The troops from other counties who came to aid Guimao withdrew one after another, and the local officials did not learn their lesson, but rode on the heads of the people and continued to encroach on the farmland, running rampant as usual, and the lives of the Miao, Dong and other people became even more miserable.

Within the scope of his duties, Gong Jichang decided to readjust the farmland and reprimand those officials who were prey on the common people: "Lao Tzu finally cleared Zhang Xiumei and other anti-thieves, and you have begun to act as a prestige again, do you want the officials to force the people to rebel again!" ”

However, Tusi and state officials thought that since Zhang Xiumei and other Miao troops were purged, those mud legs would not dare to make trouble again, and Gong Jichang's warning was in the wind of the ear, and the yang was in disobedience, and they tried to squeeze the blood and sweat of the lower working people. As a result, an uprising with the Dong people as the main body is brewing.

Sidong River is a remote mountainous area, with many mountains and few fields, and the people live in poverty, often asking the government to exempt the imperial grain. The government of Liping Province led officials of all sizes to inspect the Nam River in Sidong.

The county notified the chief of each cave and village to gather at Shuikou, go to Nanjiangling to greet Futai and wait at Shuikou, kill cattle and make deflated, and entertain the officials.

Niuqi, also known as "Baicao Soup", is a unique food in southeast Guizhou, which is deeply loved by the Dong and Miao people, and is regarded as a hospitality product by the ethnic minorities in southeast Guizhou.

The production process of "cow deflated" is complicated, after people slaughter the cow, take out the contents of the cow's stomach and small intestine that are not completely digested, squeeze out the liquid in it, add the cow bile and condiments into the pot and simmer slowly, after boiling, the foam on the surface of the liquid is filtered and eaten, which has the effect of anti-inflammatory and table, treatment of inflammation and cold.

On the second day, the local officials who received it led Futai and others to Meineppo in a hurry, and crossed Guangdang and Huangbu Jie Xia Cen Shu to reach Long'e. On the third day, the local officials took the government and others from the dragon's forehead to Fulu Pass and Huang Xianshan to the floor.

On the fourth day, from the mountain behind the floor to the foot of the incense slope, whether the maid is high and green. On the fifth day, he went out of Gaoqing and returned to the mountain leader opposite Baicun, crossed Guangge Lane Ping, Nong Bo Sanshan and other places and returned to Shuikou Street.

During the few days that Futai and other officials inspected the four caves, the people who received them were so deflated that they wanted to vomit after eating, and he threw away his chopsticks: "Damn, what's the matter with you, let the officials eat grass at once!" ”

Lizheng and the security chiefs who watched the fire in the four caves apologized to the government: "There are many fields in the four caves, there is no grain to raise pigs and chickens, and only beef and cattle are served. Please forgive me! ”

"Although the name of the cow is ugly, there are all kinds of herbs in it, which can promote fitness, I wish you all good health and longevity, please give free food to the four caves, etc."

When Futai heard this, he was annoyed in his heart, and it was difficult to open his mouth to scold, so he thought, "Why don't you come and steal the beams and change the pillars, use the head of the people to counter their bodies, and scold them as cattle?" ”

Futai said: "When we came to the four caves, we were deeply welcomed by you and others, and your deep friendship is unforgettable for me in this life." The official remembered a name and wrote it down for a long time, do you think it's okay? ”

They said, "I would like to hear from your lords." ”

Futai said: "This official came to the four caves for four days, killing cattle every day to entertain us, I propose to change the name of the Nanjiang River in the four caves to the name of the four-legged cow, exempt the imperial grain, and each household pays a load of firewood as a tax.

Everyone said in unison, "Thank you for your kindness!" ”

Since then, the Nanjiang River basin has been known as the "four-legged cow".

It is also said that the "four-legged cow" is a traditional organization, which originated from a "bull-dumping oath" settlement activity. Many member villages and surrounding mountains form a geographical shape similar to the "four legs of the ox", which is the area of Nanjiang, Shuikou, Gubang, Long'e, Gaoqing and Gaoyan in Liping Province, from which the "four-legged cow" is named, meaning unity and strength.

Subsequently, the villagers at each foot gathered silver taels, and Nanjiang and Shuikou went to Jiasuo to buy a mountain forest on the right side of the Yangjiao Rock Slope. The villages of Cen Yuan, Long'e, Ping, and Rolling Understand went to Changchun and bought the mountain forest from Changchun to Panlao as a base for cutting firewood.

Every winter, each foot (Bao) sends people to the mountains to cut firewood, pick it up outside Liping City, and hand it over to the designated firewood workshop. In the first two years, the government sent a commissioner to submit the acceptance, and in the next two years, the officials were lazy and did not accept the firewood.

Among the common people, I have different hearts. Honest Bao, a load of firewood, a pole. The cunning Bao, a load of firewood handed over three or five poles, a load of a few loads, a pass of ten, descendants imitate the predecessors, the number of firewood taxes gradually decreased.

Soon, the government discovered the fraud of the various guarantees, and immediately abolished the firewood tax, resumed the payment of grain, and increased the tax rate year by year, making the people's livelihood miserable.

Courageous people secretly joined forces to elect Dong Min Yao Wenbin as the leader, organized an uprising, and opposed the government's harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes. The Hongzhou sub-county stationed in Shuikou Street drafted a constitution and reported it layer by layer, reporting that the people of the four-legged cattle were about to hold a rebellion.

The imperial court received an urgent report and issued a holy decree, ordering Zhao Erxun, the governor of Guimao County, Gong Jichang, the commander of the Jingnan Army, and Su Yuanchun, the governor of western Guangdong, to lead their subordinate officers and soldiers to encircle and suppress the four-legged cattle.

In the second year of Guangxu, at the end of the third day of the first lunar month, the officers and soldiers of the three counties launched an attack on the four-legged oxen from all directions. After three days of fierce fighting, the Miao Dong army and people could not resist, lost the battle, and dispersed on their own. Yao Wenbin, the "King of Anli", led his troops to retreat to Huaiyuan County (now Sanjiang County) in Western Guangdong County, but was finally outnumbered and captured.

Gong Jichang stationed in various villages, registered and made a register from house to house, and asked the chief of the armor to report the people who participated in the rebellion. The chief of security was afraid of losing his head, so he quickly confessed the list of rebels, and the government drew a red bar under the names of those who participated in the uprising.

The materials for the Dong people's rebellion were received, and Gong Jichang convened a people's meeting, and called people from house to house, so that the people who drew the red bar stood together, and those who did not have the red bar stood aside. After the roll call was over, the officers and soldiers surrounded and tied up the people with red bars and detained them.

"Gong Junmen, what should you do with these people?" Su Yuanchun asked.

"Brother Yuanchun, we are here to help quell the rebellion, don't worry about this hot potato, let the governor and Admiral Zhao deal with it themselves." Gong Jichang responded.

Su Yuanchun agreed with Gong Jichang's approach: "The two of us have killed a lot of people in Guimao County, and if we participate in this massacre again, we will lose our lives." ”

"But I still have to remind the governor of Guimao County not to kill innocents indiscriminately." Gong Jichang said.

"This four-legged ox thief has been opposing the imperial court in Guimao County for more than 20 years, and he can't kill it." Su Yuanchun said, "If you let them go, they will continue to rebel." ”

"Anyway, I don't want to kill people anymore......" Gong Jichang finished speaking, and returned to Zhenyuan Mansion with his subordinates.

On 7 February, the uprisers of Liujia, Liuyue, Long'e, Diping, and Rolling Dong were escorted to Gaoyan Tie'ao, and the first to be beheaded was Yao Wenbin, the "King of Anli", and all of them were beheaded.

The two-legged people of Nanjiang and Shuikou were escorted to the Guan Gong temple five miles away from Kubang, and secretly placed four large barrels in the four corners of the temple, and lit a fire in the middle of the night, killing more than 1,000 Miao Dong people who participated in the uprising.

After suppressing the "four-legged cattle" Dong rebels, the regimental training armed forces in Guimao County wantonly looted the villages around the four-legged cattle, and the cattle and other things were completely captured, and many Dong villages were burned to the ground.

Gong Jichang did not participate in the robbery, hated this behavior, and when discussing the strategy of governing Miaojiang with Cen Yuying, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, he mentioned the four-legged cow tragedy.

Cen Yuying, the late minister of the Qing Dynasty, was a native of Xilin, a western county of Guangdong (now the border between northwest Guangxi and Yunnan and Guizhou). The word Yanqing, the number Kuangguo, was born in Xiucai, and he has martial arts. Cen Yuying's half-brother Cen Yubao once acted as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and his son Cen Chunxuan served as the governor of Liangguang.

After Emperor Tongqing received the report, he felt that the situation was serious, and ordered Li Zhangtong, the minister of foreign affairs, to enter Beijing quickly, because the governor and governor of Guimao County were all recommended by Li Zhangtong.

Li Zhangtong was the leader of the Huai Army, a treacherous man who advocated bloody repression internally, but compromised and retreated externally, and had a very tense relationship with the Jingnan Army. He learned that the impeachment of his subordinates by the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou was caused by Gong Jichang's "meddling", so he suggested to the Empress Dowager of the Lala clan that Gong Jichang and Su Yuanchun be allowed to enter Beijing to face the saint in the name of rewarding the meritorious ministers who pacified Miaojiang, but in fact, they had to confront them face to face.

Gong Jichang, who was stationed in Chenzhou, did not know that this was a trap set by Li Zhangtong, and after receiving the holy decree, he was overjoyed, and he took more than ten people with his entourage all the way north to Kyoto.

As soon as he arrived at the palace, the Empress Dowager Lala, a small emperor, feasted the ministers in the court. The tables of the military generals of Wenchen were full of delicacies and wine, but Gong Jichang and Su Yuanchun's tables only had wine, no dishes. Everyone was happily drinking and eating meat, talking and laughing.

Gong Jichang was very puzzled, and was about to have a seizure, when the internal eunuch clapped his hands three times, and the two guys from the imperial dining room came up with dishes, and there were three special dishes on the tray: beef deflated, bamboo shoots, and bracken.

"Gong Junmen, Su Junmen, this is the Queen Mother's reward to the two of you, please enjoy it slowly." The guy in the imperial dining room said with a smile and put the dishes on the table of Gong Jichang and Su Yuanchun.

Gong Jichang wanted to gag when he saw these dishes, especially the cow deflated, the grass squeezed out of the cow's belly, which couldn't be eaten at all, so he asked, "Are there any other meals?" ”

"Gong Junmen, this is the grace of Lafayette to you." When the man had finished speaking, he retreated.

"Brother Jichang, let's eat, magnolia slices, dragon claws, good imperial dishes." Su Yuanchun picked up the chopsticks and ate them, and he ate them with relish.

Gong Jichang saw that other people's tables were full of precious dishes such as bird's nest, shark fin, venison, abalone, etc., while he and Su Yuanchun only had three folk home cooking, and he was very dissatisfied. ”

Immediately, Gong Jichang overturned the table to the ground, scattered the inner plate, stood up, and walked to the hall, wanting to reason with the Empress Dowager Lala. Su Yuanchun wanted to stop him, but it was too late.