Chapter 550: The Strange Guest

These reports were all submitted by the household troops of the Internal Guard. Zhao Jin did not rush to meet the man; he merely instructed that food and lodging be arranged and that a physician examine whether his injuries had healed. From now on, this Wang Dagang would have plenty of work to do. If something like an old wound flaring up caused a delay, that would be trouble.

All the preparations were proceeding at a furious pace. Meanwhile, guests from every direction continued to stream in, making He Village livelier by the day.

The guests who came calling naturally all brought gifts. The locals from Xuzhou were straightforward enough — nothing more than foodstuffs, from pastries to pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks. Respectable Xuzhou households also made a point of presenting a few jars of wine, but since the Zhao Camp itself produced fine liquor, bringing that carried little significance. As for those from out of town, it was a different matter entirely. The gifts offered by the salt merchants and salt smugglers could truly be described as a dazzling contest of novelty, with rare treasures from north and south in abundance.

Although the salt merchants and smugglers mostly hailed from Jiangnan, their gifts shared one common trait: every offering included Liaodong ginseng, deer antler, sable pelts, and other specialties from beyond the passes.

The sable pelts went without saying. Xu Zhenzhen was currently pregnant, and potent tonics like ginseng and deer antler were needed as well — sending them was a gesture of goodwill. Moreover, the prices of these frontier specialties were climbing day by day, so presenting them was also a mark of prestige.

The reason for the high prices and short supply was simple enough. Although Liaodong and the Jurchens still maintained trade, the volume was shrinking steadily, and many frontier specialties could now only be obtained through Joseon.

Beyond that, the gifts were nothing more than gold, silver, jewels, silks and satins, plus an array of Jiangnan's distinctive local products — still a dazzling spectacle. This time, however, no one sent any Yangzhou courtesans.

The gifts were received in the rear hall, where Xu Zhenzhen's servants sorted and registered them by category, then distributed them among the companions according to each household's circumstances. Even the full squad leaders and the shop managers and stewards in various places — if their performance was outstanding — would receive a share of these gifts.

The maids and serving women of the Xu household all thoroughly enjoyed the task of registering and organizing the gifts, though they also felt a pang of regret seeing them given away. But after all this time, they knew full well what kind of man the young master was. They might grumble a bit in private, but what had to be done still got done.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth month was Little New Year. That day, the stream of guests coming to deliver gifts, pay respects, and offer greetings began to thin out. This, too, was a matter of propriety: once Little New Year had passed, the New Year celebrations were considered to have formally begun, and any further visits would be an intrusion.

Yet there were still guests. After all, they had traveled from all directions, and could not time their arrival with such precision. Though it might be an intrusion, they could not simply not come. If everyone else went and you did not, that would be a serious offense.

"Eight long and eight short top-grade Japanese swords, eight gem-inlaid Western short muskets, Suzhou embroidery..." Ruhui read this gift list aloud separately, for it was exceedingly strange.

Suzhou embroidery, Yunjin brocade, and hams were the sort of gifts exchanged during New Year visits, but those Japanese swords and muskets were peculiar.

"Who sends blades and weapons to someone's door at New Year? It's terribly inauspicious. And the sender is someone we've had virtually no dealings with. Yet the name on the card is the Yu family of Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture," Ruhui added.

Of the guests who came to Xuzhou to pay their respects to Zhao Jin, most never got to meet him; Ruhui received them on his behalf. But those who came were invariably local strongmen and gentry from Xuzhou and the surrounding regions, merchants who relied on Zhao Jin for their livelihood in the salt market and trade fair or who had business dealings with him, or people conducting business and affairs within the territory Zhao Jin controlled, hoping he would grant them some convenience. This Yu family of Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, fell into none of those categories.

"This subordinate made inquiries among the Yangzhou salt traders and those familiar with the canal transport circles. None of them knew of this Songjiang Yu family. I sent men to observe the gift-bearers the Yu family dispatched, and one look told you they were from a Jiangnan aristocratic house — refined and proper in every detail. They brought a considerable quantity of cloth with them, saying they wished to sell it in our territory. But that is very likely a cover. People like this do not come calling without an ulterior motive. What they seek, however, this subordinate cannot fathom."

Before reporting to Zhao Jin, Ruhui naturally had to learn everything there was to learn. The Zhao Camp and the wealthy houses of Jiangnan had no entanglements in any sphere, nor any conflict of interest. If they wanted to become agents for the Hanjing Famous Liquor business, then they should not be sending Japanese swords and Western gem-inlaid short muskets.

Japanese swords were nothing rare in the Great Ming. The Japanese pirates had ravaged the southeast, and the only thing with a decent reputation to come out of that was the Japanese sword — exquisitely forged, peerlessly sharp, and so forth. Of course, that reputation was built on the premise that the Great Ming's southeastern defenses were lax, and most steel weapons were rusted and dilapidated. Later on, however, people came to realize that top-grade Japanese swords were indeed excellent, and so they began to be imported through regular trade.

As Western missionaries and merchants established contact with the Great Ming, all manner of products and goods from the European continent began to enter the country. Firearms were naturally among them. These gem-inlaid short muskets were more works of craftsmanship than actual firearms — in Europe, they were merely decorative pieces for the chambers of nobles and wealthy merchants, or playthings for libertines.

With their exotic shapes rarely seen in the Great Ming, their key parts inlaid with gems of every color, their wooden components carved with patterns of foreign aesthetic, and polished to a gleaming shine — such objects, placed upon a curio shelf, would naturally draw the eyes of guests. Similar Western items of this sort included those gem-inlaid swords and shields.

Yet these were, after all, weapons. Weapons preside over misfortune, and displaying them indoors was somewhat inauspicious. Such gem-inlaid arms were only taken up by young men with a taste for novelty.

The other party knew that Zhao Jin and his companions were young martial men, and so had sought out such gifts to present — a gesture of considerable thought.

At this point, a smile appeared on Ruhui's face. "The Yu family sent a steward. However, this subordinate arranged for men to investigate at the inn and discovered that this steward addresses a certain young man as 'young master.' A few extra hands were assigned, and there is little room for error in this matter. This young master of the Yu family likely came along, disguised as a servant and keeping out of sight."

The people in the room were all taken aback upon hearing this. Wang Zhaojing spoke up, "Could it be some family's young master out for amusement? Or someone who heard rumors and came to see for himself?"

Such a notion was not far-fetched. The Japanese swords aside, anyone who could present gem-inlaid short muskets was surely someone with a taste for the novel — a young gentleman from a wealthy Jiangnan household, at that. To come all the way from Jiangnan, that paradise on earth, to the remote backwater of Xuzhou and go to such trouble — what for? Very likely, he had heard tales of the Zhao Camp and come to see something new, then further disguised himself as a young servant following the steward, which added yet another layer of amusement.

Not to mention Jiangnan — even in Xuzhou, the young men of wealthy families enjoyed coming to He Village. It was not only bustling and prosperous here, but also full of novelties found nowhere else.

To everyone's speculation, Ruhui shook his head in denial. "It does not seem like someone here for amusement or to see something new. According to the reports from the inn, their party wore hardly a smile. That young gentleman had a sullen expression every day. He merely swept through the salt market and trade fair with a glance, yet showed great interest in the household troops and related armed forces. Every patrol, he watched with close attention. Several times he wandered around this encampment. When chatting with shop assistants and people at the fair, all he talked about was the military affairs of our Zhao Camp."

Everyone grew curious. Of course, if this household's guests had not been so peculiar, Ruhui would not have mobilized resources to keep such a tight watch, nor would he have learned so much from every angle. This had surely involved the Internal Guard's agents.

"Does he want us to kill someone for him?" another person ventured.

The companions were buzzing with discussion, but Zhao Jin's attention was elsewhere. He sat there, sunk deep in thought. The others in the room exchanged glances and fell silent.

The silence, instead, roused Zhao Jin. He looked around at everyone and said bluntly, "The Zhao Camp's eyes and ears are still insufficient. The only places we can keep clearly informed about at all times are Xuzhou and the locations where we have stationed our own people. For everywhere else, we can only learn things by making inquiries through acquaintances. With so many critical matters at hand, how can we rely on others to gather information for us?"

Over on the other side, Liu Yong rose to his feet, his face full of shame. Before he could explain, Zhao Jin waved his hand to stop him. "This is not your fault. The men the Internal Guard uses as agents can only be trusted when kept locally under watch. If sent out, they certainly cannot be kept under control. Besides, gathering information does not necessarily have to be done in the shadows. Take this Songjiang Yu family, for instance — do we really need to investigate them covertly? We don't even know the most basic open information about them."

As they listened to Zhao Jin speak, everyone's expressions grew serious. Zhao Jin continued, "To be able to openly set up posts in various places to gather information, shops and trading firms are the most suitable. They deal with all sorts of people in the course of business. What our Zhao Camp can offer is liquor and local specialties. We can have the Sun family open branch stores in key locations, and incidentally help us gather intelligence."

The men nodded. Wang Zhaojing, Ruhui, and Liu Yong exchanged glances, all sinking into thought. If this matter were truly to be carried out, the three of them would certainly have to be deeply involved.

"... The goods supplied to Sun Jia can be given at a discount, and the money from that discount can be used as compensation for gathering information..."

"... Set up posts in a few locations with convenient transportation. One post can cover several areas..."

"... Our own people don't necessarily have to serve as shop managers or stewards. Working as a shop assistant will suffice..."

"... It's not essential to send household troops, nor even men of the jianghu. Those who are close to our Zhao Camp, willing to work for our Zhao Camp, and trustworthy..."

After Zhao Jin put forward the proposal, everyone chimed in with additions, and it quickly took a feasible shape. Zhao Jin nodded with a smile and said, "This is a matter for after the New Year. Since the guests have come to our door, we should not neglect them. Summon this Yu family up here!"

Ruhui acknowledged the order and was about to leave to carry it out, but Zhao Jin called him back just as he rose. With a hint of eagerness, Zhao Jin said, "Remember to bring those gem-inlaid short muskets along as well."

The group burst into laughter. Zhao Jin's interest and passion for firearms were well known to everyone.

Ordinarily, gifts were supposed to be presented in person, but when even meeting the host was uncertain, such formalities could hardly be insisted upon.

Thus, the Japanese swords and short muskets arrived before Zhao Jin first. The gift-givers had been quite thoughtful: the sixteen long and short Japanese swords and the eight short muskets were all placed on stands.

The sky had already grown somewhat dark. Zhao Jin ordered lamps to be lit. Among Zhao Jin and his companions, Chen Sheng and Ji Xiang used sabers, while Wang Zhaojing used a sword, which had some commonality. The three of them all went to examine the Japanese swords. Chen Sheng drew one, swung it casually, then replaced it and shook his head. "Too light. On the battlefield, it cannot pierce armor."

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