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

The woman was the daughter of Zhou Jizong of the Zhou family in Renfengdu, and Zhang Da's childhood sweetheart. The Zhou and Zhang families were originally very close, so they were betrothed as children. Recently, the two were supposed to get married, but unfortunately, a series of events occurred, including the death of Zhang's father from anger. Since Zhang Da had done such a big thing, Zhou Jizong was naturally afraid of being implicated, so the two had not been able to see each other since.

In Zhang Da's view, the fact that she took the initiative to come to the government office today at least meant that his father-in-law from his hometown was about to accept him.

In that case, the day when I can marry such a beautiful woman is not far off.

Zhang Da should have been overjoyed, but seeing her expressionless face, he sensed something was wrong and hurriedly stepped forward somewhat guiltily.

"Huihui, what brings you here? You must be exhausted from the long journey!"

Zhou Nianhui ignored Zhang Da's concern and showed no joy on her face, simply gazing calmly at Wu Lian'er behind Zhang Da.

"My aunt and I made some food together, and I brought some for you."

The peasant woman behind her seized the opportunity to hand over the food basket, which Zhou Nianhui took personally. She walked to the table and laid out the food one by one.

"Then, little sister, don't just stand there, come and eat with us."

Wu Lian'er was in no mood for such things; she felt awkward and uneasy, her ears turning slightly red. She then ignored them, gave a soft snort, and walked out.

"Um...she is..."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Before Zhang Da could even introduce her, Zhou Nianhui blurted out this sentence.

As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Before setting off, Zhou Nianhui should have been overjoyed at the thought of seeing her husband again. Moreover, once she arrived in the county, everyone she met, from the gatekeepers to the patrollers, seemed familiar. They were all tenants or close associates of the Zhang family. Li Ersunmin, Wang Tui, Li Dan, and others immediately came forward to respectfully address her as "sister-in-law," and then she was told that she should call her "Madam of the County Magistrate"...

What woman doesn't wish her man to be an unparalleled hero?

Now that Zhang Da had accomplished such a great feat, the closer Zhou Nianhui got to Zhang Da's county office, the more violently her chest heaved beneath her loose robes, almost to the point of bursting out.

Unfortunately, upon entering the county government office, they found Zhang Da flirting with the cold-faced vixen beside him!

I've only been gone a few days!

Negative emotions are contagious; Wu Lian'er, fleeing in panic, also passed her cold shoulder to Zhou Nianhui.

"Huihui, have you eaten yet? Let's eat together."

As Zhang Da asked the question, he reached out to take her hand, but Zhou Nianhui dodged it.

Embarrassed, Zhang Da could only pretend nothing was wrong and wolf down his food—in reality, it would take at least half an hour to get from the village to the county, and the food would have been cold by then, but Zhang Da still ate with great relish.

How could he not be happy when he thought that his father, Zhou Jizong, had already spoken out in favor of him?

The Zhou family is wealthy and a prominent household in Renfeng. Zhang Da initially persuaded the Zhou family to raise rents first, which led other landlords to follow suit. Now that the Zhou family has relented, the landlords of Renfeng will likely gradually become more loyal, making future recruitment of soldiers and tax payment much easier.

However, Zhou Nianhui was still resentful about what had just happened and refused to give Zhang Da a friendly look.

"By the way, that young lady was Wu Yingshao's daughter. I'd like to trouble you two aunties to go to the back room and keep an eye on her."

For some reason, Zhang Da stopped eating, rinsed his mouth with tea, and then used the opportunity to send the two peasant women away.

At this moment, only Zhang Da and Zhou Nianhui remained in the main hall of the county government office...

"Huh, why is there a note in my food?"

Seeing Zhang Da suddenly and seriously poking at his food with his chopsticks, Zhou Nianhui found it hard to believe and leaned over to take a look.

Suddenly, Zhang Da reached out and grabbed Zhou Nianhui's slender waist, pulling her into his arms. Zhou Nianhui gasped and sat on Zhang's lap.

All the pressure of life and death and the scheming he had been carrying over the past few days erupted when he saw the woman he had been longing for.

At this moment, the beauty is in my arms, her soft and fragrant body warm and inviting.

Just moments ago, Zhou Nianhui was sulking, but now she was like a docile house cat, struggling against Zhang Da as if afraid of hurting him and unable to exert any strength, feigning resistance while welcoming him.

Zhang Da, who was already suffering from lovesickness, could not bear to see this.

The peasants of the past instantly transformed into literary figures who found solace in nature, neglecting politics and refusing to speak out for the people, instead expressing their aspirations through objects and indulging in carefree travels and sightseeing...

After a while

Zhang Da didn't really care much about his clothing. He usually just wore the same few outfits he owned, so he rarely wore anything. Plus, this was the first time he'd ever seen women's clothing, and he... didn't know what to do...

After working for a while longer, Zhang Da couldn't keep going any longer. Zhou Nianhui, nestled in his arms, stopped struggling and instead began to sneer. Zhang Da cursed inwardly while recalling what he had heard about Liu Bang in his previous life.

Rumor has it that after Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, ascended the throne, he became a womanizer. In order to make it easier for him to favor his concubines at any time, he actually made the beauties in the harem wear open-crotch pants...

This is absurd enough that Zhang Da doesn't know if it's true or not, but what if it is...?

So now he finally understood Liu Bang's good intentions.

The seemingly loose dress was actually flawless! Helpless, Zhang Da could only try to alleviate his longing through a haphazard, almost blind-and-fellowship approach.

Those steep and majestic peaks

The smooth, delicate ridge

Soft and smooth, intoxicatingly beautiful

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "offering land to Qin is like adding fuel to the fire"... Zhang Da deeply felt this at this moment.

In August, the weather in Hubei and Hunan was so hot and dry. Zhang Da hugged the block of ice tightly in his arms, wanting the snowman in his arms to absorb all his heat, then melt into a puddle of pure white snow water, and then merge into one...

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap landed on Zhang Da's face, with considerable force, causing him to tilt his head to the side.

"After all this time, we haven't even had a proper title! Now that you control a county, you treat me with such disrespect. Do you take me for some lowly woman?"

Zhou Nianhui braced herself against his chest, pulling away slightly from his embrace, her eyes slightly red, filled with a mixture of grievance and anger.

Zhang Da was stunned, touched his sore cheek, and quickly explained.

"How could I do this? The situation is still unstable. I'm afraid of implicating the Zhou family and not being able to give you a stable life, which is why I've been delaying the marriage proposal..."

Before Zhang Da could finish explaining, Zhou Nianhui suddenly reached out and hugged his neck tightly, burying her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled.

"I don't care, I will never be a concubine in my life..."

After saying that, Zhou Nianhui's body went limp again, no longer resisting his intimacy. Zhang Da's desire surged once more, and he lowered his head to kiss her lips… This time, Zhou Nianhui merely feigned anger, glaring at him before gently closing her eyes, letting him do as he pleased.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly enchanting, with breaths and whispers mingling together.

After a long while, Zhou Nianhui finally leaned against Zhang Da's chest, her breath coming in soft gasps.

"...Hmm...What are your plans next?"

Zhang Da held her close, thought about it carefully, and found this kind of thinking quite comforting.

Now it's simply a matter of accumulating strength and preparing for war.

As for who to fight and who to aid in future military operations, that remains to be discussed.

The local brothers mostly wanted to join forces with Zhang Xianzhong or other nearby forces to rebel against the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhang Da didn't think that way, or rather, he didn't want to break ties with the imperial court so soon.

Zhang Da wanted to emulate Zhu Yuanzhang at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, first consolidating his power base and raising a large army of skilled warriors. On the surface, he would remain a subject of the Ming Dynasty. In a few years, when Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, and others extended their influence to Baoqing Prefecture in Huguang, he would then raise the Ming Dynasty flag and lead a rebellion, thus gaining a legitimate cause.

This approach has many advantages. If they are defeated by the rebel army while allied with the government troops, they can still make a comeback. However, if they are defeated by the government troops while allied with the rebel army... they will probably only be able to wait for the Qing army to enter the pass and shave their queues.

Moreover, as long as Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng were contained, the Ming Dynasty would not perish, and Wu Sangui would not have allowed the Qing army to enter the pass...

Zhou Nianhui, nestled in Zhang Da's arms, noticed her man staring lecherously at her chest for an extended period. Just when she thought Zhang Da was unlikely to answer her question, he slowly and self-deprecatingly said...

"To act as the filial sons and virtuous grandsons of this once-great Ming Dynasty, now in its twi