Chapter 322 - Changing Tactics

"Xin Nachun is Xin Nari's younger sister. This girl is something else—she has a fiery temper and dares to slaughter pigs herself. Ordinary young men aren't good enough for her."

"Mm." Liu Si kept his voice low. "Tell me everything about the village and its people properly."

"Why do you want to know these things?" Widow Zhou spat playfully, her almond eyes full of spring. "Going to suck up to those two female officials again? A grown man, taking orders from two women—shame on you!"

"They're Chiefs; they pay my salary. Even officials have to kneel before the Empress Dowager. Besides, those two broads are tall and sturdy, like big horses. How could your Fourth Brother look at them—" Liu Si pulled the woman into his arms, reached his hand inside from her waist, rubbed up and down, and whispered into her ear: "Good wife, tell Fourth Brother everything about the village properly, and I won't let you lack comfort tonight..."

Liu Si's selfishness and "using public office for private gain" actually made him the person with the most comprehensive local knowledge in the team. From Widow Zhou, he learned a great deal about the village—especially recent movements among bandit families. This was crucial intelligence. He dared not neglect it, and that night, after returning from Widow Zhou's house, he reported everything to the two women in full detail.

"So this gang of bandits is still lingering like ghosts," said Dong Weiwei.

Du Wen gnashed her teeth: "Seems we need severe suppression!" She thought for a moment. "Are the households making trouble landlords or rich peasants?"

"Landlords, rich peasants?" Liu Si was stunned. He'd learned basic social class division at the Peasant Movement Institute, but hadn't expected such a question. He hesitated: "Not really—"

Dong Weiwei cut through the ideological discussion: "Whatever landlords or poor peasants, let Liu Si speak business first!" She turned to him: "What is the common people's attitude toward us now? Bandit families remain so rampant—why won't anyone organize village braves for self-defense?"

"The village folk have Three Fears," Liu Si said. "First, they fear the work team settling accounts on the issue of 'following bandits.'"

The Thirteen Villages area had been the bandits' old nest. Few ordinary families lacked entanglements with outlaws—at minimum, they'd supplied grain and fodder, not to mention those who'd followed along to fish for benefits. If investigated, all could be considered "collaborators." Even those who didn't die would lose a layer of skin.

Second was fear of bandit retaliation should they recover. Some people who intended to approach the work team worried that if the team left and bandits returned, vengeance would be ferocious. Many still harbored lingering fears about the massacre after Dang Namen established his gang years ago—nearly all families with grudges against him had lost members, some exterminated entirely. Others had fled.

"Third is fear of going to war." Liu Si summarized in his substandard Mandarin. "Afraid that after establishing village braves, they'll be transferred out to fight bandits."

Dong Weiwei said: "When the Security Corps was formed months ago, Thirteen Villages should have also provided men. I don't recall hearing about war-fear then."

"They did send men. I heard Dang Namen said at the time that the... Baldies... weren't to be trifled with, so they dealt with it by sending a few. Each village contributed some bachelors and outsiders."

"So cowardly—if they're afraid of fighting bandits, what's the use of building village braves?" Du Wen was discouraged.

"You can't say that. Bandits beat and killed fear into them." Dong Weiwei said, "Since there are Three Fears, we must first make them not afraid. Only with courage will they dare act."

"If Xin Nari isn't caught and publicly beheaded, people's hearts won't settle. Building militia to control Thirteen Villages won't happen."

But news from daily radio contact wasn't encouraging—Xin Nari remained unfound; no bandit suppression detachment reported capturing or killing him.

Intelligence collected by other cadets was similar. Most attitudes were indifferent. The few people won over only provided basic information. In summary: beneath the calm surface, an undercurrent surged. The destruction of the Dang Namen gang was like throwing a stone into these waters. Bandit families whose relatives were killed wanted revenge; families persecuted by bandits thought of settling old grievances. Hatred was fermenting. A fierce storm loomed—but Du Wen and Dong Weiwei had seriously underestimated the severity of their situation.

After Liu Si left, the two women began a new round of arguments—this time about arresting bandit families. Du Wen demanded immediate arrests of all bandit families to "knock out their prestige." Dong Weiwei disagreed, believing arrests based merely on Liu Si's few words was too credulous.

"Besides, arrest whole families or just the men? What do we do afterward?" Dong Weiwei asked.

Du Wen paused—arresting was easy, but handling them after...

"Hold a mass struggle meeting!" She finally found another trick from land reform.

"Not necessarily useful." Dong Weiwei shook her head repeatedly. "Easy to arrest bandit families. But will victim families willingly come out to struggle against them? Bystander masses are the majority here—they still have scruples about scattered bandits outside. They may not be mobilized."

"What do you suggest?"

"Wait and see." Dong Weiwei couldn't produce any clever plan either. "It would be great if we could catch Xin Nari and bring him back for public trial."

"Isn't that the same as saying nothing?" Du Wen felt frustrated.

"We should find out details first." Dong Weiwei's eyes rolled. "We can use the foreigner in the back."

"Use the foreigner for what?" Du Wen instinctively disliked that man.

"Make him serve our purpose. He's not one of us—though no one listens to his stuff, moving around is more convenient for him than for us. Asking him to collect village intelligence and do some propaganda is quite useful."

Though Du Wen found this unreliable, since the failed mass meeting she'd begun doubting her consistent correctness. She didn't insist, and immediately sent someone to fetch Bai Duolu.

Bai Duolu came from the back wearing a mournful face—since arriving in Daolu Village, he'd practically become Lu Ruohua's manservant. He also had to print propaganda materials: before leaving, Lu Ruohua had made him write several missionary pieces, paid Zhou Dongtian's printing shop to carve woodblocks, and carried them tirelessly to the village.

When summoned to the second courtyard, his hands were covered in black ink. He wiped them with paper—quite heartbroken because the propaganda materials he'd labored over had recently appeared in various daily uses throughout the village. He could even spot them in the latrine.

Bai Duolu considered and agreed; moreover, this was the only way to break through the current impasse.

"Okay, I'll talk to Father Lu." Afterward, he felt he was sinning heavily—wondering if he should go for confession and penance.

Returning to the room, he saw Lu Ruohua still working hard under an oil lamp, writing something with a locally made quill pen—probably another sermon.

"Father—" He interrupted the diligent Frenchman. "I have something to say..."

"What is it, my child?" Lu Ruohua's expression was extraordinarily modest.

"Should we change our methods?"

"Oh." Father Lu was obviously interested. "You're finally willing to discuss this with me."

"Yes, Father. I have some ideas."

"Please speak, my child."

"I think there's no need to print and distribute things like leaflets anymore. Most people here are illiterate—they can't read at all. No matter how many you print, they just use them as daily paper... I think you've noticed this problem too, Father."

"Yes." Lu Ruohua nodded.

"You know, your audience is Chinese. And I am also Chinese. So I understand Chinese thinking." Bai Duolu said, "Chinese people are essentially a realistic nation..."

Bai Duolu began expounding what Dong Weiwei had said—actually, these insights weren't strange to him either.

He talked at length; Lu Ruohua remained silent. Finally, he spoke: "My child, the Bible says..."

"Father," Bai Duolu said very humbly, "..."

Lu Ruohua nodded: "I understand your intentions, my child." He closed his eyes, seemingly pondering. Bai Duolu slipped away quietly.