Chapter 112: Sun Wen's Letter

The bandits charged forward, firing wildly at the city gates. Two bullets struck just inches above the head of the man surnamed Liu, causing his face to turn deathly pale. The civilians gathered below the city gates were thrown into chaos, particularly the Russians intermingled among them, who were gripped by sheer panic.

"Break down Fengtian City! Capture Zhao Erxun alive!"

The bandits howled as they pressed their advance, their wolf-like ferocity leaving the Qing soldiers completely unable to hold their ground.

"Quick! Close the gates!"

The Qing garrison, having no stomach for a fight and disregarding the panicked crowds at the gate, hastily hauled the defensive barriers into place and braced the gates shut, ignoring the desperate cries of those still trapped outside.

The bandits moved with incredible speed; they reached the base of the walls just as the gates were bolted. After unleashing several volleys at the parapets, they began hurling hand grenades. The Qing troops resisted from behind the walls, and while their marksmanship was lackluster, they still managed to inflict casualties on the attackers. After a few minutes of engagement, realizing they could not breach the gates, the bandits retreated.

When Zhao Erxun finally ascended the wall from his residence and saw the bandits withdrawing to a distance of several hundred meters, he let out a long sigh of relief. "Soldiers, hold your positions. Those bandits have no artillery; they cannot touch us. I shall send word to General Zeng Qi at once, requesting him to accelerate his march and come to our aid with all haste. Fengtian City will be safe and sound."

The man surnamed Liu scurried over. "My lord, look at that bandit questioning the civilians in the front—that is Yang the Ghost-Killer!"

Zhao Erxun felt a jolt of alarm. He snatched a telescope from an attendant and peered where Liu was pointing. Indeed, Yang Xiaolin was speaking with some civilians. To Zhao's astonishment, Yang's demeanor toward the commoners was remarkably gentle. Though he could not hear the words, the expression on Yang's face clearly showed he meant them no harm.

The civilians were terrified, knowing Yang the Ghost-Killer had a rule against killing Chinese, yet they assumed that even if their lives were spared, these bandits would at least loot them. They were stunned to find that Yang's men did not even touch their bags.

"Grandpa, where are you from?"

The old man hurriedly knelt. "Replying to Master Yang, this old one is from Liaoyang."

Yang Xiaolin smiled. "Get up, Grandpa. At your age, kowtowing to me will only shorten my life. Tell me, what is the situation in Liaoyang now?"

This was how Yang Xiaolin gathered intelligence along the way; he had to constantly question people of all backgrounds, drawing his own conclusions from their accounts.

The old man's legs trembled. Jin Dadao, standing behind him, grabbed his collar to hoist him up. Still fearful, the old man stammered, "The Russians in Liaoyang are arresting Chinese everywhere. Anyone they suspect of having ties to you is executed immediately—they don't distinguish between right and wrong! Everyone who can leave has fled, including many of the Russians themselves."

Yang Xiaolin nodded. "Grandpa, do you know how many troops the Russians have left in Liaoyang?"

The old man thought for a moment. "When I left, there were about two or three thousand Russian soldiers in the city. I don't know now; I heard they have summoned reinforcements from the north."

Yang Xiaolin frowned. This was the fourth civilian he had questioned, and the answers were almost identical. He could not ascertain the exact number of Russian soldiers in Liaoyang.

Just as he grew anxious, he heard a voice whisper from beside him, "Mr. Yang, the Russian force in the city totals 2,700 men. They have armed about 1,000 Russians, though at most two hundred are fit for the front lines. However, the Russians have pulled nearly 2,000 guards from various mines. Furthermore, the 4,000 reinforcements they called from the north are very close—only about a hundred miles from Fengtian. If you stay here, I believe you will be surrounded by tomorrow night at the latest."

Yang Xiaolin turned to see Naifu Aso.

Aso had been sent by Matsubara to find Yang. When the bandits attacked the city, Aso had been swept up in the chaos as a refugee. Having served as an instructor at Gulou Mountain, he was quickly recognized, and Qian Yao had brought him to Yang upon hearing he wanted an audience.

Yang was surprised. "Mr. Aso? Why are you here?"

Aso smiled. "I have some matters to discuss. Could we find a private place to talk, Mr. Yang?"

Yang nodded. "Of course. That slope behind us is sheltered from the wind; let's go there."

They walked toward the slope, with Yang ordering Sui Bing to set up a perimeter. Once they were alone, Aso bowed. "Mr. Yang, first, allow me to congratulate you on your achievements! To break out from under the heavy forces of the Russians with two thousand men—I truly admire you."

Yang laughed. "You are mistaken, Mr. Aso. You should be proud, for these men were trained by your people."

This remark clearly pleased Aso, and a smile spread across his face. "Mr. Yang, I will skip the pleasantries. I come under orders from Mr. Matsubara to discuss a matter. The Empire of Japan is preparing for war with Russia, as you know. Men like Feng Delin have already agreed to cooperate with us; we provide them with arms and supplies, helping them form the East Asian Dare-to-Die Corps, which now numbers twenty thousand. Mr. Matsubara asked me to tell you that if you are willing to cooperate with the Empire of Japan, I guarantee your current peril will vanish immediately."

Yang Xiaolin looked at him. "And if I refuse?"

Aso grinned even wider. "Excellent! Matsubara was right. You are not like Feng Delin. Feng is a brute who only seeks revenge on the Russians, but you, Mr. Yang, are a man of ambition who wants to see the Chinese people free from foreign oppression!"

He clicked his heels and bowed again. "Mr. Yang, allow me to express my respect once more."

Yang understood this Japanese tactic perfectly. They clearly needed him; otherwise, they would not be so cloyingly polite.

"Mr. Aso, just say it. If I refuse, will you send your troops to join the Russians in hunting me down?"

Aso shook his head. "You misunderstand. We Japanese have the utmost respect for men like you. We believe every nation has the right to pursue strength. The Western powers treat Asia as their colony to plunder at will—this is intolerable! Japan, as the first Asian nation to rise to power, is more than willing to help the Chinese build a true nation. The affairs of Asia should be decided by us Asians!"

Yang Xiaolin knew exactly what kind of trick they were playing, though he could not yet see where the blow would land.

"Mr. Aso, you are absolutely right!" He appeared moved, grabbing Aso’s hands.

Aso continued, "The Empire of Japan does not just speak; we truly wish to help you Chinese. I have a letter here, please take a look."

Aso pulled a letter from his tunic. When Yang took it and saw the signature on the envelope, his heart skipped a beat.

Sun Yat-sen. He had reached out to him.

What kind of man was Sun Yat-sen? Two words describe him best: a great man. If one probed deeper, one would find he was a great man with a "swashbuckling" streak. Throughout history, great men have had different temperaments, but they share one common trait: tenacity. They never retreat in the face of setbacks.

From a young age, Sun had vowed to overthrow the Manchu government and establish a democratic China. He dedicated his life to this goal. At this time, he was trying every possible means to unite anyone he could and seize any opportunity to create as much trouble for the Qing government as possible.

For instance, in 1906, he planned the Zhennan Pass Uprising. The plan was simple: take a dozen men to raid a Qing artillery battery at the pass, convince the guards to defect, and bombard the Qing barracks.

It sounded exciting, didn't it? Carrying it out was even more so. On the day, Sun looked at the weather and set off with a few men. They shouted slogans while climbing, but eventually, they grew weary. Hu Hanmin couldn't make it past the halfway point, so Sun led the rest up himself.

When they arrived, they found the battery long abandoned—there were no Qing guards at all. What frustrated Sun most was that the cannons were obsolete models left over from the Sino-French War, and they were pointed toward Vietnam.

But since they had made the climb, they couldn't just leave. Sun obtained some opium, allowed the only French retired lieutenant in the group who knew how to operate a cannon to satisfy his addiction, and then symbolically fired a few rounds. Only one actually went off.

At least it was a shot fired against the Qing government!

Sun and his companions were delighted, but as they descended, they were captured by the French. As it turned out, that single shell had coincidentally landed in a French military camp at the foot of the mountain; while it caused no casualties, it gave the French a massive fright.

This story could be told as a joke, but it perfectly illustrates that Sun Yat-sen enjoyed taking risks and refused to abandon any opportunity, no matter how immature it seemed.

Sun had reached out to Yang Xiaolin to invite him to join the Xingzhonghui (Revive China Society) and work together for the resurgence of China. The Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) did not yet exist; the Xingzhonghui was its predecessor, though it differed in essence. The Tongmenghui was a relatively mature organization with a manifesto, a mission, and a structure.