Chapter Thirty-Three: Rebellion

  Guo Tianxing is also a character, but in terms of management, he's really not up to par. He relies on his own daredevil reputation and brings along some brothers who have lost their way in life. As for management skills, from my observation, it's basically zero. Moreover, judging from his usual conversations, Guo Tianxing is more suited to a carefree wandering life. If not for the persuasion of his elders and a sense of responsibility, he would have left long ago.

  This is not the time to lose heart, we should encourage him instead. So he hastily comforted: "Don't worry, master, now that we have occupied Zhangjiabao, we will soon unite with other gangs to form a coalition army and attack the county seat. This place is only thirty or forty miles away from the county seat, which can be used as a logistics storage area. We won't leave, just stay here and defend it, using the city wall to fight against the local militia and village braves who come to reinforce, while waiting for other gangs to arrive, and then we will attack from both inside and outside, and it's hard to say who will die in whose hands."

  "This is a good idea." With Lv Shi's words, Guo Tianxing showed his heroic nature again, punching the wall and shouting loudly: "I want to see how Chen's family will end up under my inside and outside cooperation." After looking around, he burst out laughing and said: "It's not bad, this place is much better than the mountain stronghold. The walls are high and deep, it's like a copper wall and iron wall. I'll send someone back to the mountain to inform the people who stay in the stronghold to come here quickly, we'll live here."

  The sticks around all stretched their necks to see the master and Mr. discussing, heard that they were going to leave the mountain stronghold and move to Zhangjiabao, at that time it was a burst of cheers.

  Zhí gāng zǐ de guò tiān xīng jiù shì zhè yàng xiǎng yī chū shì yī chū, gēn běn jiù bù kǎo lǜ cháng yuǎn, dāng xià lǚ shì lián máng dǎ duàn le guò tiān xīng de chī xīn wàng xiǎng, jiàn yán dào: "dà dàng jiā de bù kě."

  It's a joke, if the old camp of Woyao Mountain was set up in Zhangjiabao now, the Allied Forces would still be able to attack the county seat and gain temporary peace. If the county seat is really broken, each stick will scatter after getting rich, and this Zhangjiabao will immediately become a dead place. Four thousand civilians are not just small dishes in the hands of government troops? The Ming army may lose every battle against foreign enemies, but when it comes to suppressing the Stick Uprising, they have the upper hand. Otherwise, Gao Yingxiang and others would not have joined forces with dozens of families to launch a shocking attack, but the result was just a flash in the pan, brilliant for a moment before disappearing into thin air.

  Lü Shì shared his idea with Guò Tiān Xīng, who also blushed at his own greed for pleasure and feared the consequences of his shortsightedness. He hastily apologized to Lü Shì, which was a good thing about rough and simple people.

  "What should we do next?" asked Xiǎo Tiān Xīng once again with sincerity.

  Lü Shi couldn't help it, he had unknowingly become the military advisor and mainstay of Guo Tianxing. Whatever happened, they would ask him what to do, what was going on? But things didn't end there, the Zhang brothers were still locked up in the county prison, saying that no matter what, they had to be rescued. The task of rescuing them would fall on Guo Tianxing and his men, so for now, he could only help him out a bit.

  "The master of the house quickly sent someone back to the mountain, gathering a group of people and horses from the mountain to come and assist in defending the city. At the same time, he urged those on the mountain to hurry up and make more longbows, ensuring that the stronghold was secure, as it is our foundation. We have now tied up Zhang's village militia and ordered someone to guard them, so they won't be able to collaborate with Chen's village when they come to attack."

  "It's exactly this principle, I'll instruct to do it immediately." Over Tianxing was indeed obedient and quickly responded, turning around to arrange a close small leader to execute immediately.

  That little head rushed down the city to inform his brothers, covering the newly acquired, obviously larger helmet.

  "At the same time, immediately send someone to move all the remaining elderly and weak people in Zhangjiacun into the fort to avoid the war." Lü said with a worried heart, looking at the fellow villagers who were still lingering around the village on the mountain.

  The current garrison of the mountain is all old and weak, and has become a mortal enemy with the local braves who have rushed from various places. If they can't get protection outside, those local braves will definitely harm their fellow villagers. It's better to move into Zhangjiabao quickly, as there are still food supplies here, and several hundred wooden stakes for defense.

  "I'll arrange it immediately." The next day, Xing hastily dispatched someone to carry out the task again.

  The villagers of Zhùbīng Mountain received Lǚ Shì's order and hastily retreated to Zhangjiabao with their families, leaving the once lively village of Zhùbīng Mountain suddenly desolate.

  Lü Shi stood on the city wall, gazing out at the distance. His heart was like a stormy sea as he thought about how his attempt to rescue Zhang's family and the villagers of Zhubing Mountain who were captured by the corrupt officials had led to the village becoming a place of death. And what's more, after this battle, those innocent civilians would be branded with the mark of killing officials and rebelling against the government. Had he saved them or harmed them?

  Guo Tianxing couldn't help but laugh heartily, constantly asking Lv Shi all sorts of questions. The two were discussing on the city wall when suddenly a faint wailing sound came from somewhere in the old Zhang family residence.

  Lü Shì's face changed greatly, what was going on now?

  The cries were coming from outside Zhang Jia's water dungeon when Lü Shiyu rushed over, and he was shocked and enraged by the terrible scene at that time.

  Just rescued from the water dungeon, nearly a hundred fellow villagers, one by one with withered faces, their bodies covered in bloodstains. Their lower body had been soaked in the filthy water of the dungeon, emitting a foul odor. Zhang Lao Shi was carried on a wooden board by several villagers, already at his last breath. Lv Shi rushed forward, lifted the straw mat covering him, and a pungent smell mixed with the stench of blood assaulted his nostrils. Lv Shi couldn't help but bend down to take a look, only to see that Zhang Lao Shi's entire body was covered in wounds, with no unharmed skin anywhere, all blackened by the filthy water, the whole person hovering between life and death, seemingly on the verge of expiring at any moment.

  Lü Shi ignored the foul smell of blood and rushed forward to grab Zhang Lao's hand, feeling its icy coldness and lack of vitality.

  Lü Shì's nose suddenly turned sour and tears fell uncontrollably.

  This is the first person in this world who is truly good to himself, takes care of himself and accommodates himself. He would even divide a bowl of porridge into two halves for his own honest self, an extremely honest and kind-hearted person who dares not argue with anyone.

  I had originally wanted to repay his kindness and care with a single-minded devotion, hoping to use my limited knowledge to change their circumstances and help them weather the boundless turmoil and hardship, but ironically, it was my arrival that not only failed to improve their situation, but instead pushed them further into the abyss of family ruin and destruction, filling me with inexpressible remorse.

  Perhaps feeling the warmth in Lü Shi's hands, Zhang Laoshi, who was on his deathbed, slowly opened his eyes and saw that it was Lü Shi. He smiled with difficulty, his voice almost inaudible, and after gasping for a long time, he comforted Lü Shi in a soft voice: "Master, you can't be like this, we're all poor devils, it's all fate, don't blame others."

  Lü Shiwén heard this and was even more heartbroken, tears streaming down like broken pearls.

  Look at Lü Shi, still bowing his head and shedding tears. Zhang Laoshi managed to squeeze out a difficult smile and comforted him, saying: "But I, the Zhang family, am grateful to Master Fu. He didn't let my several children starve to death at that time, and was able to let them eat their fill for the first time in their lives. This is the good fortune that our Zhang family has cultivated."

  Lü Shi's tears gushed out, and he choked with sobs, unable to speak again.

  After panting for a long time, Zhang Lao Shi looked around with difficulty and suddenly had an unbearable look in his eyes. He said in a low voice: "Master, I know you did all this for me, but it's not worth it, the imperial court has laws, really... Thanks to your blessing, I saw yellow wheat and millet this year, which is something I haven't seen in years. If only a little of that was mine, how great would that be? It's been ages since I've eaten white steamed buns or drunk thick millet porridge." His voice trailed off as he became immersed in the imagined aroma of white steamed buns and millet porridge.

  Lü Shi's tears became more uncontrollable, and he could only hold Zhang Lao Shi's gradually cold hand and weep.

  "Master, I ask you, where are my two sons?"

  Lü Shixiang turned around and loudly asked the bailiff kneeling on the left side of the road: "Speak, where are my two brothers? How are they now?"

  Xu Li was trembling with fear, his face pale as he knelt on the left side of the road, not daring to look up at Lu Shi's furious face. He kept kowtowing and saying, "Lord Zhao, it's all because of the upper and lower levels, we're all colleagues."

  This is just pulling a relationship, hoping that Zhao Dahai will give personal feelings and protection on the grounds of being a public official in the imperial court.

  Zhao Dahi kicked that official with one foot and shouted: "My brother is asking you, where are my two nephews now?"

  "Yes, yes, yes. The Zhang brothers are in the county prison, just waiting for the Zhang family to raise enough money and grain, and then they will be released after presenting the windmill design papers."

  "Really let him go?" He glared and shouted loudly, although he knew it was a fantasy in his heart, but there was already hope in his eyes. The map was ready, and the money and food were available now. If it really worked out this way, it would save trouble, rescue the Zhang brothers, fulfill Zhang Lao's wish, and bring himself and the Zhang brothers to Nan together.

  "To be honest, what are you going to do with the Zhang brothers?" Zhao Dahai asked harshly.

  That official stole a glance, knowing that Zhao Dahan was originally an official, and knew the inside story. At this point, he could no longer hide it, so he told the truth: "Even if you are gathering grain, Zhang's brothers will still sell you as slaves to Mongolia." The voice was low, but it struck every person's heart like a great bell.

  Lü Shiyí was stunned for a moment, then suddenly let out a loud shout and kicked the corrupt official to the ground. He immediately began searching around for a sword to chop down this depraved thing.

  The crowd was even more indignant, no wonder that in previous years when the laborers were sent away, most of them disappeared without a trace. No wonder that those young and strong men who were forced to pay taxes and were taken away by the government could not be seen alive or dead, but it turned out that they were all sold as slaves to Mongolia by the government. On this bright sunny day, is there still a way for the poor to survive?

  In a fit of rage, Lü Shi felt a hand suddenly grasp him. With red eyes, he looked over to see the dying Zhang Laoshi. Lü Shi suppressed his anger and bowed his head to listen to Zhang's words. With great difficulty, Zhang looked at Lü Shi, then suddenly sat up and with all his might let out a loud, hoarse shout.

  "Rebellion——"

  If you think this chapter is reasonably written, thank you.

  The mood is extremely heavy, especially after reading the later volumes of the Ming History, it's even more depressing and unbearable.