Chapter 2274: Camp Manager Liu Youwang
Yi Haoran couldn't help but be astounded. Chang Qingyun quietly shook his head and pressed his voice to barely above a whisper: "That's the Sun family. The old master was originally a Ninth Grade Registrar in the county. When the Australians came, he hanged himself. All that's left is a distant nephew, a concubine, and a daughter raised by the legal wife. The Australians originally wanted to send them back to their hometown, but this nephew saw the military chaos and figured traveling with several female dependents would be unsafe, so he voluntarily stayed here—a reasonable enough decision. But as time passed, wolfish thoughts began to grow in his dog's heart..."
It turned out this nephew had been living in extreme poverty in the captive camp. Seeing other families' female dependents selling their smiles and living rather well, he got ideas. So he took possession of his uncle's concubine and forced her into prostitution.
"...A few days ago, the Camp Manager here took a fancy to the Sun family's daughter. The girl is called 'Qiaoniang'—truly born with proper features and knowing both books and propriety! Alas, there's no justice in heaven. Reduced to captivity wasn't enough; now she's caught the eye of the Camp Manager. That wretch is eager to climb the ladder, and these past few days he's been forcing her bitterly..."
"Such a thing!" Yi Haoran was angry now. Seeing Chang Qingyun's panicked expression, he realized he had lost his composure again and quickly lowered his voice. "Allowing prostitution is one thing, but this is forcing a decent woman into the trade!"
"Forcing a decent woman into prostitution—so what?" Chang Qingyun whispered desolately. "We are the fish on the chopping block." He glanced at the door, his voice dropping to barely a mosquito's hum: "You come in here and see everything calm and orderly. But underneath, where the sun doesn't reach, crimes against heaven and reason are many..."
"But I thought the Australians managed everything most methodically..."
"That's true—but only in Lingao!" Chang Qingyun said. "This is Wuzhou. The only Australian among the camp stewards is the Camp Manager. The rest are all local yamen parasites, every one of them expert at squeezing money, making trouble, fawning on superiors, and bullying inferiors. You've worked in yamen shogunates for years—you should know their methods."
The two men fell silent, listening to the long and short sobs coming from next door. Yi Haoran felt compassion stir in his heart and whispered, "Who is the Camp Manager here?"
"A naturalized Australian from Qiongzhou. Name's Liu Youwang." Chang Qingyun said, "I've seen him coming and going in National Army uniform. Probably a military officer."
"Liu Youwang..." Yi Haoran felt the name was somehow familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before. He thought for a long while but truly couldn't remember.
Just then, a voice called from outside: "Master! Master!"
Yi Haoran froze, somewhat nervous. Chang Qingyun gestured for him to stay calm.
"That's my servant, Chang Qing." He added, "He doesn't know you."
Yi Haoran remembered—the most useful young servant beside Chang Qingyun was named Chang Wei.
Chang Qingyun got up and went out. He returned shortly, his face somewhat anxious. "Chang Qing says Camp Manager Liu wants to see me—I don't know what it's about. You should leave quickly. If someone asks questions, it'll be hard to fob them off."
Yi Haoran felt the tension too. If the Camp Manager here interrogated him, he feared it wouldn't be easy to bluff his way through. He nodded immediately: "I'll head back now."
Yi Haoran emerged from the captive camp and returned to the shop, his mind churning. The trip had been highly profitable. First, he had learned that camp management was not strict—entry and exit were quite casual. Second, the camp steward was a man who loved his cups and his women—a weakness to exploit. Third, there was real discontent simmering within the captive camp.
For now, he still wasn't sure how these three points could be used to his advantage. But they were all soft spots in the Australian position. The Australians' military strength had fully secured Wuzhou, and the battalion that had been stationed near the city had now marched to the front. From casual conversations with Iron Head Wen and reading Australian "newspapers," he knew the Australians were continuously transferring troops to the upper reaches of the West River, preparing to launch their campaign against Guangxi.
Wuzhou Prefecture city was no longer a frontline position. Relatively speaking, the garrison would inevitably be thinned. Although a Fubo Army company still remained stationed in Wuzhou, once the front demanded reinforcements, that company would surely be pulled away to fill the gap...
When that happens, Yi Haoran thought, that will be our chance!
Chang Qingyun was summoned to Liu Youwang's residence. As Camp Manager, the man had taken over the flower hall renovated from what had once been the reviewing masters' supply quarters at the old parade ground.
This "Camp Manager Master" whom everyone in the camp feared—though he was a "naturalized Australian"—was actually just over twenty years old. His original name was Ergou, meaning "Two Dog." He had lost both parents at age ten and, with nowhere to go, survived by begging and petty theft in Lingao. When the Australians arrived, his luck unexpectedly turned.
Though only fifteen—not yet an adult—he had been pressed into service as a laborer during the attack on Bopu. When the troops fled, his small size and weak body made him an easy capture. Afterward, he remained at Nanhai Farm throughout. When Huang Chao was raising chickens at the farm, he selected several people as apprentices, and Liu Ergou was among them. The name Liu Youwang had been given to him by Huang Chao—thinking that as a naturalized citizen, Liu Ergou would no longer need to live like a dog but could obtain a new life full of hope. Hence the name "Youwang," meaning "Has Hope."
Liu Youwang was clever and quick-witted, but loved playing petty tricks, disliked reading, and was steeped in the air of the marketplace. As he grew older, he added a fault of lust. At fifteen and sixteen, he was molesting female workers and making advances on village women, causing storms at the farm and earning himself several beatings. He became universally despised. Eventually, unable to stay any longer, Huang Chao wrote him a recommendation letter and got him into the Fubo Army as a soldier.
The hope was that military service might temper him. But Liu Youwang's old habits never changed. During his several years as a soldier, most of his monthly pay went to yellow tickets, and his rank never rose. After the Two Guangs campaign began, veteran soldiers like Liu Youwang would normally have been promoted to officer rank. But his bad reputation preceded him. The General Staff Political Department struck his name directly from the promotion list and transferred him to the National Army as an officer instead. Through one twist after another, he ended up in this Camp Manager position.
Anyone else taking this assignment would have felt resentful; after all, being Camp Manager in the rear offered no opportunity to build merit or advance a career. But Liu Youwang took to it like a fish to water. The captive camp guards and stewards were mostly former local Wuzhou clerks—and back when he had wandered as a beggar, he had become quite familiar with such yamen types. The clerks were also eager to curry favor with him, and Liu Youwang threw himself into the role with tireless enthusiasm.
The Camp Manager position seemed humble and its affairs complex, but the benefits within were numerous. Token coupons, grain, and cloth issued to captives—all could be manipulated for skimming. In his military years, the highest rank he had reached was sergeant. His surroundings had been filled with comrades, and officers held absolute authority—even if he had wanted to play tricks, he couldn't have. Now in the captive camp, he held the position of "under Chief Xie alone, above all the captive camp multitudes." Large and small affairs, life and death—nearly everything was decided by his word alone.
Such absolute power, combined with the flattery of yamen scoundrels, quickly rendered years of military discipline ineffective. At first, he only held back some grain and cloth. Then he began accepting bribes. Captured officials mostly carried valuables and couldn't endure the suffering of hard labor, so they bribed him for exemptions. Once this door opened, his appetite grew. Thinking that he had followed the dragon from the earliest days—naturalized citizens who had joined years after him had all become regional high officials and officers, while he had only managed to become a National Army officer—he felt resentment. With that resentment, he felt little psychological pressure about engaging in various illegal dealings. The captive camp was "heaven high and emperor far away"; he simply "closed the door and became emperor."
Yi Haoran's visit to the captive camp had been merely a passing glance. But Chang Qingyun was thoroughly familiar with the situation. Though he received preferential treatment in the camp, he dared not fail to curry favor with this "Current Manager" through every means possible.
He straightened his clothes. "Student Chang Qingyun has come specially to pay respects..."
"Oh, it's Old Chang. Please, come in quickly."
Liu Youwang's voice came from within.
"Many thanks, Officer." Chang Qingyun dared not be careless and walked inside carefully.
Liu Youwang lay sprawled on a Xiangfei couch. He was not wearing his National Army uniform or the "Cadre Suit," but had imitated the local rich men's leisure attire—a Daoist robe, yet worn with his chest exposed and feet bare. Combined with his short hair, it created a bizarre impression.
On the high table beside the couch, cups and plates lay in disarray. The wine dishes were mostly consumed, and five or six empty tin pots had been tossed on the ground.
The air reeked of wine. Chang Qingyun had long ceased to be surprised by Liu Youwang's daytime drinking. But there was also a faint scent of rouge and powder in the air—a woman had probably been keeping him company until just recently.
"Camp Manager Liu..."
"Old Chang, sit down!" Liu Youwang had no airs about him, waving his hand. "Sit, sit!"
"Yes, yes." Chang Qingyun felt his heart grow apprehensive. He served as a clerk in the camp, but his opportunities to see Liu Youwang were actually quite few. If not for this sudden painting assignment, he would hardly have seen the man at all.
Though he rarely encountered Liu Youwang, he understood men of this type quite well. Rising from poverty and obscurity, meeting the wind and clouds, grasping power—such men's hearts were both insecure and violent, quite twisted. The slightest carelessness could inexplicably "offend the dragon's scales." During his months in the camp, he had learned of quite a few captives who had inadvertently angered the man—some beaten half to death, others who had simply "died of sudden illness." Thus he maintained the utmost respect and caution.
"Old Chang," Liu Youwang said. Though he had drunk quite a bit, his speech was still clear. "I've invited you here because I want to ask you for a favor."
"What are you saying, Camp Manager Master?" Chang Qingyun hurried to reply. "You need only send someone to give the order."
"This is a big matter—how can I be so casual about it!" Liu Youwang shook his head repeatedly. "You're a scholar. You must have learning."
"I wouldn't dare presume..."
"Don't be modest. I heard you're even a Juren Master—truly impressive!" Liu Youwang gave a thumbs up. "Our county only produced a handful of Juren Masters in decades!"
Chang Qingyun felt somewhat embarrassed and could only continue being polite.
"Since you're a Juren Master, you could be considered an equal of the neighbor Registrar Sun's family..."
Chang Qingyun was stunned, unsure what the man meant by this. He had to say, "This student never knew Registrar Sun. I don't know what examination rank he achieved—presumably at least a Juren as well."
Next Update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Part 478 (End of Chapter)