Chapter 645: The Distinction Between Inner and Outer

Do not underestimate the power of setting prices. Behind every price lies a massive volume of goods; a fluctuation of one or two wen up or down represents a swing of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more taels of silver. Even the Ministry of Revenue of the Great Ming cannot manage this.

It is just that no one at present thinks this will amount to anything, only seeing it as a measure born of necessity, a mere convenience.

On Zhao Jin's third day in Qingjiangpu, news of the great defeat in Liaodong reached the city. The wealthy merchants here likewise needed to know the court's movements and the great affairs of the realm at the first possible moment.

Completely unlike Wang Zhaojing's loss of composure, everyone else behaved with utter nonchalance. What did a defeat a thousand li away have to do with this place? Our Great Ming is blessed by Heaven. What of the Oirat Grand Preceptor Esen, what of the Little Prince, what of the Tumed Altan Khan? Did they not all rise one after another, only to fall one after another? A mere Jianzhou Jurchen has gained a temporary advantage, that is all; in the future, they will meet the same end as those other barbarians.

Some even spotted a business opportunity. Since over ninety thousand troops had been lost in a single stroke, the supplies needed to raise a new army would surely be astronomical. To take a bite, or even just a share of the broth, would be a mountain of gold and a sea of silver. As for others worrying about being strung along in payment by the court and officials, they had no such concerns. For them, this was precisely a prime opportunity to grow rich alongside the court grandees.

Li Ziyou's Tongbei Trading House was suddenly thronged with guests. Since the war in Liaodong was urgent, supplies in Liaodong and beyond the passes would surely become scarce; his firm's inventory and channels would naturally become red-hot. And in the foreseeable future, they would only grow more and more prosperous. Everyone hurried to connect and communicate, so that in the future they could exchange what one has for what the other lacks and share in this prosperity.

None of these matters were any secret, nor did anyone feel there was anything to keep secret. The eyes and ears of the Zhao Character Camp in Qingjiangpu easily obtained the news, and it was then gathered and delivered to Zhao Jin.

Wang Zhaojing, who had already calmed down considerably, was speechless for a long while upon seeing this situation. In the end, he smiled wryly at Zhao Jin and said, "Elder Brother, was I overthinking things, and thinking the worst?"

"They are not wrong. Matters of state and war a thousand li away have nothing to do with them. Seizing this chance to earn money and grow rich is what is real. We should also learn from them—proceed step by step, grow strong and great, and then adapt as circumstances change," Zhao Jin said with a teasing laugh.

After saying this, Zhao Jin's tone became somewhat detached: "The patch of sky above an ant's head is no larger than a palm; that is all they can see. But an eagle flies in the heavens, looking down upon the earth, seeing boundless expanse. What they see is different, and what they feel is naturally different as well."

Hearing Zhao Jin speak thus, Wang Zhaojing fell into a silent brooding.

Coming to Qingjiangpu was not solely for the economy and intelligence. The Second Regiment stationed beside the Cloud Mountain Carting Firm was the true focal point. With a third of the Zhao Character Camp's strength placed here, it was impossible not to take it seriously.

Assigning Shi Manqiang here was the best choice. Shi Manqiang carried out tasks without compromise, and was honest, steady, and not prone to restlessness or impatience from being in a place of bustling prosperity.

After Zhao Jin arrived, he not only met with Shi Manqiang but also with the company commanders and squad leaders below. His understanding was thorough: he knew that training had not slackened for a single day, not differing in the slightest from Xuzhou, and that discipline was enforced even more strictly than in Xuzhou—any infraction was immediately met with severe punishment.

Besides these matters, Shi Manqiang also told Zhao Jin of another affair. Back when Chen Sheng had led the refugees to wipe out the Niu family, those several hundred able-bodied young refugees had been divided into several groups, some placed in Suzhou, some in Xuzhou. The best-performing among them were assigned here in Qingjiangpu, numbering about fifty-six men. These young refugees were already considered pre-selected candidates for the household troops.

These fifty-odd men were temporarily assigned to the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall, the very place where the Internal Guard and the Zhao Character Camp's affiliated men of the jianghu were stationed.

Unlike the Zhao Character Camp's household troops, who were bound by discipline, the affiliated Xuzhou martial artists were not so capable of keeping their composure. In a place as supremely prosperous as Qingjiangpu, it was very difficult to restrain their impulses.

Looking out at the world of wine, women, wealth, and ambition, at mountains of gold and seas of silver, no one could keep their mind at ease. Moreover, there were certain locals in Qingjiangpu with malicious intent who sought to win them over. It could not even be called malicious intent, really; keeping a few jianghu fighters capable of violence on the payroll was a common practice among the wealthy and powerful merchants.

They had to endure their impatience and stay indoors, yet outside there were temptations and places to go. The more steady-natured ones managed well enough, but the restless and impatient, those eager for quick success and instant profit, could not bear it. They thought of simply slapping their backsides and leaving, but the Zhao Character Camp had its rules. Back and forth it went, and the seeds of trouble began to sprout.

The trouble, such as it was, was no great upheaval—merely a matter of leaving the martial arts hall to seek their fortune outside. But the Zhao Character Camp's men forbade it, and at last, their patience snapped, leading to a violent clash.

The root of the matter was in Xuzhou; they knew well how formidable the Zhao Character Camp was. They dared not draw blood or take lives. So the timing for their violent breakaway was well chosen: they made their move when the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall held only those fifty young refugees. They figured a bunch of wretches who had nearly starved to death would scatter at the mere flash of a blade, allowing them to leave without harming the peace.

Unexpectedly, these young refugees were not frightened off at all. They directly formed ranks and began the fight. Several dozen long spears thrust forward and pushed back, and the battle was over very quickly. Over a dozen corpses lay on the ground, and the rest were thoroughly cowed.

Zhao Jin had long known of this incident, and Shi Manqiang did not consider it a major affair. The reason he brought it up now was to have these several dozen able-bodied youths specially absorbed into the Second Regiment. However, a regiment had ten companies, each with a fixed number of men, and this structure had been personally set by Zhao Jin. Any addition or reduction was a major matter and required Zhao Jin's personal decision.

"You will be given a special supplement of several dozen men, enough to make up the numbers for one company. But this company must be permanently stationed at the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall, rotating with the companies in your regiment. There can only be ten companies here, and only that one company there. Do you understand my meaning?" Zhao Jin spoke very directly.

A regiment has ten companies. If someone commanded eleven, that would lead to disorder. Right now, Zhang Hubin had six companies under his command, operating as an independent unit and not subordinate to any other division.

"I understand Elder Brother's meaning. Those jianghu men were not trained by us, and I fear they cannot be relied upon at critical moments. The Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall is also deep in the heart of Qingjiangpu, and I always worry that if trouble breaks out, we won't arrive in time. Stationing a company there means we can suppress any chaos, no matter what, and we won't have to worry so much," Shi Manqiang said very earnestly.

"When all is said and done, men of the jianghu are simply not as useful as the household troops," Wang Zhaojing remarked with a sigh.

The household troops of the Zhao Character Camp formed a world of their own, considering themselves the most direct-line strength of the camp. They had followed Zhao Jin through life and death to carve out this situation. The other martial artists of Xuzhou and the jianghu men from various places had only come to join after seeing that life was good, while the Xuzhou trained militia were merely beggars taken in.

Not only did the household troops think this way, but Zhao Jin's companions also shared this view. When evaluating the strength of a company, they placed great emphasis on how many "old household troops" it contained. This "old household troops" did not refer to the few hundred who had followed Zhao Jin to suppress the roving bandits back then, but to the original two regiments and one unit formed at the very first reorganization.

"Broaden your perspective a little. If you keep harping on about 'old household troops,' no new men will ever come to join us," Zhao Jin said simply.

Given the Zhao Character Camp's current scale, it was already somewhat shocking to the world. However, Xuzhou was isolated, and outsiders were unaware of its internal developments, while Qingjiangpu was too large—a thousand or so men dropped here drew little notice. Even so, those both inside and outside knew that the camp's current size was at its limit, and that it would not expand outward in the short term. Some even believed the Zhao Character Camp would never expand again.

But as Wang Zhaojing's understanding of Zhao Jin and this entire system deepened, he naturally grasped Zhao Jin's meaning. Hearing this, he merely smiled and said, "It seems I was the shallow one."

Shi Manqiang scratched his head, looking as if he half-understood.

After inspecting the household troops stationed here, Zhou Xuezhi came calling again. As the chief manager of all businesses within the Zhao Character Camp system, he was hardly less busy than Zhao Jin. There were simply too many places requiring his attention, and with the detailed affairs of the Qingjiangpu Grand Market also under his purview, he truly never had a moment to rest his feet.

Busy as he was, however, Zhou Xuezhi bustled about with a glowing complexion. Holding great power, with mountains of gold and seas of silver flowing through his hands daily, deferred to and treated with humble courtesy by all quarters of Qingjiangpu, it truly made one feel elated and proud.

Of course, Zhou Xuezhi knew where all this came from, and he also knew how many eyes were watching and how many ears were listening around him and among his subordinates. The slightest misstep could bring disaster upon himself.

This time, he had come to see Zhao Jin to make his routine report on the accounts and detailed affairs, and then to discuss the establishment of a Northern Goods Trading Firm. Currently, both the Cloud Mountain Firm and the Sun family's trading house were selling felt and related goods from beyond the northern passes and frontiers. The Zhao Character Camp's felt all came from Guihua City, the seat of the Tumed Altan Khan's tribe. It was a rare city on the steppe with over a hundred thousand people. The felt there was not hand-woven by herders but manufactured in workshops using Great Ming tools. It was produced in large batches, of good quality, and was a top-grade commodity.

In the past, such felt had been monopolized by the Shanxi merchants and sold throughout the realm. But Wang Ziyang, relying on the power of Han Well Famous Liquor, had also secured a certain supply. This felt was also delivered as payment for the liquor. Relying on the Qingjiangpu Grand Market, these felts sold extremely well. Similarly, all kinds of goods from beyond the northern passes and frontiers sold excellently here. There was already a need to open a dedicated trading firm to manage this business; done right, it would become another major source of revenue for the Zhao Character Camp.

"... It seems we'll have to set up a dedicated distillery to produce liquor for Wang Ziyang's side..." Zhao Jin said with a smile. The prospect of making money and growing rich put everyone in high spirits.

That was not the only matter Zhou Xuezhi came to discuss. After the previous topic was finished, and the accompanying managers and accountants had departed with the account books in their arms, Zhou Xuezhi smiled and said, "Master, of my three children, Zhou Dezhong and Zhou Dexing are no longer young, and their health is good. I would like to request that you arrange a path for them. My daughter, Zhou Axiang, is still young, but she should also learn to do things. At present, the Old Master and Old Madam do not have many people attending them. If you think it suitable, Master, I would send her over to serve as a maidservant. It is more convenient to use one's own people."

Although Zhou Xuezhi was humble and deferential before Zhao Jin, fully assuming the posture of a servant, everyone inside and out knew his status was extraordinary. Over the years, his personal fortune had become immensely rich. His children were in no way inferior to the young masters and misses of ordinary wealthy families, yet he still wanted to send them to Zhao Jin's side, essentially as children of a household servant. It was an act of extreme self-abasement.

Thanks to old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" and "Oda Shiro" for their tips. Old brother Oda Shiro is now an Alliance Master of this book. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you.