Huangming

Chapter 483 A Gathering of Fiends, Gentry Colluding with the Rebels

Winter in Jiangnan is always shrouded in a damp, persistent chill.

In a dilapidated temple outside Suzhou, winter rain dripped down the leaky thatched roof, hitting the shoulders of a clay Maitreya statue, mixing with incense ash to form blackish-yellow watermarks.

A dozen or so tenants huddled around the offering table, half-cold bran cakes tucked into their pockets, listening to the instructor recite in a hoarse voice:

"When Maitreya descends to earth and the Bright King is born, everyone will have food to eat and clothes to wear..."

As the words fell, someone quietly wiped the corner of their eye.

This was the only "hope" they could hold onto after surviving the floods and avoiding the food shortages.

The White Lotus sect was able to take root among the lower classes in Jiangnan not because of its illusory beliefs in ghosts and gods, but because it grew by exploiting the desperate survival conditions of the people.

At this time, although Jiangnan was known as the "land of fish and rice", after the floods, farmers whose fields were flooded were exploited by gentry and merchants, weaving households were driven down by silk merchants to the point that they did not even have enough food, and refugees huddled at docks and dilapidated temples, and even selling their laborers had to be mindful of the attitude of the canal gangs.

Unable to compete with the gentry for land or reason with the government, they could only place their hopes on "Maitreya" and "Wisdom King".

Even a simple "help us out of our suffering" is warmer than the whip of a grain tax collector or the cold face of a silk merchant.

Furthermore, the reason why the White Lotus Sect was able to gain influence in Jiangnan was because he made localized modifications.

Rooted in the concepts of "Maitreya's Descent into the World" and "the Birth of the Bright King," it subtly incorporates elements of the water god of Taihu Lake, the rules of the canal gangs, and even the "anti-tax codes" circulated privately by gentry, becoming a "survival tool" that ordinary people can understand and participate in.

In Suzhou and Songjiang along the Taihu Lake, believers did not gather openly, but instead used the guise of "fasting meetings" and "chanting scriptures" to set up strongholds in dilapidated temples, thatched huts at canal wharves, and even abandoned manors of gentry.

At the dock outside Changmen Gate in Suzhou, there is a low house with a sign that reads "Respectful Dining Hall". Every morning, refugees come here to "recite scriptures".

In reality, the leader of the sect used the pretext of reciting the "Maitreya's Descent Sutra" to distribute some old grain secretly sent by gentry to the crowd in order to win people's hearts.

The worship of the water god in the Taihu Lake basin became a powerful tool for the White Lotus sect to win over fishermen.

The religious leaders would set up a "water god altar" by the lake, placing a statue of Maitreya Buddha alongside the local "water fairy goddess," and say to the fishermen:

"May the Water Fairy Goddess protect us and may Maitreya Bodhisattva provide us with food. By following us, we can avoid lake bandits and reduce our fishing taxes."

The fishermen believed in this and gradually began to treat "joining the religion" as a way to make a living.

The White Lotus Sect's operations, coupled with the involvement of the Canal Gang, provided it with a network of distribution channels.

The canal gangs controlled the canal transportation in Jiangnan. Most of the porters and boatmen in the gangs came from poor backgrounds, and many of them had long since joined the religion.

Taking advantage of the grain transport, they smuggled the White Lotus sect's yellow paper and scriptures from Suzhou to Hangzhou, and then from Hangzhou to Nanjing. They could even deliver news of "tax resistance" to refugees half a month in advance.

Also.

The White Lotus sect in Jiangnan was able to grow strong because it was backed by powerful gentry and wealthy families.

Not all gentry wanted to "rebel," but they needed a "tool" to resist the government's land surveys and taxes.

The White Lotus Sect was the most useful "tool".

The unrest in Jiangnan was like a fire that ignited the scattered forces of the White Lotus Sect.

The White Lotus Sect in Jiangnan was more like "a few scattered sparks".

The Suzhou branch governs Suzhou, the Songjiang branch governs Songjiang, the fishermen of Taihu Lake only recognize the Water God Altar, and the followers of the Canal Gang only listen to the rules of the gang. There has never been a leader who can control the whole situation, and no one has dared to raise the flag and rebel like Xu Hongru of Shandong.

However, as Yuan Keli quelled the rebellion and the gentry instigated it, the situation changed.

As the number of refugees increased, so did the size of the religious community.

In order to resist the government, the gentry provided more and more financial assistance, and the believers had food and weapons.

More importantly, those "ambitious individuals" who were originally fighting their own battles began to converge on Jiangnan.

Zhao San, the leader of the Canal Gang, controls the transportation of the Suzhou-Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal. He has more than 200 boatmen and more than 50 canal boats. Previously, he only used the grain transport gang to spread information to the White Lotus Sect. Now that he sees the chaos in Jiangnan, he also wants to use the power of his followers to monopolize the canal transportation in the entire Jiangnan region.

Sun Laodao, the leader of the Wuwei Sect in Wuxi, had thousands of tenant followers. He used to live off the support of the An family, but now that the An family was being targeted by Yuan Keli, he wanted to lead his followers to establish their own sect.

The remnants of the Wenxiang Sect in Shandong fled to Jiangnan after Xu Hongru's rebellion failed. They still had the weapons from that time hidden in their hands, hoping to find another opportunity to "rise up again".

There are also the bandits on Taihu Lake. They used to only rob merchant ships, but now that they see the White Lotus Sect is powerful, they also want to cooperate with it.

When these people get together, they no longer have a common goal; all that remains are their individual ambitions.

The canal gangs wanted to monopolize the canal transport, while the pirates wanted to seize the canal gangs' ships.

The remnants of the Fragrance-Enhancing Sect wanted to "revive," but the Non-Action Sect viewed them as "outsiders who would steal their food."

The various prefectures and cities in Jiangnan became their battlegrounds.

Today you kill dozens of my followers, tomorrow I'll burn down one of your strongholds. Blood flows down the canal, and even the waters of Taihu Lake smell fishy.

Just as the White Lotus Sect in Jiangnan was in chaos, the bloodshed in Songjiang Prefecture suddenly stopped.

It wasn't the government that quelled the unrest, but the arrival of one person that made all the forces obediently back down.

This person was none other than Wang Haoxian, the leader of the Fragrance-Enhancing Sect.

Wang Haoxian was able to maintain order by first and foremost because of his "reputation".

His father, Wang Sen, was the founder of the Wenxiang Sect, which had a large following in Shandong and Hebei provinces.

Xu Hongru, who previously raised the banner of "Zhongxing Fulie Emperor" in Shandong, was Wang Sen's most prized disciple, although he later failed.

However, the name "Fragrance Scent Sect" remains a symbol of "orthodoxy" in all branches of the White Lotus Sect.

When Wang Haoxian first arrived in Songjiang, he only hung a black flag with the words "Master of the Incense-Wenxiang Sect" in a dilapidated temple, and the leaders of the sect in Suzhou and Wuxi panicked.

They were either branches of the Fragrance Cult or had received favors from Wang Sen; in terms of seniority, they all had to address Wang Haoxian as "Young Master".

But a reputation alone is not enough; Wang Haoxian's ability to command everyone's obedience stems from his "overwhelming strength."

The followers he brought from Hebei, Shandong, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, and Sichuan were not the local Jiangnan migrants who only knew how to carry hoes, but "veterans" who had experienced the Xu Hongru Rebellion and seen bloodshed.

Among them were Xu Hongru's personal guards, hunters who could shoot arrows, and porters who knew how to use knives. There were more than 5,000 of them, and they were all brave and daring to fight.

In addition, Wang Haoxian also brought "Twelve Heavenly Generals".

The twelve leaders who followed his father in preaching were all exceptionally brave and skilled in combat.

For example, Li Tietou, the Heavenly General, could lift a 300-jin stone millstone. Before, when he was in Shandong, he killed more than a dozen government officials by himself.

Zhang Erniang, originally a boatwoman on the Qinhuai River, later joined a religious sect. With her short knife, she could walk on the waves on the boat and killed many pirates from Taihu Lake.

These days, as soon as they arrive in Songjiang, they will establish Wang Haoxian's authority.

A disgruntled minor leader of the grain transport gang tried to seize Wang Haoxian's grain boat. Li Tietou led his men directly to the gang's dock, cut off the minor leader's head, hung it on the mast, and said to the gang members:
"Anyone who dares to steal food from the leader again will suffer this fate!"

There was also Sun Laodao from Wuxi, who felt that Wang Haoxian was an "outsider" and did not want to submit. He secretly contacted several small branches and planned to ambush Wang Haoxian outside Songjiang City.

As a result, the news leaked out, and Zhang Erniang led two hundred followers to Sun Laodao's stronghold overnight. They surrounded all of his followers. Sun Laodao tried to escape, but Zhang Erniang cut off his ear with a knife. He was forced to kneel down and beg for mercy to save his life.

Now, the White Lotus sect in Jiangnan was completely subdued.

Zhao San, the leader of the canal gang, personally led his canal boats to surrender and offered up the canal's transportation rights.

The bandits of Taihu Lake killed the Wuwei Sect members who had previously cooperated with them, and brought the severed heads to prove their loyalty.

The remnants of the Wenxiang sect in Shandong cried and begged to "revive" with Wang Haoxian.

soon.

Wang Haoxian set up a tiger-skin chair in the government office of Songjiang Prefecture and sat on it to receive the homage of various forces.

However, he did not rush to raise the flag of rebellion. Instead, he had his followers from various factions organized into teams: the boatmen of the Canal Gang were responsible for transporting grain, the pirates were responsible for guarding Taihu Lake, the followers from Shandong were responsible for training new recruits, and the twelve generals were each in charge of a section.

After gathering these ambitious individuals, Wang Haoxian began plotting a rebellion.

Integrating Songjiang is only the first step; Yuan Keli's government troops will come here sooner or later.

The White Lotus sect branches in other prefectures of Jiangnan are still fighting their own battles. If we don't seize this opportunity to bring them under our control, they will fall apart once the government troops arrive.

"We have to be quick."

"Before the government troops can react and before the other branches have chosen their leaders, let's take Suzhou and Changzhou first."

However, to send troops and have people follow them, you need money and supplies.

Where does this food and pay come from?

The men under his command stared at him, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Zhao San, the leader of the Cao Gang, rubbed his hands together and said, "Master, how about we rob a few more government grain ships? There's news from Taihu Lake that a batch of military rations will be transported from Hangzhou to Nanjing next month."

Pirate Li Kuiqi chimed in, "We brothers can sail the ship. We'll sneak over at night and we'll definitely seize the grain ship!"

Wang Haoxian waved his hand.

"If we don't have enough grain ships, we'll rob the big ones. The gentry in Songjiang, Suzhou, and Changzhou have enough grain stored up to feed tens of thousands of our brothers!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people below the tent.

“The minor gentry in Songjiang who didn’t have guards have already been cleared out by us. What’s left are the tough nuts to crack.”

"By cracking the tough nuts, we not only get grain, but we can also show the people of other prefectures that following me, Wang Haoxian, brings prosperity!"

Everyone's eyes lit up, but some hesitated.

Old Master Sun of the Wuwei Sect in Wuxi, with bandages still wrapped around his ears, whispered:

"Master, the remaining powerful gentry... they're not easy to deal with, like the Xu family..."

Mentioning the "Xu family" caused everyone's eyes to light up.

That was the family of Xu Jie, the Grand Secretary during the Jiajing era. They had been entrenched in Songjiang Prefecture for nearly a century. Although not as powerful as they once were, they were still one of the most prominent families in Songjiang.

The Xu family's manor was located ten miles outside Songjiang City. It had high walls and thick fortifications, with arrow towers at the four corners. A moat two zhang wide was dug outside the walls. What was even more impressive was that the Xu family kept hundreds of guards.

These villagers were not ordinary tenants; many of them were retired border soldiers, carrying muskets, long knives, and even a few small cannons.

Several groups of rebels attacked the Xu family manor, but they were shot down by muskets as soon as they reached the moat. The rebels, who were only there to seize grain, dispersed soon after seeing the heavy casualties.

Wang Haoxian sneered, "If the rioters won't do, then we will!"

He slammed his hand on the table, making the oil lamp on it shake.

"The Xu family is the last major gentry family in Songjiang. Taking over the Xu family will not only give us their grain and silver, but also make the local gentry in Suzhou and Changzhou fear us."

They were scared, that's why they obediently handed over the grain!

He immediately mustered his troops:
Li Tietou led three thousand followers from Shandong. These men were former subordinates of Xu Hongru, experienced in large-scale battles, and were responsible for the frontal assault on the stronghold.

Li Kuiqi, along with his pirate brothers, sailed a fast boat along the Huangpu River to the back of the manor, blocking the Xu family's escape route and preventing them from escaping by water.

Sun Laodao, along with his followers of the Wuwei Sect, stood guard around the manor to prevent other gentry from sending troops to rescue it.

The remaining followers, led by Zhao San's boatmen, were responsible for transporting the stolen grain and valuables.

"Ten thousand brothers, set off at dawn tomorrow and take over the Xu family manor within a single day!"

Wang Haoxian drew his long sword from his waist, the glint of the blade reflecting on his face.

"Whoever rushes in first will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver, plus a maid from a gentry family!"

The followers were summoned and weapons were distributed overnight.

Those who could lift a knife were given one, and those who couldn't were given a hoe or a carrying pole. Some people even sharpened their kitchen knives until they gleamed and wore them on their waists.

Before dawn, deafening drumbeats resounded outside Songjiang City. The followers, carrying the Ming King's black flag, surged toward the Xu family manor like a black tide.

In the Xu family manor, Xu Chengye, the head of the Xu family, stood on the arrow tower, his face pale as he looked at the dark mass of believers surging in from afar.

Yesterday, a servant came to report that Wang Haoxian had consolidated the followers in Songjiang and was going to take action against the powerful gentry. He didn't believe it until he saw the scene this morning, and then he realized he was scared.

"How can we fight this? Why don't we just surrender?"

"Master! We can't retreat!"

Zhou Zhuangtou grabbed his arm.

"We still have four hundred guards and cannons! Hold on a little longer, and maybe the government's reinforcements will arrive!"

"Now that we've retired, what will happen to the women in the village?"

The guards nearby also tried to persuade them, some still holding hot muskets, but their voices betrayed their panic.

Xu Chengye suddenly shook off Zhou Zhuangtou's hand.

He watched as his followers fell and surged back up along the moat, watching those who, even with muskets piercing their chests, still crawled forward a few steps. The last vestige of resistance in his heart was extinguished like embers doused with ice water. "I can't hold on..."

His voice trembled, and his teeth were clenched until his lips turned white.

“The previous rioters were scattered, but these are Wang Haoxian’s men! More than ten thousand! We can’t hold out for an hour!”

"The only option now is to surrender."

He turned and ran down the arrow tower. Zhou Zhuangtou tried to stop him again, but Xu Chengye staggered and dodged him.

As the guards watched their master flee in panic, the muskets in their hands slowly drooped. The small cannons on the watchtower were still pointed outside, but no one lit the fuses.

Even the head of the family is about to surrender, so who are they still holding on for?
It didn't take long.

The manor gate creaked open, and Xu Chengye, wearing a wrinkled brocade robe and with his hair disheveled and plastered to his face, walked into the crowd of believers against the cold wind.

As the followers approached, they surrounded him, brandishing their knives. Some shouted, "Kill him and seize the grain!" The blades flashed before his eyes, and Xu Chengye's legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel. However, he forced himself to lift his head and shouted towards the black flag in the center of the group:
"I am Xu Chengye, the head of the Xu family! I want to see Cult Leader Wang Haoxian! I have important matters to report!"

After being called three times, a member of the church wearing leather armor finally turned around to report.

Before long, the crowd parted to make way, and Wang Haoxian rode over on a black horse, wearing a sable cloak that he had confiscated from a gentry's house.

"The Xu family patriarch?"

Wang Haoxian reined in his horse, looked down at him, and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"You looked pretty tough on the watchtower just now, how come you dare to come down now?"

Xu Chengye hurriedly took two steps forward, his knees hitting the frozen ground with a dull thud.
"Master, spare our lives! I, Xu, am willing to surrender! The Xu family's granaries and treasury are all offered to you, Master! I only beg you to spare the lives of my family!"

He kept his head bowed low, extremely humble.

"Humph."

A rough, hoarse voice came from behind Wang Haoxian. Li Tietou walked out carrying a large knife, blood still dripping from the back of the blade.

"Whether you surrender or not, everything belonging to the Xu family is ours! Leader, why waste time arguing with him? Just chop him down, and the brothers can go in and loot to their hearts' content!"

As he spoke, he reached for the knife at his waist, and the ruthlessness in his eyes sent chills down Xu Chengye's spine.

"Master, please hear me out!"

Xu Chengye suddenly looked up, cold sweat streaming down his face, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

He knew he had to make Wang Haoxian see his value.

This was his only chance to survive.

"Master! Do you only want to plunder some money and food, like Xu Hongru in Shandong, who was wiped out by the government army in just a few months?"

Xu Chengye shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Haoxian's expression indeed changed.

After a moment, Wang Haoxian took a deep breath and asked:
"Tell me, how did Xu Hongru lose?"

Xu Chengye was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately said:
“Reporting to the Master, Xu Hongru… he only relies on refugees and has no support from the gentry!”
Although there were many refugees, they had no food and no discipline, and they scattered as soon as the government troops arrived!
Without the advice of scholars, he didn't know how to defend the city or collect taxes. Even after occupying Shandong, he only engaged in indiscriminate looting, and in the end, he was still surrounded by government troops.

He swallowed hard, looked into Wang Haoxian's eyes, and his voice gradually became more steady.

"But the leader is different!"
Mr. Xu was from a prominent family in Songjiang, and the Xu family had connections in the six prefectures of Jiangnan.

Xu was able to contact the Pan family in Suzhou, the Shen family in Hangzhou, and the Zhu family in Huzhou!
We can help the leader collect grain and taxes, persuade officials in various prefectures to surrender, and win over the hearts of the people, making them recognize him as a 'wise king,' not a rebel!

Wang Haoxian slowly loosened his grip, stood up, and paced back and forth in front of Xu Chengye, his eyes sweeping over the surrounding generals.

Li Tietou wanted to say something, but Wang Haoxian stopped him with a look.

"You say you can help me control the six prefectures of Jiangnan?"

Wang Haoxian stopped, his voice carrying a hint of inquiry.

"How do you control them? Can you handle the government troops in those garrisons, like Jinshanwei and Zhenhaiwei?"

"can!"

Xu Chengye quickly got up, his legs were still shaking, but he stood up straight.

"The officers and soldiers in the garrison are short of food and pay! Xu can contact the officers in the garrison."

Many of them were members of the gentry; as long as the leader offered them benefits and allowed them to continue serving as officers, they were willing to surrender!
First, eliminate the threat from the garrisons, then send troops to occupy the cities of each prefecture. After occupying each city, Xu will persuade the local gentry to surrender and offer them grain and people!
In less than three months, the leader will be able to control six prefectures: Songjiang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, and command an army of 100,000!

"Then I'll declare myself emperor and establish a system. Jiangnan will be the sect leader's domain. We won't be afraid of the government troops!"

These words were like a fire, igniting all of Wang Haoxian's ambition.

He stared at Xu Chengye for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter and patted Xu Chengye on the shoulder:

"Good! Well said, Xu Chengye! You've hit the nail on the head!"

He turned to the crowd and shouted:

"From this day forward, Xu Chengye is the strategist of our army! Anyone who dares to touch him is going against me, Wang Haoxian!"

Xu Chengye felt a huge weight lift from his heart. His back was soaked with cold sweat, his brocade robe drenched, but he immediately knelt down, his forehead pressed against the frozen earth, his voice filled with the excitement of surviving a close call:
"Your subordinate, Xu Chengye, is willing to serve the leader faithfully, even at the cost of fire and water!"

Wang Haoxian took Xu Chengye as his strategist, and the two got along very well.

His men were very unwilling.

Li Tietou slammed his broadsword into the ground, frowned, and glared at Xu Chengye, his cheeks puffed out.

"Strategist? How can he become a strategist just by saying a few words? We brothers charged ahead and didn't get any benefits from the Xu family, but he got an official position instead!"

Li Kuiqi, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement, his eyes glancing towards the Xu family manor.

Having just seen the granaries piled high in the manor and the copper locks on the treasury from afar, he had already considered those things as his own. Now, hearing that Xu Chengye had become the strategist, his plan to seize the grain failed, and his face was full of resentment.
“That’s right, leader. We could have gone in and made a good profit, but now we’ve become a ‘sacrifice.’ The brothers probably won’t be happy about that.”

Zhao San, the leader of the Cao Gang, didn't speak, but quietly tugged at the henchman beside him, his eyes filled with concern.

His boatmen came to fight with him, hoping to plunder some money and food to supplement their family income. If they didn't get a share of the Xu family's property, the brothers might become upset.

Even the old Taoist priest Sun, who had been subdued earlier, shrank back in the crowd, whispering to the followers around him:
"If we had known that surrendering would lead to official positions, why did we have to endure that knife in the first place..."

These words reached Xu Chengye's ears, and his back, which had just relaxed, tensed up again, but he didn't panic.

Xu Chengye slowly stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, and cupped his hands in a salute to the crowd, smiling as he said:

"Brothers, don't be anxious. Although I am the strategist, I dare not forget the contributions of you brothers."

As he spoke, he turned and shouted at the Xu family steward who had rushed over behind him.

"Go! Bring out all the grain and silver from the manor!"

The silver will be given to the brothers as pay first; if that's not enough, Xu will make up the difference from other assets!

The butler was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and ran back to the manor.

In less than half an hour, a group of farmhands came out carrying heavy sacks of grain. The golden millet spilled out of the sacks and rolled a few times on the ground.

The people behind carried a vermilion-lacquered silver box, and the copper lock clicked open, revealing gleaming silver that hurt the eyes.

Li Tietou stared at the grain sack, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he quietly moved the knife in his hand away slightly.

Li Kuiqi leaned forward, reached out and touched the corner of the silver box, and couldn't help but smile.

Seeing this, Zhao San breathed a sigh of relief and winked at his henchmen, signaling them to help move the things.

"Everyone, please take a look."

Xu Chengye pointed to the money and grain scattered on the ground and said with a smile:

"Xu didn't want to take advantage of the brothers; he wanted to do something big with everyone."

"Giving away some money and grain now is a small matter. Once we take over Jinshanwei and other garrisons, and control the six prefectures of Jiangnan, will we still have mountains of gold and silver to share with our brothers?"

Looking at the grain sacks and silver boxes on the ground, the resentment in everyone's hearts indeed dissipated by more than half.

Li Tietou scratched his head and said in a muffled voice:

"Why didn't you say that earlier? As long as there's a benefit, I'll listen to the strategist!"

Li Kuiqi laughed along, "Strategist, you're a true friend! We pirate brothers admire straightforward people!"

Seeing this, Wang Haoxian was even more satisfied.

Xu Chengye is not only good at devising strategies, but also at calming people down; I was right to have chosen him.

He stepped forward, patted Xu Chengye on the shoulder, and said in an urgent tone:

"Strategist, now that the brothers are all of one mind, let's not wait any longer!"

Three days later, we'll attack Jinshanwei! Once we take Jinshanwei, Songjiang Prefecture will be completely ours!

Xu Chengye felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew in his heart that this was Wang Haoxian's pledge of allegiance to him.

"Master, how many troops does Jinshanwei have now?"

He knew the details of Jinshanwei and wanted to show off.

"Humph."

Unexpectedly, Wang Haoxian sneered and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

"This is information we gathered earlier. Jinshanwei originally had eight thousand-household garrisons, with the central garrison stationed in Songjiang Prefecture, the front garrison stationed in Qingcun, and the rear garrison stationed in Nanhui, totaling more than 10,000 people."

But that old codger Yuan Keli reorganized the garrisons, laying off many old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers. Although some reinforcements were later added, only three thousand men remained!

He tossed the note to Xu Chengye, his tone full of disdain.

"Three thousand men is nothing. We have fifty thousand brothers. Even if they are all made of iron, we can still flatten Jinshanwei!"

Xu Chengye took the note and read it carefully.

The above also records the defense layout of Jinshanwei:

The main gate was guarded by the Left Thousand-Household Garrison, while the side gate was guarded by the Right Thousand-Household Garrison. Inside the arrow tower were a few old cannons, but not much gunpowder.

He thought to himself that although the garrison troops reorganized by Yuan Keli were few in number, they were all elite soldiers, and he could not fight them head-on.

However, the soldiers in the garrison have been lacking food and pay for a long time, so perhaps some of them could be persuaded to surrender...

but
How did Wang Haoxian obtain this information?
Could it be that he has someone else supporting him?

Xu Chengye was puzzled.

But soon, Xu Chengye put his doubts to himself.

Now is not the time to dwell on these things.

"Rest assured, Master!"

Xu Chengye tucked the note into his pocket and bowed deeply to Wang Haoxian.

"Three days later, I, Xu, will personally go to Jinshanwei to persuade them to surrender. If they refuse, we will launch a full-scale attack! We will definitely take Jinshanwei and present it to the leader as a congratulatory gift!"

Seeing his confidence, Wang Haoxian burst into laughter:
"Alright! As the strategist says! Three days from now, we'll meet outside Jinshanwei and show Yuan Keli that my power, Wang Haoxian's, is not something he can withstand!"

The followers nearby cheered when they heard that they were going to attack Jinshanwei and that they would receive a salary.

Xu Chengye's eyes flickered as he observed the reactions of the crowd.

His Majesty is determined to reform Jiangnan and has no regard for us.

Then don't blame us for not recognizing you as our emperor.

Your Zhu family started their rebellion in Jiangnan and eventually swept across the country.

I wait
Why can't we support a wise ruler and achieve such a great feat?

Even if it doesn't succeed, it's better than waiting to die!
You dog emperor, and you old scoundrel Yuan Keli!
Just you wait!
PS:

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(End of this chapter)