Chapter 48: The 4th Battalion

Since the construction of the Guangzhou Grand World began, one or two paddle-wheel tugboats have departed from Hong Kong every day, towing long lines of barges into the Pearl River estuary and up the river to the city of Guangzhou.

A boat with turning water wheels, belching black smoke and steam, was already conspicuous enough on the Pearl River. The fact that it could tow a fleet of boats upstream was an unprecedented spectacle for the people along the river.

So every day, people would wait at the closest point to the channel for the tugboat fleet to pass. Some, feeling they couldn’t see clearly from the shore, would take small boats to wait on the river. Some boats even got too close and were capsized by the waves created by the tugboat fleet, resulting in the loss of life for the onlookers.

The barges heading upstream were mostly loaded with building materials. These barges, covered with tarpaulins and riding low in the water, carried not only steel, cement, and glass from Lingao, but also sand, stone, bricks, tiles, and lime procured from various places.

In addition to these bulky goods, there were also “Australian goods,” carefully packed in straw ropes and wooden boxes, which made everyone’s eyes red with envy. These goods were unloaded at the Grand World pier. Then the ships were loaded with various goods that had been stored in the warehouses and depots at the pier. The goods that the Australians purchased from Guangzhou, from the entire Guangzhou Prefecture and even the whole of Guangdong, were loaded here and shipped downriver to Hong Kong, where they were transferred to large ships heading in different directions.

Now, most people’s initial excitement had passed. Although the fleets were more frequent and the goods more diverse, the natives of Guangzhou were no longer surprised by the “fire-wheel ships” of the Australians, which spewed black smoke, made a huge roar that could be heard from outside the north gate of Guangzhou, and could travel against the wind and current. If anyone ran to watch with excitement, they were definitely newcomers to the area.

It was currently the end of the year, the market was deserted, and people in dire straits had no interest in watching the spectacle. On this evening, with the sound of New Year’s firecrackers echoing everywhere, besides the fishermen who lived from hand to mouth and the curious children who chased every ship, no one paid any attention to another fleet coming up the Pearl River.

In the months before the New Year, it was said that because the Guangzhou Grand World was about to open, there were more than a dozen tugboat fleets coming from Hong Kong every day, loaded with all kinds of equipment and materials for the Grand World. So the arrival of this fleet at this moment did not attract much attention.

The fleet consisted of three tugboats, each towing six or seven barges tightly covered with tarpaulins. However, their brisk speed and shallow draft indicated that these boats were not carrying heavy cargo.

The Guangzhou Grand World, which had already completed its merchant recruitment before the New Year, had announced a three-day work stoppage for the holiday. It was said that they were preparing for the official opening after the New Year. All local employees, including the dockworkers, were on a three-day holiday. After receiving their pre-New Year wages and New Year’s gifts, the employees all went home happily for the holiday.

So at this moment, there was not a single dockworker at the Grand World pier. It seemed they were not worried about how to unload the goods without dockworkers. The barge fleet slowly and orderly docked at the pier. Amidst low, suppressed calls, the cabin doors opened one by one, revealing this time’s unusual cargo—the cabins were filled with fully armed soldiers. The low-voiced orders were passed down layer by layer, and the soldiers filed out in single file, treading on the gangplanks between the boats, walking onto the pier to form up, and then marching in an orderly fashion towards the dock.

At this time, someone was already waiting on the pier. Although there were only a few people, those in the know knew that this was already the highest level of local reception: all present were Yuanlao and senior naturalized citizen cadres from Guangdong, without a single local native.

“It’s damn cold here too,” Wang Ruixiang said, tightening his woolen overcoat, adjusting the dog-skin hat on his head, and after confirming his image, he walked off the boat with his head held high and a steady pace.

Wang Ruixiang actually had no military rank. Although he had been close to the army for a long time and had been involved in some weapon development projects, his main job was in the mechanical department. It was just his naturally active personality that often got him seconded for external assignments. This time, he came to Guangzhou with the South China Army, under the nominal title of “Chief Mechanical Inspector.” As the name suggests, he was the Senate’s chief engineer in Guangdong. From the boilers of warships to the bayonet lugs on Minie rifles, as long as it was a problem that the naturalized citizen technicians couldn’t solve, he was responsible for handling it. He was also responsible for supervising the installation and maintenance of all kinds of mechanical equipment that would be sent to Guangdong. In short, it was a heavy and tedious job.

However, Wang Ruixiang was very satisfied with this appointment. He was not a person who liked comfort.

The soldiers, led by the naturalized citizen staff, had already begun to enter the storage area behind the pier. The storage area was a large courtyard surrounded by brick houses with a perimeter of several hundred meters, which was very suitable for stationing troops. The dual-use military and civilian storage area of the Grand World was designed to accommodate at least two fully equipped infantry battalions and several companies of artillery, engineers, and supply troops.

At this moment, watching the army enter from the gate of the storage area was Guo Yi. The first to arrive was the 4th Army Battalion. This was the unit originally stationed in Hong Kong. Due to their long-term garrison in Hong Kong, they were very familiar with the local customs and traditions. Most of the soldiers, even if they couldn’t speak it, could roughly understand Cantonese. In the past few years, the officers of the 4th Battalion, under the guidance of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, had conducted extensive staff tours in the Pearl River Delta region, collecting a large amount of data and conducting battalion and company-level combat exercises in many coastal locations. It was the best-prepared battalion for the Guangdong campaign, so it was not surprising that this battalion was chosen to be the vanguard.

As one of the earliest battalion-level units established by the Senate, its equipment and training were quite complete. Just the sight of their fully armed column marching was imposing.

Guo Yi struck a match. Because the weather was cold and he was a little nervous, it took him several tries to light it. He lit his cigar and took a deep drag.

As the highest responsible person in Guangdong, Guo Yi had been busy for several months preparing for the army’s arrival. In addition to helping the logistics department with logistical support, he also had to collect and organize basic intelligence on the social situation, local customs, and geography of Guangzhou and the surrounding areas.

In Guangdong, there would not be much suspense militarily. The key was how to govern. This was the biggest challenge.

Guo Yi looked at his cigar butt. The river wind was strong and cold against his body.

At least I don’t have to carry this burden anymore, he thought. He had heard from his friends in the Guangzhou-Leizhou faction in Lingao that his next appointment would likely be as the magistrate of a certain county in Hainan, in preparation for a future position as a senior local official. It was said that the Senate’s next target was likely Jiangnan.

Jiangnan was the largest source of wealth and taxes in the Ming Dynasty, with a large population and a developed industry and commerce. Once such a place was taken, it would definitely require a Yuanlao familiar with the urban and economic life of the Ming Dynasty to take charge.

Wang Ruixiang walked up with the marching column and saw Guo Yi standing alone by the gate, staring at the advancing army in a daze, lost in thought. He went up to greet him.

“Have the others all gone in?”

“Yes, they’ve all gone in. You’re the only one left,” Guo Yi said, looking back. “There are quite a few people here this time.”

“Of course. A full-strength battalion is coming today and tomorrow. That’s over a thousand men,” Wang Ruixiang said, stepping through the gate. “What do you think of their gear? The new uniforms are particularly stylish, right? It’s like this in the north. I once led over a thousand people in the north, uh, of course, they were all very weak refugees. Thirty cavalrymen with swords could cut down thousands of refugees. But…” He turned around and adjusted the buttons on his front. “Now they are all brave warriors under the rule of the Senate.” Wang Ruixiang waved his hand dramatically, holding his head high towards the twilight sky. “Within a few years, we will be able to swallow this entire Guangdong, whether it’s poor or rich, big or small, good or evil! This place will soon be our territory!”

The “backstage” of the Grand World—the Yuanlao used this term to refer to the backyard area of the Grand World that was off-limits to the natives—had everything prepared for the troops. As for the Yuanlao who came with the army, there were naturally arrangements to welcome them.

On the main tower in the backyard, a sumptuous banquet had been laid out. All the Yuanlao from the Guangzhou station and all the Yuanlao currently in Guangzhou attended this banquet. Many of them had not seen each other for years. Wang Ruixiang saw Lin Baiguang, who only appeared at the plenary sessions and was never seen in Lingao.

No one knew what Lin Baiguang was busy with, but from his dress and the fact that he still wore his hair in a bun, he was probably active in the Ming Dynasty, either doing business or some kind of secret work.

In the past few years, Lin Baiguang had traveled all over Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian. He had also been to Jiangnan and Shandong. It was said that he was engaged in intelligence gathering, but his intelligence work was different from others, focusing on the social and economic life of various places, such as roads, people’s livelihood, products, and customs, to provide a reference for the Senate’s future governance.

In his spare time, he repeatedly read Huang Zongxi’s A Critical Examination of the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Counties and States of the Empire and various “official’s guides” published in the Ming and Qing dynasties that the Great Library had obtained for him, the most important of which was naturally the Complete Book of Blessings and Benefits. Combined with his experience as a county office director, he wrote the Outline of County Government Administration, which had been selected by the Senate as one of the textbooks for the cadre training class.

Lin Baiguang had already received his appointment. He was about to become the deputy director of the Military Control Commission, responsible for the daily work of the Guangdong Military Control Commission. He had already made a plan in his mind, focusing on the 15 counties and 1 prefecture of Guangzhou Prefecture. The first step in annexing Guangdong was the Pearl River Delta region, and Guangzhou Prefecture almost completely covered the entire Pearl River Delta. Only by taking and digesting this area could it become a base for annexing the entire province. The weight of his responsibility and the magnitude of the challenge he faced made Lin Baiguang eager to try.