Upon hearing the words "everyone will be rewarded," the river patrol soldiers present became excited.
These river patrol soldiers were all recruited by Governor Chen Tailai from Jining Prefecture. Although Governor Chen did not have a good reputation in Jining Prefecture, he had one advantage: he was extremely generous to his subordinates. He was never stingy when it came to rewards, which was well-known in Jining Prefecture.
Now that Governor Chen had personally promised rewards for everyone, they were sure to receive them after reaching Jining Prefecture. Because Governor Chen wanted to rebel against the Qing, he needed to recruit and expand his army. Naturally, they would be promoted.
Thinking of this, the river patrol soldiers couldn't help but shout.
"Rebel against them!"
"Kill the Tartars!"
"Governor Chen will be the emperor in the future, and we will be the meritorious officials of his reign!"
"..."
Looking at the excited river patrol soldiers, Chen Tailai couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, wealth moved people's hearts.
Chen Tailai's situation was different from Zhu Xiaosong's.
When Zhu Xiaosong first dealt with scholar Liu, he hadn't promised any high positions or generous salaries. Instead, he directly aimed to drive out the Tartars and ensure everyone lived a good life.
Because the people of Liu Miao Village had all been oppressed by the government, scholar Liu, and Lord Man, and with the Qianlong Emperor causing trouble with his southern tours, the people, who were already struggling to survive from the previous five southern tours, naturally followed Zhu Xiaosong in rebellion.
However, the river patrol soldiers under Governor Chen Tailai were different from those oppressed people. Their lives were much better than those who were oppressed. Therefore, Chen Tailai did not talk about expelling the Tartars and restoring China. Instead, he directly promised high positions and generous salaries from the beginning.
Otherwise, who would be willing to risk their heads to rebel with Chen Tailai?
This was a matter of impure class background.
In fact, Chen Tailai himself had no intention of rebelling against the Qing and restoring the Ming. His rebellion had nothing to do with restoring the Ming.
Nor was it the case that he rebelled out of conscience because he saw the people's hardships and how their lives improved after the establishment of farmers' associations.
The reason Chen Tailai incited his river patrol soldiers to rebel with him was that Chen Tailai had joined forces with Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, to suppress Zhu Xiaosong. However, they suffered repeated defeats. The rebels grew in number, and the farmers' associations grew stronger. In the end, not only were four hundred Manchu infantry lost, but it also potentially affected the Qianlong Emperor's plan to visit Jiangnan.
With the bandit suppression yielding such results, someone had to take the blame.
So, the question arose.
Although the main responsibility for the defeat lay with Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, Ming Xing was a member of the Fucha clan and had close ties to the current Qianlong Emperor. Otherwise, his entire family would have been wiped out for his name alone, let alone reaching the high position of Governor of Shandong.
Apart from Ming Xing, the remaining suitable candidates to take the blame were Chen Tailai, Wu Zude, Yan Xiangqing, and others. Among these incompetent officials, only Chen Tailai, the Governor of Jining River Affairs, could be considered a military officer who led troops. His official rank was also one level higher than prefects like Wu Zude and Yan Xiangqing, making him the best candidate to take the blame.
Therefore, the current situation for Chen Tailai was either to obediently take the blame for ineffective bandit suppression and die, or to simply rebel, seize Jining Prefecture, and echo Zhu Ni in Yizhou and the Baguajiao in Shan County. Perhaps he might have a chance to survive.
If he was lucky...
Zhu Chongba, a mere beggar, could become emperor. Li Zicheng, an unemployed postman, could sweep across the empire. Now that Old Chen had troops and could seize Jining, why couldn't he try to claim the throne?
It was precisely based on this mentality of either dying or taking a gamble that Chen Tailai resorted to coercion and enticement to make his river patrol soldiers rebel with him.
After these river patrol soldiers, who were fantasizing about future high positions and generous salaries, calmed down somewhat, Chen Tailai cleared his throat and said, "As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in military matters! Now that the old dog Ming Xing has fled to Yanzhou Prefecture, you should quickly organize your troops and prepare for battle, and follow me to pursue and kill Ming Xing!"
The river patrol soldiers immediately became excited again, each grabbing their weapons. They roared and clamored to pursue and kill Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong.
...
It was still within the first lunar month, and the weather was in the cold spell of early spring.
His official uniform was already heavy, and Ming Xing had always been accustomed to a life of luxury. Now, suddenly caught in a crisis and fleeing for his life, Ming Xing felt a slight cramping in his legs. His lungs felt like water-filled balloons about to explode, and he saw golden stars flashing and swirling everywhere.
After running a few more steps, Ming Xing simply collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. White smoke continuously rose from his forehead, making him look like he had achieved immortality.
Manchu Cavalry Major Kexun also collapsed beside Ming Xing. After panting for a while, he said intermittently, "My lord, we... we must... keep running! That bastard... that traitor Chen Tailai has rebelled, and he definitely won't let us go."
Ming Xing said, panting, "I... I know, but... I can't run anymore! Let this governor rest! Rest!"
At this moment, Ming Xing's mind was in turmoil, as if he had been completely violated.
First, Chen Tailai, that dog slave, rebelled for some unknown reason. Then, Wu Zude and those cowardly rats abandoned him, the Governor of Shandong, and fled for their own lives!
Was this normal?
This was not normal!
I, Fucha Ming Xing, am the master. Chen Tailai is merely a slave, but a slave dares to rebel against his master? And the slaves who haven't rebelled have also abandoned their master and fled? This is simply treason!
What made Ming Xing even more incomprehensible was how the river patrol soldiers, who were so incompetent during bandit suppression, suddenly became so powerful after rebelling? If their combat power during bandit suppression was six thousand, it must have been at least ten thousand when they rebelled!
Damn it, if they had put that rebellious spirit into bandit suppression, the bandits would have been suppressed long ago! Wouldn't everyone have been promoted and become rich then!
Son of a bitch!
However, before Ming Xing could vent his resentment, the shouts of Chen Tailai's rebel troops could be heard again in the distance.
"Capture Ming Xing!"
"A reward of a thousand taels of silver for capturing Ming Xing!"
"Kill!"
Ming Xing, who had just wanted to rest for a while, was completely startled by the faint shouts. He rolled over and got up, shouting, "Go!"
However, after fleeing not far, Ming Xing couldn't run anymore.
Kexun grabbed Ming Xing and shouted, "Go!"
Ming Xing held his waist with one hand and grabbed Kexun's sleeve with the other, panting and saying, "I... I can't run anymore! You go!"
Kexun looked at the sleeve Ming Xing was tightly holding and thought, if you really want me to run first, then don't grab my sleeve, you scoundrel!
In desperation, Kexun, who already felt he couldn't run anymore, began to undress. After undressing, he helped Ming Xing remove his official robes. He then grabbed a Manchu cavalryman and ordered, "Take the official robes of this general and the governor and run!"
The cavalryman obediently took the official robes from Kexun and continued to run. Kexun, however, only pulled Ming Xing along for a few steps, then stopped when no one was paying attention, looked around, and the two of them crawled into a haystack.
Kexun whispered, "My lord, we can't run anymore. Let them run. Let as many escape as possible, and they can also attract the attention of the rebel army. Let's hide here first, and then we can figure something out after the rebel army leaves?"
Ming Xing nodded vigorously, almost moved to tears!
Look! Look! When it really mattered, it was still our own people we could rely on!
After waiting for a long time until the shouts gradually faded, Kexun cautiously waited for more than half a day before crawling out of the haystack, then he pulled Ming Xing out as well.
The sky had already completely darkened by then.
Kexun supported Ming Xing and asked, "My lord, what do we do now?"
By this time, Ming Xing had completely calmed down. He pondered for a moment, pointed westward, and said, "Let's go to the temporary palace!"
Kexun was startled, "My lord, the west is exactly the direction the rebel army under Chen Tailai is going! What if we encounter Chen Tailai if we go further west?"
Ming Xing, however, said, "Chen Tailai couldn't catch up to this governor, so he must be anxious to return to the Jining River Affairs Yamen. Therefore, he will head southwest, while we are heading due west, and we should not encounter each other."
Chen Tailai's choice was indeed as Ming Xing had predicted.
At first, Chen Tailai thought he must catch Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, no matter what. Because once Ming Xing died, the news of his rebellion would spread more slowly. After he returned to the Jining River Affairs Yamen, the rest of the matters would be much easier to handle.
But after chasing for a while and finding no trace of Ming Xing, Chen Tailai gave up the idea of pursuing Ming Xing.
Chen Tailai calculated very clearly. Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, was just one person. In a vast area like Yizhou and Yanzhou, he could hide anywhere, making him difficult to track. If Ming Xing returned to the Governor's Yamen first, or if those prefects managed to escape back to the government offices, while he himself was delayed in returning to the Jining River Affairs Yamen due to pursuing Ming Xing, his life would truly be in danger.
Thus, Chen Tailai simply gave up searching for Ming Xing's whereabouts and led his river patrol soldiers back to the Jining River Affairs Yamen.
Upon returning to the Jining River Affairs Yamen, the first thing Chen Tailai did was to gather his soldiers and bloodbath the Jining Prefectural Yamen. Then, he confiscated the property of more than ten gentry and wealthy merchants to recruit soldiers, and then brought the Jining漕帮 under his command.
Chen Tailai formally raised the banner of rebellion.
Therefore, when Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, finally escaped to the Quanlin Temporary Palace and returned to the Governor's Yamen in Jinan with the help of the soldiers of the Quanlin Temporary Palace, he found that the entire Shandong had formed a situation with Zhu Xiaosong in Yimeng, Baguajiao in Shan County, and Chen Tailai in Jining.
This time, it was completely over.
If there were only Zhu Xiaosong's rebels or only the Baguajiao rebels, it would have been manageable. Although it would still be difficult to explain, it would at least not affect the Emperor's trip to Jiangnan, and the impact in other aspects would not be significant.
The key was that Chen Tailai, that dog slave, had also rebelled.
Although Chen Tailai's official title was Governor of Jining River Affairs, and he was usually treated like a dog by Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, in reality, the Governor of Jining River Affairs was a high-ranking official of the second rank. He was not only the management agency for the Grand Canal and related rivers but also the highest administrative and military authority of the Canal Administration Department.
When this scoundrel rebelled, it not only meant that the Emperor's plan to visit Jiangnan would be affected, but even the canal transportation could be affected, ultimately leading to shock in the imperial court! Shock in the capital!
If that happened, Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, would definitely be finished, and perhaps even his entire family would not be spared.
Ming Xing sat stupidly on the chair, muttering, "Disaster! Disaster!"