Chapter 103: Transformation

After Liu Dalin finished reading, he found it difficult to understand the meaning. The beginning clearly expressed their grievances and the “necessity” of fighting the government army, but the end was showing off the brilliant military achievements of this great victory. This contradictory attitude confused him.

He himself was also very contradictory. In his view, it was reasonable for the government to send troops to suppress them—under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Although the Australians in Lin Gao had not openly rebelled, they had not submitted to the court and were acting like a hostile country.

But the Australians, whether in the local area or in the whole of Guangdong, had never done anything wrong, and the people had also benefited from them. Especially in Lin Gao, the people had lived and worked in peace and contentment in recent years—this was all their credit. In terms of sentiment, the government’s suppression was not supported by the people of Lin Gao.

The court had reason on its side, while the Australians had the support of the people.

He suddenly thought of Mencius’s words about “the hearts of the people,” and a chill ran down his spine. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, but he no longer simply regarded the short-haired bandits as “overseas barbarians.”

While he was deep in thought, his wife sent a servant to ask:

“The mistress says that tomorrow is the day for the lecture at the Jasmine Pavilion. She asks if you are going.”

Liu Dalin pondered for a moment. Since the Australians had already fought with the government soldiers, the best they could be called was “great bandits” like Liu Xiang and Zheng Zhilong. Whether he should continue to teach at the Jasmine Pavilion had become a big problem.

His wife and his friends and classmates all advised him not to go anymore to avoid getting into trouble in the future.

After much consideration, he nodded: “I will still go tomorrow.”

The servant’s face showed hesitation: “Go tomorrow?”

“Go! Of course I have to go!” he said with emphasis. The Jasmine Pavilion was not a school run by the Australians; it was a century-old charity school in Lin Gao. Since he had accepted a teaching position there, he could not not go.

After saying that, he continued to stare blankly at the pillar of light in the distance. After a long while, he said as if waking from a dream, “Go back to the main room!”

The servants respectfully pushed his wheelchair back to the main room to rest. After the master rested, the servants dispersed. A young servant was cleaning the master’s wheelchair. The butler told him that the wheelchair was getting “tight” and that he should take it to the Dongmen Market to be repaired by the Tiandihui shop tomorrow.

“And buy me a few packs of cigarettes on the way back.” After he finished speaking, he took out a stack of circulation coupons from his pocket, carefully counted a few and gave them to the young man. “Buy ‘Bairen Tan,’ not ‘Gaoshan Ling,’ remember? And here’s a twenty-five cent coupon for you as pocket money.”

Butler Zhao smiled smugly. This kind of fortune was truly effortless.

When the government army was about to attack, the circulation coupons had once depreciated. Everyone was in a hurry to spend their money, and there was a small “panic buying” in the markets. Many people were eager to exchange their circulation coupons for goods, silver, and copper coins. This crisis was quickly quelled under the strong intervention of the Finance and Economics Committee and the Planning Commission. However, some impatient people suffered heavy losses in this small financial storm because they sold their circulation coupons at a low price.

Butler Zhao, however, made a windfall in this storm. He did the opposite and used the copper coins he had to buy circulation coupons. When the storm passed, he found that he had made a small fortune. Butler Zhao trusted the Australians so much because his son was now working for them and had become a “cadre” in a yamen called the “General Office,” specializing in taking care of the “chiefs’” lives. And his grandson was studying at Fangcaodi. So Butler Zhao was very clear about the Australians’ affairs. Although he kept his mouth shut about who would win or lose in this suppression campaign, he already had a clear idea in his heart.

After everything was arranged for the evening, he sat in the gatehouse of the central gate to keep watch for the night. While smoking, he took out a deck of cards and played “Australian Solitaire.” This card game had just become popular recently. Because it could be played by one person and there was no suspicion of gambling, it was very popular among families with strict rules.

The singing outside was getting louder and louder. This was probably the parade from Nanbao going to Bairen. The butler knew that they were singing a new song taught by the Australians. His grandson and granddaughter could also sing it and often practiced at home. His grandsons, like their father, now had short Australian-style haircuts and wore small jackets, looking very energetic and speaking a lot of new words that he didn’t understand.

Butler Zhao was very pleased. He often said, “It’s time for our old Zhao family’s fortune to change. We can’t always be servants.” Since some ancestor of his, his family had been servants for generations. Butler Zhao had come to Lin Gao from the mainland with Liu Dalin’s father, who was an official. In a few decades, he had climbed from a book boy to a butler, which was the highest level for a servant.

The arrival of the Australians had unexpectedly given this family a new possibility. Butler Zhao’s son had originally gone to work for the Australians because he couldn’t get a position in the Liu residence—many people thought that Zhao’s son was too bold. Now, not only had his status changed, but he had also bought a house, and his food and enjoyment were no worse than those of the local landlords. This made the people around him very envious. Those who used to speak ill of him now began to inquire about how to work for the Australians.

Listening to the singing outside, he thought that his several grandsons and granddaughters were probably also singing in the procession. His eldest grandson was already ten years old, and in a few years he could work for the Australian masters. His family’s life was getting better day by day.

While playing with the cards, he hummed the tune of “The Grenadiers’ March.”

The parade processions from all directions gathered at the large stadium. A bonfire as high as a small mountain had been piled up in the center of the stadium. At this time, it was burning fiercely, the flames soaring into the sky. The two rows of torch holders on the colonnades were also lit, and the huge torch holder on the torch platform was burning with a huge flame. The entire stadium was shrouded in firelight. Many small stage searchlights danced in the air around it. On the black background of the sky, eight huge pillars of light, like tangible objects, shot at the bottom of the low-lying clouds, as if they had penetrated the clouds and reached the sky.

The weapons captured in the Battle of Chengmai—all kinds of cannons—were displayed around the bonfire, one by one. The firelight reflected on the bronze and black iron cannons. Swords, spears, armor, firearms… all kinds of weapons were piled up into huge triangular cones. The most terrifying of them was a large pile of several thousand helmets piled into a triangular cone, which emitted a strange light in the firelight.

The colonnades were hung with flags—the Ming army flags captured in Chengmai, all kinds of banners, torn, stained with blood and mud, hung in rows under the colonnades on both wings.

The columns of students, militia, police, guards, and marines held torches and banners and marched in neat steps along the runway, changing formations according to the rhythm. Although it was done in a hurry and they could not change into too complicated formations, the effect was enough to shock the masses participating in the parade. They lost all their senses and judgment and just kept cheering and waving the lanterns and torches in their hands with the rhythm of the music.

Those ordinary people who had not been organized to participate in the parade but had just come to watch were all staring with surprised eyes. Such a spectacular scene was far beyond their imagination. They were all trembling with fear and kept a distance, but they watched with fascination. The uniforms, the queues, the firelight, and the majestic march, the inner hearts of the hot-blooded young people were all incited.

“This scene is so familiar, a fake and inferior copy. You are still missing a set of neat black and brown uniforms.” In a corner of the rostrum, a blonde woman filming with a DV made a sarcastic sound.

Dingding immediately stopped his girlfriend’s comment. But this comment had already been heard by several people.

Wei Aiwen nodded again and again: “I think it’s very good! The best effect has been achieved based on the existing conditions.”

The others did not speak. This familiar scene made them feel a lot of emotions, and they also knew more about what kind of role they were playing in this new world. Someone suddenly felt a wave of fear for the new society and new order that they had created with their own hands, which had now sprouted and begun to grow. Others were full of ecstasy and expectations for the future.

Fang Fei was one of those who suddenly felt a little scared. He was the creator of all these ceremonies. He had not innovated anything, but had only transplanted and adapted them to adapt to this new environment. Although the scene in front of him was spectacular, he felt that he actually preferred the scene at CHINAJOY where many beautiful girls wore very little clothes and posed coquettishly.

Fang Fei quietly glanced at the people standing on the rostrum in order of their authority. Wen Desi, Ma Qianzhu, Wu De, Cheng Dong, Ma Jia… they were all standing in the center of the rostrum in neat uniforms. The spotlight shone on them, and also on the huge wooden emblem on the stone wall behind them, the huge bow of the holy ship, the halo, the gears, the wheat ears, the sword, and the shield. These people stood under the huge emblem, and the spotlight plated them with a layer of light, making them look both tall and extraordinary. A camera lens swept across their faces one by one. Some were smiling and waving, while others had serious expressions, as if they were thinking about important issues.

Even the short-haired bandits could not have obtained so many weapons, armor, and flags. The Huang family had cooperated with the government soldiers many times and knew the equipment situation of the government army very well. These things could not be faked, and there was no need to fake them.

He silently squeezed out of the crowd. He got into his sedan chair and went to the county town. Since it was rumored that the government army was going to suppress the short-haired bandits, he had been staying at Li Xiaopeng’s house. At that time, Li Xiaopeng had joined him in the land measurement incident, and the two had formed a “deep fighting friendship.” The two of them had been dreaming of welcoming the restoration of the government army and had been secretly active.

Li Xiaopeng had originally been very radical and was willing to sponsor a few hundred taels of silver to serve as military pay, letting Huang Binkun secretly organize local braves to attack the ox carts on the highway, attack individual policemen and cadres, and send people to set fires, etc.

But Huang Binkun knew that it was impossible to use force to deal with the short-haired bandits and support the government army. Unless the short-haired bandits ran away on their own, it would be fine for him to lead a few hundred men to follow behind and make a fuss. To fight head-on was to seek death. So their secret activities were nothing more than colluding with those who were dissatisfied with the Australians and holding a few meetings. Huang Binkun was still quite resourceful. He discussed that if he wanted to form a team and arm the local braves to support the government army, he was afraid he couldn’t do it. But he could spend some effort on gathering intelligence. At that time, he assigned people to inquire about the short-haired bandits’s military situation, some to go to Bairen City and Bopu to draw maps, and some to go to teahouses and other places to chat with “cadres” to find out the truth about the short-haired bandits. Huang Binkun planned to summarize all the information he had gathered and send it to Chengmai.

But he soon knew what it meant for a scholar to rebel for ten years without success. A student who was sent to inquire near the Bairen City military camp was originally full of momentum and looked like he was sacrificing himself for righteousness. But after going a few times, he was suddenly stopped and asked a few questions. He was so scared that his soul flew away. After he came back, he immediately claimed to be ill and did not show his face again. Huang Binkun was originally glad that although this person was not useful, at least he did not let the cat out of the bag. Unexpectedly, in the next few days, several people claimed to be ill or said that they had something to do at home and no longer came to participate in this cause. After everyone’s excitement passed, and the Australians were patrolling tightly outside, they gradually became lazy, and even the meetings could not be convened. And Li Xiaopeng, because he had taken a fancy to a female “cadre” under the kūnzéi, suddenly became cold to the matter of expelling the kūnzéi. Huang Binkun’s plan to support the government army was thus bankrupt.

While Huang Binkun was at a loss, Huang Shoutong sent someone to bring his son back. The father and son talked for a long time in the secret room. Huang Shoutong warned his son not to act rashly anymore, and not to take the lead in welcoming the government army, so as not to burden the Huangjia Zhai too much if the government army really came. If the government army was defeated, and the short-haired bandits retaliated, the Huangjia Zhai would be razed to the ground.

It seems that my father is more thoughtful and sees things clearly! Huang Binkun thought secretly in the sedan chair. If he had really done it according to his own ideas, I’m afraid the Huangjia Zhai would have been destroyed this time! Several old friends from Chengmai had sent letters saying that the short-haired bandits had destroyed several famous large villages in Chengmai. He couldn’t help but feel secretly glad.

It seems that to fight against the short-haired bandits, we still have to use soft and underhanded methods. As my father said in the past, we have to “drag it out,” and we can only endure and wait for an opportunity.

But where does this opportunity come from? With this defeat of the government army, it is impossible to gather a large army to fight back for three or five years. And from the looks of it just now, a group of foolish people have already prostrated themselves before them and worship them as gods. Huang Binkun thought hard, but he still couldn’t figure it out when the sedan chair arrived at the Li family.

In order to be able to monitor the short-haired bandits’s movements at any time, he still lived in the Li family for a long time. When he returned to the west study where he was staying, he saw that it was dark inside and even the lights were not lit. He couldn’t help but curse his personal servant, Huang Ping, for being too lazy. So he went into the room and lit the candles himself.

Just as he was about to call someone to bring water to wash up, Huang Ping had already come in from outside. He was only a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, his face full of excitement.

“Where have you been?! It’s late and you don’t even light the lamp!” Huang Binkun scolded.

Huang Ping didn’t have time to admit his mistake and beg for forgiveness. He quickly told his master a big piece of news:

“Second Young Master! Fourth Young Master Li has registered today to go to Fangcaodi to study!”

“What did you say?” Huang Binkun was shocked. Fourth Young Master Li was Li Xiaopeng’s youngest brother from a concubine. He was only eleven years old this year and had been studying at home. Why did he suddenly want to go to the short-haired bandits’s school? He knew that Fangcaodi taught Australian knowledge, which had nothing to do with the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.

Australian knowledge was indeed practical and applicable, but learning this kind of thing could not be used for the imperial examinations.

He almost blurted out “Master Li is crazy,” but then he thought about it and understood. The Li family was preparing to sell themselves! Sending their unimportant concubine’s son to Fangcaodi to study was equivalent to sending a hostage to show their sincerity.

The short haired bandits had not originally asked the gentry and large households of Lin Gao to do this. The Li family had now done it first and would definitely be valued by the short-haired bandits and would surely get a lot of benefits.

Thinking that the Li family had made such a big 180-degree turn without making a sound, Huang Binkun not only felt angry but also afraid—if the Li family sold out the matter of him secretly organizing people to prepare to welcome the government army’s uprising, the Huangjia Zhai would be completely finished.

He was silent for a while and felt that the Li family would not do this. The fact that they sent a concubine’s son explained this point. The Li family just wanted to have a foot in both camps. Indeed, anyone who could show their allegiance to the short-haired bandits had now made a fortune. This was something that no one could be indifferent to.

But thinking this way also inspired him. Since the short-haired bandits could not be defeated from the outside for a while, they had to go deep into them to truly grasp their reality. For example, why were the short-haired bandits’s firearms so sharp? And what methods did they have to make many things that were unimaginable become reality? Huang Binkun felt that as long as he found out these things one by one, he would know where the short-haired bandits’s weaknesses were, and then he could expel them, or even eliminate them, in one fell swoop.

Thinking of this, his eyes fell on Huang Ping. The book boy was looking at him a little uneasily.

“His family’s young master is going to Fangcaodi. What are you happy about?”

“I’m not happy about this…” he stammered. Huang Binkun asked for a long time before he found out that several short-haired bandits had just come to the Li family, and one of them was actually a female short-haired bandit! She was talking to someone in the flower hall at the moment.

“It’s a real female Australian!” Huang Ping emphasized.

“Oh?” Huang Binkun became interested. The Li family had no contact with the short-haired bandits. What was the purpose of the short-haired bandits’s sudden visit to the Li family tonight? Combined with the fact that the Li family was going to send their concubine’s son to Fangcaodi to study, he couldn’t help but be very curious.