The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 113 Undercurrents at the Wedding Banquet

Gao Yingxiang was a man of action, and since Li Zicheng did not object, the marriage was quickly arranged.

Just a few days later, he had Xing brought over from Baode and, as her uncle, held a grand wedding for Li Zicheng.

The wedding was a grand affair, with all of Gao Yingxiang's subordinates, except those who couldn't leave, coming to Hequ to attend. Wang Er, Zhao Sheng, and others also presented a generous gift, and Zhou Lun, naturally, didn't lag behind, preparing a similarly lavish present.

"Brother, how have you been?"

At the wedding banquet, Zhao Sheng and Zhou Lun sat at the same table, with several of their respective leaders sitting next to them.

Wang Er and the others didn't get along, so he naturally sat at another table. Liu Zhe, Huang Long, and the others were busy helping to serve the guests.

Li Zicheng, dressed in his wedding attire, was beaming with joy, while Gao Yingxiang, seated in the main seat, was also all smiles.

"I'm fine. How have you been in Baode lately, brother?" Zhou Lun smiled and then asked.

"It's nothing special, but it's still more comfortable than being in Hequ," Zhao Sheng said meaningfully. Then, glancing around, he lowered his voice and said, "Since you're not comfortable in Hequ, why not come to Baode? If you come to my place, we brothers can work together and have a carefree time, wouldn't that be great?"

"Brother, you're so kind," Zhou Lun replied gratefully.

Since the incident with Li Wanqing, his status in the rebel army has not been as good as before.

When Li Zicheng arrived not long ago, their situation became even more awkward.

Zhao Sheng, one of the leaders of the rebel army, was aware of the situation even though he was not in Hequ. He felt very indignant about Zhou Lun's predicament.

Zhao Sheng was no ordinary leader; after all, he was a scholar who had almost passed the imperial examinations. If it weren't for the government's influence, he wouldn't have been able to rebel and become a leader of the righteous army.

Within the rebel army, due to his background, he couldn't get along with Wang Er and the others at all. In his eyes, Wang Er was just a brainless brute, and even Liu Zhe and Huang Long were no better.

Although Gao Yingxiang was a man of great talent and ambition, he was also suspicious and suspicious, especially in his dealings with Zhou Lun, which was very dishonest and was also despised by Zhao Sheng.

Among the rebel leaders, Zhou Lun was the only one he could truly talk to.

To put it bluntly, they all have one thing in common—they are all "cultured people," and they share many similar views and opinions, making them very compatible.

Compared to other rebel leaders, they can be considered two outliers.

In Zhao Sheng's mind, he initially regarded Gao Yingxiang as a capable ruler. Although he led an army, as a scholar, he knew that his rebellion was caused by a series of unforeseen events, and that it would not be easy for him to rise to prominence in the chaotic world on his own.

Zhao Sheng didn't have much ambition; he just wanted to find a suitable lord to serve, struggle in the chaotic world, and if possible, follow his lord to achieve great things.

Since following Gao Yingxiang, Gao Yingxiang's actions have made him feel that he is indeed a man of great talent and ambition, and perhaps he can really make a name for himself in the chaotic world.

But since Li Wanqing's incident, Zhao Sheng's feelings toward Gao Yingxiang have gradually changed.

In his view, Zhou Lun had no reason to blame Li Wanqing for surrendering to the imperial court.

The feigned pacification was a plan jointly discussed and decided by Zhou Lun and Gao Yingxiang. Now that something went wrong, Li Wanqing has actually gone to the imperial court. In terms of responsibility, they should each share the blame equally. How can it all be blamed on Zhou Lun?

Moreover, Zhou Lun, as Li Wanqing's sworn brother, did not follow Li Wanqing before Li Wanqing officially left the rebel army; instead, he refused Li Wanqing's offer of recruitment and returned. This demonstrates his loyalty to the rebel army and to Gao Yingxiang himself. However, Gao Yingxiang, because of Li Wanqing, held a grudge against Zhou Lun. Although he outwardly continued to employ him, he was actually wary of him and even suppressed him.

This time, Gao Yingxiang's nephew, Li Zicheng, came to join the rebel army. He was a newcomer who only brought twenty-one men with him, and he was given an important position as soon as he arrived.

Not only did they provide him with soldiers and supplies, but they also went to great lengths to find him a wife, and now the wedding is being held in such a grand and lively manner.

Such actions are truly chilling. Especially after hearing that Li Zicheng's army of 500 elite troops was obtained from Zhou Lun, Zhao Sheng, though unaware of the truth, knew how much effort and cost Zhou Lun had spent training this elite force.

Who in the rebel army didn't know that Zhou Lun's main camp was the most elite and capable force in the entire rebel army? Not only in terms of men, but also in terms of weapons and equipment.

Zhou Lun was never a greedy person, but for the sake of this army, he invested almost all of his spoils and silver into it. It took him nearly a year to train a camp of less than 1,500 men.

But now, in the blink of an eye, a third of it has fallen into the hands of the newly arrived Li Zicheng. What kind of situation is this? As Zhou Lun's sworn brother, Zhao Sheng felt truly indignant on his behalf.

How could you, Gao Yingxiang, as the chief leader, do such a thing? This kind of neglect of one aspect for another is disheartening. Besides, although Li Wanqing is Zhou Lun's sworn brother, Zhou Lun is also your nephew-in-law, Gao Yingxiang! Even if you want to give important positions to your nephew Li Zicheng, you can't harm Zhou Lun's interests and weaken his power in the process, can you?

Moreover, Li Zicheng had been stirring up trouble among the rebel army these days, even giving himself the bandit title of "Chuang Jiang" (meaning "daredevil general") and flaunting it everywhere. As a scholar, how could the meticulous Zhao Sheng not see through his ulterior motives? In particular, Gao Yingxiang's tacit approval made him feel even more dissatisfied and extremely disappointed.

Furthermore, it wasn't just Zhou Lun's affair; it also had something to do with him.

Zhao Sheng's troops are currently stationed in Baode, but Baode is not only home to his troops, but also to some of Gao Yingxiang's subordinates.

But overall, he has the most say in Baode.

Zhao Sheng, who was originally a local warlord, was one of the major leaders of the rebel army and commanded a considerable number of troops. He was too lazy to pay attention to Gao Yingxiang's actions in Hequ, including Li Zicheng's petty tricks.

But now, thanks to Gao Yingxiang's matchmaking, Li Zicheng and Xing got married. In this way, Xing Shouren, the garrison commander of Baode who had originally sided with Gao Yingxiang, suddenly became his father-in-law.

Xing Shouren joined Gao Yingxiang's forces after the rebel army crossed the Yellow River and captured Hequ. Gao Yingxiang then took him in after he acquired Baode. This former court centurion suddenly became the leader of the rebel army, not only retaining his old troops but also significantly expanding his strength.

Zhao Sheng was stationed in Baode, and Xing Shouren was nominally under his command. But now that Xing had married Li Zicheng, Xing Shouren and Gao Yingxiang had become in-laws, and the situation had instantly changed.

Through this incident, Gao Yingxiang further won over Xing Shouren, not only binding them together through marriage but also effectively planting a thorn in Zhao Sheng's side. Don't forget, Zhou Lun was Li Wanqing's sworn brother, and so was Zhao Sheng.

When Zhou Lun and Zhao Sheng became sworn brothers, they also brought Li Wanqing along. Although Zhao Sheng's relationship with Li Wanqing was not as close as Zhou Lun's, in this era, swearing brotherhood was a very important matter, and the bond between brothers was something that could not be broken.

Zhao Sheng's trip to Hequ wasn't just to attend Li Zicheng's wedding; he was also there to help deliver Xing Shi and her dowry after receiving a letter from Gao Yingxiang. On the way, he pondered this matter, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. In his eyes, the Gao Yingxiang of today was not the same Gao Yingxiang of before.

With nearly a year of stable development, coupled with the current siege of the capital and the court's inability to attend to their needs, Gao Yingxiang seized the opportunity to cross the sea eastward and directly take over Hequ, Baode, and other places, rapidly expanding his power and territory. Under these circumstances, Gao Yingxiang had already begun to plan to eliminate dissidents and consolidate military power.

Promoting his nephew Li Zicheng was the first step, and weakening Zhou Lun's power was also for this reason. Furthermore, through his marriage alliance with Xing Shouren, Gao Yingxiang was already subtly targeting Zhao Sheng as his next move.

Zhao Sheng wasn't stupid; these actions couldn't be hidden from him at all.

In his view, Gao Yingxiang would definitely take this opportunity to promote Xing Shouren, and with the troops already in Baode, Xing Shouren's future in Baode would probably not be so good.

After much deliberation, Zhao Sheng felt that things couldn't continue like this. What would he do if Gao Yingxiang suddenly attacked him when there was no way to retreat?

Therefore, he immediately decided to win over Zhou Lun. In his view, since Zhou Lun was currently dissatisfied with his position under Gao Yingxiang and Li Zicheng had arrived, it would be better for him to break away from Gao Yingxiang and bring his men to Baode. Once Zhou Lun arrived in Baode, with his own strength and Gao Yingxiang's assistance, the two forces, even if they couldn't rival Gao Yingxiang, would at least be able to protect themselves.

In this way, not only can the immediate crisis be resolved, but Zhou Lun's predicament can also be solved, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

"To be honest, going to Baode is exactly what I want," Zhou Lun said to Zhao Sheng in a low voice. But just as a flicker of joy crossed Zhao Sheng's face, he added helplessly, "But brother, don't you think about it? Do you think the King of Chuang will let me go? If I go to Baode, doesn't he understand the consequences? Besides, your sister-in-law's due date is approaching, and she's not feeling well. If the King of Chuang uses her unborn child as leverage to force her to stay, even if I go to Baode, won't I still be at his mercy?"

"This..." Zhao Sheng was stunned, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

Zhou Lun was right. Knowing Gao Yingxiang as he did, Gao Yingxiang was indeed capable of doing such a thing. Once Zhou Lun's wife and unborn child were detained, what could he do? Of course, one could argue that a great man shouldn't worry about not having a wife; she was just a woman, easily abandoned in the face of such a crucial matter. But things hadn't come to that, and besides, both men were cultured and educated; they wouldn't do something so heartless.

"Brother, let's talk about this later." Zhou Lun gave a bitter smile and said in a low voice, "Now is not a good time. Let's wait and see. Don't worry, I have my own plans. The King of Chuang won't do anything to me for the time being. As long as you establish a foothold in Baode, in my judgment, the King of Chuang won't go too far."

After listening to Zhou Lun's words, Zhao Sheng frowned and pondered for a while, and finally nodded silently.