Cheng Xu assembled his troops, boarded the small train with the militia, and soon arrived at Bai Family Fort. They slipped into the Huanglong Mountains and hid quietly within.
Before long, the messenger sent by Liang Shixian arrived at a gallop, rushed into Bai Family Fort, and demanded that Bai Yuan ring the bell to summon the "Ghost Commander."
Bai Yuan was, of course, happy to play along. Clang! Clang! Clang! He rang the bell several times.
It made the "Bai Family Fort" label on Li Daoxuan's box flash and sparkle.
Thus, Cheng Xu swaggered out of the mountains with his "Guyuan rebels" in tow...
The whole group played their parts gleefully. Only Liang Shixian's messenger was sweating with genuine anxiety.
Seeing their charade was set, Li Daoxuan shifted his view back to the county seat.
By now, under Liang Shixian's command, the county seat was on full wartime alert. All laborers working on the road outside the walls had returned, once again cramming the city's narrow streets and alleys.
Human heads bobbed everywhere.
Fang Wushang's government troops, Liang Shixian's retainers, the yamen runners, the militia, and some local volunteers who had spontaneously joined to help defend the city—all were preparing combat supplies.
Seeing this scene of soldiers and civilians uniting to defend the city, Li Daoxuan recalled historical accounts of roving bandits attacking county seats.
In the early years of the late-Ming peasant wars, aside from Wang Er's initial surprise attack that killed Chengcheng Magistrate Zhang Yaocai and his later northern campaign that captured Yijun County, there were very few records of peasant armies successfully storming walled cities.
They were mostly limited to ravaging the countryside.
It wasn't until the third year of the Chongzhen reign, when peasant armies absorbed large numbers of turncoat government troops and their combat effectiveness soared, that records of captured county seats began to appear sporadically.
As for capturing prefectural or provincial cities—that only happened occasionally, many years later. For example, Xi'an, located in the very heart of Shaanxi where the uprisings were most fierce, wasn't captured by Li Zicheng until the sixteenth year of Chongzhen's reign. Until then, it remained firmly in Ming hands.
The reasons were complex. Sturdy city walls were a major factor. Another crucial reason was that commoners unwilling to rebel, unable to survive in the villages, flowed into the major cities as "refugees" and joined the defenders in resisting the peasant armies.
Rebel armies often numbered tens of thousands, but these city refugees also numbered tens of thousands. Tens of thousands versus tens of thousands—who was afraid of whom?
That was precisely the scene in Chengcheng County now. Over ten thousand refugees assisted in the defense. The scene was truly bustling. Logs and stones for dropping were piled high on the battlements in no time. Many even volunteered to help whittle arrows...
Standing on the city wall, Fang Wushang watched the feverish activity and couldn't help muttering, "Strange. These commoners are so enthusiastic about defending the city this time. When the Wang Zuogua and Buzhanni rebels came before, the folks in Fengyuan Town weren't nearly this proactive."
Liang Shixian stepped beside him and sighed softly. "The reason isn't hard to guess."
Fang Wushang: "Oh? Please enlighten me."
Liang Shixian: "These people just got the 'road work' jobs. They had daily labor, food to eat, and three jin of flour as wages. They had just seen a glimmer of hope for life. Now the Guyuan rebels are killing their way here, forcing the road work to stop—which is the same as cutting off their livelihood..."
Fang Wushang understood. "So that's it!"
Liang Shixian: "The people's heaven is food." (A direct reference to the ancient saying 民以食為天 - "For the people, food is heaven.") Whoever takes the food from their mouths is their mortal enemy... Conversely, whoever gives them a bite to eat is their heaven."
As he said this, his gaze involuntarily swept over to Mr. Wang, standing on the distant town wall.
Mr. Wang was accompanied by Gao Yiye in her bamboo hat and a small squad of militia. Flat Rabbit, Zheng Gouzi, and others stood guard around Gao Yiye.
This small group's status in the county was truly extraordinary. A large crowd of refugees encircled them, shielding Mr. Wang and Gao Yiye within. The message was clear: anyone who dared lay a hand on them would be ground to dust by thousands of refugees.
Liang Shixian lowered his voice. "This official is somewhat concerned about this Li Family."
Fang Wushang: "Hm? What's there to worry about with the Li Family?"
Liang Shixian: "Right now, the people's hearts in Chengcheng all lean towards the Li Family. They probably don't even remember who the Son of Heaven is anymore."
Fang Wushang: "Is Magistrate Liang suggesting the Li Family plans to rebel?"
Liang Shixian shook his head. "This official did not say they will rebel. Just concerned..."
Fang Wushang took a serious look at the "Li Family" group. He happened to see Flat Rabbit pop out from behind Gao Yiye, waving his sword and making a few mock slashes at the base of the wall below, laughing loudly, "Let the Guyuan rebels come! This Rabbit Master will slay ten with one stroke!"
Fang Wushang shook his head. "Magistrate Liang worries too much. Dealing with retainers like those of the Li Family, I alone on horseback would be enough to clean them up."
Liang Shixian gave Fang Wushang a worried look. You're not a bad man, but you are reckless. If I hadn't saved you, you'd have been killed by Guerrilla Li Ying without even knowing it. If I am transferred away in the future, leaving you here alone, who will ensure your safety? Alas! A pity. Men like you don't live long. (The classic tension between the cautious, politically-minded civil official and the blunt, action-oriented military officer.)
Listening from above, Li Daoxuan thought, So Liang Shixian has noticed something's off? Well, of course. Only an idiot wouldn't find Gao Village strange. Anyone with half a brain would suspect Gao Village and that mysterious "Li Family."
But...
Suspect all you want.
Even if you wrote a memorial right now to the Shaanxi Provincial Inspector, Hu Tingyan, saying a local gentry might rebel with "ironclad evidence," the Inspector wouldn't give you the time of day. He might even have you beaten with the plank. Especially since you have no real evidence, just speculation. Heh heh heh.
(Historical Note:) Hu Tingyan, the Shaanxi Provincial Inspector at this time, was notoriously incompetent and neglectful, famously downplaying or outright ignoring reports of rebellion to maintain an illusion of peace, contributing significantly to the crisis's escalation.
At that very moment, Provincial Inspector Hu Tingyan was diligently adding supplemental notes to the Song Dynasty poet Su Shi's Huanglou Collection.
When a man grows old, he enjoys dabbling in flowers and plants, poetry and verse. Peasant uprisings outside? Border troop mutinies? Guerrilla Li Ying captured by rebels? Rebels heading for Chengcheng County? Ah, don't know, don't know. Can't see, can't see. I see nothing at all.
How could any of that compare to the delights of Su Shi's Huanglou Collection?
"They're here! The rebels are here!"
A fast horse charged through the city gate. Behind it, the gate slammed shut with a thunderous boom. The soldiers and civilians inside tensed.
On the wilderness to the southwest, an army appeared—a proper, well-formed Ming government army. In its midst waved a large banner with a hastily scrawled character: "Wolf." At the front rode several officers in bright armor atop horses.
Wait... One horse carried a bound figure, disheveled and filthy!
Everyone strained their eyes. It was none other than Guerrilla General Li Ying, who had passed through Chengcheng County not long ago to "collect autumn breezes" (a euphemism for extorting supplies).