Chapter 1073 - Suppression and Appeasement
By now, Sun Yuanhua grew increasingly desperate for reinforcements. He dispatched messengers to every place he might call on for help, mobilizing troops wherever possible. Simultaneously, he issued a summons for Huang Long's subordinates in Dongjiang to come to Laizhou's aid. He also urgently requested reinforcements from Yu Dacheng—he estimated Yu Dacheng would not refuse. Though Yu Dacheng had initially favored "appeasement," the immediate priority was holding Laizhou and blocking the rebels' path of expansion, preventing the chaos from poisoning all of Shandong. So long as Yu Dacheng grasped this, he would not deny the request.
Yu Dacheng was, at that very moment, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Word had come from his memorial-reading study in the Capital that Court opinion was shifting dangerously against him—dismissal and arrest for questioning loomed as real possibilities. Recently, he had received a Court Letter instructing him to "effectively investigate" the whereabouts of Sun Yuanhua and others.
After Dengzhou fell, Yu Dacheng had lost all trace of Sun Yuanhua. Now, suddenly receiving Sun's urgent request for help, he learned the man was not only safe but actively defending Laizhou. A great sigh of relief escaped him—matters would be far easier to manage with Sun Yuanhua accounted for.
In his letter, Sun Yuanhua briefly described his escape. The account inevitably contained "artistic processing"—he could not, of course, admit to having been rescued by anyone. Lu Wenyuan had specifically reminded him that he must absolutely never acknowledge his capture. Sun Yuanhua understood for himself that this was the vital point. Fortunately, now that he was free, he could shape the narrative as he wished.
As for Dengzhou Intendant Song Guanglan, Surveillance Commissioner Wang Zheng, Governor's Command Brigade Commander Zhang Tao, and others captured alongside him, Sun Yuanhua followed the suggestions of Lu Yang and his associates. He claimed they had broken out separately when the city fell, their fates unknown.
Since Sun Yuanhua had already been rescued, whether Kong Youde would release Song Guanglan, Wang Zheng, Zhang Tao, and the others—as he had in the original history—remained uncertain. For now, claiming ignorance was safer. If they were killed, the matter was simple enough. If Kong Youde still released them, the Special Reconnaissance Team would intercept them at the first opportunity and dispose of them according to circumstances. Among these captives, Wang Zheng had personally witnessed Sun Yuanhua's failed suicide attempt and subsequent capture. Others had probably heard of it too. They had to be detained to prevent leaks. Their identities and status differed from ordinary soldiers and civilians—once they stated that Sun Yuanhua had been captured, cleaning up that stain would become exceedingly difficult.
Beyond requesting reinforcements, the question of suppression versus appeasement was also discussed. What surprised Yu Dacheng was Sun Yuanhua's changed attitude—from full advocacy of "appeasement" to "painful suppression." One had to remember that when Kong Youde besieged Dengzhou, Sun Yuanhua had specifically written asking Yu Dacheng to lobby Xiong Mingyu on his behalf, seeking a way to appease Kong Youde's troops. He had even sent a box of gold, silver, and jewelry of considerable value for lobbying purposes.
Yu Dacheng held no strong opinion on suppression versus appeasement. He harbored no particular feelings toward Kong Youde and company, nor any burning desire to see them dead. For him, appeasement simply represented the lower-cost approach. The Court was in dire straits, needing troops everywhere. "Suppression" was easy to say—but where would the soldiers and horses come from? Not to mention the massive quantities of grain and pay that would need to be raised locally.
Nevertheless, Yu Dacheng decided he no longer cared about suppression or appeasement. Since Sun Yuanhua had survived, the burden of dealing with the rebels fell first upon his shoulders. Let him suppress or appease as he pleased. Yu Dacheng immediately summoned his advisor to consider how to dispatch reinforcements—and an even more pressing matter: how to compose his memorial to the Court.
But Yu Dacheng's fate could no longer be altered. Not long after his memorial was dispatched, on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the rebels captured Huang County. Yu Dacheng was dismissed from office and subsequently arrested for punishment. By this time, however, Sun Yuanhua had already established himself firmly in Laizhou. His memorial had been officially presented to the Court.
Sun Yuanhua possessed keen political instincts. After Dengzhou fell, Kong Youde, Li Jiucheng, and others had attempted to pull him into their band, hoping he would raise the banner of rebellion alongside them. After being "inspired" by Lu Wenyuan and his associates, he realized that "appeasement" not only could not resolve this rebellion but would create countless enemies for him at Court—especially officials from Shandong origins. If he continued to insist on appeasement, they who had previously held neutral attitudes would inevitably attack him with concentrated intensity.
Therefore, in his letters to Xu Guangqi, Zhou Yanru, Xiong Mingyu, and others, after briefly recounting his "breakout and escape," Sun Yuanhua reversed his previous stance on future countermeasures. He now proposed "painful suppression."
Not merely should troops from Zhili and other regions be deployed—some elite forces should be transferred back from Liaodong to join the campaign.
This shift to "painful suppression" arose not solely from consideration of his political survival but also contained an element of genuine hatred. He had consistently trusted Kong Youde and the other Dongjiang veterans, and they had betrayed him.
Lu Wenyuan and his associates monitored the situation in Laizhou constantly. Because radio equipment was limited and precious, Lu Wenyuan had established a pigeon loft shortly after arriving on Qimu Island and built a carrier pigeon communication system. Before accompanying Sun to Laizhou, the assigned team had specifically carried a group of carrier pigeons. Reports arrived on Lu Wenyuan's desk every day.
"Old Sun is quite capable—his skill at being an official is really not bad." Lu Wenyuan reviewed the team's reports. Combined with intelligence from Leng Ningyun's side, he could clearly trace the evolving situation in Shandong.
"He rose from a mere Juren, recommended as an aide. In ten years, he became Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou. How could he lack skill in officialdom?" Lu Yang sighed. "Old Sun is a capable man. Given enough time, perhaps the Manchus really would have been wiped out by his New Army."
"Those words are too naive. In the late Ming situation, the Great Ming Court has no solution. Unless there were a strong Emperor—not necessarily Zhu Babax, but at least a strongman like Yongle."
Sun Chengzong and Xiong Tingbi had actually both possessed opportunities. Even Yuan Chonghuan, whose reputation in the Senate was mixed, might have "Recovered Liao." Given the disparity in strength between Great Ming and Later Jin—so long as any reasonably capable minister set his mind to achieving that strategic goal, the task wouldn't have been too difficult.
"Their teammates were too dismal—not merely pig-like teammates, but ones who dug pits for you constantly. No matter how capable you are, without a strong emperor like Yongle or Zhu Baba covering you, no one can accomplish anything." Lu Wenyuan said. "Look at the surrendered officials and generals of Great Ming. Before surrendering, every one of them was fatuous and afraid of death. After surrendering, every one was decisive and skilled in battle..." As he spoke, he monitored the latest situation on the map. Huang County had been captured by the rebels yesterday. Within a day or two, the surrounding area would descend into chaos—what the twenty-first century would call a "humanitarian disaster" was unfolding.
"Invite Chief Zhu," Lu Wenyuan instructed his secretary.
Zhu Mingxia had essentially devoted himself to one thing these past days: training troops.
Besides the Northbound Detachment's daily training and targeted exercises, he also organized and trained the Qimu Island Village Braves—an auxiliary armed force.
The Qimu Island Village Braves had been expanded from Lu Wenyuan's original village brave team, supplemented by many local refugees and others sent by Daoist Zhang from Yizhou. Since the Qimu Island refugee camp opened, refugees had arrived in waves. Selecting suitable soldiers from a mass of dark-complexioned, skeletal figures was no easy task, but the population base was large enough. He had ultimately selected eight hundred men to serve as the local auxiliary force.
The refugees chosen for the Qimu Island Village Braves were all young men between eighteen and twenty-two years of age—according to the view of the French Army before World War I, men over twenty made poor soldier material. The best cannon fodder came from the 18-20 age range. The result was that before 1914 ended, France had lost a generation.
Zhu Mingxia considered the French view sound. At low technological levels, young soldiers did possess advantages: they had spirit, were easily aroused, lacked understanding of death, and dared to fight and risk their lives in battle.
The selected soldiers messed separately, their nutrition specially enhanced. Young people possessed strong vitality; good nutritional support and moderate physical exercise could restore fitness quickly.
The Education Administration Department had assigned him a designation: "Peace Preservation Corps Provisional Shandong First Advance Column." The unit was organized according to Peace Preservation Corps establishment, equipped entirely with cold weapons.
Auxiliary forces were essential for the Northbound Detachment. Personnel numbers were limited, and some had to be detached for Jeju Island. Subsequent operations would require troops to be spread across multiple locations for containment and defense tasks. Without locally expanded forces, the mission could not be accomplished.
Zhu Mingxia divided the auxiliary force into two parts. Those who performed best in training were incorporated into the Northbound Detachment as auxiliary soldiers, committable to battle as circumstances required. The remainder would serve as garrison for the Qimu Island base.
"So—is there action?" Zhu Mingxia asked the moment he entered. He too had received news of Huang County's capture.
Lu Wenyuan nodded. "That's right. Since Huang County has fallen, our recovery team is about to move out."
Over the past ten days or so, with rebels frequently active around Huang County, Qimu Island had suspended organized foot recovery teams to avoid direct armed conflict. Only scouts had been sent out.
Now that Huang County was captured, the rebels would inevitably conduct large-scale burning, killing, and looting inside and outside the city. The small stockades within Huang County's territory could not withstand such an organized army, and a large number of refugees would inevitably flee toward the safe direction of Qimu Island. This was precisely the opportunity to dispatch the recovery team.
Without going out to receive them, refugees fleeing on foot through icy first-month snows would have little chance of survival—especially the old, weak, women, and children. Moreover, large groups of refugees were prone to attracting rebel attacks.
Though Lu Wenyuan had decided to deploy the recovery team, concerns still troubled him. What if they encountered rebels? If enemy numbers were small, superior firepower would disperse them easily enough. But if a large force appeared—cavalry especially—Zhu Mingxia's recovery team might not be able to fight while simultaneously covering a large group of fleeing refugees. Refugee mobility and organization were the worst imaginable; once chaos struck, they could not be controlled at all. He hoped they would not end up like Lord Liu Bei, routed at Changbanpo.
(End of Chapter)