Chapter 65: The Manifesto

Huang Bingkun hesitated for a moment. The Huang family had always been a family of “farming and studying,” priding themselves on being a family of poetry and propriety. They were the most upright and moralistic, and places like brothels were never allowed for their children to set foot in.

Just as he was hesitating, Wu Ming pushed him from behind, “Quick, it’s not good to stay on the street for too long!”

Huang Bingkun thought to himself that this was also a matter of acting according to circumstances. The two of them slipped into the courtyard, and the pimp behind them closed the back door and bolted it. He said in a low voice, “You two gentlemen, please follow me.”

Huang Bingkun had originally thought that this brothel would be a scene of debauchery, but he didn’t expect it to be just a very secluded courtyard. As he followed the pimp, he saw that there was a different world here, with lush flowers and trees and deep courtyards. It was actually very quiet and elegant. He couldn’t help but feel ashamed in his heart: he was really very ignorant!

The Fangchun Courtyard was a large brothel in Guangzhou. The high-class brothels of the Ming Dynasty were not simply brothels, but actually a complex that combined catering, entertainment, and a fashion center. Not only were there prostitutes, hangers-on, and musicians, but there were also a large group of service personnel such as tailors, jewelry craftsmen, and chefs. The rich people who came here to relax and stay were more for leisure and social purposes than for “sexual” needs—they all had beautiful wives and concubines at home—it was more like a modern leisure club.

Young Master Lin had a favorite prostitute here and often came here for entertainment and banquets. He was a great benefactor of this place, and he also met with guests and discussed some confidential and important matters here.

The pimp took them to the entrance of a small courtyard and left. A maid welcomed them in. A table of fruits had already been set up in the central hall, and there were quite a few people who had come. Huang Bingkun looked around and saw that besides the acquaintances from the Yuyuan Society, there were also a few unfamiliar faces. Young Master Liang was not among them—perhaps his status was noble, and it was inconvenient for him to come out in such a chaotic situation.

Because most of them were acquaintances, they didn’t greet each other one by one and sat down. The two of them took their seats, and someone served tea. The people at the table were talking eloquently.

…

“We don’t need to discuss the high level of the Australians’ methods anymore. Just look at the calmness of the market. This Guangzhou city is undoubtedly the world of the Australians.”

“This Guangzhou is a mountain of gold and silver. I’m afraid the Australians have been coveting it for a long time!”

“Entering the city was quite peaceful. I originally thought there would be a disaster of blood and fire.” Someone seemed to be rejoicing. “It’s amazing that their military discipline can be so strict!”

“I heard that the short-hairs are very generous to their subordinates, but their discipline is strict.”

“Even the rascals in the city dare not act rashly. The suppression is very effective. We people with families and property are most afraid of this market turmoil,” the speaker seemed to have lingering fears. “When I came here just now, I saw a scaffold erected at the intersection, with a few bandits hanging on it—I heard they were all beggars who took advantage of the chaos to loot.”

“Good riddance! These rascals are used to extorting money on the market, and even scholars and gentlemen have been harassed by them for a long time.”

“The Australians have always been strong. I just don’t know what they will do next after occupying Guangzhou.”

“It would be great if they asked the court to negotiate and be pacified.”

“If they wanted to be pacified, they could have been pacified in Lingao. How can the court let it go after they have fought their way into the provincial capital!”

“I’m just worried that the court will gather a large army to suppress the rebellion. This prosperous Wuyang City is afraid that it will be reduced to ashes!” someone said worriedly.

This remark resonated with everyone. The common people were most afraid of war. Once there was a siege, the most unlucky ones were the common people. At that time, let alone a small scholar like you, even the gentry and masters could not avoid their families being broken up and their people killed. It had not been many years since the siege of Guiyang during the She’an Rebellion. Guiyang was besieged for several years, and the food in the city was exhausted. People ate each other. Even the daughters of officials were taken away by the defending army to be cooked and eaten. The entire city was almost turned into a ghost town. Before the siege, in addition to the original soldiers and civilians in the city, there were also refugees from various places, with a total of hundreds of thousands of people. When the siege was lifted, only six hundred people survived.

The scholars and civilians of Guangzhou had also heard of these terrible news. When they thought that if the court’s army came to suppress them, wouldn’t Guangzhou be the second Guiyang? Everyone showed a look of unease.

“I think you are worrying too much,” Wu Ming said. “Let’s not talk about whether the court can gather enough troops to suppress them, as it is already stretched thin. Even if it can mobilize a large army from several provinces, I don’t think there is much chance of winning.” He looked at the people present. “When Governor Wang besieged Lingao, how many troops did the Australians have? Now the Australians have many more troops than before!”

“So, even if the court wants to suppress them, I’m afraid they won’t be able to reach Guangzhou.”

Wu Ming nodded, “The Australians have strong soldiers and strong horses, and their ships are strong and their cannons are powerful. Even if the court can send troops from several provinces to attack, I think the chances of winning are very slim!”

Huang Bingkun originally wanted to reprimand Wu Ming for “where his position was,” but on second thought, what he said was completely reasonable. He knew better than him how strong the Australian army was. To expect the weak government army to defeat the short-hairs in one fell swoop was like the sun rising from the west.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel secretly discouraged. At this time, he heard someone whisper, “That’s good.” Before he could think more, he heard someone else say,

“Now that the Australians have taken Guangzhou, the various prefectures and cities in the province will not be able to protect themselves. Our lives and property are all here. In the future, we can only let the Australians do whatever they want with us.”

“Since we are under their roof, we have to bow our heads. We still have to make friends with some Australian high officials to protect ourselves.”

“As for the Australian high officials, I heard that it is led by the Wen envoy, but we common people have no way to see him. It would have been great to see Dongzhu Guo, but that Gao Ju is abominable!”

“Brother Shi, be careful with your words! That person is now very popular, not someone you and I can talk about.”

“That’s right. Maybe we will have to rely on Master Gao in the future.”

Huang Erye carefully observed everyone’s expressions and found that no one showed any strange color. On the contrary, many people had a look of secret joy on their faces. These shameless people, are they going to be rebels! His face became darker and darker. These people have read the books of the sages and have received the grace of the emperor. When things come to a head, all they think and say is how to act to protect themselves. Maybe they will try to curry favor in the future and make a lot of money under the short-hairs! He sneered and said with a slight sarcasm, “Gentlemen, the military power of the short-hairs is the best in the world. So there is no need to worry too much about the disaster of war. I think the court is definitely not their opponent. You can rest assured.”

Many people’s faces turned slightly hot, remembering that they still had the titles of scholar and student of the Ming Dynasty. Then they heard him continue, “What you should be most concerned about is how the scholars will conduct themselves?”

“Brother Huang, why do you say that?”

“The short-hairs have always used the imitation-short-hairs that they have taught themselves. When they use the imitation-short-hairs, they love to use the poor and ignorant people. Where is there a place for us scholars?”

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar. Everyone shook their heads, and most people had a look of disbelief on their faces. Someone said, “The Song Dynasty ruled the world with the scholar-officials. We don’t need to worry. The reason why he now trusts the mud-legged imitation-short-hairs is because the scholars still don’t trust him, and he has no choice. If the Australians want to compete for the world, they must treat the scholars with courtesy, hold civil service examinations, and select famous scholars. The mud-legged imitation-short-hairs are just a stopgap measure.”

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately approved by the majority.

Seeing that everyone didn’t believe him, Huang Erye smiled bitterly in his heart and didn’t say any more. He had no confidence in these people in the first place, and now he just treated them as talking to themselves.

As they were talking, a servant hurried in from outside and whispered a few words in Young Master Lin’s ear. Lin Zunxiu’s face changed, and the servant took out a paper roll from his bosom and handed it over.

Young Master Lin unfolded the paper roll and looked at it a few times, and his face turned pale. Everyone said anxiously, “What is it?” “Is it a notice from the Australians?” “What does it say?”

“This is a notice that was just posted on the street. A servant copied it down,” Lin Zunxiu said, and handed the paper roll to Young Master Shi.

“Denounce Zhu…” Young Master Shi only read two words and dared not say any more. The expressions of the people around him all changed, and they probably understood what he was holding in his hand. Huang Bingkun quickly took it and looked at it. It was indeed a rebellious manifesto.

Denounce the Zhu Ming Manifesto

The former Song was unfortunate, repeatedly suffering from the Tartars. First, it encountered Jingkang, and Wanyan bullied the benevolent Hui and Qin. Then it encountered Yaishan, and the Mongolian Yuan bullied the young and widowed emperor. Alas, the virtue of the Song, although the country was far from the Central Plains, it moved overseas, and the ancestral temple still exists in Australia. The Yuan government was without virtue, and heroes rose up. The common people advanced, and the barbarians did not have a hundred years of fortune. The divine land was restored, and the Central Plains had a unique holy ruler.

The founding emperor of the Zhu Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang, rose from the ranks and coveted the divine artifact. He killed the Ming king and his colleagues, and Youliang, Guozhen, Shicheng, and others were all slaughtered. Expelling the Tartars was the common cause of the heroes of the Central Plains. How could the achievement be the sole effort of a single man from Huaixi? Yuanzhang’s government was tyrannical and followed the customs of the barbarians. It was strong and brutal, and the stench was still in the Central Plains. When the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked. Liu Ji and Song Lian died. When the birds are gone, the bow is put away. Shanchang and Lan Yu lost their lives. The roads of Longyou were impassable.

The founding of the false dynasty was like this, and it was even worse when it was passed on to the second generation. The uncle usurped the nephew’s throne, and the jackal became a wolf. He was close to evil and treacherous people and harmed the loyal and good. He was hated by both gods and men, and was not tolerated by heaven and earth.

In the middle of the dynasty, it became even more absurd: the king loved border achievements, and the tiger and ben divisions lost their land. The ministers hated maritime trade, and the Japanese pirates poisoned the southeast. These kinds of things cannot be counted. The people of China all betrayed their virtue. Since the Shenzong reign, the government has been declining day by day. He was close to the evil and far from the good, and the people were like grass and trees. The clowns were in power, and the meat-eaters were nothing but eunuchs. The single-whip law, nine out of ten households were destroyed. The silver was collected, and the people’s morale was low. The yin and yang were not in harmony, and parents fell on the roads. The five grains were not harvested, and the people were crying for food.

In recent days, it is on its last breath. The three cases in the inner court, the people of the court and the country have lost their hearts. The Wanggong explosion, the heaven has taken away its kingly aura. The eunuchs are confusing, and Wei Yan can be called a thousand years old. The roving bandits are rampant, and the post station soldiers are or are called the Chuang King. Internal and external troubles, the dynasty is on the verge of collapse. The whales are stirring, and the red barbarians are breeding at sea. The iron horses and carved bows, the Jurchens are rampant in the north. The dragons and snakes are rising from the land, and the Ziwei is showing its killing intent. Chasing the deer and asking the tripod, the Zhu Ming’s fate is exhausted!

Our dynasty started in the southern wilderness, inherited the business of our ancestors, looked north from the South China Sea, and aimed to pacify the people. We have received the mandate of heaven and will establish the foundation of the empire. We have raised the banner of righteousness to clear away the evil spirits. The six armies will conquer the south of Guangdong, and Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang will reappear in the present. The ten thousand miles will return to Qiongya, and the four seas will be unified.

Now we issue a manifesto to the two capitals, thirteen provinces, and four hundred prefectures:

The mandate of heaven is in the Song, and the end of the Ming can be counted! The heavenly soldiers are coming, and the officials and people should take care of themselves!

Do not say that you were not warned!