Fu Shanhe

Chapter 333: Inciting Rebellion
Since the failure of the Northern Expedition, Xuzhou has become the main battlefield between the rebel army and the government army.

In order to seize this strategic location, the two sides fought every now and then, and generally both sides won and lost.

Liaodong Army Camp.

"Fifth brother, the imperial court has issued another decree urging us to send troops. It's no use dragging it out like this!"

Shi Jingzhong said with an embarrassed look on his face.

Taking advantage of the factional struggles in the court, the Shi family united with the Liaodong generals to eliminate dissidents and quickly expanded their power in Liaodong.

In the eyes of outsiders, they are an unruly and lawless vassal state, but they themselves know that the position of Liaodong Town is not stable.

Compared with the real vassal states, the biggest problem of Liaodong Town was that there was no stable rear base to provide them with money and food.

Our logistical supplies are heavily dependent on support from the imperial court.

If one wants to manage Liaodong, the Northern Tartars are an unavoidable problem.

The Northern Tartars created the glory of Liaodong Town, but also restricted its further development.

In the past, they kept the enemy at bay and ended up shooting themselves in the foot.

Behind the beautiful scenery lies a bottomless abyss.

Life is not easy being caught between the imperial court and the northern barbarians.

For logistical supplies, they had to compromise with the court on many issues.

The wolfish ambitions displayed by the northern barbarians were a thorn in the side of the people in Liaodong.

Forced by practical needs, they bargained with the court on the one hand, and at the same time moved closer to the court to show their loyalty.

"The imperial court has already issued the money for the expedition, so it will not work if we continue to delay.

A letter also came from my eldest brother. The Northern Tartars had just defeated the various Guifang tribes and were now preparing to attack Goguryeo.

Once these problems are dealt with, the Northern Tartars will move south again, and the scale will only be larger than last time.

The imperial court strengthened the defense of the Xuanda area, and several major border towns that had suffered heavy losses were rapidly recovering their strength.

No one knows where the Northern Tartars will launch their next invasion.

Without the support of the court, it would be very difficult for us to maintain our current territory.

Affected by the war, food prices in Liaodong region became increasingly high. If this continued, the soldiers and civilians on the front lines would not be able to survive.

The clan's intention is for us to help the imperial court and wipe out the rebels as soon as possible."

Shi Jinglin said calmly.

It’s not that they are loyal to the Dayu court, but that they need Dayu now.

Half of the military rations for the Liaodong front came from the northern provinces, and half came from Huguang.

After the rebels grew stronger, the food supply from Huguang ran out, and they had to rely on supplies from the north.

Half of the gap is not so easy to fill.

The untimely supply of military rations and the decline in food quality have become the norm.

No matter how much trouble they made, it was of no use. The court tried its best to raise the military rations.

Although a lot of money can be made from smuggling trade, even if you have money now you can’t afford the sky-high priced grain.

The decision to send troops south to quell the rebellion was also due, to a certain extent, to the insufficient supply of rations on the front lines, which could not support so many soldiers.

In a sense, they were not fighting for the court, but for their own jobs.

"Fifth brother, do you mean to send troops according to the imperial decree to recover the area north of the Yangtze River?"

Shi Jingzhong asked uncertainly.

It is easy to defeat the rebels, but difficult to wipe them out.

Although cavalry is powerful in field battles, it does not mean that they will be invincible when attacking a city.

If they really fight the rebels to the death, they will have to pay a heavy price.

"Of course not!"

“You have experienced the strength of the rebels. They are much stronger than we expected.

Just recapture a few prefectures and give an explanation to the court.

It’s better to leave the desperate tasks to those nobles.

They have received the emperor's grace for generations, and now it's time for them to repay the court. We, the insignificant ones, don't need to join in the fun!"

Shi Jinglin said sarcastically.

Influenced by the art of balance, the nobles and the frontier troops, both belonging to the military camp, had long been divided into two interest groups.

It is obvious that they are the ones who guard the nine borders and protect the safety of the imperial court.

As a result, his status and treatment were not as good as those of the pampered nobles, so he naturally felt unbalanced.

The emperor supports military generals and also supports nobles.

When you pay attention to the nine frontiers, it is time to use military forces.

They also tried hard to get the nobles to break the unspoken rules and become governors, but ended up in failure.

The emperor regarded them as vassal states, and the officials also regarded them as unstable elements.

If Liaodong Town was not weak enough and needed support from Dayu, they would have quit long ago.

Now that it’s time to fight hard, we naturally can’t expect them to work hard.

"Fifth brother, this might not be a good idea!

In fact, fighting to the Yangtze River is also a good choice.

Huaiyang has been a wealthy place since ancient times. Even if we cannot take over so many salt fields, it should not be difficult for us to get some salt from them.

As long as the counterinsurgency war is not over, we can temporarily take charge of these places according to war needs.

It's easy to make millions of taels of profit a year.

Even the food that is most in short supply in my hometown can be raised locally.

If the world changes..."

Shi Jingzhong's words were so bewitching that they directly aroused everyone's greed.

Working for Dayu, everyone just needs to deal with it.

But working for yourself is completely different.

The huge profits of the salt industry are known to everyone.

There will be no problem in making a few million taels.

"Done!"

After taking a look at everyone, Shi Jinglin made a prompt decision.

The benefits are exciting.

Everyone wanted to make this fortune, and he couldn't stop them.

……

Under the raging fire, the magnificent Zhou Mansion was reduced to a pile of ruins.

"Take the food and retreat!"

Bai Er ordered coldly.

After failing to borrow grain, they were forced to switch to a strong attack.

After paying a heavy price and entering Zhou Mansion, the team lost control.

He originally just intended to rob a group of people, but his men lacked discipline, became bloodthirsty, and massacred the entire Zhou family.

The tragedy has already happened and there is no turning back.

Someone from the Zhou family is an official outside, and the imperial court will definitely investigate thoroughly. It is only a matter of time before the government troops encircle and suppress the family.

Having suddenly stepped into a point of no return, Bai Er's heart was filled with anxiety.

Having served in the border army before, I know how far this makeshift team is from being an elite force.

If the imperial court sends a large number of troops to encircle and suppress them, these people will not be able to resist at all.

What’s worse is that the Zhou family’s grain reserves were not as much as expected, only less than 500 shi.

For an individual, 500 koku is a huge number, enough for a person to eat for half of his life.

But for his team of a thousand people, they can only survive for a month if they save on food.

The actual situation will only be more serious. These young and strong men come out to rob mainly to save their families.

When you have a harvest, you cannot just take care of yourself, you also have to send a portion back home.

"Boss, my family is still waiting for help, please give us some food first!"

On the way back to the mountain, a middle-aged man said pleadingly.

Before today, many people were honest farmers.

If the family was not short of food, few people would dare to do this kind of business.

Dozens of people were killed or injured in exchange for a few hundred stones of grain, but no one felt it was a loss.

In troubled times, the least valuable thing is human life.

The disaster in Baishui County was severe, and the government failed to provide timely relief, and many families were on the verge of collapse.

In this context, Bai Er can get everyone to respond.

"Okay, brothers who participate in this operation will each receive three dou of rice.

It’s not that I, as the boss, am unfair, it’s just that this is all we got this time.

After the distribution, only some food rations were left.

I need to think carefully about where my future life will be!" Bai Er said solemnly.

Deep down, he knew very well that he had embarked on a path of no return.

I originally thought that I could just make a quick buck and then stop in time, but the reality is cruel.

If robbing the Zhou family is not enough, then we can only rob other wealthy families.

But the landlords and gentry are not fools. Knowing that the Zhou family has suffered a disaster, they will definitely be prepared.

The next time we go out to rob, it won’t be so easy.

The difficulty of attacking is simply a matter of how many lives will be lost. The most difficult thing is that the landlords do not have much grain in stock.

No one knew that the disaster would continue, and the landlords consumed a lot of grain when they annexed land in the early stages.

“The benevolence of the great master!
At a time like this, who else but you would be willing to release grain?

Don't worry, boss. We will fight wherever you point.

There are so many wealthy families in the world. If robbing the Zhou family is not enough, then go and rob the second Zhou family. We won’t let everyone starve!"

The clever Bai Liu immediately set the pace.

It was he who came up with the idea of ​​borrowing grain from the "Zhou Family". Now that the situation is out of control, we have no choice but to go ahead with it.

Next, they will face encirclement and suppression by government troops, so it becomes very important to win over the hearts of the people in the team.

The effect was very obvious. Once someone gave the lead, the crowd also followed suit and shouted.

There is no other choice now. If I don’t want my whole family to starve to death, I can only continue to do this.

Morality is completely insignificant in the face of hunger.

……

Village, celebration banquet.

Bai Er held the roast chicken in one hand and the rice wine in the other and started eating without any manner.

The younger brothers below were also eating, but they were holding steamed corn bread in their hands.

What was in the bowl was not rice wine, but hot broth, in which diced meat could be vaguely seen.

Eating meat with big mouthfuls and drinking wine with big bowls, that's just a dream.

In years of disaster, people could not even get enough to eat and had no spare energy to raise livestock.

A wealthy family like the Zhou family naturally has livestock, but they are means of production.

We were all new bandits, and our mindsets had not yet changed, so we were reluctant to attack the mules and cows that plowed the fields.

"Boss, Elder Sun from the Sanyang Society is here to visit."

Upon hearing the news, Bai Er's expression changed slightly.

The Sanyang Society was a alias created by the White Lotus Sect to avoid being hunted down by the government. It had many followers in Baishui County.

However, in the past, he was not interested in these deceptive cults and had never dealt with them.

We had just defeated the Zhou family when people showed up at our door. It was obvious that someone in the team had leaked the news.

If the members of the White Lotus Sect received the news, then the government should have received the news as well, which means that his good days are numbered.

"You are a guest, please!"

Bai Er said in a pretentious manner.

In the past, it was possible to avoid collusion with the Sanyang Society, but now it is no longer possible.

The government troops are about to encircle and suppress us, so more friends mean more paths.

They are specialized rebels and have rich experience in fighting against the imperial court's encirclement and suppression. Maybe they can help.

"Master Bai, I've heard a lot about you!"

After being led in, Elder Sun clasped his fists towards Bai Er and said.

“You’re too polite, Elder Sun.

Mr. Bai has been a friend of your association for a long time, but has never had the opportunity to visit you.

The presence of Elder Sun today really makes our village proud..."

One only regrets not having learned enough when he needs it. Halfway through writing, Bai Er embarrassingly discovered that he had forgotten the words.

Fortunately, the village was full of rough guys who were busy showing off their fans and couldn't understand what he was saying at all.

"Master Bai is so kind!"

“Sun came here this time mainly to convey the chairman’s intention, hoping that our two families can join forces to take over Baishui County.

After the matter is completed, the county's property can be divided in half."

Originally I just wanted to pass on a letter, but I realized that the other party had a limited level of education and was most likely illiterate.

Worried that the other party would not understand the contents of the letter, Elder Sun chose to get straight to the point.

Anyway, since the massacre of the entire Zhou family, these people in the village have embarked on a path of no return, so there is no need to worry about anyone reporting them.

“Elder Sun, your association is very generous.

But why did you choose to cooperate with us? With your association's strength in the county, it shouldn't be difficult to seize Baishui County?"

Bai Er asked doubtfully.

Excessive development and utilization have led to a sharp decline in the fertility of the land in Guanzhong, and it has long lost the prosperity it had during the Han and Tang dynasties.

The northern Shaanxi region is even more remote and poor, with a very backward economy.

The local area is poor, and the government is also poor.

In a county town like Baishui, even the third shift of yamen runners had to be conscripted for labor service, and the county's institutions were often understaffed.

Especially in recent years, taxes at the lower levels cannot be collected at all, and there is a serious imbalance between revenue and expenditure.

The only soldiers left defending the city were some old and weak ones, and their combat effectiveness was negligible.

"Master Bai, you are joking. If it were just the people in the county government, it would be easy to capture the city. The trouble comes from the county militia.

Those gentry have close relations with the imperial court and will not sit idly by and watch us seize the county town. They will certainly send troops to destroy it.

But their fighting power is not strong either. As long as our two families join forces, it won’t be a problem to defeat them!"

Elder Sun replied calmly.

In fact, these are just excuses, and the real purpose is mainly to drag others into the water.

Just because the White Lotus Sect in Guangxi was able to fight all the way to the Central Plains doesn’t mean they were powerful.

Once the banner of rebellion is raised, the government troops will inevitably encircle and suppress them.

When they usually preach, they would at most have a fight with hooligans, and they would have to plan carefully to kill someone.

No one was sure what to expect when fighting the government troops with real guns and swords.

The representatives sent by the rebels can help train the army, but that takes time.

Although the fighting ability of mountain bandits is average, they have killed people after all.

Bringing these people into the rebel army can also increase the chances of victory.

"Elder Sun is so frank, aren't you afraid that we will report him to the court?"

Bai Er then asked.

Reason told him that there was no such thing as pie in the sky in this world.

If you want to share the spoils, it still depends on your strength.

All the promises made in advance are empty promises and remain empty until you get them.

He only has some fame in the village, and being able to build the current team is his limit.

The Sanyang Society is spread all over northern Shaanxi, and the number of believers that can be mobilized will be dozens of times his.

Not to mention sharing the spoils, if the uprising succeeds, his troops might be directly annexed.

“Master Bai, you won’t report it.

The Jinshi from Zhou's family who was serving as an official outside held a much higher position than the Baishui County Magistrate.

The county magistrate cannot and dares not pardon your crimes.

What's more, the probability of success of this uprising is very high.

In addition to us, we also have the support of King Dong, so we are not fighting alone.

Mr. Bai, you may not know that our King of the East is dominating Shu and is about to march north to Guanzhong.

Our uprising was actually to support his Northern Expedition.

In addition to the Eastern King, the Holy Religion also had the Western King who occupied Huguang, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, and the Southern King who spanned both sides of the Yangtze River.

Half of the world is in the hands of the Holy Church!"

Elder Sun immediately started bragging.

If the Holy White Lotus Kingdom had not split and the three kings had united with all their strength, they might indeed have had such momentum.

Unfortunately, the three families fought each other and missed the best opportunity to seize the world. Now the situation has changed.

However, the changes in the outside world are not something the bandits in Baishui County can understand.

Even most of the people present didn't know where the places he was talking about were.

"You occupy half of the country, how come there is no news at all?"

Bai Er asked in disbelief.

In his impression, Dayu is still powerful and cannot be easily shaken by a few uprisings.

If the imperial court was really made of paper, he would not have been hiding in the mountains as a bandit. He would have rushed down the mountain to join the entrepreneurial army long ago.

(End of this chapter)