June 4th, Contradictions in the Mountain Stronghold

  Two men walked into the thatched hut, which was quite spacious. There was almost no furniture inside, only a row of rough wooden stools, apparently made by the bandits themselves. Zheng Yanfu sat in the middle chair with furrowed brows, and on this chair lay a fox skin, indicating that there were skilled hunters among the bandits.

  There were several followers beside Zheng Yanfu, each with a strange expression. Some furrowed their brows, equally gloomy as Zheng Yanfu, while others had an eerie joy on their faces, especially when they saw Wang Er and Zhu Yuanzhang walk in, the joy was even more pronounced.

  Wang Er walked in front, Zhu Yuanzhang shrank his body and hid behind Wang Er. Due to Wang Er's tall stature, he blocked most of Zhu Yuanzhang's body from view, so Zheng Yanfu didn't notice him at all.

  "Is this Zheng Yanfu from Cheng City?" Wang Er asked casually.

  "Yes, I am Zheng Yanfu!" Zheng Yanfu looked straight at Wang Er and asked: "You are the ones who came to persuade surrender, Zhu Baihu and Wang Zongqi?"

  "Hmm!" Wang Er followed Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions, put on a majestic air, and smiled: "I am the Commander-in-Chief Wang, and this is Lord Zhu Baihu."

  He spoke without an official tone, nor the smoothness of those in power, but with a hint of ferocity that couldn't be learned or changed, it was his true nature. It was barely suitable for the role of General Flag that Zhu Yuanzhang had arranged for him, and people didn't feel suspicious at all.

  Wang Er shouted: "Zheng Yanfu, today I and Zhu Baihu came up the mountain to ask you one thing, are you surrendering or not? If you want to surrender, put down your weapons early and come down the mountain to accept amnesty. Our Commander Yang has already said that he can pardon your crime of killing officials and rebelling, and even grant you a title as a hundred-household officer."

  In fact, as a thousand-household official, he didn't have the authority to pardon the crime of killing an official and rebelling, nor did he have the authority to appoint officials at the hundred-household level. Zhu Yuanzhang dared to let Wang Er say this, precisely because he was targeting Zheng Yanfu and his gang, who were foolish and didn't understand the rules of the officialdom.

  Zheng Yanfu furrowed his brow and hadn't spoken yet when a big-headed man beside him happily asked, "What rank is the Bai Hu?"

  Wang Er's forehead was blocked, what kind of goods are worth a hundred households? This question Zhu Ba Ge didn't teach me just now.

  At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang whispered beside him: "Sixth-grade martial officer".

  Wang Er hastily said loudly: "Bai Hu is a sixth-grade military officer."

  "What? A sixth-grade official... What a big official!" The Han men next to Zheng Yanfu were immediately excited: "The county magistrate is only seventh grade, and the hundred households are directly sixth grade. It's too powerful... Brother Zheng Yanfu, this can be considered... You became a sixth-grade official and promoted us all to seventh-grade county magistrates!"

  These country bumpkins don't understand the imperial court's official system at all, and they even think that a sixth-rank official can appoint a seventh-rank official...

  In fact, a sixth-rank military officer is inferior to a seventh-rank county magistrate. In the Ming dynasty, civil officials controlled the military, and military officers couldn't even lift their heads in front of civil officials. Although a hundred households was a sixth-rank title, they still had to show respect to a county magistrate, let alone ride roughshod over them or promote their subordinates to be magistrates - that's just ridiculous.

  However, the bandits in the countryside didn't understand the imperial court at all. The highest official they could usually see was a seventh-rank county magistrate who looked very majestic sitting in the government office. So when they heard that Zheng Yanfu had surrendered and could become a sixth-rank official, they became excited!

  "Big brother, you can come down!"

  "Sixth-grade official, quite worthy!"

  "To be an official, kill people and set fires to accept amnesty, this sentence is indeed not deceiving."

  Wang Er continued to follow Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions, saying: "Our thousand-household leader also said that Zheng Yanfu became a sixth-rank official, and the most capable people under him can be appointed as seventh-rank officials, eighth-rank officials, or ninth-rank officials. As long as they are willing to surrender to the imperial court, everything will be negotiable."

  "Big brother... come down!"

  "What a bargain!"

  Among the voices urging surrender, there were also a few dissenting voices. Two burly men shouted loudly: "You can't surrender! Are you idiots? Do you believe what officials say? Government offices love to deceive people!"

  "Yes, we can't lower ourselves, kill the officials and rebel, we want to kill the officials, how can we go be officials ourselves?"

  These rough men didn't know how to conceal their thoughts, they just spoke whatever came to mind, and in front of Zhu Yuanzhang and Wang Er, they quarreled loudly.

  "Shut up! Stop arguing!" Zheng Yanfu finally couldn't bear it anymore, he jumped up from his fox-fur covered chair and shouted: "Stop the commotion, what are you all talking about with such nonsense?"

  The gangsters heard him speak and immediately shut their mouths, everyone tensely waiting for his decision.

  Zheng Yanfu's facial muscles twitched twice, and he turned his head to face Wang Er, saying: "Wang Zongqi, I, Zheng Yanfu, came out to kill officials and rebel, not to become a high-ranking official myself. Instead, I want to emulate the Water Margin and Liangshan heroes, robbing the rich to help the poor, upholding justice on behalf of Heaven, killing all corrupt officials, and letting the common people live a good life. If I surrender and become a low-ranking officer, how can I face my sworn brothers who came together to uphold justice? You may leave now, I will not surrender."

  The several men beside him heard this and had different expressions. Someone shouted: "Big brother, I didn't misjudge you, you are indeed a big brother worth following."

  "Some also shouted: 'Big brother, you can't say that. Are we who want to surrender not your brothers? Can you justify yourself to us?'"

  "Wait, don't rush Zhu Baihu and Wang Zongqi down the mountain, ask them to stay for a while..."

  The two groups of people started arguing again, and the room was in a mess.

  Zhu Yuanzhang made a gesture to Wang Er, who understood and shouted: "You can't come up with a result for the time being, so let's do this. I'll stay on this mountain top with Zhu Baihu, give you three days to think about it, and then we'll talk again after you've figured out your own results."

  Zheng Yanfu wanted to object, but the big-headed Han man who had just asked about the rank of the bailiff came over and smiled: "Two officials, please come this way, rest at my place for a few nights, and we'll carefully consider the matter of surrender."

  Zhu Yuanzhang saw the chaotic situation in the house and already understood a bit. It seems that this mountain stronghold is not just one person's decision, Zheng Yanfu is the nominal leader of the gang, but there are also many factions within the gang, and this big head is one of them. He obviously doesn't listen to Zheng Yanfu very much. When Zheng Yanfu decided to drive them away, this big head even dared to stay as a guest, it's clear that he also has a say in the matter.

  Zhu Yuanzhang made a gesture to Wang Er, who nodded and smiled at the big forehead: "Alright, let's go to your house to stay for two days. You can't think too long, in a few days if you still haven't made up your mind, our troops will come again to attack the mountain."

  "We're not afraid of the government troops attacking our mountain, we beat them back yesterday!" shouted a loyal follower named Zheng Yanfu.

  "Do you think there are only 500 soldiers?" Da E Tou cursed: "This time, 500 came. If the mountain can't be taken down, next time 1,000 will come, and then 10,000 will come. How long can you hold on?"

  Several bandits were arguing again, Zhu Yuanzhang silently noted in his heart who was in favor of surrendering and who was firmly opposed to it, branding each face into his mind. He followed the big-headed man out of the hall, and with a last glance before leaving, he saw Zheng Yanfu's bitter expression.

  Da E Tou accompanied Xiao Xin to greet Zhu Yuanzhang and Wang Er, only then did he introduce himself, and it turned out that this person's name was Zhao Yun, originally a wandering thief, who had been a notorious bandit since the year before last, gathering over a hundred followers, roaming in the mountains between Cheng City and Baisui.

  Zheng Yanfu killed Zhang Douyao, led the crowd to escape into the mountains, and then Zhao Yun voluntarily went to meet him, joined Zheng Yanfu's gang, and advised Zheng Yanfu not to go to Huanglong Mountain, but to settle down at Dongzi Cliff as a bandit and build a stronghold.

  He believed in an old saying: "To be an official, kill people and set fires to accept amnesty!" So he has been waiting for the government to grant him amnesty. Now that the government has finally come to offer it, Zheng Yanfu disagreed, which made him anxious, so his men directly clashed with Zheng Yanfu's men in the hall.

  Zhu Yuanzhang silently memorized these pieces of information in his mind, without saying anything extra. Zhao Yun arranged for the two of them to temporarily stay in his own house, a spacious thatched hut with no furniture inside, not even a bed, and they could only spread out mats on the ground.

  After settling down, Wang Er took a look around and found that there were people watching the house from a distance. He then leaned in close to Zhu Yuanzhang and said in a low voice, "Zhu Ba Ge, I think Zheng Yanfu is indeed a good man, he doesn't have any intention of surrendering."

  Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "He really didn't surrender, I've seen it too!"

  "We should help him then." Wang Er said seriously: "You're clever, think of a way quickly."

  Zhu Yuanzhang furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "You've also seen the current situation in the mountain stronghold. Zheng Yanfu's group and Zhao Yun's group are still vying with each other, and it won't erupt for a short time. I think we still have two or three days."

  "Will the government troops at the foot of the mountain attack us? If they do, our identities as fake messengers will be exposed." Wang Er said with some concern.

  "It won't work! With the morale of the officers and soldiers, after failing to attack the mountain once, even if Yang Hong gave a death order, they wouldn't listen. They would have to wait until the feeling of defeat from the previous failed attack disappears before they would attack again. At least three to five days later." Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice: "I still have a few questions to ask him personally, if I don't ask clearly, I won't know whether he is worth saving or not. Let's wait until tonight, tonight I'll create an opportunity to see him, and after I've asked these questions personally, I'll make a decision."

  Wang Er looked at him curiously: "What exactly do you want to ask him?"

  Zhu Yuanzhang smiled faintly and didn't explain. What he was thinking in his heart was: I want to ask him, why didn't you listen to me? Why did you exclude the unstable elements and bring the least number of people to Huanglong Mountain? Why did you have to get entangled with that unsteady guy Zhao Yun... If he can't give me a satisfactory answer, then I'll just have to give up.