Chapter Eighty-One: Lai Da Sets Out

Gou Chengxuan, being cautious, did not dare to interrupt. After their debate on the distinction between Chinese and barbarians ended, he continued: “Wen Desi is said to have the official position of ‘Chairman,’ while Ma Qianzhu is the ‘Secretary of State.’ Their titles are called ‘Executive Committee members’.”

He did not misstate the names and titles of these two men, because they had been written on the bulletin boards and in documents.

“It is also said that these bandits were all descendants of high officials and prominent families in the Ao-Song country. Because of changes in their country, they could not establish themselves there, so they led their troops and fled by boat. They have long admired the wealth of China, so they have come to our country from thousands of miles away.”

“Since they are descendants of the Song people, why didn’t they submit a memorial to the court at the beginning?” a staff member said. “The court would have originally treated them favorably.”

“The bandits have learned strange skills and obscene techniques overseas, and they think they can dominate a corner of the land with their iron ships and firearms. Isn’t this bullying our great Ming as if there were no one? Only by severely suppressing and exterminating these ugly creatures can we put an end to the covetous hearts of these overseas barbarians for China!” The speaker was very young, only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was not He Rubin’s staff member, but the staff member of Zhao Ruyi, the Left Political Commissioner and Sub-prefect of Hainan. He had been specially sent to Guangzhou to be responsible for liaison between the two sides.

This man, Qian Taichong, had passed the imperial examination at the age of seventeen and was a proper government-supported student. He had a great literary reputation in his hometown and was highly appreciated by a group of local gentry. However, after that, he failed the provincial examinations four times in a row. Feeling that he had lost face in his hometown, he simply went out to be a private secretary.

This person was quite learned and talented, and he had a high opinion of himself. Although he was recommended to Shi Bangyao’s staff through his fellow countrymen and teachers and friends, his relationship with other staff members was not harmonious. Zhao Ruyi simply sent him to Guangzhou to be in charge of liaison between the two sides in He Rubin’s army.

His impassioned statement made everyone have to express their agreement that it should indeed be so.

Then the staff and generals asked some more questions, and only then did He Rubin instruct his personal guards to take him down and guard him in his own camp.

“Take him down, give him wine and food. Treat him well.”

Only then did Gou Chengxuan let out a sigh of relief. The taste of being interrogated by an official was really not good. He quickly kowtowed a few more times and then carefully withdrew with the personal guards.

He was arranged in a special tent, and Lai Da was also waiting here. After a while, a personal guard came and brought him a few sets of replacement clothes, especially the scholar’s clothes with a square scarf and a long gown. This gave Gou Chengxuan, who had sometimes disguised himself as a beggar and sometimes as a farmer, a good omen: the general-in-chief seemed to be very satisfied with his answers, otherwise he would not have treated him so well.

Lai Da also got a few new sets of clothes. The master and servant took a bath and changed their clothes, feeling refreshed for a while. Then a soldier brought them food, and the two of them ate their fill. Gou Chengxuan lay on the straw mat, thinking about how he would take revenge and extort money after he returned to Lingao with the government army. He thought and thought, calculated and calculated, and fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.

The next day, Chang Qingyun came to see him and talked with him. Because he was a former scholar and was considered a semi-gentry, Chang Qingyun was very polite and did not ask him to kneel and answer questions, and his speech was also relatively casual.

After some pleasantries, Chang Qingyun asked him about the details that he had not had time to ask about yesterday and clarified them. Gou Chengxuan told him everything he knew and also made a list of the main gentry and large households in the county, noting down the details of each family’s property and whether they had raised village braves.

Chang Qingyun was overjoyed to get this list: with this list, he could follow the map to find what he was looking for when he arrived in Lingao, and he could ask the large households to supply military provisions. He could also have a rough idea of how much tribute each household should give. He saw that Gou Chengxuan had answered fluently in the main tent yesterday and had responded appropriately, and he knew that this person was not simple. He had the intention of winning him over. He then smiled and said to Gou Chengxuan: “May I ask for Brother Gou’s courtesy name?”

“I dare not,” Gou Chengxuan, seeing his happy expression and asking for his courtesy name, knew that he had already made a good impression. With the recommendation and protection of the general-in-chief’s trusted staff, he was not only sure to be exonerated, but as long as he flattered him well, his future fame and fortune would also be guaranteed. “My humble self’s courtesy name is Zhongwei.”

“The garrison commander thinks very highly of you. He said that you are worthy of being a loyal and righteous man of the great Ming,” Chang Qingyun, because he still needed Gou Chengxuan to risk his life, so he first fabricated a few sentences. “His Excellency has the intention of recommending you for a title—”

He deliberately paused here to see Gou Chengxuan’s reaction. Seeing his eyes shining, he knew that he had fallen into the trap, and only then did he continue, “It’s just that you are still a wanted criminal, and you have also been stripped of your scholar title…”

“I was framed by the bandits,” Gou Chengxuan sighed. He knew that if he had silver on him at this time, he could quickly offer fifty or one hundred taels and ask this staff member to help him, and he would surely be able to get rid of the hat of “wanted criminal.” But he was now penniless and could not take out any money at all. “To be honest with you, brother, I have a lot of land and property in Lingao. As long as we drive away the bandits and I get my property back, I will definitely reward you heavily…”

“Hey, Brother Zhongwei, you are being too polite by saying this,” Chang Qingyun said with a smile. “As long as the garrison commander achieves a great victory in this battle, your crime will be cleared, and you will also get a favorable recommendation.”

Gou Chengxuan, after all, lacked experience in the officialdom. He was already completely bewitched by his few words. “Yes, yes, I will definitely serve you like a dog and a horse!”

Only then did Chang Qingyun reveal his intention: He Rubin wanted him to go back to Lingao to gather military intelligence and mobilize the village braves to support the government army.

“Brother Zhongwei is a native of Lingao. This time, he will return to Lingao with the governor’s proclamation to mobilize the gentry and village braves. This is a great opportunity for him to make a name for himself and achieve great things!”

Gou Chengxuan was greatly shocked. He had just escaped from the dragon’s den, and now he was going back to the tiger’s lair. This was sending him to his death! In Lingao, he was a person who was hated by everyone and despised by dogs. Even his own wife and father-in-law did not like him. If it weren’t for the fact that he had disguised himself, he would have been caught and hanged by the bandits long ago.

Now General He actually wanted him to sneak back to Lingao. He knew very well the power of the Australians. Their internal control and external defense were a hundred times better than the court’s. The local gentry and large households, no matter how dissatisfied they were with the bandits, would not dare to openly confront them. And everyone had always been afraid that the bandits had the sorcery of transmitting sound over a thousand li, and even private secret talks might be detected.

If he returned to Lingao and made even the slightest move, it would be a dead end.

He trembled and replied: “I am very grateful to the garrison commander for his kindness, but these bandits are different from other bandits…”

Chang Qingyun’s expression changed: “Brother Zhongwei, this is the army. Do you know that military law is merciless!”

“Yes, yes,” Gou Chengxuan’s legs went weak with fear. Let alone that he was a wanted criminal, even if he was a clean and innocent commoner, if he was charged with the crime of “bandit spy,” he would be beheaded in an instant with a single order. “I beg you, brother, to plead for me,” he immediately knelt on the ground and begged bitterly. “The bandits hate me to the bone. Once I am captured, I will be immediately executed by slow slicing…” He knew that his empty pleas were useless, so he quickly added that he knew the details of several large merchant households supported by the bandits in Lingao. He would only tell Chang Qingyun the details of these large merchant households, “as a merit for you, brother.”

Chang Qingyun, seeing that he still could not squeeze out any oil and water, secretly cursed: “Country bumpkin! Pauper!”

The opportunity to extort money was gone. But he could not push Gou Chengxuan too hard. After all, He Rubin had not explicitly requested that Gou Chengxuan be sent to Lingao. If this person was really arrested and killed after returning to Lingao, the government army would lose an important source of information when they entered Lingao. Although Sun Tianbiao of the Lingao garrison was rushing from Zhaoqing overnight, this person was after all a military household, and his understanding of the people’s situation was limited, far less useful than a local worm like Gou Chengxuan.

Furthermore, Gou Chengxuan did not look like a good person, and he had no family or property here to restrain him. If he was pushed too hard, he could just run away, or even go directly to the bandits and sell out the government army’s information.

The so-called proposal to send Gou Chengxuan to Lingao to mobilize the village braves to support the government army was originally something that He Rubin was indifferent to, and there was no firm decision. Chang Qingyun was just using this as an empty threat, hoping to squeeze out some oil and water.

Seeing that he really had no oil and water to speak of, Chang Qingyun had to take a step back and prepare to do him a favor by pleading for him in front of He Rubin.

He then pondered for a moment and said: “This matter seems to have room for maneuver, but the garrison commander’s order…” he deliberately made a difficult expression to let Gou Chengxuan appreciate his favor.

Gou Chengxuan quickly said: “Brother Qingyun, I have a follower named Lai Da. This person is quick-witted and is also a native of Lingao. He can take on this task.”

Chang Qingyun, seeing that he was willing to send someone to replace him, was also happy to go with the flow. But he said a few more difficult words and only agreed after Gou Chengxuan begged him bitterly for a long time.

After finally sending Chang Qingyun away, Gou Chengxuan quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had finally learned the power of the officials—compared to the deaf and dumb county magistrate, they were all tigers that ate people without spitting out the bones. Gou Chengxuan felt more and more the terror of the officials.

He then called Lai Da and told him everything that had just happened. Gou Chengxuan sighed and said: “I have no choice but to trouble you to go out and hide for a while.”

Whether it was himself or Lai Da, even if they went to Lingao with an imperial edict, they might not be able to mobilize the village braves to support the government army. The large households would not act until they saw the bandits retreat and flee with their own eyes. So his plan was to let Lai Da first cross the sea to Qiongshan, then hide, and then follow the main army when it advanced towards Lingao.

As soon as the situation became clear, there would probably be village braves in action. At that time, Lai Da could mingle among them and be able to explain himself.

Unexpectedly, Lai Da did not agree with his plan:

“Master, this will never deceive the masters,” Lai Da said. “I am willing to go to Lingao!”

“You’re going to Lingao?” Gou Chengxuan was surprised. “Aren’t you just going there to die? Those large households already have a grudge against the Gou family, and now they are intimidated by the power of the bandits. They will certainly not dare to support the government army.” He now only had the Lai brothers to command. If they were captured by a large household that wanted to please the bandits and handed over to the bandits, Lai Da would either lose his life or have to dig stones.

“That’s not necessarily the case,” Lai Da said. “Apart from a few families who are determined to follow the bandits, most of the large households are just fence-sitters. If the government army is coming to suppress them, how can they not be afraid?”

As long as they were afraid, it would be easy to handle. When he returned to Lingao and took out the governor’s and general-in-chief’s official documents, the large households would not dare to respond immediately, but they would definitely not dare to harm him.

“…The bandits have been in Lingao for three years, and the large households must have had some dealings with them. After the government army retakes Lingao, the first step for the officials sent by the court to handle the aftermath will be to investigate the collaborators. If they have the government’s official documents in their hands, not only will they not be guilty of aiding the rebellion, but they will also have the merit of maintaining local order…”

Gou Chengxuan understood what he meant: this matter was indeed risky, but the benefits were great. He couldn’t help but look at his servile-looking servant with new eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to be so young, but you have such great plans in your heart!”

“I was forced to!” Lai Da’s eyes blazed with fire. “Ever since the fortress was breached, my brother and I have been lucky to escape with our lives. We have been thinking about revenge day and night…”

Gou Chengxuan knew that Lai Da hated the bandits so much not only because he had lost his status as a powerful servant and could no longer be domineering but had to be trampled on by others, but also because of another important reason: the woman he wanted, Chuqing, had been taken away by the bandits—Chuqing was a maid of the second Gou family and had already been promised to Lai Da. After the Gou family was destroyed, it was said that she had fallen into the hands of a Wu-surnamed bandit who was in charge of a farm. This person had three wives and four concubines and had also taken possession of Chuqing. Lai Da had seen Chuqing on the road several times, and his eyes were almost spitting fire, but he did not dare to go up and say a word, and even had to deliberately avoid her. This kind of hatred for having his wife taken away was extremely venomous.

Lai Da continued: “…As long as I am not caught by the bandits, there will be no risk from the large households. I can also gather some military intelligence by the way.”

“Alright! I’ll leave this matter to you!” Gou Chengxuan said magnanimously. “I don’t want any of the gifts from the large households. I’ll reward them all to you!”

“Thank you, master, for your generous reward!” Lai Da immediately knelt down and kowtowed. “After the government army retakes Lingao, with master’s ability and being a native of this place, how can the government’s post-war affairs be without master? I will go first to be master’s vanguard. At that time, won’t those large households have to do whatever master wants!”

“Who will you go to first?”

“The Huang family village.”

Gou Chengxuan was unwilling. He had originally planned to frame the Huang family with the crime of “aiding the bandits” and let them be completely ruined.

“Master!” Lai Da knew his thoughts. “We can’t touch the Huang family! Just the fact that his third son was killed by the bandits at that time puts him in an invincible position! The Huang family village is strong in troops and horses, and they have a blood feud with the bandits. It’s not difficult to ask them to mobilize the village braves to support us.”

Gou Chengxuan thought about it and it was indeed true. He couldn’t help but be discouraged. He could only curse a few words like “old dog Huang” and “scoundrel Huang.” He then sighed and said: “I only regret that I have no news of my father. Otherwise, he and Uncle Hu’s troops could also be of help.”

“Since the bandits did not capture Master Hu, Master is naturally safe,” Lai Da comforted him. “After I go back, I will secretly inquire about it!”

After they had discussed and agreed, Chang Qingyun went to the general-in-chief again to mediate. He Rubin was originally not interested in this matter. Seeing that someone was willing to take the risk, and it would not cost him a single soldier, he immediately issued the necessary documents and also rewarded him with ten taels of silver. Lai Da folded the issued official documents into long strips, wrapped them in oil paper, and then sewed them tightly with cloth before sewing them into his belt. Someone then arranged for him to take a military boat across the sea to Qiongshan.

In the operations room of the headquarters in Maniao, the staff officers were working around a huge sand table. He Ming and the officers above the battalion level were looking down at the entire sand table from a slightly higher platform nearby. This sand table was made based on the electronic map brought from the old time-space, plus the on-site survey and correction of the special reconnaissance team and the exploration team. Not only was the scale accurate, but the expression of details was also to an outrageous degree—it was made by a group of scale model enthusiasts. Even a bridge and a village on the sand table—although pitifully small—had been aged.

This sand table showed the terrain and landforms from Lingao to Qiongshan County. This area was condensed on this huge sand table.

Where to fight a decisive battle with the suppressing Ming army was the first question the staff department had to decide.

He Ming and most of his officers believed that it was not feasible to fight the enemy within the territory. The Fubo Army had to crush the Ming army outside the territory of Lingao and at the same time ensure that most of the prisoners could be captured.

The first choice was to fight a decisive battle near Qiongshan County town. The Fubo Army would take advantage of the fact that the Ming army had just finished assembling and had not yet established a firm foothold. They would use ships and land marches to suddenly appear under the city of Qiongshan, rout the entire Ming army. The routed enemy would inevitably retreat into Qiongshan County town, and the Fubo Army would then break the city and capture the prisoners.

The biggest advantage of this plan was that few prisoners would escape, and it could be ensured that most of the routed troops would be captured. The disadvantage was that the troops had to carry heavy weapons and supplies for a hundred kilometers to Qiongshan. Although some could be transported by ship, the troops still had to carry the necessary equipment. After this long-distance march, the soldiers would be very tired.

Finally, if Qiongshan was broken, the Ming would have lost a prefecture and a county, and Qiongshan was the capital of Qiongzhou Prefecture. The shock of losing a prefectural city was much greater than that of a county town. Moreover, there was also a sub-prefect of the Censorate in charge of Hainan in Qiongshan city. On the day the city was broken, it would not be a simple seventh-rank county magistrate who would commit suicide for his country, but also the prefect of Qiongzhou, the sub-prefect of Hainan, and other important officials would have to be buried with him. This matter would become very big.

So this plan was quickly rejected.

The second plan was to fight under the city of Chengmai County, relying on You Laohu’s camp to rout the Ming army. The marching distance could be shortened. The disadvantage was that some of the Ming army would flee to Qiongshan, some would flee into Chengmai, and some would scatter in all directions.

The third plan was at the mountain pass in the area south of Maniao. They would set up an ambush on the mountains on both sides, with the small fortress of Maniao as the frontal support point. They hoped to capture most of the Ming army on the battlefield. The advantage was that their side would be waiting for the enemy at their leisure, and the battlefield facilities would be very comprehensive. The disadvantage was that some of the scattered Ming army might flee into the territory of Lingao.

After evaluation, everyone believed that meeting the enemy in the territory of Chengmai was a more ideal choice. The geographical location here was moderate, the Fubo Army’s maneuvering distance was not long, it did not need to consume too much transport power, and it was also more convenient to send back the wounded and prisoners.

When the government army came to attack Lingao, given their mobility and logistical situation, they would inevitably advance through the post road.

From Qiongshan County town, the post road passed through Binlian, Yeli, Beipu, and Daotang before reaching Chengmai County town. The Fubo Army could meet the government army at any point on this post road.