Chapter 2127 - Xie Erren Enters the City

Xie Erren's first impression of Wuzhou was dismal. Truth be told, his perception of any large or medium Ming city fell below the passing line—generally "dirty, messy, and substandard." By contrast, some wealthy villages and small towns could still evoke a fresh, almost artistic feeling.

Having suffered the fires of war, Wuzhou's condition was even more unbearable. Rubble and ash lay everywhere. Refugees who had just returned stumbled over ruins, scavenging for salvageable items. Wild dogs, which artillery fire had scared into hiding, emerged drawn by the bloody smell of uncollected corpses, scurrying frantically as able-bodied men shooed them away.

Xie Erren, draped in his trench coat and surrounded by guards, strode swaggeringly down the street. Initially he strutted with the air of Zhukov recapturing Yelnya in The Battle for Moscow. However, seeing the miserable state of affairs and the gloomy faces of citizens, his mood suddenly soured. Leading this place would likely prove a tough job...

The Wuzhou Municipal Government was temporarily housed in the Wuzhou Prefecture Yamen. As Xie Erren arrived at the yamen gate, he saw several soldiers directing laborers carrying out corpses wrapped in reed mats.

He stopped a naturalized cadre directing nearby and asked, "Who are these?"

"The Ming prefect of Wuzhou, named Hu Duhua. And several petty officials," the cadre reported quickly. Not knowing Xie Erren's rank but seeing his appearance and guards, he guessed a "Chief" had arrived. "They all committed suicide in the yamen."

Xie Erren secretly cursed, "Bad luck"—why couldn't these people die elsewhere instead of in the yamen?

Naturally, as a materialist—or rather, given that most Senators were materialists—Xie Erren couldn't reveal this reaction. Hearing a prefect had died, he waved dismissively. "If he's dead, he's dead. What about his family?"

"The servants say he sent his family away long ago."

Xie Erren felt slight regret—he thought of Dong Mingdang in Guangzhou.

If I were Liu Xiang, I'd definitely show some 'concern' for Miss Dong.

Amidst wandering thoughts, Xie Erren entered the prefectural office. The Planning Agency's confiscation team was "searching," creating noise everywhere. He had no interest watching them dig three feet into the ground.

He reached the Second Hall, formerly used for trying civil cases, now converted into the city government conference room. Though called a conference room, it resembled more a temporary office, bustling with naturalized cadres and soldiers. Zhu Quanxing, in full military uniform, was issuing orders to orderlies. After finishing a few sentences, each orderly would snap to attention, salute, and leave, followed by the next. Extremely crisp and efficient. This made Xie Erren—who hadn't managed a single sentence after half a day's brooding by the West River—feel both envious and jealous.

Seeing Zhu Quanxing was busy, Xie Erren didn't disturb him, instead wandering the Second Hall. He noticed several lines of ink on the west wall, the handwriting scribbled and dripping. Interested, he approached and saw it was a "death note":

The Sage said: "I have heard of using the Xia to transform the barbarians, but never of being transformed by the barbarians." As an official of the Great Ming, how can I surrender to beasts and lose my integrity to steal a life? In my Hu family, there are no men who have committed crimes among the ancestors, and no women who have remarried among the kin. Since I have received the teachings of Confucius and Mencius and the grace of the State, to die for the affairs of the State is exactly my wish. For a subject, virtue lies in integrity. If a subject is unloyal, how is he different from a beast! Three years ago, He Zhen was defeated at Chengmai; my heart and gall were torn, and I bathed in tears for a whole year. However, the reason I endured and did not die was that I considered the integrity of one person small, but the vengeance of the State great. Now the bandit runts have overrun Guangzhou, Lingnan has collapsed, benevolence and righteousness are blocked, and beasts lead men to eat men. I estimate I cannot avoid falling to the bandits, but how can I be a turncoat official? Things have come to this; righteousness allows no further humiliation. I only wish for the Great Ming to display heavenly punishment and sweep away the swarm of clowns. Although I die today, it is as if I live in spirit.

"Who wrote this?" Xie Erren asked.

A surrendered clerk nearby hurried to reply. "This was inscribed by Prefect Master Hu—no, the puppet prefect Hu Duhua—before he committed suicide. Someone's already been sent to fetch lime water..."

Xie Erren glanced up at the roof beam; no rope hung there. The clerk continued, "Master Hu... the rebel Hu heard the heavenly army had entered the city, bathed and changed clothes in the rear hall, then came here to write on the wall. He closed the door, bowed twice to the north, and took poison at the public desk."

"Mm." Xie Erren nodded. "He had some backbone."

Looking again, he spotted two more death poems nearby, the handwriting different from Master Hu's. Though Xie Erren was a Chinese literature graduate, he didn't actually know much about poetry. He grasped the general meaning but couldn't judge quality. He only knew they were better than doggerel but generally inferior to Tang poetry.

"This was inscribed by the rebel Hu's correspondence secretary, Mr. Xing..."

"Where is he?"

"Mr. Xing Chenghuan... no, the rebel Xing also committed suicide in the Second Hall."

"He was just a private secretary, not a court official duty-bound to defend the soil. Why did he have to be buried with the Great Ming? Xiong Wencan lost Guangzhou and Zhaoqing, ran all the way here, then slipped out of the city. Truly incomprehensible!" Hearing the advisor had also committed suicide, Xie Erren felt puzzled. My Senate and Fubo Army wouldn't care about a mere prefect's advisor.

"Yes, yes, just a momentary inability to think clearly," the clerk sighed. "He was from Guangdong. I heard his family had just arranged a marriage for him. Truly a pity."

"Very young?"

"Early thirties. I heard he only passed the licentiate exam the year before last. His family was poor, so he worked as an aide—had some family friendship with Master Hu. The two got along well as guest and host."

Xie Erren offered a few words like "what a pity." He spoke intentionally, meaning to use Xing Chenghuan's "horse bones" to attract "thousand-li horses."

His calculated sympathy did put the surrendered officials at ease.

Zhu Quanxing finished arranging his work. Seeing Xie Erren had arrived, he hurried over and led him to a side room to "discuss important matters."

"I'll be leaving Wuzhou city very soon. The following matters will depend on you," Zhu Quanxing said.

"What?!" Xie Erren was startled. Wuzhou had just been taken; order hadn't yet been restored. As garrison commander, Zhu Quanxing was his military backbone here. If he left, how could Xie Erren—possessing zero military ability—ensure Wuzhou's safety?

"But... Wuzhou's just been taken, and the surrounding counties haven't been completely secured..."

Seeing that Xie Erren admired Lin Biao greatly and could cosplay his orders vividly but actually knew little about military affairs and certainly couldn't command a battle, Zhu Quanxing noted his anxiety immediately.

"You're right," Zhu Quanxing said. "That's exactly why I need to lead troops to capture the counties subordinate to Wuzhou. Only then can we quickly establish Wuzhou's defensive line."

"Isn't that Brigadier Zhu's job?"

"Zhu Mingxia can't attend to these things now..." Zhu Quanxing lowered his voice. "Brigade headquarters just received a telegram. The situation in the Eight-Row Yao area is critical. Brigadier Zhu has to rush back to Zhaoqing to take charge."

Though Xie Erren, as the Senator taking over Wuzhou, had read background materials on the Eight-Row Yao Uprising of 1635 beforehand, he hadn't taken it seriously—just a piece of historical data he hadn't taken to heart. In his mind, the Fubo Army was an ever-victorious force, a stabilizing pillar invulnerable to all evils. As long as the army was there, no problem was insurmountable. He hadn't expected to encounter this situation immediately upon taking office!

Xie Erren understood the consequences of the Eight-Row Yao Uprising. That the troops' offensive momentum was good yet Zhu Mingxia had to rush back fully illustrated how critical the matter was.

"You won't leave, will you..."

"I'm the Garrison Commander of the Wuzhou area—of course I won't leave." Zhu Quanxing hurried to reassure him. "But I can't stay inside Wuzhou city without going out. The strategy for surrounding areas will be executed as usual—only this way can Wuzhou's safety be fully guaranteed."

"That's good." Xie Erren breathed a sigh of relief.

"Rest assured." Zhu Quanxing secretly smiled at Director Xie. "I've left you a company. The National Army's Wuzhou Squadron will arrive soon—expand it to battalion size as quickly as possible. The local militia must also be organized immediately. Only then can Wuzhou's safety be guaranteed."

"As long as the National Army's here, Wuzhou will be fine! You go with peace of mind." Xie Erren, probably feeling his earlier nervousness was undignified, hurriedly adopted a "calm" attitude.

Once his heart settled, he felt he'd indeed been worrying like the man of Qi fearing the sky would fall. With a company of regular troops plus a squadron of the National Army, defending Wuzhou city at minimum should be manageable.

"Who's commanding the troops..."

Zhu Quanxing said, "The company commander is a veteran naturalized officer with extensive command experience. He's also very reliable politically—you can trust him completely."

After giving his instructions, Zhu Quanxing called over the commander of the 7th Company of the Line Infantry who was remaining in Wuzhou.

"This is Company Commander Captain Qian Duo," Zhu Quanxing introduced. "An officer from the old Peace Preservation Corps."

The original Bairen Peace Preservation Corps was the Senate's first armed force. This background was a resounding qualification in the Fubo Army. The first line of the 1st Infantry Battalion's military anthem, which inherited the Peace Preservation Corps' mantle, was "Gloriously founding the army, before Bairen Beach." Soldiers who'd joined the Peace Preservation Corps back then, as long as they hadn't died in battle or retired, had all become officers now. Regardless of skill level, their qualifications and loyalty were unquestionable.

Qian Duo snapped to attention and saluted. Xie Erren nodded, but his heart remained uneasy: this Qian Duo was short, dark, and plain-looking. Could he shoulder the heavy responsibility of Wuzhou's garrison?

Seemingly sensing Xie Erren's doubt, Zhu Quanxing added, "Captain Qian not only has seniority but also exceptionally rich service experience. He's participated in many major military operations. His military and political qualities are first-rate."

Qian Duo stood at attention again: "Thank you for the compliment, Chief! I guarantee to complete all tasks assigned by the Senate!"

Xie Erren nodded: "Wuzhou's city defense will depend entirely on you."

(End of Chapter)