Chapter 2253: Compromise
For the gentry and large households, land was naturally the most important thing—land meant wealth and status. But no matter how much land one possessed, without enough tenant farmers and laborers to work it, land could not be transformed into wealth and power. Manpower was not only the source of wealth but also the guarantee of safety, especially in counties like Yangshan where Han and Yao lived together and public security was chaotic. The weak serving as meat for the strong was the norm. Neither individuals nor large households could rely on legal protection; they had to depend on armed force to safeguard their own interests.
In this way, manpower became the foundation upon which the various large households built their lives. The Ouyang family was no exception. For Ouyang Xi, collecting grain and taxes could still be dealt with through delay and evasion, but these able-bodied men were his family's lifeblood. It was no wonder he had hurriedly declined as soon as he heard the words "borrow troops."
However, this was not the main reason for his refusal. In truth, Ouyang Xi still harbored doubts about whether this "Great Song" that had appeared from nowhere could gain a foothold in Yangshan.
Whether suppressing bandits or pacifying the Yao, Ouyang Xi's opinions aligned with the county's. But as the leader of the gentry and large households, he understood his role as a benchmark. As long as he agreed to "borrow troops," other large households would naturally interpret it as his submission to the "Great Song," and many would follow suit and fall toward the Australians. Should the Great Ming recover the lost territory in the future—the matter concerned his reputation and his family's future, and he could not decide lightly.
Yet to refuse outright proved difficult, because his family had always maintained the reputation of being "public-spirited and justice-loving" in Yangshan. Given the current situation in the county, if his family did not step forward, it would be hard to justify.
"Sir also knows the current situation in Yangshan. Although Sun Dabiao has been destroyed, Feng Haijiao and others remain. The bandit trouble is not pacified, and everyone in the county lives in fear. Moreover, though the Eight Rows Yao rebellion has been quelled, it remains a hidden danger. Sir is the leading household of Yangshan—how can you sit and watch such a major matter concerning our native place without acting?"
"It is not that this student sits and watches without acting, but truly the able-bodied men on this student's estate are all simple commoners. Holding spears to protect the village, they have some blood courage, but if required to march into battle, I fear they would be a waste of provisions..." Ouyang Xi continued to decline.
"This student also served as magistrate in Yangshan for a few years. Back then, Old Brother Ouyang Da led the village braves to engage bandits several times, personally facing arrows and stones. He is truly a defending general of our Yangshan. The village braves under his command likewise disregarded life and death, charging into enemy lines. How are they simple commoners?" Peng Shou'an refused to let him dodge, exposing his evasive words directly.
Ouyang Xi showed an embarrassed expression—he had forgotten the other party had been county magistrate not long ago.
Peng Shou'an said solemnly, "Old Mister! This student was a wandering official with a three-year term for the Great Ming; for the Senate, I am merely an outside 'consultant.' The stability of Yangshan and the welfare of the commoners—strictly speaking, what do they have to do with me? Coming here to borrow troops is for the peace of Yangshan's common people! I hope Mister thinks thrice!"
This faintly implied criticism of Ouyang Xi for caring only about his small family and not the greater good. It made him somewhat embarrassed and indeed caused the old man to waver.
The Ouyang family's "public-spiritedness" toward Yangshan was not hypocritical; otherwise, he would not have presided over the renovation of the Reading Terrace, nor would he have organized village braves to fight for the county repeatedly. In history, during the Ming-Qing transition in Yangshan County, bandit harassments and Yao uprisings rose one after another. The Ouyang family dispatched village braves to participate in battles every time. Ouyang Xi's son, Ouyang Da, would die in battle during a defense against bandits attacking the city in the early Qing.
Ouyang Xi pondered for a moment and whispered, "It is not that I am unwilling to lend troops, but truly this matter carries great consequences. Master Peng! You and I have been acquainted for many years and trust each other. Though you now serve the Australians, I won't treat you as an outsider. I have heard that Feng Haijiao and others have received titles from the Great Ming court. If I openly become their enemy, isn't that attacking government troops?"
Seeing him speak his true thoughts, Peng Shou'an knew the matter was manageable. "Who Sun Dabiao and Feng Haijiao are—presumably Old Mister knows better than anyone. That such characters can also become officials is truly mockery of heaven!" Seeing Ouyang Xi still hesitating, he whispered again, "This time, the Magistrate wants me to borrow troops, not dispatch troops."
Ouyang Xi was startled. "What does this mean?"
"Magistrate Bi said you, Old Sir, are the number one gentry of Yangshan, and the Young Master is a Juren. Presumably, cooperating with the county would bring many taboos, and unavoidable complications—she does not blame you for this."
"Many thanks to Magistrate Bi for her understanding!" Ouyang Xi said hurriedly.
"No need for thanks." Peng Shou'an continued. "Magistrate Bi says we don't want you to dispatch troops in organized formation under the Ouyang family's banner. We only want your family to provide fifty able-bodied men—weapons and provisions will all be prepared by the county, and we don't require people from the Ouyang family to command them. Would this arrangement be acceptable?"
This was speaking plainly. Ouyang Xi felt that declining again would mean refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit.
He glanced at Peng Shou'an, feeling some doubt. He didn't believe a woman could have devised such an approach; it was probably Peng Shou'an's idea. Yet Peng had achieved nothing in his administration of Yangshan and had suffered a great defeat while assisting Australian Magistrate Wang. Conversely, after this female Kun magistrate arrived, she had made only one move and instantly enlivened the entire situation. Ouyang Xi couldn't help but wonder: Could there be some expert secretly guiding the county?
Regardless, this method was indeed appropriate. Though his family would provide able-bodied men, they would not be commanded by the Ouyang family. If the Great Ming government returned, there was room for evasion. If they didn't return, his family would have performed a merit for the Senate.
"Please allow me to discuss this matter with my son," Ouyang Xi said. "I will give Sir a reply tomorrow."
"What? He agreed?" Bi Da asked.
"Though not exactly the bullseye, it is not far off." Peng Shou'an was quite pleased with himself.
Bi Da frowned. You Ciren said, "Old Peng, stop showing off your literary phrases—speak plainly!"
"Yes, yes," Peng Shou'an said, his good mood undiminished. "Master Ouyang said he wanted to discuss it with his son and reply tomorrow—this is just for caution's sake. The matter is already settled."
"So he counts as having agreed?" Bi Da said.
"Exactly." Peng Shou'an nodded. "Speaking of which, it was still your idea, Magistrate, that proved effective..."
In their original plan, they had wanted various large households to dispatch village braves in organized units to assist in fighting—firstly to save money, and secondly because the combat power of village braves largely rested on the foundation of "mutual familiarity between superiors and subordinates."
But Peng Shou'an had visited several large households, and though every family was very polite and amenable regarding the "Reasonable Burden," when it came to lending village braves, they all hemmed and hawed. After hitting walls, Bi Da had Peng Shou'an change course: request only able-bodied men, not the organized units.
"What these old moneybags fear is nothing more than that we aren't 'orthodox,' fearing that one day Ming government troops will fight back and others will accuse them of 'attaching to rebels.' Since that's the case, let's set their hearts at ease..."
"In that case, won't we be weaker in position...?" You Ciren had some doubts.
"The Great Ming has ruled Yangshan for nearly three hundred years, and the concept of orthodoxy is deeply rooted. We are newcomers. The large households haven't seen us defeat the Ming army with their own eyes, so their distrust and suspicion is normal." Bi Da said. "If we want them to publicly support us now, they naturally won't be willing."
Thus the plan was adjusted: ask each family to provide able-bodied men without requiring organized units.
"...Actually, this works out well. The village braves they pull out in organized units are commanded by their own people. Their combat power might not be bad, but we can't get our hands into them either." You Ciren said. "After they eat rations here with us and get educated for a year or half, they'll become our people. Even for a top gentry like Ouyang Xi, once he gives those fifty able-bodied men to us, they won't be his family's anymore."
So this "conscription of village braves" became "conscription of men." For the large households, this nominal change let them breathe easier. Especially since the Ouyang Xi family agreed first, setting an example. Soon, Peng Shou'an conscripted four hundred able-bodied men from the dozen or so gentry and clan households previously identified as having "relatively good reputations." The collection rate of the Reasonable Burden also rose steadily, quickly reaching over sixty-five percent. The Great Song Yangshan County Government, which had been short of soldiers and grain and dying, miraculously revived.
With men and grain in hand, Bi Da immediately reorganized the troops. She weeded out some of the old and weak from the conscripted men, selected over two hundred sixty, mixed them with the one hundred Yao men from Yonghua and the original National Army, and finally formed five companies. Each company had a rifle squad, while the rest of the soldiers used spears and large sabers. She also dug out all the armor in stock from the county armory, selected more than ten usable suits of iron armor, and issued cotton and cloth from the warehouse for women to beat and wad into cotton armor. She formed a fully armored squad for each company.
You Ciren also organized the weeded-out old and weak into a reserve company for guarding the county seat.
Most of the able-bodied men conscripted from the large households and powerful families had served as village braves for many years. Though they hadn't received much formal training, they had experience in battle. Their combat power was quite strong. After reorganizing and equipping, the military might flourished.
Bi Da formally appointed Luo Yiming as Mayor of Dalang Market and arranged for two full companies to be stationed there. Their task was mainly to defend Dalang Market and monitor the Yonghua Yao area. Should any situation arise in the Yonghua Yao area or adjacent territories, Luo Yiming would have a mobile force at his disposal without waiting for the county seat to allocate troops. It was equivalent to having an additional forward position.
The other companies took turns escorting Peng Shou'an out to "visit guests" and collect the Reasonable Burden village by village; companies without "visiting" duties either guarded the county seat or patrolled various county roads to wipe out scattered bandits.
You Ciren coordinated from the center, managing the patrol and clearing work of various companies, ensuring National Army companies patrolled the roads every day, focusing on securing transportation nodes and important market towns. Because military strength was now abundant, apart from the reserve company, he always had one to two companies on standby in the county seat, ready to deploy at any moment.
Next Update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Part 458 (End of Chapter)