Chapter 1719 - Second Master Huang Sojourning in Guangzhou
Amidst the fear and trembling, the sound of orderly running footsteps faintly came from the morning light. He immediately widened his eyes. Not long after, a team of Australian soldiers ran neatly from the street. Although there were only about thirty of them, their momentum of running in unison carrying rifles with gleaming bayonets instantly awed his mind. He also couldn't help but feel relieved: they had finally come.
He immediately instructed: "Quick! Open the inner moon city gate and welcome the Grand Army to take over!"
All the groups entering Guangzhou from the east of the city did not encounter organized resistance. Sporadic battles only broke out in a few locations. Most were suppressed by local "Leading Parties" before the Fubo Army even had to act.
Lin Baiguang had hinted to the "Leading Parties" in the city beforehand: don't be afraid to kill people. And the "Leading Parties" themselves were anxious to use blood to express their "loyalty" to their new masters. Therefore, people were killed everywhere, and in many places, incidents occurred where "Leading Parties" took the opportunity to kill people to settle personal scores. Sometimes the "Leading Parties" themselves had internal strife and killed each other, and the victor finally insisted that the dead person was an "undercover agent."
Reconnaissance soldiers of the Reconnaissance General Bureau and agents of the Urban Work Department had already controlled various city gates and main high grounds in the city in advance, and arranged personnel to "lead the way" at various intersections. At 7 a.m. on March 1, 1635, the 4th Infantry Battalion and the 1st Battalion of the Marine 1st Expeditionary Detachment successfully stationed in all key points inside and outside Guangzhou City according to plan: city gates, government offices, warehouses, bell and drum towers, docks... All established sentry posts and began martial law throughout the city.
Of the eighteen city gates in the whole city, only four were opened for citizens and people from the four villages to enter and exit. Members of the "Public Security Team" of the Urban Work Department cooperated with Fubo Army soldiers to check pedestrians at these four city gates. The Teaching Battalion and the 1st and 2nd Squadrons of the National Army Guangdong General Detachment, departing from Hong Kong, subsequently entered Guangzhou. After entering the city, they immediately patrolled the streets under the leadership of Urban Work Department staff to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to rob.
Just past 7 o'clock, the gunboat Zhenhai from the Hong Kong Base stirred up rolling waves, and under the escort of more than a dozen Daihatsu landing craft, sailed into Bai'e Tan along the Pearl River. This was the first time a steam warship had penetrated deep into the Pearl River to the foot of Guangzhou City.
Compared to the steam tugboats that Guangzhou citizens were already familiar with, the appearance of this "towering" "giant ship" caused a panic among the surrounding commoners. While spewing black smoke, the Zhenhai dropped anchor at Bai'e Tan. Its heavy body turned together with the "giant cannons" flashing with cyan light, pointing the muzzles toward the City of Five Rams.
The yacht Octopus, belonging to Shopkeeper Guo Yi—whom everyone in Guangzhou was very familiar with—paddled the river water with its paddle wheels, blew its whistle, and sailed over from behind, slowly docking at the Tianzi Wharf on the east embankment of Bai'e Tan.
From Tianzi Wharf to Wuyang Post Station and Nanguan, the road was densely covered with soldiers armed with live ammunition. Bayonets flickered with cold light in the spring sunshine, and the Morning Star Flag fluttered in the chilly early spring river wind, creating a solemn scene.
Next to the Reception Pavilion, Guo Yi, the station chief of Guangzhou, was waiting. He had already cut off the hair bun he had kept for many years, changed out of his long gown, shaved his beard, and restored his appearance from years ago.
From the first day he arrived in Guangzhou, he had imagined the day he would leave office many times. Six years was not a short period in the journey of life. Now, his successor was coming.
The boarding gangway was lowered from the Octopus. A bugler wearing a white sailor uniform stood beside the gangway and blew the bugle.
As soon as the bugle sound fell, the new Director of the Guangzhou Military Control Commission, Liu Xiang, appeared proudly under the gaze of everyone. As soon as he stepped onto the gangway, a "military band" trained from blowers and drummers on the pier began to play "Salute to You, Comrade Commander." The march played by noisy suonas and gongs and drums had a unique flavor.
Liu Xiang reached out to Guo Yi, who had already come forward, and the two shook hands tightly. Liu Xiang had originally prepared a set of words, but at this moment he only said one sentence: "You have worked hard!"
"I will have to trouble you from now on!" Guo Yi said. Although he was the pioneering ox, the situation he faced was far less complicated than Liu Xiang's. If there was only one advantage, it was that Liu Xiang was now the local emperor here.
The two stopped exchanging pleasantries. The new Guangzhou Municipal Government naturally couldn't be located on Huifu Street. In fact, the Senate had no intention of establishing administrative institutions in the old city of Guangzhou, but intended to build a new city elsewhere. The administrative center was also planned to be located there.
The temporary headquarters of the Military Control Commission was located in the Great World. However, considering that the Military Control Commission had considerable external liaison work, the "window" for outside contacts was set up at the Wuyang Post Station outside Tianzi Wharf. Liu Xiang and his team would also be temporarily stationed here to facilitate nearby work arrangements.
This post station had been burned down by rockets during the Pearl River Campaign a few years ago and was later rebuilt. By now, the post station had already been taken over and swept clean, waiting for the arrival of the new owner.
During this period of time, Second Master Huang's mood was extremely depressed. As the saying goes, "Missing relatives all the more during festive seasons," and it was truly not wrong at all. When he came out from his home in Lingao, he had also thought that there would be a situation where he had a home but couldn't return. However, when the New Year festival actually came, watching friends go home for the New Year one by one, and seeing people on the street making new clothes and buying New Year goods, the bitterness in Second Master Huang's heart became harder to bear day by day.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about disguising himself and returning to Lingao to see his elderly parents. However, he had been away for a long time, disregarding his family's opposition, and had achieved nothing. If his words and deeds in Guangzhou were known by the hair-shorn thieves, his family would be greatly implicated. Having a home he couldn't return to, he could only hole up in Guangzhou as a lonely man.
One or two friends had invited him to their homes for the New Year, but after all, he was an outsider and felt quite uncomfortable. He also feared that those who didn't know his background would see him not returning home and start frightening gossip.
"Master Huang! Master Huang!"
Urgent voices came one after another. Huang Bingkun turned over, feeling vaguely that someone was pushing him—it seemed to be his young servant. He grunted a few times and fell into a heavy sleep again, because his hangover from last night hadn't worn off, and his head was groggy. The sun was three poles high, yet he was still sleeping in his lodging.
Second Master Huang had been out for so long that originally his purse was gradually becoming empty. Fortunately, friends from various quarters gave some assistance, so buying some good wine and small dishes every day during the New Year was not a problem. With the young servant sent by Lin Zunxiu serving him, life was passable for the time being.
Before the New Year, he had agreed with everyone that when the weather turned warm and the roads were passable, he would go north—either to Nanzhili or straight to the capital—to see if he could lobby court officials to "make plans early" against the hair-shorn thieves. Someone had already promised to write letters to their teachers and peers asking them to take good care of Second Master Huang. Also, Lin Zunxiu and others promised to donate some money for his use in "pleading for the people."
Since the plan was settled and it was the New Year festival right now, Second Master Huang had nothing to do and nowhere to go. So he sent the young servant every day to prepare wine and dishes for him, so he could hole up in his room and "drown sorrows with wine only to make them worse."
"Brother Huang! Brother Huang, get up quickly!" The voice changed, becoming even more urgent. He forced his sleepy eyes open and vaguely saw a man in front of him looking at him anxiously.
He shook his head, rubbed his eyes again, and recognized that this was Wu Ming of the Yuyuan Society.
"Brother Wu, what's the matter? Why such panic?"
"Something big has happened this time! The Hair-shorn people have entered the city!"
"Hair-shorn people? ...!" Second Master Huang shuddered and sat up from the bed. "Is it true?"
"I saw it with my own eyes—how can it be fake? The Hair-shorn soldiers entered the city in the middle of the night. It was actually bloodless, occupying the whole city without a sound. Now there are Hair-shorn soldiers everywhere on the street."
Huang Bingkun took a moment to understand the meaning of the other party's words. Suddenly, he felt his hands and feet turn ice cold, his body trembling uncontrollably. It was exactly like "a punch splits the top of the skull, half a bucket of cold water pours down."
"Good... good thieves!" Huang Bingkun's voice was also trembling.
"Young Master Lin invites us to go to his place to discuss major plans together. Brother Huang can wash up immediately, and we will go together."
"That's very good. Only, with those Hair-shorn soldiers on the street, how do we travel?"
"The Hair-shorn people didn't strictly enforce a market ban. The streets are very quiet now. As long as you don't leave the city, pedestrians coming and going are not questioned."
Huang Bingkun thought about it. The hair-shorn thieves consistently acted loose on the outside but tight on the inside. On the surface, that "stable and peaceful situation" always had to be maintained for a while. He nodded immediately. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Wu. Allow me to wash and change clothes."
Immediately, he washed and changed clothes hurriedly, not even caring to eat breakfast, only instructing the young servant: "Just watch over here. Don't go out."
Exiting the room door, he saw the monks in the temple were like ants on a hot pot, running around everywhere but not knowing what to do. Seeing Huang Bingkun wanting to go out, the guest-greeting monk hurriedly said: "Benefactor! The situation on the street is unclear now. Better not go out."
Wu Ming said: "It doesn't matter. There is no market ban outside, otherwise how did I come over? The Australians sent troops to patrol the streets, and the market is also very quiet. No villains are making trouble."
Seeing they were determined to go, the monk opened the small door in the side alley to let them out.
Walking onto the street, they saw pedestrians were scarce. Every household along the road closed their doors, and no shops were open. The street was desolate. Huang Bingkun slightly regretted being reckless: walking on the street like this was too conspicuous! If they encountered a patrol team of hair-shorn thieves questioning them, how would he answer?
However, after walking along the street for a distance, they didn't encounter the hair-shorn thieves' troops, and his heart settled slightly. Wu Ming was an old local of Guangzhou and was very familiar with the streets and alleys here. They walked through small alleys and secluded streets all the way, avoiding the main roads. When they saw the figures of the hair-shorn thieves' patrol team, they would hide in the alley before leaving.
Stopping and going like this, they reached a small alley without much effort.
Huang Bingkun saw that there were no households in this alley, only high walls on both sides, with some small doors on the walls. He knew this was probably the backyards of wealthy families. He saw Wu Ming knock a few times on one of the doors. The door opened, and they slipped in cleanly. The person who opened the door inside was a man wearing a green headscarf—a tortoise slave.
He couldn't help but be startled and asked: "What is this place?"
"Fangchun Courtyard."
(End of Chapter)