Chapter 1027
Using a large talent for a small task
Upon closer inspection, he was astonished to see that the person fighting Lu Zhenyuan was none other than Yan Shouyi. Li Qingshi hurriedly threw the wild fruit he was holding onto the ground and ran over, shouting, "Stop! Stop!"
Lu Zhenyuan and Yan Shouyi, who were engaged in fierce combat, stopped when they saw Li Qingshi and looked at him with confusion.
Li Qingshi anxiously looked at Yan Shouyi and then at Lu Zhenyuan, saying, "Lord Yan, Lord Lu are all on our side!"
Yan Shouyi looked at Li Qingshi and said, "Qingshi, what are you doing here?"
Li Qingshi looked at Yan Shouyi and said, "Quickly tell everyone to stop. We'll talk in detail later!"
Upon hearing Li Qingshi's words, Yan Shouyi quickly shouted to the soldiers who were fighting, "Stop! Stop! They are not our enemies!"
Upon hearing Yan Shouyi's words, the soldiers who were engaged in battle quickly stopped.
The place quickly returned to calm.
Yan Shouyi looked at Li Qingshi and said, "Brother Qingshi, what exactly is going on?"
Li Qingshi briefly recounted his experience to Yan Shouyi, and also briefly explained Lu Zhenyuan's identity and some recent events to Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi had heard of Lu Zhenyuan's name before. As a fellow martial artist, Yan Shouyi greatly admired Lu Zhenyuan. Seeing his idol standing beside him, Yan Shouyi quickly wiped his hands on his clothes and said to Lu Zhenyuan, "Lord Lu, my name is Yan Shouyi, a good friend of Qing Shi. I have long admired your name and I am truly impressed by you today!"
Lu Zhenyuan looked at Yan Shouyi and said, "Young brother, you're being too polite. I'm just a nobody who's been sidelined by the court to suppress bandits. There's no need to be so formal!"
Yan Shouyi said, "Lord Lu, what are you saying? For an important person like you to be sent to this remote mountain forest by the court is a complete waste of your talents! You must be tired from your journey. Come, let me take you to my camp to rest!"
Lu Zhenyuan nodded to Yan Shouyi, and then he and Li Qingshi led their respective teams back to the Feiya Waterfall Mountain Temple with Yan Shouyi!
Yan Shouyi instructed his men to take good care of the soldiers brought by Lu Zhenyuan, and then led Lu Zhenyuan and Li Qingshi to his room for rest. When Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan saw where Yan Shouyi was, they realized that it seemed to be a long-term encampment, because it was quite well-stocked in terms of living supplies, troop size, and food provisions.
After the three entered the house, Li Qingshi looked at Yan Shouyi and said, "Lord Yan, I heard last time that you were promoted, didn't you? How come you seem to be stationed here for a long time? Could it be that you were also sent by the imperial court to suppress bandits?"
Upon hearing Li Qingshi's question, Yan Shouyi sighed and said, "Alas, bandits are rampant in these mountains. The imperial court has sent you here to suppress them, which, to put it bluntly, means they don't want to give you a way out. When I first came here, I was also full of ambition, thinking that I would do my best to drive out the bandits."
But later I realized that the reason there are so many bandits in this world is mostly because they are forced into it. The current court is ruled by a corrupt emperor, wars are raging everywhere, and the people are starving and freezing. Some people can't get by through legitimate means, so they are forced to become bandits in the mountains. At least that way they can at least have something to eat.
Through my observations over this period, I've discovered that many bandits aren't just harming ordinary people as we imagined. On the contrary, they often offer timely assistance when people are in trouble. Conversely, the government officials are the true culprits in oppressing the people. They know that recent years have been plagued by drought and hardship, leaving the people with little income. Coupled with the constant warfare of recent years, many young and able-bodied men have been forced into military service, leaving mostly the elderly, weak, and disabled in every household. All these factors combined have resulted in a complete crop failure for the farmers.
Knowing that the people were facing such a predicament, the amount of grain the court collected each year did not decrease but increased year by year. This heavy burden made it impossible for the people to even fill their stomachs. Where did the peace and prosperity of the Great Jing Dynasty come from?
The current imperial court is merely using the guise of protecting the people to actually exploit them. I'm fed up with this regime and don't want to be complicit in their cruelty anymore. So, during my time here suppressing bandits, I've thought things through. Since they're so heartless, they can't blame us for being equally ruthless. In the days that followed, I simply broke free from the court's control and led everyone in an uprising!
When Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan heard Yan Shouyi mention the word "uprising," they were both taken aback. Li Qingshi spoke first and asked, "An uprising is no easy thing. It's harder than climbing to heaven to succeed. Most people lose their lives before they even conquer this mountain. It's extremely rare for an uprising to succeed!"
Seeing Yan Shouyi's upright character and dedication to the people, Lu Zhenyuan realized he was truly a man of integrity. He looked at Yan Shouyi with a worried expression and said, "Brother, I, Lu, truly admire your courage. But as Qing Shi said, there is no turning back once an uprising begins. It's either success or failure, and the chances of success are extremely slim. If the court discovers this, your entire family will be executed!"
Upon hearing Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan's words, Yan Shouyi knew they were worried about him, and he felt greatly gratified. He said to Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan, "Due to the inaction of the court over the years, my parents and two other brothers and sisters have all starved to death. I am the only one left in the family. As an old man with no relatives, I have no worries about the extermination of my entire family. My brothers are all tough men who have been loyal to me for so long. Of course, I will take good care of their families!"
Li Qingshi asked, "There's chaos and war outside, and crops can't be grown. You stay here year-round, and your operation is quite large. Where do you get your food supplies?"
Yan Shouyi knew that Li Qingshi was the most loyal believer of the Mountain God, so he said without any hesitation, "To tell you the truth, all the food and fodder here was provided by the Mountain God!"
Upon hearing Yan Shouyi's words, Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan both gaped in astonishment, exclaiming in unison, "Lord Yan, does that mean the Mountain God already knows about your uprising? And is he even strongly supporting it?" (End of Chapter)