Chapter 160: Making an Appearance

Xiong Wencan had unexpectedly discovered a capable talent today, and was in quite a good mood. Glancing at the water clock in the room, he was surprised to find he had been talking with Huang Zhicheng for quite some time. So Lao Xiong, his expression kindly, said to Huang the Provincial Graduate, "In that case, Zhicheng, why don't you go home and await news?"

With those words, Lao Xiong was ready to order soup served to see his guest off — there was still a whole string of people waiting for his audience.

"Your student here has one more memorandum. I would be most grateful if you, my lord, might find a spare moment to correct it." Seeing Lao Xiong about to shoo him away, Huang Ping quickly drew a memorandum from his sleeve and presented it.

This report was one Huang Zhicheng had personally drafted, using the outline and materials sent from the Great Office.

The report's content followed the ancients' custom, written in the format of Three Strategies. Mixed in were some false information and judgments — Provincial Graduate Huang could not possibly have gathered entirely accurate intelligence on all of Fujian from Hangzhou.

The core idea of this report was to point out, from a strategic level: summoning the pacification of Zheng Zhilong was not the optimal choice.

Historically, after Zheng Zhilong accepted pacification, he did indeed settle down and began to manage his own little turf. When the Qing army reached Xiamen years later, the former hero had long since had his edge dulled by wealth and comfort, and his end was an ugly one.

Therefore, in his memorandum, Huang Ping listed the pacification of Lao Zheng only as the middle strategy, and took the opportunity to elaborate at length on the dangers of pacifying Zheng Zhilong: once Zheng Zhilong, a native son of this very soil, gained power, if one day that Lao Zheng raised the banner of rebellion, it would surely be a rotten situation where the surrounding countryside followed like shadows, and the wicked folk of Fujian and Guangdong vied to flock to his wing — wherever Xiong Wencan might be by then, he would be in for serious trouble.

... The Transmigrators knew Zheng Zhilong's character, but Xiong Wencan in 1628 did not.

So, in his memorandum, Huang Ping pointed out another path, the superior strategy: summon the pacification of a pirate force with no roots whatsoever in the Fujian-Guangdong region, build them up, and then use them to eliminate Zheng Zhilong. Though this strategy would be somewhat difficult at first, it would be a permanent solution; Xiong Wencan would never need to worry about such people turning on him later.

Of course, the memorandum made no mention whatsoever of the Crossing Faction occupying Dayuan — Provincial Graduate Huang still "believed" it was the Red Hair who held Dayuan, so the memorandum merely mentioned "borrowing troops to assist in suppression" as a fallback plan, in a single faint line.

The primary purpose of this memorandum was, first, to further highlight Provincial Graduate Huang's talent, and second, to plant a nail here with Lao Xiong in advance — so that when certain figures, certain powers, one after another appeared before Lao Xiong in the future, Provincial Graduate Huang could then step forward openly and aboveboard to voice his support: "See, my report analyzed this long ago. Looking at it now, it seems this group is the only suitable one."

Xiong Wencan was the fourth person Huang Ping met after arriving in Zhejiang.

On the evening of the fifth day, Provincial Graduate Huang, who had gone home to await news, was summoned once again to the Official Courier Station. This time was different; Xiong Wencan received him in his study. After the two finished discussing a certain memorandum, Huang Ping received Xiong Da's letter of appointment on the spot.

Alright, this time he would have to kneel. Accepting a letter of appointment was tantamount to confirming the master-servant relationship, similar to Zhuge kneeling to Liu Bei in the thatched cottage.

After merrily playing out a scene of Huang Ping kneeling to Xiong Da under the moonlight, both host and guest were quite satisfied. Next, Huang Ping reported his start date.

With the most important task accomplished, Provincial Graduate Huang could now arrange his future schedule: Xiong Wencan could stay at the courier station for two or three more days at most. This time was nowhere near enough for Huang Ping to arrange his wedding, so Xiong Wencan's troops would set out on schedule, traveling along the ancient official road all the way to Fuzhou.

Officials did not travel to their posts by sea. The main force would face over a thousand li of official road for the latter part of the journey, and the Mountain Paths of Zhenan and Minbei made up the majority. By the time Lao Xiong spent ten or twenty days grinding his way to Fuzhou, Huang Ping would have finished arranging his wedding on this side. He would then board Tangzhuang's southbound Transport Fleet and take the sea route directly to the walls of Fuzhou City; the timing would be about right.

After Xiong Wencan arrived in Zhejiang, he spent the first three days receiving officialdom, the next two dismissing provincial graduates and licentiates, and by the sixth day, he finally had time to meet with Merchants.

Unlike in public settings, in private meetings, officials were always quite courteous to merchants — after all, once the man was seated before them, his pockets were surely stuffed with silver, and no one would pick a quarrel with silver.

Xiong Da naturally understood this principle deeply, so today he first flipped the placard of his clansman Xiong Dao: for no other reason than the weight of the gifts!

Even for Xiong Wencan, who held high office and had seen much of the world, the gifts this merchant surnamed Xiong brought last night had dazzled his eyes: an Oil Lamp that shone brilliantly without a trace of smoke or fire, a Crystal Mirror that showed every finest detail, and that string of top-grade pearls... These rare treasures had truly made Lao Xiong draw a sharp breath at the time.

One must know, this was only a first meeting, and such heavy gifts were given before any serious business was discussed. Xiong Wencan, seasoned in the ways of the world, knew this clansman was no ordinary Merchant. So early this morning, he flipped Xiong Dao's placard, intending to see just what this man's background was.

"The Commoner Xiong Dao kneels and kowtows to the Grand Coordinator." After Xiong Dao performed the full set of kowtow procedures with perfect standard, Xiong Wencan, from the seat of honor, amiably bid his friend Xiong to rise, take a seat, and have tea.

"Your student, by the grace of the Emperor, patrols Fujian. May I ask, friend Xiong, what line of business are you engaged in within Fujian?"

Xiong Dao had come today to seek an audience with his clansman precisely to announce his credentials. Moreover, time was pressing — there was still a string of people waiting for Lao Xiong's audience behind him — so at this moment he came straight to the point, no longer concealing anything: "I will not deceive you, my lord. This Commoner now lives and works with some friends on Dayuan Island, making a living through some trade in ordinary times."

"Mm, Dayuan Island. What? Dayuan Island? How dare you! Are you people spies for the Dutch?"

... Xiong Da, who had been stroking his beard and smiling, first gave a slight start of alarm once he realized where Dayuan was, then pointed a finger at Xiong Dao and shouted his interrogation.

"There is something you do not know, my lord. The Dutch on Dayuan Island were persuaded by my brothers to return to Bacheng as early as last autumn. Now, those on Dayuan Island are all proper Han people like myself; there is not a single Red Barbarian left."

"What? Persuaded to return?" Xiong Wencan seized on the key phrase. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Was there some conflict involved?"

"Yes. Firearm against Firearm, my brothers first broke the Dutch gun formation, then broke their fortifications. We originally intended to slaughter them all, but later, considering that business was more important, my brothers let the Dutch off, ordering the survivors to return to Bacheng to transport goods and to honestly do business from now on."

Hearing this, Xiong Wencan slowly raised his Tea Bowl and took a sip — he needed time to digest the information Xiong Dao had provided.

After stroking his beard and pondering in silence for a few breaths, Lao Xiong first ruled out the possibility that this man was a lunatic. Then he looked again at this merchant whose behavior was somewhat peculiar, and connected it to those exotic treasures in the back room that were clearly not in the Chinese style. Following this train of thought all the way through, Lao Xiong gradually understood.

"In that case, explain your origins clearly."

"How would I dare not obey?" Xiong Dao smiled faintly at this, and according to the Routine prepared by the Great Office, recounted the origins of the Crossing Faction.

This origin was very simple: in short, the Crossing Faction was also a group of "Sea Merchants" similar to Zheng Zhilong. Though smaller in scale, because the Transmigrators could trade with Westerners for more sophisticated weapons, their military strength was formidable. This newly risen Power Base was now using Dayuan Island as its base and was attempting to reach into the Coastal Area trade.

As for the organizational structure of the Transmigrators, Xiong Dao presented a template of "a young master and a doubtful state": the young chief was surnamed Cao, a second-generation bandit who had just taken over, currently assisted by an Old Minister surnamed Xia who held actual power.

Speaking this way was to avoid certain risks in the future. For instance, if Lao Xiong insisted on meeting this person Cao face-to-face, they could fob him off with a line about internal instability and not being able to leave for even a moment. It also conveniently gave Lao Xiong a little food for thought: this group still had hidden troubles internally; if Turning Hostile one day, I could use some means to...

After hearing his clansman's description, Xiong Wencan Revealed a smile that said, "Just as I expected." Next, Lord Xiong finally asked the most important line of the day: "What is it that you people want?"

Xiong Dao had long been waiting for this line. At this moment, his attitude impassioned, his voice and expression full of feeling, he clasped his fists with both hands: "We Commoners wish to follow in your lordship's wake, to cleanse the rabble, to pacify the seas and calm the waves."

"Hahaha..." Hearing this, Xiong Wencan tilted his head back and laughed loudly.

Two days later, before the gates of the Official Courier Station at Desheng Bridge, the Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief and Fujian Governor Xiong Wencan and his retinue were preparing to set out for Fujian.

Lord Xiong was clearly in a good mood today. Not only did he exchange a few smiling words with Provincial Graduate Huang, who had come to see him off, but just before boarding his sedan chair, he even gave a slight nod to a certain Merchant standing a bit farther away — for one of Xiong's exalted rank as Grand Coordinator to make such a gesture was truly no small thing.

Xiong Wencan naturally had reason to be happy. This stopover in Hangzhou had unexpectedly brought a capable officer under his command, something that truly surprised even him.

The current situation in the Min Sea was treacherous and unpredictable, far from being fully explained by those few lines in memorials. At least from what he, Xiong, could see now, the strategy of pacifying Zheng, which had been settled upon when he left the capital, was somewhat too hastily conceived.

Even the sea bandits from distant Yizhou knew to come early to establish Communication and offer allegiance, which showed that the situation in the Min Sea was not one where the Zheng Clan held sole dominance.

The gloomy mood of an uncertain future he had felt when leaving the capital was swept clean away. Lord Xiong now believed: this mission to pacify Fujian had excellent omens. Looking at his clansman Merchant standing respectfully outside the sedan window, his face full of blessings, and thinking again of those rare treasures in his luggage, Master Xiong could not help but let the corner of his mouth curl up slightly.

Watching the disappearing backs of Xiong Wencan and his retinue, Xiong Dao, who had been posing as seeing them off before the courier station gates, finally let out a sigh of relief. He dusted off his sleeves and left: up to this point, the follow-up tasks regarding Lao Xiong no longer had anything to do with him. The Great Office had Previously dispatched specialists to Fuzhou to establish an Intelligence Network and a trading post, with Specifications equal to the one here in Hangzhou. Once Lao Xiong arrived in Fuzhou, there would naturally be other comrades to step forward and make contact.

Comrade Xiong Dao left with an air of nonchalance, but Comrade Huang Ping remained standing before the courier station gates, sunk in thought: So I'm going to Fuzhou now? Wasn't the plan to lie low in Jiangnan until the day the King's Army landed... This is a real mess now. What about those pretty maidservants at home? Fuzhou is so terribly far; would it be convenient to take them all? If I leave them behind, what if they get sold off by the wife?

Master Huang returned home by sedan chair that day, his face full of melancholy.

Of course, however melancholy he might be, life still had to go on, and he now had to begin making some preparations for a long journey.

First was instructing the Steward to prepare to sell people — after the wedding, some of the Household Staff who hadn't signed permanent contracts could be sold off appropriately. With the master away, what was the point of keeping so many people?

Next was the safe: the wife, who legally held authority surpassing the male master to manage the Back Residence, would soon enter the household, and the master would then be away from home for a long time. This item could not be left in the residence. So, on the second day after Xiong Wencan's departure, Zhao Liu, Steward Zhao of Huang Fu, drove a cart out through the side gate. What was loaded on the cart, no one knew.

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