In Beishan Village at the foot of Tieshan Mountain in Puning, Chaoshan, there lived Xu Amei, thirty years old, tall and enlightened, and versatile in both civil and military affairs. Later, he was the leader of the Puning Peasant Rebel Army in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, the villagers were living in poverty and faced severe disasters. After farming, Xu Amei and her brother had to make a living by ferrying to Lianjianghui Hanwei in front of the village.

One day, there was a Sun Yuan from a neighboring county who wanted to transfer to Puning City with three followers. It was the flood season at that time, the water flow was turbulent and the flood peaks were rolling. When Xu Amei's boat stopped by the river, she felt disgusted when she saw these guys who usually bullied others. Standing on the bow of the boat, he said nonchalantly: "The four of you need to make the transition, and the money to cross the boat needs a lot of money!" Sun Yuanwai usually takes the free ferry, but today when he saw Amei being so presumptuous, he suddenly became angry and raised his eyebrows. He picked up his cane and was about to hit him, but as soon as his eyes rolled, his plan came to his mind, and he immediately changed his smile and said, "Just one!" After that, he stepped off the boat. When the boat reached halfway across the river, Xu Amei asked to collect the money first. Officer Sun said with a smile on his face, "It's not too late to cross the river and I'll pay you back." Without saying a word, Amei moved the boat pole into the water a little, and she felt like Like a swallow, he flew over his brother's boat. The ferry boat carrying Sun Yuan outside was bumping in the waves, which frightened Sun Yuan so much that the outside looked like dirt. One of the followers knew the nature of water, so he jumped into the river to secure the boat. He did not jump, but the waves swept him into the "fish trap" (fish luring nest) set up by the fishermen. His clothes were caught by thorns, and he was trying to fight. But the hook became tighter and tighter, and he couldn't get up again and again, and he couldn't swim anymore. He called his father and mother for help, but no one paid attention. The ferry boat that the member of the Communist Party of China was riding on was bumpy and was about to sink. He was so frightened that he shouted for help one by one - "I'll give you two pieces of silver..." At this time, the poor people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait who were waiting for the transition all clapped their hands and laughed, and shouted in unison: "It's sinking! It's sinking!" Amei was satisfied with the maneuvering, so she asked her brother to row the boat closer, flew across the boat, collected the ferry fee, and pushed the boat to the other side. 2. Cut cloth and give it to the poor One year, on the 24th day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, the north wind roared and the cold air hit us. For poor families, as soon as the "Zao Lord" was sent away, creditors came to force them to repay their debts. It was like a poor man celebrating the New Year as if he had passed the test. Xu Xuqin, a tenant farmer in Beishan Village, was weaving spider silk out of rice jars at home. His father was ill in bed and his wife was so hungry that she was so miserable. When I was desperate, I suddenly thought of my brother Amei who usually "fights against injustice, draws a sword to help, and helps those in need". He hurried to Huihanwei Ferry and told Amei his difficulties. After hearing this, Amei comforted her, took out a piece of silver and gave it to Xu Qin, and lamented: "I don't know how many people are in such poverty as you! ... Oh, come back to my house with us, and let's find a way to go!" While walking and talking, we came to Amei's house without realizing it. Amei saw his wife Jiang Adian weaving, so she called Aying, picked up a pair of scissors, cut off half of the woven summer cloth, handed it to Xu Qin and said, "Pawn it for the Chinese New Year! "When Xu Qin saw this scene, he was at a loss for a moment and stood there in a daze, not daring to reach out. Jiang Aying, who was standing aside, understood everything. She took the cloth from her husband's hand, stuffed it into Xu Qin's hand and said, "Uncle Qin, who will show mercy to the poor if you don't help them? Take it quickly!" Xu Yin held half a piece of grass cloth in his arms. , I was extremely grateful, wiping my tears with the back of my hand as I walked, and walked towards the road of "Da Shun Pay Dang"... 3. In the first month of the first month of the year when Yangmei met, Xu Amei and her shipmates punted the boat for the rich man to carry red sugar to Chaozhou, the capital city. After unloading the cargo, they loaded it up again and prepared to transport it back. Beside the Xiangzi Bridge, a wooden boat piled with hemp is ready to be transported. The outside of Amei's wooden boat was also piled with hemp, but there was an empty cabin inside. This is often a good place for Wu Zhongshu, Lin Ting, Wu Qian, Wang Xingshun and other friends from various counties to gather and talk. Whenever night falls, friends in the cabin whisper and talk heart-to-heart. It turns out that they are brothers from all over the country, discussing the uprising. One morning, a scholar suddenly ran out from the east gate of Fucheng, followed closely by a servant holding a sword in hand. The scholar ran to the Xiangzi Bridge, and out of desperation, he jumped onto Amei's boat, got into the hemp pile, and climbed into the cabin... The official who was following him also jumped on the boat and was about to get into the hemp pile. The clever Xu Amei pushed the bundle of hemp, and there was a plop, and several bundles of hemp fell into the Han River. "Teach people to fish for hemp I" Xu Amei bluffed and jumped into the river.

6. Cleverly raising food for the uprising: Adjacent to Beishan Village, there is Dingcuoliao Village. In the village, there is Yang Lianru, a well-known wealthy man and landowner in the county. His nickname is Jie. Because of his exploitative methods, he turns around as fiercely as a monkey. The villagers of Dingcuoliao nicknamed him Houzai Jie. He opened thirteen pawnshops and deliberately exploited the poor villagers. His family was really prosperous and made a lot of money. Xu Amei hated these pawnshops for exploiting the poor, so she thought about it again and again, and devised a plan: to dredge up the poor people in the villages around her, and break the small things at home, such as sickles, axes, and kitchen knives; (Da), go in groups and carry them to pawn. The pawn shop owner thinks the small items are too small and the large items are too big, so he refuses to pawn them. The poor villagers then shouted: "All Ruan's valuable furniture has been pawned. These things are tools for Ruan's survival. They are too small and too big. You just want to kill the poor people. Today, you are going to fight with you, the rich man!" The minions hurriedly said Report to the rich man. When Yang Lianru heard the news, her face turned pale with shock, and she hurriedly told the shopkeepers of the thirteen pawnshops: "Place the pawn accordingly." The villagers received the cash and returned home. Forty days after the incident, Yang Lianru was still angry and ordered his minions to remove the farmers' pawned things as rubbish and burn them. When Amei heard the news, she and her friends laughed and said, "God has helped me with another uprising salary." So, they went to each village separately to inform everyone, and agreed on a date to go to the pawn shop to redeem the "family heirlooms" that were pawned. This time, Yang Lianru miscalculated. There was a "family heirloom" that could be redeemed. She knew there was a mystery in it, but because she couldn't deal with it, she had to run away. "Return my family heirloom! If there is no original, the price will be discounted, and the deposit will be increased a thousand times!" Hundreds of farmers roared like thunder, Xu Amei led the formation and commanded: "It is not allowed to redeem the original, nor to compensate at a discount, this is unforgivable. "Brothers, pay for the things in the pawnshops!" As soon as Xu Amei finished speaking, the rebels who came from all over the place rushed into the pawnshops, destroyed the warehouses, and confiscated the gold and silver properties of the thirteen pawnshops of the Yang family for use as military supplies for the uprising. Afterwards, on a starless night, in front of the Shenxi Rock Temple in Chaoyang, volunteers from all walks of life gathered to celebrate their success. Chen Niangkang, Xu Amei, Lin Ting, Wu Jiang and other rebel leaders were in high spirits and weighed gold and silver on large scales to share the food and wages for the uprising in various places. As a result, a peasant struggle against oppression and the Qing government was about to break out. 7. Shi Gu recruited volunteers. On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month of this year, Guanyin Po in front of Tieyue Yuan in Beishan Village and Shi Gu Peng in Yulan Shenghui were performing plays to worship gods and giving food to save ghosts. There were huge crowds of people and it was very lively. The furnishings in Shigu remain the same, but the concept is new. On the wooden stakes of Shi Gu's shed, a couplet written by Xu Amei's friend Yang Chenyao, "Go to the theater when you are full, come to take care of the orphans when you are hungry; give more alms every year, and feel more miserable every year" are posted on both sides. On the horizontal side of the stage was written "Ulan Shenghui", and the couplets on both sides were: "Yulan wants to save the lonely soul, but Shenghui only hopes for peace." Everyone looked at it and said, "I have written down the voice of the poor." . Looking further down, in the merit tent where monks are chanting sutras, cigarettes are lingering, bells and drums are ringing, and the horizontal plaques and couplets posted are more thoughtful. The horizontal plaque is "Pudu Jisheng", and the two couplets are: "Pudu has Cihang, and the body is helped by the Living Buddha." At noon, Shi Gu entered the climax, and Shi Gu's people lined up to receive food, leading to Shi Gu's shed. In advance, receive dry food, meat, and agricultural products. At this moment, I saw Xu Amei climbing up to Shi Gu's tent with a strong waist and a tiger's step. He made a loud voice and said word by word: "Folks, during the Bon Festival, Shi Gu is meant to save miserable souls. It should be noted that in today's world, people We are not as good as ghosts. We live and die all year round without even having enough food and clothing. Such an inhuman life is more miserable than the souls in hell..." The audience in the audience was silent at first, and then burst into tears and sobbed. Then, Amei waved her straw hat and said passionately: "If you want to get to heaven on earth, you can only get up and smash the yamen to live in hell. Do you dare?" There was a roar of spring thunder - "Dare!" Inside and outside Tieyueyuan, people signed up to participate. The rebels lined up in long lines to fight against oppression and the Qing court, and finally organized themselves at the foot of Iron Mountain. 8. Cleverly inspect the army. The Fayi army has just been organized. It is small in number and simple in organization. As the saying goes, only strong soldiers and horses can be used to fight. We strive to have good soldiers and generals to win the battle bravely. Whenever we attack enemy points, collect food and pay, we will go out to fight. Xu Amei always inspects and selects the troops personally, but his inspection method is simple and accurate.

One time, he went out to the expedition point at night. When the rebel team arrived at Dashanpu in Pengpengdi (in front of Sandu Academy), they were ordered to stop. From the head to the end of the team, Xu Amei pressed the chest of each rebel, as if When he found that his heart was like fifteen buckets and he was jumping up and down, he was short of courage, so he was called out of the queue and ordered to return to the camp to help with the cooking work. After the team was inspected, he set off for the battle. Xu Amei's simple method of inspecting the army is very effective. Later, in each detachment, the selection of elite soldiers to participate in the war was followed. 9. The battle to open the door. When Xu Amei was collecting food and wages for the uprising, he ordered the wealthy gentry in each township to use part of the wealth obtained from exploitation as wages for the rebel army. Anyone who disobeyed would be sent to punish them. At that time, wealthy households such as "Yuanquan", "Yongquan", "Fengyuan", "Kaifuan", "Yongxing" and "Xiangxing" in Nigou Township, the big landowners surnamed Zhuang in Guolong Township and even Chigangshan All the big landowners surnamed Li dared not to obey orders. There is a large landowner in Qiaozhu Village who relies on his wealth. In addition to resisting the payment of food and wages, he also threatens to have a rivalry with Xu Amei. After Amei received the news, one night, she personally led a hundred rebels to plagiarise. That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high, and I couldn't see my fingers. In the middle of the night, I unknowingly entered the landowner's house, caught the landowner who was sleeping, put the man into a sack, and was about to return to the camp as a team when the dog barked. The noise alerted the landlord's armed regiment, and the regiment members hurriedly blocked the road out of the village, piled straw and dry firewood, and lit a huge fire to block the rebels' way out. At this critical moment, the alert Xu Amei ordered each of the rebels to carry a door panel on their backs and rush towards the exit of the village. The fierce offensive immediately frightened the members of the regiment and they rushed to escape for their lives. The rebels hurriedly pressed down door panels on the fire, stepped on the door panels in the sea of ??fire, rushed out of the siege, took the big landowner captive, and returned to the camp victoriously. From then on, the rebels levied grain and wages, and the wealthy gentry no longer dared to resist. 10. Tieshan raises the flag of righteousness After Xu Amei completed raising food, she erected the banner of "Loyalty, Justice, Anliang" in front of Tieyueyuan. There is an idol of Guan Yu in the front hall of the temple. The couplets on both sides are: "Brother Xuande, younger brother Yide, younger brother De and younger brother De; master Wolong, Youzilong, dragon master Longyou." The vigorous practice of raising flags and martial arts alarmed the Puning County Magistrate. Detectives were hurriedly sent to take a look, but what they found was that they were purely a small group organization that practiced martial arts, maintained law and order, and blocked bows and sticks. He raised the banner of Guan Yu's "loyalty" as his purpose, so he took it lightly, but he didn't know that the calm waves were about to cause waves all over the sky. The sixth day of the sixth lunar month in 1854 was the birth date of the Immortal Master in the courtyard, and it was also the day Xu Amei and Chen Niangkang agreed to launch an uprising. Xu Amei changed the banner of "Loyalty, Justice and Anliang" to the banner of "Revitalization of Mingyi" and openly opposed the Qing Dynasty and restored the Ming Dynasty. On the top of Tieshan Mountain, in front of Tieyueyuan, the banner of "Revitalizing Mingyi" is flying high. At the gate of Tieyueyuan's camp, a couplet expresses the ambition: "The clouds and rainfall are beginning to change, and the green plums are boiling wine to talk about heroes." The couplet runs through The names of rebel leaders such as Lin Ting (Teng), Wu Jiang and Amei express the working people's love for the rebel leaders and their determination to fight against the Qing Dynasty, restore the Ming Dynasty and revitalize the country. 11. The first victory in the siege. It was the midsummer of that year. Due to disputes over rural estrangements, armed fights broke out in Fenghu, Honggou and other places in Mianhu, resulting in heavy casualties. After Xu Amei learned the news, she immediately convened a military meeting and discussed with the leaders the idea of ??raising a flag and leading an army to besiege Puning City in the name of fighting with ammunition and weapons. Everyone praised it and said it was the best strategy to kill two birds with one stone. On the first day of June, Beishan Village under Tieshan was full of joy. Elders, men, women and children in the village lined the streets to see off the rebels. Xu Amei led two thousand rebels to bid farewell to his fellow villagers in a mighty and mighty manner. The troops were divided into three groups, directly inserted into Mian Lake, and stationed in Humei, Chigang Mountain and other places. The banner of "Loyalty, Righteousness and Anliang" was flying high on "Zhuang New Year's Day" at Yunshiyan and other places. Within ten days, the fighting at Fenghu and Honggou subsided. Puning County Magistrate Pan Mingxian was still kept in the dark about the rebel army's move to attack the east and west. Little did they know that while quelling the fighting between the two towns, Xu Amei's main focus was on besieging Puning City. He secretly summoned the rebel leaders from the villages around Puning City: Cai Bingdi from Houtian, Gao Xiqiu and Pan Bingzhao from Lin Huishan, Guo Hansheng from Baojingyuan, Fang Rui from Minggang, A Shi from Qigang, etc. to conspire and discuss a good strategy to jointly attack the city.

It only took more than a year for Xu Amei Tieshan to raise the flag to revolt. Although he failed to win and the fire was extinguished, his anti-oppression spirit has remained famous in the world, and his heroic deeds have been widely praised by future generations.