Chapter 924: Li Ziyou's Request

Normally, making this request on such an occasion would be inappropriate, but Zhao Jin had come in a hurry and was leaving just as quickly, so some things were said face-to-face. Zhao Character Battalion doesn't stand much on ceremony and hierarchy.

Hearing Li Dajin's request, a smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face. He nodded and said, "I know Li Wen — unwilling to go to the study squads, and too late for the household trooper recruitment, so he's still in the militia, isn't he?"

That Zhao Jin knew his family so well came as no surprise to Li Dajin, who promptly admitted it. Zhao Jin said approvingly, "That child of yours is not bad. He can endure hardship, keep his composure, and even knows to go learn things in the militia. With a temperament like that, he's bound to make something of himself."

Everyone knew, of course, that he'd managed all this because of guidance from his father, Li Dajin. But for a young man to persevere this long was in itself remarkable.

Expanding from over a thousand men to three thousand, and into patrol squads completely different from before — this was bound to be a tangle of countless threads requiring slow preparation. But Zhao Jin was in a hurry to return, so he gave the orders first.

In fact, after arriving here, Zhao Jin hadn't even rested. Once he'd read the urgent dispatches and met with his partners and trusted men, he went straight to the encampment of Dong Bingfeng's Third Regiment.

Although Zhao Character Battalion always strove for simplicity, as its numbers grew, certain formalities became unavoidable. For instance, if Zhao Jin was coming to inspect the encampment, there was no avoiding a cleanup and drill beforehand — they had to make a good impression before Master Jin.

But this time, because Zhao Jin had changed his plans and arrived early, the first to learn of it when he reached Qingjiangpu were the mounted household troopers on perimeter duty. They could only move together with Zhao Jin's guard detachment, with no way to send word ahead, so the household troopers, the militia, and Cloud Mountain Trading all had no time to prepare.

When the various companies of the Third Regiment discovered Zhao Jin approaching, everyone was genuinely shocked — a flurry of chaos and frantic activity ensued.

Dong Bingfeng's working style closely resembled Shi Manqiang's: conscientiousness. He carried out every task Zhao Jin assigned with meticulous care.

The Third Regiment was up to standard in both broad strokes and fine details. Because Qingjiangpu was prosperous, the household troopers looked considerably healthier than those of the Second Regiment, but their bearing differed greatly from the Second Regiment's.

Zhao Character Battalion was founded by Zhao Jin, and most of the household troopers had been personally trained by him. He was highly sensitive to the men's spirit and morale. Zhao Jin could sense that the Third Regiment's household troopers were generally somewhat restless, lacking the calm composure of the other regiments. This was no difficult puzzle — Zhao Jin soon arrived at the answer.

After inspecting company by company and reviewing each militia unit in turn, Zhao Jin still had to praise Dong Bingfeng, Li Dajin, and their people — they had indeed done well.

"The more you're stationed in a peaceful, prosperous place, the less you can afford to slacken. We may look like the unchallenged power in Qingjiangpu, but you must also see the dangers here. To the west are the government troops of Fengyang, to the south the governor's provincial standards, and to the southwest the garrison of the Langshan Vice Brigadier. You have just over three thousand troops, yet you face nearly thirty thousand. You absolutely must not let your guard down — be ready for war at all times."

Thirty thousand government troops — how many among them were actual combat soldiers needed no elaboration; everyone understood. After reviewing the troops, Zhao Jin said to Dong Bingfeng, "Right now, the Third Regiment's encampment is too close to Qingjiangpu's bustling districts. It's inconvenient for you, and inconvenient for them. Move the encampment out, to a place with fewer people, ideally holding a strategic choke point. We have ease of movement by both cart and boat here — no need to worry about mobility."

Hearing Zhao Jin's arrangement, Dong Bingfeng instinctively acknowledged the order, and then a look of relief spread across his face. He said with a wry smile, "Big Brother, this arrangement is excellent. Stationed in this prosperous place, from the company commanders down to the troopers, no one's mind can stay settled. Big Brother knows I've had to enforce military law more often here than in the other regiments — precisely because men's hearts are restless, and too many sneak out."

Zhao Jin nodded without saying much more. The household troopers' restless spirit stemmed from exactly this — surrounded by bustle and wealth, it was hard to settle the mind to drill and work. Frivolity and impatience were unavoidable. Once the patrol squads were established, Qingjiangpu could be held more firmly in hand, and the household trooper regiments could be stationed farther out, controlling the broader situation.

Compared to the household troopers and militia, the various enterprises of Cloud Mountain Trading and the Qingjiang Grand Market were actually easier to audit — the accounts were clear, and the books matched the actual goods. The reason was simple: commerce and business had long-established rules and precedents. Even though Zhao Jin had introduced improvements, the broad framework remained unchanged, with every layer interlocking, making errors hard to come by.

Wang Zhaojing, Cao Ruhui, Zhou Xuezhi, and Chen Hong kept one another in check. The Sun Family Trading Company operated externally, and now Yu Zhiyuan had joined in as well. More broadly speaking, Xu Zhenzhen's Xu family was also involved. Every enterprise was run by a group of highly experienced shopkeepers and managers, and operations were well-polished. The household trooper regiments, by contrast, were built on a system utterly different from the Great Ming military structure — everything was being figured out as they went.

With urgent reports arriving one after another from Shandong, Zhao Jin had already accelerated the pace of this trip, wanting to come and go quickly. But the affairs here in Qingjiangpu all involved urgent and critical matters touching every aspect of Zhao Character Battalion — he couldn't simply wash his hands of them. Even more, the sentiments of Qingjiangpu's various power factions had to be carefully maintained. No matter how pressed he was, he had to be patient and meet with each one.

Fortunately, arrangements had been made in advance. Everyone who came to meet him dispensed with elaborate formalities and refrained from bringing lavish gifts — they all simply stated their business.

Grain merchants all wanted to request priority in arranging boats for transport; some even wanted to ship by sea. All these scheduling decisions required Zhao Jin's personal approval. There were also merchants who wanted Zhao Jin's help to buy specialty goods from the grasslands, merchants who sought Zhao Character Battalion's protection to expand their business into Henan, and others wanting to grow their presence in the Xuzhou market and salt exchange — a whole assortment.

None of this was secret. Zhao Jin sat in the room together with Zhou Xuezhi and several trusted managers and accountants, settling on the spot whatever could be calculated and decided immediately, without delay.

"No wonder Zhao Jin could amass such wealth at such a young age — this diligence of his is something no one else can match," a prominent merchant remarked after their meeting. Truly, not even the time it took to burn a stick of incense was wasted.

The sole exception was Li Ziyou, owner of the Chengbei Firm, which dealt in Liaodong goods. The moment he entered the room, he asked Zhao Jin to dismiss his attendants — he had an important matter to discuss in private.

Back when the realm's great merchants had come to Xuzhou to open shops, one of them had been a major trader from the capital specializing exclusively in Liaodong goods. At the time, Li Ziyou had been extremely anxious, terrified that the rival would steal his business. In the end, after the midnight assassination incident, that prominent merchant — who had been deeply entangled in the affair — had no choice but to leave, and couldn't even open a shop in Qingjiangpu. This had given Li Ziyou immense relief, and for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he had drawn much closer to Zhao Character Battalion ever since.

The accountants and managers withdrew, but Zhou Xuezhi remained, and Li Dajin, who had arrived later, was also seated there. What Li Ziyou was about to report — there was no need for them to leave.

"Master Jin, I have a request to make of you. As you know, I deal in Liaodong goods and have many connections over in Liaodong. Recently, with the collapse of the Liao Garrison, many people can no longer stay there, yet they also face trouble in the passes or in Dengzhou. So they've come to me seeking a place to shelter. But I am a businessman — getting too entangled with these military men carries too much risk. And I also fear these people might break your rules, Master Jin..."

He rambled on at length. Zhao Jin was growing impatient, but when the talk turned to these figures from Liaodong, he couldn't help paying closer attention. Zhou Xuezhi and Li Dajin, at his side, looked rather displeased. Though Li Ziyou's words were tactful, everyone understood what he was implying — simply that he feared the imperial law, and that the imperial law held no sway over Zhao Character Battalion's domain. The facts were the facts, but stating them aloud didn't sound pleasant.

"Inside the passes, they're gathering up Liao troops. Dengzhou is doing the same. Why not go there? They'd be among acquaintances, and there'd still be the hope of fighting their way back," Zhao Jin asked.

At this, a pained and embarrassed smile crossed Li Ziyou's face. He lowered his head slightly and continued, "Who would come running here if they could stay? The men they followed either died in battle or surrendered to the Tartars, and then they had falling-outs with those who managed to flee back. When they had backing behind them, everything could be smoothed over. Now, in this situation, it's a dead end. One accusation of colluding with the enemy or being a spy, and they wouldn't have enough lives to lose. Fortunately, they all had some silver saved up, and with an acquaintance like me to look after them, as soon as they got out of the Liao Garrison, they headed straight here."

Zhao Jin pondered briefly, then nodded and said, "If they have no major blood debts or serious crimes on their hands, and haven't committed any atrocities against heaven and reason, I can take them in."

This promise immediately brought a face full of smiles to Li Ziyou. He was just about to offer some flattery when he hesitated again. Zhao Jin's brow furrowed — now he was truly growing impatient. Before he could press him, Li Ziyou stammered, "To be honest with you, Master Jin, these men actually do have cases against them. The Zu family over in the Liao Garrison is still investigating..."

"Old Li, have you lost your mind? Men with cases from the border garrisons hanging over them, still being pursued by military officers — and you dare bring such people to Master Jin?" Li Dajin rebuked him aloud, his tone severe. In truth, however, he was helping to ease the tension for Li Ziyou. If Zhao Jin truly lost his temper, there'd be nothing more to say.

Li Ziyou's face fell as well. He waved his hand and said, "I won't lie to you, Master Jin — it truly is trouble. If they weren't my own clansmen, I wouldn't bother with it. Bringing it up with you is the most I can do as their clan uncle. If it's convenient for you, Master Jin, then good; if not, just consider me a busybody."

Because Zhao Jin often sought news of Liaodong from Li Ziyou, Li Ziyou and the Chengbei Firm had grown close to Zhao Character Battalion, and the affair with the great capital trading house had brought them even closer. It was thanks to this familiarity that today's conversation could be somewhat casual, and that Li Dajin could help smooth things over.

Just as Li Ziyou was backing off, Zhao Jin grew interested. He asked leisurely, "What cases?"

Li Ziyou was briefly stunned, then immediately realized there was room to maneuver. He quickly spoke up: "It's a wretched business, now that I think of it. Those nephews of mine were muddle-headed. Their superior was withholding their pay and rations, and they insisted on protesting, saying that at a time of great battle like this, skimping on pay and rations wounded everyone's morale. It turned into a quarrel, and they accidentally killed that superior's nephew. That's how things got to this point. Luckily, they had horses, so they got their families out first and fled all the way here. They thought the matter would just blow over, but who'd have guessed that when everyone retreated back inside the passes, that superior didn't die in battle and is still pursuing the case. I hear he's even being transferred to Shandong recently — and wouldn't that put him close to South Zhili?"

Thanks to the two old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" from Chuangshi and "Sui Xin Zi Wo 0" from Qidian for their tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone.