Chapter 2213 - Hidden Agendas (Part Two)

In Zhang Tianbo's view, Sun Dabiao's best move would have been to seize or kill Feng Haijiao when he came visiting a few days ago—catch him off guard, hand him over to the Australians, and at worst secure a safe retirement as a wealthy gentleman. Now that the opportunity was gone, attacking Feng Haijiao had become the worst option.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhang Tianbo's words, Sun Dabiao's expression grew less animated.

"Mutual destruction aside—suppose we do wipe out Feng Haijiao. If the Australians keep their word, fine. But if they renege, what then? By that point, Elder Brother, you'll be short on men and supplies. Wiping you out would be effortless for the Australians."

Now Sun Dabiao began to pace restlessly. He circled several times, then burst out, "This won't work, that won't do—are we brothers just supposed to sit here and wait to die?!"

Zhang Tianbo's eyes darted. "The only option is to 'straddle two boats'..."

Sun Dabiao immediately perked up. "How do we straddle?"

Zhang Tianbo explained. "Accept the Australian pacification—that's the first boat. With that status, you officially become an Australian officer. Everything you say and do in the county becomes easier."

"And the second boat is Ming, I suppose?"

"Exactly." Zhang Tianbo nodded. "If Feng Haijiao wants to petition for a title on your behalf, don't stop him. But we should also send someone to liaise directly with Ming's envoys—going through a middleman is always inconvenient."

"Good, good," Sun Dabiao nodded repeatedly. Then his brow furrowed. "Straddling two boats is easy enough, but how do we handle both sides? Ming is no trouble—Xiong Wencan is far away; we can tell him whatever we like. At worst, we scrounge a couple of heads to bluff him with. But the Australians are right here in the county seat! Once I accept the pacification, they'll pressure me to attack Feng Haijiao. What then?"

"If they push, we 'attack'—but naturally, you'll have reached an understanding with Second Brother Feng beforehand. It'll all be for show—fire a few shots, done. Pick up a few heads from somewhere to turn in as proof of battle. If we don't succeed, we plead insufficient strength and ask the Australians for more grain and pay..."

"The Australians aren't fools. Why would they agree?"

"If they won't give us grain and pay, we simply go through the motions without exerting ourselves."

"This stalling works for a while, but not forever." Sun Dabiao had been a bandit for generations; he knew official tactics. "Given time, the Australian magistrate will send the National Army to 'assist in suppression,' forcing us to lead the charge. What then?"

"Right now the county is in ruins. Ming and the Yao are the Australians' pressing concerns; the magistrate arrived with only a few hundred men. He can't handle everything. We stall as long as we can; when circumstances change, we adapt. For now, the key is to keep a tight hold on Second Brother Feng. With him, we have room to maneuver."

Zhang Tianbo's words carried a second meaning: if Ming counterattacked or the Hair-Clippers' grip on Yangshan proved weak, the three of them together would be the county's greatest force, capable of great things. If the Hair-Clippers proved strong and Ming's counterattack hopeless, then at the right moment they could suddenly seize and kill Feng Haijiao—securing a final exit.

Sun Dabiao understood perfectly. He thought: This Zhang Tianbo truly deserves his reputation as a constable squad leader—ruthless to the bone.

Having settled their scheme, the brothers sent word to Feng Haijiao, secretly agreeing on a "public enmity, private accord" strategy. Sun Dabiao readily accepted all terms, saying he would attack and "suppress" Feng Haijiao as soon as he was "ready."

With grain, cloth, and an Australian title in hand, Sun Dabiao openly set up a toll station at Dalang Market and began collecting salt and trade taxes on goods bound for the Yao territories. With money and grain, scattered minions returned to him; fugitive bandits who had escaped Australian suppression elsewhere flocked to join him. Dalang Market became a den of chaos. Meanwhile, the Yonghua Yao seethed with resentment, sending delegation after delegation to complain to Wang Chuyi. The naturalized cadres were also deeply displeased; they had opposed the "Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors" scheme. Sun Dabiao wasn't attacking Feng Haijiao at all—instead, he was using the Australian banner to extort and oppress, especially bleeding the Yonghua Yao dry, inciting popular fury.

Wang Chuyi grew uneasy. He dispatched another messenger to ask Sun Dabiao when he would advance on Qinglian Market.

"It's not that I'm making excuses—I simply lack troops and provisions at present. I must stockpile before I can march..." Sun Dabiao pleaded poverty as usual.

He only pleaded poverty and stalled; Wang Chuyi found himself stymied. His colleagues had opinions too—especially Luo Yiming. He warned Wang Chuyi that if this continued, the Yonghua Yao they had worked so hard to subdue would revolt again. Worse, the propaganda promises would all become lies, making future work in the Yao territories immeasurably harder.

"...What the Yonghua Yao hate most is expensive salt. Their participation in the Eight Pai Yao rebellion was rooted in Sun Dabiao's exorbitant transit salt tax and monopoly at Dalang Market. We came to Yangshan proclaiming we would 'eliminate the wicked, protect the good' and treat Yao and Han 'as equals.' Yet here we are, still tolerating Sun Dabiao's salt monopoly. Isn't that betraying them?"

Wang Chuyi was caught between two fires. Though a National Army squadron was garrisoned in Yonghua township, if unrest broke out, suppressing it would be easy enough—but he would have no defense before Elder Huang. He had no choice but to consult Peng Shou'an again.

Peng Shou'an had no "magic pouch" to offer; he merely temporized with phrases like "appease the Yao for now; wait and watch."

"The Yao are making quite a fuss—sending constant petitions. They say salt prices are so high no one can afford it and they're eating their food bland. A few words won't appease them." Wang Chuyi was deeply troubled.

Peng Shou'an racked his brains. Then, suddenly, he thought of a clever scheme: The Second Squadron was stationed in Yonghua, and the county dispatched a supply convoy to them every month. There were two routes to Yonghua. One was by water—down the Lian River to Libu Market, then up the Zhaigang tributary and onward by human portage. That route was longer; the Lian River's security was poor; and a substantial escort was required. For a mere hundred-man unit, the logistical footprint was too large. So the supply convoys usually took the shorter, safer overland route—through Dalang Market and into Yonghua. Though Sun Dabiao had quickly reclaimed Dalang Market, he had never dared intercept a National Army supply convoy.

Peng Shou'an's "clever scheme" was to smuggle salt into the Yao territory with the supply convoys and sell it at low prices to the Yao.

"...This way, Sun Dabiao's toll station at Dalang Market becomes unprofitable, and the Yonghua Yao get cheap salt. Everyone benefits."

Wang Chuyi approved the scheme. But once again, Luo Yiming objected. "Since ancient times, collecting salt tax has been the government's prerogative. What right does Sun Dabiao have to set up toll stations? The county should issue an immediate order forbidding it. Smuggling salt to the Yao through supply convoys—that's absurd! Besides, once the salt arrives, the troops have to sell it! Doesn't that violate the prohibition on military commerce?"

Wang Chuyi felt his scheme was sound; now that Luo Yiming had opposed it yet again—and recalling how his decisions had been constantly questioned by naturalized cadres—he began to suspect Luo Yiming of sabotaging him behind the scenes. He snapped, "Comrade Luo Yiming! Let me remind you: I am the Yangshan County Magistrate! You are merely the National Army Squadron Commander doubling as Security Section Chief! You may express opinions through proper channels, but you have no authority to criticize my decisions. If you find my decisions inappropriate, you may report to higher authorities. But under no circumstances may you privately organize opposition to your superiors!"

The Council of Elders placed great emphasis on hierarchical relations; Luo Yiming understood the stakes. Rebuked to his face by Wang Chuyi, he swallowed his remaining words. He felt Wang's approach was completely wrong—pure "scheming," utterly ignoring Elder Huang's directives to "mobilize the masses" and "win over the majority."

That aside, Luo Yiming's experience told him that rogues like Sun Dabiao were extremely suspicious and unpredictable. So-called stratagems might not work on him—and even if they did, the fallout would be terrible. Already, there was considerable grumbling in Yangshan about the pacification of Sun Dabiao and Zhang Tianbo. Even if they ultimately "netted everything in one sweep," the damage to public trust would be hard to repair. Moreover, Sun Dabiao might well bite back, inflicting losses on Yangshan's military and administrative apparatus...

What to do? Luo Yiming returned to his quarters and pondered for some time. He decided that delay was inadvisable. He should report the situation to Elder Huang immediately. Spreading out writing paper, he began drafting a letter to Huang Chao.

Even as undercurrents swirled on all sides, Feng Haijiao's compound at Qinglian Market was also thick with the scent of conspiracy.

Unlike the "song and dance, all is well" atmosphere at Dalang Market, Qinglian Market was in a state of tense mobilization. Feng Haijiao had recalled all the scattered, stay-at-home bandits to the stronghold and recruited numerous desperate fugitives from elsewhere. He also commandeered local peasants to repair the palisade daily, forge weapons, and cast cannon.

The other day at the Sun residence in Dalang Market, the three men had set up an incense altar and renewed their oath: "Never betray one another," "live and die together." They agreed that Feng would petition for a title on Sun's behalf, and all would "share in glory." Yet the news that Sun Dabiao had accepted the Hair-Clipper pacification still made Feng nervous for days. Before long, Zhang Tianbo arrived at Qinglian Market and explained his sworn brother's "difficulties" and "no alternative"—straddling two boats. He also presented the "public enmity, private accord" strategy. The two sides concluded a pact of non-aggression and covert mutual assistance. Still, Feng Haijiao remained uneasy. In his view, the Australian National Army was small, newly arrived, and preoccupied with county security and pacifying the Yao—unlikely to come for him anytime soon. The real threat was his sworn brother Sun Dabiao. If Sun led Australians against him, he knew every shortcut—every weakness. If his sworn brother decided to use his head as a favor, his neck would feel distinctly chilly.

(End of Chapter)