RPAGF Is Chapter 049 similar to Huang Chao's?
Is Chapter 049 similar to Huang Chao's?
With the sworn brotherhood established, the two became even closer, and their relationship naturally changed from before.
After removing the incense table and replacing it with tea, Zhao Sheng chatted with Zhou Lun about the Qingjian incident.
It must be said that Zhao Sheng was indeed a scholar. His thoughts were somewhat similar to those of Zhou Lun back then. After taking Qingjian, he began to consider what to do after the uprising.
Regarding the current situation, Zhao Sheng believes that relying solely on Qingjian and the rebel army under his command is not enough to accomplish anything significant.
Qingjian is just a small town; it's impossible to establish a foothold here and resist the government. Besides, Gao Yingxiang's troops to the south and Wang Jiayin's troops from Fugu to the north are both formidable forces. Whether it's seeking a way out or protecting himself, Zhao Sheng must make a choice.
Therefore, his choice was to contact Gao Yingxiang, who was closest to him, and take the initiative to invite him to meet up in Qingjian.
Once the two forces join forces, Zhao Sheng, with the number of his own rebel troops, should be able to secure a decent position within Gao Yingxiang's army. Moreover, it's always good to be under a powerful patron; Gao Yingxiang, since his uprising in Anzhai, has fought in numerous battles and recently captured Anding. His troops are not only formidable but also renowned. Joining Gao Yingxiang's side would be the wisest choice for Zhao Sheng.
As for going north to Fugu to seek refuge with Wang Jiayin, Zhao Sheng had considered it.
However, Fugu is quite far, and he wasn't confident he could handle the government troops with his current forces if he headed north. Besides, Gao Yingxiang was nearby; he'd be out of his mind to choose the distant route. Moreover, even if he were to head north, he planned to go with Gao Yingxiang.
Zhao Sheng had long understood that Gao Yingxiang's constant maneuvering was likely driven by the same goal as his own: to eventually march north to Fugu and join forces with Wang Jiayin. After all, Shaanxi's development was limited, and judging from both the terrain and the overall situation, Fugu offered more room for maneuver.
"Second Brother is so shrewd!" Zhou Lun gave a thumbs up, expressing his sincere admiration.
Zhao Sheng truly lived up to his reputation as a scholar; how could an ordinary peasant possibly have come up with such a scheme? If it were him, Zhou Lun felt he would probably have made the same choice as Zhao Sheng. No wonder he was able to start a rebellion as a scholar and become the leader of the Qingjian rebels.
"By the way, Second Brother, I still don't know how you started this rebellion. You're a scholar, shouldn't you be taking the imperial examinations to seek fame and fortune? How did you end up engaging in rebellion out of nowhere?"
After they became like brothers and got to know each other better, Zhou Lun asked these questions directly. Ever since he learned that Zhao Sheng was a scholar, he had been wondering why Zhao Sheng, who clearly had a bright future, would take such a big risk to rebel.
"Sigh, it's a long story!"
Zhao Sheng sighed deeply, his expression filled with grief and indignation.
"Since we have nothing else to do, Second Brother, would you like to tell me about it?" Zhou Lun picked up the teapot and refilled the teacup in front of Zhao Sheng, looking like a curious onlooker.
Zhao Sheng had no intention of hiding it from Zhou Lun. Besides, many people in Qingjian knew about his uprising, and Zhou Lun was his sworn brother. Since he had asked, there was no harm in telling him.
Zhao Sheng immediately recounted his experience.
He told Zhou Lun that he came from a scholarly family and that his ancestors had served as minor officials, but by his grandfather's generation, the family had declined.
His father, unable to succeed in his studies, placed all his hopes on Zhao Sheng. Zhao Sheng lived up to expectations, passing the preliminary imperial examination at the age of fifteen, much to his father's delight.
In his father's view, as long as Zhao Sheng worked harder, he would soon pass the county-level imperial examination and become a scholar. With the title of scholar, the Zhao family would have a chance to turn their lives around, and if they could pass the provincial-level imperial examination and become a scholar in the future, they might be able to bring glory to their ancestors.
Even Zhao Sheng himself thought so. After passing the preliminary examination, he studied even harder.
But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes," and "Misfortune can strike at any moment."
A serious illness took a toll on Zhao Sheng's father. Not long after his father's death, his mother also passed away due to excessive grief. With both his parents gone, Zhao Sheng nearly emptied his already meager savings to pay for their medical treatment and subsequent burial.
After finally managing to handle his parents' funeral arrangements, Zhao Sheng's only remaining assets were an old house and five acres of meager farmland.
When one's parents pass away, it is customary to observe a period of mourning. Moreover, Zhao Sheng was a filial son, and during the mourning period he could not take the imperial examinations, and being young, he was not good at farming or business. Holding onto the remaining family property, Zhao Sheng endured the three-year mourning period with great difficulty. Only after the mourning period ended did he prepare to continue taking the imperial examinations to fulfill his parents' expectations.
By this time, Zhao Sheng's family fortune was almost depleted. Furthermore, the severe drought in Shaanxi over the past year had resulted in a near-total crop failure. Although Zhao Sheng was a scholar, he was merely a student in the lowest level of the imperial examinations, a status that meant he was subject to taxes.
Not long ago, the government forcibly increased taxes. Zhao Sheng argued against it to no avail. In desperation, he had to sell all the remaining meager fields and old houses to barely pay the taxes.
After paying his taxes, Zhao Sheng had nowhere to go. His only hope was the provincial examination next year.
As long as he passed the provincial examination and obtained the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), the Zhao family would have a chance to turn their fortunes around, and he himself could also rise above others. For this goal, Zhao Sheng not only did not become despondent, but instead studied even harder to prepare for the exam.
After selling his family property, he had nowhere to live, so he went to a temple in the east to take refuge. The abbot of the temple was very kind and, seeing his youth and diligence, kindly took him in. From then on, Zhao Sheng studied diligently every day in the temple, preparing for the imperial examination.
If nothing unexpected happens, Zhao Sheng will take the provincial examination next spring to strive for the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination).
But then, an unexpected event occurred.
While Zhao Sheng was studying diligently in the temple every day, first Gao Yingxiang of Anzhai launched an uprising, then Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun of Bao'an County launched an uprising, and then Wang Er of Baishui killed officials and rebelled in the south... In addition, Wang Jiayin of Fugu was causing more and more trouble in the north. In just two months, multiple uprisings broke out in various parts of Shaanxi.
These rumors spread far and wide, growing increasingly intense. Local officials, upon learning of this, were naturally terrified. Magistrates in various prefectures and counties took strict precautions, fearing that rebellion might break out in their own territories. For a time, everyone was on edge, and the mere mention of a rebel army terrified them.
At this very moment, Gao Yingxiang's troops came from the west and directly attacked Anding, which was not far from Qingjian.
Anding City was breached by the rebel army in less than a day, and all the officials who defended the city, including the magistrate and centurions, were killed. When the news arrived, the magistrate of Qingjian County was greatly frightened.
The magistrate of Qingjian County had no courage to deal with the rebel army. He only wanted to defend the city to the death and hoped that Gao Yingxiang's troops would be satisfied after taking Anding and would not come to cause trouble for Qingjian.
The official's intention to protect himself was not wrong. However, after learning the news, the prefectural government sent an official document to Qingjian County, ordering the county to be prepared to counterattack the rebels at any time. The document also ordered the county magistrate to quickly conscript able-bodied men and, together with the local garrison, serve as the vanguard for the subsequent government troops to suppress the rebels.
This order terrified the magistrate of Qingjian County. He was too busy avoiding the rebel army to dare to launch an attack. He was a lazy civil official who knew nothing about military affairs and had no capable subordinates. How could he be sent to deal with such a powerful rebel army? Wasn't that like an old man hanging himself—wanting to die?
Although he resisted in his heart, he could not disobey his superior's orders.
While the magistrate was agonizing over this, someone around him came up with a terrible idea.
Although Qingjian County couldn't defeat Gao Yingxiang's rebel army, they could settle for finding a scapegoat. They could fabricate a pretext, falsely accuse someone of being a traitor, kill that person, and give their head to appease their superiors.
And so, Zhao Shenglian, who was studying at the temple, became the so-called "leader of the rebel army" without even realizing it.
If you're looking for a scapegoat, you need a reason.
The county magistrate wasn't stupid. He could just arrest a few ordinary people and accuse them of being rebels. Even if he reported those heads, his superiors wouldn't believe him. He needed a proper explanation.
After much deliberation, the county magistrate had his men investigate thoroughly and ultimately set their sights on the innocent Zhao Sheng.
The reasons for targeting Zhao Sheng are quite valid.
Firstly, Zhao Sheng came from a poor family. Although his ancestors had been officials, they had long since fallen into poverty.
Secondly, Zhao Sheng is young, in his early twenties, and full of vigor. He had previously argued with the court because he was dissatisfied with the tax payment policy and relied on his status as a scholar.
Thirdly, Zhao Sheng was impoverished due to the passing of his parents and the recent tax issue. Although he eventually sold his property to pay the taxes, he also uttered some inappropriate complaints.
Fourthly, Zhao Sheng was all alone, with no ties or worries.
Fifthly, Zhao Sheng, in addition to his studies, loved to study current affairs, and often made remarks criticizing government policies when talking to others.
In addition to studying the Four Books and Five Classics for the imperial examinations, he also loved reading miscellaneous books—such as historical books and even military strategies.
Seventh, he is currently staying in a temple to study diligently, but he is also paying attention to current affairs, especially recently he has been frequently inquiring about the rebel army, and he studies by lamplight until late at night every day...
In any case, I listed more than a dozen reasons, a wide variety of them, as numerous as hairs on a cow.
Ultimately, the magistrate pieced together all the reasons and came to a conclusion: Zhao Sheng, though a scholar, harbored resentment towards the imperial court and intended to rebel. Moreover, his current situation was virtually identical to that of Huang Chao in his time. Even if he wasn't a rebel now, he would eventually become one!
As the local official in charge, he naturally had to nip the trouble in the bud. He even described Zhao Sheng's diligent study day and night as "secretly plotting an uprising."
Ultimately, the county magistrate decided that Zhao Sheng was the scapegoat and the most suitable candidate.
He even gave Zhao Sheng the nickname "Lamplighter" because of Zhao Sheng's late-night studying and studying by lamplight in the temple. Just like that, a huge black pot was directly put on Zhao Sheng's head, who knew nothing about it.
Zhao Sheng, in a daze, inexplicably became a rebel and was given the bandit nickname "Lighting the Lamp".
Fortunately, Zhao Sheng's father had an old friend who worked as a clerk in the county government. He learned of the matter by chance and was shocked. He rushed to the temple to tell Zhao Sheng the news and advised him to leave the county as soon as possible and go to another place.
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Sheng was stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Isn't this a classic case of "sitting at home and trouble coming out of nowhere"?
How did a perfectly good scholar like himself become a rebel? How did he become a "lamp-lighter"? And how was he compared to someone like Huang Chao?
Zhao Sheng was shocked, and a surge of anger rose in his heart. How could he, young and impetuous, tolerate such slander? Moreover, the government's actions not only ruined his path to officialdom through the imperial examinations, but also pushed him into an abyss.
Enraged, Zhao Sheng rejected the other party's offer, his heart filled with resentment.
Ultimately, he made a decision.
Are you officials trying to frame me as a rebel, a traitor, or someone like Huang Chao? Since that's the case, Zhao Sheng, with nowhere else to go, disdained to flee. He decided to go all out and directly imitate Huang Chao by starting a rebellion. What's wrong with being a rebel for once?