Huangming

Chapter 322 A Grassroots Emperor, A Talent for Rebellion
The longer Li Hongji spent with the Wenxiang Cult, the more he felt that their rebellious actions were ridiculously amateurish.

You say you want to start an uprising, but you can't even come up with a slogan that can get the brothers excited.

The cry of "Heaven is dead" has been uttered for thousands of years, to the point that people are tired of hearing it. Where is the power left to stir people's hearts?

Xu Hongru proclaimed himself "Emperor Fulie of the Restoration," a title that was indeed impressive. However, apart from him wearing that ridiculous dragon robe and indulging in the fantasy, the people below him barely joined in with a few shouts of "Long live the Emperor," revealing a perfunctory attitude.

If you can't even give your brothers a reason to risk their lives, who would be willing to work for you sincerely?

What's worse is that they don't understand the ins and outs of "profit sharing".

The first group of people who rushed into Yuncheng clutched the stolen silks, silver, and even the women they had abducted tightly in their hands, as if protecting their very lives. They were even more wary of the brothers who joined later than of the government troops.

A few days ago, a leader of a group of refugees brought about a hundred men to surrender, hoping to get some food and pay to feed his men. However, Xu Hongru's confidants scolded him for being "greedy" and drove him out.

Li Hongji frowned as he looked at it.

With such petty-mindedness, how can one possibly grow in power?

New blood can't get in, and the old members gradually become resentful because they don't get any benefits. When the government troops really come, they'll probably break up before the government troops even have to lift a finger.

At that point, let alone those wealthy women, it's questionable whether they'll even be able to keep their heads.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that if he were in charge, he would never do such a thing.

First, we must shout the slogan "Equalize wealth and distribute land" so that those starving poor people can see a real hope.

The loot was divided among the brothers, with only 30% kept for ourselves to maintain appearances.

Newcomers, regardless of whether they were tenant farmers or migrants before, were given official positions and land allocations as long as they dared to fight and struggle.

In this way, the army can grow bigger and bigger like a snowball, and have the confidence to fight the government troops head-on.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Li Hongji was startled.

Good heavens, could it be that I actually have some talent for rebelling?
He shook his head violently, banishing the dangerous idea completely.

rebel?

That's a dead end.

The current emperor doesn't seem like a foolish ruler. He has just cleaned up the mess of the canal transport system and is now rigorously investigating the military pay system in the nine border regions. He clearly wants to do something practical and down-to-earth.

Although the problems in the Ming Dynasty were deep-rooted, they were not necessarily insurmountable.

If they follow the Fragrance Sect and cause trouble at this time, they will be the first to be beheaded and displayed to the public when the government troops arrive.

It's more reliable to focus on completing the duties of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, resolving the matter of the Fragrance Sect, and then be rewarded with a substantive official position in the future.

When the time comes, he will wear an official robe and ride in an official sedan chair, making all those who used to look down on him as a courier come to kowtow and pay their respects.

This is the right path, this is the dignified life of a "master".

Thinking of this, Li Hongji subconsciously touched the black wooden plaque in his arms, and the cold touch made his eyes even more determined.

We need to speed things up and get rid of Xu Hongru and his bunch of incompetent fools as soon as possible, so he can escape this quagmire and pursue his own future.

Just as Li Hongji was frowning in thought, the door was suddenly flung open.

His personal guard rushed in with a solemn expression and knelt on one knee: "General, someone from the county government has come. Emperor Zhongxing Fulie summons you to the county government immediately, saying that there is an urgent matter."

"understood."

Li Hongji didn't even lift his eyelids, but a barely perceptible sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

Why would Xu Hongru summon him at this time? Is there any need to guess?

It was nothing more than the task he was given a few days ago to "restrain the unruly soldiers," but he didn't do it as he was told. Instead, under the guise of clearing out the area, he confiscated the private stashes of several wealthy households in the city and took in several thousand stragglers.

But why should he listen to Xu Hongru's every word?
Based solely on that empty promise of "taking control of the city after the deed is done"?

Do you really think he's a fool?

Li Hongji chuckled inwardly, stood up, dusted off his battle robe, and glanced at the personal guards waiting outside the door: "Gather fifty brothers, put on the new armor they received, and come with me to the county government office."

The group rode through the streets and alleys of Yuncheng, where the once bustling market was now in a mess.

Scattered silks were trampled into the mud by horses' hooves, and dried bloodstains remained beside the overturned stalls. Several emaciated people huddled in a corner, immediately lowering their heads upon seeing them, their eyes filled with fear.

This is the scene of "revival" that Xu Hongru spoke of.

Li Hongji ignored this and went straight to the county government office.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, a chilling aura of anger hit me.

Xu Hongru sat upright on the makeshift "dragon throne" at the head of the table, his face ashen as the bottom of a pot, his eyes fixed on him as if he wanted to devour him alive.

His dragon robe was wrinkled and the collar was askew, making him look even more furious.

"Huang Hu!"

Xu Hongru slammed his hand on the table, nearly knocking over the rough porcelain teacups on it.

"I ordered you to quell the chaos in the city and discipline the brothers. Is this how you did it?"

His voice trembled with anger.

"Not only did you fail to quell the rebellion, but you also led your men to take advantage of the chaos and plunder the property of Zhang the landlord and Li the shopkeeper! Now the entire city of Yuncheng is in a state of panic, even more chaotic than before! Do you even have any respect for me as the emperor?"

"I, I, I?"
You dog-like emperor!
Li Hongji cursed inwardly.

You, a traitor who rose to power by spreading heresies, do you even deserve to call yourself "I"?
He appeared completely unperturbed, casually cupping his hands in a salute, his tone as calm as if discussing a mundane matter: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. In my humble opinion, the chaos in this city stems from those frivolous possessions."

The brothers followed you in this uprising, all they wanted was a meal and a dream.
Now that everyone has taken everything they could, there's no reason to fight anymore, so things are naturally quiet. You see, there haven't been any more fights on the streets these past two days.
Isn't Yuncheng much more peaceful now?

"you!"

Xu Hongru was so stumped by this fallacy that he almost couldn't catch his breath. His lips trembled, and his face turned from pale to white.

Several of his confidants behind him wanted to step forward and reprimand him, but they were frightened by a cold glance from the personal guards that Li Hongji had brought and shrank back.

Xu Hongru then belatedly realized that the "Huang Hu" in front of him was no longer a character he could easily manipulate.

In the past few days, the enemy's forces have grown to three or four thousand men, most of whom are daring and desperate men, and they have also acquired a lot of knives and guns from the government troops.

If things really come to a head, he might not even be able to keep his title of "Emperor Fulie of the Restoration" in the county government.

The rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back. Xu Hongru took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and softened his tone:

"Fine... You're only trying to appease the brothers. But from now on, you must report to me first before taking any action. You can't make decisions on your own anymore." Li Hongji sneered inwardly, but on the surface he pretended to be respectful: "Your Majesty is right, this humble general has remembered."

He knew that Xu Hongru had chickened out.

It seems it's time to give it another push and see just how low this "Zhongxing Fulie Emperor" really goes.

Faced with Li Hongji's rudeness, Xu Hongru could only take a deep breath, try to project an air of imperial authority, and say in a deep voice:

"I intend to have you lead your troops to attack Yanzhou City. If you can capture Yanzhou, I will bestow upon you the title of 'First King of the Restoration,' and all your troops will be under your command. What do you say?"

Attack Yanzhou?
Li Hongji immediately sneered inwardly.

If Yanzhou City were so easy to take, why did you, Xu Hongru, stay in Yuncheng and push this task onto him instead?

He had already found out that Yanzhou Prefecture was a high-lying city with deep moats, not only guarded by garrison troops, but also with more than a thousand newly transferred border troops to assist in the defense, and even several large cannons were mounted on the city walls.

Let alone his few thousand rabble under his command, even if a hundred thousand refugees were piled up, they would only be filling the moat in vain.

This is not a reward; it's clearly an attempt to use someone else to do his dirty work, driving him to his death.

As for the title of "First King", it's even more laughable.

If he could really capture Yanzhou, with such an important town under his control, would Li Hongji still need Xu Hongru to bestow a title upon him?
It's not impossible for him to raise his own banner and become emperor when the time comes.

"His Majesty."

Li Hongji feigned reluctance.

“Yanzhou City is too far from Yuncheng. My men are running out of supplies and I’m afraid they’ll scatter before they even reach the city. In my opinion, it would be better to take over the surrounding counties first, stockpile some supplies and men, and then we can take Yanzhou.”

Xu Hongru wasn't entirely confused, and immediately retorted, "What do you know! Yanzhou is a crucial town on the Grand Canal. Taking it will cut off the grain transport, preventing the Ming army in the south from getting their supplies. Then the Ming army will be unable to defend both ends, giving us a chance to expand!"

He spoke with such fervor that it seemed Yanzhou was already his for the taking.

"But I can't break through."

Li Hongji was too lazy to beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"The city walls are too high, and the cannons are too powerful. If my few thousand men go up there, we'll just be throwing our lives away."

"I am the emperor!"

Xu Hongru's face flushed red from his retort. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted sternly, "You dare disobey my decree?"

Li Hongji scoffed, took a step closer, and his eyes were sharp as knives: "An emperor is determined by his strength, not by his own decree. If Leader Xu is truly capable, why not personally lead your troops to attack Yanzhou? If you can take the city, I, Li Hongji, will willingly acknowledge you as my lord, without you even needing to be granted the title of king. What do you say?"

These words were like a thorn, piercing deep into Xu Hongru's heart.

How could he dare to attack Yanzhou?

They couldn't even control the mutinous soldiers in Yuncheng. If they actually reached the city walls, they would probably be crushed by the government troops as soon as the battle began.

But Li Hongji's words were clearly putting him in a very difficult position.

As the "Revival Emperor Fu Lie", if even his subordinates dared to question his decisions, wouldn't people laugh their heads off?

Xu Hongru opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment. His face turned pale and then red. The ridiculous dragon robe he was wearing made him look even more disheveled.

Looking at his appearance, Li Hongji became even more certain: the Fragrance Sect would not amount to anything.

He deliberately softened his tone, as if taking a step back: "If Your Majesty truly desires Yanzhou, why not first allocate me five thousand shi of grain and a hundred or so guns? With the necessary equipment, I'll risk losing half my men to give it a try for Your Majesty."

This is another difficult problem.

Xu Hongru didn't have much food or supplies, and his military equipment was even scarcer. Where would he get so much stuff?

Xu Hongru stared intently at Li Hongji and suddenly realized: this kid didn't want to fight in Yanzhou at all; instead, he was using Li Hongji's words to force him to reveal his trump card step by step.

But he had no trump cards to reveal.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only Xu Hongru's heavy breathing making the majesty of the "Restoration Emperor Fulie" seem shattered.

"Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, this humble general shall take his leave."

Li Hongji showed no respect to Xu Hongru, quickening his pace almost as soon as he stepped out of the county government office.

Xu Hongru's blustering yet cowardly demeanor made him feel nauseous.

Even at this point, he still acts like an "emperor," unaware that his forces far outnumber this nobody's. If a fight breaks out, taking over the county government would be a piece of cake.

He couldn't help but touch the knife at his waist; the icy touch on his fingertips helped him suppress the restlessness in his heart.

Kill Xu Hongru?
so easy.

But what happens after we kill him?
Without a leader, this rabble will only become more chaotic. When the government troops arrive, he, the "second-in-command of the rebels," will still be unable to escape.

But then again...

Li Hongji glanced back in the direction of the county government office, a look of worry on his face.

If this drags on, he might really be forced into that position by these people before the government troops arrive.

Three days later, and then another three days.

He's about to become the leader of the rebels.

Xu Hongru's prestige declined day by day, but the people below looked at him with increasing fervor. Even several of his former underlings secretly came to him to say that they were willing to "abandon darkness and embrace light."

He didn't want to be the leader of these rebels.

"Hurry up and get back to camp!" Li Hongji shouted in a low voice, then mounted his horse.

The horses' hooves pounded on the stone-paved roads of Yuncheng, making a rapid sound, as if urging something on.

He was now only hoping that news from the government troops would arrive soon.

If he doesn't come soon, he's afraid he'll be completely mired in this mess.

He didn't want to be a traitor.

joke!

I, Li Hongji, am utterly loyal and devoted; I am a loyal minister, not a traitor!
damn it.

Who would want to be a traitor?
(End of this chapter)