OBS Chapter 333 Kill the corrupt official Yang, and you'll still be under the bright and clear sky!
Chapter 333 Kill the corrupt official Yang, and you'll still be under the bright and clear sky!
The officialdom in Shandong Province is in a bit of a mess.
Wang Guangyang, who was serving as a Vice Chancellor, was inexplicably impeached for filial impiety. Wu Zude, the former Prefect of Yanzhou, was also impeached. Both Wang Guangyang and Wu Zude were in danger of losing their posts at any time. The Prefects of Laizhou, Qingzhou, Jinan, and Dongchang had only been transferred a few months ago and had not yet had time to understand the situation in their respective autonomous regions.
Now, inexplicably assigned to investigate illicit cults under their jurisdiction, the officials of Shandong Province were naturally in a bind.
But no matter how chaotic things got, as long as Wang Guangyang, the Vice Minister of State Affairs, remained in office, all the officials in Shandong Province, big and small, had to obediently follow his instructions.
Moreover, there has always been an unwritten rule in officialdom: subordinates' affairs are never important, while superiors' affairs are never unimportant.
Especially since this also involves Yang Shaofeng, the imperial son-in-law of the current emperor.
"Better to provoke Yang the King of Hell than Yang the Madman"—this is no joke.
In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, it didn't matter if you offended Yang Xian, who was known as "Yang the King of Hell," because Yang Xian was a disciple of Liu Bowen. As long as you could cling to Liu Bowen's coattails, Yang Xian wouldn't be able to go too far.
Even if you can't get close to Liu Bowen, you can still try to get close to Li Shanchang. After all, Li Shanchang is the leader of the Huaixi faction, and his status in the martial arts world is much higher than Yang Xian's.
However, the consequences of provoking Yang the Madman are terrible.
Think of Kong Xixue, who is still buried in his books, think of the scorn and curses directed at him, Yang Dianfeng, in the capital, and think of the blood-soaked execution grounds in the capital...
Forget it, let's just investigate the cult. It'll only be tiring for a few days, and we'll get through it.
The Shandong provincial officials' frantic crackdown on illicit cults was not intended to be kept secret, and the great and virtuous teacher Sun Gupu, who had many believers, naturally received the news as well.
"Linqi, is that Sun Heilv one of your men?"
Sun Gupu, dressed in a coarse yellow robe, sat in a chair, his face dark and unreadable. He tapped the table and looked at Yu Laohei, the leader of the thirty-six chieftains, and said, "Now we are like rats in a hole, being chased around, all thanks to him."
Sun Gupu's voice was soft, and it was impossible to tell if he was angry or not, but Yu Laohei's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He bowed to Sun Gupu and said, "Your subordinate has failed in his duties. Please punish me, Heavenly Master!"
Sun Gupu gave a forced smile and snorted, "We'll talk about punishment later."
At this point, Sun Gupu glanced at everyone in the cave again and said in a deep voice, "You all know how important this matter is, even if I don't say it."
"If we can get rid of that corrupt official Yang who harms the people in one fell swoop, not only will the people of Shandong Province have a good life, but the people of the whole country will also be able to live a good life."
"If we can't get rid of him... with him around, how can any ordinary person live a peaceful life?"
"Think about your own families. If your own families were also under the rule of that corrupt official Yang, not only would they have to work hard in the fields, but they would also be forced to do hard labor in his workshops. And for the sake of his reputation, they would have to dig things like the Prince's Canal and Daming Lake. Could you bear it?"
"Therefore, this time it's not just for others, but also for our descendants. We must win this battle no matter what. If we fail, with that tyrannical emperor's favoritism and the protection of the army, it will be difficult to get rid of him again."
At this point, Sun Gupu's expression became even more gloomy: "And that tyrant actually dared to marry both of his daughters to that corrupt official Yang. This shows how much that tyrant valued Yang."
"If such a foolish ruler is allowed to be emperor again, won't the people of the world be plunged into misery?"
"Since that tyrannical ruler doesn't care for the people and only favors that corrupt official Yang, then we no longer need to be his obedient subjects!"
Sun Gupu stood up and shouted, "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven stands! We will first kill that corrupt official Yang to raise our flag, then march to Nanjing to seize the throne and restore a bright and clear sky for the people!"
As Sun Gupu finished speaking, the group of people in the cave immediately became excited.
"Victory in the first battle!"
"Kill that corrupt official Yang!"
"The sky is dead, Huang Tian must stand!"
"Kill that corrupt official Yang!"
"Give the people back a clear and bright sky!"
"..."
Sun Gupu strode to the cave entrance and shouted, "Let's go! As instructed by this Celestial Master, board the ship in an orderly manner!"
……
No one expected that Sun Gupu would not choose to launch a surprise attack on Penglai County at night, but instead would suddenly land near Penglai Pavilion when it was just before dawn.
What surprised Hu Biao, the commander of the Leopard Guard, and Qian Er, the commander of the Dengzhou Guard, even more was that Sun Gupu was able to cause such a big commotion this time. The number of Yellow Turbans was indeed not too many, at most only about a thousand, but the "Japanese pirates" who arrived in Penglai with the Yellow Turbans led by Sun Gupu numbered as many as 25,000.
Although the number has not yet exceeded 30,000, Hu Biao is confident that he can hold Penglai County. However, the problems behind this number are extremely serious.
More than 20,000 people, more than 6,000, appeared overnight outside Penglai County from the sea. How many ships did that require? And who could mobilize so many ships?
Looking at the densely packed figures in the distance outside the city, Hu Biao couldn't help but swallow hard. He whispered to Qian Er, the commander of Dengzhou Guard beside him, "This is it, another case involving tens of thousands of people—are all these people so fearless?"
Qian Er replied in a low voice with a forced smile, "Isn't this perfect? The Prince Consort is short of laborers, and this is just offering them up right to his doorstep."
After a slight pause, Qian Er added, "But then again, how stupid do you think these people are? Why didn't they come during the day or at night? Why did they have to come just before dawn? Did they think this was a raid on the camp? And besides, there are so many villages outside Dengzhou City. Don't they know that there's no one in those villages?"
Hu Biao grunted in agreement, and while Qian Er was complaining, he carefully examined the Yellow Turbans and Japanese pirates. Suddenly, he chuckled and whispered to Qian Er, "How about this? I'll lead the troops out to fight for a while, and you stay on the city wall to protect the Prince Consort. That'll be my backup, okay?"
Qian Er immediately became anxious.
Damn it, we clearly agreed to discuss the fight beforehand, but now you dog have no martial ethics and are rushing ahead of the Dengzhou Guard to fight.
glaring fiercely at Hu Biao, Qian Er said without any politeness, "Your family's guerrilla warfare is based on the city walls? Who taught you that? Besides, the main duty of your Leopard Guard is to protect the Prince Consort. Charging into battle and killing enemies should be done by our Dengzhou Guard first."
After saying this, Qian Er bowed to Yang Shaofeng and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to lead troops into battle to dampen the spirits of the Yellow Turban rebels and the Japanese pirates!"