An hour later, his subordinates returned trembling with their report, saying the prisoner brought from Tianjin had taken a turn for the worse and could no longer walk, barely manageable to carry off the ship. Forcing him to move might cost his life. They asked if Mr. Li could condescend to make a trip to the docks for on-site interrogation.
Li Hongzhang was shocked: “Even Western medicine doesn’t work?”
He hadn’t ordered them to beat him to death!
The subordinate, probably feeling guilty about inadequate care, stammered: “Don’t… don’t know… perhaps the foreign doctor is unreliable. From now on, we should still find local bone-setting physicians… or maybe he was already sick…”
People face unexpected fortune and misfortune—Li Hongzhang couldn’t fight against heaven. He could only wait until his current business was finished, order a sedan chair prepared, and temporarily leave the heavily guarded headquarters.
At the docks, someone had already requisitioned the commercial guild hall, set up a temporary tribunal, cleared out the common people, and stationed a squad of guards.
Su Minguan was tightly bound, quietly huddled in a corner. His injuries hadn’t healed; his face was pale as a leaf that rarely saw sunlight.
Two guards stepped back, pointed at the prisoner, and stood aside with lowered heads and hunched chests, meaning this was how things were.
Li Hongzhang had originally intended to order a direct beating, but seeing the situation, he gave up. What a useless embroidered pillow—couldn’t even endure such minor injuries!
He could only darken his face and scold: “Your accomplices have done well!”
Su Minguan raised his pale lips in a satisfied smile.
“Sir, you know how to use telegrams, and so do we. Foreigners don’t care whether you’re an official or a bandit—give them money and they’ll send telegrams. I had my subordinates send an urgent one, paid an extra five silver dollars, and even jumped ahead of you in the queue.”
“So the Hong Kong incident was indeed your doing? When? Who did you contact?”
Su Minguan lowered his eyelids and curved his lips—a tacit admission.
Li Hongzhang’s quick mind thought: that’s not right. Calculating the time, he was locked in the ship’s cabin, sailing at sea—how could he communicate with his minions and direct the Triad attack?
It was Lin Yuchan who, on the day she read the newspaper and knew Su Minguan’s disappearance must be related to the China Merchants’ Company, discussed with the remaining Yixing personnel and took the initiative to send a telegram and wire money, asking Sister Feng in Hong Kong to prepare for cooperation.
Not until a meeting with Su Minguan did they send another telegram. Twenty minutes later, the Red Flag Gang’s red cloth and iron shovels smashed down the doors of the China Merchants’ Hong Kong branch.
Li Hongzhang, unaware of these details, first thought: could there be omnipresent “society bandit” sympathizers on his steamship and among his entourage?
The fifty-year-old first-rank official couldn’t help but feel a slight chill on his neck, remembering those countless Taiping and Nian bandits he had slaughtered, countless nights sleeping with weapons at hand. He remembered Gao Yongkuan of Suzhou, who had already surrendered and joined him, whom he had stabbed in the back and killed during a pleasant conversation, and all those eyes of various shapes that died with grievance…
Though these were no longer wartime years, the burden on his shoulders grew heavier, making him walk even more carefully than before.
Li Hongzhang calmed his mind and spirit, stepped back two paces, sat in a chair, put on his reading glasses, and examined the damaged coded account book.
“Is this your party member list?”
“Everyone who pays on time is recorded there.” Su Minguan admitted frankly. “Only Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and the two Guangs. Other provinces aren’t under my management.”
Li Hongzhang almost laughed out loud. Still saying “not under my management”!
Just a bully collecting protection fees per head, actually thinking himself a local emperor!
“Peddlers and laborers, boatmen and trackers—the lower classes are ignorant and easily misled, just banding together. That doesn’t count as forming factions or societies; this official won’t make things difficult for these people.” Li Hongzhang said very amiably. “But among these are those with official positions and scholarly degrees. They serve two masters, taking government salaries while harboring dissatisfaction toward the court. Such disloyal and unrighteous people may not share much common ground with you either. You point them out to this official, so I can account for things to the Two Palaces. As for you… You go back and notify those in Hong Kong that we should coexist peacefully and stop making trouble for each other.”
His attitude was very friendly, truly condescending, putting himself in the position of “Liangshan heroes” and proposing a seemingly magnanimous suggestion.
The hint was obvious: you can freely expose party members you have grievances with, let me claim some credit too—we both win. I won’t pursue the others, avoiding civil unrest.
Throughout his life dealing with rebels and foreigners, Li Hongzhang had perfected his “rogue tone”—lie when needed, cheat when necessary, making himself appear as the other party’s “kindred spirit,” then secretly pursuing his own agenda. It worked every time.
Su Minguan smiled coldly.
If this were his first day knowing Li Hongzhang, he might have been moved.
When drinking with Gao Dewen, this Taiping Heavenly Kingdom orphan had tearfully accused how Li Hongzhang had won over her weak-willed father this way, making him walk defenseless into Li Hongzhang’s Hongmen Banquet.
Moreover, the names in the book were recorded using the Heaven and Earth Society’s time-tested secret codes. Though seemingly incomprehensible, the patterns were actually quite simple—nothing more than skipping lines, jumping characters, substitutions… simple tricks that working people could learn.
Li Hongzhang spoke nicely about wanting only a few names for show. But once “plaintext” and “coded text” were matched up, it would be like giving him the key to unlock everything. The rest of the large coded book would become completely solvable.
Su Minguan pretended difficulty, was threatened a few more times by Li Hongzhang, promised forgiveness for his crimes, struggled for a long time, then finally nodded and hesitantly asked:
“How many people do I need to expose before you’ll let me go?”
“Not many needed.” Li Hongzhang smiled encouragingly. “Until this official is satisfied.”
Su Minguan struggled to stand up. Two guards supported him, left and right.
In that instant, Li Hongzhang suddenly felt an unprecedentedly fierce aura, like an invisible cold blade splitting before him. Years-dormant combat instincts made his hair stand on end. Behind his reading glasses, that dying man suddenly burst forth with incredible agility, lunging forward…
Su Minguan broke free from the loose knots of hemp rope on his shoulders, gently removed Li Hongzhang’s official hat, pressed the hard gun barrel against that neck as vulnerable as any ordinary person’s. His other hand took the coded roster from before Li Hongzhang and gently placed it over the lamp flame.
Li Hongzhang had no time to react at all.
Even more absurd, those two guards in uniform now also showed their true ferocious faces, left and right, grabbing Li Hongzhang’s attendants and efficiently strangling them.
“You, you…”
The temporary tribunal was simply furnished, without guards at every three steps and five paces. Outside the docks were noisy, and occasionally hearing doorkeepers scolded people.
“Mr. Li, forgive the display.” Su Minguan endured the pain of his wounds, speaking quickly. “Now, let’s renegotiate the terms.”
Li Hongzhang’s mind went blank for a moment, staring at his official hat rolling on the ground, hands trembling, suddenly seeing black before his eyes.
The “rebel” had come back from the dead!
“Society bandits” were indeed everywhere!
Among his subordinates, how many more could he trust?
If he had a chance to step outside and look, he would find everything normal—his entourage was chatting and slacking off outside. But since this was a secret interrogation of a serious criminal, no one dared enter casually.
He also didn’t know that the men he sent to fetch Su Minguan for interrogation were spotted as soon as they entered the docks and never made it onto the ship. They were intercepted by Heaven and Earth Society members who threatened them with “If the man escapes, Mr. Li will surely punish you severely, probably thinking you let him go,” then gave each five hundred taels in money house notes. They immediately switched sides, lying to Li Hongzhang that “the prisoner is severely injured and can’t move,” completing their assignment.
The Qing Dynasty was rotten from top to bottom. These small figures only sought prestige and money from their court positions—what professional ethics or patriotic responsibility could they have?
By now, they had pocketed the banknotes and boarded carriages leaving the city, probably already having fled to Zhujiajiao.
Those two “guards” were also He Weicheng’s people in disguise, having stripped the clothes from Su Minguan’s real guards. No matter how strong Li Hongzhang’s memory was, he never paid attention to these small figures’ faces.
Li Hongzhang was even less aware that Su Minguan hadn’t been obediently imprisoned on the ship the whole time. He’d long been rescued from the ship for a day tour of the foreign concession, getting fresh bandages and medicine, resting his spirit, and equipping himself with gunpowder and firearms.
Today’s “interrogation”—he thought he was merely questioning a half-dead rebel, not knowing that from the moment his sedan chair left the headquarters gate, he had walked into a hunting trap.
“Mr. Li, wanting to seize our assets and investigate our people, probably isn’t as easy as you imagined. There are society members in the Hunan Army. There are society members in the Huai Army. Your China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company will have to deal with society members every day at every port.” Su Minguan figured he could easily handle a fifty-year-old man, watching him while alertly monitoring the guild hall entrance. “But don’t worry—we’re all ordinary people without grand ambitions. As long as we can live decent lives, no one wants to occupy mountains as kings and raise rebellion flags. So…”
He released his left hand. The coded roster had burned to ash, swirling down to the ground, scorching Li Hongzhang’s official boots.
Li Hongzhang flew into rage, opening his mouth to shout: “Guards…”
A powerful hand grabbed his chin whiskers. Li Hongzhang felt pain and couldn’t speak with his mouth open.
“Mr. Li, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. The methods you used on the Taiping Army—don’t force me to use them on you. You’re old and couldn’t withstand it.”
Li Hongzhang’s face went deathly pale. In that moment of hesitation, long-dormant fighting spirit briefly emerged, then vanished like smoke. He slumped powerlessly against the chair back.
This man had been able to hold Hede hostage eight years ago, serving as his behind-the-scenes “ghostwriter,” manipulating a third-rank official like a puppet show. Today, his skills were even more refined, calculating against Li Shaoqin himself…
He shouldn’t have hesitated. Should have cut him down with a blade long ago!
“First, immediately release the detained Yixing shipping employees. Don’t pursue them in the future either.” Su Minguan’s voice was steady. “Second, stop searching for civilian society members everywhere. Don’t arrest civilians on fabricated charges.”
Li Hongzhang just sneered coldly.
“The Great Qing Legal Code specifically prohibits forming societies and factions. Are you telling this official to revise the Great Qing Legal Code?”
“Implementation depends on people. Mr. Li wields elite troops and great authority—for you, the Great Qing Legal Code probably has about the same status as the Four Books and Five Classics, right?”
Li Hongzhang’s eyebrow twitched, immediately breaking into a cold sweat, feeling strangely elated in his panic.
Had his position and ambitions in the court become known even to rebels?
Su Minguan glanced imperceptibly at the clock. Only ten minutes had passed since the “interrogation” began.
He steeled his resolve and spoke again.
“I know Mr. Li has suddenly been targeting society members lately simply because we’re blocking the China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company’s path. So third, if you agree to the first two conditions, in return, I can attach Yixing Shipping to the China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company, ensuring a smooth transfer. The China Merchants’ Company must accept all Yixing shipworkers, ensuring they don’t lose their jobs, and not pursue anyone’s background. Mr. Li, do you agree?”
Li Hongzhang’s ear twitched. The “rebel” was still limited in courage, still offering ships…
He put on airs and said: “If everyone behaves properly, this official would be delighted to recruit more skilled shipworkers for the China Merchants’ Company’s opening. Put down your gun and let’s talk properly.”
Fourth, Yixing won’t be given to you for free. Previously, that man surnamed Sheng revealed that the court’s purchase floor price was four hundred thousand taels. That’s treating us like monkeys. At least six hundred thousand taels of silver—that’s my selling price.”
Li Hongzhang’s momentary good mood was immediately blown away. He snorted coldly and quietly weighed the matter.
Originally planning to use four hundred thousand taels of government silver to acquire Yixing at low price as the flagship asset of the China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company. Later discovering Yixing’s helmsman had problematic background, Li Hongzhang schemed to directly “confiscate” Yixing, pocketing those four hundred thousand taels himself.
Now, discovering the rebel not only wouldn’t submit, but had carelessly let him mount his head. Six hundred thousand taels to send him away!
Sheng Xuanhuai had sent people to carefully evaluate. Though Yixing’s miscellaneous ships were rare nationally, compared to foreign company vessels, they weren’t particularly outstanding configurations. As for the value of land and fixed assets, private merchants might consider them precious, but for government-backed state enterprises, land acquisition costs were cheap, incomparable.
In short, six hundred thousand taels were inflated. He was taking advantage to extort.
However… it wasn’t a matter of principle. His life as Li Shaoqin was precious, not worth mutual destruction with rebels.
Li Hongzhang sneered: “To move government silver requires accounting, right? Whatever the pretext, the Ministry of Revenue must approve, right? Six hundred thousand at once—do you think this is paying reparations to foreigners? Like this, this official will slowly work it out. You open a foreign trade company, and I’ll send people to make purchases in installments…”
Su Minguan smiled: “When the time comes, what arrives won’t be purchasing personnel but troops—who would I appeal to then? Mr. Li, don’t underestimate yourself. This humble person knows some official tricks, too. You conduct business on a grand scale with enormous expenses, often advancing funds first, then seeking court approval. Of course, the approved silver never shortchanges you. To say you can’t produce several hundred thousand in ready silver—I’m afraid even the two Empress Dowagers in the palace wouldn’t believe that, would they?”
Li Hongzhang: “You…”
“Of course, this silver needn’t all come from your hands. Then let this humble person remind you of a few things. The payment silver at Jiangnan Arsenal—don’t your trusted associates use it freely? These past days, how many high and low officials queuing to pay respects to you have agreed to deposit their savings, even government silver, in your family’s money houses for your use? Your dozen-plus properties in Shanghai’s old city—just hang up a for-sale sign, and how many would scramble to pay? So many channels—just one note of approval from Mr. Li, and people will deliver money with both hands. Many hands make light work—you should have confidence in your reputation.”
Li Hongzhang was furious. The rebel had even arranged everything for him!
“The Hong Kong branch incident was a warning.” Su Minguan’s gun barrel remained steady. “Today Hong Kong, tomorrow Macao, Kobe, Nagasaki… wherever the Qing’s reach doesn’t extend, wherever there are Chinese people, you can’t prevent us from ‘banding together.’ Mr. Li, you have five minutes to consider. Whether to use six hundred thousand taels of silver to buy peace for the future China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company.”
He paused, then chuckled lowly: “Oh, and the court will probably reimburse you four hundred thousand taels afterward. So only twenty thousand needed. If Mr. Li still won’t nod, next time we meet won’t be this price.”
The clock moved swiftly—tick, tick. Li Hongzhang’s sweat dripped onto the burnt paper on the ground.
The roster had been destroyed by that man surnamed Su, but pursuing society members wasn’t his main task as Zhili Governor-General anyway. Even catching a few people, as that man surnamed Su said, would the court promote him three levels in a row?
He could also struggle and shout desperately, summoning his soldiers to hack these rebels to pieces. But then what?
Shanghai’s shipping industry would be greatly shaken, popular uprising almost inevitable. The court would certainly hold him accountable. Moreover, whether Yixing’s ships could reach his hands remained questionable. Future China Merchants’ Company ships traveling to foreign waters might face constant harassment from exiled society members…
The China Merchants’ Company carried his dreams of wealth through foreign affairs. Li Hongzhang understood what the main contradiction was.
He slightly closed his eyes, sighed, and put away his “rogue tone.”
“Are these your collective decision? Selling Yixing Shipping to the court—won’t your brothers throw you into Suzhou River?”
“Finally,” Su Minguan pointed his gun barrel at the ink and paper on the table, “I hope the China Merchants’ Steam Navigation Company can truly open up prospects for Chinese shipping, not become some people’s money-gathering tool. If I’m disappointed in the future… Mr. Li may not see me again, but we’ll probably remind you through various means.”
Li Hongzhang sighed deeply: “How could I not hope for the same?”
He powerlessly took out his seal from his pocket and began signing orders.
Shiliupu Dock was placed under martial law. Hundreds of elite soldiers arrived with guns, driving away all onlookers.
“Official business! What are you looking at? Scram!”
They arrived one step too late. As Li Hongzhang was mobilizing troops, a concealed small boat rushed out from the reed marshes, its gray sail full of wind like a bird skimming over water, racing past the dock’s edge.
The successful rebel lightly leaped away, vanishing without a trace.