The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

The conversation between Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing ultimately failed to produce a definite result, and Zhou Lun temporarily stalled for the time being.

Li Wanqing wasn't in a hurry about this, after all, anyone would be surprised to hear this decision at first. Moreover, he knew that Zhou Lun was different from others, always thoughtful and considering issues more comprehensively, so it was normal for him to have some concerns about this matter.

However, Li Wanqing felt that, judging from the conversation, Zhou Lun was more inclined to stand on his side and was very confident about it.

However, Li Wanqing was unaware that while Zhou Lun had settled down in Gushan Fort and he was busy preparing for his wedding, his subordinate Li Shoutian was secretly plotting with Li Wanqing's father-in-law, the centurion He, and his so-called "uncle," planning their next move.

"Why is it that only Zhou Lun came this time? This makes things difficult."

He Baihu was short and chubby, and did not look like a military household at all, but rather like a pampered rich man.

He frowned, his short, round fingers tapping on the table, and couldn't help but grumble.

"My general and Wang Er have never gotten along, so it's normal that he didn't come. As for Zhao Sheng, although they are sworn brothers, they don't interact much because of Zhou Lun. As for Gao Yingxiang, it goes without saying that he has been wary of my general ever since the alliance was formed. Moreover, Gao Yingxiang is always cautious in his actions, and as the chief leader, he naturally doesn't like to leave Fugu," Li Shoutian explained with a wry smile.

"This is going to be difficult."

Commander He frowned even more deeply. He subconsciously glanced at his "brother-in-law" beside him, his expression a mixture of ingratiation and inquiry: "Lord Lin, what do you think should be done about this matter?"

Lin was dressed plainly, but his face showed shrewdness, and he certainly looked like a businessman.

But in reality, he was neither a businessman nor He Baihu's so-called brother-in-law.

His true identity was an official under Yang He, the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, holding the rank of a sixth-grade sub-prefect. He stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and smiled, "When we devised the plan, it would have been best if Gao Yingxiang had come. Now that he hasn't come, and neither have Wang Er and Zhao Sheng, it's indeed a bit difficult. But thankfully, Zhou Lun has arrived. Since he's here, it's alright. Although Zhou Lun is relatively unknown, he is, after all, a general under Gao Yingxiang and Gao Yingxiang's nephew-in-law. This man has a special status; if we can capture him, it's like cutting off Gao Yingxiang's arm, which isn't a bad thing..."

"That won't do!" Li Shoutian immediately objected, "Zhou Lun and my general are sworn brothers, as close as blood brothers. If Zhou Lun's life is harmed, my general will turn against us!"

"Hahaha, General Li, what are you afraid of?" Magistrate Lin laughed. "I never said I wanted Zhou Lun's life. I'm just using this opportunity to take him. Besides, once we have Zhou Lun, your general will have completely fallen out with Gao Yingxiang, and there will be no possibility of negotiation between the two sides."

He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "General Li, don't you miss the official position Lord Yang promised? As long as your general truly abandons the darkness and joins the government army, the official position promised to Gao Yingxiang will be yours. As for you, General Li, a commander plus a hereditary centurion is a sure thing. Where else in the world can you find such a good deal? When the opportunity comes, don't miss it!"

"This..." Li Shoutian's expression was conflicted. This was something he had always dreamed of, and it was for this reason that he had been whispering in Li Wanqing's ear, persuading him to accept the court's terms of pacification, to become an official instead of a bandit, and to leave the righteous army.

In Li Shoutian's view, there was no way out for him to become a righteous army or a rebel.

Don't be fooled by the current antics of the rebels; once the imperial court intervenes, these rabble will be no match for them. Rather than blindly following Gao Yingxiang down this dark path, it would be better to take this opportunity to accept their offer of amnesty.

If this succeeds, not only will he be able to shed his identity as a rebel, but he will also instantly become an official, enjoying unimaginable wealth and honor.

Li Shoutian was just a farmer who could barely read or write. Given his status and abilities, it would be incredibly difficult for him to rise above his station in this life. Unless he joined Li Wanqing in rebelling against the court, seizing power, and then becoming a high-ranking official, how easy was that?

Was the Ming Dynasty's rule so easily seized? They hadn't even managed to gain a foothold in Shaanxi alone. With its two capitals and thirteen provinces, the Ming Dynasty possessed a million-strong army; if it launched a full-scale attack, these rebel armies would be as vulnerable as clay chickens and earthen dogs.

If he were to be defeated and die, everything would vanish like smoke, and nothing would remain. How could Li Shoutian accept that? And now, with such a golden opportunity before him, how could he not seize it firmly?

After a moment's thought, Li Shoutian gritted his teeth and said, "If it's just about capturing Zhou Lun without killing him, that's feasible. However, Lord Lin, Zhou Lun was originally the second-in-command of our tribe, with deep roots within our ranks. If I were to lead men to take action, I'm afraid..."

"That's easy." Magistrate Lin smiled and pointed to Commander He beside him, saying, "Isn't the day after tomorrow the day Miss He will marry your general? Let Commander He handle this matter. We can mobilize manpower and launch a surprise attack on the wedding day. Zhou Lun will be caught off guard and have no power to resist. Once we have him, we don't need to take his life. As long as we have him in our hands, once your lord officially submits to the court, this matter will be settled."

"Don't worry about that. Although the He family doesn't have many servants, taking one person shouldn't be a problem. I'll take care of this."

He Baihu chuckled. If this matter succeeded, it would also greatly benefit him. Not only would he receive the official position promised by Yang He, but once Li Wanqing became a military officer in the imperial court, wouldn't his own status rise accordingly?

Although the three had different plans, they were all heading in the same direction. Therefore, Li Shoutian had no reason to object. The three huddled together to discuss the details carefully, chatting for a long time before parting ways.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was Li Wanqing's wedding day.

As one of the main leaders of the rebel army and the highest military commander of Gushan Fort, Li Wanqing's wedding was naturally a grand affair.

Although his parents had passed away, his marriage was still carried out according to the proper rites. The traditional betrothal and marriage ceremony had already been completed, and today was the day for the bride's arrival and the wedding ceremony. The entire Gushan Fort was filled with joy, and the groom, Li Wanqing, dressed in his wedding attire, beamed with happiness. Seeing him like this, Zhou Lun chuckled and teased him, and the two brothers smiled broadly, creating a harmonious and joyful scene.

At the appointed time, Li Wanqing led his men to fetch the bride.

The bride, carried in a bridal sedan chair, was transported back to the fortress. Then, at the auspicious hour, the wedding ceremony took place. Since his parents were not present, Li Wanqing could only kowtow before the ancestral and parental tablets. Amidst the sounds of firecrackers and drums, the wedding proceeded smoothly.

After the ceremony was completed smoothly, Li Wanqing had the bride escorted to the bridal chamber, changed her clothes, and then came out to greet the guests.

There were quite a few guests today, including relatives from Liwang Village who had accompanied the army, the bride's family, and many more of Li Wanqing's subordinates. Li Wanqing had even made special arrangements for the villagers of Gushanbao, setting up a banquet in a nearby town. Even with the current difficult circumstances, ensuring everyone had a good meal was no problem.

Unexpectedly, just as Li Wanqing was enthusiastically serving wine to the guests, he suddenly realized that one of the guests was missing.

This person was none other than his sworn brother, Zhou Lun.

"tractor!"

Upon hearing his older brother's call, Wang Tieniu, who was shouting and playing drinking games with a group of men, immediately stopped what he was doing and scurried over: "Brother, what's up?"

"Have you seen your brother Lun?"

"I can see it ahead."

"What time was it before?"

"When your elder brother went to the wedding, didn't Lun-ge accompany you? Oh, by the way, on the way back, Lun-ge seemed to have an upset stomach and went to the toilet..."

Li Wanqing sensed something was amiss and quickly told Wang Tieniu to go find Zhou Lun and see where he was. Before Wang Tieniu could even go, Li Shoutian rushed over.

"Big brother!"

"What's wrong?"

"Lun...Brother Lun...ran away..." Li Shoutian's face was very ugly. He had already made arrangements, just waiting to take down Zhou Lun after the wedding ceremony. Who would have thought that before the ceremony even started, Zhou Lun had disappeared without a trace.

At first, Li Shoutian thought Zhou Lun had temporarily left, but after waiting for a while and still not seeing him, he immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly led his men to search for him. After searching for a long time, they discovered that Zhou Lun had actually run away, and not only him, but all the men he had brought with him had also vanished without a trace.

"They ran away?" Li Wanqing's expression changed, and he stared intently at Li Shoutian.

Li Wanqing wasn't stupid; he knew his sworn brother Zhou Lun very well, and Li Shoutian was also his cousin.

Li Shoutian looked very uncomfortable and even bluntly asked if Zhou Lun had run away. There must be some reason why Zhou Lun would suddenly leave without saying goodbye under these circumstances. This made Li Wanqing wary.

"What exactly happened? Tell me honestly!" Li Wanqing asked, his face darkening and suppressing his anger.

Li Shoutian couldn't withstand the pressure from Li Wanqing. Left with no other choice, he had to confess in detail about his conspiracy with He Baihu.

After hearing these words, Li Wanqing finally understood what they had been doing behind his back. In other words, Zhou Lun must have sensed the danger, and might even have thought that Li Wanqing had arranged everything, which is why he suddenly ran away, leading to the current situation.

"You...you...you bastard!"

Li Wanqing instantly flew into a rage. If it weren't for the fact that Li Shoutian was his cousin, he would have even wanted to take out his knife and chop the guy up.

Li Wanqing, a man of loyalty and deep affection, never imagined such a thing would happen, even forcing his brother to flee for his life without a word. What he found even more intolerable was that this was all done behind his back, and Zhou Lun might now believe it was all his doing. How could he not be furious?

He was so angry that his fingers trembled and his face turned red.

Li Shoutian was so frightened that he didn't dare to utter a sound.

He hadn't expected Zhou Lun to slip away so quickly, catching him completely off guard. If he had actually captured Zhou Lun, things would have been fine, but Zhou Lun had escaped, and now the blame was being pinned on his elder brother. What was he to do?