Chapter 672: No Reckless Gamble

Of course, the connection between Xuzhou Adjutant Zhou Baolu and Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard Assistant Commander Ma Chonghao could now be confirmed. They even knew that one of Adjutant Zhou's sons was now permanently stationed in Yangzhou — not for pleasure, but to maintain contact with the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Adjutant Zhou's news didn't even require Feng Qi to dig for it. In the Xuzhou region, especially within Xuzhou city itself, it was very difficult to hide anything from Zhao Jin's eyes and ears. There were even men among Adjutant Zhou's personal guards who volunteered information.

"What else can we do? Keep a tight watch. Inside Xuzhou city, can they still slip out of our grasp?" Zhao Jin said in a muffled voice.

Speaking of this, Zhao Jin's mood was indeed poor. After exchanging a reply with Chen Sheng, Zhao Jin rubbed his forehead and said, "This Ma Chonghao is only contacting military officers. What exactly is he trying to do? Is he planning to assemble a grand army to encircle and suppress us?"

These words made everyone in the room tense. Ji Xiang immediately said, "Big Brother, then let's strike first! We'll wipe out this Zhou Baolu first, then fight our way south!"

Chen Sheng frowned. Wang Zhaojing glanced at Zhao Jin, then said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "It hasn't come to that yet. If they want to move against us, they'd need to prepare an army of over ten thousand men. But if they were making such preparations, there's no way we wouldn't know. And under the Great Ming system, if you want to dispatch troops, how can a military officer make the decision? It must be pushed forward by civil officials. But how would civil officials get mixed up with the Depot and Guard? We can't figure out Ma Chonghao's purpose in doing this, but it's definitely not about mobilizing a large army."

Zhao Jin nodded, but then turned toward Ji Xiang. Under his gaze, Ji Xiang immediately lowered his head. Zhao Jin's expression grew stern, but after thinking for a moment, he softened again and sighed, "Daxiang, I know what's in your heart, but I'll say the same old thing: don't be impatient. Our current situation is very large and looks very stable, but we're also at a very dangerous juncture. The slightest misstep could cause upheaval. A casual remark from you can lead to talk like this — that's far too easy to invite disaster. We're barely twenty, we have plenty of time, what's the rush?"

Ji Xiang's face flushed red. Zhao Jin's tone remained very gentle as he continued, "I won't lecture you much, just ask you to do one thing: when you speak with outsiders, weigh the gravity of your words before you open your mouth."

Seeing Ji Xiang nod, Zhao Jin did not press further. At that moment, Chen Sheng frowned and spoke up, "From now on, just keep your mouth shut. Zhao Jin knows what he's doing, he doesn't need you to agitate him. Everyone knows what's on your mind. Those company commanders under you seem pretty rash and impetuous too."

Scolded by Chen Sheng like this, Ji Xiang's whole frame seemed to shrink a few inches, and sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. It was almost September now, the weather turning cool, yet here he was in this state.

Ji Xiang feared Chen Sheng the most — everyone knew that. Zhao Jin could also guess Ji Xiang's little schemes. He knew Ji Xiang was not a reckless man, but sometimes he liked to play mind games under the guise of recklessness. Still, between brothers, and in a sense, Ji Xiang was also thinking of the Zhao Character Camp and himself, so he couldn't really hold it against him. Chen Sheng's scolding, however, was quite fitting — Ji Xiang couldn't be allowed to think others couldn't see through his intentions.

There was a brief silence in the room. Wang Zhaojing was also folding the letter paper there; these things needed to be bound into a ledger. After finishing tidying up, Wang Zhaojing still couldn't help but say to Ji Xiang, "Big Brother and Second Brother treating you like this, keeping you close by their side, is for your own good. We truly don't need to rush."

Ji Xiang lowered his head, his expression very unpleasant, looking utterly dejected. Zhao Jin shook his head and directly changed the subject, turning toward Niu Jinbao who stood to one side. He asked, "Old Niu, can you go to Nanjing and kill this Embroidered Uniform Guard commander?"

Niu Jinbao stood there like a stone statue, as if he had heard nothing of the conversation between Zhao Jin and his brothers. But when asked, he reacted immediately. Niu Jinbao pondered for a moment, then said in a muffled voice, "If I can get close, there'd be a thirty percent chance. This man Ma has martial skills. If the first strike isn't fatal, he'll likely escape. And this man is cautious by nature — it's very hard for others to track his movements. That's another layer of trouble. If I go, I'll need Master Yong to send his best men to join me, and we'll need contacts in Nanjing to act as inside agents."

"If we give you everything you need, would there be an eighty percent chance?" Zhao Jin interrupted and asked.

Niu Jinbao fell into thought again, then shook his head. "I'm not familiar with Nanjing, and I'm afraid the few good men under Master Yong aren't either. Also, from what I sense, that Ma Chonghao definitely has arrangements around him. Acting inside the city is too risky. If it fails and they shut the city gates for a mass search, that would be big trouble. The aftermath would likely drag in a lot of complications."

"Such a slim chance, such huge risk — it's not worth it." Zhao Jin waved his hand, dismissing his own idea.

Over on the other side, Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing exchanged a glance and both nodded, their expressions quite approving. Niu Jinbao followed Zhao Jin day in and day out, speaking little, as if he heard and saw nothing. Yet this analysis just now let everyone know that he had heard all their usual discussions, kept them in his heart without speaking, and moreover understood what it was all about.

"Big Brother, can't we work some angle through his family?" Ji Xiang couldn't help but interject.

Unexpectedly, when he said this, bitter smiles appeared on the faces of Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, and Wang Zhaojing. Ji Xiang grew a bit anxious, thinking, could it be I've said something wrong again?

Zhao Jin, still with a bitter smile, shook his head and said, "There were a few times you weren't there when we read the letters. Ma Chonghao's family hasn't been in Nanjing since June, and they didn't return to the capital either. Right now, no one knows where they are."

Ji Xiang was stunned. Zhao Jin cursed and said, "This Ma Chonghao really leaves no loose ends. He knows well enough that his identity as an Embroidered Uniform Guard isn't enough to scare anyone, so he's cautious to the extreme."

"Could Ma Chonghao be scheming after our wealth? Isn't he said to be extremely greedy? In just a few years in Nanjing, he's already broken several wealthy households and scooped up quite a lot." Wang Zhaojing frowned and speculated.

Zhao Jin slowly shook his head, pondering as he said, "Setting up such a huge operation just to scheme after wealth — that's unlikely..."

"How rich our Zhao Character Camp is — do you not know yourself? The other day Erhong roughly calculated it for me, and only then did I realize. I was wondering if you're the reincarnation of the God of Wealth. In just these few years, you've been able to generate wealth to this extent. With such a huge sum of money, it's hard to guarantee this man Ma wouldn't be tempted." These words, however, were spoken by Chen Sheng.

Zhao Jin still shook his head. "This Ma Chonghao has spent time in the capital. It's said he was highly valued within Consort Zheng's faction, and he's also this shrewd and capable. A man like that wouldn't fixate only on silver, would he?"

"What's the most important thing these days? Silver! Without silver, nothing can get done!" In a wine house by the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, Ma Chonghao laughed loudly as he spoke.

He didn't need to worry about being overheard saying this, because the entire wine house had been booked. On the second floor, which had the finest view, there was only one table — just Ma Chonghao and his five companions.

Ma Chonghao sat in the seat of honor. What was interesting to observe was that the six men seated around the table were all about the same age, all looking sharp and capable. Even their clothing was similar, all dressed in the manner of wealthy and noble households.

All six shared similar traits. For instance, though their attire was rich and noble, their skin was quite rough, clearly weathered by wind and sun. Their eyes were all bright and piercing, and their hands were much larger and coarser than ordinary people's. Each was robust and strong. Men like this were not common in the city of Nanjing, but neither could one say they didn't exist. The household warriors of noble families, the personal guards of the Garrison Eunuch, and that small contingent of standard-bearer troops under the Minister of War — they were all of this sort.

But a true native of Nanjing could spot the differences. Compared to Ma Chonghao, the other five were dressed in relatively plain and simple styles. Even if they wore an accessory, it was an antique piece. Yet both the fabric of their clothes and those accessories were extremely valuable. This kind of settled, deep-rooted air of wealth and nobility was something the men under the Garrison Eunuch and the Nanjing Minister of War could never possess. These few could only be the chief household warriors under the Nanjing nobility.

In front of these men, even Ma Chonghao, who had once followed Consort Zheng's faction in the capital, seemed to carry a slight whiff of the nouveau riche. After all, wealth and nobility of one generation and wealth and nobility spanning centuries were different things.

The Xu family of the Duke of Wei was the lineage of Xu Da, the founding hero. From the founding reign of the Great Ancestor straight through to the present, generation after generation had continued unbroken. The household troops and warriors of the family were all of this same mold. Many, when speaking of their ancestors, were old-timers who had followed the old prince on campaigns east and west. Generation after generation, this was something formidable. As for the other marquis and count households, they were much the same. Although the Great Ming system held civil officials noble and military officers base, these martial noble houses descended from the founding and the Jingnan Campaign stood outside that system. Even the household warriors of the nobility considered themselves a cut above others.

Nevertheless, they got along quite harmoniously with Ma Chonghao. At this moment, everyone's face was ruddy and wreathed in smiles. Ma Chonghao's position as Assistant Commander didn't count for much among them. They called themselves household warriors, but each held a hereditary military rank — a chiliarch was already the lowest.

Hearing this talk about silver, everyone burst into laughter. This Han Well Famous Liquor really had a kick. Ma Chonghao waved his hand and said, "If you want to handle your duties well, if you want your brothers to live well, you've got to have weapons forged from good iron, you've got to get yourself a suit of armor, you've got to have good horses to ride. Which of these doesn't cost silver? But where do you go to find silver? Expect the higher-ups to allocate it to you?"

Another burst of laughter came from below. A man with a full beard said gruffly, "Expect silver from the higher-ups? Then don't bother buying a horse — buying a donkey would be pretty good!"

"That just goes to show your Xu family has clout. After all the deductions and cuts from above, they still give you a bit. Switch to our family, and being able to buy a dog would be great!" someone interjected with a laugh.

Everyone laughed again. Ma Chonghao raised his wine bowl to the group, then took a big gulp and said, "Those sour pedants are all money-grubbers. No matter how much silver comes down, what reaches our hands won't be much. If we want to get things done, we have to find our own methods. I've got over fifty capable men on my side, all raised on my own silver, but when I use them, they're better than anyone else's!"

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