Illumine Lingao (English Translation)
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Chapter 2159 - Joy and Sorrow

He made a rough measurement from the exposed smokestack of the command boat to the gun position—only about forty meters.

In other words, the enemy had basically pressed the muzzle against his forehead and pulled the trigger.

What an excellent position! Mi Longtao couldn't help but admire the enemy commander—this was far beyond the capability of ordinary bandits! It even surpassed the usual standard of Imperial troops.

He examined the abandoned cannon. It wasn't especially large, though the barrel was quite long. On closer inspection, it turned out to be made of wood—though this wasn't particularly unusual; making cannons from cheap but dense, tight-grained wood was practiced everywhere. In the north they used elm; in the Two Guangs they had lychee wood, ironwood, and the like.

To let it handle larger powder charges, the barrel was bound with seven or eight wide iron hoops. Even so, cracks had appeared at the breech of this wooden cannon. One more shot and it would probably have killed the gun crew. But there were no cannonballs or powder beside the emplacement—the bandits apparently hadn't expected to fire a second round.

In the woods they found six or seven more "wooden cannons" of various sizes. Normally Mi Longtao wouldn't bother collecting such junk—good only for firewood—but this time he had paid a heavy price, so caution was warranted. He ordered all the abandoned enemy weapons gathered and sent back to Fengchuan for the Intelligence Bureau to examine.

Battlefield cleanup fell to the Wuzhou National Army—dirty, exhausting work, especially recovering bodies from both sides. Most of the dead had been killed by artillery fire, and the corpses were badly mangled. Everyone wore expressions of distaste.

"Go to war and die, and you don't even get a coffin." Li Pudun was helping carry bodies, his face full of "there but for the grace of God" melancholy.

"At least they're not left to rot in the wilds." Luo Mao directed the digging. "Dig deep! No slacking! The brothers above are watching!"

Li Pudun shivered and mumbled, "Sergeant, don't scare people..."

Yang Erdong said nothing, just grunting as he dug. It was a long rectangular grave pit, placed on higher ground along the slope so the flood season wouldn't wash it out. Watching a sergeant measure the pit's depth with a ruler, Yang Erdong thought that the Australians really did have rules for everything, even farting. He'd been a soldier for years and had seen plenty of gore; a few dead in a fight was nothing special. Getting a shallow pit and a quick burial counted as a good deed.

The fallen Beiwei and National Army soldiers were wrapped in gray military blankets and laid one by one in the bottom of the pit. Six were already lined up.

"Lieutenant, this is the seventh—that's all of them." Li Pudun helped carry the body to the edge, panting with exertion.

Li Dong looked at the corpse bundled in the soaked blanket: a middle-aged man, dark-skinned, unshaven. The body was more intact than those hit by the cannon round—but the chest was horribly caved in. No blood on the body, though there was dried blood around the mouth and nostrils. Probably struck by something—internal injuries.

None of the man's belongings were missing. Losing gear and weapons in battle was normal—especially for the dead—but looting corpses did happen. Officers handling burials had to watch for it.

Li Dong pulled a small bamboo identity tag from the cord around the corpse's neck and removed the belt. Regulations required that weapons and equipment be recovered. Ammunition pouch, bayonet, canteen... each item was removed, until only the personal effects bag remained. The bag was worn, patched—it had probably traveled far with its owner. He didn't open it—partly because there might be valuables like a wallet inside and he wanted to avoid suspicion, partly because he feared seeing something personal that would stir grief.

He tied the identity tag to the effects bag and tossed it into a large sack.

"Wrap him up and bury him," Li Dong said. Two soldiers quickly rolled the body in the blanket, bound it with cord, and lowered it into the pit.

Earth was shoveled in. Before long, a long rectangular mound rose from the ground. There was no time for a proper headstone; they cut a piece of wood as a marker and wrote the date and unit designation in ink.

When the marker was in place, the bugler played "Taps." The riflemen fired a volley into the air.

"Fall in! Prepare to move out." Zhu Si had been waiting impatiently. Just as he was about to assemble and set off, Li Pudun suddenly ran out of formation. He had been looking glum the whole time, but now his expression had softened somewhat. Ignoring everyone else, he went to the grave, scooped up a handful of dirt as incense, knelt, chanted a few lines of scripture, and kowtowed several times.

His action prompted a few other National Army soldiers to follow suit—kowtowing, praying. Li Dong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then he thought: they mourn for others; who knows who might one day mourn for them? The thought made him sigh. He urged the soldiers on toward Xugang.


At Xugang, the moment Mi Longtao's relief force appeared, the entire Xu household burst into celebration. The clan head, Xu Weicheng, personally came to the village entrance to welcome them. Several doddering elders who had been "convalescing" at home defied their families' objections and had servants and maids half-carry, half-support them out to greet the arrivals.

Xu Weicheng's face, which moments ago had shown anxiety and fear, was now wreathed in smiles—so brilliant that it was unlike him. Since his youth he had prided himself on his inscrutability; whether dealing with surly tenants and servants or being presented with his first grandson, his expression never changed. Only today could he not contain his joy. Xugang's mortal peril had been averted!

"Mortal peril" was no exaggeration. Ever since word of the Yao uprising had spread, bandits along the West River had grown extremely bold. Insurgent Yao from the mountains, mingled with scattered Imperial soldiers and local "outlaws," had formed all sorts of bandit gangs. They pillaged everywhere; many small villages, lacking defenses or manpower, had been overrun. Terrifying tales of murder and plunder constantly reached Xugang—sometimes in living form: just days earlier, a gang had attacked a small hamlet less than five li away, slaughtering dozens and burning the place entirely. After that, villagers from many nearby hamlets had fled to Xugang for refuge. From their lips, Xugang's residents heard countless stories—true and embellished—of bandit atrocities. The whole village was jumpy, startled three times a day.

Now the Beiwei Army had arrived in time, driven off the bandits, and put Old Master Xu's heart at ease—not only because Xugang was saved, but because the "Director" at the county seat had kept his promise of "relief whenever needed." The Australians kept their word after all!

That gratitude translated into an enthusiastic welcome with food and drink. When Mi Longtao's troops entered Xugang, they were greeted warmly. Mi Longtao himself was escorted into the ancestral hall by Old Master Xu and a crowd of worthies. After a few pleasantries, Xu Weicheng immediately had servants bring out a tray piled high with silver ingots—a full two hundred taels.

"This is a small token from our humble village, for the General to reward his troops..."

"The silver—take it back." Mi Longtao waved it away. "Maintaining local order is our duty—and you've already paid the Reasonable Burden. There's no reason to pay twice for the same service."

This was not entirely surprising to Old Master Xu, who had met with the "Director." But to the others it was quite a shock. Since ancient times, when armies passed through, it was considered good discipline if they refrained from pillage. For troops who came to suppress bandits and won a battle, a gratuity from the locality was perfectly normal. Even when the Wanli Emperor had sent troops to aid Korea and the Imperial forces retook the capital, the Korean court had rewarded the soldiers. Yet this Lieutenant Mi opened his mouth and spoke of "duty"—everyone exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of his meaning.

Old Master Xu had dealt with the Australians and knew something of their ways. Though somewhat surprised that a military man could so casually refuse gleaming silver, he had servants take the tray away.

"...Since the General won't accept it, please allow our humble village to offer wine and meat to reward your men."

"Thank you, Master Xu, but wine is unnecessary—alcohol is forbidden during military operations." Mi Longtao accepted politely. "Also, I'm no general. Just call me 'Lieutenant.'"

No one knew what "Lieutenant" meant. The more bookish among them recalled that in the Han and Tang dynasties there had been an office called "Lieutenant" among the palace guards—but that was a high and exalted post, clearly inappropriate for someone commanding a hundred-odd rank-and-file. And the Australians, who claimed the mantle of the Great Song, had no such title anyway.

While they puzzled over this, Mi Longtao added that he was "Commander of the Fengchuan County Garrison Force." Whatever "Garrison Force Commander" meant, "Fengchuan County" was crystal clear. Old Master Xu was startled. "Then Lieutenant Mi came from Fengchuan County?"

"That's right."

"But... but..." Old Master Xu's surprise grew, and he blurted out what was on everyone's mind. "This is Yunan County's jurisdiction."

From time immemorial, local officials' first duty had been to "secure the border and protect the people"—which also meant that other localities' affairs were "not their concern." If a corpse appeared at the county line, a magistrate who didn't want the hassle might have it quietly moved into the neighboring county's territory. Bandit suppression, a headache at the best of times, was hard enough even within one's own county—let alone for a neighbor!

"Is there any distinction to make? Once you've submitted to the Council of Elders, you're subjects of the Council. No matter where, no matter who—if there's danger, the Beiwei Army must come to the rescue. Besides, you're much closer to Fengchuan County seat than to Yunan county seat, and we sailed downstream—if we'd waited for the Yunan garrison to come upstream, Xugang would probably be gone by now."

"Yes, yes, Lieutenant Mi, you're absolutely right!" Xu Weicheng inwardly applauded. The Australians truly lived up to their reputation! He had been anxious about whether the Australians could maintain order in Guangdong, fearing the province would descend into chaos. But at this moment, he was reassured—no matter how the rebels and bandits might rage for a time, ultimate victory would belong to the Council of Elders!

(Chapter End)

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