The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 74 Li Zicheng

Zhang Cunmeng pulled Li Zicheng to stand in front of Jiang Han.
"This is my eighth brother. He started out as a post station worker in Yinchuan and is extremely skilled on horseback."

“Last month, he led his men to break through the county town, killed that scholar Ai, and then came to me!”

As soon as Zhang Cunmeng finished speaking, Li Zicheng stepped forward, bowed slightly with a hint of excitement, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a loud voice:
"I am Li Zicheng, greetings, General!"

Li Zicheng?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Han immediately perked up and looked towards Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng was seven feet tall, with high and deep cheekbones, hawk-like eyes and a jackal-like voice.

(From "Biography of Li Zicheng" in the History of Ming Dynasty, meaning that he had prominent cheekbones, deep-set eyes, hawk-like eyes, a nose like a scorpion, and a voice like a jackal.)
Having finally met this prominent figure of the late Ming Dynasty, Jiang Han couldn't help but glance at Li Zicheng a few more times.

However, he merely nodded slightly and gave a faint reply.

This wasn't because Jiang Han was arrogant or putting on airs, but because Li Zicheng at the moment was indeed not worthy of sitting at the same table as Jiang Han.

In terms of strength and seniority, Li Zicheng is currently just a junior subordinate of Bujianni, far from being comparable to Jiang Han.

Li Zicheng was certainly aware of this, which is why he appeared somewhat reserved in front of Jiang Han, much like someone meeting an idol.

He was originally a courier, and he had received that official letter when he delivered the mail at the beginning of this year. He had long heard of Jiang Han's great name.

Therefore, he greatly admired Jiang Han and specially came to pay his respects with Zhang Cunmeng this time.

Firstly, I wanted to meet this legendary figure.
Secondly, he wanted to learn from Jiang Han's experience and adopt his "advanced methods" for rebellion.

Li Zicheng mentioned this idea to Jiang Han, who looked at him with surprise:
"You? Li Zicheng? You want to learn from me about rebellion?"

That was a rather surreal statement, and even Jiang Han himself wanted to laugh when he heard it.

However, considering that he was indeed a "senior" now, Jiang Han still said seriously:

"Tell me in detail."

Li Zicheng sighed and slowly began to recount how he gradually transformed from a government courier into a rebel.

The reason Li Zicheng admired Jiang Han was because Jiang Han's early life was so pathetic.

Not only him, but also that group of Yinchuan post station workers, they were all typical examples of cowards.

In truth, Li Zicheng's path to rebellion was entirely forced upon him.

After Emperor Chongzhen abolished the post station system, Li Zicheng and his fellow post station workers lost all their income.

Although the official positions are gone, the work still has to be done. It's a matter of national importance, and you post station workers should be more understanding.

They gritted their teeth and endured it, pinching their noses as they continued working for a while longer.

As a result, two post horses died during a delivery, but the government made them pay compensation!

Despite being penniless, Li Zicheng endured it and actually borrowed money from his fellow villager, a scholar named Ai, at exorbitant interest rates, and forced the government to pay the horse money.

After losing all their money on the horses, they simply couldn't continue operating.

Li Zicheng simply took them back to his hometown and became a village head, hoping to pay off his debts by farming.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. In the third year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Mizhi suffered a severe drought, resulting in a complete crop failure for the summer grain. Naturally, the high-interest loans he had taken out also became overdue.

Enraged, the creditor, Ai, sent men to beat up Li Zicheng, the leader of the group, and then chained him up in the scorching sun, treating him like a dog.

(He instigated the magistrate to flog and put the men in shackles on the main streets under the scorching sun.)
Before Ai Juren had even finished carrying out his private punishment, more officials from the yamen arrived.

Because the grain harvest failed, the government determined that Li Zicheng, the village head, had neglected his duties, so they came to arrest him. Li Zicheng endured it again and obediently allowed himself to be taken to the county government office. Li Zicheng was beaten with a cane at the county government office, but the creditor, Master Ai, was still not satisfied and demanded that Li Zicheng be made to kneel in the street in a cangue as a public spectacle.

This has exceeded the scope of the Ming Dynasty's legal code and is entirely considered private punishment.

But Ai Juren was still not satisfied, so he sent his servants to guard Li Zicheng and forbade anyone to bring him food or water, intending to starve him to death.

(The servants guarded him, preventing him from eating or drinking.)
Even at this point, Li Zicheng and his group of post station workers still endured it.

Of course, as the saying goes, if you're willing to endure hardship, you'll have endless hardships to endure.

So the accompanying couriers couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to move Li Zicheng to a shady place to feed him, but Ai's servants cursed and refused to allow it.

(The post station soldiers, pitying his plight, moved him to a shady spot to eat and drink, but Ai's servants scolded and refused to allow it.)
Finally, Li Zicheng couldn't take it anymore and stopped kneeling!
He slammed his buttocks, still bearing the pain of being hit by the paddle, onto the ground and roared, his neck stiff with arrogance:

"So what if I die from the sun?!"

This roar completely ignited the anger of the couriers.

They swarmed forward, smashed the shackles, and ran away with Li Zicheng.

Even so, they did not harm anyone. They simply led Li Zicheng out of the city and hid in the woods, not daring to make any rash moves.

(The crowd, deeply saddened and filled with indignation, erupted in a great uproar. They tore off his shackles, seized Zicheng, and led him out of the city, where they camped in a large forest, daring not to venture out. Yet, they did not harm anyone.)
Even at this point, Li Zicheng didn't think about rebelling; he just wanted to run away and become a fugitive.

But the government wouldn't allow it. If you dare to break your shackles and escape, wouldn't that be the same as breaking out of prison?

So the county constable immediately led a group of yamen runners, armed with bows and swords, to pursue Li Zicheng menacingly.

Unfortunately, the mountains were high and the forests were dense, and this rabble did not dare to rush in. They could only surround the outside, hoping to trap Li Zicheng and his men in the forest.

(The county magistrate, riding a weak horse, led his officers and soldiers armed with bows and swords to arrest him. The forest was dense and the thickets were too thick for them to enter.)
But the problem is, if you're so determined to kill Li Zicheng, you have to be able to defeat him.

At this point, Li Zicheng completely erupted, and he led a group of brothers who grabbed sticks and charged out.

Caught off guard, the county magistrate was so frightened that he fell off his horse and died on the spot.

The remaining constables, seeing this, were so frightened that they fled in panic, leaving behind a pile of bows, swords, and other weapons, which all went to Li Zicheng and his men.

(After a long stalemate, as dusk approached, the crowd, left with no other choice, charged out in a swarm of men, brandishing their white staffs. The county magistrate was terrified, fell from his horse and died, and the officials and soldiers scattered and fled, seizing all their bows, swords, and weapons.)
Having acquired the equipment, Li Zicheng finally rebelled. He raised his arm and, under the cover of night, led over a thousand starving people into the county town, where he killed Ai, the scholar.

He then sought refuge with the bandit leader Buzhanni, who lived not far away.

(That night, taking advantage of the situation, they attacked the city. With a shout, the starving people flocked to them, and more than a thousand people were gathered in one night.)
Jiang Han was also stunned after hearing about Li Zicheng's experiences.

The eleven steps listed above are: layoffs, horse compensation, poor harvest, debt repayment, arrest, caning, shackles, guarding, food and drink, escape, and siege.

In these eleven stages, if even one person, whether a local gentry or an official, had been able to lift a finger and let Li Zicheng off the hook,
Jiang Han estimated that Li Zicheng might not actually go so far as to rebel.

Moreover, when he first fled, Li Zicheng never even thought about rebelling; he only thought that at worst he would just be a fugitive.

But the great Ming Dynasty still showed him through its actions that he had to rebel!

They even thoughtfully delivered the county magistrate's head and a pile of equipment.

This can be described as a vivid demonstration to Li Zicheng that "rebellion is actually so simple".

Li Zicheng laughed. If he didn't rebel, wouldn't he be letting down the court's painstaking cultivation and patient guidance?
　Researching really takes a lot of time, please forgive me, godfathers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)