Part 275: Mealtime

The villages and towns along the path of Kong’s troops were inevitably ravaged by the flames of war. The resentful mutinous soldiers vented all their hatred for the Shandong soldiers on the local people. The places they passed were left in smoking ruins, a scene of utter devastation. Other areas were not directly affected by the war.

However, the news of the mutiny sparked panic throughout Huang County. The city gates were closed, and the people sought refuge wherever they could. The “bad elements” in the various villages and the local bandits took the opportunity to stir up trouble, raping and looting everywhere. In a state of panic and chaos, almost every fortified village was flooded with families fleeing with their children and belongings. Rich and poor alike fled to the walled villages and towns. No matter what, within the walls of the forts, there was still a pitiful semblance of order.

Although Lu Wenyuan’s fort had not been established for long, the news that there was a fort on the island with a militia guard quickly spread. Moreover, Qimu Island was relatively remote. Starting from the second day after Kong Youde’s main force entered Huang County, a large number of refugees began to flock to Qimu Island for shelter, supporting the old and carrying the young, along with their belongings.

Lu Wenyuan and the others had anticipated this situation and were well-prepared. The special large pots transported from Lingao were kept boiling day and night, cooking a gruel made from relief grain, dried sea-blite, and all the edible local vegetables and wild plants they could find. Regardless of their wealth, as soon as the refugees entered the refugee camp, they could receive a wooden basin and a wooden spoon and go to the pot to get a bowl of hot gruel.

This method saved many refugees who were starving and cold. It also saved the lives of many refugees who still had some food but were freezing to death.

The gruel was rationed twice a day, with a calorie standard of only 1,400 kilocalories. This amount of food could only ensure that they did not starve to death—which was precisely Lu Wenyuan’s intention. Once the ship transport operation began, if the refugees were all full of life and energy, they would cause a lot of trouble if they rioted. Now, keeping them half-dead ensured they had no strength to resist.

Because the amount of food they ate was too little and the calories were insufficient, their living conditions were more carefully considered. The long wooden houses had underfloor heating. Although it was not as warm as spring, at least no one would freeze to death. In the eyes of the refugees, the master of the island was very merciful. They had gruel to eat, a fire to warm themselves by, and proper houses to live in. A doctor came to inspect them daily, and the sick were given medicine. Infants and young children who could not get milk were even given rice flour and sugar.

Compared to the hardships the refugees endured on the road, braving the wind and snow, Qimu Island was a paradise.

But such a life was not free. Lu Wenyuan knew very well that although the refugees were grateful to him now, as soon as the situation outside improved, they would quickly leave without looking back. As the saying goes, “it is hard to leave one’s native land.” The Chinese people have a strong attachment to their homeland and would not leave their homes unless they had no other choice.

Therefore, he announced to the refugees that anyone who wanted to take refuge on Qimu Island must sign a contract to be his indentured servant for three years. Otherwise, they had to leave the fort immediately and fend for themselves.

The various chaotic and terrifying scenes outside were vividly rendered in the camp under the deliberate exaggeration of Lu Wenyuan and the others. He had specially selected a group of local natives—those with children and elderly to support—and, using the lure of an extra five pieces of relief sweet potato and rice flour biscuits per person per day, had them spread rumors among the refugees, guide public opinion, and at the same time, collect information on the refugees’ conversations.

The refugees were already exhausted and terrified by the various horror stories flying around. Under the threat of having no food and being driven out if they refused to sign the contract to be indentured servants, Lu Wenyuan’s study was soon piled high with documents covered in fingerprints.

For the vast majority of the illiterate common people, only heaven knew what was written on the documents. As for the few literate scholars—including the failed examination candidates, the abacus-wielding shopkeepers and clerks, the fortune-tellers, and so on—they had already been singled out under the guise of “preferential treatment for scholars” and were housed together in a longhouse under supervision. This was, on the one hand, to prevent them from spreading nonsense among the refugees, and on the other hand, the ever-expanding refugee camp did indeed need their literacy skills. Lu Wenyuan had them help with drafting documents and managing accounts, giving them slightly better treatment. Thus, they wholeheartedly began to harm the others for Lord Lu.

He then sent out many refugees, all with families to support. He gave each of them some dry rations and had them go to various places in Huang County to publicize and recruit people. Anyone who could bring back a refugee would be rewarded with a piece of relief biscuit. So these people worked desperately. The news that there was food and security on Qimu Island quickly spread throughout Huang County. Many people who had already taken refuge in the forts and county towns, but had no food and could only beg for a living, heard that there was food being distributed on Qimu Island and set out for the island one after another.

Soon, the number of refugees gathered on the island exceeded four thousand. Lu Wenyuan decided to immediately begin the first batch of transport work to make room for the subsequent refugees.

He immediately sent out a coded telegram: “Mealtime!”

With the sending of this telegram, the prelude to Operation Engine was also drawn.

At the summons of the telegram, the first transport convoy set out from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

The first special transport escort fleet consisted of five H800 “Harmony” class ships, escorted by the first-class gunboats Yufeng and Yangbo. The formation commander was the captain of the Yufeng, Naval Lieutenant Commander Le Lin. They sailed towards Qimu Island.

After leaving port, the formation took the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait and sailed north with the Kuroshio Current. The average speed for the day was 8 knots. It took them less than two days to complete the entire journey, and they arrived at Qimu Island at dusk on the 29th.

Because the number of refugees transported was related to his reputation, as soon as the ships arrived at the port, Lu Wenyuan, without much ado with Le Lin, went to inspect the several H800 ships.

The H800s used to transport refugees had been specially modified to transport as many people as possible while ensuring a high survival rate. Dr. Zhong had once proposed a plan to transport people in “cages” using containers. Although it had various advantages, it was ultimately rejected because the “people containers” stacked on the deck had a high center of gravity and their safety could not be guaranteed. In the end, they still adopted the traditional method of transport in the below-deck compartments. To make full use of the space, some cabins were fitted with double-decker bunks.

Roughly calculated, including hammocks, each refugee could occupy about 1.2 square meters. Although not spacious, it was quite good compared to the 1 square meter per sailor on a destroyer during World War II.

The floors of the cabins were covered with bundled dry straw—this was a measure to keep warm.

“It’s a bit not enough. On land, we gave them all fires,” Lu Wenyuan said, looking at the thickness of the straw.

“The further south we go, the warmer it gets. It’s not a big problem,” Le Lin said. “Besides, if it’s really not enough, we have spare straw. We can just add a few more bundles.”

Le Lin showed him the bundles of dry straw stacked in the ship’s hold. “They were all harvested locally while clearing land in Taiwan. After one trip, they will be unloaded and used for compost. We guarantee that we come to transport people clean every time.”

“I think the refugees’ tattered clothes can also be used for compost…”

“That’s not necessary. No matter how tattered they are, they are all cotton and linen products. Wash them clean and they can be used for papermaking. The water from washing the clothes can be used for compost…”

“Damn, are you planning to transfer to the Planning Commission?”

Because the cabins would be packed with refugees, to supply fresh air to these places, ventilation cowls were installed on the deck. A powerless wind turbine developed by the Ministry of Science and Technology was installed at the bow to collect air, which was then transported to the cabins through a cloth duct. As long as ventilation was guaranteed, the mortality and morbidity rates of a large number of people on a long sea voyage could be greatly reduced.

On the side of the ship, there were also some chutes extending out from the hull. These were chute-style toilets installed for the refugee cabins. Feces and urine were discharged directly into the sea, ensuring the air quality in the cabins and avoiding sanitary pollution.

Finally, a larger cabin was specially set aside for pregnant women and women with infants and young children to ensure the survival rate of the infants and young children.

The H800 type had a deadweight of 800 tons and an actual standard displacement of 1,200 tons. According to the transport model of the slave trade, about one slave could be transported for every 2 tons of displacement, but the mortality rate was extremely high. At present, the Senate was in urgent need of population, so they certainly could not afford such a high mortality rate. Therefore, the loading capacity had to be smaller.

Whether sailing from Qimu Island to Jeju Island or Kaohsiung, or from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong or Lingao, the sailing distance was relatively short. Even in unfavorable wind and sea conditions, the longest voyage would not exceed a week. Therefore, the amount of food and fresh water carried could be minimized to carry more people.

The daily food supply for each person was relief biscuits equivalent to 1,400 kilocalories per day, and 1.5 liters of boiled water was supplied for drinking each day. According to the calculations of the Ministry of Health, this supply could sustain the refugees safely until they reached Kaohsiung.

After precise calculations of carrying capacity, cargo type, and cargo volume, the final transport plan made by the Joint Logistics Command was to transport 400 people per H800, regardless of men, women, old, or young.

The transfer took place at dawn, just as the sky was getting light. An infantry company armed with clubs and bayoneted rifles sealed off the entire camp. Then, while distributing breakfast, the camp leaders announced that they were being sent to Zhejiang to “settle on farmland.” Taiwan was a wild and desolate place at the time. Not to mention that the people of Shandong had never heard of it, even if they had, they knew it was not a good place. In comparison, Jiangsu and Zhejiang were prosperous regions. Saying they were going there to reclaim wasteland would meet with much less resistance.

From the barracks to the pier, there was a large group of propaganda personnel transported from Lingao. They were all middle-aged women with cheerful faces, warmly greeting and supporting the old and young. They also kept repeating in their not-so-fluent Mandarin, “It will be good when you get to Zhejiang! You can eat as much as you want, it’s enough! Everyone who works hard won’t starve! The master is a good person!”

In a state of semi-coercion and semi-cajolery, the refugees, who were mentally exhausted from long-term controlled diets and were almost completely numb, were guided to the gangplank. The first batch of two thousand refugees boarded the five H800 cargo ships.