Chapter 385: A Sense of Rhythm

One thing was entirely foreseeable about Cao Jiangjun's trip to Zhaoqing to meet Wang Zunde: host and guest were bound to find each other's company disagreeable.

Given all that prior unpleasantness, it was a given that Governor-General Wang, after having his face slapped, would not welcome this fellow Cao. Had the Transmigrators not settled matters with the interested parties beforehand, and had it not been for the recent major merit in bandit suppression, Governor-General Wang, backed into a corner, would surely have dragged his feet a while longer before handling affairs.

So after a comprehensive analysis of the situation, the think tank told Zhang Dongdong, who was about to leave for Zhaoqing, in no uncertain terms: adopt a tough stance and handle it strictly as official business; don't be afraid of offending that old goods, because you've already offended him to the hilt, so it doesn't matter anymore. Kowtowing now would be utterly pointless.

As for the business at hand... a joke — does he, Wang Zunde, have the guts to try not handling it?

The prior agreement was a consensus reached after Wang Zunde committed a strategic blunder and was forced to surrender the initiative, and was then jointly endorsed by the officialdom of both Fujian and Guangdong. There was far too much maneuvering by interested parties involved — did he, Old Wang, think he could change it on a whim?

Once the Transmigrators were truly provoked, this side could simply take its troops and leave... Liu Xiang was still holding court as the boss in Tongluo Bay, after all. The very reason the Transmigrators kept delaying formally recruiting Liu Xiang was precisely as a safeguard against this move.

So, with matters having evolved to this point, Wang Zunde was in fact completely passive. Cao, arriving bearing great merit, had absolutely no need to give him face.

Having deduced Old Wang's essential nature — fierce in appearance but cowardly at heart — a confident Zhang Dongdong promptly took his attendants and left for Zhaoqing, heading straight for the Zongdu Yamen. There, in the main hall, he met a certain Wang, clad in full official robes, his face as long as a donkey's.

The meeting indeed went exactly as predicted: without the slightest blessing of amity, host and guest sat in the hall. Apart from a few curt pleasantries like "a seat" and "my thanks, Your Excellency," the atmosphere was at one point so awkward one might have called the police.

In the end, it was the Governor's Mansion's chief Adviser who saw things turning sour and, fearing that the arrogantly assertive Cao, arriving with such momentum, might storm off in a huff — in which case his own master would truly be left holding the bag. So the Adviser hastily jumped in, disregarding his station, to crack a few jokes and make some small talk.

After delivering a few lines of solo comic relief, the Adviser, all smiles, requested the memorial from Cao Jiangjun's side. Then, holding the memorial aloft, he walked over to the official desk, and, still wearing an apologetic smile, asked the frosty-faced Governor-General to sign it. Once the boss had signed, the Adviser swiftly picked up the official and personal seals from the desk, stamped them, and then came back down to return the memorial to Cao Jiangjun... and with that, the job was done.

The moment he had the memorial in hand, Zhang Dongdong did not delay a single second. He gave a perfunctory cupped-fist salute, turned around, and left.

The front hall and main hall of ancient yamens were aligned on a single axis, which meant that, until Cao Jiangjun walked out the main gate, he could feel the furious gaze boring into his back.

With a wry shake of his head and a bitter laugh, Cao Jiangjun said to his subordinates waiting at the yamen gate: "Back to Guangzhou."

To be honest, ever since that initial "recruitment and amnesty and entering officialdom," Comrade Zhang Dongdong, tasked with being the stand-in, had never been so stiff with any court official.

The egalitarian thinking of later generations, seasoned interpersonal skills, and the ability to help people make money had allowed Zhang Dongdong to navigate officialdom with ease. Whether in Fujian or Guangzhou, whether dealing with Grand Coordinators or prefectural and county officials, everyone's impression of Cao Jiangjun was extremely positive.

He never expected to meet his match this time, and a top military official at that.

"No wonder everyone hates upright officials — there's simply no way to communicate with these people!" Jostling in a swaying carriage, Zhang Dongdong inadvertently had another epiphany about a universal social truth: "Good thing the old man will work himself to death next year. Ah, just have to put up with him for a while."

The Transmigrators' headache was not unwarranted. This Wang Zunde was, in fact, a scaled-down version of Hai Rui.

According to records, this gentleman was "stern and incorruptible as an official, impeaching without fear or scruple. When dispatched to Guangdong, the local administration was purified by his presence. He lived frugally, his coarse clothes and vegetarian fare no different from a poor scholar's. On the day he died, his family had no surplus wealth."

This meant that Old Wang, whether during his previous tenure as Grand Coordinator of Guangxi or his current post as Governor-General of Liangguang, had launched large-scale anti-corruption and clean-governance campaigns.

"Impeaching without fear or scruple" — Old Wang disowned all kin and showed no mercy in prosecuting officials.

At the same time, likely to complement his image of justice and incorruptibility, Old Wang's "coarse clothes and vegetarian fare were no different from a poor scholar's," and when he finally kicked the bucket, he hadn't even managed to save two coins.

The Transmigrators detested this kind of upright official the most. Utterly incompetent in governance, yet precisely because of their incorruptibility, they occupied the moral high ground, impervious to reason and insufferably arrogant.

"Good Old Xiong is still the best!" Zhang Dongdong concluded at last.

Normal officials like Xiong Wencan, who sought promotion and silver, were the ones the Transmigrators most enjoyed cooperating with, because in the process, everyone could get what they needed, their interests bound together.

At this thought, Zhang Dongdong decided that upon his return, he would strongly emphasize to both the Special District Government and the Cabinet far away in Dayuan: from this moment on, they must begin working to maneuver Xiong Wencan into Guangdong next year. Whether it was reminders, hints, and luxury goods aid from the Transmigrators' side, or Xiong Wencan's own Folding-Paper Office (liaison office) in Beijing making arrangements in advance — these steps had to begin now, with no further delay.

His mind full of grievances to vent, Cao Jiangjun returned smoothly from Zhaoqing, bringing back the most crucial prop for the next stage of advancement: the joint recommendation memorial signed by both the Governor-General and the Fuzhou Governor.

With this memorial in hand, Cao's transfer from Fujian Vice General to Nan'ao Deputy Regional Commander was as good as nailed down: Chongzhen would certainly not reject a joint recommendation from the highest local officials of both Fujian and Guangdong.

And this particular transfer was also extremely important. The Nan'ao Deputy Regional Commander, whose office was established on Nan'ao Island, also known as "Deputy Regional Commander for the Joint Defense of Zhangchao and Other Areas, Stationed at Nan'ao," was a key official post set by the Ming court in the border region between Fujian and Guangdong to maintain a military presence in Southern Fujian, Yuedong, and other areas.

Although this post originated from Guangdong, it equally held jurisdiction over matters in Fujian, making it the most suitable position for the current Cao Jiangjun.

With this post, from now on, troops surging out from Taijiang could legitimately enter any dock or Water Fort in Guangdong and demand local support.

Moreover, as a high-ranking Guangdong military officer second only to He Rubin, Cao had the authority to offer suggestions on the entire military strategy of Guangdong, and, should He Rubin be unable to perform his duties, to take command of the entire province's troops. This was completely different from the previous authority of a Vice General, where the Cao Clan only controlled that tiny patch of Xiamen.

Such an important document naturally could not be treated carelessly. So once Zhang Dongdong returned to Guangzhou City, he dispatched an Escort Ship specifically to deliver the memorial to Fuzhou, to be handed to Xiong Wencan, who would be responsible for sending it to Beijing via the military postal relay.

With this step completed, all prior accumulations were effectively reset to zero. Cao Jiangjun now needed some new merit to consolidate his foundation and attract attention.

Fortunately, the Transmigrators still held many cards up their sleeve. So, when mid-August arrived, after this side had finished digesting Zhu Cai Lao's forces, the Fast Fleet set sail once again.

This time, the Fast Fleet not only brought no rabble troops along, but after making a loop out at sea, it actually brought back another pirate band of two thousand men: the Yang Liu and Yang Qi group.

Yang Liu and Yang Qi were brothers, originally members of Zheng Zhilong's Eighteen Zhi group — veteran pirates. Historically, these two brothers were actually the earliest pirate group to plan for recruitment and amnesty. Even before Zheng Zhilong's recruitment, they had already been colluding with Ba Zong Xu Xinsu and Xu Xinsu's superior, Regional Commander Yu Zigao.

Shortly after this, the brothers quickly fell out with Zheng Zhilong — over all that messy business regarding recruitment and amnesty. The two sides sabotaged each other, vied jealously for favor, and went from brothers to bitter enemies.

According to the original history, the Yang Liu and Yang Qi brothers, Xu Xinsu, Regional Commander Yu Zigao, and the others along that line were all, in the end, directly or indirectly wiped out by Zheng Zhilong.

But in the Transmigrators' timeline, the Yang brothers, like Xu Xinsu, survived precisely because of Zheng Zhilong's death.

Back when the Transmigrators assembled their forces and annihilated Li Kuiqi's Great Gang in Zhangzhou Bay, the Yang brothers, who had been driven by Zheng Zhilong to eke out a living in Guangdong, learned of the news and quickly contacted the Transmigrators through Company Commander Xu, once again seeking recruitment and amnesty.

At the time, however, the Transmigrators were in the midst of digesting a large number of captive resources and simply could not free up a hand to swallow another major pirate force. Moreover, they needed to plant hidden pieces in Guangdong. So, after receiving some covert support, the Yang brothers were thus embedded in Guangdong, becoming an idle chess piece for the Transmigrators.

It was only today that these two brothers had truly achieved the right result — appearing before the soldiers and civilians of Guangzhou at the very moment their recruitment was most needed.

And the heat from this operation perfectly dovetailed with the wave from Zhu Cai Lao. The continuous stream of major pirate bands either being wiped out or accepting recruitment had, for a time, pushed Cao's reputation among the soldiers and civilians of Guangzhou to its peak.

So, the Transmigrators' sense of rhythm was indeed quite good. When needed, they could always play a trump card to maintain the situation.

As for the final boss, Liu Xiang, the rhythm for this worthy could not be disrupted. This last trump card could only be deployed after the court's official letter of appointment was formally issued.

Thus, for the remaining days of August and the entire month of September, the Transmigrators did nothing at all. They simply settled down and focused on continuously shipping commercial goods from Taiwan to Guangdong, and, conveniently, on the fleet's return voyages, transported large numbers of pirates away in batches.

And during this latter half of 1629, some major historical events still occurred on schedule.

First was Mao Wenlong. While the Fast Fleet was entering Guangzhou and summoning rabble troops to prepare for the surprise attack on Zhu Cai Lao, a major event concerning the Ming Dynasty, the Later Jin, and history itself still happened on time: on July 24, 1629, Yuan Chonghuan, without an imperial decree, arbitrarily executed Mao Wenlong, the Chief Regional Commander of the Dongjiang Garrison.

The Transmigrators were utterly powerless regarding this matter. The current sphere of influence of the New Hero Nation was still limited to the southern seas of the Ming state; they couldn't even reach Shanghai. So, faced with such a major historical event unfolding in the north, the Transmigrators could only stare helplessly.

In the two months following Mao Wenlong's execution, the Transmigrators won victory after victory in Guangzhou, wantonly destroying and incorporating pirate bands. Meanwhile, far in the north, the Later Jin leader Huang Taiji also keenly seized the excellent opportunity presented by the chaos on his flank at the Dongjiang Garrison, and completed his preparations to breach the passes.

In the upcoming October, Huang Taiji would personally lead the Eight Banners Army, detour through the Menggu region, break through a Changcheng pass, and, for the first time in history, invade the Ming heartland and besiege Beijing.

Of course, regarding this matter, the Transmigrators far away in the southern lands were still too far away to help.