Chapter 85: Black, Truly Black!

The gazes of the crowd restored Chen Xie's clarity. Now was not the time to think about women. Just as Wang Chulong walked by, Chen Xie hurriedly bowed in greeting, as they were all "friends." Wang Chulong didn't look too good, hurriedly returned the bow, and was about to leave.

Chen Xie was taken aback, "What's going on?" Yingniang secretly resented Wang Chulong's appearance ruining the atmosphere. She put aside her thoughts and said, "Sir Doctor, please wait a moment." She released her arm and smiled as she approached Wang Chulong. After whispering something in his ear, Wang Chulong nodded repeatedly, seeming less angry. He even smiled and reached out to touch Yingniang, but she nimbly turned away.

This scene left Chen Xie a bit stunned. This woman was truly not simple. Chen Xie subconsciously put aside his fantasies and felt a bit regretful about coming to see Liu Zhang.

When Yingniang finally pushed Wang Chulong into another woman's room and turned back to find Chen Xie, he was already gone. She grabbed someone and asked, only to learn that Chen Xie had left. She quickly chased out the door but only saw the back of a departing carriage.

"What's going on? Why did he leave without saying goodbye?" Yingniang suddenly felt a great deal of discomfort.

Chen Xie saw Liu Zhang's carriage as soon as he stepped out and got in without a word. He sat down and said, "Find a place where we can talk privately."

Liu Zhang didn't hesitate, gave an address, and the carriage headed towards the Zhenhai Gate in the north. When they were a distance from the city gate, the carriage turned and stopped at the entrance of an alley.

"Sir, the carriage can't go in here. Let's walk a few steps." Liu Zhang got out first and opened the door for Chen Xie.

The alley was not long, only a few dozen meters, and at the end was a courtyard. This place was a bit remote, close to the water fort. From a distance, the lights on the city tower were visible, with about six or seven lights lit.

Looking at the tall and majestic city wall, Chen Xie couldn't help but think of the destruction of Dengzhou by Kong Youde as described in books. At that time, the insider was Geng Zhongming. Kong Youde was quite cunning, always putting Li Jiucheng in the front while keeping a back door for himself. This back door was the water fort.

A woman holding a candle came out of the courtyard and, seeing Liu Zhang, smiled and said, "Sir, you've come?"

Chen Xie couldn't help but look in surprise, but Liu Zhang didn't seem embarrassed at all. Chen Xie then remembered that he had also donated for a commendation and was a "sir" who didn't need to bow to officials. In this era, there were many titles, and the same person could be called differently at different times. If Chen Xie hadn't donated for a commendation and wasn't a militia commander, he wouldn't be called "sir."

"Sir, this is my concubine," Liu Zhang explained, and Chen Xie didn't press further. He knew that Liu Zhang's family was in Muping, about 200 miles from Dengzhou, and his wife was still in their hometown. It was not uncommon for men in the Ming Dynasty to have concubines. According to the rules, civil officials could not bring their families when serving in other places. Some officials took concubines while in office, which was actually illegal. However, since officials were also human and couldn't indulge in debauchery, they either took concubines, and everyone pretended not to see, or they played with male companions.

Liu Qing was a merchant, and having a concubine was not criticized. Merchants in the Ming Dynasty were not simple; some were representatives of official and gentry families in business, and some used silver as a weapon, with representatives in the political arena. This was one of the reasons why commercial taxes in the late Ming Dynasty were not collected.

Putting aside the idle talk, another woman soon came out. She didn't look too old, with a face that could be described as pretty. She stood at the door and said, "Sir, weren't you going to the Chunxiang Building to talk about business? Why are you back so soon?" When she saw Chen Xie standing to the side, she immediately stopped smiling and formally greeted him, "I am Lianxin, greetings to Sir Doctor."

Chen Xie smiled and bowed without speaking, which was already quite polite. Liu Zhang said, "Prepare a small meal and warm a pot of wine. I have something to discuss with Sir."

Lianxin led them inside. The place was not large but had two rooms, east and west. They entered the west room, and after placing the candle and serving tea, Lianxin hurried out. A maid waited outside and handed over a bottle of wine, saying, "This is from Sir Doctor's attendant."

Chen Xie then recounted the conversation with Zhang Yao today, but didn't go into details. The gist was that Zhang Yao opposed his joining the military and didn't allow him to expand the militia too much. He also mentioned that there was a thousand-household post near Zhang Family Village.

Liu Zhang pondered for a moment and then clapped his hands, smiling, "Sir, you are incredibly smart. The reason you can't figure this out is because you don't know the Ming military system. Let me explain it to you." After Liu Zhang's explanation, Chen Xie gained a better understanding of the Ming military system. The garrison system was a local military force and could not leave the area without orders from above. Military households were lifelong and generally hereditary. However, the garrison system had long been in decline, and many places were in name only, with military households becoming farmers and officers becoming landlords. There was indeed a thousand-household post near Zhang Family Village, but many military households had fled, and much land was left fallow. Liu Zhang had bought a lot of land, built schools, and constructed militia camps, much of which came from the garrison.

"Sir, you have a large family and business and don't want to live in Dengzhou. Therefore, you want to organize a militia. Mr. Zhang's idea is to use some silver to find a few people from your household guards to take positions in the thousand-household post near Zhang Family Village. One of the joint merchant companies is backed by the garrison's officials. Xu Menghe, the commander of Weihai Garrison, is the biggest backer. In the Ming Dynasty, civil officials were valued more than military ones. Mr. Zhang is afraid you will take the wrong path. Once you join the military, it will be too late. Nowadays, every official in Dengzhou gets a share of the silver from the joint merchant company, ranging from 5,000 to 100,000 taels a year. If you recommend someone, getting a position as a thousand-household commander is not too difficult, costing about 5,000 to 10,000 taels. Then, with Zhang Family Village as your base, you can train whatever you want."

Liu Zhang's words made Chen Xie realize something he hadn't before. The joint merchant company, apart from the officials behind the agents, also benefited the civil officials.

"Take Commander Xu Menghe, for example. The agent Xu Fenggang is his cousin and represents the garrison in business. Xu Fenggang's business wasn't originally that big, but why did he get an agency? Isn't it because of the garrison? If anyone offends him, they offend the entire Weihai Garrison. In my humble opinion, even without a position, if you give him an extra 1,000 daily care sets each month, he will find a position for you. What's a thousand-household commander's life compared to hundreds of thousands of taels a year? It's not much."

These words were a bit chilling, and Chen Xie felt a chill down his back. The Ming Dynasty's officialdom was truly dark, and the military system was even darker. It was clear that Zhang Yao, who was well-versed in the ways of the officialdom, could be quite ruthless.

"Truly dark!" Chen Xie muttered, his face a bit grim. Liu Zhang sighed, "It is dark, isn't it? Isn't the whole Ming Dynasty like this? Take the Dengzhou camp, for example. The roster lists over 9,000 soldiers, but the actual number is definitely less than 60%. Among the remaining 40%, most are old and weak. The truly capable ones are just a few household guards under each general. The entire Dengzhou camp has at most 1,000 capable soldiers, and that's already an overestimate. The garrison is even worse. Take Weihai Garrison, for example. It has one commander, two vice-commanders, four assistant commanders, two pacification officers, one experience officer, one knowledge officer, one clerk, one granary chief, and one deputy granary chief. Below them, each thousand-household post has one chief, two deputy chiefs, two pacification officers, one clerk, and under them, two chief flags and ten small flags. The officials have never changed, but the military households? Compared to when the garrison was first established, if 70% remain, that's already good."

At this point, Suxin brought up the wine and dishes, four cold dishes, and a pot of wine. The taste of the wine was off, and Liu Qing sniffed hard. Modern industrial-produced liquor, without any flavoring, how could it be called wine?

"Smells good, is this Sir's doing? I have a treat today." Liu Qing poured the wine, filled a cup for Chen Xie, and one for himself, and raised it, "Cheers." Chen Xie was very accommodating, and they both drank a cup.

Recognizing the reality, Chen Xie's mood sank. The difficulty of establishing a family business in the Ming Dynasty was far greater than he had anticipated. Despite his previous enthusiasm, it wasn't because Chen Xie was particularly capable, but because he could bring significant benefits to some people.

"Sir, you have astonishing luck. Just arriving in Dengzhou, you met Mr. Zhang. If it were another local gentry, it might not have been so good. The subsequent events, I won't say, but you know very well. If it weren't for the American goods that only you can provide, how many bloodthirsty mouths are there in the Dengzhou region? Any one of them would want to swallow you whole. Hehe, the Ming Dynasty!"

This was the first time Liu Qing had spoken so openly to Chen Xie, and it was because Chen Xie had discussed the thousand-household position with him, giving him a sense of being a confidant. Having spent years in the business world, Liu Qing keenly sensed that following Chen Xie might lead to something significant. Especially after seeing Chen Xie's military training methods, this feeling became even stronger. Today was an opportunity to firmly attach himself to Chen Xie, who was destined for greater things, and perhaps in the future, he could shed his merchant identity, obtain an official position, and bring glory to his ancestors.

As Chen Xie silently pondered, Liu Qing watched with joy, thinking that his earnest talk had been heard. It was time to add a strong dose: "Sir, in the current governance of Dengzhou and Laizhou, many people have profited from you. These people, no matter who they are, will not go against silver. As long as your supply continues, the silver will not decrease, and they won't have to think too much. Who would easily have the idea to move against you, and who would dare to?"

These words lifted Chen Xie's somewhat dejected mood, "That's true, that's the logic." While he said this, Chen Xie was determined to accelerate the military buildup. As long as he had a strong army, who would dare to act rashly? He would ask the rifles if they agreed.

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