Uncle Li once said, "When the hearts of the people are scattered, the team is hard to lead."
Rebellion is not child's play, nor is it a banquet; it is a dangerous act of putting one's head on the line. It's not something you can achieve by killing someone, raising a flag, and shouting slogans.
To overthrow the Manchu Qing dynasty, one not only needs a correct and feasible political program but also a sufficiently reliable team.
The swift downfall of the notorious rebel Gou Chengzi was partly due to his slogans like "Eat my mother, drink my mother, not enough to eat, then we have the Prince of Chuang" and "No more official duty, no more grain tax, let everyone live a happy life." These were utopian ideals detached from reality, and anyone with common sense knew they were impossible to achieve.
Another reason was the rapid expansion of Gou Chengzi's rebel forces.
Initially, the backbone of Gou Chengzi's rebel team was composed of dispossessed peasants. As Gou Chengzi's influence grew, the backbone shifted from dispossessed peasants to ruffians and disordered soldiers.
This change in the composition of the core leadership caused Gou Chengzi's rebel forces to become heavily influenced by a nomadic bandit mentality. Later on, they focused solely on seizing power and forgot their original slogan of "equal distribution of land and exemption from grain tax."
Such a team, lacking in class purity, having deviated from its original intentions and forgotten its mission, was inevitably prone to mistakes like ideological disunity, confusion about true friends, disregard for the lives of the masses, and poor work methods.
Coupled with Gou Chengzi's short-sightedness, this led to his rapid rise and equally rapid downfall, truly embodying the saying, "Its rise is swift, its fall is sudden."
The mistakes made by Gou Chengzi during his rebellion are also mistakes that many people tend to make.
Therefore, all aspiring穿越者 (time-travelers) should remember that before blindly adopting so-called military laws, regulations, and discipline, they must first consider whether the team's ideology is unified and, more importantly, whether their work methods are appropriate.
For example, Zhu Xiaosong's decision to allow the young and strong who are unwilling to go to Yimeng to stay behind might seem like an overly democratic mistake on the surface. But what is the reality?
In reality, these young men who have already rebelled and taken to the mountains have no turning back. After all, rebellion is a crime that implicates the entire clan.
If Zhu Xiaosong had directly ordered these young men to accompany him to Yimeng Mountain to establish a base, perhaps they would not have objected. But who can guarantee that no one would harbor ulterior motives?
Instead of forcing them through military law and discipline, it is better to let them understand these matters themselves and actively strengthen their resolve to resist the Qing.
Only by doing so can the influence of factors such as parental ties, familial affections, and attachment to one's homeland, which can lead to ideological disunity, be minimized.
Let's not forget that the straight-line distance from Jade Emperor Mountain to Menglianggu in Yimeng Mountain is over three hundred li, not to mention the possibility of encountering Qing army ambushes along the way.
The consequence of ideological disunity could be "secret transmissions in the grasslands" or defections on the battlefield.
Some might argue that Zhu Xiaosong, calling himself a rebel, only engages in guerrilla warfare around Jade Emperor Mountain and has shown no signs of establishing a base, implementing policies, or setting up systems, which doesn't seem like proper rebellion.
Then the question arises: how can one establish systems and policies by occupying a small hilltop in a plain area with only a hundred or so soldiers who were once farmers?
Does anyone truly believe that with the support of a few small villages, one can directly confront the millions of Qing soldiers, including the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners and the Han Eight Banners and Green Standard Army, in a plain area?
It is precisely for this reason that Zhu Xiaosong plans to proactively avoid the Qing's锋芒 (sharp edge) and temporarily withdraw to Menglianggu in Yimeng Mountain.
...
At the foot of Jade Emperor Mountain, a triangular flag with a green border and embroidered dragon fluttered in the wind. Below the flag, thousands of Green Standard soldiers, armed with various weapons, lined up behind Fucha Mingxing.
Fucha Mingxing sat on his horse, holding the reins in his left hand and scratching the flesh of his thigh with his right. He couldn't help but sigh, "With my thigh flesh increasing, I fear I can no longer serve my master on the battlefield."
Wu Zude, half a horse length behind Fucha Mingxing, quickly advised, "Your Excellency the Governor is in the prime of your life; how can you speak of thigh flesh?"
Just as Fucha Mingxing was about to reply, a young soldier in Green Standard attire galloped down from the mountain, shouting from afar, "Report! Jade Emperor Mountain is completely empty!"
When the soldier reached Fucha Mingxing, he knelt down and bowed, "Reporting to Your Excellency the Governor, apart from a few sheds and a flag on Jade Emperor Mountain, there is no one left!"
Fucha Mingxing was stunned and demanded, "Where are the Jade Emperor Mountain rebels?"
The soldier raised his head and replied blankly, "Perhaps fearing Your Excellency's divine might, the Jade Emperor Mountain rebels have long since fled?"
Hearing the soldier's reply, Fucha Mingxing almost spat out a mouthful of blood – fled? I, who labored hard to bring people to suppress the bandits and quell the rebellion, find that the rebels have long since run away?
Regaining his senses, Fucha Mingxing ignored the soldier, dismounted his horse, and hurried towards Jade Emperor Mountain.
However, upon arriving at Jade Emperor Mountain after a hurried journey, Fucha Mingxing was stunned.
Jade Emperor Mountain in Ningyang County is not large. At its summit stands a small Jade Emperor Temple. In front of the temple, a large flag proclaiming justice on behalf of heaven was erected. Around it, scattered remnants of empty sheds could be seen. Besides that, there was only the vast expanse of white snow and the howling mountain wind.
Fucha Mingxing grabbed Wu Zude, who had just caught up, by the collar and demanded, "Where are the rebel troops? Where did such a large rebel force go?"
It was no wonder Fucha Mingxing was angry.
Mobilizing eight thousand Green Standard soldiers was no small matter. The daily consumption of food and fodder along the way was also not insignificant.
However, in order not to delay Emperor Qianlong's leisurely journey to Jiangnan and to save his own head and the official hat on it, Fucha Mingxing spared no effort, bringing all eight thousand Green Standard soldiers stationed in Qingzhou, aiming for a decisive victory.
Now, the army has been brought, yet the rebels on Jade Emperor Mountain have vanished without a trace?
How is he supposed to report this to His Majesty? Should he say that the rebel Zhu Xiaosong has been annihilated by this humble servant, and His Majesty can proceed with his Jiangnan trip with peace of mind?
What if Zhu Xiaosong suddenly reappears one day? Wouldn't that be considered deceiving the emperor?
Prefect Wu Zude was also stunned.
After a long pause, Wu Zude stammered, "This subordinate... this subordinate does not know either."
Fucha Mingxing released his grip on Wu Zude's collar, his eyes vacant as he gazed at the small Jade Emperor Temple before him, appearing somewhat disconsolate. The howling mountain wind seemed to whisper the word "fool" into his ears.
Wu Zude took half a step back and hesitantly asked, "Your Excellency the Governor, what should we do next?"
Just as Fucha Mingxing was about to reply, another person ran up from the foot of the mountain and knelt down, exclaiming, "Reporting to Your Excellency the Governor, Chen Tai, the Governor of Rivers and Harbors of Jining Prefecture, and Zhan Hongbo, the Prefect of Jining Prefecture, have arrived at the foot of the mountain!"
Fucha Mingxing's expression darkened further. He snorted and headed towards the foot of the mountain.
He had previously dispatched a messenger to rush-deliver a letter to Chen Tai, the Governor of Rivers and Harbors of Jining Prefecture, instructing him to bring his three thousand River Guards to Jade Emperor Mountain ahead of time. Yet, now that he, the Governor of Shandong, had arrived with his troops, and the rebel Zhu Xiaosong had vanished without a trace, the Governor of Rivers and Harbors was only just arriving?
And as for Zhan Hongbo, the Prefect of Jining Prefecture, why was he running around to join the fun? Was he here to witness this governor's folly?
The more Fucha Mingxing thought about it, the angrier he became. As he walked, he pondered how to punish Chen Tai and Zhan Hongbo – one for delaying military affairs and the other for wanting to witness his superior's embarrassment. Who else should be punished if not them?
However, as soon as Fucha Mingxing reached the foot of the mountain, Prefect Zhan Hongbo of Jining quickly rushed forward, knelt down with a thud, and exclaimed, "Your humble servant Zhan Hongbo pays respects to Your Excellency the Governor! I beg Your Excellency the Governor to bring justice to the people of Wenshang County!"
Chen Tai, the Governor of Rivers and Harbors of Jining Prefecture, also hurried forward and knelt down with a thud, "This subordinate is late; I beg Your Excellency the Governor to punish me!"
Zhan Hongbo added, "Reporting to Your Excellency the Governor, Lord Chen was originally heading for Jade Emperor Mountain. However, it happened that the Wenshang County yamen was attacked and breached by the rebel Zhu Xiaosong and his followers. Lord Chen was pursuing those bandits, which is why he is late. I hope Your Excellency the Governor will see the truth of the matter!"
Zhu Xiaosong?
Fucha Mingxing said, "Rise and speak first. What is the matter with the Wenshang County yamen? And what is this Zhu Xiaosong all about?"
Chen Tai stood up, bowed with his hands clasped, and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency the Governor, this subordinate was ordered to come to Jade Emperor Mountain. On the way, passing through Wenshang County, I discovered that more than a dozen officials in Wenshang County had all been killed, their bodies hanging outside the yamen."
"Later, this subordinate sent people to investigate and found that the perpetrators were precisely the rebel Zhu Xiaosong and his group who were to be suppressed. This subordinate then took it upon himself to first dispatch men to track the whereabouts of the rebel Zhu Xiaosong and his gang, and then sent word to Prefect Zhan."
"However, this subordinate is incompetent and ultimately failed to find any trace of Zhu Xiaosong and his group, so I could only rendezvous with Prefect Zhan and proceed to Jade Emperor Mountain."
"This subordinate has delayed military affairs; I beg Your Excellency the Governor to punish me!"
At this moment, Fucha Mingxing could no longer concern himself with the delay of military affairs. As for Zhan Hongbo's plea to bring justice to the people of Wenshang County, it was even less worth mentioning.
What are the common people? The living gentry are the common people. What are the gentry whose property has been plundered after their death? Compared to them, finding the trace of the rebel Zhu Xiaosong and his gang is clearly more important!