I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 236 Qingjun’s Side

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Fang La was originally a servant in the lacquer garden of Fang Youchang, a gentry family in Qingxi. Although he came from a humble background, he was tall and imposing, liked to make friends, and his family was full of talented people. His uncle Fang Fei was intelligent, his elder brothers Fang Wu and Fang Qi were both physically strong, and even his sixteen-year-old sister Fang Baihua was skilled in using spears and sticks.

This made him a household name, Fang La, also known as Fang Shisan, known to everyone within a ten-mile radius.

Previously, when Fang La was washing clothes on the banks of the Xin'an River, he saw his own reflection in the water, wearing a dragon robe and a crown. He boasted about this to everyone he met, saying that he was destined by Heaven.

The land of Muzhou has been known since ancient times for the prophecies of "Emperor's Base" and "Ten Thousand Year Tower". More than a hundred years ago, a local woman named Chen Shuozhen declared herself emperor here, calling herself "Emperor Wenjia", which added a layer of mystery to this land.

Fang La was said to have the appearance of an emperor, which made people think he was extraordinary. They regarded him as a second Chen Shuozhen and were more willing to befriend him. His "mandate of heaven" spread like wildfire. Even the Manichaean leader, Master Wang Gong, treated him as an honored guest and invited him to sit with him whenever he gave a sermon.

Fang La idled away his days without taking any work seriously, associating with scoundrels and hooligans, and talking about all sorts of wild ideas about "changing the world." He even associated with Manichaeism, a secret organization designated as a demonic cult by the imperial court, which made Fang Youchang restless and unable to eat or sleep.

It is true that Fang La was a servant in Fang Youchang's household, but at the same time, Fang Youchang and Fang La were also related. The two families were not even within the fifth degree of kinship. Treason was a serious crime that could not be pardoned and would always implicate nine generations of relatives. Once Fang La was convicted of treason, Fang Youchang's family would also have to go to the executioner's block with Fang La.

After much deliberation, Fang Youchang decided to strike first. He ordered his third son, Fang Geng, to capture Fang La and imprison him in the granary. He also sent his second son, Fang Xiong, to the county government overnight to secretly report to Magistrate Chen Guang that Fang La was plotting a rebellion. He wanted to sever ties with Fang La while using Fang La's head to gain credit for his family's promotion.

This matter was quickly learned by Fang Fei, the clan leader of Fang La's branch.

Fang Youchang knew that treason was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. How could the wise Fang Fei not know that once Fang La's crime of treason was confirmed, all the men and women of his family, young and old, would be executed and sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution), with no one spared?

In other words, in Fang Fei's view, Fang Youchang was not exchanging Fang La's head for his family's wealth, but rather using the blood of his entire clan to stain his family's official hats.

How can we tolerate this fat?
So Fang Fei beat the ancestral hall drum and, under the pretext of rescuing Fang La, gathered over a hundred people. They carried torches, hoes, and sickles, and surged towards Fang Youchang's house like a tide, rescuing Fang La.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Fang Youchang and his family fled to their own lacquer garden.

After Fang La was rescued, he was filled with hatred for Fang Youchang's family for disregarding their distant kinship and trying to kill him. They even wanted to harm his entire branch of the family. He believed that he could not leave any future trouble behind. So, after finding out where Fang Youchang's family was, he made a decisive move to incite the people who came to rescue him to revolt, and then seek revenge on Fang Youchang's family and eliminate any future troubles.

The reason why Fang Youchang's family fled to the lacquer garden to hide was because they thought that Fang La and his relatives and friends would not dare to come to the lacquer garden to cause trouble for them, since there were more than a thousand of their own workers, apprentices and servants, as well as dozens of servants and farmhands in the lacquer garden.

But Fang Youchang's family never expected that Fang La had anticipated this. When they attacked and killed Fang Youchang's family, Fang Youchang's workers and servants not only wouldn't help the rich and heartless Fang Youchang's family, but might even take the opportunity to seek revenge and kill them together.

As it turned out, Fang La was right.

Seeing that Fang La and his relatives and friends were about to kill Fang Youchang's family, many workers and servants who had been exploited by Fang Youchang's family to the point of being unable to survive joined Fang La and his men in killing without saying a word.

There were so many people who wanted to kill Fang Youchang's family that none of the servants or guards dared to step forward to stop them.

This led to the swift massacre of Fang Youchang's entire family of 42.

This world did not have the Flower and Stone Tribute system, but the gentry's exploitation of the common people was no less severe than that of the Flower and Stone Tribute system.

The key issue is not scarcity but inequality. Compared to the happy lives of people in the north, the people in the south, who struggle to even survive, seem to suffer even more.

Moreover, the Song Dynasty had always offered amnesty to those rebel armies that caused the most trouble, and then spent money to support them so that they would not cause any more trouble or suppress other rebels.

It is said that Song Jiang's rebel army, which caused a great stir in the north, was offered amnesty by the imperial court many times. The court even offered Song Jiang a high-ranking official position such as "pacification commissioner". All his heroes were promoted and rewarded. However, because they did not kill all the gentry, Song Jiang's rebel army insisted on not accepting the amnesty.

This undoubtedly gave a glimmer of hope to those with rebellious intentions, making them think: if they succeed, they can become powerful figures in the new dynasty; if they fail, they can accept the old dynasty's offer of amnesty. Either way, it's much better than their current life of not seeing the light of day.

It was precisely because of this that, stimulated by Fang La and others' killing of Fang Youchang's family, and after being swayed by Fang La's instigation, and especially because Fang La used the pretense of "obtaining a divine talisman" to use ghosts and gods to build momentum for the uprising, and especially because Fang La put forward the slogan "rob everyone's wealth and distribute it to recruit people," how could these people who had suffered from exploitation and oppression not respond enthusiastically?
"Excellent!!!"

Seeing that people were willing to cooperate, Fang Fei lowered his voice and said to Fang Wu, Fang Qi, Fang Baihua and other core members: "The situation is settled. Quickly go and recruit brave men!"

On the spot, the Fang family recruited more than a thousand brave men.

Fang La led his people in a successful uprising.

In the days that followed, people from the surrounding area heard that Fang La had led an uprising and flocked to join him.

In just over ten days, Fang La's rebel army grew to more than 10,000 men.

At this time, two extremely important figures arrived at Fang La's rebel army.

The first extremely important figure is Bao Kang, the fifth-generation descendant of Bao Zheng, a famous minister of the Song Dynasty.

Bao Kang harbored ambitions from a young age and expressed extreme indignation at the political corruption, rampant corruption, and heavy taxes of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Over the years, Bao Kang traveled far and wide to lecture and made many friends, among whom Fang La was one of his closest friends.

In fact, most of what Fang La knew about the uprising came from Bao Kang. In fact, it could be said that Bao Kang instilled the ideas of the uprising into Fang La.

Therefore, Bao Kang and Fang La can be said to have a relationship that was both that of teacher and friend.

Therefore, as soon as Fang La's uprising succeeded, he immediately sent someone to Bao Kang, inviting him to join the uprising.

Fang La valued Bao Kang so highly not only because of Bao Kang's abilities, but also because of Bao Kang's prestigious family background.

Fang La, whose background was unfavorable, urgently needed to increase his prestige in order to secure his position as the leader of the rebel army. Bao Kang's arrival was undoubtedly a timely help for Fang La, greatly enhancing his prestige.

The second extremely important figure is the Taoist priest who gave Fang La the "Tui Bei Tu" (a prophetic text), who is also Wu Yong, the number two figure in Song Jiang's rebel army.

After the initial impulse subsided, Fang La realized that the uprising was not a dinner party, but a risky business with his life hanging by a thread. Although he was full of heroic spirit, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

The arrival of Wu Yong, the second-in-command of Song Jiang's rebel army, who had successfully led an uprising and held out for more than two years against the Song army's encirclement and suppression, undoubtedly injected a strong boost into Fang La's uprising.

Therefore, Fang La, who already respected Wu Yong, treated him with even greater respect after learning that Wu Yong was the second-in-command of Song Jiang's rebel army. He always addressed Wu Yong as "sir" and treated him with exceptional courtesy.

After Fang La held a grand banquet to welcome Wu Yong and Bao Kang, he and his top strategist, Fang Fei, invited Wu Yong and Bao Kang to the main room to discuss the future of Fang La's rebel army.

After a servant poured tea for the four of them, Fang La went straight to the point and asked, "What can I do for you two gentlemen?"

Bao Kang raised his hand, signaling Wu Yong to speak first.

Wu Yong did not refuse, saying, "The most important thing for an uprising is its program. If the program is appropriate, it can unite the people, clarify the direction, and arouse the resonance of the people, making the righteous army even more powerful and unstoppable. I have observed that most uprisings throughout history have used the equalization of wealth and the fight against corruption as their rallying cry, which truly reflects the voice of the people. However, although such programs win the hearts of the people, they are easily feared by the imperial court, and the path to amnesty is thus cut off. Therefore, I believe that our uprising should have a program that combines popular support and strategy, giving the people hope while leaving room for future amnesty."

Upon hearing this, Fang La frowned. He had led a rebellion not to seek amnesty, but to become emperor. He was not a leader of a peasant uprising like Song Jiang, lacking ambition; he was the emperor ordained by Heaven. He was absolutely certain of this. Wu Yong could tell that Fang La was unwilling to hear this, but he didn't care, because these words weren't meant for Fang La, but for those who had joined Fang La's rebellion. So he continued, "If our rebel army were to execute the gentry who resist the court's reforms and prevent the people from making a living, we would gain popular support and have countless followers. Moreover, if we no longer wished to be rebels and accepted the court's amnesty, we could easily become officials in the court and wouldn't be tolerated by the court. This is a win-win situation."

After a pause, Wu Yong continued, “His Majesty is wise and mighty, having recovered Qinghai, Western Xia, and the eleven prefectures of Yan and Yun, and reclaimed the tribute extorted from the Liao Dynasty last year. He frequently grants tax exemptions to the people and has introduced effective policies such as ‘Equal Grain Payment for Gentry’ and ‘Equalization of Land Tax and Poll Tax,’ which have been a great blessing to our people. The people of the North are now all well-fed and clothed, living in peace and prosperity, all thanks to His Majesty. If your army raises the banner of rebellion against His Majesty, I fear it will be difficult to win the hearts of the people, or you may lose their support and find yourself isolated and helpless. I believe that your army’s banner should not simply oppose the court, but should focus on eliminating local gentry and assisting the court in implementing reforms. In this way, you can both win the hearts of the people and avoid becoming an enemy of the court on all fronts, leaving room for maneuver in the future when you are offered amnesty.”

At this point, Wu Yong smiled slightly: "This is just one person's opinion. If there is anything inappropriate, please forgive me."

Before Fang La could speak, Bao Kang interjected, “Mr. Wu is absolutely right. I have just returned from the north. Thanks to the court’s reforms, the north is now peaceful and prosperous. The people are well-fed and clothed, living in peace and contentment. Whenever they talk about Your Majesty, they always refer to you as our holy ruler, and they are all filled with gratitude and praise you. If our righteous army were to rashly raise the banner of rebellion and become enemies of Your Majesty, it would be unwise. Moreover, Your Majesty is recruiting talented people and working diligently to govern the country. The nation is entering a golden age, and the will of the people and the trend of the times are irreversible.”

Fang La was greatly disappointed to hear Bao Kang say the same thing!

Fang La's gaze darted back and forth between Wu Yong and Bao Kang, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He had intended to present his grand plans to these two wise men, but he hadn't expected that both of them would advocate reconciliation with the court and the path of amnesty. This was completely contrary to his imperial dreams.

At this moment, Bao Kang asked, "Where is your army now?"

Wu Yong did not hide anything, but told the truth: "In Haizhou, we will soon head south and enter Jiangnan."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. If Song Jiang's rebel army crossed the river and fought with Fang La's rebel army for territory, who would rule the south? In that case, would Song Jiang become the emperor of the south, or would Fang La become the emperor of the south?

The key point is that Song Jiang's rebel army now has 100,000 troops, and these are the same 100,000 troops that have been fighting against the Song army for two years. Furthermore, Fang La has heard that many of the soldiers in Song Jiang's rebel army are regular Song soldiers. This is incomparable to Fang La's rebel army, which currently only has about 10,000 laborers.

This set off alarm bells in Fang La's mind.

On the other side, Bao Kang asked with some surprise, "Oh? Your army is also coming to Jiangnan?"

Wu Yong said with no small amount of pride: "The reforms in the North have been completed. The gentry in the North no longer dare to resist the 'Gentry and Gentry Paying Grain Together' and the 'Equalization of Land Tax and Labor Tax'. The people in the North are now well-fed and clothed and live in peace and contentment. There is no need for us to continue to act on behalf of Heaven. However, the gentry in the South still resist the court's reforms, oppress the people, and make their lives miserable. They plunder the people's wealth, causing the people of Jiangnan to remain in dire straits. Our righteous army should go south to rescue the people of Jiangnan from their plight."

At this point, Wu Yong revealed the purpose of his trip: "I have come here to discuss with your army how to unite, eliminate the gentry, assist the court in reforming, and help the people of the South live the same life as the people of the North."

Bao Kang nodded: "This matter does need to be discussed. If our two families can work together, the liberation of the South will be just around the corner."

Fang La forced a smile: "What you two gentlemen say makes sense, but how to form an alliance still requires careful consideration..."

Then, Fang La "very enthusiastically" arranged for Wu Yong and Bao Kang to go and rest.

Unexpectedly, Bao Kang, who knew Fang La somewhat, turned around and came back. He spoke frankly to Fang La:

“I have been to the north and seen it. It is now very well developed. Even if we were to govern it, we would not be able to do it any better. And why is it that Song Jiang’s gang has been able to fight in the north for more than two years without being wiped out? It is because the imperial court has no intention of eliminating them. It has not used the Shenji Army, the Four Auxiliary Army, and the border army that defeated the two barbarians in the northwest to encircle and suppress them. Otherwise, how could his troops have been able to live so freely until now?”

“The people of the South have no ill will toward the court. They only hate that the gentry do not give them a way to make a living. If we raise the wrong banner of righteousness, I am afraid that all our previous efforts will be in vain.”

"..."

Bao Kang said a lot to Fang La, all of which were invaluable pieces of advice to Fang La not to choose the wrong opponent.

Crucially, most of the people in Fang La's rebel army, including Fang La's top strategist Fang Fei, agreed with Wu Yong's suggestion that they should follow the example of Song Jiang's rebel army, only killing gentry and not rebelling against the imperial court. In this way, they could become officials and new gentry regardless of whether they won or lost.

Fang La was very frustrated by this and didn't know how to choose their political platform.

On this day, the old Buddha Wang, whom Fang La had been most looking forward to, also came to join Fang La.

Old Buddha Wang did not come alone; he brought with him three hundred Manichaean followers.

These three hundred Manichaean followers were all core members of the Manichaean sect, deeply influenced by its doctrines, and were the main force behind the rebellion.

In other words, Master Wang brought almost all of Manichaeism's assets with him this time.

Upon learning this news, Bao Kang said to Fang La: "Manichaeism did help Chen Shuozhen successfully launch an uprising, but Manichaeism advocates the two doctrines and three realms, and takes inciting rebellion as its mission. Therefore, this religion can only be used, not relied upon."

Fang La laughed and said, "I once heard the Venerable Master Wang preach. The essence of his teachings is the eight characters 'purity, light, power, and wisdom.' He pursues light, kindness, frugality, and friendship. It is a good religion that teaches people to do good, not the demonic religion that the court claims it to be."

Bao Kang didn't really have an in-depth understanding of Manichaeism, so when he heard Fang La say that, he kept his mouth shut.

Master Wang was a kind-looking old man dressed in very simple clothes, clearly a person who practiced asceticism.

The followers brought by Master Wang were all thin and dignified, and none of them seemed to be wicked or evil.

Bao Kang thought to himself, "I've heard that Manichaeism is abstinent and doesn't eat meat. It seems that what they say is true."

Fang La approached the Venerable Master Wang Gong, clasped his hands together, and said, "Greetings, Master. The end is near, and light will ultimately triumph over darkness."

With a benevolent smile, the old Buddha Wang Gong uttered a startling statement: "I wish to pass on the position of leader to you, and together with all the followers, help you overcome the darkness. What do you say?"

Upon hearing that the old Buddha Wang meant that he was going to make him the leader of Manichaeism, Fang La was overjoyed!
Manichaeism had a large following in the south, and with the title of Manichaean leader, Fang La would never have to worry about a lack of followers to start a rebellion.

In addition, Manichaeism, which was adept at rebellion, possessed a very complete strategy for uprisings, such as establishing a complete management team with five offices and six ministries, as well as how to make the vast number of rebels follow them firmly in their uprising. These were all things that Manichaeism excelled at.

Although Fang La was extremely eager to become the leader of Manichaeism, he still declined, saying, "This disciple is foolish and dares not take on such a great responsibility."

Master Wang clasped his hands together and said, “The Dark Kingdom is now permeated with sins such as ignorance, lust, arrogance, disorder, anger, impurity, destruction, dissipation, death, and delusion. The Dark Kingdom is governed by the Demon King and his five categories of demons. If our followers do not work together to subdue the demons, how can truth and falsehood return to their origin, and light return to great light, and darkness return to accumulated darkness? When both are restored, they return to each other.”

The old Buddha Wang then said, "You are the chosen God of Light, who else but me should be the one to do so?"

Upon hearing this, Fang La clasped his hands together and said, "This disciple has been attached to appearances."

After welcoming Wang Gong Laofo and others, Fang La invited Wang Gong Laofo to a secret room and told him about his biggest problem: the rebels only wanted to kill the gentry and did not want to rebel against the court; they were all thinking about being granted amnesty.

After hearing this, Old Buddha Wang frowned deeply.

Manichaeism's doctrine is rebellion; without rebellion, its doctrine cannot stand from the ground up.

The current situation is that others do not want to rebel; they only want to ensure a stable income regardless of drought or flood.

Faced with this situation, Old Buddha Wang's eyes lit up and a plan came to mind. He said to Fang La, "We can raise the banner of 'purging the emperor's inner circle'..."

……

(End of this chapter)