Chapter 600: Constable Meng Chao

To keep Xu Zhenzhen from overthinking, and to maintain timely contact between Xuzhou and Qingjiangpu, the Cloud Mountain Firm set up a courier route for fast horse relays from He Family Village to Qingjiangpu. To put it plainly, it was a private postal relay. Along the way, they bought or opened inns belonging to the Cloud Mountain Firm, kept horses, and passed messages in relay. If there was truly an urgent letter, it could be delivered from Xuzhou to Qingjiangpu within three days.

Zhao Jin wrote a letter every two days, recounting what he was doing in Qingjiangpu, then asking after Xu Zhenzhen and their daughter, and inquiring about his parents and elders.

"He's still a young man, after all — he has the breadth of mind for great undertakings, but romantic attachments are unavoidable." Every move Zhao Jin made was watched by all quarters in Qingjiangpu, save for those he deliberately kept secret.

However, Zhao Jin's letters were not merely about romantic attachment. He asked about the rights and wrongs of certain matters he handled in the commercial world. Xu Zhenzhen understood the commercial world of this era better. Moreover, Xu Zhenzhen always had a group of people gathering news for her, and she was keenly aware of every stir and rustle in Xuzhou. The news she received, when compared with what came from Liu Yong, Lei Cai, and the various factions in Xuzhou, often filled in gaps and supplemented deficiencies.

"... My husband may not have won the hearts of the people in Qingjiangpu; putting down roots there will not be easy..."

Zhao Jin took this remark from Xu Zhenzhen very seriously. The Zhao Camp and the associated Xuzhou factions who had come along did not feel any need to pay much heed to the popular sentiment and hearts of the people in Qingjiangpu. In their view, as long as they could overawe the locality, keep Qingjiangpu ceaselessly producing wealth, and secure benefits for the Zhao Camp, that was enough.

No matter how you looked at it, what everyone in Xuzhou thought was not wrong. No matter how imposing the Zhao Camp might be, to put it bluntly, it was still just a power in the jianghu and the marketplace. In Xuzhou, it might barely pass as a local militia, but outside, it was just hired muscle. What could a force like that seek, if not wealth? Besides, having finally seized a place as prosperous and rich as Qingjiangpu, of course they should seek wealth and growth.

Winning the hearts of the people, putting down roots in the locality — this objective was something only Xu Zhenzhen could vaguely guess at. Of course, Zhao Jin and his companions had made it very clear before they came.

They had begun by subduing and overawing all the factions in Qingjiangpu with the force of a thunderbolt. Later, they colluded with Qingjiangpu's upper crust through the promise of wealth. Now, they could already advance and retreat in step with both officials and merchants. The prospects of the Qingjiang Grand Market were simply too good, and the projected profits were enormous. In the face of all that, all grudges and conflicts were cast aside.

Using military force to subdue, using wealth and benefits to forge ties — these two methods alone were enough to sustain the Zhao Camp's presence in Qingjiangpu for a long time. They could even continue this way indefinitely.

But Zhao Jin, of course, would not be satisfied with that. Even though the vast majority of local government offices were already far less effective than the Zhao Camp, Zhao Jin wanted to go a step further. He wanted to make Qingjiangpu like Xuzhou — to have it accept the Zhao Camp, to believe the Zhao Camp's presence was beneficial and harmless to them, to feel that Qingjiangpu ought to be governed by the Zhao Camp. Yet, to achieve that step, given Zhao Jin's current status and the means currently available to the Zhao Camp, it would not be easy.

"Master, the silver from Xuzhou won't arrive for another three days. Can the porterage fees owed to the Cloud Mountain Carting Firm be deferred until then? Money is being spent everywhere right now. Since this carting firm is our own enterprise, there's no need to be so strict about settling in cash immediately. We should always keep some ready silver on hand for revolving funds..." Zhou Xuezhi stood opposite Zhao Jin, account book in hand, frowning as he spoke.

Zhao Jin shook his head and said gravely, "It must be settled in cash. Delaying payment by even one day or two will damage the reputation of our Zhao Camp. The carters will think we are bullying them, and everyone else in Qingjiangpu will think we have no silver. What seems a small matter now will become a big problem later."

Zhou Xuezhi managed the accounts and the flow of silver. The practical work of constructing the Grand Market fell to him. He watched the silver pour out like flowing water. The wine business and the trading firm had yet to reach a stage of significant profit. The Cloud Mountain Carting Firm was making money, but the expenses for carters and livestock were another huge outlay. They could only have Xuzhou continuously ship ready silver to subsidize them.

All account managers under heaven share a habit: though the silver in the ledgers has nothing to do with them personally, spending it pains them deeply. How much more so for Zhou Xuezhi, for whom the Zhao Camp's accounts were tantamount to his own business. He was truly anxious and agitated; a ring of fever blisters had formed around his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Master Zhou, don't be so anxious. You must look at the whole picture. Here in Qingjiangpu, we are operating at a loss, but if you factor in those jianghu enterprises, we still have a slight surplus. And if you include everything in Xuzhou, we are still making a large profit. Calm your mind and take it slowly. I will have Xuzhou increase its subsidies here," Zhao Jin said consolingly. He had also noticed Zhou Xuezhi's agitation.

Zhao Jin gestured for Zhou Xuezhi to sit. Zhou Xuezhi steadied his nerves, sat down, and spoke again: "Master, it's not a matter of haste. Right now, we are pouring our own silver in to help them, the people of Qingjiangpu, with their affairs. I'm just afraid that once it's built, the people here in Qingjiangpu will scheme against us."

"Do you think they would dare?" Zhao Jin countered with a laugh.

Back when Zhou Xuezhi served as He Weiyuan's private secretary, he had been a bold and ruthless character. Yet here in Qingjiangpu, he seemed somewhat timid and constrained. Given the Zhao Camp's prestige, to actually fear being schemed against by others...

"Master, this place is not our Xuzhou, after all. When you're not on your home ground, you must be cautious in everything!" Zhou Xuezhi said very earnestly.

Zhao Jin nodded, and the smile faded from his face. He spoke gravely: "You're not wrong. Throughout the Zhao Camp, from top to bottom, whether they wield blades or pens, quite a few think as you do. They all feel that this Qingjiangpu is not Xuzhou — it's an outside place. They think the silver we spend here is just making a wedding dress for someone else. The locals of Qingjiangpu will surely see us as outsiders, and sooner or later, we'll have to leave. Isn't that so?"

Is there something wrong with that? Zhou Xuezhi did not voice the question, but his expression said it all. Zhao Jin smiled and spoke again: "Why should we leave? This place is also our territory. What's wrong with investing capital in your own territory?"

Zhou Xuezhi's expression turned somewhat bewildered. Zhao Jin said leisurely, "From a narrow view, we are indeed from Xuzhou. From a broader view, we are all from the Jiangbei region of South Zhili. From an even broader view, we are all from South Zhili. And if we go broader still..."

At this point, Zhao Jin stopped himself in time. Seeing Zhou Xuezhi's eyes widening more and more, Zhao Jin simply changed the subject: "Our Zhao Camp has already built such a grand situation. Staying confined to Xuzhou would certainly impose limits; we must break out. Since we've taken Qingjiangpu, we must manage it well. You think building the Grand Market is working for others, but this treasure bowl is our own. Sooner or later, Qingjiangpu will be just like Xuzhou. If you think this way, you won't feel the pain of spending so much, and you won't think that since we won't stay long in Qingjiangpu anyway, it's not worth spending so much."

Zhou Xuezhi drew a deep breath, stood up, and bowed with clasped hands. "Master Jin truly harbors great ambitions. It is I whose thinking was too narrow. From now on, I understand how to act."

The Zhao Camp wanted to put down roots in Qingjiangpu, to turn this place into somewhere just like Xuzhou. These words could not be spoken openly — that was true for outsiders, and caution was needed even internally. Precisely because it had not been clearly stated, some people could not grasp the intent and found it difficult in their conduct and work. Zhou Xuezhi's remarks and attitude represented many people.

Before Zhou Xuezhi could take his leave, Cheng Dahu strode in from outside. Zhao Jin hoped everyone would treat Qingjiangpu as territory equal to Xuzhou, but the Internal Guard and the Personal Guard never thought that way. Liu Yong and Ji Xiang both arranged things according to the most critical scenarios. Never mind the future; even now, Qingjiangpu remained a place where dragons and snakes mingled, and absolute security could not be achieved.

Zhao Jin's residence was adjacent to the encampment of the Second Regiment. One company of the Personal Guard and the cavalry unit were stationed within Zhao Jin's compound. Centered on this residence and extending outward for three streets, every spot had eyes from the Internal Guard and sentries from the household troops.

After the Cheng family came over, they were the most utterly devoted to Zhao Jin. With this connection, and having solidly earned merit several times, Cheng Dahu's status within the Internal Guard had risen swiftly. He was now roughly on par with Nie Hei.

In the various systems under the Zhao Camp — the Personal Guard and the three regiments — rising step by step from an ordinary household trooper to squad leader or company commander required arduous daily training and valiant combat in battle. The evaluations were very strict. The Internal Guard, however, was not so complicated. Merit was always rewarded; if you were willing to risk your life and get things done, benefits were certainly yours. Such rules were fair and simple, and suited these jianghu men perfectly.

Seeing Cheng Dahu enter, Zhou Xuezhi rose and took his leave. Wang Zhaojing, Ruhui, and Zhou Xuezhi all avoided dealing with the Internal Guard. If there was a matter, they would rather go through the trouble of asking Liu Yong to arrange it, or even go directly to Zhao Jin. This was also an unwritten rule of the Zhao Camp.

"Master, we caught a man outside. He came at the crack of dawn, poking his head around, sneaking and furtive. I decided to let him come in, and when no one was watching, we tied him up on the street in front of the gate and threw him into the dungeon. Then, in the dungeon, this man claimed to be a constable from the Shanyang County yamen, named something like Meng Chao, and insisted he had to see Master Jin. I sent someone to make inquiries, and there really is such a person, matching that description. Only then did I come to report to Master Jin."

If he were truly some jianghu marketplace character caught like this, he would certainly have been severely tortured, and only after a confession was extracted would it be reported. But a yamen constable sneaking over furtively, and upon arriving, demanding to see Zhao Jin — they could only confirm his identity first and then report it.

Hearing this, Zhao Jin was also taken aback. The name seemed vaguely familiar, but he could not recall who it was. And for him to be a constable from the Shanyang County yamen made it even more peculiar.

As soon as the man was brought in, Zhao Jin realized why he remembered him. Back when they had clashed fiercely with the jianghu figures of Qingjiangpu, the constables who arrived had been terrified by the ferocity of the Zhao Camp. Only one young constable had dared to speak up there, saying the Zhao Camp was equipped with prohibited weapons like long spears and bows. That young constable had been furiously rebuked by the head constable leading the group. That Meng Chao was that young constable.

Now, this Meng Chao was dressed like a shop assistant. There were several bruises on his face, and he was bound up tightly. They looked like fresh injuries from the scuffle when he was seized. His sallow complexion, thin eyebrows, small eyes, and that face full of righteous indignation — these features made him quite easy to remember.

Thank you all for your monthly tickets and subscriptions. Thank you to old friends "Unmoving Mountain" and "Twilight Cry" for your generous rewards. Old friend Twilight Cry is now an Elder of this book. Thank you all, but my condition is truly not good.