[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-the-ming":3,"chapter-overthrowing-the-ming-overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-5":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},2289232,4476,"Chapter 5: Absolutely Not","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>\"Sifting\" is a brutal torture method used on kidnapped hostages, forcing them to endure such agony that they report their family assets as far greater than they truly are; often, a single ransom payment leaves the family destitute and buried in debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon exiting the water prison, it was discovered that besides the seventeen young men brought in yesterday, there were two others, as well as the six men already held in Li You’s water prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All twenty-five men were essentially left with only half their lives, especially Wu Dading, whose foot had been injured; after the long journey and soaking in the water for half the night, his whole body was burning hot and his mind was becoming delirious, which made Li You extremely anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, he could not help but subconsciously touch the inner lining of his clothes, feeling slightly more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking along the narrow, winding path, there were over a dozen simple cave cells on this hillside, emitting a foul stench; presumably, the clamor from earlier had come from the hostages being dragged out of there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the group reached a valley in the mountain col; the valley floor was generally very flat and about a dozen mu in size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, against the mountain rock, stood three rows of earthen houses arranged in a \"gate\" shape, with a simple earthen platform in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, four chairs were placed on the platform, occupied by five people; Li You had seen the person in the center—it was the man in his forties or fifties who had been riding the black-dappled horse yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting on his large chair was also a plump, charming, and voluptuous young woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a wide-collared jacket inside, and the swelling of her chest stretched the neckline until it was bulging, as if it might burst at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his left sat a man in a cross-collared robe with a white protective collar, holding a sandalwood fan; from afar, he looked like a wealthy master, likely the Second Leader, Cao Er.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the two on the right, one with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks sat cross-legged on a large chair; this should be \"Heartless\" Zhang Zhuanggen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other, a large man with a square face, sat upright, though he held a jar of strong liquor in his hand, drinking it nonchalantly; he must be the alcoholic Fourth Leader, Shi Dayong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the platform was a makeshift drill ground, a place where the mountain bandits usually practiced drills and performed tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On both sides of the drill ground were nearly a hundred men, all with disheveled hair and stubble, either sitting or leaning against the eaves; on the outer edge of the drill ground was a large stone mill, surrounded by a sparse forest, and just a few meters beyond the forest was a mountain ravine over ten meters deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li You came up, \"sifting\" was taking place here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pah, [vulgarity]... the main target is here! Drag them up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Li You and the others came up, Wu Zhuge had already sat up, scratched his neck vigorously, spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground, and waved his large hand; several half-grown boy soldiers walked toward Li You’s group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You’s heart skipped a beat; suddenly, a \"Night Scout\" from the mountain gate rushed over, shouting before even reaching the drill ground...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great Leader, a letter has been delivered from Guanzishan, saying they want us to make a quick decision to form a joint camp with them, then head west out of Chadianzi, and set out east with them to coordinate from within and without to capture the southeastern gateways of Pingli and Xing'an.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Eight Great Kings? Heh, capture my ass. Zhao Guangyuan is a straw bag, that’s true, but do you really think He Renlong and Li Guo’an are straw bags?\" Wu Zhuge laughed wildly, taking a wax-coated object the size of a jujube from the hairy man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a wax-sealed letter containing a piece of very thin white cotton paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wu Zhuge pinched the wax ball open, he asked, \"Where is the messenger?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He didn't stop, he left on horseback, saying he was going to Qiganshan!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Qiganshan? Going to see Boss Zhu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge’s expression immediately turned gloomy; Qiganshan was a group of bandits near the Hanjiang river north of Mount Longmen, and their strength was more formidable than their Longmen Shanzhai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a sudden sense of irritation; he had been feeling unwell lately, suffering from excessive thirst and unbearable skin itching. Seeing a large pile of ants gathered around the spit he had just cast on the ground, he disgustedly stomped on them several times before stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You had been standing quietly to one side, his gaze lingering on Wu Zhuge’s face and the saliva at his feet, lost in thought for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge muttered to himself, \"If Qiganshan and Guanzishan form a joint camp, then our Longmen Shanzhai will likely be the ones bled dry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then handed the letter to Cao Er beside him and said, \"See who exactly sent this letter. I don't believe those two bumpkins from Guanzishan have the guts for this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>North of Guanzishan were the remnants of the subordinates of \"King Who Contends for the World\" Liu Xiyao and \"Passing Star\" Zhang Tianlin from the eleventh year of Chongzhen; most were wounded soldiers who had broken through the government encirclement when retreating north from Sichuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, when the peasant army fell into a low ebb, Li Zicheng fled to Mount Shangluo, and Zhang and Luo successively surrendered, they had been holed up here ever since. The leaders were \"Brave General\" Bai Huixi and \"Rice-Rushing General\" Mi Jinshan, but the one who had truly grown powerful in Guanzishan over the past two years was a salt peddler nicknamed \"Boss Zhu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Er tore open the wax ball, pulled out the white cotton paper, and after just one glance at the signature, said, \"Zhang Sihu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, it really is the number one adopted son of the Eight Great Kings of the Western Camp, Zhang Sihu... No wonder Guanzishan made such a big move this time, daring to massacre Lueyang County; it turns out they have a very thick thigh to lean on...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhuanggen also leaned in and added, \"We should join the camp. What if the Western King really can coordinate with them from within and without to break through Pingli Pass? That would definitely mean hard times for us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Er frowned and pondered, saying nothing for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the second year of Chongzhen, insurgent armies had sprung up like mushrooms everywhere; these armies mostly operated under the name of peasant rebels, but their core members were basically border soldiers from Shaanxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their original intent for rebelling was not firm, so they deliberately chose nicknames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their titles were influenced by the popular culture of the era, such as *The Tale of the Outlaws of the Marsh* (Water Margin) and *The Tale of the Journey to the West*, so they were all aliases, numerous and repetitive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, \"King Chuang\" Gao Yingxiang, \"Fifth King Chuang\" He Shuangquan, \"King Chuang of the World\" Wang Rugui, \"Little General Chuang\" Zhao Yunfei, etc. The common people all called them \"King Chuang,\" and in the Hubei and Hunan regions, there were many who were simultaneously called \"King Leveler\" or \"King Who Aids the Poor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just this \"Eight Great Kings\" had the \"Southern Camp Eight Great Kings,\" \"Northern Camp Eight Great Kings,\" and \"Western Camp Eight Great Kings,\" among which the \"Western Camp Eight Great Kings\" was Zhang Xianzhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Dayong took a gulp of liquor at this moment and suddenly said, \"Joining the camp is fine too; this world should have changed a long time ago!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge immediately felt uneasy; he naturally did not want to join the camp. What were Zhang Xianzhong and Zhang Sihu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were involved in the heaven-defying business of exterminating entire clans, a path with no hope of survival, while he was just a mountain bandit—or more accurately, a long-term bandit, the kind passed down through generations...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was even a government-sanctioned bandit, so he did not want to wade into these muddy waters, but he was also afraid that if Zhang Xianzhong really did attack, he would be the first target to be liquidated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great King, you must absolutely not join the camp!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a high-pitched voice came, startling everyone, and they all turned to look in the direction of the sound...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speaker wore a scholar’s robe, and despite his slightly disheveled appearance, it could not suppress his tall, straight figure like a poplar tree. On his pale face, a pair of star-like eyes still shone brightly. Just standing there quietly gave people a feeling of cleanliness and etherealness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm? Great King?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voluptuous young woman sitting half-on Wu Zhuge’s lap, named Dayun’er, was Wu Zhuge’s wife. She sized Li You up, always feeling that this youth possessed an indescribable temperament, and said softly, \"A scholar? Ah, how handsome...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am Li You, courtesy name Hanchen, a scholar from Qingjian County. I have long admired the Great King’s prestige and have long had the intention to defect.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Defect to a mountain bandit? Did you all hear that? Calling me 'Great King,' haha... A scholar actually wants to defect to our Longmen Shanzhai... Hahaha...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Zhuge laughed wildly, \"Then why were you locked in the water prison?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the many mountain bandits burst into even louder laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the feudal history of families passing down farming and reading, the status of scholars had always been extremely high. Especially in the early and middle Ming Dynasty, the status of scholars reached its peak. Whether among ordinary people or swordsmen and the underworld, the reverence for scholars was ingrained, absorbed from childhood, and there was an instinctive, natural awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li You was not intimidated at all and took out his household registration license, saying, \"If the Great King does not believe me, you can fully examine my student license!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said that, he walked slowly, step by step, toward the earthen platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash, he thought of Jing Ke’s attempt to assassinate the King of Qin with a dagger hidden in a map; taking this opportunity to get close to Wu Zhuge was truly a good idea, but the problem was he didn't have a dagger, only black fingernails... uh, one infects two...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped after passing Li Qin and the others by about a step and tossed the household registration in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Er caught it and roughly examined it; there were several tears and quite a few bloodstains on it—those were the gashes from when Li You was fighting at the east gate of Lueyang and was grazed by a polearm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thing he checked was the seal of the Confucian school and the instructor on it. Seeing nothing unusual, he began to read it carefully...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhang Suomin, Chief of the Qingjian County Confucian School, issues this license: Upon investigation, student Li You [missing character] of the Qingjian County school, courtesy name Hanchen, is of upright character, diligent in study, and outstanding in academic performance, worthy of being a stipend student. In addition to registering the details with the Ministry, this license is issued to the student for safekeeping. License holder: Li You [missing character], 19 years old, native of Qingjian County, residing in Xiaocha Ze. Three generations: Great-grandfather Tai, Grandfather Feng, Father Ji. Issued for safekeeping. Issued on the sixth day of the tenth month of the [missing character] year of Chongzhen. School Chief Zhang Suomin. Instructor Li Qian.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the bloodstains and knife marks, the name and date columns were exactly cut by the blade of the polearm, missing two characters, but the overall text was readable without issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading it, Cao Er handed it to Li You with a half-smile and asked, \"Who were your introductory teacher, your professional teacher, and your master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note]: \"Bi\" (vulgarity), this term already existed in the Ming Dynasty, and its usage and meaning were the same as today. In *The Story of the Stone*, a woman comes out, and Beiming goes up to say, \"Master Bao is waiting in the study for his clothes to go out, please go in and pass a message.\" The woman says, \"[Vulgarity]! Wang Xifeng’s daughter was weaving a flower garland, and she scolded, 'What you are weaving is your mother’s [vulgarity].'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Note]: During the Hongwu reign, there was an uprising by the \"King Leveler\" in Guangdong. Although it was quickly suppressed by the government, the name \"King Leveler\" was passed down through generations. During the Zhengtong and Jingtai reigns, miners and farmers in the three provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi rose up under the leadership of Ye Zongliu and Deng Maoqi, using the banner of \"King Leveler.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of the King Leveler was simple and clear, and it spread extremely widely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Wanli reign, Liu Ruguo in the Taihu and Susong areas of Nanzhili called himself \"King Who Aids the Poor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first year of Chongzhen, there was a \"King Who Seizes Heaven\" in Anyuan County, Jiangxi... they all had roughly the same purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the ninth year of Chongzhen, a miners' uprising broke out in the southern Hunan region. Liu Wenhuang organized a force in the middle section of the Luoxiao Mountains, located at the border of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces in southwestern Jiangxi, at Shihan Mountain. At its northern end was a peak that would become known to every household in China three hundred years later, and he formed a force marked by \"red cloth headbands,\" named the \"Red Camp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2293,"2026-06-20T03:32:06.992Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","0bf944338faf5d0f26d0e2b834e2cbc6d48ce74c92447f59949e4a114c8e50a0","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-6","overthrowing-the-ming-chapter-4",71,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-the-ming-cover.jpg"]