The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 028 A Follow-up Move

time does not wait.

Zhou Lun knew that the government would not stand idly by after doing such a big thing, and even if their efficiency was low, the rebels would not have much time left.

The men have been recruited, and they are being organized and trained according to the established procedures. However, building a strong team will take time. And what Zhou Lun is facing now is precisely the lack of time.

Moreover, equipment is also a critical issue.

They were desperately short of weapons; they couldn't even provide one weapon for every man. How could they possibly defend themselves unarmed if government troops arrived?

Even if they were to find a blacksmith in the city to forge weapons now, it would be too late. This was not the industrially advanced era of later generations. Let alone forging a sword, even forging a hoe would take a blacksmith several days.

Left with no other option, Zhou Lun had to think of another solution.

He ordered people to collect machetes from the county town and surrounding villages, not by force, but by exchanging them for silver. After all, they didn't lack silver for the time being after the raid on the county town, and it wouldn't be of much use to them anyway, so it was better to exchange it with the villagers for some urgently needed items.

I collected more than a hundred machetes.

Then find a blacksmith to make a notch on the back of the blade near the handle, add a wooden stick and a band, and attach it to make a weapon.

This weapon had a name in the Song Dynasty: the "pudao" (朴刀). It could be used for both slashing and thrusting, at both close and long range, and was quite powerful, much easier to use than an ordinary waist knife. This was the best alternative weapon Zhou Lun could think of at the moment.

In addition, he ordered people to quickly manufacture a batch of spearheads to be fitted with long spears.

Even after all that effort, they could only barely equip nearly half the people. The remaining half, having no other choice, had to make do with some farm tools for now, and figure out what to do later.

The main hall of the county government office.

"Father! I'm not leaving!"

Li Zhong stubbornly refused to move, his face flushed red.

"You're still young," Zhou Lun advised kindly from the side. "It's too dangerous to follow the rebels now. Go to the camp for a while and wait a few years before joining the rebels."

"Second Uncle! I'm not a child anymore!" Li Zhong raised his head, his eyes filled with a stubborn determination. "I'm eleven years old, I can work for Father! Even if I can't go to the battlefield, I can still be a scout! Don't worry, Second Uncle, I will never be a burden to you and Father. Wherever you go, I will go. If you force me to leave, I... I'll kill myself!"

As he spoke, he stiffened his neck, striking a pose of unyielding defiance.

Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun exchanged a glance, and both of them gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Everything had been planned perfectly, but considering Li Zhong's young age, it wouldn't be convenient to take him along on the next mission. Moreover, after capturing the county town, opening the granaries, and recruiting soldiers, they would immediately face a counterattack from the government. The county town was not a place to linger, and Zhou Lun had already discussed it with Li Wanqing; they would prepare to evacuate in the next few days.

But leaving the county town, it's impossible to abandon everyone.

The rebels were in a better position, as they had no shortage of food and more than 800 men under their command. As long as they didn't run into a large regular army, they could go anywhere nearby.

But what about the villagers?

Especially the villagers of Liwang Village.

Last time, in order to save Li Wanqing, Zhou Lun and his men stormed the county prison, but afterwards, they implicated the villagers and even caused the tragic death of a clan elder. This time, however, what they did was far more serious than the last time; this was a genuine rebellion!

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, treason was the most serious of the "Ten Abominations," and the treasoner was to be executed by slow slicing and his entire family exterminated.

In reality, there are examples of exterminating not only three clans, but also six or nine clans. The Ming Dynasty always punished treason extremely severely. If Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun had led their rebel army and simply walked away, others might have let it go, but if the villagers of Liwang Village fell into the hands of the government, what good would it have for them?

Making sure the villagers are settled is the top priority before leaving.

Moreover, there is a group of refugees on the other side of the Grand Canyon. These people are also their subordinates, but they cannot possibly go with the rebels.

Zhou Lun gave Li Wanqing an idea: to move all the villagers of Liwang Village to the Grand Canyon and settle them in the mountains with the other refugees who had fled there.

Life in the mountains is inconvenient and somewhat bitter, and you have to give up your own house and land, but it's still much better than being purged by the government afterward, right?

Besides, they didn't lack food and supplies for the time being, and the rebel army couldn't take all of it with them anyway. So, taking advantage of the opportunity to settle the villagers, they transferred all the supplies they couldn't take to the Grand Canyon. With these supplies, the villagers could live comfortably there.

Once the rebel army leaves the county town, they will draw all the government's attention. The government will never suspect that the people of Liwang Village are hiding in the Grand Canyon. And even if they did, so what? They are just a group of ordinary people, hiding deep in the mountains; finding them won't be easy.

In this way, the villagers are safe.

Furthermore, Zhou Lun also considered that the Grand Canyon was a backup plan.

In case something goes wrong with the rebels outside, they can find an opportunity to retreat and hide there. With supplies prepared in advance, plus the villagers hiding there, there might be a chance to regroup in the future.

After the suggestion was made, Li Wanqing thought about it carefully for a while, then nodded in agreement and began to have people make preparations.

Since he needed to make sure the villagers were settled in advance, Li Wanqing naturally thought of his adopted son, Li Zhong.

Although Li Zhong is clever and daring, he is still too young.

An eleven-year-old boy is simply not fit for the battlefield. With this in mind, Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun decided to let him go with the villagers to the camp in the Grand Canyon to settle down.

But to my surprise, as soon as I mentioned it to him, the kid got all pricked up and refused to leave no matter what.

Li Zhong lost his parents and family at a young age, and for the past two years he had been living a very difficult life with the deserters from the camp. If it weren't for the occasional help from a few kind-hearted deserters, he would have starved to death long ago. The previous leaders didn't take him seriously at all; in their eyes, a half-grown boy like him was no different from a dead dog.

They're just barely getting through the days, and who knows, one day they might lose their lives.

It wasn't until Li Wanqing took over the camp and adopted him as his godson that Li Zhong finally started living like a normal person again.

Despite his young age, he knows a lot.

The saying "a poor man's child learns to be independent early" perfectly describes this situation. After following Li Wanqing, Li Zhong not only regarded him as his own father but also found psychological support in him. Furthermore, the boy was clever, intelligent, and daring. Whether it was the previous robbery of the convoy or the battle in the county jail, although Li Zhong couldn't fight head-on, he perfectly executed his scout duties and provided considerable assistance.

"Xiao Zhong, following the rebel army is different from before." Li Wanqing squatted down, looking Li Zhong straight in the eyes. "I have no idea what will happen next. You're still young, so perhaps..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Zhong shook his head vigorously.

"Father!" Li Zhong said resolutely, enunciating each word clearly, "No matter what, wherever Father goes, I will go. Even if it means death, I will do it willingly!"

"You...!" Li Wanqing frowned. Why wouldn't this child listen to reason?

Just as he was about to continue persuading him, Zhou Lun spoke up: "Brother, Zhong'er is only doing this out of filial piety. Since he wants to come, let him come. Besides, Zhong'er is very clever, and the rebel army does need scouts outside. It won't attract attention if a young boy helps gather information."

"Yes, yes, yes! Second Uncle is right!" Li Zhong's eyes lit up, and he gave Zhou Lun a grateful glance before turning to Li Wanqing, pleading, "Father, please rest assured, I will absolutely not ruin your important plans! Please let me go with you!"

Looking into Li Zhong's expectant eyes, Li Wanqing's heart softened, he sighed, and finally nodded.

With Li Wanqing's permission, Li Zhong was overjoyed. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun, imitating the adults, and solemnly promised that he would definitely serve as a scout for the rebel army!

Li Wanqing laughed and scolded him, then waved him away.

After Li Zhong left, Li Wanqing's expression turned serious again, and he continued to discuss the next steps with Zhou Lun.

They had been staying in the county town for nearly ten days. Once the villagers of Liwang Village were settled, the militia would have to leave.

As they were talking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun looked up when they heard the noise and saw Li Shoutian rushing over.

"Big Brother! Brother Lun!" Li Shoutian strode through the door, his voice trembling with urgency: "Something terrible has happened!"