Chapter 472: Sixianjiao

After eating the rectangular mooncake, lunch was over. Lin Ming felt full, yet also empty, as if he had eaten nothing. What kind of meal was this!

“So, how was it? Good, right?” Cummins looked at Suo Pu, who was constantly drinking tea.

“It’s alright.” Suo Pu, of course, understood the teasing in Cummins’ words. This “Grassland” compressed ration had been a topic of conversation in the Fubo Army since its debut. Countless jokes and witticisms in the army were based on it. Except for the new recruits who had never had a full meal before enlistment, no one said it was delicious.

The reason it wasn’t delicious was not due to reasons like “emergency rations must be unpalatable, otherwise soldiers will eat them as snacks.” Rather, its main ingredient was dried sweet potato powder. The fiber-rich potato powder was not only difficult to swallow, but the army also couldn’t get more oil supplies, so it couldn’t give the compressed rations the same aroma as fried noodles.

But for Suo Pu, the problem was that the “Grassland” ration had too few calories, less than half of the PLA’s traditional compressed biscuits. This meant that for the same supply standard, the supply had to be doubled. So this time, “energy bars” were added to the “Grassland” ration, using a large amount of sugar to increase the calorie supply. To cut the grease, pickled mustard root was also added.

“You should pay more attention to when you’ll get hungry. This is the first time this new set is being tested.”

“We’re traveling by boat, so the calorie consumption is not high. I estimate I won’t be hungry until seven or eight in the evening,” Cummins said, patting his stomach. “Little Xie, let’s get back to work!”

Suo Pu watched as Cummins continued to guide Xie Peng’s combat staff duties. His attention was on the geographical scenery along the way. In another time and space, he had been to many cities in the Pearl River Delta, but at this time and place, where were the familiar landscapes? On the horizon, besides the intricate network of river channels, harbors, and ponds, there were rice paddies, fish ponds, mulberry groves, sugarcane fields, and lychee forests… Small villages were scattered among them, and the common people, wearing blue cloth shirts and jackets, bamboo hats, and rowing small boats back and forth… a scene of the Guangdong countryside that was rarely seen in the old time and space.

The river channel in this area was very wide, and the water was bustling with boats coming and going. Suo Pu noticed that more than ninety percent of them were small boats; large boats were rare. Regardless of size, all the boats gave the impression of being dilapidated. The bamboo curtains of the boat awnings were almost never intact, either with holes or patched with small pieces of straw mat. The sails were also full of holes. The materials used for the hulls were not particular, and the workmanship was very rough.

He noticed that many small boats had tattered clothes hanging out to dry, and there were stoves at the stern for cooking. From time to time, he could even see naked toddlers, tied with ropes around their waists, toddling about. He thought to himself that these must be the Tanka people.

He saw a small boat fishing in a river bend. The woman on the boat was standing at the stern, rowing, while the man was dragging a net at the bow. Both were disheveled. The woman wore only a cloth skirt, so tattered that its color was unrecognizable. She had an infant wrapped in a cloth on her back. The baby was probably hungry and was crying loudly, but the woman paid no attention, focusing on rowing and occasionally shouting at her husband to pay attention to the fishing net.

Suo Pu sighed to himself. Suddenly, he saw seven or eight small boats emerge from a river channel ahead, seeming to gather towards them under a unified command. But after getting closer, they suddenly dispersed and went their separate ways. Suo Pu was a little puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, Lin Ming spoke up:

“These are Tanka water bandits, probably from the Four Surnames. They saw our boat was good and originally wanted to rob us,” Lin Ming said. “But they know what’s good for them.”

Hearing they were water bandits, Suo Pu couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. “So your protective charm worked.”

“They’re not that stupid,” Lin Ming said. “There are plenty of cargo and merchant ships without protection. Why would they bother with us?”

“I see.” Suo Pu was secretly surprised. This was not some desolate wilderness, but the heartland of the Pearl River Delta, densely populated, and yet water bandits were robbing in broad daylight!

“This place is not far from Foshan Town. How can the water bandits be so rampant?”

“Foshan Town is nothing. This place is only a little over ten li from Sanshui County town,” Lin Ming said with a smile. “These people usually fish and weave bamboo. If there’s an opportunity to steal or rob, they won’t let it go. The rabble are unpredictable and have no fixed abode. The government can do nothing about them.”

The Senate was no stranger to the Tanka people. Lingao itself had a considerable number of Tanka, and later, when they incorporated pirates several times, there were Tanka among them. They lived on the water year-round, mostly making a living by fishing and weaving bamboo. Because they were outcasts, they rarely had contact with the people on land, forming a closed social community.

Although the government discriminated against the Tanka, because they were skilled in the water and physically strong, they often recruited Tanka to serve as water braves. During the Hongwu reign, there was also a proposal to register the Tanka of Guangzhou as naval forces. In the Pearl River Estuary Raid three years ago, the navy had fought with Tanka water braes more than once. According to the Great Library’s estimate, there were about 500,000 Tanka in all of Guangdong. Their low social and economic status, and their urgent need for a change in fortune, made them a force that could be utilized. Therefore, Suo Pu paid close attention to their situation.

As the sun began to set, a city emerged from the rice paddies and river network in the distance. This was Hekou Town, the seat of Sanshui County. The terrain of Sanshui sloped from northwest to southeast, with high hills in the northwest and alluvial plains and low hills in the southeast. The North River, West River, and Sui River converged in Sanshui, hence the name “Three Waters.” And the county seat of Sanshui County in the Ming dynasty, Hekou Town, was located at the confluence of these three rivers.

This place was the throat of the Pearl River Delta and the western gateway to Guangzhou, and had always been a place of strategic importance. Historically, the Guangdong-Guangxi warlords and the Sino-Japanese armies had all fought battles around this place.

“Master Suo, please look, this is Sixianjiao,” Lin Ming pointed.

Sixianjiao was opposite the county town of Sanshui. It was a river channel connecting the West River and the North River, about 15 kilometers long. It connected the West and North Rivers, and together with the Sui River, which flowed into it three kilometers north of Sixianjiao, it became the “confluence of three rivers” in Guangdong. The river here was wide and vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. From the bow of the boat, one could see the turbid water of the West River and the clear water of the North River converging here. At the confluence of the two rivers, one could clearly see the magical landscape formed by the boundary between the clear and turbid waters.

Suo Pu already knew the approximate hydrological data of Sixianjiao: the water depth was about 5 meters, the width of the west entrance was 100 meters, the width of the east entrance was 200 meters, and the width in the middle was 500 meters. This channel was like a natural canal, playing an important role in regulating the flow of the West and North Rivers, facilitating navigation and irrigation, and developing production.

The width and depth of this short Sixianjiao could be used as an anchorage for ships. Suo Pu vaguely remembered that in another time and space, ships of the 5,000-ton class could anchor here.

“Sixianjiao, Sixianjiao, what a scholarly name,” Cummins said.

“This name has a great origin,” Lin Ming quickly interjected. “This place was originally called Cangjiang. It is said that Master Baisha once came here to visit his student Chen Mian but did not meet him. He left behind the two characters ‘Sixian’ (Thinking of the Worthy), and later generations named it thus. This is also one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Sanshui.”

“Oh?” Cummins didn’t know who Master Baisha was and wasn’t interested, but he was very interested in the scenery.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Lin Ming explained that during the flood season, when the floods of the West or North Rivers rose, they would flow into each other through Sixianjiao. Often, due to the large difference in water levels, and the significant difference in the color of the two rivers—the West River water being yellow and the North River water being green—a peculiar “Sixian Hongbo” (Raging Waves of Sixian) was formed.

“…At that time, one would see green waves surging and yellow torrents churning, roaring and thundering, shaking the heavens and the earth, as if a hundred thousand yellow and green dragons were wreaking havoc on the rivers and seas. This strange sight, resembling the confluence of the Jing and Wei Rivers, is called ‘Mandarin Duck Water’ by the locals.”

“I see,” Cummins nodded. He noticed a small hill at the confluence of the three rivers. Although its altitude was not high, its location was very advantageous. Almost all ships traveling on the three rivers had to pass under its watch. A battery here could control the nearby river surface. He turned to ask Xie Peng, “What mountain is this?”

Xie Peng was holding a drawing board and making marks. Hearing the chief’s question, he immediately replied, “This is Kundu Mountain, with an altitude of 62 meters.”

Cummins picked up his binoculars and carefully observed the small hill. It was more of a hill than a mountain, neither strange nor dangerous. But this suited their needs.

“Don’t look down on this mountain. The former Minister of Rites, He Weibai, once built a hut and studied in the mountains here. The ruins of his study and book-sunning platform still remain,” Lin Ming said like a competent tour guide.

He then turned his binoculars towards the county town of Sanshui. In his view, these county towns were almost all cast from the same mold: city walls, gate towers, barbicans… The county town was roughly a triangle along the course of the river, with the east and north sides close to the river, and a moat dug on the south side. For an army of the cold weapon era, Sanshui County town was indeed a rather difficult target, but for the Fubo Army, with a combined land and water attack, it could be taken in less than an hour.

“What is the name of the pagoda on the high ground outside the county town?” Cummins asked.

“Oh, that’s the Wenta (Literature Pagoda), and the hill is called Kuigang (Chief Hill). The local gentry at the time saw that the feng shui here was good and specially built this pagoda to accumulate the literary veins of the four directions by means of the water potential of this place.”

“What an auspicious name,” Xie Peng said. “Both ‘wen’ (literature) and ‘kui’ (chief).”

As it was getting dark, Lin Ming suggested mooring the boat at Hekou Town for the night. Sailing at night was not very safe, especially on a large river like the West River that had not undergone any channel regulation. Besides, the security in this time and space was not reliable.

The boat was moored under the river dike outside the north gate. There was a Taoist temple here. Suo Pu and Cummins were not interested in praying to gods and worshiping Buddha and only instructed the escorts to be on high alert.

Not long after the boat stopped, yamen runners from the county came carrying food boxes, bringing a banquet to show their hospitality. It was a good opportunity for the group, who had been tormented by the rations at noon, to have a feast. One of the dishes, roasted rice birds, drew a chorus of praise: it was the season when the rice birds were at their fattest.