The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 032 Testing

Zhou Lun, who had been silent, listened intently to the conversation between Gao Yingxiang and Li Wanqing.

When Zhou Lun heard Gao Yingxiang's analysis and judgment, he couldn't help but feel impressed. It was truly remarkable that Gao Yingxiang had left such a great name in history.

As a leader of a newly established rebel army, far from being as famous as he would later become, it is remarkable that he could unravel the complexities of the situation and astutely find the most suitable way out of the chaos. This is something that most people simply cannot do.

For this alone, Gao Yingxiang lived up to his future reputation. With such a calm mind and judgment, how could he not stand out from the rebel army?

As Li Wanqing listened to the other person's words, his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Zhou Lun.

In fact, Zhou Lun and Li Wanqing had privately analyzed these words, and their conclusions were roughly the same as those proposed by Gao Yingxiang.

Since Bao'an County is not a place to stay for long, the most feasible way out is to go north and join up with Wang Jiayin in Fugu. Then, taking advantage of the terrain, they can avoid the government troops and plan for the future.

From this perspective, both sides share the same view and are heading in the same direction.

But Li Wanqing didn't reveal much; he just pondered for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Brother Gao is absolutely right," Li Wanqing said. "This road is indeed a way out. Besides, the righteous armies of the world are one family. Going to Fugu will give us more room to maneuver, which is far more suitable than staying here. If Brother Gao doesn't mind, I'd like to go north with you. If our two armies join forces, we can support each other. What do you say?"

"That's perfect!" Gao Yingxiang clapped his hands and laughed, "I was originally worried about the lack of troops and safety if I went north alone. Now that you've joined us, my brother, our two armies will advance and retreat together, greatly increasing our chances of success. How could I refuse? I couldn't be happier!"

"good!"

Li Wanqing clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "In that case, Brother Gao, why don't you rest in Bao'an for a couple of days, and then we'll head north together?"

Gao Yingxiang nodded in agreement. His reason for joining forces with Li Wanqing was not only to seek mutual support, but also to persuade Li Wanqing to march north together. Now that Li Wanqing and he had reached an agreement, the matter was settled.

After a couple of days of rest, the two teams can set off.

It's not that I don't want to rest more, but I'm worried about what the government will do.

As Gao Yingxiang mentioned earlier, he had already received news of the Shaanxi garrison's deployment of troops when he left Anzhai. If the government troops acted quickly and attacked before they could leave, it would be a huge problem.

Both leaders were straightforward people, and they quickly settled on a strategy to head north, agreeing to set off together two days later.

But at that moment, Huang Long, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"As the saying goes... a snake cannot move without a head, and a bird cannot fly without wings." His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "Since the two sides have joined forces, in order to avoid future chaos in the march and confusion in advancing and retreating, in my opinion, unified command is still necessary."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention was instantly drawn to them.

"What do you mean...?" Everyone present was taken aback, and Li Shoutian, who was sitting next to him, turned his head and asked.

Huang Long picked up the wine cup in front of him, drank the remaining wine, slowly put it down, and said, "My meaning is very simple. In order to avoid this situation from happening, and in order for the rebel army to be able to march north smoothly, there must be a true leader."

"Heh." Li Shoutian sneered, retorting without any politeness, "Judging from your tone, are you suggesting that your family's rebel leader should be the leader?"

"Why not?" Huang Long raised his voice slightly, speaking seriously, "My King Chuang is not only exceptionally brave, but also unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness. He is certainly qualified to be our leader! Leaving aside the fact that my troops have fought the government forces in real combat, the strategy for this northward advance was also suggested by my King Chuang. Furthermore, in terms of military strength, my troops number over a thousand. How many men does your force have? Just based on the difference in military strength, surely my King Chuang is capable of being our leader?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shoutian hadn't even had a chance to refute him...

"Snapped!"

Gao Yingxiang slammed his hand on the table with such force that the bowls and chopsticks on the table clattered and the wine cups jumped.

"Shut up! Stop talking nonsense!"

Gao Yingxiang was furious. He stood up abruptly and launched into a tirade against Huang Long: "You bastard! You dare spout nonsense after drinking a few sips of cat piss? What kind of occasion is this? What kind of big boss or small boss are you! We are here to discuss important matters, what right do you have to speak?"

"King Chuang...!" Huang Long opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Gao Yingxiang glared at him fiercely, and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Gao Yingxiang's chest heaved, clearly enraged: "We are able to rest here today entirely thanks to your kind invitation, my virtuous brother. I, Gao Yingxiang, am a man of honor; how could I commit such an ungrateful act? If word gets out, how will I face the world? You just said that all righteous armies under heaven are one family, never distinguishing between one another. But are you trying to accuse me of being unrighteous and heartless with your words today?"

"King Chuang...I...I..." Huang Long stammered, speechless, his expression filled with fear. He hurriedly got up and knelt down with a thud.

Gao Yingxiang glanced at him coldly, ignored him, and turned to Li Wanqing with a look of shame, bowing and apologizing: "Brother, it is my fault for not managing my subordinates properly, I am truly ashamed. Huang Long spoke carelessly after drinking today, if he has offended anyone, I apologize on his behalf... Please forgive me, brother, and do not blame me."

"It's alright, it's alright." Li Wanqing waved his hand with a smile. "Brother Huanglong is a straightforward man, and what he said just now made some sense. What's wrong with that?"

"What nonsense! It's utter rubbish!" Gao Yingxiang cursed Huang Long again, glancing at him with exasperation and shouting, "Brother Li is being magnanimous today, letting you off the hook. What? Hurry up and apologize!"

Huang Long hung his head, all traces of his previous arrogance gone. He didn't get up, but knelt on the ground, sheepishly bowing and apologizing to Li Wanqing, Li Shoutian, Wang Tieniu, and Zhou Luntuan. Li Wanqing smiled and bent down to help him up, patting him on the shoulder.

And so, Huang Long's so-called suggestion of unified command and a chief leader came to nothing.

After a few more drinks, seeing that it was getting late, Gao Yingxiang got up, saying that he was tired from the journey and had drunk quite a bit that day, and that the banquet should end there and they could discuss it again tomorrow after resting. He then got up to take his leave.

Li Wanqing personally saw them off.

After Gao Yingxiang and the others left the county government office, Li Wanqing waved to Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu, who seemed hesitant to speak, indicating that it was getting late and they should rest early. He then returned to his room.

"They're gone?"

Inside the room, Zhou Lun sat alone, leisurely eating his food.

He deliberately lagged behind when seeing Gao Yingxiang off, since one more or one less wouldn't make a difference. We were so busy drinking and discussing business that we barely tasted the food; it's such a waste to waste all this good food.

"I'm gone."

Li Wanqing plopped down, his relaxed expression vanishing, replaced by a serious look.

After a moment of silence, he picked up the wine cup in front of him, poured himself a glass of wine, downed it in one gulp, and let out a long sigh.

"Second son."

"Um."

"Tell me... about what happened just now, was it Huang Long's doing in private, or was it Gao Yingxiang testing him?"

Zhou Lun did not answer immediately.

He put down his chopsticks, looked up at Li Wanqing, and asked casually, "Is there a difference?"

Li Wanqing was taken aback.

"Brother, you can never be too careful," Zhou Lun said, his voice low but each word striking a chord in Li Wanqing's heart. "Think about it, if Shou Tian or Tie Niu had said those words today, what do you think Gao Yingxiang would have thought?"

Li Wanqing nodded silently.

Zhou Lun is right.

Regardless of whether Huang Long represents himself or not, based on this incident alone, Gao Yingxiang probably had similar intentions in mind.

Thinking about this, Li Wanqing couldn't help but feel a little confused.

He began to weigh in his mind whether inviting Gao Yingxiang to Bao'an, the two sides joining forces, and heading north to Fugu were the right or wrong decisions.