Chapter 2252: Borrowing Troops
"Master, Master Peng has come to visit. Here is his visiting card."
Following the servant's announcement, the man addressed as Master turned from the fish pond. By any era's standards, he was an old man. He dusted fish food crumbs from his hands and asked unhurriedly:
"Which Master Peng?"
"The former Magistrate of this county..."
"Ah, him."
This was Ouyang Xi, the local "worthy" Peng Shou'an had recommended. Ouyang Xi himself held no degree, but his son Ouyang Da was a Juren from the fourth year of the Tianqi reign. In Yangshan—a place where academic success was rare and martial men common—his family counted as the foremost gentry.
The Ouyang family residence had originally stood inside the county seat. When the Yao people breached the city, his family also suffered disaster. Though the valuables and family members had been transferred to their village stockade beforehand, the city residence was ruined beyond recognition. After the Australians came, the situation showed no signs of settling, and Ouyang Xi wished to avoid suspicion, so he used the excuse of his dilapidated house to remain in the countryside stockade, watching which way the wind would blow.
Because his family's foundation lay in the city, the Ouyang family was not as cold toward the Senate as other gentry, nor did they refuse to pay money and grain. When Wang Chuyi came to Yangshan, although there was some bargaining over the amount of the "Reasonable Burden," once the sum was agreed upon, he paid every grain.
Though Ouyang Xi secretly hoped the Great Ming would return—after all, Ouyang Da's Juren degree came from the Great Ming—and had no love for this new foreign regime, he still tried his best to maintain appearances. He understood the Australians' strength well enough. If the Great Ming was truly destined to fall, he had no intention of letting his family be buried with it.
Wang Chuyi's desire to suppress bandits met with Ouyang Xi's approval. His family was the foremost gentry, with money, grain, and able-bodied men; ordinary bandits naturally dared not provoke them. However, his family had many members and extensive connections. Even if the bandits gave the Ouyang family face, they might not extend the same courtesy to their relatives and friends. Moreover, he had vast amounts of land and property. No matter how many militia he maintained, he couldn't protect everything. Therefore, he had to "make friends" with various greenwood heroes and spend some money to ensure peace. If Sun Dabiao could be suppressed, it would naturally be a good thing.
Later, when he heard that Magistrate Wang wanted to grant amnesty to Sun Dabiao, it did not exceed his expectations—this was the norm locally. So while he paid the "Reasonable Burden" to the county, he also paid money to the Sun and Feng bandit gangs who came asking for provisions. Should the Great Ming government troops ever fight their way back, he would invariably "assist with provisions" as well. For the Ouyang family, this represented no great burden—merely a harmless survival strategy.
That Sun Dabiao openly ambushed Wang Chuyi at Dalang Market and completely turned against the Australians, however, greatly exceeded Ouyang Xi's expectations.
Ouyang Xi understood the Australians' strength—Yangshan was not isolated from news. Merchants traveling from south and north often passed through. He had seen Australian goods and heard of Australian deeds.
Though Yangshan was remote and the Australians couldn't bring many troops here, if truly provoked, the combat power of people like Sun Dabiao was definitely no match for the Australians—after all, they had defeated General He's army of tens of thousands.
He heard that the county's two major bandit leaders, Sun Dabiao and Feng Haijiao, had accepted the imperial court's amnesty and become Yangshan's Left and Right Wing Squad Leaders. Though the saying went "killing and arson lead to amnesty," Sun and Feng had notorious records in Yangshan. That they could openly become government troops made Ouyang Xi secretly despise them.
Regardless of his feelings, the fire at Dalang Market had plunged Yangshan into chaos. The newly arrived "Great Song" looked unreliable to everyone, and the groups flying the "Great Ming" banner under Sun and Feng were just a bunch of bandits. Both sides claimed to represent "Royal Law" and sent people everywhere to conscript men and grain. Ouyang Stockade had received several such groups. Ouyang Xi's response was "speak nice words, give no money." When messengers came, he sent people to entertain them warmly with good wine and food, but when it came to grain and men, his steward would cry poverty. Not a single feather was plucked.
It wasn't that he was stingy with money and grain, but the situation in Yangshan was too confused for anyone to see what would happen next. He was naturally unwilling to choose sides prematurely.
At the same time, he instructed his son to hoard gunpowder, forge weapons, repair stockade walls, and prepare for battle—not entirely to guard against the Australians or Sun and Feng, but because Yangshan had become completely lawless. Not only were villains seizing the opportunity to become bandits, but some large households were also settling old scores. Fires burned in every village; smoke rose from every stockade. Ouyang Stockade was now crowded with commoners from the vicinity seeking refuge.
Some days ago, he heard that the Australians had sent a new magistrate—and that it was actually a woman. Ouyang Xi didn't believe it at first; since ancient times, how could there be a female magistrate? Though there had been Wu Zetian, she had been an Empress before becoming Emperor. Later, when confirmed that it really was a woman magistrate, he immediately concluded the "Great Song" was finished.
A few days later, however, shocking news arrived: this female magistrate had personally gone into battle, flattened Dalang Market, and captured Sun Dabiao's entire family alive. Master Ouyang naturally didn't believe this either—the Sun family had been bandits for generations, and successive magistrates had been helpless against them. Now that they had received imperial titles and were at the peak of their strength, how could they be flattened by a woman hiding in the county seat?
But the spies he sent to the county seat returned and described vividly the sorry state of Sun Dabiao and his gang being displayed before the yamen. This forced father and son to believe.
Regardless of whether this great victory was due to the female magistrate personally taking the field or elite Australian troops handling it, Sun Dabiao's destruction was fact. Dalang Market was a vital passage to the Yao areas. By taking it, the Australians not only made gold daily but also grasped the lifeline of the Yonghua Yao people.
With this, though the Australians could not yet be said to have turned the tables, they held the upper hand. Feng Haijiao probably wouldn't last much longer. Given his experience, Ouyang Xi knew that given his family's status in the county, they would inevitably face the problem of "taking sides"—where should his family go?
At this critical juncture, Peng Shou'an suddenly visited. He certainly hadn't come for tea—most likely he came under orders. Ouyang Xi couldn't gauge his intention. He wanted to discuss it with his son, but Ouyang Da had gone to another estate two days prior and was not at home.
Peng Shou'an was a magistrate of the Great Ming who had surrendered to the Australians and become a "consultant." Naturally, he had visited the Ouyang home before. Though the Ouyang father and son had felt "disdainful" of Peng Shou'an's choices, they never showed it, dealing with him carefully. When levying the "Reasonable Burden," Peng Shou'an had also received certain "expressions" of goodwill, and a lower figure was set as a result. Both sides maintained some friendship.
Why had he suddenly visited at this time?
Seeing the master's face cloudy and uncertain with much hesitation, the servant said, "Then this small one will go say the Master is not at home..."
"No, no." Ouyang Xi hurriedly stopped him. It was obviously unwise to refuse to see Peng Shou'an now. Judging by this woman's actions since arriving in Yangshan—decisive in killing, cold-blooded—she was far above Magistrate Wang, clearly a forceful official. Now that she had just suppressed Sun Dabiao, this was precisely when she was establishing her authority; it would not do to slight her.
"Change clothes! Open the main gate—I will welcome him personally," Ouyang Xi ordered.
Ouyang Xi changed into clothes for receiving guests and went out to welcome him. He saw Peng Shou'an waiting under the eaves with a few Kun attendants. He hurriedly straightened his attire, descended the steps with a face full of smiles, bowing and yielding. He welcomed Peng Shou'an into the hall for the ceremonial greetings.
After the two finished their bows, they took seats as host and guest, and attendants served tea. While drinking, they exchanged polite words. Ouyang Xi first complimented the new magistrate for being "brave and resourceful" with "thunderous force," removing a great scourge of Yangshan, saying the commoners were "like parched fields receiving sweet rain." Then he praised Peng Shou'an for "assisting in military affairs" and "saving the world and bringing peace." Though he knew these were flattery, and Peng Shou'an could hardly be said to have "assisted" anything, Peng still found the words agreeable. He returned a set of flattery about being "benevolent and charitable" and "benefiting the native place."
After the pleasantries concluded, Ouyang Xi opened his mouth: "Sir specially came to my humble stockade today; I wonder what advice you bring?"
Ouyang Xi guessed seventy to eighty percent of his intention—it was nothing more than money and grain. In his heart, he had already resolved to spend fifty shi of grain and three hundred taels of silver to send him away. If other matters came up, they would require careful negotiation.
"This student has come, firstly on behalf of our Magistrate to extend greetings: Mr. Ouyang is a worthy of this county. Now Yangshan faces troubled times, and the commoners are like fish swimming in a cauldron. We hope Mr. Ouyang can step forward and do more for the commoners' welfare."
"Easy to say, easy to say." Ouyang Xi couldn't quite grasp his meaning, so he could only respond vaguely. "My family has lived in Yangshan for generations. Since Yangshan is in difficulty, naturally we should contribute." He assumed this was just a high-sounding pretext for requesting money and grain.
"Good," Peng Shou'an said. "In that case, I will not beat around the bush. Actually, this student came here under the Magistrate's order to 'borrow troops' from the Master."
"Borrow troops?" Ouyang Xi was stunned. "Sir, you must be joking. This student is just a commoner—where would I get soldiers?"
"I am not joking," Peng Shou'an said seriously. "If we speak of militia and able-bodied men, which family in Yangshan County can be mentioned in the same breath as the Master's?"
In terms of numbers, the Ouyang family's militia was indeed first in the county—Ouyang Xi himself could not deny this. If he mobilized everyone, he could muster two or three hundred militia, and his family's militia were the best-equipped in the county.
Ouyang Xi thought to himself that this was bad—this "borrowing troops" harbored ill intent!
"If we speak of militia numbers, my humble estate does indeed possess quite a few men. But they are mostly rural commoners. Guarding the estate and home, they have some blood courage, but if you speak of 'soldiers,' they fall far short."
Next Update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Part 457 (End of Chapter)