I

Zou Mengxu raised his sword and charged forward, shouting: "Qing Jin, you are rebelling too!"

Liu Tongsheng looked around blankly. The rebels had not yet reached the city, but more and more gentry were defecting. Even the Xiangyong he recruited shouted "Kaicheng", and a few Xiangyong even came around.

"Brother (Master), please rebel!"

The tribesmen and domestic slaves surrounded Liu Tongsheng. If he dared to say no, he would be tied up immediately.

Most of these tribesmen are small landowners and farmers, and only one is a large landowner. These domestic slaves are also waiting to surrender to thieves to share their fields. They were just thinking about their old friendship and did not take action directly. They wanted to coerce Liu Tongsheng and lead the crowd to defect.

"That's it, that's all!"

Liu Tongsheng, who was supposed to be the top scholar in three years' time, was forced to abandon his sword and throw his sword to the ground. He could only save his family first.

The Zou family, Liu family, and Li family all defected and quickly occupied an entire section of the city wall. The Liu family also defected in the north. As long as they are not attacked, they will not continue to attack. If you are a fellow villager, who is willing to fight to the death?

Therefore, despite the lively fighting everywhere, the casualties are actually negligible.

Zou Mengxu's grandfather was named Zou Yuanbiao. He was the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs during his lifetime. After his death, he was given the posthumous title "Zhongjie" by the Taibao of the Crown Prince and the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs after his death.

Liu Tongsheng was a student of Zou Yuanbiao and the son-in-law of Tang Xianzu.

Although this group of gentry had conflicts with each other, they formed a huge network of relationships.

Even if they are thieves, their thoughts are not simple. They only have three thoughts: first, if the Zhao thieves can succeed, these gentry will form gangs and become the founding members of the new dynasty; second, if the Zhao thieves are defeated, , these gentry will look for opportunities to rebel and rebel again through court relations; thirdly, they can only survive for the time being and cannot ruin the future of the family.

Even Wang Siren, who was suppressing bandits in Duchang, was a disciple of Liu Tongsheng's father (who is deceased).

Liu Tongsheng looked around and found several gentry committing suicide. They all slaughtered farmers with their own hands. They wanted to use their own lives to preserve the continuity of the entire family.

The family is bigger than itself, bigger than land, bigger than money, bigger than the court!

Zhao Han is not a Tatar, he is just a rebel. There is no need for them to ruin the entire family. Only when a foreign race like the Manchus came, many gentry would rebel as a clan and donate all their property to recruit troops to fight against the Qing.

Of course, there are also those who are greedy for life and afraid of death, relying on the Qing court to keep their wealth.

For example, in history, Li Mu’s father, Li Yuanding, defected to the Qing Dynasty the next year after Li Banghua died for his country. His uncle (Li Banghua) was still dead - the Li family produced several ministers in the Qing Dynasty!

"Welcome Mr. Zhao!"

The city gates were wide open. Those who were shameless would kneel down to greet them, while those who were shameless would stand and bow.

There were also some guys whose hands were stained with the blood of farmers and who wanted to commit suicide but couldn't do it. At this moment, they were kneeling in front of Zhao Han, hoping to save a dog's life.

Zhao Han stood at the gate of the city, glanced at it and said, "Ji Ren, stand up and come to my left!"

A total of nine people stood up one after another and stood on the left side of Zhao Han.

Liu Tongsheng wanted to commit murder, but was afraid of hurting his family, so he could only stand in line with resentment.

"I heard there are still Jinshi?" Zhao Han said with a smile.

Zhou Ruixu stepped forward with his head held high, cupped his hands and said, "Zhou Ruixu, the length of the word."

Zhao Han asked: "What position did you hold before returning to your hometown?"

Zhou Ruixu said: "A doctor from the Literary Anthology Department."

"This is a fat job." Zhao Han sighed.

The doctor of the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel can appoint local officials below the fourth rank without the approval of the Minister of Personnel, including the appointment of prefects across the country!

Zhou Ruixu replied: "I have just taken up my post and have not yet started work, so Ding You returned to his hometown."

This man's official career was bizarre. Before he became a doctor in the literary selection department, he was just a small county magistrate. Suddenly he caught the emperor's eye and personally promoted him to the position of doctor of literary selection department, but he went home to attend the funeral without getting too hot.

Zhao Han asked: "You took the lead this time?"

"yes."

Zhou Ruixu bravely admitted that it was only because of his high official position that he was elected as the nominal leader. Including the night attack and killing of farmers that day, many squires had discussed it and then forced Zhou Ruixu to take the lead in sending troops.

Zhao Han asked, "Did you get blood on your hands that night?"

"No, no," Zhou Ruixu replied.

Zhao Han scolded: "Speak clearly!"

Zhou Ruixu said: "I can't bear to kill innocent people. But my soldiers killed more than ten people, so I can count them as my own."

How the hell does this count?

Zhao Han said he would only kill the chief culprit, but he did not kill anyone.

Zhao Han asked those people again: "Who has blood on his hands?"

One of them walked out, stared at Zhao Han and said, "Kill or behead me, I'll do whatever you want, I just want to let my people go!"

"Qiang!"

Zhao Han drew his sword out of its sheath, a flash of sword light flashed, and he fell down suddenly.

All the gentry were horrified. This was a juren, and he actually killed him on the spot. If there are other rebels and one of them can take refuge, it won't matter no matter how many people they kill.

Zhao Han sneered and said: "Don't look at me violently killing people. I am helping him. Otherwise, he will be dragged to a public trial and the whole family will not end well! Anyone with blood on their hands must come forward. Don't force me to interrogate them one by one." If you are found out, the whole family will be brought back to the public trial, and the common people will drown you with a drop of spit!"

Two more gentry stood up, while others hid in the crowd and shivered.

"Keep your bodies intact and stop chasing your family members. I, Mr. Zhao, will do what I say." Zhao Han said to these two people.

Four soldiers quickly stepped forward, strangled the two men's necks with ropes, and strangled them alive in front of countless people.

This time, the gentry were really frightened, and some even became so frightened that they became incontinent on the spot.

"Evil thief, you are cruel and cruel, and you are good at killing gentry. You will never win the world in this life!" One of the remaining eight people suddenly yelled.

Zhao Han smiled and said, "What's your name?"

The man held his head high and said, "You won't change your name when you're walking, and you won't change your surname when you sit down. This is Yang Zhong!"

Zhao Han asked: "Did you kill someone too?"

Yang Zhong replied: "No, I didn't even leave the city that night."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhao Han burst out laughing suddenly and actually bowed to Yang Zhong: "I admire scholars with integrity. You can scold me as long as you don't break the rules." After saying that, he announced to the other gentry, "I am here. , you will not be punished for your words, everyone can speak freely. There is only one thing you need to remember, do not spread rumors and cause trouble."

The gentry haven't recovered yet. They killed three people in a row just now. It was really exciting.

Zhao Han had no choice but to walk towards Yang Zhong, took this man's hand and said, "It's great of you. With so many scholars, you dare to be the first to stand up and scold me. If you are so kind, you will be a pillar in the court. It's a pity that Emperor Chongzhen We can't use people. Mr. Yang, would you like to work under me?"

Yang Zhong was completely stunned. He was so indignant that he cursed the rebels and had long been prepared to commit suicide.

Unexpectedly, this rebel didn't get angry but smiled instead. He even praised him as a talented person and even started to recruit him on the spot. Even though he knew that Zhao Han was trying to win people's hearts, Yang Zhong still felt very happy. He even felt that Zhao Han was a hero and a corporal.

"Good man, in one sentence, are you willing to work with me?" Zhao Han asked.

"I...I..." Yang Zhong looked around and wanted to agree on the spot, but he couldn't save face. He hesitated for a long time and finally said, "Wansheng is willing."

Liu Tongsheng sighed, not because Yang Zhong was a thief, but because he felt how terrible Zhao thief was.

First, he praised him in public, giving Yang Zhong enough face to let him put down his resistance.

Then they recruited him in public and put Yang Zhong on the fire.

Yang Zhong was admitted to the Juren Examination, so he was naturally very smart. He knew that if he refused, it would ruin Zhao Han's good deeds, and he would definitely be retaliated against in the future, so he could only bite the bullet and agree.

Yang Zhong was the first to surrender and had to follow Zhao Han to the dark side. Others can be recruited, but Yang Zhong has no chance of being recruited. He will be treated as a model by the court and executed!

What kind of rebel is this motherfucker? Her methods of manipulating people's hearts are too terrifying.

If it were any other rebel, Yang Zhong would probably have been chopped down with a knife, which would definitely arouse the collective hatred of the scholars. However, Zhao Han easily resolved the situation and recruited Yang Zhong as his subordinate. As a result, the hearts of the gentry were divided, which not only weakened the impact of the murder just now, but some scholars even felt that Zhao Han had the qualifications to be a British master.

Liu Tongsheng thought to himself, no wonder Li Shangshu became a thief. This rebel was indeed extraordinary.

Zhao Han took Yang Zhong's hand and said with a smile: "With your help, it is better than a hundred thousand elite soldiers."

"Zhao... my lord is so complimentary." Yang Zhong's scalp was numb at the moment.

Zhao Han's words were murderous and heart-wrenching. If word spread to the imperial court, Yang Zhong would definitely be included in the list of core rebels.

Alas, I am just an ordinary scholar. I don’t even know whether I can pass the Jinshi examination. You think I am better than a hundred thousand elite soldiers?

Yang Zhong was so aggrieved that he wanted to cry. He regretted standing up and swearing just now. He would rather be chopped down by Zhao Han, at least it would not involve his family.

But, how can I feel so happy at the same time I feel aggrieved?

Having your help is better than a hundred thousand elite soldiers. These words made Yang Zhong feel a little arrogant.

Zhao Han said to Yang Zhong again: "But, I'm afraid I have to wrong you. To work under me, you must start from a small official position, and everything must be promoted based on political performance. Those who are willing to do things and those who can do things will be promoted quickly. , are you willing to serve as a clerk for the General Military Mansion?"

"I will do my best!" Yang Zhong also entered the state. Anyway, he has become a thief, so he should do his best.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhao Han laughed and turned to look at everyone.

This wonderful show of "the king and his ministers being in harmony" actually made some scholars feel itchy, especially those scholars who could not pass the examination.

A scholar suddenly jumped out, bowed his hands and said: "Mr. Zhao is eager for talents and treats virtuous officials. He is really a wise master. He was born late and has no talent. I would like to recommend myself to help the town allocate the fields. Please start from my Guo family's land!"

"Da Shan, please get up quickly, Mr. Guo." Zhao Han personally stepped forward to help him.

All the gentry gnashed their teeth. This man named Guo was too cunning. There was a Jinshi in his family's ancestors, and his neighbors were all wealthy families. They only occupied a few thousand acres of land, but his business was booming.

As long as this guy hooks up with Zhao Han, he won't be afraid of dividing the land at all, and it will be more conducive to business!

"Let's go, you two, follow me into the city." Zhao Han held hands with each other, as if he was holding the little lover he had just hooked up with.

Li Musheng suddenly knelt down, and Li Chun'an also knelt down: "Mr. Li from Gucun, I am willing to serve the town with all my hard work!"

Zou Mengxu also knelt down with his clan brothers: "Zou family from the east gate, I am willing to work hard for the general town!"

Needless to say about the Li family, Li Banghua has been a thief for a long time. Even if the Li brothers are not thief, their two fathers will probably be implicated.

Zou Mengxun has no psychological burden. His grandfather Zou Yuanbiao had his legs broken by Zhang Juzheng and was exiled, but he rectified his name after Zhang Juzheng's death. But since grandpa's death, the Zou family has never produced a Jinshi. Maybe he can become a prosperous person if he joins the rebels.

"I am willing to do my best for the general town!"

Suddenly, a large number of people knelt down at the gate of the city. They all wanted to join the rebel team and do something, and they would adapt to the situation in the future.

Liu Tongsheng could only kneel down. It was hard to say whether he could be recruited, but he would definitely not be able to take the top prize.