Zhu Yuanzhang had previously been a monk at Huangjue Temple. Later, when famine struck the areas around Huangjue Temple and the temple could no longer receive alms, the abbot had no choice but to send the monks out to wander and beg for alms.
After leaving Huangjue Temple, he wandered through various regions of Huaixi for three years and naturally heard of the White Lotus Society’s doctrine of “The Advent of the Bright King to Save All Living Beings.”
The followers of the White Lotus Society were spread throughout the land. In earlier years, Han Shantong had preached the faith everywhere, and their Commander Guo Zixing became a believer of the White Lotus Society.
Commander Guo came from a wealthy family. After joining the White Lotus Society, he entertained guests and spent his entire fortune, making him a renowned figure in Haozhou.
In the eleventh year of the Zheng era, Han Shantong and Liu Futong incited the river workers to rebel. By the first month of the twelfth year of Zheng, their Commander Guo had gathered a crowd under the guise of incense-burning and worship to launch an uprising.
All rebel armies across the land were called the Red Turban Army, and Commander Guo’s troops were no exception.
Han Shantong was a master at spreading rumors. While disseminating the rumor, “Do not say that the stone man has only one eye, it stirs the Yellow River and the world rebels,” he also declared himself the eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. The Red Turban Army raised the banner of “Oppose the Yuan and Restore the Song,” making him the most suitable leader to rally the suffering masses to rise up.
Han Shantong had grand ambitions and made thorough preparations before the rebellion.
He, Han Shantong, was the eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. Since all rebel armies across the land were Red Turban Armies advocating “Oppose the Yuan and Restore the Song,” these rebel forces should recognize him, a descendant of the Song royal family, as the legitimate authority and obey his commands.
The preparations before the uprising were indeed flawless, but the secrecy was not tight enough. On the day of the uprising, government troops were dispatched to hunt them down, and Han Shantong, who claimed to be the eighth-generation descendant of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, was captured on the spot.
Rebels who fell into the hands of the court invariably faced death.
Han Shantong was already dead, and Liu Futong inherited his legacy to continue leading the Red Turban Army against the court. In this way, all Red Turban Armies across the land should obey Liu Futong.
In theory, this was the case, but in reality, it was not.
At least up to now, the Red Turban Armies in various regions still acted independently, and no one had rushed to seek Liu Futong’s recognition.
Initially, Commander Guo’s uprising was merely about gathering crowds to burn incense under the name of Maitreya Buddha. There were five commanders in Haozhou City, each with over ten thousand troops. After occupying Haozhou, the commanders were too busy fighting among themselves to expand outward, so they had no connection with the Red Turban Army led by Liu Futong.
To put it bluntly, Liu Futong, like Han Shantong, aimed for the entire world and looked down upon the few troops under Commander Guo.
If not for Zhao Junyong and Peng Da bringing the remnants of the Xuzhou Red Turban Army to Haozhou, Commander Guo would have been locked in endless conflict with the other commanders in Haozhou.
Who would have thought, who would have thought, who would have thought!
Old Zhu and his brothers sighed with emotion. They knew Liu Futong was capable of stirring things up, but they never imagined he would actually succeed in overthrowing the court.
He became the founding emperor of a dynasty. Tsk, tsk, tsk—what incredible luck!
Mu Qing watched as they attributed the title of “Great Ming’s Founding Emperor” to Liu Futong. With mixed feelings, he rubbed his face and pretended to know nothing.
Huh? So Liu Futong is the founding emperor of the Great Ming?
If his father and uncles said so, then it must be true. He was just a clueless little kid—what did it have to do with him?
Emperors, ministers—he couldn’t understand a single word of it.
A child as clever as him must not only play the mute when necessary but also feign deafness when the situation calls for it.
He declared right then: until they stepped out that door, he, Mu Xiaoqing, would be deaf and mute!
Beside him, Li Shanchang clutched his chest, regretting how far they were from Liu Futong.
After Jia Lu’s death, the Yuan troops surrounding Haozhou dispersed. Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his hometown of Zhongli and recruited over seven hundred men.
Haozhou governed three counties: Zhongli County, Dingyuan County, and Zhaoyi County. All seven hundred soldiers hailed from these areas—they were all fellow townsmen.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang entrusted the new recruits to Guo Zixing, taking only twenty-four elite soldiers handpicked from hundreds to leave Haozhou and seek his fortune. It was this group that eventually formed the core of his forces in Chuzhou.
Li Shanchang was from Dingyuan. Hearing that Zhu Yuanzhang was heading south to Chuzhou, he deliberately timed his visit to seek an audience. Before leaving home, he had thoroughly investigated Old Zhu’s character.
“A golden carp is not a thing of the pond.” Commander Guo Zixing couldn’t restrain him, and the small city of Haozhou couldn’t confine him either.
Meeting Zhu Yuanzhang in person confirmed he had come to the right place—this was a man who could help him achieve his ambitions.
Back then, he made no attempt to hide his ambition, believing Zhu Yuanzhang shared the same drive.
As a scholar devoted to “governing the state and bringing peace to the world,” whether confident or arrogant, he felt he possessed the talent to serve as a high official.
Joining Zhu Yuanzhang was never about seeking a tranquil life. A person must leave some legacy in this world—what if this man truly achieved greatness?
He told Old Zhu that if he emulated Han Gaozu Liu Bang in recognizing talent and avoiding needless killings, he could not only carve out a domain but even become a second Liu Bang.
Clearly, Zhu Yuanzhang was no man content to remain subordinate.
Having rebelled, he naturally wouldn’t hesitate or hold back. He found Old Li’s reasoning sound.
The two hit it off immediately. Old Zhu promptly appointed Li Shanchang as his Secretariat, instructing him to harmonize relations among the generals and ensure strategists and commanders worked in unison, so they could jointly accomplish great deeds in the future.
The heavenly voice claimed it was Liu Futong’s Ming army that drove the Mongols out of the Central Plains and replaced the Yuan dynasty. The more Zhu Yuanzhang pondered this, the more unsettled he felt.
Once the Mongols were expelled, the Han would turn on each other. Warlords would fight amongst themselves, with only one eventual victor. If Liu Futong became some damned founding emperor, what then for Zhu Yuanzhang?
Old Zhu frowned deeply, his mind cycling through grim possibilities: executed by the imperial court, surrendering to Liu Futong, killed by Liu Futong, or perishing in the great chaos—none led to a good end.
Pah! Deceptive nonsense, all of it.
A cold glint flashed in Old Zhu’s eyes as he scanned the room, his gaze settling on the only scholar present. His tone turned ominous, “Do you wish to serve under Liu Futong, sir?”
Li Shanchang’s eyes darted evasively. He first sipped his long-cooled tea with feigned composure, then declared firmly, “To be honest, yes.”
Having spent so much time with this man, he knew Old Zhu’s character well, just as Old Zhu understood his.
A righteous denial now would only seem guilty and might fracture their bond. Honesty was the better course.
After being forcibly transferred away by Guo Zixing, he could still return to discuss matters together, which sufficiently proved Zhu Yuanzhang’s trust in him. Trust was hard-won, and he had no intention of losing it so inexplicably.
Who wouldn’t want the merit of supporting the true dragon? There’s no shame in boldly speaking it out!
Everyone in the room was stunned by his righteous and confident reaction.
They say scholars speak with nine twists and eighteen turns, so why didn’t this Master Li know how to be more tactful?
Their eldest brother was not someone to be trifled with. If Master Li said he wanted to join Liu Futong in front of him, what if their eldest brother flew into a rage and directly cut him down?
Xu Da quickly pulled Zhu Wenzheng, who was squatting on the steps, to his feet. They stood on either side of Old Zhu, vigilantly guarding against him drawing his sword.
Tang He didn’t feel like saying anything about this guy’s behavior and just shook his head, remarking, “I heard there’s a man named Du Zundao by Liu Futong’s side. He previously served as a high official in the court and is a highly capable person.”
This Old Xu, why doesn’t he ever use his brain?
When the eldest brother asked a question, Master Li must have carefully considered his reply before speaking. Was there any need for him to worry unnecessarily here?
A sudden flash of insight crossed Zhu Wenzheng’s mind—a rare moment of cleverness. Hearing Tang He’s words, he immediately guessed his meaning. “Exactly, exactly! As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. What if Master Li goes to Liu Futong and gets oppressed by Du Zundao?”
It wasn’t that he was being fanciful—there was a clear precedent right before their eyes.
The heavenly voice had said that Hama killed Tuotuo out of love turned to hatred. He wanted to be the closest person to Tuotuo, but Tuotuo’s most trusted person wasn’t him, so he slandered Tuotuo before the emperor and got him killed.
Since Tuotuo was dead, could his close associates expect a good outcome? They were surely doomed to accompany Tuotuo in death!
He had never met Du Zundao and didn’t know what kind of person he was, but he knew their Master Li was immensely capable. Gaining Liu Futong’s trust would be a piece of cake for him.
What if Master Li later surpassed Du Zundao and became Liu Futong’s most trusted person, provoking Du Zundao to kill Liu Futong out of love turned to hatred? Wouldn’t everything fall into chaos after that?
Mu Qing felt a black line forming on his forehead. Brother, your imagination is truly vast—it would be a waste if you didn’t become a storyteller.
Li Shanchang’s face also turned pale. Their situation was vastly different from that of Tuotuo and Hama—how could he possibly connect the two?
Besides, he was just speaking hypothetically, not actually planning to join Liu Futong. Couldn’t he at least entertain the thought if he couldn’t go?
He, Li Shanchang, was a proper scholar who wouldn’t engage in such despicable acts of currying favor with the powerful. If he went wherever there was wealth and status, would he be here today discussing matters at General Zhu’s residence behind Commander Guo’s back?
Eh? Discussing matters?
Li Shanchang froze for a moment, finally remembering their current predicament. When he spoke again, his voice trembled slightly. “Generals, what the heavenly voice described are future events. Even if Liu Futong achieves great things in the future, he’s currently trapped in Henan and can’t get out.”
Even if what the heavenly voice said was true, it would be over ten years before the Mongols are driven out of the Central Plains.
A starved camel is still bigger than a horse—the court’s foundation hasn’t been completely depleted yet, and a million-strong army is still waiting nearby, ready to slaughter cities.
Zhu Yuanzhang also quickly came to his senses. Yes, regardless of whether what they just saw was real or not, it offered no help to their current situation.
If the heavenly voice truly wanted to help them, it would have directly summoned divine thunder to strike down Tuotuo’s entire army. These vague claims about “the emperor exiling Tuotuo and the Yuan army collapsing from internal strife” are utterly useless.
Unless the enemy falls into chaos right now.
As they regained their composure, the video content on the light screen reached its conclusion.
【The Yuan emperor managed to live long enough to become an anti-Yuan hero, single-handedly turning the Great Yuan into a replica of the Song Dynasty. While others learn from past mistakes, Guo Ge insists on diving headfirst into every pit left by his predecessors.】
【That concludes the story of Guo Ge. I’m your beloved uploader Qingqing Mosang. Until next time, dear viewers.】
With these closing remarks, cheerful music faded away as the light screen dimmed and vanished along with the sound.
Appearing and disappearing without a trace, it left viewers with a chilling unease.
Zhu Yuanzhang ordered everyone to submit their notes to Li Shanchang, then pounded the table to assign Old Li his task for the day.
Given the gravity of the situation, Li Shanchang wouldn’t be leaving today. Zhu Yuanzhang would find a way to cover for him with Commander Guo, while Li remained to organize the information revealed by the light screen.
This matter was profoundly mystical, and leaking those words would bring them nothing but harm.
Old Zhu’s eyes gleamed with menace. “Listen well, everyone. Keep your mouths shut tight. Anyone who dares to gossip outside won’t be spared from my wrath.”
Everyone in the hall understood the seriousness of the matter, solemnly swearing oaths that they’d be struck by five thunderbolts if they revealed anything.
Zhu Yuanzhang had confidence in the brothers he’d personally selected. After disciplining his own people, he still needed to send scouts to investigate whether similar phenomena had occurred elsewhere.
If the light screen hadn’t appeared only to them, then no matter how tightly they kept their secret, it would be useless.
Then again, if divine manifestations were truly appearing everywhere, they might survive this crisis even without the emperor in Dadu exiling Tuotuo.
As for Tuotuo, as long as the emperor didn’t go mad, Zhang Shicheng’s forces wouldn’t pose a real threat. After eliminating Zhang Shicheng, Liu Futong would inevitably be next.
The heavenly voice had clearly stated that Liu Futong would destroy the Great Yuan – the court officials must be panicking. If Tuotuo diverted troops to suppress other regions, they could catch their breath.
The group of men lost track of time, passionately debating back and forth with Li Shanchang filling in the gaps. It looked like they could continue discussing from sunrise to sunset.
“Gurgle—” Mu Qing’s face flushed red as he covered his growling stomach.
Um, father, are we still eating?
In the rear courtyard, Ma Xiuying sent a child to call the men back for dinner. After waiting without any movement from beyond the gate, she dispatched her maid to investigate.
She’d sent the child to summon the men for dinner, so why hadn’t they returned, and why had they kept the child?
The guards at the front courtyard remained at their posts, firmly believing divine manifestations were occurring in the conference hall. They barely dared to breathe loudly, lest they disturb the proceedings.
The maid, startled by the tense atmosphere in the front courtyard, learned that important matters were being discussed and that unauthorized personnel weren’t permitted nearby. Without asking further questions, she immediately turned back.
Ma Xiuying frowned. She understood priorities – with the recent instability outside, it wasn’t uncommon for military emergencies to prevent the men from eating.
Really, if they were busy with important matters, that was fine, but they could at least return the child to her.