The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 040 The Rebels Have Arrived

There were some things Zhou Lun couldn't say to Li Wanqing openly.

Firstly, given Li Wanqing's personality, it's questionable whether he'd even listen. Secondly, even if he did understand, it's uncertain whether he could turn a blind eye to certain things.

Since that's the case, for Li Wanqing's sake, Zhou Lun felt it was better not to reveal the truth.

Appropriate concealment was not intended to hide anything, but rather to prevent Li Wanqing from appearing out of place within the rebel army.

Through these days of observation—between Gao Yingxiang, Liu Zhe, Huang Long, and Wang Er, whom he had only recently met—Zhou Lun finally understood. Under heaven, whether it was the imperial court, the government, or the rebel army, none of them were any better.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

Even a rebel leader like Wang Er, who came from a poor background, was no exception. Many people's vision and perspective were limited; they couldn't simply change their ways and raise a flag in rebellion to truly have the world in their hearts and act as masters of the people.

Moreover, even Zhou Lun himself couldn't do these things, let alone ask others to.

In chaotic times, simply preserving oneself is already a feat. Ideals can't put food on the table, nor can they become reality. The most important thing right now is to establish oneself in this chaotic world and struggle to survive. As for everything else... why think about it so much?

Water that is too clear has no fish; this applies to officialdom as well as to the rebel army.

Idealists often fail to achieve great things, but people like Gao Yingxiang have a better chance.

Without sufficient strength and a stable territory, thinking about such things now is utterly futile. Zhou Lun understood this perfectly well.

Gao Yingxiang acted quickly.

With the timber obtained from demolishing houses, the rebels worked through the night to build a number of siege weapons.

Meanwhile, the men Gao Yingxiang had previously sent out also managed to blend into the fleeing civilians and reach Anding City.

The 100-household commanders stationed in Anding were unwilling to let the people into the city, since they had already received news of the arrival of the rebel army.

The rebel armies of Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing together numbered over two thousand, and with the addition of Wang Er's newly joined forces, the rebel army suddenly swelled to over three thousand. This doesn't even include the families who traveled with the troops; if all were included, the number would be around four thousand.

This was no small number. The 4,000-strong contingent marched from Jinmingchuan towards Anding. The officials in Anding were not fools, nor were they blind or deaf; they naturally received the news long ago.

Faced with the overwhelming force of the rebel army, Anding had already made defensive preparations and sent messengers to the prefectural government to request government troops to come to its aid.

In addition, a government army that had marched north from Yan'an Prefecture was stationed here, led by a centurion. Adding to this the garrison troops, constables, yamen runners, and able-bodied men in Anding City, the garrison force numbered over three hundred. For a small county like Anding, this was a considerable force.

In recent days, Anding has not only been making preparations to defend the city, but has also been strictly controlling the entry of people into the city.

Logically, with such tight security, it shouldn't have been easy for Gao Yingxiang's men to infiltrate. However, Gao Yingxiang first attacked the western towns, then drove the local people to Anding. Those who had barely escaped fled to Anding, eagerly seeking refuge in the city.

Faced with this situation, Xu Zhao, the centurion stationed in Anding, directly refused.

The reasoning was quite valid: these people had no official travel permits. Letting them into the city without verifying their identities would be too risky.

The problem is that these people are all locals, and they all have relatives and friends in the city. They suffered from the war and finally managed to escape here. If they are not allowed to enter the city for refuge, they will only face death when the rebel army comes.

As for travel permits? How could they possibly have any? When people are fleeing for their lives, many can't even take care of their wives and children, so where would they find travel permits?

These people blocked the city gate, pleading desperately. Some, in despair, burst into tears. Meanwhile, the people who had rushed from inside the city, seeing their loved ones unable to enter, also joined in the pleading. Some knelt on the spot, kowtowing and begging the county magistrate and military officials to have mercy and let them in to escape the ravages of war.

Qu Wenxi, the magistrate of Anding County, was a kind and honest man.

He was different from corrupt officials like Fan Zhengren and Zhang Douyao. Seeing thousands of people kneeling before him, crying and begging him to let them into the city; and looking at the people from his jurisdiction outside the city who had barely escaped with their lives, all covered in dust and still in shock... Qu Wenxi, who always boasted that he loved the people like his own children, couldn't help but soften his heart.

"Open the door and let them in!" Qu Wenxi finally gave this order.

"My lord, you mustn't!" Centurion Xu Zhao urgently stopped him. "The city gate must not be opened! The rebels are nearby. What if they take advantage of the opening of the gate and rush in?"

"What a coincidence!" Qu Wenxi waved his hand dismissively. "According to reports, these rebels are still more than twenty li away from the county seat. If they were coming, they would have arrived long ago. Go up to the city wall and look around; there's no sign of any rebels. They wouldn't be able to attack so quickly. Let's let these people enter the city before the rebels arrive. Are we going to wait until they attack before making any arrangements?"

"But sir..." Xu Zhao said anxiously, "Putting aside the cunning of the rebels, even if they don't come for the time being, who can guarantee that no thieves have infiltrated among these fleeing civilians? What if they're let in without a thorough check, and then cause trouble in the city? How will we handle that?"

He paused, then advised, "In my humble opinion, it would be better to let these people bypass the city and take refuge in Qingjian to the east. This would be safer than letting them into the city..."

"You make it sound so easy!" Qu Wenxi snorted, pointing at the kneeling crowd of people outside. "If you just drive the people from outside the city away like this, what will the people inside think of me? Won't they harbor resentment? What will they think?"

He stared at Xu Zhao, his tone turning serious: "Commander Xu, don't forget, the rebels are nearby. Defending the city and repelling them will depend on the people of the city. Can your small force hold off several thousand rebels? Without the help of the people, do you think you can do it alone?"

Xu Zhao opened his mouth, wanting to say that he could do it, but the words faltered... He really wasn't confident.

He only had a little over a hundred men under his command, and even including the county government's constables, yamen runners, and other servants, the total was just over three hundred. With such a small force facing thousands of rebels, even with the city walls to rely on, Xu Zhao couldn't say he was completely confident.

To defend the city, it was necessary to mobilize the able-bodied men within the city, and even organize ordinary citizens to help from the city walls. Qu Wenxi's words made perfect sense; most of the people who had fled from outside were relatives of the city's inhabitants, some even being blood relatives. Even those who were not related by blood were bound by a deep sense of kinship; if the people outside the city were forcibly driven away, wouldn't the people inside the city resent it?

If the rebels attack, and the people, out of resentment towards the government, refuse to help or even make things worse, then it's hard to say whether Anding can be held.

Before the main government troops arrived to reinforce them, Qu Wenxi had to rely on the people of the city to fight against the rebels. Moreover, Qu Wenxi had a good reputation as an official, diligent in his duties and caring for the people. How could he bear to see the people under his jurisdiction driven to despair?

Just as Xu Zhao hesitated, Qu Wenxi made the final decision, forcefully ordering in his capacity as a civil official: Open the door and release the person.

Xu Zhao had no choice.

In the Ming Dynasty, civil officials were valued more than military officials. Even a mere centurion like him, let alone a high-ranking officer like a commander or even a general, would have to bow before Qu Wenxi, a seventh-rank county magistrate. Qu Wenxi was determined to do as he pleased, and Xu Zhao couldn't stop him at all.

And so, the city gates were opened.

The crowd outside surged in, and cheers erupted instantly inside the city. Some people shouted "Upright and just magistrate!" praising the county magistrate for his kindness and righteousness. Qu Wenxi stroked his beard and smiled with satisfaction.

However, although Xu Zhao couldn't go against Qu Wenxi's wishes, he still kept a watchful eye.

He did not let the people who entered the city leave at will. For safety reasons, he designated a place in the city to gather these people together and temporarily had the yamen runners guard them.

He planned to thoroughly investigate the next day. If they were truly local people who had fled and had someone in the city to vouch for them, he would release them naturally. But if they couldn't explain their origins and couldn't find anyone to vouch for them, then Xu Zhao wouldn't hesitate to torture and interrogate them severely. At that point, Qu Wenxi would likely have nothing to say.

Logically speaking, Xu Zhao's response was not problematic.

Unfortunately, things did not go as he had envisioned.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, before Xu Zhao could even arrange the inspection, his soldiers rushed over to report.

"Sir! A large rebel group has been spotted in the west, heading towards Anding under their banner!"