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

"Don't panic! The imperial court is currently engaged in battle with the Later Jin outside the Great Wall, and busy suppressing the rebel Zhang Xianzhong inside the Great Wall. There's hardly anyone left to oppose us... This is the best opportunity. If we succeed today, we will be able to rise to prominence, be appointed generals, and be ennobled!"

"It's fixed!"

While Zhang Da was reassuring everyone and making empty promises, Little Zhuge finally finished revising his criminal record and handed it back to Zhang Da for review.

As the saying goes, even an emperor needs a just cause to kill someone, let alone a rebel? Zhang Da looked at the evidence written by his strategist. Besides some common charges, there were also accusations of selling children and eating human flesh, coveting land and abducting women, and even allegations that Wu Yingshao and Tao Gong had ethical problems with their own mothers and even had sex with each other...

Zhang Da found it utterly appalling; this was such an exaggeration! But then he thought again, isn't this what rebellion is all about? Back then, Zhu Di, who rebelled against his own nephew, could still write things like "binding a female sheep and a sow to mate with" during the Jingnan Campaign.

If a family is like this, what about oneself?

That's already very civilized!

Without further hesitation, Zhang Da led the group of villagers out of the side hall, through the courtyard of the government office, and arrived at the main gate.

Inside, his own brothers had bolted the door shut and then tightened it securely; outside, someone was repeatedly ramming the door with some heavy object.

Zhang Da immediately rushed forward, took a large sword from his attendant, and, with the back of the blade facing down, pounded on the door seven or eight times with all his might, cursing loudly.

"By order of the Emperor, we are eliminating treacherous officials and corrupt ministers. Who has acted rashly? Who has plotted rebellion!"

After he finished speaking, the noise and banging outside the gate, which had been going on just moments before, fell silent. Then Zhang Da signaled to the people inside to shout "Kill!" while he used this opportunity to unlock the door.

The person outside seemed surprised that Zhang Da would dare to open the door and accept the challenge, and was immediately filled with fear, taking dozens of steps back.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone followed Zhang Da out in a swarm, blocking the doorway.

In the quiet, desolate open space outside, seventy or eighty soldiers in uniform, armed with spears and sabers, completely surrounded the gates of the government office. Further afield, one could vaguely see many more soldiers arriving.

At this moment, two groups of people, one inside and one outside the mansion, stood armed and ready, exuding a chilling and bloody atmosphere.

It was midday, and the scorching sun beat down relentlessly on everyone, trying to draw out the vital energy and residual toxins within their bodies.

A bloody battle is about to erupt...

At the very front of the soldiers stood a portly, fat, and ugly man—this was Wang Hu, the county magistrate of Shaoyang County, a ninth-rank official in charge of apprehending thieves and leading the county's troops.

Beside Wang Hu stood the county magistrate, the registrar, and a few other officials from the prefectural government office, all looking anxious and glaring angrily at the county government gate.

Upon seeing Zhang Da emerge, their leader, Wang Hu, immediately roared angrily.

"Boy, you must be the ringleader of the rebels, you pig-dog thief! You haven't even grown your hair yet, and you dare to break into the county government office, kidnap imperial officials, and openly plot rebellion! Immediately release Lord Wu and Prefect Tao, and surrender, or I will order a full-scale attack and execute you all by slow slicing, exterminate your entire family, and ensure you are never reincarnated!"

"hehe"

Zhang Da was initially somewhat afraid when he rebelled, but upon seeing this scene, he simply sneered and remained unconcerned.

He himself, with just twenty or thirty men, could storm into the county government office and kidnap the prefect and magistrate, while a hundred or eighty county soldiers have been standing outside the gate guarding the coffin for so long without daring to go in.

Can't they really break through? The prefectural gate isn't a city gate; maybe a few dozen women could break it down together!

Moreover, with these county soldiers currently in a state of disarray, continuously surrounding the government office, what about the outer defenses of Shaoyang County? They must be completely undefended.

If I can just stall for a little longer, I can accomplish great things!

"The world has lost its way! There are even thieves crying 'stop thief'—I think you're the ones plotting rebellion!"

Zhang Da stood on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers below, and spoke in a loud voice that penetrated the crowd and reached the ears of every soldier.

"Tao Gong and Wu Yingshao, as local officials, seized fertile land for personal enjoyment, embezzled all the disaster relief grain allocated by the imperial court, and condoned their subordinates, clerks, and grain officials, to exploit the people..."

While recounting the two men's crimes, Zhang Da pretended to flip through the "evidence," reading it aloud in front of everyone. Most of it contained filthy ethical content, claiming that the two officials had affairs with his mother and sister-in-law… even going so far as to say that the two men ate human flesh and drank human blood to prolong their lives.

"The Ming Dynasty, the people of the Ming Dynasty, have been ruined by corrupt officials like Wu Yingshao! And you, Wang Hu, as a county lieutenant in charge of the troops, yet you bleed your soldiers dry every day, embezzling their rations and enriching yourself! Soldiers, tell me, how long has it been since you received your full pay? How long has it been since you had a full meal?"

Having said that, Zhang Da threw the "evidence" in his hand towards the crowd. Then, he took out a cloth bag from his pocket, tore it open, and scattered several hundred copper coins in it. The coins landed on the bluestone slab in front of the soldiers with a crisp sound.

"These corrupt officials are unwilling to share their wealth with the poor, but I, Zhang Da, am willing! If you take down these corrupt officials like Wang Hu today, you will follow me and have food to eat and land to cultivate, and you will never have to suffer from exploitation again! In the future, I will appeal to the court and make sure that all the people in the world are freed from the oppression of corrupt officials!"

"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Wang Hu's face changed drastically. He shouted angrily, drew his sword, and pointed it at the soldiers. "He's a traitor, a liar! Go get him! Kill him! I'll reward you with five hundred coins and record this merit!"

But the soldiers still looked at each other, hesitant to move.

They weren't stupid; the thirty-odd men behind Zhang Da didn't seem like cowards. Being the first to charge would be a death sentence.

What's more, it's not even certain who's in charge in the county right now, and the pay is meager; they're incredibly stingy...

Just as the soldiers hesitated, deafening shouts of battle gradually rose from the distance. The sounds grew clearer and clearer as they approached the prefectural government building… Finally, someone pointed in the direction from which the sounds originated, and at the end of the street, tattered and emaciated tenant farmers and vagrants surged toward the government office. They carried a variety of weapons, including benches, hoes, carrying poles, and some even came unarmed, surging forward like a tide.

That aura seemed capable of moving mountains and seas, and destroying everything in its path.

They are all pitiful people who breathe today but will starve to death tomorrow.

The two groups clashed shortly afterward and immediately began fighting.

At first, the soldiers had the upper hand, even managing to push the enemy back dozens of steps while hurling insults at them. However, they soon discovered that this was different from before. These lowly country bumpkins no longer uttered words like "Sir, have mercy!" as they used to. Even after suppressing and pushing them back, they showed no signs of weakness and began to counterattack!

This terrified the soldiers, who hastily retreated, not wanting to remain in the enemy's presence. Therefore, the fighting didn't last long. During the retreat, they only saw a few men lying in pools of blood on the boundary line between the two groups. The officers and soldiers couldn't distinguish whether they were their own men or the rebels; in any case, the sight only increased their fear, and they retreated even faster.

The county soldiers, already demoralized, were overwhelmed by fear upon seeing the numerous and fearless tenant farmers and refugees. Suddenly, someone dropped their weapon and shouted...

"run!"

Immediately afterwards, the 180 county soldiers scattered like a tide, throwing down their weapons and turning to flee. Faced with this situation, Wang Hu and several county officials either sighed or cursed their subordinates, and then could only follow the fleeing soldiers with their faces ashen...

With no obstacles in place, the refugees surged forth like a raging tide, washing away and destroying all filth, and within moments they surrounded the main gate of the county government office.

They stopped their pursuit and instead stood silently around Zhang Da, their intentions and demands unclear.

Zhang Da looked at the many homeless people bending down to pick up money and felt somewhat lost, since he didn't recognize most of them.

However, Zhang Da recognized the group of people who were leading the way, watching him with excitement and elation.

His second younger brother, his tenant farmers, and the head of his fellow village were among them.

At this moment, the refugees who didn't recognize Zhang Da also picked up their money and, following the gazes of those around them, looked towards the young man at the prefectural gate.

His eyes held admiration, longing, and praise... but most of all, anticipation.

This was the first time Zhang Da had been looked at with such expectant eyes by so many people. Overwhelmed with nervousness, he didn't know what to say or do. He felt those gazes were hotter than the midday sun, and his anger surged, his heart burning with rage.

Zhang Da touched Wu Yingshao's official robe, which was now burning hot from the midday sun and his own burning desire, almost steaming with sweat. He unconsciously tugged at the robe, but still felt too hot and restless, so he simply took it off.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

Immediately, the crowd erupted in a thunderous roar of praise at Zhang Da's action.

Those who knew and supported Zhang Da used this opportunity to incite the crowd.

"It was Zhang Da, the head of Renfeng Village, who killed the corrupt official for us! He's going to give us grain, make sure we're well-fed, and even bestow titles and honors upon us. Shouldn't we listen to the village head?"

"The position of prefect should rightfully belong to the eldest son!"

"The eldest son is the one everyone hopes for; from now on, we'll all live a good life with him!"

With these repeated urgings, the shouts from the crowd reached another peak.

Zhang Da finally came to his senses. Taking advantage of the moment, Xiao Zhuge picked up the book of incriminating evidence that Zhang Da had just thrown away and stuffed it into his hand. Zhang Da understood what he meant and began to read aloud Wu Yingshao's incriminating evidence again, while making a series of guarantees in front of everyone.

For example, appointing generals and bestowing titles upon them, or bestowing titles upon them and elevating them to the status of kings and nobles.

Of course, most of Zhang Da's promises were empty words, and his sincerity was lacking. Lacking sincerity, he began to have wild thoughts. Thinking about how easily he had taken this place, Zhang Da inadvertently recalled a saying by Sima Qian.

When Qin lost its mandate, the whole world scrambled for it.