Chapter 6: Strange Encounter at the Ferry Crossing

  Three men stood up and made a gesture of respect, Hu Yihuang said "I've also heard of the name Ling Shi Ba, he's a good fellow with a loud reputation".

  Hahaha......

  He is about 1.7 meters tall, a bit fat, and looks like someone who won't compromise on his words. With a full beard covering his face, he exudes a rough and untamed aura, as if written on his face: I'm not easy to mess with.

  Also, the two Guang provinces have been known for their fierce folk customs since ancient times. They often engage in big fights at the slightest disagreement. Not only do they fight one-on-one, but they also have a tradition of group brawls. According to Li Yunzhong's knowledge, many Hakka villagers form gangs and frequently clash with the militia organized by local landlords.

  Four people gathered around the tea table chatting enthusiastically, attracting many passersby to glance over.

  As the sky was already late, Hu Yihuang suggested going to his home to stay for a few days. The three of them helped Ling Shiba pack up the tea shop and set off towards Hu Yihuang's home together.

  On the way, Li Yunzhong suddenly remembered who Hu Yihuang was. He was a famous military commander in the early days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and came from a landlord family. The only Wu Xiucai among the officials of the Heavenly Kingdom had joined the God Worshipping Society in his early years. During the Jintian Village Camp, Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan secretly hid in Hu's home in Huaizhou Mountain, Pingnan County, to prepare for the uprising. When they were besieged by the Qing soldiers who were stationed nearby at Siwang Village, Hu Yihuang assisted in leading the crowd to defend themselves, and soon after receiving reinforcements, they defeated the enemy, allowing Hong Xiuquan to launch the uprising in Jintian.

  Shanren Village is a remote mountain village located in the northwest of Pingnan County, 130 li from the county seat. To the northwest of the village lies Jinxiu Danyang Mountain; to the north, it borders Mingshan, with the Datong River running through it, which can be navigated by boat all year round. To the southwest is Penghua Li's mountainous area, adjacent to Guiping Jintian and Zijinshan. The northern and southern boundaries of the village, about 10 li apart, are the Fengmu Boundary between Datong and Penghua Li, with Yangju Peak on top. From Yangju Peak, looking south for four li is Huazhou; looking north for twenty li is Shanren Village, which is situated in a mountain valley with layered peaks. This valley is locally known as Shanren Chong. Shanren Village is located in the middle section of Shanren Chong. The only path through Shanren Chong is a rugged small road that runs from south to north, and due to the sparse population within the valley, the roadsides are overgrown with wild grasses, blocking out the sky and making it difficult for travelers to pass through, like threading through a needle.

  These two mountainous areas were under the jurisdiction of Sitang Prefecture in the Tang Dynasty and belonged to the Dafengxia area in the Ming Dynasty. In the past, ethnic minorities had competed with Zhang Shigui, Han Yong, Wang Shouren and others. Whenever war broke out, they could attack Sitwangping Plain and plunder the county town; when retreating, they could turn into Dayao Mountain to disperse and wait for opportunities to rise again, making it a strategic location since ancient times.

  Li Yunzhong followed Hu Yihuang into the Mountain People's Village. He also discovered that this location was indeed an excellent place for military training, as long as people were sent to set up personnel at the mountain pass to put out scouts and patrol, a small number of enemies could be eliminated, and if many enemies came, they could retreat into the mountains and wait for an opportunity to strike. He couldn't help but think to himself: This is indeed a place where one can advance and attack, or retreat and defend. Since Li Yunzhong had the idea of rebelling, he became interested in geography.

  "This place is inhabited by Hakkas and Cantonese, mostly from Guangdong. Among them are Yao and Zhuang ethnic minorities. The residents mainly engage in rice cultivation and blue dye production, as well as logging. They are strong-willed and sociable, but often bullied by local wealthy families. Whenever there are projects such as building dams, reservoirs, or roads, the Hakkas are forced to participate, leading to frequent gatherings and resistance, resulting in intense conflicts and strained relationships."

  It is true that the poor mountains and rivers produce evil people. In their conversation, Li Yunzhong heard that the three of them were dissatisfied with the Qing court early on, and they would occasionally express words of discontent with reality, especially Ling Shiba, who often spoke of killing officials and rebelling against the government. So he thought of pulling them into joining the God Worshipping Society, of course still trying to weaken Yang Xiuqing's authority and establish his own prestige.

  After walking for a long time, the crowd arrived at Hu Yihuang's home. The house had three rooms, with a foundation made of river stones and walls made of mud bricks. Hu Yihuang hastily invited several people to sit down and personally poured tea for them.

  After chatting for a while, Li Yunzhong roughly understood the situation of the other three and brought the conversation to the main topic. He solemnly said to them: "I'm not hiding from you three brothers, I am actually one of the leaders of the God Worshipping Society, under the command of Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan, specifically responsible for the mission of spreading the teachings in Pingnan and Tongxian counties. We established the God Worshipping Society to unite our oppressed brothers and sisters. As long as we are united, we can resist the bullying of the local landlords and militia. What do you three think?" He intentionally exaggerated his position within the God Worshipping Society while speaking.

  Ling eighteen had lost all hope in the imperial court, and was quite impressed by Li Yunzhong's words. He felt that his own wealth and status were all due to Li Yunzhong, so he immediately said loudly, "Those landlords are all colluding with the officials, how can we possibly win against them? We'd better turn against them."

  Hu Yihuang and Meng Shangsheng's faces were calm, without a hint of surprise, as if Ling Shiwen's rebellion was just a trivial matter.

  Li Yunzhong and Yan Yuese, with a hint of temptation: "Don't deceive the three of you, I have long been preparing to rebel against the Qing court. Not to mention that since the founding of the Qing dynasty, it has been over 200 years, and since Qin Shi Huang became emperor, there has never been a dynasty that lasted more than 300 years. Moreover, with the current disasters and troubles, officials are increasingly corrupt and oppressive, landlords are bullying the people, and uprisings are breaking out everywhere, making the Qing court exhausted. Isn't this the moment of changing dynasties as described in history books? Not to mention the distant past, the founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was once a monk and a beggar, but after joining the Red Turban Army, he rose to power and eventually overthrew the Yuan dynasty to become emperor. The current situation is similar to that of the end of the Yuan dynasty. This is precisely the best opportunity for us to rise up and dominate the world. If we succeed, we will enjoy wealth and glory; if we fail, we can still leave our names in history and be remembered for eternity."

  He swallowed his saliva, and Li Yunzhong saw that Hu Yihuang's three faces were flushed red, with six eyes staring at him excitedly. He smiled immediately, praising himself fiercely: "Yunzhong is not talented, but he has read Sun Tzu's Art of War, Six Strategies, Five Tactics, and various military books. The Thirty-Six Stratagems are also familiar to him. Like everyone else, he has long wanted to make a name for himself, and he wishes to ask everyone to work together to achieve great things."

  He quickly got up, bowed and said, "Indeed it is! I won't hide from you all that I've had this wish for a long time, but I hated myself for being alone and weak. Now hearing Brother Li's words, it's truly a blessing of three lifetimes, how dare I not obey!"

  "I have three great shames in my life. Firstly, since my father passed away, the officials have been extorting money from us every day, with a large donation of over 1,000 taels of silver every three months and a small donation of over 100 taels of silver every month, which has led to our family's decline. Secondly, I was not successful in my studies and turned to learning martial arts, but during the provincial martial arts examination, the examiner was corrupt and accepted bribes, and when it came to the archery test, I was given a bow that had been tampered with, which broke when I used too much force, injuring my arm. As a result, I failed the exam and became a laughing stock in our village. Thirdly, the Zhuo family is a local tyrant in the Baigou region who colludes with the officials and bullies the villagers. Because of the feud between my father and the Zhuo family when he was alive, when I rode past their house on horseback, they dragged me down, pushed me into a cowshed, tied up my neck, shaved off half of my hair with a sickle, and gave me a severe beating before releasing me. This is indeed the greatest shame of my life. Now that I have joined the God Worshipping Society, I am grateful for your support, Brother Li, please allow me to join you in this great endeavor." Hu Yihuang also spoke out his mind, saying: "Alas! If it weren't for the humiliation I suffered at the hands of the Zhuo family, I wouldn't have become a rebel either. Every year, we would collect rent and live comfortably."

  "I think my family was also well-off in the past, but later my father became addicted to opium and squandered all our wealth. These opium peddlers are all connected with the local landlords and officials, that's why they dare to be so brazen." Meng Shang also couldn't help but speak out about his family's misfortune.

  Ling eighteen excitedly stood up and saluted the crowd, saying "I'm glad to make friends with good people. Now that I can join the Church of God, make friends with all of you, it's really worth living."

  "There are three new recruits, and with God's help, we can make a breakthrough here." Li Yun tightly clenched his fist, finally having his own team. It doesn't seem too difficult to spread the teachings either, heh heh, looks like I need to exert more influence on them, develop them into my loyal followers. And, I still need to slander Yang Xiuqing a few more times. As long as I make a breakthrough in Pingnan County, then I won't be afraid of Yang Xiuqing."

  Meng Shangsheng said to Li Yunzhong, "I have several good brothers in Dapenghuo Village of Wangjiawopu, and I haven't seen all my relatives. When I go back, I will persuade them to join the God Worshipping Society, which can also be considered as a gift for your humble self."

  Li Yunzhong immediately understood what he meant "The missionary work in Huazhou area will be handled by Brother Meng from now on".

  "In the lower house lives Guangdong Xinyi, also willing to go back and spread teachings, absorb believers." Ling eighteen is not willing to fall behind

  Li Yunzhong said "Then trouble Ling brothers to take over the task of transmitting the letter".

  Hu Yihuang also tried to probe, "Although I am not talented, but in Pingnan, I still have some appeal. It is easy to gather two or three thousand people. By the way, I have good friends Zhang Weikun, Tan Yinggui and Zhang Suimou. They are all under pressure from officials like me and have a heart of resistance. Among them, Zhang Suimou, also known as Zhang Xiazi, participated in the anti-Qing righteous army led by Tian Di Hui Su San Niang. Due to his father's death, he is now at home mourning. I can persuade Zhang Weikun and Tan Yinggui to donate their family property with me. In this way, we can develop tens of thousands of followers in Pingnan County."

  Your grandfather's, tens of thousands! From now on, it's either listening to you or me, but for now, let's just stabilize you first. He couldn't help but sigh: Feng Yunshan, Hong Xiuquan and others have been preaching to the poor for five or six years, and only opened up the situation in Zijin Mountain. It seems that this rebellion business is still played by the rich! With money and grain, they can deceive more poor people into joining, and only then can things be done.

  Li Yunzhong pretended to be very moved and said to Hu Yihuang, "From now on, the Pingnan area will be responsible for preaching by Brother Hu. Please take care of it." Afraid that they would not believe him, he added, "Don't worry, brothers. Once Mr. Feng and Master Hong return from Guangdong, I will go to report to them. Now it's late, tomorrow I will explain the doctrine and rules of the God Worshipping Society to you and baptize you."

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