Chapter 1721: Nantou City
Huang Bingkun tossed the manifesto aside with a sneer. "What crude drivel! The language is rough, the reasoning forced and illogical. Since ancient times, only two dynasties have held legitimate claim to the throne—Emperor Gaozu of Han and Taizu of our own Ming. And what is this 'Great Song' they invoke? Song Taizu usurped power from orphans and widows; Taizong murdered his brother in the infamous Axe-in-the-Candlelight affair; Huizong squandered the realm away; Gaozong executed loyal ministers on false pretenses! Yet they dare criticize our dynasty? A village schoolteacher could write better than this!"
Wu Ming spoke in measured tones: "Whether the Australians are truly descendants of the Song is doubtful at best. Looking at their conduct, I see no reverence for the Song whatsoever. This is merely pretense—as the saying goes, 'if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext.'"
The others nodded, passing the manifesto around once more. They cared little for the quality of the prose; what mattered was the substance of the proclamation itself.
After everyone had read it, Young Master Lin said gravely: "It seems the Australians are nothing more than Eastern Barbarians wearing a different mask!" A heavy sigh escaped him.
The room, which had been somewhat animated moments before, fell silent. Those present seemed to finally grasp the enormity of what had happened, and the mood for debating notions of "sharing the world" evaporated entirely.
Their ancestors had lived under Ming rule for generations, enjoying comfortable lives. Now, seemingly overnight, the dynasty was changing hands—and the usurpers had come from across the sea.
The earlier liveliness gave way to gloom. Young Master Shi sighed: "We are but fish on the chopping block. What right have we to speak of loyalty or treachery, right or wrong? In times of chaos, preserving one's life and property is the greatest fortune one can hope for."
"They won't make everyone shave their heads, will they?" someone muttered.
Some recalled the rumors that wherever the Jurchen barbarians occupied territory, they forced surrendered officials, gentry, soldiers, and civilians alike to shave their heads. The Australians had already spread their influence throughout Guangzhou long before the battle—their goods had become ubiquitous. Now that they were masters of the city, they would act with even greater impunity. Would they impose these "barbarian customs" as well? How would one respond?
"Probably... not..."
"If head-shaving were mandatory, wouldn't all of Lingao have been shaved bare by now? And Young Master Huang himself still has his hair."
Huang Bingkun nodded. "Those who shave their heads are the 'Fake Hair-shorn'—collaborators who beg for scraps from the queue-wearing bandits. They don't impose it on ordinary people."
This brought some measure of relief. Yet another concern arose: "The discipline of the Hair-shorn bandits may be strict regarding looting, but Guangzhou is the richest city in the realm. In their hands, won't they exact crushing levies? Don't forget how they destroyed many great households in the four villages..."
"That was against those who opposed them. Those who submitted faced only 'reasonable contributions'—they weren't harmed otherwise."
...
Huang Bingkun listened to the endless back-and-forth, noting that not a single person mentioned "loyalty to the monarch and serving the country"—everyone was concerned solely with their own affairs. Feeling stifled, he was about to find an excuse to leave when another servant entered, whispered something, and presented a rolled-up paper.
Everyone examined it. This was a vernacular "Pacification Notice." Its contents reiterated the laws in strict terms: regardless of military or civilian status, anyone who robbed, set fires, or committed rape would be executed on the spot. A curfew was imposed, prohibiting movement after nightfall. The notice also stated that current officials and gentry residing in Guangzhou City, provided they did not organize resistance against the Heavenly Army, would certainly not be harmed.
"What's the situation outside?" Young Master Lin asked.
"The Hair-shorn bandits have troops patrolling—a different kind of unit, wearing gray cloth jackets." The servant gestured as he spoke. "Each of the four walls now has one gate open for traffic, and some shops have opened for business. Only the area around the Tianzi Wharf outside the South Gate is completely closed off. Word is that a high Australian official arrived on a giant ship."
"Most likely the new Guangdong Commissioner. At the very least, the new Prefect of Guangzhou..."
"I'd wager it's Shopkeeper Guo. If so, that might be for the best."
"What about the government offices? What of the lords?" Lin Zunxiu pressed.
"Everything is quiet. There are rumors of suicides, but nothing confirmed." The servant continued, "The officers and soldiers in the city are concentrating at the Training Camp in the eastern quarter. Apparently there's to be an inspection."
"You may go."
After the servant left, the gathering chattered on aimlessly. Seeing that it amounted to nothing but talk of resignation and passive acceptance, Huang Bingkun rose to take his leave. Lin Zunxiu didn't ask him to stay, but personally escorted him to the small courtyard and whispered: "Come here again at this same time tomorrow. There's someone important who wishes to see you—tell no one."
Huang Bingkun paused, then nodded. "I understand. But how do I get in to find you?"
"I'll send someone to meet you."
Leaving through the back door of the Fangchun Courtyard, Huang Bingkun retraced his steps—but being unfamiliar with the area, after seven or eight turns he found himself lost. Wandering onward, he eventually reached the main street. The markets had recovered, and most shops had opened their doors. Though foot traffic was sparse, the panic and tension from earlier had dissipated. He saw common households lighting incense at their gates, the characters "Obedient Subject" pasted on their lintels.
A pang of grief for his fallen nation struck his heart. Is the Great Ming truly to perish like this?
No. He absolutely refused to accept his father's philosophy of "adapting to the times." He would continue fighting the Hair-shorn bandits! With renewed determination, he quickened his pace toward the temple where he was staying.
By full daylight, the Xin'an County seat—not far from Humen—presented a different scene entirely. Every household had barred their doors and shuttered their windows. Officers and soldiers with swords and spears, along with civilian militia, ran through the streets in an atmosphere of grim martial preparation.
On the spirit wall of the county yamen, more than a dozen severed heads hung in a ghastly row. Among them was the head of the local Thousand-Household commander. The others were his trusted aides and personal guards.
This place was also called Nantou City. As a strategic coastal defense position, a "Dongguan Guard Thousand-Household Office" had been established here in the fourteenth year of Hongwu (1381). In the first year of Wanli (1573), it was expanded into the Xin'an County seat. Nantou's geographical importance was considerable: foreign ships bound for Guangzhou had to round Lantau Island and enter Humen via Nantou to reach the Pearl River. Hence Nantou was known as the "Gateway to All Guangdong."
Yet during the Senate's previous Pearl River invasion, Nantou had played no role whatsoever. The cannons on its walls couldn't reach the sailing ships, and in naval combat they were hopelessly outmatched. They could only watch helplessly as the Pearl River Detachment passed beneath their walls.
This time, the garrison remained equally powerless against the invading Senate fleet. But unlike elsewhere, the city did not open its gates in surrender. The "Leading Party" elements in Xin'an County had encountered a formidable opponent.
Magistrate Wu Guangzhi had been in office for only a short time. Young and ambitious, he had observed the Australians' steady advance and sensed the wavering morale within the city. Having never witnessed Australian military power firsthand, his conviction to "loyally serve the country" remained strong. So he had prepared in secret. When the Thousand-Household—already turned collaborator—invited him to a banquet intending to spring a Hongmen Feast trap, the prepared magistrate instead seized and beheaded him.
Wu Guangzhi had transferred from Shaanxi, where roving bandits were most rampant, and possessed extensive experience in "resisting thieves." After killing the Thousand-Household and his confederates, he forced the city's wealthy households to contribute funds for military pay and rewards to stabilize morale. Simultaneously, he conscripted able-bodied men to barricade the four gates and prepared lime bottles and stones for defense. When materials ran short, he ordered civilian houses torn down for supplies.
By full daylight, the walls were manned and ready for battle.
Thus the National Army, originally prepared to station in Xin'an County without resistance, found itself blocked outside. When the gates refused to open, when calls for surrender went unanswered, and when several severed heads were thrown from the walls in response, the naturalized citizen County Office Director leading the force knew something had gone wrong. He immediately dispatched a messenger to report to Shi Zhiqi at Humen.
Knowing the National Army lacked heavy weapons and sufficient training for siege warfare, Shi Zhiqi sent a Marine platoon and three double-masted patrol boats as reinforcement.
Nantou City stood right on the Pearl River's edge. The patrol boats sailed to shore, dropped anchor, and opened fire on the city with their twelve-pound cannons. The two naval guns on each boat fired together, and within minutes the gate tower at the southern Ningnan Gate was riddled with holes and ablaze.
Magistrate Wu Guangzhi remained calm. While directing the militia to extinguish the fire, he ordered the two cannons on the wall to return fire. The walls of Nantou City were one zhang thick at the top and two zhang thick at the base—rammed earth wrapped in gray brick. They offered reasonable protection against solid shot. With only six naval guns total on the patrol boats, superiority in firepower wasn't achieved. After several exchanges, though many battlements and checkpoints on the wall were destroyed, the defense remained unshaken.
Seeing that artillery alone couldn't break the defense, the Marine platoon leader prepared to assault the walls directly. Though he had only thirty men, the Marine Corps was renowned for its training and equipment. They had drilled this kind of fortification assault countless times: fire suppression, smoke grenade cover, explosive delivery. A single crate of high-density black powder would blow open most city gates.
But the naturalized citizen County Office Director opposed storming the walls. After all, a forced breach would cause tremendous destruction to both public property and private lives within the county town. He advocated attempting to negotiate surrender once more—striving to open the city without bloodshed.
The cannon fire had ceased. Wu Guangzhi ordered the soldiers to eat breakfast in shifts. Beyond the Ningnan Gate stood an outer barbican called the Ying'en Gate, where the magistrate now directed the defense. His forces were meager: the combat soldiers and support troops absorbed from the Thousand-Household's command numbered no more than five hundred, and the mobilized militia brought the total to under two thousand. Though the numbers seemed adequate, the Hair-shorn bandits outside possessed excellent firearms and superior training—he dared not sally forth to counterattack.
From time to time, the enemy outside called out encouragement to the defenders, urging them to bind the magistrate and surrender to avoid a massacre. Many National Army soldiers had been conscripted from the Hong Kong Reclamation Regiment and frequently traveled this area, knowing the local people well. Despite their proximity, the militiamen and local garrison soldiers on the walls held their fire. Occasionally, when the magistrate's personal guards weren't watching, some would peek over the battlements at the National Army below. The bold ones even exchanged words with those outside.