Chapter 67: Public Opinion

County Magistrate Wu knew that he was in a dangerous city and it was difficult to break out. He was determined to defend it to the end and wait for reinforcements from the prefectural city. He did not believe the shouts of the short-haired rebels that Guangzhou had fallen: such a large prefectural city, even if the short-haired rebels could capture it, it would take ten days and half a month. Besides, he hadn’t even heard a single cannon shot from last night until now.

But he also knew that the common people were not of the same mind as him, and the government soldiers were only willing to fight because he had spent money without hesitation. So he issued a notice: anyone who dared to secretly collude with the roving bandits outside the city would have their whole family beheaded; their property would be confiscated and rewarded to the soldiers and civilians defending the city, in an attempt to strengthen the determination of the defending army. At the same time, he strictly forbade the defending people from talking to the righteous army outside the city. However, most of the soldiers in the city were familiar with the common people, and they were all afraid of being retaliated against if the city was broken. Therefore, when they found people on the city walls talking to the people outside the city, although they constantly scolded and brandished their broadswords, they did not really take action.

When Wu Guangzhi saw people on and off the city walls talking, he was afraid that the common people would be bewitched by the short-haired rebels. Seeing many short-haired soldiers approaching the city, he immediately ordered the cannons on the city walls to be fired.

The government soldiers hesitated and were unwilling to take action. Wu Guangzhi was furious, “Fire the cannons quickly!” Then he roared, “Fire one cannon and get five taels of silver as a reward!”

This time, the two cannons on the south pass were fired at the same time. The cannonballs flew out, but the gunners deliberately aimed too high. One fell directly into the river, and the other landed on the mudflat.

The naval guns on the patrol boats immediately returned fire. Six cannons were fired at the same time, hitting the city walls. Wu Guangzhi saw a flash of fire on the city walls and immediately waved his hand, telling everyone to quickly disperse and take cover. The cannonballs destroyed two more battlements and cut three militiamen hiding behind them in two. One cannonball flew into the city, destroyed a thatched hut, and set it on fire.

At this time, several large tinplate trumpets were set up under the city walls, and a few soldiers with loud voices were shouting there, “Listen, all military and civilian gentry in the city: immediately capture the county magistrate and open the city gates to surrender. Otherwise, when Xin’an is captured, the whole city will be slaughtered, and not even a chicken or dog will be left alive!”

There was a commotion on the city walls. Wu Guangzhi held a Japanese sword and roared with bloodshot eyes, “Don’t be afraid, everyone! This is the short-haired rebels’ empty threat. They only have a few hundred people and a few boats. They can’t touch a single hair of my Xin’an! Drive away the short-haired rebels, and every soldier and civilian defending the city will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver! Those who die in battle will be rewarded double!”

He had dozens of soldiers and militiamen who had been fed with silver by his side, and they also roared along with him. From time to to time, they would also brandish their broadswords. The commotion was temporarily suppressed.

Seeing that the people’s hearts were unstable, Wu Guangzhi stared and saw a militiaman not far away secretly looking outside, as if he was making some kind of gesture. He immediately pointed his sword and roared, “Seize him!”

The personal soldiers rushed over and pushed the militiaman in front of him with twisted arms and grabbed shoulders. The militiaman had a dazed and panicked look on his face. He repeatedly shouted, “Why are you arresting me?”

Wu Guangzhi said grimly, “I saw it clearly. You were just colluding with the short-haired rebels on the city walls, and you were making gestures outside just now. You must be a spy of the short-haired rebels! Men! Behead him!”

The militiaman repeatedly cried out that he was wronged. The personal soldiers on both sides dragged him down the horse ramp, and with a swing of the sword, they cut off his head at the foot of the city wall.

“Display it at the city gate!” County Magistrate Wu roared. “Anyone who dares to collude with the short-haired rebels again and does not fight to defend the city will meet the same fate!”

Wu Guangzhi had killed someone and established his authority. He temporarily suppressed the people. However, at this time, a dozen or so whistling arrows were shot from outside the city. The whistling arrows were tied with “proclamations.” Wu Guangzhi was afraid that someone would pick them up and shake the people’s hearts, so he sternly instructed, “No one is allowed to pick up the whistling arrows!” His personal soldiers quickly went to pick them up, but some were still picked up by people with quick legs.

He opened the “proclamation” and saw that it was sloppily written in ink, limiting the military and civilians in the city to open the gates and surrender the city within one hour. The army would not harm a single hair, and the lives of the whole city would be preserved. The army would only execute the county magistrate after entering Xin’an County.

Although he tried his best to block the news, the officials and gentry in the city still saw the “proclamation,” and some of the soldiers also saw it. Everyone discussed it privately, and it could not be forbidden.

The gentry and civilians in the city were all willing to surrender and did not want to fight. The Australians had always had a reputation for not harming a single hair, but they also had a bad reputation for being cruel to those who resisted. Therefore, everyone felt that regardless of whether the prefectural city had fallen or not, the most important thing was to surrender first to protect their own lives and property. Especially the gentry. They had already been forced to contribute a large amount of silver to defend the city and felt that their interests had been damaged. They no longer wanted to be “loyal” with County Magistrate Wu.

Wu Guangzhi knew that the people’s hearts in the city were unstable, especially the ambiguous attitude of the gentry. This made him very panicked. Because when he was in office in Shaanxi, he had defeated the “roving bandits” who tried to attack the city more than once, relying on the strong assistance of the gentry in the county. But the short-haired rebels here seemed to be different from the roving bandits—the gentry and the common people had no attitude of hatred or fear towards them.

He summoned several officials in the county to discuss. Everyone could not come up with any good ideas. Instead, they advised him not to continue to defend. The county school instructor said: the short-haired rebels have always been popular in the local area. If you resist them head-on, the common people and the gentry will not support you. He also said:

“The short-haired rebels have always been lenient to those who submit and strict to those who resist. Now there has been no major battle, nor have there been any major casualties. If Magistrate Wu goes out of the city to surrender, the short-haired rebels will certainly not harm him.”

Wu Guangzhi ordered them to withdraw and stayed in the room alone, thinking hard, but could not come up with a good solution. The cannons were firing again on the river. He couldn’t help but stamp his feet and sigh, pacing around the pillar, talking to himself:

“Alas, I didn’t expect to end up like this!”

Around noon, the officials, gentry, and elders of the city came to the county yamen to request an audience. Wu Guangzhi welcomed everyone into the flower hall. The scene in the hall today was very different from the past. Three months ago, when he first arrived in Xin’an, the gentry and elders held a welcome banquet for him, and he was very proud in the hall. Just this morning, he suppressed the chiliarch who tried to rebel, summoned the officials and gentry, and discussed the matter of strengthening the city’s defense. The gentry and elders were also respectful and submissive, calling him a rare “capable talent.” However, the situation suddenly changed, and the flower hall was filled with sad faces.

After everyone sat down, a leading gentry member spoke first:

“Now all the officials, gentry, and elders of the city have come to see Magistrate Wu, not for any other matter, but to ask Magistrate Wu to find a way to preserve the lives of all the officials, gentry, soldiers, and civilians in the city.”

He understood their intentions in his heart and still wanted to try to persuade them: “This county is doing its best to defend and is preparing to fight the roving bandits to the death. This is to preserve the lives and property of all the officials, gentry, and common people in the city.”

Another gentry member said, “A fight to the death will definitely not win, and there is no certainty in defending the city. If we insist on defending, not only will we not be able to preserve the lives of the officials, gentry, and common people, but we will also suffer the disaster of a massacre. Has Magistrate Wu ever thought about it?”

Wu Guangzhi said, “To be captured without a fight can certainly allow one to live for a while, but it will also become fish on the chopping block. After the short-haired rebels enter the city, whether they burn and kill will be at their whim—even if they don’t slaughter or burn, which of you gentry and elders does not have a family, property, and a group of wives and concubines? If the short-haired rebels want you to contribute military funds and offer beautiful women, at that time, will you elders obey or not? You must know that at that time, it will not be up to you!”

These words were reasonable and well-founded. If it were in another place, these words would be enough. When he was a county magistrate in Shaanxi, he had repeatedly used such words to motivate the gentry, and it was almost always effective. However, it did not work here. A gentry member said, “The Australians have always been true to their word and are not greedy for money or lustful.”

The gentry all knew about the various deeds of the Australians when they broke into the Pearl River a few years ago. All the market towns and villages that submitted to the Australians and offered grain and provisions were not destroyed by the Australians, and the “reasonable burden” they collected was also very light; they even wiped out many scattered water bandits along the way, and the public security was pacified for a while. Those who organized groups to resist were severely punished, and the local gentry and powerful people were wiped out. The gentry were all afraid of ending up like this, so they strongly advocated opening the city gates and submitting.

“Even for you, sir, although you were confused for a moment, we will also speak well of you to the Australians and do our best to protect you.”

Another gentry member quickly said, “Even if the Australians are not here for long, as long as you, sir, do not accept a false post, with the Australians’ temperament, they will definitely not force you. At this time of emergency, the situation should be dealt with flexibly, and one should not stick to the word ‘loyalty.’ After the Australians withdraw, we will still be defending the land for the court. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds? Even if the court has something to pursue, the gentry of this county will also do their best to speak for you, sir.”

Wu Guangzhi was so angry that smoke came out of his seven orifices, and he secretly cursed “shameless.” He suppressed his anger and said slowly, “Since I was taught at a young age, I have read the books of the sages. I have kept the words ‘loyal to the emperor and love the country’ in my heart since I was a child, and I dare not forget them. Since I have eaten the emperor’s salary and received the holy grace, there is no reason to surrender.”

The county’s instructor originally did not want to say much, but now that the gentry’s words with Wu Guangzhi had become stiff, he had to say, “Please, Magistrate Wu, think twice. The people today have no firm will, and a lone city without reinforcements will surely be broken. I am also a court official, and I have come here to take up my post and have the responsibility to defend the land. Magistrate Wu is loyal to the court, but am I not loyal? I am also a tribute student and have received the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. Now it is the safety of the people of the whole city! If you, sir, consider the people and temporarily surrender to save the people, it will also be considered a good deed.”

Wu Guangzhi sneered and said, “Since you are a juren, and you have received the grace of the country and eaten the emperor’s salary, how will you treat the emperor in the future? Even if the common people understand you, can the laws of the country understand you?”

The instructor said, “Mencius said: the people are the most important, the state is second, and the ruler is the least important. Sir, don’t sacrifice the lives of the people of the whole city for the sake of the word ‘loyalty’!”

Everyone echoed in agreement. Seeing that he was in a very isolated situation, Wu Guangzhi was silent for a while, sighed, and said,

“You all go out and let me think about it first. You can rest assured that I will not implicate all the officials, gentry, and common people in the city!”

“There is not much time…”

After the meeting, Wu Guangzhi paced around in the flower hall alone, very distressed. The ambition of this morning had turned to ashes. He had the idea of committing suicide. If he died, he would be worthy of the common people and the emperor…

However, before his thoughts were finished, there was a commotion outside the county yamen. A servant of his, covered in blood, stumbled in, fell to the ground, and used his last bit of strength to shout, “Master! It’s not good, the soldiers… the soldiers… have mutinied!”