The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Mom, I've thought about it and I won't hide it from you. When parents are still alive, I won't travel far away, and if I do, I'll have a plan. Don't worry, I'm just going to Chongqing to take a look. It won't be long before I'll be back."

After saying this, he found it difficult to face his mother's tearful eyes, so he hardened his heart, turned around and walked out of the house.

Zhang Yinghao was certainly not from Chongqing. He had been in this world for a month and was ready to get started. He first arrived in Guang'an Prefecture and went straight to a blacksmith shop.

"Boss, are the iron bars and daggers I ordered ready?"

"Brother, it's ready. I'll give it to you right away."

One end of these two iron bars was polished to be very sharp. This was made by Zhang Yinghao in imitation of the three-edged military bayonet. The short knife was made by Zhang Yinghao in imitation of the boning knife of later generations.

Zhang Yinghao took them and looked at them. He thought they were good, paid the money, wrapped them in a quilt, and turned to leave. The blacksmith looked at Zhang Yinghao's back, shook his head, and stopped paying attention. He continued to prepare to forge iron and make ironware.

With the weapon in hand, Zhang Yinghao's courage immediately grew. Holding the sharp blade, he felt the killing intent.

Zhang Yinghao came to the place with the most beggars and poor people in Guang'an City. Zhang Yinghao had already scouted these places, and now it was time to use his eloquence.

"We're hiring! We're hiring. Food and lodging included. 300 wen per month. Food and lodging included..."

Zhang Yinghao was completely surprised. Hearing that food and lodging were provided, he quickly became surrounded by people. Was ten wen a day a lot in the late Qing Dynasty? It was pitifully small. But many people couldn't even afford two kilograms of meat with a month's wages. That was the reality. Furthermore, it was a year of famine, so having something to eat was good enough. A wage meant their family wouldn't starve to death.

Zhang Yinghao had his own purpose in deceiving people, so the people he chose could not be old, weak, sick or disabled, but had to be in good health. Moreover, Zhang Yinghao took the initiative and when he saw young people or people who were alone and dressed in rags, he would go over to them and recruit them in the name of recruiting workers.

Many people were starving. Zhang Yinghao offered them a sweet potato, and they followed him without a second thought. Zhang Yinghao now understood why warlords never lacked soldiers during their wars. As long as they were offered a way to survive, a large number of people would follow. In this era, too many people simply couldn't find a way to survive. These people could only lie on the side of the road, on the street, in the corner, silently waiting to die. Once someone called on them, they would choose between death and the possibility of survival. Actually, they knew what to do without having to choose. After all, there was a great terror between life and death. Even if the mind wanted to die, the body would instinctively not want to.

After discovering how easy it was to fool people, Zhang Yinghao immediately announced, "We only recruit people who are 16 or 17 years old and have no burdens. I'm recruiting people who will leave Guang'an and won't come back for a long time or may never come back again. If they do well, they can marry and settle down there."

After hearing what Zhang Yinghao said, some people immediately gave up, but Zhang Yinghao was still surrounded by people. Zhang Yinghao saw that some older people were still unwilling to leave, so he started counting people, selecting those who met the requirements and discarding the others.

"May I have your name"

"Zhang Feng."

"What about you?"

"Bai Jianyong."

"Ouyang Jun."

"Zhang Jianping."

"Hu Songhui."

"Luo Zelin."

"Li Tong."

"Bao Shilin."

"Wang Daniu."

"Li Erzhu."

"Zhang Weiqiang."

"Yuan Kesheng."

"Hello, my name is Zhang Yinghao, you can call me Zhang Yinghao, or Brother Hao..."

After recording these people's names, Zhang Yinghao was very satisfied. In total, Zhang Yinghao recruited twelve half-grown young men. Zhang Yinghao didn't dare to deceive dozens or even hundreds of people at once. Otherwise, if so many people rebelled against him, he would be dead. Moreover, he couldn't afford to support only a few dozen people. He led them through the streets and alleys to a porridge shop and ordered thirteen bowls of porridge. After each of them ate a bowl, Zhang Yinghao prepared to lead the team up the mountain.

Zhang Yinghao had recruited twelve young men without much effort. Although it seemed unbelievable, it was the truth. He asked them to bring their luggage and follow him, but Zhang Yinghao began to wonder why these people followed him.

But overthinking was pointless. Zhang Yinghao used his remaining money to buy two boxes of matches and the rest of the money to buy salt. He then set out on the arduous journey with these people. Zhang Yinghao's route was simple: he simply headed towards the middle of the mountains. Along the way, Zhang Yinghao stopped trying to trick these people and instead diligently memorized their names. Since they had followed him, remembering their names was the most basic thing to do.

Along the way, Zhang Yinghao spoke mostly words of encouragement. He began to cultivate a spirit of mutual help and solidarity among them. He encouraged everyone to lend a hand, share the luggage, and support each other. Zhang Yinghao even took on a piece of the luggage of the person behind him. Actually, these people didn't have much luggage, and four of them only had two broken bowls and nothing else. It was just that these people had experienced long periods of hunger and were now starving and exhausted.

Zhang Yinghao looked at these little friends and was about to cry. He was so helpless. They hadn't walked far when their backs couldn't straighten up. Zhang Yinghao was walking slowly in front when he suddenly heard a cry of pain from behind.

“Ah, ah, it hurts.”

Zhang Yinghao looked back and saw that they were suffering from leg cramps. Five people started to suffer from severe leg cramps in a short while. Zhang Yinghao knew that these people were suffering from a lack of salt and calcium in their bodies.

Now it was Zhang Yinghao's turn to be a real test. He immediately assumed the roles of father, mother, and teacher. He immediately shouted, "Rest now."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao took out salt from his bag and began to prepare salt water for them.

Chapter 4: Teaching Summary Killing Bandits

3814 words

Being cautious is not a sign of being careful, but a way of being human. — Quotes from Zhang Yinghao

Zhang Yinghao is now completely worried about letting Zhang Feng and others prepare the brine themselves. If it is too salty, it will be a waste of salt, and if it is too bland, it will have no effect.

"Zhang Feng, Li Tong, go get some firewood so we can roast some sweet potatoes."

Zhang Yinghao almost always required his food to be cooked. Although he could eat it raw, it was not as easy to digest as cooked food, which provided more energy. Perhaps it was this concern that kept these people following Zhang Yinghao and not leaving the group.

Seeing how weak these people were, Zhang Yinghao felt uneasy. First, they were too weak, and he didn't know how long it would take for them to recover. Second, he had tricked them into coming here, and if they reacted emotionally, it would be difficult to deal with.

But Zhang Yinghao had no escape route. He began to think wildly, perhaps he wasn't meant to be the protagonist. His resentment surged, unstoppable. It made sense. Others who traveled through time either learned to make medicine, were born into landlords or compradors, or were royal relatives, or joined the military, becoming minor officials or even managing a warehouse or operating an aircraft carrier. He, on the other hand, was half-dead, struggling to make ends meet, and felt like he knew nothing.

Zhang Yinghao now clearly understood that he must have his own strength to rely on and cultivate his own power in order to survive in this chaotic world. Therefore, he must establish his own base, otherwise he would have no place in the coming era. Rebellion against the Qing Dynasty was indeed a glorious career, and Zhang Yinghao was not unfamiliar with anything else except revolution.

Thinking about it now, it made sense that he hadn't done so well in the modern world. He really didn't have the funds, the skills, or the ability. So at this time, Zhang Yinghao also made up his mind. He still had a chance if he risked his life. And now was the time to rely on his foresight and ability to fight hard.

"Haha, these roasted sweet potatoes smell so good! I can't stop drooling. Erzhu, after drinking the salt water, are your legs still cramping?"

"It's much better now."

Since none of the thirteen people knew each other well, everyone was very reserved and chatted sporadically.

Seeing that the sweet potatoes were almost done, Zhang Yinghao said, "Let me ask you all a question. Our sweet potatoes are almost done. How do you plan to divide them so that everyone gets a similar amount? Or so that everyone can accept it?"

"How do we divide it? Brother Hao, you are our leader, so of course you will divide it."

"Haha, of course I can do the division. You're all unfamiliar with each other here, so everyone recognizes me. So Jianping's idea is to find someone everyone recognizes to do the division, right?"

"Yes, that's what I mean."

"We have thirteen people now, so it's easy to find someone everyone agrees on. But what if there are 130 people? And no one knows each other, so how are we going to choose a leader? Choosing a leader is like choosing a leader, and the daylilies are cold. Is there any other way to divide the group?"

"Forehead......"

When Zhang Jianping heard what Zhang Yinghao said, his face immediately turned red and he was speechless.

"Take the steelyard scale, and everyone has the same amount."

"Then we have to weigh it later. The daylilies are already cold. And where can we get a scale here?"

"Haha, Erzhu, look, they've all learned to answer quickly. Using a scale is fairer, but isn't it overkill to use a scale to weigh these few sweet potatoes? Besides, the sweet potatoes at the ends don't have as much meat as the middle, so those who get the ends won't be happy. How are you going to solve this problem?"

"Well, Brother Hao, how do you think we should divide it?"

"Then let me ask you a question. Do you think the distribution of sweet potatoes will ensure that everyone gets the same amount, absolutely fair?"

"Shouldn't it be possible?"

"That's absolutely not possible. Sweet potatoes have heads and tails, some are big, some are small. We're not gods, so it's impossible for us to be absolutely fair. The reason we feel uncomfortable is actually because we're afraid of being taken advantage of, afraid of being bullied, and afraid that others will give us a little and discriminate against us. Isn't that the truth?"

"Yes, Brother Hao, you are right, that's the truth."

"I have a few principles here. I'll explain them to you and you'll know what to do. The first is to be wise when you're not involved. This means you should look at the issue from the perspective of an outsider and not allow yourself to have any vested interest in it. Once you have a vested interest, you won't be able to see the full picture.

If we assign one person to divide the prizes, we'll quickly notice that this person always gives the most to themselves and those they know. Isn't that the truth? No matter how many people we change, they'll always have someone they know. Or maybe we'll find someone from the outside who knows no one else to divide the prizes. This might be fairer once or twice. But if someone wants to get more, others will naturally try to curry their favor. After all, no one can exist in isolation, and unfairness quickly sets in.

If one person can't divide the work alone, what about everyone taking turns? Soon, everyone discovered that the person whose turn it was to distribute the work gave more to themselves and to those they knew well. This gave everyone more power, which seemed to make things equal, but it also led to a complete outbreak of conflict within the team, and the team fell apart.

Another option is to find someone I trust. If everyone trusts me, then I'll take over the distribution. I might not give myself a larger share, but if someone among you has a personal relationship with me, and I give them a larger share every day out of respect, that's still unfair. These people are all participating in the distribution of benefits, so it's impossible to be objective and fair.

"Brother Hao, how do you think we should divide it?"

"Well, before we divide it up, we have to understand one thing. No matter how we divide the sweet potatoes, some people will always have more and some will have less. This is an objective fact, right? It's impossible for everyone to be absolutely the same."

"Correct."

"impossible."

......

"Next, I'm going to talk about the second principle, which is the principle of loss of interests, or the principle that human nature is inherently evil. Whoever distributes will suffer losses. This loss doesn't mean they get less, but rather that they have to make the final choice. Everyone should know that distribution is a zero-sum game, just like our sweet potatoes. If you take one more bite, someone else takes one less. So, do you all know how to divide it?"

"Brother Hao, do you mean that the person assigned should be chosen last?"

"Yes, that's what I mean. We don't need to look for someone who is highly respected or recognized by everyone, and we don't need to use scales. The person who distributes the food will stand aside after dividing it, and he will take it last. If the person who distributes the food wants to take more, he will be distributed as fairly as possible. Otherwise, it goes without saying that he will definitely get the smallest share."

Zhang Yinghao's words made everyone understand that this was indeed the greatest possible embodiment of fairness. Everyone wanted fairness and didn't want to be wronged.

"Brother Hao, then the person who gets it first can choose the one he feels best. Isn't this still a bit unfair?"

"Haha, you've finally brought up this question. Shilin is very good. It's true that one person is bound to make mistakes, so the distribution cannot be done by just one person. Secondly, the distribution cannot always be done in a fixed order, but must be done randomly. Okay, enough talk. Now, who will volunteer to distribute it to everyone? I'm hungry."

After eating the sweet potatoes and sitting for about ten minutes, Zhang Yinghao shouted and left. Everyone stood up and packed their luggage.

"There's one very important thing we haven't done yet, and that's putting out the fire we started."

Seeing that everyone was about to leave and no one was going to put out the last spark, Zhang Yinghao had to remind them again.

"Whoever started the fire must put it out. You must finish what you start. Before you eat, you must know where to poop. After you finish eating, you must clean up the mess and clear the dishes. Otherwise, don't eat."

After walking and stopping several times, they finally reached their destination. However, at the last moment before entering the mountain, Zhang Yinghao asked one last time: "Is there anyone who wants to go back now?"

In reality, Zhang Yinghao's worries were unnecessary. None of these people knew where they would be tomorrow, so having someone to follow was a blessing. After all, if they died, they died together. These people had all suffered immensely, endured indifference, and truly endured hardship. They followed Zhang Yinghao because they had nowhere else to go. Seeing no one else was leaving, Zhang Yinghao, fearless and unfazed, led them headfirst into the mountains.

"This mushroom is inedible. The brighter the color of the mushroom, the more poisonous it is generally."

"What? Erzhu has a fever? Quickly boil some hot water and get some cold water to cool him down physically."

"You can't throw a javelin like that. You have to hold it in the upper middle and aim and throw it."

"Got a pheasant? Where are the feathers? Lost them? Hurry up and pick them up and dry them. They're useless now, but maybe they'll be useful someday."

"Come, read with me, be brave."

"Pinyin: b-ai-bai"

"One plus one equals what? Two."

Once inside the mountains, Zhang Yinghao's real suffering began. Initially, he had to play both father and mother. He put into practice every wilderness survival technique he'd seen on TV, learned from books, and used in his own rural life. Unaccustomed to the conditions, four of them developed fevers during the first few difficult days. But these people were known for their perseverance and perseverance. After the initial seven or eight days of adaptation, under Zhang Yinghao's personal guidance, instruction, and practice, their survival gradually improved, eventually allowing them to eat meat every day.

Zhang Yinghao and his friends are all thinner than before, but after so many days, everyone has gradually realized that this mountain is a treasure trove. As long as they can go through a period of adaptation, their lives will definitely get better and better.

However, the real improvement in life was actually thanks to the chaos of the times. At noon on the tenth day after Zhang Yinghao and his companions entered the mountains, while he was out hunting, he looked up and saw a few people in the distance, who were also dressed in rags.

When Zhang Yinghao saw these people, he felt very happy and wanted to go up and say hello. However, when he saw these people tying up a person in the middle of the team, he immediately became cautious and hid by the side of the road to listen carefully to their conversation.

Soon, he could hear the voices of these people talking. Zhang Yinghao didn't dare to get too close at first. The intermittent conversations were nothing more than kidnapping and extortion.

After careful observation, Zhang Yinghao discovered that these people had no guns, only some iron weapons. He guessed that they might be the legendary kidnappers, and they might have just come up the mountain. Zhang Yinghao thought to himself, "You deserve this bad luck."

Zhang Yinghao's heart quickened when he saw the iron weapons. He was in urgent need of them, so he immediately retreated, ran all the way, and called the twelve people he had recruited, armed with their homemade weapons, and rushed towards the kidnappers' path.

These weapons are just some bamboo javelins that are more than one person tall. They are very useful for hunting after being sharpened. Zhang Yinghao started teaching these simple skills on the first day of going up the mountain, such as javelin throwing and trap making. Although they were learned from books and TV, they are generally quite useful.

Zhang Yinghao and his men went through other roads and ambushed the kidnappers on the roadside. It was their first time to fight or kill someone, so these brothers were very nervous.

Zhang Yinghao saw that several of them had pale faces. However, it was impossible to say that they were too scared to move. In this era, who hadn't seen a few dead bodies? It was just that there was a difficult hurdle in their hearts that they couldn't get over when they killed someone and saw the dead.

However, Zhang Yinghao had been training in ambushes since the very first time. After all, in such a vast land as China, in this era, no matter how sophisticated the enemy's weapons were or how many people there were, no matter how inferior one's own weapons were, there would always be a place suitable for an ambush. So Zhang Yinghao's first training was in raids and ambushes.

Chapter 5: Killing more bandits and obtaining guns

3911 words

If you suddenly realize something, write it down. It may be very important to you. If you don't write it down, you will soon forget it. - Quotes by Zhang Yinghao

Zhang Yinghao called everyone over and gave them detailed instructions: "Everyone, get ready and aim. When I say throw, throw immediately. Everyone must knock down all the enemies in the first two rounds, otherwise you might get injured. If you don't have medicine, the result is almost certain death."

Everyone was in ambush. Zhang Yinghao was very excited at this time. His head was full of blood and his eyes could see things very clearly. Zhang Yinghao even felt that he could see all the facial expressions of the people opposite him.

After confirming that these people were kidnappers, Zhang Yinghao no longer hesitated and ordered an attack when the kidnappers passed directly across from his ambush.

"cast!"

Zhang Yinghao threw the javelin in his hand. The others followed suit. After the first round, if he saw anyone still standing or shouting, he would immediately throw a second round. If he saw anyone still howling, he would throw a third round. He easily achieved a complete victory. Life is so fragile.