GBP Chapter 443 Entering the City
Chapter 443 Entering the City
As the seemingly endless tide of refugees receded, Su Hongtu breathed a long sigh of relief. Aside from the old camp, the main force of the refugees was generally of average individual quality, and those used as cannon fodder were even more vulnerable. But she had the sheer number of people; even ants can kill an elephant. Inside Hezhou City, besides the 1,000 standard infantry and 1,500 cavalry brought by Zhu Dadian, the government troops and civilian militia totaled only two or three thousand men—a stark contrast to the fifty or sixty thousand refugees. Although some mishaps occurred, they managed to repel the enemy's attack without serious injury, preserving the city.
However, he did not let his guard down. The refugees could return at any time, so he had to take defensive measures. He summoned the soldiers and civilians guarding the north gate and loudly ordered: "Although the bandits have retreated, they may attack the city at any time. To ensure absolute safety, the city walls must be guarded for twelve hours a day. No one may open the city gate without my order. Lanterns and torches must be kept burning all night. One person must be stationed at each crenellation, and they must take turns on night watch. If there is any movement, sound the gong as a signal." After arranging the defense of the north gate, he hurriedly went to the west gate to make arrangements. All four directions had to be covered to prevent the bandits from taking advantage of any opportunity.
Those assigned to guard the city were all local officers, soldiers, and militia, while the main force of the city's defense was withdrawn to rest and conserve their strength. This decision was perfectly reasonable, but some officers and soldiers were still dissatisfied and secretly began to complain.
After Su Hongtu and his soldiers had walked away, a sergeant secretly spat at his retreating figure and said indignantly, "Look at him, putting on airs. What's he so smug about? He's just an outsider. How long can he keep up this act? Why should we be on night duty while they sleep?"
One of the militiamen timidly said, "Sir, you can't say that. Didn't they drive away the bandits...?"
Upon hearing this, the captain flew into a rage, kicked the militiaman so hard he fell flat on his back, and yelled, "Do you even have the right to speak? You think you know everything? So all our efforts to fight the bandits were for nothing, and it's all thanks to these outsiders?"
Just as he was about to step forward and stomp on the ground in anger, a soldier beside him pulled him back and advised, "That battalion commander hasn't gone far yet. Don't make a scene and let others hear. Who told them to be soldiers of the governor's battalion? It's good to have the governor's backer for protection..."
Upon hearing this, the captain stopped, spitting at Minyong: "Get lost, don't let me see you, or I'll kick you to death, you useless piece of trash!"
Minyong got up, not daring to breathe, and obediently ran away.
Su Hongtu was unaware of the gossip circulating among the local soldiers. He had been busy all afternoon, finally managing to station guards and patrols at all the city gates and walls before nightfall, ensuring no blind spots. He then returned to his camp, hastily ate a few mouthfuls of food, and collapsed into bed. Tomorrow would surely bring another fierce battle; he needed to be well-rested. He could only hope the bandits wouldn't launch a night attack so he could get a good night's sleep.
As night fell, boundless darkness enveloped the entire city of Hezhou. Apart from the dim torches illuminating the faintly visible corpses at the foot of the city walls, all traces of the daytime's fierce battle vanished into the night.
At 3:45 PM, just as people were falling asleep, in the dead of night, voices suddenly rose from below the North Gate. The soldiers on duty peered down from the city wall, wondering if it was a bandit attack.
A group of brightly dressed people approached the city wall. Although they were unarmed, the guards nervously shouted, "Who goes there? Don't come any closer, or you'll be shot dead!"
The leader clasped his hands together like a megaphone and shouted towards the city walls: "Gentlemen, I am a servant of the scholar Wang in Hezhou City. I was sent to Chuzhou by my master a few days ago and only just returned today. I did not expect that the bandits would be besiege the city. I dare not approach during the day, so I had to sneak over at night. Please grant us permission to enter the city..."
The garrison soldiers shouted, "You scoundrel! Putting aside whether your identity is real or not, we're at war now, in a critical time. You know bandits are besieging the city, how could we possibly let you in? If you're a spy, wouldn't you be harming us?"
The man said with a fawning smile, "Sir, you can tell from our speech that we are locals from Hezhou. The bandits are all from northern Shaanxi and Henan, and they don't speak our dialect. If you would do me a favor, I have a hundred taels of silver left over from helping you with your business, which I'll offer you gentlemen for tea..."
Hearing that there was money to be had, and seeing that the other party spoke fluent Anhui dialect, the garrison hesitated. However, the few soldiers didn't dare to make the decision to open the gate, so they notified their superior on duty at the north gate that day, the same captain who had complained during the day.
The captain, still half asleep, arrived at the city wall and grumbled, "What's bothering me while I'm trying to sleep?"
After the soldiers recounted what had just happened, the sergeant became much more sober. He pondered for a moment and said, "Is the Scholar Wang from Fuhui Lane in the south of the city? Let's call him out and ask."
Then someone called out from below: "Is your master Wang, the scholar from Fu Hui Lane in the south of the city?"
The man nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right."
After thinking for a moment, the captain said to everyone, "This Scholar Wang is a cousin of Magistrate Wang of the Prefectural Government. It's not good to offend him rashly. If there's no one around outside the city, then we can do them a favor and let them in. Of course, if they want to offer money as a tribute, that's their good intention. Brothers, just divide it among yourselves. I don't want a single penny."
Aside from the Qionghai Army, almost every soldier in the Ming Dynasty was in arrears with their pay, including the garrison in Hezhou City. The soldiers were usually strapped for cash, so a rare opportunity to make a little extra money was something they naturally didn't want to miss. Since the officials had spoken, they figured they might as well take the money. Of course, the sergeant's modesty shouldn't be taken seriously; not only would his share be paid, but he would receive the largest share of it.
"But the commander of the governor's battalion said that opening the city gates requires his permission..." a soldier said hesitantly.
Everyone glared at him angrily. If Su Hongtu was notified, the city gates would definitely not be opened, and the silver that was about to be in their hands would also fly away. Wouldn't this cut off everyone's source of income?
The captain glared at him: "What do you know! These guys from the standard battalion just pack up and leave after the battle. We're native locals, what good will it do us to offend Magistrate Wang and Scholar Wang?"
The others chimed in, "That's right. We're all from the same village; we can't just stand by and watch someone die. Always leave a way out for others, so we can meet again in the future."
Seeing that he had angered the crowd, the soldier shrank back and dared not utter another sound.
The city gate slowly opened, and the group of men who claimed to be the attendants of Scholar Wang filed in, bowing and scraping to the guards in thanks. The leader took a package from his robes and handed it over, which was then taken by a soldier standing beside the general.