied with the year's conditions and the fertility of the land, so yields would inevitably be higher or lower. The Zhao Camp would not take advantage of the Xuzhou Garrison — one refugee would be calculated as one hundred jin of grain per year, to be renegotiated the year after next. Since it was already the seventh month this year, each refugee would only be calculated as thirty jin of grain.

Commandant Jia and the others were no longer so relaxed. They discussed in low voices, haggling back and forth, until finally it was settled at ninety-five jin of grain per refugee per year, with the thirty jin for this year remaining unchanged.

"What does Master think?" Zhou Xuezhi asked for instructions after the negotiations concluded.

The first priority for the recruited refugees was to keep them alive — to have a place to settle, with rations and shelter. That was enough. That each refugee could also be exchanged for grain was an unexpected delight, so naturally Zhao Jin would not quibble over it.

Although Zhao Jin looked down on these garrison officers, he acknowledged that they were decent enough merchants. Here on Xuzhou's turf, they wouldn't dare try any swindling tricks on him, so he was quite at ease.

With this agreement reached, Zhou Xuezhi bowed and was about to take his leave.

"Xuezhi, stay and listen. You have expertise in business operations." Zhao Jin spoke up to keep him. Zhou Xuezhi hurriedly assented and of his own accord walked around to stand behind the seat. His face was full of fervent emotion, and he accidentally stumbled, staggering a few steps before steadying himself.

Zhao Jin's attitude toward these Xuzhou Garrison men had already grown somewhat more polite. After all, what they were discussing now was business — a matter of mutual benefit and win-win. Naturally, there was no need for a cold face and intimidation.

"Young Master Zhao, the Xuzhou Garrison produces quite a lot. Grain is the bulk, but there is also plenty of homespun cloth and bamboo ware. These goods are too abundant over at Yutou Town and can't fetch much of a price. But Young Master Zhao's side likely has considerable demand — brewing liquor, feeding people, all sorts of daily necessities — these coarse goods can all be used. We're all from the Xuzhou Garrison, so you could say we're one family. On the price, everything is negotiable," Commandant Jia said with a smile.

The Assistant Commandant beside him added with a grin, "If Young Master Zhao is willing to settle in liquor, the price can be lowered even further. It's convenient for everyone."

The several officers all nodded, then turned to look at Zhao Jin with smiles. Zhao Jin slowly shook his head, his expression somewhere between amusement and exasperation. Finally, he let out a long breath and said, "If we're talking about Xuzhou Garrison origins, I'd even have to call you gentlemen 'uncles.' Today has truly surprised me, Zhao. I never expected you uncles to be such talents at business!"

The moment they heard the word "uncles," Commandant Jia and the others knew the atmosphere had completely thawed. Of the four classes of people — scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants — merchants held the lowest status. Their prestige and wealth were real enough, but to address imperial military officers as such to their faces was improper, and could even be taken as an insult.

Yet Commandant Jia and his group did not feel that way in the slightest; instead, each of them looked honored. Another commandant, surnamed Wang, nodded repeatedly and said, "Our official posts were passed down from our ancestors, and our territory is limited to the Xuzhou Garrison. The imperial court doesn't think much of us for fighting wars, and there are no compassionate favors or stipends, so we can only busy ourselves earning a bit, so our own families can eat and live a little better, and leave a bit more family wealth for our sons and younger brothers. After all, only one can inherit this position; the others still have to find their own way."

Zhao Jin gave a rueful smile. The other party was so uninhibited, caring nothing for face and single-mindedly focused on making money. Dealing with people like this was actually quite easy. From the standpoint of the military households, this bunch were bullies and parasites, exploiting and bleeding them dry, but now that they were cooperating with each other, they actually seemed rather agreeable.

"You arrived last night and spent a few hours browsing the market at He Village today. You must have some plans in mind. Speak up, all of you. Zhao will do his best to give you every convenience!" Zhao Jin became magnanimous as well.

Hearing Zhao Jin say this, Commandant Jia and his group were visibly delighted and rose again to bow deeply to Zhao Jin.

"Big Brother, I'm going to the stables to take a look. With this heat, I'll tell them to take careful care of the horses." Dong Bingfeng stood up and said. Without waiting for Zhao Jin's reply, he hurriedly ran out of the room.

The hands and grooms at the mule and horse market had been caring for livestock for years and were all highly experienced, with ways to handle both hot and cold weather. Moreover, the Zhao Camp's horses would be tended there with the utmost care — there was certainly no chance of anything going wrong. Going over to check was hardly necessary.

Zhao Jin glanced over and immediately guessed the reason, so he did not stop him. Dong Bingfeng's face was full of shame; he was probably feeling embarrassed by the behavior of these garrison officers.

"That lad Old Dong is bound for great achievements in the future, so diligent in his work, and so fortunate to follow a hero like Young Master Zhao." These men were attentive to every detail and quickly offered a flattering remark.

Commandant Jia and his group wanted to open trading firms and shops in He Village, and also purchase land to build warehouses. They said that in He Village's market, they had seen merchants from Shandong, Henan, and even Fengyang Prefecture, with local specialties from every region being traded here. The business opportunities in He Village were limitless, not to mention that this place was not far from a Yellow River ferry crossing and was also situated along the overland route west from Xuzhou's prefectural city — its geographic location was excellent.

"... If Young Master Zhao would grant his permission, everything is easy to discuss..."

The garrison side directly offered a thirty percent dry share. As long as Zhao Jin agreed, they could draw up the written contracts right away. Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi discussed it and then proposed an alternative plan: the trading firm, shops, and warehouses would all be built by the Zhao Camp, and the garrison side would rent them. The rent would certainly be much higher than the market rate, and it would be renegotiated yearly, not fixed.

This essentially meant not bearing the responsibilities of a shareholder while still collecting rent effortlessly, and at the same time keeping these businesses firmly under their control.

The garrison only needed to be able to trade and make money in He Village. With Zhao Jin being so dominant, they were in no position to contest anything. Achieving this outcome could be considered satisfactory to all.

As they were leaving, Commandant Jia also vaguely dropped a hint: weapons, armor, and horse tack — the garrison had stockpiles. Firearms and the like were also easy to discuss, and gunpowder could be bought and sold too. Liquor or silver would both do...

"I feel completely out of sorts. I'm going to drill the troops right now, work up a good sweat and feel refreshed!" After seeing off the garrison men, Zhao Jin said with a wry smile.

"Those officers only think of themselves. No one cares what happens to the garrison. From now on, let's not compare the Zhao Camp to the Xuzhou Garrison — it's an embarrassment to ourselves," Ji Xiang said from the side.

"I've seen Regional Commander Zhou's camp troops too. It seems like only his personal guards look the part. How much better could the infantry in his camp really be?" Shi Manqiang chimed in.

Zhao Jin waved his hand and said with a smile, "Don't compare our Zhao Camp to the imperial court's troops. They're not the same thing. It wouldn't sound good if outsiders heard."

Hearing this, everyone first acknowledged it, then looked thoughtful. Shi Manqiang muttered, "If you put it that way, even the government troops can't compare to us..."

"Mister Zhou, from now on, commercial and agricultural affairs are entrusted to you. Whatever you need, don't hesitate to speak up," Zhao Jin said succinctly.

Zhou Xuezhi stumbled, nearly falling to his knees. Back when He Village had been bloodily purged, he had barely managed to throw himself at Zhao Jin's door and escape with his life. Then, when He Village was besieged, he had fled ahead of time, hiding in the tunnels and not daring to come out. After that, he was demoted and could only follow Liu Yong handling miscellaneous tasks. Today, he had finally proven himself in commerce and agriculture, and was not only addressed as "Mister" but also given a promise. Truly, a tumult of emotions surged within him, and he was overwhelmed with excitement.