Chapter 28: The Oriole Society

Guangzhou's South City faced the Pearl River, where sea merchants moored their vessels alongside foreign ships from distant lands. By the Song dynasty, this district had flourished into a commercial hub, sheltered behind the East and West Wing walls—ramparts that fell to ruin during the military chaos of the Yuan. When the Ming rose to power, trade revived once more. But after the Tuolin Mutiny, when the unprotected residents of South City suffered terribly at the hands of raiders, the authorities raised new fortifications along the old Wing wall foundations. As the Guangdong Gazetteer recorded: "In the forty-second year of Jiajing [1563], Governor Wu Guifang, responding to the Tuolin Mutiny's trampling of residents outside the walls, constructed new walls from the southwest corner tower to Fifth Sheep Relay Station, encircling to the southeast corner tower, for defense."

Within these walls lay New South City—the smallest of Guangzhou's three walled districts, bounded by the Pearl River on one side and moats on the other three. Yet this compact quarter concentrated the foreign-vessel zone, the wharves, the commercial streets, and the mansions of the wealthy all within its bounds, making it the beating heart of the city's trade.

On this particular day, several men in rain capes and bamboo hats stood on the Pearl River embankment outside South City's Jinghai Gate, surveying the murky water. The sky hung low and oppressive; a fine mist blurred all distinction between river and shore. A dozen sailing ships lay at anchor in midstream, their black silhouettes barely visible through the thick fog that rose off the water. Toward Shicui Islet and White Goose Pool, nothing could be seen at all—only a deep gray haze that merged seamlessly with sky and cloud.

"Damn it all—where is this Australian ship?" One of them spat into the river.

"Boss Wang, we've searched for over ten days now. We've examined every seagoing vessel along the river. There's no strange big ship anywhere."

Boss Wang made no reply. He stood in silence, gazing out at the water where ripples spread as old fish rose to blow bubbles at the surface. Below the embankment, jagged rocks jutted from the shoreline, and turbid waves slapped rhythmically against them. Not far off, porters shouldered goods down a gangway from a foreign ship, ferrying cargo to a wharf warehouse.

"Brother Wang, I don't understand." One of his men ventured closer. "The master's doing fine in Zhongzuo Garrison. Why this sudden whim to send us hunting for Australian merchants? I've followed him all these years, sailed the Eastern and Western seas—and I've never once heard of any 'Australia.'"

Boss Wang snorted. "Keep your voice down. Do you have any idea where we are? Want to get us all killed?"

Everyone fell silent.

After a pause, Boss Wang spoke again, his voice low but intense. "Australia may be a place none of us have heard of, but the goods being sold at the Gao family shop on Haopan Street didn't fall from the sky. The whole city's gone mad for them—everyone knows about Australian rarities now. A trade this profitable, coming in by sea?" He smiled grimly. "How can we brothers not get our cut? This time, we're going to get to the bottom of these sea merchants."

These men were subordinates of Zheng Zhilong, the "great pirate" whose raids were currently ravaging Fujian and shaking both Fujian and Guangdong provinces to their foundations. Allied with Li Kuiqi, Zheng had gathered over thirty thousand men and seized control of key coastal islands and harbors along southern Fujian's coast—Zhongzuo, Gulangyu, Dadan, Lieyu, Gaopu. Whether plundering merchant ships, extorting "water dues," or raiding inland to burn, kill, and kidnap, they had become the dominant power on Fujian's southern seaboard.

The group made their way along the wharf toward the city, passing an increasing number of pedestrians and peddlers as they approached the walls. Past the Dragon King Temple, the tower of Jinghai Gate rose into view. Once inside, they followed the road toward Fifth Sheep Gate until they came upon a magnificent structure—Tianfei Temple, built during the Hongwu reign. This intersection served as South City's transportation hub, a cosmopolitan crossroads where all manner of people mingled amid sedan chairs and mule carts. Merchants gathered in clusters, markets stretched along the streets, voices clamored over one another, and commerce thrived at every turn.

Boss Wang moved cautiously, keeping close to the wall. Turning a corner, they slipped into an alley. At the base of the city wall sat a small tavern, its dingy bamboo half-curtain dark with accumulated grease. The group ducked inside. A few oil lamps provided meager illumination; even in daylight, the place was dim. Customers packed the room in a noisy crowd, the floor was wet and treacherous, and the air hung thick with cooking smells, wine fumes, oil smoke, and the reek of unwashed bodies.

A waiter hurried over to greet them. Boss Wang requested a private booth and ordered food and wine. He had the curtain drawn only halfway so that the man nearest the doorway could survey the entire establishment.

After a while, a street rat entered—a smooth-faced, middle-aged man with the look of a practiced informant. Their eyes met; the newcomer sat down with them. No one bothered with pleasantries. They simply ate and drank. When Boss Wang had satisfied himself that no plainclothes constables or Depot agents lurked among the patrons, he asked quietly: "Any news from the brothers on Haopan Street?"

"We've been tailing them for nearly half a month. Nothing useful. We've watched load after load of goods carried out of the Gao mansion and sent to the shop—but we haven't seen any special goods going in, and no peculiar people."

"What the hell!" Boss Wang's appetite vanished. He stared at a steaming plate of stir-fried snake shreds without touching it. "How are those goods getting in there?" Could it be misdirection? Perhaps the Australian merchandise wasn't coming through the Gao mansion at all—perhaps that was simply a cover?

"What about the Gao family's wharf warehouse?"

"Checked that too." The man shook his head. "The Gao shop runs a tight operation. We couldn't pry anything loose. It took us days just to learn that the warehouse manager keeps a mistress who moonlights as a prostitute. We spent silver on her and managed to extract a bit of information." He paused to take a long drink, letting the silence stretch.

Boss Wang recognized the game—this local rat was angling for more money. He cursed inwardly but kept his voice even. "Silver's no problem. What did you find out?"

"The manager says Australian goods never pass through the warehouse. They're all sent from Gao Ju's private storage at his residence. Each shipment isn't large—just a few crates at a time. But every single piece is valuable." The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed with undisguised greed.

"How often do they ship?"

"No fixed schedule. Roughly every ten days."

So the goods originated from the Gao residence—but how did they get inside? The mansion wasn't on the seashore; no ship could possibly sail in. Did they fall from the sky?

"Have you investigated what the Gao family brings into the residence?"

"For that, we had to enlist help from Flying-Foot Third at the porters' guild. He charged quite a bit..." The man let the implication hang.

"No problem." Boss Wang said this smoothly, but his hand drifted to the short blade hidden in his sleeve.

"He wanted ten taels." The middle-aged man squinted, testing his reaction. Boss Wang smiled thinly and glanced at his companions. They all wore the same cold smirk. The informant suddenly seemed to remember exactly whose subordinates sat before him. He hurried on: "Flying-Foot Third had his people secretly check what the Gao family was bringing in—and there is something strange."

"Oh? They're smuggling the goods in?"

"No—it's not that. It's what goes in and out that's peculiar."

They had bribed porters throughout the guild to examine a full month's worth of cargo entering and leaving the Gao residence. Normally, what went in consisted mainly of porcelain and ironware, and what came out was much the same. But this month had been different. Besides the usual goods, they were now bringing in musk, ambergris, red sandalwood—and strangest of all, nothing was being shipped back out. Everything vanished into thin air the moment it passed through the gates.

After all their investigation, they still couldn't determine where the Australian goods actually came from. Boss Wang sighed heavily. If even the local rats couldn't uncover the truth, discovering it themselves would be harder still.

He counted out a dozen foreign coins and sent the man on his way. The group sat in frustrated silence, struggling to believe their predicament. In the month since they had infiltrated Guangzhou—navigating countless difficulties—they had investigated this far and no further. They had a rough idea of where the sea merchants were staying, but where their ship was moored and how their goods were being transported remained complete mysteries. For now, they could only wait for a report from the men they had sent days earlier to infiltrate the Gao residence.

They waited a long time. Finally, the two men who had attempted the infiltration returned. One had a fresh scrape across his face. Boss Wang saw his expression shift the moment he entered—and knew at once that things had gone wrong.

"The back streets all have barriers—hard to get through. So we went over the city wall instead and lay in wait for several days before we spotted something unusual." These two had been famous flying thieves in their former lives, until murder charges and wanted posters drove them to join the pirates. The Zheng family had promised them a hefty sum for this dangerous Guangzhou mission.

From their vantage point atop the city wall, they had observed the comings and goings of people and cargo at the Gao mansion's back gate. They discovered that everything actually flowed to and from a different compound entirely—through its rear courtyard. They had managed to get inside that courtyard. And there they had finally laid eyes on the Australian sea merchants.

"Four of them. Dressed in Ming attire, but with shaved heads—like monks."

Knowing this courtyard held secrets, they had observed for two more days and determined it was a secret property belonging to the Gao family, now serving as quarters for the Australian merchants. All goods were transported from this safe house to the Gao mansion; the Gao mansion, in turn, sent goods back here.

But the fundamental question remained unanswered: they still had not discovered where the sea merchants' goods actually came from.

"We wanted to get close enough to listen in, but—damn it!" The one with the bruise spoke viciously. "There's a trained fighter among them. The moment we got near, he spotted us and threw a rock. Fast and hard."

"I say we go all in." Someone spoke in a low voice. "Just sack the whole place. Grab Steward Yan—or even Gao Ju himself—and we'll get the full story."

Boss Wang snorted. "Grab them? Which merchant on Haopan Street doesn't have powerful connections? Setting aside their reach into high places—just the household guards alone would be enough to crush you."

"Then grab one of the sea merchants." The man chuckled. "Even if we don't touch the Gao family, these rootless sea merchants are fair game, aren't they? Brother He says there's only one fighter among them, and no Gao household guards present. Even if that one were made of iron, how many nails can you forge from a single ingot? We gather our best brothers, go in, and grab one of them. Take him aboard our ship—and then whether he's from Australia or Mount Kunlun, he'll have to explain everything." His grin turned greedy. "Besides, to get him back, won't they have to hand over some good merchandise?"

The others roared their approval, all turning expectantly toward Boss Wang. He considered the proposal. It had merit. Kidnapping a sea merchant wasn't a major affair; Gao Ju was unlikely to wage war over it, which left room for future dealings.

With that settled, they huddled together and began to plot.

(End of Chapter)