Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 76 Rebel Camp

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Lizhuang was only a dozen miles away from the rebel camp on Mishen Mountain. The three of them arrived at dusk under the guidance of Wang Bao's disciple and successfully entered the camp.

When the rebel army received orders to march to Dalinghe, there were only three thousand men. Now, the number had grown to over ten thousand. More than two thousand of them were prisoners, ruffians, and bandits recruited along the way, while the other few thousand were conscripts forcibly taken in when attacking prefectures and counties. The camp covered a vast area, with countless fires covering the hillsides, drawing thin halos in the night sky.

Under the watchful eyes of soldiers in matching mandarin duck battle robes and able-bodied men dressed as civilians, the three masters and disciples passed through the camp and were led to a tent. Soon, a general wearing mountain-patterned armor entered, staring at the three with hostile eyes, and asked, "Are you the people sent by the White Lotus Sect?"

This man was taller than the average soldier, with an arrogant air about him. Judging from his clothes and tone of voice, Liu Ye guessed that he might be a leader of the rebels and that he needed to be dealt with carefully. Before Bai Lian could speak, he said, "General, we are from the White Lotus Sect. This is Bai Lian, the Holy Maiden who protects the sect at the main altar."

Upon seeing the faces of Bai Lian and her disciples, a glint of greed flashed in the general's eyes. He said, "I am Li Jiucheng. Wasn't it Wang Bao who contacted me before? Why is it you instead?"

"That's Li Jiucheng!" Liu Ye was startled, never expecting to meet one of the biggest leaders of the rebels like this. Historical records about Kong Youde are more numerous than those about Li Jiucheng, but in reality, the true leader of the rebels was Li Jiucheng. This was because he was the one who instigated the mutiny of the Liaodong army, commanded numerous sieges, and made the rebels extremely wealthy. His prestige among the rebels was far higher than that of Kong Youde.

Liu Ye immediately replied, "General Li, Wang Bao is busy developing believers in various places and cannot leave his post. Therefore, the main altar has sent the Holy Maiden to assist you with the power of our sect that is lurking in various places."

Li Jiucheng said disdainfully, "You unorthodox sects are good at gathering information and causing trouble, but when it comes to fighting and attacking cities, we still have to rely on ourselves." He only contacted Wang Bao because of the recommendation of his confidant. He thought that the White Lotus Sect had followers all over Shandong and was spread among all walks of life, so he agreed to cooperate with Wang Bao, thinking that they might be useful. However, he looked down on these swindlers who only knew how to cheat and deceive.

Bai Lian was indignant upon hearing this and was about to retort when Liu Ye stopped her. Liu Ye said with a smile, "General is right. We can only cooperate in secret. The real battle still depends on your tens of thousands of troops. However, our followers are spread all over the place, which gives us an advantage in gathering information. When you negotiate with the government about pacification, if you know the government's bottom line, you will naturally be more successful."

"Oh?" Li Jiucheng was puzzled. Only he, Kong Youde, his son Li Yingyuan, and several generals of the rank of captain or above knew about the pacification. How did this demon of the White Lotus Sect know about it?

Liu Ye saw his confusion and explained, "I was just guessing. Although your tribe has started an uprising, it has not openly broken with the court. Even if you take Dengzhou City, it is impossible to resist the court's million-strong army with just one city. It is better to make enough benefits and then accept the offer of amnesty."

This explanation was reasonable enough, and Li Jiucheng believed that no one had leaked the secret. However, he didn't like being seen through too much. He reached out and patted Liu Ye's cheek, grinning maliciously, "Sometimes, don't be too clever for your own good. Our affairs are none of your concern!" After saying that, he turned and left the tent without saying anything else.

Bai Lian stared coldly at his departing figure, and after a while uttered a sentence: "This person has repeatedly slandered my Bai Lian Sect. I will definitely seek justice when I have the chance!"

Liu Ye said helplessly, "He is Li Jiucheng, the leader of the rebel army! Fairy, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. We are now in the rebel camp, so we must be careful with our words and actions. If we offend this person, we will be doomed. No matter how high your martial arts skills are, you and Miss Ling Xi'er will still be hacked to pieces in the midst of tens of thousands of rebel soldiers."

Ling Xi'er exclaimed in surprise, touched her face, and said to Liu Ye, "Being chopped into mincemeat would be awful, you're not allowed to talk nonsense!"

“Miss Ling, I’m not talking nonsense. The rebels dared to disobey orders and launch a mutiny. On their way back east, they broke through several cities and killed countless people. What does it matter if they killed a few White Lotus Sect members?”

Bai Lian rebuked, "How can you look down on the White Lotus Sect? We worship the Eternal Mother and have never harmed anyone. How could we be some kind of demons?"

Liu Ye thought to himself, "The White Lotus Sect is nothing but a heretical cult that spreads falsehoods and misleads the public. It's just that you refuse to face reality." But he couldn't say that in front of Bai Lian, so he could only sigh and say, "Fairy, with scoundrels like Wang Bao around, the people have many misunderstandings about the White Lotus Sect. Many people call the White Lotus Sect demons. The White Lotus Sect still has a long way to go if it wants to flourish!"

Bai Lian sighed: "The White Lotus Sect was originally a Buddhist sect that believed in and upheld the precepts, not killing, stealing, committing adultery, lying, or drinking alcohol. But nowadays, many people like Wang Bao have joined the sect, only for their own selfish gain. They have used the sect's power to ruin the reputation of the White Lotus Sect, which has led to its decline and the sect being regarded as a demon."

The group sat there for a while, and seeing that Li Jiucheng had not returned, they wanted to go out of the tent to take a look, but several soldiers blocked them at the door: "General Li told you to stay here. Without his orders, you are not allowed to go anywhere."

Bai Lian was about to lash out when Liu Ye pulled her back to the tent: "Fairy, in the midst of the chaos, don't act rashly. Let's wait for the right opportunity."

Upon entering the tent, Bai Lian asked, "Liu Ye, what should we do? We came here to use the rebels, but what's the difference between us being here and not coming at all if we just stay cooped up here all day?"

Liu Ye secretly grumbled to himself, without him, the White Lotus Master and his disciples couldn't even enter the rebel camp, let alone win over the rebels as their protectors. Judging from Li Jiucheng's appearance, even if Wang Bao came, he would only be a useless pawn for the rebels.

However, in order to achieve their goals, the name of the White Lotus Sect still had some value for the time being, and the White Lotus Sect still needed to be appeased. So she said, "Fairy, don't worry. Anyway, the rebels are going to attack Dengzhou City. When they do, all the officials, big and small, will be killed. It will be easier for the White Lotus Sect to develop believers and expand its power. No matter who commands and controls the rebels, as long as the goal is achieved, that's fine! Let's stay here for now and look for an opportunity."

Although Bai Lian possesses high martial arts skills, she is a complete novice when it comes to strategy and political maneuvering. Otherwise, she wouldn't only have the title of Holy Maiden of the Sect without any real power. In contrast, Wang Bao, the Inner Law Hall Protector, has mediocre martial arts skills and comes from a poor Taoist background, yet he has climbed to a high position in the sect because of his deception and cunning. Given the current situation, she has no better solution than to follow Liu Ye's advice.