Chapter 72: The Meeting

The people in the village had been terrified all day, first by the earth-shattering cannon fire, and then by the shouts of killing. Because the stockade was breached so quickly, the villagers had no warning before they realized a large force had entered the village. The men scrambled to find weapons to resist, while the women hurriedly smeared soot on their faces. Fortunately, the troops that entered the village did not disturb the private residences, but went straight to attack the master’s mansion, which brought a sigh of relief to everyone. For most people, the village master was an extremely hateful person, and it would be for the best if his entire family were wiped out. But they were also afraid of being caught in the crossfire, so every household was filled with anxiety. Hearing that every household was being summoned to a meeting, they knew they couldn’t refuse and had to make their way to the crossroads. For a time, a crowd of heads gathered at the entrance of the Gou family residence.

The transmigrators piled up rubble and broken bricks in front of the steps, placed the blasted-off door panel on top, and created a stage for the meeting. Poles were set up across the street, and gas lamps were hung. Although it was not yet evening, the gas lamps everywhere were already lit, making the entire street dazzlingly bright. The summoned common people looked at these lamps, which were brighter than a hundred lanterns, with both fear and amazement.

The villagers saw that the sturdy and imposing gate had been blown beyond recognition, and the stone lion that had always been so menacing was now lying toppled in the street. A few young men exchanged winks, feeling a sense of satisfaction. However, groups of “short hairs” wearing iron helmets and green and colorful clothes stood all around, holding fowling pieces. The triangular bayonets on their guns glinted in the sunlight, some still stained with blood, which was truly terrifying. A few sharp-eyed individuals had already spotted the village’s “good-for-nothing” and “sour scholar,” Zhang Xingjiao, also dressed as a “short hair,” standing to the side. This man had returned once a few days ago, bringing some rice and salted fish, which he had distributed to some people, saying that he was working for the “short hairs” after being captured. Everyone had originally thought that a scholar like him would never betray the “famous teachings” he preached all day long to submit to bandits; he was probably forced into it after being captured. Now it seemed he had completely thrown in his lot with this gang of pirates. At this moment, they couldn’t be bothered with whether to despise him or not. Those who had been kind to him in the past hurriedly greeted him and tried to get close; those who had offended him in the past quickly hid in the crowd, deeply afraid that if he saw them, he would be emboldened by malice, falsely connect them to the Gou family, and use this opportunity to have them killed.

The meeting began. Wu De was the first to take the stage. He began by explaining that they were descendants of the Chinese people from overseas, sharing the same roots as everyone present. He then reiterated their slogan of “eradicating the strong and evil, protecting the borders and pacifying the people”—this slogan had now been approved by the Executive Committee as the main propaganda slogan for the current stage. He emphasized their victory in the Battle of Bairen Beach. He declared that they would fight every local tyrant and evil gentry like the Gou family, who had a long history of misdeeds and had brought disaster to the region, until they could no longer harm the common people. He called on the masses to boldly expose these people, including their lackeys. His words caused a great commotion below. The common people were not particularly interested in slogans, but the fact that the village master had been overthrown and his tyrannical lackeys were now being held accountable was indeed a cause for great satisfaction. Some who had previously relied on their family ties or good relations with the lackeys in the village became anxious upon hearing this.

“Bring up the Gou family’s lackeys!” At the command, the Gou family’s tutor, village head, accountant, retainers, butler, personal attendants, and even the head cook from the main kitchen, who had all been captured in the battle, along with a few members of the Gou clan, were brought to the front of the stage, wearing colorful paper dunce caps. They were all forced to bow in a posture of apology. These figures, who had been tyrannical and arrogant in the village and even the county, were now disheveled and in a sorry state, with their behinds sticking out. Laughter erupted from the crowd, starting with a few people and then slowly spreading until the entire audience was laughing. Xi Yazhou and the others were very excited. The tactic of vilifying the opponent was indeed effective.

Next, Tan Chengqing from Saltworks Village spoke. He had studied at Du Wen’s peasant study group for about ten days and had become quite adept at public speaking. He spoke logically and eloquently, embellishing the account of Gou Xunyi’s misdeeds in Saltworks Village. He then expressed that the people of both Saltworks Village and Damei Village were loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty and could not tolerate the perverse actions of a local tyrant like Gou. He even cited historical examples of the founding emperor of the dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, cracking down on powerful landlords—this was to allay the common people’s fears that this action might be considered “rebellion.” Of course, Tan Chengqing didn’t know these things himself; all the material had been prepared for him by the intellectual, Zhang Xingjiao.

Afterwards, Zhang Xingjiao took the stage to give his personal testimony. His story was well-known in the village, but hearing his emotional accusation in person still made many people show expressions of sorrow. Wu De saw Zhang Xingjiao, while speaking, take out something that looked like a thigh bone. He spoke while crying, and then hugged it and wailed on the stage, which caused the people below to sigh and shed tears as well. Wu De became puzzled and asked Xiong Buyou beside him:

“What is Old Zhang saying?”

“He’s saying his family’s ancestral grave was dug up by the Gou family, and this is the only bone left of several generations of his ancestors.”

“Didn’t he say before that when the grave was dug up, none of the bones could be found?”

“He’s making it up,” Xiong Buyou said. “He just found this bone in some random grave mound a moment ago.”

“Old Zhang is really a man of great potential. He can really spin a tale.”

“It’s not exactly making it up. It’s a fact that the Gou family dug up his ancestral grave. As for this bone, it’s just a propaganda prop. It’s no big deal to create a little falsehood for propaganda.”

Zhang Xingjiao became more and more agitated on the stage, finally demanding that all these people be brought onto the stage and handed over to the common people for struggle and criticism. The Saltworks Village militia, who had been eager for action, immediately dragged these people onto the stage. Zhang Xingjiao grabbed the collar of the feng shui master and retainer, scolding and cursing him while occasionally landing a punch. This old retainer had already taken quite a beating from Zhang Xingjiao’s stick earlier. After this round of fists and kicks, he was in so much pain and fear that he couldn’t stand up anymore and collapsed to the ground, soiling himself. The common people became more and more excited as they watched, pushing forward eagerly.

In the afternoon, Zhang Xingjiao had secretly contacted several villagers who held deep grudges against the Gou family. At this moment, they also stood up one after another to expose the many crimes of these people, from seizing land and property and practicing usury to molesting women and setting dogs on people. Big and small matters, trivial and significant, were all brought up. However, these matters rarely involved Gou the Elder or Gou the Second themselves. Wu De listened and felt that it lacked impact, that the atmosphere wasn’t building up. Just as he was thinking of a solution, he suddenly saw someone stride onto the stage and give one of the Gou family’s masters a fierce kick. This middle-aged man was already unsteady, and he was immediately knocked flat on his back. The common people below let out a gasp of surprise; until now, no one had dared to lay a hand on a member of the Gou family. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was the Gou family’s cook: Gou Buli.

Gou Buli actually had no dealings with Zhang Xingjiao, and there was no personal grudge between them. It was just that Zhang Xingjiao knew this cook had a habit of stealing food and other things—which was no big deal, as the old saying goes, “If the cook doesn’t steal, the five grains won’t be harvested.” Although his surname was Gou, he was an outsider. Relying on his skills and strength, he was not well-liked among the Gou family’s servants. The stewards would often find fault with him, and he would frequently be beaten or have his wages docked. A few months ago, unable to take it anymore, he stole some silver and prepared to run away, but was caught by the Gou family master who managed the residence, beaten half to death, and thrown in jail. He had a grudge against the Gou family, and he also fit the profile of a fearless, thorough proletarian, making him a perfect target for the transmigrators to use.

Gou Buli was a little nervous standing on the stage. He glanced back at the corner of the stage, and Xi Yazhou nodded at him. He then summoned his courage and began to speak:

“I am a poor cook. I have been cooking for the masters, madams, young masters, and young misses of the Gou family for many years. The weather has been bad these years, either drought or rain, with typhoons and hail taking turns. Everyone has a hard time in their daily lives. Having a piece of sweet potato in our congee is like celebrating the New Year. And what about the Gou family? I am a low-class cook, and I don’t know any grand principles, so I’ll just talk about what I know of their meals.

“The first-class chefs they use are all masters who can make dozens of dishes from a single pig. For a plate of stir-fried meat, they only use a piece of meat from the back of a live pig, and discard the rest. They eat fish that are still gasping for air, and shrimp that are still jumping. The rice has to be milled three times, and they only eat white rice, without a single grain of coarse cereal or sweet potato! When they get tired of white rice, they eat deep-fried cakes, and they fry a huge stack at a time… The wine they drink is ten years old, and the ginseng for their soup has to come from Liaodong and be half a foot long. The most hateful is Gou Xunyi’s son, the young master Gou. That little devil, ever since he was a child, when he ate steamed buns, he wouldn’t eat them if they were too hot, and he wouldn’t eat them if they were too cold. When they were just right, he would have two beautiful maids each hold a corner and bring it to his mouth. He would take one bite from the middle, and throw the rest away to feed the dogs—”

Wu De frowned and whispered to Xi Yazhou, “Who made this up? There should be a limit to such fabrications!”

Xi Yazhou, however, remained completely calm. “It was Du Wen who came up with it with Zhang Xingjiao and the others. Not bad, right? You think it’s absurd, but the common people love this kind of tune.”

“Isn’t this nonsense…” Just as Wu De was speaking, the Gou family master who had been kicked to the ground suddenly stood up and said tremblingly, “Nonsense! There was no—”

Before he could finish his sentence, several militiamen from Saltworks Village beside him had already brought their clubs down on him, stuffed a gag in his mouth, and dragged him aside.