Chapter 166: Zhao Yigong's Visit

Xiao Zishan agreed to his request and instructed Xiong Buyou, the director of the county office, to dispatch personnel to closely monitor the area around Runshitang and the city gates to ensure Xuanchun’s safety. He also spoke with Ai Beibei; her prenatal check-ups would be conducted by personnel from the General Hospital at her home.

With the General Office’s care, Xuanchun should be fine. Liu San was relieved about this, but the only thing that pained him was that he wouldn’t be able to see her for a long time. As with all relationships that begin physically, feelings tend to develop over time. Moreover, Xuanchun was gentle and considerate, and now she was carrying his child. He had left Lingao in such a hurry, only seeing her once for less than half an hour before leaving…

Liu San stood on the sterncastle deck, smoking a cigar. He didn’t originally smoke, but now he was smoking to drown his sorrows. Cigars were not inhaled into the lungs, so they were less harmful. He gazed at the scenery on both banks of the Qiantang River.

While Liu San was moodily smoking his cigar, the people on the ship were constantly monitoring the situation on the river. Two days ago, Qian Shuixie’s squad had routed a mixed force of several hundred government troops and local militia at Biezimen. This victory had greatly shaken the soldiers of the Haimen Garrison, allowing them to pass through the Zhapu Strait and enter the inland Qiantang River with little effort.

During this time, the government navy’s ships had spied on them. It was clear that the opponents believed it would be difficult to win, but this did not mean that the Haitian was completely safe on the river. Although the Qiantang River was very wide, and no matter how powerful the Haitian’s firepower was or how well-trained the sailors were, it was still unable to effectively deal with a numerically superior enemy on the river.

Li Ziping did not intend to stay here for long. His purpose was to survey the navigation of the Qiantang River and the defensive situation at the river mouth. Now, his objective had been largely achieved. On the Qiantang River from Haimen to Hangzhou, it was entirely possible for the navy’s envisioned ships to sail directly from the sea to Hangzhou—provided that the captain had a complete chart of the Qiantang River’s channels. And this was precisely what Liu Zheng and the others had been busy with for the past few days. The small motorboats, carrying the survey team members and measuring instruments, constantly patrolled the river. The thick black smoke and the “chug-chug” sound of the steam engines attracted a large number of curious onlookers.

Liu San calculated that he would have to apply for a new apartment when he returned. Xuanchun couldn’t live at the Yang family’s house forever, and he couldn’t always hide in the medicinal herb garden at the farm—although he had a dormitory there.

But the thought of Wu Yunhua living in Bairen New City just like him made him very uneasy. He knew her personality all too well. Perhaps she was normal most of the time, but when she suddenly erupted without warning, it would be terrifying. Liu San had no doubt that if the General Office hadn’t arranged for Little Ye to be on standby this time, there was a high probability that he would have been at the receiving end of Wu Yunhua’s sword.

While he was worrying, he suddenly saw a small boat rowing from the direction of Fengshan Gate. This immediately attracted the attention of the lookout. Since the Haitian had arrived on the Qiantang River, almost all the civilian boats in this area had disappeared.

The rowing boat on patrol nearby immediately went to intercept and investigate. After a while, the small boat rowed towards the Haitian again. It came alongside the Haitian’s hull, where a rope net for climbing was hanging.

Liu San noticed that the people on the small boat were all dressed in Ming attire and thought they were probably envoys sent by the local government. He wasn’t very interested in this and was about to turn his attention elsewhere when he suddenly noticed a very familiar face among the people who had come aboard. A few seconds later, he suddenly realized—wasn’t that Zhao Yigong! Before Zhao Yigong set off, he had purchased a large batch of medicines from Runshitang, and Liu San had personally helped configure the specific types and quantities of the drugs.

He knew that Zhao Yigong was in Hangzhou, but he didn’t expect the head of the intelligence station to board the ship so openly. Looking at his distinguished appearance, he really had the air of a powerful and influential gentleman of the Ming Dynasty.

He and his small delegation were immediately separated. Zhao Yigong was led alone into the stern cabin, where Li Ziping was waiting for him.

“How did you become the Ming’s negotiating representative?” Li Ziping stood up with a smile and shook his hand. “You’ve been doing well lately, I trust?”

“I run an Australian-style bookstore, sell Australian books, and have an Australian flair. Of course, people think I’m an expert on Australia,” Zhao Yigong said with a laugh. He then recounted how the prefect of Hangzhou had sent the Qiantang county magistrate and his adviser to visit the Wanbi Bookstore in person, asking him to go to the Haitian to negotiate and inquire about the ship’s intentions.

“The Ming officials are all very shrewd,” Zhao Yigong didn’t forget to praise them. “I think they have some doubts about my identity and suspect that I might be colluding with the ‘Kunzei.’ But Guangdong is too far from here. I have the title of a xiucai from Sanshui County, and I have the backing of a group of bigwigs in the church, so the officials don’t want to cause trouble. This time, they’re even using me—so-called traitors have their uses…”

“They know we are Australians?” Li Ziping found this a bit strange. They hadn’t had any formal contact with the locals yet.

Zhao Yigong nodded. “Of course! Because your ship emits black smoke all day long. Right now, only Australian ships have furnaces. The Ming officials and common people can’t read the Star of Morning flag, nor can they identify the ship’s model, but the feature of constantly emitting black smoke is too obvious.”

Liu San, who had slipped in, became worried. “You have too many Australian labels on you. Will it cause you trouble?”

“No problem,” Zhao Yigong shook his head. “I have some understanding of traditional society now. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re a good person or a bad person in a local area. To get by and do things without interference, with the government turning a blind eye, the prerequisite is that you have to be a capable person.”

A so-called “capable person” was nothing more than someone with backing, connections, and the ability to speak to people with status and power. The reason why the gentry could do whatever they wanted in the local area was largely because they had a network of connections that could reach the provincial level and even the central court. On a smaller scale, if a commoner could speak to a very powerful local gentleman, he was a “capable person” at his level.

More broadly, people who had connections and relationships with certain shady but equally powerful forces were also capable people. People who had connections with pirates and bandits in the local area also enjoyed a certain degree of power and prestige. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were semi-public agencies in Guangzhou that collected protection fees for maritime passage from pirates. Sometimes, when the government was helpless against bandits and needed to offer amnesty or reach some agreement with them, these local people would often act as intermediaries.

“The fact that I might be colluding with the ‘Kunzei’ is not necessarily a bad thing for my activities in Hangzhou,” Zhao Yigong said. “Besides, the Australian style of the Wanbi Bookstore makes it impossible for me to completely distance myself.”

Through the Haitian incident, he could establish a certain reputation for himself in Hangzhou, which would make his activities in the city more convenient in the future.

“Although your arrival in Hangzhou has nothing to do with the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, it has objectively done me a small favor,” Zhao Yigong laughed. “Giving them a real experience will make the officials less impulsive in the future—the stronger the country, the safer the expatriates and overseas Chinese.”

“Let them know the power of the Senate,” Li Ziping nodded. “How about I fire a few blank shots when I leave?”

“That’s not necessary. These days, just this little motorboat with no sails or oars, spewing black smoke, is enough to attract attention. Everyone is talking about it, and many people have gone to the Wanbi Bookstore to find ‘Australian books’ to find out more—the intellectuals of the Ming Dynasty are actually very curious. There’s such a person in the delegation, hehe.”

As he was speaking enthusiastically, Li Ziping’s female orderly brought tea.

Zhao Yigong waved his hand with a smile. “You forgot I’m in Hangzhou, the hometown of Longjing tea. What good tea can’t I find? Don’t try to fool me with this Limu Mountain oolong tea.”

“Master Zhao has great style!” Li Ziping said. “I won’t be polite then. What do the Hangzhou officials want you to do on the ship? Is there anything we need to cooperate with?”

Zhao Yigong said, “They sent me to send off the gods.” He took out a list from his sleeve. “These are the offerings for sending off the gods. Take a look.”

Li Ziping took it. It was a list without a beginning or an end, listing eggs, Shaoxing wine, rice, loquats, bayberries, tea, chickens, and ducks… It looked like a lot, but most of them were very useful supplies for seafarers.

“I was just thinking of replenishing our supplies. I didn’t expect the Hangzhou government to be so thoughtful,” Li Ziping said. “We were about to leave anyway. We can’t stay here for long.”

“This stuff isn’t worth much. As long as you’re willing to leave, it probably wouldn’t be difficult to get them to give you more.”

“What else should I ask for?” Li Ziping had no experience with this kind of thing.

“Let me handle it,” Zhao Yigong said. “When are you planning to leave?”

“Depending on Liu Zheng’s progress, probably in about 24 hours.”

“Then I’ll come again tomorrow morning to show that I’m working hard and make the officials worry a little more,” Zhao Yigong said, then asked, “Where are you going next, Shandong?”

“Yes, the next step is to conduct reconnaissance and surveys along the coast of Shandong,” Li Ziping said. “The Executive Committee plans to launch Operation Engine as soon as the typhoon season of 1631 is over.”

“Xu Ke is with me. He was originally going to Shandong for a mission as well. We can take him with us this time.”

“No problem,” Li Ziping said. He asked with some curiosity, “What are you planning to do in Shandong? The Foreign Intelligence Bureau hasn’t sent us any specific guidance documents.”

Zhao Yigong said, “It’s not the center’s fault, because the specific decision-making power is with us. I’ll tell you now: our next step is to use the relationship with the Hangzhou Catholic Church and Old Sun to first establish an agricultural base for land reclamation in Shandong as a cover for a refugee camp.”