Chapter 130: The War Between Peasants and Landlords

“You say you didn’t see Zhang Chu’an and Zhang Xiaofan at their residences—when you arrived, everyone inside had already escaped through a tunnel they’d dug in advance,” Wanyan Honglie asked in shock.

“That’s right. When we got there, the mansion was empty. We searched the place and found a hidden tunnel that had been opened. We tried to follow it, but were blocked halfway.”

After hearing the messenger’s report, Wanyan Honglie panicked. This coup had only two goals: seize power, then capture the traitors Zhang Chu’an and Zhang Xiaofan, and lead his army to crush their revolutionary base, now leaderless.

But these two had dug escape tunnels in advance—and since the entire household fled, it meant they knew about our plans all along.

Thinking of this, Wanyan Honglie began to tremble uncontrollably. The years he’d spent under Zhang Chu’an’s casual domination rose before him like a nightmare.

Terrified, Wanyan Honglie stumbled backward—just as he was about to fall, Temujin caught him.

“Thanks, Temujin,” Wanyan Honglie said, then asked, puzzled: “Temujin, if they knew about our move, why didn’t they stop us?”

“Because they want to fight us openly—with absolute force—to seize the world. Like a tiger of the steppe, it eats only what it hunts, and avoids carrion,” Temujin said solemnly, then sighed: “I suspect they’ve already prepared for war while we plotted our coup.”

Hearing this, Wanyan Honglie’s face turned ashen. They were ready for war—but we’ve just seized power, and most generals holding military command across the nation are from the Wanyan clan. They all want to kill me; they’ll never stand united with me.

If war breaks out, my own officers will turn against me. Wanyan Honglie’s head throbbed with pain.

Yet Temujin, at this moment, was exhilarated. There are people who, no matter how many times they fail, still believe they will become extraordinary.

Such people, when faced with setbacks and hardship, do not fear—they meet them head-on, devise solutions, learn from each failure, and inch step by step toward victory.

Temujin was such a man. Though previously driven from the steppe by Guo Jing and Nie Huaishang, he felt no resentment at fate’s injustice. Instead, he was almost grateful that heaven had sent someone strong enough to defeat him—only such a person deserved to fight him.

Compared to Guo Jing and Nie Huaishang, his brother Jamuqa and his adoptive father Wang Han were pitifully weak. Compared to Zhang Chu’an and Zhang Xiaofan, the Jin rulers were utterly foolish.

If the world lacked them, even if I could sweep the land with my own strength, it would be unbearably lonely.

I would never witness the countless wonders. Without them, how could I truly feel the awe-inspiring power of unity among slaves and herders—how their shared hatred and solidarity surged like an unstoppable flood?

Without them, how could I witness the might of firearms—the searing, merciless flames that turned all obstacles to ash? It was they who opened a new window for me, revealing a world of astonishing sights.

Now, Temujin was about to embark on an unprecedented campaign—to lead the true rulers of this land for a thousand years: the landlords. And their enemies? The peasants and slaves who had suffered under their oppression for generations. This was a war unlike any before—filled with uncertainty and challenge.

Temujin’s inner excitement was beyond words. His blood seemed ignited by a fierce force, boiling within him. His heartbeat quickened, his breath grew rapid—as if a mighty power pushed him forward.

He knew this war would be a grueling, arduous struggle.

Zhang Chu’an, let me see just what you’re capable of.

“Your Highness, though the Jin generals may be disloyal, if we offer them incentives—like letting them fund and train their own troops—we’ll gain a steady stream of forces.”

You can’t make a horse pull a cart without feeding it grass. The revolutionaries give land to peasants and slaves; so we must give Han gentry enough benefits.

After hearing Temujin’s words, Wanyan Honglie sighed. He knew that once this order was issued, the true rulers of the Jin state would no longer be the Jurchen nobility—but the Han gentry.

But he was already trapped—no choice remained. After his coup, the Jurchens would never spare him.

So he must cling tightly to the gentry’s skirts, grant them power, and let them recruit soldiers to fight the revolutionaries.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chu’an and Zhang Xiaofan, having just escaped Zhongdu Prefecture and reached a nearby revolutionary base, urgently sent messages to Guo Jing in Western Xia and Nie Huaishang in Mongolia.

Zhang Chu’an: “Everyone, Wanyan Honglie’s coup succeeded. He’ll soon issue an edict ordering landlords to raise militia units to crush our bases. How many troops do you have? Want to join the fight?”

Guo Jing: “How many troops do you have?”

Zhang Xiaofan: “The troops hiding in the deep mountains, pretending to be bandits but actually regular soldiers—combined, they number at least three hundred thousand.”

Nie Huaishang: “If that’s true, even a million Jin troops won’t match you. Besides, the Han gentry and Jurchen nobility are now completely split. The Jurchens have seasoned generals, but without funds or grain, they can’t recruit large armies. The gentry have funds and influence—but no seasoned generals.”

Guo Jing: “Though their troops are poorly trained and badly organized, our enemy is Temujin. Use every ounce of strength you have. If you can fire a 107 rocket launcher, don’t charge with a Type 56 carbine. If you can muster a million, don’t settle for three hundred thousand. Send as many as you can.”

Guo Jing: “I’ve just taken Western Xia, but our land reform there is nearly complete. I’ll send five thousand cavalry and one hundred and fifty artillery pieces to support you immediately. The next twenty thousand troops, once organized and trained, will rush to the front.”

Nie Huaishang: “Good. If Guo Brother’s new revolutionary zone in Western Xia can spare such force, our old revolutionary base in Mongolia won’t lag behind. We can still muster eight thousand cavalry. Take the seventy 107s you sent us. The new five thousand cavalry, once trained, will join the front immediately.”