Chapter 358: Public Relations

Six days later the main army approached the prefectural seat of Qingzhou. While marching through Laizhou Prefecture, they had hardly drawn on their carried rations, buying directly with pay-tickets at the garrison-forts along the route. The integrated supply shops had also long been prepared. Those garrison-forts inside Changyi territory were relatively sturdy, most built with fort walls and solid storehouses inside, because Changyi lay close to the Dengzhou–Laizhou border and the forts had to shoulder heavier depot duties.

Wendeng's garrison-forts were in fact already seeping into Qingzhou Prefecture. People kept using Dengzhou civilian registration to occupy land in the border zone, yet the prefect of Qingzhou dared not interfere. When commoners came to lodge complaints, he suppressed them all and did nothing, dragging things out indefinitely.

Now Chen Xin, riding high on several great victories, was being courted by everyone from the central court down to the localities. The only thorn, Zhu Wannian, had also been driven away. The Foreign Affairs Department was splitting those gentry families by using commercial interests, but the gold mines would absolutely never be given up.

Shandong officialdom had heard something of what happened in Linqing. Who did it was perfectly obvious. Not to say there was no evidence — even if there were evidence, at most it would reach the trading company, and the imperial court would certainly never move against Chen Xin over such a matter. Now the roving bandits were pressing on Shandong, barely a hundred li from Eastern Depot Prefecture, making Dengzhou Garrison seem all the more important.

Having grasped this logic, the officials along the route absolutely dared not play tricks in front of Dengzhou Garrison. Nor did they mention the matter of providing fodder every other day; as soon as the army arrived they presented two days' worth of grain and also permitted Dengzhou Garrison to send supply troops into the city to purchase meat and vegetables.

Dengzhou Garrison had earned some reputation during the pacification campaigns: they never looted commoners' goods, always paid in ready silver when buying things, far better than the shops run by those profiteering merchants. Word spread fast among the common folk, so peasants from the surrounding countryside came on their own to sell, mostly livestock and poultry they raised themselves — fully displaying the petty shrewdness of Chinese farmers.

Some carrying-pole peddlers also spotted a business opportunity. This army ate no small amount of meat and eggs every day. Meat was more troublesome, but eggs could keep longer. They went through the villages with their carrying poles buying up eggs, stuffing wheat stalks and husks inside as packing, then caught up with the army and sold the eggs to these soldiers, repeating the process the next day.

Chen Xin was utterly astonished by the stamina of these peddlers. The loads they carried were not light, yet the drive to earn money from trade actually allowed them to keep pace with a professional army on the march.

A little tail thus formed behind the army, with a tendency to grow larger. Whenever they passed a village, people would come to the roadside hoping to sell things to the Dengzhou soldiers — completely different from the last time they had marched together with Kong Youde.

Dengzhou Garrison's field rations were based on dry rice, providing the necessary calories, supplemented by some cured meat and sausages that could keep for relatively long periods, though they could not carry much. Whenever they could purchase eggs and meat along the way, they did so to the fullest. The army also carried some tea leaves and beans. When vegetables were unavailable, they could issue a small amount of tea leaves to each soldier, or sprout bean sprouts from the beans, to supplement vitamins.

There was also some honey. Based on experiments the medical corpsmen had conducted on animals, the fresher the honey, the better it was for wounds; the longer honey was stored, the weaker its disinfectant effect became. Therefore purchasing fresh honey along the route was also one of the quartermaster officers' duties.

According to Dengzhou Garrison's purchasing rules, all transactions were settled in ready silver, and weighing was done with the army's own scales, with no short-weighing. Over the course of this march, they left an excellent reputation all along the route through Qingzhou Prefecture. The training officers and propaganda instructors also seized the chance to publicize everywhere, establishing a fine image.

On the eighteenth day of the fourth month, the Dengzhou main army finally reached the prefectural seat of Qingzhou. They arrived at Qingzhou at noon. The prefect of Qingzhou greeted them outside the city. The main army halted on the official road and encamped beside the river. Outside Qingzhou city, bugles and drums sounded continuously, everything appearing orderly and well-arranged. The residents of Qingzhou who came to watch the excitement clicked their tongues in wonder. In the past, guest troops passing through were like a disaster — stealing things was considered mild. Yet this army was unlike any they had seen before: not only did they not loot along the road, they paid in ready silver when buying things. The soldiers' short uniforms were very sharp-looking; in the commoners' eyes, they were simply quite handsome, especially the brass buttons on the front-opening jackets. These smart-looking garrison troops never left their ranks; only a few mild-spoken men came out to talk and make purchases.

As a result, these common folk were not afraid of the soldiers and gathered near the camp to watch the bustle. Some soldiers with white-painted helmets came over and told them to stand fifty paces beyond the camp wall. Other than that there was no obstruction at all. Even when some mischievous children ran closer, they merely chased them down and carried the children back out, without fierce beatings or curses — altogether very amiable.

The prefect of Qingzhou, however, was not fooled by this illusion. He had witnessed Chen Xin's arrogance with his own eyes last time. Back then, over a thousand dan of grain plus ox-carts and horse-carts — Chen Xin had stubbornly insisted it was one hundred dan and seized the whole lot along with the carters. Tao Tinglong had been scared half to death, and Yu Dacheng could only stare helplessly. When he saw Chen Xin again he dared not say anything. The prefect of Qingzhou judged from Chen Xin's manner at the time that he really would dare to kill.

Now the Dengzhou troops were more than double their previous number, their martial prestige even more imposing, and there was also the Liaodong general Geng Zhongming, who had rebelled in Dengzhou, plus that emperor's close attendant Lu Zhi — all fierce men. How would the prefect of Qingzhou dare put on civil-official airs? He cautiously paid his respects to Lu Zhi and the others, and even of his own accord bowed to Chen Xin with hands clasped.

This prefect provided two hundred dan of grain and was also willing to supply some civilian laborers to help transport provisions to the border of Jinan Prefecture. Since he was giving face, Chen Xin and Lu Zhi also adopted an amiable attitude, exchanging greetings one by one with the assistant prefect and the judge of Qingzhou Prefecture. After some pleasantries at the city gate, they entered the city for a welcoming banquet. This group of officers all brought their personal guards into the city. Chen Xin's personal guard numbered as many as a hundred men. Although the Qingzhou intelligence station reported no unusual activity, he after all had conflicts of interest with many people and decided it was better to be cautious. Even Geng Zhongming brought twenty retainers. At the city gate some garrison-provost soldiers were also stationed, guarding against anyone closing the gate.

Guan Dadi was at that moment encamped outside the north gate. His company had not lifted alert status; all the men sat in place on their packs. If anything unusual occurred, they could immediately support the city gate. The march in the fourth month was neither cold nor hot, and Guan Dadi found it very comfortable. He was now a second-grade non-commissioned officer. Zhong Laosi had originally wanted to promote him to company-grade senior NCO, but the application was rejected when it reached the Military Affairs Department, because Guan Dadi had still not passed the most basic literacy examination.

He belonged to the First Company of the Fifth Battalion's Second Thousand-Household Command. The company commander was Zhou Shao'er, and the thousand-household commander was Zhong Laosi. Dragged down by this thousand-household commander, Guan Dadi had gone drinking with him and also had three months' pay docked, though his retirement pension was not deducted. Zhong Laosi's deputy battalion commander post had also been changed to probationary deputy battalion commander; one more infraction and he would lose the position.

Guan Dadi felt great pain over this lost pay. Zhong Laosi had also been thoroughly cursed out by Zhu Daichun and had reined himself in considerably on the road, never again mentioning drinking, though he remained as jovial as ever. The whole way he concentrated on drawing up training plans and, together with Zhu Daichun, kept summing up the lessons of the Fuzhou battle. Especially regarding the use of detached squads, Zhong Laosi now increasingly felt they were useful. The detached squad's organization had originally been for the Banjiu foot guns, mainly used to break shield formations and provide long-range firepower, generally positioned on the two wings of the main formation. Later it became a standing formation at the thousand-household command level, serving as the first volley and as a reserve for formation battle. Ever since Zhong Laosi had a flash of inspiration at Fuzhou and used the detached squad as skirmishers, he had been wanting to codify this improvement into tactical doctrine. He wrote a tactical suggestion to the Aide-de-Camp Office, which then forwarded it to the Military Affairs Department for testing. This channel was one Chen Xin provided for mid- and lower-level officers: any suggestion for improving the army could be submitted, and once adopted it would earn military merit points, making promotion easier.

Zhong Laosi was now leading Zhou Shao'er and the others in arranging stones, occasionally arguing loudly. The unit was being led by the deputy company commander. Guan Dadi had also been distracted all along, gazing toward the young women and young wives who had come to watch the excitement.

When the mess soldiers brought over meat patties, Guan Dadi took one and wolfed it down. At that moment several children smelled the meat and came running desperately, crowding in front of the combat soldiers to sniff the aroma. Guan Dadi chuckled, tore off a piece, and gave it to a child in front of him. The child took it and bit right in, but was immediately dragged back to the outer perimeter by the garrison-provost soldiers. "If you won't eat it, give it to me," Zhong Laosi turned and cursed at him. Guan Dadi gave a foolish grin. Zhong Laosi ignored him and continued discussing with Zhou Shao'er and the others. Guan Dadi finished eating and was about to wipe his mouth with his sleeve when his face was scraped by something hard. He hurriedly lowered his sleeve; three buttons were sewn on it, making it impossible to wipe his mouth — something he had heard was also thought up by Lord Chen.

Guan Dadi had no choice but to pull a handkerchief from his uniform pocket and wipe his mouth clean. At that moment Zhao Xuan came over carrying a basket, bringing some egg cakes, and gave a small piece to each child. The children were all overjoyed. The adults got none, but seeing their children eat, they too were very happy.

Zhong Laosi heard the commotion over there and started cursing again, as if he also wanted some egg cake. Guan Dadi had heard Zhao Xuan say this was called something like "public relations," something that could be done in areas with ample supply. Guan Dadi did not understand what pass was being assaulted, but watching the excitement of those commoners, he also felt very happy.

East of the city gate someone was setting up a stage. Guan Dadi watched with rapt attention. He had already heard that a cultural troupe was accompanying them and wondered whether his little sister was among them. During the Spring Festival, his little sister had sent a letter home saying she had to perform every day and had practically covered all the garrison-forts in Dengzhou and Laizhou. During the festival period she even had to work overtime performances, busier than usual, so she had not come home.

He had been wanting to go see the cultural troupe, but every day he was restricted from leaving camp. Today he was finally near the cultural troupe, but looking at those figures, he did not see his little sister.

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Soon a plainclothes propaganda instructor came running over. He whispered with Zhao Xuan for a while. Zhao Xuan quickly came to find Zhong Laosi. After the two conferred, Zhong Laosi looked at the stage's position and pointed it out to Zhou Shao'er. Zhou Shao'er then walked over to Guan Dadi's side. "First Company, First Pike Banner Squad, listen for the order — stand up!"

Fifty soldiers rose in unison, stood at attention holding their pikes. Zhou Shao'er shouted, "Lay down pikes on the spot. Move to the side of the stage to keep order. Do not allow the spectators below to rush the stage. In particular, do not allow anyone to assault the cultural troupe members."

After the soldiers laid down their pikes, the squad leader led them to the two sides of the stage. All the soldiers stood with hands behind their backs, feet apart. Guan Dadi stood on the left side. As he moved into position he looked around but still could not see his little sister. He had heard that the cultural troupe now had three performance teams; his little sister might not be in this one.

The surrounding commoners, seeing the stage, all crowded around to wait for the show. Below the stage was a hubbub, as lively as a market fair. There were quarrels and scuffles over jostling for spots, and some children were squeezed to the point of crying.

The situation did not yet require the combat soldiers to intervene. Some garrison-provost soldiers and training officers went to mediate, and the crowding eased somewhat, but it remained extremely noisy.

Soon the singing began on stage. A female voice rang out, and Guan Dadi gave a start. He had heard his little sister sing many times in daily life and was long since thoroughly familiar with her voice; this voice was unmistakably his little sister's.

The company commander was right beside him. He stood there not daring to turn his head, unable to see what his little sister looked like, just grinning foolishly as he listened to her voice. The company commander passed in front of him twice and gave Guan Dadi two baffled looks, having never seen anyone listen to a play with such an expression.

When the performance reached the scene of the two lovers' betrothal, a wave of laughter rose from below the stage. Common folk always enjoyed watching romantic ambiguities between men and women. Soon came the wedding, and then the Tatar Huang Taiji came on stage and immediately cut down several relatives and friends attending the wedding. A chorus of curses erupted from below the stage. Although Guan Dadi could not see the stage, he listened with clenched teeth.

At that moment his little sister screamed loudly on stage. Several men below the stage made as if to rush up.

"First Squad, stop them!" the squad leader shouted. Guan Dadi and the others immediately ran over and grabbed those men. Seizing this chance, he turned his head to look and saw a fat Tatar lecherously grinning while pulling at his little sister's clothes. His little sister was crying out in panic. A boom went off in Guan Dadi's head, and a rush of hot blood surged up.

Without a single thought in his head, he let go of the commoner he was holding, pushed off with both hands, and vaulted onto the stage.

His little sister only saw someone coming up and immediately shouted, "Here we go again! Fatty, run!"

That fatty actually reacted very fast. He let go of Guan Xiaomei, turned, and fled, but there was no way he could outrun Guan Dadi. He had only taken two steps when Guan Dadi tackled him to the ground. Shrieks erupted on stage. Guan Dadi rained blows down on the fatty's head and face. Below the stage, cheers resounded.

"Kill the Tatars!!"

"Well done, Dengzhou soldier! Kill the Tatars!"

Tang Wei clutched his face and screamed miserably, rolling round and round on the ground. He also saw it was a combat soldier beating him. At first he begged for mercy, but when he saw the other would not stop for a moment, he switched to cursing furiously, shouting all the while.

Guan Xiaomei stood dumbstruck for a moment, then finally recognized it was her own brother. Suddenly she burst out laughing, went up and grabbed Guan Dadi's arm, shouting, "Brother! It's you! How did you get here? Weren't you in Lüshun?"

By now chaos reigned on and below the stage. The combat soldiers stood blocking the front of the stage, not allowing those commoners to come up. The cultural troupe's leader also ran over and pulled Guan Dadi away. Just before being pulled off, Guan Dadi still managed to kick Tang Wei twice.

Guan Xiaomei, meanwhile, clutched her brother's sleeve, crying and laughing at once, then carefully touched the scar on Guan Dadi's face.

Panting heavily, Guan Dadi said to Guan Xiaomei, "Little Sister, don't be afraid. I'll beat up this bastard for you."

Little Sister burst out laughing. "Brother, this is a member of our cultural troupe. It's just acting. He's not a real Tatar. He wasn't really trying to snatch me."

"I saw him — he came right at you and grabbed you…"

"That's all acting. Off stage we're teammates. Besides, how could he snatch me? He couldn't even beat me in a real fight," Guan Xiaomei said with some pride.

At that moment Guan Dadi's company commander rushed onto the stage in exasperation and kept apologizing to the cultural troupe leader. Even Zhou Shao'er came over. Incidents of cultural troupe actors getting beaten had happened many times; these officers had all heard of them. He said to the cultural troupe leader, "We're truly sorry. This soldier is a straightforward fellow, no ill intent. We will certainly punish him afterward."

After Zhou Shao'er finished, he also apologized to Tang Wei on the ground. Tang Wei rolled on the ground, shouting, "A combat soldier beating a comrade — this violates military law! If you don't punish him, I'll report this to the Military Discipline Unit!"

Zhou Shao'er wrung his hands anxiously and could only curse Guan Dadi roundly. Guan Dadi now realized he should not have hit him and hung his head, still not knowing how he would be punished this time.

Guan Xiaomei gave Tang Wei a kick and shouted at him, "He's my brother!" Then she said happily to the other teammates, "This is my brother! Our Dengzhou Garrison's very first First-Class White Blade Assault Medal — it's his!"

The stage had been too chaotic and noisy just now; only at this moment did the people around understand. The tall and handsome Xu Yuanhua immediately came over and said in a low voice to Zhou Shao'er, "My lord, this matter is nothing. This fatty gets beaten all the time; it's no big deal. My second uncle is Director Xu of the Civil Affairs Department. Please do not punish Brother Guan."

Zhou Shao'er glanced at Xu Yuanhua, said nothing, and turned to look at that fat soldier.

Tang Wei, having heard what Guan Xiaomei had just shouted, rolled his eyes and said to Zhou Shao'er, "Sir, please, you must not punish this hero. I normally admire these heroes the most. I'm just a bit fat. I actually like combat soldiers the best. This Brother Guan, I hear, has faced life and death in Liaonan. I'm happy he beat me. He was only wholeheartedly protecting his little sister. I understand, I understand. I've been through this many times. I won't pursue it."

"Hey, little officer, did you hear that? The fatty isn't pursuing it. You're not allowed to punish my brother," Guan Xiaomei said loudly to Zhou Shao'er.

"Fine then." Zhou Shao'er could not have wished for more. Seeing that the military law officer was not nearby, he hurriedly said to Guan Dadi, "Guan Dadi, apologize to this comrade, and this matter is settled."

Tang Wei wiped the blood from his nose and immediately said, "Elder Brother-in-law… no, Elder Brother Dadi, no need to apologize. Hurry down from the stage. It'll be trouble if the military law officer comes. But please don't beat up actors anymore. I work very hard too. Although I play villains, I'm really a good person. It's some of those who play good people who, off stage, are the real villains. In the future, if you want to beat someone up, just beat up that kind."