Chapter 149: Smoke of War
The starving laborers decided to kill the officials and rushed into the government office, only to find that the officials had not lied and that the government office had no food left.
But it has already been done. Killing an official appointed by the imperial court is a dead end. It is better to do the opposite!
At least I can die with a full stomach before I die!
They raised the banner of rebellion in Jiangling, and armed with hoes and sticks, they broke into the homes of local gentry.
The refugees could not take away much food and property, so the wealthy clans only left their servants to guard the place.
How could the servants defeat a group of desperate men? Some died and some were injured. The men finally got a full meal.
From then on, he recruited poor people to join his team and officially rebelled.
Jiangling County fell quickly.
Once the news spread, ruffians from all over the country followed suit, recruiting hungry strong men to join their gangs, rushing into government offices, killing officials and runners, as well as local powerful clans, occupying cities and establishing their own regimes.
In the disaster areas in the north and south, there was war, life and death, and mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
At this moment in Shengjing City, it was a hot summer day with bright sunshine. Princess Yongping hosted a lotus viewing banquet and invited all the female relatives from different families. Even Shang Xi received an invitation.
He sat in the pavilion, watching the noble ladies of various families holding round fans, walking with light lotus steps, and laughingly asking servants to pick lotus seeds.
His fingers unconsciously stroked the wine glass, but his mind was already wandering far away.
"Princess Duanhui, your hands are so beautiful."
A soft voice brought Shang Xi back to his senses. He turned his head and saw a pretty girl.
Shang Xi knew her, Shen Ran, the daughter of Prime Minister Shen.
He only glanced at her once, then looked away without paying any attention to her.
However, the girl sat down next to Shang Xi in a familiar manner, and looked with him at the lotus flowers in full bloom on the lake.
She propped up her cheeks and smiled brightly: "The last time you faced the Xiongnu, you showed a resolute attitude that made me admire you very much. If it were me, I would probably die of despair..."
Shang Xi: “…”
"Lord Xiao is also very powerful. My father didn't allow me to go to his competition that day, but after we came back, my eldest brother told me about it, and I can even imagine what he looked like on the stage..."
Shang Xi frowned: "I don't like to listen to your nonsense."
Shen Ran looked at Shang Xi, not afraid, nor angry, but asked nervously: "Your Highness, I like you very much. Can I be your friend?"
Shang Xi looked at the girl in front of him with unfriendly eyes. She looked very obedient and soft.
After a moment, he sneered, "I don't need friends."
Chen Ran: “…”
She looked at Shang Xi, her cheeks puffed up, and said unhappily, "Why are you like this? You're so annoying!"
After saying that, she picked up her skirt and ran away.
Shang Xi looked at the girl's back as she ran away and looked away.
He didn't want to bother with anyone from the Shen family, even though this girl didn't look like a very smart person.
The bustle of the banquet seemed to have nothing to do with Shang Xi. He sat alone in the pavilion, sipping warm wine from time to time.
After being turned down by Shang Xi, Chen Ran walked over to the other noble ladies and looked at the lotus flowers together.
"Look, Princess Yongping is hosting a lotus viewing banquet. Everyone is having fun, but Princess Duanhui is sitting alone in the pavilion, staring at everyone with a sinister look. It's really annoying to look at her."
"That's right. If you don't want to come, then don't come. If you come, you always stay alone and ignore others."
"It's always like this, it's annoying."
"Hey, A'ran, what were you doing next to her just now?"
Chen Ran snorted, "Why do you care about me? Just keep your mouth shut. Does it bother you if I just sit there and drink some wine?"
"What do you mean?"
Chen Ran said unhappily, "What do you mean? Am I speaking Xiongnu?"
“…”
A close friend pulled her over and whispered, "Aran, you took the wrong medicine today. Why are you speaking up for Princess Duanhui?"
Chen Ran snorted, "Because she faced the Xiongnu with the courage to fight to the death. Her husband fought a life-and-death battle with the Xiongnu in the arena, and single-handedly saved the reputation of our Great Yong."
Everyone was silent.
The sisters parted on bad terms.
Chen Ran didn't want to be with them anymore, so she stood in front of the railing, staring at the lotus in a daze.
In fact, she never hated Shang Xi. When she first saw him at a palace banquet as a child, she thought he was so handsome.
But he is always cold and intimidating.
Later, he left the palace and set up a house, and took in many lovers. They said he was dissolute, but she felt that it was his true nature. If she could have a bunch of handsome men to please herself, she would not be willing to stay at home all day, embroidering and doing housework.
Shang Xi sat in the pavilion and after watching the farce, he looked away indifferently.
The distance was not too far, and I could vaguely hear a few arguments.
He heard Shen Ran speaking for him, but so what?
Chen Xiang is cunning and sly, and Shen Zhiyi is not someone to be trifled with either. It's impossible that Chen Ran is just a little white rabbit.
Most likely, he had some plans for him. Shen Zhiyi kept staring at him, not knowing what he was trying to figure out.
Maybe this Shen Ran was asked by Shen Zhiyi to come to him to investigate something.
Unfortunately, he didn't need any boudoir friends, so their plan failed.
After the banquet, Shang Xi went straight home.
The desk was piled high with books sent from all over the place.
The situation of ruffians in various parts of the north and south separatist cities and raising flags of rebellion has gradually become a trend.
Because Shang Xi had warned his subordinates early on that no matter what happened, the most important thing was to save their own lives first.
So when they saw that the situation was not right, they withdrew. However, they were afraid that the situation in the city would not be reported in time.
Shang Xi signaled Furong to reply, "Tell them that saving their lives is the most important thing. If they can't get any information, there's no need to spread it."
Furong nodded in agreement.
Not long after Shang Xi received the news, the court also received the news.
The emperor was furious and ordered the fourth prince to investigate the corruption in the disaster relief funds. If anyone was involved, no matter who they were, they would be severely punished!
The flood in Jiangling had not yet receded, and there was nothing that could be done. As for the drought-stricken areas in the north, the emperor issued a series of edicts, appointing the garrison troops of the surrounding prefectures and counties to quell the rebellion.
But war requires money, and the treasury is empty, so the emperor ordered all the noble families to contribute money to raise military expenses.
Out of respect for the emperor, the noble families did contribute money, but wanting to fight a war with that little money was simply a pipe dream!
The emperor was very angry and asked these ministers trained by aristocratic families to come up with a solution.
And the solution they came up with was to increase taxes.
Except for the disaster-stricken areas in the north and south, the harvest in other places was okay, but that was just okay. Due to the sudden heavy taxes and levies, many poor families could no longer make ends meet. The strong men became bandits and the women sold themselves into slavery, just to get a meal and keep their lives.
Unable to survive, they simply rose up in rebellion, gathered together a hundred people, and stormed into the city.
Burning, killing, looting, and engaging in a bloody carnival.
In just a few months, the entire Dayong was filled with grief and chaos.
There were wars everywhere, including battles between the rebels and the Yong army, and battles between various rebel groups for territory.
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