Chapter 308: The Persuasion

Lü Yang, however, did not return to the pier. He remained in the central hall, enthusiastically drinking tea and chatting with Lu Wenyuan. Lu Wenyuan was not much older than Lü Yang, and the two found they had much in common. Gradually, the conversation drifted to topics that men enjoy. Chen Sigen couldn’t help but ask, “Are you here just for combat readiness duty?”

Lü Yang replied, “Because I love to read, have a wide range of knowledge, and appear to be a graceful, handsome, and refined young man, the Engine Command felt I was more suitable to assist you in receiving Sun Yuanhua. And my Daishuang is, after all, a 901-class gunboat with 130mm guns, which has more firepower than the Fubo. If necessary, it can perform shore bombardment missions. The ship also has Lin Shenhe’s new toy… Besides, I’m a foodie, and my orderly is also a skilled cook. I’ve brought a lot of good things on board to help calm Lord Sun’s nerves.”

This statement contained a bit too much information, and Chen Sigen and Lu Wenyuan couldn’t quite digest it all at once.

Chen Sigen quickly asked, “A new toy? Is it the Type 92 infantry gun?”

Lin Shenhe’s new toy couldn’t be anything else. Chen Sigen had heard from Senators who had participated in the joint sea-land landing exercise before Operation Engine that the marines had experimentally used a brand-new cannon for support fire—not a smoothbore like the M1857 or the 12-pound mountain howitzer.

Lü Yang replied, “It’s not that fast. It’s still a recoil-operated gun. But it’s a breech-loading rifled cannon, and its rate of fire is much faster than the previous naval 70mm gun.”

“It’s probably the ‘Miss 75’ that Lin Shenhe is always bragging about,” Lu Wenyuan said. He had little interest in artillery, but the development of new cannons and weapons was a recurring topic on the internal BBS. Lin Shenhe would occasionally reveal some so-called inside information with an air of mystery, sometimes posting a few blurry digital photos, only to delete them suddenly, accompanied by cryptic phrases like “The black tea doesn’t taste good.”

Sun Yuanhua was half-asleep, half-awake in his bed. Feeling thirsty, he habitually called for a servant to bring tea. But the person who pushed open the door was a strange maid, which startled him. He remembered that for the past few days, it had been his two boy servants who had been attending to him.

He quickly sat up and found that he was not in the main room of the Supervising Army Intendant’s yamen where he had gone to sleep yesterday, but in an unfamiliar room.

The room was not very tall, even a bit small. But it was exquisitely clean and simply furnished. Besides the bed he was on, there was only a table and two chairs. On the white wall hung a crucifix. The window seemed to be open, and he could see the bare branches in the courtyard. Bright sunlight was already streaming in, yet there was no cold wind in the room.

Sun Yuanhua realized: the window had glass!

Installing glass in windows was a great luxury. The transparent, colorless flat glass was transported all the way from Guangdong, and its price was so high that even a high official like him dared not inquire about it easily.

In the entire city of Dengzhou, he dared say that not a single household had such a window, let alone the crucifix on the wall.

Where am I? he wondered with surprise.

There was no stove lit in the room, yet it was as warm as spring. The bedding was soft and warm, and the mattress beneath him was soft yet firm, yielding yet supportive, very comfortable.

At this moment, the maid asked, “Do you have any other instructions, sir?” while presenting a half-cup of light tea and a small spittoon for rinsing his mouth.

Seeing her propriety and skill in serving, Sun Yuanhua felt a little relieved. No matter where he was, the other party’s meticulous care suggested they meant him no harm for the time being.

He first rinsed his mouth. Only then did the maid replace the tea with a fresh cup—also light tea, but of excellent quality. Sun Yuanhua was from Jiading and was very particular about tea tasting. He could tell from the first sip that it was new autumn tea from Zhejiang.

In Dengzhou, although he was the governor, he was on the front lines, dealing with rough military men all day long. He rarely had such refined enjoyments.

After drinking the tea and composing himself, he asked, “Where am I?”

The maid smiled faintly. “Please be at ease, sir. My master said that you were frightened a few days ago and should rest a little longer. If you do not wish to sleep, I will fetch a washcloth to attend to your washing…”

“Who is your master?” Sun Yuanhua was even more surprised. From the maid’s tone, it was clear they were not part of the rebel faction. But he had clearly been captured by Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng a few days ago and was being held in the Supervising Army Intendant’s yamen.

Before falling asleep last night, he had been hesitating about whether to commit suicide to fulfill his duty.

But the thought of the priests’ words—that suicide was a violation of the Ten Commandments and would lead to eternal damnation—made him waver.

He had fallen asleep in this state of mind. Since his capture, Sun Yuanhua had not had a peaceful night’s sleep—as soon as he closed his eyes, he was plagued by chaotic dreams. But last night, he had slept particularly soundly, without a single dream.

Could it be that God had heard his prayers and shown him a new path? Amidst his surprise, a glimmer of hope sparked in Sun Yuanhua’s heart.

He then instructed, “First, attend to my washing and dressing.”

The maid went out for a moment and returned with a box containing toiletries. She removed his headscarf and hairnet, undid his topknot, combed and brushed his hair, and then tied it up again. She then brought a basin of warm water and a willow branch with green salt for rinsing his mouth, attending to his washing. She wiped the water from his face with a thick, soft towel, and a refreshing feeling instantly permeated his being.

The maid went out again and brought him some clean undergarments and a new cotton robe, saying:

“Please change, my lord. In this rural place, we only have some simple clothes, but they are all new and very clean.”

After his capture, although Kong Youde had treated him with great consideration, recruiting his scattered former servants to attend to him and doing his best to retrieve his personal books and luggage, he was still a prisoner. The so-called preferential treatment was merely the absence of abuse and a guarantee of food and clothing. He had not had such meticulous service and enjoyment.

“What is your name?”

“This servant is Cheng Lingsu.”

“A good name.”

The maid smiled faintly. “My master gave it to me. Whether it’s good or not, this servant doesn’t know.” She added, “My master said that if you have finished washing, please have breakfast first, and then he will meet you in the flower hall.”

“Alright.” Sun Yuanhua also felt hungry.

The maid soon returned with a tray, on which were white porridge and pickled vegetables, all in the Jiangnan style, which reminded him of his hometown.

After breakfast, led by the maid, he left the bedroom and entered a small but meticulously cleaned and arranged courtyard. Following the maid through a side passage by the courtyard, he made a few turns and entered a large hall. There, he saw a young man already standing, smiling at him.

He recognized this person: it was Lu Wenyuan, a fellow Christian from Zhejiang who had come to Shandong to reclaim wasteland. The Jesuit priests had even asked him to take good care of him.

Lu Wenyuan stepped forward and bowed deeply. “You have been frightened, sir!”

“Not at all! Not at all!” Sun Yuanhua quickly returned the courtesy, a mixture of feelings welling up in his heart. After Kong Youde’s rebellion, this Master Lu had sent a special messenger to remind him to pay attention to the movements of the Liaodong people in the city, to prevent the conflict between the locals and the newcomers from escalating. He had also specifically mentioned that Geng Zhongming, due to his feud with Huang Long, was probably not very reliable and that he should be on his guard.

The subsequent events had almost entirely confirmed Lu Wenyuan’s warnings. He had never expected that this young man from another province could have such a brilliant view of the situation in Dengzhou.

“I am ashamed, ashamed,” Sun Yuanhua said as he and Lu Wenyuan sat down as host and guest. A maid served tea.

“Where is this place?” This was the question that concerned Sun Yuanhua the most at the moment.

“This is Qimu Island in Huang County—my humble stockade. You are very safe now, sir.”

Sun Yuanhua remained silent. He knew of Qimu Island. When this Master Lu had wanted to buy land to reclaim wasteland in Shandong, it was with his help that the land on Qimu Island had been purchased. Since he was on Qimu Island, it was clear that he had been rescued by the Master Lu before him. This was, of course, a very good thing. But to be spirited away from the heavily guarded city of Dengzhou, from the midst of a large army, in the middle of the night, was almost like a tale of chivalry from a ghost story, like “Red Thread Steals the Box.” It could not help but raise his suspicions.

Could it be that they had reached some deal with Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng to exchange him? Sun Yuanhua felt that this was the most likely possibility—although he still did not know what their purpose was.

However, Lu Wenyuan was, after all, a fellow Christian introduced by Father Giulio Aleni, a priest he greatly admired. At least he did not have to doubt this person’s motives.

As if guessing Sun Yuanhua’s thoughts, Lu Wenyuan smiled faintly. “We have also rescued your two boy servants. They will continue to serve you tomorrow.”

With these two witnesses to the rescue, who were Sun’s trusted servants, present, it would be more convincing than his empty words.

“Thank you, sir,” Sun Yuanhua said, cupping his hands. “But I wonder, what is your purpose in taking such great risks to rescue me from a desperate situation?”

Here it comes, Lu Wenyuan thought. This was to be expected. He had already had a full exchange of views with the Grand Library and had done a lot of homework on how to work on Sun Yuanhua. At this moment, he was full of confidence.

“Firstly, it is for the people of Shandong. The people of the three eastern prefectures are already suffering from hunger and cold, and now they have to endure the disaster of war. As believers in the Lord of Heaven, how can we sit by and watch so many lambs die in original sin?”

“Yes,” this was the great righteousness of the Church. Even if Sun Yuanhua didn’t quite believe it, he couldn’t refute it.

“Secondly, it is for you, sir,” Lu Wenyuan said eloquently. “You were in the hands of the bandits, your life hanging on the whim of scoundrels like Kong Youde and Li Jiucheng. If it weren’t for the great kindness you had shown them in the past, you would have probably lost your life at their hands long ago!”

As Lu Wenyuan spoke, a look of dejection appeared on Sun Yuanhua’s face. He had insisted on appointing Liaodong men and generals in Dengzhou and had treated the former members of the Eastern River garrison with great favor. He had never expected that he and the entire city of Dengzhou would ultimately be destroyed by these very people.

With the fall of Dengzhou, the firearms, weapons, horses, grain, and military pay that had been accumulated over many years were all lost. The army he had personally built and trained with the help of the Portuguese was also wiped out. Years of hard work had been destroyed in an instant.