roccoschili Chapter 77 The tide has turned!
Chapter 77 The tide has turned!
Amidst pools of blood, heads rolled and fell; from top to bottom, more than a dozen corpses of all sizes lay strewn across the ground.
The night wind blew, the campfire crackled, and the stench of blood filled the air above the camp.
Thousands of soldiers stood before the high platform, their earlier frenzied killing intent gradually fading, replaced by a sense of bewilderment.
They really killed these high and mighty people.
Things have blown up.
Standing on the high platform, Li Sheng could see everyone's expressions by the light of the campfire. He knew that he had to seize the opportunity to firmly grasp control of the team.
"Brothers."
Li Sheng spoke, his voice low and sorrowful.
"Look at these people on the ground. The Wang family, the Sun family, the Zhang family... which one of them didn't eat our flesh and drink our blood? Which one of them didn't rely on their birth to ride roughshod over us? They deserve to die!"
He paused, then his tone shifted, becoming even lower and more somber.
"But brothers, have you thought about what we'll do after we kill them today?"
The crowd fell silent, their eyes filled with a mixture of anger and fear as they stared intently at Li Sheng.
If an ordinary person were to be focused on by these almost tangible gazes, any fear they might have would cause them to collapse to the ground.
However, Li Sheng was no ordinary person. He met everyone's gaze, scanned every face below the stage, and gradually raised his voice.
"Even if we kill them, their families won't let us off the hook. Their relatives and friends hold official positions in the court and wield power in the provinces. A single letter from them will be enough to send troops to suppress us. At that point, none of us will be able to keep our heads!"
"Then... what should we do?"
Someone asked in a trembling voice.
"Run? Go back to the countryside? Hide?"
Someone offered a suggestion, but their voice betrayed uncertainty.
"Hide? Where are you going to hide?"
Someone nearby immediately objected.
"Your home is there, your land is there. Even if you run away, won't the authorities come to your house to arrest you? Your father, your mother, your wife, your children—none of them will escape!"
The murmurs among the crowd grew louder; some began to regret their actions, and some even started blaming each other…
Seeing this, Li Sheng raised his hand and slowly pressed it down.
"Brothers, listen to me."
The crowd gradually quieted down.
"At this point, we have no way out."
His gaze sharpened, and his voice became firm.
"Since there's no way to retreat, we can only move forward!"
He took a deep breath and swung his fist violently.
"That's outrageous!"
These two words are like two pebbles thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.
The crowd was initially deathly silent, then erupted into a buzz of discussion.
"Reversed?"
"Rebellion against the imperial court?"
"Isn't that just like the Yellow Turban rebels?"
Some hesitated, some were terrified, while others had a strange glint in their eyes.
Li Sheng didn't urge him; he let the voices ferment for a while before speaking.
"Brothers, tell me, what have we seen along this journey?"
He stretched out his finger and pointed into the distance.
"Starting from the county seat and heading north, passing through villages and counties, what did you see?"
The crowd was silent for a moment, then gave their answers.
"I saw wasteland."
"I saw a dead person."
"I saw that the village was full of elderly people and children; all the young people had been conscripted."
"..."
The voices grew louder and louder, each word like a stone weighing on everyone's hearts.
Li Sheng nodded, his tone heavy.
"Yes, wastelands, dead bodies, drought, conscription... We risked our lives to fight the Yellow Turban rebels, but where did the Yellow Turban rebels come from? Didn't they rebel because they couldn't survive?"
He paused, then suddenly raised his voice.
"The Great Teacher of Virtue once said something that I'm sure everyone has heard: 'The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise.'"
Upon hearing this, the murmurs in the crowd suddenly subsided.
Li Sheng's gaze swept over everyone, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Isn't what we've seen along the way clear proof that Heaven is dead! Petty officials, local tyrants, and nobles! They've plunged the world into misery, with starving people everywhere! Doesn't such a Heaven deserve to die?"
He raised his right hand and pointed to the night sky, his voice filled with fervor and passion.
His words stirred the blood of the audience; some had tears in their eyes, some clenched their fists, and some couldn't help but shout out.
"Village Chief Li is right!"
"The Blue Heaven is dead! The Yellow Heaven shall rise!"
"Those corrupt officials should have died long ago!"
Curses and shouts mingled together.
Seeing this, Li Sheng knew that the time was almost right.
He raised his hand again to quell the commotion, his voice becoming calm and steady.
"Brothers, since everyone shares this sentiment, I, Li Sheng, will make things clear. We've rebelled, but we can't rebel like a disorganized bunch. We need rules, order, and a leader."
He looked around.
"In my opinion, we should form an alliance based on our respective townships. Each township's troops should remain their own, and we should discuss matters together and cooperate in battle. No one should act recklessly, and no one should hoard any money."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the prominent figures from various villages below the stage.
"My Siyang Township has a slightly larger population and a decent number of soldiers. I am honored by your high regard, and I, Li Sheng, am willing to temporarily assume the position of alliance leader to coordinate matters for everyone. What do you all think?"
At this moment, Li Sheng did not feign modesty. He should have acted decisively when it came to the power he was entitled to, so as to avoid creating more trouble.
The leaders of each village looked at each other in bewilderment.
Siyang Township does have a large population, and they all know what kind of person Li Sheng is...
In terms of bravery, he was the first to scale the city walls during the siege; in terms of courage, he was the one who dared to lead everyone in a protest against the government's pay; in terms of strategy, his move to kill the local tyrant just now must have sent chills down everyone's spine.
More importantly, in the current situation, no one in each village is willing to submit to the others. If no one who can be accepted by everyone comes forward to lead the alliance, it will fall apart.
Li Sheng is precisely the kind of person that, while not everyone may truly be convinced of his merits, no one can find fault with him for the time being.
After a silence of about a dozen breaths, a tall man knelt down on one knee and clasped his hands in greeting.
"We, the brothers of Gaojiagou, are willing to serve our leader, Li!"
Someone took the lead, and the others followed suit and knelt down.
"We, from Liujiaji, are willing to serve Leader Li!"
"I, from the Shuangliu clan, am willing to serve Alliance Leader Li!"
"We, the people of Dawangzhuang, are willing to serve Alliance Leader Li!"
One after another, the soldiers on and off the stage knelt down, forming a dense, dark mass.
Li Sheng stood on the high platform, the night wind blowing his robes, the firelight reflecting on his face, creating an unpredictable interplay of light and shadow.
All of this... was a powerful momentum he deliberately created!
"Please rise, everyone."
He reached out his hand to help, his tone sincere.
"Since you have all recommended me, I, Li Sheng, will certainly live up to your expectations. Any benefits will be shared equally; any misfortunes will be borne by me, Li Sheng of Siyang."
Everyone then stood up, and their gazes toward Li Sheng changed somewhat.
At this moment, a lean man in the crowd raised his hand. His voice was not loud, but he got to the point.
"Alliance Leader Li, now that we have formed an alliance, may I ask what the rules of this alliance will be?"