New Trickster

  "Brothers, look at the current situation where natural disasters and man-made calamities have led to widespread famine, people are struggling to survive, and in various places, rebels are rising up with flags, some gathering in mountains and forests, others roaming around villages. There are countless large rebel groups and numerous small ones like cow hair. But why don't the authorities loudly and openly suppress them instead of turning a blind eye?"

  "Why?" Tian Xing looked at Lü Shi with a bewildered expression, and Lü Shi was equally perplexed.

  Because there is no outstanding rafter, that is to say, there is not a single one that can shock the upper rod, the local county officials are also happy to turn a blind eye and muddle through, as long as the taxes and grain are not lacking, who cares if you make a big fuss? In dealing with the vagrants in their own jurisdiction, they only try to cover up, creating a relatively peaceful illusion for the upper levels, deceiving themselves and others in order to achieve good political performance and promotion.

  But if there is a leader among the thieves, it's different. Since they have already alarmed the authorities, they should make an all-out effort to eliminate them. Not only would this be a waste of energy in eliminating the thieves, but also lead to criticism for being incompetent in maintaining local order, and ultimately result in losing one's official position. What's the point of doing something that is so much trouble and yields no benefits?

  Lü Shixiao smiled and told him about the things he knew of the late Ming dynasty's officialdom, then said "Once you become the leader, you will be the target of everyone's criticism. Comparing the current imperial court's power with our own power, we might not be able to withstand the imperial court's thunderous strike?"

  Zhao Dahi and Guo Tianxing were both stunned, their faces as pale as can be. After a long while, Guo Tianxing finally struggled to his feet and bowed deeply to Lü Shiyu, saying: "Thank you, sir, for secretly protecting us. This has saved the lives of several thousand people in our village. I represent the four thousand villagers here to thank you for saving our lives."

  Lü Shilian hastily smiled and helped him up, humbly saying: "Don't mention it, after all we're all poor people. Let's talk about our next step."

  Everyone opened their minds and spoke more considerately. Lv Shi, Zhao Da Hai, and Hou Tian Xing deliberated for a long time, arranging all the details before descending the mountain.

  Back in Zhangjiacun, the old and young villagers came to ask about the results after receiving the news. Lv Shi and Zhao Dahai told everyone the details, and for a while, the whole village was filled with whispers of joy, thanking Lv Shi and Zhao Dahai for their lifesaving kindness.

  Lü Shao couldn't help but attribute the credit to Zhao Dahi, and Zhao Dahi also knew that Lü Shao didn't want to take the lead, so he just smiled with pleasure.

  With hope, the whole village no longer panicked, and according to Lv Shi's arrangement, they began to sort out their own big and small vehicles, looking for sacks and other things. Of course, Lv Shi also arranged for a few relatively young people to stand guard at the village entrance, preventing spies from Zhangjiabao from coming to probe.

  The Zhang family was indeed honest, they never thought that these honest villagers would dare to collude with the bandits, far away on the wall of the fortress, seeing the people of Zhangjiazhuang coming in and out searching for as much financial preparation as possible to redeem their captives, so they let their guard down. In fact, what Zhang Lao Wai valued most was still the windmill blueprint and the windmill that had been made, as for the grain, he knew that it had all been searched and seized by himself, leaving almost nothing behind. Now it seems that everything is already under control, so he waited with a clear conscience for the villagers of Zhangjiazhuang to honestly offer up their belongings.

  At midnight, a team of 500 men quietly rushed into Zhangjiazhuang, led by Guo Tianxing.

  The people of Lü's village had long been aware of the situation and were not surprised. After hiding these men in various homes, they brought the heavenly stars to Zhang Laoshi's home, covering the windows with quilts, lighting oil lamps, and the three of them once again went over the details. Although this was a nearly perfect plan, there could be no room for error.

  This time, the 500-strong troops were the most elite in Overcast Star's hands, and they had gathered all the equipment and weapons from the entire mountain stronghold. They also brought with them 70 newly-made longbows, which would allow their elite forces to go all out. This was not only for his brother but also for himself, as it was a matter of necessity. Even if things didn't go smoothly, they had to launch a strong attack in order to survive in the future.

  Lü Shiye had secretly inspected the terrain and defenses of Zhangjiabao, and also instructed his fellow villagers to secretly gather ladders from each household, bundling two or three together in preparation for any unexpected need.

  Lü Shiyong repeatedly instructed Tianxing to infiltrate Zhangjiabao, only executing the primary culprits, Zhang and his grandson, as well as those who resisted. The other villagers and distant relatives of the Zhang family were not to be harmed. Although the wealthy families had many members, they were not all evil; some were even treated like cattle by their clan leaders. Many of the local militiamen were also tenant farmers or long-term laborers, all poor people. If they were killed, it would seem like fratricide. Let's spare them and leave a thread of life for them.

  Lü Shi is now completely obedient to Gu Tian Xing, although he secretly despises Mr. Gu's kind heart, but still arranged for his subordinates to notify one by one without any deduction.

  Zhao Dahi, although somewhat disapproving of Lü Shi's weak character, felt that since they had come this far together, it was either rebellion or nothing at all. If they didn't thoroughly eliminate the officials and wealthy households, they would only be leaving trouble for themselves in the future. How could they survive in such a chaotic world? But he also genuinely admired his kind-hearted brother's willingness to show mercy even to their enemies, and if he could be so forgiving to others, he would surely be even more accepting of his own brothers. This was a good thing, so Zhao Dahi just let it go.

  Everything is quietly tense, and victory or defeat will be decided tomorrow in one move.

  On an autumn morning, the cool breeze blows gently, and the sky still has not a single cloud. However, the sun that just rose is generous with its infinite heat, sweeping away even the last bit of moisture from the earth's soil. The rising water vapor makes pedestrians change their appearance and lose their shape, another autumn tiger.

  On top of Zhangjiabao, several village braves and strong men were leaning against the wall with their long guns and big knives, chatting and joking around, occasionally a happy remark would trigger a burst of soft laughter.

  The team leader, Zhang Feng, looked up at the sky and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. It was another one of those damned autumn heatwaves, with the sun sucking up every last bit of moisture from the earth as if it wouldn't rest until it had drained everything dry. It really was just like the officials, only pitifully affecting the poor people of the world.

  This summer, it only rained a few small rains, which was of no use to the farmers at all. The fields far from the riverbank were either abandoned in the spring or reluctantly planted with precious seeds, but they either didn't sprout or grew into dry hay that could be ignited by a single spark. What harvest can be expected there?

  Those families, seeing no hope of autumn harvest, could only drag their households and flee to other places in search of food. But where can they escape to? Everywhere is the same! The poor are kind-hearted, but also poor and fleeing in search of food, who would still share half a bowl of rice with you?

  Last time, the old tribal leader sent me to Xi'an on official business. Along the way, I saw corpses everywhere, and the elm trees by the roadside were all stripped of their bark, revealing white trunks that seemed to be waiting for death under the scorching sun.

  The rich have grain, but who is kind-hearted? You can starve to death at their doorstep and they won't feel a shred of sympathy. Relying on the government? Don't even think about it. Those officials are all trying to curry favor with the new emperor, not only will this year's taxes be collected in full, but also the accumulated debts from previous years must be repaid. The wealthy and powerful don't pay their share, so it all falls on the common people. After the natural disaster comes the man-made one. Who knows how many families will be ruined? Alas, what a world we live in.

  It's said that at this time, in northern Shaanxi near Mongolia, locusts suddenly appeared. When the locusts flew up, they were like dark clouds. At first, the common people thought it was a sign of impending rain, but unexpectedly, those pests swept by and instantly turned the grass and trees that people relied on to raise chickens and ducks for survival into barren land. Isn't this adding insult to injury?

  The Mongolian cavalry also suffered from the drought, and this was also a disaster for the locusts. The situation was severe, and originally they were supposed to come out in winter, but now they had already entered the Great Wall in autumn. The government and border troops were alarmed three times a day, rushing around, and supplies from all over could not be interrupted. This was another expense on the common people.

  Here is the translation:

  "Why lament and sigh to oneself here? Just look at the brothers around, aren't they also suffering people? It's just that the old clan leader sees that you still have some strength left to be oppressed, so he gave you a mouthful of food that won't starve you to death. But in this era of rampant bandits, isn't it all about exchanging one's life for survival?"

  Luckily, I am a member of the Zhang family, although I'm already a distant relative, and although the clan leader is somewhat stingy, after all, there's some familial affection. A few years ago, I had my tens of mu of riverbank land registered under Old Master Zhang's name. Although every year I have to submit 80% of the harvest, at least I can still get some leftovers, ensuring that my family doesn't starve.

  The world is in a great drought, the land has no harvest, and every moment we have to endure the officials' extortion and coercion. The endless corvée labor and debt to the tyrannical usurers are unbearable. At home, there's a big family of old and young, after a year of hard work, we can only survive on wild vegetables and tree bark. It's just that I still have some strength left, so this old master looks down on me, making me guard the village, saying it's to protect everyone from the bandits' plunder. But what do we have left to plunder? Are you and the officials not more ruthless than the bandits? The bandits at least leave us poor people a way out, but you want our lives too. For two bowls of thin porridge, I have to work day and night to protect your lives, and every month, you only give my family one peck of moldy grain to eat. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even be able to work as a pig herder or grass cutter for the master. Alas, this world, when will it end?

  It's also a pitiful sight that Zhang Jiazhuang's Zhang Liushi was helped by the gods and built a windmill, which stood tall and large on the riverbank, pumping water day and night, and unexpectedly brought a bumper harvest to this thousands of acres of land. Incidentally, it also allowed several villages along the river to get waterwheels and have a good harvest.

  But just because of this, they collected three to five more dou, and ended up with a broken family and death. Yesterday, the young master brought Zhang Laoshi and a large group of fellow villagers back to the fort, throwing them into the water dungeon. The Zhang family's courtyard was filled with mournful cries all night, without stopping. Is this still just?

  Forget about others, you haven't even finished your own family's affairs, just take care of yourself.

  Signed, dear book friends, when you have some free time, after reading, would you mind giving it a collection? Thank you.