Chapter 197: The Shandong Pawns

Zhao Yingong returned to his lodgings, quite pleased with himself. With Sun Yuanhua’s support, things would be much easier. But he had a thousand and one things to do, especially since the collection of refugees from Zhejiang was about to begin. He had to arrange things quickly and rush back to Hangzhou to take charge.

With a myriad of tasks at hand, he sat at his desk and worked for the better part of the night. While he was busy, the doctor who had accompanied him came to report that the young man they had rescued had regained consciousness and had the strength to speak.

Xie Yao was a general practitioner trained by the Ministry of Health, a naturalized citizen. He spoke with a Shaanxi accent, which made him stand out among the naturalized citizens in Lingao. Whether in language or lifestyle, Xie Yao felt a bit out of place, so when they needed someone to go to Shandong this time, he volunteered.

“Oh? Has he said anything?” Zhao Yingong asked, his hand not leaving the pen as he continued to write letters.

“He asked who we are and what happened to his companions,” Xie Yao said.

“Who is he, and what’s his name?”

“He calls himself Wang Qisuo, a local military household, and a squad leader,” Xie Yao said with enthusiasm. “He has two knife wounds, not serious, just a bit weak.”

“Since he’s fine, let him rest and recover.” Although Zhao Yingong had rescued him on a whim, he hadn’t thought about what to do with him yet. Perhaps he could be used as a channel to connect with the local salt smugglers and military households? For now, he had no detailed plan—there were too many things to do. “Keep a close watch on him, and don’t let him wander around.”

“Yes.” Just as Xie Yao was about to leave, Zhao Yingong called him back. “By the way, send Huang Xiong to me.”

Huang Xiong had originally been transferred to the Northern Expeditionary Force, where he had even met his distant relative, Huang An’de. They were both preparing to participate in Operation Engine. This time, when Zhao Yingong was heading north to Shandong, he had requested Huang Xiong as one of his attendants.

Huang Xiong had found his job as the captain of the mine guard at the Jiazi Coal Mine to be dull. He had heard that many had earned merits and promotions in the Battle of Chengmai. Many who were just soldiers when he was a platoon leader had become second lieutenants after the war, while he was stuck in the coal mine training militia with no prospects. He was already a bit anxious, so being transferred to the Northern Expeditionary Force to go to Shandong was exactly what he wanted.

He came to Zhao Yingong in high spirits and saluted. “Sir! Army Second Lieutenant Huang Xiong reporting for duty!” He was wearing the clothes of a family retainer and a fake topknot, but his spirit was high, and he had the appearance of a capable, modern soldier.

“At ease!” Zhao Yingong said, then looked up and examined him. “This won’t do. From now on, you have to put this away for a while. You must call me and Chief Lu ‘Master,’ and when you see us, you must bow and pay your respects.”

“Yes, sir!” Huang Xiong quickly corrected himself. “Master!” He smiled a bit sheepishly. “It’s a bit hard to get used to.”

“You have to get used to it,” Zhao Yingong said. “I’ll be leaving here soon. We’re going to build a fortress here. You’re from the Shandong garrison, so from now on, you’ll be the military commander of the fortress.”

Huang Xiong quickly stood at attention and saluted again. Zhao Yingong then explained his specific tasks: besides leading a group of soldiers to defend the fortress or farm, he was also responsible for training the recruited refugees, arming them, and ensuring that this base could protect itself during the Dengzhou Mutiny.

“Of course, for a long time here, you’ll just be a retainer captain, a militia instructor, or something similar. You have to adapt to this disguise. This is still the territory of the Ming Dynasty for now, understand?”

“Yes, I understand!”

“You need to know, we don’t have cannons for you. I’m giving you a squad. You’ll use them as a seed to train the recruited refugees into qualified militiamen—or at least, qualified local braves.”

“That’s easy. I did that all day at the Jiazi Coal Mine—” Huang Xiong said, then couldn’t help but feel dejected. Wasn’t this just being a mine guard captain again, but for a farm this time?

Zhao Yingong saw the change in his expression and probably knew what he was thinking. Before they set out, the General Political Security Bureau had given him all the latest ideological reports on the personnel assigned to work in Shandong to read.

“You need to know that Operation Engine is a national policy-level action of the Senate. Everyone participating in the action must devote all their efforts to this task!” he said with a slight smile. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand!” Huang Xiong’s spirits lifted. He immediately understood the meaning behind the “sir’s” words: after the successful completion of the operation, as a project leader, he would surely be promoted and rewarded. He said loudly, “To serve the Senate and the people!”

“Good. You can go now. Think about how to organize the militia and report to me tomorrow with a list of the weapons and equipment you need.”

After Huang Xiong left, Zhao Yingong immediately sent for Lu Wenyuan. Lu Wenyuan was a young man who had previously worked in water conservancy engineering and also had some skills in civil engineering. After D-Day, he had been in charge of agricultural infrastructure projects for the Agriculture Committee at the General Construction Company. This time, he was chosen as the head of the Shandong base because his expertise was a good fit, and he was young and strong.

Because he was so young, it was feared that he would have difficulty dealing with the local natives. Since Zhao Yingong was the one who initiated the project, Lu Wenyuan was presented as Zhao Yingong’s cousin. To facilitate his work, Lu Wenyuan was baptized at the Lingao church before departure, and then Zhao Yingong specifically took him on a trip to Hangzhou to gain the trust of the Hangzhou church.

Lu Wenyuan’s grand ambition was to have a large harem, which he had not yet achieved. He had managed to buy one female servant, so at least someone was there to do his laundry and cooking. Being sent on this mission to Shandong, Lu Wenyuan’s hormones were in overdrive. As the saying goes, “the pavilion closest to the water gets the moon first.” If he didn’t take this opportunity to get a bunch of Shandong girls to fill his harem, this trip would be a waste.

“Little Lu—”

“Just call me by my name. I’m not Chunzi,” Lu Wenyuan said with dissatisfaction.

“Alright, Chunzi—no, Wenyuan,” Zhao Yingong said. “I’ll be surveying suitable land with you soon to buy as the base for our Shandong operation. Then it will be your job.”

“When it comes to building farmland and water conservancy projects, I’m an expert,” Lu Wenyuan boasted. “I’m a bit lacking in farming.”

“Just plant whatever you want with the land. The war is about to start here in Shandong. First, build walls, build a pier, and wait to load people.”

Lu Wenyuan indicated that he understood.

“In a few days, I’ll take you to meet Sun Yuanhua and pave the way for you. You’re a Catholic now, so don’t forget to participate in the local church’s religious activities, especially the weekly worship!” Zhao Yingong reminded him. “Don’t blow your cover!”

“Okay, I know,” Lu Wenyuan nodded helplessly. “Director Wu has given me enough religious lessons.”

From historical materials, Zhao Yingong knew that the Shandong church in the late Ming and early Qing had over three thousand converts in the mid-17th century. This was after experiencing the chaos of the late Ming wars. When Sun Yuanhua was the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, the size of the church would not have been smaller than this.

Although three thousand people was not a lot, the converts came from all social strata, and their internal cohesion was good. Trying to use the power of the local church as a support for their activities was the best way Zhao Yingong had planned to quickly open up the situation in Shandong.

As for where to choose the Shandong base, there were many different opinions. The list of candidates included Dongying, Yangkou, Longkou, Huangqibao, Jimo, and even Qingdao. Every port along the Shandong Peninsula had been proposed. Among them, Rizhao and Qingdao had the most proponents.

However, after studying the materials, the General Staff Headquarters found that although Kong Youde’s rebel army was formidable in Shandong, its scope of influence was very small. The rebels basically only operated along the coast of the Bohai Bay on the Shandong Peninsula. The terrain of the Eastern Three Prefectures was quite rugged, and under the transportation conditions of the Ming Dynasty, neither refugees nor rebels could travel too far. Choosing a base too far from the Dengzhou and Laizhou area would make it difficult to accommodate refugees. Therefore, the ports along Jiaozhou Bay were the first to be eliminated.

As for Dongying and Yangkou, although they were also on the Bohai Bay coast, they were too far from the Dengzhou and Laizhou area, with a land distance of over three hundred kilometers. In comparison, it was closer and more convenient to go to Cangzhou in Hebei.

After careful consideration, it seemed that to effectively collect and transport refugees, they had to occupy a base along the Bohai Bay coast. The final choice was Longkou. Longkou was not only a good port but also very close to Zhaoyuan, which was a major gold-producing area in China. The disadvantage was that Longkou was in Huang County, which was precisely where Kong Youde’s rebel army and the Ming army were engaged in a seesaw battle. Maintaining a presence in the midst of chaos would pose a significant military pressure.

“But there are advantages too. Longkou is not a prosperous place now; at best, it’s a small fishing port. Kong Youde may not be interested in making a special trip to Longkou to attack us. As long as we can get naval support, it won’t be a problem to hold Longkou and accommodate the population.”

“Longkou it is then,” Lu Wenyuan said. “When it comes to building fortresses, probably no one in this era can compare to us. I don’t believe Kong Youde has the ability to capture our fortress.”

“Don’t be so confident. Kong Youde is very good with Hongyi cannons. Dengzhou had Portuguese and many Western cannons, but didn’t he still capture it?” Zhao Yingong said. “If we don’t have cannons ourselves, we might not be able to hold it.”

“The Northern Expeditionary Force will be here by then, right? They can’t possibly be a match for the Northern Expeditionary Force,” Lu Wenyuan said. “I think we should do this—”

Specifically, they would use government support to first enclose land and build in Longkou, setting up an armed trading post and a farm. At the same time, they would send people to places like Yizhou to recruit refugees to Longkou in advance. This group would serve as the basic armed and construction force for the Longkou base. When the war broke out, as long as they showed sufficient strength to stabilize the area, the refugees would naturally flow to the trading post protected by armed forces. After the war, they would quickly occupy or support a proxy to completely control Longkou and Zhaoyuan.