Chapter 379: Settling In

The booming cannon fire rescued the transmigrators from the crowd of onlookers. The fast fleet, towing pirate ships and maneuvering with difficulty, was prone to accidents under such scrutiny, so Fleet Commander Wang Bo, realizing the situation was turning sour, hastily ordered blank shots fired to disperse the crowd.

The blank shots worked perfectly — after all, the old hands didn't know the cannon barrels weren't stuffed with iron balls... So amid thick smoke and thunderous noise, the onlookers scattered in shrieking retreat, clearing the waterway.

Due to the abysmal docking efficiency of the old-style pier, compounded by the waterlogged pirate ships in tow, the fleet spent considerable time entering the harbor. It wasn't until sunset that they were finally settled in the pier district.

Throughout this process, Guangzhou City had not been idle either.

The first to react was He Rubin. Although the Guangdong Regional Commander had his headquarters in Chaozhou, the Guangdong Regional Military Commission maintained offices in Guangzhou City as well. He Rubin was both one of the behind-the-scenes planners of this guest army reinforcement and the nominally inviting military counterpart, so he had been in Guangzhou City these past days. Upon receiving the report, Old He immediately mustered his personal guards and household troops, rode out of the city, and headed straight for White Goose Pond.

The flagship had spotted the dust-churning mounted column approaching from afar long before. So without waiting for the rest of the ships to enter port, the specially role-playing Cao Jiangjun and the great bald-pated "Monk General" Sha Zhengming, already renowned throughout Fujian and Guangdong, had donned Ming official robes. Accompanied by a crew of guards in bright red padded jackets, they descended from the deck and stood at the jetty entrance, ready to receive the guest.

Dismounting in haste, He Rubin strode forward in a few steps, threw back his head in laughter, and seized Zhang Dongdong's hand: "Hahaha! A thousand-li relief march is one thing, but this doorstep courtesy of yours is masterfully done! Truly, seeing is believing — Brother Cao is a famed general of our dynasty in the making!"

Though the two were meeting for the first time, He Rubin showed not the slightest reserve. Holding a certain someone's hand, he warmly offered a string of pleasantries.

Having spent most of his time since crossing over mingling with Ming officials, Zhang Dongdong was long adept at handling such scenes: "Commander He, you flatter this humble officer to death. Today's achievement rests entirely on your esteemed reputation — how dare I claim any credit?"

"Not so." He Rubin's expression grew somewhat more solemn: "Stout ships and sharp cannon are not enough; one must also have strong troops to succeed. This official has led soldiers himself and knows full well the hardships involved. The title of famed general — Brother, you have earned it!"

He Rubin had been appointed Mobile Corps Commander General of Jining, Shandong in the second year of the Tianqi reign (1622), later promoted to Ningshao Regional Vice-commander and transferred to Zhoushan, then reassigned as Zhoushan Regional Vice-commander and Deputy Regional Commander of Ningshao, and only last year had he been transferred to serve as Guangdong Regional Commander.

He Rubin's posting in Zhoushan was no sinecure. At the time, Japanese pirates ran rampant at sea; during his tenure, he drilled naval troops and exterminated pirate bands — he was a front-line general who had truly fought both sea and land battles.

It was precisely because of this practical command experience that Old He was so lavish in his praise of a certain Cao today. Old He, keenly aware of the troops' current decline, knew how difficult it was to take down a pirate gang with ease — the flattery in his words was, in truth, not excessive.

Sensing Old He's goodwill, Comrade Zhang Dongdong naturally responded with a face full of enthusiasm, persistently deflecting all credit onto Old He: Old He was the Regional Commander of Guangdong, and nominally, any sea or land combat within the province ultimately entitled him to a share of the merit.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Dongdong's side introduced Assistant Regional Commander Sha Zhengming to Old He, and thus the several General Darens fell into cheerful conversation right there on the pier.

There was a reason for this leisurely chat: they were waiting for the civil officials to arrive.

Military officers rode horses; civil officials sat in sedan chairs. The learned lords typically made their entrances a beat slower. Even for an event as significant as the arrival of a powerful guest army, the chief magistrates of one prefecture and two counties within Guangzhou City still came winding their way unhurriedly in their official sedan chairs.

After the lords had alighted one by one, another round of formal courtesies ensued. The county magistrates of Nanhai and Panyu were of too low a rank to dwell on, but the Guangzhou Prefect, Hong Yunzheng, was someone considerably affected by the transmigrators.

Hong Yunzheng was a presented scholar of the Wanli Gengxu examination cohort. Historically, after serving one term as Guangzhou Prefect, he later became Huizhou Prefecture Sub-Prefect in the seventh year of the Chongzhen reign. The year after taking office, this gentleman, under Xiong Wencan's orders, went with several other officials to offer amnesty to Liu Xiang, only to be double-crossed and placed under house arrest by Liu Xiang.

After over a year of captivity, Liu Xiang finally reached a dead end and was surrounded by Zheng Zhilong's main force. Seeing the game was up, Liu Xiang went to Hong Yunzheng and expressed willingness to submit to the imperial court... Hong Yunzheng immediately flew into a towering rage and cursed him bitterly. Liu Xiang, shamed into fury, killed Hong Yunzheng aboard the ship, and not long after, committed suicide himself.

Thus, the transmigrators were, in fact, the saviors of this Prefect Hong standing before them... Yet therein lay the tragedy of the transmigrator: no one believed the truth.

Although Cao Jiangjun was a military officer of the third rank, and although he had brought troops a thousand li to lend a hand, as far as Guangzhou's civil official circles were concerned, being received by a prefect of the lower third rank (prefectures delivering over 200,000 shi of grain were upper prefectures, whose prefects held lower third rank) was already giving a certain Cao enormous face.

Fortunately, Cao Jiangjun conducted himself with deference, proper etiquette, and witty conversation, unlike those usual coarse soldiers who inspired disgust. Thus, the civil officials' first impressions of Cao Jiangjun were all quite favorable.

Now that everyone was present, it was time to get down to business: the group of civil and military officials first boarded the captured pirate ship.

The pirate ship was now a scene of intense activity: runners and bailiffs from the two counties were methodically hauling out pirate corpses and parts, then severing the heads for the officials' inspection — civil officials of this era were quite fierce: after any battle, it was the civil officials' duty to tally the heads and record the military officers' merits.

So the civil officials stood utterly unperturbed on the blood-soaked deck of the great bird ship, chatting and laughing with the two generals while casually tallying the heads as they went.

Next came a bonus spectacle: a circle of bailiffs armed with boat hooks, clubs, and ropes surrounded a sealed and nailed hatch. They pried open the hatch boards and hauled up the pirates still alive and soaking in the water below, one by one. Each received a merciless clubbing about the head and face before being bound hand and foot.

At this point, Cao Jiangjun promptly stepped forward and distributed the spoils of war he had brought: all the heads were left to the Regional Commander's disposal — these skulls were enough to secure a promotion for a trusted subordinate.

The surviving pirates could be taken by the Prefect for a few days' use — their heads would be lopped off at Caishikou and displayed on the city gate, serving both as an explanation to the city's officials and gentry who had long suffered from pirate depredations, and as a mark of administrative achievement.

As for these ships, they were gifted to the two county yamens; sold, they would fetch a tidy sum of silver.

Cao Jiangjun's tact and generosity earned him newfound respect from the civil and military officials. After a few token refusals, the pirate ships and their original owners were thus casually divided up and consumed.

After this, the atmosphere growing ever more harmonious, the group of civil officials took their leave one after another: the surface formalities had been sufficiently performed, the benefits already pocketed; leaving subordinate officials here to handle the social niceties would suffice.

As for Regional Commander He, the old man intended to linger: there were still warships to inspect.

Historically a scholar-general, He Rubin ran a tight command and was well-versed in military affairs. He had not only compiled the Zhoushan Gazetteer but also authored the Records of Military Affairs. This work spanned fourteen volumes covering topics such as "On Generals," "Selecting Troops," "Formation Organization," and "Weaponry," making it a vital document on Ming dynasty military logistics.

Yet the book was ultimately listed by the Qianlong Emperor among the banned and destroyed works of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries — the Tartars never showed the slightest mercy when it came to emasculating the Han people.

He Rubin's Records of Military Affairs contained not only descriptions of every Ming warship type but also introductions to various cannon and military equipment. For this research-minded scholar, therefore, inspecting the guest army's unique motor sailboats and their armaments was an absolutely essential item on the agenda.

The results of the inspection did not disappoint Regional Commander He: the ingenious cannon recoil system was a revelation to Old He.

But that was as far as it went. When the technological gap widens beyond a certain point, even with everything laid bare, the ancients simply cannot understand what they see. He Rubin remained utterly ignorant of the ship's most critical communication system, nor did he visit the lower deck to inspect the coal gas engine. For him, those cleverly crafted cannon mechanisms and the long, sleek, fast hull design were the greatest takeaways.

"These exotic craftsmen do have their commendable points." Upon learning that all the cannon mechanisms aboard were the work of nameless artisans from the distant "Eastern Domain," He Rubin sighed repeatedly with emotion.

What could Zhang Dongdong say to that? He could only laugh it off and fob off Lord He as best he could.

By the time all official social obligations were settled, it was already a summer night with the moon rising above the treetops. A gentle breeze rippled across White Goose Pond, its surface calm and untroubled. The painting boats clustered all around blazed with lantern light, the strains of string and bamboo music drifting unceasingly — a perfect scene of heedless peace and prosperity.

The fast fleet, arrived from afar, naturally dared not let down its guard. Ample patrols and night-vision-device-equipped lookouts were posted both on the pier and across the waters surrounding the fleet.

A hurried night passed, and the fleet only began formal rest and reorganization the next day.

First came the requisitioning of quarters. In theory, there were barracks and a scout field both inside and outside Guangzhou City, but the transmigrators had no intention of staying in those dilapidated hovels — one only needed the slightest imagination to know the sorry state of any government-owned property.

Thus, the Daoist Temple by White Goose Pond was commandeered by the soldiers.

The Daoist Temple was a historic monastery, dating back to the Tang Dynasty, and covered a vast area. Since it provided year-round superstitious rituals and psychological counseling services to the ladies on the painting boats, the temple's bald donkeys were exceedingly wealthy. Its inner quarters were all finely decorated, making them perfect to serve as dormitories for the warriors.

The Abbot, who claimed boundless magical powers, could only admit defeat in the face of bayonets and the tacit approval of the authorities. But the Abbot's gloom was short-lived: the transmigrators were very generous. Not only did they give the old man half an hour to spirit away the treasures hidden inside the Buddha statues, they also gave him a Seven-Treasure Glazed Buddhist Lamp as monthly rent... This sent the old man into raptures.

While quarters were being requisitioned, Cao Jiangjun had already boarded a carriage and, with his guards and an assortment of Marlboro-series gifts, entered Guangzhou City. Zhang Dongdong needed to make contact with every major figure from the Provincial Administration Commissioner on down, and afterward produce an assessment report.

Guangzhou was no untamed backwater like Tainan. Densely populated, with powerful government institutions, abundant resources of every kind, and a superb geographical position, it was the foundation the transmigrators had designated for their future state... For at least the next decade, both the new capital and the new industrial zone would be here. The Cabinet therefore placed great importance on this place, and the required preparatory work was correspondingly heavy.