The sparks from the light screen scattered across the land, each ember representing a rebel army.
The common people had long suffered under the imperial court’s rule. Rebellion meant death, but so did inaction. Since death was inevitable either way, they might as well stage a grand uprising before meeting their end.
When Han Shantong rebelled, he was defeated and killed. His wife Yang Shi and son Han Lin’er fled to Wu’an Mountain, while Liu Futong and others broke through the encirclement to launch another uprising, capturing Yingzhou.
The imperial troops sent to suppress the rebellion were repelled by Liu Futong. Subsequent government forces dispatched barely put up a fight before scattering in disarray.
With Liu Futong leading the charge, the entire country came to realize that the Mongol army was no longer the invincible force it once had been. Rebel armies across the land grew increasingly bold.
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. “The rebel forces under Han Shantong and Liu Futong firmly believe in their doctrine of ‘Maitreya incarnate, the enlightened king will be born.’ If those rebels learn from this demon—heavenly voice—that the stone statue was planted in advance, they’d smash the light screen to pieces.”
Tang He chuckled. “Big brother, this light screen can be seen but not touched. Mere mortals can’t break it.”
Li Shanchang stroked his beard. “The common folk are ignorant. They’re convinced Han and Liu are the Maitreya and King of Light sent by heaven to save them. Even if these words come from the heavenly voice, they likely won’t believe them.”
Not to mention Liu Futong’s rebels, even the generals in this hall clearly disbelieved the heavenly voice’s words based on their expressions.
The intelligent were few, and one couldn’t blame them for that.
Hua Yun looked up in confusion.
Old Zhu tsked. “Wenzheng, what do you think about the stone statue from the riverbed?”
Zhu Wenzheng initially wanted to say it was placed there by heaven, but judging by his father’s reaction, he’d surely be kicked out if he dared claim that. So he promptly chose the answer that wouldn’t get him beaten. “It must have been planted there in advance by Han Shantong.”
Old Zhu was somewhat satisfied with this response. Rubbing the child’s head in his arms, he said, “Wenqing, you must remember there are no deities in this world. If gods truly existed, seeing the people suffering so terribly, they would have long since struck down those evildoers. All this talk of ‘Maitreya incarnate, the enlightened king will be born’ is deception. We can listen to it, but we must never be fooled.”
Mu Qing looked at Old Zhu in surprise. He had assumed ancient people firmly believed in ghosts and gods. Even if they hadn’t particularly believed before, seeing these inexplicable videos should have unsettled them.
Having grown up under the red flag, even he wasn’t sure whether supernatural beings existed. He never expected Old Zhu to be so reliable, remaining a staunch atheist to this day.
Truly worthy of being a founding emperor—impressively steadfast.
Seeing the child staring wide-eyed at him, Zhu Yuanzhang thought he hadn’t understood. “You’re still young. When you’re older, I’ll explain it properly to you.”
Zhu Wenzheng piled on a smile, emanating foolishness from head to toe. “Father, I’m older. I can understand.”
Old Zhu glared. “You understand nothing.”
Zhu Wenzheng shrunk back aggrieved. The age difference between him and his brother was only about ten years—why such disparity in treatment?
Zhu Yuanzhang expressionlessly returned to his seat. His earlier words were meant for his son, but also for the brothers present.
Having been a monk himself, he spoke with conviction when saying deities and Buddhas were not to be trusted.
Everyone in the room was his trusted follower, brothers who had survived life-and-death situations together. They would continue fighting side by side for their survival.
Some things the common soldiers could believe, but they themselves could not. If even they were deceived, how would they be any different from the ordinary people who had blindly lost their lives?
Transition music played in the video, and when the male voice spoke again, everyone immediately perked up and stared intently at the light screen, determined not to miss a single piece of information.
After hearing so much, they had begun to form vague conjectures.
When the heavenly voice mentioned them, it used phrases like “historical records state” or “according to historical sources,” as if people from a later era were recounting this period of history based on documents. If their speculation was correct…
Zhu Yuanzhang tightened his embrace around the child in his arms, his heart pounding rapidly.
The narration had already reached the eleventh year of the Zhengzheng era, when Han Shantong and Liu Futong rebelled. Three years later, it was now the fourteenth year of Zhengzheng.
The heavenly voice said the Mongols would eventually be driven out of the Central Plains, but at present, the imperial court’s million-strong army was besieging Gaoyou. Tuotuo was determined to crush all the rebel forces, and Chuzhou was his next target after taking Gaoyou. To say they weren’t afraid would be a lie.
Who would repel Tuotuo’s massive army? Could Chuzhou escape this calamity?
The map on the light screen was clearly visible, with each small flag representing a rebel army.
[Han Shantong and Liu Futong raised the banner “Overthrow the Yuan, Restore the Song.” Since the Song dynasty was associated with the fire virtue, the rebels wrapped red cloth around their heads and were called the Red Turban Army.]
[As the imperial army was repelled, local heroes realized the government troops were no longer the formidable Mongol cavalry of old. In response, they rose up one after another, rallying in great numbers.]
[The main rebel forces that gained significant influence included the following.]
[In the north, Zhima Li and Zhao Junyong commanded a force of 100,000, occupying Xuzhou and surrounding areas. To the west, Bu Wangsan held Nanyang and proclaimed himself the Northern Lock Red Turban Army, while Meng Haima captured Xiangyang and Jingmen, calling himself the Southern Lock Red Turban Army. In the south, the vanguard of the anti-Yuan resistance, Peng Yingyu, led his followers under the banner of the Red Turban Army. After seizing Qishui, they proclaimed Xu Shouhui as emperor. In the southeast, the rebel leader in Haozhou was Guo Zixing, but Haozhou was not under his sole command. This small city was “packed with hidden talents,” housing no fewer than five marshals.]
[The ferocity of the rebel uprising caught the Yuan court off guard. Tuotuo hastily dispatched troops to suppress them, but contrary to his intentions, the more they suppressed, the more rebel forces sprang up among the people.]
[Back when Tuotuo ordered Jia Lu to manage the river, some court officials had opposed the plan. They argued that the common people were already living in dire straits, and the massive cost of the river project, coupled with the conscription of laborers, would inevitably plunge the Central Plains into chaos. Yet Tuotuo refused to listen. Little did he expect to be proven wrong so swiftly.]
[The imperial armies sent to suppress the rebels across the land suffered repeated defeats. Tuotuo, faced with rebellions blooming everywhere and the dismal performance of his own troops, didn’t even dare bring up the matter in court meetings. Tuotuo cared about saving face, but Guo Ge showed him no mercy: “You once claimed the world was at peace, yet now the Red Turban Army has spread across half the land. What strategy does the Grand Councillor propose to deal with this?”]
[Han Shantong and Liu Futong’s rebellion began in the eleventh year of Zhengzheng. A decade before that, Guo Ge had already been diligently governing and strengthening the state.]
[During those ten years, Guo Ge devoted himself to effective governance, personally vetting and appointing local officials to ensure their competence. His expectations for his subordinates were straightforward: “Your duty as a local official is like that of a shepherd. When the sheep are hungry, give them grass; when they are thirsty, provide water. Attend to their hunger, thirst, toil, and rest without neglect, and the flock will thrive. If you govern the people for me, ensuring they do not fall into distress or suffer from hunger and thirst, then you are a worthy official.”]
[“This means governing the people is like herding sheep—let them graze when hungry and drink when thirsty. Officials who can ensure the people under their rule have food and water are good officials.”]
[“From this, we can see our Guo Ge’s Sinicization level is quite high. The concept of the emperor ruling the people on behalf of Heaven originates from the ‘Dao De Jing.’ The emperor is the Son of Heaven. ‘Thus, the sage holds to oneness, becoming the shepherd of the world.’ ‘Shepherd of the world’ means ‘herding the world,’ implying that ruling the myriad people is no different from herding cattle and sheep.”]
[“Guo Ge felt he was a qualified emperor, but he severely underestimated the extent of the court’s corruption and never imagined that even Heaven would deny him, the Son of Heaven, any face.”]
[“He worked diligently for over a decade, only to be met with floods, droughts, locust plagues, epidemics, and the people rising up in rebellion. This series of blows shattered Guo Ge’s mentality completely.”]
Zhu Yuanzhang and the others had already guessed that the phenomenon before them was created by people from the future. Hearing the heavenly voice analyze the situation of the rebel armies across the land, they were astonished. “Zhima Li, Bu Wangsan, Meng Haima, Peng Yingyu—even our Commander Guo is counted among them?”
Everyone present still harbored resentment toward Guo Zixing for coming to Chuzhou and squeezing them out. They all felt Commander Guo had handled the matter poorly.
Driven out of Haozhou by Zhao Junyong with nowhere to go, their eldest brother had kindly taken him in and even handed over military authority. Yet, as soon as he arrived, Guo Zixing transferred them all away from their eldest brother. What was that about?
What? Zhao Junyong usurped his position, and after dealing with him, Guo Zixing caught the same urge to seize someone else’s place?
Geng Junyong was indignant. “The heavenly voice even mentioned Commander Guo. Why not mention our eldest brother?”
“Exactly! Why not mention our eldest brother?” The brothers echoed in agreement, deeply dissatisfied with the heavenly voice’s performance.
Li Shanchang rubbed his nose, not daring to speak. These brothers could openly stand by Old Zhu’s side, but he could not.
He had already been taken by Commander Guo and was now nominally under his command. Today, he had sneaked over secretly, not daring to let outsiders know.
Old Li was a scholar, and a clever one at that. He thought more deeply than the rough men around him.
The heavenly voice knew their affairs inside out, meaning that historical records of this period had been passed down to future generations.
No scholar could resist the temptation of leaving a name in history. No one!
A flicker of fervor crossed Li Shanchang’s eyes. He was a normal scholar, and he wanted to be remembered in history.
The heavenly voice mentioned Liu Futong and Han Shantong, mentioned Commander Guo—would it next mention General Zhu? Would it mention him, Li Shanchang?
Mu Qing watched the generals voicing their complaints with a blank expression, thinking to himself, “Weren’t you just calling it monstrous nonsense? Now you’re nitpicking? You’ve adapted far too quickly!”
Old Zhu was the ultimate victor. A heavyweight like him deserved to make a grand entrance later.
What, did they think their Old Zhu wasn’t worthy of a dedicated analysis?
Fair-weather brothers! All fair-weather brothers!
The brothers were still grumbling on behalf of their eldest brother. Noticing the child in their eldest brother’s arms also staring intently at the light screen as if it were a serious matter, they shook their heads at the lack of decorum. “Wenqing, do you also think the heavenly voice’s account is lacking?”
Mu Qing: …
Heh.
No matter how poorly Guo Zixing behaved, he was still the Grand Marshal. Zhu Yuanzhang handled matters meticulously—even surrounded by his trusted followers, he refrained from speaking ill of Old Guo. After exchanging a few pleasantries to steer the conversation away from the topic, he remarked, “The Son of Heaven governs the people on behalf of Heaven—well said. If officials truly provided food to the hungry and water to the thirsty, we wouldn’t have been driven to this point.”
Xu Da clicked his tongue. “If we could fill our bellies, who’d choose this life of licking blood off blades?”
Hua Yun sighed in agreement. “Ain’t that the truth.”
As they discussed why they had taken up arms as rebels, each man recalled his own hardships, and the mood quickly turned somber.
The light screen had no pause button, and their discussion didn’t interrupt the ongoing video. After covering the uprisings across the land, it swiftly moved to the court’s suppression efforts.
[As the common people rose in rebellion everywhere, the momentum of revolt grew fiercer than ever. Guo Ge lost the will to restore order, indulging instead in favoritism toward corrupt officials and personal pleasures.]
[While Guo Ge slacked off, Tuotuo couldn’t afford to abandon his duties. He employed two main strategies to counter the relentless rebel forces.]
[First, he tightened restrictions on Han and Southern Chinese people. Whenever military matters were discussed, Han and Southern officials were required to withdraw. On one occasion, a clerk from the Zhongshu Sheng submitted a document titled “Rebellion Affairs” to Tuotuo, who promptly revised the heading to “Rebellion Affairs of Han People in Henan.”]
[Does this maneuver seem faintly familiar? Doesn’t it resemble Bayan’s fanatical exclusion of Han Chinese? The two of them truly are cut from the same cloth!]
[Second, he mobilized full-force suppression of local rebellions. Given the abysmal track record of imperial troops, Tuotuo directed civil and military officials as well as wealthy landowners to raise their own militias and crush the insurgents. Rebel forces showed no mercy upon entering cities—slaughtering indiscriminately—so to protect their own lives and property, the elites had no choice but to contribute funds and manpower to suppress the Red Turban Army.]
[Friends! Dear viewers! This second point is crucial!]
[Local militarization is practically a hallmark of chaotic times.]
[“Abolish imperial overseers and appoint regional governors to secure local stability.” “Implement regional governance to fortify the empire’s foundation.” The last person to propose something similar seized the governorship of Yizhou and promptly turned it into his personal fiefdom. By encouraging local officials and landowners to recruit troops and organize militia, Tuotuo practically invited the empire to descend into chaos.]
[Predictably, relying on these landowner-organized “righteous troops” to combat the Red Turban Army culminated in the warlord melee of the late Yuan dynasty.]
Li Shanchang sighed. “The wording may be blunt, but the reasoning is undeniable.”
The warlord conflicts of the late Han and the separatist regimes of the late Tang both began with local officials and landowners raising private armies.
The Song dynasty’s emphasis on civil over military authority aimed to avoid repeating these mistakes, yet it led to systemic weakness and incapacity against foreign invasions.
Excessive military power was dangerous, but depriving generals of authority was equally untenable—a genuine dilemma.
The light screen laid out the rebel forces clearly before them, with a small “Guo” character inscribed on the banner representing Haozhou. Among the five marshals in the city, the heavenly voice singled out Guo Zixing as the representative, provoking silent curses from the assembled brothers.
Fortunately, aware of the importance of the upcoming content, everyone held their tongues.
The heavenly voice continued its eloquent exposition.
【In the eighth month of the Zheng era, twelfth year, Tuotuo personally went south to supervise the suppression of Zhima Li’s Red Turban Army in Xuzhou. By the ninth month, Xuzhou was captured and its city massacred. With the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou crushed and Zhima Li dead, Zhao Junyong and Peng Da led the remnants of their forces to break through the encirclement and retreat to Haozhou.】
【With so many rebel armies, why did Tuotuo ignore the ringleader Liu Futong and instead attack Zhima Li and Zhao Junyong who occupied Xuzhou? Because the Grand Canal passed through Xuzhou.】
【The supply of goods to Dadu primarily relied on the Jiangnan region, with two methods of transport: maritime shipping and canal transport.】
【In the eighth year of the Zheng era, Fang Guozhen gathered thousands of followers to raid and plunder grain shipments at sea, forcibly cutting off maritime transport. If canal transport were also severed, Dadu’s supplies would be jeopardized, inevitably leading to famine.】
【Since the court could not immediately subdue Fang Guozhen, for the stability of Dadu, Zhima Li, who occupied Xuzhou, had to be eliminated.】
【The policy of promoting local militia yielded significant results. Small Red Turban forces across various regions were quickly suppressed, and most of the cities they had previously occupied were recaptured by the imperial forces.】
【The Southern Lock Red Turban Army and the Northern Lock Red Turban Army lasted only two or three years. Xu Shouhui and Peng Yingyu engaged in repeated back-and-forth struggles with the Yuan army, resulting in Peng Yingyu’s death in the chaotic warfare, while Xu Shouhui was forced to hide in the mountains. Liu Futong defeated several government troops sent to suppress him. Although he experienced both victories and defeats, he remained confined within Henan, unable to break out.】
【By the thirteenth year of the Zheng era, the Red Turban Army had entered a period of decline, with its scattered sparks on the verge of being extinguished at any moment. The court, overjoyed and carried away, erected a temple in Xuzhou in honor of Tuotuo, built a monument to commemorate the pacification of rebels, and lavishly rewarded the meritorious generals. Tsk, tsk, tsk—when it comes to twisting the knife, they truly excel.】
【It was at this moment that Zhang Shicheng rebelled.】
【Zhang Shicheng, also known as Zhang Jiu Si, was a professional salt smuggler. In the spring of the thirteenth year of the Zheng era, he, along with his brothers Zhang Shide and Zhang Shixin, as well as Li Bosheng, led salt workers in an uprising against the Yuan, capturing Xinghua. By the fifth month, they seized Gaoyou. In the first month of the fourteenth year of the Zheng era, he proclaimed himself Prince of Cheng in Gaoyou, establishing the state of Great Zhou with the reign title Tianyou. By the sixth month of that year, he led his troops to occupy Yangzhou.】
【Old Zhang’s rebellion alone was not a major concern—there were already countless rebels across the land, one more or less made little difference. However, his occupation of Gaoyou and Yangzhou infuriated Tuotuo.】
【As mentioned earlier, although Liu Futong initiated the rebellion with great momentum, Tuotuo ignored the ringleader and instead attacked Zhima Li, who had joined the uprising, precisely because the Grand Canal passed through Xuzhou, which was under Zhima Li’s control.】
【Now that Zhang Shicheng occupied Gaoyou and Yangzhou, two crucial starting points of the Grand Canal, the court, for the sake of securing supplies from Jiangnan, would certainly not stand idly by.】
【In the ninth month of the fourteenth year of the Zheng era, Tuotuo took command of the armies of various princes and provinces, personally leading a million-strong force to besiege Gaoyou. “Western regions and tribes all sent troops to assist, with banners stretching for thousands of miles and the sound of drums shaking the wilderness—never had there been such a magnificent display of military might.”】
【Old Zhang found himself in a desperate situation, with no help from heaven or earth. He regretted his actions so deeply that he slapped himself, blaming his own recklessness for inviting disaster. To make matters worse, he could not even surrender—Tuotuo was determined to massacre all soldiers and civilians in Gaoyou after its capture, intending to set an example and assert authority in Jiangnan. Envoys sent to negotiate surrender were killed, leaving Old Zhang with no choice but to hunker down in the city and brace for a desperate defense.】
【If Tuotuo had managed to capture Gaoyou this time, then leveraged the momentum of this great victory to lead a million-strong army westward and southward, crushing thorny adversaries like Guo Zixing, Liu Futong, and Xu Shouhui one by one, this great uprising might truly have been extinguished. But “if” remains merely an “if”—what happened next even made Wanyan Gou exclaim in professional recognition.】
【Just as Tuotuo was on the verge of taking Gaoyou, our utterly broken and demoralized Guo Ge, swayed by treacherous ministers’ slander and fearing Tuotuo would become a second Bayan, issued an order stripping Tuotuo of his military authority and summoning him back to Dadu to face charges.】
【The battle at Gaoyou was a mismatch in strength: only a few thousand salt workers remained in the city, provisions were dwindling, and defensive equipment was nearly exhausted. Barring any surprises, even without attacking, the defenders could have been starved into submission.】
【Guo Ge likely thought that since Tuotuo had fought so smoothly, anyone could manage it. However, reality was far more complicated than he imagined—not just anyone could command that million-strong allied army.】
【With the million-strong army leaderless and in disarray, no one expected the turning point to emerge here. Zhang Shicheng was overjoyed, immediately leading the city’s last few thousand salt-worker rebels in a charge out of the city. In one vigorous push, they repelled the Yuan forces, narrowly escaping what had seemed an almost certain doom.】
【The court’s decision to change commanders at the critical moment led to total failure: “The million-strong army scattered in an instant. Those who dispersed without allegiance mostly joined the Red Turban Army.”】
【The Battle of Gaoyou marked a turning point in the late Yuan peasant uprisings, as the court henceforth lost its military superiority over the rebel forces.】
【Just one question: Doesn’t this maneuver closely resemble Emperor Gaozong of Song recalling Yue Fei with twelve gold medals?】
The entire room fell silent.
The last-minute commander change and exile of Tuotuo—this series of bewildering moves even left Zhu Yuanzhang stunned.
Old Zhu, nearly tossing the child in his arms in his excitement, slammed the table and cheered loudly, “Heaven wills the fall of the Yuan! Heaven wills the fall of the Yuan!”