Chapter 2076 - Mobilizing the Masses

"Thankfully, Company Commander Cao performed his duties faithfully and sent troops to suppress forcefully. Otherwise, there would have been major chaos. But Foshan Fort is densely populated. If a few troublemakers provoke bandits, I fear there will be regrettable incidents."

Xi Yazhou listened carefully, offered a few perfunctory remarks, then went to the Ancestral Temple to receive the local "gentry and elders." He heard more about the disturbances. They all demanded that the dozen or so ringleaders currently detained at the Furnace Guild be "executed on the spot" to "serve as a warning to others."

Xi Yazhou frowned inwardly, but these civil affairs were not his to interfere with too deeply. He deflected, saying this would have to wait for the mayor's arrival. After speaking a few reassuring words, he declined their invitation to a banquet—though he did accept their "considerate gifts."

Back on the boat, sensing that matters were not straightforward, he summoned Lin Ming and Cao Qing separately. First, he introduced the newly arrived naturalized mayor to them. Then he raised the matter of the military establishing an ordnance factory here.

"Foshan's conditions are ideal. Joint Logistics wants to establish an ordnance factory here. Elder Hong will arrive soon to make arrangements. The specific coordination will be handled by Mayor Liu in Guangzhou—just follow instructions as they come."

"Yes, Leader!"

"I'm not a civil administrator, so I won't say much about specific governance work," Xi Yazhou said, pacing the cabin with his hands clasped behind his back. "But from what I've seen and from chatting with the local gentry, security in the surrounding area is very poor—and transport is not smooth. Reopening the transport lines is naturally the military's responsibility, but you should also take active measures to clear bandits and restore local security. Give the townspeople a sense of safety."

The cadres murmured their agreement. Xi Yazhou continued: "Our working method has always been to mobilize the masses—isn't that right, Mayor Liu?"

Liu Si hastened to reply: "The Leader is correct! When Director Du was leading the bandit suppression in the Eighteen Villages..."

Xi Yazhou cut him off. "Mobilizing the masses means getting the people moving, working for us. I know you, Little Lin, and you, Little Cao, still have some old ways of thinking. You only see the gentry and wealthy as 'good people' and treat the common folk as potential criminals. That attitude won't do. The common people are our foundation. Little Cao, remember—you're the company commander of the Council of Elders' National Army, not a squad of hired muscle for the Furnace Guild!"

Cao Qing's face reddened. He mumbled: "I was following orders—those craftsmen were rioting in the streets, looting several shops..."

"Your handling of the riot itself was appropriate and commendable. But afterwards, rounding up all the unemployed craftsmen indiscriminately and putting them under guard—what was that about? The guild people settling scores, sending their muscle to arrest people and detain them in the Furnace Guild for beatings—you knew nothing about that?"

Of course Cao Qing knew. But first, he hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it. Second, he'd secretly received favors from the guild and pretended ignorance. Now, seeing Leader Xi inquire, he stammered: "I... I did hear about it... but I thought it was the furnace industry's internal affair. As a National Army company commander, I didn't feel it was my place to intervene."

"You're completely confused! You are the Council of Elders' representative here. Until the mayor arrives, Foshan Fort's civil administration and public security are your responsibility. The Furnace Guild's actions are textbook 'establishing private courts and administering arbitrary punishment,' and you say 'it's not your place to intervene'?!" Xi Yazhou noticed his guilty expression and knew there was more to the story. He gave him a sharp warning: "You're a 'cadre' of the Council now. Remember—military and civil governance must be 'fair and impartial.' Don't let a few days as an officer lead you to side with the wealthy!"

"Yes, yes—I was confused, I deserve to die!" Cao Qing lowered his head in dismay. That "hardship money" from the wealthy really wasn't easy to take. It felt good going down, but now it burned in his gut like hot coals.

Xi Yazhou knew that former Ming garrison soldiers like Cao Qing had served only briefly in the regular army, often not reformed thoroughly before being assigned as company commanders. The old habits and mentality of the old military were hard to purge. With the current need for personnel, there was no point dwelling on it. He could only try to guide Cao onto the right path and prevent him from straying too far.

"The craftsmen in the foundries must be released as soon as possible. Punishment and reward are instruments of the state—they must not be wielded by private individuals. Your every word and action represents the Council of Elders, represents the state! You are now a proper Second Lieutenant of the Council's National Army—not a cloth-vested grunt of the Ming dynasty!"

"Yes, Leader." Cao Qing's head was practically buried in the floorboards. "I was confused."

"Right now, all of Foshan's problems and contradictions stem from the transport shutdown. So your top priority is to mobilize the masses and restore transport links to Guangzhou as quickly as possible." Xi Yazhou addressed the group. "Foshan's resources are quite abundant. Once ironware is sold, there'll be grain. The foundries can reopen, and the craftsmen will earn wages. Then everything falls into place. Do you see the logic?"

"The Leader is absolutely right." Liu Si nodded. Lin Ming and Cao Qing quickly echoed him.

Xi Yazhou continued: "The current National Army strength isn't enough to restore order and clear the surrounding bandits. So we need to mobilize the masses. I hear from Guild Head Wu that the townspeople's shops are pooling money and grain to support the craftsmen. Rather than rounding them up and feeding them thin porridge while worrying about riots, why not 'replace relief with work'? Repair the docks, pave the roads, fix up the infrastructure—this doesn't need teaching, does it, Mayor Liu?"

Liu Si nodded immediately. "Foshan is a major port. No money spent on repairs here will be wasted."

"Exactly right. Building bridges and paving roads may seem like pure expense with no revenue, but these are matters of people's livelihood. Good roads and clear bridges bring business opportunities flooding in—who worries about not getting rich? The local wealthy aren't stupid. They should be willing to dig a bit deeper into their pockets."

Liu Si had been a village cadre for years and had trained at both the Ma'ao Peasant Training Institute and the Fangcaodi Administrative Cadre School. He could readily hear the implications in Leader Xi's words—this was about squeezing the local gentry for infrastructure funds.

In normal times, the Council of Elders was quite considerate of wealthy interests, mostly raising capital through bond or share issuance—with repayment and even dividends or interest. But right now, clearly, they were exploiting the unstable times and poor security to twist arms.

He understood and replied smoothly: "The Leader is right. Surely the gentry understand reason."

"Second, organizing the militia." Xi Yazhou said. "How to organize police and other civil institutions is outside my jurisdiction. But for now, we can start by organizing a militia."

"Foshan Fort has plenty of militia guards. I think we can incorporate them," Cao Qing hastened to suggest.

Xi Yazhou nodded. "Now you're actually using your brain. The militia must not remain in the hands of local gentry—they may look docile as lambs now, but the moment the wind shifts, they'll devour you. Foshan Fort's armed forces must be under our control."

Liu Si was quick to offer his own idea: "These militia guards can't be used locally. They've been kept by the local gentry for years—deeply ingrained habits. We can't win them over quickly. Better to send them all to Hong Kong for training and recruit new militia here..."

Xi Yazhou smiled. "You really have been studying. Your thinking is spot-on. But there's no need to send the militia to Hong Kong—they're mostly local villagers, and sending them too far away would only breed resentment. Let's use the pretext of corvée labor—we need conscripted workers anyway. Send all the militia to the Sanshui Joint Logistics Command for service."

Cao Qing listened with a chill running down his spine. This was plainly a sign of distrust toward the local gentry. He had assumed the Australians, new to Foshan, would try to cultivate warm relations with the wealthy. He hadn't expected the first step to be stripping the gentry of their claws, and the second—putting them in chains. The newly recruited militia would obviously be drawn from the unemployed craftsmen. The craftsmen had always been at odds with the wealthy, and after the recent troubles, both sides had grudges. They would never unite. Thus, these outside cadres could manipulate both factions from the center, playing one against the other with surgical precision.

(End of Chapter)