Chapter 777 – New Year's Reception
"Your telegram." A naturalized-citizen cadre from the General Office's confidential communications room set a locked folder on Wu De's desk. This was standard protocol for documents marked "Confidential" and above—Executive Committee members, People's Commissioners, and ministers each carried their own special key.
Wu De unlocked the folder and withdrew the telegram. Stamped "Top Secret," it bore He Fanghui's name from Sanya, where he served as civilian-affairs chief among the three elders stationed there.
The telegram reported the arrival of the first batch of Southeast Asian slaves: 254 souls. Physical condition: good. All healthy adult males—no children, no elderly.
So the Englishman actually delivered on schedule, Wu De mused. Using Southeast Asian slaves had become settled House policy, driven by both labor demands and strategic considerations for the future. Even had Quark fallen through, the Executive Committee maintained backup arrangements with other foreign merchants.
He stamped his seal in the viewing-roster column at the bottom, relocked the folder, and returned it to the courier. Then he opened a file on his desk labeled "Labor Force." Inside lay weekly statistical breakdowns of "disposable labor," categorized by age, sex, region, and industry. In the grand scheme, adding 254 workers to Sanya District—where 4,761 had been shipped in and 3,850 currently remained—seemed a modest number. But slaves would drastically reduce the death rate among trained naturalized laborers; the most dangerous, backbreaking work would now fall entirely on expendable bodies. After tasting success with this shipment, Quark would send an endless stream, easily meeting local labor demand and consumption.
Of course, labor demand was bottomless. With He Rubin's retreat, all of Hainan would fall under their control. The Planning Commission estimated the population under House authority would balloon to somewhere between 400,000 and 600,000. Yet mobilizing them fully required extensive groundwork: bandit suppression, village consolidation, household registration, census-taking. Even the most optimistic projections held that Qiongzhou's population couldn't be effectively utilized until early 1632. By contrast, indentured-contract immigrants and purchased slaves offered far greater convenience.
Beyond slaves, the Executive Committee was also seeking new population sources. Refugees from Guangdong and Fujian were nearly exhausted. Once again, the Committee turned to the Grand Library—hunting for opportunities amid the ceaseless natural disasters and man-made catastrophes of the late Ming.
The idea is sound, Wu De thought, but the precondition is sufficient shipping capacity—and Liu Xiang is currently hiding who-knows-where… Many technical details remained unresolved.
He was still contemplating when his private secretary Chu Yu entered with a red invitation.
"Whose invitation?" Wu De asked curiously. The only invitations that reached his desk were for elders' personal happy occasions. Yun Suji's invitation to marry Liu Meilan, grand-niece of Liu Youren, chief of the Liu Family Stockade, had arrived just yesterday. At the time, Wu De had fretted over whether to give a red envelope; ultimately, he'd decided on a gift instead.
"Commissioner Wu's," Chu Yu said.
"Commissioner Wu?" Wu De paused, realizing she meant Wu Nanhai. Wu Nanhai was getting married? His mind immediately turned to the women at the farm.
"It's Chu Qing…" A hint of wistfulness colored Chu Yu's voice—they shared the same origins. Watching a former sister become an elder's wife was bound to stir complicated feelings.
"Oh, yes. Her." Wu De nodded noncommittally.
The 1631 New Year's reception, organized by Fang Fei and Zheng Shangjie, proceeded on schedule. Apart from essential duty personnel, most elders attended the event at Lingjiao Park. Beyond the elders themselves, local "collaborators" received invitations—primarily members of the County Consultative Assembly and directors of the East Gate Market Commercial Association: Lin Quan'an, Liu Youren, Zhang Youfu, Li Sunqian… Even Fu Bu'er, a minor landlord who barely qualified, was invited as a "model" from the Tiandihui.
The remnants of the Ming bureaucracy in Lingao—Vice-Magistrate Wu Ya, Jail Warden Sun Ruiwu, Constable Fu Bowen, County School Instructor Wang Ci, and even the completely puppet Lingao magistrate Wu Mingjin—all received invitations. And Wang Zhaomin, who had contributed more than anyone else to the elders, was naturally on the list.
Besides this motley crew—which Du Wen labeled "freaks and monsters"—there were representatives of naturalized citizens: outstanding individuals selected from soldiers, cadres, workers, cooperative members, and students. Liu Muzhou was planning a "Model Worker Selection" pageant after the new year. Of course, once model workers were involved, a "March Eighth Red Banner Bearer" designation probably couldn't be avoided—otherwise Du Wen wouldn't let him off.
Every invited native considered it a tremendous honor. The transmigrators' defeat of the imperial army and their expansion across all of Qiongzhou had given high and low alike a premonition that "Heaven's mandate was changing." Both the upper and lower strata teemed with people eager to board the Australian ship amid these turbulent times and secure wealth for themselves and their clans. Nearly all invitees accepted. Even Wu Mingjin—who had maintained a posture of "neither surrender nor leave" and preached non-violent non-cooperation—arrived beaming in a sedan chair.
The reception began at 5:00 PM on December 31. Mu Min personally oversaw security at the venue. Though many natives were present—all either "activists" or rated "reliable" in security assessments—Mu Min knew this offered no absolute guarantee. Security work had to be foolproof.
By the designated hour, over 400 elders and roughly 100 elite figures of the transmigrators' "New Order" would gather in Lingjiao Park. Any casualties would deal a devastating blow to the enterprise.
As the direct security chief for elders and the Green Zone, Mu Min coordinated with various departments at an internal-security meeting to finalize the protection plan. A first perimeter was set 50 meters outside Lingjiao Park, manned by Li Yayang's 2nd Company of the Lingao Garrison Battalion. A police unit composed of the Bopu Precinct and Fangcaodi's Police Training Class would maintain order and check IDs at the two park entrances. Inside, the Special Reconnaissance Squad's Bopu Detachment handled security and controlled all high points. Finally, agents from the General Bureau of Political Security formed the inner perimeter. At sea, naval patrol boats formed three defensive lines, forbidding all vessels and persons within one nautical mile of the park's shoreline.
Beyond security, the reception had to account for fire and accident prevention—there were gas lamps, barbecue grills to consider. Mu Min had personally surveyed the terrain and convened several meetings, discussing venue layout, buffet-table placement, grill positions, evacuation routes, and even how much extra lighting to add.
Now everything was ready; they awaited only the guests. Lingjiao Park was decked with lanterns and streamers, gas lamps blazing. Feiyun, moored at the pier, was strung with festive lights. Loudspeakers played "Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon" and "Spring Festival Overture," filling the air with lively, joyful atmosphere.
Guests arrived in twos and threes—some on foot, some in sedan chairs, some on bicycles—approaching the plaza before Lingjiao Park. This was already a second-tier security zone; no one without an invitation could enter.
Liu Youren beamed as he arrived by sedan chair. Elder Xun had finally given a definite promise regarding the marriage to Liu Meilan. The matter that had hung in suspense for nearly a year was at last settled, and the Liu family's relationship with the elders could no longer be measured by old standards. Stroking his beard, he gazed cheerfully at the bamboo-framed gate. This so-called "park" had always been restricted to elders, shrouded in mystery. Attending this "reception" and seeing it in person was exciting in itself.
Whistles sounded across the plaza as several police blew their whistles and ran about, directing each family's sedan chair into numbered "sedan slots" arranged in orderly rows. Porters were led by attendants to temporary rest sheds. Liu Youren knew the Australian rules: only invitees themselves were permitted inside; servants could not follow. He sent his attendants off and headed for the gate, invitation in hand.
He had taken only a few steps when a middle-aged gentleman emerged from a two-man sedan. Peering closely—wasn't that Wu Mingjin? Long idle and well-fed, the man had put on considerable weight. A cloud-patterned cap sat on his head; he wore a blue silk robe—the picture of a middle-class literatus.
Liu Youren immediately stepped forward and bowed in greeting. Wu Mingjin's Ming county-magistrate title was now empty; no special deference was required.
Wu Mingjin was exceedingly polite. He had long heard rumors that the bald folk intended to take Liu Youren's grand-niece as a concubine. Privately, he scorned this bumpkin landlord, but his face betrayed nothing—these "new nobles" of the transmigrators were not to be offended.
"Is Your Honor also here for the reception?"
"Indeed," Wu Mingjin nodded. "Year's end, nothing better to do—might as well enjoy myself."
"Year's end" referred to the "Great Song Calendar"—the Gregorian calendar. By the concurrent Great Ming Calendar, the new year was still two months away. But under the elders' influence, Lingao had widely adopted the Gregorian calendar, gradually reshaping everyone's habits.
They were still chatting when a scholar in a blue-edged gown came puffing up nearby. Spotting Wu Mingjin, he immediately performed a deep formal bow, drawing glances from passersby.
"Your Honor! You're here too?" The newcomer was none other than County School Instructor Wang Ci. He had walked here on foot; his forehead dripped with sweat. His gown was tolerably neat but emanated the stale-sweat smell of old clothes.
(End of Chapter)