Chapter 2135 - Butterfly Effect

Xie Erren was halfway through his Wuzhou Paper-Wrapped Chicken when Xu Ke arrived in haste. Xie Erren gestured for another chair and place setting, calling for additional dishes.

"No need for more dishes," Xu Ke waved dismissively. "These suffice. Just bring me rice."

Noting Xu Ke's troubled expression—worry etched across his features—Xie Erren asked, "Old Xu, what brings you here so late? Has something happened?"

"Yes." Xu Ke seized his bowl and chopsticks, shoveling a generous mouthful of rice, speaking through bites: "Just received a telegram from Zhu Mingxia. The Eight-Row Yao disturbance has begun expanding in scale. Several Ming garrison posts have collapsed. Portions of Yao armed forces are consolidating—they'll likely besiege various county seats."

"This is serious trouble!" Xie Erren's alarm spiked. The various county seats had just fallen and remained essentially hollow. Some lacked even National Army troops; beyond local militia forces, they qualified as empty cities.

The Ming Army's withdrawal of the East and West Mountain Anti-Yao Deputy Regional Commander and Central Route Garrison Commander had removed historical constraints on the Eight-Row Yao Uprising, causing the outbreak to escalate beyond precedent in both scale and scope. In the previous phase, many Ming Wei-Suo garrison posts that had surrendered in Zhaoqing faced sieges, with numerous stockades already fallen.

"In brief, this Yao rebellion burns fiercer and spreads wider than history records. Zhu Mingxia instructed me to emphasize city defense and perimeter security—historically, Yao forces attacked Wuzhou repeatedly and successfully breached it once..."

Hearing this, Xie Erren's hands turned ice-cold, more than half his lofty ambitions evaporating. The so-called butterfly effect. He urgently asked, "Wuzhou is a frontline city—are reinforcements coming?"

"Zhu Mingxia wishes he could recall Zhu Quanxing's 3rd Battalion immediately. He refrained considering Wuzhou's importance." Xu Ke paused. "The 3rd Battalion remains in Wuzhou—you can take some reassurance in that..."

"How can I feel reassured!" Xie Erren's annoyance flared. "How many men compose the 3rd Battalion? How can they cover nine counties and one prefecture in Wuzhou? You know this dignified Prefecture City of mine contains merely one hundred soldiers!"

"Doesn't this test your capabilities? Speaking of shortages, where aren't there personnel deficits?" Xu Ke smiled, tearing a chicken leg from the Paper-Wrapped Chicken. "Each county's National Army will be expanded... I've heard approval was granted, permitting county and city administrative leaders to expand militia teams locally. They're also preparing to increase the allocation by another five thousand Nanyang Rifles."

"That's more acceptable. But I haven't glimpsed the National Army yet."

"They've already reached Zhaoqing and will definitely arrive tomorrow or the day after—the West River waterway remains quite navigable currently," Xu Ke confirmed.

Hearing the National Army's imminent arrival, Xie Erren experienced some relief. Qian Duo's company belonged to the 3rd Battalion ultimately. Though he could deploy it, he couldn't command it; Zhu Quanxing could withdraw it with a single order. In contrast, the National Army offered greater reassurance.

"The Guangxi offensive stops now, correct?"

"Formal orders haven't come down yet, but it definitely must halt." Xu Ke said, "We only have these many troops. I'll also return to Zhaoqing very soon."

"So Old Xiong gets comfortable days again."

"Old Xiong comfortable? I suspect Chongzhen will make him suffer shortly—he might even commit suicide to escape punishment."

Hearing Xu Ke would depart, Xie Erren unconsciously experienced faint loneliness settling in his heart.

After seeing Xu Ke off, Xie Erren studied the Wuzhou map in the main hall repeatedly. His situation was genuinely precarious. If the Yao rebellion spread along both West River banks, his rear supply line faced imminent peril. He'd become isolated before the enemy...

"This truly looks grim."

Xie Erren grew apprehensive. Surveying the situation, he struggled to muster enthusiasm.

The city wall must be repaired as rapidly as possible! No matter what, as long as the walls stood, substantial safety existed. After all, given medieval army capabilities, capturing a prefecture city like Wuzhou remained extraordinarily difficult.

That night, Xie Erren slept in the Prefectural Yamen's rear quarters. The awareness that this yamen's previous occupant had recently committed suicide—that he now inhabited his residence—unsettled Xie Erren somewhat. Still, exhaustion from the day's labors claimed him swiftly.

A dreamless night. Rising in the morning, he felt energized and vital, ready to tackle momentous undertakings.

After washing and hastily consuming breakfast, he proceeded to the Prefectural Yamen's Second Hall, which served as his office. Zhao Fengtian already waited in the main hall, accompanied by an elderly man—a local Xiucai (licentiate).

This Master Xiucai was in his fifties. He collected rents from lands beyond the city while maintaining properties within. He'd always regarded official careers with indifference. After passing qualifying exams, he'd harbored no intention of pursuing imperial examinations further. Beyond passing idle days at home, he traveled to visit mountains and rivers. He'd traversed not merely the Two Guangs in their entirety, but even ventured into barren lands locals considered dangerous routes—to say nothing of distant regions, he'd even visited Wolf Stockades and Yao Caves throughout the Two Guangs. He maintained keen interest in the geography, customs, folk sentiments, and products of places he traveled, earning considerable local renown.

His surname was He, original name Shouren, but because he'd adopted the alias "Dongli" (Eastern Fence), eventually everyone inside and outside the city called him He Dongli.

Xiucai He harbored no aversion toward Australians—he'd traveled not merely to Guangzhou but even to Hainan, journeying all the way to Lingao. He'd witnessed firsthand the stability and prosperity under Senate rule, developing great fondness for Australians. Therefore, when the great army reached Wuzhou this time, he maintained a passive stance toward resistance: firstly, the strength disparity was overwhelming, and fighting would inevitably yield defeat; secondly, he perceived no compelling necessity to resist. He possessed feelings for the Great Ming, but these sentiments weren't sufficiently deep to make him willing to destroy his family and sacrifice himself.

After Xie Erren entered the city, he'd needed to secure a suitable guide for familiarizing himself with local customs. Zhao Fengtian consulted the issued "Wuzhou Basic Situation Manual" and recommended this Xiucai He.

Xiucai He didn't decline and arrived upon invitation. He neither acted coy to demonstrate he'd been "forced to serve thieves" like some literati, nor proved eagerly obsequious to "ride the dragon's coattails" like others. His demeanor remained calm and composed. After brief conversation, Xie Erren formed a highly favorable impression. Immediately, he requested He serve as guide to tour the entire Wuzhou City.

He Dongli naturally had no reason to refuse. Xie Erren immediately instructed Zhao Fengtian to remain at the yamen and selected a guard squad for escort.

Street order had improved markedly since yesterday. Refugees had formed teams and cleared corpses and ruins methodically under militiamen leadership. Though the newly formed Fubo Army soldier-led militia exhibited average military bearing and discipline, their spirit and energy appeared reasonably presentable. Xie Erren's anxieties from the previous night diminished somewhat.

The leading cadres spotted his approach and moved to report. Xie Erren waved them off. "No rush. Continue your work."

Evidence of the Culture and Propaganda Team's existence had manifested. Walls displayed crudely painted limewater slogans: "Soldiers and civilians cooperate, expel the Ming bandits"; "Puppet Ming murders and commits arson, Aus-Song heals the sick and rescues people"; "Xiong Wencan burned Wuzhou City and slaughtered Wuzhou people, gladly serving as the Puppet Ming local emperor's filial son and worthy grandson"... Some locations also featured pasted propaganda posters and notices. Close inspection revealed the notices' ink and backing paste hadn't yet dried—likely applied just this morning.

The work efficiency proved solid. Xie Erren nodded privately. Zhao Fengtian truly is my personal protégé; the propaganda work is flawless.

The Wuzhou Prefectural Yamen occupied the city's southern section, not distant from the Little South Gate. Only after exiting the yamen did Xie Erren notice the Wuzhou Prefectural Yamen's northern flank adjoined the Cangwu County Yamen. The Prefectural Yamen's southern and western perimeters pressed close to the city wall, situated precisely in Wuzhou's southwest corner. Beyond the western city wall surged the Gui River.

Because he'd requested to ascend the city gate for observation first, He Dongli led him up the Little South Gate, closest to the prefectural office. Because the gate tower bore the name "Dezheng" (Virtuous Governance), it was also called Dezheng Gate.

During the siege, both Big and Little South Gates had suffered artillery bombardment, so portions of both yamens sustained shell damage from projectiles falling into the city, though the harm wasn't extensive. By comparison, the Dezheng Gate tower suffered severe destruction. Artillery fire had virtually obliterated the tower, leaving merely a rubble pile. Presently, soldiers supervised prisoner labor teams dismantling remaining wreckage and salvaging building materials.

He Dongli explained this Little South Gate was opened only when Wuzhou City underwent reconstruction in the 12th year of Hongwu under Emperor Taizu of Ming. Previous Song and Yuan city walls possessed merely four gates. Only in the Great Ming did five city gates exist: East Gate, West Gate, Big South Gate, Little South Gate, and North Gate. Based on the towers built atop city gates, they were also designated Yangming Gate, Nanxun Gate, Xijiang Gate, Dezheng Gate, and Dayun Gate.

During the Hongwu period, under Zhu Yuanzhang's direction, a wave of capital construction swept the realm. Government offices and city walls throughout the nation's prefectures, departments, and counties were almost entirely constructed during this era. Particularly, city wall layouts in various cities remained essentially preserved. Many Ming and Qing city walls surviving into the 21st century can trace their origins almost directly to the Hongwu reign.

However, the newly constructed Ming Dynasty Wuzhou City wasn't overly expansive in area. Though the territory had expanded compared to Song and Yuan periods, the Wuzhou city wall's circumference measured merely 2.8 kilometers—not particularly large among Ming Dynasty cities, actually inferior to some major Suo cities. This obviously proved disproportionate to its significant commercial status, so Wuzhou's urban scope had long since extended to the Gui and West Rivers' banks beyond the city. The pontoon bridges' appearance on the Gui and West Rivers manifested transportation requirements following this urban expansion.

Standing on the Little South Gate's city wall, one could observe the circumferential moat below, which He Dongli identified as also called the Dragon-Protecting Dike. It exceeded two zhang in width and two zhang in depth. Wooden fences lined the moat's interior and exterior—though due to age, many sections were missing. Willows were planted alongside the moat.

"These were all constructed during the early Chenghua years when Lord Han Yong served as Governor-General of the Two Guangs. These Wuzhou city walls were also repaired under his supervision."

"Is that the Han Yong who broke through Dateng Gorge?" Xie Erren had learned of this figure only during historical briefings before assuming office.

"Precisely."