In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 876 The Greatness of Ambition

Declaring oneself king can grant legitimacy and influence, establish a leadership core, consolidate internal forces, and test external reactions...

It can be said that becoming king is a hurdle that all rebellious forces need to overcome. It is not only an honor and status, but also a transitional stage to unifying the land and finally becoming emperor. It is also an explanation to the subordinates who followed them in their rebellion and risked their lives.

Because once one becomes king, one can legitimately bestow titles of duke, marquis, general, and prime minister upon his subordinates, allowing those who have followed him through thick and thin to receive corresponding rewards. This way, one can bind everyone together with shared interests, increasing internal cohesion and centripetal force.

"Not bad!"

Tian Yu nodded slightly and said, "Now that you possess the lands of three states, it is time for you to declare yourself king."

"There's no rush for this!"

Yang Zheng shook his head and said, "We'll talk about becoming king after I take Mingzhou!"

Taking over Mingzhou was an idea Yang Zheng had long ago, or rather, an idea he had even before he sought an audience with Tian Yu.

Mingzhou and Liangzhou are very similar. Due to the impact of the cold disaster, the rebellion broke out in Mingzhou very early, even earlier than in Liangzhou. However, the subsequent development of the two states was completely different.

In Liangzhou, Yang Zheng's family became the dominant force, and their power grew rapidly, like a snowball rolling downhill. They quickly overthrew the imperial court's rule in Liangzhou and unified the entire region.

Meanwhile, in Mingzhou, numerous heroes rose up. Affected by the cold disaster and subjected to endless exploitation by the imperial court, the people of Mingzhou finally revolted.

Within a short month, dozens of rebel groups of varying sizes emerged in Mingzhou. Before the government could react, they quickly captured one county town after another. They then used the county granaries and the grain stored in wealthy households to recruit more starving people and refugees, growing rapidly like a snowball.

By the time the Mingzhou government reacted and dispatched the Mingzhou army to suppress the rebellion, various rebel groups had already spread everywhere. Although their combat strength was weak and ineffective, the Mingzhou army's combat strength was not much higher. Moreover, the Mingzhou army had to face not just one rebel group, but dozens of groups of varying sizes, and their numbers and quality were constantly increasing.

Moreover, these rebels united and reached a consensus: to defeat the government troops first, and then discuss the issue of territory allocation.

then……

Under the siege of various rebel forces, the Mingzhou army was defeated as expected. The Mingzhou army, which nominally had 100,000 troops but in reality had at most 50,000, was defeated in less than three months. All the officials in the prefecture were killed by the rebel army that broke through the city, and the imperial court's rule in Mingzhou was completely overthrown.

However, the people of Mingzhou, without the rule of the imperial court, did not usher in the peaceful days they longed for, free from the exploitation and enslavement of the court, but instead faced endless war.

The story of the dragon slayer becoming the dragon himself unfolded in Minnesota.

Those rebel leaders who were originally ordinary farmers who rebelled because they could not bear the oppression of the imperial court, after they sat in high positions, did not treat the people under their rule any better than the imperial court, and were even more harsh.

Not only did they levy heavy taxes on their own territory, but their soldiers also wantonly harassed the people, plundered their property, and raped women, causing immense suffering to the people of Mingzhou.

Moreover, in order to expand their territory, these rebel forces would fight each other, and the flames of war spread almost throughout the entire Mingzhou. Rebel forces were constantly being destroyed, while others were constantly growing stronger.

Now, a year later, after more than a year of war, Minnesota, which once boasted over a hundred rebel forces at its peak, is now reduced to only five rebel forces.

However, these five rebel forces clearly would not stop their infighting. At this point, they still longed to annex each other and have exclusive control of Mingzhou.

If nothing unexpected happens, Mingzhou should see a true hegemon emerge and unify the region in another year or two.

But Yang Zheng obviously wouldn't give them that chance, because... the people of Liangzhou couldn't wait any longer.

According to information Yang Zheng had gathered, in the nearly two years since the rebellion broke out in Minnesota, the state, which originally had a population of 50 million, now has only 30 million people left...

Of the 20 million people who died, half died directly or indirectly from the war, while the rest either fled to other states or hid in the deep mountains and forests.

Of the remaining 30 million people, a large portion were the elderly, women, and children, as the able-bodied were forcibly conscripted by various rebel armies and died on the battlefield.

This war, which lasted for more than a year, can be said to have drained the blood of the people of Minnesota. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the people of Minnesota lived in hell.

Their life-saving food supplies would be stolen by the rebels; their sons would be forcibly conscripted and die on the battlefield; their daughters would be brutally raped…

Yang Zheng originally thought that Liangzhou was already miserable enough, but after learning about the situation in Mingzhou, he realized that although the people of Liangzhou were suffering and poor, it was nothing compared to the people of Mingzhou.

The people of Liangzhou, no matter how poor or miserable they were, could still manage to survive. But the people of Mingzhou lived in constant fear and uncertainty, always at risk of dying at any moment.

It was precisely because he understood the suffering of the people of Mingzhou that Yang Zheng conceived the idea of ​​joining forces with the Great Wall Army to attack Youzhou, and then using Youzhou as a springboard to attack Mingzhou.

Of course, sympathy for the people of Mingzhou was only one of the secondary reasons why Yang Zheng decided to send troops. Although Yang Zheng cared about the people, he would not launch a war so casually as to completely disregard the lives of his soldiers.

The main reason Yang Zheng decided to send troops to Mingzhou was that... the local rebels in Mingzhou were weak enough!

The continuous war has drained the blood of the people of Mingzhou, as well as the blood of the local rebels. Now, the five rebel groups in Mingzhou together have a total strength of only about 50.

50 troops seems like a lot, but in reality... this 50 troops are largely misrepresented. The vast majority are farmers, refugees, and beggars who were forcibly conscripted and were starving, emaciated, and even include many old, weak, sick, and disabled people. The actual number of soldiers who can fight is only about 20, and even then, they are only at the level of being able to fight, not elite troops.

Yang Zheng estimated that it might be difficult for one soldier of the Yang Family Army to defeat 10 soldiers of the Mingzhou rebels, but it should be no problem for one to fight five.

In other words... as long as I send out 100,000 troops, I will be able to fight against the rebels in Mingzhou!

"Mingzhou?"

Tian Yu gave Yang Zheng a deep look and gained a new understanding of him.

If it were any other rebel leader, after conquering a new territory, they would probably be eager to hold a banquet to celebrate. But Yang Zheng was completely different. Having just taken Youzhou, he couldn't wait to take Mingzhou next.

Yang Zheng's ambition is truly astonishing.