Chapter 170: Sanliangshi

Sanliangshi was not as prosperous as the nearby county seats, and even compared to other market towns in the county, it was only of medium size. But it was much more prosperous than some of the poor county towns in the inland frontier.

Today was not a market day. There were no vendors in the threshing ground, only a few idle people chatting and watching the excitement. Seeing the boat enter the pond, everyone began to whisper.

The Master Luo on the boat was the number one gentry in the town, named Luo Tianqiu. Luo Tianqiu was a Juren from the late Wanli era. Not only did he have an official title, but his family was also an old local family. Not only were there many clan members, but they had also produced several Xiucai and Juren. Master Luo’s grandfather had also been a Juren and had served as a magistrate in several prefectures and counties. Thus, the family had accumulated a great fortune and kept many retainers and thugs. Sanliangshi was less the territory of the Ming Dynasty and more like the fiefdom of the Luo family.

The Luo family’s sedan chairs and carts were already waiting at the pier. When Master Luo returned from his outing, he would usually stand on the bank for a moment, look around, and then stamp his feet to loosen his muscles. But today he was in no such mood and went straight into his sedan chair.

The sedan chair was carried past Yahang Street—the earliest business on this street was the brokerage house opened by the Luo family. The Luo family’s fortune had begun with his ancestors’ violent monopoly of the rush grass here. After four generations of effort, they had finally transformed from a small local bully into one of the most prominent figures in the local gentry.

The brokerage house’s building had been rebuilt when Luo Tianqiu’s father was still alive. It was a grand and imposing structure. But after several decades, the gold-lettered sign had become somewhat tarnished in the sun. An idea struck Luo Tianqiu: it was time to re-gild it!

The Luo family’s mansion was in the northwest corner of Sanliangshi, a large, dark mass of buildings that looked imposing. It included not only residential quarters but also specialized “granary courtyards,” “rent collection courtyards,” “steward courtyards,” and “servant courtyards.” The granary courtyards were for storing various goods and daily necessities. The rent collection courtyards were for collecting rent, weighing goods, and storing grain, indigo, rush grass, and various agricultural products. The steward courtyards were for managing the various properties under the Luo family’s name. The servant courtyards were for the Luo family’s retainers, servants, and workers to live in. There were hundreds of rooms in total.

The gate and walls were made of green bricks, and in front of the gate was a large open space paved with stone slabs. At this time, dozens of housekeepers, stewards, and personal attendants stood there, all dressed neatly in blue robes and small caps. As soon as the sedan chair landed, the head housekeeper shouted, “Welcome back, Master!” and all the servants knelt down to greet him and kowtow.

Luo Tianqiu paid no attention to the servants’ eager greetings. His face was somewhat haggard. In Dongguan for three or four days, he had been feasting and socializing, indulging in debauchery every day, and also had to visit and give gifts everywhere. His body could barely take it.

He got into a two-man sedan chair used within the inner residence and was carried towards the inner quarters.

Luo Tianqiu had gone to the county this time to compete for the position of deputy commander of the Dongguan County militia bureau. The official commander of the militia bureau was the county magistrate; the two deputy commanders were the actual people in charge. The income of the militia bureau was coveted by many: since last year, Dongguan County had added a surcharge of three fen of silver per mu to the land tax for militia expenses. With hundreds of thousands of mu of land in the county, this amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Besides the silver, the militia bureau could also use the name of organizing the militia to “solicit donations,” which was no different from forced levies. In short, the income was substantial.

The militia silver was normally used to recruit and train militia members, purchase weapons, and build fortifications, but in reality, two-thirds of it was embezzled by officials at all levels and the gentry responsible for organizing the militia. Therefore, the position of deputy commander had always been a target for the powerful gentry in the county. In the past, the Luo family could not compete for this position. Now, the head of one of the families had suddenly died, leaving only an underage son. This vacancy immediately attracted the attention of many.

To compete for this position, Luo Tianqiu had immediately taken a large sum of silver to the county seat to lobby as soon as he received the news. After a series of private entertainments and deals, Luo Tianqiu finally won the position of deputy commander of the Dongguan County militia bureau.

Normally, the deputy commander was supposed to lead the one thousand recruited braves in the county and be ready for battle at any time. But both Luo Tianqiu and the other deputy commander, Song Yasi, were from the gentry class. Not to mention leading the militia in battle, they were not even capable of wielding a sword or spear. What they were competing for was just the position and power. Besides, they had no concept of leaving their own turf to serve the people of the whole county. After getting the position, both of them, without prior consultation, sent their own sons and nephews to the county to act as their deputies. Luo Tianqiu planned to send his clan nephew, Luo Heying, to be the “acting deputy commander.”

During his three or four days in the county, Luo Tianqiu had heard a lot of bad news—Liu Xiang, who had been active in the Pearl River Estuary, was gone, and the Kun thieves, who called themselves Aussies, had come. They had even fought and won a battle with another group of pirates in the estuary. They then took advantage of the situation to go to Humen, defeated the government troops there, and were now occupying Humen, not leaving. It was likely that they would come up the river to plunder in a few days.

Incidents of river and sea pirates harassing and plundering along the Pearl River had happened in the past, which was why Sanliangshi had become so heavily guarded. But this time, it was the “Kun thieves” with their strong ships and powerful cannons. Their fame was already well-known in the local area. Everywhere, people were talking about how their ships were as fast as lightning and their cannons were invincible. The fall of Humen had greatly shocked Luo Tianqiu—the magistrate of Dongguan County, Fan Wencai, had recently expanded the forts at Humen, and Sanliangshi had also provided a lot of laborers and money. When Luo Tianqiu personally escorted the laborers to Humen, he had been to the construction site and seen the various arrangements of the government troops at Humen. At that time, he believed that no ship could sail safely into the Pearl River under the bombardment of such dense Hongyi cannons.

Although Fan Wencai never spoke of the Battle of Humen, the fact that his face turned pale every time the Kun thieves were mentioned showed how terrifying the scene must have been. When Fan Wencai talked to him in the county seat, he was clearly distracted. He repeatedly asked about the defenses of Sanliangshi, whether it was close to the main channel of the Pearl River, and whether large ships could approach Sanliangshi. Luo Tianqiu wondered if the county magistrate was planning to abandon the city and flee. Who were these Kun thieves, to be able to scare Magistrate Fan so much?

After spending some silver, he learned from one of Fan Wencai’s servants that the Kun thieves’ artillery fire was extremely fierce. The several forts at Humen were completely destroyed by the Kun thieves’ cannons in less than half a day, and the two thousand government troops were like clay chickens and wooden dogs, completely useless and routed.

“I didn’t expect the Kun thieves to be so rampant!” Luo Tianqiu cursed inwardly. Of course, he was also very afraid. Although Sanliangshi had a stockade wall surrounding the entire town and two watchtowers, its defense mainly relied on its natural terrain: a maze-like network of rivers. Unfamiliar boats would get lost and sometimes even run aground. A few years ago, he had mobilized the able-bodied men to build bamboo fences along the riverbanks—this simple facility could effectively defend against water bandits in small boats landing in the shallow river channels.

This level of defense was definitely no match for the Aussie cannons. Luo Tianqiu thought, fortunately, Sanliangshi has some geographical advantages—not only is the water network complex, but the river channels are also generally shallow, so ships that are too heavy or too large cannot enter.

If large ships couldn’t get in, neither could large cannons. Even if the Kun thieves were to come, they could only be small bands of scattered bandits in sampans and small boats. They wouldn’t be numerous, and they certainly couldn’t carry heavy cannons and a lot of supplies. It seemed that a battle could still be fought on local ground.

With these thoughts, Luo Tianqiu arrived at the main house. The maids helped him change his clothes and wash up. His wife, hearing that he had returned and had not yet had lunch, personally brought a food box with the maids to see him. She saw him dismiss the servants and sit silently in the grandmaster chair with a weary expression. She was a little worried and sat down at his table.

“Master, was your trip to the county unsuccessful? Was five hundred taels of silver not enough to satisfy Master Fan’s appetite?”

“The matter went very smoothly,” Luo Tianqiu said. “Master Fan has already appointed me as the deputy commander of the militia bureau. The official document will be issued soon. It’s just that now that Liu Xiang, that thorn in our side, is gone, we have the Kun thieves, this bone stuck in our throat!”

The first lady didn’t know who the Kun thieves were. “These sea bandits come and go. It’s been like this since the Tianqi era. We’re far from the waterway, our defenses are strong, and there are no collaborators here. Even if the sea bandits can enter the inner river, they wouldn’t dare to attack us rashly. It’s just that we’ve been living in constant fear. The thought of you having to go out and fight as the deputy commander makes my heart pound.”

“It’s alright. I don’t have to go to battle myself—I plan to let the boy Heying be the deputy commander in the county. He’s a military Xiucai. It’s good for him to get some experience in the county. Maybe he can even make a name for himself.”

“Heying is a good boy. But to let him go and fight like that, if something happens, how will you explain it to your ninth sister-in-law?”

“If you want to fight for wealth and honor with a sword, you can’t be afraid of death,” Luo Tianqiu said, stroking his beard. “If the Kun thieves attack Sanliangshi, all the able-bodied men will have to go to battle, even me, the head of the family. At that time, it will all be up to fate.”

“Alas, if only everyone could be safe and sound,” the first lady, in her forties, was already approaching old age in this timeline. She had lived a life of comfort and was very worried about the increasingly chaotic world outside. “In recent years, there have been constant troubles with water bandits and pirates, and the weather has been bad. Even the tenant farmers have been acting up, all coming to complain and ask for rent reductions! How can we live like this? If we don’t deal with these bumpkins harshly, we won’t be able to live at all!”

“No matter how chaotic the world is, as long as we hold on to Sanliangshi, it won’t be a problem—we can still live our lives,” Luo Tianqiu said. “As for the tenant farmers, let’s give them some leeway for now. A little rent reduction is fine—when the war starts, we’ll still need them to fight and die for us…”

“If they’re unwilling to work, we’ll take their land and seal their houses. Let’s see who among these bumpkins dares not to risk their lives!”