Chapter 725 - Ji Xin's Verdict
"My father, Uncle Zhou, and the three young disciples were separated during the assault!" Qingxia said.
Seeing Innkeeper Chen about to say more, Ji Xin had already grasped the situation. He waved his hand. "Since there are wounds, send her to the doctor for treatment first."
He ordered Qingxia's group taken into custody, their belongings and luggage sent to the Bureau. Innkeeper Chen had made a scene without gaining anything. Though he had vented his anger, he feared the Australian might be swayed by this woman, and he would end up worse off. He returned home with an uneasy heart.
Ji Xin summoned an indigenous clerk, gave him the materials, and instructed him to immediately investigate Innkeeper Chen's accusations among the prisoners. Then he moved on to the next case.
Over two hours later, the clerk returned. Ji Xin heard his report. Sure enough, everything Innkeeper Chen said was true: Qingxia and the young man called Jiang Suo had served as militia instructors and fought on the blockhouse. Even the detail about Qingxia's extraordinary archery and Luo Tianqiu presenting her with a bow was confirmed.
As for Aunt Jiang, she and a man surnamed Zhou had led militia against the Australians. The man surnamed Zhou had died in the melee. The examination report from the temporary hospital also confirmed Aunt Jiang's wound was indeed from a bayonet—a weapon no native used. It absolutely could not have been an accident during practice.
The clerk's capability far exceeded expectations. He had not only gathered information and collected testimony but also located Qingxia's father and the three young disciples. They were all being held in the POW camp.
Ji Xin reviewed the report. By this accounting, only Qingxia's father hadn't participated in fighting and could be released. The three young disciples counted at most as ordinary militia without public grievances—also releasable. But Qingxia, Jiang Suo, and Aunt Jiang, by current regulations, all faced death.
At this thought, Ji Xin felt a stirring of chivalrous sentiment: these people's deaths would be truly unjust. Just trying to earn a living, not even among the lowest "beneficiary class," yet they would be sacrificed alongside the Luo family. But their service as militia instructors and direct combat participation were facts.
He discussed this with Wen Desi, wanting to gauge his attitude.
"If you're asking my view, it's clear," Wen Desi said. "Follow regulations."
Following regulations meant execution. He smiled. "Are the two women pretty?"
"Reasonably attractive." Ji Xin answered honestly. "But I think they're rather wronged... The martial artists executed yesterday at least collected several months' wages. These people never received a single payment—just stayed at the Luo family's place a few days and ate a few meals..."
"If they hadn't directly fought, I'd say executing or not executing doesn't matter much." Wen Desi said. "But since they directly fought, the young woman may well have wounded our people—letting them off so easily is too lenient. Of course, you're the military court's presiding judge now. How to rule is your decision. I absolutely won't interfere."
"You're right." Ji Xin nodded. He had great discretionary authority here, but he feared this discretion might undermine his longtime principle of "equality before the law." Yet simply ordering these people executed troubled his conscience.
Wen Desi suddenly smiled. "If you've taken a fancy to these two women, it's nothing..."
"No, I absolutely haven't taken a fancy to them—"
"Come now, don't deceive yourself. If this group were all strapping men, would you be this conflicted? At most you'd sigh a bit and move on. We're all men—I understand these tender feelings!" Wen Desi said. "This group is mostly women and children—exactly what Lingao lacks. I suggest you treat them as militia without public grievances and spare their lives—just sentence them as bondservants."
Aunt Jiang had her wound cleaned at the temporary hospital. The medic saw her wound was badly infected and not only applied anti-inflammatory powder but also gave her sulfonamide tablets to take.
Aunt Jiang was brought to the room where they were being held—a large hall containing many prisoners. Qingxia's group was assigned a corner. Her father and the three young disciples had already been transferred here. They were weeping together when Aunt Jiang was brought in—the emotions were mixed: after all this chaos, the troupe was finally reunited, but Uncle Zhou was dead.
"Who knows what the crop-heads will do with us." Qingxia wiped her tears. "As soon as they investigate, everything will be clear. People here won't necessarily cover for us either."
"What can they do? Death at worst." Jiang Suo still seemed fearless.
"I think next time we're summoned, we should just confess." Her father sighed. "Beg the Australian masters for mercy. I can see they act fairly and treat common people well. We're just performers—they don't need to kill us."
"When have officials not used commoners' heads for demonstrations?" Jiang Suo muttered discontentedly. "Begging for our lives—I'd rather die."
"If you're so eager to die, go die then!" The old man grew angry—as someone who had lived long, he knew life's value. He scolded Jiang Suo: "Your head isn't a turnip that grows back after you lose it! Young as you are, why so eager to die?"
Jiang Suo didn't dare argue. He felt quite aggrieved. He had firmly opposed working for the Luo family—it was Senior Sister who had agreed, and Master who had acquiesced, that had led to today's situation.
But saying this wouldn't help—it would only cause needless heartache. Jiang Suo could only keep silent. Like most of the troupe, he had no attachments—nothing to leave behind. Yet even claiming not to fear death, imagining being hanged on a frame, kicking as he choked to death, sent chills down his spine.
"Stop daydreaming!" A haggard-faced militiaman beside them said. "Just being militia instructors for Luo—for Luo Tianqiu—is enough to get you hanged. The Australians treat common people fine, but if you've taken up arms against them, they don't hesitate to kill. Those three militia instructors hanged yesterday—they all came for Luo's eighteen taels a month. Now they've left their families behind and gone... Being outsiders, their families probably don't even know they're dead..."
Qingxia wept: "If I'd known this, I should have just given the horse to that black-hearted Innkeeper Chen. Had to show off—and dragged everyone into this..."
Jiang Suo saw her crying bitterly and felt despondent himself, not knowing what to say. The thought of dying here inexplicably drained his fighting spirit.
Everyone felt the future was utterly bleak. The three young disciples started crying too. The hall full of prisoners was already in despair; this triggered everyone to weep. The whole great hall became like a funeral parlor until marine guards came in and shouted eight or nine times before the crying finally stopped. No one spoke anymore; everyone sat with bowed heads.
Seeing Aunt Jiang brought back, everyone's spirits lifted slightly. They quickly laid her on a straw mat. Hearing the crop-heads had treated her wound, the swelling had subsided and her forehead wasn't as hot.
"Senior Sister," Jiang Suo whispered, "don't cry anymore. I don't think the crop-heads will kill us... If they wanted to, why treat Aunt Jiang's wound?"
The next morning, a clerk came to summon someone, saying the military court would continue proceedings. He called Qingxia's name and was about to take her away. Jiang Suo, fearing today's session might involve torture—Senior Sister was after all a woman, and he worried she couldn't endure—quickly requested to accompany her.
"You don't need to go. This doesn't concern you." The clerk said expressionlessly, and led Qingxia away.
In the hall, Ji Xin had someone present multiple witness testimonies and the bow seized from her luggage. Qingxia could no longer deny it. Kneeling, she pleaded desperately, explaining that her father's illness had left them in debt to the Luo family's usury, and later she had received Luo Tianqiu's kindness—she'd had no choice but to serve as militia instructor.
"...Your Honor, this humble woman truly had no choice. It was all this humble woman's foolishness, momentarily failing to distinguish good from evil..." At this, she thought of Luo Tianqiu hanging on the gallows, and her heart ached inexplicably. Hot tears fell. "All decisions were this humble woman's—I implicated the other troupe members. All blame is mine alone. Please, Your Honor, don't harm the innocent..."
"It's good you know you were foolish." Ji Xin saw her weeping pitifully, like pear blossoms in rain. His long-dormant heart rippled slightly. He quickly collected himself and ordered her taken away.
Then he drafted the verdict: Jiang Suo, Aunt Jiang, and the three young disciples were found guilty. Given their brief service to the Luo family and no public grievances, sentences were reduced by one degree—bondservants for seven years, to be sent immediately to Lingao. The old troupe master hadn't participated in battle or served as militia—acquitted.
Personal belongings remained protected as private property, to be taken to Lingao. Weapons were confiscated. Troupe communal property would be returned to the master.
That left Qingxia. Ji Xin had wanted to spare her. But the testimony was extremely unfavorable. Not only did multiple militia confirm she had fought bravely on the blockhouse, but someone had seen her hit several marines—one apparently an officer. This officer was probably Shi Zhiqi.
Such crimes, even if Chief Wen agreed to use clemency to spare her, would face fierce opposition from many in the Element Council. From legal fairness, it made no sense—why could she live when other militia instructors who had also fought were executed? They had also only served a month or two, with no public grievances.
Ji Xin sighed deeply and signed the death warrant.
"In the name of the Element Council and the People, I order the following person to receive necessary disposition."
He signed his name after this sentence. A hollow exhaustion washed over him, like when he had lost his wife years ago. Sometimes human effort couldn't overcome fate. Sometimes human effort couldn't resist society. At this thought, Ji Xin wept.
Sanliang Market's aftermath operations continued for a week. In this time, killings decreased. But seizures yielded much. Reasonable Burden was fully collected. Wen Desi led the plundering of enormous spoils and prisoners, while establishing an "underground government" in Sanliang.
This underground government had Li Cunfa and Monk Daoliao as public figures. During these days, they had negotiated with the Australians, arranged supplies, collected corpses—their efforts maintaining local order had earned local acceptance. Innkeeper Chen, one of the original three liaison officers, was found guilty of repeated extortion. He was executed the day before withdrawal. At Ji Xin's request, no corpse was displayed afterward—immediate cremation followed.
The underground government's real power lay with a covert cell dispatched by External Intelligence. They had quietly entered Dongguan. Some of the deeds and certificates seized from eliminated magnates in Sanliang had secretly been transferred to them. Once things calmed, the operatives could openly use these documents to claim these properties. The transmigrators' reach would thus penetrate deep into Pearl Delta villages and towns, ultimately achieving grassroots "subversion" and "transformation."
The task force's massive raids throughout the Pearl River region threw Guangzhou into unprecedented chaos and instability. True and false reports flew like snowflakes to Guangzhou, causing enormous panic. Wealthy families began fleeing. Li Fengjie had been urging Xu Tingfa and others to strengthen defenses, planning to negotiate peace after one battle with the crop-heads. He had not expected the crop-heads to bypass his heavily fortified Wuchong battery and instead raid everywhere. Emergency reports from all counties snowballed into Guangzhou.
Everywhere, towns were falling. Everywhere, gentry and magnates were being killed. Everywhere, "taxation" was being enforced. When news reached him that Dongguan's magistrate had been forced to pay "city-ransom" to the crop-heads, Li Fengjie was not angry—rather slightly relieved. At least the county seat was saved. If the crop-heads had captured it, the situation would look even worse.
Government troops feared the enemy like tigers, completely failing to protect the people. And the capable local militia were also retreating everywhere before the crop-heads. Shawan, Sanliang, Daojiao, Dafen... in battle after battle, multi-village alliance militia were routed by crop-heads numbering only one-quarter or one-fifth their strength. Originally hoping villages could defend themselves and starve the crop-heads of supplies, instead the crop-heads seized enormous spoils, and every village they passed had to provide provisions. With such abundant supply, they could stay as long as they pleased.
Li Fengjie, at his wit's end, desperately dispatched Humen garrison commander Chen Qian with two thousand hastily recruited water-braves to attack and destroy crop-head flotillas. The moment they left Wuchong, they were caught by patrol boats hunting for opportunities. Eight patrol boats attacked this improvised navy of salt boats and rice barges. After the first volley, the water-braves abandoned ship and fled. In the ensuing battle, these rabble had no will to fight—each fled for himself. Chen Qian's flagship was quickly exposed to the patrol boats' guns. Under fierce fire, the ship caught fire. He barely escaped with his life thanks to quick-thinking guards.
This battle completely destroyed Li Fengjie and others' hope for naval combat. Whether navy regulars or recruited water-braves, none could withstand crop-head artillery. His last hope rested on Li Luoyou—who had secretly traveled to Macau to negotiate borrowing troops from the Portuguese. But so far, not a word had come back.
Macau, the Jesuit College.
"Mr. Lando has returned?" Gelaazzini frowned.
"Yes. He says he has urgent matters to report to the Superior."
"Show him in." Gelaazzini recalled seeing Francesco's letter recently, praising how "the Lord's glory had shone into his dark soul" while noting this Italian rogue was in poor health, lying in the Australian hospital near death, probably about to meet his Maker soon.
Only two months later and he had recovered? Gelaazzini was quite skeptical. He picked up an ivory ball and toyed with it.
Lando entered wearing his stylish outfit as always. His complexion looked excellent—no sign of illness. This made Gelaazzini question whether Francesco's observational skills had declined.
Lando knelt to kiss the Superior's ring. Then he stood respectfully.
"Father, I have important news to report."
Gelaazzini nodded at his servant, who promptly disappeared behind a curtain.
"My child, what news is so urgent?" Gelaazzini was somewhat displeased. Though Lando served the Society effectively and contributed much, he was merely a secular attendant to a priest. Even with urgent news, he should first report to Francesco or Luruohua, who would then report to him. This leap in hierarchy was presumptuous.
This rogue must have obtained something he considered extremely important to act this way.
"Officials in Guangzhou are plotting against Macau."
"What?" Gelaazzini's hand trembled. The ivory ball nearly fell.
Though Gelaazzini wasn't a member of Macau's Municipal Council, he was among the most powerful men in the city. Nothing could be hidden from him. He knew that recently, envoys from Guangzhou had been negotiating on behalf of Ming authorities, asking the Portuguese to help suppress "Australian pirates" ravaging the Pearl River.
(End of Chapter)