Chapter 2492: Burning the Building (Part 5)

The conference room doors of the Guangzhou Political Security Bureau flew open with a violent push. Two guards entered first, followed by Zhao Manxiong striding in behind them. Storm clouds gathered on his dark, heavyset face. Everyone seated around the U-shaped table rose silently as he entered, their eyes offering mute salutes. He walked to the center of the table and halted. With a shrug, the trench coat draped over his shoulders slipped free. His secretary deftly caught it across one arm and hung it silently on the coat rack by the door.

All participants snapped to attention. Since the First Deputy Director of the General Bureau was personally presiding, everyone wore their uniforms.

Zhao Manxiong gave a slight nod, gesturing for them to sit, and began speaking: "Everyone has worked hard these past weeks. Local operations are complicated affairs—dealing with clans and landed gentry means endless loose ends, far-reaching implications, and countless difficulties. The situation is tangled, but we can only face it head-on. Guangzhou is our starting point. We'll learn our lessons here, refine our methods, and prepare ourselves for even more demanding work ahead. Only with steady footing can we climb higher. As I've said before, Director Wu and I will fight alongside you."

Everyone in the Political Security Bureau knew the First Deputy Director rarely left Lingao. His presence in Guangzhou was unprecedented. His sudden arrival elevated this case to extraordinary importance.

Zhao Manxiong nodded to Wu Mu, signaling the meeting to begin. Wu Mu didn't speak immediately but lowered his head to flip through two pages of his document, leaving a brief silence hanging over the room.

After a moment, he looked up. "The anti-Song forces in Guangzhou, led by Liang Cunhou, have remained hidden since we seized control of the city. You've all gained some understanding from the distributed materials, but until now we've only had scattered fragments—pieces of a broken puzzle that made the full picture impossible to see. We've made new progress. Now we can roughly outline what Liang Cunhou and his anti-Song forces are planning."

Wu Mu rose and walked to the blackboard at the front of the room. He picked up a piece of chalk, drew a square, and wrote "Personnel" inside it. "This is the first piece of the puzzle: Recruiting Personnel. On one hand, Liang Cunhou founded the Yuyuan Society to absorb scholars dissatisfied with our policies. These men form the backbone—researching and interpreting our regulations. I believe some of them contributed to compiling Record of Broad Knowledge of Heaven's Affairs. They also write handbills and spread rumors. On the other hand, they seek out hostile elements in the countryside—those who've engaged in opposition or been suppressed by us. These people have suffered our strikes, sometimes repeatedly. Their thinking is rigid, their will to resist hardened. Transformation is difficult. But intimidated by our power, they hide their time. This is the core of Liang Cunhou's recruitment effort. There was once a Scholar Huang from Lingao who contacted Liang Cunhou to recruit so-called 'righteous men' in the countryside. These people have formed an anti-Song alliance with shared goals, though the organizational structure remains loose without unified leadership."

Wu Mu drew a second square on the blackboard and wrote "Public Opinion," connecting it to the first. "This is the second piece: Manufacturing Public Opinion. Liang Cunhou's group has been collecting our open publications, achieving limited understanding of our policies. Many of our measures involve restricting the rights of the old ruling class. They exploit early missteps by the Guangzhou Municipal Government to spread rumors, slander, and insults against us. They print handbills for secret distribution, cultivating dissatisfaction among the gentry. Through aristocratic families, local elders, and clan heads, they extend propaganda to citizens, farmers, and tenant farmers—denying the legitimacy of Australian Song rule, painting us as rebels and a puppet regime, spreading claims that we're here to make a quick profit before fleeing, that 'a rabbit's tail won't grow long.' They propagate slogans like 'People have hearts, Heaven has eyes—the Bald Thieves' fortune won't last,' and 'Loyal hearts shine like sun and moon, red courage forges the universe; the hair-cutters aren't our kind—rely on swords to sweep away demon winds.' Through public opinion, they shake our foundation at the grassroots. Most common people are uneducated and lack discernment. We can't fully replace local forces in the countryside, and with limited funds and manpower, our propaganda struggles to reach the lower levels. This gives them their opening. From what we've observed, many gentry and aristocratic families within old Guangzhou Prefecture..."

Wu Mu paused, drew a third square labeled "Intelligence," and connected it to the second. "This is the third piece: Intelligence Collection. From our current information, Liang Cunhou gathers intelligence through three channels. First, open publications—what we call white intelligence. Most intelligence comes from analyzing publicly available data. This is especially true regarding the usurping Ming, which lacks security awareness. Only a small amount requires covert means—black intelligence. At this stage, our enemies don't yet possess this capability. But Liang Cunhou is different. He's conducted deep research on us and understands the importance of intelligence. We underestimated the enemy's learning ability. Our review of publications wasn't always rigorous—sensitive data appeared directly in official documents and books, providing them with convenient access. Second, they've infiltrated our government departments by exploiting the many old officials and clerks we retained after taking Guangzhou. These people inherited the lax habits of Ming-era offices, gossiping freely or selling information to Liang Cunhou for rewards that sometimes amount to mere pennies. He can even obtain handwritten copies of official documents. Third, they rely on grassroots gentry to observe and gather intelligence on our administrative layout, military deployments, and supply arrivals through watching, listening, and asking questions. That compilation called Record of Broad Knowledge of Heaven's Affairs likely contains both..."

Wu Mu drew a fourth square. "The fourth piece: Armed Forces. A few days ago, through surveillance, we discovered a stronghold of Liang Cunhou's so-called 'Martial Team' in Guangzhou city. During our tracking, the target changed vehicles once, doubled back twice, altered routes multiple times, and deployed support personnel. They possess counter-surveillance awareness and clearly understand our methods. We've confirmed eight people at this stronghold—a deliberate number: too few means insufficient strength, too many becomes difficult to manage. After several days of monitoring, we tracked down a second stronghold used for emergency shelter and concealing goods. Beyond this, we analyzed a recent purchase they made. The quantity far exceeds what the stronghold personnel could consume, indicating at least one camp outside the city for the remaining armed personnel's daily activities and training. These people don't take orders directly from Liang Cunhou but are his allies, possessing autonomy and independence. They could operate without the Liang family. Our understanding of this group remains incomplete, but we estimate they number no more than one hundred—otherwise, financial resources couldn't support them. They conduct wet work and intelligence gathering for the Liang family. When opportunity arises, they'll establish a 'Righteous Army' with themselves as the core, organizing rebellion and riots. These people understand our law enforcement methods. Once committed to anti-Song activities, the harm they'll cause..."

Pausing, Wu Mu connected the four squares with chalk and drew a large circle enclosing them all. "This gives us a general picture of the anti-Song forces led by Liang Cunhou. Now, let's discuss the purpose behind his preparations."

A participant raised his hand. Wu Mu acknowledged him, and the man asked: "Director Wu, why don't we act now? Take out that stronghold and arrest Liang Cunhou directly?"

Wu Mu nodded. "This type of armed gang scatters into civilians when dispersed and only becomes bandits when gathered—they're highly mobile. If we take out the city stronghold, we'll alert them. The main force outside the city will likely break into fragments and vanish among the population, becoming a hidden threat. That's worse for us. We want to eliminate this armed gang in one unified action, removing the danger completely. Over several days of surveillance, we've determined they maintain contact with forces outside the city. Section 9's clues indicate our targets frequently deal with underground money changers, regularly exchanging silver taels for banknotes and silver dollars. We believe this funds personnel outside the city. Combined with earlier intelligence, this gang doesn't rely solely on Liang family support—they have other income sources. Therefore, behind the Liang family, there must be a bigger conspiracy. Very likely, it's the Shi Weng Group we've been searching for."

(End of Chapter)