Chapter 291: Sweet Port Turbulence — Dark Clouds Gathering

Sun Kecheng knew this proprietor was generous, but hearing about two hundred taels still startled him. "That's too extravagant—"

"A life is gone; what's extravagance to speak of?" Guo Yi said. "I must trouble Shopkeeper Sun with the arrangements. Also, if the ship captain's injuries aren't serious, summon him along with the escort masters. We'll need a place to talk." He considered for a moment. "Select a few sailors to come answer questions as well."

"Yes, I'll see to it immediately." Sun Kecheng assented. "Where would Proprietor Guo like to meet?"

"Question them right here at the escort agency. Immediately." Guo Yi had initially thought to go directly to the Highland Inn, but then reflected that with numerous people and mixed company there, it wasn't suitable for interrogation.

Half an hour later, everyone had assembled. Guo Yi personally questioned the ship captain, escort masters, and sailors. He learned that five or six small sailing vessels had ambushed the Guang Bing near the coast, boarding with superior numbers. The ship was quickly seized, but the attackers seemed to exercise restraint—they didn't kill too many people, nor did they take the vessel. They merely divided the sugar among several boats and departed.

According to the injured escort master, the pirates didn't appear to belong to any of the major gangs; they seemed to be small independent operators who had temporarily united for a single job.

"What accent did the attackers have?"

"Returning to the Proprietor: all had local Leizhou accents. They should be local ruffians."

If that was the case, the probability that the Haiyi Guild had instigated this was quite high. Guo Yi nodded. "Rest well. I'll cover all expenses."

Leaving the escort agency, he quickly boarded his sedan chair and ordered: "Back to Huifu Street!" He calculated that he must immediately telegraph the South China Factory and Lingao to report. This matter was probably no ordinary maritime robbery. Though the situation wasn't entirely clear, the attackers' actions were extremely targeted. Sugar transport would have to be postponed—this involved how the Lingao Executive Committee planned to address threats at sea.

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Guo Yi's telegram struck Wen Tong and the others like a thunderbolt. The contents brought both joy and worry. The joy: Guangzhou had clearly confirmed that the required silver presented no problem—South China only needed to proceed boldly with acquisition. The worry: a sugar ship had been hijacked—not merely the loss of five hundred shi of sugar, but evidence that the Haiyi Guild had moved to explicitly illegal means against them.

Nothing was more frightening than a cornered animal. The fish that would die to tear the net; the desperate dog that would leap a wall. The Haiyi Guild was now at its wits' end. Further delay only worsened their odds, making shadowy tactics increasingly likely.

How to respond presented a genuine dilemma. While he was still deliberating, Wen Xiu entered to report: "Shopkeeper Liao has arrived."

"Which Shopkeeper Liao?"

"Grand Shopkeeper Liao."

That would be Liao Dahua of Qiwei. He quickly said: "Show him in!"

The news Liao Dahua brought was even more disturbing. He reported that the escorts had confirmed: sugar mill workers throughout Xuwen County, including some from Haikang, had been organizing over the past several days. In three days' time, they planned to burn incense and swear oaths at the Zou Monk Temple to "eradicate the monster devices" of the South China Factory and "fully restore ancient methods."

This was a devastating blow—nearly knocking the wind out of Wen Tong. Hijacking sugar ships wasn't enough; now they were preparing to attack the factory directly!

"Old Liao—could we request government intervention to suppress this?" Having witnessed the magistrate's authority during their last visit, if the yamen would dispatch men to impose order, the workers might not dare act.

"The Grand Master in the county would welcome trouble—it gives him cases to adjudicate and money to collect from both sides." Liao Dahua cautioned. "The sugar mill workers have grounds for their grievance—after all, their livelihoods were destroyed. Public sentiment is turbulent. If violence erupts, South China is very likely to suffer serious losses. We might ultimately win any lawsuit, but that mob is destitute. Even if a few heads roll, what good does it do?"

"Yes, yes—your analysis is correct." Wen Tong knew that in this timeline, counting on the government was essentially fantasy.

"For now, it's best to prepare exit strategies." The "exit strategies" Liao Dahua mentioned were actually escape routes. He whispered that he had already arranged a courtyard in Xuwen's county seat. If anything happened, they should flee directly there.

"Once inside the county seat, no mob would dare pursue easily—that would be rebellion. On this point, the shopkeeper can rest assured." Liao Dahua patted his chest. "As long as you're within the walls, Qiwei can guarantee everyone's safety."

Wen Tong hesitated. "Surely it won't come to that? Would they dare commit murder?" Beyond that, with so much machinery, equipment, and sugar in the factory, they absolutely couldn't abandon it. Otherwise, how would they explain to the Executive Committee afterward?

"Hard to say—" Liao Dahua's expression was grave. "Recently, someone has been purchasing 'substitutes.' The going rate is eight hundred taels each."

"Substitutes?"

"Yes." Liao Dahua nodded. He explained that whenever civil unrest or armed conflict occurred, the government typically didn't intervene on the spot. But afterward, those who injured people had to compensate, and those who killed had to pay with their lives. To ensure their subordinates could act without hesitation, organizers often purchased "substitutes" in advance. When the government subsequently investigated, the substitute would surrender to the authorities. One life for another, and the matter was closed.

Since someone was buying substitutes, it meant the riot organizers were prepared for fatalities. Wen Tong immediately grew alarmed. After all, he was just a sugar factory technician. Initially, he had believed that with the Transmigration Group backing him, the Qiwei Escort Agency guaranteeing him locally, and government connections, he was a significant figure in Xuwen and even Leizhou. Even within the Transmigration Group, both Lingao and Guangzhou had been revolving around South China recently—he had felt quite important. Now that the opponent intended to deploy blades and guns, he realized that their small contingent was isolated here, relying only on Qiwei personnel and a few pistols. If a mob genuinely stormed in with intent to kill, neither Wen Desi nor Ma Qianzhu possessed the ability to instantaneously teleport an army to save his life.

He couldn't help feeling timid: perhaps Shopkeeper Liao was right—he had to prepare an escape route... Hadn't President Wen instructed them: "Survival is the highest priority"?

Though he made this resolution, on reflection, contemplating escape before anything happened seemed rather craven. If anyone saw through it, he would become a laughingstock. So he feigned composure: "No matter. Let's invite everyone to discuss this first. The South China Factory represents major assets; we can't let people destroy it for nothing."

He immediately summoned Chen Tianxiong, Mei Lin, Xiao Gui, and the others. Liao Daxing was managing operations in front and couldn't be spared—at present, the storefront required someone in charge.

"Is Shopkeeper Bei available? Should we invite him?" Wen Xiu asked quietly.

"He's back?" Hearing this, Wen Tong felt half-relieved. With a special forces soldier present, security increased dramatically. "Invite him—certainly we must invite him."

Bei Wei had returned with his team from a staff excursion and was resting at the sugar firm. He had also heard that conditions outside were unsettled recently and had originally planned to come that evening for joint discussions.

After Liao Dahua repeated his report, Wen Tong said: "How should we handle this? The Haiyi Guild has played two ruthless cards in succession. Clearly they're not prepared to engage in fair competition."

Everyone held their breath without speaking. The matter was of enormous consequence, touching the survival of South China. Setting aside everything else, if South China were genuinely destroyed on their watch, an impression of being "unfit for heavy responsibility" would attach to everyone present throughout the Transmigration Group's future. They could forget about administrative positions governing a region; they would spend their lives honestly being technicians.

After a prolonged silence, Chen Tianxiong spoke: "Since things have reached this point, we must prepare for the worst. First: if the opposition attacks, do we have the capability to protect the factory and goods? Second: if we can't resist, can we guarantee the safety of ourselves and our subordinates?"

Xiao Gui said: "Actually, if they do attack, we might not necessarily be outmatched. The sugar factory has over a hundred able-bodied men; a militia unit has been organized and trained. We also have escorts. Holding out for a while shouldn't be a problem."

"There are many of them," Liao Dahua interjected. Besides sugar mill workers, there would be their families; the Haiyi Guild would probably also inject hoodlums. At minimum, a thousand people. "There's another concern we must guard against. Everyone knows substantial silver is stored in the sugar firm. Once disturbances begin, opportunists might attempt to exploit the chaos..."

Bei Wei nodded in agreement with Liao Dahua's assessment. If this were a unit like the Salt Field Village Militia—established for extended periods, well-trained, and unified in purpose—they might manage. But a rabble like the Sugar Factory Militia, established for barely a month or two, couldn't be expected to resist a mob ten times their size.

"Don't we have escorts? And Bei Wei's men..." Wen Tong thought of Bei Wei.

"Please—we scouts are human too, not Kenshiro." Bei Wei smiled bitterly. "Even skilled fighters can't take on a hundred each."

"Won't the fowling piece settle matters?" Because Liao Dahua was present, Wen Tong spoke guardedly.

"This is the Ming Dynasty, not South America—and Ming Dynasty natives aren't Indians who believe we're descended gods. Firing guns is simple enough, but people here know your 'fowling piece' is just a fowling piece, not a divine artifact." Bei Wei said. "Besides, if we kill people at the sugar factory, how do we clean up afterward?"

"Then we simply 'decapitate'..." Seeing Wen Tong hesitating to speak, Liao Dahua quickly said: "I'll step outside and survey the situation first. If anything comes up, shopkeepers, summon me."

"If it truly comes to that, so be it." Bei Wei nodded. "I only wish I'd brought a sniper rifle—didn't even bring a regular rifle. Otherwise I'd simply blow that nuisance Third Master Zhu's head off from distance." He pondered. "Perhaps I'll take two men and infiltrate tonight to finish him."

"If we did that, those Haiyi Guild people would wet their pants in terror." Everyone felt somewhat gratified.

Bei Wei reflected further. "However, we don't know the Haiyi Guild's internal layout, nor do we know what Third Master Zhu looks like. Reconnaissance is essential. I'll take people tonight to assess the situation—treat it as training."

Since someone was willing to take initiative, naturally everyone was pleased. But Mei Lin felt unenthusiastic about this approach: "Can't we try winning over the workers? I believe they're being manipulated—they have no real choice..."

"Manipulation is certain enough, but changing their attitude in just a few days seems impossible."

"Three or four days still remain. If we commit properly to outreach, there's still a chance to turn this around." He persisted. "The workers are simply deceived. Ultimately, we also destroyed their livelihoods—they had no choice but to resist..."

This line of reasoning wasn't popular; it made them sound like evil capitalists—though the facts essentially confirmed that. Wen Tong said: "So you're saying they're right to cause trouble, good to smash things, that it's a revolutionary action, hmm?"

Mei Lin hastily clarified: "Naturally not—after all, the Transmigration Group's interests are paramount." Sensing the hostile atmosphere, he quickly defended himself: "This is also for the South China Factory and the great transmigration enterprise. I'm here temporarily for the building project; I leave once it's finished. South China must remain operational in Xuwen and Leizhou permanently. Making enemies before we're firmly established isn't a long-term strategy."

Put this way, the argument held some validity. But Bei Wei disagreed. Since fundamental conflicts of interest existed, unless both sides could fully reconcile and reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement, enmity was inevitable. Worrying about every little thing meant nothing got accomplished.

Chen Tianxiong said: "Mei Lin has a point. Perhaps we should prepare multiple approaches. Both soft and hard measures must be readied, while also addressing sugar shipments to Guangzhou."

"We're still shipping sugar to Guangzhou now? Obviously the Haiyi Guild is behind this. The moment our sugar ships sail, we're just giving it away."

"Not so," Chen Tianxiong countered. "Guangzhou is probably taking enormous risks to mobilize capital for us. Both reason and sentiment require South China to transport sugar as quickly as possible for liquidation."

"But what about security? Now we face enemies on both shore and sea; we can't attend to both ends." Wen Tong said anxiously.

Chen Tianxiong said: "Food must be eaten bite by bite; matters handled one by one." He pondered for a moment, then enumerated the necessary actions point by point:

"The sugar firm needs to accelerate acquisition," Chen Tianxiong suggested. "Since Guangzhou confirmed silver isn't a problem, we'll add more weighing personnel. The faster we acquire sugar, the more stable cane farmers' confidence becomes, and order at the gate improves. This prevents opportunists fishing in troubled waters. That's point one."

"An excellent idea," Xiao Gui said. "With the prospect of selling sugar at high prices, cane farmers absolutely won't permit anyone to destroy the sugar factory."

"Very good, very good!" Wen Tong's spirits lifted considerably. "There are far more cane farmers than sugar mill workers."

"That's just talk." Bei Wei shook his head. "Sugar mill workers are organized and prepared for trouble—a different matter from scattered cane farmers. What Xiao Gui describes sounds interesting but is unreliable."

"Having some support beats having none," Wen Tong pressed. "What's next?"

"Organize the militia for defense, and prepare contingency plans in case violence erupts. This is preparation for rainy days." Chen Tianxiong said. "In case the militia can't hold and runs, I personally believe preserving lives should take priority. As long as the green hills remain, there's no worry about firewood."

(End of Chapter)