Chapter 813 - The People of Leizhou Station
After completing the formalities, members of the new and old leadership teams held a welcome and farewell banquet at the Leizhou Station headquarters—formerly Zhu An's residence. All attendees were Elders. To avoid provoking the "comrade from Central"—especially since she was a woman, and women tended to be more perceptive about such things, and a married woman at that—the banquet was scrupulously proper. There was no "entertainment" of the sort the masses enjoyed, and the dishes, while delicious, remained practical.
Views were exchanged cheerfully around the table. Yan Maoda had originally belonged to the Guangzhou-Leizhou faction and frequently came to Leizhou on trade business, so he was thoroughly familiar with the Leizhou Station personnel. Bei Kai, too, had once traveled to Vietnam with Chang Shide in search of the Hongji coal deposits, making him no stranger either. By comparison, Jin Zhijiao was a pure outsider. Perhaps sensing that her presence prevented everyone from relaxing, she excused herself soon after eating to return to her room—she still had accounts to audit and a report to write for the Cheka. Unlike the Guangzhou Station, the Leizhou Station had fewer economic entities and simpler account categories. Jin Zhijiao and several female apprentices had been stationed in Leizhou since the annual meeting ended and had essentially cleared everything up.
Once Jin Zhijiao departed, Wen Tong instructed someone to clear the table, then had Ah Zhu set out tea, snacks, melon seeds, cigarettes, and sundry refreshments in the living room of his own small courtyard. The group settled in to drink tea and talk.
After some small talk, conversation turned to the future operations of the Leizhou Station. The Vietnam Trade Company had been separated from the Leizhou Station system, becoming a state-owned direct-operation company. Though its "status" had been elevated, since the headquarters remained in Leizhou and a substantial portion of its trade goods consisted of Leizhou sugar, cooperation with the Leizhou Station remained inseparable.
"I truly hate to see you go," Wen Tong said with emotion to Chang Shide. "The Leizhou sugar industry can't do without you."
"Most things are set up by now anyway. Let the Tiandihui and Delong Bank people handle it from here—they're more professional than I am." Chang Shide was privately dissatisfied with this transfer but kept his expression indifferent. "If the two of us keep generating so much passion here, that bunch in the Council of Elders will die of jealousy. Don't worry—even though I, Chang Shide, am no longer in Leizhou, alive I am a Leizhou Station man, dead I am a Leizhou Station ghost."
Wen Tong sighed. "Take care of yourself. Without you, staying in Leizhou loses its meaning."
"Don't say that. Leizhou is a living piece on the Council of Elders' game board. Right now it's a major source of hard currency—just the net income of over a hundred thousand taels of silver annually, plus the rice and coal exchanged from Vietnam. Calling our Leizhou Station Lingao's blood bank isn't an exaggeration. Leizhou is a vast world where much can be accomplished!"
When the Guangzhou Station had been forced to retreat, the Leizhou Station continued operations, serving as Lingao's only external channel at the time. In a situation where all trade was successively cut off and imports and exports nearly paralyzed, Leizhou fully leveraged its geographical advantage—facing Lingao across the strait—to continue handling bulk commodity exports and coal and rice imports.
In this respect, the Leizhou Station's contributions and achievements even surpassed those of the Guangzhou Station. After the Chengmai Campaign ended, the Leizhou Station Elders received a Collective Second-Class Merit Medal in addition to the Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign Commemorative Medal and the Chengmai Campaign Victory Medal. In terms of decorations, they ranked higher than the Guangzhou Station personnel.
News from Lingao also indicated that the Executive Committee intended to make Leizhou the first prefecture on the mainland to be "Lingao-ized." The importance attached to Leizhou was evident.
For the past two years, Wen Tong had managed internal affairs and technical work in Leizhou. His energy was focused on the South China Sugar Factory, while the Leizhou Sugar Industry Guild and the Leizhou Sugar Production Association were essentially Chang Shide's responsibility.
After the Sugar War, the Leizhou Station had successfully integrated Leizhou's sugar trade. Subsequently, Chang Shide focused mainly on sugarcane production, organizing the Leizhou Sugar Production Association. This sugarcane-planting organization—modeled on the Japanese agricultural cooperative system—supported farmers by issuing loans. It not only dealt a heavy blow to local rural moneylenders but also distributed Lingao's grain circulation coupons. This modest reform increased farmers' enthusiasm for production while covertly bringing local sugarcane sources under control. During the 1630 crushing season, the South China Sugar Factory effectively controlled over ninety percent of sugar cane production in Xuwen and Haikang counties. Local traditional sugar sheds—except for those in a few remote areas with poor transport—suffered devastating blows. The small loans also allowed Lingao's grain circulation coupons to begin penetrating local commerce.
For the next phase, Chang Shide had already reached agreement with the Tiandihui: specialists would be sent to Leizhou to improve sugarcane varieties and promote new fertilizers and pesticides. But the Organization Department's sudden transfer left him somewhat brooding. It wasn't that he clung to power—being reassigned to Lingao would certainly mean a newer, larger appointment—but leaving the Leizhou situation half-finished felt like abandoning work midway.
"You currently hold both the Secretary-General of the Leizhou Sugar Industry Guild and the Chairmanship of the Sugar Production Association," Wen Tong observed. "Who will take over when you leave? The naturalized citizens can't prop up this structure yet." Since he supervised technical work, he didn't deal much with locals; Chang Shide was the one holding up the front. He feared things would collapse once Chang departed.
"Let Chen Tianxiong take it. Or ask Lingao to send another person. I think someone from the Tiandihui system would be ideal—more convenient if they know the profession. Later, train up the Wen brothers. Ah Zhu and Qiu Han can receive more training too."
"All right. I'm just afraid he won't be willing." Wen Tong nodded. "Old Chen is extremely busy himself."
Chen Tianxiong, as the External Intelligence Bureau's dedicated intelligence officer in Leizhou, focused on gathering intelligence regarding local customs and geography in Leizhou and surrounding counties. Recently he had traveled to Gaozhou. Using the cover of a Taoist priest from Monk Zou's Temple, it was safe and convenient for him to travel as an outsider. Zhang Yingchen had recognized the value of Chen Tianxiong's activities and specifically held a business meeting with him during the annual meeting. Thus Monk Zou's Temple became the New Taoism's first foothold on the mainland.
Wen Tong suspected Chen Tianxiong wouldn't necessarily want this position, and the matter would require approval from the External Intelligence Bureau.
"Who came up with this absurd idea? Moving people around randomly like this—is there any continuity in planning?" Wen Tong's frustration flared. He was someone accustomed to methodical work and hated leaders issuing blind orders and creating chaos. In his view, transferring Chang Shide now dealt a major blow to the sugar industry reform led by the Leizhou Station.
"Don't complain yet," Yan Maoda counseled. True to his business background, he remained composed. "A transfer is a transfer. Staying in one place too long isn't good either. Moving around is preparation for doing bigger things in the future." He actually welcomed this transfer—remaining at the Guangzhou Station offered limited room for development, while coming to Leizhou to head Vietnam trade promised considerable scope. "Perhaps Old Chang is being sent somewhere better this time."
~
Returning to his own courtyard, Wen Tong was still holding onto his irritation. His women—now formally termed maidservants—were chatting in the living room. Originally he had only Ah Zhu, whom Chang Shide had helped him purchase. Later, Ah Zhu introduced a woman named Qiu Han—who had formerly served as Third Master Zhu's concubine. She made no secret of it, saying only that after Third Master Zhu died she had nowhere to go and begged the Master to take her in.
Wen Tong, moved partly by Ah Zhu's pleading and partly because Qiu Han was quite attractive with a voluptuous figure—better looking than Ah Zhu—observed her kneeling on the ground, begging humbly. His male chauvinism and compassion erupted simultaneously, and ignoring Chen Tianxiong's fierce objections, he took her in. Chang Shide was highly supportive of this decision, remarking that possessing an enemy's woman was a great pleasure.
"If she dares speak or act out of turn, hang her up and whip her with lashes dipped in cold water. See if that doesn't make her obedient!" Chang Shide had imparted his experience to Wen Tong. "The more you beat them, the more obedient they become. The less they dare harbor second thoughts."
Wen Tong privately disagreed—he felt Old Chang's woman-handling techniques amounted to fascist dictatorship rather than the "militarized maidservant management" he preached. He had long harbored certain suspicions about Chang's proclivities.
The lamps in the courtyard were lit—there was no electricity here; they burned gas lamps. Qiu Han waited for him at the door. Following the Elders' preferences, her hair was tied loosely without a formal bun, and she wore a waist-cinched so-called "New Hanfu." This was something Chang Shide had acquired from Zheng Shangjie during his return for the annual meeting.
"Master." Seeing Wen Tong approach, Qiu Han hurried forward to welcome him.
Qiu Han had served as a personal maid in a wealthy household before becoming Third Master Zhu's concubine. She had mastered a full repertoire of domestic skills—excelling in cooking and needlework—and was adept at gentle attentiveness. Compared to Ah Zhu, the poor fishergirl who could only serve her master with her body, Qiu Han was far more pleasing. Originally, both Wen Tong and Chang Shide had been wary of her, but as time passed, they gradually relaxed. Qiu Han appeared increasingly favored, surpassing her good sister Ah Zhu to seemingly become Wen Tong's primary maidservant. The nights she served him alone grew more frequent—Wen Tong wasn't accustomed to Chang Shide's heroic style of having several women attend him simultaneously.
The room had been remodeled to modern standards, with greatly improved insulation and privacy. A gas lamp lit the space brightly. A bathroom had been installed, fitted with a Lingao-made custom double bathtub filled with steaming hot water.
Herbal bath liquid produced by the Light Industry Ministry had been added to the water, filling the bathroom with a pleasant fragrance. This was a luxury item sold with the bathroom suite—essentially distilled natural spices. The Light Industry Ministry's accompanying pamphlet hinted that using it in bathwater produced aphrodisiac effects, causing wealthy buyers to flock to it enthusiastically, though the claim was purely marketing.
(End of Chapter)