Chapter 804: Why He Was Arrested

"I'll persuade my father to go. Erhong manages the treasury accounts and has to stay to handle affairs — he's not young anymore either," Chen Sheng said simply.

Zhao Jin nodded, pondered a moment, then added: "It would be best to send all of your families over there. That place is the safest location."

Niu Jinbao and Sun Dalin both showed relieved expressions — their only real concern was their families. Ji Xiang, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement and didn't seem to care at all about the family arrangements Zhao Jin had mentioned.

"The Internal Guard and Cloud Mountain Trading must issue orders today. Deploy all personnel and all informants. Have our people in Linqing Prefecture and Nanjing keep a tight watch. Every direction around Xuzhou must have eyes on it. Mobilize everyone we can control in the jianghu and the marketplace. Not just outside — every location under our control must be watched closely. Guard against anyone with ill intent stirring up trouble or making reckless moves." Nie Hei acknowledged the order. Ruhui's brush never stopped moving.

"Send Lu Da's First Large Unit to Jing Mountain to guard the Xu family's coal mines and ironworks. Have the Cai family on the Yellow River make preparations — the Xu family's blacksmiths, coal, and iron will need to cross the river, and our people will need to cross too. Tell them to stop using their boats for business for now, and to prepare a few extra."

"Transfer the four hundred militia from Xuzhou city to He Family Village. The rest of the Xuzhou militia will remain in place everywhere else. Draw eight hundred militia from Kong Family Village and Suzhou and send them to Qingjiangpu, under Stone's command. Qingjiangpu's Second Regiment stays put. The Qingjiangpu militia stays put. But starting today, no matter what duties they're assigned, they are to be quartered together. Street patrols and public order will be handed over to the jianghu men from the martial schools."

Zhao Jin dictated on every front, and Ruhui recorded it all at flying speed. Then Zhao Jin affixed his personal cipher and bronze seal. Wang Zhaojing's hands trembled faintly; he simply stood to the side, silently folding the letter paper and sealing the correspondence. Meng Zhiqi went in and out again and again, dispatching these orders nonstop by fast horse.

"Ox and horse carts are to be inventoried. Aside from transporting military grain and supplies, none are to be sent out. Armor and weapons are to be inventoried — stores should be sufficient; where they fall short, make up the deficit as quickly as possible. The Xu family's business operations will also halt and work exclusively for us. Firearms production is to begin as well — do not stint on silver. Then, at every branch of Cloud Mountain Trading, leave behind hidden posts and informants. Everyone else who can be withdrawn is to be pulled back."

This was the work Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui had to handle. The two recorded as they nodded along. Some matters were being assigned here, but everyone knew Zhao Jin would still need to discuss them with Xu Zhenzhen when he returned.

Having said all this, Zhao Jin turned to Chen Sheng and Ji Xiang and spoke with solemn gravity: "From this day forward, prepare for war. This time, I fear we'll have to fight a major battle."

Ji Xiang was agitated — even his breathing had grown somewhat ragged. Forcing himself to stay composed, he spoke: "Big Brother, the Personal Guard plus Second Brother's Second Regiment only comes to two thousand men. Should we recall the Second Large Unit from Suzhou? Should we supplement the household troops with militia?"

"Li He's Second Large Unit has to guard against the Fengyang direction. We need to think clearly — Xuzhou sits at the very center of the Great Ming realm. Enemies can come at us from every direction!"

Ji Xiang did not stop this time, but pressed on urgently: "Big Brother, we're going to fight the entire Great Ming. How many soldiers does the Great Ming have under heaven? No less than a million! Are we really going to face this million-strong army with just three regiments, three large units, and a few thousand militia? Big Brother, our position isn't easy — we absolutely cannot afford to be careless!"

Hearing Ji Xiang's words, Zhao Jin couldn't help but laugh. Shaking his head, he said: "You just want to fight a huge, all-out war and completely overturn this realm, don't you?"

Ji Xiang choked for a moment, but Zhao Jin continued: "A million-strong army? That number is just talk. We estimated long ago — for Shandong, Henan, Northern Zhili, and Southern Zhili around Xuzhou, how long would it take to concentrate ten thousand troops? And how long for those troops to be fully provisioned and ready to march? By the time they've concentrated those forces, we'll have long since mobilized every single person we can. What are you afraid of?"

Zhao Jin's next words were directed at Wang Zhaojing: "The situation still isn't clear. If we make a big show of preparing for war, we might end up giving others a pretext. Something that doesn't exist could become real. So we'll make our own preparations and gather intelligence."

"Big Brother is right. For now, government troops haven't moved anywhere, so it wouldn't be good for us to act too conspicuously." Wang Zhaojing's tone was deeply somber, but he still agreed with Zhao Jin's assessment.

Zhao Jin shook his head, exhaled, and said in a low, heavy voice: "The messenger your family sent back wouldn't tell lies. But I still feel this whole affair is strange and suspicious. If they wanted to seize us on charges of rebellion, they should have acted long ago. Why choose this moment to lay blame? There was just a major defeat in Liaodong — the court is in no position to use military force!"

Everyone in the room fell silent. Given everything the Zhao Character Camp had done in Xuzhou, having the charge of rebellion pinned on them was hardly surprising — otherwise Ma Chonghao wouldn't have gathered over two thousand cavalry to march north and threaten them. But the Zhao Character Camp had never declared it was rebelling, and no one had ever openly punctured that layer of pretense. They had all simply muddled along in ambiguity until now.

At present, everything in the Zhao Character Camp was perfectly stable. There were no grand provocations against the court or the king's law — it was all just business and accumulation of wealth. Compared to the local hegemons and gentry in other regions, the Zhao Character Camp could even be considered law-abiding, good citizens. So why arrest Wang Youshan at this particular moment? Arresting him when Ma Chonghao had led his troops north would have seemed far more logical.

Moreover, for a crime of rebellion and treason — especially one involving a magnate like Zhao Jin with over ten thousand followers — the court certainly couldn't rely on local constables and bailiffs. They would have to mobilize troops for a coordinated suppression. But now, with Shenyang and Liaoyang in Liaodong having fallen, the court was at its most weakened. How could it recklessly move its forces? Nothing about this made sense, from top to bottom.

"The only thing that's been slightly off lately are those two princely estates in Shandong and Henan. Perhaps this rebellion charge is connected to them." Having eliminated the impossible causes, only these two remained as the most likely.

"Zhaojing, you mustn't worry. We will definitely rescue your father." Zhao Jin made this promise, and everyone else nodded with grave sincerity.

Wang Zhaojing drew a deep breath. His expression hardened into resolve. He seemed about to speak, but after a moment's hesitation, the words did not come.

"Ma Chonghao has arrived!" Someone announced from a distance. Zhao Jin nodded to Nie Hei, who strode over quickly and opened the door. Ma Chonghao hurried in.

He was, after all, a man who had navigated the official world. The moment he entered, he first paid respectful greetings to each person. Zhao Jin came straight to the point: "Since the arrest was made by the brigands in the capital, I had Ma Chonghao question the messenger as well. He's worked in that line before — let him explain."

"Master, honored sirs, this matter is full of suspicious points. There is definitely something strange about it." Ma Chonghao wasted no words either, and immediately offered his own assessment.

"Normally, in a major rebellion case, when the Depot Guard comes to arrest someone and confiscate their property, they don't handle it so carelessly. They would surround the residence. They would set up checkpoints and plant informants at every surrounding intersection. And they would choose to strike at dawn or dusk, because those are the times when the entire household is usually home and no one can escape. Furthermore, to avoid alerting the snake and letting news leak, they would never allow onlookers. If any idlers tried to watch, nine times out of ten they'd be driven off with fists and kicks."

Ma Chonghao truly knew his trade. As he analyzed the messenger's account of what he had seen and heard, he laid it all out in measured detail. Everyone in the room listened with rapt attention. Wang Zhaojing even leaned forward.

"And if it really were a major rebellion case, nine times out of ten it wouldn't be the Depot Guard who moved first. Usually, trouble has already erupted locally, or some faction in the inner court or outer court has made a ruthless power play — only then would they use the Depot Guard to arrest people and seize property. Our Xuzhou is so tightly secured, it's fundamentally impossible for any Depot Guard spies to have infiltrated. So how would they know about these rebellion charges and evidence?"

At this point, Ma Chonghao gave a self-deprecating smile: "To be honest with you, sirs, given how discreetly Xuzhou operates, no Depot Guard agent could possibly have infiltrated. Every Depot Guard agent under heaven is busy getting rich — who still has the inclination to do real work? The only reason your subordinate set his sights on this place last year was precisely because Xuzhou was prospering so spectacularly. All that gold and silver stirred my greed."

Zhao Jin and his several companions and trusted aides exchanged glances, all nodding slowly. The tension in their expressions eased slightly. Ma Chonghao continued: "Old Master Wang's faction has already scattered. They've either retired from office or been sent to remote posts. The powerful figure in the palace whom Old Master Wang relied on is also gone. In the capital, he's utterly alone — no hindrance to anyone else. Factional strife can't touch him. And Old Master Wang receives tribute from our Xuzhou, so he wouldn't engage in any graft or corruption. There's nothing for anyone to pick at. Besides, in the capital, who would even notice Xuzhou..."

"Then why was my father arrested?" Wang Zhaojing could not hold back the question.

Ma Chonghao bowed and continued: "If your subordinate may venture a guess — from what Third Master's messenger described, it sounds like the Depot Guard made a move for money. Old Master Wang should have had considerable wealth at hand. But your subordinate still can't fully make sense of it. Finding a thread of evidence and then implicating and framing a wealthy household to extort money — that's common enough. But who would dare touch a censor of the Court of Judicial Review? That place is a hornet's nest!"

He studied everyone's expressions again, then went on: "The Depot Guard wouldn't investigate a censor of the Court of Judicial Review without good reason. If they provoked an attack from the purist officials, they'd have to answer for it afterward with their positions and their heads. And besides, who would even know that Old Master Wang has money? Who would know that Old Master Wang's ties to our Xuzhou run so deep?"

"Our Xuzhou has already drawn the Nanjing Brocade Guard here. Could it be that the capital side hasn't noticed?" Ji Xiang asked.

Ma Chonghao let out a dry laugh and bowed. "Fifth Master, you mustn't imagine the Depot Guard is like our Xuzhou Internal Guard. There aren't many there who actually do real work. Even if they wanted to act, they'd do it in the two capitals, in Jiangnan, and other wealthy, prosperous places. No one pays any attention to Xuzhou. When your subordinate first considered targeting Xuzhou, I even sent someone to the capital to inquire. No one there knew anything about this place — at most, they might have heard of Han Well Famous Liquor!"

Zhao Jin raised a hand, and everyone else who had been about to ask questions stopped. Zhao Jin looked at Ma Chonghao and asked: "If it was for extortion, then can money secure his release?"

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