Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 332 Zhang Shicheng Rises to Revolt

Zhang Jiusi was certain that Lu Zhen had started a rebellion and had long since joined the Shengwu Army as an officer. He was immediately annoyed that Lu Zhen had done such a big thing without telling him!
Lu Zhen and Zhang Jiusi were both salt smugglers from Huaidong and were very familiar with each other, otherwise the eighteen carrying poles that Zhang Shicheng used to start his rebellion in history would not have been used to find him. However, although they were familiar with each other, they could not be said to be in the same boat, at least not to that extent.

Lu Zhen's hometown is Taixing County, which belongs to Yangzhou Road. Because it is close to the Yangtze River, he usually smuggles salt to Luzhou and Jiangxi, which is why he had hooked up with the Shengwu Army very early on.

Zhang Shicheng's hometown was Baijumachang, which was administratively under the jurisdiction of Gaoyou Prefecture. However, Baijumachang was one of the 36 salt fields along the coast of Huaidong, and the salt affairs were under the jurisdiction of Taizhou. However, Baijumachang was actually geographically closer to Yancheng.

It was this chaotic management method that led to Zhang Shicheng's usual smuggling of salt mainly towards the Central Plains and Shandong, and mainly wholesaled it to merchants traveling on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Therefore, although he knew Lu Zhen and had a good relationship with him, rebellion was a life-threatening matter. Under Lu Zhen's deliberate concealment, he did not announce it to the outside world at all. Before the uprising, he was called by Lu Jin for internship. He only returned to Taixing in recent days. This led to Zhang Jiusi having no idea about it in advance.

At this moment, seeing his eldest brother suddenly stand up in shock, Zhang Jiuwu, the second son of the Zhang family, who later became Zhang Shiyi, asked, "Brother, what should we do now?"

"What else can I do?"

Zhang Jiusi was stunned for a moment, then sat back down, picked up the walnuts on the table and crushed them, eating them while saying, "No matter who attacks, no matter whether the Huaidong people are surnamed Yuan or Lu, doesn't he have to rely on us to boil and transport salt? Anyway, we have to eat a bite of salt."

Zhang Shicheng did have the confidence to say such things. He had made a lot of money from selling salt illegally over the years. Although he was still not as rich as the tycoons of the Lianghuai Salt Gang in the Qing Dynasty who built mansions and raised skinny horses, he had built more than a dozen tiled houses, married a wife, and had three sons and one daughter. Several of his brothers also built houses and started families early on. Such conditions were considered wealthy among the generally poor coastal salt workers.

As for why he was not as rich as the Lianghuai Salt Gang of the Qing Dynasty despite being a salt smuggler, it was because Zhang Shicheng was a generous and magnanimous person who did not take money seriously at all. Whenever there were poor people nearby who needed help, Zhang Shicheng would give them the help directly. Therefore, although he did not save much money, he was very popular among the nearby salt fields.

Go to several nearby salt fields to ask around and find out who the boss is. To be frank, with just one word from Zhang Shicheng, those salt field workers who have received his favor will bring their own food and help him carry knives and chop people!

With his huge influence, no matter who comes in the future, they will have to give face to Old Zhang.

At this time, the third brother Zhang Jiuliu, who later became Zhang Shide, still spoke unwillingly.

"Brother, Lu Zhen has rebelled and even become a high-ranking official. Are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Zhang Shicheng immediately said, "So what? He can be a rebel officer. What does it have to do with us? Don't think I don't know what you are thinking. Is it so easy to be a general? With your little ability, you still want to learn how to lead troops in battle? Be careful, you will die without knowing how you died."

Several brothers were disheartened upon hearing this.

While the brothers were talking, in the inner room, Zhang Shicheng's three sons and one daughter gathered around his wife Liu, who was also peeling walnuts with the children. The second son, Zhang Xi, suddenly asked, "Mom, what is rebellion? Isn't it said that only those who study hard can become officials? Why can you become an official by rebelling?"

The third child, Zhang Zhao, who was only six years old, also asked curiously, "Mom, why doesn't Dad rebel and become an official? Wouldn't he not be bullied if he became an official?"

Liu glared at the children and warned them, "Don't talk nonsense. Don't tell others what you heard today when you go out. Otherwise, you will bring disaster to our family. If you talk nonsense again, I will send you back to do your homework."

"Oh." When the children heard that they had to do homework, they stopped talking immediately.

As for Zhang Shicheng, who was in the outer hall, it was not surprising that he was unwilling to rebel.

Zhang Shicheng is now 31 years old. He has a wife, children, a house and money. Although he cannot be called a wealthy man, he has never lacked food and clothing. Except for the daily extortion and humiliation he suffered from some Yuan court officials, he was engaged in the illegal private salt business. This business is life-threatening, and no matter which dynasty it was, he would be extorted by corrupt officials. Therefore, he would not rebel because of it.

Moreover, in the original history, Zhang Shicheng had never thought of rebelling. He was forced into a corner by corrupt officials, and in a fit of rage he wiped out entire families and burned down many houses. When things got out of hand, Zhang Shicheng was afraid of being caught by the government and having his life taken, so he started a rebellion.

Even after the rebellion, when the Yuan court revealed that they would not pursue his crimes and expressed their willingness to recruit him, Zhang Shicheng immediately accepted the offer. This shows that he had no intention of rebelling and everything was just to avoid legal sanctions after killing his entire family.

So it’s none of his business whether the Shengwu Army fights or not, he can just continue to live his life anyway.

However, even if Zhang Shicheng had ten thousand reasons not to rebel, he could not stop the critical blow from reality!
Just when the Zhang brothers were still unwilling to give in and were thinking about how to persuade their eldest brother to join the rebellion, two young men who followed Zhang Shicheng to sell salt, the brothers Pan Yuanming and Pan Yuanshao, who were also his future sons-in-law and one of the 18 people who joined him in the rebellion, suddenly rushed in from outside the door, shouting as they entered.

"Uncle, something terrible has happened. That bastard Qiu Yi is giving away money to recruit soldiers and wants to go to Xinghua to join the Luzhou Volunteer Army!"

"What?" Zhang Shicheng jumped up from the bench again and asked hurriedly, "How many soldiers has he recruited now?"

Pan Yuanshao immediately said, "It seems that there are only about 200 people now."

Zhang Shicheng, who had just said that he would never rebel, said without hesitation, "Come here, call for help immediately, grab weapons, I will fight that Qiu guy today, it's impossible not to rebel!"

"it is good!"

"Brother, you should have done this earlier. I'll go call people right away!" said the second brother Zhang Jiuwu immediately.

The third brother, Zhang Jiuliu, also stood up and walked into the house without saying a word. He took out a few javelins from under the bed.

The so-called javelin is actually a short spear less than a person's height. Although it is not enough to kill enemies in battle, it is enough for self-defense or killing people in fights. This thing can be used as a lance to stab, or as a javelin to throw. It can be used against unarmored targets such as ordinary thieves, and they will die if stabbed.

The Pan brothers heard this and walked around the yard twice, found two shoulder poles, and were about to follow Zhang Shicheng out. However, Zhang Shicheng suddenly said, "Yuanming, you stay at home and protect your sister-in-law and your aunt. If anyone comes tonight, you take them to your house to hide."

Pan Yuanming was stunned, and nodded quickly, "Okay."

At this moment, Liu also stuck her head out, but Zhang Shicheng just glanced at her, and without saying a word, he took his brothers out.

As for why Zhang Shicheng became emotional when he heard Qiu Yi's name, it was related to the grudges that had accumulated between the two.

Zhang Shicheng was originally from a poor family of "Tinghu". The so-called "Tinghu" were residents near the post station. They were required to provide labor to run the post station and work for the court at their own expense. Therefore, from the age of ten, he followed the villagers of Baijuchang to transport salt by boat to make a living and supplement the family income. However, he could not make much money even if he worked himself to death, so he later began to smuggle his own private goods, that is, private salt, on the official salt transport ships.

But smuggling salt is an illegal business after all. Zhang Shicheng was relatively young at the time and had no channels for smuggling, so he sold the smuggled salt to wealthy families not too far away. These wealthy families not only did not pay him for his smuggled salt, but also beat and scolded him, and threatened to report him to the government if he dared to ask them for money. This was a typical case of black eating black.

Because Zhang Shicheng came from a humble background and was engaged in illegal business, he did not dare to fight back when he was beaten, and could only swallow his anger when he suffered losses. It was not until he grew up and was almost twenty years old that he found other channels for selling salt, and his life and income improved.

But there is a salt policeman in the Baijuma Salt Field, and that is Qiu Yi. As a salt policeman, Qiu Yi needs to organize the salt households in Baijuma Salt Field to work in making and transporting salt, and he is also responsible for cracking down on private salt dealers.

But this man knew very well that some people were smuggling salt in Baijumachang. Not only did he not stop them, but he also used his power to threaten Zhang Shicheng and other smugglers. It would have been fine if he had just deducted the labor income of the salt farmers, but he also threatened Zhang Shicheng and others to pay tribute to him, otherwise he would report them.

Although Zhang Shicheng was a salt smuggler, how could the underworld compete with the violent institutions of the government? In order to maintain his life and not fall out with the government, he could only swallow his anger and pay tribute to Qiu Yi obediently, and endure the extortion of corrupt officials like Qiu Yi. On the other hand, Qiu Yi was not satisfied and would beat and scold the salt farmers in Baijuchang at will to maintain his authority.

The people of Baijumachang had long been fed up with this guy. If it weren't for the fact that he was an official, he would have been killed by them long ago.

If it had continued like this, as long as Qiu Yi could still condone their smuggling of salt, the salt farmers would have been able to tolerate it as they were also earning illegal income. However, the Shengwu Army suddenly dispatched troops to Huaidong and successively captured the entire Yangzhou Road and most of Gaoyou Prefecture, immediately disrupting the balance in the Huaidong area.

Seeing that the Shengwu Army's offensive was unstoppable and the Yuan government was unable to stop it, the people in the remaining counties and prefectures that had not yet been conquered also began to have their own ideas. Some, like Du Hei'er and Gao Si, directly rebelled and came to surrender. Also, some minor officials in the Yuan court were secretly planning how to surrender after the Shengwu Army arrived.

Qiu Yi, the salt policeman of Baijuchang, was even bolder. He actually wanted to take advantage of this chaotic time to make a social leap. What was a small official in the salt field? He wanted to directly recruit soldiers to join the rebel army! Maybe he could become a higher-ranking officer, and then he would have everything he wanted in the future!
This is also the reason why Zhang Shicheng suddenly became emotional when he heard that this guy wanted to recruit soldiers to join the rebel army.

Damn it, you bullied us before the rebels came, and after the rebels came, you still wanted to continue to bully us, so didn’t the rebels come in vain? !

Thinking of this, Zhang Shicheng immediately gathered his men and wanted to kill Qiu Yi before he joined the Shengwu Army! His plan must not succeed, otherwise, will the villagers of Baijuchang still have a way to survive in the future?
Zhang Shicheng hurried all the way to the salt field. Many salt farmers had heard the call and brought all kinds of weapons from their homes to come and help. In a short while, thousands of people gathered. Zhang Shicheng's prestige in this area was much more efficient than Qiu Yi's recruiting soldiers with money.

Seeing that most people had arrived, Zhang Shicheng stood on a millstone and spoke loudly.

"The situation in the Yuan Dynasty is about to change. The rebel army in Luzhou has already reached Xinghua, and the government troops can't stop them at all. Originally, this matter has nothing to do with us, but that bastard Qiu Yi actually wants to recruit soldiers to join the rebel army.

"This guy is like a bug that sucks our blood and marrow. His family's wealth is all hard-earned money. If he joins the rebel army and becomes a higher official, will there be a way for you and me to survive in the future?
"Anyway, the government is in trouble now, and can't care about us. Today, I will lead you to take revenge for your grudges and complain to your family. Kill Qiu Yi and his entire family, and take back our hard-earned money. I will divide the property of Qiu Yi's family among you. As long as you have worked with me today, everyone present will have a share!"

The salt farmers below were immediately outraged upon hearing this, and they all raised up all kinds of weapons in their hands and started shouting.

"Kill that guy for revenge!"

"Revenge when revenge is needed, complain when grievance is needed!"

"Destroy that bastard's entire family and confiscate all his property!"

"Brother Zhang, we are here to fight you, just give the orders!"

"Come on, everyone follow me!"

Zhang Shicheng waved his hand and jumped off the millstone. With his future son-in-law Pan Yuanshao leading the way, Zhang Shicheng led thousands of Baijumai villagers and immediately rushed towards Qiu Yi.

That night, a fierce fight broke out in Baijumai. Qiu Yi had just recruited two hundred new soldiers, all of whom were ruffians and scoundrels. They were completely unprepared, and Zhang Shicheng led thousands of villagers to kill them.

These ruffians were used to taking advantage of the power of others and working as thugs for the rich and powerful to bully the honest poor people. They had never seen such a scene before. As soon as the two sides met, they were defeated by the angry villagers before they could even fight for a few rounds and were slaughtered on the spot.

At this time, more villagers from Baijumachang also rushed over after hearing the news and joined the battle of revenge. The number of people had exceeded three thousand.

Although Baijumachang is called a village, its actual size is comparable to that of a large town. After all, it is one of the 36 salt fields in Huaidong. If the number of people is too small, how can it cook and transport salt for the court?

When Zhang Shicheng saw so many people coming, he not only took them to wipe out Qiu Yi's entire family and confiscate all their property, but he also decided to go all out and killed more than a dozen wealthy families who had bullied him in the past. He wiped out all the powerful bullies and burned down their houses!

On the night of October 22, flames shot up into the sky in Baijumachang Village. Zhang Shicheng, who had just taken revenge, stood in front of the raging fire. His second brother Zhang Jiuwu immediately said.

"Brother, now that we have committed such a murder and exterminated an entire family, and we still have more than 3,000 soldiers, why don't we just join the rebel army? I heard that Lu Zhen only has more than 4,000 soldiers, but he was appointed as a commander. If we join the rebel army, maybe you can become a commander too."

Pan Yuanshao, who was only in his teens, also advised, "Uncle, if you don't want to be bullied, you have to be an official. Now the rebel army has won battle after battle, and the government army is vulnerable. I think the world is just like the chaotic world of changing dynasties described in the drama. Why don't we join the rebel army? Not only can we become a high-ranking official, but with your ability, you may also be able to get a title and become a noble in the future.

"Then we won't have to worry all day long and put our heads on the line to do the smuggling of salt. It's true that the petty officials in the Hu government bully us, but can your uncle guarantee that the government of the rebel army will still tolerate us continuing to smuggle salt?
"Why not take this opportunity to help everyone earn a living and find a way for everyone to make a living."

Zhang Shicheng thought about it again and again, and felt that what the two said made sense, so he nodded and said, "Have you thought about it? This war is not a joke, and you may lose your life if you are not careful!"

The third brother, Zhang Jiuliu, said immediately, "Brother, go for it. Smuggling salt is a capital crime, but we are doing it too. Why should we be afraid of fighting? I think the government troops are not much better than Qiu Yi's rogue soldiers."

Zhang Shicheng nodded again and said, "Okay, let's turn around and go to Caoyanchang in the south."

The fourth brother Zhang Jiuqi immediately asked in confusion, "Why go to Caoyanchang? Shouldn't we go directly to Xinghua to join the army?"

Zhang Shicheng was immediately filled with pride and said, "If I want to be an official, I'd better be a high-ranking official! What's the point of being a commander? Let's go to the salt fields and recruit 10,000 or 20,000 people. If I want to be an official, I'll have to be a commander-in-chief first!"

(End of this chapter)