Chapter 23: The Late Ming Peasant Uprising
Wangjia Village, back hillside.
Wang Er, from Baishui, scowled at the villagers before him.
Last night, he had rallied a group of villagers to sneak into Gao Family Village for water. Each of them had returned with two buckets of flour, a bounty that had sent their spirits soaring.
They were all in high spirits, walking with a spring in their step.
But their good mood was shattered the moment they returned to the village.
To their shock, imperial officers had raided Wangjia Village overnight while Wang Er was away. They had injured several villagers, burned a dilapidated thatched hut, and seized the villagers' seed grain.
A few injured villagers, their heads wrapped in cloths still seeping blood, lay weeping before Wang Er. "Big Brother Wang... you must deliver justice for us all."
"My family's seed grain has been plundered. Even if the drought ends and the heavens bless us with rain, we'll have nothing left to plant. My entire family will starve."
"Mine too. With our seed grain gone, we're as good as dead."
The others gasped, startled. "Rebel? That's a crime punishable by death!"
Wang Er roared, "Afraid of execution? Your families have no seed grain left—what more is there to fear? Death is coming for us all, one way or another. Rather than starve, why not chop off Magistrate Zhang Yaocai's dog head first, and then die with some dignity!"
Thinking it over, the villagers conceded: he had a point.
Wang Er scooped up a handful of black soil, smeared it across his face, then raised his hand and bellowed, "Who dares to kill Zhang Yaocai?"
The villagers, all smearing their faces black in unison, roared back, "We dare!"
"Good! Start fires, cook, eat your fill of noodles, and once you're fed, we march on the county seat and hack off Zhang Yaocai's dog head!"
He scanned his surroundings. Fewer than a hundred villagers stood before him; such a meager force seemed insufficient for a rebellion. He beckoned two young men forward. "You two, go to Zhongjia Village and Zhengjia Village, respectively. Contact my sworn brothers, Zhong Guangdao and Zheng Yanfu. Tell them that Wang Er of Baishui is rebelling now, and ask if they dare to join me."
The two young men quickly departed for Zhongjia Village and Zhengjia Village.
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Gao Chuwu led three young men into Chengcheng County seat.
This was their second visit to the county seat, and their courage had grown considerably since the first.
Their first time, they had been timid and hesitant; this time, they moved with natural confidence.
This, perhaps, was the difference between those who had seen the world and those who had not.
The four of them remained polite, asking everyone they met for directions to "former strategist San Shier's residence." Soon, someone pointed them the way, and the quartet navigated streets and alleys until they arrived at San Shier's front gate.
Gao Chuwu raised a hand, about to knock.
To his surprise, the door opened from within before he could touch it. Gao Chuwu's hand swished through empty air, and he chuckled sheepishly, a little embarrassed.
It was San Shier who opened the door. As he did, he called out to someone behind him, "Hurry up, everyone, quick... wait?"
His voice trailed off. He stared at Gao Chuwu for a moment, then a sudden realization dawned on him. "You're... the young man from Gao Family Village, what was your name again?"
"Gao Chuwu!"
"Ah, yes, yes, that's right." San Shier's eyes darted around twice, and he immediately understood. "Does the Heavenly Lord have any instructions? I am all ears."
Gao Chuwu froze. *You knew without me even saying it? Sure enough, learned folks are different from simpletons like me. If Village Chief wanted to explain something to me, he'd have to shout into my ear for ages.*
Gao Chuwu scratched his head awkwardly. "The Heavenly Lord is having our villagers make armor. He said many bandits would soon emerge and start attacking people indiscriminately, so we should forge armor to protect ourselves. But Uncle Gao Yiyi, our village's only blacksmith, isn't very skilled. So, the Heavenly Lord wants you to find a way to get some competent blacksmiths over to us."
The moment San Shier heard "armor," he was stunned. *Forging private armor—that's a capital offense!* No, he corrected himself, *I've missed the real point. The crucial part of that sentence is the first half: 'many bandits would soon emerge and start attacking people indiscriminately.'*
San Shier understood in an instant!
*The Heavenly Lord means Wang Er of Baishui is about to rebel.*
He had only just speculated that Wang Er of Baishui would rebel based on the "seed grain theft," but now, with the Heavenly Lord's direct words, he could be one hundred percent certain Wang Er was about to rise in revolt.
*Good heavens! This is terrifying!*
San Shier spun around, roaring at his family, "What are you waiting for? Forget anything you haven't packed! Go, leave immediately! This is called 'abandoning armor and casting away weapons'!"
His wife rushed out of the house, clutching their daughter. A maid and a house servant, each burdened with a large bundle containing valuables and trinkets, ran out, asking frantically, "Where are we going?"
San Shier gritted his teeth, grabbing Gao Chuwu's hand. "Gao... Chuwu, my brother, right?"
Gao Chuwu flinched, startled by his frantic grip. "What's wrong?"
San Shier urgently explained, "I beg you and the other three young men to escort my wife and daughter to Gao Family Village. Please ask the Heavenly Lord to look after them. Once my wife and daughter are safe, I will have no further worries, and I will dedicate my life to serving the Heavenly Lord. This is called 'returning a peach with a plum'!"
Gao Chuwu just blinked. "Huh? Huh? Huh?"
With a simpleton's bewildered expression, he hadn't grasped the situation at all.
San Shier urged him, "Go, quickly, don't dally here! Wang Er of Baishui could attack at any moment. By then, you won't even be able to leave. This is called... oh, for heaven's sake, stop listening to my nonsense, just go!"
Gao Chuwu, simple as ever, still didn't understand what was happening. But one good thing about simple folk like him was that they were very obedient. When the Village Chief gave orders, he listened to the Village Chief. When the Heavenly Lord gave orders, he listened to the Heavenly Lord. And now that San Shier was giving orders, he would listen to San Shier.
He grinned, showing his teeth. "Alright then! We're off."
The four young men, protecting San Shier's wife, daughter, maid, and servant, an entourage of eight, swiftly exited the county seat and headed back towards Gao Family Village.
No sooner had the eight of them left the city, having traveled less than two *li*, when hundreds of figures with blackened faces appeared on the hillside northwest of the county seat.
Leading them was none other than Wang Er of Baishui, flanked by his two sworn brothers, Zhong Guangdao and Zheng Yanfu.
Wang Er of Baishui bellowed, "The corrupt magistrate, ruthless in his tax collection, has seized our seed grain! Under such a villain's rule, we cannot survive another day. Today, everyone, follow me into the county seat, chop off the magistrate's dog head, and slaughter all the rotten rich bastards in the city. Let's open the granaries and let the poor eat their fill! Do you have the guts to follow me?"
The crowd roared, "We dare!"
"Who dares to kill Zhang Yaocai?"
"We dare!"
"Who dares to kill Zhang Yaocai?"
"We dare!"
"Who dares to kill Zhang Yaocai?"
"We all dare!"
Wang Er of Baishui laughed uproariously. "Then what are we waiting for? Charge!"
Hundreds of villagers yelled in unison, brandishing hoes, wooden clubs, pot lids, shovels, choppers, and pitchforks, as they charged towards Chengcheng County seat.
Thus, the tumultuous Late Ming Peasant Uprising officially began.
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