Chapter 110: A Reed in the Wind

Northeast of Yan'an, on Great King Mountain, Liu Chengyun carried a box of books as he walked forward.

Passing through the endless barren hills and withered forests, he finally reached a wide-open clearing deep within the mountain valley. A small stream babbled through the gorge, and several newly excavated cave dwellings were neatly lined up along the loess cliffs.

Chengyun set down the book box, wiped the sweat from his brow, smiled broadly, stretched out his arms, and gestured around. “Brother Lion, how do you like this place?”

The small valley was quite good, with both high ground and low valley floor available. Multiple mountain paths connected in all directions. Liu Chengzong nodded approvingly. “Very good indeed. How did you find a place like this?”

He then turned and waved to Cao Yao, Yang Yao, and the others. The five squad leaders each took their teams and led the mules to stake out their own territory.

Liu Chengzong had returned two days earlier than the others. He met with his family at Zuantianmao, where they were temporarily sheltering, to learn about the situation before leading the troops into Fushi County.

Liu Chengyun sat on the box and said, “It wasn’t me who found it. Our second uncle used to be a tax official. Wherever the people fled, he knew. After you left, we hid in places like this.”

He pointed to a nearby cave. “That was originally a granary. After uncle reconnoitered the terrain, he had it dug through, set up a stove inside with a chimney extending a hundred paces, leading to the cliff on the other side of the mountain. We cook and boil water here; the smoke exits over there.”

Liu Chengzong dismounted, handed the reins to Guo Zhashi who followed behind, and surveyed the surroundings with a silent nod.

His father had chosen this place well. Though unsuitable for farming, it was perfect as a temporary winter camp.

He asked, “Is there still grain stored in the mountains?”

Chengyun nodded. “Once news of your return arrived, uncle began transporting grain. Even after you went home, the work didn’t stop. There are now over a hundred shi, but if it grows any larger, we’ll have to find other ways; the home granary is empty.”

Opening the box, Chengyun rummaged through it and said, “Actually, you should have stayed home longer. Since you left, uncle, aunt, and big brother have all been worried about you. Though uncle and big brother didn’t show it when you stayed for two days, they must have been happy inside.”

Liu Chengzong pursed his lips, looked up at the sky, and sighed softly. “How I wish I could stay longer at home, but not even Black Dragon Mountain is an option... Da didn’t tell me. Chengyun, no one near the prefectural city opposes us now. Why not return to Black Dragon Mountain?”

Great King Mountain was just over ten li south of Black Dragon Mountain, while Liu Xiangyu and the others were over ten li east at Zuantianmao.

Neither place was truly their home.

Chengyun paused his search, muttering gloomily, “Wherever everyone is, that’s home. Let’s not go back to Black Dragon Mountain for now.”

He resumed rifling through the box and after a moment pulled out four thick volumes, handing them to Liu Chengzong.

“Brother, the family has been waiting for your return these days. These three books were compiled by uncle and Mr. Yang. The first contains maps of Yan’an Prefecture, information on wealthy families, Wang estates, ranches, mines, the financial strength of various ethnic groups, clans, officials, and their backers — especially detailed for nearby Fushi, Ansai, and Ganquan.”

He passed a thick volume to Liu Chengzong.

“Here’s the second, compiled by uncle and big brother together. I flipped through some pages: there are excerpts from military texts, treatments for combat wounds, training soldiers, calculations of daily logistics—I don’t fully understand it, so you should read it yourself.”

Another thick volume was handed over.

Finally, Chengyun pulled out two large volumes, smiled proudly, and said, “Now it’s my turn. This one is my idea. Together with my father-in-law, we recorded all his godchildren and acquaintances from various places over the years in one volume.”

He passed it over. “Father-in-law has come to realize, with me as his worthy son-in-law, that while we cause a stir outside, he is safe inside the city. If we get caught or killed by the authorities, his family would be implicated and ruined... This book might not be useful now, but it’s handy for smuggling, gathering intelligence, and might prove valuable someday.”

Turning the last volume with a serious expression, Chengyun said, “After you left, I and Song Shouzhen registered and catalogued everyone in the Lion Camp, Brother Wang’s faction, Zhang Tianlin, and the Chuǎngta Tian tribes. Besides Zuantianmao and Yan’an garrison, it includes warriors from villages helping resist taxes and large families willing to supply grain—over nineteen hundred people in all.”

Holding these four volumes, Liu Chengzong felt their weight in his hands.

These were not merely books but the keys to controlling Yan’an Prefecture.

Just then, Guo Zhashi returned after securing the mules and told them the rooms were ready.

Liu Chengzong put the books back into the box, lifted it, and headed toward the cave with Chengyun, asking as they walked, “How exactly do you resist the taxes around here?”

“Mainly two ways,” Chengyun explained. “The local grain collectors rely on intimidation to rally villagers to resist taxes. When they need manpower, we send ours. We sit in the grain collector’s house to prevent villagers from paying him, and also stop the collector from paying the county office. The officials have to scramble.”

He went into detail: “The three gates of Yan’an prefectural city, including the small west gate, all have spies and constables planted. After the last incident, most of the officials and constables died. Many of the new recruits are ours. Sometimes, as soon as news travels from the prefectural office to the county government, our people have already set off with the message, so the officials arrive only to find nothing.”

He chuckled and summed up, “Many riverside villages are deregistered with the county, but the people still live there. Big brother led raids against the wealthy families. Every household has surplus grain. This year’s autumn grain and levies in Fushi County should have only yielded about seventy taels.”

Inside the cave, Liu Chengzong inspected the furnishings: kang beds, tables, and chairs—not bad at all. He pulled up a bench and sat down, asking, “Is this enough to pay the officials and clerks? Can they be trusted?”

“They have no silver, but we do! Yang Yanchang alone gave us five hundred taels. After you left, Uncle Cheng and big brother led the tax resistance, killed nine grain collectors, landlords, and gentry who insisted on collecting grain. They took all their gold and silver each time, leaving half the grain for the people.”

At this, Chengyun lowered his voice mysteriously. “Brother Lion, next time we enter the prefectural city, we can’t rob the granaries anymore.”

Liu Chengzong frowned. “Why bring up the granaries?”

“Because now our family runs a granary,” Chengyun said, unable to suppress a laugh. “Father-in-law has a godson—I don’t know how he has so many—who trades grain. Father-in-law and uncle pooled three hundred taels as capital to collect grain from both banks of the river, plus some of our own.”

Liu Chengzong’s frown deepened. “We don’t even have enough grain ourselves, and yet we sell it outside?”

Chengyun shook his head quickly. “It’s not sold, it’s given away. Officials like Zhang Shuban at the county office, Meng Xiancheng, and several clerks you know collect one shi of millet monthly from the granary. Some prefectural and county constables who work for us do the same. They receive our grain and do our work. When some gentry file complaints, the constables beat them out of town.”

Liu Chengzong relaxed his brow. So the clerks and constables in the county now draw their salaries from the Liu family?

What was this, early infiltration?

At this rate, the imperial court's control over Yan’an Prefecture would soon be meaningless.

He asked, “Was this all big brother’s idea?”

“Yes. After you left, uncle and Mr. Yang discussed and arranged for us to handle these matters.”

Chengyun nodded and then asked cautiously, “Brother, can I ask you something? How to put this... I’ve done a lot lately, running between the prefectural city and villages, meeting many people. The more I see, the more I think. Let me ask, can we really cause a rebellion against the court? I don’t mean fighting the imperial troops like now, but can we truly win?”

“Officials have been killed, rebellions started. The only way is to completely overthrow the Ming Dynasty,” Liu Chengzong looked Chengyun in the eye. “Why do you ask?”

Chengyun shook his head, sat up straight, and said, “I don’t know. I’ve been busy, running between the city and villages. I see more, think more... Let me tell you something—don’t be upset. Uncle says you’re impulsive and easily angered, and that when you hear this, you’ll want to kill someone.”

“Ha, me impulsive and angry?” Liu Chengzong gestured outside the door with a carefree smile. “Who doesn’t know Lion Liu is always refined and easygoing? Go ahead, say it.”

Chengyun nodded. He liked Brother Lion’s temperament and continued, “The old Black Dragon Mountain house was taken over.”

Liu Chengzong said nothing. His relaxed expression vanished; his breathing grew heavier. He leaned back on the bench, thumbs hooked in his waist belt, straightening his clothes.

Chengyun didn’t speak for a long moment, carefully watching his brother’s face, hesitant to continue. Eventually, he muttered, “The prefect Zhang Nian’s concubine’s brother moved into the Black Dragon Mountain mansion... Brother, what are you going to do!”

Before he finished, Liu Chengzong rose—but instead of calling Cao Yao to bring the artillery team, he circled behind Chengyun and patted his shoulder calmly.

“The clan built that big mansion together. Big brother and I barely lived there a few days. Lately, I regretted not killing Zhang Nian. Look, those who deserve to die will sooner or later. Keep going. Why didn’t big brother kill him?”

Chengyun felt that his second brother had become steadier but also more fearsome after going east.

He said, “Uncle and Mr. Yang think not to move against Zhang Nian yet to avoid provoking the troops... That’s it. My head is all tangled, I can’t describe it well. Uncle’s plan is clear: the governor will send a large army east to suppress us. So we must sever Yan’an Prefecture’s connections to the outside and delay that as long as possible.”

Chengyun sighed deeply, holding his head in his hands. “They want the troops to come from Fuzhou, making the city peaceful while the army fights the righteous army in the east. Then the city and nearby areas will rise all at once, cutting off the army’s retreat... But I don’t think that will work.”

Liu Chengzong sat back down, his anger slowly fading.

If there’s a longer-term plan, letting that scoundrel occupy the old house a few days isn’t impossible.

He asked, “Why won’t it work? Tell me.”

Chengyun suddenly said bitterly, “Everyone’s a fence-sitter, all of them!”

“What do you mean by everyone’s a fence-sitter?”

“The villagers—when we say resist taxes, only two or three out of a hundred stand up. When our men arrive, they all resist. When we leave, some go silent; some run to complain to the county.”

“The officials receive our grain but aren’t truly with us. Without threats, they slack off; threaten them, and we’re no different from bandits.”

“Even Yang Yanchang at Yan’an garrison is just a trial hundred-household leader. He rose to high office on our backs. When news of your return from Shanxi came, he was terrified, afraid we’d be caught and he’d be implicated. He thinks only of himself!”

“Even uncle, Mr. Yang, and big brother...”

The small Chengyun harshly listed everyone, but his tone softened when speaking of family. He took a deep breath. “They all have great talents, but I know they don’t believe. They don’t believe we can overthrow the court.”

“I want to convince them, but when scholars, candidates, and officials sit together, no one listens; when rebel leaders gather, still no one listens. People only assign me this and that. They don’t see what’s really going on below. When the troops come, they still want to rise up—impossible! All fence-sitters!”

Liu Chengzong did not know what ideological shifts the home troops had undergone in recent days, but he sensed Chengyun had suffered a great shock.

He guessed it was simply that the troops hadn’t arrived as expected, life had settled down again, and the rebellious spirit had waned.

Only those with no way out become desperate.

It was natural. Otherwise, the world would be full of barefoot people fearing those with shoes, and those with shoes fearing those with hats.

But in truth, fine porcelain fears stones; no one wants to live unsettled.

Survival is steadier than rebellion; controlling a region after rebellion is steadier than provoking the army.

He stood, patted Chengyun on the shoulder, and said, “Chengyun, you’ve done well. Big brother, I, and Mr. Yang have also done well—better than I imagined. You’re right, people are fence-sitters. If the General Command can send a large army... hearts will side with the court. They won’t rise.”

Liu Chengzong raised his head. “Then what? You said if we disrupt the court’s rule, we can win.”

“We can rise slowly. Since hearts side with the court because of the troops, that’s easy to fix.”

Liu Chengzong spoke as simply as if stepping outside to relieve himself. “What the family does won’t be wasted; it’s all important. But one thing: if we can’t annihilate the army in units, all this work is useless.”

He tapped his head. “Political power grows from the barrel of a gun.”

The gesture said: I’m not saying this; it’s what’s in my mind.

Chengyun paused, thought for a long time, then asked, “What does ‘political power grows from the barrel of a gun’ mean?”

“I wasn’t sure before if we could win, but after returning and hearing what you said, seeing what the family has done, I know we will win.”

Liu Chengzong said, “I met many leaders in the east: some magnanimous, some leading from the front, some who bury every fallen soldier. That’s extravagant—these are troops where people die along the way, and they dig graves for each.”

“I admire every one of them. Each has a gun, but it’s hard to find confidence in their ability to defeat the court. Because they only have guns. What does ‘political power grows from the barrel of a gun’ mean? It means having political power but no guns.”

Liu Chengzong put his arm around Liu Chengyun. “Our family is building political power from nothing. It’s hard and slow, so don’t rush. Fence-sitters... Hmph, the good thing about fence-sitters is that once my guns sweep away the army, watch which way they’ll fall!”