Total War: I'm building up an army to rebel against the Qing Dynasty in a heavily modified vers

Chapter 94 What does it mean for a Manchu to want to join the anti-Qing uprising?

A demon, this is truly a demon!

Wooden donkey? How did that damned traitor come up with this idea and actually plan to use it on a man like me?

Quan Lu's face turned green. He never dreamed that Rock could come up with such a vicious method. If he were really paraded through the streets on a wooden donkey, he would be doomed.

It is almost foreseeable that he will remain a laughing stock for at least several hundred years, and might even give rise to some new idiom!

Thus, Quanlu shamefully yielded. Although he was extremely unwilling to submit to these rebels, he ultimately bowed his head when Rock actually pushed out the wooden donkey.

With Quanlu's cooperation, managing the city became much easier for Luo Ke. For example, he learned everything about the wealthy families in the city, including what kind of businesses they did, which wealthy family was unscrupulous, and which family had close ties with the government.

In addition, the county government's treasury in the city, as well as the various businesses that Magistrate Quanlu owned outside, were all revealed under Locke's interrogation, allowing Locke to make another fortune.

Of course, what made Rock somewhat disdainful was that his income as a county magistrate was actually less than that of Wanfu, the military commander!

Despite being a civil official, he couldn't even compare to military generals when it came to making money, which was a disgrace to civil officials!

Upon seeing the disdainful look on Rock's face, Quanlu immediately became furious, but his anger was only fleeting and he had no power to resist at all.

Quan Lu was also frustrated by this, feeling that he, a civil official, was not as good as Fang Fu, a military general, at making money. But what could he do when this place was outside the pass?

This desolate place has never been developed, and there are very few industries in all aspects. At the same time, because the security situation here is extremely poor, those who really have a say are all those who hold the knife!

Compared to Wanfu, who had at least several hundred soldiers under his command, what kind of power did this county magistrate have besides a dozen or so constables and yamen runners?

Under these circumstances, even if he wanted to covet the gold mines outside, he couldn't. At most, he could use his position to open doors for certain merchants in the city and make money by farming and collecting rent.

Because the land outside the pass was so abundant and the population so sparse, he couldn't collect much rent. If he collected too much, people would simply hide in the deep mountains and forests and go back to cultivate the land themselves!

With Quanlu's help in finding the right path, Luo Ke and his group raided some of the wealthy households in the city, including some prominent Manchu people, confiscating all their property.

Despite their immense anger at Rock's actions, they were utterly powerless to stop him.

Some Manchus gathered their servants and slaves in an attempt to put up a last stand against Roc, but their high walls and mansions were of no use against the crossbows pushed up by the dwarves.

After several consecutive shots from the ballistae, the tall wall collapsed. Then, the ferocious greatsword warriors charged in and began a bloodbath.

After confiscating the property of these Manchus, Rock did not hesitate to arrest them again, parade them through the streets, and then hold a public trial for them, taking the opportunity to hold a grievance meeting.

While Lu Ke wouldn't say he was extremely familiar with the procedures of our Party back then, he at least knew the general outline of what was going on.

By following this process exactly, we can directly use these Manchu people to incite hatred among the people in the city, giving everyone a common target. Then we won't have to worry about the city's people not being able to unite.

As expected, when Rock took these people out for a public trial and asked the people of the city to tell him what crimes they had committed, many people immediately rushed out to accuse them.

In places like the area outside the Great Wall, where everything is based on the law of the jungle, these Manchu elders acted even more recklessly compared to those inside the Great Wall.

They've done everything from bullying men and women to kidnapping and murdering people in the street, and even worse. None of them are innocent!

Of course, when faced with these accusations from the people, many Manchus who were not clear-headed actually argued that they had only killed some Han pigs and dogs at will, so what was there to say about it?

They were Manchu nobles, high and mighty masters. In this harsh land beyond the Great Wall, their lives were already difficult enough. If killing some servants at will was considered a crime, how could they possibly survive?

Rock was also somewhat shocked. He discovered that many of these Manchus were so used to being superior that they actually thought it was only natural for them to enslave the Han people.

Even when faced with Luo Ke's anti-Qing rebels, they didn't think they had done anything wrong. In fact, when Luo Ke accused them of these crimes, they were extremely shocked, as if they had heard that they had killed a dog and were going to be shot for it. They just felt it was absurd.

They thought Rock was absurd, and Rock thought they were absurd too, but the biggest difference between them was that Rock had guns and cannons, while they had nothing and were just a bunch of lambs to the slaughter.

So after a public trial, Rock did not hesitate to sentence these Manchu nobles to death. He immediately dragged them to the entrance of the vegetable market and had the greatswordsmen behead them one by one!

Many Manchu fools probably thought that Rock's rebel army should also consider their status, so until Rock sentenced them to death, these guys acted like they were the most important people in the world.

They didn't truly become afraid until they were actually dragged to the market, where the greatswordsman had already polished his two greatswords and pointed them at their necks.

Some guys were shouting that the court would never let Luo Ke go, while others were trying to kowtow and beg for mercy, repenting for their past mistakes.

But with a cold command from Luo Ke, the heads of these pigs and dogs who had been publicly tried fell to the ground. Many of the Manchus couldn't believe they were dying until their last breath.

After executing these men, Rock turned his attention to dealing with another group of Manchus.

Interestingly, the Manchu Qing dynasty didn't just exploit the Han people; they also exploited their own people, the Manchu bannermen.

In this city, the lives of many Manchu bannermen were actually worse than those of ordinary civilians.

Because the imperial court never paid their monthly salary, and then forbade them from engaging in various so-called "lowly occupations," neither allowing them to do business nor farm, they had no income at all.

Even though they were so poor, they still had to fulfill their military service obligations, and they had to provide their own equipment while serving, which made them feel even more desperate.

So much so that when Luo Ke raised the banner of anti-Qing, to his utter astonishment, a group of impoverished Manchu youths took the lead in wanting to join his ranks and fight against the Qing together.

Before Rock could even say anything, those guys resolutely cut off their braids, then prepared their own cloth and made a rather crude-looking banner for the Po Lu Army, shouting that if Rock didn't want them to join, they would just kill themselves right there!

For a moment, Roc was also in a dilemma regarding these Manchus.

If I take them in, I've just stirred up hatred among the Han Chinese in the city towards the Manchus, and these guys will become a threat in my ranks.

But if they weren't brought under control, it wouldn't align with Rock's principle of uniting the majority of anti-Qing forces.

Rock has always felt that there's a saying that's very true:

Make sure you have many friends and few enemies, and unite all forces that can be united!

Clearly, this group of Manchus who are willing to join the anti-Qing movement are of great value in uniting the people. Moreover, to be honest, they themselves are also oppressed by the Manchu Qing court, so these guys are quite unlucky.

Although they were quite unlucky, Rock didn't have much sympathy for them. After all, their current predicament was partly due to their own actions, and Rock only valued their worth.

When these people knelt before Rock, they saw that Rock was still pondering and seemed to have no reaction.

One of them quickly stepped forward, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "General Luo, please take us in! We truly don't want to continue associating with those bastards!"

"That damned imperial court, they're practically driving us to the brink of despair!"

"They don't let us farm, they don't let us work, they don't let us do business, they only let us fight! But we don't even have any training in peacetime, and they don't recruit us, so how can we get a chance to serve in the army and get paid?"

"The government's salary has long been cut off, and we have no way to make a living. We can only pawn our ancestral land or beg for a living. Now we are so poor that we have nothing left but our homes, and we are on the verge of selling our children. All of this is the fault of that damned government!"

"General, please have mercy! Although we are also Manchus, this damn Manchu identity is useless. As long as you are willing to take us in, we will do anything, even if you ask us to go through fire and water!"

Hearing these down-on-their-luck Manchu bannermen say this, Luo Ke finally nodded and said, "Alright, since you've also been exploited to such a state by this damned Manchu court, then we have a common enemy, and I'm willing to stand with you through thick and thin!"

"But all of this is contingent on your willingness to pledge your loyalty to me. I do not wish to have any fickle individuals within the ranks of the Broken Army!"

Immediately afterward, Luo Ke glanced at the soldiers behind him, then addressed the Manchu bannermen, "Here's what we'll do: I'll select a group of my most capable veterans to serve as officers, forming the 'Loyal and Brave Battalion' alongside you! In the upcoming battles, if you manage to collect three Qing soldiers' heads, I will grant you regular army status, the same rank and pay as regular soldiers!"

"But if any member of this Loyal and Brave Battalion deserts in the upcoming war, or even tries to play any capricious tricks on me, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"If one deserter or traitor is found, the entire squad to which he belongs will be executed; if two deserters or traitors are found, the entire platoon to which they belong will be executed!"

"If the Loyal and Brave Battalion has three or more traitors or deserters, then I, the commander, will not say anything else. If this Loyal and Brave Battalion is not worthy of the name 'Loyal and Brave,' then I will simply abolish this organization!"

Upon hearing this, a group of Manchu bannermen kowtowed repeatedly, kneeling to thank Luo Ke for his kindness. Many of them were even moved to tears, which surprised Luo Ke somewhat.

He was unaware that because all the livelihoods of these Manchu bannermen had been cut off, he had no income and no way to advance his career.

Moreover, the Qing court did not allow them to leave their places of residence at will, so these Eight Banners descendants had to live in the harsh and cold lands beyond the Great Wall for generations.

For these reasons, these Eight Banners people truly hated the Qing court. Not to mention Luo Ke's arrival, if any decent-looking rebel army appeared in the area outside the Great Wall, they would be eager to join it, at least to secure a future for themselves and their descendants.

Moreover, although Rock had established the Loyal and Brave Battalion and imposed extremely strict military discipline on this unit, even to the point of being somewhat harsh, they did not care.

They knew that Rock couldn't fully trust them right now, so they had to submit a pledge of allegiance to Rock first.

What truly moved them was Rock's promise that as long as they were willing to pledge their loyalty, they would be treated as ordinary soldiers and treated equally. This was what truly touched them.

They didn't care about Manchu identity at all.

As long as they are treated equally and allowed to farm and work like normal people, and have a livelihood to support themselves, they are willing to risk their lives for it. Not to mention that they had already inquired about the generous treatment of the regular soldiers of the Po Lu Army, which was simply unbelievable to them!

Not only did Rock pay his soldiers well, but he also provided them with a series of follow-up guarantees. What satisfied them most was that there was never any deduction of soldiers' pay in Rock's army!

Whatever amount is promised, that's exactly what will be given!

This is the most important thing. Otherwise, no matter how much military pay is given to the Luo Ke side, it will not be as much as the theoretical military pay of the Eight Banners soldiers. However, that military pay is only theoretical. In reality, they may not even receive one-tenth of it. Moreover, the Eight Banners support system has completely collapsed by now.

Otherwise, if they could earn even one or two taels of silver a month, they wouldn't have fallen into such a state of destitution!

In addition to these Manchu bannermen, Luo Ke continued to recruit more people in the city who were willing to join the Po Lu Army.

When the conscription notice was issued, over a thousand people in the entire city of Kaiyuan eagerly signed up.

From the very beginning, the people of Kaiyuan City were not very friendly to the Polu Army. It wasn't until Luo Ke ransacked the homes of a bunch of Manchu people in the city and beheaded a bunch of tyrannical guys that he held a grievance meeting.

This immediately brought the Po Lu Army closer to the people in the city, and many people felt that this Commander Luo was truly willing to take charge for them!

Moreover, the Polu Army did not commit any offenses after entering the city. If they did not help the Polu Army, the Qing troops might massacre the city when they entered again, and the entire Kaiyuan City might be turned into a bloodbath.

With this in mind, many people who already had grudges against the Manchus were willing to join Rock's team, and some more sensible merchants also took the initiative to bring their own guards to join Rock's team.

Rock did not accept all those who were willing to join. Instead, he made a general selection based on their age, physical condition, and character, and ultimately recruited an additional 800 people.

The additional 800 men recruited, along with the group of anti-Qing bannermen who were previously willing to die for the Po Lu Army, gave Luo Ke's army about 1000 more soldiers.

However, Rock did not intend to give these people a gun and send them to the battlefield as cannon fodder. Instead, he gathered them all up for intensive training, requiring them to report to the front line on time every day and receive unified training from his soldiers.

Rock already had a force of over 2000 men, so with that force, defending Kaiyuan City shouldn't be a big problem.

Since that's the case, it's better to give these people some basic training first so that they can quickly develop combat capabilities. Once they are fully formed, they will definitely be able to play a greater role on the battlefield.

After dealing with all these messy and trivial matters, Rock opened his system and began to claim the rewards he hadn't claimed before.

The battle results for conquering Kaiyuan City have not yet been claimed, but in addition to this result, Rock's mission to capture a city within two months has also been completed, and he can finally obtain a random warhammer building!

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little excited, wondering what kind of building he would get.

In Total War: Warhammer, there are a ton of buildings across all factions, and many of them have incredible effects. If he could create some truly overpowered items, he wouldn't have to worry about the counterattack from the General of Shengjing anymore.

So Rock chose to claim the mission reward first, and then received the latest system notification:

[Congratulations, player! You have obtained the system building: Deep Lava Cavern (from the Dwarf faction in Total War: Warhammer)]

Meow meow meow? What's this?

Rock was a little confused; for a moment, he couldn't quite match the building with the image in his mind.

However, after carefully examining the system interface, he finally remembered.

This building is a unique landmark of the dwarven faction. Although it is indeed unique, it is not very useful in practice because the bonus attributes of this building are very average.

However, in the short term, this building was quite useful for Rock's early development.