Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 245 The Jiangnan Mutiny: Slaughtering All the Scholars and Officials!

Pingjiang Prefecture, Liangzhe region.

Pingjiang is what later became known as Suzhou.

Located in the Taihu Plain, this area is crisscrossed by waterways, has a mild climate, and fertile soil, making it a land of plenty since ancient times.

Since the establishment of the Song Dynasty, the Champa rice was promoted, and millions of acres of polder fields (land reclaimed from lakes) were created, making the area even more prosperous.

Now, the entire Pingjiang Prefecture has over 500,000 households and more than 4 million people. In terms of population alone, it is in no way inferior to major Western countries.

Theoretically speaking, it has extremely rich war potential.

The current prefect of Pingjiang is named Wu Qian, courtesy name Yifu. He is thirty-eight years old this year and was the top scholar in the Song Dynasty fifteen years ago.

If Zhao Shuo merely wanted to change dynasties, or even deny the merits of the Song state and send Wu Qian back to live off his ancestors, Wu Qian would not have risked death and the extermination of his clan to become Zhao Shuo's enemy.

What's there?

He has over 3,000 hectares of fertile land, hundreds of slaves, and countless tenants in his hometown. Wouldn't it be better for him to go home and honestly be a local tyrant?
This isn't some foreign invasion aimed at destroying China, so why risk your life?
However, Zhao Shuo's plan to implement the equal-field system and divide the Wu family's land hit Wu Qian's sore spot, and he became irreconcilably opposed to Zhao Shuo!

To put it more bluntly, Wu Qian would be irreconcilable with anyone who dared to touch the interests of officials and scholars!

In historical records, the then Prime Minister Zheng Qingzhi decided to implement a system of "paying taxes based on land area" in order to solve the problem of the devaluation of paper money.

In other words, all officials, soldiers, civilians, and commoners of the Song Dynasty who owned land had to pay taxes once, according to the ratio of one string of cash (jiaozi) per mu of land.

This was, of course, blatant robbery under the guise of law. However, the Song Dynasty was facing financial difficulties and could not guarantee the credibility of the paper money in order to issue more. What could they do?

At this time, Yuan Fu, a scribe in the Imperial Secretariat, submitted a memorial strongly arguing against it. He argued that the Song Dynasty already levied exorbitant taxes, causing immense suffering for ordinary people; how could they survive if such a tax were added on top of that?
“Avoiding the oppressed and lowly, the powerful stubbornly refuse to obey orders, yet are relentlessly pursued and pressured, leading to ruin and destitution. Those who suffer grief and despair are mostly from the middle and lower classes.”

Of course, the court's financial difficulties could not be ignored. Yuan Fu suggested that the "land-based tax collection" should only be conducted for government officials (officials and their relatives) and temples, and that others should be exempted.

Zheng Qingzhi agreed wholeheartedly and prepared to implement it.

Wu Qian was furious and wrote to the court, saying that this was "cutting out the heart to heal the eye wound, uprooting the roots to support the branches and leaves!"

To put it simply: Your Majesty shares the world with the scholar-officials, not with the common people!

He wouldn't even pay a single guan of cash for a mu of land, let alone accept Zhao Shuo's offer to directly divide his land among himself.

Since Zhao Shuo issued the "Decree to Annihilate the Song Dynasty," Wu Qian has been in a panic. He not only ordered 10,000 Song soldiers and 20,000 local troops in Pingjiang to prepare for battle, but also ordered all officials, landlords, and wealthy households in Pingjiang to contribute money, their children, and their tenants to prepare to defend the emperor.

When Emperor Zhao Yun issued his "Edict for the Serving of the Emperor," Wu Qian was overjoyed and immediately issued orders to come to the aid of the emperor.

Five thousand regular troops and five thousand local troops were left in the Pingjiang area.

The remaining 5,000 regular troops, 15,000 local troops, and 80,000 militiamen who had been formed in recent days left Pingjiang and went to Lin'an to defend the emperor.

With an army of 100,000, mainly composed of militia, it was impossible for them to move quickly.

Wu Qian led his army from Pingjiang City and set up camp 30 li away from the city that same day.

"Hmm, Pingjiang Prefecture alone mobilized 100,000 troops. The Song Dynasty has 230 prefectures and more than 80 million people. How many troops can they send to defend the emperor? Probably more than a million. No matter how capable Zhao Shuo is, what can he do against Lin'an City, which has a million troops to rely on?"

"After all, during the Jingkang Incident, if the imperial court hadn't taken the initiative to disband the loyalist army, the Jin army wouldn't have been able to do anything to Bianliang!"

"After this battle, I, Wu Qian, am not only a former top scholar, but I have also brought so many loyal troops to the capital. I am sure to rise to prominence and be promoted! Who knows, I might even become the prime minister! Haha!"

As night fell, Wu Qian enjoyed the foot-washing service of two beautiful maids who accompanied him in the army, all the while thinking to himself with delight.

However, what he never dreamed of was that in another military tent within the army...

Li Shiyong, Wu Yi, Huang Qiong, and Liu Qi, the four commanders of four thousand regular troops, are holding a secret meeting. (Another thousand regular troops are commanded by Wu Zhong, a relative of Wu Qian, but they are not on the same side as the four of them.)
"Brother Li, do you think we'll have a bright future if we go to Lin'an to defend the emperor this time?"

Of the four, Li Shiyong was the oldest and most literate, so the others implicitly respected him.

At this moment, three eager gazes turned to Li Shiyong.

"What kind of bright future is that?!"

Li Shiyong spat heavily and said, "That top scholar has gone mad after hearing that King Zhao Shuo wants to seize his land! Those officials and landlords in Pingjiang Prefecture have also gone mad in order to protect their land and privileges, which is why they're following his nonsense. When we get to Lin'an, we only have two ways to survive."

Which two?

"Firstly, that Scholar Wu possessed the courage of Meng Gong, and caught the eye of King Zhao Shuo, who then surrendered voluntarily. King Zhao Shuo was so pleased that he pardoned us all."

"How is that possible?"

The three shook their heads repeatedly, racking their brains but unable to figure out how Wu Qian knew anything about military affairs, let alone how he could be compared to Meng Gong, a famous general of the Song Dynasty.

Li Shiyong said, "Secondly, we were lucky. We neither died on the battlefield nor were we selected by King Zhao Shuo's execution order."

"This is too dangerous."

Huang Qiong said, "Brother Li, tell us the truth, is there really no chance that we will be rewarded by the imperial court if we win?"

"There's absolutely no chance. Xiangyang, with its impregnable defenses and the presence of our great Song general Meng Gong, fell to King Zhao Shuo in less than three months. How long can Lin'an hold out?"

"Wasn't it said that Meng Gong was afraid of death and surrendered on his own initiative? Uh..."

Huang Qiong realized something was wrong as soon as she finished speaking.

Why was Meng Gong so afraid of death? Wasn't it because he felt he couldn't hold Xiangyang? According to the Song Dynasty's "Edict for the Nation to Defend the Capital," the Song army's fighting strength was highly questionable.

If we follow Zhao Shuo's "Letter to the Soldiers and Civilians of Jiangnan," then things are even worse. If the imperial court could kill Meng Gong's mother, what would their attitude be towards these military men, far inferior to Meng Gong?

Li Shiyong said, "Furthermore, how many countries has King Zhao Shuo destroyed? How many kings has he killed? How many tens of thousands of miles of territory has he expanded? Our court, on the other hand, can't even defeat the Jin Dynasty. It was only with the support of King Zhao Shuo's Mongol troops that we were able to destroy the Jin Dynasty together with King Zhao Shuo. Isn't the difference obvious?"

Wu Yi nodded and said, "Also, everyone says that King Zhao Shuo is a descendant of Emperor Taizu, but how many people are truly willing to risk their lives for the court and King Zhao Shuo? It's hard to say!"

Liu Qi, a former river bandit, chuckled and said, "Now that things have come to this, let's stop hiding our true intentions and testing each other. Tell me, what should we do now? Once we reach Lin'an, with the army gathering there, we won't have a choice."

Li Shiyong said, "What else can we do? That Scholar Wu has given the order; if we dare not go, he'll chop off our heads. Unless..."

As he spoke, he lightly tapped the table and said, "Rebellion!"

"Rebellion? Although we have the strongest fighting force, we only have four thousand men! The other troops number over ninety thousand. In addition, Pingjiang City is not far from here, and it also has five thousand regular troops!" Huang Qiong said with some worry.

Li Shiyong shook his head and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Even we regular soldiers are unwilling to go to Lin'an to die, let alone those local militia. As soon as we start fighting, those local militia will definitely join us."

"What about those militia members?"

"Their officers, of course, wanted to preserve the Song Dynasty and their wealth and status. But the soldiers... probably wanted to wipe out the officers' entire families long ago!"

"And what about the soldiers in Pingjiang city?"

"In the darkness, it's difficult to distinguish friend from foe, and they won't leave the city. If we act quickly, we'll have tens of thousands of troops by dawn. I know Old Song and his men very well; I doubt they're particularly loyal to the court. Are they willing to fight us to the death, or will they join us in sweeping Pingjiang and making a fortune?"

Wu Yi was still somewhat worried, saying, "Even if everything goes smoothly, we are too close to Lin'an. What if the imperial army arrives before King Zhao Shuo's troops do?"

"Let's go then."

Without waiting for Li Shiyong's reply, Liu Qi confidently stated, "While the imperial army hasn't arrived yet, we'll gather enough boats and hide in Taihu Lake. What can the imperial army do then? Can they really hold out here with us for long? Will they lose Lin'an?"

Li Shiyong looked at Wu Yi, Huang Qiong, and Liu Qi with a stern gaze and said, "So, shall we do it or not? If this succeeds, not only will we avoid going to Lin'an to die, but we can also make a fortune. When King Zhao Shuo arrives, if we're lucky, we can be promoted and ennobled."

"Even if we're unlucky and King Zhao Shuo doesn't grant us official positions, he won't punish us. We can still live as wealthy men with the gold and silver we've stolen."

"Let's do it!" "Let's do it! Even if we fail, we can hide in Taihu Lake, and the imperial court won't care about us!"

"Let's do it! The imperial court has never treated us warriors like human beings before, but now that we're in danger, they remember us. It's too late!" Liu Qi shouted the loudest.

“Then let’s do it this way.” Li Shiyong filled the bowl with wine, cut his palm with a dagger, and let the blood drip into the bowl. He said, “Let’s swear a blood oath and make our move at midnight tonight!”

"it is good!"

Immediately, the four swore an oath of brotherhood and agreed on all the details of the uprising.

It was night, around midnight.

"Charge! Kill! Kill Wu Qian!"

"King Zhao Shuo's army has arrived! Surrender now!"

"The soldiers in Suzhou have rebelled and surrendered to King Zhao Shuo!"

"Kill Wu Qian only, the rest are no match. Get out of the way! Get out of the way now!"

……

Li Shiyong and Huang Qiong led two thousand regular troops to attack Wu Qian's central army.

This is the key point; they committed half of their troops to this task.

"The Suzhou soldiers have rebelled! Fellow soldiers, let's abandon darkness and embrace the light!"

"A white cloth tied around your left arm means you're one of us!"

"The paltry sums the imperial court gives us are not worth risking your lives for it!"

"Everyone has rebelled against the Southern Zhao Emperor and surrendered to the Northern Zhao Emperor! The Northern Zhao Emperor will now distribute land to you!"

"Charge into Pingjiang City and plunder it! Those who want to get rich, wrap a white cloth around your left arm!"

……

Wu Yi led a thousand regular troops and charged into the camp of the local militia.

They shouted loudly and set fires, prompting the local troops to defect.

"Brothers, kill your master, rebel!"

"The land belongs to others, but your life is your own. Why risk your life for others!"

"If you have a white cloth tied around your left arm, you're now a member of the Zhao family in the north. He'll allocate land to you and ensure you're no longer bullied!"

"You have weapons in your hands. Don't you know who bullies you all the time? Tonight, settle your scores if you have grievances, and take revenge if you have grudges!"

……

Liu Qi's task was the most arduous: leading a thousand regular soldiers, he charged into the militia's camp.

They also focused on winning hearts and minds, setting fires while shouting loudly to urge the tenants to rebel.

Tian Wu was an ordinary militiaman and a tenant farmer of the Zhang family.

He didn't know why he had joined the militia to protect the Song Dynasty, which had never protected him.

The Zhang family told him that Zhao Shuo was a ruthless and inhuman man who had killed countless people and was a beast who ate human flesh, feeding on the hearts and livers of dozens of children every day. If he were to kill his way to Pingjiang Prefecture, no one would escape unscathed.

This sounds like it's really time to fight Zhao Shuo.

However, he also heard that the Zhao family in the north, also a descendant of Emperor Taizu, had fallen into exile on the grasslands and were now building a very large enterprise. On the lands they occupied, everyone received land equally, taxes were not heavy, and people could even immigrate to the west to become superior beings.

Tian Wu didn't know which one was true.

But he knew clearly who his greatest enemy was—the second son of the Zhang family, who led twenty servants and his 176 tenant farmers to join the army.

Five years ago, on his wedding night, the second son of the Zhang family, accompanied by four servants, barged into his bridal chamber, wanting to have some fun.

Tian Wu was naturally unwilling, and his newlywed wife was even more unwilling.

But Zhang Er Gongzi said, "If I kill you, I'll take advantage of your wife. What can you do about it?"
Tian Wu was naturally helpless. According to the rules of the Song Dynasty, tenant farmers did not even have the right to sue landlords.

The second young master Zhang continued, "Actually, I don't need to force you. If I forbid you from renting my family's land in the future, whose land will you rent from? If I just spread the word, who will rent land to you?"
How will your whole family survive? Do you want to just watch your parents starve to death?
Tian Wu had no choice but to give in.

He watched helplessly as his wife gave her wedding night to the second young master Zhang.

After that, his wife forbade Tian Wu to touch her, not because she resented him, but because she was afraid of getting pregnant with Zhang's child.

Just as I feared, my wife's belly grew bigger every day.

Later, she gave birth to a boy.

The boy was strangled to death by his wife shortly after birth.

"I want to have your child!"

Now, his wife has given birth to a son and a daughter for Tian Wu.

However, his wife's words caused Tian Wu heartache every time he thought about them!
Being a tenant farmer in the Zhang family makes even having your own children so difficult!
"Tian Wu! What are you standing there for?"

When Tian Wu heard the shouts of battle, he vaguely took a knife and came to the outside of the tent, just as the squad leader's urgent shout rang out.

"Quickly! Back to the ranks! They outnumber us and are just bluffing. The Second Young Master has spoken. Two strings of cash for every head chopped off!"

"Second Young Master...two strings of cash..."

Tian Wu gripped a steel knife, while shouts echoed from afar.

"You have weapons in your hands. Don't you know who bullies you all the time?"

"Tonight, those who have been wronged will seek justice, and those who have wronged will seek revenge!"

……

Yes, do you think I don't know who bullied me?
It's not that Zhao official from the north!

It's not the kind of person who would make things difficult for Young Master Zhang late at night!
"kill!"

Suddenly, Tian Wu roared and swung his sword at the group that was attacking.

puff!.

This strike was deliberate yet unexpected, and with considerable force, causing the captain's head to fly straight into the air!

"Haha! That's great! That's great! You think you can get me to work for you for just two strings of cash? I don't think you're even worth two strings of cash!"

Tian Wu had never felt so happy since birth.

In the flickering firelight, he brandished his knife, pointing it towards the second young master of the Zhang family, and said, "Don't we know who bullied us? Brothers, follow me! Kill the second young master of the Zhang family first, then kill his whole family!"

(End of this chapter)