Chapter 513: It

It was indeed a miserable sight — even Wang Ziyang, who had been guarded inside, was spattered with quite a bit of blood. As Wang Ziyang spoke, he began to weep, and through gritted teeth he implored Zhao Jin, saying: "Master Jin, you must vent this grievance for your humble servant. No matter how much silver it costs, I am willing to contribute it all!"

Zhao Jin patted him on the shoulder and consoled him, saying: "Rest absolutely assured — to move against you is to affront the Zhao Character Camp. I will see this grievance through to the end for you. From now on, whenever your convoy travels through Henan, everyone will show you the utmost respect!"

Hearing Zhao Jin speak this way, the tears Wang Ziyang had just managed to stop flowed uncontrollably once more. He dropped straight to his knees and kowtowed. With the Zhao Character Camp's standing, to give such a promise meant there truly was nothing to worry about. Moreover, Zhao Jin's words treated him as one of their own, and Wang Ziyang's status would rise along with it.

"Rest well. If you need anything, just speak up. I'll give you an answer within ten days." Zhao Jin gave his word, taking it all upon himself.

"In less than a year, Old Wang's tone has gotten a lot bolder — he actually doesn't care how much silver it costs!" In the room where Zhao Jin and his companions discussed matters privately, Ji Xiang remarked with a laugh.

Wang Ziyang's convoy had suffered grievous casualties and was there weeping and pleading. Zhao Jin and his companions naturally had to receive them with solemn faces, but when they discussed the matter in private, the atmosphere was utterly relaxed — and everyone was quite delighted and pleased.

This delight and pleasure was certainly not gloating over another's misfortune, but for a different reason.

"Who is the person coming from Guide Prefecture to buy salt?"

"Chang Tongchui!"

"Have Chang Tongchui deliver the information within three days. If not, this matter will be pinned on his head." Zhao Jin spoke the words lightly, but anyone could hear the murderous intent seething beneath them.

The atmosphere in the room was fervent. Even Chen Sheng, who usually never showed joy or anger on his face, wore a smile, and even Ruhui, who rarely took part in martial affairs, kept rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"Do those Henan fellows really think there's a wall blocking people at the provincial border? Do they think we can't cross over?" Ji Xiang cursed with a laugh.

"Wang Ziyang's matter is a small one — it's nothing more than failing to keep a low profile after striking it rich, violating the principle of not flaunting one's wealth, and thus bringing disaster on his own house. But this matter is our opportunity — we can finally make a move against Henan!" Wang Zhaojing said excitedly.

Ruhui nodded with a smile and chimed in: "Third Master is right. If not for this incident, we would have had to go to the trouble of setting up a pretext. Now the justification has delivered itself to our door."

Zhao Jin sat there tapping the table lightly. The room fell silent, and he spoke in a solemn voice: "Everyone go back and prepare. The Personal Guard, the First Regiment, the Second Regiment, the Inner Guard, and the Cavalry — all must be ready. This time, every unit will draw men to send over, lest they grow idle and develop problems!"

After saying this, Zhao Jin glanced at Chen Sheng and exchanged looks with Wang Zhaojing and Liu Yong. The few of them all laughed, and everyone else joined in with loud laughter. The mood in the room was utterly unrestrained.

Although Guide Prefecture in Henan is right next to Xuzhou in Southern Zhili, the two share little in common. Among the common folk, interaction was limited to trade and commerce. In the rivers-and-lakes underworld, aside from fleeing across the border to hide after committing a crime, both sides were careful to keep well water from river water, each minding its own business.

Huai salt traveled upriver along the Yellow River and was sold all along its drainage basin. Guide Prefecture also consumed Huai salt, and smuggled salt flourished there, even spreading toward Kaifeng Prefecture, Yanzhou Prefecture in Shandong, and Daming Prefecture in Northern Zhili.

As soon as the Xuzhou salt market opened, people from Guide Prefecture immediately came to buy. Presumably, there had been bloody clashes among the salt smugglers and such in Henan, and in the end only this Chang Tongchui — Chang Bing — and his outfit were left coming over.

Chang Bing purchased quite a lot in Xuzhou. Besides salt, Han Well Distilled Liquor was also a major commodity. By all rights, with such close ties to the Zhao Character Camp and making his fortune off them, the relationship between the two sides ought to have been good. In reality, however, it was not — this Chang Bing was extremely guarded toward the Zhao Character Camp.

Cloud Mountain Trading originally had branch offices in Shangqiu, the prefectural seat of Guide Prefecture, and in Yucheng County near the Yellow River. Yet after Chang Bing rose to power, these two branches were forcibly swallowed up by him — though he publicly claimed it had nothing to do with him.

Not only that, he also wanted to monopolize the road from Xuzhou into Henan. Those from Kaifeng Prefecture and Runing Prefecture who came to Xuzhou to buy salt were all blocked from passing through and could only buy salt from him.

Such brazen disrespect and underhanded poaching was something the Zhao Character Camp naturally could not tolerate. But just as they were about to make a move, Zhao Jin's father, Zhao Zhentang, came to advise against it.

Zhao Zhentang was busy with yamen affairs in the city and ordinarily paid no heed to Zhao Jin's side. This time he came because several clerks from the Six Offices had spoken to him, saying that Zhao Jin should be cautious. He was a Xuzhou man, a man of Southern Zhili — making a move on his own turf was only natural, but if he went into another province, another region, it would very easily stir up common hatred against an outsider, and might even draw official interference.

These clerks, having sat long in the yamen, were each shrewd and perceptive. They could more or less guess the intent behind Zhao Jin's previously low-key approach, which was why they had spoken up.

Of course, these clerks were all profiting and sharing in the earnings of the Zhao Character Camp's various enterprises and businesses. The purpose of their words was certainly not to urge the Zhao Character Camp to hold back, but to make the Zhao Character Camp act more securely and avoid suffering losses.

"Whatever you do, you must have a proper name for it. Even the authorities will show leniency when someone kills to avenge a blood kinsman. With justification and proper standing, you can act with righteous confidence."

But that Chang Tongchui, Chang Bing, was also very cautious in his actions. He swallowed Cloud Mountain Temple's properties but publicly claimed it was the work of local ruffians in Shangqiu. As for cutting off the salt route and monopolizing sales to Kaifeng and Runing, he only acted within the borders of Guide Prefecture. Moreover, he was exceedingly polite to Zhao Jin, always respectful and humble on every visit, with lavish gifts — so for a time, they truly could not get a handle on him.

Yet there was no shortage of shady dealings in the dark. Yucheng County and Xiayi County, both very close to Xuzhou, had powerful gentry who dealt frequently with Zhao Jin's side. They all came secretly to tip him off, saying that this Chang Tongchui had stationed his men at the crossroads where Xuzhou and Guide Prefecture met, and was constantly agitating, saying that once the Zhao Character Camp came over, there would be nothing left for us Henan people — once they came, we had to unite as one and fight to the death.

Even these Henan gentry and strongmen who knew the Zhao Character Camp's fearsome reputation still believed the provincial border was a natural moat — that no matter how great the Zhao Character Camp's abilities, they could not cross over. Their tipping him off was nothing more than currying favor; if Chang Bing the Copper Hammer grew powerful, they would still submit to him.

Likewise, just as the Henan side believed the Zhao Character Camp could not cross over, they also would not rashly enter Southern Zhili, into the Zhao Character Camp's sphere of influence. Zhao Jin, for his part, was in no great rush to strike at him — after all, he was extraordinarily busy that autumn.

The estates across Xuzhou, and the several refugee stockades in Grass Hollow, had all reached the harvest season. To be precise, the refugees who had toiled in the fields for a year had reached the harvest season. Once this batch of grain entered the storehouses, it greatly reduced the Zhao Character Camp's expenditures, and at the same time settled the refugees' minds.

Coming to this place from other regions, subjected to strict discipline and control, toiling and drilling hard every day — everyone would miss their homeland, especially since the Zhao Character Camp kept them in a closed environment where they knew nothing of conditions back home. Desertions happened from time to time. There were also those who originally followed a faith and began preaching and gathering crowds. All such people were punished and sent to the most dangerous and grueling coal mines and ironworks of the Xu family, to labor until death.

But after this year of bitter toil, when it turned into the weighty harvest of grain in their hands, much of that restless, bewildered state of mind settled into steadiness. Those who had managed to flee here still remembered the despair and panic of the drought and famine. Seeing the fields yield a harvest, and knowing they could continue to eat their fill, their hearts grew calm.

Every estate around Xuzhou had a bumper harvest, which astonished many people. Zhao Jin and his companions, however, considered it only natural. In the past, the estate managers and overseers of Cloud Mountain Temple, the Kong Estate, and the He Estate only knew how to exploit and coerce, but never built irrigation works or improved farming tools. The Zhao Character Camp had done all of that — digging and clearing ditches and canals, purchasing large quantities of farming tools from the Xu family at Mount Jing, and providing draft oxen to assist. In every respect, combined with a decent year for Xuzhou's climate, it would have been hard not to have a bumper harvest.

Over at Grass Hollow, it was the first year of reclaiming wasteland, so the yield was quite limited, but it could barely achieve self-sufficiency, which even allowed a significant reduction in the supplies sent from Pi Prefecture. All the harvest from the refugee stockades at Grass Hollow went to the refugees themselves, with the Zhao Character Camp supplementing them through transport and allocation.

Once the autumn harvest season passed, everyone in the Zhao Character Camp discovered that governing the refugees had become much easier than before. There was no need for intimidation or coercion — just a word, and the refugees would do it.

After the people's hearts had settled, Zhao Jin decided to select the finest young men from the refugees in each area to train with the Zhao Character Camp. They would be on par with the Mixed Regiment, but the selection criteria were even higher than for the Mixed Regiment — even higher than for the Zhao Character Camp's own household troops — roughly one in a hundred.

A young man who was chosen could exempt three people from labor service and levies, and he himself would receive a stipend. As soon as this news spread, refugees everywhere eagerly volunteered. Every one of them had witnessed the Zhao Character Camp's ferocity, and had even tasted the Zhao Character Camp's harsh measures. Amid their fear was also intense admiration; they all wanted to join and share in that might and prestige. Moreover, the smarter ones could figure out that at present, the various estates and refugee stockades were all managed by estate-head types, with the Zhao Character Camp's accounting managers only visiting occasionally. This was no long-term solution — they would certainly select outstanding people from among the refugees to serve as managers and the like.

This was a fine opportunity to rise above others — no wonder everyone was so eager. Those who benefited most were the refugees in the Grass Hollow stockade. The refugees there had been handpicked to begin with, and had also gone through battle and land reclamation. Their hardship and loyalty had been rewarded.

In autumn, there was the harvest to store, winter repairs on irrigation and dwellings to arrange, winter supplies at Grass Hollow to inspect, and suitable refugee household troops to select for training. There truly was no time to make a move against Henan — until this perfect justification delivered itself to their door.

Not every place's autumn was as bustling and busy as Xuzhou's. Inside the city of Nanjing, everywhere was a scene of leisurely, carefree wealth and elegance.

The droughts and floods in Shandong, Henan, Fujian, Huguang, and elsewhere — even the locust plague that struck not-so-distant Fengyang Prefecture — had no effect whatsoever on Nanjing, the greatest city under heaven. If one looked only at Nanjing, one would think the whole realm was prosperous and at peace.

Second update, thank you everyone. There will be a standalone note shortly. The beginning of the month will be very frequent, please bear with me.