Chapter Sixty-Nine: Before the War (Part 1)

The news that the court was going to suppress Lingao finally spread throughout the entire county in late May—in fact, the local people had already gotten the news from the people around the leaders, the newspapers, the bulletin boards, and the discussions on the streets and alleys. Everyone knew that the officials in Guangdong could not bear to see the people of Lingao live a peaceful life and insisted on driving away the Australians—it was said that it was because the Australians were unwilling to give the Guangdong officials one million taels of silver every year. So the government was going to suppress them, and also to slaughter the people of Lingao, with only the young women being allowed to live.

The newspapers were full of reports of the “deeds” of the government army killing the innocent for merit, burning, killing, and raping. The deeds were all accompanied by time and place. This made Ma Qianzhu very strange—where did Dingding get these materials?

“Part of it was learned from the natives, part of it was from historical records, and part of it was compiled by the propaganda department…”

Dingding’s compilation of materials was very meticulous. First, every time such reports were published, one fake piece of news was sandwiched between three real ones, using the real to carry the fake; secondly, he cooperated closely with the Grand Library, and this kind of forged material was first sent to the Grand Library for review and verification to avoid revealing flaws in the details.

In addition, Dingding also reported to the cadre department of the Civil Affairs People’s Committee to find a few people like child students and scholars from the refugees to specialize in writing work in the propaganda department. This time, when compiling materials, some of the materials were fabricated in the form of notes from local scholars—on the contrary, it proved that there was no need for a license to publish and copy private notes in the Ming Dynasty, and there was no way to verify their authenticity.

“You’re compiling it so fiercely, won’t you scare the common people…” Ma Qianzhu was worried. He was very afraid of a large-scale flight—if the common people flocked to the county town or directly to the gate of Bairen City to seek refuge, would they be let in or not?

“The people of Lingao will inevitably play the role of soy sauce crowd before this battle. It’s impossible to expect them to actively participate in the war to defend the Lingao regime,” Dingding said. “My idea is to remind them that defending Lingao is defending their ‘home.’ The so-called ‘defending the home and the country’ are linked together.”

This news made the people very uneasy. Many people were secretly preparing to flee when the time came. But everyone saw that the number of Australian troops was also increasing day by day. Every day, new troops marched along the highway, singing songs, to practice shooting. These soldiers were all wearing brand new clothes, carrying new, shiny black muskets, and one after another, gleaming two-wheeled gun carriages were being dragged past. The sound of guns and cannons at the firing range was deafening all day long. Everyone said that new troops had come from Australia. Someone swore that he had personally seen a ship come to Bopu at night, and from it came troops in formation and many cannons. Moreover, the Australians continued to appear everywhere: agricultural technicians were still going to the countryside to guide the summer harvest and planting, Li Mei continued to do business in the Dongmen Market, the large iron ship moored in the bay remained motionless, and many people who were originally panicked calmed down again—the Australians were not afraid, what were we afraid of?

Many common people secretly hoped that the Australians could defeat the government army, so that the peaceful days that had only lasted for a few years could continue. Although the large clans and local powerful families were worried that the Australians might not be a match for the government army, and were afraid that a war would implicate them, they dared not to resist because of the powerful military strength of the Australians and their invincible cannons and firearms. Therefore, whether it was conscripting men, collecting supplies, or organizing village braves to be on call, they did not encounter much resistance.

The Elders were summoned for military training. Originally, military training was held once a week, and the intensity was relatively high. But recently, large-scale military training had not been carried out much, and only a weekly shooting training was retained to maintain the feel of using a gun. But the imminent invasion of the enemy also put the military role of the Elders on the agenda. As soon as this proposal was put forward, it caused a wave of painful groans:

All Elders over the age of eighteen, regardless of gender, would get up at 6 a.m. every morning for a unified morning exercise: first running, then drilling in formation and bayonet practice, until 8 a.m. when they would start their official work.

Sunday rest was cancelled, and half a day was devoted to cross-country and long-distance march training.

“If you don’t sweat now, you’ll bleed later,” He Ming said in the Senate without any room for compromise. “You’re all sitting in offices, and your bellies are getting big!”

Xiao Zishan patiently persuaded: “If your physical strength is good, all aspects of your body’s functions will improve. Haven’t you all been given life secretaries?”

Amidst the wails of a group of people, the proposal was passed—everyone was aware that their lives were important.

The entire Elder body was then organized into an Elder Battalion. They were divided into “teams” according to their departments, with each team roughly the size of a platoon. Some teams were larger, such as the mechanical team, which was divided into team one, team two, and so on. Each team elected a captain and a vice-captain.

He Ming appointed Ying Yu as the commander of the Elder Battalion and also stipulated three emergency assembly points. In case of an emergency, all Elders would gather at the three camps of Bairen, Bopu, and Gaoshanling, and await orders to move out at any time.

“When it’s our turn to go into battle, it’s probably going to be the end…” Dugu Qiuhun was assigned to the Tiandihui team and was grumbling.

“Who’s talking nonsense!” Ying Yu had been a soldier for many years. Although he had been discharged for many years and worked in IT, when he glared, his intimidating momentum was still very strong. “War, war, always think about being foolproof! Don’t think that we are invulnerable just because we have a few SKSs. From now on, it’s a state of war. We must be armed at all times and ready to fight!”

Ying Yu then checked everyone’s weapons and equipment. He checked very carefully. He found that many people’s personal defense weapon, the GLOCK 17, had not been cleaned. Some female Elders’ pistols had not even had the oil seal wiped off. The SKS rifles, because they were used for target practice every week, and the weapons were checked and maintained after target practice, were all cleaned very well.

“Damn it!” Ying Yu shook his head in annoyance, but he couldn’t blame everyone. It was not allowed for ordinary civilians in China to even own a dog, so how could they know the importance of maintaining weapons? If anyone was to blame, it was that it was not emphasized enough when formulating the military training plan.

The clothing, leggings, and shoes were all up to standard. Everyone also carried a small bottle of Zhuge’s marching powder and a pack of salt tablets.

“All units, move out!” Ying Yu ordered.

Excluding those in Sanya, those serving in the military, those stationed abroad, and those on duty at various posts, the Elder Battalion of more than three hundred people set off in a mighty procession.

Many of the Elders who had originally worked in administrative departments were complaining endlessly. The result of long-term office work was the degeneration of their physical functions, and the little muscle they had developed before the transmigration had disappeared in their desk work. The Elders who worked in the industrial and agricultural departments, on the other hand, were all strong and tanned, and did not feel tired at all.

The Elders carried rifles and backpacks, and wore military boots. They marched along the highway, panting. The equipment of the Elders was much more than that of the native soldiers. The native soldiers wore light rattan hats, while the Elders all wore heavy steel helmets. In order not to lose the spirit of the “leaders,” all the Elders had to hold their heads high and chests out, looking martial and proud.

Accompanied by military drums and flutes, hundreds of pairs of military boots trod on the highway, raising clouds of dust. The native peasants working in the rice fields were already accustomed to such scenes—recently, several teams had passed by on the road every day, beating military drums. Only a few natives who were familiar with the Transmigrationists would be surprised to find that they were all Elders.

“Everyone, stick out your chests, don’t be like a sissy!” Li Jun stood in front of the team, looking at the soldiers of the “Finance Team.” This platoon was entirely composed of personnel from finance, banking, and accounting. Li Jun was a former soldier in the finance system, so he became a temporary corporal, responsible for leading the entire team. “Everyone, show some spirit! Page five of the ‘Military Songbook’! ‘The Great Army Fears Not the Long March’!” Li Jun seemed to have returned to his appearance as a squad leader in the armed police many years ago.

The soldiers of the finance team began to sing this song at the top of their lungs. Although the lyrics had been changed, many people still subconsciously sang it as “The Red Army Fears Not the Long March.”

The “Mechanical Team” was not to be outdone and immediately sang “The Song of Bopu.” Although the tune of this military song, which was adapted from “La Marseillaise,” was impassioned, it was a bit stumbling and not smooth to sing.

“Why change the lyrics? Just sing the military song of the People’s Liberation Army,” Du Wen commented while marching in the “Civil Affairs Team.”

But the Mechanical Team was numerous and powerful, and most of them were strong men with large lung capacity. They soon suppressed the singing of the Finance Team and other teams. The high-pitched singing of “Bopu,” “Bopu” floated over the highway.

After arriving at Bopu, the Elder Battalion did not enter the camp and port, but directly bypassed it and walked another kilometer before taking a long rest. Although there was a canteen in Bopu, Ying Yu, who was in charge of this training exercise, did not allow everyone to leave the highway. They all drank cold water and ate dry rations.

The next leg of the journey was from Lingao Cape to Maniao Peninsula.

“All teams, maintain silence! No chatting, no wasting food. Those who need to relieve themselves, go quickly. Men on the left of the road, women on the right.”

“Commander, the right side of the road is also an open field. It’s not very convenient for the girls. Can you send someone to build a toilet?” Dong Weiwei asked while chewing on dry rations.

“When you’re in a battle and you need to shit, do you build a toilet first?” Ying Yu said with a straight face. “The grass and shrubs are high enough.”

Dong Weiwei was snubbed, but she had worked in an office and knew that this was not the time to be a little girl. She had to retreat sullenly. She found a few companions and chose a place with dense shrubs by the roadside. They cleared a space, put a few stones they had picked up, and looked around to make sure there were no gaps before they had completed a “simple toilet.”

Perhaps because the atmosphere of war was already very strong, no one wanted to be told that they were “ignorant of the priorities” at this juncture. Apart from some quiet complaints, the girls did not make any louder noises and all went to the bushes by the roadside to relieve themselves.

Ying Yu then checked the Elders’ equipment to see if it was loose, and asked if anyone felt uncomfortable with their equipment. He helped them readjust it one by one.

After the rest, the Elder Battalion continued to march towards Maniao along the newly built road. The weather was not too hot. Although they had walked more than ten kilometers in the morning, it did not exceed everyone’s physical limits. Even the women in each team did not fall behind. Everyone looked at the newly developed fields and the immigrant settlements along the road, and their spirits were high. When they first set foot on this land three years ago, it was a barren place, and the people were poor. Bopu was overgrown with weeds, and apart from a beacon tower and the houses of the inspection department, there were almost no signs of human activity.

When they arrived, they had no people, no food. The rice, noodles, and salt they ate were all unloaded from the ship. The water they drank was river water with bleach added. They slept in tents. During the day, they did heavy physical labor. At night, it was pitch dark. At night, they stood on the shaky watchtower, holding rifles and standing guard.

In less than three years, this place had undergone such a earth-shaking change. And this change was brought about by them leading the natives. Our Lingao regime is finally taking shape.

In these days, they had eliminated the local tyrants, defeated the pirates, controlled the county town, recruited refugees, won the hearts of the people, and built the prototype of a modern industrialized society on a blank slate. They had trained hundreds of thousands of natives and established an army and an administrative team… Thinking of all this, an unprecedented sense of pride welled up in everyone’s heart.

Whoever dares to invade my dream, I will smash them to pieces!

As if infected by this mood, someone started to sing:

“Forward, forward, forward,

Our team marches towards the sun,

Stepping on the vast land

…”

At first, a few people sang, and then the whole column began to sing. The loud military song echoed on the highway, soaring into the sky. The peasants working in the fields straightened up and watched the team roll past on the road.

The marching training of the Elders boosted the morale of some people. The native soldiers, civilian personnel, and commune members knew that the Australians would not abandon them and flee. At a critical moment, they would also take up arms to fight and defend Lingao. They naturally had a spirit of common hatred for the enemy.

Of course, it also scared some people. They felt that the Australians themselves were training with guns, and they wondered how strong the court’s army was. Some people took the opportunity to go to the county town to seek refuge with relatives and friends: the magistrate in the county yamen was still there, and it was still the territory of the Ming Dynasty. The government army would not slaughter the county town when they came. For a time, the rent and housing prices in the county town soared.

The property rights of the empty houses in Lingao County town mostly belonged to the county yamen, which meant that they belonged to the Transmigration Group in a disguised form. Xiong Buyou was very happy that the various broken houses in the county town had suddenly become popular—this was a way to revitalize the assets!

But Mei Wan’s construction company was not happy at all. The sudden boom in house renovation made the local lime supply suddenly tight. The construction company originally had several lime kilns, and the raw materials were collected by themselves and also purchased from the private sector, including limestone and oyster shells. Now the sudden increase in demand caused the price of raw materials to rise sharply.

In response to his situation, the Planning Institute immediately took action and announced that lime raw materials were “controlled.” Originally, Wu De also wanted to announce that the circulation of grain was controlled, but the Executive Committee believed that since there was no situation of panic buying of grain at this stage, there was no need to control grain. Excessive control of materials would only aggravate the panic in the county.

But the people in the finance department were already getting nervous. Yi Fan’s Cheka copied the sales situation of various stores in the Dongmen Market every day, monitoring the price changes and sales volume of various commodities, especially the situation of the three major people’s livelihood materials: grain, cloth, and salt. The people in the finance department were worried that there might be a run on the circulation coupons.

Although the circulation coupons had established a strong credit in Lingao, this was entirely based on the strong existence of the Transmigration Group. Once there was a situation of unstable rule, the credit of the circulation coupons would be hit. It was very likely that there would be a concentrated run. The people in the finance department all knew that the circulation coupons were actually over-issued. Once there was a run, the consequences would be very serious. Yi Fan couldn’t care less about auditing or not. He focused all his attention on the market situation.

From the data, there was no run on the circulation coupons yet. In order to ensure market stability, a large amount of rice was imported from Vietnam. The Planning Institute also prepared a large amount of spoils of war, ready to be put into the market immediately in case of a panic buying and run.

But the worries of the finance department did not become a reality. The market situation was still very stable.

“But our danger is not yet lifted,” Cheng Dong pointed out at the financial work meeting. Due to this mobilization, the monthly issuance of circulation coupons increased by 37%, mainly for investment in infrastructure, military expenses, and material mobilization. This expense was continuous.

“It is estimated that the increase next month will not be so large, but the absolute number will not be small,” Cheng Dong sighed. “I only realized how small our economic pie is after we mobilized.”

“If we continue to mobilize like this for three or four months, inflation will be inevitable,” Wu Di pondered. “The foreign exchange expenditure has also been very large recently.”

In order to suddenly expand military production, a large amount of pig iron, coal, and cloth was temporarily imported.

Because they lost the main source of silver from the Guangzhou station, the foreign exchange reserves plummeted. The financial system felt great pressure.

The most profitable luxury goods, because they lost the sales channel in Guangzhou, could only be piled up in the warehouse. The situation of bulk light industrial consumer goods was better because a large part of them were picked up by merchants themselves.

“If it really doesn’t work, we’ll temporarily reduce imports,” Cheng Dong instructed. “A part of the silver must be reserved as an emergency reserve. We don’t know when the war will end.”

“Didn’t they say three to six months?”

“Six months? If we continue to mobilize like this, the Ming Dynasty won’t be finished before we mobilize ourselves to death,” Wu Di said. “I think we should stop the mobilization at the right time.”

“Some projects can’t be stopped. We have to bite the bullet and go on,” Cheng Dong looked at the several newly added project budget proposals—all of which had passed three readings in the Senate. “I have to talk to Si Kaide. Even without the Guangzhou station, we have to find a few more channels to export goods. We need to earn more foreign exchange as soon as possible.”