The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 163 The Transformation from Rebel to Traitor

Jiang Han's side was busy with smuggling and night raids, as well as building pontoon bridges, working for almost two whole days without sleep.

In contrast, the large group led by Li Laowai, Shao Yong, and others seemed quite relaxed.

This large army marched leisurely along the north bank of the Yellow River for a day, stopping frequently, before finally stopping in a small valley called "Songjialing".

Following instructions, the leaders of each tribe began digging trenches and setting up antlers inside and outside the small valley, clearly preparing to set up camp and rest there.

However, Xu Kebian, who was in the very center of the army camp, was uneasy and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

His camp was strategically located in the heart of the entire camp.

The area was surrounded by Shangshanhu's elite troops, which tightly encircled Xu Kebian and his men, like an iron barrel.

Since the army broke camp, he had looked for opportunities several times to send someone to sneak out of the ranks and make contact with the government troops in advance to inform them of the current situation of the rebel army.

However, he sent out seven or eight of his personal guards, but they all disappeared without a trace, and none of them returned to report.

This cast a deep shadow over Xu Ke's heart.

What made Xu Ke even more uneasy was that Shangshanhu had already given orders to ensure the army's movements were kept secret in order to prevent government spies from spying and infiltrating.

The entire army camp is temporarily under martial law. No one, regardless of rank, may enter or leave the camp without a written order issued by the central command. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to military law!
This left Xu Ke completely dumbfounded.

He was like an insect trapped in a spider web, unable to move.

As time passed, the unease in Xu Kebian's heart grew wildly like weeds.

Isn't this tiger going to launch a surprise attack on Bailangdu?
Why did we suddenly decide to set up camp here?

Could it be that he has noticed my intention to surrender?
Xu Kebian became increasingly alarmed, unsure whether the path he had chosen was right or wrong.

Over the past few days, he has repeatedly questioned himself, but he has never been able to find an answer that would put his mind at ease.

Xu Kebian also came from northern Shaanxi. As early as the second year of Chongzhen's reign, he led his clansmen to kill officials and rebel, embarking on the path of uprising against the Ming Dynasty.

He followed Wang Jiayin in his campaigns, from Shaanxi to Shanxi, and was considered a veteran among the various rebel kings.

Back then, the Xu family was also a kind and benevolent people under the rule of the imperial court.

Xujia Village, where Xu Kebian lives, has about a hundred households, most of whom are his relatives.

At that time, Xujia Village, though not extremely wealthy, was still a place where people could hear each other's chickens and dogs, and the villagers were simple and honest, barely able to be self-sufficient.

However, the good times did not last long.

Since the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, natural disasters have occurred frequently, crops in the fields have been reduced to less than one-tenth, and more and more people have starved to death.

Xu Kebian's family had some meager savings from earlier years, which allowed them to barely make ends meet. They also helped many clansmen who were on the verge of despair.

However, as the disaster worsened, more and more people were affected, and the affected area became wider and wider.

In the end, Xu Kebian could only watch helplessly as his clansmen fell one after another, or fled their homes to the prefectural city to escape.

The once thriving Xujia Village is now almost deserted and devastated.

Only a dozen or so households remain, clinging to their cracked land, struggling desperately.

Even in such dire circumstances, the imperial court's taxes still could not be reduced by a single penny.

Faced with the devastating situation in Xujia Village, where nine out of ten houses were empty and corpses of the starving were everywhere, the tax collectors came up with a brilliant idea.

They forcibly appointed Xu Jiamou, Xu Xubian's father, as the village head and ordered him to collect all the grain taxes owed by the village within half a month.

Looking at the ghostly Xujia Village and then at his emaciated and starving clansmen, Xu Jiamou burst into tears.

He really didn't know where to collect this tax or from whom.

These days, not only were tree bark and grass roots completely devoured, but even rat holes were turned upside down. The stomachs of starving people were full of white flour and dirt, so where was there any surplus grain to pay?

Those who cannot pay taxes will naturally be held accountable by the government.

The Ming Dynasty's methods for collecting taxes were always extremely harsh, not to mention the ancestral system of collective responsibility in the Baojia system.

As long as there is one household or even just one living person in the village, all the taxes and grain owed by the entire village must be borne by that single household or individual.

As a result, Xu Jiamou became the scapegoat.

Seeing that he couldn't collect the taxes, a group of fierce and aggressive yamen runners came to his door, wanting to hold him, the "negligent" village chief, accountable.

After the looting and vandalism, not only were the houses turned upside down, but even the last remaining life-saving food at the bottom of the jar was completely stolen.

Enraged, Xu Jiamou dragged his injured body to the county government office to seek justice.

As a result, he didn't even get to see the county magistrate; instead, the county constable pointed his finger at him and berated him mercilessly.
"You ignorant and lowly commoner! You were made the village head so you could collect taxes for your elderly parents, not so you could come and reason with people!"

"Is the government office a place for reasoning?"

Immediately, the county constable waved his hand and threw Xu Jiamou directly into the prison, where he was beaten to death.

When Xu Kebian's mother learned of this, she cried her heart out, her liver and liver breaking.

Suffering such a blow, the woman, who was already weak from hunger, fell seriously ill and died a few days later, consumed by hunger and grief.

Xu Ke, suppressing his grief, went to the county jail to retrieve the body.

However, when he was carrying his father's battered body, before he even left the county prison, he was stopped by the county constable who had come upon hearing the news, and was immediately and forcibly assigned the position of village chief.

Furthermore, the county magistrate openly threatened Xu Kebian, saying that if he didn't find a way to pay off the debts owed by Xujia Village, then his father, who had died tragically in prison, would suffer the same fate as Xu Kebian.

In order to survive and protect the few remaining members of his clan in the village, Xu Kebian embarked on the path of rebellion without hesitation.

So, while outwardly appearing submissive, he secretly contacted his clansmen to prepare for killing officials and rebelling.

Since this hoe can't dig a way out of the soil, let's try a different approach and dig a way out!
Xu Ke pretended to pay taxes, and taking advantage of the county magistrate's momentary lapse in attention, he swung his hoe and smashed the magistrate's head.

Then, the crowd rushed forward and killed the guards who were accompanying the group.

After seizing several knives and guns, Xu Kebian led his remaining dozen or so clansmen northward, taking in many starving people along the way, and finally sought refuge with Wang Jiayin.

He imitated a scene from the Water Margin and gave himself the bandit nickname "King of Change".

The meaning is simple: he wants to change this cannibalistic world!
At first, Xu Kebian did enjoy a period of glory, following Wang Jiayin as he traversed between Shanxi and Shaanxi, conquering several county towns, killing many corrupt officials, and truly venting his anger.

However, as the imperial court dispatched heavy troops to suppress the rebels, the rebels' lives became increasingly difficult, and Xu Kebian could only lead his men to flee in all directions.

Later, he eventually joined the gang of the Mountain Tiger.

This Tiger of the Mountain is indeed a remarkable figure. He is not only generous and magnanimous, but his troops are mostly composed of border soldiers, making them extremely elite and far superior to the peasant bandits.

When Xu Kebian first joined the Mountain Tiger gang, his fighting spirit was incredibly firm and high.

He always kept in mind the ideal he set when he first rose up in rebellion: to "change this cannibalistic world."

Closely following in the footsteps of the mountain tiger, they constantly maneuvered against various officers and soldiers, achieving considerable results.

Although Xu Kebian fought valiantly against the enemy, the number of government troops participating in the encirclement and suppression of them increased, and they became more and more elite.

The government troops tightened their encirclement, and the brothers who wanted to go into the mountains to wage guerrilla warfare either starved to death or froze to death in the deep forests; those who wanted to force their way across the Yellow River to find another way to survive also perished at sea. Seeing that there was no way to go to heaven or earth, Xu Kebian's heart was filled with despair.

Especially when he witnessed his own clansmen and relatives die tragically under the swords and spears of the government troops in order to protect him, he wept bitterly and could not calm down for a long time.

He began to doubt himself and also began to doubt the mountain tiger he followed.

With the government army so powerful, can these men really overthrow the imperial court?

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it cannot be prevented from taking root and sprouting.

Xu Kebian had even foreseen the outcome: his tens of thousands of rebels would eventually be blocked by the government troops north of the Yellow River, with no way out.

But at this moment, the government troops who had been relentlessly pursuing them suddenly offered them another option:

That would mean earning merit and receiving rewards, and then accepting amnesty.

Initially, Xu Kebian completely disregarded the government troops' proposal.

Moreover, Shangshanhu had reminded them more than once that the imperial court was the most untrustworthy, and that the offer of amnesty was merely a means to sow discord among them.

The killing of surrendered soldiers has been a recurring theme in history, both past and present.

Even though there were countless examples of government troops killing surrendered soldiers, why did so many people still choose to surrender and accept amnesty?

Are all these people really fools?

of course not!

Rather, it was because the government troops understood these rebels too well and knew what they were thinking.

Cao Wenzhao then pulled out Bai Guang'en, who was also a rebel, and used him as a model to spread his name among the various rebel armies.

Seeing that the former rebels who once roamed the mountains and forests had transformed into guerrilla generals of the imperial court, Xu Kebian's thoughts began to stir involuntarily.

Whether it was the allure of bringing glory to his ancestors or the fear of death, Xu Kebian ultimately could not resist the temptation of being granted amnesty.

He could only numb himself in his mind and find reasonable excuses for his betrayal.

My acceptance of the amnesty is not for wealth and honor, nor is it out of fear of death!

I did this to preserve the last remaining bloodline of Xujia Village, to protect my clan!

When I brought them out of northern Shaanxi, wasn't it to find a way to survive?

Besides, didn't Song Jiang, the rebel leader of Liangshan Marsh, eventually accept the imperial pardon?
He did it for his brothers in Liangshan, and I did it for my clansmen.

After a fierce internal struggle, Xu Kebian finally gave up his ideal of "changing the world" and surrendered to the government troops.

Having convinced himself, Xu Kebian no longer hesitated.

He readily betrayed the rebel army's intelligence, and then immediately told Cao Wenzhao in detail about the rebel army's plan to launch a surprise attack on Bailangdu.

Furthermore, he made an agreement with Cao Wenzhao that he would act as an inside agent at that time.

At a critical moment, they cooperated with the government troops from within and without, and captured the tiger on the mountain in one fell swoop.

But what Ling Xuke never expected was that after the tiger set off, it did not follow the plan and headed straight for Bailang Ferry downstream.

Instead, they chose to stop in this remote valley, far from any village or shop, and set up camp, pretending to be resting.

This tiger that goes up the mountain is usually decisive and efficient, so why is it acting so sluggishly and hesitantly now?
Shouldn't a night raid and smuggling operation be all about speed and surprise?
How dare he linger here?

Xu Kebian's heart pounded with anxiety. Now that he had chosen to betray, he had no way out.

He had already sent someone to inform the government troops, instructing them to set up an ambush at Bailang Ferry, waiting for Shangshanhu to walk right into their trap.

But now, something seems to have gone wrong, causing the army to hesitate to continue its advance.

Xu Kebian became increasingly anxious, pacing back and forth in his tent like an ant on a hot pan, restless and uneasy.

At that very moment, the sound of the rallying drums rang out once again from Shangshanhu's central command post.

Upon hearing the drumbeat, Xu Kebian's heart sank, and an ominous premonition instantly filled his mind.

He forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and, surrounded by several personal guards, walked cautiously toward the central command tent of Shangshanhu.

As soon as he stepped into the brightly lit central command tent, Xu Kebian subconsciously looked up.

Shangshanhu sat upright on the commander's seat, still wearing his familiar mountain-patterned armor. His helmet and visor covered him completely, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Just as Xu Kebian was secretly surprised and suspicious, Shao Yong and Li Laowai, who had been silent all along, suddenly launched an attack from behind him at almost the same time.

One person grabbed his throat, the other his arm, and before he could react, he was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

This sudden turn of events stunned the other leaders in the tent.

For a moment, the tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone looked at Shangshanhu and Xu Kebian with suspicion and uncertainty, wondering what they were up to.

Xu Ke was both shocked and furious, and struggled desperately:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! What does this mean?"

The "Tiger Climbing the Mountain" let out a cold snort, and a deep but unfamiliar voice came from beneath its mask:

"You're about to die, don't you understand now?"

Upon hearing this voice, Xu Ke's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

But he still clung to a last shred of hope, stubbornly insisting:
"Your Majesty, what exactly do you mean? I am ignorant, please enlighten me!"

"Tiger Climbing the Mountain" slowly stood up, looking down at him, and said in an icy tone:
"Dull-witted? I think you're quite shrewd!"

"You secretly colluded with government troops and betrayed our army's intelligence. You still want to deny it?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Kebian turned deathly pale:
"Colluding with government troops?"

"Your Majesty, you have no evidence whatsoever, how dare you make baseless accusations?"

"My lords, since I, Xu Bian, joined you, I have always led from the front and fought in more than ten battles, big and small. How could I possibly collude with the government troops?"

As he spoke, Xu Kebian kept giving winks to the other rebel leaders inside the tent, hoping someone would step forward and say a few words.

"evidence?"

"Tiger on the Mountain" sneered, then turned his head and waved his hand.

Zhao Sheng, who was standing nearby, immediately understood and turned to leave the tent.

A moment later, Zhao Sheng led in several prisoners who were bound hand and foot and covered in blood, and pushed them in front of Xu Kebian.

Upon closer inspection, Xu Ke realized that these blood-soaked prisoners were none other than his trusted confidants whom he had sent out a few days earlier to liaise with the government troops!

Looking at the guilty eyes of his personal guards, Xu Kebian felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant.

Finished!

(End of this chapter)