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

Wang Chengzhu initially thought he had misheard, so he asked again before inwardly cursing Zhang Da for not knowing the rules.

How dare you, a rebel, invite court officials to inspect your rebel troops? Do you really think you're a loyal minister and general?

Wang Chengzhu had originally planned to avoid the matter, but Zhang Da suddenly brought it up, and it was no use for him to go now—the civil officials and guards were watching him.

"Alright...alright, I'll comply. Let's go take a look."

The group then proceeded to the martial arts training ground outside the west gate of the county town—a training ground shared by Baoqing Prefecture and Shaoyang County. The surrounding area was flat, with only a simple wooden command platform in the center. Sparse training areas were marked on all four sides, and there were still some traces of weapons clashing on the ground, indicating that it hadn't been used for a long time.

As Wang Chengzhu approached the training ground, he heard deafening shouts of battle cries: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The sound waves rolled on, making people's eardrums vibrate.

Wang Chengzhu looked up and saw that on the training ground, hundreds of men were lined up in a somewhat disorderly square formation. They were all wearing short brown trousers, with waist knives tied around their waists, and holding spears and darts in their hands. A few of them were wearing old cloth armor taken from the county government armory. They were following the orders of leaders such as Zhang Wensunmin and others to practice.

Occasionally, the formation would become disorganized as it advanced or retreated, and it was difficult to maintain perfect alignment when thrusting spears in unison. However, the strength lay in the fact that everyone was giving their all. The clanging of swords and shields was resounding, and the villagers' faces were all resolute. The salty smell of sweat, along with their fierce and valiant spirit of risking their lives, wafted towards you.

Wang Chengzhu, after all, had seen his share of big events.

He had seen the soldiers in Xiangyang and the border troops in Yunyang before. The training of the group in front of him was not outstanding, but he had rarely seen such fierce and courageous spirit in the Ming army...

He was shocked: Zhang Da could actually mold a rabble into such a shape? This man truly understands military affairs!

In reality, Zhang Da knows absolutely nothing about soldiers!

In his previous life, the only form of military training he had ever encountered was military drills. At first, Zhang Da wanted to show off his modern knowledge by making these men stand at attention and practice formations, ostensibly to toughen them up. However, he gradually discovered that the effect was minimal and not very good. Moreover, the imperial court wouldn't give him time to toughen them up.

It was the fragments of military books that Little Zhuge Zhou Wenqu found in the county government's household office. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be several fragments of "Essentials of Military Preparedness" copied by local government offices at the end of the Ming Dynasty, as well as "Simple Methods of Village Brave Training" left by an old military household in the village, which recorded the basic methods of single soldiers thrusting spears and slashing with swords, as well as simple formulas for advancing and retreating in square formations.

Remembering that the county soldiers had previously been trained using this book, Zhang Da instructed Zhang Wen and several captains to lead the men in drills, using the tattered scrolls as a guide.

Fortunately, unlike the previous garrison soldiers who dared not enter the government office after being blocked by Zhang Da's thirty-odd men, the newly formed county soldiers were full of enthusiasm and fighting spirit, using the same training methods.

Oranges born in Huainan are oranges, while those born in Huaibei are oranges.

Presumably, the soldiers' combat effectiveness, physique, tactics, or training methods are not the deciding factors, but rather policies, systems, and the military atmosphere are the primary conditions for victory.

Both were from Shaoyang County, living in the same environment. Back then, the imperial soldiers would flee at the sight of refugees, but now these men were incredibly brave. The reason was simple: the former served corrupt officials and were starving, while the latter fought for themselves, having land and food.

Zhang Da looked at the men training with great satisfaction.

Before Wang Chengzhu arrived in Shaoyang, Zhang Da had already discussed with the main leaders of the uprising how to deal with him.

The others thought it best to play it safe, feigning weakness to lower the court's guard. Zhang Da, however, believed the Ming court was no longer the one where "the emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state." Now, it was cowardly, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. He argued that if Zhang Da showed willingness to submit while demonstrating his ability to fight the government troops, they would naturally accept his offer.

Although this idea was opposed by most of the leaders, led by Little Zhuge, Zhang Da still did it.

"Sir Wang...Sir?"

Zhang Da patted Wang Chengzhu, who was staring in disbelief, on the shoulder and pressed him for an answer.

"Lord Wang, look at our brothers from the countryside, how well are they trained? How do they compare to the imperial brothers in Xiangyang?"

"A thousand years ago, the King of Chu inquired about the tripods; now this treacherous dog is asking about military strategy. This land of Chu truly produces barbarians!"

After cursing inwardly, Wang Chengzhu chuckled twice and prepared to take his leave.

"Your brothers are all brave and fierce, with an extraordinary presence. It seems that I and Your Excellency can rest assured. By the way, I have been away for a long time, and Your Excellency may be worried. I should return to Wuchang to report back."

"Oh? Lord Wang is leaving already? I thought you were going to be stationed in our county to supervise my governance and report the situation to the court."

If they don't run, they'll be waiting to be sacrificed to the flag!

Seeing this, Wang Chengzhu was already certain that Zhang Da was extremely ambitious. Even though Zhang Da was currently under the banner of the Ming Dynasty and was very polite and humble towards him, he would definitely turn against him one day!

If they don't rebel this year, they will next; if they don't rebel next year, they will rebel the year after. Right now, they are just secretly accumulating strength! This is also his intuition, gleaned from years of experience in officialdom and his shrewdness in weathering many storms.

"The Governor is awaiting my report. Shaoyang County has been governed so well by Lord Zhang; I will certainly report the facts truthfully. There is no need for further investigation. I will meet with Lord Zhang again when the court issues its decree!"

Zhang Da was naturally delighted to hear these words, and after another round of humble thanks, he hurriedly ordered his men to bring several dozen taels of silver, which he personally slipped into the hands of Wang Chengzhu, the accompanying clerks, and his personal guards.

"This is just a small token of my respect, and I hope you won't find it too little for tea and water on the way."

Wang Chengzhu cursed inwardly for trying to fob off a beggar, but outwardly he made another round of excuses, refusing to accept the money.

"No reward without merit; the governor's office has its own rules and regulations, and this is absolutely unacceptable."

The two men pushed and shoved each other several times, but in the end, seeing Zhang Da's insistence and his desire to leave quickly without delay, Wang Chengzhu accepted the money and stuffed it into the cloth pouch in his elbow.

Seeing that Wang Chengzhu had accepted the offer and had no intention of keeping him any longer, Zhang Da was about to bow and bid him farewell as he was escorted to the city gate when suddenly a rapid sound of horses' hooves came galloping from the east side of the street. The horses' hooves pounded on the bluestone slabs with a hurried sound.

Everyone looked up and saw that the rider was none other than Wang Tui, the armored leader who had joined Zhang Da's uprising.

Before this, Wang Tui had barely even seen a horse, let alone ridden one. Yet now he was riding so fast. He rushed to Zhang Da, pulled on the reins, dismounted, and glanced around the field. His gaze first fell on Wang Chengzhu, then quickly shifted away. He walked briskly to Zhang Da, leaned down slightly, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered a few urgent words in Zhang Da's ear.

Wang Chengzhu stood to the side, pretending not to care while glancing at Zhang Da out of the corner of his eye.

His pupils widened suddenly, his previously humble smile froze instantly, and a flash of surprise and ruthlessness crossed his eyes.

Wang Chengzhu's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

Then a terrible thought suddenly popped into my head.

Surely the higher-ups don't really disregard the envoy's life?! I've been taking money and consistently giving them gifts!

He looked around. Zhang Da was accompanied by Li Er, Wang Tui, Li Dan, and four strong tenant farmers. On his side, including his clerks and guards, there were eight of them. Although none of them were armored, it was reasonable for them to carry swords as envoys from the governor's office. Moreover, he was only a few steps away from Zhang Da. If a fight broke out, he could easily close the distance by taking a few steps forward.

So his hand unconsciously went to the scabbard at his waist, and he subconsciously took a few steps to Zhang Da's side. His eyes swept over the clerks and guards beside him, and even Zhang Da's tenants not far away... Everyone looked tense...

Just as Wang Chengzhu's mind raced, and he was even about to suddenly erupt in anger, Zhang Da suddenly burst into loud wails, his voice filled with sorrow. He raised his hand and pounded his chest, shouting angrily...

"Damn it... damned thief! Some vile creature has dug up our Zhang family's ancestral graves! My father has only been gone a short while ago, and now this calamity has befallen us. Who is this vicious villain!"

Zhang cried and cursed, appearing almost deranged. Before Wang Chengzhu could offer any words of comfort or make any response, he waved his hand and said gruffly, "Lord Wang, I'm truly sorry. Such an emergency has occurred at home. I really have no intention of seeing you off. You may leave the city on your own. I won't see you off!"

Having said that, he said no more, and with the help of others, he turned around, leaped onto his horse, and pulled on the reins to turn the horse around.

Suddenly, Zhang Dameng spurred his horse and galloped towards the soldiers' formation training in the drill ground, shouting loudly like a trapped lion letting out a destructive roar.

"Brothers! The imperial court has sent troops to encircle and annihilate us! That corrupt official from Wuchang is a spy, arrest him! Don't let a single one escape!"

As soon as the shouts fell, the local militia on the training ground erupted in chaos. Their eyes flashed with ferocity, and armed themselves, they charged towards Wang Chengzhu and his group.

"Zhang Da! Traitor! You've fooled me! You've fooled me!"