A Record of Kun Affairs

This was written by Fang Chunli of Zhejiang, not by a native of Qiongzhou who submitted to the Kun. Fang served as a secretary for several decades, traveling through more than ten provinces in Jiangnan and Jiangbei, and was thus very familiar with the affairs of the Kun.

I have set this book as being written in the last years of the Chongzhen reign. At this time, the transmigrators had already occupied large territories in Southern China, bandit rebels were swarming in the north, and the Qing troops were watching like a tiger. Fang Chunli served as an advisor in the campaigns to suppress the rebels and pacify the Kun, and he knew a great deal about the so-called Australians. After retiring, he returned to his hometown and wrote this book, which also has the character of a notebook.

You can see from his writing that he refers to the Kun people and not the Kun bandits, which shows that by that time the transmigrators had already gained legitimacy and had a public identity on the mainland, no longer in the situation of being hunted down by the imperial court.

[ayooyoo]

The Kun People

The Kun people are not recorded in history books. Their people, regardless of gender, all cut their hair and do not wear it in a topknot, with the women’s hair being only slightly longer, hence the name Kun people [Shorn-haired People]. They are tall and slender, wear short shirts, but their language and script are otherwise like those of China. They claim their ancestors are descendants of the Song imperial house, who, after the Battle of Yamen, took their retainers and clans and fled by sea to escape the Yuan. They traveled tens of thousands of li into the South Sea, to a place untouched by man, where there is a great continent. In that land, there is a great bay, so they named it Ao [bay/cove], calling it Aozhou [Australia]. They then landed and established a state, still calling it Song. To distinguish it from the Northern and Southern Song, they call it Aus-Song, and it has lasted for more than ten generations. The people of their country have obtained secret arts from overseas, capable of seizing the creative power of heaven and earth. They are also skilled in all crafts and have many secret devices, the workings of which no one can fathom.

During the Tianqi reign, some Kun people came to Guangdong by sea from the South Seas, selling their precious artifacts, which included glass mirrors, lighters, soft-skinned lanterns, unbreakable bottles, and various other treasures. The great Guangzhou merchant, Gao, sold them on their behalf, amassing hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and becoming immensely wealthy.

In the early years of the Chongzhen reign, when I was residing in the capital, I once saw an Australian “divine fire machine.” It was as long as a finger and about two fingers wide, with a mechanism at its head. To make fire, one did not need a flint and steel; by pressing the mechanism with one’s hand, a fire could be obtained instantly. The flame was about an inch high, and when the hand was released, the fire was extinguished, making it most convenient. There was also an unbreakable bottle, transparent throughout, made of an unknown material. It was not cloth, not leather, nor was it of glass or jade. It was soft and elastic to the touch and would not break if dropped. It had a soft lid that could be screwed on, sealing it so tightly that not a single drop could leak. It was used to store wine and water, unafraid of being dropped, and could also be looked at and played with. At that time, Cantonese merchants brought them to the capital and sold them on the main streets, each fetching a price of several hundred gold pieces, and onlookers gathered like a wall. Later, they were all sent to the imperial palace as curiosities.

The Kun People Land

In the first year of Chongzhen, the year of Wuchen, several hundred Kun people in more than ten iron ships anchored off the coast of Lingao County, Qiongzhou Prefecture, and came ashore to build a stockade. Among them was a giant ship, made entirely of iron, over a hundred zhang long and several zhang high, looking as imposing as a city wall. The local people were terrified, thinking that great pirates from overseas had arrived, and all fled into the county town. Magistrate Wu of Lingao County dispatched the local militia to attack them. The Kun people defended themselves with muskets. The Kun firearms were sharp and effective, superior to those of our dynasty. In an instant, countless militiamen were killed or wounded, and the attack failed. This was the beginning of the Kun affair, and also the source of all matters to come.

Night-Bright Lamps

The Kun people built their stockade at Bairen. They did not build city walls or ramparts around it, but only used iron wire woven into a net as a wall, and dug a deep trench in front. They built tall towers of long wood and kept watch day and night. Within the stockade, they arranged hundreds of night-bright lamps, so that even at night, it was illuminated as bright as day.

Secret Art of Cursed Vehicles

The Kun people are skilled in all crafts and can create iron vehicles with secret arts. They are more than ten feet high, with a giant iron shovel in front. A Kun person gets on the vehicle and curses it, and the iron vehicle moves on its own, digging the earth with the shovel. One scoop can lift several thousand catties of earth, turning flat ground into a giant trench in an instant. Such a vehicle can do the work of a hundred men. They also have a machine made of several giant iron parts. They pile firewood and light it, and a Kun person chants a spell, and it can move on its own. Even a rock as big as a cart can be shattered into palm-sized pieces in a moment. There is also a machine that can make bricks. With a spell, it makes brick blanks on its own, tens of thousands in a single day. Therefore, the Kun people do not consider construction a difficult matter. Even tall buildings and stacked pavilions, on dangerous mountains or low-lying ground, can be erected in the blink of an eye with a shout, all thanks to this art.

False Kun

The first Kun people to arrive all came from Australia; they are the True Kun. After landing, they repeatedly defeated the local militia, and their prestige grew greatly. Many of the lawless people of Guangdong and Qiongzhou submitted to them. When the Kun people recruit people, regardless of gender, they first shave their heads like monks, then change their clothes to dress like the Kun. They must first be fed for a month, taught discipline and rules, which is called “respectful transformation,” and then they are put to use, and they are as obedient as one’s own arm and fingers. These are the False Kun, and their appearance is no different from the True Kun. They are employed as farmers, workers, or soldiers, each in their own place. The system is orderly and the rules are strict. Before being employed, the people must be gathered, and a True Kun teaches them, which is called “training.” Therefore, all the Kun people’s undertakings are methodical, and their actions are bound to succeed. After a year, the number of True and False Kun reached about ten thousand, and the place where they lived became a bustling market, called the East Gate Market. The villagers of Lingao flocked to it, and the number of people who made a living there was no less than ten thousand. These are all people who depend on the Kun people for their livelihood.

Kun Officials

The Kun also have official positions. The names of the offices are very different from those of our dynasty, and it is suspected that they were learned from foreign barbarians. Their leader is called the “Chairman,” with the title of “Executive Committee Member.” Below them are “Directors,” “Bureau Chiefs,” and “Committee Members.” All True Kun are called “Chiefs,” and the False Kun all treat them with respect. Officials are not called officials, but “cadres.” Their officials have no official robes; they all wear short shirts and no caps. It was rumored at the time that the Kun people were a disorderly mob, with no distinction between officials and commoners, and that the wealthiest were the most respected. This is a great fallacy. The Kun chieftains include Wen Desi, Ma Qianzhu, and others. These are all “Executive Committee Members.” Guo Yi, at that time the richest man in both Guangdong provinces, was not heard to have any title. From this, we know.

Kun Merchants

The Kun people arose from the sea and take commerce as their main occupation. When they first occupied Lingao, they immediately traded with the local people, buying large quantities of grain, rice, cloth, silk, copper, iron, firewood, and charcoal, and selling glass and various overseas treasures. It seems the Kun people also know that grain is the foundation of the world, so they managed it. They also sent a True Kun, Guo Yi, who pretended to be a native of Guangdong, grew his hair, wore Chinese clothes, and went to Guangzhou to trade. He set up a shop called “Zichengji.” His customers were all great merchants, and he sold Australian treasures, each piece for several thousand gold pieces, making a huge profit. After a year or so, he was as rich as a country.

Yi, being a great merchant, lived a luxurious life, but was still not satisfied, so he brought his concubine. His concubine, Pei Lixiu, was originally a famous courtesan in Australia, of exceptional beauty. She followed Guo Yi to China and set up the Zhiminglou. The furnishings in the tower were magnificent, surpassing anything in the two Guangdong provinces. My friend, Zeng Ziming, a native of Kuaiji, was then a secretary in Dongguan. He once entered the Zhiminglou and described it to me in great detail. The tower had many small pavilions, called “private rooms.” Each pavilion had a name, and the carvings were also different according to its name. There were also cunning boys and beautiful courtesans, exotic dishes from overseas, fine wine, and excellent fruits. Once inside the tower, one was bewildered by the five colors, and the eyes were filled with luxury, making one dizzy and lost, not knowing where one was. There was a bathhouse inside, which was particularly praised. In it was a pool about a zhang square, with all four walls made of porcelain. In the middle was a fountain, as high as a person, with jade-like waves of water, the temperature of which could be adjusted to one’s liking. The fountain water never ran out, and the pool water never overflowed. It was always warm, and the fountain water had its own fragrance. Bathing in it would leave one’s whole body fragrant for three days. It was called “Fragrance Cleansing Soup.” The great merchants and wealthy families of Guangdong vied for pleasure in it. Even a thousand gold pieces thrown away at once might not secure a spot; a reservation had to be made a month in advance. From then on, Guo Yi became the richest man in the two Guangdong provinces. Although Yi was rich, he did not know how to restrain himself, and the fame of the Kun people’s wealth spread throughout the country. The later campaign of Governor-General Wang to suppress the Kun was in fact rooted in this.

The Kun People Occupy Lingao

At first, when the Kun people built their stockade at Bairen, Lingao was terrified, thinking that great pirates had come and that there would surely be killing and plundering. Therefore, Magistrate Wu sent out the local militia to drive them away. After the Kun people finished building their stockade, they constructed palaces and buildings, built roads and dikes, and established markets for trade. They did not disturb the common people, did not attack the city, traded with the people, did not engage in robbery, and occasionally used small profits to entice the people. They paid laborers generously, and hundreds of poor households depended on them for a living. The people gradually became at ease. After a few months, a pirate named Zhu Cai, knowing of the Kun people’s wealth, attacked Bairen with several thousand pirates. The Kun people sent out several hundred soldiers, and with a volley of muskets and cannons, the pirates were greatly defeated. The Kun people beheaded several hundred, and from then on, no one in Lingao dared to provoke them. The Kun people took over lawsuits, monopolized tax collection, and then measured the land and counted the population. The gentry were all intimidated and kept silent. Before this, Lingao was plagued by bandits, who even attacked cities and broke through stockades, and the people suffered greatly. The Kun people then, under the name of protecting the land and clearing the countryside, organized militias, trained soldiers, formed ranks, and manufactured weapons and artillery. They used these to attack the bandits, greatly defeating them and beheading them by the hundreds. The remaining bandits had nowhere to stand and all fled to other counties. With this achievement, the Kun people won the hearts of the people and thus occupied Lingao. Although Magistrate Wu remained in the county town, he had no say in county affairs and could only agree to everything.

Peerless National Scholar

The Kun people are skilled in clever designs and expert in all crafts. Besides their secret devices, they are also good at brewing wine. When Guo Yi was in Guangdong, he collected local crude liquor and refined it with a secret technique, which could instantly turn the crude liquor into fine wine. Guo Yi also bottled it in glass bottles, decorated it with brocade, and paired it with two glass wine cups, all in a beautifully carved lacquer box. He named it “Guoshi Wushuang” (Peerless National Scholar). In the early years of the Chongzhen reign, those traveling from Guangdong to the capital competed to use this as a gift. When I was living in the capital and frequenting the Six Ministries, I often saw it. The bottle contained only a few liang, clear as water, without any dregs. The wine was mellow and rich, and its aroma was particularly strong. If you poured just one cup in a room, the fragrance of the wine would fill the air outside, enough to make an old glutton drool. It was truly a top-grade wine. The glass bottle used was as clear as ice, as if there was nothing there. A printed wine label was tied to the neck of the bottle, with the four characters “Guoshi Wushuang” in clerical script. Below was a picture of a general dancing with a sword, the brushwork elegant and lively, which could only be done by a master. The lacquer box was beautifully decorated, with the four characters “Guoshi Wushuang” in clerical script on the front, and a couplet in running script on the left and right: “In drunkenness, the universe is vast; in the pot, the sun and moon are long.” Because of its excellent quality and famous name, and the long and difficult journey to obtain it, this wine fetched a high price. A single bottle was priced at fifty taels of white silver, and it was still hard to get. At that time, those in the capital who obtained it treasured it and would not easily show it to others. Friends in Guangdong were constantly asked for it in person and by letter, which became quite a burden.

The Kun People’s Lavish Food

When I was living in Nanjing, a sea merchant named Liu, who had been to Lingao several times, talked to me about the affairs of the Kun, and he recounted them vividly. The Kun people emulate the ancient practice of dining with bells and tripods. They rarely cook separately, but eat together in one place, called a “canteen,” like the refectories in temples and monasteries. Every meal must have fish and meat, and more than ten kinds of vegetables. The rice is all cooked with fine rice, and the eaters eat until they are full. Even the False Kun and hired laborers only have slightly fewer vegetables. When the False Kun first surrender, they can eat without working for a month during their “respectful transformation.” Therefore, the poor in Guangdong and Qiongzhou who have no means of subsistence often see this as a way to survive.

When our dynasty conscripts people, the rations are provided by the local area according to the law, but sometimes there are shortages. The soldiers resent the local area, which often leads to trouble, either harassment or plunder, and there are often disputes. If a major construction project is undertaken, the laborers’ food is often lacking. The strong may get a full meal, but the weak and hungry inevitably end up in the ditches. When the Kun people go on a campaign, they transport their own provisions, and the food is even more generous than usual. Therefore, the soldiers do not disturb the people, and the people are at ease. When the Kun people undertake a project, even if there are thousands of workers, everyone still gets to eat, and it is better than at home. Therefore, when the Kun people recruit workers, the people often compete for the jobs, to the point of cursing and fighting each other.

Note that when the Kun people first started, they had few mouths to feed. Later, they accepted False Kun, often in the tens of thousands, and the number of mouths to feed was enormous, yet they were all supplied with food like this. In our dynasty, even the government would be absolutely unable to do this. The Kun people’s ability to do this cannot be explained simply by “their nature is lavish and extravagant.”

The Kun People’s Scholarship

Although the Kun people came from Australia, their ancestors were remnants of the Song imperial house. Although they lived in a barren and savage land, they did not forget their roots, and they also have poetry, books, classics, and history. However, having been outside of civilization for a long time, their literary culture is weak, and they have been influenced by various barbarians, so their orthodox tradition has gradually become diluted. Therefore, although their script is like that of China, they often use simplified characters in their writing, their writing style is vulgar, and their official announcements are also the same. When the Kun people occupied Lingao, they also established schools. Their schools exclusively enrolled the children of poor households. Those who attended did not need to pay tuition and were even given food and clothing. Therefore, poor families were happy to send their children to the schools. Their studies did not teach poetry and classics, but prioritized literacy, followed by the study of mathematics, which is the basis of Australian secret arts. When they were a little older, they were taught various miscellaneous studies, called physics and chemistry. The classics and histories, on the other hand, became a separate category, only touched upon briefly. After five years, they completed their studies, which was called graduation. The Kun people have no imperial examinations and do not value literary composition. After graduation, the students are immediately employed as False Kun, serving as their runners. Having been immersed in Australian learning from a young age, their words and actions are no different from the True Kun, and they are even more capable than ordinary False Kun. The officials appointed by the Kun people also mostly come from among them. Therefore, at first, most of those who entered their schools were from poor households, but later, even the gentry and scholars competed to enter the schools, and some even abandoned their traditional studies to join the Kun.

The Kun People’s Agriculture

The Kun people are skilled in seamanship, expert in all crafts, accustomed to commerce, and also proficient in agriculture. Lingao is a small county, its land is near the sea, the soil is thin and saline, not comparable to the Central Plains. Qiongzhou is warm and sparsely populated. Many poor households from Guangdong and Fujian have crossed the sea to Qiongzhou to reclaim wasteland and cultivate it, but due to drought or flood, or typhoons, or mountain torrents, the harvest is meager. Even the local natives, who have been farming for generations, often do not have enough to eat from their year-round toil. When the Kun people arrived in Qiongzhou, they first proposed to reclaim land for cultivation. The local people all laughed, because the land they chose was too wet and swampy to be planted. In the past, the harvest was one-tenth of what was sown, and it had long been abandoned by their ancestors. When the Kun people began to reclaim it, they measured the orientation, determined the feng shui, changed the layout, and applied their secret arts. With one planting, there was a great harvest, with each mu yielding several hundred catties. Thus, the news spread among the local people. The Kun people then established the “Heaven and Earth Society,” which is the Australian way of promoting agriculture. They sent people to give guidance on farming techniques and planting methods. The next planting was also a great harvest, and those who joined the “Heaven and Earth Society” all gained several times the profit. From then on, the Kun people’s farming methods spread throughout Lingao. To this day, in the lands of Guangdong and Qiongzhou, Lingao is the champion in rice production, thanks to the efforts of the Kun people.

The Kun People’s Treasures

The Kun people have secret arts, which have been passed down for a long time. What I have heard and seen that does not conform to reason and is difficult to explain is more than can be fully told. But the speakers are firm, and they are not people who speak recklessly. The talk is widespread, and the events were witnessed by many. Now I will select three or four well-documented cases to broaden our horizons.

Recording Machine

The Kun people have a recording machine. Any word spoken can be recorded. It is placed on a table like a food box and can be carried by one person. The Kun people often use it when judging cases. The voice is exactly like the person’s own. Even private whispers can be heard clearly. Those who hear it are all drenched in sweat and have no way to argue. It can also record music and singing. Even if it is noisy, it is not chaotic. It can be stored for several years, and the sound is still clear. Zhiren was with the Kun and saw it himself. Even a casual word was as if he was there. The Kun people use it to replace written records. This is a strange object. I have asked great scholars about it, but none can explain it.

Sound-Transmitting Tube

The Kun people have a sound-transmitting tube. Even over a thousand li, a conversation is like meeting face to face. In the first year of the Hongguang reign, I was with Governor-General Hong’s staff in Zhenjiang. At that time, the military situation was urgent, and we were startled several times a night. For the convenience of communication, the Kun people set up a sound-transmitting tube for us. It was placed in the signing office and connected by a cord directly to the Kun camp outside the city. To use it, one lifts the tube, presses a protrusion on it, and after a short wait, a voice comes out of the tube, which is the chief of the Kun camp. The voice is very faint, chirping like an insect. But if you place the tube to your ear, it is as loud as if the person were opposite you. You can converse with them as if face to face. A short while later, a scout would report that the Kun army outside the city was on the move. This is truly a great tool for military and state affairs. I have heard that the Kun army uses this for communication, so even if they are a thousand li apart, they can command as they wish, like the mind controlling the arm. I strongly suspect that it relies on its cord. The cord has a copper wire inside and is wrapped in something that is not leather or hide, but is more flexible. I do not know what it is. The Kun people call it a “telephone,” and I do not know its principle either.

Image-Capturing Mirror

The Kun people have a method of capturing images. At first, everyone who heard of it thought it was nonsense. In the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign, my senior brother, Zhou Zhiren, accompanied an imperial envoy to Guangdong and met with all the Kun chieftains. Upon his return to Nanjing, he visited me. He showed me a piece of paper given to him by the Kun people, a so-called “visa.” I looked at this paper, which was about the size of a palm, with a blue ribbon attached. On it were listed his name, official position, age, and other details, much like a certificate of appointment from the Ministry of Personnel. Below was a round red seal, with the characters in Song typeface, saying “Guangdong Province Branch of the Aus-Song Nation.” And in the middle was a human figure, which was an image of Zhiren himself. Looking at it was like looking in a mirror; his spirit was perfectly captured, and even his eyebrows and beard were not different in the slightest. It was not drawn or painted, and I did not know how it was made. I asked Zhiren about it. He said that when he first arrived among the Kun, they led him to a mirror. As he was looking at himself in astonishment, there was a sudden flash of white light. A Kun person smiled and said, “It is done.” They led him into a side room and served him tea. In a moment, a Kun person came with several pieces of paper, which were the visas. They were distributed to everyone to hang around their necks. Among the Kun, this was used as identification to prove one’s identity and for recognition. This mirror was the image-capturing mirror. I have also heard that the Kun people can capture images from a distance, but they cannot pass through barriers. This truly cannot be explained by physical principles. What is it if not a wondrous art?

Australian Firearms

The firearms used by the Kun people, some brought from Australia, some made after arriving in Qiong, are all sharp and effective, truly great weapons for the military and the state, and are especially superior to others. The origin of Chinese firearms is the Song dynasty. The Kun people are descendants of the Song imperial house, so is it not logical that their firearms are sharp and effective?

When I was on Governor-General Hong’s staff, everyone discussed firearms, and Sun Zhenxiao was considered the foremost expert. Zhenxiao, courtesy name Ziyou, was a native of Chu. In the early years of the Chongzhen reign, he was a guest in Guangdong and personally witnessed the Kun people’s attack on Humen. The cannon fire was so fierce that no ordinary person could resist it. From then on, he devoted himself to the study of firearms, seeking a way to counter them, but he found none, and he often spoke of it with resentment.

Sun said: Australian firearms are similar in appearance to those of our dynasty, but are in fact different on the inside. They are also different from all Red Hair firearms, being in a class of their own. At first glance, a cannon is a cannon, and a musket is a musket, and there is nothing strange about them. But on closer inspection, there are almost no similarities.

Australian firearms can be divided into three types: one is cannons, the second is muskets, and the third is cartridges.

The Australian cannon is not like the Red Hair great cannon, which is distinguished by its weight. When our dynasty casts cannons, they are mostly made of bronze or iron. The body is huge and the walls are thick, so that they can hold more gunpowder. When fired, the fire is fierce, and the cannonball can be shot far. However, it is not easy to cast a huge cannon, and even if it is cast, it is not easy to move and fire it, because it is heavy. Therefore, although the Red Hair great cannon is effective, it is only used for defending cities, for no other reason than that it is heavy and difficult to move. The Australian cannon is made entirely of steel, which is much better than iron. Therefore, the walls can be thin, the cannon can be light, it can hold more gunpowder, and it can shoot farther. And the cannon body is light and convenient, and can be pulled by several people. Therefore, the Kun people carry cannons with them when they march, and they do not find it difficult. When the Kun people fire their cannons, they can reach several li away, beyond the reach of the cannons on the city walls. Because they are light and convenient, they carry many cannons. With many cannons, the cannon fire is continuous. Those who face it are destroyed, and those who encounter it perish. Therefore, wherever the Kun people go, even strong cities and high ramparts, thick walls and moats, are not enough to stop them. And the Kun people are skilled in mathematics. Before firing, they always calculate with great precision, and their shots often hit the mark. When facing their cannons, before the Kun people have fired a single shot, the enemy’s heart is already trembling. When the cannon roars and the ball falls, countless people lose their wits and turn to flee.

In the twelfth month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the Kun people attacked the bandit Cao Cao’s forces in Xuzhou. At that time, Cao Cao was holding a strong stockade, thinking he could defend it. The Kun people used twenty-two large and small cannons, firing them in sequence, bombarding Cao Cao’s camp. After one night, Cao Cao’s camp was filled with fire and smoke. The next day at dawn, a scout reported that Cao Cao had fled during the night.

The Kun people’s muskets are the most effective. Therefore, the Kun army does not use swords, spears, bows, or arrows, but uses muskets for both long and short range. And the Kun people call muskets “guns,” which is different from our dynasty.

The Kun people have many types of guns. There are short guns, which the Kun people call “handguns.” Many of those with official positions among the Kun carry these. There are also many types, but they are not often seen. There is one called a “revolver handgun,” which is only the size of a palm. I have seen a False Kun who was a company commander in the Kun army carry one. This gun has a wheel inside, and the wheel has six holes. A cartridge is placed in each hole. When firing, it is held in one hand. No fuse is needed. When the trigger is pulled, the charge ignites and the bullet is fired. It can fire six shots in quick succession. Within thirty paces, even iron armor cannot withstand it. It is truly a sharp weapon.

What the Kun army commonly uses is a musket, which the Kun people call a “rifle.” There are also many types. The one most used in the Kun army is called the “Minie rifle.” I do not know where its name comes from. When I was in Jiujiang, the Kun people sent an envoy, and his guards carried this rifle. This rifle is very different from the various muskets of our dynasty. It is made entirely of steel, except for the stock, which is wood. The gun is divided into two sections. When bent, it opens, and the cartridge is loaded from the rear of the gun. Then it is straightened, and it can be fired. It also does not use a fuse. When the trigger is pulled, the charge ignites and the bullet is fired. It can reach a distance of seven hundred paces. Within six hundred paces, the bullet can pierce armor. Those hit in the head, face, chest, or abdomen die instantly. At seven hundred paces, it can still injure people, but they do not die instantly. Below the barrel of the gun, there is a three-edged spike, about a foot long, extremely sharp. The Kun people use it for close-quarters stabbing, and it is just like a short spear. The Kun people rely on it to fight the Red Hairs, strike the sea pirates, defeat the roving bandits, and destroy the Jianzhou Jurchens, and they are almost invincible in every battle.

The Kun people also have a “repeating gun,” which they use to defend their stockades, or in naval battles. It can fire hundreds or thousands of shots in an instant. Its bullets are heavy and powerful, and even iron shields and thick wood cannot withstand them. I have asked Cantonese soldiers who have fought with the Kun people. They say that those hit by this weapon have their heads smashed and chests caved in, their bodies incomplete. Those who are hit fall instantly. And it fires a volley of bullets in quick succession, suddenly, like a flash of lightning or a shooting star, and it is impossible to dodge. The army is terrified when they hear of it, calling it the “Gate of Mourning Cannon” or the “Head-wrapping Musket,” meaning that to be hit by it is to die, and one’s family should wear mourning clothes.

The effectiveness of the Kun people’s firearms relies on their cartridges. I have seen the Kun people’s musket cartridges. The charge is wrapped in paper. When used, it is simply loaded, which can be done in an instant. To fire the musket, a copper piece is placed behind the charge. When the trigger is pulled, it fires. It does not need a fuse, is not afraid of wind or rain, and is particularly effective. A Kun soldier can carry dozens of rounds and fire them at will in battle. This is a hundred times better than our dynasty’s muskets. The Kun people also have a “palm thunder,” which they call a “hand grenade.” This object has not been seen in previous dynasties; only the Kun people have it. It is made of iron, the size of a brush pot, filled with gunpowder, with a wooden handle at the back and a mechanism at the tail. To use it, one presses the mechanism, holds the wooden handle, and throws it. It explodes on impact. The Kun army often forms teams of dozens of men. When the order is given, they all throw them together, and there is no way to defend against them. Whenever Sun Zhenxiao spoke of this object, his words would be venomous, saying that the Kun people’s methods were cruel and that they would surely face retribution later.

The Kun people’s cannonballs include solid shot, which is similar to ours and not worth elaborating on. There is also grapeshot, which our dynasty also has, but it is not as refined and is not surprising. But there are also exploding shells. These shells explode in mid-air, like a hailstorm, with hundreds of projectiles flying out at once. Even heavy armor and thick helmets cannot withstand them. Or they explode on landing, like a stone thrown into water, sending earth and stones flying. Even brave warriors and valiant generals are killed instantly if they are hit. When the Kun people fought the roving bandits in Huaibei, it is said that one cannon shot caused the enemy to rout. This is an unprecedentedly effective weapon. Its design and mechanism are unknown. Even the most learned scholars and the most experienced generals cannot defend against it.

The most effective of the Kun people’s firearms is the rocket. The Kun people used it to burn the South Gate in Guangzhou, to destroy the main camp of the roving bandits in Jiangbei, and to break the iron cavalry of the Jianzhou Jurchens in Shandong. They were victorious in every battle. When I was stationed with the army in Jinhua, I once met a soldier who had been captured and ransomed after serving under General He in the Qiong campaign. He said that in the battle of Chengmai, the Kun people fired hundreds of rockets from their large ships at sea, burning the city of Chengmai. It was like ten thousand golden snakes, with fiery crows flying across the sky. The sound was shrill and terrifying to hear. Where they landed, a sea of fire instantly formed. If it touched a person, it would not be extinguished even by water, and would burn until the bones were visible. It could be called a fiery hell. The government army was thus greatly routed, which sowed the seeds of defeat. Hearing this, my hair stood on end, and I began to understand that the Kun people’s rampage through Qiong, Guangdong, and the South China Sea was not a matter of luck.

Kun People’s Repeating Fast Cannon

The Kun people, in governing their army and military affairs, prioritize firearms, and are especially good at using cannons. They say that heavy and light cannons must be used in combination. The heavy ones are for attacking cities and destroying stockades, and the light ones are for breaking formations and routing the enemy. Among the various light cannons, the repeating fast cannon is the most fierce and ingenious, not comparable to ordinary ones. Both the Kun people’s land army and navy are equipped with it. The one used by the navy, the Kun people call a typewriter. I have not seen it myself, nor do I understand its meaning, but someone who knows told me: this thing is called a fast cannon, but it is actually a volley gun. It connects more than ten large gun barrels together, and stores the cartridges in a magazine. To use it, one soldier operates the machine to fire, and two soldiers hold the magazine to prepare it. One shot fires dozens of bullets, reaching a distance of four hundred paces. Even strong armor and iron screens are pierced. It loads and fires quickly, in a continuous barrage, and the enemy has never failed to retreat in fear. In the past, when the Kun people entered Humen, the government army did not dare to fight them. They searched for sampans and small boats, bundled firewood, and poured grease on them, intending to burn the Kun people’s warships. They used the typewriter cannon to defend against them. One could only see gunpowder smoke like ink, and lead bullets like rain. The fire boats and sampans were all shattered to pieces, and not a single one got close to their warships. The government army was thus defeated. This cannon weighs over a hundred catties and is mostly placed on the deck or in the fighting tops of warships. It also has a wheeled carriage and can be used for amphibious landings. When the Kun people fought in Guangdong, there was a case where more than a hundred militia members attacked a single typewriter cannon and were all wiped out. Those who heard of it were all horrified and changed color.

The Kun people’s land army’s fast cannon has a different design, and is even more ingenious. It is said that among the Australians who came from Australia, there were wise men and skilled craftsmen, named Makexin and Bailangning. Seeing the startling thunder of lightning, they pondered the divine mystery of heaven’s workings, and after more than ten years, they created this cannon. The fast cannon is made of fine steel, polished like a mirror’s edge. Its body is very light, and two Kun soldiers can carry it. The cartridges it fires are integrated, linked by a copper chain. It must be placed on a three-legged iron stand to be fired. It can also be used with a two-legged stand, but it is not as stable as the three-legged one, and has no problem of recoil. Once fired, the mechanism is automatic, and the cannonballs come out like rain, capable of firing tens of thousands of rounds continuously. One cannon can match a thousand of our dynasty’s swivel guns and a hundred culverins. Even if the enemy swarms like a tide, it is always victorious. The Kun people also have steel-armored vehicles, with a mechanism inside and steel armor outside. Muskets and cannons cannot harm them. They have iron wheels below, bound with iron tracks, and can travel over mountains, forests, and swamps as if on flat ground. In a previous year, when the Kun soldiers fought the Jianzhou Jurchens in Tongzhou, they set up ten repeating cannons under the Yongtong Bridge. The vanguard feigned defeat to lure the enemy into a trap, forming a pincer attack. The Jurchen cavalry, wearing heavy armor, charged the formation. One only heard the continuous firing of the fast cannons, the sound dense and unbroken. Men and horses fell instantly, as if cutting grass. In addition, the steel-armored vehicles carrying fast cannons cut off their retreat. In this battle, forty thousand elite Jurchen cavalry were wiped out in a single morning, and not a single man or horse escaped. The Jurchen power never recovered from this.

Australian Great Cannon

The Kun people are skilled in all crafts, and casting cannons is their specialty. In the past, when the Red Hairs raided the sea borders, they relied on the advantage of their cannons being a hundred times better than ours. The advantage of the great cannons cast by the Kun people is a hundred times better than that of the Red Hairs. In the first year of the Hongguang reign, I was stationed with the Governor-General in Zhenjiang, repairing the city walls, building forts, and placing dozens of great cannons, all purchased from the Kun people. The largest of these cannons weighed over three hundred thousand catties. Its body was massive and its form was majestic, something never seen before. The cannon was cast from a hundred times refined iron, and the bore was bored round with a steel knife. Each shot used dozens of catties of powder, and there was no fear of it bursting. When elevated by six fen, one shot could reach ten li. People say that a Red Hair cannon can reach ten li, but that is all false. The farthest a Red Hair cannon can reach is no more than a thousand paces. But the Kun cannon has been tested, and reaching ten li is no exaggeration. The four-hundred-catty iron balls it fires are cast with wax molds, perfectly round without the slightest deviation. They enter and exit smoothly. Any strong wall or great ship they hit is pierced through, and siege towers and lookout posts are all destroyed.

The Kun people also make hollow exploding shells. The outer skin is extremely thin, and the inside is filled with powder. There is a mouth on top that can accommodate a screw. A separate copper plate fuse is inserted into the mouth and screwed into the shell. This object is most ingenious. Before firing, the soldiers must use a telescope to measure the distance to the enemy, calculate the flight time of the shell in seconds, and then adjust the fuse so that the shell explodes as soon as it hits the ground, sending shrapnel in all directions. Gunpowder flames fill the sky, and poisonous fire covers the ground. Onlookers are all aghast, saying that even a body of bronze and iron would be instantly turned to dust. This technique is called a firing table, and without the Kun people’s secret instruction, there is no way to know it. There is also a canister shot, which has three layers of iron plates inside, each with small balls attached. In the middle is a cylinder, hollow and filled with gunpowder, also using a screw fuse. When it explodes, the fire ignites the shell, and the cluster of balls flies out, being most effective at injuring people.

Some say that although the Kun people’s cannons are sharp and have long range, their bodies are heavy and clumsy, and they are not flexible in turning. This is a great fallacy. The Kun people’s great cannons are all equipped with iron carriages. The carriage has two iron beams as a frame, bound with iron chains. After each shot, it recoils and returns freely. The front and back of the iron frame have horizontal wheels that fit into a track, with a central axle, allowing it to turn left and right, firing in a circle, and advancing in all directions. Below the tail of the cannon is a screw jack. Whenever it is fired, one only needs to look at the elevation quadrant and consult the firing table to set the elevation and depression. The shells and gunpowder are all lifted and loaded with a pulley, which is as nimble and easy as the strength of one person.

I heard that during the Chongzhen reign, Governor-General Hong purchased several Australian great cannons, considering them great weapons. But after the defeat at Songshan, the great cannons were all lost. I sighed for this. Later, I observed the Kun people’s military training. Every day, they practice firing the great cannons. First, they polish and clean the great cannon, then load the gunpowder and shell, load the primer, report the firing table, set the direction and elevation, and only then do they fire. After firing, they push it back to its original position. They practice every day without fail, so they become skilled through practice, and their methods are always effective. A friend of mine who once served on Governor-General Hong’s staff said that his camp’s soldiers had not learned the Australian method of cannon drill. When facing the enemy, they were not skilled in firing, their measurements were inaccurate, they were flustered, and their hands were unsteady. Before the cannon could be fired, the enemy had already arrived, so they abandoned the cannon and fled. The treasures of the military and the state were all taken by the enemy. What a pity, what a sorrow!

The Kun People Fight Kun Bandits

When the Kun people first entered Guangdong, they entered the Pearl River and captured Humen. The government army was greatly routed. The Kun people requisitioned grain along the way, and those who resisted were defeated. Their military prowess was sharp, and all of Guangdong was shaken.

Two treacherous commoners from Dongguan, Xu Chou and Wang Ruocheng, took the opportunity to rise up. They shaved their hair, gathered several hundred of their followers, and falsely used the banner of “Vanguard General of the Great Kun Nation.” They ran rampant in the countryside, engaging in robbery and extortion daily. At that time, the government army was scattered, and the villages turned pale at the mention of the Kun. No one dared to resist, and they were allowed to be trampled upon.

There was a commoner in Dongguan named Chen, whose son was abducted by Xu’s gang and a ransom of fifty gold pieces was demanded. Chen’s family was poor, and he knew that even if he sold his fields and house, it would not be enough. So he went to the Kun people’s camp and begged for his son’s release.

At that time, the Kun chief was Wen Desi. At first, he did not understand, but after learning the details, he was greatly surprised, and then greatly angered. He immediately dispatched several hundred men, ordering Chen to guide them, to attack Xu’s gang. Chou and the others were in the middle of a banquet, forcing the abducted women to dance naked among the seats for their amusement. It was midnight when the Kun army arrived stealthily and had long since surrounded them, yet no one in Xu’s camp knew. At dawn, the Kun people first fired several cannon shots, then formed ranks and surrounded them. Xu’s gang was in great chaos. Dozens of them came out brandishing swords and spears. The Kun people slaughtered them all with a volley of gunfire in a moment. The rest all surrendered with their hands tied. The Kun people released all the abducted family members and had people guide them home. They then executed Xu Chou and Wang Ruocheng, beheaded them, and hung their bodies in the wild for the birds to peck at. They had the villagers identify the rest of the gang. Those who had committed murder were immediately brought out and tried in front of everyone, which was called a “public trial.” Those whose crimes were confirmed were all hanged on the main street. At this, the villagers were overjoyed, and each praised the virtue of the Kun people.

The Kun people’s army was near Guangzhou for about two months. They destroyed more than ten groups of bandits in the four suburbs who falsely claimed to be Kun people, executing several hundred in total. The rest were all exiled to Qiongzhou to serve as hard labor. Therefore, after the Kun people withdrew, southern Guangdong was greatly pacified, the bandits were wiped out, and the countryside was quiet, even more peaceful than before.

Kun People’s Ships - Steamships

Steamships are a wondrous technology of the Australians, and all who see them are amazed. During the Chongzhen reign, when the Kun people entered Guangdong, it was reported that the rebellious Kun had attacked Humen with steamships. Their ships had no masts or sails, but had paddle wheels below and one or two copper smokestacks above. When the wind was favorable, they emitted white smoke; when the wind was adverse, they emitted black smoke. At night, they emitted sparks. When the smokestack spewed fire and the wheels paddled the water, the ship moved, faster than a fully sailed vessel. Moreover, it could advance and retreat at will, and was not limited by wind or tide. The local people were terrified, saying that the Kun people knew secret arts. When they boarded a ship, they would burn incense and offer sacrifices, secretly performing spells, which is why there was smoke and fire, and the wheels turned and the ship moved on its own. Some said the wheels were pulled by oxen or horses. All of these are absurd and not to be believed. The great Kun merchant Guo Yi, who lived in Guangzhou, once had a steamship for his leisure and entertainment. When he traveled on the Yue River, onlookers on both banks gathered like a wall. The gentry of Guangzhou, many of whom had dealings with Yi, vied to see the wonder of the steamship. A sea merchant I know, Li, who has traveled extensively in Qiong and Guangdong, has told me about Kun affairs as if he had seen them himself. He said that the steamship is long and wide, the hull is painted black, and the cabins are all painted white and lovely. On the waist of the ship are two large water wheels, covered with iron plates for protection. In the middle is a smokestack, and below is a steam engine. It uses the principle of water and fire generating each other. The flame of the coal fire boils the water, and the steam rushes out. The steam pushes the engine, which turns the paddle wheels. The wheels strike the water, and the ship moves. The bigger the fire, the faster the ship. Some say that steamships cannot be used as warships, for if a cannonball damages one wheel, the whole ship will list and be unable to move. But they also have screw-propeller ships, with the propeller placed at the bottom of the ship, where cannons cannot reach, and they travel twice as fast as paddle-wheelers. At that time, an official in the capital said: the Kun’s steamship is nothing but a remnant of the Song dynasty’s paddle-wheel boats. With wooden logs and straw ropes, one can block the water wheels, bind their spokes, and they can all be defeated. This is truly the view of a pedantic scholar. To bind a ship’s wheels with grass and wood might be feasible for the Song dynasty’s paddle-wheel boats, which used soldiers to tread the wheels to paddle the water, and were small in size and weak in power. The Kun people’s steamships are over ten zhang long, the steam engine is fierce, the water is churned and the wheels fly, moving with swiftness and unpredictability. Even wooden rafts and great chains cannot stop them. And yet, to want to throw rotten grass, a foot in diameter and an inch in stalk, weak in leaf and stem, into the vast expanse of water, to bind their steel wheels and destroy them, this is truly the talk of a dream, not worth a moment’s notice.

Blood Transfusion to Heal Wounds

The Kun people’s medical skills are strange and unconventional. The unexpected aspects are too numerous to list. I will choose one or two to broaden our horizons.

In the summer of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the Jianzhou Jurchens invaded the capital region. The late emperor sent the crown prince, who is now the current emperor, to move south to the capital. At that time, it was a time of panic, with rumors flying. The order was given and they set off immediately. The crown prince was accompanied by only a few dozen imperial guards, a dozen or so eunuchs, and a few minor officials from the Eastern Palace. The Ministry of War dispatched a deputy general, Liu Maoyu, to lead them. They all mounted horses and set off south that very day.

After several days, they reached Shandong. The bandit situation in Shandong was rampant. Roving bandits blocked the roads, cutting off traffic, and they could not proceed. Liu and the crown prince discussed going to Dengzhou and then south by sea. The crown prince agreed.

Outside Dengzhou, at Shiliu Slope, they fell into an ambush by the roving bandit Fei Guoshan. Several thousand bandits attacked them. All the followers were lost. Liu Maoyu led a dozen or so cavalry to protect the crown prince and fought a bloody battle to escape. Liu shielded the crown prince with his own body and was wounded more than ten times, including two gunshot wounds and one sword cut. His abdomen was torn open and his intestines protruded. He was bleeding by the dou. After breaking out of the encirclement, Liu’s wounds acted up, he became dizzy and was about to fall. The crown prince pulled him up on his horse, and they managed to enter the city. At that time, Liu’s breathing was faint, and his intestines were hanging out of his abdomen by more than a foot. They urgently summoned a doctor to see him, but all the doctors were helpless, saying that such an injury was surely fatal.

At that time, several thousand Kun soldiers were camped outside the city. Hearing of this, they sent a dozen or so men with a military doctor, Xie, to enter the city to see Liu. Xie was in his forties, dressed in white, with no beard, and carried a medicine box. After examining the wound, he took a glass tube filled with a medicinal liquid and injected it into Liu’s arm. Liu immediately fell into a deep sleep, feeling nothing. He then washed Liu’s intestines with clean water, put them back into his abdomen, and stitched up the wound with thread, as if sewing clothes. After stitching, he applied medicine and wrapped it with a white cloth. He then took more than ten men from the Kun army, had them cut their wrists, and each let out about a bowl of blood, which he then injected into Liu’s arm with a leather tube. For several days, he changed the dressing and applied medicine to the wound every day. After more than ten days, Liu actually survived. The crown prince was overjoyed. He summoned Xie, rewarded him with several hundred gold pieces, and ordered him to enter the Imperial Academy of Medicine, but Xie refused everything.

Liu lay in bed for a hundred days and actually made a full recovery. In the third year of the Hongguang reign, when passing through Quzhou, Governor-General Hong was rewarding the three armies. Liu personally told me the whole story at a banquet, and took off his armor to show his abdomen. The scar on his abdomen was nearly a foot long, shaped like a centipede, and the stitches were still visible. Everyone present was astonished. This Kun doctor’s name is Xie Yao, and I hear he is still a military doctor in the Kun army.

The Kun People Celebrate the New Year

The Kun people use the Aus-Song calendar for their years, which is similar to the Western calendar, and also refer to the Daming calendar. They also have festivals such as the first month, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every New Year’s Eve, the Kun people gather all their subordinate False Kun, as well as the local gentry and officials, for a grand meeting at the Kun people’s administrative center. A large feast is set up in the central courtyard, with a lavish spread of delicacies from land and sea, too numerous to count. There are no set seats, and the crowd is free to take what they please.

During the feast, there is singing and dancing to liven things up, as well as various games for amusement. All the high-ranking Kun officials come out to offer toasts and New Year greetings, which is called a “group greeting meeting.” This is an old custom from Australia, brought over from there. Messengers run back and forth, presenting the New Year memorials submitted by the various departments of the Kun people, which are read out in order. After each memorial is read, the attendees applaud to show their respect.

The revelry continues until midnight, when dozens of fireworks are lit. They shoot up hundreds of zhang into the sky, then burst and scatter in all directions. The colors are varied, a riot of purple and red, and the brilliance fills the hall. The onlookers are amazed. Afterwards, the song “Unforgettable Tonight” is played, everyone drinks a toast, and then they disperse with applause.

According to Kun custom, they rest for seven days for the New Year, and all government offices are closed. This is called the “Spring Festival long holiday.”

Japanese Kun

When the Kun people first arrived on Qiong Island, they had only a few thousand men and a few dozen boats. Later, they recruited False Kun, and their forces gradually grew. But the False Kun were mostly refugees, and it was impossible to produce elite soldiers from them. Therefore, the Kun people gathered various large and small groups of sea bandits and Japanese pirates from the East Sea to the West Sea, and selected the best from them. Because the Japanese foot soldiers were good at fighting, they were formed into a separate army, all of whom were survivors of a hundred battles in Japan, long experienced in warfare. These men grew up amidst blades and arrows, were skilled in horsemanship and archery, and would not turn back from death. This army was formed, numbering several hundred men, and the Kun people called it the “Special Action Team.” For beheading generals and capturing banners, and for close-quarters combat, this army was often used as the vanguard.

In the first year of the Hongguang reign, when the Kun people were fighting the roving bandits in Huaibei, I personally saw the Japanese Kun. Their uniforms were bright, and they all carried muskets, what the Kun people call “rifles.” They also carried long swords, over four feet long, with shining white blades that reflected the sun. They carried long spears, over a zhang long, standing in a dense forest. The company commander had a long banner with his name on his back, with the characters “Public Security Army” and “Special Action Team” in regular script. At that time, several hundred roving bandits were holding a small fort outside Xuzhou city. The government army’s attack was unsuccessful, and they suffered considerable losses. When the Kun army arrived, they bombarded it with twelve cannons, then blew their horns, and the entire Japanese Kun team charged. They looked like a swift wind and thunder; in a moment they had scaled the walls, as nimble as monkeys; the roving bandits resisted, but the Japanese Kun attacked, as if crushing dry weeds; in just two quarters of an hour, the strong fort was broken. The Japanese Kun lost three men and had a dozen or so wounded. All the generals in our army were veterans of many battles, but watching this, they were all so stunned they couldn’t close their mouths, thinking it was an irresistibly sharp army.

Australian Cuisine

The Kun people have lived in Australia for hundreds of years since the Song dynasty and have had much contact with foreign barbarians, so their culinary arts have a great deal of barbarian flavor. Australia has many strange fruits and exotic vegetables, so Australian cuisine has a unique style.

Australians love spicy flavors and often use chili peppers in their dishes. The taste is spicy and fragrant, and the color is red, making it excellent in both color and taste. And since it comes from Australia, it has a unique novelty and is quite popular. Among Australian dishes, the most widespread today is called “scrambled eggs with tomato.” It is made by stir-frying tomatoes with eggs, and is sweet and sour and delicious. Its colors are red and yellow, and it is often served at wedding banquets in Jiangnan because of its auspicious colors. And dishes like “opium fish head,” “spicy chicken,” and “dry pot bullfrog” have spread throughout the country and become common dishes. Outside the Ministry of War yamen in Nanjing, there is an Australian restaurant that features various Australian dishes. Every day, the threshold is worn down by visitors. The officials and clerks of the Six Ministries often hold banquets there.

The Kun people have a commercial establishment and restaurant outside the city of Hangzhou, which is magnificent and prosperous. I have been there to see it. The flow of people is like a weaving loom, with shoulders rubbing against each other. The rare and exotic goods are dazzling. In the middle is a restaurant called Ziyun Pavilion, two stories high, beautifully decorated, established by the Australian Zi brand. It has all kinds of dishes, but Australian cuisine is the best; and among Australian dishes, fried chicken is the absolute best. Its flavors are varied, and it is often given a barbarian name. The general name is “Kentucky Home-Style Chicken,” and it is further divided into “Finger-Lickin’ Original Recipe Chicken,” “Spicy Chicken Wings,” and “New Orleans Roasted Wings.” The method is to coat chicken pieces with flour and seasonings, deep-fry them until crisp, and then they are ready to eat. They also take two pieces of Australian bread, and sandwich fried chicken, beef, and vegetables between them, calling it a “hamburger.” Or they wrap fried chicken in a flatbread, calling it a “chicken wrap.” It is eaten held in the hand, like a steamed bun. The True and False Kun people in and around Hangzhou often frequent this place as a place of leisure. Therefore, the scholars of Hangzhou flock to it, and the children of wealthy families come in droves.

Library

The Kun people have long lived overseas, and although they are somewhat estranged from the Chinese orthodox tradition, they ultimately still value written texts and classics. The Kun people value miscellaneous studies, and their writings and compositions are a grand sight. Their collection of classics and historical records is voluminous. The great scholars of Australia also have deep research into the classics and histories, and their works are abundant. Although the Kun people are good at printing books, the demand is vast, and the supply cannot keep up. Therefore, the Kun people have established libraries, storing all kinds of books in them for people to read, thereby enriching scholarship.

At the end of the Chongzhen reign, the Kun people established the Guangzhou Library in Guangzhou. The library has three courtyards, is two stories high, and has a collection of more than 17,000 types of books, totaling more than 52,000 volumes. It can be said to be a great achievement. My senior brother, Zhou Zhiren, once entered the library and saw that there were hundreds of bookshelves inside, all several layers high, and the shelves were piled high with books and records. Among them were the Hundred Schools of Thought, yin-yang and miscellaneous studies, Chinese and foreign histories, and books on industry, agriculture, medicine, and divination, everything was there. There were also dozens of large tables and hundreds of seats on the side for readers. The library opens at mao-zheng (6 a.m.) every day and closes at you-shi (5-7 p.m.). It is open to everyone, regardless of gender, age, or social status, as long as they are literate. On the day the library opened, the city of Yangcheng was shaken. Scholars and students from all over Guangdong, some traveled for several days to get there, some waited at the gate at dawn, brought their writing materials into the library to copy books, and stayed all day without leaving, and the number of such people was countless.

I have heard that the Kun people have another Great Library in Lingao, which has an even richer collection of books, but only True Kun are allowed to enter. The situation inside is unknown.

I say that the Kun people’s establishment of libraries, opening wide the door of scholarship, is a great and benevolent policy. Students and scholars all benefit from it. The fame of the Kun people has thus spread even wider. And the various miscellaneous studies of Australia have also entered China through this path and become mainstream. Therefore, today’s scholars, when they open their mouths, do not speak of “Confucius said” or “the Odes say,” but of physics and chemistry, and there are many of them.

Kun People’s Iron Ships

The Kun people were born in Australia and travel to and from China, crossing tens of thousands of li of stormy seas. Seamanship is their strength. They rely on industry and commerce for their livelihood, which means they rely on their ocean-going ships for their very lives. The land of Australia produces much hard wood and fine iron, which is sufficient for their use. And their people are naturally ingenious. In the methods of manufacturing and the ways of navigation, they each apply their own ingenuity. Their iron ships are so fine and strong that none in the world can surpass them, and everyone thinks they are the work of gods and ghosts. The nature of wood is to float, and the nature of iron is to sink, so ships are all made of wood. Forging iron into a ship is something unheard of in past records and rarely heard of before. My kinsman Mizhi, who has always been proficient in the study of natural things, once thought about it and told me: The ancients said that the nature of bamboo is to float, but if you cut it into slips, bundle them, and throw them into the water, they will sink, having lost their form. Although the nature of iron is to sink, the Kun people use it to make ships. The ship’s body is very large, and there are many empty spaces inside, so it has not lost its form and floats. I listen to this with some skepticism.

The Kun have a great ship anchored at Lingao, named Fengsheng. It is over a hundred zhang long and several zhang high, made entirely of fine iron, as imposing as a city wall. All who see it are amazed. The Kun people’s iron ships vary in size, but all are propelled by steam engines driving screw propellers, and they travel on the great ocean as if on flat ground. Their masts do not hang sails, but only a night-bright sea-illuminating lamp, which shines for a hundred li, as bright as day. There are great cannons at the bow and stern, which can fire in a circle. A cannon shot can reach twelve or thirteen li, and the cannonball explodes on landing, shaking the ground for three hundred li. Its power can shatter mountains and break rocks. When hit, a whole line of defenses will collapse. Even the Red Hairs and the Franks, with their strong ships and sharp cannons, dare not contend with them on the sea. At one time, the great pirate Liu Xianglao attacked the Fragrant Hills Bay occupied by the Kun people to compete for the profits of the maritime trade. The Kun dispatched their iron ships to intercept and attack. Xiang was cunning by nature and secretly placed Red Hair great cannons on various islands. When they got close, he fired at them, thinking he could sink them. But after a while, they were completely unharmed. He used a Red Hair cannon to hit the main body of an iron ship, but the cannonball bounced back and killed the soldier manning the cannon. Xiang stamped his foot and sighed, saying that the matter was hopeless. Shortly after, he was killed by an exploding cannon. I have heard that the Kun people also once sent their great iron ships to conquer Japan. The Japanese were terrified and called it “Yamato,” and seeing its huge size, they feared that their ports and cities would all be destroyed by it.

Ma Qianzhu’s Many Posts

Ma Qianzhu is a member of the Executive Committee and heads more than fifteen bureaus. As the President of the Planning Council, he heads more than forty bureaus in total. A single signature cannot cover all of them, so the clerks take the opportunity to engage in fraud. At first, our dynasty could not know his position. Later, when Qian Qianyi returned from his mission, we were able to know in detail. According to his title as President, it reads: Imperial Censor, Judge of the Salt and Iron Commission, Acting Minister of the Court of Imperial Treasury, Adjutant to the Minister of Li Affairs, Branch Director of the Qiongya Military Commission, Deputy Commissioner for Camp Fields, etc., concurrently Commissioner for Inspection and Disposition of the Five Southern Ocean Routes, Commissioner for the Bairen Imperial Treasury, Agriculture, Revenue and Expenditure, Granaries, Sacrificial Rites, Sugar and Rice, Charcoal, Gold and Iron, Palace Markets, etc., Commissioner for Inspection and Disposition of the Hainan Route, concurrently Left Prime Minister and Minister of the Organization Department, Grand Scholar of the Longtu Pavilion. As for the rest of his posts, there are also commissioners in charge of land tax, currency casting, etc. At that time, people said that the roving bandits were a disease of the heart, the Eastern Captives a disease of the limbs, and the Kun a disease of the skin. Everyone knew that the Kun leaders Wen and Ma did not get along. Some said that Ma was power-hungry and was disliked by Wen. From this, one can get a general idea.

Kun Prime Ministers Don’t Serve as Prefects

Kun leaders Ma Qianzhu, Xiao Zishan, Qian Shuiting, Ma Jia, Zhao Manxiong, Ming Lang, and others are all called brilliant prime ministers. However, examining their careers, none of them have ever served as provincial governors or prefects. Ma Qianzhu was first appointed as a judge in the Ministry of Works, then promoted to Executive Committee Member, Standing Committee Member of the Executive Committee, Member of the People’s Committee, President of the Planning Council, and then became Prime Minister. Xiao Zishan was first a Life Committee Member, head of the General Affairs Section, then Executive Committee Member, Standing Committee Member of the Executive Committee, Member of the People’s Committee, and then became Prime Minister. Qian Shuiting first served in the palace guard, assisting the commander of the Sun-Supporting Army, Bei Wei. He then became the director of the Senate’s Overseas Affairs Committee, the permanent deputy secretary-general of the Senate, and the chairman of the Feiyun Society, and then became Prime Minister. Ma Jia was promoted from the Customs Inspector to a member of the Political and Legal Committee, an Executive Committee Member, a Standing Committee Member of the Executive Committee, the Chairman of the Political and Legal Committee, the Chief Justice, and then became Prime Minister. Zhao Manxiong assisted the Bureau of Military Affairs, then became the deputy minister of the Cheka, the deputy chairman of the People’s Committee for State Security, an Executive Committee Member, a Standing Committee Member of the Executive Committee, the Vice Minister of Works, the Minister of Works, and then became Prime Minister. Ming Lang assisted the General Office of the Executive Committee, was promoted to the head of the Cadre Section of the Organization Department, an Executive Committee Member, the Minister of the Organization Department, a Standing Committee Member of the Executive Committee, and then became Prime Minister. The careers of these men are detailed in the books of Kun studies and Kun history, and the high officials of our dynasty are also aware of them, so I will not elaborate further. However, in the old Song dynasty, when appointing officials in Bianjing and the temporary capital, it was always said that they must have experience both inside and outside the capital and be familiar with the people’s conditions to be considered for high office. This seems to be too narrow a view.

Not Mobilizing Kun Ships in the Jiashen Year

Since the second year of the Chongzhen reign, the land of Qiongya has been occupied by the fierce Kun. In the tenth year of Chongzhen, Xiong Wencan, the governor-general of Guangdong, implemented a policy of grace and righteousness and succeeded in pacifying them, thus bringing a brief period of peace to the South China Sea. However, many of the officials in the capital were treacherous and cunning. Yang Sichang, Wen Tiren, and others confused His Majesty, and were unable to form a long-term strategy. They slighted the Kun merchant Guo Yi, and instead used the bandit Zheng Zhilong, which reignited the conflict in the Guangdong seas. The court mobilized 150,000 troops from Nan-zhili, Huguang, Fujian, and Zhejiang. Hong Chengchou was a senior and respected official, and Hu Dawei, Meng Ruhu, and Lu Xiangsheng were famous generals of the time. They were stationed for over a year, but had no success. Their finances were exhausted and their strength was spent. Thus, they handed over the symbols of authority to the Kun bandits, and lost the land of Guangdong again, leading to the death of the emperor and the fall of the dynasty in the Jiashen year. Looking at the situation at that time, how can one not weep bitterly? If Wen Tiren had not disliked the Kun people, then in the Jiashen year, the Kun ships could have been mobilized to enter the Liaodong Sea and approach Tianjin. At best, they could have transported military supplies from Jiangnan to replenish the capital’s armory. At worst, they could have welcomed His Majesty to Nanjing and relieved the emperor’s worries. At that time, the officials in power did not investigate, thinking that the Kun ships were dangerous and could not enter the capital region. Later, when the Eastern Captives and the roving bandits approached the Yangtze River, the Hongguang Emperor was able to use the Kun soldiers to defeat Duoduo at Yangzhou and annihilate the bandit Chuang at Ezhou. The dynasty was thus secured, and the divine capital was restored. The Kun army wore white mourning clothes and mourned the late emperor at Meishan. The eulogy also said: “The ruler was not a ruler who loses a state; the ministers were ministers who lose a state.” How true are these words!

Spies

The Kun people often use spies in their military operations. Their schemes are cunning and often unpredictable. In the past, there was a Kun merchant named Tong Guan, who disguised himself and went deep into Hunan and Hubei, using novelties like “glass marbles” and “Playboy pictorials” to attract people everywhere. His “Playboy pictorials” often depicted naked women in sexual acts, with brilliant and often gaudy pictures. The Dong barbarians and shameless people liked them very much, so he was able to win their hearts through kindness. He also built a large residence, entertained guests without restraint, and thus obtained the names, origins, and posts of all the officials guarding the river. He also claimed to be a devout Buddhist and hired many boats to travel up and down the river. Everyone said he wanted to build a pagoda in the middle of the river to ward off floods. Later, when the Kun army invaded in force, a pontoon bridge was completed in one day, and everyone finally understood. Other things were mostly like this.

[PLA Rolls Through Asia]

Female Kun

When the Kun people first fled, many of them escaped the Tartar territory alone, and their families and women were all scattered. When they reached Australia, the ratio of men to women was ten to one. And the Kun were mostly descendants of the former dynasty’s nobility, while the native women of Australia were mostly of the black and ugly sort, whom the Kun all avoided. Therefore, at first, the population did not flourish. After more than a hundred years of procreation, the population reached over a hundred thousand, but the number of female Kun was less than one-fifth. Therefore, in Australian custom, women are all regarded as treasures. If a woman gives birth to a daughter after ten months of pregnancy, the well-wishers fill the door, saying that the family has gained a fortune of a thousand gold pieces. This is because the Kun people’s laws are different from those of the Central Plains. When a man and a woman marry, they must report it to the government, which is called “registration.” If a man divorces his wife, half of his property belongs to the woman. The Kun people have a small population, so female Kun work in industry and agriculture just like men. They consider tall, athletic women with unbound feet to be beautiful. Some say that the Kun rites have collapsed, and it is common for a female Kun to have multiple husbands. But thinking about it, this is probably due to the sparse population. However, after the Kun people came to the territory of Guangdong and Qiong, they purchased a large number of women from the Central Plains, mostly selecting those with unbound feet who were tall and strong. The female Kun trained them in the arts of the bedchamber. These women were all said to have “secret arts” and were given to the Kun men as concubines. It is also heard that there have been cases of Kun men shooting each other with muskets over concubines, resulting in death.

[Cao Cao’s Real Father, Cao Banana]

The Kun Dare to Fight

My servant, Mai San, was formerly a soldier in Guangzhou. In the early years of the Chongzhen reign, the Kun entered the Guangdong seas for trade. Governor Wang, hearing of their wealth, gathered all the soldiers and armor of Guangdong to attack them, but was completely defeated. Governor Wang died soon after. The Kun people were angered and sent their fleet to attack the provincial capital. From Guangzhou downwards, the markets and towns were devastated; of the wealthy people in the villages and towns, only a few managed to preserve their lives and property. Soon, the Kun approached Guangzhou. Mai San and his comrades were stationed at Wuchong. At that time, it was rumored in the army that the Kun’s strength was only in their firearms. Once they had fired all their shots, they only fought with short swords attached to their muskets, and could be defeated with long spears. Also, the Kun formation was thin and lacked cunning, and could be broken with the mandarin duck formation. Mai San told me: this is all false! The Kun’s firearms are poisonous and sharp, as has been described in detail by others, so I will not repeat it. I will only speak of their courage in battle. On that day, at the beginning of the wu hour, the Kun fleet came to attack. First with great cannons, then with fast cannons, the bombardment was continuous. In Mai San’s stockade, those who were lucky enough to survive by hiding in ditches and behind thunder-like fortifications, there were still two or three hundred men in the battalion, all trembling and silent. Then, dozens of Kun soldiers in blue uniforms landed from behind, intending to capture the stockade. San and the others saw that they were few in number, and rose up with a great shout, meeting them with a large force. The blue-clothed Kun first fired a volley of gunfire, killing several of the vanguard. Then they charged with a drumbeat. Two or three men formed a small formation, protecting each other’s backs, and fought with fury. The ferocity of their shouts was something that even a veteran of many years like Mai San had never seen before. The government soldiers were soon defeated, and the Kun captured Wuchong. It was the second quarter of the wu hour.

Mai San’s foot was wounded by a Kun short sword, and he thought he would not survive. But the Kun did not harm him afterwards, and instead gave him foreign medicine. This was very strange.

[Envoy of the Han Emperor]

Kun Secret Pleasure Machine

In the land of Australia, there were many men and few women. For eight generations, they intermarried with close relatives, which was not permissible. They could only rely on capturing native women for mates. But the native islands were extremely far away and difficult to reach, and some men could not get married in their entire lives. The separation of yin and yang, the imbalance of heaven and earth, caused resentment among the people and led to many incidents. The government then made a secret pleasure machine. Its size was like an image-capturing mirror, and its principle was the same. It first captured a real form, stored it with a secret method, and then played it back from time to time, as if it were right before one’s eyes. In the machine were famous actresses, named Lan, Feng, Ai, and others. There were also other ladies and foreign girls, full of life and fragrance. Although they were virtual images, they were just like living people. Some showed men and women having intercourse, others showed fake phoenixes and false dragons. The viewer felt as if they were in the boudoir, and their mouth would become dry and salivate without realizing it. Vice Admiral Shi Changsheng of the Navy, when he followed the dragon, once had a look, and he told me about it, which is how I know. The young, unmarried True Kun each had one of these machines as a means of release.

When they came to Qiongya, they captured many Cantonese women to fill the lower court. The Kun said: A real Wu Yan is still better than a fake Xi Shi. The Kun also understand the principles of human relations. When there were enough beautiful women, this thing gradually stopped.

Steam-wheeled Vehicle

The steam-wheeled vehicle is now a common sight. Even mountain men and village folk are not surprised by it, and they know that it is not strange magic, but the great way of the five elements. Metal generates fire, fire generates water, water generates force, force flows through the mechanism, and the vehicle moves on its own. The government is now casting the Yue-Han, Lu-Han, Ning-Hu-Hang, and Long-Hai railways. I have often sighed: gathering the iron of the nine provinces to cast a change unseen in three thousand years. But thirty years ago, the officials and people of Guangdong had never heard of or seen such a thing, and onlookers gathered like a wall. When the Guangzhou-Hong Kong railway first opened, many high officials of the former dynasty went to see it. The fire was lit, the vehicle moved, as fast as a galloping horse. The Kun driver told everyone: the locomotive has five hundred horsepower. A certain high official heard this and was surprised, saying: How strange, where are the five hundred fine horses hidden? How can so much fodder be prepared? And I have not seen any horse farm anywhere. He was laughed at by the world. And I laugh at the world: since the First Emperor of Qin, all the heroes under heaven have been lost to the royal family, and have been trapped by Confucianism. Without the Kun people, I would not know the true face of Jambudvīpa.

Flying Ship

Since the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign of the former dynasty, I entered officialdom as a juren of the old imperial examination system and a graduate of the new middle school. I served as the deputy secretary-general of the office of Lord Lin, the Pacification Commissioner of the Eastern Fujian Circuit of the Great Song, and have been traveling between the north and south for thirty-five years. I have seen many things of the Kun, and they are no longer new to me. Only the flying ship, every time I see it, I am amazed, and every time I ride it, I am filled with wonder. There are several types of these ships. I will talk about the common one called the transport. It is shaped like an eggplant, with a tail like a spindle, ten zhang wide and sixty-eight zhang long. Its shell is made of alloy, and it is filled with a light gas. Below are the cabin and the engines in parallel. It rises with the wind and can go straight up to more than five thousand meters. It can travel five thousand li a day against the wind. Its flight is like a giant kun transforming into a roc, embracing the moon and reaching the clouds. The cabin is like a train carriage, but smoking is forbidden. Ten years ago, I took a ship north and flew over Taihu Lake, Jinling, the Great River, Mount Tai, and the Yellow River. The beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers was amazing. The sunset in the long sky was particularly spectacular. For long-distance flights, only cold food is served. I enjoyed the scenery on the ship, slightly drunk, but there were no crabs or hot yellow wine, which was a small regret.

Jin Yong and Gu Long

The most popular novels in the world are by Jin Yong and Gu Long. Both of these are pen names of Australian chiefs. The chief wrote a book called “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,” which tells of events in the Northern Song Dynasty, and three volumes of “The Eagle-Shooting Trilogy,” which tells of the decline of the pre-Song, the disaster of the Mongols, and the rise of the Zhu Ming, a period of one hundred years in total. There are many things in them that do not agree with the national history, especially regarding Zhu Hongwu driving out Wuji and seizing the Ming Cult. Some say that this is an attempt to delegitimize the former dynasty’s expulsion of the Tartars.

[Envoy of the Han Emperor]

Newspeak

Language is of the throat and tongue. The world says that the official positions of the Kun are different from those of the old Song, and thus suspects that they are not the Song dynasty, but barbarians who have changed China. This is a great fallacy! Since the time of Tang and Yu, the changes in the world’s languages cannot be fully discussed. Taking the old Song as an example, when King Kang crossed south, the Wu dialect of Yuhang changed to the Bianjing official language. The language used in Australia is different from that of the temporary capital, and is called Newspeak. All Australian learning uses Newspeak. The ancestors said: The literature of the Western Capital was solid, the literature of the Eastern Capital was weak, but still not detached from reality. The literature of the Six Dynasties was playful, and detached from reality. The literature of the Tang was mediocre, but still not detached from frivolity. The literature of the Song was crude, detached from frivolity, and even worse. The Yuan had no literature. Now Newspeak is entirely for practical purposes, and is even better than the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song. It is used in all official correspondence and is popular in officialdom. In the past, when Cangjie created characters, ghosts cried at night and heaven rained grain, because the secrets of creation were all revealed. Now, the followers of the Gongan school, like Zhang Dai and his ilk, all make pointless chirping noises, writing “Dream Memories of Tao’an” and “Night Ferry” to express their grievances. These people can, from the practice of Newspeak, see the decline of the imperial examinations and perceive the withering of the literary tradition. They are also literary talents of their time, but what can they do when Newspeak says: The wheels of history cannot be stopped. It is a matter of time and fate, alas, what can be done.

[Mosin-Nagant]

“Record of Kun Armaments - Firearms Volume”

The army of the Kun people is very different from the government army. The greatest thing they rely on is nothing other than firearms.

The firearms of the government army, whether it be muskets, three-eyed guns, or rapid-fire guns, are all inferior to the Kun’s firearms.

The government army’s firearms use a matchlock to ignite the powder and fire a lead ball. The range is only about forty jian (about 75 meters). Very few of the lead balls hit their target. In every battle, a huge amount is often gathered in the hope of hitting more.

After firing a government army gun, reloading the charge is extremely complicated and cannot be done by an inexperienced soldier. During this time, they must be protected by archers and spearmen to avoid being overrun by enemy cavalry.

Since the end of the Tang dynasty, the armies of China have also valued firearms to resist the Tartars. However, whether it be infantry or cavalry, they still mostly rely on bows, crossbows, and long-handled weapons as their mainstay. I have never seen an entire army abandon bows and swords for muskets and cannons.

The Kun army’s firearms, compared to the Red Hair barbarians’ culverins, have more refined mechanisms, are easier to forge, and the training method is quicker. When soldiers use them, one of their guns can match five of the government army’s. Some say that the Kun people are skilled in all crafts and forging, which is beneficial to the military and the state. Now I believe it, and it should be something we learn from.

The Kun people’s firearms are divided between the True Kun and the False Kun.

The True Kun’s guns have been known to hit a target at six hundred paces. Even if Yang Youji were reborn, it would be difficult to match.

The True Kun’s guns are different in form from the culverins. Someone familiar with the Kun army’s equipment said that Aus-Song has many master gunsmiths. There is one named “Kalashnikov,” a Russian. He had a usurper lord named Ge, who seized power, colluded with foreign invaders, and eventually there was civil strife, and the country fell apart. Ka was skilled in forging, but was loyal and righteous, and refused to serve the treacherous, so he was disliked by Ge, and his ambitions were not realized.

The Kun people hired him with a large sum of money, and also promised to lend him troops to suppress the rebellion and restore his homeland in the future, thus gaining Ka’s assistance. He was then appointed as a master craftsman, called the “chief designer,” in charge of the “208th Institute,” and was known as the “Lu Ban of today.” A Japanese person recognized him and exclaimed in surprise: “S-class in iron cannon forging.” Although I do not understand Japanese, I can understand a little. Ka must be a high-ranking official in charge of ordnance.

The guns made by Ka can only be used by the True Kun. The cartridge is integrated, no matchlock is needed, the magazine capacity is huge, and it fires in bursts, with an unending sound. The smoke and flames fill the sky, and it is extremely fierce. Looking all over the world, inside and outside of China, no one has this skill. It is said that the Kun people really have a secret art to make good weapons, which is admirable and also terrifying. But the True Kun get the fine weapons, and the False Kun get the inferior ones. Is there perhaps a concern about the False Kun rebelling and the secret art being leaked?

The False Kun’s guns, although not as good as the True Kun’s, are still far superior to the government army’s. Their form is similar to the culverins, but they are ten times better. The Kun people have a barbarian craftsman named “Minie,” known as the “reincarnation of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.” The guns he makes are supplied in huge quantities to the False Kun. The charge is separately loaded and fired with a “thunder god percussion cap.” There is also a bayonet attached to the muzzle for close combat. It can be fired in both sunny and rainy weather, without fear of the weather.

For every one shot fired by the government army’s muskets, the False Kun fire their Minie rifles three times. Their bullets are like rain, their pellets like locusts. Those who are hit fall instantly.

After the False Kun have fired a few rounds, the main force of the government army has not even engaged in battle, and they are all scattered.

The Kun people’s cannons, compared to their muskets, are even more refined and effective.

The government army’s culverins and tiger-crouching cannons are unmatched in the world. During the Wanli era’s aid to Korea, even though the Japanese pirates were skilled with muskets, they were still defeated by us.

But when faced with the Kun people’s cannons, it is like a frog in a well looking at the sky, or a summer insect talking about ice. The Kun people’s great cannons, weighed by their cannonballs, are measured differently from those of the Central Plains. The largest is called the “Twelve-Pounder Direct Fire Cannon.” Its range is 1,500 paces, its power can break through a square formation and pierce a city wall. Wherever the cannonball lands, the flesh-and-blood rampart is turned to dust. The Kun people have a master cannon founder, whose name is unknown. I have only heard the Kun people say when talking about cannons, “the Great Napoleon,” and also “Na San.” I venture to guess that this person may be from a family of cannon founders, and is the third in rank, hence the name “Na San.” Or perhaps he is like the Hegemon-King reborn, able to lift three tripods, which is why he is called “Na San.” There are many such stories. The cannon is large, but it is convenient to transport. Even a broken wheel can be used to move it, so it is called the “Great Napoleon.” I venture to say, perhaps it should be called the “Broken Wheel Cannon”?

Some say that the Broken Wheel Cannon is effective at long range but not at close range. If one can get close to it, then it is useless.

If one looks at it from the perspective of the government army’s cannons, that is true; but from the perspective of the Kun people’s cannons, it is a great fallacy.

The Broken Wheel Cannon is effective at both long and close range.

A Kun soldier once said: “Put a bayonet on a cannon.” Those who did not understand thought it was nonsense, but the surviving soldiers of Governor Wang’s army deeply believed it. When they remembered it, their legs trembled and they lost control of their bowels, and even a good doctor could not stop it.

The Broken Wheel Cannon fires a twelve-pound solid iron ball as its projectile. Anything in a straight line from its muzzle is annihilated.

If the enemy soldiers get close, they use a bamboo and lead canister, filled with dozens of small lead balls. One shot can devastate dozens of paces, and there are absolutely no survivors.

The soldiers of Governor Wang were known for their bravery and had often charged through a rain of bullets, thinking that even the Minie rifle could be broken with courage.

They did not expect such a terrifying thing, called the “Heaven-Shaking Thunder.” Several hundred brave soldiers, holding swords and fighting fiercely, if they were the northern captives, would have already been defeated.

But the Broken Wheel Cannon fired several times, and there were no survivors. All died with dozens of holes in their bodies. The rest could not go on, and scattered with cries, and even military law could not stop them.

Besides the Broken Wheel Cannon, there is also the so-called “Seven-Pounder Howitzer,” commonly known as the “Sliding Shell Cannon.” It can fire explosive shells that go over stockade walls and explode on contact with the ground. The sound shakes for several li, and smoke fills the air. The exploding iron shell shatters into countless fragments, and those who are hit die instantly.

The secret art of the Sliding Shell Cannon, the most famous is the “Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers.” The shells it throws can explode in mid-air, and the lead balls it shoots go straight into the army formation. Even iron shields cannot block them, and they all break the soldiers’ skulls. Brains spill out, and the manner of death is extremely tragic. Those who see it lose the will to fight, and either surrender or flee, and swords and soldiers cannot stop them.

[PLA Rolls Through Asia]

Lord Mo of the Ministry of Works in Songjiang is a great scholar. His work, “Kun Armaments: Firearms,” discusses the Kun people’s musket and cannon techniques very well.

However, Lord Mo has never witnessed a Kun battle formation himself, and his writings are mostly based on hearsay from soldiers.

In the past ten years or so, I have been fortunate enough to be with the Kun army on the battlefield and have also had contact with several True Kun. Lord Mo’s writings are far from the reality of the Kun people.

The Kun people are skilled in industry, and their firearms are sharp and solid, which is not false. However, this is not the primary thing the Kun people rely on. In governing their army, the Kun people emphasize “politics.” Between the camps and companies in the army, there are eloquent and far-sighted men who serve as “political commissars.” The political commissars are roughly the same as the supervisors in the government army, but their primary duty is not to monitor the loyalty of the generals and officers. The political commissar, an abbreviation for “political committee member,” their duty is to educate the soldiers, to make the soldiers and generals know why they are fighting and how to fight, so that the superiors and subordinates are of one mind. The general gives the order, and the political commissar explains the order to the soldiers, telling them why this order was given and the consequences of success or failure in carrying out the order. Therefore, even the foot soldiers of the Kun people understand the general’s intentions.

Therefore, they can advance and retreat together as if controlled by a single mind. Some Kun say that this method is from the Kun’s Sun Tzu, a man named Mao, from the first volume of the thirteen-volume “Mao’s Art of War,” called “Building the Party Branch at the Company Level.”

[Pirate]

Greatly mistaken!

The firearm of the bandit Mao is called, Aisi Ke Aisi, also known as the Ximan Nuofu 7.62 Haomi. It is said to have been made by a coward of the Western barbarians, but its firearm is sharp and effective, how could it be made by a coward?

That bandit Mao fought at Chengmai, and on the battlefield, he appointed his master of great works, the bandit Lin Shenhe, who was obsessed with his sister, as a company commander. That bandit Lin’s false title was Minister of Military Industry, which is the bandit Mao’s Vice Minister of Works. The bandit Mao appointed his high minister as a company commander, on the same level as the False Mao. Therefore, the bandit Mao’s martial and brave spirit is far beyond that of the Jianzhou slaves or the Oirats. Even the Taiko chieftain of Japan and the great Mongol chieftain Genghis Khan were no more than that.

[Envoy of the Han Emperor]

Wen Zheng (Wen Tianxiang) composed a song, its name being Righteous Qi. It originated from the teachings of the famous scholars and was left in the annals of history. Therefore, those who fled by sea to escape the Qin were countless. Chen Wenzhong (Chen Yizhong) served Emperor Chengzu (Emperor Bing) in Siam and was able to gather more than fifty thousand righteous people. The system was the same as in the temporary capital. Their power grew slightly, but they were envied by the Yuan bandits and the local people. The Tartar officials came south, and their troops knocked on the door of Java. Emperor Chengzu heard that there was a beautiful land of rivers and lakes in the southeast sea, so he set sail again and entered the great sea, reaching Australia. Australia is not recorded in history.

The land is in the southeast sea, twenty thousand li from China. The land is vast, and the mountains and rivers are spiritually endowed, a place of unique beauty, where the essence of the south is concentrated. The phoenix sings on Mount Qi, and the old state of the Zhou people is renewed. The Song obtained this continent, was not its territory bestowed by heaven?

[ayooyoo]

Recording Machine

The Kun people have a recording machine. Any word spoken can be recorded. It is placed on a table like a food box and can be carried by one person. The Kun people often use it when judging cases. The voice is exactly like the person’s own. Even private whispers can be heard clearly. Those who hear it are all drenched in sweat and have no way to argue. It can also record music and singing. Even if it is noisy, it is not chaotic. It can be stored for several years, and the sound is still clear. Zhiren was with the Kun and saw it himself. Even a casual word was as if he was there. The Kun people use it to replace written records. This is a strange object. I have asked great scholars about it, but none can explain it.

Sound-Transmitting Tube

The Kun people have a sound-transmitting tube. Even over a thousand li, a conversation is like meeting face to face. In the first year of the Hongguang reign, I was with Governor-General Hong’s staff in Zhenjiang. At that time, the military situation was urgent, and we were startled several times a night. For the convenience of communication, the Kun people set up a sound-transmitting tube for us. It was placed in the signing office and connected by a cord directly to the Kun camp outside the city. To use it, one lifts the tube, presses a protrusion on it, and after a short wait, a voice comes out of the tube, which is the chief of the Kun camp. The voice is very faint, chirping like an insect. But if you place the tube to your ear, it is as loud as if the person were opposite you. You can converse with them as if face to face. A short while later, a scout would report that the Kun army outside the city was on the move. This is truly a great tool for military and state affairs. I have heard that the Kun army uses this for communication, so even if they are a thousand li apart, they can command as they wish, like the mind controlling the arm. I strongly suspect that it relies on its cord. The cord has a copper wire inside and is wrapped in something that is not leather or hide, but is more flexible. I do not know what it is. The Kun people call it a “telephone,” and I do not know its principle either.

[Panda Pan]

Combat Engineers

The Kun people have an army that is both workers and soldiers, specializing in opening mountains and building roads. At first, I thought this army was like the garrison troops, slaves driven by the generals. But when I went to Sanya, I saw the men of this army climbing on the cliffs of the mountains, digging caves, filling them with gunpowder, and blasting them like thunder from heaven, splitting mountains and cracking rocks as easily as turning over one’s hand. And the food and supplies for this army were twice that of the other Kun armies. I thought to myself, this army has such thunderous divine power, perhaps it is the elite of the Kun people.

When Governor-General Wang was in Guangdong, General He entered Qiong and was besieged at Chengmai. When he broke out, this army laid “ten-thousand-man enemies” on the road. When the government army arrived, the combat engineers detonated the “ten-thousand-man enemies.” In an instant, the sky seemed to collapse, and flying stones fell like locusts and rain. Those who were hit were killed instantly. Of the government army’s vanguard, seven or eight out of ten were lost, and they scattered and fled.

[Silent Alone]

Cheka

The Kun people have an official system called the Cheka. They are all Kun “cadres,” wearing trench coats, wide-brimmed hats, and leather boots. They act like the supervisory censors and the six offices, supervising all officials and correcting illegalities. But their office specializes in auditing the income and expenditure of the True and False Kun, inspecting the receipt and expenditure of money and goods in the various Kun government offices, auditing the accounts of money and grain, and inspecting construction projects. Everything that the Kun people control, including finances, population, warehouses, and military supplies, is accounted for monthly, examined quarterly, and audited annually. They also have the responsibility of investigating and impeaching, uncovering corruption and treachery, auditing documents and accounts, and assessing political performance. Anyone among the Kun people found to have engaged in fraudulent reporting, embezzlement, or other corrupt practices will be invited back to the office, which is called “drinking tea.” Of those who enter their office, not five out of ten survive. Their power is very great, and it is said that they are “directly responsible to the Executive Committee.”

[Envoy of the Han Emperor]

Kaifeng Cuisine

The prosperity of Bianliang of the Song dynasty can be known by reading Meng Yuanlao’s “Dream of Hua in the Eastern Capital.” The hustle and bustle of Hangzhou after the Southern Song court moved south is also heard of in Zhou Mi’s “Wulin’s Past Events.” At that time, the treasures of the land and sea, the delicacies of the north and south, were all gathered in Bian and Hang. The notes of the Song people often record this. When I, with my hair combed, read in my study and came to the wine of Fanlou and the meat of Dongpo, I would surely drool three feet. In the Tianqi reign, the Aus-Song first made contact with China and established a base in Lingao. At that time, people did not know their origin, and because of their short hair, they called them the Kun. But more than ten years later, the Aus-Song entered the two capitals and thirteen provinces, and then they shouted that the legitimate dynasty was still here, and today the homeland is restored to light. They then reviled the Ming court as the bearded captives and turned China into a subordinate state, making even village schoolboys learn the Kun people’s books, and mountain woodcutters and fishing old men also know the name of Aus-Song. Every time I think of this, I feel particularly sad. Food and drink are a small matter. Laozi said that governing a great country is like cooking a small fish. Therefore, I make this record, to glimpse the way of governance of the Aus-Song from a single meal.

The Aus-Song’s Kaifeng Cuisine is now available in all prefectures and counties. It is mainly chicken, fried in oil, served with potatoes and an iced drink. Its taste is nothing special, and its ingredients are not strange. Examining its dishes, they were rarely heard of in the two Song dynasties. It is suspected that it is a new creation of Australia. It is called Kaifeng Cuisine because its people have not forgotten their homeland. Kaifeng Cuisine has the same taste in a hundred shops and is ready in a moment. There is also a book on its cooking method, which is as thick as a foot. From selecting the chicken to plating, there are more than a hundred procedures, all with notes. Its cooking utensils are all specially made. The steel woks, cups, and plates must have a certain size, all according to profound principles. Therefore, Kaifeng Cuisine has the same taste in a hundred shops and is ready in a moment.

Looking at its cooking books and utensils, they are all in line with the way the Aus-Song governs the country and the army. There are four principles to its way.

One is “assembly line production.” The Aus-Song manufactures things, whether on land or sea, large or small, all on a “production line.” Each worker specializes in one task, and each task is done with precision. This principle is made clear at the beginning of the Aus-Song’s “The Wealth of Nations.” One is “standardization.” For every part of the same type of device, such as an axle, a wheel, a flange, an engine, they are all of one kind, without the slightest difference, identical in every detail, and all can be used interchangeably. One is “regulation-ization.” The Aus-Song, in doing things, loves regulations most. They break down a matter into “procedures,” “links,” and “steps,” all recorded in a book. With these rules, even a novice doing something for the first time, if they follow the rules, will not fail. One is “data-ization.” Of the six arts of a gentleman, mathematics is one. The affairs of the military and the state are controlled by planning. The Aus-Song says that all things can be calculated. Navigation, forging, and firearms all rely on this. The calories and oil temperature of Kaifeng Cuisine are also measured.

Today’s scholars, some admire the Aus-Song books to the extreme, demoting the ancient sages to village bumpkins and smearing Confucianism as a crude custom. There are also those who defend the way of Zhu Xi, viewing the Aus-Song as barbarians and despising the present age as “a great change unseen in three thousand years.” After the Hongguang reign, the new learning flourished, and the imperial examinations were gradually abolished. The number of jinshi and Hanlin scholars who had to be re-educated in primary school is unknown; the number of scholars in square caps with worn-out brushes who lamented the decline of the state is also unknown.

I have often thought that the way of the Aus-Song secretly conforms to the words of the sages. The various principles of the Aus-Song can be seen from a single Kaifeng Cuisine. All gentlemen who study, regardless of new or old, can investigate this deeply.