Chapter 159: Undercurrents in the Provincial Capital

Despite sitting in a cool bamboo sedan chair, despite the handsome young servant fanning him, and despite having just finished a bowl of iced plum soup, Li Fengjie still felt unbearably hot. The official robe he wore was both stuffy and heavy. He wished he could take it off immediately to cool down and relax.

He had just returned from the White Swan Pond—attending a banquet held in a restaurant by the pond. The banquet was nominally a “Summer Scholarly Gathering,” and of course, it included elegant pastimes like composing poetry, discussing literature, and singing songs. But the main topic of conversation at the table was how to “negotiate” with the enemy.

The attendees were mainly the powerful local gentry. The state of war with the Kun thieves and the subsequent disastrous defeat had made the gentry of the provincial capital very uneasy. This was partly due to matters of pleasure—not only had the Zhiminglou, that den of extravagance, closed down, but Aussie goods were gradually disappearing from the market, which greatly affected the quality of life for the masters, madams, young masters, and young misses.

But that was secondary. The Lingao economy had a multifaceted impact on Guangdong. Their long-term use of Guangzhou as a procurement port had led to the formation of many upstream and downstream industries throughout the province that directly or indirectly relied on the Lingao economic entity.

With Guangzhou as a trading window, many people had profited from the Lingao-Guangdong industrial and trade chain. Now, the state of hostility between Guangdong and Lingao had severely damaged one of their profit channels, and no one could make much money anymore—especially the upstream suppliers for the Lingao industrial system. The loss of export opportunities was a particularly heavy blow.

Nearly a hundred ironworks in Guangdong had closed down, and a large number of workers were unemployed. The trading houses that used to transport raw materials like coal, timber, and grain had also suffered heavy losses.

Even the downstream distributors felt the pain of losing their supply of goods. The prices of Aussie goods soared, but few had large stockpiles. Even with sufficient stock, sales dropped as prices rose.

Besides the inconveniences in daily life and commercial losses, the gentry were also very dissatisfied with Wang Zunde’s actions. The government was powerless against pirates like Liu Xiang, who constantly harassed the coast, robbed ships, and extorted money. Yet, the Aussies, who had been doing business honestly in Lingao and providing all sorts of good things, became the target of annihilation. In their eyes, this was putting the cart before the horse, “provoking a border conflict without reason.” Many were secretly inciting officials from their province in the capital, lobbying among the censors and supervising secretaries to prepare for impeachment.

The anonymous posters and pamphlets that began to circulate in the provincial capital further fueled the discontent. Many government offices and the residences of officials and gentry had posters quietly slipped into them. Some were even posted on the streets. The information revealed in them not only made the officials and gentry dissatisfied but also incited the common people. All sorts of rumors were flying around.

It seemed that a change of the Governor-General of Liangguang was only a matter of time. Li Fengjie was beginning to eye the position eagerly. However, he was well aware that his ambitions would be challenged by Xiong Wencan—and Xiong Wencan was much more favored by the Emperor.

From all angles, Old Xiong had a much better chance of securing the governor-generalship than he did. After careful consideration, Li Fengjie felt that his only option was to appease the Aussies as soon as possible. Although this carried some risk, it would greatly please the gentry and merchants of Guangzhou. At the very least, even if he couldn’t get the position of Governor-General of Liangguang, he could secure his own position as Governor of Guangdong.

From a military perspective, his advisors also believed that continuing the “suppression” was hopeless. According to reports from defeated soldiers and dispatches from various parts of Hainan, the Aussies’ military strength far exceeded their estimates, making them a very dangerous and fearsome enemy. Moreover, this enemy also had a powerful naval force. They could enter the Pearl River at any time and carry out large-scale plunder and destruction in the rich delta region.

Li Fengjie’s sedan chair was carried into the governor’s yamen. After alighting, he went straight to his study—a quiet place where he discussed matters with his advisors.

A servant helped him remove his official robe and black gauze cap, changing him into a silk shirt and a “Sifang” scholar’s cap. Water was brought for him to wash up. A moment later, someone brought him herbal tea—his favorite fruit shaved ice was no longer available since the Zhiminglou had closed down.

Li Fengjie drank his tea and casually looked through the various documents his personal servant had brought.

On the table were the latest pamphlets circulating in the city. The content was varied, but the focus was all on Wang Zunde and his circle of advisors and confidants. The source was obvious. It was either Wang’s enemies or the Aussies.

Many pamphlets detailed how Wang Zunde had planned the war with the Aussies. They described how Tian Da had used the prestige of being an imperial relative to extort money everywhere, until he tried to extort the Zi-brand businesses, forcing Guo Dongzhu and others to flee… The level of detail and the vividness of the dialogue could only have been written by someone who had experienced it firsthand.

Another portion of the pamphlets was clearly made by the Aussies: the text was all in vernacular, using common characters, and they were beautifully printed, bound like small books. The content was diverse. Some exposed the dark secrets and scandals of Wang Zunde’s advisors, servants, and confidants—Li Fengjie thought the Aussies were clever: Wang Zunde’s personal virtue and reputation in the officialdom were quite good, and it was difficult to slander him with scandals. But the people around him were not so invulnerable. Other pamphlets described various anecdotes and amorous affairs of the imperial relatives. They contained many detailed descriptions, so vivid and titillating that they were as interesting to read as novels, making them hard to put down. Some pamphlets were even serialized, with first and second volumes, making people eager for the next installment after reading the first. Many people were secretly exchanging these pamphlets, and some even secretly printed and copied them.

The Aussie pamphlets thus became the popular reading material and spiritual food for the citizens of Guangzhou. Even a high official like Li Fengjie was interested in them. He wasn’t interested in the explicit descriptions that the common people were keen on, but he was eager for the “truths” that were occasionally revealed in the booklets.

This special propaganda tactic was the result of the joint efforts of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau and the “Publication Guidance Group.” The Publication Guidance Group had organized a group of Elders to copy, paste, and rewrite these booklets from computers. The booklets were printed in the size of modern “pocket books” for easy carrying. The personnel remaining at the Guangzhou Station continuously distributed them through various channels.

On the table were several recently collected Aussie pamphlets. As the Governor of Guangdong, his yamen was a key target for the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, and the latest published booklets were delivered here first.

Li Fengjie instructed his servant to summon several of his trusted advisors and casually picked up an Aussie pamphlet. The titles were quite impactful: “The So-called ‘Great Victory at Tuen Mun’ from the Secret Archives of the Portuguese Court” and “A Former Ming Captain’s Inside Story of the Recapture of Penghu during the Tianqi Era.”

“The Aussies are really keeping up with current events!” he muttered to himself, planning to read them later.

On the table, there were also several of the latest military dispatches. He opened one and read a few lines, and his face changed at once.

Just as the Guangdong officialdom was still engaged in frequent private probing and discussions on the issue of appeasement, news of the Kun thieves landing on Hong Kong Island arrived. Then, the dispatch about the Kun thieves cleanly annihilating Zheng Bao’s gang at Lantau Island followed. And the sudden flight of Liu Xiang’s forces made the image of the Kun thieves even more terrifying—even the infamous Liu Xiang, feared by all, had vanished in the face of the Kun thieves.

With this, the wishful thinking of Li Fengjie and others, who had hoped that Liu Xiang and the Kun thieves would fight to the death over the Pearl River Estuary, playing one bandit against another, was completely shattered. The Aussies were prepared to open fire on anyone who stood in their way, while Liu Xiang had no intention of depleting his strength to defend the Pearl River Estuary—there was no need to fight a hard battle when there were soft persimmons to pinch.

Between Lingdingyang and Huangpu, there was no force worth mentioning that could resist the Kun thieves’ attack. If they wished, they could sail their ships straight to the White Swan Pond and become the arrogant masters of the entire Pearl River.

“Your Excellency! The matter of appeasement can no longer be delayed,” He Chengzong said with a worried expression after putting down the dispatch. Although He Chengzong was only a scholar with a licentiate degree, he was highly regarded by Li Fengjie and was a “military advisor” type figure in his staff.

According to the dispatch, after building a fort on Hong Kong and eliminating Zheng Bao, the Aussies’ warships were already “knocking at the gates” of the Pearl River Estuary, especially loitering around Lingdingyang and even taking depth soundings. It seemed they intended to enter the Pearl River. If they brought their large iron ship into the Pearl River and bombarded Guangzhou with their legendary powerful cannons, not only would the region be devastated beyond repair, but Li Fengjie’s official position would also be lost.

“Merely appeasing them might not be enough to succeed,” Li Fengjie said. He hoped for a force that could counterbalance the Aussies, to prevent them from becoming too powerful and acting with even more impunity.

Li Fengjie had initially placed his hopes on Liu Xiang defending his own territory. After Liu Xiang slipped away, he turned his attention to the Portuguese in Macau.

The Portuguese, driven by their interests, had always been very concerned about the maritime security of the Pearl River Estuary. They had a long-standing habit and determination to protect their trade. If he pointed out to them how a war between the Ming and the Aussies in the estuary would affect trade, the Portuguese would surely dispatch ships to protect it.

Li Fengjie had received a report from the Xiangshan County Magistrate, who was specifically responsible for dealing with Macau: the Portuguese currently had four large ships anchored in Macau’s harbor, all three-masted carracks equipped with 32 cannons. In terms of size, they surpassed all of the Kun thieves’ current vessels—except for that large iron ship. The Portuguese also had several smaller two-masted ships, also equipped with 12 cannons.