lovenovelstory Chapter 107 Undercurrents
Chapter 107 Undercurrents
Chen Deng deeply regretted it.
He regretted praising Li Sheng, that country bumpkin, in front of Chen Yuan.
If it weren't for him, Chen Yuan wouldn't have promoted him to village head, and Li Sheng wouldn't have had his current prestige if he hadn't become a village head...
It was a single wrong decision that allowed the thieves to take advantage of the situation!
Chen Deng was filled with emotion.
He never imagined that it was the embezzlement of the soldiers' pay by these powerful clans that led to this situation.
Chen Gui did not answer immediately, but stood up and paced around the study with his hands behind his back.
"Send troops? How? The imperial army's elite troops are all in Jizhou, and the only troops that can be mobilized in the country are only a few thousand, and they are scattered in various counties. Now the Taiping army occupies three counties, cutting off the north and south. They have several thousand soldiers and their morale is high. If we send troops rashly, the outcome will be uncertain."
"What can we do then? Are we just going to stand by and watch them grow stronger?"
Chen Gui stopped in his tracks, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
"The Taiping Rebellion is not only a matter for Xiapi, but also for Xuzhou. I have already sent someone to deliver a letter to Governor Ba, requesting him to mobilize troops to suppress it. Furthermore..."
He paused.
"Send someone to the Chen family branch in Xiapi to investigate their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle."
Chen Deng was taken aback.
"Is Father going to deal with Chen Yuan and his gang of rebels?"
Chen Deng addressed his cousin by his given name without any hesitation.
In his view, even if Chen Yuan was no match for Li Sheng, why didn't he resist and instead led his men to surrender to the bandits? This allowed the Taiping rebels to so easily seize Xiapi County.
"Don't be rude. Chen Zhongyi is ultimately surnamed Chen, and we care about our clansmen."
Chen Gui glanced at his son and began to give him earnest advice.
"And do you really think Chen Yuan has surrendered to the rebels? What if he's just compromising to protect his family? Don't push your own people completely to the enemy's side."
Although Chen Deng was unwilling, he had to admit that his father was right.
"What about our old home in Huaipu? The whole clan is there; we can't just sit idly by and do nothing."
Chen Gui remained silent for a moment.
"Let the clansmen temporarily avoid the enemy's advance and close the fortified villages and manors. We will respond when the imperial army arrives."
The states of Donghai and Langya, located north of Xiapi, were also disturbed by news of the Taiping Rebellion.
The powerful figures of the Eastern Sea Kingdom held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.
There were two factions: one advocating war, which believed that the various prefectures and kingdoms should be united to jointly suppress the Taiping Army, so as to prevent the rebels from becoming too powerful to control; the other faction advocating defense, which believed that the city defenses should be strengthened and the fields should be cleared to avoid open battle with the rebels, since the rebels were mostly refugees and they could be allowed to disintegrate naturally.
The situation in Langya Kingdom has become even more complicated.
There was already a Yellow Turban force within the territory of Langya Kingdom. Although it was not large, it had never been able to be completely eradicated. Now, upon hearing that the Taiping Army of Xiapi Kingdom had captured three counties in succession, that Yellow Turban force immediately became active, making contacts everywhere and stirring up trouble.
Even more troublesome are the Taishan bandits, who are entrenched in the Kaiyang and Jucheng areas in northern Langya Kingdom and have the greatest influence.
The reason this gang of thieves was called the "Mount Tai Bandits" was because their leader, Zang Ba, was from Mount Tai.
He commanded thousands of outlaws who had fled from Mount Tai, specializing in robbing merchants and defying the government. The imperial court sent troops to suppress them several times, but they were unable to capture the area due to its treacherous terrain.
When news of the Taiping Rebellion reached Langya, Zang Ba summoned his men to discuss the matter.
"The fact that the Taiping army was able to occupy three counties shows that the imperial court could no longer control such a wide area."
Zang Ba sat on a straw mat, wiping his ring-pommel sword as he spoke to the leaders around him.
"This is an opportunity. We can't just sit idle; we should get out and get some exercise."
"What does Big Brother mean?"
"Langya is wealthy. Let's go and attack a few counties, and plunder some grain and money."
Zang Ba grinned.
"The imperial court is currently only concerned with its own interests and neglects its own. If we don't take action, others will take all the benefits."
The leaders responded with a resounding roar.
The entire city of Xuzhou is abuzz with undercurrents.
The prestige of the Han dynasty was rapidly declining, while the audacity of ambitious individuals was rapidly expanding.
The curtain is slowly rising on a chaotic era.
Li Sheng, of course, knew nothing about these things.
He was leading his men westward along the Sishui River, heading towards Xiapi.
Halfway there, a scout came to report.
"General! There's a large number of refugees ahead, heading north along the main road; there are at least a thousand of them!"
Li Sheng reined in his horse, his brows furrowing slightly.
Refugees?
"Who's leading this?"
"Reporting to the general, there is no leader; they are all commoners with their families, men, women, and children."
Li Sheng remained silent for a moment before giving the order.
"Continue advancing, keep your soldiers in check, and do not harass the civilians. If you encounter refugees, give them some dry rations and inquire about the situation in the south."
"promise!"
The procession continued forward.
After walking for about half an hour, a dense crowd indeed appeared ahead.
Ragged people, carrying bundles, pushing wheelbarrows, and leading children, slowly made their way north along the official road.
Their faces were etched with exhaustion and fear, their eyes vacant, as if they had lost all hope.
Upon seeing a large army appear in the distance, the refugees immediately panicked.
"Don't be afraid!"
A scout rode forward on horseback and shouted loudly.
"We are the Taiping Army! Not the government troops! We will not harm you!"
Taiping Army?
Upon hearing those three words, the refugees' faces showed no less fear, yet they still dared not approach.
Li Sheng rode forward, reined in his horse in front of the crowd, and glanced at the haggard faces.
"Where do you come from?"
After a moment of silence, an elderly man with white hair stepped forward shakily and bowed.
"Reporting to the general, I escaped from Qulu County. Several counties in the south have been occupied by the Yellow Turbans. They are burning, killing, and looting everywhere, and anyone who does not follow them will be killed. We escaped under cover of night and have been traveling for a day and a night."
Yellow Turbans...
Li Sheng frowned.
Is it Que Xuan and his group who are using the Yellow Turban banner?
"How many of them are there? Who is leading them?"
"Reporting to the general, there are many people, but I don't know the exact number. I only know that their leader calls himself the 'Messenger of the Heavenly God.' He led a group of refugees to break through the county town and looted all the grain in the county. After the county town was captured, the Yellow Turbans launched attacks everywhere, and many villages were looted."
The old man's voice trembled.
"So I led my fellow villagers north to seek refuge. I heard that there is a Heavenly King Li in the north who treats us common people very well. I thought that would be a place where we could survive."
Li Sheng remained silent.
Looking at the group of refugees before him, Li Sheng felt a heavy weight in his heart.
In times of chaos, it is always the common people who suffer the most.
"Liu San".
"exist."
"Distribute some dry food and clean water to the villagers."
"promise!"
Upon hearing Li Sheng's words, the refugees immediately knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.
In the crowd, the white-haired old man spoke again.
"May I ask what the name of your unit is, General? Once things have settled down, I will lead the villagers in praying for your well-being and that of your soldiers."
Before Li Sheng could answer, the soldiers around him straightened their chests and one of them eagerly answered.
"Old folks, the man before you is the Heavenly King Li you've been talking about!"
The old man shuddered, his cloudy eyes widening as he stared intently at Li Sheng on horseback.
Then, he slammed his forehead heavily into the soil, his voice hoarse.
"Thank you, Heavenly King Li, for saving us!"