Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 336 You are on the first floor, he is on the fifth floor

"Land deed!"

Someone shouted, and the "traitors" gathered together like wolves and tigers, just like a group of hungry wolves sharing their prey.

Bai Siwen suddenly thought that his father did not distribute them one by one, but put them in a box for the "evil people" to take. Wouldn't this stimulate the greed of the "evil people"?
This group of "evil people" are the most greedy and will definitely take away the land deeds that do not belong to them, causing others to pull each other and make a big fuss.

I guess my father wanted to incite a civil uprising so that he could justify sending his servants to drive away the evil people.

Bai Siwen was about to move closer to see the joke, but he heard a gunshot and a cloud of white smoke rose from the crowd.

what's the situation?
My father has arranged gunners in the group of "traitors". Are they going to start beating people so soon?
However, things did not develop as he wished. Hundreds of noisy "traitors" were like tamed dogs. In just a moment, they stood together. Several spirited red-turbaned bandits and more than ten tax collectors and yamen runners appeared.

Bai Siwen recognized those officials. They were all working for the Ye County government office. He didn't expect that they were still serving in the bandit army.

It seems that even the brave and warlike bandits need the help of clerks to govern the grassroots.

In this case, there is also the possibility of making use of gentry?
Hundreds of peasants were seen divided into three sparse lines. When the official called out a name, someone would come forward and check the amount of land and the names of the people one by one.

If the people in the queue had no objection, the official would return the land deeds and instruct the peasants to sign for them on the receiving list.

If someone falsely claimed the money and was discovered, he would be dragged out of the group by the yamen runners and beaten with ten boards.

After beating the men, the yamen runners often turned to look at the military officers, just wanting a nod and a smile of approval.

As if threatened by the Red Turban soldiers, the officials' work efficiency increased several times. Even when the old farmers respectfully handed over a few taels of "hard-earned money", the officials would wave their hands and drive the old farmers away as if they were burned by fire, "No, no..."

Bai Siwen thought to himself that the sun was rising from the west.

Even though he was the eldest son of the Bai family, he was not immune to being extorted by the clerks. But today, something strange happened. The clerks actually refused to accept the "gift money".

Just because there are a few more soldiers, the clerks changed their temper?
Could it be that these soldiers are the stabilizing force that can firmly resist greed and prevent others from being greedy?
Bai Siwen snorted coldly, thinking that even though the bandits pretended to be honest and upright, they were just doing it for show, and it wouldn't be long before they became as polluted as mud.

The officials quickly distributed all the land deeds, except for a few that still involved disputes, which had to be handled at the government office.

Looking at the departing figures of the officials, Bai Siwen finally returned home.

He approached his father Bai Jiawen and asked him if there was any deeper meaning behind his series of displays of weakness. However, the latter remained silent and just led him to the hall.

As soon as Bai Siwen entered the hall, he saw that it was full of people. Most of the Bai family's relatives and friends were there, and all of them were dressed in simple cloth.

Several old uncles who lived in Qingzhou Prefecture also came, but there were beads of sweat on their faces, and it seemed that they had just arrived.

Are so many "loyal ministers and righteous men" gathered together to discuss the plan to resist the rebels?

With a surge of excitement in his heart, Bai Siwen bowed to each of the elders one by one, and was then kept there by his father to listen to the elders' discussion.

"The situation in Qingzhou is not optimistic." An old man wiped the sweat from his face and picked up a cup of tea to moisten his throat.

The information this uncle brought was both good and bad.

The bad news is that Qingzhou City fell the day before yesterday, and most of the counties in Qingzhou were occupied by bandits, who had already seized half of Shandong Province.

Governor Denglai did not defend the city at all, but led his soldiers to flee again. This time he took Prince Heng and his entire family to Jinan.

The good news is that the strategy of clearing the countryside had worked before. Although the bandits captured most of Qingzhou Prefecture, what they got were almost all "burdens".

The bandits have been trapped in the three prefectures and it will be difficult for them to take any action until they have completely cleaned up the chaos and digested the territory.

The surprise that the government troops felt when Dengzhou fell gradually disappeared, and they had already established a firm foothold in various places.

A large number of government troops gathered in Jinan and Yanzhou, and many garrison troops were also mobilized.

It won't be long before a decisive battle begins.

"Do you think the Red Turban Bandits can gain a foothold in Qingzhou?" Bai Siwen knew without raising his eyes that his father Bai Jiawen had spoken.

"I personally believe that the enemy army is advancing like a broken bamboo. It will probably take tens of thousands of brave and elite soldiers, supported by tens of thousands of local braves, and a force of 100,000 to repel the enemy."

"Where did they get a hundred thousand troops? Although I'm not familiar with military affairs, I know that a hundred thousand troops would require an inexhaustible amount of money and food. The local granaries have long been empty, and they have to be transported by him."

"Where are the Black Flag Army? They are skilled in battle, one soldier can defeat ten bandits. Only five thousand elite soldiers are needed to suppress the Red Turban rebels!"

"I saw in the imperial court report that the Black Flag Battalion soldiers passed through Shandong and showed no intention of turning to suppress the bandits."

"I think it was His Majesty's order to transfer the Black Flag Battalion to the capital for protection." Bai Jiawen sighed.

"The enemy troops are coming with great force, and their main attack will surely be on Shandong. Yet, the Liaoxi generals are hesitant to act! Don't they know that if Shandong falls and the enemy troops take control of the capital, their Liao military pay and food will be cut off, and by then, whether they fight or not, they will be defeated?"

"If the Liaoxi generals understood this principle, how could they have not recovered an inch of territory after receiving countless Liao tributes for over ten years?"

"Are we just going to sit back and watch the rebels invade the capital and rule the country?" The middle-aged scholar with a white beard beat his chest and stamped his feet, with two lines of turbid tears dripping from the corners of his eyes.

"I think the Ming Dynasty is about to end."

Seeing someone slandering the Ming Dynasty, a middle-aged scholar raised his fist and shouted angrily, "The Ming Dynasty has nurtured scholars for three hundred years. How dare you slander us maliciously!"

"I'm not making any rash assertions; the situation is truly changing rapidly. The rebels are brave and fierce, just like during the An-Shi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Emperor was forced to abandon the two capitals and spent eight years repelling the rebels. Unless Your Majesty moves south and mobilizes the various loyal armies to march north to suppress the rebellion, I'm afraid that when the rebels enter the capital, unspeakable consequences will occur."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

Bai Siwen felt his chest tighten.

He clenched his thigh muscles so tightly that he almost squeezed them to bleed. Is the Ming Dynasty really going to perish at the hands of the rebels?
The middle-aged and elderly gentlemen present were worried about their family's future fate.

In the Ming Dynasty, they were the Juren and Jinshi masters respected by everyone. Even if they were just small scholars, they were real men who could walk with their heads held high.

But under the rule of the traitors, they had neither political privileges nor connections with the upper class, and they were like local rich people who were in danger of losing their jobs at any moment.

The rebels have not met with any gentry so far, nor have they given an explanation to the pillars of the country who have made great contributions. They do not seem to be planning to accomplish great things.

If it were any other overlord, he would have sent people to appease the gentry, recognized their achievements, acquiesced to their privileges of tax reduction and exemption from official duties, protected their private property, and even visited some prestigious gentry three times to invite them to serve as chief officials of prefectures and counties.

Only by showing a love for talent and respect for the gentry and scholars can a large number of knowledgeable people support him. Once the rebels capture the capital, he can win the unanimous support of the pillars of the old dynasty and spread the message to all regions to quickly consolidate his rule.

At that time, the gentry would even spontaneously donate money and effort to help the new dynasty hunt down the remnants of the old dynasty.

However, this group of Red Turban bandits did not do any of these things. Instead, they went against the grain and kept "persecuting loyal and good people" without even a hint of change in establishing a political power.

How can such a crude traitor last long?
Although the rebellion did not seem to last long, the Ming Dynasty was not much better.

Who can save the Ming Dynasty at this time?

At this time, the old uncle who was certain that the Ming Dynasty was doomed still made a shocking statement, "The world is undercurrent, we should make plans early."

"You!" Before the young scholar could even begin to speak, another old gentleman interrupted him, "Do you think the Ming Dynasty can still be revived?"

The old man smiled faintly and shook his head, nonchalantly pushing aside the dishes in front of him. He then picked up a few teacups and placed them in front of him. "Even if the imperial court is lucky enough to suppress the rebels, what will become of the beggars and the rebels? It's just suppressing one problem but creating another."

The uncle put all the rebels and bandits mentioned in the court newspaper on the table.

The remnants of the Jiannu outside the Great Wall, the bandits in the northwest, the beggars and wild wolves in the Central Plains, the immortal bandits in Huguang, the bandits in Jiujiang and the west, the rebels in Liaodong and the Red Turban bandits in Shandong...

There is only one useful Black Flag Battalion sandwiched among the bandits. If someone could draw a map, they would probably see a colorful map with smoke everywhere.

"When Qin loses its power, the whole world will chase it. If any rebel group becomes powerful and breaks through the capital, the north will be plunged into endless war. Just like the Yongjia Southern Expedition, the north was in chaos.

You and I can either find a big tree to sell ourselves to early, and then when a powerful ruler takes the throne in the future, you and I will have the opportunity to enter the cabinet and become prime minister, and benefit our descendants.

"Or abandon your property here, take your belongings and flee south. No matter which ruler succeeds you, we still have a place to build together. Even if the Sima Jin dynasty lost the north, it will still stand on equal footing with the Northern Dynasty for a hundred years."

The uncle's words made a lot of sense. Dozens of people present, young and old, all lowered their heads in thought. Bai Siwen looked at his father, who was still listening attentively, seemingly not considering the future of the Ming Dynasty.

For him, if the Ming Dynasty, which had existed for more than two hundred years, collapsed, it would be as if all his family members had died when he was young. He would not know how to face the future.
"If there are continuous chaos in the north, what should we do?"

The old uncle smiled faintly. "That's wrong. There are so many bandits in the north. I thought it was the situation of the Northern Zhou and Northern Qi opposing each other in the east and west. Although there are wars, they don't happen every year. Only when one side has the right time, place and people can it unify the northern border."

"In your opinion, which stream...will the righteous army make the leap to become the emperor?"

When Bai Siwen heard this, he immediately frowned.

This Uncle Zheng is really shameless. He used to curse the bandits and rebels as damn bastards, but now he even addresses them in a friendly way, calling them the righteous army?
Another person interrupted, "How about Lord Li of Southern Henan? He recently defeated the bandits and recovered over ten cities. The court promoted him to Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness. Does he look like a gentleman who has transformed himself?"

"Suddenly ascending to a high position at a young age, he doesn't know how to advance or retreat, only to repeatedly achieve remarkable feats to gain fame both before and after his death. He's like the fleeting champion marquis, whose wisdom is short-lived... Moreover, he has only ten thousand elite soldiers under his command, and several thousand more have been transferred by the court. If all of them are lost in the north, he won't be able to deal with the chaos that ensues, and will only become a powerful vassal of the future Southern Dynasty."

Bai Siwen clenched his fists angrily when he heard this. The Ming Dynasty hasn't even fallen yet, and you guys have already started talking about the Northern and Southern Dynasties?

Seeing that Lord Li had been kicked out of the competition, someone suggested a new candidate. "The Northwest Chuang Army, originally led thirty-six rebel armies across the Central Plains, commanding respect from all the other rebel armies. They have already seized the territory of Longyou, and are waiting for a change in the empire. They could advance eastward into Guanzhong to emulate the Northern Zhou Yuwen clan, or southward to seize Sichuan and Shu to restore the Han hegemony."

"Not worth mentioning. The rebels attacked Xi'an three times but failed to take it, and were repelled by the Sichuan government troops. They are already at the end of their strength."

"Though the Jiujiang West bandits have suffered a defeat, they still have enough strength to capture cities and territories in Jiangxi. If they were to defeat the government forces one day, could they advance down the river and seize half of Jiangnan?"

"The Black Flag Camp and Huang Chuangzi are both in Jiangbei. How could they sit idly by and watch the Western bandits move down the river? Even if the Western bandits move south to Guangdong and Guangxi, they will only be able to establish their own territory and will be destroyed by the new dynasty sooner or later."

"Then, in your opinion, are you a traitor who betrays his friends when he sees good things?"

The old uncle sneered, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke. "Although the Red Turban bandits belong to Beiwei, they secretly changed their flags and banners. This is clearly a secret break with the Beiwei rebels, showing that they only follow orders and not announcements.

Even though the two are getting along harmoniously now, once the capital is broken, there will be no room for two tigers in one mountain. When civil strife breaks out, there will be a bloody massacre.

Moreover, the rebels and the Red Turban rebels do not follow the teachings of the sages, nor do they respect the wise and humble. They are just like the tyrannical Qin Dynasty that fell in the second generation. Tell me, how can these Red Turban rebels not be defeated?"

"Then who do you think can conquer the world? Even the beggars were once part of the three, and they are not even as good as the rebels, right?"

"Not really!" The uncle pointed his finger at the tea bowl placed on Zhongyuan's table. "Although the Qihuo Army was divided into three, they always cooperated to fight against the Ming Dynasty without any internal strife.

Although the Qihuo Army has been cut off from the north and south by the Black Flag Camp, its main force is still there.

Moreover, the Qihuo Army captured Luoyang and Kaifeng, and seized more than a million in money and grain. They also had countless fertile fields to resettle the refugees, and they could recruit 100,000 soldiers overnight.

Once the Qihuo Army breaks through Tongguan and enters Guanzhong, they can split their forces into two groups, one to conquer Sichuan and Shu in the south, and the other to advance north to Shanxi. Once the Beiwei rebels and the Red Turban bandits have fought for several years, resulting in a mutual defeat, the Qihuo Army can send a group of fierce soldiers eastward, potentially pacifying the north in a flash. After a few more years, they can send hundreds of thousands of troops southward to unify the country!

"Okay, okay, okay! But all our property is in Shandong. How long will it take for the beggars to come? Five years, ten years?"

"For now, we can just feign obedience to the Red Turban Bandits. If any of our families are short of money and food, there's nothing wrong with selling off most of their land. It can also show our obedience to the Red Turban Bandits.

The money earned can be used to support the government army, build weapons, and expand the family staff...

If the Red Turban bandits cannot withstand the thundering attack of the government army, we will help the government army to recover the lost territory.

The Red Turban rebels are currently quite powerful, so we must be patient for now. The outcome will be clear within a year at the latest."

"That makes sense, so let's do it."

Everyone praised this prudent idea and left with their own thoughts.

This is the end?

Bai Siwen looked at his father, who was nominally the leader of the gentry. He didn't say a few words from beginning to end. Instead, Uncle Zhou, who was originally only of medium fame, acted like an opinion leader.

What happened to the Bai family?
Thousands of acres of donated land were taken away by the "evil people", and the opinion leader was taken away by a mediocre person. What else will be lost next?
Do we really have to sell all the land and flee to the south of the Yangtze River to live a miserable life?
Bai Jiawen didn't know what his son was thinking, but when he saw his son's restless look, he knew that this rebellious son could not keep a secret. He was probably aware of some plan and wanted to shout it out to everyone.

If it weren't for the fact that Bai Jiawen had difficulty in having children and only had two sons, one older and one younger, with the younger one still in elementary school, he really wanted to completely get rid of this unruly son.

A few years ago, this unfilial son caused a big disaster, and it was he who worked hard to settle the matter.

He naturally had a plan in mind, but he wanted to keep it secret, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

In particular, we must make this rebellious son feel that he is a "weakling" person, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Red Turban bandits.

(End of this chapter)