Chapter 585: A Hidden Resonance

After this incident, if anyone still harbored designs on the Zhao Character Camp or Cloud Mountain Carting, their brains would have to be broken. With sufficient strength stationed here and thunderously ruthless methods displayed, no one would dare defy them.

The reason they could gather such detailed intelligence was that Yan Heilian and several figures from the Xuzhou salt route had arrived at Qingjiangpu early on. They sought out salt bosses and salt peddlers to learn about the local underworld and marketplace through them. On the surface, there were also business partners of the Sun Family Trading Company; when these people stepped forward, they drew even less attention.

With this expansion of the Zhao Character Camp, among the several partners — aside from Wang Zhaojing, who did not lead household troops — everyone else's forces had grown stronger. Only Liu Yong appeared unchanged on the surface, but in reality, the strength of the Internal Guard under Liu Yong's command had swelled several times over, not to mention the outer ring.

The most trusted underworld figures of the Zhao Character Camp, along with usable and willing defectors from successive batches of captives, were all handed over to Liu Yong to command this time. In Qingjiangpu, the Zhao Character Camp lacked deep local roots, so on certain matters they had to be willing to invest heavily.

Yan Heilian, Qi Erkui, Nie Hei, Li He, Li Dajin, Wei Mugen, and others were all under Liu Yong's command. Beyond these, Liu Yong also received the authority to recruit personnel locally in Qingjiangpu. In the underworld and marketplace, fence-sitters were always plentiful; seeing the Zhao Character Camp and Cloud Mountain Carting grow mighty, many came to offer their allegiance. These people, too, constituted a force of sorts.

Moreover, Zhao Jin had given an order: among the ten companies under Shi Manqiang's jurisdiction, one company could be deployed by Liu Yong at any time. This further strengthened the mobile force in Liu Yong's hands.

To break it down, the gambling dens, brothels, and fencing shops seized this time all contained plenty of cutthroats who sold their lives for money. Liu Yong could also direct these men. Most underworld figures had no establishment of their own; they fought and bled just to earn a living. They neither cared that Xuzhou men had come to Qingjiangpu, nor did they feel the Zhao Character Camp was encroaching on their territory.

The Zhao Character Camp was indeed encroaching on territory, but only against those who were blind enough to offend them. As for the common folk and ordinary merchants, they were initially terrified of the Xuzhou men. But once they discovered that the Zhao Character Camp dealt fairly and never resorted to forceful seizure or bullying, they set their minds at ease.

The empty yards and goods yards on the outskirts of Qingjiangpu that belonged to the Cart Gang had changed owners — that was outright annexation. Even if money was paid, the price was hardly high. But the land along both banks of the Qingjiangpu canal was truly worth its weight in gold. To open a shop or acquire property there required genuine silver. At first, some feared the Zhao Character Camp would seize it by force; they were terrified, thinking that if it came to forcible seizure, they would stake their lives and fight, determined not to let them take it easily.

To their surprise, these Xuzhou men, rumored to be savage and brutal, were scrupulous about rules when doing business. They never resorted to violence. They paid exactly the silver owed, not a tael less, and even insisted on official certification from the yamen, with contracts bearing all the proper handprints.

They purchased a large shop near the canal, along with several adjoining residences slated for demolition and renovation into warehouse-style structures. They also bought a dock along the canal. At the locations they had seized within the city, major construction was underway everywhere, with outer courtyard walls torn down and rebuilt.

A vast number of craftsmen and laborers, and huge quantities of materials, were transported in from all directions. Many places had already become construction sites. Large amounts of grain and goods were shipped north out of Qingjiangpu via both water and land routes, while massive quantities of goods were brought in. Although the Great Ming had always seen southern goods sold north, the north also had goods to sell — specialty products from various northern regions, even goods originating from the Tatar lands beyond the frontier, were all being shipped in.

Apart from these, the largest and most conspicuous shipment was none other than whole boats and cartloads of Han Well Famous Liquor.

Everyone knew this liquor was excellent. The winters in Qingjiangpu were damp, bone-chillingly cold, and hard to endure. With so many people making a living along the canal where the dampness was even worse, everyone needed a few gulps of strong liquor to warm their bodies and ease the fatigue. The moment Han Well Famous Liquor appeared, it outclassed all other spirits — exceptionally mellow and potent, a single sip warming the entire body.

The trouble was, this liquor was expensive, and unscrupulous shopkeepers watered it down. The wealthy could afford it, but those who truly wanted to drink often couldn't afford to or couldn't drink their fill. With this large shipment arriving, the price finally dropped a little, and more people could afford it — though for most, it still meant only a few extra sips.

Purchasing land and acquiring properties in Qingjiangpu, shipping out vast quantities of grain and goods, bringing in large amounts of specialty products and strong liquor — this was yet another display of strength. Those who understood the trade could see at a glance the enormous flow of silver involved. So these Xuzhou brutes were not only fierce fighters, not only armed with blades, but also possessed vast sums of silver — unexpectedly so wealthy and grand.

No sooner had the renovation and construction of the shops and properties begun than local merchants and brokers came knocking, inquiring about the gold and silver reserves in Cloud Mountain Trading's hands, asking whether loans could be made for turnover, with interest rates all negotiable.

Whatever happened in Qingjiangpu, whatever encounters the various facets of the Zhao Character Camp experienced, Liu Yong's side would dictate it all to the clerks beside him for recording, then dispatch fast riders to deliver the reports back to Xuzhou.

After reading the section concerning the lending of silver, Zhao Jin fell silent for a moment. He opened his iron chest, took out the notebooks where he recorded his insights and recollections, and flipped through those from a few years ago — all discarded account books. Opening one, he found written inside: "At autumn harvest, grain is cheap and coin is dear; during the spring famine, grain is dear and coin slightly cheaper. Within this lies a mountain of gold."

Zhao Jin remembered this matter very clearly. At the time, he had heard someone discuss the relationship between autumn grain taxes and silver currency, and sensed a price spread and an opportunity, wanting to jump in and make a fortune. But upon closer investigation, he discovered that others had long been using this method to amass wealth and swallow up land. He had made a complete fool of himself back then.

It was just that at the time, he lacked real strength, so it truly became a laughingstock. Now things were different. Over the years, the Zhao Character Camp had accumulated vast reserves of gold and silver, and here in Qingjiangpu there was an abundance of grain...

Zhao Jin took out a new notebook, one bound with fine xuan paper. He wrote the date on it, and then only two characters: "Silver" and "Grain."

Besides this news, Liu Yong also reported several other matters. One was that near the Qingjiangpu branch of the Sun Family Trading Company, a new cloth shop had opened. As soon as it opened for business, they sent someone over to deliver a visiting card and build connections, claiming the shop was an enterprise of the Yu family of Songjiang, that they were all on the same side, and that they should look after each other going forward.

Seeing this, Zhao Jin smiled. He remembered the Second Young Master Yu who had come bearing gifts before the new year. That Second Young Master's initial recklessness and subsequent composure had left a deep impression on Zhao Jin — though what left an even deeper impression were those several gem-inlaid Western short firelocks.

After the new year, things had grown so busy that the matter of Second Young Master Yu had been cast to the back of his mind. He had not expected that this Second Young Master still hadn't given up.

A thought suddenly struck Zhao Jin. From the perspective of the rivers-and-lakes underworld, he had now seized Qingjiangpu, and Qingjiangpu was the pivotal hub of the empire's entire tribute grain transport system. This seemed to resonate, in a hidden way, with what Second Young Master Yu had in mind.

"Hurry and open another goods depot in Qingjiangpu, specializing in selling southern goods. Remember to use the carts from that Mountain Carting outfit — no matter how high they quote the price, pay it."

Over at the Yu family of Songjiang, the steward and the managing clerks had been frantically busy these past few days. Ever since the news from Qingjiangpu came back, their Second Young Master had wanted to open several more branches — a few in Qingjiangpu, and a few in Xuzhou as well.

Second Young Master Yu truly possessed great talent in business. Opening branches and shops involved countless threads, yet he alone could plan and arrange everything clearly and methodically; everyone else only needed to follow his instructions.

"The branch in Xuzhou must be opened in He Family Village. I know that unloading our goods from the boats and then transporting them overland is costly, and I know we might lose money by opening there. But even if we lose money, we must open it. We must build good relations with the people there. Whatever they need, whatever we can help with, we must do our utmost to accomplish and do well."

The steward stood to the side, watching his Second Young Master speak in an endless torrent. Of the family's two young masters, the one who most resembled the old master was this Second Young Master.

Once everything was arranged, Second Young Master Yu waved his hand. The managers and clerks bowed and withdrew. Second Young Master Yu turned his head to look at the steward, his face brimming with excitement, and said, "I never imagined that Zhao Jin possessed such grand vision and strategic genius. In less than two months, he's actually seized Qingjiangpu in his grasp. Truly, this Zhao Character Camp is worth investing effort in. Our Yu family's grand plan to shift tribute grain from canal to sea rests entirely on this Zhao Jin."

The steward shook his head with a wry smile and lowered his voice. "Young Master, you've said this many times already."

The Yu family had long been contemplating the shift of tribute grain transport from canal to sea, so naturally their study of the canal transport system was profound. Second Young Master Yu, Yu Zhiyuan, understood better than anyone else what Qingjiangpu meant for the tribute grain system, and he also understood better what it signified that Zhao Jin had placed those forces there.

Yu Zhiyuan even knew about the Cart Gang, because their family had trusted household men in Qingjiangpu gathering intelligence, reporting back at the slightest stir.

What the Cart Gang did in Qingjiangpu, who stood behind them, and what kind of strength they possessed — Yu Zhiyuan knew all this very clearly, and had even regarded them as the key to Qingjiangpu.

Only after Zhao Jin accomplished all this and the news came back did Second Young Master Yu realize that the undertaking he had considered impossibly difficult had been achieved by that Zhao Jin of Xuzhou with effortless ease — truly like smashing dry weeds and rotten wood, without the slightest exertion. Only then did Second Young Master Yu realize that he had still underestimated the strength of the Zhao Character Camp, and underestimated this Zhao Jin's methods.

Looking at the Second Young Master, who was brimming with excitement, the steward hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Young Master, the grand examination in the capital is next year. Perhaps you should set these matters aside for now and review your studies. Didn't the Eldest Young Master also write a letter?"

Yu Zhiyuan shook his head fervently and said with a sneer, "The moment they burned those sand barges, they tore all face with our family. Even if I went to the capital, there is absolutely no chance I'd pass the exams. Better to focus entirely on managing this — this is the true great undertaking..."

After speaking a few sentences, he noticed the old steward's expression was off. Yu Zhiyuan knew that if he continued, this old steward would be on his knees weeping and pleading. He quickly waved his hand with a bitter smile and said, "Uncle Hua, I understand. I will pick up my studies and exam preparation again. I will definitely go sit for the exams."

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