The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 663 People die for money
Zhang Cunmeng, who was known for his incorruptibility, killed the mine supervisors and tax collectors, and led hundreds of miners in an uprising. They followed the example of the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wearing yellow cloth strips on their foreheads and carrying various weapons, marching in a grand procession down the mountain.

Meanwhile, Zhang Cunmeng led several hundred young and strong miners to the foot of the mountain. They first destroyed the wooden house built by the mine supervisors next to the reservoir and found some weapons such as swords and muskets inside. Then, everyone drank their fill of lake water.

"Hahaha, that's great! I'll never have to put up with these government lackeys again!" Zhang Cunmeng scooped up some clear lake water to wash his face, then laughed loudly, his full beard giving him a wild and unrestrained air.

Li Zicheng, with his sword at his waist and a confident air, smiled and said, "The court is corrupt, the people are full of complaints, and there is a severe drought, making life unbearable. This is the time for us heroes to rise up. I believe the most urgent task is to take the county town with lightning speed, open the granaries, distribute food, and recruit soldiers. Starving people from all over the country will flock here, and an army of 100,000 will be within our grasp."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cunmeng was overjoyed and said, "Brother Li is right, that's exactly what I was thinking. Brothers, let's go to the county town and enjoy a good life."

So, hundreds of miners set off on the official road, heading straight for Mianchi County. Coincidentally, Wan An, the mining supervisor of Luoyang, had just finished inspecting a nearby mine and was leading his henchmen this way when they happened to encounter Zhang Cunmeng and his men on the official road.

Eunuch Wan had become accustomed to his arrogance in Luoyang Prefecture over the past few years, getting whatever he wanted and walking with an air of superiority. He was confident that no one in Luoyang would dare to touch him, so when he suddenly encountered Zhang Cunmeng and his gang, although he was somewhat surprised, he was not afraid at all. He remained calm and composed, sitting on a rattan palanquin and being carried by his men.

"Hey, are you blind? Didn't you see Eunuch Wan's banner? Get the hell out of the way! If you're blocking the Eunuch's path, we'll tear off your stinking skins!" Two guards spurred their horses forward and shouted fiercely.

Zhang Cunmeng was both surprised and delighted. He thought to himself, "What a small world!" and then grinned as he stepped forward.

The two guards naturally recognized the mine manager, Zhang Cunmeng. Seeing that all the miners were carrying their tools and looking hostile, they felt a chill run down their spines and sensed something was wrong. They shouted, "Boss Zhang, why aren't you mining on the mountain? What are you doing here?"

Zhang Cunmeng sneered, "Of course I'll take your dog lives!"

The two guards' expressions changed drastically. They turned their horses around and tried to flee, shouting, "Zhang Cun has rebelled...!"

boom……

With a gunshot, one of the guards was shot in the face and fell off his horse on the spot, his face covered in blood and flesh. The other guard did not escape either. Zhang Cunmeng rushed forward, grabbed the reins, and used the momentum to leap up and knock him off his horse with a flying shovel.

Li Zicheng lunged forward and with a single stroke chopped off half the head of the fallen enemy soldier, laughing as he said, "Brother Zhang, what skill!"

“Brother Li is no less impressive!” Zhang Cunmeng said as he mounted his horse.

Only then did Eunuch Wan realize the impending disaster. He scrambled off the palanquin and fled in panic under the protection of his henchmen. But Zhang Cunmeng was not about to let him go. He roared, "You eunuch, don't run! Prepare to die!"

"Help! Zhang Cunmeng has rebelled!" Eunuch Wan screamed, nearly wetting himself in fright.

Zhang Cunmeng and the others hated the dead eunuch to the extreme and relentlessly pursued him. Wan An's henchmen, who usually bullied ordinary people like ten men, were completely exposed when they encountered a tough opponent. In an instant, more than a dozen of them were killed or injured, and the rest scattered and fled for their lives.

Seeing that his life was about to be in danger, Eunuch Wan was so frightened that he ran as fast as he could, but this eunuch was used to a life of luxury and could not outrun a miner who had been doing hard labor in the mines for many years, so he was quickly caught up.

"You eunuch, take this!" A miner brought his pickaxe down on Wan An's head. Wan An staggered and dodged, avoiding a fatal blow to his head, but his arm was still severed by the pickaxe. He screamed in pain and almost fainted.

The miner was still not satisfied and was about to use his pickaxe to open a "skylight" in Wan's skull when suddenly the sound of horses' hooves came from the official road, and a group of soldiers suddenly rushed in.

This troop of soldiers was the Princess's Guard stationed at a nearby post station, and the one in charge of leading the troops was Han Xin, the deputy commander of a thousand households, and Duan Yong, the eunuch in charge of the imperial history, was also among them.

It turned out that the guards and postmen who had come to fetch water had fled back to the post station. When Duan Yong learned that miners had killed officials and rebelled, he was furious and immediately ordered Han Xin to lead two hundred guards to arrest the rebels.

As mentioned earlier, Duan Yong, this eunuch, is a bit special. Although he is physically disabled, he is not lacking in ambition. He is good at martial arts and longs to fight on the battlefield. Now that he suddenly has such an opportunity to lead troops in actual combat, how could he miss it?

However, Duan Yong miscalculated this time. He thought it was just a dozen or so miners causing trouble, but when he looked, a huge group of miners was rushing towards him, numbering no less than four or five hundred, and they were all carrying weapons and looked fierce.

Duan Yong panicked a little, but Zhang Cunmeng and the others on the other side were also a little scared when they suddenly saw so many government soldiers. They stopped the pursuit for a moment, which saved Wan An's life.

Wan, clutching his bleeding severed arm, sprinted toward the imperial guards, screaming, "Old Duan, save me!"

Li Zicheng recognized the princess's guards at this moment, and was both surprised and delighted. He hurriedly said, "Brother Zhang, there's no turning back now. If we don't act now, when will we?"

Zhang Cunmeng suddenly awoke with a start and shouted, "Brothers, kill them! Kill all these corrupt officials!" He then charged forward at the head of the charge.

Seeing their leader's incredible prowess, the miners were filled with patriotic fervor and charged forward. Li Zicheng, along with five of his capable men, also charged forward with unparalleled ferocity.

To be honest, although these miners had not received formal training, they were all agile and strong from blasting mountains and mining every day. In addition, they outnumbered the guards and managed to defeat them in a short time.

Li Zicheng clearly intended to capture the leader first, and while fighting, he moved closer to Han Xin, the leader of the imperial guards.

Han, the commander, was quite skilled. He fought and retreated while riding his horse, wounding several men in succession. At this moment, Li Zicheng finally seized the opportunity, rushed forward from the side, and slashed the horse's leg with his sword. The horse let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground.

boom...

Han Xin and his horse fell to the ground, one of his legs pinned under the horse's belly. He screamed in agony, and before he could get up, Li Zicheng cleaved him in two with a single blow, dying a truly ignominious death.

Those guards from the princess's residence were mostly pampered young masters, used only for the royal family to show off when they went out. Their combat strength was limited, and now that they saw their leader killed, they had no will to fight and their formation immediately fell into chaos.

Seeing that he was no match for the enemy, Duan Yong's heart pounded. He ordered his men to carry the half-dead Wan An onto a horse and fled in panic towards the post station.

"Lord Jia, something terrible has happened! A large number of miners have rebelled ahead. Duan Zhongshi led his men to suppress them but failed. Commander Han has already been killed in battle. The rebels will be here soon. We must escape!" A scout rushed back to the post station to report.

In an instant, the entire post station was thrown into chaos. The postmen disappeared in the blink of an eye, and some of the guards from the Duke's mansion obviously wanted to escape as well. Jia Huan immediately shouted sternly, "All of you, stand by where you are! Anyone who dares to flee will be killed without mercy!" Although Jia Huan was young, he had already experienced many battles. At this moment, his expression was stern, and his eyes were like knives. His sharp aura instantly intimidated the guards.

"Brother Tie Niu, you take fifty men to the back to protect Her Highness the Princess. Man Gui, you are in charge of leading men to form a defensive formation. Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be executed on the spot!" Jia Huan shouted menacingly.

"Understood!" Tie Niu and Man Gui were greatly encouraged and responded solemnly. Man Gui, in particular, had been depressed ever since he was dismissed from his post. Now that he could finally go into battle, he was overjoyed, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

Man Guigang commanded 300 guards to set up a fan-shaped defensive fortification on the open ground outside the post station. Duan Yong then led a remnant of his troops back in a sorry state, followed by hundreds of miners who followed closely behind.

Li Zicheng pointed to the post station and said excitedly, "Brother Zhang, look! That's the imperial court's delegation sent to Hami for a marriage alliance. The princess is called Princess Kangle, and she's carrying a huge dowry, with countless amounts of money and treasures, as well as a large quantity of weapons and food. If we can seize it, all the brothers will be rich! Moreover, it's said that Princess Kangle is actually the daughter of Lin Ruhai, the former salt commissioner of Yangzhou. Her real name is Daiyu, and she's as beautiful as a fairy. I've seen her with my own eyes."

Zhang Biao licked his lips greedily and laughed loudly, "Then I'll snatch her away and make her my elder brother's wife, hehe!"

Having already witnessed the fighting prowess of these guards, the miners were now brimming with confidence. With the beauty and treasure right before their eyes, they didn't need any encouragement and immediately rushed forward in a frenzy.

Jia Huan realized that there were only a few hundred miners, and he had completely calmed down, simply observing coldly from behind the vehicle formation.

"What the hell? A chaotic mess, just a bunch of rabble, and they got beaten to a pulp!" Man Gui shook his head and muttered under his breath.

Duan Yong was still in shock, and his face turned red upon hearing this. However, with life and death at stake, he still kindly reminded him, "Don't let your guard down. These mine thieves are very capable fighters and quite strong!"

Man Gui chuckled dismissively, and only when the miners rushed towards him did he shout, "Fire the arrows!"

The archers and musketeers in the guard immediately launched their attack. In an instant, arrows flew like locusts and gunshots rang out like popping beans. The menacing miners were shot down in droves, and the rest retreated in fear.

"Damn it, those corrupt officials were prepared!" Zhang Cunmeng was filled with rage as he watched his brothers lose more than a dozen men. Li Zicheng's face also darkened. He thought to himself, "That kid Jia Huan reacted quickly. He actually used the carriages to form a defensive fortification. This is going to be difficult."

Next, the miners launched two more attacks, but they couldn't budge the car formation at all, and more than ten people were killed or wounded, which made Zhang Cunmeng's heart bleed.

"Brother, why don't we use stone cannons to blow up these corrupt officials?" suggested the freckled young miner.

Zhang Cunmeng slapped his forehead and said, "Great idea! Blow him up! Quickly, get the stone cannon."

The freckled young man was one of the mine's blasters, a master of blasting rocks. Because his freckles looked like they were covered in rust, everyone called him Rust.

Soon, Ah Xiu and several brothers from the artillery squad brought a basket of stone cannons. These stone cannons were made by filling bamboo tubes with gunpowder, inserting a fuse, and detonating them. They were used for blasting rocks in the mine and their power was not to be underestimated.

boom……

As a homemade bomb, still spitting sparks, was thrown into the wagon formation's defensive line, a deafening explosion ripped through the air, sending several guards behind the wagons flying and screaming in agony.

"Hahaha, blow them up!" The miners cheered, and then one after another, earth mines with lit fuses were thrown into the defensive line, causing chaos and confusion. The guards behind the defensive line were terrified and their formation was thrown into disarray.

At this moment, Jia Huan couldn't help but frown deeply. He hadn't expected these mining thieves to have homemade bombs. This was troublesome.

Man Gui was so angry that he roared and his eyes turned red. He ordered the soldiers not to retreat and said to Jia Huan, "Third Master, this is too passive. Charge!"

Clearly, only close combat could turn the tide at this point. However, Man Gui underestimated the fighting strength of these young masters. These guards were not the Liaodong border troops, and they might not be able to defeat the fierce miners in close combat. Otherwise, Duan Yonggang would not have suffered such a crushing defeat.

In a flash, Jia Huan gave the opposite order, shouting, "Abandon the chariot formation and retreat into the post station!"

Man Gui was terrified. They were already in a very passive position. If they abandoned their defenses and hid in the cramped inn, wouldn't they die even faster? If the enemy threw in a landmine, there would be nowhere to hide, and it would kill a whole bunch of them.

"Retreat immediately!" Jia Huan shouted coldly.

Man Gui dared not hesitate any longer and immediately directed the guards to retreat into the building in an orderly manner.

When the miners saw the government troops retreating, they erupted in thunderous cheers. Li Zicheng, however, looked surprised. Jia Huan, that cunning fellow, how could he make such a foolish move? Retreating into the post station was surely courting his own destruction.

At this moment, the miners pounced on the cart like wolves, opened the chests, and saw chests full of gold, silver, cloth, and silk exposed before their eyes. These miners had never seen so much treasure before, and they instantly became excited, frantically grabbing at it, stuffing handfuls into their arms, and scattering flour, millet, and other grains all over the ground.

Upon seeing this, Li Zicheng's expression changed drastically. He finally understood Jia Huan's intention and hurriedly shouted, "Brothers, stop fighting! We've fallen into a trap!"

Nobody paid him any attention. With treasure right in front of them, it was a matter of first come, first served; not grabbing it would make you a fool. What was he thinking, telling everyone not to grab it? Did he want to keep it all for himself?
At this moment, not only the miners, but even the Zhang brothers, Cunmeng and Zhang Biao, joined the looting. Li Zicheng was shocked, furious, fearful, and somewhat regretful for getting involved. These fools were not worth his time!
Although Jia Huan had retreated into the official residence, he was still closely monitoring the situation outside. Seeing that the miners were indeed frantically looting as he had predicted, he sneered and said, "Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Man Gui, send them on their way!"

Man Gui sneered and led his guards out to fight. The miners, who were in the middle of a fierce battle, were caught off guard and fell into pools of blood before they could even enjoy their looted treasures.

Li Zicheng stamped his foot and sighed deeply, then said hatefully, "Let's go!"

If they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon, so Li Zicheng decisively led his men and quickly slipped away.

Zhang Cunmeng finally realized what was happening, but it was too late. His chaotic brothers were divided and surrounded, and were being harvested like vegetables being chopped up.

(End of this chapter)