Chapter 2762: The Capital (Part 118)

Be that as it may, today's main topic was the Liang family; the Witchcraft Case would have to wait. Judging by Liu Sha's current state, he had seen through the vanity of the world and fully resigned himself to his fate, no longer caring what he said. Xu Ke could even sense in him a desire to unburden himself completely.

Those who held too many secrets probably all felt this way. Once the constraints were lifted, spilling everything out brought genuine relief.

And so Liu Sha had gradually become acquainted with the Guandi Temple group through the "production and sales" channels, subsequently connecting with Sister Qiao Han.

"Speaking of which, this Poor Daoist never imagined back then that I would become entangled in such a major affair. My association with them was merely for petty benefits."

Heroes of the jianghu stressed having friends everywhere; one more friend meant one more path forward. For a Jinyiwei officer like Liu Sha who wore the official skin, they were naturally willing to spend modest sums to cultivate his favor.

"No wonder when we were investigating the case, we felt that this Daoist Wood-Stone had the ability to reach the heavens. So you had already built this network of relationships long ago." Xu Ke seized the opportunity to flatter him. "Truly a meticulous mind."

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Liu Sha showed a look of self-satisfaction. "If one doesn't have a diamond drill, how would one dare take on porcelain work?"

"I heard that Liang Cunhou combed Yue Wan's hair. Did you come to know Liang through that connection?"

"Not at all," Liu Sha shook his head. "What kind of figure am I? Even when Lord Nine Thousand held power over the court and the Eastern Depot and Jinyiwei were at their most glorious, the noble families and gentry still looked down on people like us. Let alone making acquaintances at a pleasure house."

Liang Cunhou was a son of a noble family. Although combing the hair of a famous courtesan was not shameful, a person of his standing would never speak pleasantly to the "servants" around him. If Liu Sha had met Liang Cunhou through Yue Wan's relationship, his status in the other party's eyes would have been merely that of a "servant." However, according to gathered intelligence, Liang Cunhou held Daoist Wood-Stone in high regard.

"So you still relied on Master Wang's relationship?"

"Without Master Wang's introduction, I was just an entertaining 'clean guest'; with his introduction, I was a respected 'clean guest.' Not much difference. What truly made him regard this Poor Daoist with new eyes was that I recommended capable people to him."

"Oh? What kind of figure could make Young Master Liang hold you in such high regard?"

Liu Sha showed slight hesitation, but Xu Ke had already roughly guessed it. "I imagine it was Young Master Liang's martial entourage?"

Liu Sha was somewhat surprised; evidently he had not realized the Senate had already grasped this intelligence.

"He was also present at the Tieliang Temple meeting. The one called Yun Ting?"

"I see. You planted spies at that meeting..." Liu Sha said. "Mr. Zhou was right that when it comes to espionage and spies, no one in the world is more formidable than you."

"You flatter me." Xu Ke said, "That Mr. Zhou of yours is quite capable himself."

"Indeed, it is this person."

Intelligence regarding Yun Ting had long sat on the Political Security Bureau's desk. However, the Senate knew very little about him. They only roughly understood that he was Liang Cunhou's military leader and commanded a considerable force.

"Tell me about this Yun Ting," Xu Ke said. "We are quite interested in him."

"Yun Ting is merely an alias; he keeps his original name secret. However, I have heard that his surname is Wu, and he hails from Chaoshan. He was once a relay station courier. In his youth, he became addicted to gambling and squandered his family fortune, eventually reduced to begging. He wandered everywhere, his footprints covering Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. This person is powerfully built—tall and burly. In the jianghu, he is known as the 'Iron Beggar.'"

"Iron Beggar?" Xu Ke felt the name was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He continued listening.

"Although he is not a local and was a beggar, he has read books and possesses considerable strategic acumen. Despite being an outsider and alone, he rose to become Second Boss of the Flower Mountain Bandits."

The Flower Mountain Bandits were a group entrenched in the mountainous area bordering the northern parts of Panyu and Nanhai counties. This location lay north of the provincial capital and had been a choke point for north-south traffic since ancient times. To the north rose precipitous mountains; to the south stretched a flat plain. One could reach Guangzhou Prefecture City in less than a day's journey. Standing atop the mountains, hundreds of zhang high, one could clearly observe the carriages, horses, and ships traveling between the prefectural city and Qingyuan and Conghua.

Since it was a vital communication line, bandits were inevitably entrenched there, collecting "road toll money." Since the Yuan Dynasty, mountain bandits had relied on the treacherous terrain to raid and plunder. Starting from the early Wanli reign when Yang Yanming established himself here as a bandit, their looting and robbing reached as far as Zengcheng. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, this place became even more chaotic. In the second year of the Chongzhen reign, the mountain bandit Zhong Guorang looted five counties. Government troops suppressed them repeatedly, but they rose again as soon as they were crushed—they could never be completely exterminated.

Shortly after the Mainland Campaign began, the First Fleet occupied Guangzhou. This bandit nest, less than a day's journey from the prefectural city, naturally received the "focused attention" of the First Fleet and was soon subjected to a heavy siege. Bei Wei, Commander of the Guangdong Region Security and Captain of the National Army Guangdong Regional Detachment, personally commanded a force of over six thousand men. Centered on the National Army Guangdong Detachment's First Mobile Corps, the Korean Company, and the Reconnaissance Bureau's Special Reconnaissance Platoon, along with five other National Army companies mobilized for the purpose, they encircled and suppressed the area.

After eliminating the bandits in Timian, Bei Wei and Liu Xiang consulted and decided that although conditions were not yet ripe to establish a Huaxian County administration according to Qing Dynasty regulations, stationing troops was essential. After all, this was Guangzhou's northern gate, less than a day's journey away. It served not only as a vital passage for traveling merchants but also as an important transport route for Joint Logistics to supply materials to Lianyang. Therefore, following established rules, a company of the National Army was stationed in each of three locations: Shuixi, Sudong, and Bainhe, to maintain a suppressive posture over the local area.

Xu Ke naturally knew all these circumstances, so when he heard that Yun Ting had become Second Boss of the Flower Mountain Bandits, he was quite puzzled.

"Flower Mountain Bandits? Weren't they already wiped out by the First Fleet?"

Liu Sha let out a scornful laugh. "Just because you say wiped out, they are wiped out? The Great Ming wiped out the Flower Mountain Bandits countless times, yet didn't they rise again each time? Do you imagine the Flower Mountain Bandits all gathered in one mountain stronghold?"

Xu Ke nodded. "That's right—they are mostly bandit households in the mountainous areas."

"Exactly." Liu Sha said, "Whether it is the Great Ming or you people, would you really kill all the local commoners? Even if you were that ruthless, from Huizhou, Qingyuan, Conghua, and other places, there would still be a steady stream of people willing to become bandits in that area..."

"As long as the area remains a vital communication line."

Liu Sha laughed. "Places the Great Ming couldn't govern, you people can't govern either with your Australian guns and cannons. Lord Hongwu, Emperor Chengzu... how many capable sages, able ministers, and fine generals has the Great Ming had across past dynasties? Yet they still couldn't govern the Flower Mountain Bandits, and neither will you."

"Whether we can govern it or not, time will tell." Xu Ke smiled faintly. "But let us move on. He became Second Boss—how did you come to know him?"

"I met him when he was begging in Zhejiang. You could say we appreciated each other." Liu Sha sighed. "I do not praise people easily, but although this Yun Ting comes from humble origins, he possesses great talent and bold strategy. Given the opportunity of wind and clouds meeting, becoming a general or minister would not be beyond him."

This praise made Xu Ke take notice. Throughout their conversation, Liu Sha had rarely offered words of praise for the people involved. This remark was unexpected, and combined with what he had said earlier, Liang Cunhou also valued this person highly.

With the insight of both Liu and Liang, this Second Boss Yun was definitely no ordinary person.

"How many people do the Flower Mountain Bandits have now?"

"As for the exact number, this Poor Daoist does not know either. However, Second Boss Yun said it would be no fewer than three thousand."

"Three thousand people—what a claim." Xu Ke found it hard to believe. "How much in provisions and pay would that require?"

"Government troops fighting wars need provisions and pay. The Flower Mountain Bandits are bandits—what provisions and pay do they need?" Liu Sha sneered. "Heading south, they simply loot as they go."

Xu Ke thought to himself, If they really take advantage of the situation to rise up, three companies of the National Army might not be enough to suppress a force of three thousand. Moreover, Huaxian was practically within a stone's throw of Guangzhou City. There were not many main forces around Guangzhou either: the First Fleet was entirely at the front lines, and the National Army's main force was busy with mopping-up operations in various counties. The few garrison troops were all National Army units recently reorganized from surrendered Ming soldiers, and their combat effectiveness was questionable. The only reliable armed forces were the naval units at Huangpu Port and the Hong Kong base.

According to the intelligence they possessed, this Daoist Wood-Stone before him had also recruited many religious sects and secret societies in the counties surrounding Guangzhou. Once the Flower Mountain Bandits descended from the mountains, these sects would inevitably rise in response. The consequences were easy to imagine.

In the early stages of the Mainland Campaign, Xu Ke still vividly remembered the tragic state—beacon fires everywhere—caused by Xiong Wencan letting soldiers turn into bandits. If this happened again, though the bandits might not necessarily capture Guangzhou City, such a disturbance would be enough to shatter the surrounding areas, destroying the social order that had just been established and killing many "activists" and cadres of the Northbound Detachment.

"Liang Cunhou would accept such a plan where jade and stone burn together? That seems strange. And this Iron Beggar of yours—does he truly think he can conquer Guangzhou with three thousand Flower Mountain Bandits and get the Great Ming to grant him an official title and nobility?"

"Young Master Liang has long put life and death aside. As for Yun Ting, he never planned to conquer Guangzhou. However, looting along the way would likely yield a rich harvest. When the time comes, they will simply retreat back into the mountains." Liu Sha said, "He told me: if they set up a battle formation to fight, whether government troops or Flower Mountain Bandits, they would be bound to lose. But if they avoid your sharp edge and simply burn, kill, and loot, it is enough to wound the Australians to the bone. As long as the surroundings of Guangzhou cannot be pacified, over time, the Australian thieves naturally won't be able to stay." Liu Sha continued, "On this point, he actually shares Mr. Zhou's view—what they want is simply one word: 'Chaos'!"

"I didn't expect Liang Cunhou to be so vicious, devising such a ruthless plan to cut off our foundation."

"If not so, how could they hope to shake you?"

A sense of urgency suddenly arose in Xu Ke's heart. The investigation into Liang Cunhou's forces in Guangzhou had made no effective progress, and judging from what Liu Sha had revealed so far, the scale of this riot was large and its goal was clear. Once launched, it was bound to cause serious destruction throughout the Pearl River Delta region.

Fortunately, this key figure, Liu Sha, had already fallen into their hands. Setting aside other matters, as a witness to testify against Liang Cunhou alone, his utility was enormous.

"Where is this Yun Ting now?"

"He and this Poor Daoist also maintain single-line contact, through a person named Qiao Yan."

(End of this chapter)