In the spring of 353, Zhang Shicheng, a salt merchant in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, was dissatisfied with the cruel exploitation by the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty and united 18 colleagues to file a case. They killed the local officials and squire bullies who oppressed the people, and distributed the captured food and property to the hungry people who had no enough to eat, gradually winning the hearts of the people. Shortly after the rebel army captured Taizhou and Gaoyou, Zhang Shicheng proclaimed himself king and established the Zhou regime.
First, what the people want, celebrities like each other.
In 1354, Zhang Shicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising, was blacklisted by the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, and he became a serious problem for the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty. The Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty sent nearly one million troops to surround Gaoyou. The troops in Gaoyou City were weak, and they were about to be annihilated. However, they never expected that Emperor Yuan Shun and Prime Minister Tuotuo had many conflicts, and a single edict killed the humerus of the civil and military ministers. Well, Tuotuo died, but his soldiers and horses disobeyed Emperor Yuan Shun's orders and dispersed. Zhang Shicheng will miss this golden opportunity and lead his troops to pursue and defeat them, achieving an unprecedented victory. Not only did it expand its army to more than 400,000 people, it also took the opportunity to occupy prosperous places such as Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, and Zhejiang, becoming a separatist force that could rival the Yuan court.
Although Zhang Shicheng is uneducated, he has a chivalrous heart. When he opened a shop in Hangzhou, he not only recruited talents and powerful officials, but also had plenty of wine and meat. Even if ordinary people come to vote, they will definitely help others solve their food and clothing problems. As a result, millions of people came here, including Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
Shi Naian was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province in 1296, and was a fellow villager of Zhang Shicheng. In 1336, he was the number one scholar in high school in the Yuan Dynasty, ranking with the famous general Liu Bowen. Shi Naian worked as a minor local official for two years. Later, because he didn't like the Yuan Dynasty officials oppressing the Han people, he abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown to start an apprenticeship. Luo Guanzhong, a native of Taiyuan, Shanxi, was born in 1330. He was a disciple of Shi Naian during this period.
Shi Naian is a versatile person. He is not only good at both civil and military skills, but also proficient in Feng Shui secrets, Chinese medicine, etc. I heard that Zhang Shicheng was a respectable person, so he brought his favorite disciple Luo Guanzhong to invest, hoping to make a big career with his own ability. However, soon after they arrived at Zhang Shicheng, they discovered that Zhang Shicheng was not the democracy they yearned for.
Second, don’t make progress and go your own way.
In 1956, a rising star named Zhu Yuanzhang appeared next door to Zhang Shicheng. Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor family. Later, he took refuge in Guo Zixing, the leader of the Red Scarf Army, and gradually rose to prominence. Zhu Yuanzhang did not have as much power as Zhang Shicheng, so he wrote a very flattering letter to Zhang Shicheng, hoping that Zhang Shicheng would not bully the weak for the sake of national justice. Advise Zhang Shicheng and Zhu Yuanzhang to live in harmony and deal with Yuan Bing together. This was also interesting to Zhang Shicheng, but Zhu Yuanzhang refused to give in and was too lazy to respond. Now Zhu Yuanzhang has relented, and he is determined to pinch this soft persimmon. In the summer of the same year, Zhang Shicheng sent a navy to attack Zhenjiang occupied by Zhu Yuanzhang, but was defeated by Xu Da. In order to retaliate against Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Chang Yuchun and Tang He to capture Changzhou and Zhang Shicheng. Zhang Shicheng led his troops to fight Zhu Yuanzhang and was defeated. Even his brother Zhang Shide was captured. It turns out that victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists. Zhang Shicheng had plenty of food. As long as it keeps fighting, it will only take one or two years to defeat such a poor Zhu Yuanzhang. But Zhang Shicheng listened to Zhang Shide's words, surrendered to the Yuan court, and used Yuan Bing's hands to deal with Zhu Yuanzhang.
Before Zhang Shicheng surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty, Shi Naian and other counselors strongly opposed it. Why? These people left good official positions and went to Zhang Shicheng to overthrow the Mongolian rule of the Yuan Dynasty and establish the Han people's own country. Since you surrendered to the Yuan court in Zhang Shicheng, where will you build your army
In 1967, Zhang Shicheng was captured by Zhu Yuanzhang and committed suicide on the way back to Nanjing. Although Shi Naian was annoyed that Zhang Shicheng did not listen to his advice, he still admired Zhang Shicheng's chivalrous spirit. Therefore, after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he refused many calls from the imperial court.
In 370, Shi Naian died in Xinghua at the age of 74. He completed the first 80 chapters of his manuscript "The Legend of Jianghu Hao Ke", and the last 40 chapters were continued by his disciple Luo Guanzhong. Therefore, many historians list the authors of "Water Margin" as Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.
During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, Luo Guanzhong wrote the novel "The Legend of Jianghu Hawks". This is a chapter-by-section historical novel and has become one of the four major classical novels in Chinese history.