Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 190 What else can the Ming Cult do if it doesn't rebel?
"Back to business."

"Master, the reason we invited you here today is to discuss forming an alliance with the rebel army."

Yang Xiao spoke up, getting back to the main topic.

"To form an alliance with the rebel army?" Zhang Wuji frowned.

Yang Xiao nodded: "Before the leader came to our Ming Cult, in order for the Ming Cult to return to the Central Plains, I approached Li Zicheng, the leader of the rebel army, hoping to form an alliance with him. Our Ming Cult would help him start the uprising and take this opportunity to return to the Central Plains and make a comeback. However, Li Zicheng did not agree at that time."

"But today, Li Zicheng suddenly sent a messenger to deliver a message, agreeing to form an alliance with our Ming Cult, but on the condition that we help them take Xi'an."

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned and began to discuss among themselves.
"That Li Zicheng is really arrogant. Does he really think we're begging them to form an alliance?"

"Exactly! They're allying with us, yet they still impose conditions? They're simply not taking our Ming Cult seriously!"

The hot-tempered Peng Yingyu sneered: "It is said that the Ming court has sent Lu Xiang-sheng to lead troops to quell the rebellion, and has also sent the henchmen of the Western Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to deal with the experts under Li Zicheng. I think he knows he is no match for them, which is why he is thinking of forming an alliance with our Ming Cult."

"Trying to use our Ming Cult as a weapon? He's still too green!"

"We can't agree to that!"

"Even if we want to return to the Central Plains, there is no need to ally with the rebel army! Our Ming Cult has always acted independently. Whatever we do, when have we ever needed to rely on others?"

"That's right!"

"We need no help from others, nor will we ever be anyone's lackey!"

A group of high-ranking members of the Ming Cult spoke out, their attitudes quite firm, opposing the alliance.

However, Zhang Wuji frowned even more deeply, because he understood what the others meant.

The people opposed forming an alliance with the rebel army simply because they were dissatisfied with the rebel army's use of the Ming Cult and their disregard for the Ming Cult, not because they did not want to rebel.

Clearly, the Ming Cult has been engaged in rebellion for hundreds of years.

The word "rebellion" has long been deeply ingrained in the flesh and blood of every believer.

Unless one of their own people becomes emperor, they are determined to overthrow the court, no matter who the emperor is.

This is the current situation of the Ming Cult.

Listening to the discussions, Yang Xiao, Yin Tianzheng, and Wei Yixiao remained calm and silent.

After everyone had finished speaking, Yang Xiao turned to Zhang Wuji and asked for his opinion: "What is the leader's opinion on this matter?"

All eyes were on Zhang Wuji.

Zhang Wuji remained silent for a moment, then looked at everyone and asked in return, "Before answering this question, I dare to ask you all, is the current imperial court incompetent?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, not understanding Zhang Wuji's meaning.

After a moment of silence, someone finally spoke up: "Compared to the previous Tianqi Emperor, this young Chongzhen Emperor, who has only been on the throne for two years, shouldn't be considered incompetent, right?"

"I think it's alright. After all, since Emperor Chongzhen came to power, he hasn't done anything that would anger the people. On the contrary, the first thing he did after taking the throne was to eliminate the eunuch faction and clean up the government. After that, he heavily relied on Sun Chengzong, Yuan Chonghuan and others to resist Liaodong and quell banditry in various places."

"It is said that last year, the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered that local gentry and noble families in Henan had encroached on farmland. They even planned to take back the land seized by these powerful families and return it to the people. Although they did not succeed in the end, he was able to consider the people's interests, so he should be considered a good emperor, right?"

"maybe!"

Some objected, sneering, "Although he purged the eunuch faction led by Wei Zhongxian, didn't he later reopen the Eastern Depot and continue using the eunuch faction to monitor court officials?"

"Moreover, half a year ago, the Western Depot was reopened and Yu Huatian was given important responsibilities. In the past six months, countless officials have died under the torture of the Western Depot, causing widespread resentment and fear among the people."

"If this continues, the eunuch faction will likely rule the country again, and the common people will suffer in the end!"

Everyone shared their opinions, and Zhang Wuji listened quietly.

Only after everyone had finished speaking did he nod slightly and say, "I understand what you all mean."

"In your opinion, although the current court and the newly enthroned Emperor Chongzhen have their shortcomings, strictly speaking, they are not a foolish and incompetent emperor. At least, he considers the people's interests and truly treats them as subjects of the Ming Dynasty."

"Moreover, since the downfall of the eunuch faction, the world is now relatively peaceful, and the lives of ordinary people are gradually improving."

"If that's the case, then why should we continue our rebellion?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was immediately stunned.

Yang Xiao and the others exchanged glances, their brows immediately furrowing.

"For so many years, our Ming Cult has always taken it upon itself to overthrow the imperial court. If we don't rebel, what can we do?"

After a moment, someone suddenly spoke up, which resonated with everyone.

"That's right. The first doctrine of our Ming Cult is to overthrow the Ming Dynasty. We've been rebelling all these years. What else would we be doing?"

"Yes, the imperial court regards us as rebels, and the martial arts world of the Central Plains also dislikes us. What other path do we have besides rebellion?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Yin Tianzheng stepped forward and said, "Wuji, you don't understand the situation of our Ming Cult, nor are you clear about the current situation of our Ming Cult. In fact, our Ming Cult's situation has always been very dangerous. Rebellion is not something we have to do, but something we have no choice but to do!"

Zhang Wuji looked puzzled and asked, "Grandpa, could you please enlighten me?"

Yin Tianzheng nodded and began to explain: "Our Ming Cult was actually established before the founding of the Ming Dynasty."

"At that time, the world was in turmoil, with warlords fighting and the people suffering. The purpose of our Ming Cult was to overthrow the corrupt government, restore peace and order to the world, and make life better for the people."

"Therefore, our Ming Cult specifically opposes the imperial court, which makes us a target of attacks from various vassal states, and our survival is extremely difficult."

"Later, the northern barbarians took advantage of the chaos to invade, seize our land, plunder our property, food, and women, and even treated us Central Plains people like livestock, slaughtering and cooking us at will. It was simply inhumane. That was the darkest period for us Central Plains people."

"Just then, a person appeared in this land to the east..."

A complex expression appeared in Yin Tianzheng's eyes, a mixture of admiration, resentment, and emotion. He slowly said, "He came from an ordinary family. He worked as a servant for a wealthy family, became a monk in a temple, and was also a beggar, wandering around begging. He even... joined our Ming Cult and fought alongside us against the foreign tribes."

"But later, for some unknown reason, this person left the Ming Cult and joined the army."

"From that moment on, his fate began to change..."

"After joining the army, this man quickly won over a group of loyal and skilled warriors due to his bravery and public-spiritedness. His status rose steadily, and he became one of the most powerful rebel leaders at the time."

"At that time, our Ming Cult was also actively resisting the foreign races, and we were considered a relatively powerful force."

"After learning about this matter, this person tried to win over our Ming Cult and form an alliance with us on the condition that we would share the world after we achieved great success."

"The leader at the time, considering that this person was exceptionally strong and had also been a member of the Ming Cult, agreed to form an alliance with him to fight against the foreign race." "After years of fighting, with the combined efforts of various forces, they finally succeeded in driving out the foreign race and restoring the rule of the Central Plains people."

"But at that time, the rebel army in the Central Plains was still divided into several forces."

"After the foreign war ended, the civil war began..."

Zhang Wuji's spirits lifted; he knew that the turning point had begun.

He could naturally guess that the person Yin Tianzheng was talking about was, without a doubt, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
Unexpectedly, this Hongwu Emperor had such a fascinating and complicated past, and even had connections with the Ming Cult.
It's just unknown why this person ultimately became an enemy of the Ming Cult.
Yin Tianzheng continued, clearing up his doubts: "Our Ming Cult supported this person as always, helping him to eliminate the forces of various warlords until he unified the thousands of miles of land in the eastern part of the Central Plains and established a dynasty."

"This person initially kept his promise, and even named the country 'Great Ming'."

"At that time, everyone thought that our Ming Cult had finally overcome its hardships and could enjoy a peaceful and prosperous era."

"But unexpectedly, after this person successfully ascended the throne and took control of the situation, he immediately changed his mind and began to target our Ming Cult, sending people to exterminate our Ming Cult members."

"In the final battle back then, our Ming Cult's current leader and all the Dharma Protectors were killed in action, and the rest of us suffered heavy casualties and fled in all directions, almost being wiped out!"

Zhang Wuji's expression changed slightly: "This... how could this be?! That Hongwu Emperor, he actually broke the oath he made when we formed the alliance?!"

Wei Yixiao scoffed, "Master, you're too naive. For those in power, oaths are no different from farts!"

Yin Tianzheng sighed and nodded, saying, "When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; everyone understands this principle."

"Unfortunately, the Ming Cult of today is too deeply involved with this Hongwu Emperor. The Ming Cult has long been infiltrated, and many people have even secretly pledged allegiance to this Hongwu Emperor. The power controlled by this Hongwu Emperor has long surpassed that of the Ming Cult."

"The current leader of the cult has no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end."

"His only option was to pray that the Hongwu Emperor would keep his word and keep his promise."

"Unfortunately, he lost his gamble."

Zhang Wuji's face darkened. He asked, "And then?"

"Later... naturally, it led to the rebellion that continues to this day."

Yin Tianzheng shook his head and said, "Since it was wiped out once, the Ming Cult has been torn apart and almost destroyed. In order to eliminate the root of the problem, the Hongwu Emperor has been sending people to wipe out the Ming Cult. Unfortunately, our Ming Cult is not a pushover and has not been completely destroyed."

"But even though we weren't wiped out, our Ming Cult couldn't survive within the Ming Dynasty's borders at that time. Eventually, under the leadership of a flag bearer, the remaining members chose to retreat and develop outside the Ming Dynasty."

"After generations of accumulation, they barely recovered some of their strength. It wasn't until the death of the Hongwu Emperor that the Ming Cult dared to return to the Central Plains."

"But before his death, the Hongwu Emperor also left a will instructing future emperors to do everything in their power to eradicate our Ming Cult and not allow us to live within the territory of the Ming Dynasty."

"Therefore, for the past few hundred years, we have been constantly suppressed by the Ming Dynasty, and even the martial arts world in the Central Plains regards us as a demonic sect, and everyone shouts to kill us."

"There is simply no place for our Ming Cult to stand in the entire Ming Dynasty!"

After Yin Tianzheng finished speaking, the room fell silent.

The members of the Ming Cult remained silent, but their eyes all revealed indignation.

"So that's how the feud between the Ming Cult and the Ming Dynasty came about..." Zhang Wuji murmured. He finally understood why the Ming Cult was regarded as the number one rebel.

Yang Xiao sighed and said, "Master, do you understand now? It's not that we want to rebel, but that the court is unwilling to let us go."

"The only way for us to survive is to rebel and overthrow the Ming Dynasty."

"Otherwise, as long as our Ming Cult exists, the feud between us and the Ming Dynasty will never be resolved!"

Zhang Wuji's expression was complicated.

At first, he tried to persuade everyone to abandon their rebellious ideas and make peace with the court.

But now, he doesn't know how to start the conversation.

After all, it was the Ming Dynasty court that wouldn't let the Ming Cult go, and the Ming Cult was the victim.

The reason for this was that the Hongwu Emperor broke his promise and refused to share the throne with the Ming Cult.

Such grievances are irreconcilable.

“I understand that you mean well, Master, and do not want us to continue to oppose the imperial court, but our current situation is really bad.”

A look of weariness appeared in Yang Xiao's eyes as he said, "Over the years, not only has the imperial court been purging us, but also various martial arts sects such as Shaolin and Wudang have been targeting us. The only way for us to survive is to leave the Central Plains and develop in the Western Regions and other places."

"But over there, we are also outsiders. The demonic sects and Vajra Sects in the Western Regions are very hostile towards us."

"We can say that we are in a very difficult situation."

"This time, taking advantage of the peasant uprising, is our only chance to return to the Central Plains."

Zhang Wuji looked confused; he felt like he had fallen into a den of thieves.

The Ming Cult was the biggest rebel group in the Ming Dynasty. They were not welcomed anywhere else, but he became the biggest rebel leader.

But now, is there any room for regret?
If he dared to say he was leaving the Ming Cult and would no longer serve as its leader, the members of the Ming Cult would probably eat him alive.

Even his maternal grandfather, Yin Tianzheng, probably couldn't protect him.

"Wuji, you should understand now how difficult our situation is, but your grandfather has faith in you. The future of our Ming Cult depends on you."

Just then, Yin Tianzheng patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.

Zhang Wuji's lips twitched. "Grandpa, thank you so much."

You really have the guts to push your own grandson into a fire pit...

But since things have come to this point, he has no choice but to accept reality.

There was silence for a long time.

Zhang Wuji looked up at everyone again and asked, "Is it true that as long as the Ming Cult returns to the Central Plains, resolves its grievances with the imperial court and various martial arts factions, and we are no longer subject to suppression and pursuit, we can stop rebelling?"

The group looked at each other and then nodded.

"Actually, we never really intended to fight for the throne," Yang Xiao said helplessly.

Zhang Wuji let out a long breath and nodded, saying, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)