Chapter 874: Like a Fanzhen

It was fortunate they had Duan Anping, a reliable man—making inquiries in the territories he managed was far safer than elsewhere. With extreme caution, they gleaned some intelligence: every territory of the Shandong Smelling Incense Sect had undergone major upheaval. Personnel at every level had been suddenly replaced, and their activities had grown clandestine, no longer as flamboyant as before. The arrested congregation heads and incense masters naturally had to be replaced with new people, but even those who hadn't been arrested were swapped out as well.

After such an abrupt reshuffling, the Shandong Smelling Incense Sect had not become more transparent to the Zhao Character Camp; on the contrary, it was now even more impenetrable, and thus an even greater threat.

From what they could observe and the clues they managed to piece together, Zhao Jin and his companions could still deduce a few things. For instance, the Shandong Smelling Incense Sect had likely used the clash between the government troops and the Zhao Character Camp as cover to purge a batch of its core cadres. Those arrested and killed went without saying; the rest, stripped of their factional allies and backing, had their strength greatly diminished. The current Smelling Incense Sect had probably been reorganized.

By now, the Zhao Character Camp had grasped the general structure of the Smelling Incense Sect. In Northern Zhili, Henan, Shandong, and Southern Zhili, there were masses of believers who burned incense and practiced the faith; in the capital and in Nanjing, quite a few nobles, high officials, and even eunuchs of the inner court were also adherents. But these were not all the same thing.

The vast majority of Smelling Incense followers in the two Zhili provinces were connected to the canal transport system—often canal laborers and transport soldiers. They burned incense and practiced the faith not only to seek the protection of gods and buddhas, but more so to form societies for self-preservation; they had no intention of opposing the authorities. In Henan, over half were tied to canal transport on the Yellow River, while the rest had merged with the Xu Hongru faction from Shandong. This latter group harbored immense ambitions and maintained an irreconcilable, mortal stance against the imperial court and government.

Quite a few of the Smelling Incense followers connected to canal transport now dealt with the Zhao Character Camp system; they were cooperative business partners. This group's attitude toward their fellow sect members in Shandong and Henan fluctuated between closeness and distance. When business was good, they kept their distance; when the Zhao Character Camp posed a hindrance to them, they would collude with those people to come and cause trouble.

Meanwhile, the Smelling Incense Sect within the boundaries of Xuzhou, Pizhou, and Huai'an Prefecture had been steadily shrinking. Those who remained were either gathering information for the Internal Guard, or were believers whose faith was hard to change. As for recruiting new followers into the sect, that was strictly forbidden. However, from Mu Shulan down to the ordinary congregants, no one had much interest in proselytizing anymore.

Once the matter of offering amnesty and enlistment was settled, the five counties of Tancheng, Yi County, Teng County, Yutai, and Shan County had completely thrown open their gates to the Zhao Character Camp. Shops and manors under the Cloud Mountain Trading Company began to open one after another. No local power dared to step forward and obstruct them—nor did they dare to even try.

Even the stewards of the Prince of Lu's estate had transferred their manors to the other side without compensation. All of the Prince of Lu's estate's properties in these several counties were meekly handed over, and all their personnel withdrew. If even the emperor's own relatives bowed their heads like this, who else would dare to stubbornly resist?

There was, however, an unexpected situation in Teng County. Two manors there made humble and earnest pleas, expressing their willingness to obey the Zhao Character Camp's arrangements, but stating that withdrawal was impossible. These two properties had a somewhat different status—they were estates belonging to the Meng family of Zoucheng.

Both being descendants of sages, the Kong family of the Derivation of Sageliness Duke possessed vast estates, while the Meng family was far less endowed. Yet in Zoucheng and its environs, they were still the foremost household. It was just that the Meng family could not compare to the Kong family, nor to the Prince of Lu's estate, so they could only lower their voices. Now that even the Prince of Lu's estate had bowed its head, all the Meng family could do was try to preserve their own property.

However, the Meng family had a fairly good reputation locally. The gentry of Teng County, who lived in trembling fear of Xuzhou's might, actually dared to step forward and plead on their behalf. One had to understand that in various parts of Shandong, wherever the Derivation of Sageliness Duke's Kong family held property, the land was ruthlessly exploited. Not only did the common people suffer unbearably, but even the gentry ground their teeth in hatred. The Meng family was different.

Toward such a harmless power, the Zhao Character Camp would not make things excessively difficult. They handled the matter with considerable understanding and let it pass. But the obligations that had to be borne were not reduced by a single coin just because they were descendants of a sage. This approach earned considerable respect from the elders of Teng County. When it came to real silver and hard cash, even the houses of Confucius and Mencius had no right to pay less than everyone else.

From the tenth month to the end of the year, when the Zhao Character Camp, the Cloud Mountain Trading Company, and various underworld forces from Xuzhou and Pizhou poured into these five counties on a large scale, everyone from the gentry to the underworld in those places was stricken with terror. At this juncture, property and assets were no longer the main concern. The other side had even defeated government troops—what else was there for them to care about? If they took a fancy to your property, your sons and daughters, and you refused, you would surely be swept away entirely; your very life might not be spared. After news of the government troops' defeat spread, some people had already begun to pack up and leave, or at least to withdraw and take shelter elsewhere for the time being.

But what greatly surprised everyone in these several counties was that the Xuzhou people, whom they had always considered savage and fierce—and who this time had even defeated government troops, marking them as utterly vicious desperadoes—conducted themselves with remarkable reasonableness.

There were no incidents of forcible seizure or plunder this time. Everything was done according to the rules, with fair dealing. The manors and properties seized by the Prince of Lu's estate went without saying. If they wanted the farmland or other assets of locals, they would pay in cash at a price slightly higher than the market rate, with absolutely no arrears or deductions, and the handlers would not pull any tricks.

And the branch stores of Cloud Mountain Trading Company brought in a great deal of high-quality, low-priced goods—private salt, cotton cloth, and silk, encompassing everything from top to bottom.

Although land prices in Teng County had always been very low—because it lay in the canal basin, wells could not be dug, nor could river water be diverted for irrigation; coupled with an endless stream of exorbitant taxes and levies, yields were perpetually poor, so land prices naturally could not rise—it was, after all, fair dealing. This signaled an attitude: these Xuzhou people would not act with the unbridled, reckless brutality of the Prince of Lu's estate.

In just about a month's time, the conduct of the Zhao Character Camp and Cloud Mountain Trading Company had prompted those who had fled and taken shelter to return, and some even began voluntarily reporting information.

It was thanks to the information they reported that the Zhao Character Camp learned the Smelling Incense Sect's activities in these areas had intensified once more. The congregants were burning incense and holding gatherings, spreading the faith in secret—all conducted with extreme stealth. Had it not been for those local natives with sharp ears and eyes, the Zhao Character Camp truly would not have been able to learn of it at the first moment.

"We fought a battle with the government troops, and then killed or captured nearly a hundred leaders within the Smelling Incense Sect. How is it that the sect has instead become tighter and more disciplined? It's as if we helped them carry out a purge." As intelligence poured in from all sides, Zhao Jin remarked with helpless exasperation.

"Right now, Lei Zi's side can already tell something is wrong in the wind. The Cloud Mountain branch shop in Linqing has been marked by watchers. According to intelligence from the Li family, those keeping watch are definitely not connected to the authorities—the Depot Guard and Brocade Guard haven't paid them any attention at all. They should be linked to the Smelling Incense Sect. Their activities in Shandong have suddenly intensified," Liu Yong said.

"This is also my negligence. After the third month, the Internal Guard felt at ease in all their dealings across Shandong. I never expected such a change, and for a time we couldn't respond in time." Liu Yong's expression was deeply troubled as he spoke, full of self-reproach.

Zhao Jin waved his hand and said, "It's not your fault. Before, we were all focused on the authorities, so we naturally neglected the Smelling Incense Sect. You only have so many men—how could you keep an eye on everything? And we shouldn't think that we're the only ones capable of bold and rapid advancement while everyone else remains static. We are changing, and others are changing too."

Liu Yong nodded repeatedly, but still said with some apprehension, "Big Brother, there are simply too many people coming to our Xuzhou right now. Even with the other brothers helping out, the bulk of the Internal Guard's manpower still has to keep watch over Xuzhou itself. Otherwise, mistakes could easily happen. I'm afraid we still can't spare much attention for Shandong."

At this, Zhao Jin also sighed and could only say in a muffled voice, "Secure the foundation first. We can't completely ignore Shandong—leave a basic contingent of men to keep watch!"

Wang Zhaojing, who had remained largely silent, now shook his head as well and remarked with a sigh, "The way things are now, our Xuzhou is just like a fanzhen of the Tang Dynasty. Anyone who finds no favor at court comes here to try their luck."

The Zhao Character Camp's repeated victories had led to repeated expansions of the Internal Guard's manpower. Yet with so many people, so varied and mixed, now coming to Xuzhou, and so many places outside requiring personnel, also too varied and mixed, the result was that the Internal Guard's retainers had become insufficient.

Xuzhou's rebels had gathered in a howling mob, marched south and defeated the Jiangbei troops of Southern Zhili, marched north and routed the troops from Baoding and Shandong, after which the court offered pacification, showed sympathy for their grievances, and then the rebels dispersed. Everyone in the realm with reasonably good sources knew this version. But those with even better sources, or those right inside or near the battle zones, naturally knew the truth.

A mere patch of land like Xuzhou possessing such capability—and, reportedly, with wealth flowing in torrents, making it the most booming place for making a fortune in Southern Zhili right now—such a place naturally drew visitors from all quarters.

Since the Xuzhou market fair was established, Qingjiangpu fell under the Zhao Character Camp's control, and the Cloud Mountain Wagon Fleet grew larger by the day, Xuzhou's position as a local hub was complemented by the fact that goods from the canal transport could be steadily and massively fed into Xuzhou via land routes. This had turned Xuzhou into a pivotal hub for commercial goods exported from Southern Zhili, and even Zhejiang and Jiangxi, to Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi.

Such a critical hub was a treasure trove that drew in wealth, attracting merchants from all directions—east, south, west, and north—to come and see if there was an opportunity for them to get rich.

Normally, after the tenth month, merchants across the land would begin thinking about when to return home for the New Year, and the crowds in commercial towns everywhere would thin out. But Xuzhou had become an exception. Merchants rushing in from Henan, Southern Zhili, and Shandong alone were already so numerous as to cause crowding, not to mention those from Shanxi and Zhejiang who were still on the road.

The inns in He Family Village were all completely full. Local residents with spare rooms in their homes had all made a small fortune from it. The stockaded villages and manors in the mutual-defense alliance around He Family Village had also become places to house people and store goods. Right here on the ground of Xuzhou, no one knew how many carts and boats labored without cease day after day, as all manner of local expenditures and goods of every description converged from the Yellow River, from the Grand Canal, and from every overland route.

Tents had even appeared around He Family Village. The merchants, of course, could spot an opportunity; once they saw it, they couldn't bear to leave, wanting to understand it thoroughly and grasp it fully. Latecomers who had no lodgings, and for whom acquaintances could not free up a room, had no choice but to live in tents.

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