Li Zongzheng: The first peasant hero in the history of Shanghang who "dared to fight against powerful and evil officials as a commoner"

Li Zongzheng, a native of Ming Shanghang Taiba Township. The year of birth is unknown, but he is the first peasant hero in the history of Shanghang to be called "a commoner who dares to fight against powerful and evil officials". In the first year of Ming Jingtai (1450), a major natural disaster occurred in the county. "If the years are not ripe, the gathering of the people will be chaotic." In the fourth year of Tianshun (1460), there was another famine, the price of rice soared, and the government still forced taxes, the local rich still forced to pay rent debts, and the powerful even more brutally plundered and encroached on the land. The peasants were cornered. In the sixth year, Li Zongzheng gathered Que Yonghua, a man behind Yongding Mountain who had been exiled to Shanghang because of the disaster, to discuss the uprising. Since the people who participated in the uprising were all Bai Min (civilians), that is, it was agreed to imitate the practice of the "Red Brow Army" led by Fan Chong in the late Western Han Dynasty, known as the "White Brow Army". With the aim of opposing the plunder of the rich and the wealthy, they severely punished the corrupt officials who perverted the law and committed crimes; they won the support of the peasants, and the ranks grew rapidly. The government panicked when it came to the news. The Baimei army won the victory and captured the county seat in one fell swoop, and immediately severely punished the evil officials, and the sound was tremendous. Tingzhou Weiwen was panicked and did not dare to act rashly. This matter shook the provincial walls, so he sent Ding Quan, the commander of the capital (referred to as the capital division), to rush to Shanghang. In the case of a huge disparity in strength between the two sides, the rebel army withdrew from the county seat and withdrew to the area around Zhangfen □ and Zhaibei Mountain, and held firm. Where the rebel army attacked, the officers and soldiers could not resist.

The baimei army grew louder and stronger, and the base areas became more and more consolidated, making the feudal rulers even more restless. The following year (1463), Inspector Yushi Wuji was ordered to personally go to the "Supervision and Suppression" and adopted a trick of both soft and hard, first "exhorting misfortunes and blessings", and urging him to soothe and surrender. The Baimei army saw through its plot and still stuck to the cottage to persist in the struggle; Wu Ji sent the capital Si Dingquan to lead his troops to take a detour to attack, burn down the cottage, causing very heavy casualties, Zhang Fen□, Shimaqi and other cottages were occupied one after another, Ding Quan thought he had a plan, forgot it, and went deep alone, when he entered the ambush circle of The Ding Zi Zhai, the entire Baimei army attacked, the officers and men were caught off guard, there were countless deaths and injuries, and Ding Quan also died here. Wu was furious and personally supervised the battle. The White Brow Army fought bravely, repelling the crazy attacks of officers and soldiers again and again, and in the case of great disparity, the White Brow Army still fought tenaciously until the last moment. After Li Zongzheng was captured, he was unyielding and bravely rebelled in the county seat in the same year.