[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-the-ming":3,"chapter-overthrowing-the-ming-overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-43":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing the Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289270,4476,"Chapter 43: Waves","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>\"You thieving dog-fucker, don't be scared, rest easy—anyone I bring is definitely one of our own!\" Wu Zhuge glared at Liu Jianchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jianchen gave a chuckle, stopped talking, and led the way forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, they arrived at the center of the brick-and-stone house, where a group of people were surrounding several hostages and pressing them for water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon getting closer, it was clear that the few people being handled here were \"lean hostages\" from whom no profit could be squeezed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One old man among them reeked of filth, his trouser legs soaked in excrement and urine; half his hair had been ripped out, his scalp was red and swollen with a scab of blood, and he lay on the ground now, dead or alive, no one knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen or so bandits were busy bending down the tops of two oak trees, each as thick as a bowl, and tied the old man's left and right legs to the respective treetops. With wild laughter, they let go, and the oak trees snapped back violently; the old man was instantly torn in two, and blood splashed like rain onto Li You, who hadn't expected it at all, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet these dozen or so mountain bandits just laughed wildly, exclaiming in wonder, giggling and joking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were two women left now, one in her early twenties and one around thirty; both belonged to the group whose own men had ransomed their sons and abandoned them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, the dozen or so mountain bandits swarmed up, immediately began stripping the women's clothes, dragging and pulling them into a nearby thatched hut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some bandits on the side said loudly with slurred speech: \"I just like the kids, the meat is tender!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pah, I like the women; you can eat them and play with them too. But these cheap goods, they're so starved their 'crystal curtains' are all dried up, not satisfying at all. Those noble ladies and young misses, their bodies... tsk tsk...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such talk truly made Li You’s rage soar to the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bowl of water, clear on top and murky at the bottom with dregs; these people were the dregs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not just appear at the end of the Ming dynasty; they have always existed in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the times are good, they are at most ruffians and scoundrels; when the times are bad, they rise from the bottom of the bowl and stir up the wind and rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since ancient times, phrases like \"Born a bandit, no injustice in becoming a ghost,\" and \"In the next life, the life after, and ten thousand lives to come, may I be a bandit in every one,\" were all evidence of their crimes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jianbao had long since prepared two large tables of food and wine here. The pungent, fiery scent of the alcohol made Li You rub his nose, looking at the clay wine jars on the table in a daze. Wasn't it said that ancient wine was all trashy yellow wine, the kind you couldn't get drunk on anyway...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, what Li You didn't know was that most alcohol before the Ming dynasty was brewed wine, that is, fermented wine—like the yellow wine and green wine of the Tang dynasty, which was about three percent alcohol. No wonder there was the saying, \"Li Bai drinks a dou of wine and writes a hundred poems.\" If Li Bai had drunk fifty-two-percent Erguotou, he would have likely gone to see a physician instead of writing a damn poem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even by the Song and Yuan dynasties, the alcohol content could reach six to eight percent, but by the Ming dynasty, distilled spirits already existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, high-proof spirits were not liked by high-ranking officials and nobles; they were mostly enjoyed by commoners and laborers. After all, when people in high society drank, they preferred elegant games like \"threading the needle,\" \"splitting cards and guessing characters,\" or playing drinking games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one were to serve fifty-plus-percent Erguotou, they probably wouldn't be able to finish a single round. Because it wasn't accepted by high society, distilled spirits were labeled as drinks for the crude, the base, and the lowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, throughout the Ming dynasty, the status of distilled spirits never surpassed that of brewed wine, until the Qing dynasty established their rule over the Central Plains. With their deep-seated passion for high alcohol content born from living in bitter, cold lands, distilled spirits finally made a comeback, relying on political correctness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While lost in thought, Li You thought of his liquor stocks. He wondered if his \"Old White Dry\" shares, bought at 33.8 yuan and hanging at the peak, had broken even yet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge, Wang Qiong, and the others were already seated. Wang Qiong ran over to pull him, and only then did he snap out of it, following Wang Qiong to sit beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were two long tables set up in total. The table in the back had more people, all from Mao'erba itself, about twenty-five or twenty-six of them. The main table was occupied by key figures like Wu Zhuge and a few confidants from Liu Jianbao's side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Wu Zhuge and the shifty-eyed Liu Jianbao whispering to each other, Li You regretted zoning out at the wine earlier! Sitting so far away, he couldn't hear a thing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You couldn't help but feel it was a pity; Wu Zhuge and \"Boss Pig\" had always been at odds, and sooner or later there would be a brutal battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming to Mao'erba for a meeting so early today must mean something important had happened. It was a pity he couldn't participate; missing an opportunity made him feel slightly dejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be they're teaming up to take out Boss Pig? Or did something big happen? By the way, what major events happened in the twelfth year of Chongzhen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You pretended to be lost in thought for a moment, then covered his forehead with one hand. His knowledge of history was limited to what he remembered from textbooks, and after entering society, he had forgotten it all. Never mind the specific year of Chongzhen; he didn't even know how many years the Chongzhen reign lasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for his leisure time, the period dramas he often encountered on TV were mostly *The Travels of Emperor Kangxi*, *The Tale of Qianlong*, *The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan*, *Prime Minister Liu Luoguo*, *The Kangxi Dynasty*, *My Fair Princess*, *Empress of the Palace*, *Scarlet Heart*, *Palace*...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With all that \"Zha,\" \"Master,\" \"Servant,\" \"Sir,\" \"Father,\" and \"Princess\" nonsense, and the \"handsome\" hairstyles, it once made Li You think all ancient people had that hairstyle. After all, he had seen pictures of Confucius online, all with the \"money-rat tail\" braid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You secretly made up his mind that in the days to come, he must read more books. Forgetting the future wheels of history and losing the chance for a \"God's-eye view\" was already a great pity; he could not continue to be an ignorant person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was, where were the books?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, there was a commotion at the banquet, and many people raised their wine bowls high. Only then did Li You realize the drinking party had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen, Wu Nai, and the others were chatting aimlessly. Li You wanted to listen to the movements over at Wu Zhuge and Boss Pig's side, but it was too noisy, so he had to give up, keeping his head down and picking up a few chopsticks of pickled vegetables to suppress the alcohol fumes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the two on Wu Zhuge's side were not having a pleasant conversation, and their voices gradually grew louder...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Motherfucker, my stronghold is almost out of food. I'm treating you to good food and drink today, and you won't even give me an introduction to the Cao family?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jianbao stared brazenly at Wu Zhuge and said, \"Besides, such an important letter came from Qingyang Post, and I was the first to come and tell you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I really can't help with this matter. The salt and iron trade has always been handled by my second brother. If you really want to get a piece of the pie, you'll have to see if those big shots in Mianxian who eat the meat agree! Besides, even if you didn't tell us the news from Qingyang Post, we would have known sooner or later. Have you forgotten that Xing Youdao is my third brother's father-in-law?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen had married Xing Youdao's daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge continued unhurriedly, \"How about you join our stronghold? I'll give you a seat as the Fifth Leader?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jianbao couldn't help but sneer upon hearing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, why? You look down on it?\" Wu Zhuge frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I really do look down on it. Aside from those few bastards under Shi Dayong who have some gear, the rest of your brothers—calling them mountain bandits is a disgrace to our mother!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jianchen said loudly, looking smug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge laughed when he heard this. He wasn't angry; he knew Liu Jianchen's men often attacked strongholds and held their own against government suppression, and their combat strength was indeed strong, but not strong enough to challenge him. The most formidable ones were actually the horse bandits from Qigan Mountain; those were the real desperadoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wu Nai couldn't sit still. He stood up with a \"whoosh\" and said, \"Leader Liu, are you bullying us at Longmen Stronghold because we have no one?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You looked at the hot-tempered Wu Nai and blinked his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? Isn't what your grandfather said the truth?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jianbao said with a grin, \"Little Naizi, I'm afraid you've forgotten... wasn't it last time we went to attack Xianghuoping, you fired three arrows, all missed, and then a local militiaman hiding behind the parapet shot you in the ass with one arrow? Heh, how do you think that militiaman shot you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehehe...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, the people at both tables were laughing until they were rolling on the floor. That was something that happened during the Lantern Festival this year, and most of them were there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Nai was both angry and ashamed, looking like he was about to explode on the spot. Miao Xianzu on his left wanted to pull Wu Nai back, but Wu Nai was in a mood, violently shaking him off and saying, \"Then you set the terms today, let's have a go at it. Damn it, whoever doesn't agree today is a son of a bitch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1758,"2026-06-20T03:32:06.992Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","9d58ed1881aace66cca3dffd0230eb477b53b79451ac5cdc437e3fa5936a54b5","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-44","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-42",71,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-the-ming-cover.jpg"]