Chapter 1104 - The New Jeju (Part 1)
Zhu Mingxia wore the Northern Expedition Detachment's gray wool winter uniform and a woolen officer's cloak, cutting a striking figure as he descended the gangplank to the strains of a march playing from the loudspeaker. Port Affairs Official Pak Changbeom was already waiting on shore to greet him—this Official Pak had by now become quite proficient at distinguishing the pennants flown by the constant stream of arriving vessels. The moment he spotted a ship flying the "Committee Member Command Flag," he would hurry over to receive it, just as he had once greeted officials arriving from the mainland.
In the days since, through diligent study and constant observation, Pak Changbeom had come to fully grasp the intentions of these crop-headed people who had appeared suddenly from the sea, calling themselves "Great Song."
They meant to remain on Jeju Island for the long term, establishing themselves with the manner and might of a rival state. For Pak Changbeom, who had already thrown in his lot with them, this was actually good news. His initial "collaboration with the enemy" had been an act of resentful revenge for the Yi Court's long neglect and suppression. Now that his new masters appeared not only powerful but determined to entrench themselves on Jeju in opposition to the Yi Court, this newly-minted "Korean traitor" felt all the more energized. All of Pak Changbeom's accumulated grievances—years of unrecognized talent, of humiliation and abuse by his superiors—had been transmuted into boundless work fervor. He cared nothing for money, nothing for women, nothing for anything at all... only to demonstrate what the blind court's contempt for him had earned them.
Most of Pak Changbeom's subordinates had been replaced by people who shared his outlook—middle-class commoners and government slaves of yangban origin who harbored the same resentments. Under this band of vengeful collaborators' tireless "selfless service," the efficiency of the "Labor Service Teams" assigned to the port district multiplied. The rate of improvement was so rapid that even the naturalized workers from the Lingao construction teams were astonished. What had gotten into them—were they on drugs?
As Zhu Mingxia stepped off the gangplank, Pak Changbeom hurried forward, bowing deeply:
"Your humble servant, Chocheon Port Affairs Official Pak Changbeom, presents himself to Your Excellency!"
Zhu Mingxia returned a crisp military salute. "I am Zhu Mingxia, Army Major and Northern Expedition Detachment Commander."
"Yes, sir! Official Feng has already briefed me!" Pak Changbeom made an inviting gesture. "Please allow me to lead the way."
"Much obliged."
At the post station gate, a Dongfeng two-wheeled carriage specially shipped from Lingao awaited Zhu Mingxia, already flying his rank pennant. A twenty-man cavalry escort stood in formation beside it.
This escort was composed entirely of former samurai from the Public Security Army's Japanese Company. Each man wore two swords at his hip with a rifle slung across his back. Though men and horses ran somewhat short, they still presented an imposing sight. Seeing Zhu Mingxia approach, all drew their swords in salute.
"Quite a reception," Zhu Mingxia muttered, though inwardly he rather enjoyed it. He returned the escort's salute, then boarded the carriage.
The post road from Chocheon Station to Jeju City had completed initial repairs. Volcanic cinders and coal slag had been mixed and compacted smooth by horse-drawn stone rollers—the massive roller had been specially shipped from Lingao. The improved road dramatically shortened travel time. Before long, Zhu Mingxia's party arrived at Jeju City.
Since changing hands, Jeju City hadn't undergone any particularly dramatic outward transformation—only the addition of several watchtowers along the walls. But the moment his carriage entered the gates, Zhu Mingxia realized the interior had essentially become one enormous refugee camp.
Ji Runzhi, the chief planner for the Lingao Construction Company currently stationed in Sanya, had drafted a redevelopment plan for Jeju's three walled cities based on survey maps sent from the island. The population purification camp within Jeju City was his work. Maximizing use of the walls and existing structures, the entire city had been rezoned into five areas: Reception, Purification, Quarantine, Labor, and Administration. Each major zone was further subdivided into smaller sectors for management. The zones were separated by wooden fencing and barbed wire, yet connected by roadways. Additionally, five watchtowers were placed at the four corners and center of the city. Each tower was manned by soldiers equipped with telescopes and sniper rifles, providing aerial surveillance of the entire urban area.
The Jeju Refugee Camp had a design capacity of fifty thousand people, expandable to one hundred thousand if necessary. Facilities were naturally austere. Given the impossibility of preparing so much building material, aside from a few specialized structures and areas, there had been no large-scale construction of the wooden longhouses used at the Lingao quarantine camp. Instead, they employed cheaper dugout shelters. These had been widely used by homesteaders during the "Rush to the Northeast" and Japan's development of Hokkaido. The construction was simple, the insulation excellent, and the material requirements minimal. The drawback was that smoke from heating fires was difficult to vent, and prolonged smoke exposure affected health. However, Jeju's climate was far warmer than Manchuria or Hokkaido; no fires were needed inside the dugouts. Ji Runzhi's plan was to use these as temporary measures, then gradually upgrade them to wooden structures.
Nevertheless, for certain essential camp infrastructure—latrines, the hospital, and the water supply and drainage systems—he had spared no expense to ship sufficient building materials from Lingao.
Jeju, positioned conveniently among China, the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago, was ideally suited as a transshipment hub for the three regions. There would inevitably be far more population transfers passing through here in the future. Investment here would not be wasted.
To ensure his designs were properly implemented, Ji Runzhi had dispatched his apprentice, Ji Yuan, to Jeju to directly supervise the work. This young man in blue work clothes, carrying a canvas bag and clutching a clipboard of drawings, had effectively become the island's chief architect. Not only did the naturalized workers follow his directions, but even Feng Zongze had to consult him on many technical matters.
Along the newly-repaved streets, horse hooves clattered rhythmically. Zhu Mingxia gazed out the window at the endless expanse of barbed wire, watchtowers, and crude shelters. Grayish figures moved slowly among them—these shambling, gaunt people would undergo sixty days of quarantine here, then be dispersed to various locations, transformed into healthy and capable soldiers, workers, and farmers for the Committee. They would become cogs in the great, efficiently-running machine that was the Committee...
The carriage drove into the Jeju Provincial Administration. This was the Northern Expedition Detachment's Jeju Forward Command. Zhu Mingxia's lodgings were here.
Neither Feng Zongze nor Nangong Wudi was present—their work kept them busy. Only Xue Ziliang was on hand—he was in the middle of a meeting with his Special Reconnaissance Team personnel. The man who came out to receive him was the local "collaborator" and interpreter: Pak Deokmeng.
Pak Deokmeng led him to a room specially prepared for him: small but containing both a bedroom and an office. Very convenient. Zhu Mingxia expressed his satisfaction, then asked:
"Where is the Jeju Island Contingent's command post?"
"Reporting, sir—it's in the rear hall here," Pak Deokmeng replied. "I'll go at once to fetch Officer Nangong from outside the city."
Zhu Mingxia nodded. His orderly brought in the trunk and backpack and began unpacking. With nothing else to do, Zhu Mingxia strolled out toward the rear hall and the command post.
Inside the command post, the Special Reconnaissance Team's meeting had just concluded, and the squad members were filing out. To avoid the tedium of saluting and return-saluting, Zhu Mingxia waited around a corner until everyone had dispersed before entering. Xue Ziliang stood staring at the large map.
"Vinnie, just finished a meeting?" he called out.
"Oh? It's you." Xue Ziliang nodded. "Good timing—I was just collating intelligence, preparing for the next phase of operations."
Before them hung a large-scale map of Jeju Island, densely marked with various symbols—clearly the result of comprehensive reconnaissance and survey work.
"You've done a lot of work," Zhu Mingxia observed. "Very thorough reconnaissance."
"Of course. My team has been doing nothing else these past months," Xue Ziliang said with a smile. "Feels a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but consider it training." He snapped his fingers, and an orderly entered.
"Tea for Major Zhu!"
A cup of Korean pine tea was brought over. Zhu Mingxia sniffed it appreciatively. "Good tea. You people know how to live."
"Not much enjoyment to be had here," Xue Ziliang shrugged. "It's desolate, there are no women, and even the liquor is poor. A veritable wilderness."
"Tell me about the next phase—you mentioned to Nangong Wudi that you were planning counter-insurgency operations. What's the security situation here?"
"To be honest: calm as a millpond," Xue Ziliang replied. "From a pure governance standpoint, the Committee's rule over Jeju Island is now beyond dispute. But for the Committee, such governance isn't satisfactory..."
"You've come to understand the Committee well..."
"I'm a Committee member myself now. I need to think like one." Xue Ziliang smiled, lighting a cigar. "The Committee is obsessed with absolute control at the grassroots level, so the current situation is merely a good beginning."
Zhu Mingxia studied the various markings on the map closely, secretly impressed by the work. Not only were settlements, pastures, and farmland marked, but the carrying capacity of bridges, roads, rivers, and fords had been annotated as well. With this map, counter-insurgency operations would have better than eighty percent assurance.
Local knowledge was the first priority in counter-insurgency. Though Zhu Mingxia's battalion hadn't directly participated in such operations, he had attended numerous debriefing sessions and special training courses on the subject—it was not unfamiliar to him.
"Beautifully done!" he exclaimed.
"Just average," Xue Ziliang said with a smile. "We started with a basic map, and the islanders haven't been hostile. Other than fatigue, we've paid no price."
"So what's next—hold a Jeju Political Consultative Conference, then eliminate anyone who doesn't fall in line?"
(End of Chapter)