"Your Highness, does one need to recite scriptures for rebellion?"
The one asking this question is Wang Huoxiu, who has extraordinary talents in shaking big spirits and rebelling. Although he has high talents, he has not received formal "rebellion education" and has not realized that the current situation of rebellion in the Qing domestic is very good.
"Xiushow," Luoyao Guo smilingly picked up one of the three volumes of "Fanjing", handed it over, "you hold and have a look. Can you recognize the words on the cover?"
"Yes," Wang Huoxiu replied, and then knelt down on his knees and shuffled a few steps forward to Luoyao Guo. Reaching him, he took the "Fanjing" with both hands, opened it to see the cover inscribed in blue lines with six large characters - Fanjing, Volume 1, The Rebellion of the Common People.
"Your Highness, this refers to Fanjing, Volume 1...The Rebellion of the Common People."
Wang Huoxiu could recognize some characters, but he didn't recognize the character "shu" in "shumin" (common people).
"Shumin, shumin zhi fan (the common people's rebellion)," Luoyao Guo said. "Shumin refers to common people like you. This volume of Fanjing discusses why small people in the world today are rebelling, for what purpose, and what kind of world they want to create. Who can lead them to rebellion?"
As Luoyao Guo spoke, he glanced at the eight disciples in front of him, "All of you are common people. In the future, what you need to mobilize are also common people. So you should start learning Fanjing, Volume 1 first! Xiushow, flip to the first page and take a look at the text on it. Can you recognize it?"
"Yes," Wang Huoxiu flipped through the "Fanjing" in his hand and began to recite, "Rent is heavy, interest is high, it's hard for poor folk to survive these days. Early morning open the door and pray for peace, may everyone be joyful. Kill the Qing demons, chop off the scoundrels, open the city gates to welcome peace, when peace comes, divide the land! Divide the land, divide movable property, make sure everyone is well-fed and warm. Don't pay rent, don't repay debt, there's no place in the world that's not equal..."
It turned out that the first page of the common people volume of the "Fanjing" was "Welcome to the King" song Luoyao Guo wrote according to "Welcome Chuang Wang".
This "Welcome to the Peace" song, placed at the beginning of the Common People Volume of "Fanjing", is naturally used to mobilize common people.
The greatest suffering of the common people during the late Qing Dynasty... of course, was not having their own land, or not having enough land!
From the end of Guangxu to the beginning of Xianfeng, China's population was estimated to be around 400 million, roughly the same as the beginning of the Republic. However, the contradiction between people and land at that time was even sharper than that during the Republic period! Because during the Republic period, there was at least a mountain pass for Manchuria. However, in Guangxu and Xianfeng, there was none. The Liu Tiao Edge Wall was still there! In history, it wasn't until Xianfeng's 10th year that this wall would be abolished.
That means that the vast majority of the nearly 400 million Chinese people today can only make a living off the farmland in the eighteen provinces of Han territory, with an average of just over two mu per person. Now, it's 1852... without fertilizer, without pesticides, without high-quality seeds, and without industrial support for agriculture, the yield per mu of farmland is extremely low. If having just over two mu of irrigated land per person was still manageable, then that would be something. However, irrigated land is only a small part; most are dry land, even hilly or terraced land, which have very low yields.
Even with an average of just over two mu per person, if it were truly average, it could only maintain a state of being hungry but not starving... most farmers would still feel that the land is not enough. After all, the Qing Dynasty has never suppressed land concentration. After two hundred and more years of rule, it's natural for land to concentrate in the hands of fewer people.
With this in mind, the vast majority of the toiling masses become even more eager for land!
Without those two mu of thin land, they can only struggle for survival day and night!
What does it mean to struggle for survival on the line of hunger and satiety?
It means that when faced with any natural disasters or man-made calamities, they could starve or freeze to death!
This is why the Taiping Rebellion could develop and expand so vigorously! Unfortunately, although the leaders of the Taiping understood this, they couldn't come up with a solution... no, not a solution, but a way to let the working masses really get involved.
Solving problems is not easy, but igniting this explosion that can blow up the Qing Dynasty is not difficult.
Unfortunately, the leaders of the Taiping Rebellion came up with a whimsical "Everything Belongs to the Lord" version of the "Tianchao Field System," which completely failed to satisfy the common people's longing for land... After all, they were not professionals in rebellion!
And the focus of Luoyao Guo's "Fanjing" Common People Volume is on solving the land problem. First, it needs to tell the countless laboring masses that only rebellion can distribute land and exempt them from the high-interest loans that will eventually kill them!
And then, it will really distribute land, land, floating wealth and exempt them from high-interest loans... even if it cannot fundamentally change the acute contradiction between people and land, nor achieve "equity everywhere" and "warmth everywhere", it can still win billions of genuine supporters for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
Luoyao Guo looked at Wang Huoxiu who had just recited the lyrics of "Welcome to the Peace": "Xiushow, you know quite a few characters. Did you attend a private school?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, I have attended two years of private school," Wang Huoxiu truthfully answered. "However, our family has no more money..."
"Never mind that," Luoyao Guo waved his hand and said, "Reading for a few more years would be how? Passing the Shouxiu examination would be how?"
As he spoke, he picked up the other two volumes of "Fanjing" and handed them to Wang Huoxiu, "Read the titles for me."
"Yes," Wang Huoxiu took over the two volumes of "Fanjing" and looked at the titles on the cover, reciting: "Fanjing, Volume 2, The Rebellion of Gentry; Fanjing, Volume 3, The Rebellion of Han Officials... Your Highness, are even the lords required to rebel?"
Luoyao Guo smiled and nodded, "Of course! The common people rebel because of land concentration, a surplus of people and a shortage of land, and not having enough to eat and be warm."
"The gentry rebels because the Manchu nobility monopolizes careers, carries out strict literary inquisitions, and cannot rule the world together. Now it's a world of chaos. They cannot safely protect the common people and their properties, and they cannot save the country and protect the emperor. So they must rebel... and it's inevitable! Even if they temporarily have the heart of becoming loyal dogs to the Qing Dynasty in organizing military groups, once they become powerful enough, they will inevitably rebel!"
And those Han officials who passed the Jing Shouxiu examination, served as officials and then lost all their property on bribes to get a position... they will also eventually rebel!
As for why they want to rebel and why they must rebel... that is the content of Volume 2 and Volume 3 of "Fanjing," which you don't need to learn about now. For the time being, you just need to understand the superficial aspects of Volume 1, "The Rebellion of the Common People."
"Yes, I understand," Wang Huoxiu replied.
Wang Huoxiu promptly returned the volumes of "Fanjing" Volume 2 and Volume 3 to Luoyao Guo.
Luoyao Guo smiled, "Why do you still call yourself 'the young one'? Huoxiu, you should call me 'master'!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Huoxiu was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to Luoyao Guo and said, "Student Wang Huoxiu pays respects to the master!"
"Good!" Luoyao Guo nodded. "Student, your master will give you a new name. Don't call yourself Huoxiu anymore. Huoxiu has caused offense to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom... As I see your hidden potential amidst the jumbled pebbles, I suggest changing your name to YAN, a single character name. The Wang character plus two fire characters symbolizes 'fiery flames giving birth to jade'!"
"Student Wang Yan thanks the teacher for giving me a name!" Wang Yan bowed to Luoyao Guo again.
Luoyao Guo then addressed the other eleven people: "You all can become my disciples. In the future, Wang Yan will be the senior disciple of you all... What are your names? Let's hear them!"
"I'm Wang Xier, the sister of Wang Master."
"My name is Zhang Bao."
"I'm Xiu."
"My name is Ma Baocai."
"My name is Li Kezhong."
"My name is Chen Ji."
"My name is Zhu Ba......"
The disciples of Luo Yaoguo soon introduced themselves one by one. Looking at these future pillars of the heavenly kingdom, Luo Yaoguo nodded with satisfaction. Then he pointed to the dishes on the eight-character table and smiled, "This is for you all... Enjoy a good meal! From tomorrow on, you will start learning how to rebel with me!"
"Thank you, teacher!"
......
"Third wife, take these two volumes of 'Fanjing' and have the concubines of Huang Shijie copy them."
As the "Twelve New Wangs of Rebellion" began to indulge in a feast, Luo Yaoguo had already left the table and was still holding two volumes of the books he had written himself, looking for Su Sanmama.
"Have Huang Shijie's concubines copy this?"
"Yes," Luo Yaoguo said, "Have them copy five copies of each book, and once they're done, set them free."
"Really?"
Luo Yaoguo nodded, "Of course! Have them take three copies of Volume 2 and three copies of Volume 3 back to Huang Shijie's side... The common people do not need the volume that he, Yu Wanqing, and Wang Kuiyi are part of, but among the three volumes of 'Fanjing,' there is always one that suits them!"
Su Sanmama was taken aback: "Master, do you think they will also rebel?"
Luo Yaoguo shook his head: "I don't know if they will rebel, but among the gentry and Han officials in the world, many of them will definitely have the desire to rebel! These two volumes of 'Fanjing' are intended to guide them in rebelling... The Qing Dynasty, it's dead!"
