Chapter 632 - Continuing the Hair Thieves' Background

"Although the Hair Thieves' cannons are not heavy, their power cannot be dismissed lightly." Gou Chengxuan proceeded to describe the scene of the firepower demonstration during the military parade. He even shrank his neck when recounting the violent explosion in the target area during the bombardment.

"The Hair Thieves merely buried sulfur and saltpeter beneath a mound and ignited them with cannonballs—that is all." He Rubin smiled and addressed his attendants. "This kind of trick is nothing new; it only frightens ignorant locals."

The staff and generals offered another chorus of flattery: "Your Excellency possesses such keen insight," "You perceive everything as clearly as fire," "Your foresight illuminates like a candle," and so forth.

"You said you fought the Hair Thieves yourself. What formations do they employ when engaging? What methods do they primarily use to break stockades and storm cities? How do they fight? Explain each point in detail!"

Gou Chengxuan winced inwardly; claiming he had fought the Hair Thieves was pure fabrication. When the Gou Family Village was massacred, he had already fled with his father. How could he have witnessed how the Australians attacked the stockade? He had only learned afterward from others that they ultimately breached the walls by using gunpowder to blow up the gates.

As for Australian field tactics, when Huang Shoutong led the county's village militia to attack Bairen Stockade, the Gou Family Village had contributed more than ten braves. Although he hadn't gone to the front personally, he had learned a great deal from the survivors who returned—enough to bluff convincingly.

He then narrated the process of the transmigrator group attacking Gou Family Village and Huang Shoutong's militia assaulting Bairen Stockade. Naturally, much of it was fabricated, but Gou Chengxuan was a xiucai after all; his literary training lent his account a logical coherence and eloquence far superior to typical rural tyrants and commoners, so he spoke quite cogently. The staff and generals listened with rapt attention.

He Rubin posed several more questions about military matters. Gou Chengxuan actually knew very little about the transmigrator group's military operations. After all, he had been merely a commoner who dared not linger near training grounds or ports to watch events too frequently, for fear of arousing suspicion. His knowledge came almost entirely from street gossip—yet even so, he was considered someone with substantial insight into "Hair Thief" military affairs.

What Gou Chengxuan actually knew more about was intelligence on the transmigrator group's civil administration, infrastructure, and social relations. But He Rubin showed little interest in such matters. The Hair Thieves building roads, digging canals, and constructing dams held no meaning for him.

For questions He Rubin asked, Gou Chengxuan answered as fully as he could; for topics he didn't understand, he made things up on the spot. He also selected details he knew Ming people would find novel and described them with considerable embellishment. For instance: the Hair Thieves maintained a group of women specifically responsible for nursing patients, and there were women in the Hair Thief army, organized into a separate unit for running errands and carrying messages, and so on.

"The Hair Thieves claim descent from the Great Song. I think that even if true, having lived overseas for so long, they have been infected with the customs of overseas barbarians," one staff officer commented.

"The Hair Thieves are truly a gang of licentious and lustful people!" Chang Qingyun couldn't help interjecting. "Actually employing women in the army! The military is a place of supreme yang energy—mixing women into it violates the Heavenly Way. How can they possibly avoid defeat!"

"That statement is incorrect! Women have served in armies since ancient times; there is nothing strange about it." Although He Rubin had been very courteous to Lu Yizhong since he joined the staff—and had presented generous gifts—he obviously held him at arm's length and rarely engaged him in serious discussions. This left Lu Yizhong, the Advisor renowned for "understanding military affairs," quite unhappy. Chang Qingyun in particular, relying on his status as the Commander's confidant, was usually the most prominent voice. This time Lu decided to deflate him severely, so he spoke up immediately: "From Princess Pingyang of the Tang Dynasty in the distant past to Pacification Commissioner Qin of our own dynasty more recently. Just last year when Pacification Commissioner Qin led troops to serve the Emperor, she was granted an audience on the palace platform and bestowed four imperial poems—an honor still celebrated throughout the realm. What is so strange about the Hair Thieves having a few women in their army?"

This was not only a heavy cap but an inescapable one, citing both ancient and contemporary precedents. Qin Liangyu's reputation was enormous at the time, and she had received the Emperor's personal commendation. Chang Qingyun had no room to defend himself. His face flushed red, and he fell silent in embarrassment.

Because there existed a precedent from the current dynasty, and because Lu Yizhong had invoked the Emperor's brand, no one dared utter further words about women in the camp violating the Heavenly Way.

"Your Excellencies may not know this, but among the Hair Thieves there are many female officials and female generals." Seeing that the assembled lords were very interested in this subject, Gou Chengxuan sensed he had found the right topic, so he hurriedly listed the famous female Senators in the transmigrator group one by one. Although there were dozens of female Senators among the transmigrators, for a local outsider like Gou Chengxuan who wasn't part of the system, the most familiar were those who frequently appeared in public—Li Mei, Du Wen, and Dong Weiwei.

"...Hair Thief women are mostly tall, many exceeding five chi. They claim descent from Huaxia, yet they are very different from Chinese women—"

Gou Chengxuan stole a glance at the expressions of the staff and generals. Seeing no signs of impatience or displeasure, he continued: the Hair Thief women were not only tall but also possessed larger frames than Chinese women, with very fair complexions. All had natural, unbound feet and walked and ran with complete freedom. They could read and write, and even practiced using firearms...

He spoke with flying spittle, adding many rumors and fabricated details. Everyone listened, captivated. Chang Qingyun thought to himself, wondering what these Hair Thief women with thin waists, broad shoulders, ample bosoms, rounded hips, fair skin, and large eyes actually looked like, and couldn't suppress a surge of restlessness. He calculated that once victory was achieved, he must find a way to acquire a few True Hair women for thorough interrogation.

Finally, He Rubin coughed, and Gou Chengxuan's discourse on "Hair Thief women" came to a pause.

"You have lived in Lingao a long time. How do the local gentry get along with the Hair Thieves? Are the hearts of the people useful to us?"

Gou Chengxuan's spirits soared. As long as he insisted that a particular household had colluded with the Hair Thieves, when the Imperial Army arrived, that family would at minimum lose their wealth—at worst, face complete extermination. This was a golden opportunity both for personal revenge and for enriching his own pockets.

Precisely because the stakes were so high, he had to proceed carefully. Having followed his father around various parts of Guangdong for over a year filing legal complaints, his worldview had broadened considerably. He understood that local gentry wielded immense power. Many petty rural officials might appear unimposing and lack great wealth, yet they were connected to officials in the provincial capital and the two imperial capitals through myriad bonds: fellow graduates of the same examination year, fellow natives of the same county, old family friendships, relationships between teachers and students... These networks extended so far that even high court officials had to tread carefully around them. If he made accusations carelessly, the only outcome would be prison or death for himself.

Gou Chengxuan had long since secretly compiled a list of households most deeply entangled with the Hair Thieves, originally planning to demand substantial payments once the government army reached Lingao. There were also several households that couldn't properly be said to have collaborated with the Hair Thieves—they had merely gone along with the flow, supplying grain, money, and laborers. But because these families had either offended the Gou family in the past or possessed considerable wealth, they had all been added to Gou Chengxuan's list of "Hair Thief sympathizers."

First and foremost, he wanted to punish Huang Shoutong. This old villain had always been hostile to the Gou family, speaking ill of them before the magistrate on multiple occasions. Gou Chengxuan also knew that Huang Shoutong had once conspired with the previous magistrate to arrest the entire Gou family in a single stroke for the crime of harboring bandits. Only the previous magistrate's fear of inviting pirate retaliation had caused him to drop the matter.

If he could successfully label this old bastard Huang Shoutong as a "thief sympathizer" this time, the Huang Family Stockade would be doomed for eternity! Gou Chengxuan privately cherished this hope.

But Huang Shoutong was no ordinary figure. He himself had cooperated with government troops many times to fight the Li people and defend against pirates—a renowned figure locally. The Hainan government forces relied on him heavily. His second son held an academic degree. Back then, it was Huang Shoutong who had taken the lead in the attack on Bairen Stockade, and his third son had been killed by the Hair Thieves. Everyone in Lingao knew this. Making an accusation stick would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, during the recent land survey, Huang Shoutong's second son Huang Bingkun had formed a renewed alliance with Liu Dalin. The weight of a single word from Liu Dalin far exceeded his own. Considering all this, he decided not to name which households had collaborated with the Hair Thieves for the moment, leaving himself some room to maneuver.

Gou Chengxuan answered cautiously: "Although Lingao is a remote frontier, the Court's celestial authority still prevails. There may be those who secretly collaborate among the gentry, but this lowly one has never seen anyone openly submit to the thieves. If investigated carefully, there may be things handled covertly..."

He raised his head slightly and observed He Rubin. Seeing his expression—a half-smile that revealed nothing—he understood that the Commander did not wish to determine who had "followed the thieves" too hastily, and grasped the superior's intent. "Once the Court's celestial army arrives, the gentry will naturally serve the Court with utmost sincerity."

"So, you believe Lingao's public sentiment is favorable to us?"

Gou Chengxuan knew that although most Lingao people feared being implicated after the government army's arrival, they harbored absolutely no good feelings toward the government. Many people, having just begun to enjoy a relatively stable life, even held great aversion toward the government's plan of suppression. Even among local gentry and prominent households, quite a few shared such sentiments. Compared to the Hair Thieves' occupation of Lingao, they feared far more the prospect of a government army arriving to seize grain, kill people, and extort wealth at will. As for those who had become subjects of the Australians, they were even more hostile to the government, displaying considerable combative spirit and hatred toward the common enemy. The government had not even secured the people's hearts in Lingao—how could public sentiment possibly be "useful"?

But he dared not speak such words, so he phrased his answer diplomatically:

"The people of Lingao long for the King's Master as the drought-stricken long for rain. However, the Hair Thieves possess monstrous power in Lingao, with strict laws and harsh punishments usually, and many spies and patrols everywhere. The slightest carelessness in speech leads to arrest for hard labor. Moreover, Hair Thief firearms are fearsome—breaching stockades is as easy as turning a hand. Even gentry and prominent households must compromise, not daring to slacken in the slightest in providing grain and manpower."

"Magistrate Wu still holds the county seat; the Great Ming government remains in place. Why do the people fear the Hair Thieves so greatly?"

Hearing an opportunity to speak ill of Wu Mingjin, Gou Chengxuan quickly responded: "Although Master Wu holds the county seat without loss, he is trapped in an isolated fortress. Government orders do not extend beyond the city gates. The Hair Thieves come and go through Lingao County almost as if it were uninhabited land."

He Rubin merely uttered an "Mm." Whether Wu Mingjin had been derelict in his duties had no bearing on him. What concerned him most was Lingao's local grain supply and the village militia situation.

Gou Chengxuan reported that there was not much grain stored in the county. The previous year had brought a wind disaster; the Wenlan River had flooded, inundating many fields. Autumn grain production had decreased substantially.

"If production decreased so much, where does the Hair Thieves' grain come from?"

"The Hair Thieves abducted commoners from the mainland to farm for them. They possess secret agricultural techniques that yield far more grain than ordinary farmers can produce." Gou Chengxuan understood that military campaigns were opportunities for everyone—from top to bottom—to enrich themselves. To inspire morale, he immediately spoke extravagantly, claiming the Hair Thieves had stockpiled massive quantities of grain and rice in their stronghold, plus great amounts of sugar transported from Leizhou. As for various Australian goods, they were piled up like mountains... This speech caused visible looks of avarice to appear on every face present. The wealth of the Australians had already gained a modest reputation in Guangdong, especially following the confiscation of the three Purple shops' properties, which had reportedly yielded countless valuable goods—everyone involved had made a tidy profit. Since Lingao was their base of operations, wealth and goods must be incalculable.

As for the village militia, Gou Chengxuan reported that although many local militia existed, they were weak and no match for Hair Thief firearms. They could only defend from within their stockades.

He Rubin and the staff and generals asked further about the Hair Thieves' deployment in Lingao. Gou Chengxuan revealed that the Hair Thieves maintained five camps in Lingao—not just the single Bopu camp. This news attracted intense interest, because until now all garrison reports mentioning Hair Thief camps had only referenced Bopu, never any others.

He Rubin immediately ordered a map brought and asked him to mark the locations one by one.

"This lowly one doesn't understand maps..."

"No matter—just name the places." He Rubin instructed a secretary in charge of maps to mark the locations according to the names Gou Chengxuan provided.

"The Hair Thieves have five main camps in total: Bairen, Bopu, Maniao, Gaoshan, and Nanbao. There are also multiple arrow towers and forts." Seeing the Commander paying such close attention, Gou Chengxuan couldn't help feeling invigorated and showed off his knowledge.

The secretary circled the locations on the map according to the names dictated, then presented it to the desk.

He Rubin glanced over it and was secretly alarmed. If Gou Chengxuan was correct, then the Hair Thieves' penetration into Lingao far exceeded original estimates. They had not merely occupied the river mouth and coastal ports in the manner of Westerners. Nanbao lay on the border of the Li tribal region—the true hinterland of Lingao County.

"The Hair Thieves use Bairen as their heartland; most True Hairs live there," Gou Chengxuan continued. "It is said that the Fake Governor Wen Desi and Ma Qianzhu also reside there. All Hair Thief orders issue from Bairen Stockade. This stronghold is extremely strictly guarded, with high walls and deep trenches, surrounded by iron thorn barriers. Even their trusted Fake Hairs cannot enter. They have established a market outside the stockade to entice merchants to trade..."

He Rubin's expression suddenly darkened, and he barked: "Insolent!"

Gou Chengxuan was speaking enthusiastically when He Rubin's sudden shout scared him into prostrating himself immediately, not daring to utter another word.

Because Lu Yizhong was present, Gou Chengxuan's statement had just overturned the established claim that the Hair Thieves used Bopu as their base camp—a determination that had been set by the Governor-General himself. Now this Lingao local was openly claiming there existed a Bairen Stockade less than ten-odd li from the county seat, which served as the Hair Thieves' original camp.

Everything this man said was probably nine-tenths true, but denying the leader's judgment was unacceptable—a truth constant across ancient and modern times alike.

"This Commander has long known the Hair Thieves' original camp is at Bopu. Where does this so-called Bairen Strong Stockade come from?! Are you trying to deceive this Commander?"

"This lowly one dares not, this lowly one dares not," Gou Chengxuan kowtowed repeatedly, his thoughts spinning rapidly. He had been speaking perfectly well—why had Lord He suddenly denied the existence of Bairen Stockade? Bairen City's scale and defenses were second to none among Australian camps in all of Lingao. Even if he hadn't mentioned it, spies sent by the government army would see it for themselves.

His mind was extremely sharp. He decided instantly: whatever the reason for He Rubin's anger, he must align with the Commander's words. He said hurriedly:

"Yes, yes—this lowly one is ignorant. This was originally something I heard from hearsay; unable to distinguish clearly, I spoke nonsense. However, there is indeed a stockade at Bairen, defended by several hundred Hair Thieves."

He Rubin glanced toward Lu Yizhong and saw him merely stroking his beard and nodding. Knowing that Gou Chengxuan's adjustment was appropriately conciliatory, he softened his tone: "Continue!"

"Yes, yes." Gou Chengxuan kowtowed again and then described the locations and defenses of the other camps. He had not personally scouted the Nanbao and Gaoshan Ridge camps—he had heard that Nanbao was engaged in mining and quarrying and feared being pressed into labor if he approached rashly. As for Gaoshan Ridge, although it stood on the old site of Gou Family Village, he had heard the defenses were extremely strict, completely prohibiting unrelated locals from entry. So he had not dared to investigate.

But from He Rubin's attitude just now, he surmised that the government army preferred to hear that the Hair Thieves had fewer camps rather than more. So he described Nanbao, Gaoshan Ridge, and the others as small stockades of modest scale, each garrisoned by only a few hundred Fake Hairs. For Maniao, however, he dared not make the same claim, because he had passed through Maniao when departing Lingao and had seen with his own eyes that a round fortress and defensive works had been constructed there, with large numbers of troops assembled. If he caused the government army to underestimate the enemy and suffer a defeat at Maniao, his own head would roll.

Fortunately, seeing that he had shown quick wits and acknowledged Bopu as the Hair Thieves' original camp, He Rubin displayed no further signs of anger. Emboldened, Gou Chengxuan completed his account.

Lu Yizhong suddenly asked: "You said the Hair Thief leaders are named...?"

"Answering Your Excellency: one is Ma Qianzhu, one is Wen Desi."

"Have you seen these two?"

"This lowly one only observed them from a distance." Here Gou Chengxuan spoke the truth. He had simply not dared approach the transmigrators too closely, let alone the principal chiefs among them.

"What positions did these two hold in their country? Do they possess noble titles? Why would they brave ten thousand li of perilous ocean waves to lead the Hair Thieves here to harass my Great Ming?" Compared to He Rubin, Lu Yizhong took greater interest in the Hair Thieves' origins. "I have heard they claim descent from Huaxia—is there truth to this?"

Gou Chengxuan replied: "Answering Your Excellency, the Hair Thieves do indeed claim descent from Huaxia. They know Chinese characters, only using vulgar simplified forms for writing. According to their own account, they are descendants of Song-era people. After their ancestors suffered defeat at Yashan, they led troops and ships southward, enduring great hardships until they discovered a large island named Australia. Finding its water and soil abundant, they established a nation there, naming it 'Aus-Song.'"

This rumor had reached Guangdong long ago, but never in such detail. Lu Yizhong grew very interested.

"Since they use Song as their country's name, is their ruler a descendant of the Song Emperor?"

"This lowly one does not know." Gou Chengxuan had gathered this information from hearsay as well.

A staff officer nearby commented: "If they are descendants of the Song imperial house, how can they cut their hair and wear short clothing? Isn't that transforming from civilized Xia into barbarian Yi?"

"When among Yi, become Yi; when among Huaxia, become Huaxia." Lu Yizhong shook his head and pondered, saying: "After dwelling in overseas barbarian lands for so long, such changes are unavoidable."

"In this student's view, this gang of Hair Thieves merely adopt the Song imperial name falsely."

...

(End of Chapter)