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

Chapter 266 Giving the Zhu Family a Shock from the Great Western King (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words!)
The commotion and bloodshed in Fengyang City had not yet subsided, and thick smoke, carrying the smell of burning and blood, lingered in the sky above Zhongdu.

"My sons! Follow me and raze the Zhu family's ancestral graves to the ground!"

At Zhang Xianzhong's command, the veteran soldiers behind him erupted in thunderous cheers.
"kill!"

The heavy Lingxing Gate burst open with a deafening roar under the frenzied impact, and thousands of people and horses surged across the Imperial Golden Bridge, their iron hooves shattering the tranquility of the sacred path.

By this time, the eunuchs and servants guarding the tomb were already terrified, kneeling down and trembling.

Zhang Xianzhong didn't even glance at it, and spurred his horse straight to the core of the mausoleum—the Imperial Hall.

Passing through the Golden Gate of the Inner Imperial City, the majestic Hall of Sacrifice comes into view, its golden glazed tiles shimmering in the morning light.

The main hall is five zhang high, nine bays wide and five bays deep, with three levels of red steps.

It has a yellow glazed tile roof above and a Sumeru pedestal base below, decorated with dragon and phoenix railings.

The east and west side halls, also adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, showcase the imposing majesty of the Zhu family's imperial power.

"Pooh!"

Zhang Xianzhong spat out a mouthful of phlegm, dismounted, and his boots slammed heavily onto the steps, making a dull echo.

He pushed open the heavy, vermilion-lacquered door and barged in with an air of authority.

The main hall is furnished with multiple sacrificial altars, and the faint scent of incense and candles lingers in the air.

Zhang Xianzhong approached with great interest and carefully examined the names on the memorial tablets.

On the lacquered altar are the spirit tablets of Zhu Yuanzhang's parents, Emperor Zhu Wusi Chun and Empress Chen Chun.

On the side altars are enshrined his elder brother and sister-in-law, nephew, and some special worshippers, such as Liu Jizu and his wife, who were benefactors of the land, and his godmother Zhao.

Beside the sacrificial altar, bronze ritual vessels such as ding, gui, dou, zun, and jue were arranged solemnly, gleaming with a cold green light in the dim light.

But Zhang Xianzhong, a rough and uncultured man who had been living on the edge of a knife, had no idea what these things were for.

He squinted and leaned closer to an open bronze vessel filled with brightly colored millet and sorghum.
The other cauldron contained neatly arranged sacrificial meat, and the wine cup seemed to still retain a refreshing aroma of wine.

"That damned Zhu family, how extravagant they are!"

"Even for daily sacrificial rites, we must use fresh rice and fresh meat!"

I recalled the gaunt faces, tattered clothes, and starving corpses of the people of Fengyang that I saw along the way;
Looking again at the abundant and fresh offerings in the main hall, a surge of evil anger suddenly rose to Zhang Xianzhong's head.

"what--!"

The furious roar echoed through the empty hall.

Zhang Xianzhong suddenly drew his waist knife, and with a flash of cold light, he used all his strength to fiercely slash at the table where Zhu Wusi and his wife were worshipped!

"Open it for me!"

clang!clang!clang!
Wood chips flew everywhere.

The heavy sacrificial altar, made of solid wood, was exceptionally sturdy. Zhang Xianzhong's hand was numb from the impact, and even the blade of his knife was chipped. He only managed to leave a few knife marks of varying depths on the edge of the table.

"Fuck your mother!"

Seeing that his attacks were ineffective, he became even more enraged and kicked the altar hard.

The heavy altar shook and finally overturned with a crash, scattering the memorial tablets, incense burner, and offerings all over the ground. The memorial tablets of Zhu Wusi and Chen Shi rolled into the dust.

Zhang Xianzhong was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He strode out of the palace gate and roared at his several adopted sons who stood there, trembling with fear:
"dismantle!"

"Tear it down! Tear down all these damn shacks that are for the dead!"

Not a single brick or tile is allowed to be left over!

Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Ai Nengqi and others dared not delay and immediately led their fierce soldiers into the ancestral hall.

Sun Kewang took the lead, grabbed a heavy ceremonial gourd from beside the altar, and smashed it hard against the celadon vat in front of him!
Wow!

With a crisp sound, the exquisite vat shattered into pieces on the ground in the blink of an eye.

The surrounding soldiers swarmed around them like locusts, completely enraged.

Someone swung a heavy axe and chopped fiercely at the gilded and painted beams and pillars, sending wood chips flying everywhere;
Some people climbed onto the offering table and roughly pushed the bronze tripods and gui vessels, which symbolized the dignity of the ritual system, to the ground. The exquisite objects such as zun and jue were also smashed and twisted.

Some people grabbed the millet and sacrificial offerings inside and threw them everywhere like garbage. The golden millet was mixed with dust, and the sacrificial meat was trampled by countless dirty boot soles.

The carved window frames were smashed, and the glazed tiles were torn off the roof and shattered into countless pieces on the steps.

However, this is far from enough.

Seeing the mess before him, Zhang Xianzhong's anger did not subside; instead, it burned even brighter!
He then set his sights on the massive earthen mound directly behind the main hall, where the ancestors of the Zhu family were buried.

He wants to dig up graves and exhume corpses!

Zhang Xianzhong halted his troops, rode his horse through the red gate, and arrived at the massive earthen mound.

"Dig! Dig for your father!"

He pointed to the mound of earth, his voice distorted with extreme excitement.
"Pry open the coffins of Zhu Wusi and the Chen family!"

"I'll grind the bones of Zhu's ancestors to dust! I'll make sure Zhu Chongba can't sleep peacefully in the afterlife!"

The order rang out like thunder in everyone's ears, and his personal guards instinctively reached for hoes and shovels.

But Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Ai Nengqi and others standing nearby changed their expressions drastically upon hearing this.

The group exchanged glances and saw the fear in each other's eyes.

Digging up graves and exhuming corpses is a horrific and taboo act in any era.

There are even folk tales that it will incur divine retribution, damage one's virtue, and bring misfortune upon one's descendants.

But none of them dared to go forward and try to persuade them.

At this point, Zhang Xianzhong was clearly not in a good state.

His eyes were bloodshot and red, and he was breathing heavily. His mouth twitched uncontrollably, and saliva dripped down his beard.

Zhang Xianzhong, mounted on his horse, stared intently at the earthen mound, gesturing wildly and muttering incantations.

After waiting for a long time, no one came up to work. He suddenly turned around and stared fiercely at the crowd behind him.
"Are you deaf?! What are you standing there for?!"

"Do you think my orders are just bullshit?!"

As the eldest son, Sun Kewang steeled himself and stepped forward, kneeling down before Zhang Xianzhong's horse with a thud, urgently pleading:

"Father! Please reconsider!"

"As the saying goes, digging up someone's ancestral graves is against the natural order and may bring divine retribution."

Liu Wenxiu, who was standing nearby, quickly knelt down as well:

"Yes, Father, what my elder brother said makes sense!"

"This act of immorality will likely be detrimental to Father Commander's future endeavors!"

"The underground palace is buried deep underground; who knows if there are any vicious traps or ambushes inside?"

"If we dig rashly, the loss of our brothers is a minor matter, but what if our father is injured..."

Ai Nengqi also stepped forward to persuade him:

"Father, the men below have already interrogated the eunuch guarding the tomb. They all say there is no gold or silver buried with the tomb, only two straw mats and two thin coffins!"

What's the point of digging it up?

When Zhang Xianzhong saw his adopted sons trying to persuade him, he flew into a rage.

"fart!"

His face was contorted with rage, his teeth clenched, and the muscles in his face twitched. He raised his riding whip high, and with a whoosh, lashed it hard across the shoulder of Sun Kewang, who was in the lead!

"What divine retribution? What good deeds?"

"Shit!"

"How many heroes have been killed and how many people have starved to death by these damned emperors surnamed Zhu?"

"The Zhu family has long since squandered all their good karma!"

"I'm going to dig it up! I'm going to let the whole world know that I've severed the dragon vein of the Zhu family!"

Extreme anger and a certain morbid obsession completely consumed Zhang Xianzhong's last shred of reason.

He suddenly dismounted, rushed to a guard beside him, snatched the hoe from his hand, and personally dug into the huge mound of earth with all his might!

"You're not going to dig, are you?"

"Good! Excellent! I'll do it myself!"

Zhang Xianzhong wildly swung his hoe while letting out a chilling, maniacal laugh.

"Zhu Wusi! Chen Shi! Your son became emperor and enjoyed all the riches and honors!"

"You've been lying here in this auspicious place, sucking up the people's hard-earned money! You've enjoyed yourselves for hundreds of years! You've had your money's worth!"

"I'm letting you guys come out here today to get some sun and fresh air!"

"Hahaha!"

Soil flew as the sharp hoe struck, and Zhang Xianzhong, like a madman, used all his strength with each stroke, veins bulging on his arms, and beads of sweat covering his face, yet he was completely oblivious.

His frenzied appearance sent a chill down the spines of everyone around him.

To be fair, Zhang Xianzhong did suffer from some mental illness.

The earthen mound of the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum is about 20 zhang long from east to west and about 15 zhang wide from north to south.

It's simply wishful thinking for him to think he could dig open such a huge mound of earth by himself with just a hoe.

Watching his father, General, wildly brandishing a hoe, Liu Wenxiu murmured behind him:
"Father, what's wrong with Father?"

"Since the banner was raised in northern Shaanxi, why has Father's behavior become increasingly erratic and insane?"

He dared not utter the word "madness," but the meaning was self-evident.

Sun Kewang, standing to the side, clutched his aching shoulder, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.

He turned around abruptly and whispered to the guards behind him:

"Quickly inform the leaders in the city!"

"Let them try to persuade Father!"

Zhang Xianzhong swung his hoe rapidly, sending dirt flying.

However, faced with this massive, hill-like mound of earth, his individual strength seemed so insignificant and laughable.

Half an hour passed, and he was panting heavily and sweating profusely, but the mound of earth in front of him showed almost no change.

The futile progress was like pouring oil on the fire of anger in his heart.

The humiliation of not having enough to eat before the rebellion, and the painful memory of being chased like dogs by government troops, gnawed at his nerves like venomous snakes.

After a long while, Zhang Xianzhong seemed to have gotten tired of digging, or perhaps he felt the progress was too slow.

He slammed the hoe into the ground and roared behind him:

"Somebody come!"

"Bring the gunpowder over here, you bastards!"

"Blow it up! Even if I run out of gunpowder in the army, I'll blow this turtle shell open!"

The people behind them looked at each other in bewilderment. Was gunpowder used to blow up the earthen mound of the imperial tomb?

What is this operation?
Sun Kewang and the others turned ashen-faced.

Seeing that they remained standing still, Zhang Xianzhong's last bit of patience completely ran out.

He suddenly drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at the crowd, and roared fiercely:
"You fucking think you're all all grown up now?!"

"You dare disobey my military orders?!"

"Believe it or not, I'll chop you all up and feed you to the dogs!"

As he roared, he brandished his knife and charged menacingly toward Sun Kewang, who was at the front.

The blade flashed with a cold light, accompanied by a mournful whistling sound, and was about to strike Sun Kewang on the head!
Just at this critical moment, a thunderous shout came from afar.

"Eighth Prince! Stop—!"

The rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, interrupting Zhang Xianzhong's actions.

Several leaders, including Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Yichuan, and Ma Shouying, finally arrived upon hearing the news.

The sight before them made the three of them gasp in shock:
Zhang Xianzhong was covered in mud, his face twisted and ferocious like a demon, his waist knife held high, only three inches away from Sun Kewang's head!
Gao Yingxiang spurred his horse forward and shouted sternly.

"Eighth Prince! What are you trying to do?!"

"Ke Wang is your most trusted adopted son. This time, the breakthrough of Fengyang was entirely due to his team's cooperation from within and without, which made him the primary contributor."

"Not only did you not reward him, but you even drew your knife to kill him! Have you been possessed by some evil spirit and gone mad?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong was struck dumb. He finally came to his senses, looked at the waist knife in his hand, and felt a wave of fear.

He had just completely lost his mind and nearly killed his adopted son.

He slowly sheathed his sword and turned to look at Gao Yingxiang:

"King Chuang, you've come at the perfect time!"

"I was just about to invite Emperor Zhu's parents out to 'sunbathe'!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yingxiang immediately dismounted, rushed forward, and grabbed Zhang Xianzhong's arm:
"Confused!"

"Eighth Prince! Calm down!"

"We are a righteous army, fighting on the banner of acting on behalf of Heaven and punishing treacherous officials!"

"If you dig up someone's ancestral grave today, what will the world think of us?!"

He pointed to the mound of earth several meters high, his voice heavy and earnest:
“Even illiterate tenants know that digging up someone’s ancestral graves is a heinous crime.”

“If this gets out, not only those scholars, but even the lowest-level peddlers and farmers will be hostile to us.”

"Who doesn't know this is a despicable act that will bring ruin upon our family line? What will they think of us? How will they view us?"

"The people will only think that we are more vicious and utterly depraved than those corrupt officials!"

"If we lose the hearts of the people, how will we recruit more people to join our ranks?"

Zhang Yichuan, the "King of Sweeping," quickly stepped forward to chime in:

"Yes, Eighth Prince! What the rebel leader said makes sense!"

"All we need to do is destroy the palace on this ground and kill the eunuch guarding the tomb, and that will be enough to make that brat Zhu vomit blood and shake the world."

"Why resort to such a drastic measure, giving others a handle against you and only tarnishing your own reputation?"

Ma Shouying, standing to the side, also gruffly advised:
"Old Zhang, listen to my advice!"

"It's not worth arguing with two old bones that have been dead for hundreds of years!"

"Keep this grave mound, so that Emperor Zhu can see it every day and feel the pain in his heart whenever he thinks about it. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?"

The admonitions from the crowd, especially Gao Yingxiang's impassioned appeals regarding popular support and righteousness, were like buckets of cold water poured over the furious Zhang Xianzhong, finally bringing him to his senses.

Zhang Xianzhong's chest heaved violently, his knuckles clenched white as he gripped the hilt of his sword, staring intently at the mound of earth before him, his mind in turmoil.

"Humph!"

After a long while, he slammed the knife in his hand to the ground, finally giving up the idea of ​​digging up the grave and exhuming the corpse.

Zhang Xianzhong turned away, no longer looking at the mound of earth, but the ferocity in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"Okay! We're not digging anymore!"

"But I can't let the Zhu family get away with this!"

He pointed to the surrounding palaces and the lush, ancient trees encircling the burial mounds, and sternly ordered:

"Burn them down! Burn all these palaces to the ground!"

"Not a single tree is allowed to be left nearby; cut them all down for firewood!"

"besides!"

His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the eunuchs kneeling on the ground in the distance, trembling like leaves.

"These eunuchs, they usually bully others by taking advantage of their position guarding the tombs, sucking the people's blood and sweat. Leave them all alive! Chop them all down!"

"Let's use their dog heads to calm our anger!"

Seeing that Zhang Xianzhong finally relented, Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Yichuan, and Ma Shouying felt a huge weight lifted from their hearts and breathed a sigh of relief.

Gao Yingxiang gave a wink to the soldiers behind him:
"What are you still doing?"

"Do as the Eighth Prince says! Quickly!"

The command was executed swiftly.

Thousands of people went into battle together, and the sound of axes and hatchets filled the air.

One by one, ancient cypress and pine trees, symbolizing imperial fortune and said to bless future generations, collapsed with a crash under the axe.

At the same time, countless torches were thrown into the palaces surrounding the imperial mausoleum.

Flames ignited the curtains, doors, windows, beams, and pillars... The towering flames greedily licked at the exquisite architecture.

Thick smoke billowed, like a giant black funeral banner, engulfing the palace that symbolized imperial power and dignity.

The crackling of the burning wood was mixed with the deafening crash of the collapsing wooden structure, as if the Ming Dynasty was wailing in the flames.

Even more heart-wrenching were the cries and pleas for mercy from the eunuchs.

More than sixty heads rolled to the ground in front of the ruins of the imperial mausoleum, and the filthy blood soaked the place where the Zhu family rose to power.

Zhang Xianzhong stood in the heart of the devastated imperial tomb, his feet treading on charred rubble, gazing at the towering flames and billowing smoke before him, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction.

He spread his arms wide, looked up at the sky, and let out a hysterical burst of laughter.

This land, symbolizing the origin of the Ming Dynasty, has been trampled under his feet and reduced to ashes!
The extreme pleasure brought by this destruction temporarily filled the void in his heart.

The flames of the imperial tomb were burning fiercely, turning half the sky blood red.

Zhang Xianzhong, Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Yichuan, Ma Shouying, and other rebel leaders stood at the highest point of the earthen mound, enjoying the thrill of victory.

The pungent smell of burning and blood mingled together, filling the air and making the men appear like demons.

"That feels great! That's fucking great!"

Zhang Xianzhong kicked away a blackened glazed tile, surveyed the ruins, and his face was filled with undisguised arrogance and satisfaction.

"Zhu Chongba! Did you see that?"

"I'll desecrate your Zhu family's ancestral graves!"

"Your Ming Dynasty's dragon vein is severed; just wait to be overthrown by me!"

Gao Yingxiang, standing to the side, was equally spirited.

As he looked at the ruins before him, which held immense symbolic significance, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

He slapped his thigh excitedly and exclaimed:
"The Eighth Prince is right!"

"Burning down this place where the dragon rose to power is tantamount to uprooting the Zhu Ming dynasty!"

"This is no longer a simple rebellion by killing officials; it is a declaration of war against the entire Ming Dynasty! A declaration of war against the young Zhu family member sitting on the throne in the Golden Palace!"

His gaze swept intently over Zhang Xianzhong, Zhang Yichuan, Ma Shouying, and the others.
"Brothers, we have committed such a heinous crime that the corrupt officials of the court will never let us off the hook."

"We're now locked in a life-or-death struggle with them; there's absolutely no way we can surrender now!"

Zhang Yichuan and Ma Shouying were deeply shocked, vaguely guessing Gao Yingxiang's meaning.

Sure enough, Gao Yingxiang's voice suddenly rose in pitch, becoming highly inflammatory:
"When we rebelled before, we always talked nonsense about only opposing corrupt officials and not the emperor. Now it seems utterly ridiculous!"

"With jackals in power, why bother with foxes?"

"The biggest jackal in the world right now is the Chongzhen Emperor in the Forbidden City, and the Ming Dynasty that eats people without spitting out the bones!"

"Without eliminating this biggest culprit, no matter how many corrupt officials are killed, the country cannot be saved!"

He pointed to the Zhu family's ancestral tombs at his feet, and then to the various palaces engulfed in flames:

"I intend to announce to the whole world that I have rebelled against the Ming Dynasty!"

"Let heroes from all over the world join together in this righteous cause!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong's eyes flashed with a fierce light; Gao Yingxiang's words had struck a chord with him.

What a load of bullshit emperor! He should have been deposed long ago!

He grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth, and sneered:
"The rebel leader is right!"

"We've accomplished something unprecedented, are we just going to cower and become bandits?"

"It's time to raise our banner!"

"In my opinion, let's just declare ourselves emperors right here on the Zhu family's ancestral tombs!" "Let the whole world know that it's time for a change of dynasty in the Ming Dynasty!"

"proclaim oneself emperor?!"

Although Zhang Yichuan and Ma Shouying were also excited, they couldn't help but take a step back when they heard those two words.

This is a rather big step.

"Why not!"

Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand domineeringly.

"If Zhu Chongba, a beggar, can become emperor, then we brothers, with our powerful armies, should be able to sweep across the land. Why can't we become emperor?"

"I'm going to become emperor right here on the Zhu family's graves and make all the ancestors of the Zhu family die of anger!"

A glint flashed in Gao Yingxiang's eyes. He proposed "opposing the emperor" in order to clarify his goals and unite his forces.

But Zhang Xianzhong jumped straight to "declaring himself emperor," an ambition and speed that exceeded his expectations.

He immediately realized that this was not just a declaration of war against the Ming court, but more like the first open competition for leadership within the rebel army.

Whoever declares himself emperor first occupies the nominal highest position.

"Excellent! The Eighth Prince is truly magnificent!"

Gao Yingxiang responded loudly, but then his tone changed.
"If you're going to declare yourself emperor, then you need to have a set rules!"

"I, Gao, am honored by the favor of all my brothers and have been granted the position of leader of the alliance. As the first emperor of this dynasty's transition, naturally..."

"Wait!"

Zhang Xianzhong rudely interrupted Gao Yingxiang. How could he not understand that Gao Yingxiang wanted to claim the title of "First Emperor"?

"What alliance leader or what?"

“This Fengyang City was first captured by my adopted son Kewang and my brother Yichuan.”

"Today, it was Old Zhang who led the burning of the Zhu family's imperial tombs. If anyone's going to claim the throne, it'll be us first!"

Before Gao Yingxiang could speak, he suddenly pointed to a black flag beside him.
"Come on! Tear that tattered flag down for me!"

The guards behind him immediately stepped forward, quickly tore down the tattered Ming flag, and handed him the bare flagpole.

Zhang Xianzhong snatched the flagpole and roared at a minor leader who was somewhat literate:
"Find a piece of white cloth!"

"I've already decided what I want to be emperor!"

The minor leader dared not delay and hurriedly found a piece of white cloth, which he handed to Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Xianzhong bent down, picked up a piece of charcoal, and wrote six large characters crookedly on the white cloth:
Ancient Yuan True Dragon Emperor!

He looked at his masterpiece, smiled with satisfaction, then haphazardly tied the white cloth to the flagpole, and then slammed the flagpole down into the ground!
The flagpole was planted deep on the top of the Zhu family's ancestral grave, and the simple and shabby "imperial flag" fluttered in the cold wind.

"Hahaha!"

"From this day forward, I am the Ancient Yuan True Dragon Emperor!"

Zhang Xianzhong stood beside the imperial banner, hands on his hips, laughing wildly, striking a pose of looking down on everyone.

It was as if he were standing not on an imperial tomb, but on his golden throne.

Upon seeing this, Gao Yingxiang's face instantly darkened. He hadn't expected Zhang Xianzhong to act so quickly and rashly.

Ancient Yuan Zhenlong Emperor?

The name sounds powerful, but it also sounds crude and incongruous.

He sneered inwardly:
"Reckless man!"

"You think planting a flag makes you an emperor?"

Gao Yingxiang suppressed his displeasure and instead showed a hint of approval on his face:

"What a magnificent spirit the Eighth Prince possesses!"

"However, establishing an empire and founding a nation is to lay the foundation for an everlasting dynasty. The name and reign title must be chosen carefully to demonstrate legitimacy and command the world!"

He stopped looking at Zhang Xianzhong's ridiculous flag, turned to his trusted generals, and loudly ordered:
"go with!"

"Bring over a few of those corrupt officials we caught in the city!"

"Especially those few in red robes, bring them all here!"

Several generals bowed and accepted the order before leaving. Soon after, three Ming Dynasty officials, their faces ashen and their robes tattered, were pushed over and forced to kneel on the ruins.

Gao Yingxiang looked down at the group, his tone chilling:
"You all listen up!"

"Now that I am going to change the era name and declare myself emperor, I have summoned you here to ask you to help me think of an era name!"

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

To declare oneself emperor? And to declare oneself emperor right on someone else's ancestral grave?
These bandits are utterly lawless!
But they dared not disobey Gao Yingxiang, after all, the bandits' swords were lurking behind them.

One of them pondered for a long time before tentatively speaking:

"Your Majesty raised the banner of righteousness, punished... punished the tyrannical Ming dynasty, and saved the people from suffering. This is... this is a great undertaking that will restore the world, which is not comparable to an ordinary undertaking."

"The reign title should... should demonstrate illustrious military achievements, signify the new dynasty's spirit, and even more so... should be in accordance with Heaven's mandate, shining brightly for eternity!"

He glanced up furtively and saw that Gao Yingxiang's face was expressionless, but his eyes seemed to urge him on. So he made up his mind and threw out the reign title that he had carefully considered and felt best suited to the other party's wishes:

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty's achievements are unparalleled and your power is awe-inspiring, truly deserving of the name 'Xingwu' (meaning 'promoting martial prowess')!"

"Xing means to rise and flourish; it signifies that Your Majesty rose from humble beginnings and will surely create a prosperous and flourishing era that will last for ten thousand generations!"

"Martial arts are about power and achievement; let us display the King's illustrious martial prowess, sweep away the villains, and cleanse the world!"

"The reign title 'Xingwu' not only inherits the King's martial prowess, but also signifies the prosperity of the new dynasty, its abundant martial virtue, and the submission of the world!"

He paused, secretly observing Gao Yingxiang's reaction. Seeing that the other's eyes brightened slightly, as if he was somewhat interested, he immediately pressed his advantage, raising his voice a few decibels.
"Your Majesty!"

"In the past, there was Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, who revived the Han Dynasty, and his reign title was Jianwu."

"Your Majesty's achievements today surpass even those of Emperor Guangwu!"

"The two words 'Xingwu' are truly a divine mandate, perfectly matching Your Majesty's divine will!"

"If Your Majesty uses it, it will surely unite the people, deter the villains, and make heroes of the world follow you!"

"I am but a humble man of limited knowledge, and I humbly submit to Your Majesty's wise judgment."

The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were useless at everything, but when it came to flattery, they were all incredibly skilled.

Even the usually composed Gao Yingxiang was amused by these words and burst into laughter, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"Good good!"

"As you say, let's change the era name to Xingwu!"

Gao Yingxiang summoned his personal guards and handed the civil official paper and pen:

"Listen carefully, you will write this for me—"

"In the first month of the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, received the mandate of heaven in Fengyang and changed the era name to Xingwu!"

"Think about it carefully again, and write a proclamation entitled 'Proclamation of the First Year of the Xingwu Rebellion of the Heavenly King,' which I will proclaim to the world!"

"After I finish writing it, I'll post it all over the streets and alleys of Fengyang City. I want all the people in the city to know that the Ming Dynasty has changed!"

Several officials were devastated upon hearing this. How could they possibly continue to serve in the court after writing something like this?
But there was nothing they could do; the bandits' blades were right in front of them, and the men could only tremble as they began to ponder the contents of the notice.

Zhang Yichuan and Ma Shouying felt a mix of emotions as they watched the scene unfold before them.

To become emperor? They were certainly tempted by that too.

However, judging from the postures of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, they wisely chose to wait and see for the time being.

Zhang Yichuan simply had his men take control of some key areas;
Ma Shouying grinned, looking at Zhang Xianzhong's flag and then at the notice Gao Yingxiang had written, calculating which side was gaining more momentum.

The act of changing the era name and declaring oneself emperor on the ruins of the imperial tomb was full of untamed ambition, but also mixed with a hint of power struggle.

Zhang Xianzhong and Gao Yingxiang's act of declaring themselves emperors was truly a spur-of-the-moment, hasty decision.

They had neither clearly defined territories, nor a systematic bureaucracy, nor stable tax revenue.

Furthermore, their imperial titles were quickly abandoned during subsequent mobile warfare.

(Zhang Xianzhong later mainly used the title of Great Western King, while Gao Yingxiang always used the title of Chuang King.)

However, this move itself had great political significance, as it marked a fundamental change in the nature of the peasant uprisings at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

The uprisings officially escalated from traditional, relatively vague riots or rebellions aimed at "opposing corrupt officials" and "seeking a way to survive" to a struggle aimed at overthrowing the Ming Dynasty and seizing supreme power.

Burning down the imperial tombs that symbolized the legitimacy and sanctity of the Ming dynasty, and declaring himself emperor on the ruins, was the most blatant denial of the foundation of Ming rule and the most thorough declaration of war.

It greatly boosted the morale of the rebel army, intimidated the Ming court, and at the same time forced the rebel army itself into a situation where it had no way out but to fight the Ming Dynasty to the death.

The embers of the imperial tomb were not yet cold, but the tattered flag of Emperor Guyuan Zhenlong and the proclamation of the first year of Xingwu were already plastered all over the streets and alleys of Fengyang City.

Although the event was full of rough-and-tumble atmosphere and internal competition, it did not hinder the celebration banquet from taking place.

In the former Fengyang Prefectural Government Office, the lights were on and the cups and plates were in disarray.

The main hall was filled with a feast, all of which consisted of wine and meat looted from wealthy households and government granaries in the city.

Zhang Xianzhong's veteran troops, Gao Yingxiang's elite rebels, and the men of Zhang Yichuan and Ma Shouying gathered together.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively, with the sounds of drinking games, laughter, and clinking glasses all blending together.

"drink!"

"Drink it all!"

Zhang Xianzhong had one arm bare, revealing his strong muscles and several hideous scars.

He was carrying a huge wine jar and drinking it straight from the rim, the wine dripping down his chin and beard.

"Congratulations on becoming emperor!"

"Congratulations on burning down the Zhu family's ancestral graves!"

"Hahaha!"

A chorus of congratulatory voices, some jumbled and tinged with drunkenness, immediately rose from the hall below. Some were calling for Zhang Xianzhong, while others were calling for Gao Yingxiang, clearly distinguishing between the two groups.

"Congratulations to Emperor Gu Yuan Zhenlong!"

"Congratulations to King Chuang on changing the era name to Xingwu!"

When Zhang Xianzhong heard someone call Gao Yingxiang's name, he glared at him and snorted, but did not retaliate. Instead, he slammed the wine jar heavily on the table, splashing wine everywhere.

Gao Yingxiang sat upright on the other side of the head table. He was wearing a python robe that he had stolen from the mansion of some nobleman, which made him look much more composed and added to his majesty.

He smiled and raised his glass to the crowd:
"Brothers, today we have breached Zhongdu and burned the dragon vein, a truly magnificent feat!"

"But! The new dynasty has just been established, and its foundation lies in the hearts of the people!"

"Since we have received the mandate of Heaven, we should relieve the people from their suffering and demonstrate benevolence and virtue!"

No sooner had Gao Yingxiang finished speaking than Zhang Xianzhong took action.

He slammed his hand on the table:
"The rebel leader is right!"

"Now that I'm the emperor, I can't let the poor men of Fengyang suffer!"

"Sun Kewang!"

“Your subject is here!” Sun Kewang immediately responded from the side.

Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand, displaying the "boundless grace of the emperor":
"Take your men and go!"

"Open up all the official granaries in the city, and all the granaries of those rich bastards!"

"Distribute the grain! Give it to the poor people in the city!"

"Tell them this is a gift from our Ancient Yuan True Dragon Emperor!"

Opening granaries to relieve the poor is the most direct, brutal, and quickest way to win over the hearts of the people at the bottom of society.

Zhang Xianzhong's actions were intended to remind the people of Fengyang that it was he who provided them with the food to survive.

"My son obeys the order!"

Upon receiving the order, Sun Kewang set to work early the next morning. His adopted sons split up and rushed off to open the granaries and distribute the grain.

Soon, deafening cheers and clamor for grain erupted from the direction of several granaries in the city.

Gao Yingxiang was not to be outdone. Since Zhang Xianzhong practiced "benevolent governance," he would do the opposite and use torture!
He summoned several of his trusted generals and gave them instructions:

"I have heard that Yang Ze, the eunuch guarding the imperial tombs in Fengyang, and Yang Yipeng, the governor, are ruthless and heinous criminals who exploit people to the bone."

"When a new dynasty is established, this ringleader must be executed first to set the record straight and appease public anger!"

"Yang Yipeng has escaped, but that eunuch Yang Ze is still in jail."

"Go and take him and the convicted officials in jail to the execution ground. I want to put them to a public trial in front of all the people of the city!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yingxiang's trusted general Liu Zhe nodded and immediately led his men to prepare for the matter.

Soon, a temporary platform was erected at Caishikou, and countless Fengyang people who had suffered greatly came and surrounded Caishikou.

Several Ming Dynasty officials, including the prefectural magistrate and the judge of Fengyang Prefecture, were bound hand and foot and escorted to the high platform.

Upon seeing this, the group of corrupt officials were so terrified that they lost their minds and soiled themselves.

Gao Yingxiang sat in the main seat on the platform, with a literate clerk beside him, reading aloud the crimes of these officials one by one in front of the entire city.

Extortionate taxes and levies, disregard for human life, corruption and bribery, and aiding and abetting evildoers.
With each statement read, the anger of the people in the audience rose a little higher, and curses and cries merged into a sea of ​​rage.

"...The evidence is conclusive, and according to the law, he should be executed!"

As the official pronounced the verdict in a loud voice, the roars of the crowd below the stage were deafening.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The executioner's broadsword flashed coldly, and the heads of several convicted officials rolled to the ground, splattering with blood.

Each execution was met with thunderous cheers from the people.

The last one brought up was Yang Ze, the eunuch guarding the tomb, who was wearing prison clothes and trembling like a leaf.

When the city fell, he saw that all was lost and could not bring himself to commit suicide, so he could only kneel down and beg for surrender.

His appearance was like pouring a bucket of cold water into boiling oil.

"Yang Ze!"

"It's that scoundrel Yang Ze!"

"You beast who skins and dismembers people!"

"My father was beaten to death on his orders."

The crowd below the stage erupted in cheers, and the deep-seated hatred that had been suppressed for years burst forth at this moment.

Countless stones and mud rained down on Yang Ze on the high platform.

If it weren't for the soldiers stopping him, the angry mob would have already rushed up and torn him to pieces.

Gao Yingxiang looked at the surging public anger below the stage, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He slowly stood up, walked to the front of the stage, and pressed his hands down in a gesture that miraculously calmed the enraged crowd.

"Fellow villagers of Fengyang!"

Gao Yingxiang's voice was loud and powerful.
"This Yang Ze, as the eunuch in charge of guarding the imperial tombs, does not think about protecting the imperial tombs. Instead, he abuses his power to bully people, levies exorbitant taxes, and treats you like dirt."

"His crimes of embezzling military pay and driving the soldiers guarding the tomb into rebellion are too numerous to count and are intolerable to Heaven!"

"Today, in the name of the Heavenly King, I sentence this scoundrel to the extreme punishment of being burned alive!"

"I hope to console the wronged souls who died tragically at his hands, and to uphold the prestige of my new dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd below the stage erupted in cheers once again.

"Alright! Let's light the sky lanterns!"

"Burn him!"

"Long live the Heavenly King!"

The cheers of the people reached their peak, filled with the satisfaction of revenge.

Originally, Gao Yingxiang intended to have the dead eunuch executed by slow slicing.

Unfortunately, after searching all over Fengyang City, none of his men could find an executioner skilled in the art of slow slicing, so he had no choice but to give up and resort to lighting sky lanterns instead.

While burning the sky lantern is slightly less severe than slow slicing, it is still an extremely cruel form of punishment.

After receiving Gao Yingxiang's order, several ravenous soldiers immediately stepped forward and, ignoring Yang Ze's pig-like cries and pleas for mercy, stripped him naked in a few quick movements.

Yang Ze, pampered and accustomed to a life of luxury, was a striking sight with his thick, white body in the cold wind.

Without a word, the soldiers dragged him to a huge oil drum that was already filled with tung oil.

Yang Ze was like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered, as the soldiers forcibly submerged his entire body in an oil drum.

His screams were drowned out by the oil, turning into bubbling sounds.

Yang Ze was repeatedly pressed down and lifted up to ensure that every inch of his skin was soaked in oil.

This process lasted for most of the day, but the crowd gathered at Caishikou never dispersed and continued to cheer and applaud from below the stage.

During this time, Yang Ze fainted several times, only to be woken up by the cold wind and the soldiers' kicks and beatings, suffering repeated torment.

When it was time to carry out the execution, the soldiers dragged out Yang Ze, who was covered in oil and on the verge of death, and wrapped him tightly from head to toe in hemp cloth that had been soaked in tung oil, leaving only a piece of cloth at the heel for starting a fire.

Beside the execution platform, a straight tree trunk, three zhang tall and as thick as a bowl, had already been erected.

The soldiers wrapped Yang Ze up like a rice dumpling, soaked in grease, and tied him tightly to the top of the tree trunk, head down and feet up.

Yang Ze was hanging upside down, his fat belly and chest drooping down, like a suckling pig waiting to be roasted.

A rebel soldier, holding a torch, grinned maliciously and set fire to the burlap sack he had left on his feet.

(It was blocked by the reviewer because it was written in too much detail)
The entire process, from lighting the cloth to burning it into a piece of charcoal, lasted a whole day.

Tens of thousands of Fengyang residents gathered around the giant "human lamp" from day to night.

Instead of their fear dissipating, they erupted in a long, almost frenzied cheer!

"Good! Burn this scoundrel eunuch to death!"

"Long live the Heavenly King!"

"Long live the Ancient Yuan True Dragon Emperor!"

Long live the new dynasty!

The people enthusiastically chanted the newly bestowed, even somewhat comical, imperial titles of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong.

The firelight illuminated their faces, twisted with vengeance.

The flames on the imperial tomb had just died down, and this "sky lantern," lit by the eunuch guarding the tomb, illuminated Fengyang City once again.

The eunuch guarding the tomb, Yang Ze, died, while another heinous criminal, Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang, escaped in the chaos.

When the city fell, he secretly hid in a hidden tunnel.

While the entire city was focused on the execution at Caishikou, he secretly slipped out of the city and fled for his life in Suzhou to the northeast without looking back.

Suzhou City, the Prefect's Office.

Lou Jiaze, the prefect of Suzhou, was deeply troubled by the unrest in the Fengyang area upon receiving the news.

Suddenly, his subordinate rushed over, saying that he had spotted the figure of Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang, outside the city.

Soon, a middle-aged man covered in mud and wearing tattered official robes was brought in.

Upon seeing Lou Jiaze, Yang Yipeng immediately collapsed in front of him, crying out in despair:

"Prefect Lou, it's all over, it's all over!"

"Fengyang... Fengyang is lost, the imperial tombs... the imperial tombs were burned down by bandits..."

"Those two traitors actually... actually declared themselves emperors on the burial mound of the imperial tomb!"

"what?!"

Lou Jiaze was struck dumb upon hearing this. His face turned deathly pale, and he slumped into a chair, his body ice-cold and his teeth chattering.

Fengyang fell? Imperial tombs burned? A bandit declared himself emperor?

Any one of these three pieces of news, if taken out of context, would be a shocking piece of news that could shake the world.

He couldn't imagine how the young emperor in the Forbidden City would react upon hearing this news.

Hurry! Hurry!

Lou Jiaze jumped up suddenly, his voice changing tone.
"Urgent dispatch! Proceeding by both water and land! Change horses at the relay stations, but not the riders!"

"Report this news to the capital as quickly as possible!"

(End of this chapter)