Chapter 339 0334 [Equal to the rich and the poor, both rich and poor]
If Xingyuan Mansion is captured, troops must be sent immediately.
The later we move south, the more important passes the government will consolidate.
The officers and soldiers captured in this battle were first classified according to their place of origin, and were given priority in training those who were not from Xingyuan Prefecture, and took them back to their hometowns. The strong ones were regular soldiers, and the old and weak were miscellaneous soldiers.
Then, young and strong soldiers were selected from among the local captives, and the rest were given some rations and returned to their hometowns.
The strength of Zhu Ming's troops thus expanded to 20,000 (excluding Yangzhou and Jinzhou defenders).
The troops were divided into two groups.
Zhu Ming personally led the main force and marched southward along the Golden Bull Road.
Li Bao led five thousand partial troops down the Micang Road.
Li Jinyi and Gong Xiu led two thousand vanguard troops and took the lead in attacking Sanquan County.
Sanquan County's troops have already been transferred to Xingyuan Prefecture to defend the city. At this time, the defense is empty and it is easy to capture.
Li Jinyi and Gong Xiu arrived at Sanquan, and as expected they encountered no resistance. The county magistrate had already run away, and the subordinate officials opened the city to surrender, so there was no fighting.
The two did not stay, but took supplies and rested for a day. Li Jinyi led his troops to the south, and Gong Xiu led his troops to the north.
Let's say that Gong Xiu led a thousand troops and went to attack Xingzhou.
Xingzhou (Lueyang) only has two counties, Shunzheng and Changju. Its strategic position is extremely important. It is connected with Sanquan County and jointly controls the E-Sichuan-Shaanxi-Hanzhong Passage.
In addition, there is economic value.
There are three major money-making institutions on Chuanxia 4th Road. Among them, Jizhongjian is located in Xingzhou and casts iron coins every year.
Whoever is the prime minister will be promoted by his confidants to help the supervisors.
Today's supervisor is naturally a member of Wang Fu's party, and his name is Yang Zhaoshu.
The magistrate of Xingzhou recruited rural soldiers and took the patrol soldiers to defend the city. Yang Zhaoshu insisted on taking some of them to guard his coin foundry, and also organized and trained an army of miners.
Gong Xiu went up the Jialing River. Due to the turbulent water in the river, it was difficult to sail in many places, and he could not find trackers for a while. After nearly a month of procrastination, he consumed most of the military rations he carried, and finally arrived near Jizhong Prison.
"Dad, there are officers and soldiers ahead!" Gong Yi came back with the exploration team.
Gong Xiu ordered: "Stop and prepare to fight."
But I saw several strong men approaching, kneeling on the ground all the way, two of them still holding their heads in their hands.
Gong Xiu took a few steps forward and asked, "Who are you?"
A strong man replied: "We are blacksmiths and miners in Ji Zhongjian. We couldn't stand being exploited and beaten by corrupt officials, so we killed the field supervisor and inspection commander. There are more than 2,000 brothers in Ji Zhongjian who are willing to do it."
Follow Mr. Zhu to do great things!"
Gong Xiu said happily: "More than two thousand people are all craftsmen?"
The strong man said: "There are also some rural soldiers recruited by the supervisor. They can't stand it and join us in killing officials and rebelling."
"good!"
Gong Xiu laughed heartily: "Whose head is in your hand?"
The strong man gritted his teeth and said: "The head of the supervisor Yang Zhaoshu, this bird official is used to messing with us."
Gong Xiu asked again: "How many officers and soldiers are there in Xingzhou City?"
"I don't know." The strong man said.
Gong Xiu accepted more than two thousand soldiers and continued walking north along the river valley.
When I arrived at the gate of Xingzhou City, I saw that the city gate was wide open and the people in the city were fleeing.
Gong Xiu sent someone to stop him and inquired carefully, only to find out that the miners in charge of the Jizhong Supervisor had rebelled by killing officials. The Xingzhou Prefect ran away after hearing the news.
The governor of Xingzhou fled to Changju County by boat. Still feeling that it was not safe enough, he greased his feet and fled to Chengzhou (Chengxian County), which was already the boundary of Qinfeng Road. Halfway through, the magistrate of Changju County followed the governor, and the whole of Xingzhou was
No one is in charge of the situation.
After taking Xingzhou in such a confused way, Gong Xiu scratched his head and said to himself: "Am I bad luck or good luck with my horoscope?"
"Good luck." Gong Yi said.
The father and son set up an army in the abandoned gold mine, eager to do something big.
As a result, they attacked Chenggu, Xingzhou, and Changju, and all the officials abandoned the city and fled. Until now, they have not seen any blood.
…
But it was said that Li Jinyi continued to open the road south and was stuck when he arrived at Mantian Village.
This place is also called Chaotian Gorge. Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty fled to Sichuan, and officials from Sichuan came here to pick him up, which means "to pay homage to the emperor" (later it was renamed Mingyue Gorge).
High mountains, deep gorges, rapids, plank roads, and fortresses... without twenty or thirty thousand troops, it is impossible to defeat them through a forceful attack regardless of casualties.
Huang Deyu, the governor of Lizhou, who was over 60 years old, personally took charge of Mantian Village and had a coffin beside him.
Huang Deyu stood with his hands behind his hands, looking at the bandits who came to inquire about the news, expressionless and not saying a word.
He was a Jinshi at the age of twenty, a talented young man, charming and suave.
At that time, the third place was not fixed for the third place, but the youngest and most handsome Jinshi.
He is Tan Hua Lang.
Guan Jun, the imperial censor who was born second in the rankings, took the initiative to marry his niece. For a time, he had a beautiful woman in his arms, a promising future, and unspeakable glory.
In Min County, he personally visited the typhoon-stricken area and led the people in disaster relief.
In Fengxiang, he encouraged the people to complain and severely punished the children of aristocratic families (there were a large number of officials and aristocratic families in Fengxiang Prefecture).
However, these political achievements are ineffective and offend the powerful, making it difficult for them to be promoted.
Huang Deyu was able to be promoted to a court official because he was good at calligraphy and painting...
Song Huizong liked his calligraphy and painting, named him Shaobao, and asked him to teach the princes.
Because he was not tolerated by Wang Fu and was close to the prince, Huang Deyu was demoted to Lizhou as the prefect last year.
"The thieves retreat, the thieves retreat!"
The bandits disappeared without a trace, and the defenders of Mantian Village cheered.
Huang Deyu remained expressionless, sitting on the coffin, looking at the roaring Jialing River and thinking deeply.
He can prevent the bandits from going south here, but what about Bazhou?
Sichuan is probably going to be gone!
"Prefect, prefect..." A messenger came from the south.
Huang Deyu's heart tightened, and he quickly kept calm. Still sitting on the coffin, he turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
The messenger gasped and said: "Zhao... Zhaohua is gone, and some people are revolting. They are also spreading the slogans of thieves everywhere, saying that they will... say that they will 'kill corrupt officials, wait for the noble and the low, and equalize the rich and the poor'."
Huang Deyu felt like there was phlegm in his throat, and he opened his mouth wide but could not speak.
He was known for his integrity all his life, but when he got old he became the target of "killing corrupt officials".
Zhaohua County, which was captured by the rebels, is stuck between Jianmen Pass and Lizhou City. There must be no mistakes!
Huang Deyu left a thousand "elite soldiers" to defend Mantian Village, and he quickly returned with the main force to suppress the bandits.
…
Half a month ago.
Jiangjiagou Village near Wangxi Town, Zhaohua County.
Jiang Chengwu, a country scholar, watched a group of official servants leave. The anger hidden in his heart finally couldn't help but surface on his face.
His family is a landowner in the countryside. All five of his father and son have gone to school and spent a lot of money, but only the second brother passed the exam. The family sold their property so that the second brother could go to Beijing to take the exam, but unfortunately he still failed to pass the exam.
In order to support his family, Jiang Chengwu gave up the imperial examination and went to work.
He copied Buddhist scriptures for others and worked as a bookkeeper. His classmates recommended him to be a teacher in a county primary school, and he finally had a stable and decent living. Unexpectedly, the imperial government reduced the scale of official schools and directly abolished Zhaohua County Primary School.
Today, the family only has more than 100 acres of land left, 70% of which is barren dry land, but it has to support a family of sixteen.
Of the four brothers, three of them gave up their studies and worked while farming. They were willing to do anything as long as they could make money. The whole family worked together to support the second brother's education.
Because the second brother passed the examination, he has the best chance of becoming a Jinshi!
However, the government did not let them go, because the Jiang family used to be a third-class household. Although the family fortune has declined, the household status has not been reduced. They have their share of all kinds of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and they are even heavier than ordinary farmers.
"Father, rebel." Jiang Chengwu returned to the house.
Jiang Zhongru is a village school teacher. He is not yet fifty years old, but his hair is already gray.
There aren't many students studying in the village, and Shu Xiu doesn't have many, so he usually has to work in the fields by himself.
When he was young, he had an upright and violent temperament. He beat up the children of the rich families in the county, and he was beaten and retaliated for more than 20 years.
Moreover, if you cut the flesh with a blunt knife, you will not be killed in one go, and his family will be apportioned every year. After selling a lot of land, the households have been stuck and refused to surrender, so they have to torture him to death.
When Jiang Zhongru heard that his eldest son wanted to rebel, he didn't have much reaction. He just said: "Once you rebel, your second brother will study hard in a cold window, and all his hard work will be in vain."
"If I can't pass the exam, I'll just do the opposite." Jiang Chengdong walked in.
Jiang Zhongru asked: "You haven't borrowed the money yet?"
Jiang Chengdong smiled bitterly: "The government's exploitation is becoming more and more serious. Everyone knows about our family's situation. Who from all over the country is willing to borrow money?"
Not long after, Jiang Chengliang and Jiang Chengzhang returned home carrying hoes.
The four sons stood around their father. They had reached a consensus that this time they would rebel as a family.
Enemies and the government have bullied people to such an extent that they have raided it several times this year.
This time the Zhu family and his son rebelled in Yangzhou, and counties in Lizhou urgently recruited rural soldiers. If the family was not an only child, it did not need to produce a strong man, but it was necessary to pay a husband-free fee.
Of the four brothers of the Jiang family, there must be two strong men.
Either join the army and fight in the war, or pay forty guan for free according to the household level.
They can no longer afford so much money.
"Can the person named Zhu succeed?" Jiang Zhongru was worried about this. He had no psychological burden on the rebellion.
Jiang Chengwu said: "Whether he succeeds or not, let's start our rebellion. The official gave us a deadline. If we don't hand over the free money within ten days, we will come to arrest the slaves at home. There are five of me, my father and my son.
We all read the books of sages. If we are captured as soldiers, how can we stand in the countryside in the future? The government has humiliated me so much that I will rebel even if my head is beheaded!"
Jiang Chengliang also said: "My second brother has passed the imperial examination, so he does not need to serve in the military. The government has its own rules, so don't blame us for working hard!"
Jiang Chengdong said: "We have collected free money twice this year, and the foot money in the fields has also risen to 300 Wen. Farmers in various townships are overwhelmed. We can learn from Wang Xiaobo and fly the banner of justice to equalize the rich and the poor, and then kill them."
One or two evil gentry and landlords will surely respond from all directions and march into the county!"
The gray-haired village school teacher stood up slowly: "Then... let's do the opposite."
The four brothers first went to the former tenants of the Jiang family and tore up all the IOUs that could not repay the rent. They also contacted the poorest families in the village to promote the idea of "equal wealth and poverty, equal wealth", and said that the Zhu family and his son had already
After occupying Hanzhong, we can quickly reach Lizhou.
Less than ten days later, the official came into the village again, going from house to house to force the husband to pay for free. If he could not pay, he would arrest the strong man.
"The government is trying to force us to death!" Jiang Chengwu said, holding a hoe.
Jiang Chengdong said: "My classmates in the county said that the Zhu family and his son have an army of 100,000, which has already reached Sanquan County and will come to Lizhou next month. The government wants us to die if we are captured as soldiers!"
This is a scholar who has passed the national examination and went to the capital to take the exam. His words are infinitely convincing.
Not only the villagers believed it, but also the officials.
Those who went to the countryside to collect taxes were all small minions and did not have access to much information. They looked at each other, worried that the Zhu family and his son would really come with a hundred thousand troops to kill them.
"Kill this dog!"
Jiang Chengliang threw a pole at him, and the villagers who had already connected him followed suit.
Jiang Zhongru was a village school teacher. After beating the officials to death, Jiang Zhongru began to give a speech on "Equalizing the rich and the poor, equaling the rich and the poor", exemplifying the abominations of corrupt officials and shameless landlords.
The villagers were convinced by him, but when they thought about what happened to their own family, they soon became furious and picked up sticks to kill Jiang Yuan's family.
That member of the Jiang family, who was also the uncle of the four Jiang brothers in terms of seniority, was beaten to death by the four brothers and the villagers.
They swept through several villages in a row, killing people every time they arrived, and then went to loot Wangxi Town.
This is the only way to pass through the Golden Bull Road. The land and water intersect to form a commercial town, and business travelers stay here every month.
The rebellious peasants looted businesses, hotels and shops, and the unemployed people in the town joined in. After killing people and stealing goods, they looted wealthy households along the way and rushed straight to Zhaohua County.
The county magistrate had already recruited more than 2,000 rural soldiers and planned to send them to the magistrate.
But when he heard that the peasant army was coming, the county magistrate ran away, completely forgetting that he still had more than 2,000 soldiers.
This guy can run pretty fast, but if he ran slower, he would definitely die.
Because the peasant army had just arrived in the county town, the rural soldiers also rebelled and opened the city gates to gather together.
Jiang Zhongru and his four sons wanted to restrain the peasant army, but they completely lost control.
These peasants went crazy. They first rushed into the government office and killed everyone they saw. After venting their anger, they searched for the big houses in the city and rushed into the houses to kill and rob.
We have truly realized the equality between the rich and the poor, the rich and the poor!
(Thanks to the leader of Little Flying Carpet for the reward, O(∩_∩)O~)