allendalepharm Chapter 170 The Whole City is Full of Rebels
Chapter 170 The Whole City is Full of Rebels
Chapter 170 The Whole City is Full of Rebels
From the west of the city, in the direction of the prefectural government office, came the sound of fierce pounding on the door and a brief clash of weapons, followed by cheers, as if the gate had been breached!
In the south of the city, at a small Green Standard Army outpost storing weapons and provisions, flames rose, mingled with sporadic gunshots and louder shouts of battle!
Chaos also broke out near the Guangdong Customs Superintendent's Office in the east of the city, where tax collection was in charge. Tax collectors and guards who used to be arrogant and domineering were beaten and fled in panic!
Even in some neighborhoods where wealthy families live, blood-red flags are being displayed.
It was aimed at the powerful and tyrannical families who usually relied on the government and oppressed the people.
Countless ordinary people, who had kept their doors and windows tightly shut, trembled with fear when the gunfire and shouts of killing first broke out.
They assumed it was a group of fierce pirates or bandits entering the city to plunder.
But at that moment, as they secretly peered out through the cracks in the door and windows, what they saw left them speechless.
There was no scene of arson, murder, looting, or rape as one might have imagined.
Those waving blood-red flags and shouting slogans had a clear objective: to attack government offices, military camps, and the residences of local bullies.
No harm was done to ordinary shops or residences along the street.
Some even witnessed several Blood Flag Army soldiers sternly stopping a thug who attempted to steal something and taking him away.
"What kind of army is this?!"
"Judging from their slogans—are they a righteous army opposed to the Qing Dynasty and against foreigners?"
"Rebel army? Aren't all rebel armies—uh, the Taiping Rebellion did bad things back in the day too!"
"Are these Blood Flag soldiers different from other rebel armies?"
Some people questioned in hushed tones, but the strict discipline before them made them swallow their words.
What surprised some longtime residents even more was that they saw some familiar faces among the flag-bearers.
Aren't those the mystical followers of the White Lotus Sect?
Why are they now waving blood-red flags and shouting "Overthrow the Qing and destroy foreigners"?
"Look! It's that guy from the White Lotus Sect—"
"They've joined the rebels too? What exactly is this Blood Flag Army?"
"Who cares who they are! Look at them, they only target government officials and corrupt bureaucrats, they don't harm ordinary people like us! That's much better than the government troops!"
"Yes! Haven't we been bullied enough by those corrupt officials and the pro-independence camp over the years? If only we could—"
The murmurs among the people grew louder, and fear was slowly replaced by curiosity, surprise, and even a hint of anticipation.
The Blood Flag Army is known for its strict discipline and clear objectives.
This was completely different from the terrible rumors they had heard about righteous armies and bandits.
"I used to hear that the Blood Flag Army was a powerful band of pirates from overseas who had even massacred cities—now it seems that was all a lie!"
"Yes! The government has been deceiving us! This is the true righteous army that stands up for the people!"
"Let's go! We'll go out too! Follow the Blood Flag Army and settle accounts with those corrupt officials!"
The pent-up anger, catalyzed by the Blood Flag Army's actions, began to erupt.
Some bold, deeply oppressed poor people finally couldn't hold back any longer, pushed open their doors, and picked up sticks and shovels.
They spontaneously followed behind the advancing Blood Flag Army.
At first there were only a few scattered ones, but then more and more joined the torrent.
"Overthrow the Qing Dynasty and exterminate the foreigners!"
"Down with corrupt officials!"
"Long live the Blood Flag!"
The horn blared louder and louder, converging into a deafening roar that shook the entire city.
Blood-red flags fluttered in the firelight throughout the streets and alleys of Guangcheng.
Under the night sky, it resembled a raging, burning sea.
Chen Wen stood beside the ruins of the dyeing workshop, listening to the roars coming from all directions and watching the blood-red flags waving.
Feeling the power of a new breakthrough within my body.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing!
I felt incredibly happy and excited, and full of hope!
Sun Yat-sen, Lu Haodong, and others listened to the slogans that roared from all directions and looked at the blood-red flags waving like a forest in the streets and alleys in the distance.
His face was filled with extreme shock, and there was even a hint of disbelief.
They knew the Blood Flag Army was strong, but they never imagined it would be on such a scale!
Judging from the scale of the event and the flames and flags that have spread almost throughout the city, the number of people involved is probably far greater than they imagined!
Tens of thousands? Or perhaps more?
"This—this is the real uprising—"
Lu Haodong's voice was dry, carrying complex emotions that were difficult to describe.
Compared to their long-planned but nearly destroyed uprising, this scene before them brought them a tremendous shock!
It's a world of difference!
"With such a formidable leader and such a massive army, what great undertaking could they not accomplish!"
Sun Yat-sen was equally moved, and his gaze toward Chen Wen was filled with unprecedented admiration and deep thought.
Nalan Yuanshu lay paralyzed in the ruins of the dye vat, but he was not yet dead.
But faced with this scene of being surrounded on all sides, he was so shocked that his mind trembled, and he seemed to temporarily forget the pain of his serious injury.
He struggled to lift his head, looking at the blood-red flags surging in the distant streets and the indistinct yet clamorous voices of the crowd. His face drained of color, and he hissed, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
"Chen Wen! Your Blood Flag Army has absorbed Zhang Baozai's remnants, and may have several thousand men at sea, but how could you possibly have infiltrated so many troops into Guangcheng without a sound?!"
"The imperial court—are all the imperial court's spies blind?!"
Chen Wen walked up to him, looking down at him with a cold sneer: "Nalan Yuanshu, I'm not lying to you. The elite troops of my Blood Flag Army who infiltrated Guangcheng this time really only numbered a little over two thousand."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the burning night sky and the fluttering blood-red flags, his voice clearly reaching Nalan Yuanshu and everyone present: "As for why it seems—it looks like the whole city is rebelling?"
"Hehe, Nalan Yuanshu, you should know the answer to this question better than anyone else."
Nalan Yuanshu's pupils contracted, and his lips moved, but he couldn't immediately refute.
He knows? Of course he knows!
He just didn't want to admit it, and he didn't dare to say it!
Sun Yat-sen suddenly stepped forward, pointing to the blurry figures following the Blood Flag Army in the distant streets and alleys, his voice trembling with excitement: "I understand! Brother Chen! I understand! Those people are not just your Blood Flag Army!"
"Look, there are so many ordinary people's clothes in there!"
"It's them! It's the millions of oppressed, exploited, and hopeless people in Guangcheng!"
He turned to Lu Haodong and the other righteous men, his voice growing faster and faster, filled with the joy of sudden realization: "The Blood Flag Army has arrived! They've wiped out the entire city, crushed the court's lackeys, and even defeated the Nine Gates Admiral here!"
"They showed everyone through their actions that the imperial court is not invincible, and that oppression can be resisted!"
"The people have seen hope and found their pillar of support!"
"The anger and courage that had been pent up for countless years were ignited at this moment!"
"This is not a conspiracy by one family or group to rebel; this is—this is the courageous resistance of the entire city's people!"
"This is what the people want!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Haodong and the others understood.
It turns out that those weren't just the Blood Flag Army, but countless impoverished people!
"No! That's not it! It's fake! It's all fake!"
Nalan Yuanshu seemed to be stung by Sun Wen's words, and struggled to roar, but his voice was fierce on the outside but weak on the inside.
"Those were all imposters and traitors in disguise! Traitors! They are all traitors who deserve to die!"
'