Chapter 547

Ever since they discovered the Incense-Smelling Sect and secret marks of unclear origin in He Village and Xuzhou City, the Zhao Camp had been on high alert, with everyone working nonstop on all fronts.

But the level of close protection was limited after all. He Cuihua, who never left the house all day, was one thing, but Zhao Zhentang had to go to the yamen for duty every day. Having overt and covert guards circling around him would be far too conspicuous. The same went for Chen Wu. Neither of the two elders wanted to appear too out of the ordinary in front of their colleagues.

Moreover, these older folks didn't care much about many things, which gave Liu Yong a great deal of worry. Fortunately, it was already the twelfth month, and government offices with little to do had sealed their doors for the holiday early. The same was true everywhere else. Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng simply had the family elders move over near He Village.

Since He Village had been converted into a market, lodging had been very inconvenient for a long time. Vendors and merchants all had to go rest at the joint-village mutual-defense posts. After over a year of construction and preparation, everything was much more complete. For a family like the Zhaos, needless to say, even a great household like the Chens had a place large enough to stay.

Neither Zhao Zhentang nor Chen Wu was very willing to move to He Village. In their view, the children had so many things to keep them busy, and there was a whole operation in the city to look after—why go to all that trouble? He Cuihua, however, was quite happy. She could see her son and also help look after her daughter-in-law.

The quiet brought on by the busy year-end changed after the middle of the twelfth month. First came figures from Xuzhou's one prefecture and four counties, then figures from Guide Prefecture and Pi Prefecture, and Yangzhou would also send people over accordingly.

So-called year-end social calls meant sending gifts and greetings to those important figures with connections, to show one's humility and propriety. Thus, everyone in Xuzhou and its surrounding areas—on water and on land, in salt and in grain, in every aspect—depended on Zhao Jin for their livelihood. Normally, there was no chance to curry favor and flatter, so the twelfth month was exactly the right time.

It was no longer a novelty that the front gate of the Zhao family residence was as crowded as a marketplace. Everyone had grown accustomed to it. Some who thought themselves clever tried to send lavish gifts to the Chen and Wang families as well, but they were all bluntly refused and turned away at the door.

Although Chen Hong rarely came to He Village and seldom left Xuzhou City, he was now in charge of the Zhao Camp's general accounts. Coming at year-end was precisely for settlement and clearing.

This year-end, Zhao Jin took out a considerable amount of silver and supplies to comfort and subsidize the Zhao Camp's household troops and refugees. But for his own partners, Zhao Jin did not do as he had in the past. Before, to prove that everything they did had value, regardless of retained savings, he would take out large sums of cash as dividends. This time, however, he merely mentioned it lightly in passing.

But by now, the leaders of the Zhao Camp no longer needed dividends. Each person, with their own credentials, could withdraw up to two thousand taels of cash silver at any time. Any amount larger required Zhao Jin's approval. Moreover, all business each person conducted was paid for by the public accounts, and they normally had few expenses. Among the partners, only Ji Xiang had ever withdrawn three hundred taels, and then quietly returned it not long after. Everyone knew about this, but no one ever brought it up.

With all these guests filling the hall, the ones truly busy were actually Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi. Not everyone who came calling with lavish gifts could be received by Zhao Jin in person. Most were received by Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi.

Whether one could meet Zhao Jin also depended on closeness of relationship. Many people from the Xuzhou Guard, who had little silver or money and no business dealings, came through the elders of the Zhao and Dong families. For these, Zhao Jin had to receive them personally; otherwise, it would seem cold and unreasonable.

"Greetings, Master Jin." The speaker was a man in his early forties, wearing a semi-worn, semi-new official robe of a sixth-rank military officer, with a few patches on it. Very ill at ease, he bowed deeply in a grand salute.

Zhao Jin and his partners were all in the hall. Everyone from the Zhao Camp's inner circle was present. Ruhui and Zhou Xuezhi were still outside receiving guests, and Lei Cai was busy with internal security. The others had all come to the hall. The reason for such attention was that the person this time had been brought by Dong Bingfeng's father, Dong Jike.

The fact that Dong Jike personally brought the man here showed the importance he attached to this matter, so naturally everyone had to receive him.

In the Great Ming, civil officials were esteemed and military officers despised, and the hereditary officers of the guard garrisons were looked down upon by all. Many people forgot that a guard battalion company commander was also a full sixth-rank military officer. Outsiders might forget and look down on them, but on formal occasions within the guard, they still had to appear in their official robes.

Zhao Zhentang was a company commander of the Xuzhou Guard. Judging by this man's status and age, he seemed to be of Zhao Jin's uncle's generation. Yet it was the older, senior man performing the grand salute. Zhao Jin merely stood up and politely made a gesture of support without touching him.

"Xiao Jin is also from our guard background. Old Zhao's company commander post will surely be left to him. We're all family here, no need for such formality," Dong Jike said with a grin, showing no intention of moving.

Before the meeting, Dong Jike had already explained the man's identity: a company commander surnamed Wang from the Xuzhou Guard. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him—just an honest, unassuming minor military officer who ran errands for his superiors and managed the military households farming the land. More precisely, he was just a small village headman.

A person like this might command some respect from a few within the guard, but once outside the Xuzhou Guard, he was nothing at all. No wonder that despite his generation and status both being above Zhao Jin's, he still had to bow respectfully. And everyone found this perfectly natural.

Company Commander Wang had long since had all his sharp edges worn away by hardship. Not a single trace of a military officer or soldier could be seen in him. Zhao Jin and the others could even tell that this Company Commander Wang knew no martial arts whatsoever.

This company commander had not come alone. From the very start, Zhao Jin and his partners had noticed the person who came with Company Commander Wang: a sallow-faced man in his thirties who looked very much like Company Commander Wang—likely a brother. He appeared somewhat weak, as if just recovered from injury or illness. When Company Commander Wang performed the grand salute, this sallow-faced man did the same, his expression rather full of emotion. These were all minor details. What Zhao Jin and the others noticed was that this sallow-faced man possessed martial skill, and not a bad one at that.

With that remark from Dong Jike, Company Commander Wang timidly began, "I have come here to ask a favor of Master Jin. Master Jin is the man in charge on Xuzhou's turf, and we Xuzhou folk, well..."

Whether from nerves or something else, Company Commander Wang stumbled halfway through. Once he stumbled, he grew even more nervous and simply could not continue. Dong Jike frowned slightly. Zhao Jin and most of his partners were fine, but Ji Xiang showed some impatience. Company Commander Wang's face flushed red, and the more nervous he became, the less he could speak.

As Company Commander Wang stood there flustered, the sallow-faced man behind him reached out and tugged at him, then cupped his hands in salute on his own and said, "Master Jin and honored sirs, this humble one is Wang Dagang, and this is my elder brother. The reason we have come to see Master Jin is to ask Master Jin to uphold justice for us Xuzhou folk. If Master Jin is willing to lend a hand, this humble one and his brothers would be willing to toil like oxen and horses, even if our bones are ground to dust."

Toward the end, the sallow-faced man dropped directly to his knees and kowtowed heavily. This movement, however, pulled at a wound, making his cheek twitch. Dong Bingfeng noticed it and asked, "Do you have an injury on your left rib?"

"This humble one clashed with men from the Big Cart Gang and was grazed by a spear blade. It's no longer a problem," Wang Dagang answered clearly.

His courtesy might not have been entirely proper, but compared to the timid, awkward, and nervous Company Commander Wang, he was far superior. Dong Bingfeng turned his head and said quietly to Zhao Jin, "Judging by his movements and the calluses on the web of his hand, it looks like he's trained in staff techniques. That injury of his is also the kind easily sustained when spear and staff clash."

Dong Bingfeng had trained in staff arts before and was very sensitive to certain details. Zhao Jin nodded and asked, "Brother Wang, tell us in detail. Who out there is bullying our Xuzhou folk?"

Wang Dagang's spirits lifted. He had not expected the other party to get straight to the point so directly and crisply. Yet immediately, doubt crept into his mind. This Zhao Jin and his men had a huge reputation, and the scene around He Village was grand, but these people were far too young. Were they just figureheads pushed forward by others? Would such a promise actually hold any weight?

The moment he hesitated, Company Commander Wang in front of him turned his head sharply and, with a rare touch of impatience, grunted, "Second Brother, Master Jin is asking you. Hurry up and speak."

Wang Dagang knew his elder brother's temperament—timid and fearful, only daring to lose his temper with his own family. But it was rare to see him frightened to this degree. The guard garrison system was different from the local administration. Although the status of a hereditary company commander was lowly and he was obsequious before superiors, there were few he truly feared, because as long as he committed no grave offense against the king's law, this status would be retained and passed down through the generations.

But in his elder brother's urging expression, Wang Dagang saw genuine fear. This stirred something in Wang Dagang's heart. He hurried forward respectfully to report.

Although Zhao Jin was from a guard background, he had always lived in the city, and his family's livelihood had little connection to the guard. So he was not very familiar with the guard's inner workings. As he listened to Wang Dagang's account, he still needed Dong Jike at his side to explain.

As it turned out, the Wang family's situation was much like the Zhao family's. There were two brothers, Wang Dashi and Wang Dagang. The elder brother, as the eldest son who carried the family line, inherited the company commander post, while the younger brother had to go out and make his own way.

The company commander post in the Xuzhou Guard had no perks and was hard work. Supporting one family was already a struggle; adding another adult would make life very difficult. At the same time, coming from a company commander's family was better than families of even lower and harder status. The sons of company commander families were often unwilling to become long-term hired hands or tenant farmers and would go out to seek their fortune.

Zhao Zhentang of the Zhao family was like this, and so was Wang Dagang of the Wang family. Wang Dagang did not have Zhao Zhenxing's martial skill and breadth of experience, so naturally he did not venture as far. He only went to Qingjiangpu and began drifting in the rivers and lakes. After suffering a few setbacks, he started working in the cart-driving trade.

Compared to others who came from Xuzhou and its vicinity, Wang Dagang had martial arts, had seen the world, and was loyal and fair in his dealings. Before long, many people listened to him. Wang Dagang was also a man with plans. Cart drivers at the very least had carts and draft animals—that counted as property. Moreover, Qingjiangpu was a gold mine. As long as he could carve out his own little turf, he could earn enormous benefits.

Of course, when Wang Dagang spoke to Zhao Jin, he said it was to uphold justice for everyone and prevent them from being bullied by the big cart gangs from Shandong and Henan. Though everyone could guess his selfish motives, he could not say it that way.

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