Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 68 I will kill the bad gentry
The venue for the financial assistance meeting was chosen to be Luoshan County, the geographical center of the controlled area.

The combined urban and rural populations of the five newly occupied territories exceeded 600,000, and all the well-known gentry and wealthy families within a radius of more than 100 miles were invited.

The gentry were not surprised by this. They thought it was just an extortion meeting like that of bandits. They just had to go through the motions and pay some "protection money".

So all the gentry and wealthy families sent representatives to Luoshan County.

Some people thought that the beggars would not stay here for long, and would move away after extorting some money and food. They fled like the rebels, and were finally defeated by the government troops.

Some people believed that the Qihuo Army was on the rise and had a bright future, and had plans to take root and operate in southern Henan. If they wanted to govern the prefectures and counties for a long time, they would have to rely on sensible scholars like them.

After all, the gentry and powerful are the pillars of the grassroots. Without their strong support, any regime that "does not extend imperial power to the countryside" cannot operate stably.

Others thought that even if the beggars controlled southern Henan, they would sooner or later be wiped out by the main force of the government troops coming from all directions, so they only sent a few illegitimate sons of the family to the banquet to surrender, and they could be sacrificed at will regardless of the outcome.

Nearly a hundred invited gentry and wealthy families soon arrived at the foot of Luoshan City. As soon as they arrived near the county town, they saw a group of people holding flags standing several miles outside the city to greet them.

It is a great courtesy to greet you several miles outside the city!

The beggars and thieves must be mixed with sensible scholars, otherwise they would not be able to use this strategy of winning people's hearts.

But when the wealthy people got closer, they found that the banners and flags were inscribed with a mixture of formal and vulgar sentences:

"If you don't let me farm honestly, I'll farm your whole family."

"The beggars are born with the ability to love others. I will kill the bad gentry."

"Paying taxes on time brings honor to the whole family, while evading taxes brings disaster to the whole family"

"Land annexation is a pleasure, but begging for mercy will lead to mass graves."

"Officials and gentry colluded and laughed, and heads fell to the ground."

"I will obey your orders and keep you safe, but I will secretly plot to dig up your ancestral graves and burn your tablets."

There are also some large-scale, exaggeratedly realistic portraits, one of which shows a spirited man with bright eyes pointing at your nose and saying, "I want you to hand over your illegal taxes and land!"

There was even a group of musicians standing at the city gate, playing and singing.

The gist of it is: while the beggar army is in high spirits after capturing the city, quickly return the annexed land and make up for the tax arrears and tax evasion over the years, otherwise I will kill you within three days and use your ashes to mix with rice and feed to dogs.

"The good traditional Chinese characters have been changed into a mess. The beggar's words are so vulgar and his heart is still a thief!" The rich man couldn't help cursing in the carriage.

"Though these few dozen words are quite vulgar, they are filled with endless murderous intent. It's truly terrifying."

"They're showing off their power before they even enter the city. This isn't something that can be dismissed with just a little money and food. It looks like we're going to have to spend a lot of money."

The wealthy people entered the city with different thoughts in their minds and were quickly led into the private inn by the welcoming staff.

The wealthy families sat in the inner hall of the inn, while the other middle and lower class gentry sat in the open courtyard outside the hall.

The wealthy people drank sweet wine, talked about everything, and listened to the light tunes played by the band. They unconsciously forgot the passage of time and felt a sense of comfort and joy as if they were meeting old friends after a long separation.

Just when the wealthy people were enjoying themselves so much that they didn't want to return to their homeland, a burst of rapid and exciting music sounded, and the commander-in-chief of the Beggars' Army finally appeared.

A sturdy man walked out slowly. He wore a golden helmet on his head, a four-foot sword on his waist, special short boots on his feet, a red cloak hanging down behind him, and the polished armor on his chest reflected a shimmering light.

As he stepped forward, he flapped his cloak so that it flew behind him.

The volunteer soldiers on both sides of the road followed the Marshal's pace, walking and stopping, sometimes stopping to make "photographing" gestures, and sometimes shouting "How handsome", which prompted the Marshal to raise the corners of his mouth, which he could hardly suppress, and strike more handsome poses.

The distance, originally less than fifty steps, took the Qihuo Army's commander five hundred steps. The commander wasn't even finished yet; behind him were a hundred rough-hewn men in cloth and chain mail, their armor plating hidden beneath their cotton coats rustling as they moved.

When the Marshal flicked off his cloak and sat firmly in the main seat, a hundred armored guards stood behind him.

Seeing the host take his seat, the gentry and wealthy families stood up and bowed to the Marshal, offering him flattering words.

Before the rich man could finish flattering the marshal, the followers who had just followed the marshal swarmed over to ask for their wages, as if they had provided some kind of service to the marshal.

The gentry and wealthy families were all puzzled. Why did they ask for services when the attendants were fiddling with their hands and no one knew what they were doing?
Besides, even if the service was really provided, he should ask for the reward privately from the Marshal's steward, and should not ask for it directly from the employer in front of so many customers.

How embarrassing.

Unless there are many factions within the Qihuo Army——

This general seems to be the leader of the group, but he is unable to enforce discipline. It can be said that his prestige is very low, and several of his followers dare to ask for money and property in person.

When the Marshal took out some change and handed it out, the attendants still felt it was not enough. "We played music, cheered for you, took photos, and gave you all the pomp and circumstance. You've done all the pretentiousness and only give this little. This is not what we agreed on."

"Can I let you wear my custom suits later?"

The Marshal had to persuade the unhappy followers with all his might.

That's it?

The wealthy families sitting in the inner hall all felt that there was definitely something wrong within the Qihuo Army! This so-called commander might even be just a military advisor in public, and the real boss behind the scenes was someone else.

As a result, the gentry and wealthy families looked down on this "marshal" even more, and a sense of contempt gradually emerged in their hearts.

After the little interlude, the Marshal took out a piece of white paper and began to read without any emotion:

"In recent years, severe droughts have hit various parts of northern China, and refugees have been pouring in. Currently, there are tens of thousands of refugees gathering in southern Henan.

Just chasing the defeated soldiers and arresting the bandits has exhausted the money and food reserves of our beggar army.

I, the Qihuo Army, feel deeply saddened that the people have been displaced and that the poor are destitute and have to bear heavy taxes. I hope to provide a place for the people to rest and recuperate, but I am troubled by my limited financial resources.

I am well aware that all of you gentlemen are the pillars of the country, owning countless fields and shops, and having abundant money and supplies. I hope that you can give me some land and money to help me resettle the refugees and comfort the poor.

By then, public grievances will have subsided, the land will be peaceful, production will have resumed in all counties and cities, the people will have enough food and clothing, and you will have won fame both in your lifetime and after your death. It can be said that you have killed two birds with one stone.

I have finished speaking, who is in favor and who is against? "

As soon as the Marshal finished speaking, the wealthy people at the same table looked at each other, all with the same suspicion.

Who would read a script when negotiating interests? At least he would memorize the strategy before coming out to discuss things, right?

Where is the sincerity, where is the wisdom, where is the decency! He is just a useless idiot!

When everyone's contempt for the Marshal reached its peak, a middle-aged man spoke up.

He bowed towards the Marshal and said, "Southern Henan has been affected by the war this year. Every family's harvest has been eaten up by their own families, leaving little food. However, since the Marshal has such a kind heart for the people, I am willing to contribute one hundred taels of silver to help them."

"One hundred taels?" The Marshal snorted coldly, "Are you opposing my proposal?"

"If that's the way you think, then I do think my proposal is somewhat inappropriate."

"?" The Marshal rolled his eyes, and his wide eyes seemed to spit out flames, as if to say that you are ready to die.

(End of this chapter)