"There are no coincidences in this world; all seemingly coincidental events are, in fact, predetermined inevitabilities." - Lu Xun.
Chen Tailai, the Governor of the Yellow River affairs in Jining, in order to avoid the fate of being a scapegoat, specifically advised Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, not to conduct large-scale massacres of villages. Instead, he suggested investigating the situation of the local gentry and baojia (neighborhood watch system) in each village to determine which ones had been attacked by bandits. Then, by drawing circles, they could ascertain the operational range and bases of Zhu Xiaosong's rebel group.
However, to Chen Tailai and Ming Xing's utter bewilderment, they discovered several villages that had suffered bandit attacks within fifty li of leaving Sizhui County.
As soon as the official soldiers entered to investigate, they found that the villages were devoid of gentry and baojia. Upon questioning, it was confirmed they had been ravaged by bandits, and descriptions ranging from "a face like jade," "ape-like arms and a wasp waist," "ten feet tall," "an eight-foot waist," "could ride a horse on their arm," "could stand on their fist," to "leading a thousand troops" were all heard.
Such nonsense made Ming Xing and Chen Tailai feel like they were going mad. Zhu Xiaosong was merely an eighteen-year-old youth, said to be plain-looking, with at most a hundred men under his command. Yet, these wicked villagers described him as Zhao Zilong of Changshan, leading a thousand troops!
Did these wicked villagers not consider that, with Zhu Xiaosong's audacity to kill the county magistrate with just a hundred men, if he truly had a thousand troops, he would have long since been at the Forbidden City!
Feeling that their intelligence had been insulted, Ming Xing and Chen Tailai became resolute.
Since these wicked villagers claimed their villages had been attacked by bandits, they decided to deploy the three thousand river guards under Governor Chen Tailai to ascertain how many manors in Sizhui County had indeed suffered bandit attacks.
However, before Chen Tailai could get a clear picture of the situation in Sizhui County, Yan Xiangqing, the prefect of Yizhou Prefecture, tearfully approached Ming Xing to file a complaint: "This subordinate wishes to accuse Wu Zude, the prefect of Yanzhou, of misgovernance! Rebels have appeared in his jurisdiction, and while he couldn't suppress them, he has also driven those rebels into my Yizhou Prefecture!"
Prefect Yan wept with snot and tears, appearing utterly heartbroken. "In the past, although my jurisdiction couldn't be described as a place where lost items were returned or doors were left unlocked at night, it could be said that the populace lived and worked in peace, all praising the wise leadership of His Majesty."
"Now, in my prefecture's six counties, the shadows of those bandits can be seen everywhere. A total of over three hundred villages have been attacked by bandits, over three hundred virtuous scholars and gentry have been exterminated by those rebels, and over five hundred high officials have been killed!"
Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, was stunned.
According to information obtained from Uncle Fu, the rebel Zhu Xiaosong had at most one to two hundred men under his command, all of whom were newly recruited from the common folk. They should currently be near Yizhou.
This information was reported to Uncle Fu by the Imperial Guard, and it should not be erroneous.
What then was the situation reported by Yan Xiangqing, the prefect of Yizhou?
Chen Tailai, the Governor of Yellow River affairs in Jining, doubted, "Could it be that Zhu Xiaosong is like a monkey, possessing a magical ability to transform his body into multiple selves by plucking a single hair?"
Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, was immediately enraged. He slapped Chen Tailai across the face: "Monkey King is from plays! Besides, that monkey's surname is Sun, while Zhu Xiaosong's surname is Zhu!"
Chen Tailai felt indignant and thought to himself, "That Monkey King only knew the seventy-two transformations of Earthly Fiends, while the one surnamed Zhu knows the thirty-six transformations of Heavenly Spirits. If Sun can transform into myriad forms, can't Zhu?"
Chen Tailai wanted to argue but feared angering his superior, Ming Xing. He could only apologize with a smile, "Your Excellency is right, it was my oversight."
Ming Xing snorted and then asked Prefect Yan Xiangqing of Yizhou, "You say over three hundred villages in your jurisdiction were attacked by bandits. Are these villages close to each other?"
Prefect Yan bowed and replied, "Replying to Your Excellency, these over three hundred villages are not in one place. Some are near Qingzhou, some are in Lanling, and some are already close to the Jiangsu border."
Ming Xing pondered, his mind harboring vague ideas, but he was not certain. He then said to Yan Xiangqing, "It's quite coincidental. If you hadn't come to seek me, the Governor and I were already planning to go to Yizhou ourselves, precisely concerning the case of this rebel Zhu."
After speaking, Ming Xing instructed Chen Tailai, "Proceed according to the plan we agreed upon. Investigate each village one by one, especially in the Yizhou Prefecture, not a single village should be missed."
However, what Ming Xing did not expect was that Prefect Yan's complaint was merely an appetizer. Before they even reached the Yizhou Prefecture border, the "big shots" of Caozhou, Dengzhou, and Laizhou also came crying.
The purpose of these three prefects' visit was the same as Prefect Yan Xiangqing of Yizhou: to accuse Wu Zude, the prefect of Yanzhou, of misgovernance, which had allowed the rebel Zhu Xiaosong to escape into their jurisdictions.
At this point, Ming Xing had basically confirmed his suspicions.
Zhu Xiaosong certainly wouldn't possess the Monkey King's body-transforming magic, as such magic was merely a fabrication in plays.
Now that the rebel Zhu Xiaosong's presence had appeared throughout Shandong, there could only be one truth – it was all fake!
Zhu Xiaosong in Tai'an Prefecture was fake, Zhu Xiaosong in Qingzhou Prefecture was fake, and even this Zhu Xiaosong in Yizhou Prefecture was likely fake!
It was very possible that the wicked villagers in those villages, for financial gain, had exterminated their own gentry and their families, and then blamed it on Zhu Xiaosong!
The real Zhu Xiaosong had either hidden himself in some remote mountain forest or was playing a game of混珠 (mixing pearls with fish eyes) among these fake Zhu Xiaosongs!
Ming Xing believed he had seen through the truth of the matter, and indeed he had. However, it was precisely this truth that made Ming Xing feel helpless.
One village imitating Zhu Xiaosong could be massacred, two villages could be massacred, even ten or twenty villages could be massacred. As long as they were all wiped out, there would be no future trouble.
The problem was that Yizhou Prefecture alone had over three hundred villages imitating Zhu Xiaosong. Across Shandong, over a thousand villages had appeared in this situation. How could they be massacred?
Extending this logic, once Zhu Xiaosong's deeds became widely known, how many villages throughout the Qing Dynasty would rise up in imitation? What should be done then?
Let them continue to run rampant, or continue the massacres?
If they continued the massacres, would they be able to slaughter the entire world?
If they let them continue to run rampant, would the Qing Dynasty still be the Qing Dynasty?
What puzzled Ming Xing even more was that Yan Xiangqing said the over three hundred villages were not in one place, some being near Qingzhou, some in Lanling, and some already close to the Jiangsu border.
But Zhu Xiaosong had risen from Ningyang County, and at most had appeared in Yanzhou, Jining, Tai'an, and Yizhou. So, how had this news spread throughout Shandong?
Unable to figure anything out, Ming Xing simply stopped thinking about it.ノ亅丶說壹2З
Whether Zhu Xiaosong could be suppressed was no longer that important. What was important was to report this news to Uncle Fu as soon as possible.
Fu Kang'an's face was somber. After dismissing the prefects and magistrates, Fu Kang'an praised Ming Xing with a sinister expression, "You did well. Whether Zhu Xiaosong can be suppressed now is indeed no longer important."
Ming Xing let out a sigh and tentatively asked, "What about those manors and those wicked villagers?"
Fu Kang'an's lips curved into a cold sneer, and he said, "The master says that the primary course of action is always strict suppression and extermination."
Ming Xing tentatively asked again, "However, Han Chinese are not Dzungars. How many Dzungars are there in total? Once they are all killed, they are all killed. But the Han Chinese are the foundation of our Qing Dynasty's rule over the Central Plains. We cannot kill them all, can we?"
Fu Kang'an's expression became even more fierce, and he said menacingly, "There are three hundred million Han Chinese. Even if a hundred million are killed, there will still be two hundred million remaining."
"Unfortunately, these Han Chinese are timid and fearful of death. We don't even need to kill a hundred million. Just killing ten million will be enough to make the remaining Han Chinese obedient."
"Pass my order: all villages where gentry have been exterminated shall be completely annihilated!"
"Since they dare to imitate that rebel Zhu Xiaosong, we will kill them one by one, in pairs. Better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go!"
After saying this, Fu Kang'an let out a long sigh, "No matter what, we cannot delay the master's journey south."
Ming Xing performed a kowtow, about to reply "Yes," when a person entered from outside. It was a scout from the Imperial Guard.
The scout approached Fu Kang'an, performed a kowtow, and then knelt on one knee, bowing, "Reporting to Lord Fu, the remnants of the Eight Trigram Sect in Shan County have suddenly risen up under the banner of opposing the Qing and restoring the Ming. I request Lord Fu's decision!"
Fu Kang'an's face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot. He asked in a deep voice, "That day—"
Before he could finish speaking, another person entered from outside. It was a messenger dressed as a postman. This messenger approached Fu Kang'an, also performed a kowtow, and then knelt on one knee, bowing, "Reporting to Lord Fu, an urgent report from Hubei, eight hundred li away. It seems the remnants of the White Lotus Society are showing signs of movement!"
One wave had not yet subsided before another arose. Fu Kang'an began to understand the situation of Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong.
But while he understood, Fu Kang'an's killing intent grew stronger.
Currently, this Zhu fellow was merely killing some gentry and had not yet gained any momentum, yet the Eight Trigram Sect and the White Lotus Society remnants had come out to respond. If he were to gain momentum, who knew what kind of commotion he would cause!
After secretly deliberating, Fu Kang'an quickly wrote a memorial and then instructed the latter messenger, "Send this memorial and the news of the White Lotus Society rebels' uprising back to the capital by express delivery, eight hundred li at a time."
After the latter messenger departed, Fu Kang'an turned his gaze back to the first scout from the Imperial Guard and asked, "What about the remnants of the Heaven and Earth Society? Are there any movements?"
The scout replied, "Reporting to Lord Fu, there are no movements from the remnants of the Heaven and Earth Society. Our men are investigating diligently!"
Fu Kang'an then grunted and instructed, "Be diligent. Now that the Eight Trigram Sect and the White Lotus Society remnants are causing trouble, if the remnants of the Heaven and Earth Society also join in the rebellion, it will be difficult to explain to the master."
The scout replied with a "Yes" and withdrew. Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, was left there with a headache.
If the Eight Trigram Sect remnants and the White Lotus Society remnants had not risen up in rebellion, then his policy of "the primary course of action is always strict suppression and extermination" would seem to have no problem.
But now that the Eight Trigram Sect remnants and the White Lotus Society remnants were rebelling, if he continued to implement the original plan, he might throw all of Shandong into chaos.
In that case, whether his head could be saved was a separate matter. The crucial point was that it would delay the master's southward inspection of the river engineering projects.
Thinking of this, Ming Xing tentatively asked, "My Lord, what about those villages and those wicked villagers..."
Fu Kang'an glanced at Ming Xing from the corner of his eye and said, "Let them go for now. Announce to the outside world that the rebel Zhu has been apprehended, and all those who have appeared are fakes."
"You and Chen Tailai will remain in Yizhou Prefecture and continue to investigate the news of the rebel Zhu. Be cautious in your actions."
"I will go to Shan County first to suppress the remnants of the Eight Trigram Sect."
...
Zhu Xiaosong looked at the village before him and couldn't recall ever having been there. However, the men he had sent to gather information on the local gentry reported that the wicked gentry in this village had been exterminated, and the money and grain had been distributed among the common people.
ps: The anti-Qing movement seems to be quite lively recently, eh? I intend to bury the Qing, and Da Luoluo's friend is going to write "Buried Alive the Great Qing Dynasty." Of course, he wanted to bury the Qing alive first, and then I want to bury the Qing. Therefore, his word count is higher than mine, and it should be quite substantial, worth a read.