I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

After leaving the outpost, Hong Niangzi began searching for the nearest village to recruit refugees.

After visiting several villages, all they found were the elderly, women, and children. After some questioning, they learned that almost all the able-bodied men in the entire Zhen Ding Prefecture had been conscripted.

At first, she thought it was Emperor Chongzhen's doing, but after inquiring carefully, she realized that it was not.

When Liu Fangliang's army entered Zhengding, they had already recruited a group of young men from the local people. After Li Yan arrived, he recruited laborers again. As a result, there were very few young men left in Zhengding Prefecture.

This place happened to be located at the border of Zhengding Prefecture and Baoding Prefecture. Hong Niangzi made a quick decision to go to Baoding Prefecture to recruit manpower.

I hadn't gone far when I saw a man in the field vigorously wielding a hoe to till the land.

"Whoa!"

Hong Niangzi reined in her horse and called out loudly, "Hey, what's your name?"

The man, suddenly noticing so many people, became nervous, gripping his hoe tightly with both hands, and replied, "My surname is Tian, ​​I don't have a given name, I'm the third child in my family, everyone calls me Tian Laosan."

"Tian Laosan, don't be afraid, we are the righteous army."

To get closer to him, Hong Niangzi dismounted and walked towards him.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing this, Tian Laosan became even more wary and asked, "What rebel army? What do you want?"

The matchmaker patiently said, "We are the rebel army under Li Zicheng. Have you heard of Li Zicheng, the emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty?"

Old Tian answered decisively: "No!"

Seeing this, Hong Niangzi continued, "The Ming Dynasty is corrupt and the people are suffering terribly. That's why thousands of righteous people have risen up in rebellion, killing officials and rebelling. Tian Laosan, why don't you join us? I guarantee you'll live a good life."

Old Tian shook his head and said, "I don't have that kind of mind. I just want to farm properly and live my peaceful life."

Hong Niangzi was still undeterred and continued to persuade her, "If you follow us, you won't be afraid of being bullied by those landlords and officials. Tell me, if anyone bullies you, we can help you get revenge!"

Old Tian gripped his hoe tighter and said in a muffled voice, "Nobody's bullying me. You guys should leave now and not keep me from farming."

Upon hearing this, Hong Niangzi became somewhat angry, and her tone rose: "I'm only trying to help you out of kindness! Look at those landlords and officials, when have they ever treated us common people like human beings? Take farming, for example. You work yourself to the bone all year round, but after paying rent and all sorts of exorbitant taxes, how much is left? If you come with us, I guarantee you'll have enough to eat and wear. The rebel leader doesn't charge taxes when he comes—haven't you heard of such a good thing?"

Old Tian stubbornly insisted, "I don't know who the rebel king is, and I don't care about that. I'll just farm my land. You should leave now and stop bothering me."

After saying that, he picked up his hoe again and continued hoeing the ground, without even glancing at Hong Niangzi.

"Sigh, you..."

Hong Niangzi wanted to say a few more words of persuasion when a voice suddenly came from behind her: "Tian Laosan, is that really you?"

Tian Laosan glanced at the other person, and said in a low voice, "I don't recognize you."

The man quickly added, "I am Zhang Gouwa. We are from the same village. We even killed a landlord together before. Later, we were besieged by the government, and we all got separated. I couldn't find you."

Old Tian continued wielding his hoe, as if he had gone deaf.

Zhang Gouwa continued, "Later, I was rescued by Hong Niangzi and have been serving under her ever since. I even asked around about you and heard that you went to Shaanxi with Liu Fangliang's army, made meritorious contributions, and were promoted to a junior officer. How come you're... farming here?"

When Hong Niangzi heard that the other party was Liu Fangliang's man, her heart skipped a beat, and her hands unconsciously rested on the hilt of her knife.

After hearing Zhang Gouwa's words, Tian Laosan just sighed softly and said, "I'm just an ordinary citizen now. Don't look for me anymore. Just let me farm in peace."

Seeing this, Hong Niangzi drew her knife with a swift movement and asked sharply, "Were you sent by Liu Fangliang? How many of you came? If you have the guts, come out. What kind of skill is it to sneak around and set up an ambush?"

Old Tian frowned, looking helpless, and said, "I don't know what conflict you had with Liu Fangliang. That's your business. I don't want to ask or care. The current emperor has pardoned our crime of rebellion and even gave each of us five mu of land, and only charges one-tenth of the tax. There has never been such a good emperor in history. I, Old Tian, ​​have suffered half my life and can finally have a few days of peace. You should leave now and stop bothering me."

At this moment, other men nearby, hearing the commotion, hurried over with hoes, shovels, and other farm tools. They stood warily around Tian Laosan, their eyes fixed on Hong Niangzi and the others with hostility.

Seeing this, Hong Niangzi sneered and said, "Still not admitting it? Who are these people? Did Liu Fangliang arrange for you to ambush us here beforehand?"

Old Tian frowned, somewhat impatiently saying, "They're just like us, people who have received favors from the Emperor. The Emperor gave us land so we can live a peaceful life. Why don't you hurry up and leave?"

When Hong Niangzi saw that the people in these hands were just ordinary farm tools, not weapons, she couldn't help but start to waver.

When I recalled that I was arrested by Chongzhen, I had heard that the Ming Dynasty had implemented new policies in Baoding Prefecture, distributing land to the people and only collecting 10% tax. At the time, I thought it was unreliable. Could it be true?

Seeing that Hong Niangzi still showed no sign of leaving, Tian Laosan raised his voice and said, "We really don't welcome you here. You should leave now!"

But Hong Niangzi really didn't want to give up so easily. She felt that these were all suffering people, and if she could reason with them and appeal to their emotions, she might be able to persuade them to join the righteous army.

Thinking of this, she continued to persuade them: "Fellow villagers, listen to my advice. Only by following our righteous army can you have enough to eat and wear, and live a good life. If you have any requests, just tell me, and I, Hong Niangzi, will do everything I can to fulfill them!"

Finally, Tian Laosan lost his temper. His face flushed red, and he roared, "I demand that you get out of my field! We've finally managed to have a few days of peace and quiet, and we don't want anything to do with people like you anymore. Don't waste your time here, just get out!"

The other men chimed in, waving their farm tools and making a gesture as if to drive them away.

Seeing this, Hong Niangzi felt both angry and disappointed.

He thought that revealing his name would surely bring him some benefits, but the opposite happened.

Beside the third brother, a man stepped forward, his face filled with grief and indignation, and said, "I only joined your rebel army because I needed food. But do you know? Your commanders don't treat us like human beings at all! During battles, they always send us refugees to the front lines, herding us like sheep, completely disregarding our lives. More than thirty of us from the same village came together, and today, I'm the only one left!"

Hong Niangzi was momentarily taken aback, but before she could respond, another man shouted, "I was originally from Zhen Ding Prefecture, farming at home, when you forcibly abducted me. Now I can't go home, and I've finally managed to settle down here again. Why should I go with you?"

"You rebel leaders have plundered countless gold and silver treasures, indulging in lavish feasts every day, and seizing any beautiful woman you see. How are you any different from those arrogant and domineering officials and landlords?"

"We risk our lives, every battle is a brush with death, and yet we still have our rations cut. A righteous army? Pah!"

Hong Niangzi opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself at a loss for words.

The rebel army grew too fast and its composition became too diverse. Inevitably, there were some bad apples. This was why she preferred to be alone and didn't want to get too close to those people. But she never expected that the soldiers in the army would suffer so much.

"No, that's not how it is. We're different from them!"

Hong Niangzi said urgently, "We started this rebellion so that the people could live a better life. We, we..."

However, these once righteous words now seem so pale, and they can't be continued even after being spoken halfway through.

Old Man Tian said coldly, "No matter what you say, I will never believe you again. I just want to keep my land and live a peaceful life. You can leave now, or we'll report you to the authorities."

Looking at those hostile eyes, Hong Niangzi felt bitter. She turned around, mounted her horse, and silently left.