Chapter 635: Clues and Traces

Moreover, under the deliberate care of the Zhao Character Camp, the Yu family's business simply exploded. They had the sea route, and they could also ship goods from Clam Bay straight to Qingjiangpu, giving them an innate advantage over other houses. Naturally, they made a fortune hand over fist. And the Yu family didn't cut corners in their dealings — they directly named a price to the Zhao Character Camp: if the camp was willing to station a detachment permanently at Clam Bay, their family would cover all the expenses and daily upkeep, because doing so would block any other house from appearing in that little port.

"The master truly has divine foresight, knowing exactly what to hold tight. With that cart firm in our hands, no matter what business these people do, they have to use our carts and horses. Their money gets skimmed by us just like that, and because they need us to haul their goods, their true scale of operations is also laid bare for us to see."

Back when Zhao Jin seized the cart firm and monopolized all the carts and horses in Qingjiangpu, no one thought much of it. To Zhao Jin's companions and trusted confidants, it was simply another means for Zhao Jin to acquire property — at most, a consideration for the Zhao Character Camp's military needs. At the time, some even worried, saying that with so many carts and horses on hand, never mind those several thousand able-bodied young men, just maintaining all those carts and horses would cost a fortune.

No one imagined it would come to this day, especially around the twelfth and first months, when the waterways were impassable. Then, with the boom of the Qingjiang Grand Market drawing merchants and travelers from all directions, if the water route was closed, they had no choice but to go by land. The cart firm's many wagons and horses were truly in short supply. Even once the Grand Canal reopened, there was no need to worry too much — a single waterway ran north to south, but people still had to travel in every direction, and plenty still needed the land route. Besides, not every merchant house had the connections to get in on the grain transport, to smuggle their commercial goods aboard the tribute barges.

The income from the big carts was substantial, but beyond that, there was another benefit: mastery over the entirety of vast Qingjiangpu. How much each merchant house shipped out and how much they earned could roughly be deduced from the goods loaded onto the big carts. What exactly Qingjiangpu held, and the true scale of its operations — probably no one understood it more clearly than the Zhao Character Camp system. If you wanted to know about any house, a quick check of the big cart firm's ledgers would make everything crystal clear.

Now, every usable accountant in Xuzhou had been swept clean and sent to work over in Qingjiangpu. Back here in Xuzhou, Chen Hong was leading a group of student auxiliaries along with the monks from Cloud Mountain Temple who used to manage the accounts. Quite a few people from the Xu family had also been sent over to help. Though things were bumpy and rough, the oversight here was strict, so there was no real worry about problems cropping up.

Matters of attracting wealth and treasure were naturally cause for delight, but when Liu Yong began to speak, the room fell very silent.

"... Word came from over there that the new Embroidered Uniform Guard Assistant Commander-in-Chief in Nanjing has rarely stayed in Nanjing these past few months. He's always running over to our side of Jiangbei. Last month, Adjutant General Zhou Baolu claimed he was going to Suqian to inspect the defenses, and it just so happened that this Ma Chonghao fellow was also absent from Nanjing at that very time. Putting the two reports together, could it be that the two parties met somewhere..."

"... It might just be my wild guess. The two sides are completely unrelated — one heading over, the other coming out. Jiangbei is so vast, no one can say for sure they arranged to meet. But if it really is so, then it's certainly aimed at us..."

Liu Yong laid out every possibility. As the one gathering intelligence, he had to make the worst-case estimate.

"... The Smelling Incense Sect has actually gone quiet. Once this campaign grain levy hit, they no longer had the attention to spare for the Xuzhou area. I hear that outside Xuzhou, the common people are already in a panic, and even the local strongmen without examination degrees are panicking too. Now, around Xuzhou, for any family that has someone with a degree, the property registered under their name has doubled and redoubled. In this situation, far too many people are turning to the Smelling Incense Sect. They probably can't spare any attention for us here either..."

"... There doesn't seem to be any Embroidered Uniform Guard activity here in Xuzhou, but over in Qingjiangpu, it's impossible to be sure. As long as they don't make a show of it, a place that big is truly hard to search. For now, we're just telling all branches of our Zhao Character Camp to be careful and cautious, and not to let anyone slip through a crack..."

As Liu Yong spoke, the expressions of everyone who had just been delighted by Qingjiangpu's revenue turned grave. Knowing that their own house was on the Embroidered Uniform Guard's mind was hardly something to be happy about.

The room fell silent for a moment. Ji Xiang hesitated, then muttered sullenly, "Could it be we're just overthinking this? A place as big as Nanjing has who knows how many people coming and going every day. Xuzhou is the same. Surely it's not that just because two people left on the same day, they were off meeting each other?"

Hearing this, Ruhui nodded. The others remained impassive. Liu Yong did not elaborate further — it was enough that he had laid out the information he knew. How to judge it was Zhao Jin's affair.

"When trouble comes, think of the worst and take extra precautions — you'll never go wrong that way. But we shouldn't be overly worried or afraid either. What can the Embroidered Uniform Guard actually do coming to our turf? How many men can they scrape together in the whole of South Zhili? Can they even field a thousand? Even if a thousand came, wouldn't they just be delivering themselves to us?" Zhao Jin spoke up.

"And what if they mobilize government troops?" Ruhui mused. This was truly thinking in the worst possible direction.

"Ridiculous. Think carefully — do we have any crime on the surface worth mobilizing government troops over? And even putting that aside, would the Wolf Mountain Vice Commander dare to move? If he did, his official post would be untenable. As for the Xuzhou Adjutant General over here, what could he possibly move? Give him the guts!" Zhao Jin said disdainfully.

At this, Ji Xiang and Dong Bingfeng grinned. Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing's expressions also relaxed. The logic was indeed sound.

Though the Xuzhou Adjutant General was a top-tier commander, he was stationed inside Xuzhou city, while across the land of Xuzhou, the force the Zhao Character Camp could mobilize far exceeded the troops the Xuzhou Adjutant General had garrisoned locally. Not to mention, half the territory was still under the control of Zhao Jin's and Dong Bingfeng's fathers' generation. He wouldn't dare move even if he wanted to. As for the Wolf Mountain Vice Commander, Zhao Jin held leverage over him. Weighed against national duty, his own family's wealth and position would certainly win out.

Zhao Jin nodded. He could sense that his companions' awe of the Great Ming had diminished considerably. In the past, bringing this up would have inevitably caused fear and trepidation — it wouldn't have been settled with such a simple explanation.

The reason was easy to guess: defeating government troops at the Wild Grass Shoal, foiling the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or perhaps more importantly, the Great Ming's several defeats in Liaodong, and this campaign grain levy — all of it bred growing contempt and disgust in people's hearts.

"Respond to all changes by remaining unchanged. For now, this is our only method, but it's also the best one. Do our own work well, step by step. Whatever comes, we'll resist it. Don't let these external matters delay our own affairs." Zhao Jin had essentially set the tone.

Everyone nodded. Chen Sheng sat upright once more. Wang Zhaojing seemed lost in thought. Ji Xiang and Dong Bingfeng, on the other hand, were much more at ease. Ruhui wore a faint smile, and Liu Yong was the same as ever.

Zhao Jin thought for a moment, then added, "Just now, Xiaoyong mentioned the rampant activity of the Smelling Incense Sect. There's something I need to impress upon you all. Our Zhao Character Camp's territory is no longer just Xuzhou. Huai'an Prefecture, Guide Prefecture, and Suzhou over there are all ours now. And since they're ours, we won't tolerate anyone else running wild. The Smelling Incense Sect is forbidden from stirring up trouble in these places too. If they don't listen, strike directly with deadly force and drive them out!"

Everyone acknowledged the order. Seeing Zhao Jin pause, Ruhui spoke up, "Master, this campaign grain levy has already scared the common people everywhere out of their wits. Here in Xuzhou, we're fine — everyone believes Master Zhao will surely take care of it. But the other areas are different. Many people, seeing that Master Zhao hasn't extended his hand even in Xuzhou, think he's even less likely to intervene elsewhere. The panic is severe. Should we go there and..."

He trailed off, but everyone understood his meaning. Wang Zhaojing interjected, "Elder Brother, the grain levy in Xuzhou alone is one thing. But Huai'an Prefecture, Guide Prefecture, and Suzhou on top of that — that's a vast territory. If the grain levy from these places can't be collected and sent up, the imperial court will likely throw its full weight into dealing with us. When that time comes, we'll certainly be in huge trouble."

Zhao Jin smiled and said casually, "No rush. In places like Guide Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture, and Suzhou, there are far more powerful local strongmen and gentry. They have little to no respect for us, and plenty of them only pay lip service while their hearts remain defiant. As for the common folk, they just listen to whatever these people tell them. Let the grain levy sort them out once — let them feel the pain. Then we step in. By that time, both the hearts and the manpower will be ours."

"What about Qingjiangpu?" Ji Xiang couldn't help but blurt out. Ever since he had visited Qingjiangpu a few times, Ji Xiang had been deeply impressed by that hub of gold and silver. In his mind, if they took that place, they wouldn't need to worry about anywhere else. As Ji Xiang saw it, Qingjiangpu would surely suffer greatly from the campaign grain levy. If they didn't shield it, the Zhao Character Camp would inevitably take a huge loss.

The moment he asked, Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui couldn't help laughing. Zhao Jin laughed too and said, "This grain levy is aimed at the commoners and farming households. What does it have to do with the city? Qingjiangpu's commerce is flourishing — not a single coin will be squeezed out of it."

Ji Xiang's face flushed red. He scratched his head, thoroughly embarrassed, and said, "Farming the land is bitter, miserable work — how much coin can you squeeze out of that? The merchant houses rake in so much income. Wouldn't it be better to collect a bit more from them?"

"Aren't we the ones doing business!" Liu Yong couldn't help scolding him with a laugh.

The room burst into laughter, and even Ji Xiang couldn't help laughing himself. The atmosphere relaxed considerably. But Zhao Jin's face held little mirth. He was thinking of something else: the Great Ming's taxation fell solely on the farming households — taking their grain, taking their silver, and even driving them into corvée labor. Every misery was heaped upon them, driving them to bankruptcy, driving them to a dead end, and then... heaven and earth would crumble.

In stark contrast to the relentless squeezing of the peasants, the Great Ming was far more lenient toward the scholar-officials and merchants. Relying on tax exemptions through examination degrees, the gentry amassed enormous wealth, yet this wealth paid no taxes. Small peddlers, being weak and powerless, were extorted and shaken down by the officials, but the Great Ming had no real concept of commercial taxes — it even took the refusal to collect commercial taxes as the standard for a virtuous and renowned minister. As a result, a great boom in industry and commerce had already begun, yet the Great Ming reaped not a single benefit from it.

From memories of the past, he had always heard people say the Great Ming strangled itself to death. Seeing the outrageous scheme of this campaign grain levy, it was very easy to understand why.

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