usatvline Chapter 98 The Sacred Yellow Heaven Protects Us
Chapter 98 The Sacred Yellow Heaven Protects Us
Li Sheng looked in the direction of the voice and recognized the person as his old brother who had followed him out of Siyang Township.
"Have you been allocated land yet?"
"I got it!"
This time, more people answered, and their voices were much louder than before.
"Have you received the land deed yet?"
"Got it!"
The sound grew louder, and some people in the crowd began to laugh.
Li Sheng nodded, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.
"So I want to say this first: you are standing here today because you have earned it yourselves. You followed the Taiping Army, risked your lives, captured this city, and received those lands. This is what you deserve!"
He took a deep breath, and his voice suddenly rose.
"but!"
The drill ground fell silent instantly.
"But think about it, do you think those powerful families and officials will be content with this? They've lost their land and their granaries, will they just let it go?"
Li Sheng's gaze was like a knife, sweeping across every face.
"No! They're not making a move now because they've resigned themselves to fate; they're waiting for an opportunity. Waiting for what opportunity? Waiting for the imperial court to send a large army, waiting for us to be wiped out, waiting for them to take back what they've lost!"
His voice grew louder and louder, like a hammer pounding on everyone's heart.
"Therefore, the Taiping Army cannot stop. To stop is to wait for death! We must fight our way out, seize more territory, capture more grain, and strengthen our forces. Once we are strong, we will not be afraid, not only of Xuzhou, but even if the imperial court sends a large army, we will not be afraid!"
Li Sheng raised the tin megaphone in his hand, and the sound echoed like thunder across the training ground.
"Brothers, tell me, are you afraid of war?"
"Don't be afraid!"
The soldiers of the five battalions shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the fields.
"Aren't you afraid of the government troops?!"
"Don't be afraid!"
"Are you afraid of dying?!"
"Don't be afraid!"
Three questions and three answers, each one louder and clearer than the last.
Li Sheng switched the megaphone to his left hand and pointed east with his right.
"Brothers, those officials and those powerful families, they occupy all the good land and plunder all the food, yet they claim it's their right. They ride roughshod over us, yet they claim to be shepherding the people on behalf of Heaven. They spout benevolence and righteousness, but in private they engage in cannibalistic acts!"
His voice carried a long-suppressed anger.
"But brothers, think about it. How can there be food to eat without farming? How can there be clothes to wear without weaving? Those officials and powerful figures do nothing, so why are they so fat and well-fed? Why do they wear fine clothes and live in mansions? Why do they boss us around like that?"
The drill ground was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.
"Why? Because they have weapons, because they have the government backing them, because they're united, while we used to be a disorganized mess! But, brothers, things are different today! Today, we also have weapons! We've united as one! The sacred Heaven of Peace protects each and every one of us!"
Li Sheng's voice rose another notch.
"Soldiers! The emperor of Luoyang, and his officials, claim their empire was given to them by Heaven, that they are ordained by Heaven. Bah!"
He suddenly waved his hand.
"If it were truly the will of Heaven, how could so many people have starved to death? If it were truly the will of Heaven, how could so many people have been displaced? If it were truly the will of Heaven, why are we standing here today? Brothers, I tell you, their so-called will of Heaven is a lie! It's a lie to deceive us poor people! What is the true will of Heaven? I tell you, the true will of Heaven is equality! Heaven doesn't favor anyone based on their birth. We are all children of Heaven, and under Heaven, everyone is equal!"
His gaze was burning hot.
"True destiny is not something given to us by charity; it is something we earn ourselves! It is something we earn for those poor people like us! We are going to war today so that everyone can live a good life! It is to fight for a peaceful and prosperous world! In that peaceful and prosperous world, everyone is a subject of Heaven, without distinction of rank or oppression!"
He put down the megaphone, took a deep breath, and shouted with all his might.
"Tell me, are you willing to come with me to fight against this Taiping Heaven!"
"willing!"
"willing!"
"willing!"
The sound waves came one after another, as if they were going to overturn the sky.
Li Sheng raised the megaphone again and raised his right arm.
"The Taiping Army!"
Liu Wu was the first to react from below the stage, raising his arms and shouting.
"Victory!"
The soldiers responded in unison, their shouts thunderous and earth-shattering.
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
Three shouts of "May you be victorious!" carried for miles.
Standing on the reviewing stand, Li Sheng looked at the excited faces below and felt his blood boiling.
"All battalions, proceed!"
"promise!"
The battalion commanders accepted the order in unison and turned to run to their respective units.
As bugles sounded and war drums thundered, soldiers from the five battalions surged out of the camp gates like a tidal wave. Banners blotted out the sky, and their footsteps shook the earth slightly. The supply wagons followed closely behind, the neighing of cattle and horses raising clouds of yellow dust. From a high vantage point, the long procession resembled a giant dragon, winding eastward along the Si River, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Li Sheng rode his horse in the middle of the procession, occasionally glancing back at the Xiapi city wall that was gradually receding into the distance.
Because the engineering battalion and scouts had been deployed in advance, the army's march proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
The narrow road has been widened, potholes have been filled in, and even some swampy areas that originally required detours have been paved with straw by engineers to create pathways.
Scouts spread out ten miles ahead of the main force, filtering through every inch of land like a sieve.
The army marched swiftly and unimpeded! By the time the sun was setting, they could already see the borders of Xiaxiang County.
"General, Xiaxiang County is five miles ahead."
Liu Wu rode closer and lowered his voice.
"If we go another three miles, the watchtower in the county town will be able to see us."
Li Sheng looked up at the sky, which was now ablaze with crimson clouds.
"Tomorrow will be a great day for conquering the city!"
He looked at Liu Wu and gave the order.
"Give the order to set up camp on the spot. Tell the brothers to hurry up and get the camp up before dark. Also, send men to the forest to the south to cut down lots of thick timber, and work through the night to make ladders and battering rams."
"promise!"
The soldiers skillfully began setting up camp and preparing siege equipment.
As night deepened, Li Sheng sat in the makeshift military tent when Liu Wu walked in from outside.
"The scouts are back?"
Li Sheng asked.
"I'm back."
Liu Wu clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"I have already ascertained the situation in Xiaxiang County."
"explain."
"News of the incident in our Xiapi County reached here about ten days ago. Xiaxiang County initially tightened its defenses, but as time went on, they became lax. Now it seems that although the government troops and scouts outside the city are deployed quite densely, it's all just for show. Our scouts went around and found that those patrol soldiers just wandered around during the day and retreated back into the city as soon as it got dark. There are quite a few torches on the city walls, but the changing of the guards is very chaotic, so there's nothing to worry about."
Liu Wu paused, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Li Sheng nodded, his gaze falling on the city defense map that Liu Lu had brought back earlier.
After a long pause, he made a decision.
"Order all battalions to have a hearty meal tonight and rest early. Tomorrow at 3 AM, prepare the meal, and the entire army must arrive at the city walls before 5 AM."
He walked to the tent entrance and gazed at the lights in the distance in the direction of Xiaxiang County.
"Tell the brothers, tomorrow morning, be fully armored and gagged, and do not light any torches. When we reach the city walls, heed my command and scale the walls in one fell swoop! Then we'll go inside for breakfast!"
"promise!"