Chapter 882: The Xingyang Grand Assembly
The seventh year of Chongzhen, deep winter.
Henan, Zhengzhou, Xingyang.
Over a thousand rebel cavalry approached from the west, halting their horses in the wheat fields of the western suburbs. Soon, grand banners unfurled, stretching from the distant cliff pass southwards. Flags obscured the sky, and armor gleamed in the sun. They filled the landscape from the southern mountains to the northern Yellow River bend, arriving like an overwhelming surge of clouds and waves. Only the whinnying of horses could be heard, from dawn till dusk, as their camps stretched for dozens of miles.
Where the rebels passed, men and beasts trampled the land, forging a path five or six *li* wide, their numbers beyond count.
Such was the grand spectacle recorded by a local gentry member from Henan at the time.
The small county town of Xingyang had already been razed to the ground. Wherever the rebel army marched, the paths trampled by their men and horses stretched five or six *li* wide...
Three hundred thousand soldiers, all converged upon the small town of Xingyang.
Chuǎng Wang, Chuang Jiang, Lao Huihui, Geliyan, Zuo Jianwang, Cao Cao, Gaishiwang, Shetatian, Xi Ying Ba Da Wang, Heng Tianwang, Hun Shiwang, Guo Tianxing, Jiutiaolong, Shun Tianwang...
Countless warlords had assembled on the open ground south of Xingyang city!
“Ahem, I’ve gathered everyone here today to discuss our future strategy,” Chuǎng Wang began, but then trailed off, unsure how to continue.
He was, in short, suffering from a lack of education!
However, his favored general, Chuang Jiang, immediately stepped forward and continued for him: “We barely escaped the government forces’ encirclement in the Yunyang region, finally managing to link up here in Henan. Now we’re established in the Central Plains, with open roads in every direction – north, south, east, west, we can go wherever we please. If we don’t discuss this properly, we’ll squander this excellent opportunity.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone nearby let out a snicker.
Chuang Jiang turned his head to see that it was Xi Ying Ba Da Wang who was laughing at him.
Chuang Jiang’s face darkened. “Ba Da Wang, what’s so funny?”
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang rolled his eyes. “I’m laughing because your first wife ran off with someone, and then your second wife did too. What kind of leader are you trying to be now?”
“You!” Chuang Jiang snarled.
His right hand instinctively dropped to the saber at his waist.
Cao Cao, sitting beside him, quickly reached out and pressed down on his arm. “Easy, Brother Chuang Jiang, this is no time for us to squabble among ourselves.”
“Am I the one looking for trouble?” Chuang Jiang fumed. “It’s this scoundrel who wants to stir things up.”
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang wore an utterly nonchalant expression. “I’m just stating facts. If I’ve fabricated a single word, feel free to refute it.”
Chuang Jiang fell silent.
The situation grew profoundly awkward; he was at a loss for words.
An eerie silence hung heavy for a moment before Lao Huihui suddenly spoke. “My forces are all heavy cavalry. Moving with your infantry is highly inconvenient. Besides, I don’t care for the Central Plains; I much prefer the Northwest. I intend to cross the Yellow River northwards and return to Shanxi.”
His words made it abundantly clear he had no intention of continuing to work with the others.
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang, in his typical sarcastic tone, sneered, “Oh, are you scared of the government troops now? Afraid to fight them? Looking for a deserted place to hide?”
Lao Huihui glared, enraged.
Chuang Jiang, having just been targeted by Xi Ying Ba Da Wang’s jibes himself, naturally stepped up to defend Lao Huihui. He declared, “Ba Da Wang, watch your mouth! You curse and sneer at everyone the moment you open it. Who are you trying to provoke? Is there anyone here who has ever feared the government troops?”
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. “Not afraid? If you’re not afraid of the government troops, then what are you all doing gathered here discussing? Haven’t you all been beaten into a corner by them, huddled together for warmth?”
Everyone fell silent.
Chuang Jiang raged, “If a single common man can fight, how much more so an army of a hundred thousand? Our forces outnumber the government troops ten to one! Even if the Guanning Iron Cavalry arrived, they’d be powerless. I don’t fear them one damn bit!”
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang shot back, “Big talk, are you really not afraid of the Guanning Iron Cavalry? Alright, alright. As far as I know, Cao Wenzhao is leading the Guanning Iron Cavalry right this way. If you’re so brave, why don’t you go chop him down?”
Chuang Jiang was speechless.
The tension was palpable, and the scene froze once more.
Upon hearing that Cao Wenzhao was approaching, all the bandit chiefs began to panic inwardly.
Chuang Jiang took a glance and knew that uniting this lot to confront the government troops was impossible. This crowd lacked any grand ambition; all they cared about was pillaging and burning. The idea of truly coming together as a unified force had never crossed their minds.
This Xingyang Grand Assembly was utterly useless!
Very well, if they couldn't unite, then they would divide.
Chuang Jiang declared in a grave tone, “The only course of action now is to divide our forces. Each of us will pursue our own path, and whether it leads to success or failure, that will be left to Heaven’s will.”
Upon hearing this, the bandit chiefs thought, “Separate and run? Excellent! Whoever wants to deal with Cao Wenzhao can deal with him; we’d be much safer scattering like frightened birds.”
And so, the group unanimously declared, “Chuang Jiang’s plan is excellent!”
The “grand strategy” had been settled: there was no strategy. Just chaos. But deciding which direction to flee was still a problem.
When these roving bandits split their forces, it was like street gangs carving up territory: “You can’t touch my karaoke bar, I won’t raid your market stall, I won’t enter the nightclub under your protection, and don’t even think about meddling with the red-light district I oversee...”
Chuǎng Wang then spoke, “Let’s draw lots to decide who goes where.”
The lots were drawn, and the assignments decided: Geliyan and Zuo Jianwang would head south to face the Chu forces; Heng Tianwang and Hun Shiwang would go west to meet the Qin army; Cao Cao and Guo Tianxing would encamp between Xingyang and Sishui, scouting Zhongmou, Deng, and Wei to tie down the forces from Kaifeng, Guide, Henan, and Ruzhou; Zhang Xianzhong and Chuang Jiang would focus exclusively on the east. After capturing cities and towns, all gold, silk, and women would be divided equally. Lao Huihui and Jiutiaolong would serve as roving scouts, moving freely to provide support. Fearing the western forces might be outmatched, Shetatian and Gaishiwang were added as reinforcements for Heng Tianwang and Hun Shiwang.
After the division of forces was complete...
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang chuckled grimly and led his troops southeast.
Lao Huihui watched the band of bandits with a cold sneer, thinking, *A bunch of good-for-nothing fools. Good thing I drew the lot for central support as a roving scout – that means I can roam freely. It’ll make it easier for me to contact the people from Xiaolangdi.*
Well, no matter. I'll continue to take things one step at a time.
The eighth year of Chongzhen, early in the year.
Fengyang!
Fengyang, also known as the ‘Imperial Homeland,’ was the ancestral seat of the Zhu family’s imperial lineage, and their ancestral tombs lay within its bounds.
Since ancient times, people in our dynasty have cherished their hometowns. Once they attained success and wealth, they would always desire to return, investing money in local development and helping their elders and kin escape poverty. Even if they didn't make their hometown rich, returning to scatter some rewards was an absolute must.
That’s why the saying exists: "To return wealthy and not to display it in your hometown is like parading in brocade at night."
It meant that if you got rich, you absolutely had to return home and flaunt it; otherwise, it was as if you hadn’t gotten rich at all.
This was a practice universally followed, yet the old Zhu family alone seemed to ignore it.
Despite Fengyang being the Imperial Homeland, the Zhu family had failed to manage it well. Far from enriching the local populace, they had instead exploited them twofold, leaving the people of Fengyang in utter destitution.
It was into this desperate situation that Xi Ying Ba Da Wang arrived!
The impoverished people of Fengyang, traveling hundreds of *li*, eagerly invited the bandit, providing him with a detailed ledger: ‘This family is wealthy, that place has no soldiers.’
Through these poor residents, Ba Da Wang learned the true state of Fengyang. It turned out the Zhu family, superstitious about *fengshui*, had never bothered to build city walls around Fengyang. What difference was that from a beautiful woman, drunk and naked, lying right before him?
A gentleman might perhaps offer the lady his coat and escort her to safety. But for a villain... well, that was just perfect.
On the morning of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the eighth year of Chongzhen, a thick fog blanketed the land. Xi Ying Ba Da Wang, leading his Sweep-the-Ground King and Taiping King divisions, launched a surprise attack on Fengyang.
Zhu Guoxiang, the Fengyang garrison commander, hastily led his troops to meet the attack, but was killed. Over four thousand government soldiers were annihilated, and the remaining fifteen hundred knelt on the ground, chanting "Long Live!" to beg for their lives. Yan Rongxuan, the Prefect of Fengyang, seeing the situation turn dire, changed into a prisoner’s uniform and hid in the jail.
When the rebel army came to release the prisoners, they discovered Yan Rongxuan and beat him to death.
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang raised a banner inscribed with “Ancient Yuan True Dragon Emperor,” then set fire to the Imperial Mausoleum’s sacrificial hall and Longxing Temple, even going so far as to dig up the Zhu family’s ancestral tombs...
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