Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

In late August of the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), in a side room of the prefectural governor's residence in Shaoyang County, Baoqing Prefecture, Huguang Province.

"Brother! I've served as the county magistrate here for many years, and I have connections with your late father. We're practically from the same hometown, and I've treated you well. Why did you have to follow that traitor Zhang Xianzhong and rebel? Why did you have to do this? Why did you have to do this!"

"You brat! I am a fourth-rank official of the imperial court. How dare you act so disrespectfully! You have several heads to chop off!"

The weather in Huguang in August is scorching hot, so hot that rivers dry up, vegetation withers, and even the hearts of people become restless.

The restless could actually incite people to rebel.

The two officials were the victims in this incident; they were currently bound hand and foot and were tearfully accusing and cursing at each other.

"Stop your fucking nonsense, hurry up! You two bastards, where did you hide those bribery books?! Hand them over to me now... Are you going to talk or not?"

After being insulted by a lowly, vulgar man, Tao Gong, the prefect of Baoqing Prefecture, still wanted to retort, but the man next to him immediately kicked him in the back of the knee. Tao Gong was in pain and fell to his knees with a "thud". His official hat rolled to the ground and his official robe was torn crooked.

Seeing that even a dignified fourth-rank prefect was in such a state, Wu Yingshao was terrified. He tried to struggle, but was held down firmly by the other two men and could not move.

Immediately following was a series of screams, cries, and curses.

The source of the sound was naturally Wu Yingshao, the magistrate of Shaoyang County, and Tao Gong, the prefect of Baoqing Prefecture.

It's not surprising that the two acted so undignifiedly.

Zhang Xianzhong has rebelled again in Gucheng recently. The imperial court will have to send troops to suppress him, and suppressing him will require provisions and funds. Elsewhere, there are either droughts or floods. The only place with relatively better conditions is Huguang.

After all, "When Hubei and Hunan are prosperous, the whole country is well-fed."

Therefore, the higher-ups were pressing for grain supplies like it was their lifeline. At this time, the prefectural government of Baoqing Prefecture in Huguang happened to be located in Shaoyang County. So, Prefect Tao Gong summoned Magistrate Wu Yingshao to his residence, intending to discuss the matter further. Just as the two were talking enthusiastically, they suddenly heard shouts of fighting and killing outside the residence.

Accompanied by the soldiers' screams and the loud crashes of doors and walls being rammed, the sound grew closer and closer to the two.

Even though neither of them had ever commanded troops or fought in a war, they knew what had happened without needing to say a word. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it.

Soon after, the voices of the dozen or so guards in the government office were completely drowned out by the shouts of fighting and killing. At this moment, apart from Tao Gong and Wu Yingshao, there were only two servants left in the hall. Seeing this scene, they were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground and trembled.

boom!

Suddenly, a loud bang rang out, and twenty or thirty men wielding kitchen knives and machetes rushed in, each revealing a fierce glint in their eyes more scorching than the midday sun.

What were these two supposed to do? They didn't know where to run, and out of respect for the dignity of the county magistrate, they didn't want to be crouching in some corner with their butts sticking out.

"Damn beasts, you want to..."

Wu Yingshao recognized the leader as Zhang Da, the village head and landlord. Unfortunately, before he could finish his reprimand, the man at the front kicked him, and Wu was immediately tied up.

A group of people ransacked the prefect's residence, finding everything from the official seal and keys to the armory and granary to the official registers and other documents.

That wasn't enough; they even demanded a bribery ledger from the two men, who naturally said in unison that they didn't have one, and were then promptly given another beating.

The two men were beaten until their skin was torn and they coughed up blood.

How could a high-ranking official of the imperial court have ever suffered such humiliation! How could he not weep? How could he not curse?

Wu Yingshao and Tao Gong's screams were loud enough to reach the ears of the boy nearby.

The young man, wearing the official robes he had just taken from Wu Yingshao, sat at the table and chairs Tao Gong usually sat in. Expressionless, he picked up the teacups the two had used and drank from them, as if these tea sets and chairs had been made for him from the very beginning. But if someone observed closely, they could actually see him trembling.

This young man was named Zhang Da; he was the one who planned and led this uprising.

Hearing the hysterical cries, Zhang Da felt no sympathy, but he was certainly somewhat frightened.

After all, only thirty-two of his own men had stormed into the entire government office, while the garrison troops of Shaoyang County and the garrison troops of Baoqing Prefecture numbered in the hundreds or even thousands! If his reinforcements from the countryside didn't arrive in time, he would probably be hacked to pieces...

"Big Brother, we've found him!"

No wonder Tao Gong was able to become a fourth-rank prefect; even after being beaten unconscious, he gritted his teeth and kept his mouth shut. Wu Yingshao, on the other hand, ultimately couldn't withstand the torture and was the first to hand over the book recording some dirty deeds.

Zhang Da let out a long sigh of relief, stood up, and snatched it away.

"Damn it, why is it so little? Lord Wu is still not behaving himself! Beat him!"

Seeing that Wu Yingshao's book was very thin, the group of men were about to teach him a lesson again, removing certain parts from his body.

"Damn traitors! That's all I have to say!"

At this moment, Wu Yingshao was crying and screaming hysterically. His knees were tied behind his back, and he was kneeling on the cold bluestone slab. His face was covered in blood and swollen, and his official hat was hanging askew on his head, making him look extremely disheveled and out of place.

To preserve what little dignity he had left, the incomplete man could only stare intently at the boy in front of him, who was no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.

"Alright, alright, let's call it later. We need to get down to business. Brother, give me the ledger; I'll make up a few lines first!"

"Traitors! Traitors! You will all be executed by slow slicing and suffer eternal damnation!"

Zhang Da was already annoyed, and after being told this, he simply walked up to the magistrate, holding a boning knife and repeatedly gesturing at the magistrate's face.

"We're not rebelling, we're acting on behalf of Heaven, we're ridding the people of a scourge—who told Lord Wu and Lord Tao to collect grain so ruthlessly, leaving us no way to survive?"

"That's a matter for the imperial court! What does it have to do with us?!" Wu Yingshao cried out, his neck veins bulging, his voice suddenly rising.

"The Liaodong military tax and the suppression tax have been levied repeatedly for three years. This June, an imperial edict was issued to increase the military tax by six he of grain per mu, equivalent to one fen and four li and nine hao of silver. This was personally decided by Minister Yang Sichang of the Ministry of War and supervised by Minister Xiong Wencan, the governor of six provinces. The government office is issuing documents three times a day to urge me on. I am just a seventh-rank county magistrate. What can I do? What can I expect?"

Wu Yingshao, panting heavily, became increasingly anxious and pleading as he spoke.

"As for those small levies levied at post stations and miscellaneous fees for river works, those were all done behind my back by the county clerks and village officials! You, Dalang, are also half a farmer, so put your hand on your heart and tell me! When have I, Wu Yingshao, ever personally sent out servants to extort money from the people? What does it have to do with me? What does it have to do with me!"

Upon hearing this, the young man ultimately refrained from slashing his face, instead sheathing the dagger with his hands, but still asked with a slightly mocking smile.

"We country folk are unreasonable. We don't care if you're innocent or not. Now it's up to us to decide what you've done. Look, you've added a few more charges against you while we're talking."

As Wu Yingshao watched these rabble wielding kitchen knives and wood-chopping knives, seemingly intent on devouring him, he could also glimpse through the gaps in the crowd a man in silk robes sitting at a table, frantically scribbling something in Wu Yingshao's ledger.

"Little Zhuge, are you done writing? Remember not to write anything too absurd."

Urged on like this, the man, whom the boy called Little Zhuge Liang, was covered in sweat.

"Don't rush, don't rush! And eldest son, didn't you hear the soldiers already outside the county government office, pushing open the door and shouting insults? Quickly send Li Er to say a few words to intimidate them!"

Seeing that his complaints were futile, Wu Yingshao, who had been utterly despondent, suddenly straightened up upon hearing these words.

"Yes, yes, yes! I am the county magistrate! A scholar who has passed the imperial examination! A seventh-rank official appointed by the imperial court! I have a hundred county soldiers under my command! You, young master, have only brought twenty or thirty men. How dare you disrespect me? How dare you spread rumors about an imperial official? You can still surrender now. I will not pursue your crimes, and on the contrary..."

"Li Er, tell Lord Wu to shut up."

Before he could finish speaking, at Zhang Da's signal, the man on his back named Li Er, his eyes wide with rage, stepped forward and kicked Wu Yingshao hard in the face.

With a muffled "thud," Wu Yingshao's head slammed against the bluestone slab. His eyes rolled back, and he instantly lost consciousness. Blood and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth onto the ground, gradually forming a bizarre image.

Everyone burst into laughter at the sight, while Zhang Da, looking at the blood-red pattern, increasingly felt it resembled a map from the late Ming Dynasty.

However, as Wu Yingshao's blood loss increased, this "late Ming Dynasty map" became increasingly unstable and eventually changed shape...