Qian Long, that old dog, proved to everyone the importance of being born into a good family, and at the same time, the importance of having a good father.
Such an awesome and grand display could not have been prepared in just a day or two. Therefore, Qian Long would always notify the various prefectures and counties along the route in advance before his trips to Jiangnan, so that local officials could make proper preparations.
Precisely because of this, once the time for Qian Long's trip to Jiangnan was set, it was almost impossible to change.
This meant that either Fu Cha Ming Xing could resolve Zhu Xiao Song before Qian Long's trip to Jiangnan, or Qian Long would have to pretend not to see Zhu Xiao Song when he arrived.
Some might say this situation is pure nonsense. How could Qian Long, an emperor, do something like "The Emperor's New Clothes"? Wouldn't the Manchu Qing's officials at all levels be afraid of consequences?
In reality, such a thing was not impossible at all—
Firstly, Qian Long, as the ruler of a nation, valued his reputation. He always insisted on his words being law, and coupled with the immense scale of his entourage, it made it difficult to change course.
Secondly, even if Qian Long and his servants pretended to be deaf and mute, it would have no actual impact on their rule. After all, the Manchu Eight Banners held the butcher's knives; where there was resistance, they would chop. It was so easy.
Of course, whether it was Qian Long or the officials of the Manchu Qing, they would definitely prefer the former. If Qian Long were to pretend that the rebel Zhu Xiao Song didn't exist during his trip to Jiangnan, it would indeed be quite embarrassing.
Unfortunately, Zhu Xiao Song specifically wanted to make Qian Long lose face.
After the rebels on Yuhuang Mountain swept through the estates under Ningyang's jurisdiction and then swept through Wenshang County, which bordered Ningyang, coupled with the two hundred young men who later joined in Ningyang County, and the young men who joined the mountain in the past few days, the entire force on Yuhuang Mountain had reached an unprecedented over four hundred, nearing five hundred men.
Zhu Xiao Song, who always liked to learn by observing rabbits crossing a river, directly organized these over four hundred men into four companies, with Zhu Er Dan, Zhu San Shun, Liu Er Niu, and Liu Huai Wen each leading one company, and then these four companies were formed into a battalion.
Zhu Xiao Song gathered these rebels back to the mountain.
It was time for a meeting.
Zhu Xiao Song walked in circles around the more than four hundred young men sitting cross-legged on the ground, shouting loudly as he walked, "We've attacked the wicked gentry of Ningyang County, and we've also attacked the Ningyang County yamen."
"The local tyrants and wicked gentry have been eliminated, and the money and land have been distributed to the common people. There are no longer any records of deeds in the government offices, and now the elders and common folk of Ningyang County can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
"But!"
"What about the elders and common folk of Wenshang County? We've swept through many villages in Wenshang County, but the Wenshang County yamen hasn't been swept yet."
"After we sweep Wenshang County, what about other places? The elders and common folk of Ningyang County can breathe a sigh of relief, but what about the elders and common folk of the entire Central Plains?"
"Do you remember when you first followed me up the mountain, I told you that we all come from the suffering common people. If we don't care about the common people, who will? Should we rely on the Tartars?"
"I called you all back today for nothing else but two things."
"First, we will descend the mountain this evening and sweep the Wenshang County yamen tomorrow morning, so that the elders and common folk of Wenshang can also breathe a sigh of relief!"
"Second, we have swept Ningyang and Wenshang, but this is not treating the root cause. Old sayings say that to treat a disease, one must treat the root. If we want all the elders and common folk in the world to breathe a sigh of relief, we must sweep away the Tartar court as well!"
"Therefore, I am thinking that after we finish with Wenshang County, we will temporarily avoid the sharp edge of the Tartar troops and retreat to Yimeng Mountain to establish our base there."
After finishing his speech, Zhu Xiao Song walked back to the front of the formation. Sitting down cross-legged, he added, "If anyone has any thoughts, you can bring them up now."
"Even if someone doesn't want to follow us to Yimeng Mountain, you can say so now. We won't force you."
Liu Er Niu immediately raised his hand and said, "Boss, why don't we stay on Yuhuang Mountain? We have enough grenades anyway, so we don't have to be afraid even if the Tartars come!"
Zhu Xiao Song shook his head and said, "Grenades are indeed useful, but they are not easy to manufacture. And how far can a grenade be thrown by hand? Can it compare to arrows?"
"Let's be realistic. Yuhuang Mountain's current strength is not enough to resist the full encirclement by the Tartars. Therefore, we have to retreat to Yimeng, because it is a mountainous area there, and the Tartar cavalry will be restricted."
"But this is only a temporary relocation. Once we establish ourselves in Yimeng and slowly accumulate enough strength, we will fight our way back!"
"Now, is there anyone who is unwilling to transfer to Yimeng Mountain?"
As Zhu Xiao Song's words fell, there was silence in the crowd again.
After a long while, Liu Er Niu took the lead and shouted, "No! Since we all said we would follow the boss, we will follow the boss wholeheartedly. Whatever the boss says, we will do!"
Liu Huai Wen, however, raised his hand and said, "Boss, if we withdraw to Yimeng Mountain, what about the women and children at home? Can they come with us?"
Liu Huai Wen's question hit the nail on the head.
For single men like Liu Er Niu, who only needed to feed themselves, there was no difference whether they retreated to Yimeng Mountain or somewhere else after committing the act of rebellion and facing decapitation.
However, for those like Liu Huai Wen who had wives and children, it was inevitable that they would think more.
It was better on Yuhuang Mountain, where they could visit home occasionally when they had free time. But if they retreated to Yimeng Mountain, they would have to be separated from their families, and they couldn't help but worry about them.
Moreover, there were about twenty or so men like Liu Huai Wen with wives and children on Yuhuang Mountain, and Zhu Xiao Song had to consider Liu Huai Wen's situation.
After a moment of consideration, Zhu Xiao Song looked up at the young men and said loudly, "Regarding the issue that Uncle Huai Wen raised, I have two solutions."
"First, those who are unwilling to follow and want to stay and accompany their wives and children can stay without any psychological burden."
"Second, those who are willing to follow can bring their wives and children with them, and we will retreat to Yimeng together."
"Here, I also promise everyone that once we reach Yimeng Mountain, I will have Lao San open a school to teach your children to read and write."
"I know this is a difficult decision to make, so you don't have to rush. Think it over carefully before making a decision."
There was silence again.
Staying behind was clearly not a good option.
Although Zhu Xiao Song, the boss, had said he would not pursue any responsibility, people's hearts were made of flesh. If they chose to stay, they would inevitably feel a sense of guilt for being deserters, as they had been fighting the local tyrants and wicked gentry together for so long.
But what about the second option?
It was good for children to have a chance to study, and it wasn't difficult to bring wives and children to Yimeng Mountain. But who could predict the future? Would Yimeng Mountain definitely become the base that the boss mentioned? Would it not have to worry about the Tartars' attacks?
These young men who had not studied much felt the dilemma of advancing or retreating for the first time, and for the first time, they understood what a difficult decision was.
After a long while, Li Bantou, who had not spoken, suddenly said, "I have decided to follow the boss."
"When I was working in the county yamen before, I relied on the little power I had and did a lot of despicable things. At that time, I even felt proud of myself for doing those bad deeds."
"But looking back now, what kind of life was that? I was always thinking about bullying others, going to brothels and drinking wine with the little money I made. The common people avoided us as if we were plague carriers. My life was neither human nor ghost."
"Later, later, thanks to the boss's disdain, he allowed us to reform and then let us join. Only then did we have the chance to become human again."
"I followed everyone to raid a few wicked gentry, and I also helped the villagers clear snow. Now the villagers don't avoid us anymore. The day before yesterday, an old lady even said she wanted to find a matchmaker for me."
"It was the boss who let us know what it feels like to stand up and be a person."
"I have decided to retreat to Yimeng Mountain with the boss. When our Yuhuang Mountain team fights its way back, I will ask that old lady to find a matchmaker for me."
Li Bantou's words, though seemingly rambling, touched these young men the most.
Apart from the young men who came from Wenshang County, most of the young men from Ningyang County knew Li Bantou, or at least had heard of him even if they hadn't met him.
Someone who was previously like dog shit actually had someone wanting to find a matchmaker for him?
Wasn't all of this a change after Li Bantou joined Yuhuang Mountain?
Seeing the young men's expressions gradually becoming firm, Zhu Xiao Song couldn't help but smile, "Since everyone is willing to retreat to Yimeng with us, let's get ready."