RPAGF Chapter 036 Ruthless Man
Chapter 036 Ruthless Man
Now that we've figured out they're friends, not enemies, we naturally let our guard down.
Moreover, since the sun was about to set, just as Wang Er and his group arrived, Li Wanqing and Gao Yingxiang took the initiative to send men to help them, and also allocated some of the previously set up camps. This allowed them to settle all of Wang Er's men down before it got completely dark.
Because of Wang Er's arrival, the meeting originally scheduled for tomorrow was naturally moved forward. Gao Yingxiang set up a banquet in his tent to entertain Wang Er and others.
Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun accompanied them. Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu couldn't come because they had to stay at the camp, and Huang Long was in the same situation as Gao Yingxiang, leaving only Liu Zhe behind.
Gao Yingxiang then formally introduced himself to everyone.
Upon learning Li Wanqing's identity, Wang Er couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
It should be noted that the title "Shooting the Sky" is quite prestigious. Although this hero is not as famous as Gao Yingxiang, the King of Chuang, he is already well-known.
Wang Er was overjoyed to find that She Tatian had joined forces with Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, and even become the second leader of this rebel army. He was even more convinced that his choice to go north was the right one.
As for Zhou Lun, who was following Li Wanqing, Wang Er merely glanced at him, clasped his hands in a polite gesture, and said, "I've heard so much about you."
Compared to "Shooting the Sky," the bandit name "Shocking the Sky" was far inferior. However, since Zhou Lun was Li Wanqing's sworn brother and one of the leaders of the rebel army, Wang Er, though not paying much attention to him, did not lack the proper courtesy.
"The conditions are simple, and the hospitality is inadequate. Drinking is also inconvenient during the march… Come! Let's toast Wang Er and all the brothers with tea instead of wine!"
Gao Yingxiang certainly possessed the charisma of a leader, even in this situation he adhered to the military rule against drinking alcohol. Although it was just tea instead of wine and the food was ordinary, seeing Wang Er and the others' faces flushed with excitement, they didn't care about such things.
After eating a few bites of food and exchanging a few pleasantries, Gao Yingxiang couldn't help but ask Wang Er when he went north, how he ended up here, and what the meaning of his words when they first met was.
Wang Er did not hide anything and immediately told the truth.
Wang Er's uprising happened just a few days after Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing's. When he learned that Gao Yingxiang had started an uprising in Anzhai and caused chaos in the area, Wang Er was rushing to his sister's house in Chengcheng, which was not far away.
Shaanxi has suffered from disasters in recent years, especially the severe drought from last year to this year. Instead of providing disaster relief, the imperial court has increased local taxes. This year's taxes are even heavier than in previous years, especially the "three taxes" imposed after Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, which are practically driving everyone to the brink of death.
Baishui and Chengcheng are adjacent areas, and the region itself was already in poor condition. With many mountains and valleys, arable land was scarce, making it a well-known impoverished area in Shaanxi.
When the harvest was good, the local people had a hard time. Now, with the imperial court's taxes getting heavier and heavier, how could they survive?
Like Fan Zhengren, the magistrate of Bao'an County, Zhang Douyao, the magistrate of Chengcheng County, was also no good.
To fulfill the imperial court's additional tax collection requirement, Zhang Douyao disregarded the lives of the local people and personally took charge of "seating in court to collect taxes." Anyone who couldn't pay their taxes was subjected to severe torture by the yamen runners. Within just a few days, many people were maimed or even killed in the courtroom.
Zhang Douyao's coercion of taxes was so extreme that, because Wang Er's sister was too poor to pay, he beat her brother-in-law to death.
Upon hearing the news, Wang Er rushed to Chengcheng, but it was too late. Having lost the pillar of her family, Wang Er's sister lost all will to live and, holding her less than four-year-old niece, committed suicide. When Wang Er arrived, all he found were the bodies of two adults and one child.
Faced with such a tragic situation, how could Wang Er, who was filled with rage, tolerate it? He immediately took several friends and went straight to the county government office to demand an explanation.
When he arrived at the county government office, he immediately saw that the gate was wide open, and the county magistrate, Zhang Douyao, was sitting high in the main hall in his official robes. Several yamen runners in front of the hall were beating a man until he was on the verge of death with boards.
The onlookers were all filled with pity at the sight, but there was nothing they could do. On the other hand, Zhang Douyao, this corrupt official, was completely unconcerned. Instead, he looked smug and chatted quietly with his clerk, showing no regard for the lives of the people.
Seeing the corrupt official's despicable face, how could Wang Er possibly hold back? The corpses of his sister, brother-in-law, and niece were still vivid in his mind, and the fire in his heart suddenly flared up.
Enraged, Wang Er disregarded everything and immediately drew his machete, charging into the county government office like a madman. His friends, who had come with him, saw him act and quickly followed, and the group stormed in.
Wang Er and his men caught Zhang Douyao completely off guard. Zhang Douyao never imagined that such a bold person existed in the world. In the grand hall of the county government, someone dared to try and kill him in broad daylight? Not only Zhang Douyao, but even the constables in the hall were momentarily stunned.
Wang Er stormed into the county government office as if it were empty, and went straight to Zhang Douyao with his wood-chopping knife. Only then did Zhang Douyao come to his senses, his face changed drastically, and he hurriedly got up to run away, but Wang Er's wood-chopping knife was already coming down on his head.
One... two... three...
In the blink of an eye, Wang Er, wielding a woodcutter's knife, hacked Zhang Douyao, that corrupt official, to death.
When he stood up, carrying Zhang Douyao's head, covered in blood and laughing maniacally at the crowd, the constables present were completely dumbfounded. They never expected such a thing to happen. By the time they came to their senses, Zhang Douyao's head had already been chopped off by Wang Er.
Seeing Wang Er covered in blood, looking like a demon crawling out of hell, the crowd screamed in terror. They no longer cared about grabbing Wang Er and ran away in fear.
How could Wang Er let these people go? He immediately led his brothers in a massacre at the county government office. Seeing this, the pent-up resentment of the people, already like a volcano, erupted instantly. The common people on the scene mustered their courage and joined Wang Er in killing the officials and rebelling. This brutal killing wiped out all the officials in Cheng County.
Having accomplished such a great feat, Wang Er felt a surge of relief. Calming down, he remained composed; by this time, over a thousand disaster victims had gathered. Wang Er immediately opened the granaries to distribute food and reassure the crowd, then began to consider his next steps.
In truth, Wang Er impulsively killed the official, not with the intention of rebellion. Having made no preparations and never having undertaken a major rebellion before, Wang Er was unsure of what the future held.
However, he had heard that Gao Yingxiang in the north called himself the "Chuang King" and was causing great trouble in Anzhai, gathering a crowd to attack the county town, scaring the government officials into staying home. He was truly a hero. If he could go north and join the Chuang King, it might be a good way out.
Thus, Wang Er did not stay in Chengcheng for long. He led the thousand men he had gathered directly north, intending to find Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader.
But Wang Er arrived too late. When he reached Anzhai, he learned that Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, had already left.
As for where they went, Wang Er, who was unfamiliar with the place, was not sure. After finally getting the information that they might be heading north, he continued to lead his men north without thinking. They traveled a long and dusty road and finally arrived at this place.
It was quite a coincidence. If Gao Yingxiang hadn't been invited by Li Wanqing to meet up in Bao'an County before heading north, and the two armies hadn't joined forces to head north together, they might have missed each other along the way.
Wang Er's words stirred the blood of everyone present, who clapped and cheered!
Even Zhou Lun was surprised that the seemingly refined Wang Er possessed such courage, single-handedly storming into the county government office with only a woodcutter's knife, not only killing the magistrate in public but also cutting off his head. Such an act truly deserves the title of "hero"!
"The rebel leader! The second-in-command!"
Wang Er clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing, saying, "I have come from afar to seek refuge with you both. I have no family left, and my hatred for the government runs deep! I have gathered people to rise up in rebellion to demand justice from the court! In the future, I will go through fire and water for any task you may undertake!"
"I would brave mountains of knives and seas of fire!"
As soon as Wang Er finished speaking, his three brothers clasped their hands in a fist salute and knelt down before Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing. Their eyes were firm, their expressions earnest, pleading with them to take them in.
"Get up! Get up quickly!" Gao Yingxiang rushed forward to help Wang Er up, and Li Wanqing was not idle either, helping the four of them up one by one.
"Brother Wang Er's decision to join me is an honor for me, Gao Yingxiang," Gao Yingxiang said loudly, glancing at Li Wanqing beside him. "All righteous armies under heaven are one family. With Brother Wang Er and all the other brothers joining us, what is there to worry about in achieving our great cause?"
Li Wanqing understood and immediately nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Li Wanqing did not object, Gao Yingxiang relaxed and said to Wang Er and the others, "We had already planned to head north to join forces with the Fugu rebels on important matters. Now that Brother Wang Er has come to join us, it couldn't be better. If Brother Wang Er doesn't mind, our three divisions can be merged into one. I, Gao, am unworthy to be the chief leader, and Brother Li was originally the second-in-command in the army. In that case, Brother Wang Er can take the third seat, what do you say?"
"Why not!" Wang Er was overjoyed and readily agreed. Not only him, but his three brothers also showed joy on their faces.
After a moment's thought, Gao Yingxiang simply revised the rebel army's charter.
Originally, the rebel army consisted of two combined forces, Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing. Now that Wang Er's forces have joined, the previous plan is no longer suitable.
Gao Yingxiang suggested that the entire rebel army could be divided into seven battalions.
Gao Yingxiang's troops were the largest, consisting of three battalions, while Li Wanqing's and Wang Er's troops each had two battalions. This facilitated unified command, with each battalion managing its own territory and coordinating marches and battles.
Before Li Wanqing could even think about it, Wang Er immediately agreed to the suggestion.
Li Wanqing turned his gaze to Zhou Lun beside him, his expression questioning. Zhou Lun frowned slightly, but still nodded slowly, and the matter was settled.
"By the way, do the Wang brothers have any famous names?"
Having finished discussing business, Gao Yingxiang was in a great mood. Suddenly remembering this matter, he asked Wang Er about it.
Since Wang Er is now the leader of the rebel army, who is in the third position, we can't keep calling him "Wang Er," can we?
To everyone's surprise, this seemingly ordinary question made Wang Er a little awkward. He blushed slightly and told Gao Yingxiang that Wang Er was actually his real name.
This answer surprised Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing. Why would someone use "Wang Er" as their given name? This is rather strange!
It wasn't until one of Wang Er's brothers explained it that everyone understood the origin of the name "Wang Er".
After all that fuss, it turns out that Wang Er was the only son in his family. His parents were afraid they wouldn't be able to raise him properly after he was born, so they raised him as a girl from a young age and even gave him the name "Wang Ermei".
Moreover, Wang Er grew up with fair skin and a sturdy build. Although she practiced martial arts regularly and had excellent skills, she looked more like a young woman with her gentle and refined appearance.
So the name "Wang Ermei" stayed with him until later when Wang Er himself felt it didn't sound good, but he didn't want to just abandon the name his parents gave him. After thinking it over, he finally dropped the last character "mei" from his name... and that's how he became "Wang Er".