Chapter 461: Let Them Be
Chen Ergou retorted, "Yes, Brother Liu Liu was killed by Hong Chengchou, the Governor of Yansui. And I... wait, what did you just say? What's 'Labor Reform'? Weren't we meant to be settled here, to farm and start anew?"
Qi Cheng shook his head. "Our past sins—the burning, killing, and looting—haven't been atoned for. How could we possibly just start farming and become new people so easily? We've all committed grave errors; now we must repay them through labor. Boundless blessings be yours."
Chen Ergou blinked, utterly bewildered. In his memory, Qi Cheng had been a fierce bandit, always charging at the forefront of battles against the imperial soldiers with unmatched bravery. What was this new tone of voice? And what in the world was that "Boundless blessings be yours" he'd tacked on at the end? Had he started mimicking Daoist priests to fool people?
Nevertheless, amidst Qi Cheng's jumbled pronouncements, one clear message emerged: "We've been deceived. The authorities aren't settling us; they're holding us captive here, aren't they? Is this some enormous prison?"
Qi Cheng nodded. "Indeed!"
Chen Ergou's anger simmered, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "The government lured our Brother Liu Liu to a feast only to murder him, disarmed us under the pretense of pacification, and now, instead of settling us, they've thrown us into a dungeon. It's utterly despicable!"
"Boundless blessings!" Qi Cheng said, "Brother Ergou, don't fret. Being in this prison is actually more comfortable than being settled."
Chen Ergou stared, utterly baffled.
Qi Cheng continued, "If we were 'settled,' we'd have to start farming all over again on our own. You know how brutally difficult it is to farm during this endless drought, don't you? If it were easy, why would we have rebelled in the first place?"
To him, imprisonment conjured images of being confined daily to a cramped, foul-smelling cell, never enough food, constant beatings from jailers—a life far worse than any stray dog.
Qi Cheng explained, "Being imprisoned here, while not as free and joyous as life outside, at least guarantees you food; you won't starve. What's more, if you diligently perform your labor, purify your sins, you can eventually truly start anew. Boundless blessings."
Chen Ergou felt a surge of irritation at his companion's sermonizing tone.
"Alright, alright, I won't ask any more questions," he conceded. "You've been here a while, haven't you? Take me for a walk around. I want to see for myself what exactly this place is."
Similar conversations between new arrivals like Chen Ergou and older inmates like Qi Cheng were unfolding throughout the labor reform camp. Due to the fluid nature of rebel groups, who often gathered and disbanded, many of Liu Liu's and Wang Zuogua's former subordinates were already acquainted.
With the veterans guiding the newcomers, the seven thousand seasoned labor reform inmates swiftly brought stability to the three thousand new arrivals.
He Renlong stood atop the labor reform camp's watchtower, observing how the three thousand new arrivals, instead of causing unrest, were quietly pacified by the seven thousand veteran "prisoners." He felt genuinely astonished. "This place of yours truly is remarkable. When over three thousand surrendered rebels arrived, I expected a prolonged struggle. Yet, you simply toss them into this prison, leave them to their own devices, and they're kept in line by the older inmates."
Zhong Gaoliang emerged from nearby, a faint smile on his lips. "It's not that we don't care for them; there's just no need for such haste. First, we let them acclimate to their surroundings. Then, we'll assign them work, and also arrange for their classes."
The matter of assigning work became immediately apparent to He Renlong. A group of female workers streamed out of a large building, their arms laden with freshly woven bolts of cloth, which they carried into another room nearby. From that second room, more women emerged, now bearing rolls of fabric that had been skillfully dyed.
He Renlong quickly grasped the operation: the first building was for weaving, the second for dyeing. These female surrendered rebels were actually engaged in such tasks.
In another building not far off, a group of elderly men were hauling bamboo inside, while others emerged, clutching freshly woven bamboo baskets.
Evidently, this structure served as a workshop for the elders to craft bamboo goods.
He Renlong now had a clear understanding of this massive prison's purpose. Still, one thing remained unclear to him. "What about these 'classes'?" he pressed.
Zhong Gaoliang replied, "We teach them the principles of proper conduct: the retribution that awaits those who commit evil, and the rewards bestowed upon those who perform good deeds."
He Renlong simply blinked.
Such matters sounded incredibly complicated, and He Renlong had no desire to involve himself in them, nor even to witness what came next. He nodded curtly. "Alright, you people in Chengcheng County can do whatever you please. These surrendered rebels are a nuisance for us in Yansui anyway. I don't care how you deal with them; even if you kill them all, it's no longer my concern. I'll head back to Yan'an now to report to Governor Hong Chengchou."
He Renlong led his troops back. The journey to the camp, burdened by three thousand surrendered rebels, had been slow, but their return was swift and light. In just a few days, they traversed Huanglong Mountain and reached Yan'an Prefecture. He Renlong immediately reported to Hong Chengchou: "Governor, I delivered the three thousand surrendered rebels to Chengcheng County. Out of curiosity, I followed to observe how they would manage these bandits. To my astonishment, Chengcheng County has established a vast valley within Huanglong Mountain, already holding seven thousand surrendered rebels. The three thousand we sent were placed among them, so now there are over ten thousand confined within."
Hong Chengchou listened, then paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "So, they've actually imprisoned them?"
The Great Ming rarely held large numbers of criminals captive; feeding so many prisoners incurred significant costs. Therefore, common prisons were typically reserved for those on death row, who, even then, were rarely kept for more than a few days before being led out for execution.
Hong Chengchou couldn't help but ask, "With such a multitude of people imprisoned, how do they manage to sustain them?"
He Renlong replied, "I observed that the female surrendered rebels were engaged in weaving and dyeing cloth, among other tasks, while the elders were busy crafting bamboo baskets..."
At this, Hong Chengchou’s understanding dawned. "So that's their method! Free labor, then? Heh, this is quite..."
By this era, nascent capitalism was already taking root in the Jiangnan region of the Ming Dynasty. Handicraft workshops specializing in silk reeling, yarn spinning, and cloth weaving were proliferating, employing female workers and shrewdly extracting profit from their labor.
And Hong Chengchou, hailing from Quanzhou, Fujian, was intimately familiar with the workings of the Jiangnan region.
A peculiar smile touched the corner of his lips. "There's a true master in Chengcheng County. He takes the surrendered rebels we painstakingly capture, acquires them without spending a single copper, and transforms them into free laborers to weave and spin for him. These laborers require no wages; they merely need to be kept from starvation, and they will endlessly produce cloth, generating wealth for him."
He Renlong gasped. "Ah? So that's it! How utterly despicable."
Hong Chengchou shrugged. "It's not so despicable. These surrendered rebels are a constant headache for us; we have no proper way to settle them. Since someone is capable of taking them on, let him. It doesn't matter if he profits from it. As long as he helps us alleviate the rebel menace, he can earn as much as he desires."
At this point, his tone shifted. "From now on, after we eliminate a rebel leader, any of their troublesome followers, we'll send them all to Chengcheng County. Let them all go weave cloth. I'm curious to see just how many followers Chengcheng County can truly absorb."
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