Chapter 591: Setting the Agreement

The cold, deserted beach that had always been empty of people was now a scene of clamor.

Natives packed the dock in dense crowds, surrounding this ramshackle man-made structure so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through.

The only passage left open was the road for transporting grain.

Men in tattered clothes, carrying heavy sacks of rice on their shoulders, bared their rotten teeth and grinned as they passed through the wall of people. On both sides, people dressed the same way cupped their hands and let out all kinds of joyful, strange cries, their wrinkled faces full of smiles.

The camera swept past the dock to the mountain foot behind the beach. Here, many stone stoves had been temporarily piled up. People no longer feared wasting calories at this moment, and had carried stones and wood from the mountain behind them down to the mountain foot.

Guanglu Island is the largest island in the Changshan Archipelago, with ample fresh water resources and dense vegetation. So once the stoves were set up, the corresponding spring water was also ready.

Next, the natives used what they had on hand: the luxurious large iron pots received from the big ship were set onto the stoves. Then they boiled water, washed the rice, and the next moment, the gleaming white machine-shelled rice from Guangnan was poured into the large iron pots.

If you pour a pot of water over a stack of paper, and you try to save water, the paper in the middle won't get soaked through. It looks like all the paper is wet, but the core hasn't changed.

The essence of this experiment is: if you're going to invest, invest fully in one go. Being stingy will ruin things at the critical moment.

The Transmigrators naturally understood this principle, so high-end daily necessities, including the large iron pots, were all sent off the ship this trip.

In the seventeenth century, a large two-eared iron pot with a diameter reaching one meter was a strategic resource that any power base had to take seriously, because the metalworking skill it embodied was very advanced. Usually, for a pot with a diameter over half a meter, the price would spiral upwards.

Not to mention that the Transmigrators' large iron pots were industrialized products: refined cast iron with no impurities, top quality, with thick, durable bottoms.

Such a high-end large pot, capable of being a family heirloom, could easily sell for over 15 taels of silver at the Tianjin mule and horse market. Once transported to places beyond the passes, beyond the northern frontier, or beyond the desert, a pot like this could be traded for several good horses.

Therefore, this time, a certain Organization had indeed invested heavily in order to lay out plans in the Dongjiang Garrison.

Of course, since they had invested, they had to consider the returns. So, accompanying the iron pots was Zhao Tieguo.

Zhao Tieguo was from Jinzhou. After his entire family was slaughtered by the Old Slave, he had long fought under Grand Commandant Wenlong against the Jian slaves. Later, when the Grand Commandant passed away, Zhao Tieguo, as a member of the Grand Commandant's personal guard, was filled with self-reproach in the aftermath. On top of that, the Dongjiang Garrison was in chaos at the time, so he chose to leave the Dongjiang Garrison, take a ship across the sea, and scrape out a living in the Jie Guard.

As it turned out, by a twist of fate and the turning of the years, several years later, this old bachelor Zhao Tieguo appeared once again before the old and young men of the Dongjiang Garrison.

Today's Zhao Tieguo, his tall frame even sturdier than before, looked much fiercer. Fortunately, aside from his black beard being shaved clean, Zhao Tieguo's personality was as bold and talkative as ever. At this moment, he had unbuttoned his army greatcoat and was sitting with a swagger on a large log, warming himself by the fire in the stove beside him while vividly delivering a stand-up comic monologue.

"That Shuotuo's unit charged for a whole night, a whole night! I was on the Santunying Fortress wall shooting all night long. Look, look here, my face is smoked black!"

Slapping his own dark face, and seeing the circle of old brothers around him watching without blinking, Zhao Tieguo got even more worked up: "We held on stubbornly until dawn. My eyes are sharp, and seeing that Beile was about to mount his whole army and flee for his life, I hurried to report to my Battalion Commander and General-in-Chief."

"I thought we men would go out of the city to block them, but who knew, the General-in-Chief calculated with his fingers and said, let them go, the lads will just follow."

"So guess what happened?"

Although the listeners had already seen Shuotuo's head, which had been passed around the Nine Border Garrisons, and knew Shuotuo had ultimately kicked the bucket, having the good fortune today to hear Zhao Tieguo, who had personally experienced it, give a live broadcast was still intensely gripping for natives of the seventeenth century, who severely lacked information dissemination and audio-visual entertainment.

So, seeing Zhao Tieguo keep them in suspense, immediately no fewer than ten people asked anxiously: "What happened? What happened?"

"Haha, when I led the men, holding onto the horse's tail, to chase after them, it turned out that Beile had been blocked head-on on the mountain path by the household troops personally led by Grand Commandant Cao!"

"We only heard our Grand Commandant shout: Hey! Is that the slave chief Shuotuo coming from the opposite side? All household retainers, hear my order: seize this beast for me!" At the climax, Zhao Tieguo gestured animatedly: "Are the Grand Commandant's household retainers ordinary household retainers? Haha, haha, when I led the men up to block them, Beile was ultimately wrapped up like a dumpling by us men, and lost the head from his neck!"

By this point, Zhao Tieguo was already laughing so hard he was out of breath, slapping his thigh and staggering about.

And the listeners had long been infected and entranced, laughing heartily as well. But what followed were numerous thumbs raised and fists clasped forcefully: "Grand Commandant Cao is mighty!"

"Brother Tieguo is a true man! I admire you, brother!"

"As expected of a hero who came out of our Dongjiang Garrison! Truly formidable!"

"Tieguo, you've personally avenged your parents!"

Amidst the chaotic cheers and admiration, Zhao Tieguo completed the first task assigned by the "Organization" before disembarking: spreading the martial deeds of Lord Cao among the old brothers on Guanglu Island.

Next, Zhao Tieguo began to complete the second task: spreading immigration rhetoric.

"Here, this is called Iron Brand Red-Braised Beef Can."

"Never seen a water buffalo, right? Ever eaten beef at your age? Take it and dump it in the pot!"

"I'm now a Deputy Company Commander, which is a Hundred-Household Officer, receiving a solid 5 taels of silver a month."

"What, skimming? Pah! Haven't you seen how much silver Grand Commandant Cao's family has? They've got a gold mountain!"

"Ever since I followed Grand Commandant Cao, all expenses are covered. My monthly salary hasn't been touched!"

"Look at this wool cloak, look at this inner garment, look at this firearm, this whole set of cowhide gear!"

"Ah, Grand Commandant Wenlong was good in every way, just a bit poor! To kill Tartars, you still need silver first!"

"What, can I look after you? What kind of crap question is that? We're brothers who've faced life and death together. Could I, Tieguo, not look after you?"

"Let's go, head back soon. First go to Tianjin to put on some weight. Your big bro here has connections in Tianjin. Bring the old lady and the girls, big bro will arrange a berth for you on the ship!"

"Grand Commandant Cao's family business is huge. Never mind feeding the whole families of soldiers, even if all the young and old of the entire Dongjiang came, they couldn't eat him poor!"

"Don't worry, we're all fellow townsmen. Would a fellow townsman cheat a fellow townsman?"

Thus, on the beach, batches of these Dongjiang "fellow townsmen" like Zhao Tieguo naturally formed "stove propaganda points" centered around them.

In the winter's cold wind, the steam billowing above the large iron pots, the heat from the food in the bowls, accompanied by the fiery words of the "Dongjiang fellow townsmen," made the natives on Guanglu Island feel their blood heat up as they ate big mouthfuls, no longer numb.

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At the same time, in the private wooden house of the island master Mao Chenglu, an important banquet that would decide the future was also underway.

To be fair, in the current environment, this banquet spread couldn't be considered low-class. On the long rectangular table made of old wood were laid out ginseng, deer leg, bear paw, tiger meat — whatever the Koreans had, it was here.

As the saying goes, snakes have their paths and cats have theirs. The Dongjiang Garrison had never received enough allocated funds from the imperial court, so leveraging its geographical advantage to conduct border trade with the Koreans had become a vital financial channel for the various Dongjiang units to sustain themselves.

However, this was also a path to disaster. Mao Wenlong had long been at odds with the imperial court over the matter of privately conducting border trade, and there were many frictions involved. Later, when something happened to Mao Wenlong, the court remained silent throughout, and the border trade issue was absolutely one of the important reasons.

Of course, since it was a gathering meal, the table didn't just have Korean goods; various foods brought by the Transmigrators were also present: meat cans, vegetable cans, and even cured meat dishes made by the chefs of Dengzhou restaurants were laid out.

Yet, faced with such a sumptuous feast of northern and southern dishes, no one touched their chopsticks at this moment. The attendees, each holding their breath, were listening to Zhang Zhongqi, seated in the host's position, speak eloquently.

"Let me make this clear first: among the major military leaders of the Great Ming in the North, those with a few soldiers under their command number not a hundred, then eighty. The reason our Grand Commandant chose you all to be friends, to be brothers, is not because your strength is formidable and can be of great use — it is purely out of respect for that heroic spirit of yours, fighting the Jian slaves for years without retreating."

After this opening sentence, Zhang Zhongqi thought for a moment and added: "Yes, this is the great cause. Although our Grand Commandant is as rich as a nation and his spirit swallows the world, the great cause of expelling the barbarians must still be respected."

After saying this, Zhang Zhongqi raised the wine bowl on the table and gestured: "Come, gentlemen, let this wine first toast Grand Commandant Mao, and the countless heroes of the Dongjiang Garrison who met their doom. Let us drain this wine."

Hearing this, the various generals were also stirred with emotion. Thinking of their own years of bitter perseverance, and to be acknowledged today by a powerful peer from the far south, they could not help but feel their blood boil, and one after another raised their wine bowls and drained them dry.

After a bowl of wine, the atmosphere improved greatly. Next, it was time for both the ugly truths and the pleasant words.

"In total this time, I will unload three hundred tons — six hundred thousand catties, or five hundred thousand catties if calculated by the old steelyard — of grain."

"From now on, Guanglu Island is to be constructed as a maritime military supply and replenishment base. The permanent military grain reserve must not fall below 500 tons. Following this, barracks and cave warehouses for storing grain and weapons will be built here. Once the base construction is complete, there will be large quantities of grain and supplies transferred over from Tianjin."

Even though their old nest was thousands of li away, the strength the Crossing Faction had now revealed already completely crushed the Dongjiang Generals.

So when Zhang Zhongqi said these things, his tone was very formal, akin to a superior assigning work, with no intention whatsoever of soliciting opinions from Mao Chenglu and the others.

After all, both sides had now shown each other their true foundations. The Transmigrators' side had already spread its operations wide, and they would certainly not tolerate the Natives haggling over the grand strategic layout.

Fortunately, however, the Natives had no intention of haggling either. That such an overbearingly powerful force wanted to stockpile grain and mass troops on Guanglu Island was, for the East River people long terrified of starvation, tremendously good news.

"I will be stationed year-round in the Beijing-Tianjin area. Here on Guanglu Island, I will leave behind a management and communications team to direct the work."

This too was implicit in the plan. With such a huge investment placed here, they were certain to send people to manage and control it. The generals raised no objections.

"In summary, for the next few years, there is no need for you to do anything with great fanfare. General Mao, you may rest assured and bury your head in drilling the troops. All military supplies will be covertly supplied from Tianjin. Do not make a sound about it."

"Chenglu understands, understands!"

By this point, Mao Chenglu could only nod. With nothing to worry about and someone footing the bill to feed his own troops, what could be better than this?

"As for these elderly and weak of the East River, they will all be relocated southward in succession in the days to come."

"Our Grand Commandant is a Northerner. When the brothers go south, they go to bolster the Grand Commandant. The Grand Commandant will be extremely pleased, and sooner or later, they will all be given important posts!"

At this, Zhang Zhongqi's expression turned cold and hard: "On this one point, there will be no shirking allowed!"

The Dongjiang Generals knew this was poaching their support base. But with matters having come to this point, they themselves could not afford to feed so many family members. If they refused the wealthy patron who came to their door donating grain and recruiting people, they feared they would not only turn hostile with the wealthy patron, but those family members would also rise up in an uproar.

So in the end, after weighing the pros and cons, Mao Chenglu and the others still slowly nodded their heads.

Once this crucial point was clarified, Zhang Zhongqi's expression brightened, and his words turned to reassurance: "Gentlemen, there is no need for misgivings. Now that we are all part of the 'system,' you must take the long view. Follow our Grand Commandant, and the benefits will gradually reveal themselves in time."

Extending one palm with five fingers, Zhang Zhongqi concluded: "Five years. We first bury our heads and build up strength for five years. After five years, in the south, two-to-three-thousand-ton—er—ten-thousand-liao transport ships can be batch-produced, and the coastal logistics chain construction will be complete. By that time… heh heh."

At this, Zhang Zhongqi turned his palm into a knife and began chopping it across the old wooden table before him, from left to right: "When that time comes, the great army will sail north across the sea. Beijing, Shanhai Pass, Jianzhou, further north—the Russians; eastward—the Koreans. One matter after another, one item after another, those with feuds will have their vengeance, those with grievances will have their retribution. In the end, we shall sate all enmity to our hearts' content!"

After saying all this, finally, Zhang Zhongqi raised his wine bowl again and asked with a beaming smile: "Gentlemen, what say you? Will you join our Grand Commandant in this grand enterprise?"

"Done! My lord, we brothers will stake it all on this venture with the Grand Commandant!"

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The Northern Branch, with Guanglu Island as its base, was thus established amid the clinking of a few wine bowls.

And after arranging these major affairs, Zhang Zhongqi and his party lingered on Guanglu Island for a few more days. Finally, once all the prepared supplies were unloaded, the fleet took on the Native migrants on the spot, then sailed straight past Lushun toward the Liao River Estuary.

At present, Lushun was garrisoned by Huang Long, the newly appointed Regional Commander of the Dongjiang Garrison. Since this man was a parachuted official sent by the imperial court to replace Mao Wenlong, he was extremely unwelcome among the Dongjiang officers.

Furthermore, Huang Long and Sun Yuanhua of Dengzhou had also turned hostile toward each other over the matter of Kong Youde and others shifting their defense posts, and had submitted impeachment memorials against each other. So on this trip to the Liao River, the Transmigrators had no intention of visiting Huang Long in Lushun. After all, in such suspicious circumstances during this season of troubles, it was better to keep far away from trouble.

Yet as expected, when the fleet reached the Liao River Estuary, they found the nearby sea surface indeed frozen over—in the bitter cold of this Little Ice Age, the Liao River was completely sealed by ice.

With this, certain people who had originally set out to sea merely to go through the motions now had perfect justification: the coastal waters were frozen, the fleet could not approach close range, and so the brothers had no choice but to turn back for home. It was not that our army was incompetent; it was truly far too cold!

On the return journey, the fleet made a detour to the waters off Tianjin and first dropped Zhang Zhongqi ashore. After this, the fleet turned its prow southward, swaying and rocking, and only after ten-odd days did it return to Dengzhou.

And so, the grand and vigorous "Second Northern Anti-Tatar Campaign" drew its final punctuation mark. The Transmigrators' gaze, after shifting briefly northward for a period of days, soon refocused. They left the Great Ming, this colossal mess, to sort itself out.