Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 76: Subdue the Thief
In the 43rd year of Chongzhen's reign, you were born in Mizhi County, northern Shaanxi.

[At the age of three, you awakened your memories of your past life and vowed not to repeat the same mistakes!]

"However, no matter what, you still have to maintain the image of a normal child in the eyes of your parents and relatives. Otherwise, it will easily scare them and cause them unnecessary trouble..."

[So, your early life trajectory is not much different from your previous life.]

You still enrolled in the county school and became a disciple of Deputy Principal Ding. Under his guidance, you became quite famous with the article "The Divine Emperor strangled 100,000 thieves with hemp rope"!

[Then he easily passed the examination for the top scholar the following year, becoming a well-known child prodigy in northern Shaanxi...]

"Disciple, now that you've won first place in the case and are at the peak of your popularity, it's time to strike while the iron is hot!"

Your forty-something master excitedly tells you, "If you write a good essay quickly, the prefect will definitely reward you handsomely!"

You smiled and nodded...

[Then, just like in your previous life, you wrote an excellent work praising the Divine Emperor's infinite grace, even better than in your previous life.]

[In the article, you closely follow the theme of "the thief who broke into the city doesn't know how to be grateful" and sharply accuse Li Chuang of many unofficial historical accusations, which are so outrageous that they sound like science fiction...]

[How about using a Western-style firelighter lens for cooking, how about eating five pairs of boys and girls for one meal, how about using hundreds of thousands of kilograms of charcoal to boil water for bathing, how about accepting 500,000 taels of gold from Huang Taiji, how about the remnants of the Tanguts deliberately sabotaging the prosperous reign of Chongzhen, how about selling ditches to Hong Chengchou and then Sun Chuanting, and only then was he able to survive the encirclement of the Ming army...]

[“Yes, that’s right! Li Chuang started out by selling ditch cakes, making only one white flour bun per trip…”]

[You wrote down what you had written in your previous life, and you also wrote down what you had not written in your previous life! ]

[In just a few words, Li Chuang was severely criticized...]

After writing it, you were satisfied and handed this "science fiction novel" to your master, Deputy Master Ding, and asked him to publicize it.

Master: …

[No, you're taking this too far!]

Your master wanted to complain, saying your writing was too outrageous... But since the higher-ups were just going to fall for it, he finally sighed and published this irrefutable "science fiction" through his own channels...

[As soon as this article was published, it caused a huge uproar! ]

[So, in just a week or so, the thieves you were waiting for arrived even faster than in your previous life!]

【…】

"Are you the damn prodigy who spread rumors?!"

On your way home from school, a few white-haired old men blocked your path. They were so angry that they were fuming, their eyes practically blazing with anger!

The leader, Li Laiheng, sneered, "Alright, alright! Didn't you say that the King of Rebellion would eat five pairs of boys and girls in one meal? And you can walk around with one white flour bun... Today, the King of Rebellion will let you walk around!"

[This is fucking ditch literature! Die!]

[And yet, at this critical moment, you remained calm and composed, even smiling as if you had anticipated it...]

"I wonder if the brave warriors can find a safe place to chat?"

[Your composure, which was so unbelievable for your age, made the originally furious thieves look at each other in bewilderment...]

"What's going on?"

Li Laiheng frowned. Although he had doubts, considering that you were just a piece of fish on the chopping board, after a little thought, he took you to a safe place...

【…】

"Did you deliberately lead us here?"

After settling down in the room, Li Laiheng looked at you, this suspicious boy, with a heavy look on his face.

"He's not a fool, and your reaction is too strange, totally unlike what a three-year-old would do. This strange situation has made him, a superstitious person, doubt something..."

[And you admitted it so openly!] ["Yes, I resorted to this desperate measure precisely to lure the heroes here to meet me... The article contains many slanderous words against King Chuang, so please bear with me."]

Li Laiheng's gaze suddenly fixed: "Who are you?"

You smiled, but didn't say anything. You just said slowly...

"I wish to carry on the legacy of King Chuang, overthrow the Ming court, and bring peace to the world! Could you, my good men, lend me a hand?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Laiheng looked at you in shock and anticipation: "You... you can beat Zhu Youjian?!"

"I can't win."

Lee Rae Hyung: ...

【Then you say hammer! 】

Li Laiheng rolled his eyes. "You're so arrogant, talking about overthrowing the imperial court... You can't even defeat Zhu Youjian, so how can you possibly overthrow his court?"

You shook your head. "Just because we can't defeat them now doesn't mean we won't be able to defeat them in the future... Besides, killing Zhu Youjian is one thing, but benefiting the people of the world is another."

"Just because we can't defeat Zhu Youjian, should we just let the people of the world suffer?"

【Um? 】

Li Laiheng frowned: "You mean... to be an official?"

"Stop dreaming! That tyrant emperor deliberately created chaos. So what if you became an official?"

"Furthermore, if you want to be an official, then you shouldn't get involved with us... We can't help you at all, and we'll implicate you... If things go wrong, it could be a heinous crime punishable by the death of your entire clan!"

You sighed, "I understand what a good man says."

"So I don't intend to enter the officialdom, but only want to do my bit among the people... But I am only one person, so I need the help of all the brave warriors!"

"From now on, we will form an association. I will provide the money and food, and you will obey my orders..."

[At this point, the truth is finally revealed! ]

Li Laiheng was stunned at first, then sneered, "Well, after all that talk, you actually want to recruit us!"

You nodded: "It's not impossible to understand it that way..."

"Besides, there's no reason for you to refuse. After all, you are committed to overthrowing the Ming Dynasty, and I share this ambition. I don't ask for your full support, but simply your helping hand."

“Also, I see that the hero’s food, clothing, shelter, and transportation seem rather simple, and he is old and frail. How could he not have money to support himself…”

[Every word you said struck Li Laiheng's heart, making him unable to help but feel moved...]

【"good!"】

After a moment of ideological struggle, Li Laiheng finally gritted his teeth and said, "Then we old bones will obey your orders!"

"But... you have to understand, kid, we're old after all. If you assign us tasks we can't complete, there's nothing we can do..."

【You smiled mysteriously. 】

"That's fine. As long as you are willing to obey my orders, I guarantee that you will have the strength to complete the task..."

【…】

[In the 47th year of Chongzhen's reign, you, at the age of four, successfully subdued the remnants of the rebels by using courtesy and emotional appeals!]

In the 48th year of Chongzhen's reign, at the age of five, you decided to take the provincial examination and gain extraordinary powers to plan for your future!

……

(End of this chapter)