Chapter 919: Homespun Cloth

None of the household guards and apprentice soldiers following as escorts complained about the hardship of the journey. After spending so long in Zhao's Camp, everyone understood that no amount of toil or tedium was truly suffering. If everyone was working hard, then it was simply the rule, and no one had grounds to complain. If you were working harder than the others, then your position must be higher than theirs. If it wasn't yet, then you were about to be entrusted with greater responsibility and promoted.

Not everyone's mind was at ease, however. Among the escorts, Zhuang Liu had been uneasy the entire way. Others saw Zhao Jin's choice of escorts as casual, but Zhuang Liu noticed whom Zhao Jin had selected: every member of the Prosperity Dragon Society was among the escorts. This made his heart pound with fear. Although he was utterly loyal, forming a private society was a major taboo. Zhuang Liu also knew that Zhao Jin had many eyes and ears among the household guards; their group must have been discovered. He had no idea how they would be dealt with. Could it be that they were being brought to the Wild Grass Flats so the Second Regiment's household guards could seize the Prosperity Dragon Society?

Zhuang Liu's mind ran wild with speculation the entire journey. He also noticed that his comrades in the Prosperity Dragon Society were all in a similar state—extremely nervous. Yet, constrained by discipline, they had no chance to gather and discuss a countermeasure. With Zhao Jin and the officers of various ranks constantly nearby, they dared not try.

When they crossed the river, Shi Manqiang was already waiting on the opposite bank with his men. After the crossing, the brothers, having not seen each other for so long, were all overjoyed.

In the past, a dozen or so li east of the Suqian section of the canal was already a sparsely populated wild grass flat. But now, it had become a sizable estate of farmsteads and stockaded villages, all properties under Zhao Jin's name.

Previously, the vast central and northern regions of Huai'an Prefecture had been ordered abandoned by the imperial court, left to grow wild with weeds, solely to provide fuel for boiling salt at the various salterns along the Haizhou line to the east. Compared to the vast expanse of farmland here, the salt tax was far more important.

The powerful families in Suqian and Siyang at the edge of the Wild Grass Flats, and in Shuyang within the flats, naturally wouldn't pass up a bargain. They also cultivated land in the Wild Grass Flats, openly and in secret, occupying quite a few fields. However, constrained by the law and unable to operate openly, they had to work furtively and lacked sufficient strength. This left them unable to fend off harassment from bandits and refugees in the flats, nor could they build dikes and enclose land to improve yields. As a result, their estates never managed to develop.

But Zhao's Camp was different. With tens of thousands of refugees migrating here, there was naturally no shortage of manpower. They built dikes, drained water, and dug canals, and the desolate flats and wasteland quickly turned into farmland, with yields steadily improving. After several major clashes, the bandit gangs in the Wild Grass Flats were exterminated, and the salt merchants bowed their heads. The local officials naturally preferred to avoid trouble, and so the wild grass flats of Huai'an Prefecture became an independent kingdom for Zhao's Camp.

At the very beginning, when large numbers of refugees migrated in, although only the barest minimum of supplies needed to be provided, the total amount gathered from so many people was still an enormous figure. Zhao Jin practically threw his entire fortune into it. Had it not been for the considerable wealth and goods previously seized from Cloud Mountain Temple and the He Family Manor, the immense profits from the distillery, and the ability to continuously free up large quantities of grain by trading tribute grain for liquor, Zhao's Camp could not have sustained it.

At that time, Zhao's Camp's strength was still limited. They could provide financial and grain support, but their military force couldn't cover everything. They simply assigned Zhang Hubin to lead a few hundred men here. It was fortunate that the refugees themselves had endured so much suffering. Once they had their own land and enough grain to feed and clothe themselves, they would follow a leader and work together with one heart. Coupled with Xuzhou's timely responses, they weathered crisis after crisis. By the time they could station a regiment here, the situation had completely stabilized, and outsiders could no longer reach in.

In the past, when Zhao Jin and his companions came here, as far as the eye could see, there were reeds taller than a man everywhere. The roads were narrow and difficult to traverse, and one constantly had to worry about sinking into the mire. But looking now, the roads had been widened considerably. Though still not comparable to those in Xuzhou, they easily allowed carts to travel side by side. The man-high reeds were no longer everywhere; they stood in scattered patches, like isolated islands amidst the reclaimed fields, while the common folk busied themselves everywhere.

Besides the bustling villagers, one could also see household guards and militia patrols moving in good order. In the stockaded villages on the eastern shore of Luoma Lake, the frequency of patrols was much higher than in Xuzhou. But this was not to guard against external enemies; it was mainly to prevent the commoners from fleeing.

"... Now the various counties of Huai'an Prefecture are also willing to marry their women off here, but still not many. There's no helping it; no one wants to marry their daughter to a man without commoner status..." Shi Manqiang explained in a muffled voice.

Among the commoners of refugee origin, men far outnumbered women, so there were many bachelors. Life in these stockaded villages was actually better than outside now—they could eat their fill, life was stable, and they didn't have to worry about being bullied. Yet their status was all that of bondservants, which made many families who wanted to marry off their daughters hesitate.

As they grew older without a settled home or property, their minds naturally grew restless. Despite frequent lectures and repeated severe punishments, some still tried to run back. Their thinking was very simple: so many years had passed, and even the greatest famine was over. No matter how good it was outside, how could it compare to the comfort of home?

They imagined it to be wonderful in every way, but by the time they returned and saw the truth, it was too late. Whether they could even come back was another question. Zhao's Camp was also unwilling to lose its precious manpower, so they guarded them strictly. This clumsy method was the only way.

"... Some of the militia run too, and that's even more troublesome. They know the routines, and catching them isn't guaranteed. These men are even more valuable. Big Brother, can we change the rules? Once someone is selected for the militia, they shouldn't be a bondservant household anymore..."

"If we did that, what would our household guard brothers think?" Zhao Jin flatly rejected Shi Manqiang's suggestion. Shi Manqiang scratched his head awkwardly.

Zhao's Camp had maintained household guards for so long that everyone, from top to bottom, held them in high esteem and had forgotten the original meaning of the term "household guard." They all held irrevocable death contracts with Zhao Jin.

"But what you said makes sense. You can spread the word now: after serving in the militia for a set number of years, you can receive a plot of land to farm. This land won't be their own family's, but they'll only have to hand over twenty percent; the rest of the harvest will belong to their household," Zhao Jin said. After speaking, he added two more cautions: "When you spread the word, don't mention the specific number."

Shi Manqiang was too honest in his work and also protective of the household guards and militia under him. If the instructions weren't made perfectly clear, it could easily lead to trouble. This matter of land allocation and tax reduction was a major issue, one that didn't just affect the militia.

As they talked and walked, two large carts approached from ahead. Zhao's Camp cavalrymen had long since ridden forward to order them to pull aside, and the two carts hastily moved out of the way.

As the main party passed the carts, they could see that the first cart was loaded with various miscellaneous goods. The tarpaulin on the second cart was lifted halfway, revealing cloth inside. The men driving the carts were all dressed like merchants. They stood at a respectful distance further away, sneaking glances at Zhao Jin and his group.

Seeing this, Shi Manqiang said with a hint of pride, "Big Brother, the stockaded villages here are getting more and more prosperous. Now even merchants from Yutou Town drive their carts over to do business."

When the refugees were first settled here, having clothes to cover their bodies and food to keep from starving was enough for them. But as time passed, with the fields yielding more and more and the villages becoming more and more complete, everyone began to have a little surplus. They started thinking about more—trading grain for various goods to make life better for themselves and their families, and even thinking about accumulating some family property.

Elsewhere, peddlers carrying shoulder poles might handle the selling, but the stockaded villages here in Huai'an Prefecture were too large. Walking with a shoulder pole was inconvenient and couldn't bring many goods, so they had to be transported by cart. Presumably, that was what was on these two carts.

Shi Manqiang might be boasting, but Zhao Jin also understood the situation here well. The arrival of such merchants proved the success of the refugee villages, but in reality, it was a losing proposition. The refugee commoners farming the land had no money; they could only trade grain for goods. And in this area, grain couldn't fetch a good price, so a lot of grain had to be exchanged for the goods.

In this Wild Grass Flats region, the truly bustling place was where the Second Regiment's encampment was located. That place was not only the center of the entire refugee village network but also the distribution point for overland private salt from the Haizhou salterns. Salt smugglers and dealers from Shandong, Henan, and Fengyang Prefecture gathered there. They had money and needed to spend it while stopping over. Many things weren't produced locally and had to be brought in from elsewhere, making it genuinely profitable to trade here.

This encampment was the central area of the Wild Grass Flats, a place already well-known and called Zhao Family Town...

Zhao Jin was just pondering this when he heard Shi Manqiang speak again: "Big Brother, did you see that cloth?"

"What about it?" Zhao Jin was taken aback, thinking it was just cloth the merchants had brought. Shi Manqiang smiled and said, "Big Brother, that's homespun cloth produced right here."

"Homespun cloth we produced?" Zhao Jin was astonished and looked at Shi Manqiang, who smiled and nodded, his expression a mix of pride and excitement.

Ji Xiang, who had been following behind, interjected at this moment: "We can produce cloth here now? How come I didn't know?"

Zhao Jin glanced over. Shi Manqiang continued eagerly, "It was originally just a matter for three villages, not a big deal. Besides, we didn't know if they could pull it off. Now that they've succeeded, it's the right time to tell Big Brother. I was going to send a letter, but when I heard Big Brother was coming, I thought it best to tell you in person."

It was meant as a pleasant surprise. Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head, then said, "This is a big matter, and a very good thing. Tell me all the details."

When the refugees in these villages first arrived, they only thought about having enough food and clothing and couldn't worry about anything else. Over these past few years, as life stabilized, a few thought of returning home, but the majority began to feel that this place, which they had opened up and cultivated themselves, could be a permanent home to settle down in. Zhao's Camp couldn't be called generous, but it was reasonable and followed rules.

Wanting to settle down, they naturally began thinking about how to improve their lives. The vast majority of the refugees came from Shandong, where many farming households grew cotton. Some spun and wove it themselves, while others sold it to merchants. This cotton gathered along the canal and traveled by water all the way to Songjiang Prefecture. Songjiang cotton cloth was said to clothe all under heaven, and the local cotton supply was insufficient.

Thanks to the new and old friends from Chuangshi, "User Light in the Darkness, User Old Yang, Yuan Heng Li Zhen," and from Qidian, "Reactionary Words," for your tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone.