Chapter 1: I Refuse!

  （0001）

  "I refuse to accept this!"

  Zhang Zhun roared at Tian Nu.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  A crisp gunshot sounded behind him.

  In an instant, Zhang Zhun felt his body was hit by countless huge forces, shattered in an instant. His consciousness quickly sank into darkness. However, he still stubbornly raised his head high.

  He doesn't accept it!

  ……

  Zhang Zhun is a retired officer of the Marine Corps. After retiring, he has been serving as a combat instructor at a well-known martial arts school. A few months ago, he received a call from his father saying that their old house was going to be demolished and replaced with high-end commercial housing. The old house was the fruit of his father's labor for a lifetime, and after Zhang Zhun got married and moved out, his father couldn't bear to leave and continued to guard the old house. This time, the compensation offered by the developer was unreasonably low, and neither his father nor any of the neighbors agreed to the demolition.

  The developer then took measures such as cutting off water and electricity, blocking roads, making noise, sending people to intimidate, shooting at windows with bird guns in the middle of the night, and even releasing poisonous snakes to force everyone to move. The old father couldn't bear it anymore, so he called his son back to boost his courage. Zhang Zhun had lost his mother since childhood, and the two men relied on each other for survival until adulthood. He was very concerned about his father and rushed back as soon as he heard the news.

  When Zhang Zhun returned home, he found that his father, who had been fine before, had become a cripple and could only walk with the help of a crutch. The things in the house were also in disarray. Only after asking did he learn that it was all because they disagreed with the demolition and relocation, which led to these consequences. His father's leg was broken by an unknown person who blocked his way. His father reported to the police for help, but there was no news.

  Zhang Zhun was furious and wanted to go reason with the developer, but was firmly stopped by his old father. The developer had many people on their side, raised a large group of thugs, and had a background backing them up. How could Zhang's father let his only son take risks? His father couldn't help but advise Zhang Zhun to calm down and not be impulsive, telling him that violence was absolutely not the way to solve problems.

  "Okay, I'm calm, I won't be impulsive."

  Zhang Zhun said helplessly.

  His father's words, he couldn't help but listen, so he endured it silently.

  Who would have thought that Zhang Zhun was stopped by his father from going to find trouble with the developer, but the developer came to their doorstep again. On the night of Zhang Zhun's return, more than a dozen unidentified people burst into their home. These people were holding steel pipes, three-edged scrapers, and cleavers, threatening Zhang Zhun's father to sign the agreement immediately. Otherwise, they would not see tomorrow's sun. The other party boasted that one life was only worth 200,000 yuan, and two lives were just 400,000 yuan, a small price to pay!

  Zhang Zhun tried his best to keep calm and patient, and went up with his old father to reason with the other party. As a result, the other party actually became violent and started hitting them. Poor old father, originally lame in one leg and inconvenient to move around, was brutally pushed to the ground. His head accidentally hit the ground, and he fainted on the spot.

  "Looking for death!"

  "You hit my dad!"

  Zhang Zhun was furious.

  Forced demolition, breaking into people's homes at night, and even beating them up - is there still any justice?

  "Go die!"

  Zhang Zhun has gone crazy!

  Let's go!

  Counterattack!

  Annihilation!

  This counterattack had serious consequences. When he really started to fight, these thugs brought by the developers were no match for this retired Marine Corps officer. In a fit of rage, he killed three, seriously injured four, and lightly injured five, with none escaping. All of them were thrown out of the door by him. Witnessing all this, the neighbors applauded in celebration.

  Zhang Quan believed he was acting in self-defense and should not bear any responsibility, so when a large number of armed police arrived on the scene, he did not resist. He believed that justice is in people's hearts. However, the developer's background was too strong, with enough power to manipulate the trial result. To kill one as a warning to others, the developer had to put Zhang Quan to death.

  Zhang Jun was eventually sentenced to death for intentional homicide and intentional injury.

  After the arduous appeal process, the final verdict was upheld: Death penalty!

  What's even more tragic is that during his detention, the old father was so angry and indignant that he had a heart attack, couldn't catch his breath, and actually passed away! Poor Zhang Quan, who was detained in the guardhouse, didn't even get to see his father for the last time! And the house that the father-son duo had defended with their lives for several months was finally bulldozed into flat ground! The developer achieved a complete victory!

  But just as the developer was gloating over his success, Zhang made a break for it.

  That night, lightning flashed and thunder boomed, with wind and rain coming together.

  Kill!

  Blood splattered everywhere!

  Pay me back what you owe me!

  Use your lives to accompany my father in burial!

  But even if more people are killed, how can the old father's life be saved? How can the situation of separation from wife and children be reversed?

  Facing the muzzle of the black hole gun, Zhang chose to charge forward!

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

  Gunfire, like popping beans!

  "I refuse to accept this!"

  This is Zhang Zhun's final roar in this world!

  ……

  In the boundless darkness, a thread of light suddenly appeared.

  The end of the bright light, suddenly opens up.

  Zhang Quan woke up.

  It feels like being indoors. The faint light from outside shines in, casting a dim view of the room's scenery. Lying on one's back on the bed, as soon as one opens their eyes, they see the beam above their head, thick and round, with joists on either side that resemble ribs, without even any ceiling boards. On the wood surface, the dense marks left by insect borings can be clearly seen, surrounded by white powder. Faintly, the sound of insects gnawing at the wood can also be heard.

  He felt like he had become a different person, with another person's vague memories in his mind... Ao Shan Wei... Fu Shan Suo... Jun Hu... Faintly, he felt that he was occupying someone else's body. This person's name was also Zhang Zhun, and he had a courtesy name called Yu Lin. However, everyone called him by his nickname, Er Dang Zi.

  "Second brother, can you speak? Speak, speak, speak!"

  Someone urgently called out in Zhang Zhun's ear.

  "......Who are you?"

  Zhang asked vaguely.

  The memories of the two fools are extremely vague, he doesn't even know what the person next to him is called, but feels very familiar. In the fragmented memories, there are many residual shadows of this person. However, if you try to recall carefully, you can't remember.

  Opened his eyes to look at the other party, it turned out to be a 15 or 16-year-old young man, looking a bit malnourished, thin and small, with narrow eyes, don't know if he was born with small eyes or got used to narrowing them, it's really not easy to see his eyeballs clearly.

  "I am a mouse! I am a mouse!"

  Zhang Zhun vaguely felt that this name was very familiar.

  No wonder his eyes are so small, it turns out his nickname is Hamster.

  "Where is this?"

  "Your home!"

  "Oh."

  Zhang Zhun replied dazedly, thinking to himself, My home? Does my home still exist?

  The old house has been forcibly demolished. Even the new home formed by him and his wife no longer exists. Since he entered the detention center, his wife and daughter have been frequently intimidated by unidentified individuals. Someone even splashed blood on their doorstep, or threw dead animals at the entrance of their home, and even deliberately smashed their door and window with stones in the middle of the night. The safety of family members cannot be guaranteed. Their three-year-old daughter was so scared that she trembled with fear, causing great trauma to her mind.

  His wife reported to the police for help, and the police came to see several times without any conclusion. In order to raise money to hire a lawyer to defend Zhang Zhun, and to handle the funeral of his old father, his wife had no choice but to sell the house at a low price and rent another place to live. However, things did not end there. Under the threat of some unidentified figures, his wife was forced to leave her original unit, and his daughter was also forced to transfer schools. The mother and daughter eventually left their home province and fled to their father-in-law's house in another province. If it were not for the strong support of his father-in-law's family, the two women might have been wandering on the streets already.

  His home was gone from then on.

  In the original world, there was no longer an inch of land belonging to Zhang Zhun.

  This should be the home of the Second Master, right?

  Zhang Zhun slowly turned his head and looked around.

  The old thatched hut, the grey earth on the walls has fallen off. The thatch on the roof has obvious black marks from long-term water leakage. No furniture can be seen, it's really a bare house. The wind keeps blowing in through the gaps as thick as an arm, cool and chilly, with a bit of cold air.

  Lowering my head to look at the clothes I'm wearing, it turns out they're cotton-padded jacket and pants. Although the surface is black and tattered, the cotton filling inside has all come out, and similarly, it's also black and tattered, but this is indeed a cotton-padded jacket without a doubt. It's strange, when I was taken to the execution ground, it was clearly August, extremely hot weather, where would I need to wear cotton-padded clothes?

  "What's today's date?" Zhang Quan asked slowly, realizing something was off.

  "Today is the 16th of the first month of Chongzhen's seventh year! Er Leng, you won't really be beaten silly, will you?" Haozi's expression was quite tense, and he subconsciously reached out to touch his head, but immediately felt something and withdrew his hand.

  Zhang Zhun felt that his movements were a bit strange, why did his hand withdraw halfway? Could it be that there was something wrong with his brain? He reached out to touch his forehead, and as a result, he unintentionally touched the top of his head, where there seemed to be a solid blood scab. In the residual shadow of his memory, it seemed that he could still see someone withdrawing the club in their hand. This person's club had just fallen on his forehead.

  So, there is blood.

  "There's blood on my forehead..." Zhang Quan asked in surprise.

  "It was Yang Kun who hit it." Haozi said fiercely.

  "Who is Yang Kun?" Zhang Quan was perplexed.

  "Yan Luo Wang's subordinate!" Hao Zi said with some concern, as if he felt that Zhang Zhun was a bit abnormal.

  "Who is Yanluo Wang?" Zhang Zhun was perplexed again.

  "It's Wang Shixin, the Thousand Households' leader from Mount Fuyu! Erlang, you can't have forgotten everything, can you?" Haizi was getting anxious, his already poor complexion turning even worse, his eyes struggling to open.

  Chongzhen 7 year...

  Fushan in front of what...

  A thousand households...

  Zhang Zhun has some understanding of the history of the late Ming dynasty. As a combat instructor at a martial arts school, Zhang Zhun's work is actually quite relaxed. If he had time, Zhang Zhun would also go to the school library to read books and broaden his horizons. For a period of time, he finished reading Yao Xueyin's "Li Zicheng" and was very interested, so he found some relevant materials to verify it. Later, he went online to look at some crossing stories from the late Ming dynasty, and of course, he would not be unfamiliar with the Chongzhen era.

  Chongzhen, he was the last emperor of the great Ming dynasty!

  At this time, Zhang Zhun was a little stunned, unable to control his emotions.

  Could it be that I have actually found myself in the midst of the Ming Dynasty?

  What a rare encounter!

  To have crossed over and still be alive, what a rare thing!

  Chongzhen...

  Zhang Zhun muttered to himself and pondered in his heart.

  Alright, Zhang Zhun never thought that Chongzhen was a good emperor. Although many people in later generations have rehabilitated him. Although he was indeed one of the few diligent and hardworking emperors of the Ming dynasty. However, his efforts did not yield results. Under Chongzhen's rule, both inside and outside the Great Wall were engulfed in flames of war. Foreign invasions could not be stopped, and he did not care about the lives of the people, recklessly increasing taxes, triggering unprecedented peasant uprisings, ultimately leading to the downfall of the Ming dynasty.

  The Ming dynasty's downfall was inevitable, but it would have been better if it had ended with dignity. Instead, the heavens played a trick and allowed the Qing to take over China. From then on, the Chinese people were forced to wear queues and address themselves as slaves, living in misery. Whenever one thinks about this, it is impossible not to sigh.

  The seventh year of Chongzhen (1634 AD) was not a good year either. Famine continued throughout the country, and peasant uprisings were frequent. Whether it was Gao Yingxiang or Zhang Xianzhong, or Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai, they all caused trouble, and the battlefield had expanded from Shaanxi and Shanxi to Henan, Huguang, Sichuan and other places, affecting half of the Central Plains.

  Outside the pass, Hou Jin's Hu'er was staring. The Huang Taiji who succeeded one year earlier than Chongzhen was obviously superior to Chongzhen in both politics and military affairs. In the second year of Chongzhen (1629 AD), Huang Taiji led his army to invade, threatening the capital, and plundered a large number of people and materials. Chongzhen's reaction was to be flustered and at a loss. In the end, he killed a string of ministers, including Yuan Chonghuan.

  After tasting the sweetness, Huang Taiji was not interested in invading China again. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, that is, this July, the Later Jin cavalry will invade again, ravaging the area around Xuanfu and Datong, plundering a large number of people and supplies, and leaving with a swagger. The weak Emperor Chongzhen and the court did not dare to fart, watching as the cavalry left with ease.

  Such a weak and incompetent court should obviously be replaced.

  But in any case, it should not be replaced by Manchu.

  Zhang Zhun always felt that the fall of the Ming Dynasty was inevitable, but the entry of the Qing into the Central Plains was accidental. If there hadn't been so many coincidental factors, the people of the Central Plains wouldn't have had to drag on for three hundred years with a mouse tail, and China wouldn't have gone from being at the forefront of the world to becoming a typical example of backwardness and being beaten.

  Unlike other transmigrators' bewilderment, Zhang Zhun was even a little excited. In any case, he had obtained the opportunity to start anew. The only regret was that he hadn't been reborn into his original world and couldn't make up for his past mistakes towards his family. At the same time, the resentment and suffocation in his heart also couldn't be effectively vented.

  He and his arch-nemesis are separated in two completely different worlds, there's no chance for revenge. If those damned developers were to cross over too, he definitely wouldn't hold back anymore, no more "calmness", he would make them all disappear! Physically disappear! But the possibility is low... Two worlds apart.

  Thinking of his father who did not end well, thinking of his wife and daughter from his past life, thinking of the hardships they suffered because of him, a seven-foot-tall man also involuntarily shed tears of sorrow. And when he thought of those who wanted to put him to death, he was so enraged that he could hardly control himself. If he were reborn into his original world, he would definitely use the most violent means to avenge himself. Unfortunately, he is already in another world.

  "Second brother, don't cry, don't cry! We are men, it's not right to cry, it's not right to cry!" Haozi hastily comforted.

  Zhang nodded slowly.

  Yes, we're men, no crying allowed!

  A real man should shed blood but not tears!

  He slightly calmed down and said in a steady tone: "Haozi, my head was hit by someone, and my memories from before are a bit fuzzy. I've forgotten many people and things. If there's anything off about me, you'd better take care of it for me, don't let me lose face."

  This is to lay the groundwork in advance, so as not to bring about too much unnecessary speculation.

  Although he never worried about such suspicions.

  "No problem, no problem. If you hadn't helped me block that dog's stick, I'd be the one who got hit stupid. Your wound has already been treated by Xiaoyu, she applied some herbal medicine, it should be fine."

  Zhang nodded slightly.

  No wonder Haozi is so concerned about himself, it turns out that this stick of his is helping him resist.

  But why do others want to hit Haosheng?

  In the residual shadow of memory, it seems like a group of wage-earning workers were being chased by a group of ferocious and brutal soldiers. It vaguely resembles some reports from past lives, yet is not quite similar. Because those who physically beat people are this country's formal armed forces, wearing uniforms.

  "After some thought, Zhang Zhun slowly said: 'Haozi, tell me, why do we get beaten? Why are they so cruel to us?'"

  Hao Zi said bitterly: "Still noisy..."

  Originally, Zhang Zhun and the entire family of Haozi were all affiliated with the Ming dynasty's Shandong Provincial Commandery, Fushan Front Guard. The location of Fushan Guard was in the surrounding area of modern-day Qingdao City. The location of Aoshan Guard was in the surrounding area of modern-day Jimo City Aoshan Guard Town.

  The imperial court owed the military households their grain rations, which had become a habit. The military households of the Ming dynasty were originally self-sufficient and also submitted part of their grain to the state. However, by the mid-Ming period, the land of the military households had all been occupied by military officers, leaving them without land or income. Under these circumstances, the state could only allocate some money and grain to support the military households.

  However, the national financial resources were limited, and the money and grain could not be issued in a timely manner, and the phenomenon of arrears occurred from time to time. In fact, since the Zhengde period, the military households' money and grain had never been paid on time, and they always had to drag on for two or three months. By the end of the Ming dynasty, disasters occurred frequently in various places, the imperial court's finances were strained, and the arrears of money and grain lasted even longer, with three to five months being a common occurrence, and six or seven months not being rare.

  It's just that the grain tax arrears of Chongzhen 6 years have been delayed for a particularly long time, and it has been eight or nine months. Everyone hasn't had enough food and clothing, so they naturally want to make trouble. Since September last year, there have been continuous military households organizing to make trouble about their rations, but none of them have been effective, and instead many people have been beaten to death or injured.

  Wang Shixin, the hereditary qianhu of Fushan, was extremely cruel and ruthless. He had fifty armed guards at his disposal, who would swagger about with their weapons on display. Apart from these armed guards, he also gathered a group of thugs, including Yang Kun mentioned earlier.

  Every time the military households came to make trouble, they were violently treated by Wang Shixing. Yesterday, on the 15th day of the first month of Chongzhen's seventh year, Yang Kaidi, the father of Huoze, organized everyone to go and make trouble again, but was also brutally beaten by Wang Shixing, with over a dozen people injured and three killed. Among those injured, five were permanently paralyzed.

  Wang Shixin knew that Yang Kaidi was the mastermind and was most ruthless to Yang Kaidi's family. Yang Kaidi himself had his left hand and left leg broken, and Haizi's older brother also received two blows. Those cruel house slaves even chased after Haizi to beat him up, if not for Zhang Zhun helping Haizi block one blow, with Haizi's body, this one blow would have caused a concussion at the very least, and it was entirely possible that he could have been beaten to death on the spot.

  As soon as the issue of owed rations is mentioned, Haozi's belly is full of resentment and complaints: "The imperial court simply doesn't treat us military households as human beings! Each military household gets one stone of monthly rations, which is already meager and not enough for the family to eat. And yet, with this little bit of rations, the imperial court still owes us, what kind of world is this? Are military households not people?"

  "They've been withholding our pay for half a year, and yet they have the nerve to post notices saying they're recruiting soldiers to go west to suppress Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai! Bah! I think it won't be long before we give birth to our own Gao Yingxiangs, Zhang Xianzhongs, and Luo Rucais here! The White Lotus Sect people dare to rise up and attack the county seat, are we military households really less brave than those charlatans?"

  "Guozi, I want to lie down for a while."

  Zhang Zhun stopped Haozi's complaints and said slowly.

  He needs some time to sort out his confused thoughts.

  Having crossed over into this chaotic world, there are many things that need to be carefully thought about.

  Hao Zi immediately agreed and stood up saying: "Alright, you rest first. When you wake up, come to my house to find me."

  He turned around and left immediately.

  Zhang Zhun lay back on the kang, his hands clasped behind his head, slowly merging two different memories together. When in Rome, do as the Romans do - from now on, he would have to live with the identity of Er Duanzi.

  The memory of the second fool is very fragmented and chaotic, feeling that his brain should not be very useful, otherwise, he would not be called a fool. However, in the memory of the second fool, he still extracted some useful information.

  The Second Fool had no name because there was no time to give him one. His mother gave birth to him with great difficulty, bleeding profusely, and in the end only managed to save the child, but unfortunately passed away herself. Not long after, in the 46th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, when the Second Fool was just a month old, the Later Jin army launched an eight-pronged attack on Liaodong, and his father Zhang Laosan was deployed to the front lines of Liaodong, never to return. The Second Fool thus became an orphan.

  The name Zhang Zhun was given by his father Yang Kaidi. As for the courtesy name Yulin, it was given by a wandering monk from Lao Mountain. At that time, Zhang Zhun was sitting at the door of the thatched hut in a daze, with saliva dripping down to the ground. The wandering monk happened to pass by and was shocked, thinking he had met a heavenly being. He insisted on giving Zhang Zhun a courtesy name, which was "Yulin", meaning great wealth and nobility. This left everyone perplexed - could such a foolish person like Er Rangzi really become wealthy and noble one day? Later events proved that the wandering monk had clearly misjudged him.

  Yang Kaidi is Zhang Laosi's old partner, with a relationship as close as wearing the same pants. He and Zhang Laosi were both drafted to the Liaodong front line, but luckily survived. It was he who brought back Zhang Laosi's ashes from the front line. He promised Zhang Laosi to take care of his son. From then on, Zhang Yulin became a member of the Yang family, eating and working together with the Yangs, only returning to his own doghouse when sleeping.

  The Second Fool returned, and although his physical condition was not bad, it was probably due to the heavens balancing things out - with a simple mind, his limbs naturally developed. This made Zhang Quan, who had possessed the Second Fool's body, feel very satisfied. If he had possessed a body like that of Haozi, the martial arts skills he had practiced for over twenty years would have been wasted.

  "What should I do?"

  Zhang Zhun whispered to himself in his heart.

  His greatest wish was to get an explanation for his own unfair experience.

  If you don't give me an explanation, I'll give you one!

  This is Zhang Zhun's belief!

  He wants those who put him in a desperate situation to pay a bloody price!

  But in two completely different worlds, where would he go to find those culprits?

  No, that's wrong...

  In this world, it seems like I have enemies too...

  Someone owes money that belongs to "themselves", not only refusing to pay, but also violently treating...

  What's even more detestable is that someone smashed his head!

  What's the difference between this and violent demolition?

  A hill of monkeys, harmonious and in sync!

  In his past life, no one dared to hit him on the head, even in prison, people in the same room were all subdued by him and treated him with utmost respect as if he was the boss. But now, his own head is still throbbing in pain! And there's a blood scab!

  My goodness, still owe wages and yet so righteous?

  No food to eat, no clothes to wear, no house to live in, then get up and work!

  Whatever dynasty you are!

  At almost the same time, another thought surged into Zhang Zhun's mind!

  If I could change the course of history...

  If Manchu cannot enter the pass...

  If another regime had replaced the Ming Dynasty...

  No matter what happens, the course of history will definitely be changed. The course of history is changed, and everyone's fate may change. Perhaps, there will be no violent demolition in the future! Without violent demolition, there would be no death of the old father! There would be no displacement of wife and daughter!

  For his father, for his wife, and for his daughter, he is willing to do anything!

  As long as they can change their fate, even if it means paying with their own lives again, they will not hesitate!

  "I will change the course of history!"

  Zhang Zhun made up his mind without hesitation!

  Suddenly, there were faint footsteps coming from outside.

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