Chapter 2189 - Recovering Lianshan

Since ancient times, "using X to control X" has been a foolproof weapon in military operations. Though Huang Chao wasn't a soldier, he understood this principle. However, local Yao and the Great Ming had long been like water and fire—Yao-Han conflicts were sharp. Recruiting auxiliary troops from them wasn't easy. While it was easy to spend money hiring Lang (Zhuang) from Guangxi like the Great Ming did, reliability could never be guaranteed.

The most successful auxiliary troops, the Korean White Horse Unit and the Japanese Sword Drawing Unit (Battotai), were composed of official slaves and Baekjeong most deeply oppressed on Jeju Island, and persecuted Catholics, respectively. The Senate granted them "great grace," so they were naturally loyal. But to win Yao hearts wasn't so easy—back then in Ding'an, "Pacifying the Li" also took enormous effort. In the end, all policy focused on "winning hearts."

Whether economic appeasement, cultural influence, or military deterrence, in the final analysis, it was about making the other party identify with your rule from their hearts. This was very difficult to achieve.

It was a pity there wasn't a single cadre of Yao origin on hand. Instead, a Li-Miao cadre group arrived. When Huang Chao took office, he'd asked the Organization Department to send cadres with experience in ethnic work. As a result, the Personnel Division had a strange brain circuit and sent a Li-Miao cadre group. This group was the first batch of graduates from the Li-Miao School advocated and founded by Mu Min, led by Mu Min's proud student Bi Da. Eleven people total, all young boys and girls, Li and Miao teenagers who'd received the Senate's education from a young age.

These eleven naturally gave him great support. But Huang Chao really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted naturalized cadres with work experience in Li areas, not a group of Li and Miao cadres. Before in Lingshui, they didn't send them; now he didn't need to pacify Li, yet they inexplicably sent these people. Li and Miao cadres arriving in the Lianyang area weren't even as useful as ordinary naturalized cadres.

However, based on his observation, the leader Bi Da was quite capable. She also looked spirited, and the key was she didn't have facial tattoos. The female cadres in this group, except for her, all had facial tattoos. The black tattoo patterns on their faces looked quite scary. Huang Chao had seen much in Li areas so didn't feel anything, but his subordinates said it was hair-raising to look at.

"It's fine during the day, but looking at them at night will definitely cause nightmares..." Huang Chao's secretary, a newly arrived administrative intern, complained while packing luggage. "What kind of custom is this!"

"You don't know this," Huang Chao smiled. "Do you know why Li women all tattoo their faces?"

"Don't know. Thinking it looks good? Anyway, I can't figure it out."

"Not for looks, but to prevent being abducted by outsiders. With tattooed faces, no outsiders would target them—this was also a method forced out by circumstances," Huang Chao sighed.

"But aren't Li areas all under the Senate's rule now? Who would run to Li areas to abduct women? Why not simply ban it?"

"Habits are already formed; they can't be changed so easily. Take foot binding for example—what's the benefit? The Senate propagandized and prohibited it, working for several years, yet hasn't completely banned it. Customs like facial tattoos don't have much health impact and don't hinder social order, so the Senate doesn't prohibit them. Slowly, as society progresses, it will naturally die out—they're all students of the first Li-Miao School and still have traces of tradition. Later batches of students have fewer and fewer facial tattoos."

"But this kind of facial tattoo also has infection possibility, and social interaction is inconvenient after such tattooing."

"Administrative work must distinguish priorities," Huang Chao took the opportunity to give guidance. "Facial tattoos aren't an urgent matter, so naturally there's no need for the Senate to spend great effort banning them utterly. At most, we guide them—but what counts as urgent and what counts as not urgent has no standard. This also tests the ability of our local administrative personnel."

"Chief, you speak so well." His secretary admired him greatly.

Huang Chao was modest for a few sentences, feeling very happy inside. This sense of satisfaction was the main driving force supporting him in this space-time.

"Rest early; we have to travel tomorrow."

That night was Yang Zeng's first night leading the team to camp, the first night entering the mountains, and the first day of marching. The troops marched north along the Zhongzhou River. The terrain was fairly flat. That night they stayed overnight before a small stockade surnamed Zhao near Little Sanjiang Town of Lianshan Town in the old timeline. The stockade gates were tightly closed, and many bonfires were lit. They only asked a few able-bodied men to carry two sides of pork, a few loads of brown rice, and some wine over. Yang Zeng didn't want the wine, kept the pork and brown rice, and gave ten newly minted Guangzhou Prefecture silver dollars in return. After the military doctor tested the pork and passed it, it was cooked that night for the whole army to feast.

On the second day of marching, they spent a morning crossing the Zhongzhou River and Yongfeng River watershed, and marched along the river valley for another half day. Until about seven in the afternoon, they arrived at the old city of Chengshan area, which was the Lianshan County seat location before the Shunzhi era. Though the county seat was abandoned, this place was still more prosperous than others, with some shops and households. It was just that most shops were closed, and most households empty. Traces of looting everywhere. According to the few old people remaining here, this place had been looted many times, and most residents and merchants had fled to nearby fortified villages.

Yang Zeng sent people everywhere to announce that the Great Army had come to suppress the riot. After people were sent out, quite a few village elders came, bringing pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, or brown rice and local wine to "comfort the Great Army." Yang Zeng treated them with gentle words and instructed logistics to pay according to purchase prices, quickly closing the distance between the two sides. These trembling elders who came to "comfort the army" were also willing to tell him some situations.

However, what they spoke wasn't the Cantonese vernacular Yang Zeng could speak. Later, when soldiers passed by, they realized they were speaking Hakka. After understanding, they learned that in the Lianshan County area, Zhuang, Yao, and Han were interspersed. The Han were mainly Hakkas, reclaiming land in mountain valleys and building Weiwu (walled houses) for self-protection. Some Zhuang stockades also participated in the riot this time, but the main force was the Eight Row Yao. Hakka villages with walled houses were mostly not affected too much, but those reclaiming land in scattered dwellings mostly suffered disaster.

Yang Zeng comforted everyone, saying he came here to "suppress the riot" by order of the Senate of Great Song, and order in Lianshan would be restored before long. He asked everyone to organize village braves well and protect their own villages. If there was any emergency, report to the County Yamen—he would recover the county seat in a few days.

Everyone wasn't surprised by his preview of recovering the county seat soon: Yao rioting and capturing the county seat had happened before, but Yao rarely defended the city. Mostly they'd retreat on their own initiative after looting.

Yang Zeng asked each village for a few guides to lead the way. They set off to climb mountains early the next morning. After three hours, they reached Jitian Market, which was the Lianshan County seat location in the old timeline. This place had also suffered looting. Then they went north along the Shatian River. In the afternoon, they crossed another mountain. At dusk, they finally arrived under Lianshan City.

The gates of Lianshan City were wide open. Yang Zeng's department entered the city without spending a single shot or bullet. The Eight Row Yao originally entrenched in the city had long scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only an empty city.

He sent people to search the whole city, but found not even a mouse could be found here. Lianshan County seat wasn't big. Yang Zeng estimated the resident population in the county seat was only about a thousand, roughly equivalent to those county seats in southern Hainan. The city was low and small, and able-bodied men were insufficient. It wasn't strange that the Eight Row Yao could capture Lianshan.

Finally, only an old man was found in the County Yamen's prison. Yang Zeng inquired carefully and learned this old man was the Magistrate's family servant. The Eight Row Yao broke the city through insiders. The Magistrate couldn't resist and was killed; the county seal was seized. The whole city was looted empty, and young adults, women, and children were all taken away. Because he was old, he was forgotten in the County Yamen prison.

"Took everyone away?"

Yang Zeng was slightly disappointed. His plan also wanted to utilize the county seat's human resources—at least provide some corvée labor help for the stationed National Army. Now it seemed he didn't need to think about it.

Because after three days of long-distance mountain marching, the whole army's physical condition had reached its limit, Yang Zeng ordered a one-day rest in Lianshan County seat. Simultaneously, he counted the whole army's number. No one from the Fubo Army fell behind; 12 from the National Army fell behind. Yang Zeng felt satisfied with such results.

"Actually, Chief You's 2nd Brigade should be called to come here," Yang Zeng thought to himself. They could take small steamboats from Yingde, follow the Lian River, and easily reach under Lianzhou City. Crossing mountains from Lianzhou City to Lianshan City was naturally not as hard as coming from Huaiji.

Huang Chao set off one day later than Yang Zeng. Though the road in his direction was much easier to walk, it still took two days. The first day he walked along the Fenggang River to the watershed. Early the next morning he crossed the watershed and walked along the Chengjia River for another two hours to reach Yonghua Township. Huang Chao's troops' morale was still relatively high now. Though the accompanying Li-Miao cadre group came late, they were full of spirit.

This group initially made the whole army very uncomfortable, especially the Li girls with black ink facial tattoos. But during the march, this group of boys and girls were full of vigor and hummed songs.

"Sing a mountain song for the Chief to hear; the Chief's grace is like a mother..."

How many times will the Arts and Propaganda system ruin classics from the old timeline before they stop? Huang Chao thought. But Huang Chao had to admit that these songs had a wonderful chemical effect on boosting morale. Li Dong and a few other old naturalized officers in the National Army were moved hearing this song. After listening a few times, they found the song catchy and learned it in a short while. When Bi Da and her group stopped singing, a few National Army officers started singing in unison by coincidence. Within half a day, the whole army, whether old naturalized soldiers or new recruits just incorporated into the team, learned to sing this song. The singing echoed again and again among the high mountains and lofty ridges. Even Huang Chao, who'd always been disgusted in his heart, couldn't help humming a few lines along.