RPAGF Chapter 9: Do People Yearn for the Han?
Chapter 9: Do People Yearn for the Han?
"Brother Sheng,"
Li Feng was the first to speak, "Whatever you say, we'll do."
"Yes, Brother Sheng, whenever you say when to start, we'll start."
"No rush."
Li Sheng waved his hand.
"As I said, I'll go to the county tomorrow to check on the recruitment. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
As for you few, tomorrow you should first find out what the villagers think about the Taiping Dao uprising. If possible, also visit a few neighboring villages.
Li Sheng remembers that there were still many villagers who believed in Taipingdao.
Or rather, it wasn't just their village; few ordinary people in the various prefectures and kingdoms of the Han Dynasty didn't believe in the Way of Peace.
The group responded in unison and then dispersed.
Li Sheng leaned back against the wall, pondering to himself: His brothers may seem crude and illiterate now, but so what? Not all scions of noble families are born knowing how to read. As long as they are willing to learn and think things through, given time, they might not be inferior to those from prestigious families.
He believes in this principle.
This world has never been supported by a few powerful families.
Farmers, laborers, soldiers—the millions of ordinary people are the foundation of this world.
As long as we organize them and unite their strength, no powerful clan or aristocratic family can be a threat.
A few birds chirped outside, and sunlight streamed through the crack in the door, casting a long shadow on the floor.
Li Sheng closed his eyes and slowly planned his trip to the county to inquire about the matter the next day.
The road ahead is long, no rush.
As for those words that he couldn't say aloud and that might dampen the morale of the crowd, he kept them to himself.
That was the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which seemed to be raging like wildfire, but was about to be defeated in less than a year.
Moreover, given his current status, there's nothing he can do.
Let's leave aside the issue of sending messages to the Yellow Turban Army over long distances, as there were too many unforeseen circumstances.
Even if he fought his way through the government troops to find Zhang Jiao in Jizhou, why would they believe him, an unknown nobody? Even if they did believe him, what right did a farmer from Xiapi in Xuzhou have to speak among the thirty-six regional leaders?
Some paths cannot be taken with sheer courage; they must be taken gradually.
The next morning, Li Sheng got up very early.
The soreness in my body is still there, but it's not as unbearable as it was yesterday.
He moved his limbs, and his bones cracked for a while, but it wasn't anything serious.
Li Feng got up even earlier than him, and the meal was already prepared.
In fact, Li Feng was not his biological brother, but they grew up together and were no different from biological brothers.
After quickly finishing his meal, Li Sheng gave his brothers a few more instructions and asked them to leave someone to take care of the wounded soldier before heading out to the county town.
The injured soldier was lucky; after Li Sheng's simple treatment, his condition gradually stabilized after a period of fever.
Everyone marveled at his good fortune and long life, and at the same time became even more convinced of Li Sheng's true identity.
……
Xiapi County Town.
When Li Sheng arrived, the sun had just passed the hour of Si (9-11 AM), but the sky was overcast, as if it were about to rain again.
Unlike their usual lazy demeanor, the soldiers at the city gate stood up straight, each holding an iron spear, their eyes scanning the crowd coming and going, occasionally stopping one or two to ask a few questions.
Li Sheng stood on the main road, calmly observing the defenses of the city gate.
As an important county seat of the Xiapi Kingdom, Xiapi County naturally had excellent city wall construction.
Built of rammed earth, it is more than two zhang high, with neat crenellations on the top of the wall, and a flag stands every short distance away, fluttering in the wind.
The city gate was not deep, but it had two gates, an inner and an outer one, forming a barbican in the middle. If the outer gate was breached, the defenders could still rely on the inner gate and the walls on both sides to shoot arrows and throw stones down.
Li Sheng squinted at it for a moment, then secretly memorized it.
If we are to attack this city in the future, we must make thorough plans.
He noticed that a new notice had been posted on the earthen wall to the left of the city gate, and a group of people had gathered around it.
Li Sheng's heart stirred, and he stepped forward.
"This is to inform...the people of Xiapi..."
A man cleared his throat and raised his voice:
"The Yellow Turbans have deceived the emperor and gathered a large force to rebel. They have recently invaded the territory of my Xiapi Kingdom, causing harm to the people and suffering immensely. In order to comply with the emperor's decree and to address the inadequacy of our defenses, we are now recruiting strong men from all directions to join the army, defend our land, and protect our people..."
He swallowed hard and continued reading:
"All able-bodied men of Xiapi, aged sixteen to fifty and in good health, are eligible to enlist..."
Li Sheng stood on the periphery of the crowd, his gaze fixed on the notice, listening to the man's recitation, and silently repeating each word in his mind.
Every word was exactly the same as what he saw.
He could read, and he read very neatly, but he didn't say a word. He just listened quietly, his face expressionless.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering around him, Li Sheng withdrew from the crowd and walked out of the crowd.
Looking at this scene, Li Sheng felt a sense of déjà vu.
Isn't this exactly the scene that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei encountered?
However, this wasn't Zhuojun in Youzhou, but Xiapi in Xuzhou, and there was a high chance that Liu Bei, the Imperial Uncle, would become his enemy in the future...
After observing for a while, Li Sheng entered the city.
He needed to know more than he could glean from the city gates.
After entering the city, the atmosphere on the streets became even more strange.
At this time of day, it used to be the busiest time, with shouts and calls rising and falling.
Today, however, it was much quieter. Every now and then, a group of soldiers would hurry by, their footsteps clattering on the bluestone slabs, causing pedestrians to scramble to make way.
Li Sheng quickened his pace and headed straight for the square in front of the county government office. That was the official location for recruiting soldiers; the notice at the city gate was just for announcements, and the real recruitment notices and officials were all in the square.
The recruitment office was located in the square in front of the county government office.
Before he even got close, the sound of voices surged towards him. Li Sheng turned the corner, and the view suddenly opened up before him, causing him to pause slightly.
There were many people.
Li Sheng stood on the periphery of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the oppressive scene, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind:
Does the public still yearn for the Han dynasty?
The thought only flashed through his mind before he dismissed it.
wrong.
He steadied himself and calmed down.
Xiapi County has at least 20,000 to 30,000 people. What are these few hundred people in front of us? The vast majority of people didn't come at all, or dared not come.
There are only three types of people who come here: those who are just watching the show, those who are desperate for food and want to risk their lives for a bite of military rations, and the sons of powerful families who want to make a fortune through this.
The truest voice of the Han people is never found in places like this.
Those people who toiled in the fields, were exploited by powerful figures, and had never even been to the county town more than a few times, never uttered a sound.
They are probably staying at home right now, worried about the war and anxious about the upcoming spring planting.
Moreover, Li Sheng saw the signs that the Eastern Han Dynasty was about to split and descend into turmoil.
The powerful clans in various parts of the Han Dynasty had already swallowed up most of the local lands. Now, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, on the advice of General He Jin, allowed each prefecture and county to raise troops on their own to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This had already sown the seeds of warlord separatism.
"The Han dynasty is no longer a monolithic entity."
These powerful figures are usually very respectful to the imperial court, but once the country falls into chaos, whoever holds the reins of power will have the final say.