Chapter 662: Isn't This a Bit Rushed?

Zhao Jin simply laid it out there: "How long until the autumn harvest? Less than three months. The moment to levy the Liao conscription tax is almost upon us. Once that begins, who knows how many families will be ruined and bankrupted. When that happens, our Xuzhou will be a paradise by comparison. Who knows how many refugees and commoners will flood in from all over? If the Smelling Incense Sect infiltrates among them, will we be able to control it then? A hundred thousand refugees attacking the city isn't what's frightening — it's this kind of quiet infiltration. When the time comes and flames of war erupt everywhere, that will be the real catastrophe!"

When he spoke of catastrophe, Zhao Jin's tone grew heavier, and everyone in the room shuddered along with it.

"Therefore, we must first consolidate the people's strength and implement the baojia mutual responsibility system. We must manage Xuzhou as tightly as possible. Only when our own defenses are solid will we not fear others exploiting our gaps."

Ruhui nodded slowly, his expression softening as he replied, "Master has considered this thoroughly. Anything that touches upon the stability of Xuzhou's foundation — all matters must take this as the priority."

Zhao Jin picked up the already-cold tea bowl beside him and took a sip. Dong Bingfeng hurried over to refill it. After this exchange, the atmosphere in the room relaxed considerably. Zhao Jin leaned back against his chair, a smile appearing on his face, and said in a lighter tone, "The Smelling Incense Sect's infiltration is the near concern. The reason for doing this also involves a more distant consideration — and that is what matters most."

Matters touching the foundation of the Zhao Camp weren't even the most critical? What could this more distant consideration be? Everyone leaned forward slightly, utterly focused.

"Our Zhao Camp will grow larger in the future, but beyond men who follow rules and dare to fight and kill, we also need all kinds of people who can do practical work. As you all know, over this past year and more, educated men have kept coming to join us. But what can these people do? They've read the Four Books and Five Classics but know nothing of practical affairs or statecraft. All they can do is serve as clerks. Yet if you make them clerks or accountants, they still feel their talents are wasted."

Everyone laughed. With the way Zhao Camp operated, many sensed opportunity, and many had concocted all sorts of wild fantasies on Zhao Camp's behalf, believing the future prospects were vast and worth a gamble. Such people were mostly scholars — many were county-level licentiates, and some were even prefectural licentiates. But the reason these people harbored such delusions and made such choices was that they'd read too many popular tales and romances, believing in some grand gathering of heroes. Reality, however, is not a stage play. When such people came to Zhao Camp, they were unwilling to settle for clerical work and unwilling to do anything else. Naturally, Zhao Camp had no desire to support these arrogant incompetents. It had all become a joke.

"People who do practical work, who are grounded, with rich experience — do they not exist outside our Zhao Camp and its related enterprises? They do. There are many, many of them in the yamen. We must use them to get things done, and we must make them work for us forever. Ever since Zhao Camp emerged and took over Xuzhou's grain taxes, from the clerks of the Six Offices down to the unofficial runners and bailiffs — what can they do now? Apart from drawing a fixed sum from those grain taxes, all other benefits are gone. Many of the unofficial runners and auxiliary helpers can't even get that fixed sum and have to seek a living elsewhere."

The yamen keeps people solely for administration and public order, and administration is often tied to tax collection. But now everything in Xuzhou is managed by Zhao Camp. By monopolizing the grain taxes, there is no longer any room for skimming and profit-sharing at any level. By tightly controlling all corners of the underworld and marketplace, hardly anyone dares to commit crimes blindly — it amounts to a private court. With these two channels cut off, the yamen naturally has no need for so many people. Those unofficial runners and the like, who could only survive on perks and customary fees, have all had to change trades to make a living.

"These clerks and runners in the yamen, with so many of their former benefits gone and no idea where their future lies, are in a state of panic and uncertainty. I am now giving them a way out. Those willing to put their hearts into this work will not only receive good rewards but will also have a place in our Zhao Camp in the future. Those unwilling — well, there will be no need to bother with them from now on. Let them go. Seizing hold of these people will not only make implementing this baojia system much smoother, but our control over Xuzhou will also become far more convenient in the future. With so many capable workers at hand, things will be easier in other places later as well."

After listening to Zhao Jin's eloquent exposition, the room fell silent for a moment. It was Ruhui who broke the stillness. He let out a breath and said, "Master is truly far-sighted and deeply strategic. These matters will indeed be of great benefit to our Zhao Camp's future."

At this point, Ruhui paused thoughtfully. Although there were no outsiders in the room, he deliberately lowered his voice and asked, "Master, isn't this a bit rushed?"

Wang Zhaojing had asked this question before, and now Ruhui asked it too. Compared to their doubts, Chen Sheng, Shi Manqiang, Ji Xiang, Dong Bingfeng, Liu Yong, and Lei Cai would never even think of it.

"A great defeat in Liaodong, and now they're about to levy the Liao conscription tax. I doubt anyone will much care what we're doing anymore." Zhao Jin again answered beside the point.

After saying this, Zhao Jin looked at Ruhui with a smile and said, "The matters of consolidating the people's strength and strictly implementing the baojia system here in Xuzhou — I entrust them to you, Mister Cao. When I'm not here, if you need help, go to Dasheng."

Ruhui was briefly taken aback, then nodded with a wry smile and quipped, "This time it's going to be hard work."

Everyone laughed, though the smile on Wang Zhaojing's face was slightly strained. After Ruhui finished speaking, he immediately continued, "Since Master has given these orders, the very first task will be inviting the clerks from all the various yamen to come and gather."

"You handle it. Draft the strategy and go about it freely." Zhao Jin agreed readily. After saying this, Zhao Jin paused for a moment, then added, "I'll speak to the Xu family about this myself. You needn't concern yourselves with them."

Everyone laughed again. In such matters, giving convenience to one's own family was only natural — let alone when it concerned Master Jin's wife's family. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jin added, "The census of the Xu family's people must be detailed and meticulous. In all of Xuzhou, they have the most able-bodied young men, and training them will be faster than training the young men from the estates!"

The ironworks and coal mines were places that consumed vast numbers of able-bodied laborers. Moreover, such collective manual labor required a certain degree of coordination and team awareness. With that awareness, they had an advantage over farmer's sons in the kind of household troop training that resembled military drill. They could master the drills and commands more quickly — they were the finest source of soldiers.

Once the discussion ended and everyone dispersed, Zhao Jin went over to Chen Sheng's First Regiment for a walk-through, and along the way inspected Ji Xiang's personal guard unit, before finally returning home to rest.

After an initial bout of stranger anxiety, Zhao Feng had quickly warmed up. She liked being held by Zhao Jin and enjoyed rubbing her little hands over Zhao Jin's face. Occasionally, when pricked by his stubble, instead of feeling pain, she found it amusing and would giggle brightly, which greatly lifted Zhao Jin's mood.

Regarding the daytime discussion about checking and counting the population, and the need to meticulously count the Xu family's people, Zhao Jin kept nothing from Xu Zhenzhen and told her directly. She had no objections to this; on the contrary, she was very much in favor. She said calmly, "I am on this side of the river and cannot go over in person. No matter how closely I watch, it's inevitable that the people below will pull tricks. This is the perfect opportunity to comb through everything from top to bottom."

Xu Zhenzhen, however, had quite a few matters to discuss: "Housheng's studies are only mediocre. I sent someone to ask his teacher, who said that given the current situation, passing the provincial exam will depend on luck. The teacher was being tactful, but I understand — it means he won't pass. I've been thinking, Housheng is no longer young. Why not have him come to our side to find something to do and learn some practical skills along the way?"

"The Xu family's coal and iron enterprises are such a vast operation — wouldn't learning there be the same? Here it's all fighting and killing. Getting too closely tied to me isn't necessarily a good thing." Zhao Jin did not agree to this.

When the two had married, it was agreed that if Xu Housheng could advance smoothly on the imperial examination path, the Xu family assets would belong to Zhao Jin; if not, Zhao Jin would manage them temporarily and return them later. At the time, both sides had negotiated this very carefully. But now, neither of them took this matter to heart anymore. Xu Zhenzhen did not even mention returning the family assets, thinking only that Xu Housheng might be better off following Zhao Jin. And Zhao Jin, for his part, had little interest in those assets, because he already had complete control over them. The production and mining of ironware and coal were all under his management. As for the profits after sale, under the current vast scale of Zhao Camp, they truly didn't amount to much — who they belonged to mattered little.

Xu Zhenzhen did not press the matter, but simply continued, "In the distillery now, there are brewmasters and workers who have completed their three-year contracts and can go out on their own. But they don't dare to open their own businesses. They've begged their way up through the ranks to reach me, saying they're willing to form a joint venture with our Zhao Camp. They would only handle production, not sales..."

"Let them do as they please. These people have been scared witless by Zhao Camp — they're afraid we'll move against them," Zhao Jin said casually. He truly didn't care much about the distillery. Besides, he had already agreed to this earlier, so the promise should be honored. Like the Xu family assets, the distillery was the same — something once highly valued, but with the passage of time and changing circumstances, it was no longer so important.

Over on the other side, Zhao Feng in Zhao Jin's arms was growing displeased. She felt her father was too busy talking to her mother and was ignoring her. She raised her little hand and strained to grab Zhao Jin's face, tugging it forcefully toward herself, which made Xu Zhenzhen beside them unable to suppress a laugh.

The next day, Zhao Jin went to the Third Regiment's encampment for an inspection. As he left, Zhao Camp's messengers were already setting out in all directions with invitation letters. The clerks of the Six Offices, the constables of the arrest bureaus, and the head clerks and chief runners who led duties in the yamen of Xuzhou's one prefecture and four counties — all would receive invitations issued by Zhao Camp, requesting them to come to He Village eight days later for a banquet and discussion. A little later, another batch of messengers set out, this time more numerous than the last, heading to the various estates under Zhao Camp's control, summoning the stewards and village heads from each estate to He Village to receive orders. In addition, Xu Zhenzhen also dispatched her own people to the Xu family.

Niu Jinbao had not stayed home long. By noon that day, he had hurried to the military camp to rejoin Zhao Jin. An observant person could tell from Niu Jinbao's brow and eyes that he was different from before — he had become much more at ease.

What Zhao Jin had not expected, however, was that in the afternoon, Liu Yong came rushing over from Qingjiangpu. Ordinarily, for the sake of direct control over the internal security agents, informants, and underworld figures, Zhao Jin and Liu Yong avoided being in the same place as much as possible. The two foundation sites of Zhao Camp, Xuzhou and Qingjiangpu, both required someone with authority to hold the fort. Since Zhao Jin had returned, Liu Yong should have stayed there.

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