Chapter 2287: Respective Plans
Luo Yangming worked himself ragged until everything was finally in order. He barely had time to think about the external verification. Only after all affairs were settled and he was simply waiting for the grain to arrive did he finally catch his breath. He went to the City Government to ask Zhao Fengtian whether any reply had come back.
"No reply letter," Zhao Fengtian said after checking the incoming mail records.
"It's been half a month already..."
"Hard to say," Zhao Fengtian replied. "Our regime organization in Teng County was just established—few personnel, many tasks. The person you want to check has a specific name and address, but he's not in Teng County city proper. At this point, they'd have to dispatch someone to the countryside specifically to make inquiries. With all the chaos, it can't be fast."
"We'll wait longer, then." Luo Yangming reflected that in his cold observation of Yi Haoran, he hadn't noticed anything suspicious. The man spent his time teaching children to read in his room, or amusing himself with poetry and books, occasionally going to the docks to help Wen Iron Head with accounts. Even if he was a Ming remnant, he couldn't stir up much trouble.
"This matter isn't urgent. At worst, after things settle down, we can arrest him and let you interrogate him personally," Zhao Fengtian said, picking up an official document. "This is the notification list from Joint Logistics. Dachang's grain starts shipping tomorrow; it's expected to arrive in Wuzhou on August 5th. They want us to prepare for receiving the goods."
"So soon? We only just sent the silver..." Luo Yangming was somewhat surprised.
"This is a policy-driven grain transfer," Zhao Fengtian explained. "Even if Wuzhou hadn't sent a single tael of silver, they would still ship it. But that said, the higher-ups are in a difficult position too..."
Zhao Fengtian's eyes were red. Since becoming City Government Secretary, he'd been working until late every night, sometimes pulling all-nighters—there was simply too much administrative work.
"The higher-ups are struggling, and so are we," Luo Yangming sighed. "Though it's good news, it's not a long-term solution. Who knows when the situation will improve? Lately, many things at the Aftermath Bureau have become harder to accomplish than before."
"The old moneybags are all unreliable," Zhao Fengtian said wearily. "And yet we still have to rely on them to hold things together. Curse our poverty! Once the autumn grain comes in and we have money and grain in hand, things should look better."
"If we could just win a few more major victories, it might crush their lingering hopes."
"Winning victories is the easy part. Feeding and clothing the troops is the hard part." Zhao Fengtian lowered his voice. "Right now, the biggest challenge at the front is supply. Otherwise, Guangxi would have been finished long ago. The farther we push into Guangxi, the smaller the boats we can use and the harder the transport. The Lang and Yao people there won't stay quiet either—our troops are fighting their way along every road, and expanding the army on the spot. We've won plenty of battles, but the consumption is staggeringly high..."
"In your estimation, can this war be finished by year's end?"
"Year's end should be about right. Looking at the reports from North Guangdong, things on Senator Huang's front are going reasonably smoothly. The situation is turning around. Give it a bit more time and things should settle down..."
"What people want now is stability. As long as the fighting stops, once the Two Guangs start circulating again and the market recovers, ordinary people's lives will improve. Our work will be easier to carry out too..."
"All beginnings are hard. Back when I followed the Chief to South Qiong to establish the New Area, it was even harder—no roads on land, everything had to come by sea. Ships arrived once a month. The county seat was smaller than a Guangdong village, and falling apart..."
Zhao Fengtian's seniority was considerable, and when he talked at length, he inevitably boasted about his "glorious history." Luo Yangming could only listen respectfully.
"...No matter how difficult things got, we always overcame them. With the Chief and the Senate behind us, there's nothing to fear." Zhao Fengtian spoke with utter confidence.
Luo Yangming listened to him talk, and his original vague anxieties dissipated entirely. Ten thousand dan of grain was coming—it would have an enormous stabilizing effect on both the market and public morale. He couldn't help but feel considerably relieved.
"...We should discuss security arrangements," Zhao Fengtian said, producing a document. "This is the grain security plan that Qian Duo drafted. Have a look first."
"Is it really appropriate for me to read this?" Luo Yangming asked uneasily.
"Strictly speaking, no. But you're a local. You know the area better than any of us. You might spot some loopholes..."
Put that way, Luo Yangming couldn't very well refuse. He took the document and read through it. According to the current relay escort protocol, the Wuzhou Battalion's 1st Squadron—responsible for river patrol—would arrive at Fengchuan County one day in advance to await the fleet's arrival. At dawn the following day, escorted by both the 1st Squadron and the Inland River Fleet Navy, the boat fleet would proceed to Wuzhou.
Upon arrival in Wuzhou, the 1st Squadron would handle dock security. One platoon of the Line Infantry Company would secure the route into the city; the other two platoons would remain inside, holding key points. The 3rd Squadron stationed at Sanheui would also be on standby, ready to reinforce the docks at any moment.
During this time, Wuzhou would be under full martial law. No civilians would be allowed on the streets; all city gates would be closed except for Nanxun Gate and Dezheng Gate near the unloading docks.
"This is practically foolproof," Luo Yangming said after reading. "But moving the 1st Squadron away a day in advance does leave the city rather empty."
"Company Commander Qian says it's not a major concern—we can just close the city gates. Besides, we have the 3rd Squadron outside the city as backup. In an emergency, they can come to our aid," Zhao Fengtian said dismissively. "There's been no sign of any large bandit groups or Ming Army activity around Wuzhou recently."
"Then there's no problem."
"I'll send the document to Director Xie for his review and signature." He placed the document in an envelope, stamped it with sealing wax, and handed it to a courier. "Deliver this to Chief Xie's office immediately!"
"The Chief isn't in his office today—he's working at the Three Headquarters..." the courier said. "He said unless it's an emergency document, just send everything together after lunch."
Zhao Fengtian frowned slightly. Luo Yangming understood: this was concern and disapproval over Chief Xie "indulging in feminine charms." But naturalized citizen cadres generally didn't express such sentiments publicly or discuss them with each other. For them, absolute trust and respect for the Chief were ingrained to the bone.
"Very well. Send everything together at noon," Zhao Fengtian said.
Night shrouded the mountain ranges; stars glimmered with cold light. Drifting clouds blocked the moonlight from time to time. The deep mountains were even darker. The forest was silent.
Though the mountains were high and the forests dense, with few human traces, this place was less than ten li from Wuzhou. Standing on the mountainside, one could see Wuzhou's city towers.
Inside the forest, a band of outlaws was gathering—precisely Second Master Gou's and Hu Rotten Eye's bandit gang.
Gou Er wore a tattered scholar's robe cinched at the waist with rope, a government soldier's saber hanging from his belt. After years of cave-dwelling and forest-roaming with the bandit gang, his original cultivated appearance had worn away completely. He now looked every inch the wild-haired, unkempt bandit chief.
He surveyed his surroundings with cunning, vigilant eyes. The bandits around him were disheveled and filthy, their features fierce, carrying an assortment of weapons as they gathered in clusters of two and three.
The Australians' northern advance had created masses of scattered soldiers and wandering fighters. The flames of war had also displaced countless common people, leaving them destitute and pushing them into the ranks of outlaws. The originally small bandit gang had suddenly swelled to over two hundred men—though in truth, Gou Er himself didn't know exactly how many he commanded. Men died in battle, died of illness, or fled every few days; but new ones kept joining. Rather than seeking fortune, they were simply looking for a mouthful of rice.
But even that rice wasn't easy to come by. As Australian security forces expanded and various villages implemented joint defense measures, the bandits' room to maneuver shrank steadily. They also faced continuous campaigns from the Fubo Army. Fortunately, Gou Er and Hu Rotten Eye had tasted the Fubo Army's wrath before and had learned some coping methods; they'd managed to avoid capture so far. They were one of countless bandit gangs that rose and fell like sparks.
Earlier, when Xiong Wencan had sent agents throughout Guangdong distributing appointment certificates wholesale, Gou Er and Hu Rotten Eye had each received one, technically becoming "Court-Appointed Officers." But as time passed, they realized these titles were useless—worse than useless, actually. They attracted attention like a tall tree catching wind. The Fubo Army specifically targeted bandit gangs flying the government army banner.
A figure approached and whispered a few words. Gou Er nodded, waved everyone over, and announced: "Brothers! Chief Jiang has returned from Wuzhou!"
The bandits stirred with commotion. Though Jiang Suo had only joined recently, everyone knew something of how he had led Xiong Wencan's household guards in a fierce battle against the Hair thieves at Bangshan. Against those arrogant Hair thieves, he had not only dared to fight but could hold his own. So upon joining the gang, he was made a chief. As it happened, this young man had no interest in leadership—he just kept his head down and fought hard. When charging into battle, he seemed to fear nothing. His prestige among the bandits rose quickly.
Not long ago, Jiang Suo had mysteriously disappeared. Some in the gang speculated that Gou Er and Hu Rotten Eye couldn't tolerate him and had driven him away or assassinated him.
"Chief Jiang went out this time to make contact with Court people. We brothers are going to pull off a big job in Wuzhou! If we pull it off, there'll be plenty of reward silver. Play it well, and we might even gamble our way to a proper future!"
He swept a self-satisfied glance over the assembled bandits. Most were former government soldiers—army men accustomed to drawing pay, lazy by nature, but with keen eyes for things like "futures" and "reward silver."
When he heard the low murmur of discussion among the bandits, Gou Er knew his pitch was working. He pressed on with even more vigor: "This time, the Hair thieves are shipping a massive load of grain and payroll silver from Guangzhou. We're going to hit them hard. This is a chance for great merit!"
This time, the discussion wasn't so enthusiastic—the crowd fell quiet. Grain and silver were good things, certainly, but the Hair thieves would undoubtedly guard them with heavy troops. Recently, many bandit gangs had attacked Hair thief boat fleets on the West River. Though a few had succeeded, the vast majority had only thrown their lives away with nothing to show for it.
Gou Er hastily added: "Rest easy! We are going after the boat fleet, that's true—but the real prize isn't on the boats. Since the Australians are sending heavy escorts for their ships, Wuzhou city will be left hollow. We'll seize that moment and strike into Wuzhou!"
Next Update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Part 491 (End of Chapter)