Chapter 538: Qingjiangpu

"... Everyone in Xuzhou, high and low, follows his orders. His father is the Deputy Chief Constable of the yamen. Second-in-command's father is the Chief Constable. Another partner's father is a Battalion Commander of the Xuzhou Guard. These people have run Xuzhou so tight you can't even pour water in — there's simply no opening to get a hand in..."

Ma Chonghao listened with a furrowed brow, and when it was finished, he asked in a deep voice: "Ma Liu, we handle official business here, we're not storytellers. Those storytellers just open their mouths and conjure a hundred thousand troops. He's nothing but a local thug from Xuzhou — and you're telling me he actually has a hundred thousand men in his hands? And what about these three thousand household retainers? How many do you think the nine border garrison commanders have between them, and he's managed to raise three thousand? You're someone I trust. Even if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, I wouldn't hold it against you. But you can't just spout nonsense either."

"Master, every word your humble servant speaks is the honest truth. The year you pulled me out of the Southern Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I swore a venomous oath that I would never conceal a single thing from you. If you don't believe what I say, I am willing to swear it again, or cut off my own arm." Ma Liu spoke with the utmost gravity.

Ma Chonghao waved his hand irritably. "There's no need for that between us. But if what you say is true, then doesn't that mean we can't take him down!"

Before Ma Liu could even open his mouth, Ma Chonghao answered his own question: "We can take him. It'll just cost a lot of lives, and if it's handled badly, it could cause a major upheaval. When they investigate afterward, Lady Zheng won't be able to protect us. We'll inevitably be handed over, and someone else will get posted to this glittering world of the south."

"With the current force disposition, the Xuzhou Assistant Regional Commander and the Langshan Vice Regional Commander alone won't be enough to contain him. It might well take a joint encirclement by three provinces. And that area is a critical waterway for tribute grain transport. That Zhao Jin is a man whose word is absolute law in Pizhou. If he cuts off the grain transport, even if His Majesty never holds court, he'll be roused by this." Ma Liu added.

Ma Chonghao's brow knotted. He said, puzzled: "Xuzhou is a poor and backwater place. How did a local thug stir up such a massive operation? Is there no one behind him teaching him?"

"There might be two people. This Zhao Jin's uncle soldiered all over the country in his day and later returned to Xuzhou covered in wounds and ailments. And among Zhao Jin's sworn brothers, there's a Wang Zhaojing. His father is Wang Youshan, a censor in the Chief Surveillance Bureau. This Wang Youshan is no hidebound pedant, nor is he one of those Eastern Grove faction members who form cliques for profit. On the contrary, he's on good terms with several gentlemen of the inner court. People like that are shrewd survivors. One civil, one military — that might be the source of this Zhao Jin's rise." Ma Liu had inquired in great detail.

Ma Chonghao clicked his tongue. "Only you could dig up such detailed information. Relying on those spineless good-for-nothings in Nanjing is utterly useless. I really must find an opportunity to go see for myself whether this Zhao Jin is as formidable as you say. You've worked hard this time. Whatever you spent, draw that amount, and go collect an extra six hundred taels from the counting house. Find a boat on the Qinhuai River and enjoy yourself for a few days."

Ma Liu bowed over there and spoke: "Grand Coordinator, you must be cautious regarding Zhao Jin. If chaos breaks out there, it will be no smaller affair than Pubei's rebellion in Ningxia. Pubei had barely a thousand skilled horse archers under his command, and think how many high officials died in that affair..."

Ma Chonghao waved his hand impatiently. "I know. There's so much money here in the south; we don't have to fixate on this one target. You're dismissed!"

Watching Ma Chonghao sitting there, Ma Liu wanted to say more. He hesitated, then turned to leave. But before he reached the door, he heard Ma Chonghao clap his hands loudly behind him. Ma Liu turned back and saw an expression of extreme excitement on Ma Chonghao's face. He beckoned him forward.

"If that Zhao thug from Xuzhou rebels and causes chaos, in the end, it'll surely end in his defeat and death, won't it??"

"That goes without saying. Although Xuzhou is desolate and remote, it is, after all, a pivotal hub, and located in a critical area like the Southern Metropolitan Region. Once rebellion breaks out, troops will inevitably converge from all directions. Armies from the Northern and Southern Metropolitan Regions, Henan, and Shandong will all be mobilized on a massive scale. No matter how heaven-defying Zhao Jin of Xuzhou's abilities are, he's still just a country thug. How could he possibly contend with the imperial court's grand armies? He will surely die and his clan be exterminated."

"That being the case, if we are the ones who discover this great rebellion, and after the rebels are annihilated, we are credited for the achievement — wouldn't that be a tremendous merit for us?"

"According to the rules for evaluating merit, that is indeed the case!"

"Then wouldn't we be promoted several ranks for this achievement, or perhaps be transferred back to the capital and reinstated?"

Ma Chonghao's face was full of excitement. Ma Liu was silent for a while before slowly nodding. In a tone of some uncertainty, he said: "That is a possibility, but it's far too risky..."

"What's there to fear from chaos? What's there to fear from people dying? As long as we can return to the capital, or even advance further, why bother about anything else? As for risk — we're not in a hurry. We just need to keep a close watch. I refuse to believe he can hold back forever!" Ma Chonghao said with a savage grin.

After the Yellow River captured the Huai, the northern section of the Grand Canal gradually silted up, and its capacity for passing ships grew weaker and weaker. Priority could only be guaranteed for tribute grain barges; civilian vessels had to queue and wait.

Tribute grain was the state's most critical matter, yet civilian travelers and goods moving between north and south could not be delayed either. They would choose the most optimal and convenient way to travel and ship goods. Those with the means took the tribute barges; those without, at the points where queuing was required, would switch to carts and horses to travel north.

At first, Xuzhou was the place for this transfer to carts and horses. But with the opening of the Jia Canal, Xuzhou declined, and this transfer point did not shift to Yutou Town in Pizhou, but rather moved to another vital hub — Qingjiangpu.

In the north, there were Linqing and Jining; in the south, Yangzhou and Changzhou. Yet none of these places surpassed Qingjiangpu in their importance to tribute grain transport. This was the true center.

The court originally established a separate post of Viceroy of Grain Transport stationed here. Later, this office was merged with the Grand Coordinator of Fengyang, and the station was moved to Taizhou. But the fact that it could serve as the official residence of such a specialized high official itself speaks to its status.

Qingjiangpu commanded the nexus of grain transport, salt transport, river works, customs barriers, and postal relay stations. Tribute boats gathered in clouds; the marketplace was dense and crowded. The masts of the tribute barges stretched stern to bow, continuous for miles. At the stone docks, "At dawn at Sanchakou, ten thousand ships gather mast to mast." Every grain transport season, "Sails and masts were like a forest, goods piled high as mountains." Boats covered the water in an endless stream. Merchants from all under heaven converged on Qingjiangpu by ship. "Southern vessels gather like fish scales, bringing convenience to traders," and "Goods from all quarters are twice as plentiful as in times past."

When Zhao Jin set up the salt market in Xuzhou and attracted merchants from all directions to trade, several marketplaces gradually formed, making the area around He Village look incredibly prosperous. But compared to Qingjiangpu, where the merchants of the world gathered because of its status as a grain transport hub, that was the difference between the light of a firefly and the sun and moon.

In terms of prosperity and wealth, Suzhou, Changzhou, and Songjiang in Jiangnan were naturally renowned across the land. Yet Yangzhou north of the river, relying on the advantages of salt and transportation, was not the slightest bit inferior. So too was Qingjiangpu. Relying on this grain transport hub and the convenience of being the empire's granary transfer point, it was not half a whit weaker than Yangzhou or the Jiangnan prefectures.

According to Ministry of Revenue regulations: "Let Jiangxi, Huguang, and Zhejiang transport by civilian corvée 1.5 million shi to the Huai'an Granary; let Suzhou, Songjiang, Ningguo, Chizhou, Luzhou, Anqing, and Guangde transport by civilian corvée 2.74 million shi of grain to the Xuzhou Granary." When the canal shifted from Xuzhou toward Pizhou, and Yutou Town lacked such vast storage capacity, the grain stored at the Xuzhou Granary was redirected to the Huai'an Granary.

The Huai'an Granary was located at Qingjiangpu. Its name in the official registers was the Ever-Full Granary. Despite the annual transfer by ten thousand ships, the grain stored within its warehouses never fell below a million shi year-round.

Such a vital transshipment hub, such an enormous granary — not to mention that the Great Ming also established a customs tax barrier at Qingjiangpu to collect duties. Grain transport, grain stores, tax silver — these were the lifeblood operations of the Ministry of Revenue. Naturally, officials had to be specially appointed to manage them. The Yunnan Bureau branch office of the Ministry of Revenue was set up in Qingjiangpu. Elsewhere, a branch office was headed by a mere Rank-7 Secretary; here, a Rank-5b Vice Director had to be posted.

What's even more interesting is that Qingjiangpu's population was already approaching six hundred thousand, accounting for roughly three-fifths of the entire Huai'an Prefecture's population. Yet a city this enormous was, in official terms, merely a market town within the bounds of Shanyang County, the seat of Huai'an Prefecture. At most, a single patrol chief and a few minor clerks were stationed here, but no official nominally governed it.

The Shanyang County Magistrate was only Rank 7, and even the Rank-4 Prefect of Huai'an had no authority over the Vice Director sent from the Ministry of Revenue. Thus, this Vice Director was, in practice, the governing official of Qingjiangpu.

With authority and benefits over grain transport and the granaries, and with the two armed forces of grain transport laborers and granary guards at his command, this Vice Director could be considered a man with power, wealth, and troops. With these assets, he naturally became the master of Qingjiangpu. Of course, the local merchant guilds, trade associations, and gangs of Qingjiangpu formed another part of the ruling class; everyone jointly managed this second most prosperous place north of the river.

Throughout the Ming dynasty, capital officials were held in the highest esteem. Even though a term in Qingjiangpu brought countless benefits and immense prestige, those upright literati pursuing career advancement still had no desire to come here. Those who did come were older men with no hope of rising further. Such men cared nothing for their official reputation and naturally acted without scruple, never distinguishing between what was clean and what was dirty.

Setting aside this Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue branch, the twelfth and first months were the most leisurely time of the year in Qingjiangpu. When grain transport was flowing smoothly, needless to say, everyone was busy. When the canal was inconvenient for navigation, it was often time to repair the granaries, air and sun the stored grain, and reconcile the account books — still a time of constant busywork. Only when the twelfth month arrived did everyone finally have some leisure.

Wealthy and noble families held feasts and gatherings. The poor did everything in their power to make it through the New Year's pass. The grain transport laborers staying here went off to every corner in search of pleasure. The granary guards purchased New Year's goods and distributed gifts and bribes up and down the hierarchy. Managing such a vast granary, who knew how much profit could be skimmed coming and going — they had to make sure they kept their posts for the coming year.

Beyond these, there were also people who had to busy themselves for the year ahead. Southerners were not adept with carts and horses. The nearly ten thousand large carts and their drivers in Qingjiangpu all came from Henan and Shandong, as well as from Xuzhou and Pizhou. The significance of these carts and horses was no less than that of the tribute barges and grain laborers; a vast volume of civilian commercial travelers and goods relied on them to reach destinations throughout the north.

The traveling merchants and travelers converging on Qingjiangpu from the south numbered in the millions. With so many people and so much cargo, if these large carts and drivers were left to solicit business on their own, it would surely result in extreme congestion, not to mention chaos.

Besides all this, there was also a considerable amount of grain skimmed from the grain transport operations. Apart from being shipped by water, this grain also had to be sent by large cart to various places inaccessible by waterway. This kind of business, even more so, required someone to plan and operate it.

First, thanks to "Unmoving Mountain, Kung Fu Disciple, Mu Ming, Yuan Heng Li Zhen, 123*" and several other friends for their tips. Special thanks to old friend "Unmoving Mountain" for his generosity.

Looks like I need to figure out an extra update. Can't do it these few days — too many things going on, I'm exhausted — but there will definitely be one this month. That's all I can promise for now. Thank you, everyone.