To be honest, Zheng Hong truly admired Chen Ming's actions. He raised an army without hesitation and rebelled without any delay.
It can be said that if the court is overthrown in the future, this person's contribution will account for at least half of the credit.
"However, throughout history, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down first. So, despite Chen Ming's current considerable influence, hasn't the court's attention been drawn to him as well?"
"Throughout the Zhili region, dozens of Green Standard Army battalions and tens of thousands of Mongol cavalry are all watching him closely. If he reveals any weakness, this excellent situation will be ruined," Zheng Hong said confidently.
Mentioning Chen Ming, every rebel would give him a thumbs up, calling him a hero. But what good is that? All his power is tightly controlled by the imperial court; he'll most likely end up as a vanguard for the king.
This has become a common practice throughout Chinese dynasties. Take, for example, the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising at Dazexiang. It seemed quite powerful, but what was the outcome? What became of these two men?
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Liu Futong, the leader of the Red Turban Army, directly wiped out the main force of the Yuan court and made an indelible contribution to the destruction of the Yuan Dynasty. But what was the result? Not only did he die, but his son was also killed.
Although Chen Ming is currently very powerful, if he can't overcome this challenge, won't he just become a vanguard for the king?
“Yes, that’s right. Building high walls, storing up grain, and delaying the declaration of kingship—that was the strategy Zhu Yuanzhang used to gain power. The Zhu family loved that approach. It’s understandable that you, my lord, are using it now,” Lin Yang said with a smile.
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Chapter Thirty-Two: Killing Two Birds with One Stone
"And what about the last God who descended to earth? What flaws did this person have?" Lin Yang continued.
“Well, Hong Xiuquan was a descendant of God. He was originally a scholar who failed the imperial examinations repeatedly, not even a Xiucai degree. In fact, it was the court's fault. How could someone as capable as Hong Xiuquan not even pass the Xiucai exam and not even hold an official position? Isn't that injustice of the court?” Zheng Hong said with a smile, spreading his hands.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang couldn't help but nod. If Hong Xiuquan had passed the imperial examination at the time, or had a civil servant position, he would never have been so foolish as to rebel.
Historically, another person who received the same treatment was Li Zicheng. He was originally a local government official, but was dismissed by Emperor Chongzhen. Then, he marched on the capital to demand his unpaid wages and eventually destroyed the Ming Dynasty.
These examples all illustrate one point: at all times, we must leave a path for ordinary people to improve themselves. Moreover, the difficulty of this path must not be greater than that of rebellion.
"Later, this person had an epiphany through a Bible brought by a missionary. Afterwards, combined with his family's ancestral method of summoning gods, his strength improved by leaps and bounds. Now, he is a genuine third-grade grandmaster. Especially when summoning gods, he can even hold his own against a second-grade grandmaster for a period of time."
"Therefore, he claimed that he had been given a gift by God and that he was the reincarnation of God's second son, calling himself the King of Men. He, along with Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan, and others, launched a rebellion. Moreover, he used religion to bewitch people, claiming that all those who were loyal to the Kingdom of Heaven could enter the Kingdom of Heaven after death and enjoy happiness."
"This approach was indeed very effective in the short term, rapidly increasing the strength of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. However, it also had its flaws. The Heavenly Kingdom itself was a sham, and it would be exposed sooner or later. It could deceive everyone for a short time, but it could not deceive the whole world forever."
"When the lies end, that will be the day faith crumbles. At that time, without any action, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will collapse on its own," Zheng Hong explained slowly.
To be honest, Zheng Hong didn't quite understand these sayings. He was just a rough guy, a gangster boss, and a former leader of the Hongmen. But he was smart, so he memorized them beforehand.
To paraphrase the strategist Zuo Zongtang, intelligent people can certainly understand. As for fools, even if they truly don't understand, they'll pretend to.
"Using faith to unite people and bewitch the masses is indeed a heretical path, and the chances of success are extremely low. But if it succeeds, it will surely shock the world. Perhaps if there weren't so many rebels, this person would still have a chance of success. But now, it's truly impossible," Cai Yan said with a cold smile.
With so many rebels, even if the court is overthrown, the rebels will obviously undermine each other. Therefore, having too many rebels is not a good thing.
After speaking, Lin Yang and the other two fell silent. Zheng Hong knew they were discussing things using a secret method. Therefore, he sat there quietly, saying and doing nothing.
"This person wasn't lying; he was telling the truth. In other words, everything he said is true. So, it seems that the remaining three companies do indeed have significant flaws," Lin Yang thought to himself.
"Phew, yeah, Wei Ze is so selfless, I just can't stand it. How can anyone really be selfless?" Shi A wondered to himself.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang could only say, "Young comrade, your awareness is far too low. This kind of thinking is unacceptable. If you don't even know what serving the people means, what's the point of your life?"
Of course, Lin Yang himself had no right to say that. After all, he was a feudal lord, a target of revolution, so how could he possibly support Wei Ze? That would be utterly incompetent.
“Chen Ming of Lushan is facing this hurdle now. Once he gets through it, he will reap great rewards. At that time, he will undoubtedly be the number one rebel in the world. It’s just a pity that he is located in Zhili, the heartland of the imperial court. Unless he destroys the imperial court, he will definitely be worn down by it.” Cai Yan sighed.
To be honest, Chen Ming was quite good. He was the kind of Han chauvinist who was completely orthodox. Whether it was driving out the Manchus to attack the city (that is, after breaking through the Manchu city, capturing the Manchus inside and using them as cannon fodder during the attack), or photoshopping Confucius (finding an image of Confucius and changing his hairstyle to a pig's tail), he did everything that suited Lin Yang and the other two's tastes.
The problem is that as long as the Qing Dynasty exists, Chen Ming cannot achieve significant progress. Moreover, while Chen Ming is confronting the court head-on, the remaining factions are continuously expanding their influence. This clearly puts him at a disadvantage.
Therefore, although I greatly admire this person, relatively speaking, the overseas emperor still has more advantages. Of course, the main reason is that this place is closest to Emperor Zhu.
"Then let's go and see Master Ming first," Lin Yang said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Hong was overjoyed. He then laughed and said, "Haha, rest assured, my lord will certainly not let you down."
Soon, led by Zheng Hong, the three left Guangzhou for Hong Kong. Along the way, Lin Yang and his companions truly realized once again just how influential the Hongmen was in this land.
About half of the yamen runners were members of the Hongmen (Triads).
Many of the clerks and other officials in the county government were also members of the Hongmen (Triads).
About half of the local gentry were originally members of the Hongmen. The rest also had intricate connections with the Hongmen in various ways.
Even the residence of the Guangzhou governor was infiltrated by numerous Hongmen spies. No wonder Zheng Hong wasn't worried at all about Zhu Datianzi taking Guangzhou. With infiltration to this extent, what was there to worry about?
"Alright, we've arrived. This is Hong Kong. This place is British territory. Even though the imperial court knows you're here, they don't dare come. Speaking of which, this imperial court is really incompetent," Zheng Hong said, shaking his head.
By this time, Hong Kong had already been ceded to the British. At a glance, one could see many white people living there. Similarly, due to the influence of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, there were also many Han Chinese residing there.
Of course, some heroes who had failed in their rebellion also fled to this place. After all, once they arrived here, the imperial court wouldn't dare to touch them.
Therefore, Zhu Jishi has managed to win over quite a few transmigrators who failed in their rebellions recently. Of course, there were also some unlucky transmigrators who had already died, with only their families arriving here.
Providing these people with good food and drink and not confiscating their property was already quite generous. However, it was precisely because of Zhu Jishi's generosity that he gained considerable good reputation.
Moreover, once these places are subdued, the families of these transmigrators will surely be very open and honest with each other, which will make things much easier. It's like killing two birds with one stone.
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Chapter Thirty-Three: Zhu Jishi, the Overseas Emperor
Opening his divine eye for a quick glance, he saw that this small island, though not very large, was home to quite a few powerful figures. Everywhere he looked, there was a sea of red light.
This means that there are quite a few innate masters on this island. This isn't the main world; here, innate masters are very valuable.
However, considering Zheng Hong's explanation, Lin Yang could understand. Those time travelers, even if their rebellion failed, were all individuals possessing great fortune.