Chapter 636: Meeting Someone

The court set a tax of one tael of silver, but after layer upon layer of markups, the actual collection in the end became ten taels. How could the already struggling peasant households possibly withstand such exploitation?

Now, the Zhao Character Camp truly commands the jianghu men in every area it controls like an arm moves a finger — no one dares disobey. No matter how invincible and valiant a jianghu hero may be, they are utterly insignificant before the Zhao Character Camp's long spears and great halberds. Besides, dealing with them doesn't even require the household troops to step in — the Xuzhou trained militia is enough to pacify them. Moreover, before this, whenever so-called jianghu men clashed with local gentry, they often suffered heavy losses against the militia and village braves, never once gaining the upper hand.

However, these jianghu characters are very useful in dealing with the Scent-Smelling Sect. Everyone here is ultimately from the jianghu and the marketplace, and these are the very methods they compete with. With the Zhao Character Camp backing them, the jianghu men naturally handle matters with swift decisiveness.

The Scent-Smelling Sect, which had just begun running rampant in Guide Prefecture and Suzhou, was quickly suppressed. As for Huai'an Prefecture, the territory there was simply too vast. Only directly controlled Pizhou and the refugee stockade could be kept under control; the rest had to be left to their own devices.

As for Qingjiangpu, the Zhao Character Camp had no need to worry there. The burning of incense and worship of Maitreya and the Eternal Mother had long flourished in that area. However, that particular branch belonged to the canal transport faction, which was very much at odds with the main headquarters in Yuncheng. It was an independent system of canal laborers and transport soldiers, and was currently quite friendly with the Zhao Character Camp.

When dealing with other powers, the Zhao Character Camp still had to consider conciliation and winning them over. Only with the Scent-Smelling Sect did they bare the blade from the very start — kill on sight, absolutely no mercy.

Whether these bloody methods proved effective, or whether the lesson from that great defeat during the refugee siege of the city was simply too deep, the Scent-Smelling Sect now had a tacit understanding when dealing with the Zhao Character Camp. Whenever the Zhao Character Camp used force, they immediately and decisively retreated. Of course, with the Zhao Character Camp's current strength on full display, no one dared not retreat.

With Zhao Jin holding the fort in Xuzhou, Liu Yong finally had some relief. After finishing the matters he needed to report, he took his leave and hurried off to Qingjiangpu. The tasks he had to handle now were countless threads, overwhelmingly busy. At times like this, it was actually Chen Sheng and the others leading and training the troops who had it easier, since they only had to keep a close watch and work diligently every day.

Zhao Jin was not much more idle either. The situation at Qingjiangpu was too vast, and the interests it generated too enormous — it wasn't something that could be held down just by sending his partners there.

When he had rested at home until the twenty-fifth of the third month, the cavalry began to assemble, preparing to leave Xuzhou. Now, Zhao Jin's movements did not disclose the specific destination to outsiders; let them guess as they pleased.

On the very day they were preparing to depart, another letter arrived from the capital, still discussing the movements of Yang Hao's great army in Liaodong. This letter stated things very simply — two matters. One, there was heavy snow beyond the passes, so the great army could not march. Two, there was insufficient provisions and fodder to sustain Yang Hao's army of over a hundred thousand for three months.

Zhao Jin had long sensed that this period was colder than in his past memories, so heavy snow beyond the passes at this time was actually normal. As for the army's provisions, everyone was indeed rather worried. In a national war like this, determining victory or defeat could take a month, several months, or even a year. How could three months' worth of provisions possibly be enough? Still, three months was better than nothing; slowly raising more should still be possible in time.

Zhao Jin merely took note of these things. What he wanted most right now was a result. He had drawn inferences about this great battle from every angle, but the matter of victory and defeat on the battlefield was ever-changing. He could not judge the outcome of this particular battle — though he knew the final conclusion, he did not know how the process would unfold.

However, once the result of this victory or defeat emerged, Zhao Jin would be able to be more certain of that final conclusion, and some matters would also become clearer.

Yet on this day, though Zhao Jin set out, he did not leave Xuzhou. Because at the same time he received the dispatches, his father Zhao Zhentang sent word for him to come to Xuzhou, saying he absolutely had to come in person, that there was an urgent matter.

Speaking of which, ever since Zhao Jin's father Zhao Zhentang became the Garrison Commander of Xiao County, he had spent remarkably little time at his post. As soon as Zhao Jin left Xuzhou, Zhao Zhentang would bring He Cuihua over to stay. Logically, with Chen Sheng holding the fort there, it should have been enough, but no one was willing to expose the old man's true thoughts.

After all, this domain appeared to be the Zhao family's enterprise. The old man felt uneasy with the child gone and wanted to come personally to keep watch. But in reality, even Xu Zhenzhen played a larger role than he did. Still, the old man's peace of mind mattered most, so everyone kept quiet.

By rights, a garrison commander military officer could not leave his post without authorization, or it would be a grave offense. But Xuzhou was only half a day's ride from Xiao County, and Zhao Zhentang was thoroughly familiar with everyone and everything inside and out. Locals with even slightly better-informed news knew even more clearly that the main force of the troops under the Xiao County Garrison Command were the household troops and trained militia of the Zhao Character Camp. The one managing daily affairs on Zhao Zhentang's behalf was a nephew of the same clan, Zhao Wan. Other people's family business — everyone figured it was best to mind their own.

But parental sentiments aside, Zhao Zhentang rarely disturbed Zhao Jin. So upon receiving the message, Zhao Jin thought some major incident had occurred in Xuzhou and immediately rushed there first.

This time, Zhao Zhentang was still not holding his post in Xiao County but was waiting right here in Xuzhou. It was absurd, really — the Deputy Chief Constable of the Xuzhou Department Magistrate's yamen concurrently serving as the Garrison Commander of Xiao County was truly unprecedented.

Two hundred cavalry and one hundred personal guards, all mounted, escorted Zhao Jin here. Outside Xuzhou city, there were quarters for them to station themselves. Only about thirty men followed Zhao Jin into the city, which could be considered saving face for the Department Magistrate's yamen and the Regional Commander. But who didn't know that the Zhao Character Camp had nearly two hundred men on the official roster inside the city? With one shout, they could muster five hundred.

"Master Jin's style is far grander than Regional Commander Zhou's!" the idle folk commented thus. As for Department Magistrate Tong Huaizu, no one even mentioned him anymore.

Before entering the city — or rather, when he was still about twenty li from Xuzhou — Zhao Jin already knew there was no major incident in the city and that his own family was perfectly safe. This made him even more puzzled: what exactly did his father Zhao Zhentang call him here for?

This time, Zhao Zhentang waited for Zhao Jin at home. Dismounting and entering the courtyard, Zhao Jin found his father already fully dressed, and the household showed no sign of preparing a meal.

"I know you're busy with important matters. This time I called you here for just a small thing — we'll leave as soon as it's done," Zhao Zhentang said as he led Zhao Jin out the door.

Being spoken to like this made Zhao Jin somewhat embarrassed. With an awkward laugh, he said, "Father, those words aren't right. No matter how busy your son is, I still have time to share a meal with you and Mother."

"Spare me such useless empty words. You're so busy your feet never touch the ground — you can't even spend time with your wife, so what's this about spending time with your parents?" Zhao Zhentang replied very bluntly. The personal guards all consciously moved farther away, to avoid witnessing Master Jin's embarrassment.

Originally, both father and son could ride horses, but Zhao Zhentang, whether intentionally or not, overlooked this. Walking there allowed the two to chat a while longer. After passing two streets, Zhao Jin roughly guessed the destination — it was in the direction of the Department Magistrate's yamen.

"The reason I had you come this time is that I want you to meet someone. This man's surname is Niu, called Niu Jinbao. He's from our guard background."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin nodded, then immediately recalled something and hastily asked, "Father, this Niu Jinbao doesn't have any connection to Qingjiangpu, does he? No relatives who work the sea routes?"

"Nonsense. Niu Jinbao's ancestors came from Jiangxi, and for generations they've been in our Xuzhou Guard. The family line has few branches — what Qingjiangpu sea-route relatives would he have? Listen to your father finish!" Zhao Zhentang said impatiently, quite annoyed by this baffling interruption.

Zhao Jin gave another awkward laugh. Zhao Zhentang walked slowly, wanting to finish this matter on the way. Zhao Jin was also a bit puzzled — why not discuss this at home?

Niu Jinbao was from the Xuzhou Guard, but he was from neither the thousand-household unit Zhao Zhentang belonged to nor the one Dong Jike belonged to. In fact, they were quite far removed from each other. The Xuzhou Guard had over five thousand men on the official rolls; counting family members, surplus males, and all other connections, it was a large community of tens of thousands or even more. Having lived in the Xuzhou Guard for generations, there were plenty who had never known each other for generations.

Like many young men of the Xuzhou Guard, Niu Jinbao had left Xuzhou very early to seek work and survival elsewhere. But there was one difference — this Niu Jinbao was no surplus male. He was the sole heir of three generations, holding a guard military household registration and also possessing a plot of farmland that had long since been swallowed up.

With this status, many people were reluctant to leave, preferring to remain in the guard as de facto long-term laborers or tenant farmers. But Niu Jinbao was unwilling to accept this. His father had been a carpenter, and the family was somewhat better off than others. As a result, having eaten well from childhood and having a bit of spare cash, Niu Jinbao was not only taller and sturdier than his peers but also had the opportunity to practice martial arts.

Great strength and martial skills — and what was more troublesome, the Niu family's violent temper was famous throughout the Xuzhou Guard. A single disagreeable word and they would come to blows, and they rarely lost. When Niu Jinbao was in his teens, he broke the arm of the managing chiliarch's son. After that, he could no longer stay at home, so he simply went out to seek a living, leaving only his old mother at home. Before leaving, he even laid down the words: his grudges were his own to bear, but if anyone dared mistreat his mother, it would be a matter of life and death.

A broken arm wasn't a death, and besides, everyone knew Niu Jinbao's violent nature. They were also from the same thousand-household unit, and many people were watching. The chiliarch's family let the matter drop — after all, having him run off could also be counted as saving face.

He was gone for over ten years. Every year, he sent a sum of money home. Niu Jinbao's old mother lived quite well on this money, hiring a woman from the same hundred-household unit to look after her — a modestly comfortable household.

Just a month ago, several constables from Xinxiang County in Weihui Prefecture arrived, saying that Niu Jinbao had committed a major crime there and they wanted to see if he had fled back home.

This matter seemed normal on the surface, but anyone who had worked long in the yamen knew it was suspicious. In the yamen, everything depended on silver and backing — without those two, nothing was worth mentioning. Moreover, people like clerks and constables were all locals of their own districts. Handling cases locally was fine, but once outside, they were completely in the dark and could accomplish nothing.

If a crime was committed locally, they might take action to make an arrest. But if the culprit fled to another region, they were usually powerless — they'd just issue a wanted notice and make a perfunctory sketch to close the matter.

Weihui Prefecture was north of the Yellow River, yet they had crossed the river and traveled such a great distance. This meant there had to be a powerful, wealthy clan driving this case from behind — likely with plenty of silver spent. This case was certainly no small matter.

Thanks to the old friend "Goodbye Someone" for the reward, and thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets.