Chapter 372: All Trivial Matters

The simple renovations inside He Village were already complete. The new recruits had filled every room, but the craftsmen and laborers did not stop, still bustling about without pause.

Zhao Character Battalion's personal guard numbered four hundred and eighty men; the First Regiment, one thousand one hundred men; the Second Regiment, one thousand one hundred men; the cavalry troop, one hundred and twenty riders. The strength of the Inner Guard was undisclosed. In addition, over one thousand three hundred militia sent from various places had arrived, while the Cadet Corps currently had more than one hundred and seventy men—though the exact number was still pending, as people were continuously being sent in from all over. Zhao Character Battalion's main units were all organized into companies of one hundred men, whereas the militia from various places formed companies of either two hundred or one hundred and fifty men.

Apart from these people, Zhao Character Battalion had also selected four hundred reliable households from the refugees to come over. They were responsible for matters related to the battalion's board and lodging, as well as some logistical affairs.

The newly recruited family soldiers had already been organized into units, with company commanders and squad leaders all assigned. They trained daily on the open ground. The clearing east of the He Family compound was no longer large enough; separate training grounds had been opened in three directions. The first task for the family soldiers every day when training began was for everyone to pull stone rollers to level the ground, because those areas had originally been farmland.

The veterans who had not been promoted were all concentrated into the First and Second Companies of the personal guard. Both companies were half veterans and half new recruits. All the stored armor, except for the sets issued to company and squad commanders at the battalion officer level, was concentrated here as well.

The squad leader of the archery unit was replaced by a young man from a guard-post background, while Zhuang Liu fulfilled his own wish and was assigned as the company commander of the personal guard's Second Company.

Over at the neighboring Little Stone Village, they were ordered to vacate two residences on the east side of the village, and no one was allowed to linger near those two residences after dark. To ensure this was enforced, militia were specially assigned to stand guard.

At first, everyone thought it was strange. Later, someone occasionally spotted Zhao Jin coming over and assumed he was keeping a mistress hidden there. But after that, the security around the courtyard became even tighter, and even the militia stopped looking.

"Big Brother, go back and rest first. I'll go check on things everywhere. The market hasn't been peaceful lately—some people deliberately refuse to leave at night, maybe trying to spy on our true strength," Liu Yong said as he took his leave.

Zhao Jin nodded and turned to walk toward the house. The family soldiers on rotating sentry duty raised their arms flat to their chests in salute, but inwardly they were puzzled. Master Zhao now went out every single night, returning only after about one double-hour, and each time he was with Master Liu Yong. However, the new recruits on sentry duty had long since learned the rules: don't ask too many questions and don't meddle.

The door to the main room was closed, but a lantern hung in the side room, indicating a guest was waiting. Zhao Jin turned his head toward the sentry post. "Steward Cao has arrived."

As he spoke, Ruhui came out holding several account books and said with a smile, "Master, you've been working hard these days."

Zhao Jin smiled but did not respond. The two entered the room together. A stove was heating water in front of the door. Ruhui carried the water inside and busied himself directly with brewing tea. Zhao Jin closed the door. Only after closing it did Zhao Jin speak: "The men under Xiaoyong are different from those in other places. They come from all walks of life, from every corner of the world—all sorts of people, and their temperaments are hard to gauge. Moreover, each of them has been roaming free and unrestrained for a long time. Whether they can obey orders and accept discipline is hard to say. For now, we can only watch the people and investigate their backgrounds."

"Master, your subordinate doesn't quite understand such matters, but I feel we should still use our own core people. Better to let them train up step by step than to bring in fully formed outsiders," Ruhui said, opening the account book.

Zhao Jin nodded, casually picked up a copy of the court gazette, flipped it open, and said, "There's nothing useful in the gazette's news. They even report on a prince's wedding and changes in the weather. Are all the great affairs of the realm just trivial matters like these?"

"Master jests. You have to read the gazette over a long period. A month or two doesn't reveal much, but after reading it for a year or two, you can see a great many things. However, since Master only started reading it last year, last year truly held nothing urgent or remarkable," Ruhui said with a smile.

Despite the talk, Zhao Jin still read very carefully. Only after all matters had been set on the right track could he schedule time to read the gazette, and this was only the first volume he had opened.

Although Ruhui said there was nothing remarkable or urgent, Zhao Jin noticed that the civil officials had been arguing endlessly with the emperor over the rituals and expenses of a prince's wedding, and then they were begging the Wanli Emperor to cut various taxes and levies. Every locality was crying poverty, every locality claimed the people's hearts could bear no more—yet the Wanli Emperor gave no reply whatsoever.

In the appointment of low-ranking officials, although the Censorate and the Six Ministries still submitted lists of names, the Son of Heaven generally ignored them, or simply handled matters himself without requiring memorials. It looked as if the emperor was lazy and unwilling to deal with tedious administrative affairs, which could also be interpreted as the emperor being unable to control personnel matters below. But Zhao Jin also noticed that for the appointment and dismissal of military officers at all border passes, the court always issued clear edicts. This showed that the crucial levers were firmly held in the emperor's hands.

Or, according to Wang Zhaojing's explanations back then, military power and financial power were always closely watched by the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Directorate of Horses, unwilling to yield an inch to the civil officials. But the reason they were watched so closely was precisely because the civil officials were reaching too far.

Combining his past memories with Wang Zhaojing's detailed explanations and all he had seen and heard over the years, Zhao Jin could discern many things from the gazette. Although he had never left Xuzhou, the realm under the Great Ming was gradually becoming clearer to him.

"Master, the most pressing matter right now is still grain. We needn't worry this year, and we can get through next year's lean season as well. But the year after, if there's the slightest disturbance, grain will become tight. This must be considered early," Ruhui said, making a few marks in the account book.

Hearing Ruhui's statement, Zhao Jin put down the gazette in his hands, pondered for a moment, and said, "Pizhou can still provide some supplement, but it probably won't cover the entire shortfall. Fortunately, we have silver. If our luck really turns bad, we'll just buy grain within Xuzhou. The various families have considerable stockpiles; as long as the price is right, they'll all be willing to sell."

"Master is truly benevolent and righteous," Ruhui said with a smile, though anyone could tell the words were insincere.

Zhao Jin also smiled and shook his head. "After all, we've only just started working together. Some things can't be done too harshly. After three years, it won't be this troublesome."

Ruhui flipped two pages of the account book, his expression turning serious. With great gravity, he said, "Master, the gentry and powerful families all have their own selfish motives. But if Master wants to seize control of Xuzhou, you must still rely on them. You cannot push them too hard. A benevolent heart to win them over is also necessary."

"Rely on them? A joke. Prefect Tong relied on them, and the moment he turned around, he was sold out," Zhao Jin said with a cold laugh.

Ruhui did not respond. After all, they would still need to win people over for the next three years; he could gently persuade his master later. This master of his was, after all, only seventeen this year.

Just as Zhao Jin picked up the gazette again and saw a regional inspector from somewhere in the south reporting local poverty and requesting the court reduce or exempt taxes, he couldn't help but smile. At that moment, Ruhui spoke up again: "Master, in the past at Cloud Mountain Temple, the monk Runan was Abbot Yuanxin's trusted confidant. Any secret matter, he sent Runan to handle it. But privately, there were also rumors that Yuanxin still had a few personal men of his own, used to keep an eye on Runan. Runan didn't know about these men. Thinking about it now, it's truly laughable."

Zhao Jin was startled for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face. He answered leisurely, "Yuanxin's approach actually makes a great deal of sense. Only by covering every angle can one avoid regret after something goes wrong."

"Master's insight is profound!" After saying this with a smile, Ruhui took the account books and excused himself, withdrawing.

There were also rules before bedtime. Zhao Jin would walk through the barracks and sentry posts with his companions, checking for any oversights. He made sure to visit every company if possible, to see the conditions inside. Zhao Jin did not place much trust in people's self-discipline. He felt that only when supervision, inspection, and rules were all fully in place would no one dare slack off.

As they inspected the barracks one by one, every place had its share of flaws. With so many new recruits, it was normal for rules not to be followed. After checking day after day, everyone could already sense the new recruits' improvement. Just as the companions were about to return to their own quarters, Chen Sheng suddenly said, "I wonder how that kid did on his exam?"

"The results should be posted any day now. Third Brother's scholarship and essays are certainly not lacking, and with the family connections he has, he's sure to pass," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Ever since the day they had formally ranked themselves, everyone had an order. Zhao Jin very naturally used these rankings instead of calling them by name.

Chen Sheng let out a scoff and shook his head. "If he really passes the provincial exam, his tail will definitely fly up to the heavens!"

The companions all burst into laughter. Zhao Jin waved his hand as well and said, resigned, "Except for those on night duty, everyone go back and sleep early. We still have to get up tomorrow morning to inspect the drills!"

With so many new recruits and such a massive project outside, it was bound to be nonstop busyness. There truly was no idle moment. Every day was hectic and exhausting, yet no one complained of hardship or fatigue. Everyone took joy in it, because everyone knew this was their own enterprise. The more they did, the more they would reap.

Zhao Jin's life now was rather dull. Every day, he rose early to practice martial arts, then inspected things with his companions, then led the troops in training. Zhao Jin's lunch period took a full hour and a half. It wasn't slacking off—he would eat quickly, then settle construction projects and expenses everywhere with Ruhui, Zhou Xuezhi, and Liu Yong. The income side also had to be reviewed. The afternoon was again filled with nonstop training and handling affairs.

If there was any rest, it was in the gaps between these tasks. Zhao Jin would set aside about the time it takes an incense stick to burn to flip through the court gazette. Zhao Jin had never left Xuzhou, and he had no interest in the outside world. It wasn't that his vision was narrow or he was unwilling to move; rather, he felt he already understood it quite well. Those local customs, geography, and economies—he had encountered or visited them before. Now, verifying them through the accounts of traveling merchants was sufficient.

Yet after he began reading the gazette, Zhao Jin discovered there were still many differences. This gave him the interest to keep reading, to properly understand.

That day was the same as always. Those willing to hand over their militia and village braves had sent a total of over one thousand three hundred men. After screening, eight hundred were deemed qualified. But they could not train so many at once, because the various localities still needed militia and village braves to garrison them. So only one-third were kept at a time, rotating in for regular training.

After arranging all this, it was again time for the "noon meal." Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi, leading several shopkeepers and accountants, were already waiting there. Tomorrow, Chen Hong would be coming from inside the city. Everyone needed to reconcile accounts and verify expenditures. From now on, the treasury would be under Chen Hong's overall management.