Chapter 477: The Market Has Changed (First Update)

There was another merchant, also from Jiangnan, who did not come with the others but instead paid a visit alone, and the moment he opened his mouth he named a very large figure — this caught Zhao Jin by surprise, but Sun Jia's explanation made things clear to him.

"... This man works for the Sea Lords. Our Xuzhou fire-wine drives out cold and dampness — I've heard that when someone sees blood, sprinkling our wine on the wound helps it heal faster. They'll certainly have use for it at sea..."

The so-called Sea Lords was a blanket term for sea merchants and pirates alike — though most were pirates. Life at sea was tedious and dreary, and the dampness was heavy; their need for strong liquor was probably even greater than that of the men on the canal. As for the claim that pouring wine on a bloody wound helped it heal faster, that made Zhao Jin laugh. Strong liquor disinfected — the comparatively mellow and potent Hanjing Famous Wine would indeed work better than other wines for that.

But such a large order was not something Zhao Jin could agree to on the spot. He only asked the man to wait for word. Unlike the others who haggled over prices and begged for discounts, this Jiangnan merchant was very direct, saying that if the goods could be shipped quickly, a higher price would not matter. After all, it was business for men of the sea — silver came fast, and they spent it with particular generosity.

Both days were uneventful. The Sun Family Trading House's preparations for the refugee camp supplies were also very simple — grain and the like were quickly available, and hiring carts was easy. Feeding the extra mouths of the captives was no difficulty at all. Zhao Jin would state the numbers, and they would go busy themselves with it; he did not even need to spend any extra thought on the matter.

The third day was the twenty-sixth of the second month. The atmosphere in Yutou Town had turned somewhat strange. The streets grew more and more crowded, and the docks grew busier and more bustling. On the surface, it seemed no different from usual, but in truth, anyone paying attention could sense something odd.

As the canal thawed and the navigable stretches grew longer, business for all the trading houses and freight yards was booming more and more — yet over a dozen trading houses had their gates tightly shut, actually suspending business at a time like this. When people with connections went to ask, there were still men left behind in the shops to watch the doors, who would only say, "Wait a while. Something major has happened on the owner's side. We can reopen once that major matter is settled."

These dozen or so shops and trading houses shared one common trait: behind them all stood the Feng Family, whether openly or in secret. Some shops had not a single shareholder surnamed Feng on the books, yet everyone knew they were Feng Family properties.

Furthermore, many of the drifters and lowlifes in Yutou Town had all vanished without a trace. Some had been seen leaving the night before, looking utterly terrified.

Yutou Town was full of wealthy merchants and big spenders, most of them merchants from elsewhere, so they spent money freely and lavishly. This in turn made the brothels and gambling dens thrive — and in quality, the brothels and gambling dens here were no worse than those in places like Qingjiangpu or Yangzhou.

Women and dice both brought outrageous profits, but they were also tied to the underworld, connected to all sorts of drifters, lowlifes, and unsavory characters. The best establishments in Yutou Town were nearly all closely linked to the Feng Family, and the men who watched over their venues were all underworld figures under the Feng Family. The brothels' connection to the Feng Family had another advantage: the Fengs could bring in girls from pleasure capitals like Yangzhou.

But on this very day, the twenty-sixth of the second month, the managers of the brothels and gambling dens and the like all prepared lavish gifts and went to see You Zhenrong and his men with the utmost deference and humility. They did not have the standing to meet Zhao Jin.

You Zhenrong and his group had rented out an entire mid-sized inn, which served as their base camp. It was very close to the Yutou Town dock area — if anything major happened, it would be convenient to seek help from or take shelter with the canal transport powers.

Although You Zhenrong and his men were gradually gaining the upper hand, and much news had come over from Pi Prefecture, the owners and managers of these brothels and gambling dens remained unmoved. They considered themselves worldly and well-informed. What did it matter how fiercely that backwater Xuzhou stirred up trouble? So what if they had gained a temporary advantage? In the end, the Feng Family would still win.

Precisely because of this attitude of theirs, even though You Zhenrong held the upper hand, he still could not control the streets and markets of Yutou Town. Most of the lowlifes and shady characters made their living off wine, women, wealth, and vice. The stance taken by these few brothels and gambling dens determined their own loyalties. Since those above did not lean toward the men from Xuzhou, they naturally would not either — only a handful of clever ones stayed neutral and helped neither side.

When You Zhenrong received these local bosses, his politeness was tinged with reserve. He agreed to nothing. After all, they had struggled and fought for so long — they had to reap enough to make it worthwhile. Yet in his heart, You Zhenrong felt both shock and admiration. He was shocked that the situation had shifted so quickly, and he admired the fact that Zhao Jin truly possessed great ability — the moment he arrived, everything changed.

By the afternoon and evening, more and more people had learned the news. Everyone was discussing one matter in tones of utter disbelief: the Feng Family's militia guards had been wiped out!

Yangzhou, Qingjiangpu, and Yutou Town were all key hubs and nodes of the canal, linked together by the waterway. News traveled swiftly and conveniently between them, and the Feng Family's power and fearsome reputation had sunk deep into people's hearts. In everyone's minds, the Fengs were a colossal entity — one you had to tilt your head back to look at, perhaps even one so vast you could not see it all by looking up.

They had high officials like Grand Secretaries and Ministers backing them in the imperial court; the Vice Commander of Wolf Mountain was a junior to their family's Old Master; their household held hidden silver in the millions of taels; they were on familiar terms with all those big shots in Nanjing — and so on and so forth.

Against such a colossal power, who could possibly contend? And what everyone saw indeed confirmed this: in official circles, whether civil or military; in the rivers and lakes, among the outlaws, whether on water or land — no matter which path you walked, you had to give the Feng Family face. No one would provoke or offend them.

Then, suddenly, a young man named Zhao Jin appeared out of nowhere in Xuzhou, keeping a band of fierce, bloodthirsty fighters, and for some inexplicable reason, he had locked horns with the Feng Family.

At the very start, everyone treated Zhao Jin as a joke. Had there ever been a shortage of ruthless, formidable men? In Huai'an Prefecture, a band of mounted brigands had once targeted a Feng Family merchant convoy. Afterward, they were hunted down by combined forces, and the entire band had their heads chopped off.

There had once been a man of high martial skill who came to cause trouble at the gates of a Feng Family business. He beat down over a dozen of the Fengs' household guards and brazenly declared that from then on he would come to collect protection money. As a result, that very night his entire family died violently — even his disciples and the like were all drowned in the lake.

Here in Yutou Town, there had also been someone from the Patrol Office who wanted to put a chokehold on the Feng Family, specifically investigating them. He had only done so twice before the Huai'an Prefecture stripped him of his post and threw him into prison. His family's wealth and women all ended up in the hands of a Feng Family steward.

And this was merely in Yutou Town. It was said that the Feng Family was even more formidable in Qingjiangpu and Yangzhou Prefecture. That Zhao Jin must have eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall to dare act so recklessly and viciously against such a colossal power. Just wait for him to die and his clan to be exterminated — he would become the next piece of gossip and laughingstock on everyone's lips.

No one expected the situation to develop this way. First, the Xuzhou underworld figures suddenly entered Huai'an Prefecture. In the span of about ten days, every tough guy whose word carried weight on the streets and in the markets was speaking with a Xuzhou accent.

Then, the government officials who had always been utterly deferential to the Feng Family remained completely silent and inactive. Even the local yamen runners and petty enforcers were all remarkably polite to the Xuzhou outsiders.

On the surface, everyone acted puzzled, but in secret they were all buzzing with talk — some even with a hint of anticipation — thinking that the Feng Family surely still had some thunderous, crushing move in reserve.