Chapter 20: Explosive Warrior! The Strongest in the World of Beyblade!

"Is he really Li Laiheng?"

After reading through the reports, Zhou Liang could not help but harbor this doubt. Although the old man had consistently claimed to be Li Laiheng, the grand-nephew of Li Zicheng, all signs indicated that the probability of him being the actual Li Laiheng was infinitesimally close to zero.

For one, there was the catastrophe in the capital during the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign. The God-Emperor, having just been resurrected, was never going to show mercy; he had ordered the destruction of the city, and the entire Shuntian Prefecture had been razed to the ground. Given Li Laiheng's status and position within the rebel army, he would undoubtedly have been in the vicinity of Li Zicheng. Since Li Zicheng and that entire cohort of Great Shun veterans were undeniably obliterated into dust, there was no logical reason for Li Laiheng to have survived.

Secondly, the Ming court had spent thirty years in relentless pursuit without ever managing to capture him! The "Rebel Li" faction was not some small-time operation like Zhou Liang's "Pig Slaughtering Society," which, at its peak, only managed to assassinate a few county magistrates in the Bashu region or kill off some corrupt clerks and local tyrants. The rebel army had been a legitimate force, raising hundreds of thousands of troops to conquer cities, claim an empire, execute Ming princes, and even breach the capital, forcing the Chongzhen Emperor to hang himself—they were the number-one arch-rebels. If the man were truly Li Laiheng, the Ming court's high-intensity, decades-long search would have inevitably flushed him out. Yet, the result was that he had never been caught and had remained in seclusion in his hometown of Mizhi County... Was that even possible?

"Therefore, he is likely not the real Li Laiheng, but at most an elite rebel soldier who escaped by chance. He only calls himself Li Laiheng to wear an intimidating mask."

After analyzing the situation, Zhou Liang reached a realization: "But now, he *must* be Li Laiheng."

Because the Imperial Guard, desperate for advancement, needed him to be Li Laiheng. Only by having him confess his identity could they use his head to secure promotions and titles. On that basis, even if he wasn't, he had to be.

"However, if it were only a matter of coercion, he wouldn't necessarily have to cooperate. If he refused to admit it, the Imperial Guard wouldn't be able to secure their rewards. And yet, looking at him, it seems he intends to go along with it."

Why? Zhou Liang pondered for a moment and guessed his motive: Revenge!

"A veteran rebel who has lived thirty extra years is not afraid of death. If he has any dying wish, it is likely to avenge Li Zicheng and his comrades, to make his own death more meaningful."

Among all methods of revenge, the most satisfying would be to topple the corrupt Ming rule and smash the head of the God-Emperor Chongzhen. But that was clearly unrealistic. Thus, he had to settle for the next best thing: killing as many Ming officials as possible and throwing the administrative order of the provinces and prefectures into chaos. That, in itself, would be a form of vengeance for Li Zicheng.

"That is why he has shown no fear or panic from start to finish. When I asked him to write letters implicating high-ranking officials like the Provincial Administration Commissioner, he cooperated willingly, as if he feared not enough officials would die."

With that, the logic behind Li Laiheng's actions became clear: he only wanted to avenge Li Zicheng and turn the Shaanxi bureaucracy into a bloodbath. As for whether he was actually Li Laiheng, no one cared; what mattered was that everyone *wanted* him to be:

The Imperial Guard wanted him to be, so they could claim their rewards!

"Zhou Liang" wanted him to be, so he could take revenge on this dark, bureaucratic world!

The God-Emperor wanted him to be, for once he was publicly executed, the "Grandson Li" problem that had plagued the Ming court for thirty years would be gone forever. While peasant uprisings would persist, no one would dare fly the banner of a dead man again!

Even he himself wanted to be him!

Consequently, all these interests converged into a single rope, creating a classic case rarely seen in history. Zhou Liang had to admire it: "Now, the moment of reckoning—a scene everyone loves to see—has arrived!"

A malicious, thorough "reckoning" was already hanging over the head of the Shaanxi officialdom, which remained blissfully ignorant of what was to come...

...

[In the ninth month of the forty-eighth year of the Chongzhen reign, the Imperial Guard stationed in Shaanxi captured the remnant of the rebel faction, the "Grandson Li," Li Laiheng, who had been hiding in Mizhi County for thirty-one years!]

[During subsequent interrogations, Li Laiheng confessed to his crimes of infiltrating the Shaanxi bureaucracy for years and colluding with local officials in an attempt to "overthrow the Ming and restore the Shun!"]

[Following the leads he provided, the meticulous and daring Imperial Guard uncovered the anti-Ming, anti-God-Emperor organization that had been entrenched in Shaanxi for thirty years!]

[That same year, the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner, "Liu Yizhao," was the first to fall, with a large cache of rebel letters and bribes in gold and silver discovered in his home!]

[That same year, the Xi'an Prefect, "Lin Yuxuan," was captured, and likewise, rebel letters and bribes were found in his home!]

[That same year, the Northern Shaanxi Prefect, "Zhu Xuan," was also apprehended...]

[In an instant, from high-ranking provincial officials down to grassroots clerks, the Shaanxi bureaucracy was filled with fear, the air thick with panic!]

[Watching these once-lofty officials collapse and go to prison, you feel incredibly excited and satisfied!]

[Refreshing! The most refreshing episode yet!]

[Although you don't know the real names or faces of these officials, you feel a sense of catharsis! It is as if a long-suppressed resentment has finally been purged from your chest...]

[In daily life, these people were no different from gods in a temple to the common folk—untouchable, worthy only of kneeling, and impossible to exchange a word with in a lifetime... Yet now, they are seized on the spot by the Imperial Guard, crying "injustice!" amidst their panic as the "rebel letters" and "rebel bribes" are dragged from their homes!]

["The ink on these letters isn't even dry! ...How can you Imperial Guards forge evidence so blatantly and arrest imperial officials without cause!"]

["Arresting the loyal and upright! Arresting the loyal and upright! You Imperial Guards will meet a wretched end!"]

["I have slaughtered cities for His Majesty! I have bled for His Majesty! You cannot do this to me! I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty!"]

[A group of formidable prefectural officials cursed incessantly, but they were taken into custody publicly. Under the surprised and curious gazes of their subordinates and the commoners, they were consumed by shame and rage, further denouncing the Imperial Guard for their lawless arrests.]

[But the Imperial Guards only sneered coldly: "You claim the letters are forged, yet you don't say a word about the gold and silver bribes... Does that mean the gold and silver in your homes really were sent by the rebels?"]

[This?!... The furious high officials suddenly stalled. How to answer that? If they denied it, they would have to admit the gold and silver were from corruption... and admitting to corruption was no better than admitting to accepting rebel bribes!]

[Although corruption was rampant throughout the land, if it were escalated to a formal charge, given the God-Emperor's desire to be a "Sage King," he would surely emulate the Founding Emperor and have them skinned and stuffed with straw...]

[However, if they admitted it was sent by the rebels, wouldn't that mean the execution of ten generations of their kin?!]

[At this moment, the arrested officials were filled with regret, hating themselves for their corruption, which had led to this catastrophe...]

[But you, having followed the Imperial Guard and watched the entire scene, couldn't help but smile and shake your head... Just as Chen Ping'an once said, when bad people repent, they aren't truly sorry; they only realize they are about to die!]

[You would dare say that even if they were let off today, they wouldn't turn over a new leaf; they would only continue their corruption, perhaps even more brazenly...]

["So, it is time for you to pay for your sins with your lives!"]

[...]

[However, compared to catching these high-ranking officials—who were as ethereal to commoners as gods—you were actually more interested in the minor clerks who frequently interacted with the people!]

[While the corruption of high officials was infuriating, the common people could not clearly perceive their actions due to the vast distance in rank... What everyone hated most were these small-time thugs who bullied them directly!]

[These people, relying on their petty power, did whatever they pleased—graft, abuse of power, and so on. The people had endured enough of their oppression. Now, with the great sweep across Shaanxi, everyone excitedly swarmed to watch.]

[You didn't care about the minor clerks elsewhere; you only cared about the Xi'an Prefectural Office and that bunch in Mizhi County...]

["You dog official! Return my scholar's degree!"]

[Leading a group of soldiers in white armor, you charged directly into the Xi'an Prefectural Office. You had someone grab the clerk who had previously lied to your face, and under his terrified gaze, you grinned and moved to slap him!]

[Then, you jumped up and hit his knee...]

[At five years old, you coughed, then pulled a belt from the waist of a soldier standing by, struggling to keep from laughing. You made the soldier whip the clerk fiercely, soon spinning him like a top!]

["And that gatekeeper!"]

[Before long, you found the gatekeeper in the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office who had openly sold you a degree, and you had him whipped until he spun like a top too!]

[Then you interrogated him until he revealed who had sold your exam paper, and you had everyone involved—the seller and the buyer—whipped until they spun like a top...]

[There was also the Mizhi County Magistrate, the Xue-surnamed Academic Proctor, and your master, Deputy Proctor Ding... Especially your master; whipping him was particularly satisfying...]

[Having whipped every official who had wronged you, you finally turned your excited, blood-red gaze toward the evildoers and wicked deeds in the county that you had long despised. To act on behalf of heaven—that day was today!]

[The butcher who short-changed his customers! The grain merchant who rigged his scales! The profiteer who hoarded goods! The ruffian who beat people and stole money! The school bully who tormented classmates... You missed no one, whipping them all until they spun like a top!]

[Vigorous! Dominating!]

[With your own strength, you spun the world like a top!]

[What a fierce warrior! My system dares to call you the strongest in the world of tops!]