Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 613 Zheng Zushen: The sky has fallen!
"Two years ago in the Dayao Mountains, you stole the credit for two of my heads!"

“Our monthly salary is only one tael and two mace, and that comes with a discount. You bastards want five mace!”

"We do some small handicraft business, and we still have to pay you money!"

"We'll cultivate the land under your names, build houses for your families, and serve you like oxen and horses."

"The salary was already meager, and it was often delayed."

The accusations echoed along the banks of the Xunjiang River.

The surviving Green Standard Army soldiers, with tears streaming down their faces, shouted and cursed at the captured officers.

These Green Standard Army soldiers lived a life similar to that of the Ming army at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Dao neither killed them all nor forced them into the team all at once.

He chose a new approach.

complain!

At first, these Green Standard Army soldiers who had escaped the 11-day confiscation order were somewhat hesitant.

But as some oppressed Green Standard Army soldiers tearfully recounted their past experiences, the crowd, feeling the same way, stepped forward to angrily rebuke the officers and share their own painful lives.

Apart from the initial introduction arranged by Lin Dao, the entire grievance meeting was spontaneously organized.

There's no way around it; the DPP soldiers are treated like dogs by the Qing government.

Being able to eat scraps is considered a blessing; they are also among the oppressed groups.

"almost."

Lin Dao gave Yang Xiuqing a wink.

This clever man immediately stepped forward and encouraged them to take revenge for their enemies and settle their grievances.

Hundreds of Green Standard Army soldiers rushed forward, and screams of agony rose and fell.

By the time they finally calmed down and withdrew, the officers were already silent.

After calming down, some people finally started to feel scared.

Having personally killed the officer, there was no turning back.

Don't say that the law doesn't punish everyone, and don't even mention that no one will know.

The Nian Rebellion soldier who killed Senggelinqin was arrested by the authorities simply because he casually uttered a remark while drinking in his hometown.

Miki-no-Shita remembers peeking at so-and-so taking a bath when she was a child.

The same goes for the ordinary people who came specifically for the chickens.

Many people calmed down and wanted to escape, but the imperial court had a terrible reputation in this regard.

When the army arrives, their first task will be to systematically massacre and exterminate the nearby villages.

Historically, the Qing army used this tactic when fighting against the Taiping army.

First, kill the civilians to cut off the Taiping Army's supplies and manpower.

The Qing army could neither defeat the foreigners nor the Taiping army.

But when it comes to killing ordinary people, they are incredibly brutal.

The number of people who died as a result is well over one hundred million!

"It's getting dark."

Lin Dao called to the group of leaders, "Let's eat and distribute the tents."

He used many methods to win over people.

After coercion, the next step is bribery.

A good meal can soothe a crowd of anxious people.

As for the rebel army, they naturally had their own things to do.

"Shi Dakai."

"exist!"

"Take your men and wipe out all the local gentry in the nearby villages."

"Leader!"

The large pots, which had been prepared in advance, were set up in rows.

Considering the malnutrition of these people, who were thin and frail, the large pot was mainly used for boiling food.

It's oatmeal cooked with broccoli.

In addition, there are boiled eggs.

Having learned his lesson, Lin Dao would never cook egg drop soup again; he would always cook them one by one.

People suffering from malnutrition consulted professionals about what to eat to gradually improve their physical condition.

In addition, everyone was given a banana after the meal.

These are all foods that help the body recover.

Undoubtedly, this meal greatly comforted the people who came to the gathering.

Let them recover from the shadow of the day's battle.

After that, each family was assigned their own tent.

The tents purchased by Lindao are all military tents, and their quality is absolutely top-notch.

Several tents can be combined to form a larger tent.

Compared to the dilapidated, cramped, and foul-smelling tents of this era, the difference is like that between an adobe house and a traditional courtyard house.

Eat and drink your fill, then go to sleep.

The large open space from the foot of Rhinoceros Ridge to the bank of the Xunjiang River gradually quieted down.

The official members of the God Worshipping Society, however, did not quiet down.

Holding flashlights and using the light from the camp lights, they were still busy cleaning up the battlefield and burying the corpses.

Meanwhile, Shi Dakai and his men, along with some who suffered from mild night blindness, swept through the homes of local gentry in the nearby villages with flashlights.

In ancient China, the gentry, or large landowners, were generally not good people.

There may be a few exceptions, but as Zhou Shuren said, there are only people who betray their class, not classes that betray their class.

These landlords, who were able to amass vast amounts of land, must have used every means at their disposal to seize vital means of production from others.

The stories of blood and tears contained within are too numerous to recount even after three years.

Moreover, they forced the people to become tenant farmers, or serfs, and for the tenant farmers, the process was equally filled with blood and tears.

In the eyes of the government, these landlords were the best grain officials and local worthies who maintained local stability.

But in the eyes of the common people, they were evil demons from the underworld, people who devoured others without spitting out their bones.

As for their relatives, friends, and lackeys, they were equally wicked, even more so than the landlords.

The purge carried out by Shi Dakai and others was also in line with public opinion.

Besides the local gentry, there were also scholar-gentry.

Most of them were retired officials and scholars who had passed the imperial examinations.

They wield considerable influence within the government and have a complex web of relationships.

Similarly, their exploitation and plunder of the people is even greater, but more covert.

They often do things like repairing bridges and paving roads to earn a good reputation, but behind the scenes, there are hardly any good people among them.

These included local gentry, government officials and clerks, and Qing colonists.

They built a tight net from top to bottom, making it hard for the people to breathe.

"Come in~"

He was sketching on a map, marking Guangxi and nearby Guizhou and Guangdong, as well as the Qing Dynasty's garrison area, and beckoning those waiting outside to come inside.

Without looking up, he asked, "What is it?"

"Head."

Wei Changhui, who was in charge of the night patrol, bowed and reported, "We caught some who were trying to escape."

"There were villagers and town residents, as well as Green Standard Army prisoners of war."

Lin Dao had already prepared for this.

"how many?"

"There were more than two hundred civilians and eighty-one Green Standard Army prisoners."

Numerically, there are more people who fled, but their numbers are also large.

Of the tens of thousands of people, only a little over two hundred escaped, which is not a high proportion.

Of course, the fact that fewer people ran around was also related to the promise made after dinner that there would be a breakfast with chicken the next morning.

The prospect of getting a free breakfast with chicken after a night's sleep was incredibly appealing to impoverished people.

As for the prisoners~
Zhang Dianyuan's army, officially registered, numbered over three thousand.

He left several hundred men to guard the camp beforehand, and only brought nine hundred men with him.

Two-thirds of the slots are empty!

But this is still considered good.

A few years ago, when we were at war with the foreigners, a certain Green Standard Army unit in Guangdong had an apparent force of over 10,000 men, but in reality, there were less than 2,000. As soon as they entered the battlefield, they scattered all over the mountains and fields.

The reason why Li Dianyuan's troops only had two-thirds of their positions vacant was because they had been preparing for war on the front lines for a long time, and it would be really deadly for them to receive too much pay without working.

Of the nine hundred people, nearly half were killed on the spot by explosions, hacking, fighting among themselves, trampling, or disappeared without a trace like Li Dianyuan (most likely drowned and swept downstream), or died from severe injuries.

Of the remaining prisoners, even after the eleven-fold execution order and the fact that they had personally killed officers, hundreds still managed to escape.

"There are really a lot of die-hards."

Lin Dao finally raised his head. "Send the fleeing civilians back, cancel tomorrow's breakfast, and let them watch others eat."

"As for those Green Standard Army prisoners, cut them down in front of everyone tomorrow morning after breakfast as a sacrifice to the flag."

"Leader!"

The next morning, after eating chicken and oatmeal porridge, everyone silently watched as the deserter from the Green Standard Army was beheaded.

Almost everyone is numb.

After all, in this dark age, such things were all too common.

Executions at the yamen (government office) happened almost every day.

Private fights in the countryside resulted in countless deaths.

As for those who died due to bullying by local gentry and their lackeys, there's no way to calculate that number.

The people of the Central Plains living in this era see only darkness.

After finishing their business, Lin Dao met up with Shi Dakai's troops who had gone out on business the night before, and then arranged for the leaders to set off with their men.

The key figures were assigned to serve as minor leaders, leading the people eastward along the Xun River.

As for the destination, it's Wuzhou!
The power of the Heaven and Earth Society must be firmly in our grasp.

Lin Dao wanted to gather all the anti-Qing forces together and form a united front, instead of letting the Qing defeat them one by one and kill them in droves.

Now, it all depends on what choice Chief Chen will make.

This was his last chance.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yong, the patrolman who had successfully escaped the Xunjiang River yesterday, obtained several ponies and galloped towards Guilin City at breakneck speed.

The main Green Standard Army was almost completely wiped out.

The county magistrate was killed, and the deputy general was killed.

The number of rebels reached tens of thousands.

There's not much to say about such a major event; it must be reported as quickly as possible.

His superior was Ni Tao, the magistrate of Pingnan County, but since he had personally cut off the magistrate's finger, his chances of survival were slim.

As for his temporary superior, Li Dianyuan, the deputy general of Xunzhou, his whereabouts and fate are unknown.

This is a high-ranking official of the second rank.

Even if a military officer is a few ranks lower than a civil official, he is still a high-ranking official.

Such a devastating defeat must be reported as soon as possible.

He arrived at the city of Guilin in the dead of night.

No matter how much they shouted, the guards at the city gate refused to open it.

After all, he wasn't an urgent messenger.

It wasn't until the city gate official, who was at home sleeping with his concubine, arrived cursing and swearing, that he realized the seriousness of the situation and finally opened the city gate to let him in.

Half an hour later, the Governor of Guangxi, Zheng Zuchen, the Commander-in-Chief of Guangxi, Min Zhengfeng, and other high-ranking officials, including the Provincial Governor and the Provincial Judge, arrived.

Everyone was woken up from their warm beds.

Upon learning of the crushing defeat, Zheng Zushen's head was buzzing.

He was very clear about one thing.

The sky over Guangxi~
It collapsed~
(End of this chapter)