MLMD – Chapter 6 Reflections After the Armed Clash

What is an armed clash? An armed clash refers to a group confrontation or brawl in which lethal weapons are carried.

In ancient China, due to blocked channels of information and inconvenient transportation, people tended to divide themselves into groups based on regional differences. Moreover, during the feudal era, clan power was extremely strong, and the government often lacked the ability to exert effective control. As a result, villages, strongholds, or regions frequently developed irreconcilable conflicts over issues such as water sources, mountain land, and various other disputes. In the end, the only option left was to resolve matters through force. Thus, armed clashes became common among the populace. They were especially prevalent—and especially bloody—in regions such as Guangdong and other areas in the southwest. Historically, during the late Qing dynasty, a large-scale armed conflict between the local people and the Hakka in the Liangguang region resulted in casualties numbering as high as a million, making it one of the bloodiest armed clashes in Chinese history. Its aftermath was such that the west bank of the Pearl River was left with virtually no Hakka population…
(Referenced from Liu Ping, The Forgotten War—A Study of the Large-Scale Local–Hakka Armed Clashes in Guangdong During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi Reigns.)

Naturally, Yue Yang knew nothing of these historical matters. At this moment, he was completely stunned by the scene before him. More than a thousand farmers and tenant households from Wuli Village had already clashed with the five to six hundred people brought by the Wang family. They fought with wooden clubs, hoes, iron shovels, and the like, hacking and striking at one another. Shouts of killing, screams of agony, and furious curses blended into a single deafening roar, and from time to time someone was knocked to the ground.

Yue Yang soon noticed that Hu Laosan, one of the estate guards, was charging at the very front. With a wooden club in his hands, he chopped and blocked left and right, repeatedly knocking down members of the Wang family. Most of those who fell were beaten until their heads were split open and bloodied—the scene was extremely gruesome. Because the Wang family had fewer men and lacked a fierce leader like Hu Laosan, about a quarter of an hour after the fighting began, their side was already retreating step by step.

Watching from the side, Yue Yang was badly shaken. Born into modern society, how could he ever have witnessed such a large-scale and bloody scene? People were constantly being struck down, and those lying in pools of blood were ignored entirely. Anyone still able to stand continued to hurl themselves at their opponents.

Yue Yang stood beneath a large tree, with Shunbao and more than a dozen household guards forming a tight protective circle around him. His legs were trembling slightly. He truly had not expected a folk armed clash to be so bloody and brutal. Although he wanted to shout an order for the people of Wang Family Village to stop immediately, the remaining shred of reason told him clearly that doing so would bring absolutely no benefit to either himself or the people of Wuli Village.

Yue Yang clenched his teeth, his back pressed against the tree behind him, silently urging himself on: You are the young master of Yue Family Manor and the leader of Wuli Village. You cannot fall!

Seeing Yue Yang’s pale face, Shunbao leaned in and said softly, “Young Master, don’t be afraid. We have the numbers—people from the Wang family are no match for us! Besides, with me here, they won’t be able to harm you in the slightest!”

Time slowly passed. After about two quarters of an hour, the Wang family’s people could no longer hold out. After more than two hundred of them had fallen, the remaining three hundred or so fled back the way they had come. Wang Chenglin, the Wang family’s second young master, also escaped under the protection of several household guards. Only then did the people of Wuli Village raise their wooden clubs and farm tools high and burst into loud cheers.

“We won!”

“Those Wang family brats finally know how formidable we are, hahaha!”

“Young Master, we won! The Wang family’s people have all been driven away!”

At this moment, Hu Laosan—disheveled and smeared with blood—walked up to Yue Yang and shouted excitedly.

“Yes… we won,” Yue Yang replied, forcing a smile. Yet that smile looked even uglier than crying.

Looking at the injured scattered all over the ground, Yue Yang took a deep breath and said to Hu Laosan, “Master Hu, organize people immediately to gather up all the wounded on the ground. Invite physicians to treat them. All expenses will be covered by Yue Family Manor.”

“This…” Hu Laosan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Young Master, even those from the Wang family? That would… that would cost quite a bit more silver.”

“Is silver more important, or are lives more important?” Yue Yang glared at him. “Though they belong to the Wang family, they are still people of Yingzhou Prefecture, still poor folk who scrape a living from the soil. We see each other day in and day out—some of them might even be relatives of people from Wuli Village. Now that the fighting is over, if we can help, we naturally should.”

Seeing Yue Yang’s displeased expression, Hu Laosan dared not say another word. He bowed his head, responded, and went off to organize the rescue of the wounded. Yue Yang, however, felt not the slightest joy of victory as he looked at the injured moaning on the ground. With a sigh, he turned and said, “Shunbao, let’s go back.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Shunbao, who had served as a book attendant since childhood, was naturally adept at reading expressions. Seeing that his young master was in low spirits, he quickly answered and called over several guards to escort Yue Yang back to Yue Family Manor.

By the time they returned, it was already mid-afternoon. After reaching his own courtyard, Yue Yang shut himself into the west-side study and did not come out even by the time dinner arrived. Seeing this, the Linglong sisters could not help but grow anxious.

Yu Long entered the hall carrying a food box and asked Yu Ling, “Sister, what’s wrong with the young master? Ever since he came back from the river, he’s locked himself in the room and hasn’t come out. It’s already time for the evening meal.”

Yu Ling shook her head. “I don’t know either. But I heard from Shunbao that today Wuli Village won against the Wang family. Still, the scene was far too tragic—perhaps the young master can’t accept it for the moment.”

Yu Long thought for a moment. “Ah… I see. Then maybe we should go in and persuade him? Otherwise, if the old madam finds out, she’ll surely blame us for not serving the young master properly.”

Yu Ling hesitated, then nodded. “Well… all right. Let’s go in.”

When the two entered the study, they saw Yue Yang sitting behind the desk. Although he held a book in his hand, his eyes were unfocused, as if his thoughts had drifted far away.

The sisters exchanged a glance, and Yu Ling stepped forward and spoke softly, “Young Master, are you still troubled by what happened today?”

Yue Yang sighed lightly. “Yes. Linglong, you don’t know—today’s scene was truly horrific. A massive brawl involving over a thousand people, countless tenant farmers and common folk fighting each other over water. Hundreds were injured, even killed. They are all people of the Great Ming. Why must it come to this?”

Yu Long pursed her lips. “Young Master, when my sister and I were serving the old madam, we’d already heard that you have a kind heart. But you must understand—the Sanggan River is the lifeline of Wuli Village. The Wang family already has the Hunshui River. Though its flow is smaller, it’s still usable. Yet they’re still not satisfied and want to dig canals to divert water from us. If they succeeded, they’d be happy—but what about us? Are the fields of Wuli Village supposed to wither and die? And if anyone is to blame, it should be those people of the Wang family. If they hadn’t incited and stirred up their tenant farmers to cause trouble, how would things have turned out like this? Don’t you think so, Young Master?”

Looking at Yu Long’s puffed cheeks and pouting lips, her angry yet adorable expression, Yue Yang couldn’t help but laugh. The gloom in his heart eased considerably. He reached out and gently pinched her tender little cheek, teasing her. “Heh, I really couldn’t tell before—so our Yu Long is quite the champion of justice, huh?”

Yu Long blushed at having her cheek pinched and said shyly, “That’s not it. I heard from Shunbao and the others at home—today, Young Master, you were truly imposing. That second young master of the Wang family came with people, all aggressive and overbearing, and even Master Hu was left speechless by him. Luckily, Young Master arrived in time and scolded that Wang second young master until he couldn’t utter a word. Later, you loudly ordered the tenants and villagers to attack the Wang family’s people. That scene was really magnificent! Young Master, you’re amazing!”

As she spoke, admiration shone in Yu Long’s eyes.

Yu Ling also chimed in, “What Ling’er says makes sense. But really, the most hateful one is that Wang family’s second young master—stirring up their tenants to come and seize water. If anyone deserves punishment, it’s him.”

As she said this, Yu Ling looked at Yue Yang with a gentle warmth in her gaze.

Yue Yang didn’t pay much attention to the sisters’ looks. He simply shook his head lightly and sighed. “In the end, it all comes down to a lack of water. If the river had sufficient flow, why would the common people fight so desperately over such a small amount? But there’s one thing that puzzles me. Since the weather is so dry, why doesn’t everyone dig more wells? Wouldn’t that help alleviate the drought?”

Hearing this, the Linglong sisters fell silent. Yu Ling shook her head in confusion. “This… this servant doesn’t know. But I’ve heard people say that digging wells is extremely laborious and time-consuming, and there’s no guarantee you’ll even find water. The silver spent during the process can be quite a lot.”

“I see,” Yue Yang said thoughtfully. “Yu Long, go to the front courtyard at once and call Shunbao and the steward over. I have something to ask them.”

“Yes!”

In less than a quarter of an hour, Shunbao and the steward of Yue Family Manor were summoned to the rear hall.

The steward’s name was Yue Laifu, a man in his forties, fair and plump, with a rather amiable appearance. But Yue Yang would not underestimate him because of that. He had heard from the Linglong sisters that Yue Laifu’s family had served as stewards of Yue Family Manor for three generations, their loyalty beyond question. Even the old madam held him in high regard. Moreover, there was an even more important reason: Yue Laifu was none other than the father of Shunbao, Yue Yang’s book attendant.