Chapter 918: Zhao Jin Travels Out

And this Xu Housheng had learned a few foreign words from Louis, quite possibly related to casting and firearms — that would make him very hard to fool. Who knew there were Westerners in Xuzhou? There were hardly any in the entire interior of the Great Ming. Besides, Xu Housheng knew the iron trade inside and out; the other side likely wouldn't find it so easy to find the right things to deceive him with.

"You've got a thoughtful mind, young man," Li Laohai remarked, saying nothing more. As the guarantor, he would be accompanying them on the return trip as well.

The interpreter was sent off on a sampan, and Xu Housheng's ship hoisted sail and set off. Sailing at night brought all sorts of inconveniences, but Li Laohai found them a convenient spot — they stopped for the night at a private harbor near Macau and set out again the next day. At this point, they could only trust and go along with it.

When they departed the next day, Nie Hei and the others finally relaxed a little. Once they were on the ship and could no longer see land, Xu Housheng wrote out an IOU for Li Laohai and pressed his thumbprint onto it.

The two Western strongmen were brothers, surnamed Burgos. The elder brother was named Bento, the younger Pedro. The elder brother had a family — his wife and son had been captured along with him. The younger brother was still a bachelor. The two had originally been working over in Goa and only later came here, never imagining they would run into such a thing.

The adults were all put in leg irons, and the children were guarded separately, kept apart from the grown-ups. This terrified the two craftsmen, who could not help thinking of the old tales of slave-trading. Could it be that their family had become slaves, being shipped off to some place to do hard labor?

No one had expected the craftsmen matter to be settled so easily. Thinking of the praise and merits awaiting them back home, everyone was in high spirits. Xu Housheng, meanwhile, grew even more curious and asked Li Laohai how these people had been captured. In Xu Housheng's imagination, it must have been a heart-pounding affair — scaling walls to kill and seize, or lying in ambush in the streets, and surely they would have had to withstand firelocks and the like.

Li Laohai did not hide anything and explained the whole story. The trading house Li Laohai belonged to had extensive dealings with the Portuguese in Macau and could speak to people at every level. They reached the Governor's side, presented Xu Housheng's ready silver directly, and the other side granted them the convenience. They simply selected two men from the cannon foundry who had no deep roots and fit Xu Housheng's requirements, then arranged for foundry personnel to lead the two craftsmen and their families to a secluded spot, where they were gagged, bound, stuffed into hemp sacks, and conveniently transported all the way to the ship.

Hearing this account, Xu Housheng and his men were all dumbstruck. They had thought it would be impossibly difficult; they never imagined it could be so simple — it was nothing more than spending enough silver. Of course, that being said, if one didn't have familiar local contacts, you couldn't even give the silver away.

"Money can make the devil turn the millstone; a hundred thousand in silver can move the gods. I used to think such sayings were just jokes — only today do I know they are true." Xu Housheng could not help but sigh with emotion.

"In this world, only being an official, trading salt, or working the sea brings silver the fastest. Have you people in Xuzhou dug up a gold mine or something? How do you have so much money? This old man will have to go and see for himself." Li Laohai was indeed somewhat curious.

However, the sea journey from Macau in Xiangshan County, Guangdong, to Songjiang Prefecture in South Zhili was no matter of a mere day or two.

After Chen Sheng returned to He Village, Zhao Jin immediately mustered his troops and prepared to travel out.

It was common enough for local strongmen and bullies to gather several hundred or even a thousand men, but leading several hundred or a thousand men across prefectures and provinces was a tremendous taboo — the officials would certainly intervene.

But such rules did not apply to Zhao Jin. Even without his tacit understanding with the court, who in Xuzhou or the northern half of Huai'an Prefecture could control the Zhao Camp? This time he brought six companies and one hundred cavalry. With reliable Zhao Camp forces all along the route, these guards were more than enough to ensure Zhao Jin's safety.

This guard detachment was not organized according to standard unit structure but was handpicked by Zhao Jin. Men were selected from the personal guard, the First Regiment, the firelock company, and the student corps. Those chosen were all publicly acknowledged for outstanding performance, and each felt honored — though some did not see it that way.

When they passed through Xuzhou city this time, Zhao Jin did not stay overnight within the walls, but he still entered the city to meet with his parents, and also saw Chen Sheng's and Wang Zhaojing's elders.

"... Either move to He Village, or go to the fortified village on the east shore of Lake Luoma. If you won't go, then this unfilial son will have no choice — I'll have you carried there, uncles, even if I have to do it by force..."

It was easy enough with Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua. But with Chen Sheng's parents and Wang Zhaojing's father, Zhao Jin dispensed with formal courtesy this time and spoke bluntly. Seeing his attitude, however, the two families dared not take it lightly. They knew Zhao Jin must have his reasons for this, and it was best to obey. Everyone moved that very day — mobilizing hands was easy enough, after all.

Besides these people, Zhao Jin also met with Zhao Eleven and a few others. Some he spoke with privately; others he encouraged together as a group. What no one expected was that Chen Ergou was also summoned. This made it clear to all parties in the city: this fallen former figure of the Xuzhou underworld had turned his fortunes around.

After Zhao Jin left Xuzhou city, Zhao Eleven, who had always remained stationed there without leaving, also departed for several days. Those with keen instincts began to suspect that something was about to happen, though they could not see any sign of what. Some connected it to the earthquake in Shandong, saying that when heaven crumbles and earth splits, dynasties change — Lord Jin was about to do great things. These rumors, half-true and half-false, were believed by many, until both the yamen and the Zhao Camp sent people to issue warnings, and only then did things quiet down.

At Pizhou, Zhao Jin adjusted the stationing of the Third Battalion. Li He's Third Battalion had originally been positioned to guard the city of Pizhou itself, but this time it was moved to the vicinity of Shuanggou Town, already within Xuzhou's borders. In that position, the Cheng family of Pizhou and the Jiang family of Fangcun Market could both provide support at any time. Together with the local militia, that still made a force of two thousand men. But this was routine enough, and few paid it any mind.

Yutou Town by the shores of Lake Luoma was already bustling with activity. The busiest spots were the docks of the Sun Family Trading House and Cloud Mountain Trading House, where great quantities of grain were being loaded onto ships — the very business Geng Mancang had previously reported.

Zhao Jin met with Sun Jia and repeated the same words he had told the other elders. He also urged him, saying that if trouble arose, he was to ignore all family property, take his household, and flee to the fortified village on the east shore of Lake Luoma. Zhao Jin would handle the aftermath.

Traveling east all the way from Xuzhou, the shortest route to the east shore of Lake Luoma was to cross the lake directly by boat. But Ji Xiang, who was accompanying him, firmly insisted on taking the land route, skirting the lake shore — even though that still meant crossing the Grand Canal.

"The lake is vast, and we have so many men. If anything went wrong out there, rescue wouldn't even arrive in time. Big Brother is far too important right now, and we're not in a hurry to travel. Better to play it safe," Ji Xiang had his considerations.

Ji Xiang's words made sense, and Zhao Jin readily took the good advice. Moreover, skirting the southern shore of Lake Luoma had another advantage: they could stop for a day in Suqian County and deal with the local people.

From Yutou Town to Qingjiangpu, there were three counties along the Grand Canal: Suqian, Siyang, and Qinghe. Qinghe County was practically the outskirts of Qingjiangpu and had long been within the Zhao Camp's sphere of influence. Suqian and Siyang, however, though they knew of the Zhao Camp's power, had never had any direct dealings — this trip was just the opportunity.

Zhao Jin did not enter the county seat. He merely hosted a banquet at the Cloud Mountain Inn by the canal, inviting the local gentry and strongmen of Suqian to attend. Those who were called felt honored and proud; those who were not invited were deeply uneasy.

The banquet itself, however, was nothing out of the ordinary. The Zhao Camp was not yet ready to invest too much effort here. They simply arranged for six hundred militia to guard the inn, handed over the local private salt trade to local agents, and promised that Suqian merchants traveling to Xuzhou and Qingjiangpu would receive favorable treatment. The banquet was amiable and everyone left well pleased.

They talked as they traveled. Though the departure had been tense, the journey itself was leisurely, with no rush to press forward. They were in no hurry — but it was not so simple.

From the moment they set out from He Village in Xuzhou, there was in fact a place to find food and lodging every single day. Along the line from Xuzhou to Qingjiangpu, Cloud Mountain Inns were situated at each day's travel interval. Even without the Cloud Mountain Inns, the wealthy and powerful along the route would have vied to host them. But this time, none of that was used.

When they set out, this several-hundred-man column brought ox- and horse-drawn carts loaded with supplies and equipment. Every night, even if they were camped right beside a Cloud Mountain Inn, they would still set up their own camp and cook their own meals. Even in the safest of locations, they would form the carts into a defensive formation, place the oxen and horses inside, dig a trench outside, and post both concealed and visible sentries — security was strict.

At first, this manner of doing things even startled all parties in Xuzhou. They wondered if some great event was about to happen, or if someone meant to do Lord Jin harm. Only later did they understand it was a drill. Yet the more perceptive still found it unusual — why conduct such a drill for no apparent reason? No one had heard of any attack coming, and Xuzhou's own territory seemed perfectly peaceful.

If even the people of Xuzhou saw it this way, some in Pizhou and Suqian thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill. Others figured Zhao Jin was indulging a boyish whim, deliberately putting on a show just to run his men ragged.

Only every man in the guard detachment knew that Zhao Jin was dead serious. There were veterans in the unit, but there were far more greenhorns — men who didn't know how to pitch a tent or how to set up a camp. Every man had to learn, every man had to do it, every man had to master it. Mistakes were punished by military law.

When Zhao Jin's column passed through Suqian, they naturally had to cross the Grand Canal. This stretch was where the canal and the Yellow River merged, and the river was very wide. A force of nearly a thousand men, with so many carts and supplies, would certainly face a huge hassle crossing. They would definitely have to mobilize local able-bodied men to help. Doing so was only proper, and no one would complain. While privately grumbling that the planning had been sloppy, everyone began mustering hands.

To their surprise, when it came time to cross, no help was needed at all. The grain-tribute sailors who normally went about with their noses in the air had already brought their tribute barges to the bank and were waiting. Though loading carts and horses onto boats was troublesome, with so many large boats available, the work was done with crisp efficiency. Seeing the canal forces so bowing and scraping, so utterly deferential, the Suqian locals raised their estimation of the Zhao Camp's strength yet another notch.

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