Chapter 478: Someone from the South Arrives (Second Update)

Some days ago, the Feng family's various connections in Yutou Town had been preparing supplies. It seemed to be done in secret, but in reality, there was no way to keep it hidden. The shopkeepers might have kept their mouths shut, but the same couldn't be said for the clerks, let alone all the people they dealt with in every direction.

The Feng family was about to make a move against Zhao Jin. This news had already begun circulating in small circles. Everyone thought their own assumptions were correct and was waiting in anticipation for something to happen.

So when Zhao Jin arrived in Yutou Town, and with the discovery of the transported corpses, many people began to wonder whether Zhao Jin had suffered a major loss. Watching him appear calm and untroubled, they thought he was actually already retreating step by step. A few quick-witted individuals even started thinking about how to buy up the distilleries in Xuzhou.

Then definite news came. The news was so utterly unbelievable that no one believed it; everyone thought it was absurd and exaggerated. The rumor was that the Feng family's entire militia and private troops had been wiped out by Zhao Jin. That was nearly a thousand martial men and able-bodied laborers — there were officers and elite soldiers of official army origin, and desperadoes recruited from all over. There were cavalry and infantry, superbly equipped, all wielding iron weapons, and many of them even wore armor.

How could such a massive force be wiped out so easily? How was that possible? Had the news been passed on wrong? If anyone was to be defeated, it should have been Zhao Jin's side that was wiped out.

But then one thought about it — Zhao Jin had brought his men to Yutou Town, swaggered in, settled down, and received visitors, while the Feng family's businesses had shut their doors and their underlings had scattered and vanished without a trace. Thinking it over carefully, it increasingly seemed that the news was probably not wrong; it might very well be true.

And if it was true? If a force mustered by a colossal entity like the Feng family could be so easily annihilated, then just how strong was this Zhao Jin? His distillery had only been open for how long? How could it compare to the Feng family, salt merchants for generations, whose wealth and influence were on a completely different scale? How could he have won?

There were even some who said that the Feng family had called in government troops this time, and even those government troops had been wiped out by Zhao Jin. No one who heard this believed it at all; everyone scoffed at it. If you're going to lie and make things up, at least make it plausible. No matter how useless the official army might be, they were still stronger than outlaws, bandits, and local tyrant militias. Wiped out by Zhao Jin too? Did he have three heads and six arms? Did he have the nerve?

Even so, Zhao Jin had already become a legend here in Yutou Town. Originally, he had been regarded as nothing more than a Xuzhou local ruffian who knew how to do business, with a few unreliable rumors of martial prowess. Now all those past incidents were being dug up and reexamined — the Little Eight Righteous Ones killing the kidnapper to save a girl, the Little Eight Righteous Ones' fierce battle against bandits in the narrow alley, the Little Eight Righteous Ones slaying a hundred bandits at Gao Family Village, the massacre of He Family Village, the storming of Cloud Mountain Temple, the Zhao Battalion's pacification of a hundred thousand roving bandits, the surprise raid on Kong Family Village...

Deeds were spreading in all directions — some were things people swore to with absolute certainty, others were speculation. All of these were being unearthed now. Originally, these matters had only circulated among the mouths of the jianghu, but now they had become corroborating evidence for the destruction of the Feng family militia.

In that case, the sky was about to change. But upon reflection, it didn't really have much to do with the common folk. This was still the Great Ming realm, and business went on as usual. It was nothing more than an extra piece of interesting gossip to pay attention to.

That being said, if this young master was staying on in Yutou Town and not leaving, he might very well be settling here for the long term. Staying here made sense. Yutou Town was the third most prosperous place north of the Yangtze, second only to Yangzhou and Qingjiangpu. Compared to a poor, harsh, and remote place like Xuzhou, it was far superior. Young people all liked excitement, liked the pleasures of song, dance, and the hunt — there was nothing strange about it.

Uninvolved people watched the spectacle, but those who were involved all made their moves. The Feng family's most critical interest north of Huai'an Prefecture was salt. The official salt and the "official-surface private salt" both traveled from Haizhou south along the Salt Transport River to Qingjiangpu and Yangzhou, and from there followed the waterways to be sold throughout the realm. It had nothing to do with the northern hinterlands of Huai'an Prefecture or with Pizhou to the west.

But that immensely profitable private salt, the kind that couldn't see the light of day, absolutely had to come out through this area. It wasn't just the Feng family's private salt, but also that of other salt merchants, as well as some desperate salt smugglers and salt peddlers. Connected to all this were also two patrol inspectorates and a number of bandit lair-masters along the roads.

Now that the ruler of this territory had changed, they had to act accordingly. Before, the Feng family had driven everyone else out and taken all the profits for themselves. This new man had no deep ties to the salt trade — could they share in some of the benefits under his rule? Everyone knew there was no such thing as a free feast. Offering tribute and sharing profits was unavoidable. At the very least, they had to come pay their respects in person. From now on, they would be scraping for a living under this powerful overlord.

Even the two Ninth-Rank Patrol Inspectors did not dare presume upon their official status. Following the rules of the jianghu, they respectfully prepared lavish gifts, sought out people of sufficient standing to make introductions, sent in their calling cards, and requested an appointed time, waiting to see what Zhao Jin's intentions were.

Salt merchants in Yangzhou who got the news also sent men north, waiting to meet and negotiate with Zhao Jin.

As for those salt smugglers, salt peddlers, and lair-masters, they could only make their stance known as best they could from nearby. They reached out to those Xuzhou martial men they had looked down on or even been hostile toward, expressing their respect and goodwill toward Zhao Jin.

They couldn't even put forward a figure of sufficient standing to meet Zhao Jin. The reason was simple: the Feng family's suppression of this area had been too brutal; it was impossible for any strongman to rise up.

In the thinking of all the various parties connected to the salt route, Zhao Jin, after his great victory and after the reversal of the situation was confirmed, had come to Yutou Town. On one hand, he wanted to enjoy the prosperity here; on the other, he was waiting for everyone to come pay their respects to the new boss. This was only right and proper — the winner, the victor, had earned that right.

But to everyone's surprise, while Master Jin's attitude was polite enough, he said that these matters would have to be settled in Xuzhou. However, he would absolutely not shortchange anyone. The Feng family had taken far too large a share. Even after setting aside the customary cuts for the Zhao Battalion and the various Xuzhou factions, everyone could still make a great deal of money. Once Zhao Jin made this statement, it was already a result that satisfied everyone.

Still, everyone could clearly judge one thing: Master Jin was not waiting for them. It was even very likely that the matters they came to discuss didn't even register in Master Jin's eyes.

Next, everyone figured out a second thing. Master Jin had not come here for pleasure. He stayed inside Sun Jia's residence. When he went out, it was only to the docks and various places around Yutou Town. He didn't touch any of the places of song, dance, and pleasure at all, nor was any woman seen entering the residence. However, the number of fast horses coming and going from Yutou Town had increased greatly. The riders carried letters and were constantly going in and out of Zhao Jin's lodgings.

This behavior changed everyone's view of Zhao Jin yet again. Though this young master was young, he had the temperament of someone who accomplishes great things. To be so unruffled and so diligent at his age, able to keep his composure — it was truly remarkable.

On the second day of the third month, someone arrived from the south. A dozen or so sturdy, able-bodied men clustered around a horse-drawn carriage as it entered Yutou Town. The moment the jianghu men from Xuzhou saw them, they went to report the news. The local riffraff and shady characters kept far away. The reason was simple: the killing aura on those dozen or so men was too heavy. Moreover, the way they looked around showed not the slightest hint of evasion or guilt. Men like that could only be elite troops from the army, or household guards of a noble clan, or perhaps even men from the Depot and the Guard. It was best to keep such figures at a respectful distance.