Chapter 1064 - Persuasion
Lu Yang did not return to the pier; instead, he remained in the central hall in high spirits, drinking tea and chatting with Lu Wenyuan. Lu Wenyuan was only a few years older than Lu Yang, and their conversation flowed easily. Gradually, the topic drifted toward content that men were universally fond of discussing. Chen Sigen could not help but interrupt: "You came here just for combat readiness duty?"
Lu Yang replied: "Because I enjoy reading and possess a broad range of knowledge, and because I look like an elegant, handsome, and refined youth, the Engine Command felt I was more suitable to assist you in receiving Sun Yuanhua. Moreover, my Daishuang is a Type 901 gunboat after all, equipped with a 130mm gun. Its firepower is stronger than the Fubo, and it can perform shore bombardment missions when necessary. There are also Lin Shenhe's new gadgets on the ship... Besides, I'm a foodie, and my orderly specializes in cooking. I brought plenty of good provisions—excellent for calming Lord Sun's nerves."
The amount of information packed into these words was considerable, and both Chen Sigen and Lu Wenyuan needed a moment to digest it.
Chen Sigen quickly asked: "New gadgets? Is it the Type 92 Infantry Gun?"
Lin Shenhe's new gadget could not be anything else—Chen Sigen had learned from Senators who participated in the joint amphibious landing exercise before the Engine Operation that during the exercise, the Marines had experimentally deployed a brand new artillery piece for accompanying attacks—not the M1857 or the 12-pounder mountain howitzer, which were smoothbore guns.
"How could it be that fast?" Lu Yang replied. "It's still a carriage-recoil gun. But it's a breech-loading rifled gun, and the loading speed is much faster than the previous Naval 70mm gun."
"Probably the 'Miss 75' that Lin Shenhe brags about all day long," Lu Wenyuan commented. He was not particularly interested in artillery, but the development of new weapons was a monthly topic on the internal BBS. Lin Shenhe would occasionally reveal mysterious so-called insider information, sometimes posting a few blurry digital photos, then suddenly deleting them, accompanied by cryptic phrases like: "Black tea doesn't taste good."
Sun Yuanhua was half-asleep, half-awake in bed. Feeling thirsty, he called out for a servant to pour tea, as was his habit. However, the person who pushed open the door and entered was an unfamiliar maid, which startled him—he distinctly remembered that his two young servants had been attending him these past few days.
He sat up quickly, only to discover that he was not in the main room of the Circuit Supervisor's Yamen where he had fallen asleep the previous night, but in a strange room.
The room was not tall or grand—somewhat humble and small, in fact. But the furnishings were clean and very simple. Apart from the bed beneath him, there was only a table and two chairs. On the stark white wall hung a crucifix of the Suffering Christ. The window appeared to be open; he could see the withered branches in the courtyard, and bright sunlight was already streaming in—yet not a trace of cold wind penetrated the room.
Sun Yuanhua realized: the window was fitted with glass.
Installing glass in windows was an extreme luxury—that kind of transparent, colorless flat glass was shipped all the way from Guangdong, and the price was so prohibitive that even a high official like himself dared not casually inquire about it.
In all of Dengzhou City, he was confident that not a single household possessed such windows, let alone this cross on the wall.
Where am I? He could not help but wonder.
There was no stove lit in the room, yet it was warm as spring. The bedding was light, soft, and wonderfully warm. The mattress beneath him was firm yet yielding—remarkably comfortable.
At this moment, the maid asked, "Does the master have any other instructions?" as she served half a cup of weak tea and a small spittoon for rinsing the mouth.
Seeing her complete etiquette and skillful service, Sun Yuanhua felt slightly reassured: wherever this was, since the other party was so meticulous, they could not harbor malicious intent—at least for the time being.
He rinsed his mouth first, and only then did the maid replace it with fresh tea. It was also weak tea, but excellent quality. Sun Yuanhua hailed from Jiading and was quite particular about tea. The moment the tea touched his lips, he recognized it as new autumn tea from Zhejiang.
Though he was a Governor in Dengzhou, he remained on the front lines after all, dealing with martial men day after day. Such refined pleasures were rare.
After drinking the tea and steadying his nerves, he asked: "Where am I?"
The maid smiled. "Sir, please be patient. My master said that Sir has suffered a shock recently—please rest a while longer. If Sir does not wish to sleep anymore, this servant will fetch a washcloth to serve Sir in washing..."
"Who is your master?" Sun Yuanhua was even more puzzled. Listening to the maid's tone, she was obviously not part of the rebel party. But he had clearly been captured by Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng several days ago and detained in the Circuit Supervisor's Yamen.
Before falling asleep the previous night, he had still been deliberating whether to commit suicide to demonstrate his loyalty.
But then he had remembered what the priests said: suicide violates the Ten Commandments and condemns the soul to eternal damnation in hell. And so he had hesitated.
He had fallen asleep in that tormented state of mind. Since his capture, Sun Yuanhua had not enjoyed a peaceful night's rest—chaos and nightmares engulfed him the moment he closed his eyes. But the previous night he had slept with unusual soundness, a night without dreams.
Could it be that God had heard his prayers and was guiding him toward a new path? Amid his surprise, Sun Yuanhua felt a flicker of hope stirring in his heart.
He immediately instructed: "Serve me in washing and changing clothes first."
The maid stepped out for a moment and returned carrying a box containing toiletries. She removed Sun Yuanhua's head wrap and hair net, undid his bun, combed it, and tied it again. Then she brought a basin of warm water along with green salt and willow twigs for rinsing his mouth, and served him as he washed. Using a towel that was thick and soft to wipe the water droplets from his face, a refreshing sensation instantly penetrated to his very core.
The maid went out again and brought him several sets of clean underwear and a new cotton robe, saying:
"Please change clothes, Sir. This is a rural place—there are only coarse clothes available, but they are all newly made and extremely clean."
After Sun Yuanhua's capture, though Kong Youde had treated him well—recruiting his scattered servants to attend him and retrieving his personal manuscripts and luggage as far as possible—he remained a prisoner nonetheless. The so-called good treatment merely meant he was not mistreated and had food and clothing. How could it compare to such meticulous service and comfort?
"What is your name?"
"This servant is called Cheng Lingsu."
"A good name."
The maid smiled. "It was given by the master of the house. Whether it is good or not, this servant cannot judge." She added: "The master said, if Sir has finished washing, please have breakfast first, then meet in the flower hall."
"Very well." Sun Yuanhua did indeed feel hungry.
The maid soon brought a tray bearing white porridge and salted vegetables, all prepared in the Jiangnan style, which aroused his nostalgia for his distant hometown.
After breakfast, guided by the maid, he walked out of the bedroom. Before him lay a very small but meticulously cleaned and arranged courtyard. Following the maid through an alleyway beside the courtyard, turning several corners, and entering a large hall, he saw a young man standing in the hall, watching him with a smile.
He recognized this person—it was indeed Lu Wenyuan. The fellow believer who had come from Zhejiang to Shandong to reclaim wasteland—the Jesuit priests had asked him to look after the man.
Lu Wenyuan stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Sir has suffered greatly!"
"I dare not presume!" Sun Yuanhua quickly returned the bow, his heart filled with a tumult of conflicting emotions. After Kong Youde rebelled, this Master Lu had specially sent a messenger to warn him—to pay attention to the movements of the Liaodong people in the city, to guard against the intensifying conflicts between locals and immigrants, and specifically to note that Geng Zhongming might not be reliable due to his feud with Huang Long, urging Sun to be vigilant.
Later events had almost completely verified Lu Wenyuan's warnings. He had not expected that this young outsider could possess such incisive views on the situation in Dengzhou.
"I am ashamed," Sun Yuanhua said as he and Lu Wenyuan sat down as guest and host. The maid served tea.
"Where is this place?" This was the question that concerned Sun Yuanhua most at this moment.
"This is Qimu Island in Huang County—the student's stockade. Sir is safe now."
Sun Yuanhua remained silent. He knew of Qimu Island. When this Master Lu had first wished to purchase land to reclaim wasteland in Shandong, the land on Qimu Island had been acquired through his facilitation. Since he was on Qimu Island, he had obviously been rescued by the Master Lu before him—this was certainly a great blessing. But to be spirited away unknowingly through the night from the heavily guarded Dengzhou City, from amidst thousands of troops, was akin to the fantastic tales of sword-heroes like "Red Wire Stealing the Box." It could not help but arouse his suspicion.
Could they have struck some bargain with Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng in exchange for him? Sun Yuanhua considered this the most likely explanation—though he still could not fathom what the other party's purpose might be.
However, Lu Wenyuan was after all a fellow believer, introduced by Father Pantoja/Guo Jujing, whom he respected enormously—so at least he need not doubt this person's fundamental motives.
As if reading Sun Yuanhua's thoughts, Lu Wenyuan smiled and said: "We also rescued Sir's two young servants together. They will continue to serve Sir starting tomorrow."
Having these two personal confidants—who had witnessed the rescue process firsthand—present would be far more convincing than empty words spoken now.
"Many thanks, Sir." Sun Yuanhua cupped his hands. "I simply do not know what Sir's intention might be, in taking such enormous risk to rescue Sun from a desperate situation."
Lu Wenyuan thought: Here it comes. This is expected. He had long since thoroughly exchanged views with the Grand Library and done substantial homework on how to conduct the "Sun Yuanhua work." At this moment, he had a well-prepared response.
"First, it is for the people of Shandong. The people of the Three Eastern Prefectures were already suffering from hunger and cold, and now they are afflicted by the disaster of war. As believers in the Lord of Heaven, how can we sit idly by while so many lambs perish in original sin?"
"Indeed." This was the righteousness of the Church. Even if Sun Yuanhua did not entirely believe it, he could not refute it.
"Second, it is for Sir." Lu Wenyuan spoke with quiet assurance. "Sir fell into the hands of thieves. Life and death hung on the single whim of owls like Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng. Were it not for the great grace Sir showed them in the past, I fear Sir would have already lost his life at their hands."
When Lu Wenyuan said this, a look of dejection passed across Sun Yuanhua's face. He had strongly advocated employing Liaodong people and generals in Dengzhou, and had tried his utmost to treat the original Dongjiang troops well. He had never expected that he and all of Dengzhou would ultimately be destroyed by these very people.
Dengzhou had fallen. The firearms, weapons, horses, grain, fodder, and military pay accumulated in the city over many years were all lost. The army he had personally organized—the one he had hired Portuguese instructors to train—had vanished into ashes and smoke. Years of painstaking effort had been destroyed in a single day.
(End of Chapter)