The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 031 Great minds think alike

Arrangements had already been made in the county town. After Gao Yingxiang's rebel army arrived, they were stationed in the east of the town, which corresponded to the west of the town where Li Wanqing's rebel army was located.

It must be said that Gao Yingxiang was very satisfied with this arrangement.

The accommodation was also prepared; it was the Zhang family's large courtyard.

The brothers Zhang Xiuguo and Zhang Xiuren had been in Bao'an County for many years. One served as the county magistrate, and the other ran a rice shop. They amassed a fortune through various means over the years, and the Zhang family's courtyard was considered one of the most prestigious residences in the county.

After Zhang Xiuguo was publicly tried and then beaten to death by the angry crowd, Zhang Xiuren was also disposed of by someone arranged by Zhou Lun, and the ownerless house naturally fell into the hands of the rebel army.

However, this place had been empty before, and Zhou Lun and his group usually stayed at the county government office, since it was more convenient to handle matters there.

Now that Gao Yingxiang has arrived, it would be perfect to let him live in this house.

When they arrived at the place, not only Gao Yingxiang, but even his two brothers were very satisfied.

That evening, Li Wanqing hosted a banquet to welcome Gao Yingxiang and others.

Gao Yingxiang brought Liu Zhe and Huang Long to the banquet, while Li Wanqing was accompanied by Zhou Lun, Li Shoutian, and Wang Tieniu.

The dishes at the banquet were all high-quality, and the chef who prepared them was the head chef of Taibailou Restaurant in the county.

Speaking of Taibai Tower, their owner, Master He, was an old acquaintance of Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun. Although Master He was not in the county town when he rescued Li Wanqing and could not help, Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun did not blame him afterwards. They did not even make things difficult for the timid and cowardly shopkeeper, Manager Qian.

They're all from the same village, and they're bound to run into each other often. Besides, they've always been kind to each other. And it's a good thing they didn't get involved back then; otherwise, they would have ended up like Manager Liu of the pharmacy. Li Wanqing actually felt sorry for them.

The banquet was set out, and everyone took their seats.

Li Wanqing first toasted Gao Yingxiang with three cups of wine. Gao Yingxiang readily downed the wine in his cup, showed the bottom of the cup, which drew cheers from the crowd.

The group enjoyed the food and drinks, chatting and sharing their stories. The atmosphere was very harmonious, and the toasts and laughter further strengthened their bonds, making them even more intimate with each other.

"Thanks to my brother for taking us in this time, let me offer you another toast!"

Gao Yingxiang raised his wine cup to Li Wanqing, and before Li Wanqing could speak, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Wanqing smiled, picked up the wine cup in front of him, and offered to drink a cup with him. After putting down the wine cup, he asked about Gao Yingxiang's situation in Anzhai.

"My place is not as good as yours," Gao Yingxiang sighed, his expression becoming serious. "To be honest, if it weren't for your letter, I would have already planned to head north. The uprising was too hasty, and we weren't prepared beforehand. By the time we gathered our forces to attack the county town, it was already under defense."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Although there are quite a few righteous soldiers, Anzhai is a high city with thick walls, and we don't have any suitable weapons. With just manpower, let alone breaking through Anzhai, it would be difficult to even climb the city walls."

At this point, Gao Yingxiang sighed deeply: "We lost dozens of men at the city walls, and continuing the fight would be futile. Left with no other choice, I could only lead my troops to retreat to the surrounding areas, barely managing to survive by capturing wealthy households and powerful families in towns and villages. Naturally, this was extremely difficult. Moreover, I received news that the government troops from Yan'an Prefecture were already gathering, and staying in Anzhai was definitely not the best course of action."

He looked at Li Wanqing with a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "By the way, brother, how did you manage to take down the security guards? Could you tell me about it?"

"What's wrong with talking about this?" Li Wanqing said with a smile. "Actually, my taking over Bao'an was just luck. Originally, we didn't plan to capture the county town; we were just thinking..."

As Li Wanqing recounted the events, Gao Yingxiang finally learned the whole story of their uprising: how they first robbed the Zhang family's caravan, how they learned about the villagers of Liwang Village, how they impersonated Zhang's servants and guards to kidnap Zhang Xiuren and sneak into the county town, and how they accidentally captured the county magistrate Zhang Xiuguo and prepared to rescue him from prison.

The original plan was simply to rescue the prisoners, but Zhang Xiuguo was unwilling to surrender and harbored the ambition to turn the tide, intending to use the county prison as an opportunity to trap and defeat him. Unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn. Zhou Lun, who was waiting outside, sensed that something was wrong and decisively struck. He not only captured County Magistrate Fan Zhengren and Clerk Shi Teng, who had come to inspect the county prison, but also led his men to storm into the prison.

And so, by a twist of fate, they took control of the county town, which led to what happened next.

So Li Wanqing's assessment of it as luck is not wrong.

Listening to his story, Gao Yingxiang remained expressionless, but Liu Zhe and Huang Long both showed expressions of envy. Look at Li Wanqing, who so easily captured the county town. Then look at themselves, having expended tremendous effort, yet failing to even breach the walls of Anzhai. Comparison is truly infuriating. They had to admit, Li Wanqing was incredibly lucky.

"By the way, Brother Gao," Li Wanqing picked up the wine pot and refilled Gao Yingxiang's wine cup, then asked, "You just said you originally planned to head north?"

"Exactly!" Gao Yingxiang nodded and said, "Have you heard the news from Fugu?"

"I've heard about it," Li Wanqing asked. "Is it Wang Jiayin, the hero who started the uprising in Fugu?"

"That's right!" Gao Yingxiang said, "Wang Jiayin is quite prestigious in the area. He started his uprising earlier than you and me. It's said that he's caused quite a stir in Fugu, gathering thousands of people and making a huge impact!"

"I don't know that," Li Wanqing admitted. "I only know that Wang Jiayin started an uprising in Fugu, but I don't know the specifics. By the way, Brother Gao, do you know this Wang Jiayin?"

Gao Yingxiang shook his head: "I heard of him in the north when I was trading horses, but I never got to meet him. He is not only prestigious in the area, but also has a good reputation. He has now started a rebellion in Fugu and his power is considerable. Since we are both righteous armies and are engaged in major rebellions, I am thinking of going north to join him. It is a way out."

At this point, Gao Yingxiang looked at Li Wanqing and smiled: "If it weren't for your letter, I might have already headed north. Now that we've joined forces, our two units combined should be able to protect ourselves for the time being. However, the imperial court won't let up. Putting aside the garrison troops, once the court mobilizes the border troops, we're afraid it will be difficult to resist them with just these few men."

"What does Brother Gao mean...?" Li Wanqing raised his hand and pointed north.

Gao Yingxiang nodded and said seriously, "Although Bao'an is a good location, it is situated in the heart of Shaanxi, a place of constant threat. To the southeast lies the prefectural city, to the southwest the provincial capital, and to the northeast and northwest are border garrisons. Once the government realizes its mistake and launches an attack, in your opinion, brother, is it possible to hold Bao'an?"

Li Wanqing shook his head.

It's impossible to defend it; we definitely can't hold it.

He had already discussed this issue privately with Zhou Lun, and they had long planned to abandon Bao'an County. In the past few days, Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun had moved all the villagers of Liwang Village to the Grand Canyon, and some supplies had also been transported there with them. Without the burden of the villagers, abandoning Bao'an County was not a pity.

Despite their raising of the banner of rebellion and capture of the county town, their strength amounted to less than a thousand men. Moreover, this rebel army was poorly equipped and poorly trained; even Li Wanqing himself couldn't guarantee its actual combat effectiveness. Even with Gao Yingxiang's arrival, the combined forces of the two rebel armies would only amount to a little over two thousand men.

The two thousand-plus rebels who wanted to hold Bao'an to the death were essentially putting themselves in a hopeless situation. If the government troops launched a large-scale encirclement and suppression campaign, or even deployed border troops, remaining there would be a dead end.

So if they hadn't contacted Gao Yingxiang, they would have abandoned Bao'an County and left long ago according to their original plan. Now that Gao Yingxiang has arrived, Li Wanqing wants to hear his opinion. Even if they are going to leave, they need to find a reliable way out; they can't just wander around like headless flies.

Gao Yingxiang did not hide anything from Li Wanqing and told him the truth about his original plan.

He told Li Wanqing that his decision to go north to Fugu to meet Wang Jiayin was made after careful consideration.

On the one hand, Wang Jiayin was causing a great stir in Fugu, and he had a large number of rebel troops under his command. Moreover, Wang Jiayin was famous and had a good reputation, so joining forces with him and seeking survival was a good way out.

Secondly, Fugu has a special location, situated at the northeastern end of Shaanxi Province, at the border of Shaanxi and Shanxi.

It was far from the heart of Shaanxi, making it difficult for the government to launch a large-scale attack. More importantly, Fugu was only separated from Shanxi by the Yellow River. If the government troops launched a major offensive, the rebels could find a way to cross the Yellow River and flee directly from Shaanxi into Shanxi to take refuge.

According to the local governance and military garrison system of the Ming Dynasty, local officials had to obtain imperial decree before they could send troops across provincial borders. Moreover, the court needed to appoint a governor or viceroy to command them. Otherwise, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, it was a serious crime for local officials to take military action beyond their jurisdiction. Even if there were justifiable reasons, once the censors submitted a memorial impeaching them, even the provincial administration and the military command could not withstand the consequences.

Shaanxi has a unique topography, bordering Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and Qinghai and Gansu to the west. However, given their current location, it is absolutely impossible for them to go to Qinghai and Gansu.

Putting aside the fact that the area is sparsely populated and has poor soil, it's not even an actual province of the Ming Dynasty. It's just a Xuanwei Division and a garrison that exist. It's thousands of miles away from Bao'an County, requiring you to cross the entire Shaanxi region. Only someone with a brain full of water would go there.

Although Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance, the road into Sichuan from Shaanxi is not only difficult to travel, but also requires heading towards the provincial capital, Xi'an. They are a rebel army; they're already trying to avoid the authorities, how could they possibly walk right into a trap?

As for Henan and Huguang, although they are good places, you have to go through Tongguan from Shaanxi. Tongguan has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times. The imperial army is stationed there, so this route is impassable.

Heading directly east would allow them to enter Shanxi, but the Lüliang Mountains stretch from south to north, running between the two provinces. While a small group might be able to cross the mountains, it was simply impossible for a thousand rebels to do so.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Gao Yingxiang concluded that the most suitable course of action was to head north to Fugu and join forces with Wang Jiayin there. With a larger group, they would have sufficient strength to jointly resist the government, and by taking advantage of the proximity of the two provinces, they would have much more room to maneuver in the future.