Chapter 789: Who Could Bear to Part With It

789. Chapter 789: Who Could Bear to Part With It

Cheng Daqi naturally couldn't care less about some prince's manor sending people. The only sky he could see was Zhao Jin. He immediately ordered them seized.

Having made inquiries all the way south, Qiao the Centurion now knew exactly what sort of figure Zhao Jin was. Once captured, he didn't dare put on any prince's manor airs in the slightest, just smiled apologetically and begged for mercy, saying he'd done nothing at all, merely been curious and asked around for news.

Cheng Daqi didn't kill them outright. His eyelids would still twitch at hearing the words "prince's manor." But if Zhao Jin gave the word, he wouldn't hesitate to strike either. The news was immediately sent by fast horse to Qingjiangpu. Zhao Jin's reply let Cheng Daqi breathe a sigh of relief: "Since they were only asking around, give each of them twenty strokes of the board, and once it's done, tell them to get lost."

Since the other side hadn't openly provoked them, hadn't even stated their intent, killing them would be pointless. Kill this wave, and more would still come.

While this message was on its way to Pizhou, an urgent report from Xuzhou also reached Qingjiangpu. This urgent report was bad news. The bodies of Steward Zhou and his men from Lu Prince Manor had been identified. Word was being urgently sent back to Lu Prince Manor in Weihui.

Under normal circumstances, these bodies would have stayed in Xiayi County for a long time, until they rotted beyond recognition, and then the matter would simply pass. Lu Prince Manor would never know where these subordinates had gone. In this era, going out once, traveling to another province for a dozen days or even months, was all very ordinary. Only after that time had passed would they start to guess, leading to another round of trouble. For half a year or so, there would be no reaction at all.

But this time, it was a coincidence. A constable from Guide Prefecture's seat, Shangqiu, happened to be in Xiayi on official business and went to see the corpses on the side. Steward Zhou and his party had stopped over in Shangqiu, where many in the prefectural city had gone to fawn over them. This constable on business had also seen them once from a distance. The corpses hadn't changed yet, so he recognized them immediately.

Men from Lu Prince Manor, set upon by bandits outside the city and dead by violence outside Xiayi — from the Xiayi county magistrate down to the lowliest runners, everyone panicked. Boundless trouble was sure to follow. If there was any way to cover it up, they absolutely would. But the constable from the prefectural city hadn't come alone, and the corpses hadn't been seen by just one person. Even if they wanted to hide it, they feared someone would expose them.

From top to bottom, they had no choice. Holding their noses, they reported the case upward, and also sent word to Xuzhou. From the news out of Shangqiu, Steward Zhou of Lu Prince Manor and his party had been heading for Xuzhou, then died in Xiayi County, which bordered Xuzhou. Everyone guessed Xuzhou couldn't be uninvolved, yet no one dared say so openly. Toward this guess, everyone likewise held their noses — after all, the men had died within the borders of Guide Prefecture, Henan.

"... If our eldest brother hadn't long since brought Henan's Guide Prefecture to heel, the people of Xiayi County would probably have dumped the corpses onto Xuzhou soil. According to word from there, in half a month at the latest, Lu Prince Manor in Weihui should receive the news..."

"... This Zhao Jin runs a salt market and a general market in Xuzhou. People from eight prefectures across three provinces all come here to trade and do business. He also has a distillery. The Hanjing Famous Liquor that's been all the rage these past few years is this Zhao Jin's enterprise. I hear the business even reaches the Tartars beyond the passes. On top of that, two-thirds of the farmland in Xuzhou is in his hands. These past few years he's been driving the common folk to build waterworks, digging canals and ditches. Originally barren dry land has turned into fine irrigated fields. Back in the day, Zhao Jin used ruthless means to seize these lands — that Yunshan Temple and an entire estate were wiped out. The gold, silver, and treasures in those two families' hands were an astonishing sum. Beyond Xuzhou, this Zhao Jin also has manors in Suzhou, Fengyang Prefecture, properties and estates in Pizhou, in Guide Prefecture, Henan, and all along the junction of the three provinces..."

In the Lu Prince Manor in Ziyang City, Yanzhou Prefecture, Shandong, Chief Clerk Si sat in a side room of his small courtyard, listening to his subordinates' report. He himself reclined against the daybed, eyes closed as if about to fall asleep. The several men standing below were not Qiao the Centurion and his lot; they looked like ordinary traveling merchants, and their accents weren't from Yanzhou Prefecture.

"... Another key property of Zhao Jin's is on the wild grass flats on the eastern shore of Luoma Lake. The salt works all over Haizhou need dry grass to boil salt. Those wild grass flats there were always forbidden from being reclaimed, reserved for growing grass for salt-boiling. Yet this Zhao Jin seized that area, somehow brought tens of thousands of refugees over, and actually enclosed and occupied a vast stretch of farmland. Now it's another huge property..."

"... Yutou Town on Luoma Lake is a place comparable to Jining. That place is practically Zhao Jin's private property too. Yunshan Trading House and the Sun Family Trading House control the most profitable businesses in the town..."

"... Zhao Jin also has a property in Qingjiangpu, called the Qingjiang Grand Market. The salt market and general market in Xuzhou serve eight prefectures across three provinces, but this Qingjiang Grand Market is where north-south goods converge along the Grand Canal. All the great wealth under heaven rolls through here. Who knows how much the daily intake is..."

"... Beyond that, there's only vague news. The Yangzhou salt merchants and Zhao Jin are said to have fought viciously several times, with quite a few dead. Now he can also call the shots on the Yangzhou salt route..."

Chief Clerk Si's eyes had opened. Deep and shrewd as he was, his face still showed some shock and doubt, an expression of utter disbelief. He couldn't help interrupting: "Did you just say he's only in his early twenties this year?"

"They say he was born in the twenty-eighth year of Wanli."

"Only twenty-one..."

"That business you mentioned earlier, about the Nanjing Brocade Guard Assistant Commander leading a force north and inexplicably scattering at Xuzhou — tell me again. What caused them to scatter?"

"Forgive us, sir. We small men don't know that. The matters just mentioned are either known to everyone in South Zhili, or can be found out just by asking. As for the Brocade Guard leading troops north, there are simply too many stories, and all of them absurd. Some say they saw a dragon at Xuzhou and were frightened into scattering. Some say it was infighting over uneven spoils..." The man answering this question was very meticulous in his thinking.

Talk of seeing a dragon and being frightened into scattering made Chief Clerk Si Wenxuan very impatient. He waved his hand and said, "How many cavalry did they have in total when they reached Xuzhou?"

"There's no exact number for that either. Some say several thousand, others say over ten thousand."

"Ridiculous. How many cavalry can the entire Great Ming even muster? What's the lowest number given?" Si Wenxuan said, raising his voice slightly. His mood was very poor.

The man answering said, somewhat apprehensively, "They say over three thousand..."

Right Chief Clerk of Lu Prince Manor Si Wenxuan let out a long breath, his expression returning to calm. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "Continue with your business. When I asked you about Xuzhou, it was merely asking. In Xuzhou, in South Zhili, you must also conduct yourselves properly. Don't go throwing around the name of Lu Prince Manor. After all, our prince's manor only belongs to Shandong. Reaching a hand into South Zhili is not so easy."

The men below answered obsequiously. Chief Clerk Si picked up his teacup and took a sip, and those reporting tactfully took their leave. Having handled affairs in Lu Prince Manor for so many years, Si Wenxuan was extremely thorough in his methods. He hadn't pinned all his hopes on Qiao the Centurion alone; he had also sent trading houses that worked for the manor to make inquiries. These men were normally just regular merchants and never flaunted their connection to Lu Prince Manor outside. Going to Xuzhou and other parts of South Zhili, they didn't need to worry about being discovered.

"Sir, Qiao the Court Gentleman has returned and requests an audience." An announcement sounded from outside.

Si Wenxuan's face darkened, then he shook his head helplessly and said, "Let him in. Arrange a seat for him."

Twenty strokes of the board for each man — though it wouldn't kill them or break bones, the yamen runners knew exactly how to measure their force. After the beating, one would definitely be moving stiffly for several dozen days. Qiao the Centurion and his party had been hauled back to Ziyang City in a cart.

Crestfallen, Qiao the Centurion walked in, hobbling very awkwardly. Si Wenxuan's expression at this moment was very gentle. He sat up straight, pointed to the prepared seat, and said, "Court Gentleman Qiao still has injuries. Sit down to talk, so you won't be uncomfortable."

This small bit of concern moved Qiao the Centurion almost to tears. He offered another round of thanks, only sitting down when he noticed an impatient look surfacing on Si Wenxuan's face.

"Some say that last year, the Nanjing Brocade Guard Assistant Commander rallied several thousand cavalry to go to Xuzhou, and then they were frightened into scattering and driven off. No one can state the number clearly. Some say over ten thousand, some say three thousand. Just how many men were there?"

"How could it be over ten thousand? Liaodong Garrison, Ji Garrison, Xuanfu Garrison, plus the Capital Training Divisions, and counting our Shandong, perhaps it could exceed ten thousand. South Zhili has few horses to begin with; how could there possibly be such a number?" A military officer by origin, he was very clear on this point.

Qiao the Centurion pondered for a moment, then added, "A mounted column on the march has tremendous momentum, and its formation spreads out wide. Common folk and laymen who see it often misjudge the numbers. But the mounted troops of the several major garrisons in South Zhili combined wouldn't be too many. To be frank with you, Chief Clerk, as I traveled south to Pizhou, I heard people talking about it in bits and pieces. They say the Wolf Mountain Vice Commander, the Xuzhou Regional Commander, and several big shots in Nanjing all put up their family fortunes and capital. I'd estimate between fifteen hundred and twenty-five hundred. It can only be less, not more."

Right Chief Clerk Si Wenxuan visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to nod, he asked thoughtfully instead, "I don't understand military strategy, nor do I know martial affairs. Just what kind of strength is fifteen hundred to twenty-five hundred cavalry?"

Qiao the Centurion coughed twice and said, somewhat slowly, "If they don't assault walled cities, and if fodder and provisions are no worry, they can rampage freely north of the Yangtze. The court would have to mobilize frontier army mounted troops to exterminate them. And even then, I fear it would cost them dearly."

Qiao the Centurion himself seemed a bit lost in thought as he said this. After finishing, he hastily apologized to Chief Clerk Si, smiling bitterly. "These years are all peaceful times. I'm just guessing wildly. After all, things on the battlefield are uncertain. Without a real, live-steel fight, talk is useless."

"No matter what, to be able to frighten off a force like that... Zhao Jin can field several thousand militia. If he stirred up the countryside, over ten thousand would be possible too..." Chief Clerk Si took a deep breath. It was unclear whether these words were meant for Qiao the Centurion or muttered to himself.

Seeing Si Wenxuan lost in thought, Qiao the Centurion didn't dare disturb him. When Si Wenxuan waved his hand, he bowed and withdrew.

Right Chief Clerk of Lu Prince Manor Si Wenxuan pondered for a long time in the side room. When he came out, he didn't return to his own office to handle affairs. Instead, he arranged for someone to see the manor's Inner Steward, Eunuch Xiong Zao, to arrange tea together that evening.

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