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

As a transmigrator, Zhang Da was actually quite unlucky. He didn't have a system, he wasn't a powerful civil official, nor a military general with his own army, and he didn't transmigrate into the body of any prince or grandson of the emperor. The so-called wielding power over the world while asleep and enjoying the company of beautiful women had nothing to do with him.

He transmigrated into the body of a seventeen-year-old boy who had just lost his father and was not well-behaved even by his own tenant farmer and younger brother.

All he had under his command were a few dozen local militiamen, a few dozen tenant farmers, and some like-minded fellow villagers.

Yet, thanks to these very people, the peasant who yesterday was in the fields planning to commit suicide to avoid torture if the uprising failed, is now standing at the government office gate, at the highest point of the rebel crowd, issuing orders.

"Zhang Wen, take your men to the armory immediately! Guard the gate, inventory the swords, spears, bows, and armor, and register them..."

"Sun Min, Li Dan, you two take a hundred or so clean-cut men to the granary! Seal it first, make sure it's sealed first! I wouldn't let him steal it even if my own father crawled out of his grave, understand? They'll get their share when the grain is distributed after the situation stabilizes!"

"Liu Binghuo, Sun Liu, Zhou Gou, and Wang Tui, you four take my tenants and split into four groups to control the four gates of the county! No one is allowed to enter or leave."

"Little Zhuge, you..."

Zhang Dayue spoke more and more fluently, his identity gradually transforming from a peasant to the new head of the household.

This can only mean that it was all fate.

If he weren't a time traveler from the future, if he didn't know that Zhang Xianzhong would soon capture Baoqing Prefecture, killing officials and plundering the people (especially landlords like Zhang Da who owned land and grain).

It is unknown whether Li Zicheng's Shun army and the Ming army will engage in a fierce battle here in the future.

Unbeknownst to many, when the Qing army later entered the pass, the Southern Ming and the Qing were once again fighting each other, and Baoqing Prefecture fell five times in succession.

Even during the Kangxi era, Wu Sangui rebelled again, and there was another round of burning, killing, and looting in this area...

Zhang Da might not have been in such a hurry to rebel.

Moreover, this doesn't even include natural disasters or plagues.

In comparison, Zhang Da felt that the chances of survival were greater for those who rebelled.

……

"You vulgar bastards...where are you trying to take me?! My last meal must include wine! Include wine!"

When Wu Yingshao, who had been kicked unconscious by Li Er, woke up, he hadn't even wiped the blood and shoe prints off his face before two villagers grabbed him by the arms and half-dragged him forward.

This time, even his official hat was stolen by who knows who.

The group didn't go far, but instead ventured deep into the county government compound—the magistrate's residence, the inner quarters where the Ming dynasty magistrate lived. It was eerily quiet, like a ghost town.

Upon reaching the vermilion gate of the inner courtyard, Wu Yingshao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Two villagers had already arrived at their doorstep and were standing guard with knives in hand.

And he was also saying some foul language about his wife and daughter...

A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and Wu Yingshao instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

When displaced people rebel, they usually seize the granaries first; when soldiers mutini, they plunder the treasury's silver.

But Zhang Da was different. His family were large landowners in Renfeng, with plenty of land and grain, and they had no shortage of food, drink, or money.

What are his needs?

Without a doubt, his family members might already be naked and suffering humiliation at this moment...

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Countless horrific images flashed through Wu Yingshao's mind in an instant, terrifying him to the point of losing his mind. His legs went weak and he almost collapsed, desperately using his back to resist the shoving of the two villagers, his teeth chattering.

He dared not ask, nor would he step across the threshold.

"Sir, please go in. Don't make things difficult for us," the countryman on the left said gruffly, brandishing his broadsword.

With a push from the two of them, Wu Yingshao stumbled and fell into the doorway, his knee hitting the threshold, causing another sharp pain.

"Madam! Xiu'er! Lian'er!" Having finally entered the room, he ignored the pain and roared hoarsely with all his might, "Come out! All of you, come out!"

Footsteps echoed in the inner hall as a group of people stumbled and ran out.

Thankfully, no one was missing, and everyone was wearing clothes.

Leading the group was the county magistrate's wife, around forty years old, her silk dress disheveled, her hair loose, her eyes red and swollen, her face streaked with tears.

Behind him followed his two sons, both nearing twenty, then a young concubine, and finally, trailing behind the concubine, was his sixteen-year-old daughter, Wu Lian'er.

Upon seeing Wu Yingshao, the whole family burst into tears, their cries heart-wrenching.

Wu Yingshao lunged forward, desperately shielding his family with his hands, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Don't cry... Are you all alright? Has anyone hit or scolded you? Has anyone caused trouble in the house?"

The woman rushed to him, grabbed his sleeve, and wept uncontrollably.

"We were at home when we suddenly heard shouts of killing outside. Soon after, a group of villagers with weapons came in and confined our whole family to the main hall. They forbade us from going out or making any noise. Other than that, they did not beat or scold us, nor did they..."

Wu Yingshao was startled, glanced at his family, and then his heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, suddenly settled. A wave of relief washed over him, and he murmured repeatedly...

"It's alright...it's alright..."

After another bout of crying and fussing, Wu Yingshao was pulled back to the main hall by his family. He swallowed two or three large gulps of tea, and his complexion improved somewhat. Then, he began to tremble with remorse and said bitterly...

"Damn traitor! The court put me in charge of a county, and after all that, I've been turned against by some greenhorn! I even scolded Ruan Zhitian (the magistrate of Gucheng) for being blind and unable to judge people..."

Just as he was about to recount everything that had happened in the government office with a regretful and tearful voice, the gate of the mansion was slowly pushed open with a "creak".

The crying that filled the room stopped abruptly. The family fell silent instantly, staring in terror at the doorway.

Backlit, the young figure slowly walked in; it was Zhang Da.

Behind him followed four or five men, all wearing cloth and cotton armor taken from the county yamen's armory, with swords at their waists and spears in their hands, already showing signs of military bearing.

After Zhang Da tore off Wu Yingshao's official robes, he did not put them back on. At this time, he was still wearing the coarse cloth short jacket he had brought from the countryside, except that he now had a standard-issue knife at his waist.

Zhang Da remained calm, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on the youngest daughter beside Wu Yingshao, seemingly somewhat surprised.

What a beautiful girl!

Cough cough, we can't do that at this time.

During his adolescence, Zhang Da sometimes experienced a surge of hormones and couldn't control his masculine energy.

"Your Excellency, there is no need to panic," Zhang Da said in a calm voice. "I have already stated that no one should be implicated in this matter. I am only here today to discuss something with you."

Wu Yingshao's face was pale, but he still maintained his official demeanor and spoke in a low voice to his family.

"All of you, retreat to the inner hall and do not come out!"

The family members retreated into the inner room with unease.

Zhang Dajing walked to a guest chair and sat down, looking calmly at Wu Yingshao, and said absentmindedly.

"Your Excellency, your youngest daughter is so pretty and charming, she's truly endearing. How old is she?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yingshao felt it was an overwhelming insult and threat. His face instantly turned ashen, his teeth clenched, and he remained silent.

Zhang Da then realized he had spoken out of turn again due to his hormones. He squeezed his legs together, coughed twice, and continued speaking.

"Lord Wu, after I left the prefectural office, the granary and armory were only sent there, but I came to your county magistrate's office immediately—do you know why?"

Wu Yingshao raised his eyes, his last glimmer of hope for survival extinguished, but instead he stiffened his neck and hardened his resolve.

"A thief is a thief, no matter how respectable he pretends. You can have someone take action against him."

Zhang Da chuckled lightly, showing no anger: "You're quite the man! If I manage to establish myself in central Hunan, I'll definitely write a biography for Lord Wu, so that my name will be etched in history!"

"But..." Zhang Da suddenly paused, a hint of malice in his voice.

"After you die, what will become of your family? I can control myself, but I might not be able to control my men. How about we make a deal, and I'll guarantee your whole family's safety?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yingshao hesitated. He had studied diligently for decades, finally passing the imperial examination and becoming a county magistrate, only to encounter such a thing. He was willing to die himself, but the key was not to let the Wu family line end.

Seeing Wu Yingshao hesitate, seemingly tempted, Zhang Da leaned forward slightly and handed him a book of incriminating documents.

"The Prefect has passed away before you. The only regret is that he did not confess in public—so you will have to nod a few times later… The general process is that soon someone will take Magistrate Wu out as well, and then read out your crimes in front of the people of the county. As long as you don't care what they read out or whether you actually did it, just admit to everything… In return, I will not harm your family. Not only will I not hurt them in the slightest, but I will also send people to escort them safely back to your hometown. Even if the Wu family falls on hard times in the future, they can come to me again, and I will definitely give them a good job where they will have no worries about food and clothing."

Wu Yingshao stared directly into Zhang Da's deep, dark eyes, which reminded him of a painting hidden deep within his study, his most beloved work—a depiction of a fierce tiger descending a mountain. The gaunt tiger in that painting, gazing at him, had the exact same look in the eyes of the boy before him… Wu Yingshao was momentarily dazed.

Even he had to admit that this sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy was far more terrifying than those bandits who only knew how to burn, kill, plunder, and rape officials' wives. He actually wanted to rightfully occupy Shaoyang and establish a firm foothold.

They might even become more troublesome than rebels like Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng in the future.

However, all of that is irrelevant to me now. The most important thing is to continue the family line and not let the ancestral rites die out...

"You guarantee?" Wu Yingshao's voice trembled. "You guarantee that my whole family will leave safely?"

Zhang Da said confidently, "When I become a county magistrate or prefect, I won't need to indiscriminately kill women and children and corrupt people's hearts just to vent my anger, will I?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps sounded outside the door. Several villagers, cursing and brandishing knives, entered. Surprised to see Zhang Da there, they immediately straightened up and bowed respectfully to him. Zhang Da gestured for them to go outside, and they indeed stood solemnly outside, waiting quietly.

Wu Yingshao trembled, then let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"I've served as an official for many years, and in the end, I've fallen at the hands of a mere village head... I want to die with the truth known: how exactly did you manage to pull this off?"

Zhang Da was silent for a moment, then began to recall the past in a low voice.

"My father concealed nearly a hundred acres of fertile land to reduce taxes. As the county magistrate, you knew what would happen if you were found out. Unfortunately, the local grain chief discovered it anyway. The grain chief was no good either; he took the opportunity to extort money from my father, wanting eight or nine tenths of his land. In this chaotic world, whether you handed over the land or stubbornly resisted, it was all a dead end. My father died of worry and fear..."

After my father died, the debts and the responsibilities of the village head all fell on my shoulders. Whether I paid the grain tax or not, I would die... So I first conspired with several wealthy families in the village to deliberately raise the land rent, forcing the tenant farmers and vagrants to have no way out.

Just then, Zhang Xianzhong rebelled again, shaking the entire country. The county needed to train local militia, and I took the opportunity to recruit more reliable brothers who had no food to eat. Later, the imperial court increased the training levies, exploiting the villagers at every level, until the tenant farmers and farmers in the countryside could no longer survive. They were just waiting for a pretext to rise up.

Wu Yingshao's pupils contracted, and he suddenly realized...

"So you deliberately incited the displaced people to riot, then used the pretext of escorting the rioters to bring the local militia into the city, and finally suddenly turned your attention to the government office, a coordinated attack from within and without!?"

Zhang laughed and nodded, feeling very fortunate and proud.

"To be honest, how good can a method that can be summed up in a sentence or two be? This method is very crude, and I myself can't believe it can work. To tell you the truth, the short knife that was brandished at your face earlier was one I kept for myself... Alas, I can only say that the Ming Dynasty is truly doomed."

After listening, Wu Yingshao stood up, looked up at the sky, and sighed deeply, his eyes filled with bitterness.

In that instant, he wanted to curse Zhang Da, to hurl insults at Zhang Da, to fight Zhang Da to the death, and to beg Zhang Da for mercy to save his life.

However, none of this happened.

"You...don't let my family see you do it."

Wu Yingshao hesitated for a long time before slowly uttering these words. Just as Zhang Da was about to respond, the curtain of the inner room was suddenly lifted.

Wu Yingshao's sixteen-year-old daughter, Wu Lian'er, broke free and rushed out crying.

The little girl was beautiful and delicate, with clean features. She was wearing a pink dress and was hitting Zhang Da with all her might, crying in a hoarse voice.

"Don't you dare bully my dad... Let go of my dad!"

She was weak and felt no pain when she punched him. Seeing this, Zhang Da simply raised his hand to signal the villagers beside him not to stop her and let her vent for a moment.

"Lian'er! Come back!" Wu Yingshao exclaimed in alarm, desperately pulling his daughter back into his arms.

At this moment, the whole family rushed out, hugged each other, and cried their hearts out, their grief over the separation of life and death overflowing.

Zhang Da remained calm, showing no anger, and simply stood up, not lingering any longer...

Shortly after, the gates of the county magistrate's office opened.

Wu Yingshao, disheveled and with a deathly expression, slowly walked out.

He could never have imagined that years later, when Emperor Chongzhen walked to that crooked tree on Little Coal Hill, his expression and movements would be exactly the same as his own.