Chapter 31: The Qiwei Escort Agency

“Help rescue a hostage?” The old master of the Qiwei Escort Agency, Sun Kecheng, narrowed his eyes, staring at Sun Chang who had come to request his help.

This young man, Sun Chang, was technically his martial nephew and a distant relative. However, his overly direct personality didn’t win him many friends. After ending up in Guangzhou, he had become a servant, a fact Sun Kecheng often lamented—it was a waste of his martial arts skills.

He had considered finding a position for him within the escort agency, but the business had been poor in recent years, much worse than before. An escort agency wasn’t like other businesses where adding another person just meant adding another pair of chopsticks. In the escort trade, every man had a specific role. You only hired when business was good, and more men meant more expenses, leaving little room for profit. When business was slow, you couldn’t just lay people off; everyone had to tighten their belts and endure together. With business being bad, there was no way to bring in new people.

“Yes, my master has invited you, old sir, to come and discuss the matter.”

Sun Kecheng was a bit puzzled. He remembered that Sun Chang worked for the wealthy merchant Gao Ju on Haopan Street. Master Gao was a man with connections all over Guangzhou. If he had trouble with bandits, why wouldn’t he go to the officials? Why come to them?

As for rescuing hostages, escort agencies were generally not interested. Their relationship with bandits was built on the principle of “harmony is precious.” They focused on negotiation and “making friends,” not on bloody, life-or-death confrontations. Rescuing a hostage was like snatching food from a wolf’s mouth. Bandits who dared to pull off a kidnapping in a provincial capital were no ordinary thugs. It would inevitably lead to a vicious fight, and regardless of success or failure, once the agency’s identity was revealed, they would have made a powerful enemy.

But the current situation was dire. Since the first year of the Tianqi Emperor’s reign, chaos had been spreading, and the escort routes were becoming increasingly dangerous. Their income was dwindling daily, and the agency had over a hundred mouths to feed…

After much thought, he finally agreed to take the job. For one, the payment would significantly alleviate the agency’s financial strain. Secondly, his martial nephew had mentioned that his new masters were Australian sea merchants. This piqued Sun Kecheng’s interest—Australian goods had recently become famous. These merchants were not only wealthy but also generous and had even allowed Sun Chang to use his original surname again. They were clearly men of honor and righteousness. Both for the sake of sentiment and propriety, he had to help.

Xiao Zishan and Ran Yao looked skeptically at the agency master Sun Chang had so highly recommended. They had expected a burly, bearded giant, someone out of a martial arts film. Instead, they saw a middle-aged man wearing a simple silk cap and a commoner’s shirt, no different from any other old man on the street. Though his steps were steady, he showed no sign of being a martial arts hero.

However, they were in desperate need of someone to gather information. Although Gao Di had already volunteered and gone out, they couldn’t pin all their hopes on a few children. They proceeded to explain the entire incident, including the results of their reconnaissance.

After listening to Xiao Zishan’s account and the investigation’s conclusions, Sun Kecheng nodded.

“You have some very capable people here, masters.”

“We are strangers in a strange land and know nothing of the city’s workings. We must rely on your assistance, Master Sun.”

“Of course, of course,” Sun Kecheng said with a smile and a nod. “You’ve shown great respect for my nephew, Sun Chang. For that alone, the Qiwei Escort Agency will give its full support.”

“Then what is your assessment, Master Sun?”

“Didn’t Master Ran here say it? One of them was barefoot. In Guangzhou, even villagers from the countryside wear at least wooden clogs or straw sandals when they come to the city. The only people who go barefoot year-round are the Dan people.”

“The Dan people?” Xiao Zishan seemed to recall hearing the term before, apparently a class of outcasts in ancient times.

“Precisely. You masters haven’t heard of the Dan people?” Sun Kecheng explained that the Dan, also known as “boat households,” were a population living on the water in boats along the coastal bays and inland rivers of Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. “Their descendants live on boats, make a living by fishing, and can tell the presence of dragons by the color of the water. In ancient times they were called ‘dragon households,’ but the common people call them the ‘Dan family’.”

“So they are fishermen?”

“While the Dan live on the water and some are fishermen, not all fishermen are Dan,” Sun Kecheng clarified. He explained that the Dan were involved in all sorts of businesses on the water, and their boats could be found in almost every harbor and tributary of the Pearl River.

If there were Dan people among the kidnappers, the situation became much clearer. It was highly likely that Director Wen was being held on a boat somewhere on the river. They were in the southern part of the city; just over the city wall was the Pearl River. Once the bandits were on a boat, the world was their oyster. Furthermore, the Dan were a very closed-off community with their own dialect and customs, different from those on land. It would be extremely difficult for an outsider to get any information from them.

Hearing this, everyone’s heart sank. This was not good.

“There must be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of boats on this river. It would take a month just to search them all,” Ran Yao said, frustrated, forgetting for a moment that in this time and place, he had no authority to conduct such a search.

“Don’t be discouraged, masters. It’s not as difficult as it seems. Although the Dan keep to themselves and are hostile towards land-dwellers, they wouldn’t be the masterminds behind a kidnapping. It’s more likely that outside bandits have colluded with the water-based brothels on the ‘flower boats.’ These establishments often engage in illicit activities. The incense used to knock out the victim isn’t a common tool of the underworld, but it’s often used by these water prostitutes to rob their clients.”

He smiled confidently. “Master Wen should be on one of those flower boats.”

“Where are the flower boats moored?”

“Most of the Dan’s flower boats are in the White Goose Pool area near Shicui Isle. I’ll send my men to investigate as soon as I get back. There are a few other things I must make clear to you all. You must not, under any circumstances, do them.”

First, do not report it to the officials. Although a word from Master Gao could mobilize the constables of the entire Guangzhou prefecture, these men were often corrupt themselves. When a fat sheep was delivered to their door, they wouldn’t lift a finger without being well-fed with silver. They might even collude with the bandits.

Second, do not try to capture the messenger who delivers the ransom note. Such individuals are usually either beggars hired off the street or common thugs who don’t know the bandits personally. Capturing them would be useless and would only alert the enemy.

“Finally, do not act rashly. They will certainly have lookouts around your residence. However, these lookouts are also hired hands and won’t know much if you question them.”

After seeing Master Sun off, the group agreed that they couldn’t just sit and wait. Since the kidnappers were after a ransom, there would inevitably be communication—a thread leading back to them. While modern tracking was impossible in Ming Dynasty Guangzhou, modern surveillance technology was not. They immediately installed cameras around the courtyard, setting up a monitoring station powered by several sets of batteries for 24-hour surveillance of the surroundings. Lin Shenhe took a walk around the area and installed several more wireless cameras on the roof of the front building to monitor the street. He then put on a camouflage suit, equipped himself with binoculars, a night-vision scope, a walkie-talkie, and a rifle, and climbed the only large tree in the courtyard. He set up a small platform among the dense branches, taking turns with Bei Wei to stand guard, ready to respond to any situation.

Ran Yao, dressed as a servant and carrying a concealed DV camera, was led by Sun Chang on a walk around Haopan Street.

“I’ve found the lookouts!” he announced, placing the DV camera on the table upon his return.

Everyone’s spirits lifted, and they gathered around.

“There are four of them in total,” Ran Yao said, playing the video for everyone to see. “Look here,” he pointed to a street vendor on the screen. “He’s distracted, constantly glancing at the entrance to Gao Ju’s residence.”

“This one, though dressed as a beggar, isn’t begging on the busy street but is hiding in the quiet alley by Gao Ju’s side gate.”

“This one is watching the main gate here.”

“And this one—the man drinking tea alone in the teahouse—is probably their leader. They might have one or two others as mobile units to report back. We should print out photos of these men and give everyone a copy.”

“Good idea!”

“Should we grab them?”

“They’re most likely peripheral members who don’t know much.”

“If only we could tail them. The leader must meet with the masterminds at some point.”

“Possibly. But we can’t tail them.”

“What if we plant a wireless beacon on him?”

“We might as well put the beacon in the ransom money. That would lead us straight to their lair.”

“Theoretically, yes. But we don’t have a map or GPS here. We can’t pinpoint their location based on the signal. We can only use radio direction finding to get a general idea, and the terrain is too complex.”

“The lack of a map is the key problem.”

“Shouldn’t there be maps in the Ming Dynasty? Have someone go buy a few.”

“Sun Chang already bought one, but this map… it’s practically useless.” Ming Dynasty cartography was still quite primitive; modern mapping techniques were only just being introduced to China by missionaries like Matteo Ricci around this time.

“Still, it’s a possible plan. Who here knows radio direction finding?”

“I do,” said Bei Wei.

“Then we’ll be counting on you when the time comes.”

“It would be best if we could find out their location and just go in to rescue him.”

“It shouldn’t be a huge problem. From the way Master Sun spoke, it sounds like he expects to find him in a few days.”

“I wonder how Director Wen is doing.”

Back at his agency, Master Sun drank several pots of strong tea and thought for a long while. He had confidently beaten his chest at the Australian merchants’ place, already feeling seventy to eighty percent sure of his plan. The involvement of the water brothels was a certainty; even if the Australian “Constable Ran” hadn’t mentioned the barefoot tracks, the smell in the room would have told him as much. But how to investigate was a tricky matter—the agency’s code forbade them from setting foot in places of pleasure like brothels and flower boats. They weren’t familiar with the people there.

Fortunately, the flower boats still relied on merchants from the land for their food and supplies. He could surely learn something from the small vendors who specialized in serving the flower boats. If nothing else, an extra person on a boat would mean a noticeable increase in food consumption.

He summoned several of his best men and divided them into two groups. One group would pose as itinerant merchants to investigate covertly, while the other would ask around with familiar vendors. He gave them their instructions, adding a final reminder:

“Pay attention and find out if any boat has recently been chartered by a single client, or if any boat has suddenly stopped taking customers.”

The flower boats were small. It was impossible to hide a hostage and continue business as usual.

Once they located the hiding spot, the rescue would not be difficult. Master Sun had rescued hostages for several old clients before. He knew that the kidnappers rarely stayed with the hostage. The guards were usually just low-level thugs. This was partly to avoid being identified by the victim and partly to ensure that if the location was raided by officials, the leaders wouldn’t be caught along with everyone else.

However, Constable Ran had also made it clear: the agency’s main job was to gather intelligence. The final course of action would be decided by them.