Chapter 189: Exorbitant Demands

After some haggling, the peace-seeking faction in the city finally reached an agreement. With the plan settled, Gao Ju summoned Manager Yan.

This Manager Yan, nicknamed “Little Hat Yan,” was not just known for always wearing a “six-unification cap”; the name also reflected others’ opinions of his character—and not in a positive way.

Little Hat Yan was one of Gao Ju’s trusted men. He had been responsible for monitoring Wen Desi and his group, often using various pretexts to get close to them and gather information. Thus, he had a history with the Australians, was familiar with their situation, and was quite clever. If Manager Wen and the others were in the fleet, Little Hat Yan himself would be the best proof of identity.

Furthermore, Gao Ju had long since freed him from servitude, so theoretically, he was no longer a servant of the Gao family. If anything went wrong, it would be relatively easy to deny any connection.

He gave Little Hat Yan ten taels of silver and instructed him to be lowered from the city wall after dark and go to the Australian camp.

Little Hat Yan was somewhat apprehensive. This sort of thing—passing through a war zone to the enemy camp—was something he had only read about in books. To go so rashly, he might very well get his head chopped off.

“You don’t need to worry. The Kun thieves are the Australians, Manager Wen’s men. They all know you. Why would they harm you?”

“It’s Master Wen?” Little Hat Yan was surprised. “They have such powerful firearms?” News of the Kun thieves’ invincibility along the Pearl River had spread throughout Guangzhou in recent months.

“If they can make such marvelous Australian goods, can’t they make a few cannons?” Gao Ju snorted. “Go with confidence. You won’t be treated unfairly. When you get there and see them, just say this…”

He then laid out the details for the next contact and meeting between the two sides.

“If they are unwilling to do it this way, just bring back the Australians’ message. Tell me everything, word for word. Don’t leave any written notes, do you understand?”

“Yes, master!” Little Hat Yan said. “But master, what if Manager Wen and the others are not in the army? I heard he’s actually the Australian Prime Minister or something. How can I prove my identity?”

“Don’t you worry. The Australians are probably waiting for you with bated breath,” Gao Ju said with confidence. “They will naturally ask you many things. Just answer truthfully, word for word. Don’t lie, don’t make things up. Say what you know, and if you don’t know, say you don’t know. They will naturally believe you.”

“Yes, I understand.” Little Hat Yan felt that Master Gao’s confidence was unreliable, but he agreed anyway. He was something of a desperado himself and knew that completing this task would bring rewards far greater than a few dozen taels of silver and would be greatly beneficial to his future.

Around the third watch, under the personal supervision of the garrison commander in charge of the southern city wall, a few soldiers lowered Little Hat Yan from the wall. Outside the city was pitch black, but the opposite bank of the Pearl River, Henan Island, was brightly lit. That was where the Australian camp was. Guided by a scout waiting below, Little Hat Yan stumbled his way to the riverbank, where a fishing boat was already prepared.

Not long after the fishing boat set off, just past the middle of the river, it was intercepted by a small patrol motorboat. Two Australian sailors, armed with large sabers and short-barreled rifles, leaped aboard. They were short and capable, dressed in identical blue and white short jackets and wide-brimmed straw hats. Their attire was strange but neat and efficient. The fishermen quickly knelt on the boat, motionless. Little Hat Yan plucked up his courage and stated his purpose.

“Get on our boat, we’ll take you,” the leading Australian sailor said, allowing him to transfer. “Are you carrying anything?”

Little Hat Yan quickly took out a tael of silver. “For you gentlemen to buy a bowl of wine.”

“Keep the silver for yourself, we have no use for it,” the leading sailor said with a blank expression, waving his hand. “You, sit here! Don’t move.” He pointed to a row of seats at the stern.

“Yes, yes.” Little Hat Yan quickly sat down on the bench with fixed wooden slats. It was strange that they didn’t take the silver. The Australians must be very rich, their soldiers already well-fed with silver. A glass lantern hung at the stern of the small boat, illuminating the area. The boat seemed quite small, able to hold at most a dozen people. It felt like it was made of wood. In the middle was a dark object with a tin chimney sticking out, like a stove. A wave of heat told him his guess was correct.

“Let’s go!” the sailor called out, sitting down opposite Little Hat Yan. A thick cloud of smoke, mixed with sparks, immediately shot out of the chimney. Little Hat Yan felt his whole body lurch forward and then back. The small boat made a “putt-putt” sound and moved forward.

The news that the Kun thieves had oarless, sailless, fire-powered boats had long spread throughout Guangzhou. Little Hat Yan hadn’t expected to be the first to experience a ride on a “fire-wheel boat.” Amidst his apprehension, he was also curious. Forgetting the darkness, he looked around. The sailors on the boat seemed accustomed to his curiosity and did not stop him.

Little Hat Yan was taken to the camp area at the restaurant that served as the headquarters. He was first strip-searched, and all his belongings were taken away before he was brought before Wen Desi.

Little Hat Yan recognized Wen Desi. He knelt and kowtowed to him and the others, showing great respect, deeply afraid of being suspected, which would not only make his mission difficult but might also cost him his life.

Wen Desi did indeed remember him, but not his name. Little Hat Yan quickly stated it. Wen then asked about Gao Ju’s age, business, wife, and staff. Little Hat Yan answered everything without error. Wen then had someone bring the comprehensive dossier on Gao Ju compiled by the Intelligence Bureau, found Little Hat Yan’s file and photograph, and confirmed that he was indeed Gao Ju’s manager. He was then taken to another tent, guarded by a few soldiers, and questioned by specialized personnel. Little Hat Yan’s rank was very low, and his purpose was merely to discuss preparations for negotiations, so there was no need for Wen Desi and the others to handle it personally.

Little Hat Yan presented Gao Ju’s proposal: the negotiations would be held at a nunnery on Henan Island.

It was agreed that the two sides would meet the next evening at a nunnery called the Lotus Abode on Henan Island. The location was not far from the city and was quite convenient.

“What? Gao Ju wants to negotiate in a nunnery? Does he have any ulterior motives?” Chen Haiyang was a little worried.

“You don’t know the scene here. This isn’t a real nunnery,” Wen Desi, a Guangzhou native, knew a lot about the city’s history of pleasure and debauchery. “It’s a service industry establishment flying a Buddhist banner. The ‘nuns’ inside are all women who haven’t shaved their heads.”

“You mean?” Chen Haiyang didn’t know about this side of Guangzhou’s history.

“Exactly,” Wen Desi nodded. “This line of business used to be very prosperous in Guangzhou. A rich man like Gao Ju has probably frequented such places and might even be a patron of this nunnery. That’s why he wants us to meet him there.”

“Negotiating in a brothel, how wonderful.”

“But it’s very safe. The amenities should be first-class,” Wen Desi said. “It just might not be to our taste.”

Chen Haiyang then summoned the political security commissar accompanying the fleet and ordered him to send men to the Lotus Abode the next morning to set up security.

The next evening, Gao Ju arrived as scheduled. The two sides began secret negotiations in the abode.

Gao Ju had already coordinated with Li Fengjie and the others. The government’s primary condition was the withdrawal of the Australian fleet from the Provincial River, and preferably from the Pearl River estuary. All other details were negotiable, but this had to be done as soon as possible. The longer the Australian fleet stayed at Bai’e Tan, the harder it would be for him to explain in his reports to the court.

Overall, Li Fengjie and his men still believed that the Australians had attacked Guangzhou in anger over Wang Zunde’s “unprovoked border aggression” and Tian Da’s actions that had shut down the Zi-brand businesses. Therefore, the conditions he had authorized Gao Ju to offer were merely: the Zi-brand businesses could reopen immediately, and all seized properties and equipment would be returned; any confiscated goods that had not yet been sold would be returned, while those already sold could not be recovered, for which the government would pay ten thousand taels of silver in compensation; Australian people and ships could freely enter and leave Guangzhou for trade under the name of a local agent, and the government would not arrest or prohibit them.

These three conditions were formulated by Li Fengjie with the participation of his advisors. They believed that foreign merchants only sought the right to trade with the Ming. Granting them this right would surely satisfy the Australians—after all, only the Portuguese had enjoyed such a privilege until now.

As for returning the properties and paying a small amount of silver, it was merely a gesture of “sincerity” from the Guangdong side.

Wen Desi was, of course, not satisfied with these conditions. Not only was he dissatisfied, but the Senate would never be satisfied either. According to a significant portion of the Senate, they needed to sign a Ming version of the Treaty of Nanking, which meant ceding territory, paying indemnities, and opening five treaty ports.

However, at a working meeting of the Executive Committee, everyone agreed that this was unlikely, especially in the unique historical context of the Ming Dynasty. Neither Li Fengjie nor Wang Zunde would dare to do such a thing. Forcing an unequal treaty would only result in a breakdown of talks and an awkward stalemate of no war, no peace.

After repeated consultations, the Senate set the minimum requirements for the negotiations: first, both sides would immediately end the state of war, and trade would return to normal. After all, Lingao was still a regime highly dependent on foreign trade, and this was the primary goal of the Pearl River campaign. Second, Hong Kong Island and the surrounding islands would be confirmed as belonging to the transmigrators, and government forces would not pose any military threat to this area or to ships sailing in it.

The latter condition did not need to be formally signed; a tacit understanding would suffice. A treaty ceding territory was something that even the Chongzhen Emperor himself might not dare to agree to.

Wen Desi then presented these conditions one by one. Clearly, there was no disagreement on the first point. But the cession of Hong Kong Island and its surrounding islands was far beyond what Gao Ju could accept. The Portuguese had gone to great lengths to obtain Macau and still worried about being expelled by the Ming. The Australians, on the other hand, were demanding the entire Hong Kong Island and dozens of surrounding islands right from the start. Lantau Island alone was bigger than Hong Kong Island!

The Ming usually paid little attention to its coastal islands, leaving them to fend for themselves. Most Guangdong officials, including Li Fengjie, were indifferent to the number of islands in their province or the conditions of their people and resources. But ceding territory was a major taboo for the Ming court.

Gao Ju dared not agree. He pondered for a long time before saying, “Manager Wen! Right now, it’s easy for you to ask for anything—money, goods, servants. But ceding territory… the governor would never dare to agree.”

“You can take your time to discuss this. We are in no hurry,” Wen Desi said with a smile, looking around the abbot’s meditation room. It was exquisitely and elegantly furnished, and the pastries on the table were delicious. “It’s so comfortable here. We’ve been cooped up in that small place, Lingao, for two or three years. We must relax here for a few months.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Gao Ju thought to himself that these terms would not be easy to negotiate. He could only say that he had to report this to Li Fengjie. But before that, he hoped the Australians could withdraw from the Provincial River as soon as possible, so that the Guangzhou martial law would not last too long, which would be difficult for Governor Li to explain.

“Withdrawing from the Provincial River is not impossible. But we have come all this way. If we withdraw just on your word, we won’t be able to explain it to the Senate either.”

Gao Ju knew this meant another set of conditions would be presented. Whatever they were, Li Fengjie’s top priority was the withdrawal of the Australian troops.

Wen Desi’s conditions were: Guangzhou would immediately pay a ransom of three hundred thousand taels of silver; all remaining waterborne militia would be disbanded; and all destroyed forts along the way would not be rebuilt.

Once the payment was made, the task force would immediately withdraw from the Provincial River. The detailed negotiations could continue in Macau.

“Three hundred thousand taels?!” Li Fengjie almost shouted. This was an exorbitant demand. He had originally thought that simply allowing them to trade freely in Guangzhou would smooth everything over. He hadn’t expected them to demand a ransom of three hundred thousand taels. The entire provincial treasury of Guangdong only held three hundred and seventy thousand taels of silver. Not only could he not give it, but even if he did, he couldn’t find a way to account for such a huge expenditure.

Li Fengjie slammed the table and said angrily, “How audacious! Allowing them to trade in Guangzhou is already a great favor! And they are still not satisfied! Let’s just ignore them and see what they can do! I don’t believe their dozens of ships and a thousand men can break into Guangzhou with just a few cannons!”

Gao Ju remained silent. He also felt the conditions were a bit harsh. However, if Viceroy Wang hadn’t insisted on “clearing out the Kun thieves” in the first place, the Australians’ business would have been doing fine, and they would never have attacked Guangzhou. If Li Fengjie had been more decisive about peace talks a few months ago instead of procrastinating, and had sent someone to Lingao to negotiate then, it probably wouldn’t have escalated to being besieged and forced to make a treaty under the city walls.

The government certainly couldn’t produce three hundred thousand taels of silver, Gao Ju thought. Even if they were forced to, it would ultimately fall on the wealthy merchants and large households in the city. For this matter of the Kun thieves, the Gao family had been extorted no less than twenty thousand taels, from “donating to military funds” to the recent “assisting in river defense.” If this demand for three hundred thousand was met, they would probably have to cough up another few thousand.

Li Fengjie closed his eyes and said nothing for a long time. Finally, he opened his eyes and said, “Are the Kun thieves serious about withdrawing their troops after getting the silver?”

“Indeed.” Gao Ju detailed Wen Desi’s conditions. “After they withdraw from the Provincial River, the other conditions can be slowly negotiated in Macau.”

Li Fengjie, with a wooden face, thought for a long while. “Can the Australians be trusted?”

“The Australians built their nation on commerce. Integrity is their foundation.”

“But the old saying goes, ‘no merchant is not a crook’,” Li Fengjie murmured, seemingly forgetting that the tall official in front of him was also a “merchant.”

Gao Ju sneered inwardly. Li Fengjie was at his wit’s end but was still trying to put on a show of composure and confidence. Officials really did have thick skins.

There were solutions, but given Gao Ju’s status, it was not appropriate for him to give any advice to Li Fengjie, as it might endanger his own interests. After much consideration, he decided to say nothing for the time being and simply took his leave and went home.

Li Fengjie, of course, couldn’t think of any brilliant plan. The figure of three hundred thousand taels weighed heavily on his mind. He couldn’t produce the silver, but if he didn’t, the insatiably greedy Australians would never withdraw. They had extorted countless amounts of grain and wealth from the countryside and could stay here as long as they wanted.

He summoned his trusted advisors to discuss how to respond. Some said the Kun thieves were just bluffing and would never dare to actually attack Guangzhou. Others suggested not responding for now and seeing how the Kun thieves would react. Some proposed having Master Gao negotiate a discount. And some suggested following the old rule: make the wealthy households pay.

He Chengzong remained silent. In the past, three hundred thousand taels was not a large sum in Guangzhou. It wouldn’t be difficult to raise it by gathering the city’s wealthy merchants and households and explaining the crisis. But things were different now. Within this year, the wealthy had been squeezed several times. It would be very difficult to force them to pay again. These wealthy households were not small merchants with little capital; most had powerful backers in the provincial government and in the northern and southern capitals. Angering them was not an option.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, “Under the current circumstances, it will be very difficult to ask the wealthy households again. We can only borrow!”

“Borrow?”

“Yes.” He Chengzong nodded. “The city can produce not just three hundred thousand taels, but three million. We can gather the wealthy households, first explain the stakes, and then have each family lend money to the government. With the government as guarantor and some interest paid, it would be beneficial to both public and private interests. The wealthy households will surely be willing.”

With the governor’s office borrowing the money, the guarantee would be solid. It also carried an implicit warning not to “refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.” The wealthy households would understand.