Chapter 1293 - Dengzhou Aftermath
The rebel generals were beheaded one by one before the assembled rebel troops. Korean executioners on the island proved insufficient for the task, so experienced hands were recruited from among the rebels themselves. Blood flowed like a river across the drill ground; the three armies trembled in terror. After the executions concluded, the heads were packed into boxes and transported to Qimu Island.
Feng Zongze did not remain to witness this spectacular display of justice. He was still immersed in his role as "Seraph of Righteousness"—particularly since he had rehearsed his glorious and moral lines for quite some time, allowing him to fully indulge his taste for melodrama.
The order to execute all rebel generals had come directly from the Engine Operation Command. Some had argued that Kong Youde and others had once risen in resistance against the Qing, and that compelling reasons lay behind their eventual surrender to the Manchus. Moreover, Kong and Geng possessed considerable command ability and tactical acumen—they could be deployed as vanguards of colonial armed forces in Southeast Asia, sent to Vietnam or other regions to plague the local populations.
This proposal had been rejected following deliberation by the Executive Committee and the Senate Standing Committee. Absorbing the old Dongjiang troops meant these high-ranking generals could not be retained—that was the first consideration. The second was that Lu Wenyuan and his colleagues had engaged in numerous shady transactions with Li, Kong, and the others during Operation Engine. Only Li, Kong, and their circle knew the details of these dealings. To preserve the legitimacy of the future regime and deny conscientious historians any damaging material, such knowledge had to be completely erased.
As for deploying them against Southeast Asia: without sufficient control and logistical support, the outcomes would be predictable. Either the force would be annihilated by disease and non-acclimatization, or some native power would buy them off, transforming them into enemies of the Senate. Even if they managed to carve out a domain of their own, they would never submit to Senate authority.
Furthermore, this army withdrawn from beneath Dengzhou's walls was not merely composed of Li and Kong's direct subordinates—they were a pack of wolves who had killed until their eyes ran red and drunk their fill of blood during the Dengzhou turmoil. They required the most severe psychological shock to "learn fear."
After the executions concluded, the nearly twenty thousand rebel soldiers were escorted in batches for purification and screening. All household retainers, personal guards, and servants of the generals were separated and detained apart. Following purification, they would be shipped to Sanya for labor in the mines. Ordinary soldiers were organized into "Labor Brigades." Their first three years would not count toward credits. Beginning in the fourth year, credits would be calculated according to workload, permitting eventual self-redemption. Craftsmen, sailors who had accompanied the army, and civilians abducted by the rebels were settled separately as immigrants following purification.
Three days after the rebels evacuated Dengzhou, Zhang Tao—Sun Yuanhua's direct subordinate and the first general to receive word—arrived with his troops to claim the city. The armies of the Shandong Field Headquarters followed soon after, surging in like a tide. The recovery of Dengzhou was declared.
To avoid conflict with government troops eager to seize credit and territory, Zhu Mingxia had already led his forces out of Dengzhou ahead of their arrival, leaving the empty city to the government army.
After the Jeju Island executions concluded, Feng Zongze dispatched a fast boat carrying the boxes of heads and several spared prisoners back to Qimu Island, delivering them to Lu Wenyuan.
Lu Wenyuan arranged for the head boxes of Li Jiucheng, Kong Youde, and the other principal commanders—along with the surviving government army generals—to be secretly returned to Sun Yuanhua as credit for Zhang Tao and his men. The remaining heads were sold to the various government armies.
The armies of the Shandong Field Headquarters had initially worried that they would receive nothing but an empty city. Even had they wished to kill innocent civilians to claim false merit, no commoners remained for slaughter. Now that someone was selling rebel heads, buyers came in droves. Surplus rebel flags, documents, seals, commanders' weapons, and armor—all items that could be claimed as "military merit"—were also available. A portion was gifted to Sun Yuanhua and Zhu Dadian; the remainder was sold publicly at clearly marked prices, honest dealings for all.
Beyond selling, Zhu Mingxia also bought. He purchased population, goods, and livestock that the Shandong Field Headquarters troops had plundered—for in truth, the government armies' conduct toward civilians along their route of march was no better than the Dongjiang rebels'. The only difference was that some degree of restraint from above meant smaller scale and less frequent looting. Zhu Mingxia's camp bustled with activity day and night, with officers of every rank sending men to "conduct business."
Inevitably, during this period, several commanders who failed to appreciate the Qimu Island forces' ferocity attempted to seize heads by force. After receiving a fierce volley of musket fire for their trouble, they all became quite scrupulous about observing transaction protocols.
Zhu Mingxia priced the heads according to identity: ten ordinary rebel soldiers for one tael of silver. For surviving commanders, prices increased progressively from squad leader upward according to rank and fame. If multiple buyers competed for a particular head, open bidding was permitted. From this, a tidy profit was realized.
The firearms employed by the Qimu Island village braves also drew the attention of Guan-Ning garrison commanders. They had already observed these weapons in action alongside some government troops in Laizhou. Now, having experienced their power firsthand, they approached Zhu Mingxia one after another, eager to learn where such bird guns might be obtained.
Zhu Mingxia assigned several naturalized citizen cadres from the commerce department to receive them. He presented a few Type 30 revolvers and Nanyang-style rifles as samples, indicating that larger quantities could be had for those willing to pay.
Lu Wenyuan paid a visit to Zhu Dadian and Sun Yuanhua at the original Dengzhou Governor's Yamen.
"Master Lu is clearly no ordinary man. I had not expected such depth within that chest of yours!" Zhu Dadian's expression was inscrutable. Having the primary credit for recovering Dengzhou stolen by Zhang Tao—a subordinate general of Sun Yuanhua, who remained technically a criminal awaiting sentence—and by militia forces, inevitably meant losing face for him, the "Prime Minister" overseeing the Dengzhou suppression. Yet at least Dengzhou had fallen before the New Year, which would be like sweet rain to an Emperor desperate for good news. Furthermore, this somewhat redeemed the humiliation of the earlier collapse beneath the city walls.
"I dare not accept such praise. It was Lord Zhu's steadfast coordination at the center, Lord Sun's personal command, and the generals' courageous advance that allowed Dengzhou to be overcome. I am merely a fly attaching itself to a swift horse's tail. This tiny bit of merit is hardly worth mentioning." Lu Wenyuan bent low, speaking with utmost deference.
Sun Yuanhua nodded inwardly. Fellow believer Lu spoke with appropriate modesty. By now, he understood quite clearly where this fellow believer Lu came from and what his purposes were. He knew that his survival of this near-total catastrophe owed much to this mysterious Manor Lord Lu and the power behind him.
He was a veteran of officialdom. Such knowledge he kept locked away in his heart, never revealing it to outsiders. Whenever anyone mentioned Manor Lord Lu or Qimu Island, he simply feigned ignorance.
Zhu Dadian nodded as well. He had heard that Manor Lord Lu's people were selling rebel heads and felt considerable relief—preferring to exchange merit-earning heads for silver rather than official positions revealed a man of limited ambition, content to remain a local power. These words confirmed his impression further: this Master Lu was quite sensible, neither claiming credit arrogantly nor competing for recognition. A man who understood the bigger picture.
"Manor Lord Lu is truly a model for the gentry of Dengzhou and Laizhou," Zhu Dadian declared. "I shall certainly recommend commendation for you."
"I dare not, I dare not." Manor Lord Lu adopted an even more humble demeanor. "Though Dengzhou and Laizhou are not my native place, they are where I reside. The two rebels Li and Kong brought calamity upon this land. For the sake of the Imperial Court and for my home, how could I do otherwise?"
Zhu Dadian turned aside. "Lord Sun, what do you think...?"
Sun Yuanhua understood that competing with Zhu Dadian for credit at this moment would be inappropriate. Besides, the fact that Zhang Tao had been the first to enter the city was already established. Not to mention that Manor Lord Lu had provided the heads of the principal rebel commanders—no one could steal that credit. His mood was excellent. Smiling, he replied: "Having a stalwart like Manor Lord Lu at hand is a testament to Lord Zhu's prestige—and more than that, a blessing for the Emperor and the Imperial Court."
Lu Wenyuan hastened to add another flourish: "I have prepared fifty thousand catties of foreign potatoes for military use, offered as a contribution—though merely a drop in the ocean, I beg both lords to accept it with a smile."
Neither of the "two Lords" recognized the term "foreign potatoes," but they understood it must refer to grain. The quantity was modest, yet obtaining any provisions at all in Dengzhou—smothered in ice and snow, its walls in ruins—was already a blessing of the highest order. After another round of praise, they "accepted with a smile."
With the war concluded, much remained to be settled. Dengzhou had been reduced to rubble, its population vanished. Countless bones awaited burial. The Imperial Court would need to allocate funds for relief and dispatch local officials—all of which would take time. Zhu Dadian discussed matters with his advisors: given that Manor Lord Lu commanded both grain and tens of thousands of people, and that Qimu Island lay within Huang County, itself subordinate to Dengzhou Prefecture, appointing him to handle aftermath affairs would be entirely appropriate. Delegating such responsibilities to local gentry following a war was common practice throughout history. Moreover, in the present Dengzhou-Laizhou region, apart from Laizhou itself—which still retained some gentry—the local gentry of Dengzhou had been nearly annihilated. Even those who survived by fortune found their families shattered and their kin dead. A letter of appointment was promptly issued, designating Lu Wenyuan as Acting Officer of the Dengzhou Aftermath Bureau, responsible for all recovery operations in the Dengzhou region.
Lu Wenyuan accepted with pleasure. This official title meant that whatever actions he took in the Dengzhou area would carry full legitimacy. As a local power, they had now obtained government recognition and complete freedom of action.
Since Dengzhou had been recovered—and lay in such utter devastation, lacking not only grain provisions but adequate housing—Zhu Dadian and Sun Yuanhua, after discussing how to draft the victory memorial, led the Shandong Field Headquarters back to Laizhou for encampment. Sun Yuanhua stationed his own forces on Mishen Mountain. The city still contained countless corpses yet to be encoffined. As for the Governor's Yamen, it remained too dilapidated for occupation.
The Three Men of Qimu Island also divided responsibilities. Chen Sigen returned to Qimu Island to keep watch and continue overseeing peripheral reconnaissance operations. Lu Wenyuan and Zhu Mingxia remained in Dengzhou to handle aftermath matters—a plague outbreak would hardly be entertaining.
Following this catastrophe, the surviving commoners of the Three Prefectures of Eastern Shandong would find life even more difficult. Fleeing outward was the only path to survival. Meanwhile, the government's power in the region had declined dramatically, rendering any forceful interference with Qimu Island's activities impossible. Population outflows could now proceed openly and aboveboard. Though the Three Prefectures of Eastern Shandong had suffered severe population loss, the Three Prefectures of Western Shandong had also been struck by floods in 1632, generating vast numbers of refugees. So long as there was a way to survive, people would flock to wherever help could be found.