Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 193 Conquering Fuzhou
Upon receiving Zhu Wen's letter, Huang Chao quickly ratified the proclamation posted by Zhu Wen. Following the advice of Mr. Pi Rixiu, he further elaborated on Zhu Wen's strategy.

A folk song was sung among the peasant army, consisting of only seven characters: "When you encounter a Confucian scholar, you will be devoured; when you encounter a teacher, you will be overthrown!"

Meng Kai took on the role of a villain, leading a group of vicious soldiers to capture a large number of civilians, intending to use them as cannon fodder to attack Fuzhou City.

The people were terrified and kowtowed, begging for mercy.

"This young man is wearing a round hat and a square collar. Could he be a Confucian scholar?" Deputy General Ban Fanlang stared at a young man in Confucian robes and stroked his chin.

The young man trembled with fear and said in a trembling voice, "I am indeed a Confucian scholar, well-versed in the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents..."

Peng Baihu exclaimed, "Oh dear, there's a prophecy in the army that says, 'If we bully and exploit scholars, we're bound to lose the battle.' This is a divine revelation; how can we not believe it?"

Ban Fanlang said to Meng Kai, "General Juehai, prophecy is divine revelation and should not be taken lightly. Why don't we release this scholar?"

Meng Kai was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead: "That makes sense."

They went up and untied the young man, brushed the dust off his body, comforted him kindly, and released him. Before sending him away, they treated the scholar to a bowl of emerald-green locust leaf noodles, chilled with well water for a refreshing and delicious taste.

"The green leaves of the tall locust tree are picked and sent to the kitchen."

Fresh noodles arrived near the market, the broth and dregs perfectly matched.

Having entered the capital and become too familiar with it, I'm now overwhelmed with worries about having more food.

The bright green broth shines on the chopsticks, and the fragrant rice is accompanied by corn on the cob.

"Its warmth is colder than snow; I urge people to throw in this pearl."

The young man ate the food in small bites while reciting Du Fu's poem "Cold Noodles with Locust Leaves," showing that he was indeed an educated person.

Upon seeing this, the people all shouted that they were Confucian scholars and recited a few lines of poetry.

Can't you really memorize a single line? You must know a little bit of the Thousand Character Classic—Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless…

After the villagers ate several hundred kilograms of cold noodles for free, they were all released. In late spring and early summer, Fujian was already experiencing some heat, and the cool and refreshing locust leaf noodles were both filling and cooling.

Before long, news that Huang Chao's rebel army treated Confucian scholars well and respected intellectuals spread throughout Fujian.

The people then realized that although the bandit army killed members of the gentry, it did not destroy cultural relics and books like the Five Barbarian tribes did; on the contrary, it valued scholars. Those to be executed were the scions of powerful and wicked families, while poor and uneducated students were to be protected and supported.

With a large number of village militiamen and craftsmen joining Huang Chao's siege of Fuzhou, the city was quickly captured. The village militiamen themselves had experience attacking fortified villages and earthen buildings in melee combat, so sending them to fight would result in far fewer casualties than driving away ordinary civilians, while being far more efficient.

Under the protection of his trusted confidants, including Junior Colonel Liu Qian and his advisor Lai Hu, Wei Xiu, the Fujian Inspector, took advantage of the chaos of the city's fall, disguised himself, and escaped the battlefield. He then headed to Lingnan to seek refuge with Li Tiao, the military governor of Guangzhou. However, having committed the offense of losing the prefecture, Wei Xiu could not remain in Guangzhou for long and was soon sent north to Chang'an to face punishment.

The rebel soldiers carried torches into the city, burning down houses and killing countless people along the way.

This was not like the situation with Wang Xianzhi's troops in Jiangling, where military discipline had deteriorated. On the contrary, Huang Chao's army's killings in Fuzhou were planned and executed with a clear objective.

At that time, Fuzhou was not a large city; its size was limited, and its population was less than 50,000.

However, in the Tang Dynasty, prefectures like Fuzhou and Quanzhou were already able to profit from the maritime trade that had slipped through Guangzhou's fingers. The people of these prefectures traded Fujian's delicacies and seafood with foreign countries, and many became wealthy. Most families in Fuzhou city had some assets, and their magnificent mansions stood side by side.

Zhu Wen left Huo Cun and Zhu Zhen to guard Zhang and Ting prefectures respectively, and led his troops to join forces. He arrived two days before capturing Fuzhou.

Wang Shenzhi was still in Zhu Wen's army and had not yet left. Looking at the carved beams and painted rafters in the city, he suddenly muttered, "What a prosperous city! If I were to govern this city in the future, I would definitely expand its scale so that ordinary people and wealthy families could share in its magnificence."

As he was talking to himself, Wang Shenzhi suddenly noticed Zhu Wen standing beside him, and was greatly surprised: "You brat, you don't know your place and are talking nonsense here. You've made Liang Yu laugh at you!"

Zhu Wen, however, showed a nonchalant look: "It's not a bad thing for a young man to have ambition. I see that although you are decisive in your actions, you are very insightful. If you can one day take charge of a region, you will definitely be a good governor."

That being said, it would have been almost impossible for Wang Shenzhi, who came from a humble background, to rise to the rank of prefect if the country hadn't descended into chaos.

Among the sons of powerful clans, those with genuine talent like Gao Pian and Gao Yan were few and far between; most were utterly defeated by the common army and powerless to resist. Their incompetence gave many lower-ranking heroes an opportunity. Zhong Chuan, who had previously fought alongside Gao Maoqing, the Jiangxi Inspector, and Shang Rang, and successfully covered the retreat of the defeated army, was directly appointed Prefect of Fuzhou when Cao Shixiong moved his troops to Jiangxi and recaptured Fuzhou. Qian Liu's elder brother, Dong Chang, also organized local militias to resist Wang Ying's rebel army and was highly valued by Pei Qu, the former Military Governor of Zhenhai, who appointed him as the General of Shijing Town, effectively giving him control of Hangzhou's military affairs.

Chen Yan, who impersonated the Chen family of Yingchuan, was clearly envious of Zhong Chuan and Dong Chang's rise to power, which is why he organized the Nine Dragons Army to attack Jianzhou. However, Chen Yan was not very good at dealing with people and failed to find out that his friend Wang Chao's third brother, Wang Shenzhi, was currently mixed in with the rebel army.

Before the two sides could exchange any information, Chen Yan immediately slaughtered over a thousand wounded soldiers, along with the elderly, women, and children. Zhu Wen had no choice but to exterminate Chen Yan's entire clan, ensuring that even if he rose to official rank, his lineage would be cut off.

For the common people who were suppressed by the aristocratic clans, the conquest of the common army was an opportunity for them to rise above their circumstances, whether they chose to join the common army or to fight against it.

Wang Shenzhi was well aware of this, which is why he came out to offer advice and suggestions, and actively sought to befriend Zhu Wen.

After entering the city, Huang Chao decided which wealthy households to kill based primarily on public feedback. However, prior to this, Huang Chao had already sent men to infiltrate the populace and conduct a covert investigation.

Those with a bad reputation, who were habitually bullying men and women, were all considered members of the aristocratic class and their entire families were executed.

What? You say you're not from the gentry class? What are those Pengcheng Liu clan, Longxi Li clan, and Changli Han clan written on your ancestral tombstones?
Innocent? You say it was fabricated, not true? Where's the evidence? If you can't produce any evidence, then it's true. Kill them!

If they were from virtuous families, they would not only be spared the slightest offense, but would also be regarded as distinguished scholars from humble backgrounds. Some were even invited out by Huang Chao, treated to lavish banquets, and invited to join his band of outlaws; those who did not wish to join were allowed to leave.

The renowned scholar Huang Pu possessed considerable wealth and profound learning, making him quite famous in the area. He educated the villagers and was deeply respected by them. However, due to his humble origins, he had not yet achieved any official rank by the time he was over forty.

Upon hearing of his reputation, Huang Chao ordered his soldiers: "This is a scholar; extinguish the torch and do not burn him."

The soldiers then extinguished their torches, gagged their horses, and passed silently past Huang Pu's mansion without disturbing his family.

In short, those with good reputations all came from humble backgrounds, while those who did evil deeds were all from aristocratic families!
When commoners accuse wealthy families, it's natural that some will seek revenge or fabricate stories. Huang Chao therefore sent people to investigate beforehand, punishing those who made false accusations with whippings for minor offenses and execution for serious ones.

The rebel army in Fuzhou committed numerous murders and plundered vast sums of money, but they were also disciplined and orderly in their operations, rewarding and honoring their soldiers. Those militia and artisans who came to help with the siege were rewarded for their contributions, and those who were wounded or killed were given compensation.

Although people both inside and outside Fuzhou feared Huang Chao's power, they also admired his fair methods.

The people were saying, "Huang Shuai truly deserves to be called the reincarnation of Di Ting, punishing evil and promoting good. He should have such majesty!"

However, when faced with Zhou Pu, a recluse, Huang Chao asked him to serve him. When Zhou Pu refused, Huang Chao did not show any courtesy and instead ordered Zhou Pu to be taken out and killed.

Pi Rixiu hurriedly advised, "Brother Huang, we do not force any poor scholars from Fuzhou who do not wish to join our army. Why kill Zhou Pu today and damage the reputation of our humble army?"

He added, "Could it be because Zhou Pu called our army bandits? This man is a poor scholar, upright and unyielding; he is not worth arguing with."

Huang Chao shook his head: "I just despise hypocrites. What did Zhou Pu say again? 'I am a recluse, yet I will not submit to the emperor. How can I follow a traitor?'"

Pi Rixiu said, "Zhou Pu was originally a hermit who lived in a temple on Wushi Mountain. He refused to go when the previous Fujian Inspector Yang Fa and Li Hui recruited him. He was not lying."

Zhou Pu was a poet, and Pi Rixiu, out of appreciation for his talent, still wanted to save his life.

Huang Chao laughed loudly: "Years ago, Brother Pi and I traveled together to Zhongnan Mountain. Don't you remember the group of commoners who lived in seclusion there? And where did you get the term 'Zhongnan Shortcut'?"

During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Lu Zangyong passed the imperial examination but was not given an important position. He then went into seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain to seek a high reputation. As expected, he was granted a prominent official position by the court because of his reputation as a recluse. As a result, many people in later generations went into seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain in order to obtain official positions.

"Zhou Pu has refused the appointments of two governors in succession, merely to inflate his own value and wait for a better offer. If he were to tell me the truth, even if he called Huang a thief, it wouldn't be worth arguing with. What use is there in keeping such a hypocrite around!"

Pi Rixiu sighed and remained silent.

Before long, the executioners presented Zhou Pu's head, and Huang Chao ordered a pit to be dug on the spot and buried it.

People like Huang Chao need people like Zhou Pu to demonstrate their overwhelming power; they can't appear too easy to talk to.

This is the real reason why Zhou Pu must die.

(End of this chapter)