Chapter 900: The Prosperous Dragon Society

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. This ten-man group was always meant to be under his direct command in name, but the day-to-day practical and routine matters would still need Liu Yong to worry about. That was something he had carelessly omitted to mention earlier. Liu Yong bringing it up himself showed he had a good sense of proportion.

"If you have candidates you trust, just put them forward. No need to worry so much," Zhao Jin said with a nod, though he still found it odd — what was there to hesitate about in this matter?

"Then I'll put them forward. The first is He Zheng. Brother He may only manage the baggage and provisions, but he has the patience for the work and a meticulous mind. With all the intelligence this ten-man group will gather, having Brother He oversee everything from all sides will ensure nothing slips through."

Seeing that Zhao Jin had no objection, Liu Yong continued, "The second is Zhao Shiyilang. It's not me being coy — Shiyilang is truly a talent for internal security. Look at his arrangements in the prefectural city: comprehensive in every detail yet exceptionally low-key, never letting any information slip by. Given how little experience he's had, to achieve this much after only studying for so long shows innate talent. He's also very suitable."

Zhao Jin exhaled and said with a faint, indifferent smile, "All relatives of my family, I see..."

Before Liu Yong could explain, Zhao Jin waved his hand and said, a bit helplessly, "You haven't done anything wrong. When it comes down to it, these few relatives and clansmen are the most trustworthy. Use them as they should be used. But don't hold back either — manage where you must, discipline where you must."

Liu Yong acknowledged this solemnly, but his expression did not relax. He said, "The third person is Ma Chonghao. Big Brother, it's rare to find someone so seasoned and steady within our Zhao Camp. And in matters of spies and intelligence, he truly has deep experience and much to teach. Having him guide He Zheng and Zhao Shiyilang would be far more suitable than me, and he could teach them many more useful skills."

"But you must take charge. Our Zhao Camp has its own methods. If others' methods are useful, learn them, but don't discard our own," Zhao Jin admonished.

Liu Yong was just nodding when Zhao Jin spoke again, "You need to arrange things properly for Shiyilang. Once those patrolmen are established, Shiyilang will be in charge of the prefectural city patrols, and also in charge of the official constables and runners. Add the duties of this ten-man group on top of that, and his authority becomes far too great. Some of it needs to be divided."

With the matter of the ten-man group settled, Zhao Jin felt considerably more at ease and was in the mood to jest. He said with a smile, "Speaking of those tiers of loyalty we just discussed, this Ma Chonghao is actually the most loyal of all — because he has absolutely no way back."

A lofty Embroidered Uniform Guard Assistant Commander turning traitor — this was a humiliation for the imperial court. And the civil officials harbored an utter hatred for the Depot and Guard factions. There was simply no path of return for him. A man like that was naturally loyal.

He had expected Liu Yong to laugh along, but Liu Yong still wore that look of wanting to speak but hesitating. Only now did Zhao Jin truly grow puzzled. What could be so important? Yet thinking it over, Liu Yong had said everything he needed to say. Some matters had not been spelled out, but everyone understood them in their hearts — for instance, within the Internal Security Unit, Liu Yong was not the only one who could report directly to Zhao Jin. Since there were no real secrets between them, this hesitation was all the more baffling.

"Big Brother, there's something I'm not sure I should mention." This time Liu Yong was genuinely faltering. Zhao Jin's brow furrowed as he said gruffly, "Since you've brought it up, you have to say it. Otherwise it'll just weigh on your mind."

"Big Brother, Peng Xiaoqi, Ren Huanghe, Wang Mutou — do you know these men?"

"Company commanders of the third and fourth companies of the Personal Guard, and the seventh company of the first regiment. How could I not know them?" Zhao Jin countered. He had committed the names of every company commander and most squad commanders to memory — of course he knew them.

"This matter was initiated by Zhuang Liu. Tao Gui and Xu Yong from the cavalry are in it as well, along with more than twenty other company commanders."

As Liu Yong slowly recounted this, Zhao Jin's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, his expression growing more and more grim. These names were the core stalwarts of Zhao Camp — all senior company and squad commanders whose seniority rivaled Zhang Hubin's. Should any position above company commander open up in the future, they would be the first in line for promotion. How could these core stalwarts, so close to him, have issues he knew nothing about? The very thought sent a chill down his spine.

Seeing Zhao Jin's dark expression, Liu Yong's face grew somewhat awkward. He coughed and said, "I've been hesitating all along, thinking I should observe a bit more before reporting to Big Brother. But just now, hearing Big Brother talk about the structure of that ten-man group, I thought it best to tell Big Brother now, lest..."

"What exactly is going on?" Zhao Jin was growing impatient.

"Actually..."

The Internal Security Unit had a small number of informants planted within the Personal Guard and the three regiments, all arranged according to Zhao Jin's instructions. But this arrangement had been made early on, and the informants were in fact all core retainers of Zhao Camp. Over time, their positions within each unit had risen considerably — many were already squad commanders or vice squad commanders, and quite a few were vice company commanders or company commanders. For various reasons, the proportion was somewhat higher in the Personal Guard and the first regiment than elsewhere.

It was said to be for the greater good, and the brothers could understand that. But if certain matters ever came to light, it would actually be very awkward. For this reason, the Internal Security informants within these units reported solely and directly to Liu Yong. The other heads of the Internal Security Unit could not interfere, and Lei Cai could only receive reports one-way on certain occasions.

An informant who was already a company commander in the Personal Guard reported to Liu Yong that, led by Zhuang Liu, a number of key members in the Personal Guard and the first regiment were forming something called the "Prosperous Dragon Society." Upon hearing this name, Liu Yong was badly startled — his first thought was, were they plotting to rebel against Zhao Jin?

However, he soon figured it out. The "Dragon" in "Prosperous Dragon" actually referred to Zhao Jin. This was an organization founded by a group of early retainer stalwarts to demonstrate their loyalty to Zhao Jin, to show that they were more loyal to him than others were.

"... These lads regard Big Brother as if you were a god or a buddha, with absolute reverence. They say Big Brother is doing great things, for the good of the brothers, for the good of Xuzhou, and they will stake their very lives for Big Brother..."

After learning the inside story of this "Prosperous Dragon Society," Liu Yong found himself hesitating. No matter how he looked at it, the Prosperous Dragon Society existed to better serve Zhao Jin, and it was beneficial to Zhao Jin as well. Yet strictly forbidding retainers from forming private factions and societies was something Zhao Jin had emphasized many times. And considering that its members were all from the most diehard core of Zhao Camp, Liu Yong did not report it immediately, deciding to observe for a while first.

The retainers held the highest status within the Zhao Camp system. The Internal Security retainers stationed on the periphery and the various other intelligence agents would not reach in, and the informants and secret agents on the inside were all extremely cautious. This time, however, there was a detail that made one want to laugh and cry at the same time: nearly all the Internal Security retainers in the Personal Guard and the first regiment had joined this "Prosperous Dragon Society" — and not for the purpose of gathering intelligence.

The Internal Security retainers planted in each unit were all from the cohort most loyal to Zhao Jin, and their seniority was sufficiently deep. By now, they all held positions as company commanders, vice company commanders, or even higher. This "Prosperous Dragon Society" aligned perfectly with their own sentiments. With them inside, it was only natural that it evaded outside detection.

After the assassination attempt by Fan Jinbang, the members of the Prosperous Dragon Society began screening their own subordinates, guarding against any more traitors like Fan Jinbang who bit the hand that fed them. They then took the initiative to proclaim the benefits Zhao Jin had brought to everyone, describing the miserable state Xuzhou would fall into without Zhao Jin, and so on. It was precisely because this activity became so frequent that the Internal Security retainers inside felt they could no longer keep it hidden from the outside. After discussing it among themselves, they decided to simply take the initiative and report it to Liu Yong.

"Are you saying this wasn't even discovered? That they reported it on their own?" Zhao Jin's face betrayed no discernible expression.

Liu Yong nodded, very embarrassed. Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then said gruffly, "After you learned of this, you kept hesitating over whether to tell me or not — was it because you felt this Prosperous Dragon Society, or whatever it's called, is doing this for my good, is loyal to me, and is also greatly beneficial to the greater good of our Zhao Camp?"

Zhao Jin's tone betrayed no emotion either. Liu Yong nodded again and said in a low voice, "I felt that everything the Prosperous Dragon Society says is correct. They say Big Brother is a man who does great things, but sometimes your heart is too kind and you consider the bigger picture. For matters that are inconvenient for Big Brother to handle, the Prosperous Dragon Society will go and handle them on its own. This is a good thing!"

"A good thing? If they say it's for my good and so disregard my orders, if they say it's for the greater good and so act on their own — what kind of good thing is that?" Zhao Jin let out a long sigh.

"Big Brother, if I may be so bold as to say a few words — our Zhao Camp, with its retainers and militia combined, numbers over twenty thousand. Add the various enterprises of Cloud Mountain Trading, the manors and villages across Xuzhou and Huai'an Prefecture, and nearly four hundred thousand people depend on Big Brother for their food and livelihood. Everything is too orderly, too routine."

"What do you mean?"

"No one thinks this peaceful and prosperous life exists because of Big Brother. Everyone takes it for granted — that these are things they deserve by right, as a matter of course. Who feels grateful to you, Big Brother? Even among the retainers, there are those who think everything is just regulation: take the pay and the grain, sell your life and fight, and that's it. We all know gratitude, but as Big Brother himself has said, when days like this drag on too long, everyone grows slack. It's still fine now, but in a few more years, I fear this atmosphere will only grow worse. By then, not only will there be no gratitude, but the slightest hardship will breed resentment. The retainers and militia won't be able to fight any desperate battles." As Liu Yong spoke, his tone grew heated, his voice occasionally rising. The nearby personal guards would glance over.

Zhao Jin's expression grew very solemn, but he did not interrupt Liu Yong's words. Liu Yong continued, "Big Brother, although this Prosperous Dragon Society came about without our prior knowledge — nearly slipped right past us, even — isn't it a good thing? Someone is gathering up these gradually slackening hearts, making everyone loyal to Big Brother, making everyone know gratitude. When a truly critical moment comes, the people of this Prosperous Dragon Society really will fight to the death and give their lives for Big Brother."

"The key is that it must be under our control. This..." Zhao Jin started to speak but stopped halfway, reaching up to rub his temple. He truly felt a headache coming on. Liu Yong, tactful as ever, fell silent.

Only learning of the "Prosperous Dragon Society's" existence now — there was really nothing to blame himself or get angry about. Zhao Jin understood in his heart that the Internal Security retainers and the regular retainers were essentially one body. Before the "ten-man group" was established, there had been no way to maintain such fine-grained control.

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