the world is at stake

It's amazing, but also horrifying!

Zhou Qingfeng's ferocious look, with raised eyebrows and raised eyes, was extremely intimidating.In addition, he is fair and decisive in dealing with things, and he has great prestige among the refugees who follow the rough rules-he was nicknamed "Zhou Tianwang".

Even the seven members of the military team have become the "seven generals under the king of heaven", able to lead 1000 troops in the field without breaking up.

But by the end of February, Master Qin's promise to open a warehouse to release grain hadn't come yet.

So Zhou Qingfeng took two thousand refugees armed with wooden spears and wooden ladders for an armed march, and traveled around the towns and towns of Songjiang Prefecture. head.

This march greatly eased the land and economic conflicts in Songjiang Mansion, trained a lot of troops, and discovered many folk talents.Two thousand people went out and five thousand people came back, but the number of people increased.

The officials and gentlemen of Songjiang Prefecture were arguing over whether to suppress or appease, and when they realized that King Zhou was so fierce, the magistrates finally agreed and sent [-] shi of relief food immediately without asking Xinhua Town.

Together with local officials and gentry, they actively submitted orders for more than 200 different types of hydraulic machinery to express their support for scientific and technological productivity.

With more than [-] shi of grain obtained by coercion by force, the population crisis in Xinhua Town can finally be overcome without any danger.

When the time gradually approached April, the earth warmed up and the grass grew new shoots. Songjiang Mansion also breathed a sigh of relief, because the rebels in Xinhua Town started spring plowing in earnest.

Chapter 23 Black Gunpowder

In early April, Zhujing Town, Huating County.

Cui Xiaoer led a team of farmers to build canals and excavated hundreds of feet along the field.He has been busy for most of the day, tired and sweating profusely, leaning on a shovel by the side of the ditch, unbuttoning his clothes, exposing a few lean ribs on his chest.

The farmer next to him joked: "Xiaoer, you have to be brave again? The sun is not west yet, which little daughter-in-law are you looking for?"

Cui Xiaoer blushed, and waved his hands in a rough voice: "Don't joke, work hard. If the waterwheel by the river is built, the canal is not dug, and the farming season is delayed, Zhou Tianwang's whip can be whipped up." gone."

Before the words fell, there was a "boom" in the distance.About a hundred meters away, a large cloud of mud flew up, sprayed more than ten meters high, broke into muck and fell down again.

The farmers who built the canal were not surprised, looked up and said happily: "There is no delay. With the explosives sent by the king of heaven, the work is much more efficient. The work of the past ten days can be done in two days today."

Cui Xiaoer glanced at him, and said in a low voice: "It must be Zhou Tianwang who dealt with it fairly and handed out the money and food, so that I can have the strength to repair the canal. Otherwise, just dig like this, let alone two days, half a day." I'm exhausted."

The farmers nodded one after another, "That's the reason. I just hope that the king of heaven can last longer and live a good life for a few days."

Half a month ago, Zhou Tianwang of Xinhua Town brought two thousand refugees through Zhujing Town.The town is not big, there are only two streets running parallel from east to west, which are divided into upper and lower ponds by a river channel more than twenty feet wide.

The four fields outside the town are "villages", and Zhou Tianwang took a "big army" to find the officials and gentry in each township to collect "security food".The less powerful officials and gentry could only accept bad luck, but the more powerful officials and gentry refused to obey obediently.

The former chief assistant, Xu Jie, was from Huating, and the Xu family was more powerful than the Jiang family who was a pirate.His descendants own 10,000+ mu of land in Huating, and Xu's villages are everywhere in the countryside.

The Xu family internally discussed that the Jiang family's sea bandits were defeated in the field battle, but the rebels' ability to attack the city and seize the village must not be high.So the family gathered their nephews to dig ditches and build walls in the surrounding villages of Zhujing Town.

Thinking of the scene at that time, Cui Xiaoer can still vividly remember everything.

The Xu family is a big family in Huating, and if they can't chew on this hard bone, the situation will be reversed.

King Zhou Tianwang was also brave. Facing the dozen or so village fortresses of the Xu family in Zhujing Town, he attacked them one by one without any intention of compromise.The first time he hit a base, he practiced it himself.

Choose a hundred refugees, grab the wooden shields and rush towards Xujiabao village.

The Xu family borrowed a lot of tiger crouching guns from the Fucheng Guards, and installed four or five guns on the walls of each fortress.

Every time the artillery was fired like a thunderbolt from the clear sky, and lead and iron sand fell like raindrops—the refugees who attacked in the first wave fled in embarrassment, and were beheaded by the supervising team of King Zhou Tianwang.

Xu's nephew shouted and cursed loudly on the wall, triumphantly.

Cui Xiaoer was selected as the team for the second wave of attacking the village, and was so scared that he peed his pants on the spot—but Zhou Tianwang himself grabbed a wooden shield, held a machete, and shouted: "I will lead the charge, and die if I retreat; the rest follow me." Go forward, and you will die if you retreat."

The blood on the machete of the supervisory team was still wet, and the refugees who attacked in the second wave had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow behind Zhou Tianwang, charging against the muzzle of the tiger squatting gun on the opposite side.

King Zhou Tianwang was brave enough to win the three armies. The wooden shield he used was so huge that it was reinforced with iron sheets, so no one else could use it.All the tiger crouching cannons of the Xu family on the fortress were deployed to bombard him, but they couldn't be fired.

The refugees from the second wave of attack just followed and filled the trenches of Xujiabao Village with sandbags—one place was not enough, Zhou Tianwang led the team back, and then organized the third wave of refugees to 'gain experience'.

The refugees didn't know what "experience gain" was, but they soon discovered that the tiger squatting cannon on the fortress only heard a sound, and its power was actually very limited.

The third, fourth, and fifth waves of refugees are getting bolder.Hundreds of people attacked and went up, and they became proficient as long as they were hard-topped once, with a calm mind and a well-organized advance and retreat.

Every attack, Zhou Tianwang personally led the team.In the event of casualties, he also commanded decisively, ordering people not to panic-raise the shield forward, retreat slowly, cooperate with the robes, and never leave.

After going back and forth several times, the nephews of the Xu family in the fort were all dumbfounded, desperately stuffing gunpowder into the tiger squatting cannon in order to get more power.As a result, there was too much gunpowder, and they blew themselves up.

The first fortress of the Xu family was captured in this way.

After attacking the Xu family's second fortress, they also organized the refugees to step forward with their shields and easily filled the ditch—then it was time to attack the city, using ladders to support the enemy's arrows and stones to climb towards the wall of the fortress.

The earth wall of Xujiabao Village is only three meters high, so it is not difficult to climb up.

But Zhou Tianwang arranged for a second battlefield of "grabbing experience". He personally led the team to demonstrate how to dig under the enemy's attack and place explosives.

The Xu family threw torches on the wall of the village, poured 'golden juice', smashed stones, and jumped up and down anxiously.

Zhou Tianwang commanded the refugees to push the shield carts to the enemy's nose, and taught them how to calculate the fuse after digging the foot of the wall, and how to blow up the wall of the fortress.

Teaching on the battlefield, if you don't learn it, you will die.

The walls of the Xujiabao village are neither thick nor high, and a five-kilogram explosive pack can open a big hole in it.The first explosion was extremely successful, and the Xu family's nephew who was stationed in the second fort had a mental breakdown and was forced to go out to beg for work.

But Zhou Tianwang asked the other party to go back and continue to resist, because the refugee army has not "gained enough experience"-the second fortress was bombed five times, and the refugee army also organized five times to break the city. The fortifications were blown to pieces.

After the incident, the morale of the refugee army soared, feeling that the world was so big that no city could resist their attack.Xu's nephew cried endlessly, bluntly saying that the way of heaven will be overthrown, and the country will fall.

But Zhou Tianwang didn't kill people indiscriminately, he only held a public trial meeting, convened the tenants and farmers in the village, and screened out those who had evil deeds on weekdays and executed them.

Many people died, but not everyone was killed.Even if the Xu family's nephews, slaves, or local schoolchildren who participated in the resistance were captured, as long as they did not arouse public outrage, they were released instead and were not embarrassing.

The two fortresses of the Xu family were breached, so there was no need for Zhou Tianwang to go up the follow-up.

A group of grass-roots commanders with quick brains naturally appeared among the refugees.Although they are all illiterate, once they let go of their courage, they can learn things quickly.

Marching, camping, training, tactics, vigilance, drinking water, cooking, rewards and punishments, many people's minds seem to be bright, eager for knowledge, and brave to practice.

Zhou Qingfeng is usually a very lazy person and doesn't like to take care of chores.But he was determined to be the leader, and the people under him recognized his tough command style and charisma of daring to be the first.

Two consecutive fortresses were destroyed, and the Xu family quickly surrendered.

The nephew of the Xu family who was released released the news that the Xinhua rebels had the means to destroy the city, forcing the master of the government to give up his illusions and honestly give relief food.

More than half of the Xu family's 20 mu of land in Huating County was forcibly confiscated, and Zhou Qingfeng distributed it to landless farmers.A large number of farm tools, cattle, houses and the like were also distributed together.

The 'Holy Light' team was incapable of managing affairs outside of Xinhua Town, but they couldn't easily give up the land and population they had acquired, so they simply reached an agreement with the government and farmers.

The local taxation is in charge of 'Shengguang', and Songjiang Prefecture will no longer intervene.Local affairs are self-determined by peasant elections, and 'Holy Light' guides and supervises.

The rules are very rough, there are many opponents among the officials and gentry, and the farmers don't know how to manage themselves.Zhou Qingfeng's job is to take hundreds of elite refugees who have "gained some experience points" all the time to tour and guide the entire Songjiang Prefecture.

Those who don't know it can be taught, and those who don't accept it will die.

Cui Xiaoer was the first batch of people to be allocated land because he rushed through the battle with King Zhou.He was originally a poor and settled family living in the countryside, but now he is a member of the collective farm and is also an elected steward.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't expect the management model he arbitrarily assigned to be so fair and clean, as long as it was better than before.In addition, as long as the pressure from the officials and gentry persists, the farmers who get the land will have to side with 'Xinhua' if they don't want to die.

This is a fragile balance. After all, the officials and gentry whose interests have been damaged have already gone to the imperial capital to sue.But as long as it lasts for two or three years - the 'Holy Light' team will have to prepare to go to Liaodong in two years.

Cui Xiaoer took a break and continued to work on digging ditches.He didn't know what a collective farm was, he only knew that Zhou Tianwang had given him the Xu family's 'deposited assets'.

The clothes on the body, the shovel in the hand, the rice in the mouth, and even the iron plow in the field are all obtained from the warehouses of the officials and gentry. .

Zhou Tianwang publicized to thousands of Cui Xiaoer that this is the property that the local tyrants and evil gentry have taken from you, and it should be yours to use as a matter of course.

This sounds refreshing.

"Let's work harder, take good care of the fields, and send more food to Zhou Tianwang. The Tianwang has food and soldiers, so he can fight against the government."

As the manager of the farm, Cui Xiaoer has to do some ideological work for the farmers from time to time.Some words are his own thoughts, and some belong to the education of the mobile propaganda team.

The 'Mobile Propaganda Team' is an opera troupe, with five or six members and a dozen or so members can set up a stage to act.Xiao Jinlang paid great attention to publicity work and recruited many township opera troupes to rehearse new plays.

Don't act like a gifted scholar or a beautiful woman, let's act out the suffering of the common people.Tell local people what to do?

"In addition to harvesting more food, we have to train our own soldiers." The farmer who dug the canal said while working, "A few days ago, the theater troupe performed well, and the officials bullied us, isn't it because we are too weak.

If the militias in each village and town are trained well, even if the government sends a large army, we can resist for a few days until Zhou Tianwang brings an army to rescue. "

"The government dares to come?" Another farmer pouted, "What are you afraid of? We have the explosives given by King Zhou. If we are in a hurry, we will blow up the prefect's city."

"Yes, yes, we still have dynamite. Anyone who dares to mess with us will be killed."

Thinking of the majesty of the explosives blasting the Xujiabao village, the farmers all laughed. The explosives provided by 'Xinhua' are not only used to excavate water conservancy, but also a treasure in the hands of farmers.

At this moment, in the city of Songjiang Prefecture, Master Wan Gongwan, who encouraged the landless farmers to go to Xinhua Town, was frowning and thinking hard in his house.Holding a booklet "Ji Xiao's New Book" in his hand, he studied it carefully.

"One tael for nitrate, four cents for sulfur, and eight cents for willow charcoal."

"Three bells of water are pounded to make it extremely fine. The secret method is to first grind the nitrate and charcoal into powder..."

"Pound half dry, take the sun and break it into large pieces of beans. The magic of this medicine is only tens of thousands of pestles."

Master Wan was reading, slapped his thigh, and cursed: "The secret method of rebelling against thieves is all in the book. Qi Shaobao has made it clear long ago, and I am so stupid that I don't know it.

It's ridiculous that the princes of Songjiang are as cowardly as dogs and rats, and they are in constant fear. They either exaggerate the power and invincibility of the rebels, or lament that no one in our generation is unavailable.When I learn this technique, I will be able to restore morale and break through Xinhua. "

Beside Master Wan, Zheng Dashan was scolding several servants, "Work harder, haven't you had enough to eat? Qi Shaobao wrote in the book that tens of thousands of pestles would be pounded, how many pestles did you pound?

It's all because the officials in this prefecture were greedy, and sold the saltpeter sulfur and high-quality charcoal in stock to the rebels.The rebels made gunpowder and exploded it everywhere, causing the Fengshui in Songjiang to fall apart. "

Several servants pounded the three raw materials with a pestle for pounding medicine for a long time, and they all lost their strength.But Zheng Dashan still scolded them for being lazy, "Why can't you do such a small thing? Let me show you."

Master Wan put down his book and watched Zheng Dashan messing around with the medicine pestle in the courtyard, smiled and comforted him: "Brother Zheng, don't worry. The rebels just learned a little bit about Qi Shaobao, as long as I can learn this book thoroughly , will be able to 'report to the king's kindness, and go down to the people'.

In addition, I have also inquired about the saltpeter.Not only the treasury officials in Songjiang Mansion were involved, but even the eunuch guarding Nanjing was involved.This matter can only be discussed in the long term. " Master Wan's family property is not damaged, so naturally he is not in a hurry. Zheng Dashan is now a bereaved dog under the fence, how can he not be in a hurry? He rolled up his sleeves, raised his robe, and smashed desperately with the pestle.

After Zhou Qingfeng led his troops to sweep Songjiang, the situation in the government was very ugly.The local gentry rebelled against Yingtian, first suing the case to the Nanzhili yamen, and then sending people to Beijing to ask the court to mobilize elite soldiers from the nine sides to stabilize the tax-heavy land in the south of the Yangtze River.

The imperial capital has not yet made a decision, but 'Xinhua' has started industrialized large-scale production using raw materials from various sources, and has supplied a large amount of black powder that has completed the granulation process for various water conservancy projects.

The supply is large, and outflow is inevitable.

The whole Songjiang Mansion is very interested in the secret technique of 'Xinhua', and they try their best to dig out the skilled craftsmen in the hands of the rebels.For the firearms that once showed their power in Zhaogang Town, they want to obtain the real ones and imitate them.

It's just that the skilled craftsmen of 'Xinhua' are team members, and flintlock guns have not yet been popularized. The only thing that can be obtained by the princes in the family is granulated black powder.

This 'Xinhua' gunpowder is indeed powerful, much stronger than that used by the officers and soldiers.

Lord Wan and other officials and gentry naturally wanted to imitate it, and they also found the "equal secret technique" from Qi Jiguang's "Ji Xiao New Book".Everyone in the Songjiang Mansion marveled at this, and regained some fighting spirit psychologically.

Zheng Dashan grabbed the medicine pestle and pounded it desperately, as if in front of him were the rebels who had copied his house, and wanted to vent all the resentment.Master Wan advised him not to worry, but he was sweating profusely and didn't stop for a moment.

"Brother Zheng, listen to my brother, leave these rough jobs to the servants."

"No, I'm going to smash out this refined gunpowder today. I don't believe it. If the rebels can make it, why can't I make it?"

Zheng Dashan didn't stop, Master Wan could only shake his head, thinking that when this brother gets tired, he will naturally stop.He still plans to read "Ji Xiao's New Book" carefully, and study hard, and he will surely surpass the rebels.

But as soon as this idea came up, there was a loud noise in the courtyard.A wave of air exploded amid the roar, destroying the flower beds, trees, and rockery in the courtyard, and even overturned Master Wan who was studying nearby.

The air wave was so big that it was like thunder from the sky.

After a long while, Master Wan got up covered in blood, dumbfounded.There was an extra hole in the place where the medicine was smashed before, the vegetation in place was blown up, and the stone and wall collapsed.

As for the one standing there making medicine...

"Brother Zheng, where are you, Brother Zheng? Don't scare me, brother, where have you been?"

Chapter 24 The Steam Engine

In April, Lai's 'Federation' and others in Luheyi, the imperial capital, finally set off again.

After the beginning of spring, Guo Hai led a team into the imperial capital, but he couldn't find the temple gate with his pig's head.He has nothing to do with the current Ming bureaucracy. He is neither a fellow villager nor a teacher or student. Even if he appears as a businessman, he cannot be trusted.

The only thing that gained anything was the news from Jiangnan at the post station - a group of rebels had emerged from the Songjiang Mansion, with sharp guns, and the situation was difficult to control.

The leader is nicknamed 'Zhou Tianwang' and his real name is 'Zhou Qingfeng'.

"The one surnamed Zhou is in Shanghai?" Guo Hai felt much more at ease. He didn't know where his opponent was before, so he was always a little worried.Now that the fog of war has been slightly lifted, at least one knows how far the opponent has developed.

"It's not a big deal to run rampant in a government in three or four months."

It's just that the messages are messy and inconsistent.It is said that the Songjiang Mansion was completely corrupted, and the rebels gathered more than [-] troops to attack the city day and night.It is also said that there are only a few hundred thieves, wandering in prefectures, counties and towns.

But there is no doubt that the practice of "scraping graves and demolishing houses" has offended the entire bureaucratic class.

Yan Li personally went to Tongzhou and asked many times about the boatmen and businessmen who traveled from south to north on the canal, and she was quite surprised.She discussed with Guo Hai, "The one surnamed Zhou is directly against the officials and gentry, isn't he afraid that the Ming court will mobilize troops to suppress them?"

Guo Hai laughed and said: "Just looking at the fact that the Songjiang Mansion has no way to deal with the rebels, we know that it has lost the ability to mobilize at the bottom. Zhou is a faction of the Tu Communist Party, and he must be carrying out revolution by following the muddy route.

The response of the Ming court has always been slow, and it will take at least half a year for the ministers to discuss countermeasures and mobilize the army.Everything has to go well, otherwise winter will come again in half a year, and the time will have to be pushed back.

The group of 'Holy Light' chose Shanghai as their base, and they definitely didn't intend to go to Liaodong by land, but by sea.They must choose the Kuandian line close to North Korea, and throw off the Ming army to attack Hetuala. "

Guo Hai is not stupid, he can understand the general strategic decision of the 'Holy Light' team just by thinking about it.After hitting a wall in the imperial capital, he also knew that he had to change direction.

"The weather is getting warmer now, and there is a lot of people in Tongzhou. Let's use the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal to release infectious diseases to the south. It can destroy the social structure of Shandong, Jiangsu, and even the entire Jiangnan.

We headed north, took a false guide, and hired some craftsmen to go to Liaodong to sell firearms to Jianzhou Jurchen.Now Nurhachi has just called himself 'Destiny Khan', so he should accept us. "