Most of the rebels..,
Were stationed in the suburbs of Jiaxing. Only a small portion..,
Camped not far from the prefectural city, just in case.
In the drizzling rain, a simple stage was set up in a tent outside the Revolutionary Army City.
The rebels, who were nervous all year round, also needed a break.
The troupe that Zhou Dan had invited was singing on the stage. Sitting at the back of the stage, Yu Fan 'er, who was singing boudoir songs and doing odd jobs, stole a glance.
The audience was crowded.
It was full of rebels who were focused.
Most of them were sallow and skinny. Although their clothes were tattered,
They were clean. Compared to the tenant farmers they saw when they were invited by the landlords in the countryside to celebrate their birthday, the rebels all seemed to be in good spirits. Moreover, at a glance,
Most of them were very young.
The people of this era lived a hard life.
The children of the peasant families looked especially old.
But even so..,
Many of the soldiers in the rebel army still looked young.
The oldest was only about ten years older than those young men. They all looked like they were in their prime.
On the stage, they sang Xiaoxiang's most popular song, "Li Xianglan's Workmanship."
At the critical moment,
Such a drizzle.
It could not extinguish the enthusiasm of the young soldiers to watch the show.
Some of them were young and lively.
They lowered their voices and gestured as if they were discussing a story.
What was even more strange was that the rebel army did not seem to have any distinction between "soldiers, officers, and generals." The soldiers and generals wore similar clothes. They all sat on the ground and squeezed together to watch the show. They could not tell which were soldiers and which were generals.
Yu Fan'er had heard the old men talk about these demons who killed people like scything flax. Now, it seemed that they were just young men about her age. Thus, he became more daring. In official language, he gently called someone who was sitting close to the stairs behind the stage. "Do you think this show is good?"
This rebel soldier was only fifteen or sixteen years old. He had dark skin, big eyes, short hair, revealing a layer of green scalp, and a shallow beard on his mouth. He was looking up and watching the show in a daze. The raindrops wetted his short hair and beard, making him look like a small, vigorous animal whose hair had been drenched by the rain.
Hearing Yu Fan 'er calling him, the young man of the revolutionary army let out an "Ah!" and turned his head around in a daze with a drake-like voice. With a thick accent of some Jiangzhe dialect, he asked, "Quack?"
After a while, he finally reacted. He rubbed his head and shyly switched to a strangely pronounced Mandarin, "It's beautiful. It looks good. "
Yu Shan 'er smiled. She felt that this young man was very amiable, just like the little brother Er Gou from her neighbor's house. He sat closer to her and said, "Your accent is also from Jiangzhe. I'm from Taizhou Prefecture. My surname is Zheng. Where are you from? What's your surname? "
"I'm from Hangzhou. My surname is Zhu."
"Ah … So it's a Hang Ironhead."
The two of them gradually chatted and became familiar with each other. They sat down together. Yu Shan 'er noticed that from time to time Zhang Wuji was rubbing his blue scalp; she grew bolder and was also curious. She asked him, "I read in the opera that' the body, hair and skin are given by the parents'. Why did you cut your hair like this? "
The little warrior surnamed Zhu said honestly, "Everyone shaved. Long hair is hard to clean and has lice. If you have lice, you will always feel itchy. If you scratch here and there, you won't be able to fight. A big brother who used to be a monk said that they should shave their hair. Monks rarely have lice. When the leader and the others heard this, they felt that he was right, so they all cut their hair. As expected, they rarely grow lice. Our Revolutionary Army felt that this method was quite good, so we all cut our hair. "
Yu Shan 'er giggled. "Did no one laugh at you for being monks?"
"At first, I felt that it was quite embarrassing. Later, I felt uncomfortable being bitten by lice. The staff officer asked us if we wanted to cut our hair, and I agreed. Anyway, I agreed to it. It's quite comfortable when it's hot in summer. It's just that I have to wear a hat in winter. It's not a big deal. It's quite good. Anyway, everyone cut their hair. "
Yu Shan 'er asked again, "I heard that you have female soldiers? Why don't you see them? "
"The sisters have other tents because of their living problems. Look, it's the one over there. Today, we also invited a female troupe to sing for them. "
The drama on the stage reached the part where Li Xianglian was sold to be a child bride because her family was poor and couldn't pay off the debt. She was also sold by her parents-in-law to be a little star. Finally, she was sold to a brothel by her first wife.
This part was the most tragic, but also very exciting.
Below the stage, many Revolutionary Army soldiers began to quietly wipe their tears.
The two of them didn't have time to talk. They were engrossed in watching the drama.
Yu Shan 'er heard the little soldier surnamed Zhu muttering to himself, "My sister was taken away by the landlord and never came back."
When this scene was over, Yu Shan 'er seemed to have sensed something. She asked him in a low voice, "You are from Hangzhou. Don't they say that there is heaven above and Suzhou below? Hangzhou is rich and populous. How come you also joined the Revolutionary Army? "
Before the little soldier could speak, a man with a scar on his face sitting on the other side, who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, replied, "There are poor people everywhere. They say that Hangzhou is prosperous, Hangzhou is prosperous, but what does that have to do with us? One mu of land can only produce three dans at most. That heartless rich man from Jiangnan can actually get five dans of one stone. Jiangnan is rich and populous, but most of the land there is crisscrossed with crisscrossed paths. The roadside is full of tenant farmers. Jiangnan is better. Jiangnan has the most Revolutionary Army soldiers. Most of the people we followed General Luo in are Zhejiang natives. "
Hearing him say this, Yu Shan 'er couldn't help but feel downcast. He remembered his own life experience: if his family didn't owe rent, his father wouldn't have been falsely accused by the landlord of resisting the rent and sent to prison, he wouldn't have been sold to an opera troupe. From then on, he wouldn't have had to wander from place to place, be beaten and scolded day and night to cultivate painstakingly, and be looked down upon as an actor for no reason.
After this play was over, they sang 'Immortal Song'.
In the Revolutionary Army, the play adapted from Xiaoxiang's gentleman's story was very popular. But the play that was performed the most and that everyone liked the most was still 'Immortal Song'.
Most of the Revolutionary Army soldiers came from poor peasant families. It could be said that they hated rent and the concentration of land. Therefore, they especially liked 'Immortal Song'. When they were moved by the performance, many soldiers stood up with a murderous look. They wished they could rush up and grab 'Lord Zhao' and 'Master Zhang' and beat them up.
After a while, the Cooks' Army Unit came to call them to eat.
The soldiers gathered in twos and threes in front of several big pots under the tent, waiting for the Cooks' Army Unit to serve the food.
The opera troupe didn't prepare any other food for them. They ate together with the Revolutionary Army.
Each of them had a broken bowl filled with thick corn porridge and a few stalks of pickled vegetables. There was also a limit. The Cooks' Army Unit said that each person was limited to two bowls of porridge.
The one with the highest status in the class, the one in blue, complained, "How can we eat this?"
Yu Shan 'er ignored him. Before he was sold to the opera troupe, he had suffered hardships. He had always been at the lowest level of the opera troupe. During the famine, for a bowl of thick corn porridge like this, he could beat his head out of a dog's head.
He had always hated the atmosphere in the opera troupe where seniority was determined. Even the drinking of water had to be done differently. When he saw a group of actors being flattered and talking to each other and complaining about the Revolutionary Army's food, he would rather join the Revolutionary Army.
After the Revolutionary Army soldiers received the salted vegetables and porridge, they found a shelter from the rain and squeezed together. They either squatted there or stood there, slurping down the porridge.
Yu Shan 'er ran over to the young soldier surnamed Zhu and squatted down to drink the porridge. After slurping down the porridge, she asked Xiao Zhu, "Where are your generals?"
Before Xiao Zhu could speak, an older person beside them complained, "Cough, seriously, we only got an extra bowl of porridge after conquering Jiaxing Prefecture."
The other person who replied was his fellow villager. He rolled his eyes unhappily and said, "You talk too much! Every day, we get thick porridge and salted salted vegetables to eat. Clothes, shoes, and socks are distributed by the Revolutionary Army. We even have to wash up twice a month. We also get copper. I've been in the Revolutionary Army for so long and have never had to worry about food or clothing. I don't even have to spend copper. What do you lack? Think about it, the hardships of being recruited by the dynasty in the past. "
He sighed again and said, "We didn't have enough to eat or warm clothes. We didn't even have water to drink. We were whipped and herded forward like cattle and sheep. If we wanted to eat something hot, we could only rob our fellow villagers. Whatever good things we looted, we had to be the first to show our respect to our superiors. If we hadn't joined the Revolutionary Army, we would've starved to death long ago. "
The older one said sheepishly, "But, we could at least keep some of the gold and silver we looted in the past. At least we could drink the meat and wine on the spot. But here in the Revolutionary Army, we have to hand it all over. We're not allowed to keep these … We're not allowed to rob or eat in our fellow villagers' homes. It's too hard … "
Xiao Zhu finally couldn't take it anymore. He stood up with a frown and walked in front of that person. He put down the bowl heavily and mocked, "You're not allowed to rob your fellow villagers. If it's hard for you to follow the rules, then go to a place where it's not hard! Go to those soldiers of the dynasty. If you rob your fellow villagers, your superiors will rob you! "
"Hey, hey, how can a kid talk like that?" The older one was unhappy.
His fellow villager quickly pulled him back. "He's right …" This newcomer just remembered that this wasn't the dynasty army he was used to. In the Revolutionary Army, they weren't allowed to bully the weak based on seniority. They could only call each other brothers and sisters. He could only swallow his anger and squat down again while cursing.
When Xiao Zhu returned, Yu Shan 'er asked him, "What's wrong? Your eyebrows can squash a fly. "
Xiao Zhu didn't tell Yu Shan 'er about the internal affairs of the Revolutionary Army. He only puffed up his cheeks.
"Hey, I hate these old foxes who came from the dynasty's army after being surrendered!"
After the meal, the Revolutionary Army soldiers went down the stage again before the show was over.
Just then, the sound of hooves suddenly rang out. Everyone looked up.
Although the Revolutionary Army had horses, they usually didn't have anyone riding them. The generals and soldiers walked together.
These horses were usually used for war and official business.
Not long after, they saw a few people tied up on the horses. The one leading the horse was Luo Hongfei. At the back. A few scribes on horseback followed slowly.
The Revolutionary Army soldiers called out one after another, "Big Sister, what's going on?"
Yu Shan 'er burst out laughing at an inappropriate time. She quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Why are they randomly calling me' Big Sister '?"
Xiao Zhu was unhappy and a little angry. He said with a stern face, "Commander, General, Staff Officer, those are things we call outside for outsiders to hear. We, the Revolutionary Army, don't have such things. We call them 'Big Sister, Big Sister, Big Brother'. Big Sister is the most respected. She led us to war and is usually our Big Sister. How can they randomly call her that? "
While they were talking, they saw the young man with the scar on his face who had chatted with them while watching the show walk up. He glanced at the few people on the horses who were dressed in fine silk clothes and held the reins of the horse. He asked, "What's going on?"
Luo Hongfei didn't say a word. He only nodded at the others. With a cold face, he flew down from the horse and beat the drums in the tent.
In the drizzle, the drums rumbled and spread. Another drum sounded. The drumbeats came one after another like thunder. The whole tent was alarmed.
A cold and solemn atmosphere spread. Some people who were eating put down their bowls. Those who were watching the show stood up. They all gathered in the direction of the drums.
A few people on the stage were singing halfway when they saw the camp and were stunned. They were so nervous that they didn't know what to do and shrank into a corner. In the end, a Revolutionary Army soldier politely asked them to leave. He asked them to stay on the side for the time being.
Luo Hongfei and the rest of the Revolutionary Army heard the order and gathered in the tent. When everyone was gathered, they pulled the people who were tied up from the horses and threw them to the ground.
She raised her voice. It was still indifferent but she was almost gnashing her teeth, "Brothers and sisters, please bear witness!"
After saying this, she turned around and pulled out her saber. Under the bright light of the saber, she took out something from her bosom and threw it to the ground.
It was a ball of fine silk. It was an exquisitely embroidered red dudou. It was very alluring. But it withered and fell to the ground.
The soldiers in formation were silent.
Some of the soldiers blushed and turned their heads away. There were also some young soldiers who were still confused. Naturally, there were some who let their imaginations run wild.
Luo Hongfei said hatefully, "Violating the rules, taking liberties with women, accepting money, very good! People give you beautiful women, gold, silver, and treasures, and you accept them. Do you still take the rules seriously? "
It seemed that among the people who were tied up, there were a few who were also wearing the Revolutionary Army's uniform but were dressed in bright clothes. They muttered something. As if they were not convinced, one of them shouted,
"You said that we were not allowed to rob and that the money from the rich people should be handed over to the Revolutionary Army. We all did the same. This time, we didn't rob, nor did we get it from the rich people. They willingly married their daughter to us with dowry. Luo Hongfei, what right do you have to tie us up! "
"Marry their daughter? Which family marries their daughter in a brothel? "
One of them with a greasy hair and a powdered face shouted like a rascal, "That's because you're short-sighted! If you don't believe me, you can check. That's a virgin. Where she marries her daughter, you're just an old woman. What can you do? "
Some subtle laughter came from the crowd.
Luo Hongfei glanced over and found that those places were silent. She raised the knife in her hand and lowered her head to look at the only person among the people who were tied up. She softened her voice and said, "Little Qi, why are you there? Do you have an explanation? "
Little Qi lowered his head and said nothing.
"Back then, we couldn't live anymore, so we started an uprising and made a pact with Big Brother. From then on, those who entered my path would walk the same path. Brothers and sisters, there's no difference. We'll risk our lives for the poor people in the world. Look at the clothes you're wearing now and the makeup on your face. Have you forgotten the vow you made back then and your dead brothers and sisters? "
That "Little Qi" had been keeping his head down. At this moment, he suddenly raised his head. His eyes were filled with tears. It was a young face, only about 20 years old.
"I have nothing to say. Big Sister, please punish me according to the military rules. "
The one with the scar on his face saw that things were not going well and hurried forward. "Big Sister! Little Qi was just confused for a moment … "
"Big Brother Tao, don't say anymore." The one who stopped him was Little Qi. "I admit my mistake and accept my punishment."
"Hey, Brother Qi, why would you accept your punishment? You didn't do anything wrong! Isn't it just wearing a few bright clothes, drinking a few cups of wine, and touching a few little hands? Do you have to go that far? "Those who were also tied up shouted.
Luo Hongfei glanced at them. The murderous look in his eyes was terrifying. Those who were more experienced remembered this Rakshasa's past behavior of killing people and quickly shut their mouths.
She looked around and said coldly, "You violated the military rules, molested women, and accepted money in private. You'll be stripped of your position, flogged a hundred times, and locked up for a month. Brothers and sisters, do you have any doubts? "
A hundred flogs would take away half of his life, even if he didn't die.
"Hey!" The one with the oily hair and powdered face was scared. "My father is Zhang Xiuwen! When your revolutionary army was short of food and clothing, if it wasn't for my family seeking shelter … you wouldn't be where you are today! I can't take a hundred flogs … "
"Shut up, you!" Little Zhu couldn't hold back anymore. This time, she stepped forward and stuffed a ball of rags into his mouth. She raised her voice and was about to kick him. "Ptui, what kind of person are you!"
"Little Zhu, stand down first. As the executioner, don't act on your own. "Luo Hongfei looked around again." We brothers and sisters have always been straightforward. Those who have objections, step forward. "
Little Zhu was the first to speak. "Big Sister, I have no objections."
"What about the others?"
Everyone looked at each other. Finally, the "Big Brother Tao" with the scar on his face said, "Big Sister, this punishment is too severe. Can you tell us how they committed the crime?"
"Sure. I received a report that some of our soldiers were privately invited to the red-light district. When I brought them in, they were hugging a few beautiful women and holding some indenture papers. There were boxes of gold, silver, and jewelry on the table. They were trusted brothers with the Jiaxing gentlemen. The leader of the Jiaxing gentlemen was the Luo family. "
After she finished speaking, she turned around and gestured. A soldier came forward with a stack of papers. The one with the surname Tao knew a few words. He saw at a glance that these house deeds, indenture papers, and receipts were all signed recently. The names of his comrades were written on them. He sucked in a breath of cold air and immediately said, "Little Qi and the others are too muddle-headed! I have no objections. "
Luo Hongfei gestured to the few scholars behind her to pass this stack of papers over. The soldiers gathered around a few people in the army who were roughly literate. When they heard them read out the papers, all of them were shocked by the amount of wealth.
In the Jiangzhe generation, crafty field owners accused tenant farmers of refusing to pay rent and bribing officials. They arrested tenant farmers and imprisoned them. At the end of the year, it was normal for farmers to be imprisoned for "owing rent" in a county to be in the hundreds or thousands.
After the revolutionary army took over Jiaxing Prefecture, they released all the prisoners from the jails. When the prisoners were counted, more than half of them were imprisoned for "owing rent".
But how much did these farmers owe? Even if they owed one stone, it was no more than half a tael of silver.
Now, with these scattered papers added together, these people who drank with the Jiaxing gentlemen each earned more than a hundred taels.
The soldiers who were born poor had never seen such a large amount of money. For a moment, they looked at each other and didn't say anything else to plead for leniency.
Some of them were even angry and felt that being stripped of their positions and receiving a hundred beatings was too light.
。
The few scholars stood with their arms folded. They looked at each other and exchanged glances.
When they arrived at the military tent, Luo Hongfei asked them, "Advisors, what do you want to say?"
The leading scholar's surname was Jiang, and his name was Jiang Hong. He was originally a high scholar, but because of his unruly nature, he resigned and returned to his hometown. Later on, his hometown was filled with cries. When the revolutionary army attacked, he resisted with all his might. When he saw that the revolutionary army didn't harm the villagers, he admired them. Because he couldn't resist, he surrendered with his family.
He said to Luo Hongfei, "General's righteousness is admired by everyone. I have no objections. It's just that the Zhang family has always been loyal to our army. This … Deputy General Zhang is weak, and he's the only son of Duke Zhang. General, you see … "
Luo Hongfei looked at them deeply and changed the topic, "Do you have anything else to say?"
It seemed that a fight was inevitable.
The scholars smiled and said nothing else.
When they all left, Luo Hongfei sat there and rubbed her forehead with a splitting headache. Yuan Du just came in and saw her expression. He asked, "What's wrong? Are you still upset over this? I just heard it when I came in. If they violate the rules, they'll be punished according to the rules. "
"That's not why I'm here." Luo Hongfei shook her head and asked her again, "What did you want to say to me in the county yamen?"
Yuan Du turned around and looked in the direction where the scholars left. Seeing that there was no one near the tent, she said in a low voice, "You know what I want to say."
Luo Hongfei indeed knew very well.
Ever since the revolutionary army raised the flag, it had developed from a weak team to an army that was on par with the dynasty. It was impossible for it to be the original brothers and sisters.
Back then, Mr. Shou had always been against the important local gentry who had brought their entire families to join the rebel army during the rebellion.
But there was nothing he could do. Although he cherished his brothers and sisters, the dynasty was too powerful in the beginning. Too few of his brothers and sisters who fought bravely survived. Moreover, they lacked food and clothing.
In the original team, those who survived were now leading the army.
People died too quickly in the revolutionary army. There were too few literate and able to manage the team. Although Mr. Shou tried his best to train the low-level soldiers and officers of the revolutionary army to be literate, he hoped that there would be some useful ones. But … the revolutionary army developed too quickly, and it was really not enough.
In war, people were the most important. Therefore, slowly, not only did the rebel army recruit a large number of surrendered soldiers from the dynasty, but the rebel army also gradually had a large number of old scholars from the dynasty, as well as generals who were born in the families of the landed gentry.
These people not only replenished the middle and upper levels of the revolutionary army, but also provided a large number of resources. Therefore, in many decisions, it was inevitable that they would consider the interests of these generals and scholars who were born in the noble families.
Some of the most suitable methods for the revolutionary army, such as killing the evil gentry and distributing the land. Such as judging the heinous criminals to arouse the hearts of the people. Gradually, they could not be used.
That was because those generals and scholars were either deliberately slacking off in their work or deliberately dividing the land of the local tyrants by killing the evil gentry, turning it into confiscating all the land of the peasants. This caused resentment among the people and the morale of the army to waver.
In fact, the revolutionary army had no choice but to transfer some female generals away from important positions. This was to prevent these people from going on a collective strike and saying, "I don't want to be in the same company as a hen."
Therefore, when Luo Hongfei led the army to the south this time, when selecting generals and soldiers, she deliberately avoided those generals as much as possible. However, organizing documents and making decisions on internal affairs could not escape these people.
She was just following the military rules to punish a scholar who was involved in an assassination. Every day, the scholars below would whisper, saying that she had killed the scholars indiscriminately.
The murder case of the Luo Family was like a stone that stirred up a thousand ripples.
When they were deciding how to deal with this case, except for the people of industry and commerce in the south who had recently formed an alliance with the revolutionary army, this final decision was opposed by almost all the advisors and generals who were born in the noble families.
Yuan Du said, "Second Sister, although you have no choice but to put Mr. Baiquan and the others in an important position. But Li Baiquan, Zhou Dan, and the others also have their own selfish motives. They only want their factories to be able to enter Jiaxing smoothly and not be too obstructed by the clan when recruiting workers. You … "
"I understand what you mean."
"But, at least, now, in many things, they are on the same side as us." She interrupted Yuan Du and said lightly, "They intend to break the rules and declare to the world that everyone is a living being. Children are not the private property of parents. Individuals are not prisoners of the clan. I also intend to. Then, if we can use it, we will use it first.
She stood up with her hands behind her back and looked at the execution outside the tent. "I'm worried about something else."
"Afraid that someone will come to cause trouble during Luo Yecheng's execution tomorrow?"
"I'm not afraid. If they want to come, they can come. If they come, they can even take the blame. Those who kill must die. "
"Then, what are you worried about?"
Luo Hongfei did not answer.
She stared at the few people who were being beaten with military rods not far away. They were wearing bright clothes and the deeds of houses and fields scattered on the ground. She stared at the surrounding soldiers who were watching the execution. They looked at the wet deeds of houses and fields on the ground and revealed slight envy.
The rain was still drizzling. The sky was gloomy.
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