"How can this be borne? How can this not be borne?"
To these Qinu, the matter was crystal clear as well—
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He Xinyin said:
"Everyone, listen to me!"
He was respected, hailing from Jiangyou and renowned. The villagers all quieted down.
"We fortified ourselves because the old kiln owners and powerful families in the city always dispatched large numbers of retainers to insult us. To this day, many have been injured or killed. We reported to the authorities, but they ignored us. Instead, they sent yamen runners to apprehend some innocent people, even coercing confessions through torture. This forced you to build defenses... It's not that we don't know the law, but they disregard it!"
He paused and said:
"Thus, we are inherently innocent! Let alone rebellion or sedition! Today, the imperial army has mobilized in full force to suppress us as rebels? Where is the heavenly justice in this? This dynasty was founded on the great principles of Yao and Shun, and the Yan family's faction harbors ill intentions, leading to this day's events."
"My friends, even if we flee, we cannot escape! Though the world is vast, there is no place for us to live! Why? Ultimately, it is because of Chancellor Zhu Mo's reforms, which connect to the great principles of Yao and Shun. Some people must kill us to feel secure! Therefore... today we face certain death... But I, He Xinyin, can die with all of you, a sacrifice to the great principles of Yao and Shun. How fortunate!"
Hiss!
In the midst of the silence, a heavy atmosphere of sorrow permeated the stockade. The people thought of their destinies, knowing that even if they knelt and begged, those people would not spare them.
Just then,
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Someone shouted from above:
"They're here!"
Whoosh!
Bang!
Bang!
With dull thuds, Lu Wen ordered the use of battering rams against the stockade gate.
The villagers were merely common folk. In the previous confrontations, they had faced retainers and potters, individuals of similar standing, so they felt no fear. But now, facing the imperial army, many felt their courage falter. Clearly, the more fearful side would naturally be defeated faster.
After the resounding booms,
A large contingent of soldiers surged in. With swift strokes of their blades, many villagers were cut down. Seeing this, more villagers instinctively knelt, shouting their innocence. But the imperial army, acting under orders to suppress a rebellion, paid no heed to pleas for mercy. Under the gleam of cold steel, amidst cries of agony, the ground quickly became a sea of red.
At this moment,
Original text from Ta&Du Novel~&
Bang, bang, bang!
A series of thunderous cannonades came from the rear.
Lu Wen and Ma Sen, now on horseback, arrived at the stockade gate. A soldier shouted:
"It's artillery!"
"It's artillery!"
Lu Wen and Ma Sen looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a small contingent approaching from the village's rear-left. As far as they could see, several cannons were indeed being pushed forward.
Ma Sen exclaimed in alarm:
"Commander Lu! This? What are we to do? Could it be that Zhu Mo?"
He had heard long ago that Zhu Mo had developed formidable firearms at the Imperial Arsenal in the capital. This person had been missing for a long time. Seeing cannons today, could it be him?
Lu Wen, being a seasoned commander, pondered for a moment and said:
"Lord Ma, that's not right! The cannons aren't firing at this location, they're firing at the forest! Look over there!"
Ma Sen followed his指头's direction and saw smoke rising from a distant forest.
Ma Sen, thinking of Zhu Mo's prowess, immediately shouted:
"Commander Lu, tell them to stop for now!"
Lu Wen was also apprehensive. After all, this expedition was not legal; it was entirely instigated by Luo Longwen. If the other party was indeed Zhu Mo, it would be difficult to deal with. He immediately shouted a halt.
The soldiers stopped, and the opposing contingent was now not far away. Lü Kun ascended a high mound and looked into the distance. He saw that the approaching party was not composed of imperial soldiers, but ordinary villagers, and indeed, there were more than ten cannons. What was strange was—
Those cannons were not the "Iron Bodhisattvas" of the Imperial Arsenal,
But rather, Frangis cannons!
The person leading them looked somewhat familiar, vaguely resembling Yin Xiaohu?
...
Original text from Ta&Du Novel~&
At this moment,
Seeing that the other party had ceased their attack, Lu Wen and Ma Sen spurred their horses forward, gradually approaching.
Lu Wen shouted loudly:
"Who are you people?"
The approaching party was indeed Yin Xiaohu, accompanied by over a hundred men, all of them righteous volunteers.
This time,
He had heard of the incident in Jingdezhen and recalled the tragedy in Nanxun. He knew that these Qinu were doomed. Coincidentally, a Nanxun man working in Jingdezhen had come seeking help. He submitted his resignation to Liu Cunyi and came to Jingdezhen to assist, to avoid being accused of rebellion by the Tunken Guards. Unexpectedly, when over a hundred men saw him leaving, they had the same intention and immediately resigned from the Tunken Guard formation, following him.
Having suffered a setback in Nanxun, Yin Xiaohu knew how troublesome the civil officials of the Great Ming were. It was impossible to obtain weapons. After much thought, he recalled the many damaged Frangis cannons and ammunition from the Battle of Huating. At that time, local villagers had collected them amidst the chaos. After the battle, when they were asked to turn them in, the villagers claimed ignorance. He immediately led his men to collect them, assembled them over several days, and managed to make about ten usable. He then disassembled them, hid them, and brought them to this place.
Just now,
He had fired three shots into the forest, and the soldiers indeed stopped. Seeing that two high-ranking officials had approached, he also mounted his horse and rode forward. Without answering their questions, he retorted:
"Since you are imperial soldiers, out to suppress bandits, why are you attacking the village? Who ordered you? Do you have the Grand Governor's order to deploy troops?"
Having served in the army for a long time, he knew that deploying troops in the four provinces of Jiangnan required the Grand Governor's seal. Governor Tan Lun would not endorse their actions. These people were clearly Yan family loyalists, and this deployment was an illegal act.
You!
Lu Wen was instantly choked for words.
Ma Sen whispered, "Who is this person? How does he know these things?"
Lu Wen, a trusted confidant of the Yan family, thought that Luo Longwen was still in Fuzhou. If he couldn't handle this, he would be beaten to death by "Ghost Sees Sorrow." He immediately shouted again:
"Who are you? How dare you shout here? Where did you get these cannons? Do you intend to rebel? Speak quickly!"
At this time,
Lü Kun and He Xinyin also arrived. Lü Kun recognized Yin Xiaohu and was immensely pleased to see him providing such timely assistance and remaining composed in such a crisis.
Seeing that Yin Xiaohu was not eloquent and was stammering, Lü Kun, realizing that if they didn't intimidate the opponents now, there would be no other chance, immediately declared loudly:
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"They are laborers from the Zhoushan Public Office. I am Lü Kun, a Lieutenant Colonel of the Zhongwu Guard! I have been ordered to investigate the Jingdezhen rebellion case!"
He saw that the other party was awestruck by the cannons. Moreover, the villagers in the stockade, seeing that someone had come to their aid, believed it was Zhu Mo arriving to rescue them. Their previously low and fearful morale instantly reversed. Everyone picked up their weapons again and slowly confronted the soldiers. In this subtle turn of events, Lü Kun saw fear in the eyes of the opposing party as soon as he mentioned "Zhoushan Public Office." He then escalated his claim:
"Two lords! I, acting on the orders of the Zhoushan Public Office, have come to investigate the Jingdezhen rebellion case. From my observations over several days, there are many suspicious circumstances! How can you deploy troops without understanding the truth? Retreat quickly!"
Ma Sen thought: Has Zhu Mo truly arrived? Is he hiding here? Is he making arrangements in secret?
One must know,
Although Zhu Mo was subject to a prophecy of rebellion, there was currently no direct evidence. The Zhoushan Public Office, in name, was also managed by the Ministry of Justice. When Xu Jie presided over the Grand Secretariat, it was established as a legitimate government office. Therefore, its investigation into major cases was reasonable and proper...
Hoo~~
With this thought,
He let out a long sigh and whispered, "Commander Lu, shall we withdraw for now?"
Lu Wen said anxiously:
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"Impossible... How will we explain this to the Grand Secretary? Lord Luo is also in Fuzhou!"
Ma Sen leaned into his ear and said:
"Look, those villagers are no longer afraid. Think about it, what about Zhu Mo? He's been missing for so long, don't you find it strange? What if he's behind this? Even if we fight, we'll suffer heavy casualties at this point..."
Hiss!
Lu Wen's heart also tightened at the thought of Zhu Mo. He knew that the young man was extremely cunning. If he had made this move, what if there was a contingency plan?
After all, he was an experienced general. He looked around at the distant surroundings, always feeling that Zhu Mo might have a large army in ambush. The more he looked, the more fearful he became.
At this moment,
Ma Sen lowered his voice again: "Old Lu, unauthorized troop deployment can lead to summary execution on the spot..."
Hiss!