The seventh year of Chongzhen, deep winter.
Henan. Zhengzhou. Xingyang.
From the west, more than a thousand rebel cavalry rode in, reining in their horses amid the wheat fields outside the western suburbs. Soon after, enormous banners unfurled one by one, stretching from the distant cliff pass all the way southward. Flags blotted out the sky. Armor gleamed coldly under the winter sun.
From the southern mountains to the northern bend of the Yellow River, the land was flooded with men and horses, surging forward like clouds and waves. From dawn until dusk, the only sound was the constant neighing of warhorses. The camps sprawled for dozens of li, endless to the eye.
Wherever the rebel army passed, men and beasts trampled the earth flat, crushing everything beneath them. Roads five or six li wide were carved into the land, their numbers impossible to count.
This was how a local Henan gentry later recorded the scene.
The small county town of Xingyang had already been razed to the ground. Everywhere the rebel army marched, the paths beaten down by men and horses stretched five or six li wide.
Three hundred thousand soldiers.
All gathered around the tiny town of Xingyang.
Chuǎng Wang. Chuang Jiang. Lao Huihui. Geliyan. Zuo Jianwang. Cao Cao. Gaishiwang. Shetatian. Xi Ying Ba Da Wang. Heng Tianwang. Hun Shiwang. Guo Tianxing. Jiutiaolong. Shun Tianwang…
Countless rebel leaders had assembled on the open plains south of Xingyang city.
Chuǎng Wang, as the supreme leader, sat squarely in the main seat. The other bandit chiefs sat arranged in two long rows on either side.
"Ahem," Chuǎng Wang cleared his throat. "I've gathered everyone here today to discuss our future strategy…"
He stopped there.
He didn't quite know how to continue.
The truth was simple: he was badly educated.
Seeing this, his favored general, Chuang Jiang, immediately stepped forward to speak in his stead.
"We barely escaped the government army's encirclement in the Yunyang region," Chuang Jiang said loudly. "After great difficulty, we finally regrouped here in Henan. Now we stand in the Central Plains, with roads open in every direction. North, south, east, west—we can go wherever we wish. If we don't talk this through properly, we'll waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Before his words had fully settled, a snort of laughter came from nearby.
Chuang Jiang turned his head sharply.
It was Xi Ying Ba Da Wang.
Chuang Jiang's expression darkened. "Ba Da Wang, what exactly are you laughing at?"
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang rolled his eyes lazily. "I'm laughing because your first wife ran off with another man. Then your second wife did the same. And now you want to talk about leadership?"
"You—!" Chuang Jiang snarled.
His hand dropped instinctively to the saber at his waist.
Cao Cao, seated beside him, hurriedly reached out and pressed Chuang Jiang's arm down. "Easy, Brother Chuang Jiang. This isn't the time for infighting."
"Am I the one causing trouble?" Chuang Jiang roared. "It's this bastard who keeps stirring things up!"
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang looked utterly relaxed. "I'm just stating facts. If I've said even one false word, feel free to refute me."
Chuang Jiang fell silent.
The air turned unbearably awkward.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Lao Huihui suddenly broke the silence. "All my troops are heavy cavalry. Marching alongside your infantry is extremely inconvenient. Besides, I have no interest in the Central Plains. I prefer the Northwest. I intend to cross the Yellow River and return to Shanxi."
His meaning was crystal clear.
He had no intention of continuing to cooperate.
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What, scared of the government army now? Afraid to fight? Looking for some deserted place to hide?"
Lao Huihui glared at him, eyes blazing.
Having just been mocked himself moments earlier, Chuang Jiang naturally stepped in to back Lao Huihui. "Ba Da Wang, watch your mouth! You curse everyone the moment you open it. Who exactly are you trying to provoke? Is there anyone here who has ever been afraid of the government troops?"
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Not afraid? If none of you are afraid, then why are we all sitting here talking? Haven't you all been beaten into a corner by them, huddling together just to survive?"
Silence fell over the gathering.
Chuang Jiang exploded. "If even a single commoner can fight, how much more so an army of a hundred thousand! Our forces outnumber the government troops ten to one! Even if the Guanning Iron Cavalry arrived, they'd still be helpless. I'm not afraid of them at all!"
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang shot back immediately. "Big words. You really aren't afraid of the Guanning Iron Cavalry? Fine. As far as I know, Cao Wenzhao is leading them straight toward us right now. If you're so brave, why don't you go and chop him down?"
Chuang Jiang was rendered speechless.
The tension thickened once more, freezing the scene.
At the mention of Cao Wenzhao, every bandit chief felt a chill in his heart.
Chuang Jiang swept a glance around and understood immediately.
Uniting this rabble to fight the government army was impossible.
These people had no grand ambitions. They only knew how to burn, loot, and pillage. The idea of forging a truly unified force had never even crossed their minds.
This so-called Xingyang Grand Assembly…
Was utterly pointless.
Fine. If they couldn't unite, then they would split.
Chuang Jiang spoke gravely. "There's only one option left. We divide our forces. Each of us goes our own way. Whether we live or die—that will be left to Heaven."
The bandit chiefs exchanged glances, inwardly delighted.
Split up and run? Perfect.
Whoever wanted to deal with Cao Wenzhao could do so. The rest would be far safer scattering like startled birds.
In unison, they declared, "Chuang Jiang's plan is excellent!"
Thus, the "grand strategy" was settled.
There was no strategy at all—only chaos.
But there was still the question of where to flee.
When these roaming bandits divided territory, it was no different from street gangs carving up turf.
"You don't touch my karaoke hall."
"I won't raid your market stall."
"I won't step into the nightclub you protect."
"And don't even think about meddling in the red-light district under my control."
Chuǎng Wang then spoke up. "We'll draw lots to decide who goes where."
Lots were drawn, and assignments made.
Geliyan and Zuo Jianwang would head south to face the Chu forces.
Heng Tianwang and Hun Shiwang would go west to confront the Qin army.
Cao Cao and Guo Tianxing would camp between Xingyang and Sishui, scouting Zhongmou, Deng, and Wei, tying down the forces from Kaifeng, Guide, Henan, and Ruzhou.
Zhang Xianzhong and Chuang Jiang would focus entirely on the east. After capturing cities and towns, all gold, silk, and women would be divided evenly.
Lao Huihui and Jiutiaolong would act as mobile scouts, free to move and provide support wherever needed.
Fearing the western front might be too weak, Shetatian and Gaishiwang were added as reinforcements for Heng Tianwang and Hun Shiwang.
After the division was complete—
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang let out a cold chuckle and led his troops southeast.
Lao Huihui watched him go, sneering inwardly.
A bunch of useless fools, he thought. Good thing I drew the lot for central support as a roaming force. That means I can move freely. It'll make contacting the people from Xiaolangdi much easier.
Very well.
He would take things one step at a time.
—
The eighth year of Chongzhen, early in the year.
Fengyang.
Fengyang—also known as the "Imperial Homeland"—was the ancestral seat of the Zhu imperial clan. Their ancestral tombs lay within its territory.
Since ancient times, people of the dynasty cherished their hometowns deeply. Once they achieved success and wealth, they would always want to return home—investing money locally, helping elders and kin escape poverty. Even if they couldn't make their hometown rich, scattering rewards was considered mandatory.
Hence the saying:
"To return wealthy but not display it in one's hometown is like wearing brocade at night."
If you got rich, you had to show it. Otherwise, it was as if you hadn't gotten rich at all.
Everyone followed this rule.
Everyone—except the Zhu family.
Despite Fengyang being the Imperial Homeland, the Zhu clan had never managed it properly. Not only had they failed to enrich the people, they had exploited them doubly, reducing the locals to utter misery.
It was into this desperate land that Xi Ying Ba Da Wang arrived.
The impoverished people of Fengyang traveled hundreds of li to welcome the bandit. They eagerly presented him with detailed ledgers:
"This household is wealthy."
"That place has no soldiers."
Through these desperate locals, Ba Da Wang learned Fengyang's true condition.
The Zhu family, obsessed with fengshui, had never even built city walls around Fengyang.
What was that, if not a beautiful woman—drunk, naked, and lying right in front of him?
A gentleman might drape his cloak over her and escort her to safety.
But a villain?
For a villain, it was perfection.
On the morning of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the eighth year of Chongzhen, thick fog blanketed the land. Xi Ying Ba Da Wang led his Sweep-the-Ground King and Taiping King divisions in a sudden attack on Fengyang.
Zhu Guoxiang, the Fengyang garrison commander, hastily led his troops out to resist—but was killed in battle. Over four thousand government soldiers were wiped out. The remaining fifteen hundred dropped to their knees, chanting "Long Live!" to beg for mercy.
Yan Rongxuan, the Prefect of Fengyang, seeing the situation collapse, changed into a prisoner's uniform and hid inside the jail.
When the rebel army came to release the prisoners, they discovered Yan Rongxuan and beat him to death on the spot.
Xi Ying Ba Da Wang raised a banner bearing the words "Ancient Yuan True Dragon Emperor."
He set fire to the Imperial Mausoleum's sacrificial hall and Longxing Temple.
And then—
He ordered the Zhu family's ancestral tombs dug up.