Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 72 Uprising to Demand Payment

Returning to Xiapi County, gathering his own forces, and taking control of the county seat—this was his first step.

Therefore, he did not stop Liu Lu from spreading his name throughout the army.

Now, it's time to use this move.

Right now, even his own achievements are being downplayed, let alone those of others who didn't come from privileged backgrounds.

Moreover, more than a month has passed since the expedition began, but the army's pay has yet to be issued.

Yes, soldiers at this time received pay for their service. Since Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, gradually abolished the system of regular soldiers in the commanderies and kingdoms during the Jianwu era in order to allow the country to recuperate, the military system of the Eastern Han Dynasty changed from conscription to recruitment, and recruited soldiers naturally had to be paid.

But where would the imperial court get the money now?

When the great teacher Zhang Jiao raised an uprising, the whole country was shaken. The country didn't even have the money to quell the rebellion. In the end, it was Huangfu Song and the eunuch Lü Qiang who jointly advised the emperor, Liu Hong, that made him reluctantly open the imperial treasury to reward the army.

Thinking of this, Li Sheng walked out of the tent, looked at the occasional complaints around him, and smiled helplessly.

That big guy deserved to die.

Li Sheng lived a peaceful life in the days that followed.

During the day, he visited wounded soldiers in the army, and at night he would have private conversations with Liu Lu until late into the night.

Liu Lu traveled among the soldiers in various villages every day, reporting every detail of who he had drunk with that day and who he had befriended that day.

Li Sheng listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions, but mostly just nodding silently.

That evening, Li Sheng was walking around the camp as usual.

The setting sun dyed the sky a dark red, and wisps of smoke rose from the camp. Soldiers sat in twos and threes. Li Sheng walked slowly past a bonfire where seven or eight soldiers from Xiapi County were talking together.

Upon seeing him approach, the group quickly stood up.

"Village Chief Li!"

Li Sheng waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down, and then casually found a seat for himself.

"What are you talking about?"

A young soldier sighed and said with a worried look on his face.

"Village Chief, didn't we win the battle? I thought the imperial court should be letting us return home soon, right? We've been away for over a month now, and the fields back home are in a terrible state of neglect."

As soon as he spoke, the people around him echoed his sentiments.

"Exactly, exactly. When I left, my wife was the only one left at home with the baby. I don't know if we could make ends meet."

"You guys are lucky. My father was sick recently, and now that I'm gone, there's not even anyone to get his medicine."

After listening to their conversation, Li Sheng asked a question without changing his expression.

"The results of the merit-based rewards have been announced, and you should be heading home soon. But... have you received your wages yet?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Not sent."

"I didn't receive it either."

"Who can argue with that? We won the battle, but we didn't even get paid."

At this moment, an older veteran lowered his voice and muttered something with a face full of resentment.

"Damn it, they won the battle but still haven't paid out. When are these rats going to stop swindling money?"

The person next to him quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered something.

"Hey bro, keep your voice down, it'll be a disaster if someone hears you."

The veteran glared at him, lowered his voice, but still muttered defiantly.

Seeing this, Li Sheng greeted everyone, stood up, and left.

Behind them, the soldiers were still whispering among themselves, their voices sometimes loud and sometimes soft, occasionally interspersed with curses.

Li Sheng took a few steps and happened to see Liu Lu walking over from the other side. Their eyes met and Li Sheng nodded slightly.

Liu Lu understood immediately, grinned, and turned to disappear into another group of soldiers.

Scenes like this happen every day.

One evening, Li Sheng was polishing his halberd in his tent when Liu Lu lifted the curtain and came in, his face showing some excitement.

"Brother Sheng, that's about enough."

Li Sheng kept his hands moving without even looking up.

"explain."

"These past few days I've checked on all the more than a thousand people in Xiapi County. Now everyone's saying that our pay hasn't been issued yet, and those nobles at the top aren't even leaving us a drop of soup while they're eating meat. This kind of talk spreads the fastest; I don't even need to say anything, the brothers are already talking about it."

Li Sheng finally stopped what he was doing and looked up.

"Then you should stay in the camp for the next few days and not go out."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Sheng-ge."

Liu Lu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and nodded vigorously.

……

One day, the order finally came down from above.

Soldiers from each county formed their own units and returned to their hometowns with their respective county officials, with a promise that their pay would be issued as soon as it arrived.

When the news spread, the camp was filled with jubilation; everyone longed for home.

The team set off early the next morning.

After traveling for several days, the group was less than a day's journey from Xiapi.

The scenery along the road gradually became familiar, and some soldiers began to point to the distant village, saying that was their home.

However, the pay still hasn't been issued, causing some discontent among the troops.

Liu Lu began to take action.

He first pulled along a few soldiers he was close to, and muttered to himself as they walked.

"We're almost home, why haven't we received our pay yet? My family is waiting for this money to buy grain."

A soldier chimed in.

"Yes, my wife sent a message through someone last time, saying that the family is almost starving and they are waiting for me to bring money when I go back this time."

"Who knows if it will be released?"

Liu Lu sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"What if we all go back to our own homes as soon as we get to the city? Who will we ask for our wages then?"

These words were spoken neither too lightly nor too heavily, but just enough for several people around to hear them.

The group exchanged glances, their faces darkening.

By the time we stopped for a midday rest, the news had already spread.

"Have you heard? Some people say that those officials up there have no intention of paying us salaries at all."

"Really? This is a rule set by the imperial court."

"Rules? What are rules worth? Look at Li Sheng, the village head and hamlet chief of Siyang Township. He made such great contributions, but he was just replaced by a hamlet chief named Dangdang, and he didn't even see a copper coin. If he's treated like this, what makes us think we'll get any money?"

The discussion grew louder and louder, and more and more people joined in.

At that moment, someone shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Brothers, to be honest, do you trust those government officials?"

There was a moment of silence, then someone shouted.

"I don't believe it!"

"I don't believe it either!"

"We've fought so many battles, risking our lives, and they just sit in the back and swallow our credit with a few words. Now they're even trying to steal our pay. Tell me, can you swallow this?"

"I can't swallow it!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, their voice filled with long-suppressed anger.

But some hesitated and whispered.

"How about... we wait a bit longer? Maybe we'll strike it rich once we get into the city?"

Immediately, someone next to him stared intently at him.

"Wait? Wait until what? Wait until we all go home, and you go to the government alone to ask for money? Do you think you can outmaneuver them?"

The man opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

"Brothers, now is the time for us to have the numbers and the strength!"

The man looked around, his voice growing louder and louder.

"The law doesn't punish the masses. There are over a thousand of us standing together, what can they do? Demanding our wages is our right, and we're not afraid even if we talk to our superiors!"

These words were like a fire, instantly igniting everyone's emotions.

"Yes! We demand our pay! We demand our pay!"

Shouts erupted from the crowd.

Several people stood on the perimeter, their eyes flickering as they watched the person who had spoken.

They were all intelligent people in their respective township teams, and they could immediately tell who was standing behind that familiar figure.

But they didn't say it out loud.

Because they also need to pay wages.