[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-ming":3,"chapter-stealing-ming-stealing-ming-chapter-101":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Stealing 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},1220718,1614,"Chapter 101: Section 9","stealing-ming-chapter-101",101,"\u003Cp>\"Old man, why must you do this? You have sons and grandsons — do you not wish to be with them again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old village chief lay prostrate on the ground and explained in a tone of utmost deference that the Later Jin authorities had long ago issued an order: if the able-bodied men of a village fled in secret, the village chief would be put to death. If the entire village fled, the villagers' ancestral graves would be opened and the coffins exhumed as punishment. The chief wished to protect his ancestors' tombs, and so he implored Huang Shi to let him stay, so as to give the Later Jin regime a target on which to vent its fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This commoner has only a few days left to live anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other old men also knelt on the ground and said, \"General, the graves of our ancestors are all here. If the village is gone, there will be no one left to tend the tombs or sweep the graves. We must at least keep the grave mounds intact, so that when the Imperial Army returns, our children will have a place to offer incense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We beg the General to look after our children and grandchildren.\" A dozen or so old men kowtowed together, shouting as they did so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers all around stopped their work to look this way, and many of the soldiers showed expressions of pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi stood stunned for a long moment, then suddenly spoke out in a loud voice: \"In that case, I will not force you to relocate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouted to the hundred-odd villagers: \"I will be leaving soon. All of you, stay.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village chief raised his head in astonishment: \"But the General has military orders to carry out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When a general is in the field, there are orders he may choose not to accept.\" Huang Shi threw his head back and gave a long laugh, his heart suddenly opening wide and clear: \"I am a military officer of the Great Ming. If I cannot defend the land and bring peace to the people, how can I force others into hardship?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Move out.\" Huang Shi swept his hand in a gesture and left as soon as he said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village chief offered forty shi of grain and five pigs. Huang Shi ordered that only twenty shi of grain be taken — taking nothing at all would leave him unable to account to his subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they left, Jin Qiude asked in private: \"My lord, were you concerned that these people might bear a grudge against our army, and charge the deaths of the old men to our account?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct.\" Huang Shi sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Manxiong also seized an opportunity and asked Huang Shi in private: \"My lord, did you feel that two or three hundred shi of grain was not much anyway, and that it would be better used to win the hearts of the people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Zhiyuan also asked him when no one else was around: \"My lord, did you pity those old men? Would you rather our army endure a little hardship than let the common people suffer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only He Baodao shouted loudly: \"As expected of my lord! Our Great Ming Imperial Army must of course protect the borders and pacify the people, and all the more must we retake Liaodong at the earliest moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General — General, halt!\" The army had trudged on for two li in somewhat dejected spirits when shouts came from far behind. Huang Shi turned his head and stopped for a moment, and saw four or five men holding torches and chasing after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one in the lead was an old man he had seen just earlier. Gasping for breath, he caught up, fell to his knees, and began kowtowing again — it seemed this was the only form of ritual commoners had when meeting officials. The old man asked, still out of breath: \"May I dare ask the General's honored surname and great name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of the need for secrecy, Huang Shi had ordered the soldiers not to reveal his name, so the people of this village did not know who he was. Just as he hesitated, the old man added: \"The General's lofty righteousness has been felt as a great kindness by our entire humble village. We dare ask the General to leave his name and courtesy name, so that we may offer prayers for the General's blessings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ha, offer prayers for my blessings?\" Huang Shi let out a burst of wild laughter at these words — even a lie should not be this fake. He asked the old man in return: \"Are you not afraid the Jianzhou slaves will slaughter your entire village?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man knelt on the ground and did not argue. He simply pointed to the four youths behind him: \"General, these few lads insist on going with the General. We will consider them dead, and tomorrow the village will dig graves for them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case…\" Huang Shi studied these people for a while and understood that the village wished to secretly set up a longevity tablet for him. In a village, everyone was bound by countless threads of kinship; if word of these four men leaked out, the entire village would suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this way, Huang Shi could not well refuse the good intentions of these suffering people. He pondered for a moment, then declared in a ringing voice: \"This general is the Assistant Regional Military Commissioner of Liaodong, the Mobile Corps Commander of Dongjiang, and the Changsheng Regional Military Commissioner — Huang Shi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Huang!\" Several villagers cried out together. The sudden shout startled Huang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The several villagers all showed expressions of disbelief. The old man asked in a trembling voice: \"Could the General be the Huang Shi, General Huang, whose might shakes Guangning?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officers and soldiers nearby, upon hearing these words, immediately puffed out their chests, their faces all taking on expressions of supreme arrogance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi had not known his name was already so renowned. He smiled and answered: \"That is indeed this general. I now serve under the command of the Pingliao Regional Commander, Mao Wenlong, Lord Mao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have long heard that the General is peerless in loyalty and righteousness, and that his martial prowess surpasses the age. To be able to see the General's honored countenance today is truly the accumulated virtue of this old man's ancestors.\" The old man's expression was solemn as he spoke with great respect: \"For these lads to be able to follow the General is truly their good fortune.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi turned his gaze to the four young men: \"What are your names?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four exchanged glances. Suddenly one of them fell to his knees and began kowtowing repeatedly — kowtowing again: \"This lowly one has no name and no surname. I humbly dare to beg General Huang to take me into his household.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other three also jolted awake and kowtowed several times together: \"We lowly ones also have no names and no surnames. We are willing to enter the Huang household as bondservants. We beg the General to take us in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man, hearing this, nodded repeatedly: \"General Huang, in their ancestral registers, they are already dead men.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi was stunned speechless. The few men thought he was refusing and cried out again: \"We lowly ones will work like oxen and horses, and will never utter a word of complaint.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, two more men came over, leading an ox and a donkey, with a few farm tools and large bundles of hay loaded on their backs. Seeing the situation, they waited off to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Manxiong sidled up behind him and said in a low voice to Huang Shi: \"My lord, your subordinate thinks this is good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well then, you are now members of my Huang household.\" Huang Shi nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four men still did not rise: \"We beg the household master to bestow names upon us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This turn of events made Huang Shi's head feel very big. His modern education made him extremely uncomfortable with this kind of scene, and coming up with four names all at once was simply beyond him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Zhao Manxiong came to his rescue again, speaking four names right into Huang Shi's ear: \"Huang Da, Huang Er, Huang San, Huang Si — assign them by age.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That works? Isn't that too much of a joke? Huang Shi hesitated, then said this to the four retainers who had delivered themselves to his door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, the four men cheered in unison and gave another round of grateful thanks: \"We lowly ones thank the household master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man bared his incomplete and broken teeth and chuckled as he said to the young men: \"You truly are blessed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two villagers leading the livestock also offered repeated congratulations. The old man explained that the village was very small, so this was all they could offer in tribute to the Imperial Army of the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shi thanked them, then ordered the livestock to be taken along and left with the four youths — \"I still do not understand the Ming dynasty well enough, nor do I understand feudal society well enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time Huang Shi had brought three hundred soldiers because he feared there would be too many goods and not enough hands. In the end, after a night of toil, what they brought back was negligible. Yet on the return march, the army's morale rose ever higher, as if they had just fought and won a great victory.\u003C\u002Fp>",1609,"2026-06-04T07:54:30.907Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","3d7dfc5e232fa0431f2489f17fd2b45ca294d22d71c07ed31d7081756f700316","stealing-ming-chapter-102","stealing-ming-chapter-100",323,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-ming-cover.jpg"]