Chapter 97: Water Source

Chen Xin strolled unhurriedly out of the Haifangdao government office in Dengzhou's water city, leading his personal guards east along the city wall toward Zhenyang Gate. Groups of porters passed by, and from their accents he could tell they were indeed from Liaodong — it looked like Yang Guodong had captured quite a few. After entering the city, he first went to see Sun Guozhen. This lord who had dealt with the Dutch devils looked even more haggard, without a trace of the composed ease he had when he first took office. He was fairly polite to Chen Xin, this hero who had toppled the eunuch, and asked about the events of last year when Wei Zhongxian was overthrown. Chen Xin only said it was because he had witnessed the assassination of Yang Weiyuan and acted out of righteous fury. Sun Guozhen did not press further on the matter. He also asked about Chen Xin's recent bandit-suppression campaign; the merit report from Weihaiwei had already arrived, so he knew of it. Chen Xin briefly recounted the process. Lord Sun offered a few words of praise and also gave Chen Xin a personal set of mountain-pattern armor.

After leaving the Provincial Governor's office, Chen Xin went to the water city to see Circuit Intendant Zhong. He reported on the goods to be purchased. Circuit Intendant Zhong listened with satisfaction to Chen Xin's report and did not urge him to set sail early.

To avoid arousing Sun Guozhen's suspicion, Song Wenxian did not enter the city with Chen Xin but went home instead. After exiting the water city through Zhenyang Gate, Chen Xin hummed a tune and went to Song Wenxian's home.

Song Wenxian opened the door with a gloomy face and led Chen Xin to the study. At the doorway, Chen Xin glanced around but did not see Xiao Jiahua. After closing the study door, he smugly handed Song Wenxian a banknote for twenty thousand taels, to be drawn in Tianjin. Song Wenxian took it without a word. Somewhat surprised, Chen Xin asked, "This is from Sun Guozhen. He wants both ships to participate — he's giving even more than Lord Zhong. Aren't you curious, Mr. Song, why he's joining?"

Song Wenxian snorted. "A few days ago, he took my eldest son and Xiao Jiahua to his government office."

Chen Xin suddenly understood. Sun Guozhen must have noticed that Song Wenxian was getting too close to him. Song Wenxian shot Chen Xin a hard look and said, "Even Li Song never went this far before. It's all because of that New Year's visit you dragged me into."

In truth, Song Wenxian knew it was not about the New Year's visit. From the very first time they went together to see Sun Guozhen, Sun Guozhen had already regarded them as a single faction.

Since the other side had long been prepared, taking his silver would not be easy. Chen Xin frowned and lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said to Song Wenxian, "Since Sun Guozhen is already on guard, we'll see how things stand when the time comes. If the odds aren't good, we won't take the risk. Xiao Jiahua is nothing, but your eldest son cannot be ignored. For now, Sun Guozhen has already agreed to submit my merit for beheading the bandit chief. I'll ask for an Assistant Guard Commander post. With Qian Yuanke helping out in the Ministry of War, once I return from Japan, I can enter the Wendeng Battalion."

Song Wenxian looked at Chen Xin, cupped his hands, and said, "It is rare for Brother Chen to show such concern for my son. Yet after all our long planning, we still haven't recovered that ten thousand taels."

Chen Xin knew he meant the ten thousand taels given to Sun Guozhen the previous year. Smiling, he consoled him: "Mr. Song, how can everything go as one wishes — especially when snatching food from the tiger's mouth of these great lords? There are plenty of opportunities to earn silver. We can also make a good sum on this trip to Japan. Sun Guozhen's situation is precarious, which only makes him more cautious. But this Lord Zhong thinks he can rest easy, heh heh."

Song Wenxian's face remained dark. After a moment, he asked Chen Xin, "Do you have any other business in Dengzhou?"

"Lord Sun has his hostage, so I must take my hostage back as well."

"You mean…"

"Ba Zi's family. This time I'm bringing them back to Weihai."

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At daybreak in the fortified village, a few roosters began to crow. A thin mist hung over the surrounding fields. Wang Huzi's wife, Wang-Lu-shi, pushed open her door with a creak. A stray dog at the doorstep gave a whimper and quickly ran off, disappearing around the corner. Wang-Lu-shi rubbed her bleary eyes, wiped a large clump of sleep onto her hand, and flicked it forcefully to the ground. She looked up at the neighbors; the women of the surrounding households were also beginning to emerge. When Tang Zuoxiang's wife came out and saw Wang-Lu-shi, she curled her lip and went back inside.

Wang-Lu-shi gave a snort of her own, then yawned. She turned back inside, carried out a chamber pot, and set off. Carpenter Tan's wife happened to be going out to empty her chamber pot as well. She greeted Wang-Lu-shi, and the two walked together toward the manure pit.

"Sister-in-law Wang, isn't it true — with these soldiers away, it really does feel strange. In the old days, their morning drill shouts were so noisy they drove you crazy. But now that they're silent, it's the silence that feels strange."

Wang-Lu-shi switched the pot to her other hand and agreed, "Isn't it so? Lord Chen's soldiers really are different — every one of them spirited and obedient, and fierce in battle too. Nothing like those troops from the Tianjin garrison."

Carpenter Tan's wife said, "Who says otherwise? Having them stationed here, we could live at ease. These past two days they've been doing some kind of march training, and the place is emptied out. Only the boat crews are left, and those are no good — always stealing chickens and dogs. I heard they stole and ate several dogs over at Mazi Village."

"Exactly. I tell you, Sister Tan, you'd better keep a dog by your chicken coop. Those boat crews don't dare come around here — as soon as a dog barks, they'll run."

As they talked, they reached the manure pit. The pit lay outside the residential area. On one side stood a public latrine; the other side was the spot for emptying chamber pots. A sign stood by the pit's edge: "Failure to deposit waste into pit — fine of five fen of silver!" The two women stood carefully on the rim and emptied their pots.

Sister Tan walked a dozen paces away and began cranking a windlass to draw a bucket of water. As she cranked, she said to Wang-Lu-shi, "This windlass really is better. That Archimedes screw Mr. Liu had us make — you could crank half the day and not get half a bucket up. And he blamed my husband for not making it right. That thing is terribly hard to make; even with all my husband's years as a carpenter, he was driven to his wits' end. Now Mr. Liu has had to switch back to a well-sweep for the irrigation wells."

After the water was drawn, the two chatted as they washed their chamber pots. Wang-Lu-shi stretched her back and looked out at the fields beyond. The wheat seeds and beans had all been planted, along with some cotton; now they were just waiting for water to sprout. Thinking of this, she glanced toward the two small waterwheels by the Qin Village River. There had been no rain since the start of spring. For now, they relied on the irrigation wells for watering, but the well mouths were small, and lifting water with a well-sweep was tiring. So they had gathered all the carpenters and built two small waterwheels by the Qin Village River. But the river's flow was low this year, and when they built the wheels, they had set them a bit too high. The water level often sat just below the paddles, and the wheels stood still most of the time.

"Hey! Sister Tan, the waterwheel is moving! There should be water in the channel today — let's go look!"

Sister Tan heard this and quickly looked over. It was indeed turning slowly. Delighted, the two headed that way, checking as they walked whether there was water in the channel. It was still dry.

Sister Tan walked a bit further, then suddenly cursed, "You dogs! No wonder there's no water — stop! Stop digging!" Shouting, she ran toward the channel ahead. Wang-Lu-shi also spotted several people by the channel up ahead and hurried over to look. They seemed to be people from Mazi Village. Two breaches had already been opened in the channel bank, and the water was being diverted into Mazi Village's pond.

Sister Tan had a fiery temper. She rushed over, grabbed a gaunt military householder, and began grappling and hitting him, cursing all the while, "I'll teach you to dig!" The householder was frail and weak. Sister Tan, well-fed now and plump and sturdy, seized his hair with one hand and slapped his head repeatedly with the other. She beat the man so thoroughly he could not fight back at all, and his face was raked with several bloody scratches. The householder cried out in pain, both hands clutching at the hand gripping his hair, stumbling backward until he tripped over a field ridge and fell. Sister Tan, pulled along, tumbled down with him. Even on the ground, she kept hitting and cursing, her hand still firmly locked in his hair.

The other Mazi Village householders nearby, equally gaunt, saw how fierce this woman was and hurried over to pull her off. But another woman would have none of it. Screaming abuse, she threw herself onto Sister Tan, grabbed her hair, and shouted, "You dare hit my man!"

Without a word, Wang-Lu-shi threw herself in as well, joining the fray. It was now two against two. It must be said that Wang-Lu-shi and Sister Tan had attained a high level of proficiency in the shrewish brawling arts. Tested in many real fights, they employed scratching, biting, and striking, pinning down both opponents and beating them soundly. Seeing their own side losing, the other Mazi Village householders rushed in and pulled Wang-Lu-shi and Sister Tan away. The householder's wife had been beaten until her nose and mouth bled, her hair hanging loose over her face like a ghost.

But Sister Luo was not the least bit afraid of this ghost. She tossed aside a remaining clump of hair in her hand. Though panting with exhaustion, she kept cursing without pause: "You… you Mazi Village people… are the most shameless. When we built the waterwheel… we asked you to contribute lumber… and you brought two twigs. We asked you… to send workers… and you sent two men who could barely walk." At this, she straightened up and declared righteously, "Who built this waterwheel? My husband built it! Now that there's water, suddenly you have people to send — always sneaking around doing underhanded things. Truly shameless. Your man is shameless, and you woman are shameless too…"

The householder's wife had caught her breath, a knot of foul rage lodged in her chest. Hearing Sister Luo still cursing, she suddenly snatched up a hoe from the ground and swung it at her.

"Ah! Help!"

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"Mr. Liu, come quickly! Someone is stealing our water!"

Liu Minyou had arrived at the workshop early that morning and was inspecting two gun barrels finished the day before. The two artisan households on night watch at the workshop were keeping him company. Xu Yuanhua burst in and shouted the news.

Wang Huzi happened to have been on workshop guard duty the previous day and had not yet gone home. On hearing this, he flared up in rage, jumped to his feet, grabbed an iron hammer, and said to Liu Minyou, "Mr. Liu, these Mazi Village people have gone too far! When we proposed building the waterwheel together, they refused. Now that there's water, they come to steal it."

Liu Minyou had a terrible headache. The water channel had to pass through Mazi Village's cultivated land. After they had dredged the diversion channel to the Qin Village River, they began drawing water to open new land. But there had been no rain since the start of the year, and the Qin Village River's water level was very low. Now that they finally had water, Mazi Village was causing trouble again.

Liu Minyou set down the gun barrel and said to Wang Huzi, "Don't go joining the commotion. I'll go take a look. These barrels have less deviation than before — well done. From now on, the measuring tools and gauges must be checked and calibrated every two months. Wang Huzi, you'll be responsible for the calibration. Anyone found using tools that don't meet the standard will be fined one qian of silver."

With that, he left with Xu Yuanhua. By the time they reached the water channel, a large crowd of their own farmers had gathered. Since the start of spring, they had taken in seventy or eighty refugee households. Together with the original guaranteed households, there were now over a hundred families. The newly built houses would soon be full again. Now, with word spreading, a few more refugees came on their own every day.

Though these farmers received no wages here, their food and lodging were provided — a life many times better than their former existence as refugees. They had heard that once the land was reclaimed, it might eventually be distributed to them to farm. Everyone was full of hope. Now that these Mazi Village people dared to steal their water, the farmers were united in shared hatred. Each grabbed a hoe and rushed over to help.

Liu Minyou hurried to the edge of the crowd. The crowd was already a din of shouting and cursing, emotions running high. From within, a woman's wailing voice could be heard: "Neighbors, everyone, you judge the rights of this! They steal our water, and on top of that they beat people! Look at my head, look! The blood won't stop! I can't go on living…"

Liu Minyou quickly parted the crowd and squeezed into the center of the circle. He saw Sister Tan sitting on the ground clutching her head, Wang-Lu-shi supporting her, some blood still on her face. Carpenter Tan and several artisans had seized one man and one woman from Mazi Village. Over a hundred people from Mazi Village stood opposite, also armed with wooden clubs and hoes. Gong Pingkang was off to one side trying to mediate.

As soon as Company Commander Gong saw Liu Minyou arrive, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and came over. "Mr. Liu, you've come at last. Look at this mess."

Seeing the blood on Sister Tan's forehead, Liu Minyou said angrily to Gong Pingkang, "Company Commander Gong, it was clearly stated when we built the waterwheel: our land is far from the river, making it hard to carry water. We provided the labor and funds to dredge the channel and built the waterwheel. We should be the ones to store water first; only when there is surplus should you use it. You agreed to this. Why are you acting this way now?"

Gong Pingkang felt somewhat in the wrong. Flustered, he said, "Mr. Liu, please calm your anger. These few today are all autumn rotation troops just back from Jizhen. They've only just arrived. It's my fault for not having had the chance to tell them about this."

Xu Yuanhua said angrily from the side, "Stealing water is one thing, but beating people too? A hoe can kill someone."

Gong Pingkang knew Chen Xin's background was not to be offended, let alone the two hundred soldiers who were terrifyingly lethal in battle. Fortunately, they were not here today. So he dared not offend Liu Minyou either. He apologized repeatedly: "This was truly wrong. Mr. Liu, be magnanimous — don't hold these farmers to account. They went out last year in the seventh or eighth month and have only just returned. Over there, they didn't get enough to eat or sleep well. They're pitiful. Come the seventh or eighth month this year, they might have to go to Jizhen again. They're all hoping to grow a bit more grain so their families can survive the winter."

Seeing him apologize, Liu Minyou's anger subsided a little. He also saw that the military householder on the ground was indeed skin and bones, his eyes watching Liu Minyou in fear. His heart softened, and he was about to urge his own people to let the matter drop. But then the householder's wife on the ground suddenly shrieked, "You outsiders! You took our land, and now you want to steal our water too! And you, you shrew — you clearly started the beating! You tore out so much of my husband's hair! You deserved to be hit!"

Hearing this, the Mazi Village crowd also began shouting curses. A few young men tried to rush forward to seize people but were blocked back by the farmers' hoes. Gong Pingkang was frantic with anxiety, drenched in sweat. He pushed one back, only for another to charge forward.

A young military householder from Mazi Village dodged past Gong Pingkang and shouted at them, "You outsiders! Not only do you steal our water, you also rampage around the bay! That big boat of yours has smashed into our fishing boats twice! You clearly don't want us to fish. And now you steal our water too. Is this how you bully people?"

Liu Minyou knew about this. Ba Zi had been drilling his men in the bay and had indeed collided with fishing boats twice. Liu Minyou said to the man, "Young brother, the boat collisions were not intentional. Everyone was rescued. The bay is teeming with fish and shrimp — why would we stop you from fishing?"

The young man was relentless. "Then pay for the fishing boats! Twenty taels per boat."

Xu Yuanhua stepped forward angrily. "Your broken-down fishing boat is worth twenty taels?"

"Who says it's broken-down! Don't think you can bully us Mazi Village…" The householder's wife on the ground tried to cut in again. Sister Tan, also still on the ground, cut her off with a shriek: "So what if we bully you! You can't do anything right — you can't out-curse, you can't out-fight, and your shit isn't even good enough for fertilizer!"

The householder's wife let out a great cry, scrambled up, and threw herself onto Sister Tan. The two began brawling again. Seeing this, the young householders on the other side surged forward in a shouting, shoving mass. Both sides began pushing and jostling each other. Liu Minyou and Gong Pingkang were both in the middle trying to stop it, squeezed and shoved back and forth, taking several punches and kicks in the process. Liu Minyou shouted for Sister Tan to stop, but the crowd was in an uproar, and no one listened to him anymore.

Sister Tan had again gained the upper hand, pinning the woman beneath her and beating her. A Mazi Village householder directly across from Liu Minyou kept shouting, "Sis!" He happened to be blocked by Liu Minyou. He fixed his eyes on Liu Minyou and paused. Then suddenly he swung the hoe in his hands and brought it down on Liu Minyou's head.

Liu Minyou was caught off guard. The blow struck him; his head spun, and he swayed unsteadily. Xu Yuanhua saw it, caught hold of him, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "They hit Mr. Liu! They hit Mr. Liu!"

Several nearby farmers heard this and took up the cry together, rushing over to support Liu Minyou. Wang Huzi, who had been following behind with the craftsmen, arrived just at that moment. Seeing Liu Minyou injured, he froze. This Mr. Liu was always the most modest and amiable. Though stubborn as a mule when working, he was good to everyone in the fortified village and even taught the children to read. There was no one in the village who did not respect him. And the people of Mazi Village dared to strike him.

"Beat the hell out of them!" Wang Huzi roared. Taking the lead, he swung his iron-core staff and charged at the Mazi Village crowd opposite.

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Note 1: Jiegao, a water-lifting device that uses the lever principle.

Note 2: The Weihai autumn rotation troops arrive in the ninth month and return in the second month of the following year.