What if the common folk are all scared away?
This was a little different from the scenario Zhu Xiaosong had originally envisioned.
In Zhu Xiaosong's mind, as long as he announced the name of the Yuhuangshan righteous army, even if the people of Ningyang County wouldn't immediately pledge their allegiance, at least they would have the courage to come and watch the spectacle, right?
But who could have imagined that after he shouted out the name of the Yuhuangshan righteous army, the people of Ningyang County were so terrified that they scattered in all directions, as if he were a man-eating demon.
Damn it, he only killed corrupt officials and never harmed ordinary people. How could he scare them away?
Was it because the name of the Yuhuangshan righteous army wasn't famous enough? Or had the corrupt officials in Ningyang County demonized the Yuhuangshan righteous army?
Master Liu suddenly sneered and looked at Zhu Xiaosong, saying, "Do you see? The people ultimately lean towards my Great Qing. You few rebels can only show off your might for a moment!"
Zhu Xiaosong was slightly angered, let out a cold snort, and then slapped Master Liu fiercely across the face: "You dog, today I'll show you what the will of the people truly is!"
After signaling Zhu Erdan to take the saber from Officer Li, Zhu Xiaosong smiled at Officer Li and said, "If you truly want to go up the mountain, go with Er Niu and call back the people. Tell them we're distributing grain today!"
Master Liu glared at Officer Li, saying, "Good! I knew why you were gone for so long without any news. It turns out you've already defected to these rebels!"
Officer Li didn't argue with Master Liu. He simply followed Zhu Xiaosong's order, took the broken gong from the county office gate, and struck it a few times. Liu Erniu, with his voice sounding like that broken gong, shouted.
"The Yuhuangshan righteous army has entered the city to distribute grain! Fellow villagers, come to the county office gate to collect your grain!"
"The Yuhuangshan righteous army has entered the city to distribute grain! If you're late, there won't be any left!"
"The Yuhuangshan righteous army has entered the city to distribute grain! We won't take a single cent from the people, everyone, don't be afraid!"
"The Yuhuangshan righteous army has entered the city to kill officials and distribute grain! Everyone, take revenge for your grievances!"
As Liu Erniu and Officer Li's figures faded into the distance, Master Liu's heart skipped a beat.
Kill officials? Distribute grain?
Distributing grain was one thing, but killing officials? Kill which official? Master Hao wasn't in Ningyang County today. Only he and a few minor officials of the eighth and ninth ranks were left. Who did Zhu Xiaosong want to kill?
But before Master Liu could figure it out, Zhu Laosan, who had just rushed into the back office, returned and whispered, "Brother, Master Hao isn't in the county office. There are only a few minor officials of the eighth and ninth ranks left in the county."
Zhu Xiaosong grunted. He first asked Zhu Laosan to bring out those minor officials of the eighth and ninth ranks, and then looked at Master Liu, "Where is Master Hao?"
Master Liu sneered and said, "Master Hao has gone to move troops. As soon as the heavenly army arrives, your entire Yuhuangshan will be turned to dust!"
Zhu Xiaosong also sneered, and then slapped Master Liu across the face again: "I'm giving you face. You'd better cherish it. Otherwise, do you want to be scrubbed? Or skinned and dismembered? Hmm?"
Upon hearing the words "scrubbed" and "skinned and dismembered," Master Liu finally came to his senses.
Officials like the educational instructors, who had little real power and were associated with culture and education, thus needing some semblance of respectability, were more elegantly corrupt. Officials like the prison warden and tax collectors, who held real power but had no need for respect, were even more disgracefully corrupt.
In any case, they were all corrupt.
There's a saying on the internet in later generations: "If you execute them one by one, there will surely be innocent people among them. If you execute them in a line, some might escape." This sentence, if applied to Ningyang officialdom in the forty-eighth year of Qianlong, would be a joke.
Even if they were executed one by one, not a single one would be innocent!
As for Master Hao Liangcai, who was not in Ningyang County at the moment, he truly lived up to the title of "three feet of blue sky." In fact, the title "three feet of blue sky" couldn't even match Master Hao's skill in extortion.
After deciding the fate of these officials, Zhu Xiaosong couldn't help but sigh. He put down the ledger in his hand and said to Zhu Erdan and Zhu Laosan, "Bring a scale, let's distribute the grain."
With Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San around, Zhu Xiaosong didn't need to worry about distributing the grain.
Zhu Xiaosong sat quietly in the chair behind the desk, contemplating the matters ahead.
After today's events, how many people in Ningyang County would be willing to follow the anti-Qing cause?
Master Hao ran to the Yanzhou Military Preparedness to mobilize troops to suppress the bandits. How many troops could he mobilize? Would there be cavalry?
If there were cavalry, should they take the opportunity to give Master Hao a barrage when he returned with the Yanzhou troops, or should they retreat to Yuhuangshan first?
If there were no cavalry, where should they go after dealing with Ningyang County? This dark and heavy bell hammer, it couldn't possibly only strike Ningyang County, could it?
Since the flag of rebellion against the Qing had already been raised, they had to deal with the encirclement and suppression by the Manchu Qing army. Zhu Xiaosong had already prepared himself mentally.
The only problem was that the location of this dilapidated Ningyang County was too awkward. The mere fact that it was undefended meant that Ningyang County was not suitable as a base.
So where should the base be located? The Yimeng revolutionary base area? Or head straight to Yantai, looking for an opportunity to go out to sea to the Great Island and then counterattack? Or simply retrace the Long March?
Zhu Xiaosong's head hurt from thinking in Ningyang County, while Master Hao Liangcai, far away in Yanzhou Prefecture, was already heartbroken to the point of being unable to breathe.