"The Farmer's Fat Wife": Fat Men Are All Potential Stocks (Part 11)...

The shadow of the government is not always present in the lives of ordinary people, but it doesn't need to be real; just catching a glimpse of its shadow is enough. Everyone is subtly influenced by it and assumes that it is invincible.

So when Ye Xiqing revealed her intention to resist, everyone was stunned.

It wasn't out of fear or disagreement; I simply hadn't thought that far ahead. My blank mind was suddenly shown a blank path, and I was stunned by the conditioned reflex.

Ye Xiqing was not surprised to see the stunned looks on everyone's faces. She slowly looked at Hua Xigu and said, "Mother, tell everyone the second half of the dream I told you about three years ago."

"ah?"

Hua Xigu was even more stunned than everyone else, but under Ye Xiqing's calm gaze, she could only compose herself and tell the rest of the dream.

After saying that, he hugged his second daughter, his mind racing, looking left and right, trying to find a way out of the mess.

The people below fell silent. What did that mean?

No one doubted the content of the dream, after all, the flood predicted three years ago had just occurred.

But with their still simple minds, they couldn't come up with such a response. Ye Xiqing then looked at Zhu Niangzi, who fell silent.

Are you serious?

As the group studied the dream, Zhu Niangzi looked at Ye Xiqing, and Ye Xiqing looked at her. The two looked at each other without saying a word, yet it seemed as if a thousand words had been spoken.

Such a classic tactic, Zhu Niangzi must have learned it when she was studying history.

But she learned it in the first place so that she could understand the casual complaints of high-ranking officials after they had eaten and drunk their fill, not so that one day such a thing would happen to her.

What should I do if it actually happens to me?

Zhu Niangzi glanced at Ye Xiqing again. Ye Xiqing was very calm, just as calm as when she said she would redeem her.

Most of the time, Zhu Niangzi cherished her life, but this world actually divided life into noble and lowly.

If there were no distinction between noble and lowly, life would naturally be the most precious thing. If there were distinctions between noble and lowly, then the lowly should think carefully about how to use their lives.

If life is truly like fireworks, how should it be set off?

Actually, when Zhu Niangzi followed Ye Xiqing, she was prepared that she wouldn't do anything respectable in the future, since Ye Xiqing wasn't exactly a respectable person when they first met.

Since they were all lowlifes, it was easy to cross the line. As soon as Ye Xiqing took the lead, Zhu Niangzi had a bold idea in a flash, an idea that even made her brain burn.

He lowered his head, suppressing his surging emotions, and said with a deep expression, "Is that really the case?"

"If that's the case, I have a guess, but I dare not say..."

As everyone was deep in thought, or pretending to be deep in thought depending on the atmosphere, they immediately chimed in, "Speak up! There are no outsiders here, what's there to hide!"

Seeing everyone's expectant gazes focused on her, Zhu Niangzi slowly began to speak.

"In the past, when the Holy Mother Empress Dowager gave birth to Emperor Taizu, she dreamed that a dragon entered her bosom. Emperor Taizu started his army from Heihe and established the Li Dynasty. Our dynasty is ruled by the virtue of water and black is auspicious. However, in the dream of the chief, a black dragon was actually doing evil."

"The workings of Heaven have an end, but the cycle of the Five Elements never ends."

“In ancient times, the kings were virtuous and the kingdoms lasted for thousands of years. Later monarchs were not as good, and every hundred years the royal court fell and evil spirits emerged.”

"Now the Li Dynasty has lasted for more than two hundred years, and its fate is about to end. Heaven has five elements, and the virtue of water is declining. The virtue of wood will prevail in this era."

"In the chief's dream, he saw a black dragon wreaking havoc, yet there was a lone tree standing alone. Isn't this exactly the way to go?"

Clap clap clap.

After hearing this, Ye Xiqing wanted to applaud eight hundred times. Look at him, look at this scholar!

But now is not the time for her to applaud; it's the time for others to perform. Niu Xiaohuan gasped after hearing this: "Does Zhu Xueguan mean we're rebelling?"

Bamboo Maiden: ...

Can't you tell what she means, and whose meaning it is?

But Niu Xiaohuan's simple and clear sentence made some of the younger students, whose knowledge was not yet advanced and who did not understand, realize that this was what it meant!

Just as the crowd was about to erupt in clamor, Ye Xiqing delivered the final blow, slamming the iron rod into the ground: "Yes! They've rebelled!"

"But I want to rebel, not because of any dragons, water, dreams, or wood. I just disagree. Is there any way for ordinary people at the bottom of society to survive in this world?"

"The reason we gathered together in the first place was because the imperial court withdrew 15,000 people from our area."

"The farmers are exhausted; if 15,000 men are gone, what will happen to the rest? Has the imperial court considered this?"

"No, they just broke into the house and arrested people, leaving the rest to fend for themselves."

"Did we rebel back then? No, we didn't. We just kept farming."

"The work in the fields is so heavy, but we work all day long and don't leave a single piece of land uncultivated. We're hoping to get back to a good life after the war is over."

"But why didn't you continue? Why did you start doing beheadings instead?"

"Because after the imperial court requisitioned 15,000 taels of grain, it also requisitioned half of the grain, and people could no longer make a living, so they had no choice but to go down the road to death."

"Don't we know that smuggling salt is punishable by death? Of course we do!"

"But we would rather risk our lives to survive than rebel and cause trouble for the court."

"I originally planned to run a salt smuggling business for a few years and then switch to a legitimate business, but who would have thought that I would encounter this flood."

"The floods sent down by Heaven are already a sign of the king's lack of virtue, yet the court still shows no compassion, levying exorbitant taxes and plundering us to the point of extermination."

"Of course we can run away, run to a foreign land, become rats in the street, or become outlaws. The court has taken all our things, and they are the officials, while we are the bandits."

"But why? Why?! What have we done to wrong the imperial court? Does the imperial court even act like a human being?!"

"They wear official robes but do banditry. How many years have they been doing this? If you look closely at their ranks, can you still tell who's an official and who's a bandit?"

"Since advancing or retreating is a dead end anyway, and one's head will be smashed on the ground with a big scar, why not let those beastly noble lords above also have their heads rolling on the ground!"

"They won't give us a way to survive, so we'll rebel! We'll rebel!"

Everyone: ...

I never imagined that my smuggling of salt was all a matter of enduring humiliation and giving face to the imperial court.

After Niu Xiaohuan finished speaking, there was still some commotion in the crowd, but after Ye Xiqing finished speaking, the crowd fell silent instantly and began to think seriously.

In ancient times, the boundaries of royal power were easily overturned at the grassroots level. The salt merchants were the ones dealing with a business that could cost them their lives. The laws of the court were very vague, and the psychological boundaries were even easier to breach.

Under the intense instigation of Ye Xiqing and the pressure of news of the arrest of the Hai Gang leader, the string in his mind snapped instantly.

Impulsive by nature, Ye Xiqing was easily provoked as she spoke. Without thinking, she echoed, "That's outrageous!"

With someone taking the lead, the others felt reassured and joined in shouting, "Rebellion!"

The atmosphere grew increasingly heated, and those who were particularly hesitant, caught up in the fervor, started thinking wildly: "Rebellion! Rebellion!"

The entire village was filled with dissenting voices. Was rebellion a well-planned affair? No, rebellion precisely requires a bit of impulsiveness.

Without the slightest hesitation or planning, Ye Xiqing ordered everyone to pick up their knives and weapons and immediately begin the counterattack.

Meanwhile, the county magistrate's men were also rushing towards Xiawa Village.

Salt smugglers are like a flock of fat sheep kept by officials. When things are peaceful, they can be fed a bunch of tributes, and when trouble comes, they can be slaughtered for a fortune.

The prefect was sure to slaughter the big fat sheep like the leader of the Haiyan Gang. When the magistrate of Yang County heard the report, he was also very happy and immediately sent people to arrest Ye Xiqing and her gang of small fish.

In reality, the military strength of a county town is not very strong. The yamen runners and patrol officers together number only about a hundred. What makes the government strong is its reserve force. If you fight one, a whole bunch of them will come. It's not that the town itself is an impregnable fortress.

Otherwise, if a county were to be garrisoned with several thousand troops, not only would it be difficult to support them, but any local official could easily rebel.

Given such a disparity in strength, just as Ye Xiqing said, the one who should be worried is not them, but the county government.

However, the people in the county government usually have too much of a sense of superiority over the common people below. According to their habitual thinking, they don't think that all the people in Xiawa Village are involved in smuggling salt.

In their minds, the slaves or tenant farmers must have been bought by the Li family in Xiawa Village after they became wealthy from smuggling salt.

Even if she had private servants and confidants, not everyone would risk their lives for her. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to resist the soldiers. What they were most worried about was that Ye Xiqing would run away, not that she would resist.

I asked someone in another village to show me the way to Xiawa Village, but when I got there, I found the village was deserted.

The person who brought people to raid the house and report the crime was Brother Li's colleague. After the Li family became wealthy, Brother Li became extravagant, which his colleague had long envied.

Now that their family has committed a capital offense, they can't blame him.

The entire village had been emptied out. Although it was a bit strange, the yamen runners didn't have time to think about it too much and quickly ordered people to search the village.

Xiawa Village has been well-managed for many years and has accumulated a lot of wealth. A quick search revealed many good things, and everyone was overjoyed. The searchers quickly stuffed the items into their own pockets.

After the searchers had filled the carts, they began to load the magistrate's carts with grain, cured meat, cloth, and stored salt.

They used oxen raised by the Xiawa Village collective to pull the carts, carrying their spoils, and the group happily drove the carts back to claim their credit.

They spent a long time loading the cart, and even went back to their own homes to hand over the stolen goods to their families for safekeeping before going to report to the county magistrate.

He was full of excitement before returning to the city, but he was stunned when he got back. There wasn't a single person on the streets...

I went to the county government office with a heavy heart, and the further I walked, the more uneasy I felt.

When they arrived at the county government office, they saw that the people wearing official robes had changed.

Niu Xiaohuan grinned at the yamen runners: "Thank you for bringing our things, but this county magistrate won't reward you; she'll kill you!"

...

To mobilize for the rebellion, they didn't even bother with the usual rituals of burning incense and praying to gods, or the formalities of "XX Xing" and "XX Wang." They simply loaded the blades onto the vehicle and covered them with something.

Those who need to travel by boat will travel by boat, and those who need to walk will walk. If a change of vehicle is needed, a large sum of money will be spent to quickly purchase one from a farmer.

When they arrived in the county town, the guards were leisurely sitting in the shade, drinking tea and chatting, collecting entrance fees.

Those who pass by and do large-scale business will be sensible and will offer them gifts, while small vendors will also offer them some cakes, tea, or the like.

Seeing a group of people pushing a cart in, the guard immediately perked up and yelled at the convoy, "What is that?!"

The leader was a short but sturdy, dark-skinned "man" who quickly pulled something out of his pocket and hurried over.

The guard was used to this kind of scene. Just as he was happy that he was about to make another profit, the newcomer pulled out a short knife from his pocket and plunged it into his throat, grinning: "Guess!"

Seeing that the leader had succeeded, the men behind him immediately kicked over the goods on the cart, revealing the blades inside. They killed the guards outside the gate with two blows and rushed into the city, preventing the defenders from closing the city gate.

To avoid being too conspicuous, the main force was hiding in the back. Now that they have received the message, they are rushing over immediately.

There were also arrow towers on the city walls of the county town, but the guards were usually too lax. By the time the archers got their bows, Ye Xiqing had already led the vanguard to attack with door panels in hand.

In ancient times, armor was prohibited but weapons were not. People with connections could easily obtain knives, but obtaining armor was virtually impossible. Possessing armor was the most serious charge of treason.

For unarmored bandits and thieves, once the city gates are closed, the archers, positioned on higher ground, can fire arrows from above. Even seven or eight of them are enough to inflict significant damage.

But things happened so suddenly that there was no preparation at all. The city gates were not even closed when Ye Xiqing led his men to attack the city walls.

Archers in melee combat, facing a whole group on the other side, how desperate must they be? The archers in the county town aren't even armored yet, they're pretty fragile.

Ye Xiqing took the lead, carrying a door panel and rushing ahead. When he got close, he threw the man off the city wall with the door panel, and someone below followed up with a knife.

Ye Xiqing used the same method on the guards on the surrounding walls: he sent out a team to quickly take control of the city gates.

Those with strong bodies would hold up a door panel as a shield, and if someone got close, they would attack with knives and sticks. If someone had the strength to swing a door panel, they could swing a door panel too.

Another team, armed with knives, guarded the city gate, killing anyone who tried to break through.

The rest of you, charge straight to the county government office, drag that corrupt official out and behead him!

As the attackers stormed into the city, they shouted, "Kill only corrupt officials, not civilians. Civilians, hide in your houses!" to clear the way, while rushing into the blacksmith shops to grab weapons.

Of course, he wasn't taking it for free. He threw the silver into the house and said, "I'll buy it from you!"

The people in the city screamed and hid in their houses, afraid to come out. Small vendors from other places also crowded into nearby shops, and soon the streets were empty.

Hiding inside, listening to the commotion outside, the blacksmith shop owner, trembling with fear, stared at the silver coins lying on the ground and fell silent.

You guys are actually quite polite...

He picked up the silver and told his men, "It's all been robbed! It's all been robbed!"

Those government officials and their clerks, who were usually ruthless towards ordinary people, were all terrified when faced with these three hundred bloodthirsty beasts.

Those who weren't so bright hesitated and were knocked to the ground by the surging torrent; the smart ones turned around and hid in houses, begging their fellow villagers not to report them.

The small county town of Yangxian was not very big, and the attack went directly to the county government office.

The magistrate of Yang County hadn't held office in eight hundred years, but this time, because there was money to be made, he made an unprecedented move to open the office.

Hearing the commotion outside, he was delighted. Had the person who made him money returned?

Just as he was about to stand up to greet them, a group of swordsmen burst into the government office.

Even if the magistrate of Yang County was a bit dim-witted, he would know that this was not one of his men.

He stood up in terror: "You are..."

Before he could finish asking, the men who rushed in had already plunged their knives into his lower abdomen.

Seeing this, Niu Xiaohuan quickly stopped him: "What are you doing? He still needs this skin!"

The one who stabbed him was Zhou Yue'e, who used to raise ducks. She was so excited that she wanted to stab the county magistrate. When she heard the question, she was embarrassed and stopped stabbing him: "It's okay, he definitely has more than one official robe. Search his house and you'll find more!"

The crowd rushed into the county magistrate's house, which was much richer than theirs. Everyone stuffed their hands into their pockets. Wu Niang watched anxiously, saying, "That's enough, let's hurry up and leave!"

We're having a good time killing now, but it won't be good if the surrounding counties realize what's happening and gather their troops. We need to grab the loot and leave quickly!

Everyone thought she made sense, but Ye Xiqing remained unmoved: "Why should we leave? We finally won this battle, why should we leave?"

"We've already captured one county. They can still come to besiege us from the other counties. But if we capture the other counties too, what will they use to besiege us?"

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The author says: If you're afraid of being besieged after conquering one county, what's there to be afraid of after conquering ten?