Chapter 369: Hustle and Bustle

369. Chapter 369: Hustle and Bustle

You could say that Licentiate Cai was a scholar who knew nothing of martial affairs, but this Qi Erkui was a figure of some note on the rivers and lakes. For him to also be so enthusiastic—could there really be some benefit in this?

"Good. My thanks to all of you for your support. The Zhao Character Battalion will not treat any of you poorly. And to the rest of you, please do not worry. Since we can all sit together, we are still friends, and things will remain as they always were!" Zhao Jin said with a smile.

As for the matter of each family's local militia and village braves being placed under the unified command of the Zhao Character Battalion, no one inquired about it, and no one raised any objections. Since Zhao Jin had given the word, everyone had to agree.

Over on the other side, Zhou Xuezhi stepped forward again and said, "As previously agreed upon, for our local business dealings within Xuzhou, everyone shall grant each other convenience, and no transit duties or checkpoints shall be established. However, for goods from outside passing through, regardless of whose connections are involved, they must purchase a recognition flag from our Zhao Character Battalion. With this flag, everyone must grant them passage. Without this flag, if anyone grants them passage, then they are making trouble for the Zhao Character Battalion and making trouble for all of you, fellow countrymen."

The people below all nodded, and some even murmured, "Master Jin is righteous and generous. This recognition flag was always meant to be upheld by everyone's collective effort. How could the Kong Family Village manage it all on their own?"

"... Whichever family's territory the goods pass through, make sure to record it at the time. Come here once every three months to settle the accounts. You will absolutely not be treated poorly..."

Before Zhou Xuezhi over on the other side had even finished, Zhao Jin raised his voice to add, "This flag is not just for the silver. It is also so that everyone guards their own territory well. During this recent roving bandit chaos, who knows how many scouts slipped through beforehand? Do you all truly claim you saw nothing? It was simply that you felt it had nothing to do with you, so you turned a blind eye and let it slide. As a result, we nearly suffered a great calamity. From now on, this must absolutely never happen again."

"Rest assured, Master Jin!" the crowd below answered in a jumbled chorus.

Once this was said, Ruhui took another step forward and announced with a smile, "Honored guests, please leave your seats and rest for a moment. We need to rearrange the seating."

A shaded awning had already been set up outside. The guests rose and walked out. Under Ruhui's direction, the newly appointed company commanders and squad leaders waiting outside moved the tables and chairs beneath the large canopy to the sides. Their movements were swift and orderly, and the task was quickly completed. The space beneath the large canopy was now empty. The company commanders and squad leaders filed in according to their order of precedence, forming ranks beneath the canopy and standing at attention.

This scene piqued the interest of the guests on either side. The previous discussions had all been about reordering the state of affairs in the Xuzhou region. Everyone here was a person of some standing in Xuzhou. Whether it was prior consultation or a post-facto announcement, some formality was always expected. But these family retainers had already been assigned their positions earlier—what were they doing here now?

The family retainers stood there in an at-ease posture. A moment later, a dozen or so more men were led over. Anyone with a bit of worldly experience could recognize them: they were all bold, hardy men of the rivers and lakes from the Xuzhou prefectural city and Xiao County area. Some of these men operated alone, while others had a dozen or scores of brothers under them, living on the knife's edge and scraping by on whatever spoils came their way. Though they were hardly law-abiding citizens, they still possessed some reputation for chivalry and righteousness. At the very least, they followed the principle that a rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow.

Furthermore, some of those who had participated in the relief of Xuzhou that day recognized that the dozen or so men brought forward had all joined the relief force back then and had fought a bloody battle.

"... Those Bai brothers had it hard. Two of them died..."

A low murmur of discussion arose. These men all held their heads high and puffed out their chests, forcing a bold and martial bearing. Yet as they walked, they glanced left and right and repeatedly lowered their heads; it was clear they were very ill at ease.

After they were led over, they stood beside the leaders of the family retainers. At this moment, Zhao Jin rose from his seat. With a solemn expression, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply, saying with gravity, "My thanks to all of you brothers for your righteous aid. Zhao is endlessly grateful. I thank you once more!"

That uneasy group of men had not expected Zhao Jin to act this way. First, they were stunned, and then they hurriedly bowed in return, flustered. Some even dropped directly to their knees, repeatedly saying they dared not accept such courtesy.

"The compensation and burial expenses for the dead and wounded have already been distributed. But compared to your righteous fervor, these are far from sufficient. Zhao also knows that you have all drifted these many years without any fixed place to call home. Therefore, I have prepared some modest gifts. For those who died or were wounded, the Zhao Character Battalion will provide their families with the annual yield of ten mu of land per person. As for the rest of you, the transport of our Hanjing Famous Liquor is frequently harassed. I would like to ask you all to help guard and escort it. The pay is, of course, negotiable," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

After a brief silence, a stir ran through the crowd. To most of the people here, the annual yield of ten mu of land was not much, but to a commoner or a small household, it was truly considerable. And as for the escort and transport of Hanjing Famous Liquor, it went without saying that the income would be substantial. Although everyone knew that no one in the Xuzhou region with any sense would dare cause trouble, since Zhao Jin was offering a reward, his hand would not be stingy.

That group of men reacted even later than the surrounding crowd. Once the implication sank in, they understood what this meant. Each one scrambled to kneel and kowtow. They were not gentry or notables with any social standing to speak of; they were merely bandits and outlaws with a slightly better reputation and a remnant of conscience. In front of Zhao Jin, in truth, they only had the standing to kneel and answer.

"All of you, stand up! Where is the spirit you had when you fought the bandits alongside us back then?" Zhao Jin called out with a laugh.

The group below scrambled back to their feet. Some of the more rough-hewn, burly men were now constantly wiping away tears. Wandering the rivers and lakes, how could they ever have imagined a moment so dignified and glorious? And they even seemed to glimpse the possibility of going straight. Working for Headman Zhao meant taking pay for official duties, which sounded respectable when spoken of.

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile, then spoke: "Brothers of the Bai family, Yang Jisheng, step forward a bit."

There were five Bai brothers, each one brawny and powerful. However, they were just these five men doing some small trade, and now only three remained. The Yang family was a large clan, but not a wealthy or powerful one. It was simply that they had many clansmen and many brothers, so no one dared bully them. Among these gang leaders, they were considered nobodies and stood in the very back row.

Hearing Zhao Jin's call, the people around them quickly parted to make a path. The three Bai brothers and Yang Jisheng walked over, anxious and nervous.

"Three of the Bai family, and Elder Yang, besides the farmland, Zhao has another invitation. I wonder if you would be willing to accept?" Zhao Jin said with a smile.

The four men below were stunned for a moment, then hurriedly nodded and stammered, "Please give your orders, Master Jin."

"Zhao's Internal Guard Unit has just been established, and its ranks are not yet full. I wonder if any of you would be willing to come and serve?" Zhao Jin asked gently.

The Bai brothers and Yang Jisheng all widened their eyes. The guests on either side also involuntarily leaned forward, trying to hear clearly what was being said. A low murmur of discussion had already begun.

"We're willing! We, your humble servants, are willing! With just one word from Master Jin, we'll go through water and fire!" Yang Jisheng reacted much faster than the Bai brothers, hurriedly kneeling on the ground. The Bai brothers also knelt down, repeatedly voicing their agreement.

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile and added, "Once you join, if any of your brothers at home meet the requirements, they can also be brought in. For those who don't, I will also make arrangements for them. You will not be treated poorly!"

Yang Jisheng and the Bai brothers below were already beyond answering with words; they simply kept knocking their heads against the ground. Some in the surrounding crowd nodded, while others had eyes that seemed about to blaze with fire, filled with both envy and jealousy.

Who didn't want to join the Zhao Character Battalion right now? If one's own age disqualified them, they could send their sons or younger kin. With the status of a Zhao Character Battalion family retainer, one's actions and words in the Xuzhou region carried much more weight. No one had expected the Bai brothers and Yang Jisheng to be recruited so easily.

"Go rest over there for now. Someone will make arrangements for you shortly," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished. This was the guiding principle Zhao Jin was determined to establish right now. Among the gentry and powerful figures seated here, some had sent volunteer militias to help that day, some had their militias coerced and swept along by his pressure, and some had simply stood by with folded hands and watched. Although there was no explicit intelligence, Zhao Jin knew that among the various powers present, there were certainly some who had colluded with the refugees.

These local gentry and strongmen had come here to divide the spoils. How the interests within the Xuzhou region would be distributed in the future needed to be negotiated and settled both beforehand and afterward. Zhao Jin still could not completely swallow Xuzhou whole. This was, after all, the realm of the Great Ming; there was still the imperial court, the government troops, and the king's law. He could not truly launch an all-out war. Moreover, the Zhao Character Battalion's strength was currently insufficient; four hundred men could not look after the entirety of vast Xuzhou.

Dealing with these people required pressure and negotiation. As for their sending men to help, it was likely more out of self-preservation, fearing that the refugees would break through Xuzhou and harm their own interests. Therefore, even if gratitude was due, it had its limits.

As for those gang leaders and the like, they were desperate men to begin with. Under such circumstances, they might have been willing to gamble. After all, in the Xuzhou region, being connected to Zhao Jin meant endless food and drink. These people also deserved thanks, but nothing more than that.

The Bai brothers and Yang Jisheng were different. They themselves had little power. When they had righteously volunteered to join the relief force that day, it was purely out of passionate fervor and a sense of chivalrous duty, disregarding their own lives to save the countless common people of Xuzhou. Such righteous men naturally had to be richly rewarded and won over.

Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished. Zhao Jin also remembered a saying: "Intentional virtue is not rewarded." While this saying might not be entirely correct, it was very fitting in this situation.

From the moment the name "Internal Guard Unit" was first mentioned, everyone only knew that Liu Yong was its leader. What the Internal Guard Unit did, and who was in it—no one knew anything. But now, at the very least, they knew about the Bai brothers and Yang Jisheng. Some clever people began to discern a certain flavor in this.

"... Could it really be similar to the Depot and Guard..." someone thought this, but did not voice it aloud.

The drums sounded again, and silence fell within the canopy. Zhao Jin and his companions all stood up and took a step forward. From the low platform, Zhao Jin loudly declared, "Brothers, as company commanders and squad leaders, you are the backbone and elite of my Zhao Character Battalion. Zhao will not treat any of you poorly. I now announce: those of the Soldier rank shall each be allotted ten mu of farmland. Starting next year, for each year in the Zhao Character Battalion without error, they shall receive an additional five mu. Those of the Officer rank shall each be allotted thirty mu of farmland. Starting next year, for each year in the Zhao Character Battalion without error, they shall receive an additional ten mu. Errors will reduce this; meritorious service will increase it."