Chapter 934: Further Expansion

Zhao Jin nodded, a smile appearing on his face, and he spoke: "Of course, we can give them a push from behind, and we can also pull them back. That shipment of grain will probably make Xu Hongru think I'm trying to be clever. Let's just see who's really trying to be clever!"

Hearing Zhao Jin say this, the atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed. In the tension of the earlier discussion, everyone had overlooked Zhao Jin's scheme of sending grain to Shandong — this was all well within their grasp.

"Gentlemen, the first refugee siege of the city by the Smelling Incense Sect laid the foundation for our present enterprise. What benefits can we reap this time? No one here can afford to slack off!"

That refugee siege of the city was certainly a great calamity, yet by the same token, the main body of the Zhao Camp's militia and manor troops today are all prisoners taken back then. Relying on them, the Zhao Camp had enough manpower to clear wasteland, establish one manor after another, expand the household troops, and extend its power from Xuzhou into the surrounding areas.

Zhao Jin's words immediately roused everyone's spirits. They had only been thinking of the dangers and difficulties, but had not considered that such great benefits lay within.

"Whether it's more trouble or more gain, that's only us talking to ourselves. This great chaos in Shandong is perilous in the end. One misstep in our response, and we could very well lose the whole game." After boosting their morale, Zhao Jin laid out the situation for everyone again.

By this point, the atmosphere was no longer as oppressive as before, and the men were not as tense as they had been just now.

"Daxiang, you make preparations today, right away. Leave the cavalry company for me. Tomorrow, you will lead the personal guard company to the north bank of the Yellow River and set camp between Guting Town and Yutai County seat. Dig trenches, build walls, and establish a fortified stronghold. Zhaojing, write a letter now to Li Wu over there. Transfer one thousand militia of Fengyang origin from Suzhou. This one thousand militia will also be under your command, Daxiang." Ji Xiang hurriedly rose to acknowledge the order. Wang Zhaojing, already well-practiced, took out paper, brush, and inkstone and began recording.

As soon as this order was given, everyone in the room could see Ji Xiang's excitement. Though the matter at hand was of grave importance, they all found it a bit hard not to smile.

"Daxiang, the minds of those who follow the faith and burn incense aren't very clear. If they go mad by the thousands or tens of thousands and attack you, you must keep your nerve and hold the defense. With the skill of our household troops and militia, as long as you put your mind to it, you can hold. But if you can't restrain your temper and go out to fight in the field, the risk will be enormous. Never mind winning or losing — do not delay the task Big Brother has entrusted to you." No one expected that these words of caution would come from Chen Sheng.

Ji Xiang was even somewhat stunned. Only after Chen Sheng finished did he react, clearing his throat and replying: "Many thanks for Second Brother's reminder. This little brother will certainly hold firm and hold fast."

"Are we just going to defend over there at Yutai this time?" Wang Zhaojing asked. Anyone could imagine that the Smelling Incense Sect's great rebellion would come crashing down with the momentum of half of Shandong. If they only set up a defensive line in the one or two counties of Yutai and Shan County, the fighting would surely be extremely difficult.

Zhao Jin smiled and shook his head: "Of course not. But before battle, one must first speak of defeat. That place is our first encampment for entering Shandong, and also the first line of defense for us to fall back to Xuzhou should the worst happen!"

"Send orders to Lu Da. Have him prepare to go to the Guting encampment, ready to march at any time. Write to Shitou and Li He. Have the Second Regiment and the Third Large Battalion begin rotating their defense. Send orders to Li Wu. Have the Second Large Battalion prepare to deploy to He Family Village for defense. Write to Bingfeng. All Zhao Camp units in Qingjiangpu are to be on combat alert!" Zhao Jin continued his dispositions.

One order after another was issued. Wang Zhaojing recorded them rapidly with his brush. Everyone listened very carefully. After Wang Zhaojing finished writing, he handed it to Zhao Jin to review once, then began meticulously copying them out fair. As each letter was finished, Zhao Jin affixed his seal, the letter was sealed with wax, and the personal guards outside the room directly arranged for couriers to send them off.

"Provisions, fodder, and supplies — Cloud Mountain Trading is to begin preparations starting today. Once an incident occurs, the distribution and collection of all goods and materiel must take place on the north bank of the Yellow River. Warehouses must be set up there, and carts, horses, and civilian laborers must all be concentrated there." Zhao Jin further instructed.

The atmosphere in the room had grown solemn. When Zhao Jin spoke, Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui both rose to receive their orders. After Wang Zhaojing finished writing the letters to be dispatched, he hesitated a moment, then spoke again: "Big Brother, are we going to make a major move this time?"

Zhao Jin nodded. Chen Sheng remained silent. Ji Xiang could no longer suppress the smile on his face. Ruhui had been observing everyone's expressions and bearing. Each person was the same as before, but when he looked at Ji Xiang, Ruhui could not help feeling a chill in his heart. He suddenly realized that Ji Xiang's smile was so ferocious and bloodthirsty.

"Big Brother, this time we are mobilizing the First Regiment, the Second Regiment, and the personal guard company. Lu Da's First Large Battalion and Zhang Hubin's Fourth Large Battalion must all be deployed. According to Big Brother's intent, Bingfeng's Third Regiment is to move together as well. Counting the civilian laborers accompanying the army, plus the locally transferred militia, and the Xuzhou Volunteers must also be counted. This time, we are mobilizing ten thousand men?" Wang Zhaojing said slowly.

At the mention of the number "ten thousand men," everyone in the room was jolted. Though they could all calculate it, once they truly contemplated it, it immediately felt different.

From its founding to the present, the Zhao Camp had fought great battles, but had never mobilized on a grand scale, because the enemies the Zhao Camp faced were always the private troops of local hegemons and the timid, constrained government troops of the imperial court.

The only major battle had been the government troops' joint encirclement, attacking from north and south, where the Zhao Camp deployed its entire army. But even that was not a combined force — southward, Dong Bingfeng raided with one regiment; northward, Zhao Jin led two regiments plus the personal guard company and one large battalion to resist. Yet this time, in a single direction, Zhao Jin was prepared to commit ninety percent of the Zhao Camp's household troops. Thinking of the Zhao Camp's battle strength, thinking of the Zhao Camp's past — even for those among them who were part of it, they felt awe. Just how grand a scene would this be, and how great a deed would they do?

Zhao Jin was calm, but the faces of everyone in the room, including Chen Sheng, showed excitement. Wang Zhaojing, however, continued with a cautious expression: "Big Brother, places like Xuzhou, Pizhou, and Qingjiangpu cannot be considered completely secure. Government troops still exist all around, and the powerful families still harbor their own schemes. In ordinary times, forceful suppression works well enough. But if we strike out with full force and leave our interior empty, I fear it will give those with treacherous intentions around and within us the chance to seize the opportunity and plot something."

"Without the household troops, we still have the militia. My orders are not yet finished. Send orders to Li Wu of the Second Large Battalion, Li He of the Third Large Battalion, and Li Dajin, Cheng Dahu, and Wei Mugen of the Qingjiangpu Patrol Company. Li Wu is to organize and train three thousand militia in Xuzhou and Suzhou who can serve as household troops. Li He is to organize and train another three thousand from the villages on the east shore of Luoma Lake. And the three thousand patrolmen over in Qingjiangpu must be formed into companies quickly." Zhao Jin declared in a clear voice.

Low exclamations of surprise already sounded in the room. This number meant expanding by another ten thousand men. In ordinary discussions, militia were not mentioned as an active force. Militia were used for garrisoning, maintaining public order, and as a reserve for the household troops. But everyone also knew that with the Zhao Camp's training and equipment, plus the ample supplies from Cloud Mountain Trading, even if the militia were sent out to fight on their own, their combat strength would not be poor. At the very least, they could completely overwhelm those powerful families' village braves and ordinary battalions of government troops.

Saying they could serve as household troops meant giving them more regular training, arming them exactly like the household troops, and incorporating them under the command of the Zhao Camp's officers at all levels.

There was no need to worry about the speed of forming these units. They could take shape as soon as they were assembled. With such a force organized, there would naturally be no need to worry about instability in the rear.

"Are we doubling our size?" Wang Zhaojing blurted out in shock.

Zhao Jin nodded and said in a deep voice: "Whether for this time or for the future, we must expand. Expanding the household troops is the first step. Cloud Mountain Trading and its branches at every level must also expand. Otherwise, if our people cannot keep up, the fruits we conquer and seize will be taken by others."

After he finished these words, Wang Zhaojing actually seemed somewhat distracted, or rather, entranced. Everyone in the entire room, including Niu Jinbao and Sun Dalin, who were guarding Zhao Jin, wore the same expression. They were all captivated by the prospect Zhao Jin described.

"Big Brother is finally no longer just enduring in Xuzhou, but heading toward..." Wang Zhaojing began to say, then stopped.

"Once the operation begins, Xuzhou alone will establish a council hall according to the rules over at the prefectural seat. Zhao Shiyi, Li Wu, and the elders of each family will deliberate on important matters of Xuzhou. Ruhui will be in overall charge. Zhaojing will come with me. I will also bring Ma Chonghao along." No one raised any objection to these words of Zhao Jin. Everyone understood why Ma Chonghao had to be brought along.

Just at that moment, Ruhui coughed once, as if wanting to speak. He hesitated, then still said nothing, merely smiling.

Given Zhao Jin's working habits, once he had laid out the arrangements, everyone was to go off and busy themselves with their respective tasks, not to mention how many major matters Zhao Jin had spoken of today.

Very quickly, everyone took their leave. Wang Zhaojing's face bore a look of caution. Though it was said to be the mobilization of household troops and regiments, the busiest at the start would actually be Cloud Mountain Trading. This was especially true since it was the season transitioning from spring into summer, when grain prices were slowly climbing. Allocating large quantities of supplies was no easy task. Moreover, they had to add new militia and patrolmen, which would also delay the farming season and affect the labor force for cultivation. Also, many boats on the Yellow River had to be prepared. The majority of personnel and supplies had to be ferried across from the south bank of the Yellow River. If the boat transport could not keep up, it would delay major affairs.

Many of Cloud Mountain Trading's confidential and important matters were discussed and decided right here by Wang Zhaojing and Ruhui, then sent by urgent letter to Zhou Xuezhi in Qingjiangpu. If there were no objections, they were executed uniformly by the entire organization, top to bottom.

Wang Zhaojing walked as he pondered. Just as he was about to discuss matters with Ruhui, he discovered that Ruhui was still in the room and had not followed him out. He turned his head to look back and saw that Sun Dalin and Niu Jinbao had also left the room and were standing guard at the door. It seemed Ruhui wanted to report something privately. It was rare for Ruhui to do such a thing. Wang Zhaojing paused for a moment, then left on his own.

"Master, not leaving Ma Chonghao in Xuzhou is a brilliant move. Although this man has rendered no small amount of meritorious service, he still cannot be completely trusted. Heaven knows, at a critical juncture like this, if outsiders promised him something, whether he might be won over." Ruhui began by saying.

When Zhao Jin had mentioned this earlier, everyone in the room could understand the reasoning behind this arrangement. Zhao Jin knew this was just the preamble — Ruhui had not come specifically to flatter him over such a routine arrangement. Zhao Jin nodded and said with a smile: "Once these major undertakings are set in motion, I'm afraid Ma Chonghao himself will request to accompany the army. A man like him can certainly figure out the implications."

"Master truly thinks of everything. Your subordinate has a matter that I am not sure whether I should bring up." This was the real subject.

I was out all day, so just one update.