The Faith and Salt

David knew that looking for those officials directly was a complete waste of energy.

They hid deep inside their high government halls and military camps. Aside from inviting them out to drink and visit brothels, a foreigner like David could not even persuade the front gate guards.

He had no way to argue his way inside anyway, since he did not speak their language at all.

Why not just invite them out to drink again then?

"I think that is a bloody fine idea," Archie said.

"You know much more about drinking and setting these things up than I do," David said. "Shall we go visit that government office tomorrow?"

"Why wait for tomorrow, lad?" Archie said. "Let's go right now."

“Wait.”

After David finished his words, he returned to his inn room to find a pen and a few blank sheets of parchment.

His mind had already drawn out a clear plan for their next move, and he actually felt quite proud of it.

The plan itself was not complicated at all. In truth, it was a very old trick that worked almost every single time. The only thing it required was a special kind of talent, someone exactly like Archie.

Archie was waiting for him down on the street.

When he saw the paper and pen, he smiled immediately.

"Looks like I know what yer plan is now. Very cheeky, Parson," he said. "But these officials have been quite good to us. They never gave us any hard trouble. Ye sure ye want to do this?"

"I see your point," David said. "But sometimes a little necessary evil is needed to achieve a much greater good. Besides, they might not be treating us well out of true kindness."

"Of course, of course. In the holy name of God, we are just doing the necessary thing," Archie replied.

"Exactly," David said. "In the name of God."

The sky was slowly turning dark. Along these narrow, humid streets, David noticed row after row of local dens packed with people smoking opium. A sweet, sick-smelling smoke drifted out from half-open wooden windows.

Inside those dark rooms, bone-thin men lay quietly on bamboo beds, pulling hard on long smoking pipes.

On almost every pillar and wall, someone had pasted rough paper posters. David stopped to look closer at the messy black ink. Although he didn’t understand any of the Chinese characters on them, these were definitely posters left behind by Hong Xiuquan.

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Right in the middle of each page, someone had drawn a large, harsh Christian cross.

Many people were handing out flyers on the street, wearing simple white robes. David took one from them. The words on it looked no different from the posters on the walls. Of course, David could not read them anyway.

At least the large cross drawn on the paper was the same.

It’s a Christian organization, but David had definitely never heard of them. The London Society hasn’t mentioned anything about it either.

In fact, no other Western Christian organization in China could be more active than those from the UK.

David felt curious about it. Hong Xiuquan certainly did not have this much money and power.

Then perhaps it was Liang Fa?

Or maybe some royal family member?

Seeing how fast Christianity was spreading in China, David thought he might write a short report for the newspapers back home.

It was not because he wanted to earn extra money. Instead, a strange sense of pride and the duty of a front-line witness pushed him to do it. After seeing so many shocking things, he really needed to pour his feelings out. But now was not the right time.

Overall, this might actually be a good thing for him. This was especially true since he needed to borrow this exact kind of power to move the army right now.

They kept walking and finally returned to the front gate of the government office.

This was the same place Hong Xiuquan had brought them to when they first arrived in Huai'an.

Archie said a few words to the guards.

Soon, they were easily led inside. It went so smoothly that David felt quite surprised.

They sat down inside a quiet guest waiting room. Not long after, a familiar face appeared.

"Hong Xiuquan?" David said in surprise. "I thought you went out of town."

"Only very short," Hong Xiuquan said. He probably meant he had only left the city for a short time.

"Alright, that is fine. It is good to see you here."

"Me too."

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I assist, the official."

"Aren't you supposed to be my assistant?"

"This, my work."

David was not sure if he really understood the question, but it did not matter. In truth, seeing Hong made David feel highly relieved. If he could get Hong to work with him, the plan would be much easier to finish.

"Can we command the army?" David asked.

"Command?"

"Like, move the army?"

"No, no. No moving."

David realized he probably could not get any real answers out of Hong anyway.

"Do you like these officials?" he simply asked.

"What?"

"Do. You. Like. Officials… Guan Yuan?" David asked slowly, word by word.

"Well," Hong Xiuquan gave a dry laugh. "They are okay. Why?"

"Because I need to ask you for a favor."

"Please ask."

"I will tell you later," David said. "But I want to know something first. Do your loyalties lie with the government, or with God?"

"God," Hong Xiuquan told David firmly, without a single second of doubt.

"Good."

David turned his head to Archie. "Do you want to explain our plan to Hong?"

Archie shook his head. "I do not get along with this fellow."

"Why?"

"No straight reckonin' for it, lad. There's something about him, eerie."

David shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then."

Not long after, an official came out to receive them in person.

This official looked like the actual head governor of Huai’an himself.

He was a middle-aged man who wore a robe with a wide, round collar. A large square patch showed a bird sitting right in the center of its chest. On his head, he had a black hat with two stiff wings pointing straight out from the sides.

David looked back at Hong Xiuquan. "Can you help me translate?"

"Yes."

"Just tell him we want to go drinking. You understand? Drink. Jiu?" David raised his empty hand and made a quick drinking motion.

"Okay," Hong said.

Hong Xiuquan turned to the governor and spoke a few sentences in Chinese.

The official looked highly pleased by this message.

He smiled warmly and nodded his head again and again.

"Zou?" David asked, trying his best to use the Chinese word for leaving.

The governor seems very happy.

He laughed loudly and replied, "Zou!"

But, of course, not going to wear his official robe.