Chapter 611: Family Matters, Affairs of the Realm

"Your second uncle said at the dinner table that the highest rank in our Xuzhou Guard all these years has been just Battalion Commander." Zhao Zhentang's mood was deeply somber. After muttering this, he gave a self-deprecating laugh and continued, "If your second uncle had gotten this Defense Commander post, he'd certainly be overjoyed. In our Xuzhou Guard, those above have drilled straight into the money pit, and those below are worthless good-for-nothings who only know how to labor. In these ten years, there've only been a few Company Commanders and two Battalion Commanders. Back when your second uncle went out to seek his fortune, he even told me, your old man, that he'd go win rank and renown out there, become a Defense Commander or something of the sort."

He had been sipping his wine in small mouthfuls, but at this point Zhao Zhentang drained his cup in one go, chuckled, and said, "Your second uncle would never have imagined that I could become a Defense Commander — and by borrowing strength from my own child, no less."

Zhao Jin let out a breath too. Every time his second uncle Zhao Zhenxing was mentioned, not only did his father Zhao Zhentang grow melancholy and full of sighs, but he himself felt uneasy as well. And according to past habit, his father Zhao Zhentang would drink quite a lot, then use the wine to fuel endless reminiscing.

Unexpectedly, his mother He Cuihua tugged at his father Zhao Zhentang and shot him a look. Zhao Zhentang sighed, set down his wine cup, ate a few bites of food, and then said, "This Defense Commander title sounds grand, but it's of little real use. You can't place any hopes on it. Besides, given your current situation, a mere Defense Commander can't help you anyway."

"Your son understands. These two posts are just icing on the cake. With Father and Uncle Dong each guarding one place, there will be no more hidden troubles here in Xuzhou," Zhao Jin said in a clear, confident voice.

On certain occasions, whenever Zhao Jin spoke in this tone, Zhao Zhentang would always make a few sarcastic remarks. This time was no different: "Natural disasters and man-made calamities — you can guard against men, but can you guard against the Yellow River flooding?"

Zhao Jin coughed. Right now, the Yellow River truly wasn't much to worry about. Year after year of severe drought had left the Yellow River's waters terribly low; flooding from the Yellow River was really nothing to fear.

By this point in the conversation, the atmosphere at the dinner table had improved considerably, yet Zhao Jin felt uncomfortable inside. For no clear reason, he sensed that his father had indeed grown old.

"... Mother-in-law and Father-in-law have spoken privately several times, saying that you, husband, have far too many matters to attend to now. They said Father-in-law should drink less wine and, while he's not yet too old to move, help you more on your side. Father-in-law now only drinks at dinner, and never more than two taels at a time..."

When the young couple was alone together, Xu Zhenzhen told Zhao Jin this. Her eyes and ears were numerous; not even the slightest stir in the household could escape her.

"The popular support in Qingjiangpu you spoke of — we've already seized it now. Every party over there cares only for silver, and anything that doesn't concern them gets hung up and ignored. If it hadn't been this Niu Shengjie, it would have been some Ma Shengjie. Even if that Meng Chao hadn't stepped forward, we would have taken the initiative to handle it. The moment we reached out, the people's hearts were settled." Zhao Jin recounted the affairs of Qingjiangpu to Xu Zhenzhen.

Xu Zhenzhen watched the nursemaid soothe the child as she reminded him, "Husband, don't be careless. The loose ends of this matter haven't been tied up yet."

"No need to worry. If the Niu family dares send people to Qingjiangpu, however many they send, that many will stay." As Zhao Jin said this, he glanced at the nursemaid soothing the child. The nursemaid kept her eyes lowered and her expression meek, as if she had heard nothing at all.

The monthly wages this nursemaid received were five times the market rate, but there was a price: she had to remain within the Zhao family residence for two years, and during those two years she was not permitted to go outside. Fortunately, before she entered, she had been newly widowed just over a month, had two young daughters at home, and was unwilling to remarry — so she was directly recruited in.

At first, some had advised Xu Zhenzhen, saying that such a person was unlucky and might offend the noble persons of the Madam and the Young Miss. But Xu Zhenzhen paid no heed. For her at present, the one person she could find who was most trustworthy and also knew how to care for a child was this one.

Because she was confined at home and unable to go out, there was no need to worry about leaks of secrets or the like. Other couples discussed domestic trivialities, but Zhao Jin and Xu Zhenzhen discussed public affairs. The inner quarters were indeed a restricted area.

Zhao Jin also knew this nursemaid's background; he was merely being guarded out of habit.

"The Niu family's decision-makers are all at sea. They won't return until after the Mid-Autumn Festival. When they do, we'll eliminate future troubles once and for all," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

The Niu family had a thousand seagoing ships and over ten thousand followers — that, of course, was impossible. But a thousand or so men and several dozen ships they did have, and such strength was enough to tie the hands of many in the Jianghu of Qingjiangpu. What most people didn't know was that the Niu family had two avenues of profit: aside from the usual business of sea lords, the other was fencing stolen goods in Qingjiangpu.

When they did no-capital business at sea, the plundered gold and silver were easy to handle, but goods and the like always had to be converted into money. Otherwise, they'd pile up and rot, making the effort worthless. The Niu family had discovered this line of business at some unknown time. That unremarkable shop in Qingjiangpu not only sold the Niu family's own spoils of war, but the Niu family also bought stolen goods from other parties at low prices out at sea and sold them in Qingjiangpu to earn the price difference.

Qingjiangpu was a gathering place for ten thousand merchants, with countless quantities of southern and northern goods flowing through every day. No one ever noticed these stolen goods. Priced a little below the market rate, they were very easy to move.

It was precisely because of this that the Niu family kept over a hundred hardened fighters stationed in Qingjiangpu year-round. The shop was far too critical; both incoming and outgoing goods had to be tightly watched. Otherwise, although Niu Shengjie was precious, he wouldn't have warranted over a hundred hardened fighters guarding him there year-round.

The Niu family had also stumbled into one advantage: because these hundred-plus hardened fighters were rotated from the sea, those at sea never lacked for fish and always had some meat and rich food. This ensured their eyesight didn't blur at night, unlike so many elsewhere who suffered night blindness. These hundred-plus men could be mobilized at night to strike, giving them an extra edge and deterrent over other factions.

Guarding Niu Shengjie brought other benefits as well. Once their fearsome reputation grew large, naturally no one dared provoke them. Whoever thought of touching that fencing shop — just flashing their name was highly effective. With so many places to make a fortune in Qingjiangpu, no one would fixate on trouble and refuse to let go.

Though the shop was secret, this time it couldn't be concealed. Niu Shengjie had been dragged to death in the street. The man in charge at the shop immediately dispatched men to exact revenge; otherwise, the two masters of the Niu family would not spare him.

Though these bandits and pirates were all desperate, bloodthirsty men, in a real fight they were no match for the Zhao Character Camp at all. After being captured, they were subjected to harsh torture and interrogation, and layer by layer they confessed everything. That very night, following the clues, not a single one escaped. Along with them, the intelligence from Geli Harbor in Miaowan Town also became perfectly clear.

When she had just given birth to their daughter, aside from physical weakness, Xu Zhenzhen had also been in very poor spirits. Although Zhao Jin had honestly said that a boy or a girl was all the same to him, in reality, whether the child was male or female made an enormous difference. To say she was utterly exhausted, both in body and mind, and on the verge of collapse would not be an exaggeration. What truly allowed her to recover was the period when Zhao Jin went to Qingjiangpu. Outsiders spread rumors that Zhao Jin was keeping a mistress there, but Xu Zhenzhen knew it was not so.

The constant exchange of letters between husband and wife, the unceasing inquiries and discussions, helped Xu Zhenzhen recover quickly. However, the depletion of her spirit and body would still need slow, careful nursing.

After chatting idly for a while, Xu Zhenzhen drank a bowl of restorative broth, reclined against the headboard, and spoke softly and gently: "The Meng brother and sister are no longer young. Zhiqi is learning martial arts from Father-in-law, and Ziqí can't very well show her face in public. Husband should make arrangements for them soon. Both of these siblings are trustworthy. Let Zhiqi follow you, husband. As for that girl Ziqí, she's blossomed into a real beauty. Mother-in-law's thoughts on this are the same as mine: you, husband, are often away from home, and you have no one by your side to tend to you..."

"It's getting late. Rest early," Zhao Jin interrupted impatiently.

The couple lay in bed. Their daughter's cradle was right beside them; she slept soundly.

"Little Feng really does take after you — sturdy and healthy. She's not even a hundred days old and barely fusses. She eats her fill and sleeps, and when she wakes she doesn't cry, just opens her eyes and looks around everywhere." When a mother spoke of her daughter, her tone was full of happiness.

"Look how busy I am right now, and all of you are fretting about finding me a woman. This is absurd," Zhao Jin grumbled offhandedly.

In the darkness, Xu Zhenzhen laughed softly and whispered, "Some even say that you, husband, are fond of boys!"

Zhao Jin muttered a curse. There was a slight stir from the cradle, and the couple, terrified of waking their daughter, immediately fell silent.

After the fall of Qinghe Fortress in Liao Garrison, Wang Youshan wrote letters to Xuzhou far more frequently than before. Every four days or so, a messenger would arrive. The Wang family's household servants who could ride were all utterly exhausted. Often, as soon as a letter was delivered to Xuzhou, they had to turn back immediately; otherwise, there wouldn't be enough messengers.

It was fortunate that the Zhao Character Camp had a cavalry unit and horse farms and could provide riders and horses. An ordinary wealthy or noble household truly couldn't have withstood such attrition. In a single month, eight horses had died on the road. For the sake of timely message delivery, they could not worry about too much.

Precisely because the Wang family relayed information, Zhao Jin knew everything happening in Liaodong earlier than most people in the realm. Moreover, due to the relationship between the Ministry of War and the Wang family, many of the things Zhao Jin knew were even more detailed than what people in the capital knew.

For example: before Qinghe Fortress was surrounded, a dispatch pleading for aid had already been sent, traveling all the way to Shenyang, then Liaoyang, and then to the capital. The Wanli Emperor, who had not attended court for over twenty years, was extremely agitated. He mobilized relief forces from all directions to prepare for a rescue, issuing decrees to assemble troops from Shanhai Pass, Baoding, Tieling, Datong, Guangning, and Kaiyuan to march beyond the pass and relieve Qinghe Fortress. The former Grand Coordinator of Liaodong, Yang Hao, was appointed Supreme Commander to oversee the campaign and lead the troops beyond the pass to rescue Qinghe Fortress.

However, just as the mobilization decree was issued, word of Qinghe Fortress's fall came back. This enraged the Wanli Emperor even further. He bestowed an Imperial Sword upon Yang Hao, granting him the authority to execute any officer below the rank of Regional Commander who disobeyed orders. The Jianzhou Jurchen Jin army was attacking continuously; the Great Ming had to strike back. This troop mobilization did not stop but instead became a punitive expedition against the Jianzhou Jurchens. Both Northern Zhili and Liao Garrison began bustling with activity. Troops from all routes gradually assembled, provisions were allocated, and a great battle was imminent.

Every letter was sent by express, but Wang Youshan wrote in great detail, explaining and commenting as thoroughly as possible. For instance, this Yang Hao had once overseen the campaign into Korea to resist the Japanese pirates and had rendered great service, but he had also concealed defeats and falsely reported military achievements. After being dismissed, he had later served as Grand Coordinator of Liaodong, where he earned several military merits, all from taking the initiative to attack the Jurchens and Mongols. However, these merits were debatable; the false reporting of military intelligence in Liao Garrison had reached a lawless extreme, and the Ministry of War found it very difficult to investigate and verify.

And then there were the generals leading the various forces this time: Li Rubai had been idle at home for twenty years, Du Song idle for over ten. Liu Ting was a fierce general of the age, but he was already nearing sixty. Ma Lin was the second son of Ma Fang and also carried on a military lineage, but unfortunately he was too bookish, more like a civil official than a military commander...

Thank you everyone. If you have monthly tickets, cast them for me.