Chapter 1875 - Out with the Old, In with the New (Part 11)

"Truly absurd—I don't believe it."

"If you want to take the Australians' examination now, that's exactly what they test. Whether you believe it or not, what difference does it make?"

"We've wasted all these years studying the Four Books and Five Classics—the Australians come, and it's all for nothing! To get a degree under the new dynasty, we'd have to start over again."

"So what if you pass? My neighbor Feng San took the tongsheng exam for over twenty years, always ending up in the lowest tier, going home clutching his backside. His family was so poor his wife ran off. But this time he went and took the civil service exam and actually passed. Now he's a clerk at the tax bureau—busy from dawn to dusk, and has to go around collecting taxes everywhere, arguing with country bumpkins over a few coins. He calls himself an official, but he's just a petty functionary!"

"That shows you don't understand. As they say, generals rise from the ranks, ministers start from the counties. The Australians go even further—they practice unified official-functionary status. All officials start as petty functionaries..."

"I had no idea Brother Wang was so familiar with Australian affairs!"

"I wouldn't presume. As they say, those who understand the times are heroes. Brother Zhou shouldn't cling to the old either. And that word 'kun'—it's really insulting to the nation. Better not use it anymore, Brother..."

Listening to his classmates' discussion, Gao Lingda couldn't help shaking his head: "What utter nonsense!"

When the Australians first entered the city, the scholars had still felt patriotic concern for the deteriorating state of their homeland and loyalty to Ming. Some had even written poems and essays excoriating the Australian pirates' wolfish ambitions. But as the Australians swept away the Guangdong government forces and the situation stabilized, more and more people lost their heads to dreams of fame and fortune. Hearing that the Australians had few scholars working for them, countless people had made up their minds: as soon as the Australians began recruiting talent, they would demur a few times then "endure humiliation to serve the enemy." Some had already started maneuvering, seeking connections with the Australians. At some point, the scholars had even begun studying Australian pseudo-learning. Gao Lingda felt both heartache and a strange satisfaction.

In the past, each of these men had been so sanctimonious, looking down on him. Yet in just a few days, they had forgotten shame, forgotten loyalty and filial piety, forgotten the principles of ruler-subject and father-son. Now they were rushing to sell out their lord for their own glory—and these were all people who had received the court's favor and held shengyuan or jiansheng degrees!

Thinking of his own current situation, Gao Lingda couldn't help feeling sorrowful. Even a table full of delicacies lost its appeal.

After hastily finishing lunch, the servant packed up the food box and left. Gao Lingda had no heart for studying. He thought of going home, but imagining the situation there, he couldn't be bothered to return.

At home, he had only a wife who had been married less than two years. Her background was technically scholarly—the daughter of a poor private tutor who had never passed any examinations. Gao Tianshi had arranged this match clearly intending to "whitewash" his son's background. But though the bride's family was nearly destitute, they still felt marrying their daughter here was a tremendous grievance. The wife naturally felt aggrieved—though she observed wifely propriety, there was no marital affection to speak of.

If classmates married, at least in the first year of marriage they would still be inseparable. On rest days like the first and fifteenth, they would hurry home early, often getting teased for it.

Teasing was teasing, but the ones being teased clearly enjoyed it. Compared to his own situation, Gao Lingda couldn't help feeling dejected.

Just as he sat there in gloom, there was suddenly a commotion outside. Then came the "ping-ping" of explosions, accompanied by sharp whistle-like sounds. The scholars in the study room stiffened—those were Australian rifles!

When the Australians had first entered the city, for several months gunfire could be heard inside and outside Guangzhou from time to time. But in recent months, as order gradually stabilized, such sounds had become rare.

Now shots had suddenly rung out—and so densely! The sounds seemed not far from here. Was this the Australians again "rounding up bandits," or had the government troops suddenly returned? The scholars, who had just been pontificating freely, suddenly fell silent as cicadas in winter. No one spoke; the study room was deathly still.

The gunfire outside gradually tapered off, but the commotion grew louder. Dense footsteps on the street could be heard clearly even in the inner study. Everyone was anxious when they saw a servant come in from the outer courtyard. Someone quickly stopped him to ask for news.

"I don't know what happened either. The Australians suddenly deployed lots of troops. Every street corner has soldiers blocking it; pedestrians can't pass."

"Is the city under lockdown again?"

"I hear so. But who exactly they're after, I don't know. At the gate, all I saw were troops passing on the street—not just police, but what they call National Army... even Japanese and Koreans were out..."

Everyone discussed animatedly. Such a citywide roundup hadn't happened in a long time—who could be so important as to make the Australians deploy such force?

Though full of questions, hearing it was just a citywide sweep and not Ming forces returning, the scholars' expressions relaxed considerably. As the saying went, troops passing were like bandits—but the Australians were an exception! If Ming government troops really returned, there wouldn't even be time to flee.

With the tension eased, the study room resumed its freewheeling conversation. Gao Lingda found it tedious but could only wait patiently. Finally, as dusk approached, servants said the lockdown outside had been lifted. Only then did he rise, quickly gather his things, and leave the academy to return to Golden Flower Temple.

Though the lockdown was lifted, police and National Army soldiers were still numerous on the streets. The barricades at intersections hadn't been removed. Every face was grim. Police carried batons and shields; National Army soldiers had loaded rifles with gleaming bayonets attached, looking chillingly cold. As for those Japanese mercenaries working for the Australians—double swords at their waists, iron masks covering their faces like demons. Gao Lingda didn't dare look too closely; clutching his book bag, he walked close to the walls.

Pedestrians were few. Gao Lingda hurried along. Here and there, Australian petty officials moved about, carrying metal buckets and long-handled brushes, apparently painting some slogans and notices on walls. This wasn't unusual in Guangzhou; Gao Lingda paid no attention. Just as he walked with head down, he suddenly heard a commotion on the street ahead. He quickly stepped aside and saw a column of prisoners: dozens of beggars in tattered rags, roped together in a line, being herded along by bayonet-wielding soldiers. Their faces were confused and shocked, as if they still didn't understand what was happening. Some were wounded, crudely bandaged, blood seeping through in spots. Police with clubs constantly drove them to walk faster.

What was going on? Gao Lingda wondered in secret alarm. Since the Chaozhou Guild Hall riot, Gao Tianshi had ordered all dens to "act carefully and not provoke the Australians." So all dens had been restrained; many once-routine businesses they no longer dared conduct. After his elder brother succeeded, they had tucked their tails even tighter. Which den were these people from? What had they done to anger the Australians? Recalling the earlier gunfire, he grew even more uneasy.

Just as Gao Lingda stood there in alarm, he suddenly spotted the wall-painting Australians ahead finishing and moving on. The wall was now covered with white-limed characters. Looking up, he saw the words "BEGGARS."

His mind buzzed. He rushed over to read carefully.

Reading it felt like being doused with a bucket of snow water on the coldest winter day.

The title read: Proclamation on Compulsory Detention of Beggars and Vagrants by the Great Song Australian Provisional Government's Guangzhou Special Municipality

His head roared; he couldn't make sense of a single word below. Of course Gao Lingda knew what this proclamation meant. In the half year since entering the city, though the Australians had continuously squeezed the beggars' "living space," given the disparity in power, neither Gao Tianshi nor Gao Lingxiang had dared confront them directly—only daring to use covert tricks. Thus, despite small frictions, things had remained generally peaceful. The Gao family and the dagu still nursed a faint hope: if they could just hold out five or six years until Ming reclaimed Guangzhou, they could reassess.

And this proclamation was the Australians' declaration of war against the Guandi Temple faction!

Gao Lingda's whole body turned cold. For a moment, he stood frozen.

Just as he stood dazed, someone grabbed his arm. He was startled and about to protest when the person had already dragged him into a side alley.

Gao Lingda looked closely. The person was a stranger, dressed as a scholar by his appearance.

"Why are you still strolling the streets!"

"Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter," the man said urgently. "I've been looking for you for a long time!"

This baffled Gao Lingda. He stammered: "I don't know you, sir..."

"You don't know me, but I know you." The scholar said, "You are Gao Tianshi's fifth son, born to Seventh Concubine—Gao Lingda!"

Now Gao Lingda was truly startled. The man knew him in such detail; he must recognize him somehow. He tried hard to remember but couldn't recall who this was. In his astonishment, he could only nod.

"The Australians have raided Golden Flower Temple!"

Gao Lingda's mind went "boom." No matter how he felt about this family, Golden Flower Temple had been his home for nineteen years—the home where he could shelter from wind and rain.

In that instant, his whole body turned cold; he couldn't even speak. The Australians' ruthless methods and decisive cruelty were well known to him. With Golden Flower Temple raided, the Gao family would surely be destroyed utterly—though he had plenty of private complaints about his elder brother, those were still his blood relatives. Besides, there were still several brothers and sisters in that household, and his own wife...

Thinking of this, his face turned deathly pale and his body began to sway.

"Don't be afraid—your family is fine!" The stranger seemed to know what he was thinking. "But you can't go back. You need to hide immediately—the Australians are arresting people by name. Not a single member of the Gao family will escape."

Gao Lingda said "yes" repeatedly, but his feet wouldn't move. He was both frightened and desperate. Hide—where? Since childhood, he had studied; he had never been involved in the family "business." His father had deliberately kept him separate from the Guandi Temple faction. In nineteen years, the only place he knew was Golden Flower Temple—or else his pauper father-in-law's home. Whether that father-in-law would turn hostile at this point was anyone's guess!

(End of Chapter)