Chapter 910: Hidden Worries from External Threats

In the Xu family ironworks and smithies, it wasn't that there were no people capable of managing affairs and getting things done. Men like Xu Housheng and Xu Bende, while few among the Xu family, were not exactly rare either. But Zhao Jin did not want to let them take charge on their own, because the Xu family members and the craftsmen who came up through the Xu family system held too much power—they formed a self-contained bloc.

This self-contained bloc didn't just manifest in shutting out outsiders; they even resisted new techniques and methods. One person insisting his own way was right, another believing his master's teachings couldn't be changed—those were manageable. But if ten people, a hundred people all said the same thing, then it became truth. Anyone trying to improve things would find it impossible to proceed; any directives issued would be met with feigned compliance and covert defiance. Finding an "outsider" wholly obedient to oneself to take charge would yield better results and higher efficiency.

Although in Zhao Jin's eyes this Louis's management methods and organizational system weren't much more advanced either, compared to the rules and practices of the Xu family workshops, they were still somewhat better—at the very least, there was no mutual shielding, no reluctance to offend one another for the sake of personal ties.

On the road back to He Village from the cannon foundry, the expressions of the retinue guards and household troops were all exceptionally stirred. In their understanding, cannons were weighty instruments of the army and state, impossible for any civilian to possess. Yet today they had seen with their own eyes that the Zhao Battalion now had such artillery of its own. This filled every man with soaring confidence and immense pride. Some of the personal guards who had once taken part in seizing cannons on the battlefield even began recounting how backward and useless the government troops' cannons were, nothing compared to the lethal power of what they had just witnessed—which lifted everyone's spirits even higher.

"All of you, stay sharp! Watch your surroundings—don't get so caught up in chatter that you forget everything else!" Zhuang Liu, leading the detachment, barked in a deep voice. Everyone immediately sobered up considerably.

Zhao Jin glanced at this Zhuang Liu. Ever since learning of the "Prosperous Dragon Society," he had been paying extra attention to its members. He had to admit, the people in the Prosperous Dragon Society truly carried out their duties with greater rigor, executing his orders to the letter, and possessed a certain "military bearing" that matched his own memories.

As they neared He Village, Wang Zhaojing came out to meet them by the roadside. Chen Sheng had led five companies of the First Regiment to the Dangshan area for field training—this was also standard practice for the Zhao Battalion's household troops: every unit had to conduct periodic armed patrols, both to accustom the troops to marching and to display military strength in all directions. Meanwhile, Ji Xiang had taken the cavalry unit to Guide Prefecture to receive horses, specifically to the area along the border between Guide Prefecture and Kaifeng Prefecture—the westernmost edge of the Zhao Battalion's sphere of control.

Ever since Wang Ziyang's elite privileges had been revoked, he could already feel his income shrinking and his standing in Xuzhou slipping. Regretting it deeply, Wang Ziyang tried every means to claw his way back, going to all lengths to curry favor with Zhao Jin's side. Among his methods were increasing the proportion of sturdy horses among the livestock he delivered, and boosting the number of able-bodied Mongol young men.

The Mongol young men, skilled riders and archers, were quite useful, but for the Zhao Battalion at present, their significance was limited. After all, these men could not immediately integrate into the Zhao Battalion's system; digesting them took considerable effort. Fine, sturdy horses, on the other hand, were different—they were valuable commodities anywhere under heaven.

From beyond the passes to Shanxi and then into Henan, Wang Ziyang spared no expense in greasing every connection along the route. The risk was not terribly great, but caution was still essential. For now, the cavalry unit was placed under the Personal Guard Corps, and Ji Xiang had to go personally to meet and escort them.

During these days, all the various household troop units and militia in He Village had been under Zhao Jin's direct command. Had it not been for this cannon-related matter, Zhao Jin would not have left this place. After Zhao Jin departed, Wang Zhaojing took over command here.

"How many times have I said it—among our own brothers, don't stand on so much ceremony. Why have you come out again?" Seeing Wang Zhaojing come to greet him, Zhao Jin said with a rueful smile.

"Big Brother, there is an urgent matter." Wang Zhaojing spoke with a grave expression.

Zhao Jin said no more, simply urging his mount forward and riding all the way into He Village. Once they reached the council hall, Wang Zhaojing finally spoke: "A message passed along by the Cloud Mountain Firm says that starting from the second half of last year, the Prince of Lu's estate has been incessantly wailing to the imperial court about the unrest in the region, demanding more troops be stationed for defense. Word has it the message finally reached the inner palace. They're also saying that troops routed and retreating from the Liao garrison will be redeployed to Yanzhou Prefecture, to fill out that hollow shell of a Regional Commander post."

Ever since the Jianzhou Jurchens had gone to war against the Great Ming, the Liao garrison had suffered defeat after defeat, and its government troops had been in constant retreat. Large numbers of defeated soldiers fell back inside the passes. Some took the land route through Shanhai Pass into Northern Zhili, but many also came by sea to Dengzhou Prefecture in Shandong. The sea route between the Liao garrison and Shandong was easy to travel, with numerous islands along the way—it was, after all, the very route used for supplying provisions.

After these so-called "Liao troops" arrived in Shandong, conflicts with the local gentry and commoners were incessant. Outsiders were never welcomed to begin with, let alone these defeated soldiers, and let alone the fact that upon arriving, they demanded local supplies and squeezed into already scarce local resources. The Liao garrison troops, however, were soldiers and armed men after all, with blades in hand—they were certainly not going to suffer such slights meekly. The conflicts thus escalated further and further.

At first, these clashes could still be glossed over by the authorities, but as the scale grew larger and larger, the local officials could no longer cover them up. Capital officials hailing from Shandong began to intervene. The court had to come up with some measure to pacify the situation. Yet the entire realm was groaning under the weight of the Liao stipend and all manner of exorbitant taxes and levies—who still had the strength to bear the burden of yet another ill-reputed guest army? The central authorities had no solution and could only sit by and watch as the Liao troops in Dengzhou Prefecture grew ever more numerous and their clashes with the locals ever more intense.

The request from the Prince of Lu's estate in Yanzhou, however, provided an outlet for all parties. Since you are crying emergency, then we shall station troops there to protect Yanzhou Prefecture. Moreover, this would not provoke any backlash from officials hailing from Yanzhou, for within the bounds of Yanzhou Prefecture, the Prince of Lu's estate could suppress many matters. As for the suffering of the common people, or how the relief and recovery efforts after the great earthquake were progressing—no one paid any attention to that.

"How many troops are they planning to station in Yanzhou Prefecture?"

"Rumors say over eight thousand. Word from Jining is that the Prince of Lu's estate is terrified right now, deathly afraid we might strike at them. The Prince of Lu sends memorials to the palace pleading for aid every single day."

Zhao Jin frowned and said in a muffled voice, "Just as expected. Even Wei Zhongxian couldn't block communication between a princely estate and the inner court. Once the Son of Heaven speaks, there's nothing he can do to change it."

"If there are eight thousand Liao troops in Yanzhou Prefecture, that means over ten thousand government soldiers to the north of our Zhao Battalion. Lu Da's one large detachment plus a thousand or so militia won't be enough anymore," Wang Zhaojing said with some worry.

"Those ten thousand-plus government troops aren't all piled in one place, nor are they stationed right at Yutai County. If they move, we can certainly concentrate our forces faster. No need to worry too much." Zhao Jin spoke in a muffled voice, then slapped the side table beside him and added, "That Prince of Lu's estate is truly troublesome!"

Wang Zhaojing lifted his tea bowl and took a sip, then spoke again with deep concern: "According to news passed back from Weihui in Henan, and from the capital as well, the Prince of Lu's estate in Henan is stirring up just as much trouble. These princely estates can't stomach a loss. After we beat them back, they've been constantly looking for ways to get even. The Prince of Lu's estate in Henan likely put in considerable effort to ensure that this Shandong matter reached the inner palace."

The Prince of Lu's estate in Shandong traced its origin to a son of the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was enfeoffed there, while the Prince of Lu's estate in Henan originated from the Wanli Emperor's younger brother being enfeoffed as a prince. Though both belonged to the same Zhu clan and lineage, the difference in closeness was vast. The current Prince of Lu in Henan had a decent relationship with the Tianqi Emperor—they were, after all, uncle and nephew who had met face to face. The Prince of Lu in Shandong, on the other hand, was far more distant; after all, the branches had diverged over several centuries. The closeness of these two estates to the Son of Heaven differed enormously, and the two estates themselves had no real ties to speak of. The princely estates enfeoffed in the early Ming's first wave always harbored a certain inexplicable pride and haughtiness toward those enfeoffed later, while the later ones held some contempt for the earlier ones—naturally, they did not get along.

At this moment, however, the two estates shared one thing in common: both had suffered grievous losses at the hands of that young Zhao upstart in Xuzhou—bloody, brutal losses at that. Although the origins in both cases lay in the greed of underling stewards or even slaves, once the conflicts erupted, the two princely estates, for one, could not swallow their pride, and for another, had begun to covet the wealth of Xuzhou. Whether in Henan or Shandong, the wealth of Xuzhou lay within their reach. This wealth was so immense, a treasure basin that could ceaselessly generate more riches—it truly made them green with envy and red-eyed with greed.

Beyond this, the two estates also harbored personal grudges against the Zhao Battalion—either their subordinates had been killed, or their property had been seized. In the realm of the Great Ming, everything belonged to the Zhu clan, even people's very surnames. The princely estates had always acted with utter recklessness, yet in Xuzhou they had suffered such a devastating loss. How could they possibly bear it?

The Prince of Lu's estate in Shandong went to plead grievances and cry emergency, while the Prince of Lu's estate in Henan was engaged in similar schemes—and was even lending a hand. After all, in Henan everything was in the shadows, whereas in Shandong the government troops had openly suffered defeat. The matter of stationing Liao troops in Yanzhou Prefecture could be said to be the joint accomplishment of the two estates.

"Both are scourges," Zhao Jin said through gritted teeth.

"Shall we take action? As Big Brother said before, the time is not yet ripe," Wang Zhaojing asked.

Zhao Jin slowly shook his head. He was silent for a moment before saying, "It's not just the timing. The princely estates are all inside major cities. We have no way to assault cities, and no way to besiege them either."

At this, Wang Zhaojing also fell silent. The Zhao Battalion could be said to be formidable in field battles and pitched engagements, but when it came to storming cities and strongholds, they were sorely lacking. Relying on bows and firelocks, there was no way to breach those towering, massively thick city walls. A prolonged siege would draw the armed forces of the entire realm down upon them. Nor could they do as the roving bandits did, driving and mobilizing commoners to swarm the walls in human-wave assaults. They truly had no suitable method.

"No rush, and no fear." After a quiet moment, Zhao Jin spoke.

"Your younger brother will arrange for men to keep a close watch on these two places. The Internal Guard will need to act as well—I must ask Big Brother to give Xiaoyong the word." At this point, Wang Zhaojing prepared to take his leave.

Just then, a report came from outside: Ruhui was requesting an audience. Wang Zhaojing decided to stay.

"Master, Third Master, Geng Mancang from Yutou Town has hurried over. He says he has an urgent matter to report," Ruhui said after entering the room.

Hearing this, Wang Zhaojing smiled and said to Ruhui with a teasing tone, "This Geng Mancang really does have a mind to curry favor and climb up. He'd do quite well in officialdom."

"Before, this man was scared to death. Now, I reckon he's not afraid anymore," Ruhui answered with a laugh.

Thanks to Qidian's "Qi Sanwen, Wu Liulang" and Chuangshi's "Suixin Ziwo 0," three old friends, for the tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets.