Chapter 119: Upholding Ming, Annihilating Barbarians; Clearing Bandits, Slaying Hu
Chapter 119: Upholding Ming, Annihilating Barbarians; Clearing Bandits, Slaying Hu
“Do you want me, or him?”
Yang Xin sprang to his feet, roaring as if he didn’t see the many bows and matchlock guns pointed at him.
“Do you want someone who can only make your descendants repeat the kind of life you’ve had, or someone who can genuinely lead you to change the future, ensuring your children and grandchildren will never again be looked down upon or suffer hunger and cold?”
The cult members glanced at each other.
“What’s the use of saying all this now? Follow you out to surrender? The government troops will kill them just the same!”
A leader from the back suddenly shouted.
Without even turning his head, Yang Xin raised his left arm, and his left hand suddenly shot out from his sleeve. At the same time, the meteor hammer flew out like lightning again, striking the leader squarely in the chest. The man screamed and was thrown backward, crashing hard against the wall behind him. Then, with a flick of Yang Xin’s left arm, the meteor hammer flew back instantly, disappearing back into his sleeve along with his left hand…
“Whoever dares to kill you, I will slaughter his entire family!”
Yang Xin declared proudly.
The cult members still exchanged glances, but the bows and guns in their hands began to lower.
The dream Xu Hongru gave them was illusory; even they themselves knew it wasn’t real. But what Yang Xin described to them was real, something tangible. It was obvious which was more appealing. Moreover, many of them simply believed Xu Hongru was an immortal, that the sect leaders knew magic, and thought these bosses were invincible. But by now, they could see these people were nothing special. If anything, Yang Xin seemed more like an immortal than they did.
At least none of them could defeat Yang Xin.
They also didn’t have the ability to wield such a terrifying greatsword, cutting down people like slicing melons and vegetables.
Furthermore, they now clearly understood they were trapped, and even food was starting to run low. They attacked Qufu because Yang Xin boasted that the Kong family had mountains of grain stored there, but unfortunately, the attack failed. Some clear-headed ones had already guessed their fate. And in the original history, Zoucheng was only taken because, after being besieged, some cult members inside couldn’t hold out and opened the city gates to surrender to the government troops. It was this that finally allowed the government troops to take Zoucheng and capture Xu Hongru. Meanwhile, the Tengxian followers led by Shen Zhi went south, later turned back toward Juye, but were completely wiped out after being surrounded by government troops, eventually becoming the “Jingguan” of Yuncheng.
“Why do you protect such a Tyrant Foolish Emperor and a bunch of corrupt officials? The Great Ming Dynasty is already rotten through, beyond saving. Why do you protect it? Why continue to let that Tyrant Foolish Emperor and the corrupt officials oppress the people? What have we done wrong? We merely want to restore clarity and order to this world, to let the common people live a good life with enough food and clothing. Yet why do you obstruct us? Why willingly serve as the court’s lackeys?”
Xu Hongru said.
He too could see the situation was turning bad.
Their usual tricks indeed worked in ordinary times, but after being tested in war, they were no longer sustainable. So now it was time to change tactics.
To claim he had any real ideals would be nonsense.
He was purely inflated by the adoration of his many followers, believing he already had the power to overthrow the dynasty. Though his claim of two million believers was exaggerated, being able to muster an army of a hundred thousand with one call was truly astonishing—and this was just in the Western Shandong area. If he hadn’t risen in haste, but had acted simultaneously with the Wang family, Yu Hongzhi, and others, at least in his own view, his great enterprise could have succeeded. And indeed, historically, even though the Wang family faltered, he and Yu Hongzhi still threw Hebei and Shandong into great chaos.
But unfortunately, now Yang Xin had appeared.
This guy could actually out-bluff him, which was truly frustrating.
“Why?”
Yang Xin turned his head and looked at him with a contemptuous smile.
“Because you are not qualified. Because you are not fit to do these things. So you must die, and make way for me!”
He continued.
“You think a few words from you can undo my twenty years of preaching?”
Xu Hongru sneered.
“Kill this demonic man!”
He then stood up and shouted, pointing at Yang Xin.
However, the archers and matchlock gunners in front of Yang Xin hesitated, and some even began to step back.
Several leaders and his confidants looked at each other, then started to move forward.
Yang Xin acted as if he saw nothing. He remained with his back to Xu Hongru, facing the ordinary followers, standing with his hands clasped behind his back like a show-off, a smile of supreme arrogance on his face. Soon, two of the nearest leaders rushed forward and raised their swords to strike, but he still ignored them. But just then, several matchlock guns opposite suddenly spat fire. Yang Xin, who had long determined their aim, stood firm, letting the bullets whiz past him on both sides. The two Incense-Smelling Sect leaders attacking him fell under the impact of the bullets.
Chaos erupted all around.
“You dare betray the sect? After death, you will fall into the eighteen layers of hell!”
Xu Hongru shouted angrily.
“Only those who believe you would fear that. Why should those who don’t believe you be afraid?
What are you?
You are nothing but frauds.
Your paradise is a lie. All your magic tricks are deceiving illusions. If you truly had magic, how could I slaughter you so easily? You are just a bunch of ordinary people, cheating to fool your believers, living a lavish life on the money they hand over. If you truly had the heart to save the world, you wouldn’t make your already famine-stricken followers give you their hard-earned money! When you take the money they could have used to survive and spend it on pleasure, do you not feel any shame in your conscience?
Go to Shifokou and see the Wang family’s estate.
Decades ago, Wang Sen was just a tanner. Now the Wang family is as rich as princes and lords. It was the believers’ blood and sweat that built the Wang family’s wealth.
Is this your god?
Remember, any god that demands money from followers to be sustained is fake, is a fraud. Gods do not demand; gods only bestow. A god that wants money is no god.
And I will not ask for a single coin from you. I will even give you money. As long as you follow me, I will fulfill all my promises to you. I will let you and your descendants have enough food and clothing from now on, never to suffer hunger and cold again. I won’t promise you paradise on earth; paradise exists only in the heavenly realm, where only true deities reside. But I will give you a land of happiness on earth, a land with enough food and clothing, without distinctions of high or low, noble or base. But to build this land, I need you to join me.
And before that, you must first stop opposing the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You are no longer rebels, but supporters of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Follow me to uphold the Ming, annihilate the barbarians; clear the bandits, slay the Hu!
As for your safety, I guarantee it.
Whoever dares to harm you after you switch sides, I will slaughter his entire family.
Whoever it is!
And I have the ability to do so.”
Yang Xin said.
“What if the emperor orders them killed?”
Xu Hongru sneered.
“Then I will go kill the emperor!”
Yang Xin turned his head and said without hesitation.
Of course, such a thing would not happen.
Because Wanli would prefer it this way. Otherwise, His Majesty the Emperor would have to pay out hundreds of thousands of taels. Even though the bounty for suppressing bandits within the pass was low, five taels per head, that would still be tens of thousands of heads. Although these bounties were mostly pocketed by the generals, the emperor would still have to pay them out.
And what His Majesty the Emperor hated most was spending money.
Xu Hongru maintained his sneer, exchanging glances with the other leaders. Then he stood up, turning as if still full of confidence, and began to walk toward the back of the hall. Suddenly, he accelerated, but it was too late. At the same moment, the meteor hammer flew from Yang Xin’s hand again, only this time it was completely released. The meteor hammer on its chain struck Xu Hongru’s right leg in an instant. The tremendous force broke his leg. He screamed and then knelt on the ground.
“Clearly, he really is not an immortal!”
Yang Xin turned back to face the believers before him, saying with a look of disdain.
The latter also stared blankly at Xu Hongru.
This man, whom they had regarded as a living immortal for twenty years, now lay on the ground rolling and screaming while clutching a broken leg. His Ochre Yellow Robe was instantly stained with dust. The blood continuously flowing from his leg mixed with the dirt into filth, completely destroying his dignified image.
An immortal?
An immortal is certainly not like this!
The sect leaders and their confidants immediately began to flee.
“Seize them!”
Yang Xin said.
The followers swarmed forward.
Amid the angry shouts and screams of the sect leaders and their confidants, Yang Xin strode proudly toward Xu Hongru. He then looked down at him. The latter had stopped screaming by now, lying there and staring at him with eyes full of hatred. The two silently gazed at each other.
“Never thought my twenty years of effort would become the stepping stone for a brat like you.”
Xu Hongru said bitterly.
“If you truly did this for the people of the world, I, Yang, would still respect you as a hero. But you are not. You are just an ambitious man who wants to be emperor!”
Yang Xin sneered.
“If I were a hero, would you spare me?”
Xu Hongru said.
“No. Whether hero or ambitious man, anyone who blocks my path must die!”
Yang Xin said very frankly.
“You and I are birds of a feather!”
Xu Hongru sneered.
Yang Xin did not answer him. Instead, he stretched out a hand to the side. A follower hastily handed him a sword. Xu Hongru sighed and closed his eyes. Soon, with the fall of Yang Xin’s sword, the head of this rebel, who in the original history had formally begun the late Ming peasant wars, fell to the ground. Yang Xin looked around. The vast majority of the sect leaders and their confidants gathered here had already been captured. In truth, they had nowhere to run. The followers gathered in this county office had basically chosen to switch sides under Yang Xin’s persuasion.
“Kill them. Leave none alive!”
Yang Xin said, holding Xu Hongru’s head.
Then, amid the screams rising behind him, he walked out of the county office holding the head. Outside, countless followers had already gathered. Being too far away, they had no idea what had happened inside and were murmuring among themselves, looking in…
“Xu Hongru is dead! Those who surrender will be spared!”
Yang Xin raised Xu Hongru’s head and shouted, surrounded by the followers who had come out behind him.
The followers who had come out first knelt down. Those at the entrance stared in shock at the head in his hand. Soon, some began to kneel, and then more and more people knelt down…