Chapter 3, The Siege (Part 1)
Zhao Yu cleared his throat and said loudly: "Brothers, all four city gates have now been captured by us. As long as we take down the county office, this city will belong to our Langgang stronghold!"
In a few sentences, the task was assigned. Zhao Yu gathered the remaining more than forty people, no longer taking the long way around the city wall, nor fearing to disturb the citizens, they traversed through the streets and alleys, taking a shortcut to attack the east gate
Standing on the road and looking eastward, across a river leading into the city, the lights of the north gate of Changguo County are visible in the distance
Upon seeing Zhao Yu arrive, Zhao Wu hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile: "Second Brother, this was too easy. When I charged in, they were still setting off firecrackers. I took them down one by one, and they didn't even have time to utter a sound."
No, no. Those few local soldiers are just standing by watching the firecrackers, not even holding a needle in their hands, how could they possibly harm us
Zhao Yu was unwilling to accept, and Zhao Wu supported him, saying: "You and I are brothers, there is no need for such formalities."
According to the city defense regulations, in order to prevent banditry, the lights on the enemy towers at the city gates must burn throughout the night and must not be extinguished. Therefore, when devising a plan in the temple, Zhao Yu agreed with Chen Wu that after breaching the city gate, extinguishing the fire would serve as a signal. The progress of the operation can be easily discerned by looking from a high vantage point
With unceasing steps, Zhao Yu pressed the end of the axe handle with his left hand, gradually raising the axe higher. His heart raced rapidly, pounding against his chest like a heavy hammer.
Drinking hot rice wine and eating the fruits handed to him by the maid beside him, the mood of Zhang Yu, the county magistrate of Changguo, is quite good at the moment
There are still ten steps
In seven or eight strides, Zhao Yu rushed across the stone bridge, his steps growing increasingly swift. The battle axe in his hand gradually rested on his right shoulder. His breathing became more rapid, his nostrils flaring to their widest, as a large volume of icy air was inhaled into his lungs, only to be expelled in the next moment, now warm and humid.
The distance of thirty steps is merely a few breaths. At this moment, there is no need to conceal their presence. Zhao Yu, wielding a battle axe, took the lead and charged onto the bridge, with the others closely following behind
Seeing that these idle people were about to shout loudly, Zhao Yu felt a surge of anxiety. It was one thing to alarm the county office, but if the guards at the other city gates became wary, it would lead to great trouble. He quickly gathered his breath and shouted: "I am Zhao Er from Langgang. I have come here tonight solely to deal with corrupt officials, and I mean no harm to the common people. You all should quickly return home; if you continue to wander the streets, be wary of the blades and guns that do not discriminate."
In this situation, forcibly attacking the city of Changguo County has become an inescapable dilemma. If one wishes to bring more people to the island, they cannot escape the surveillance of the beacon tower; if they cannot evade the watch of the beacon tower, they must confront the city walls head-on. However, these walls, which are only two zhang high, are as daunting as sheer cliffs for those pirates who have only jumped over obstacles but never scaled walls. If they do not wish to assault the city walls directly, the only alternative is to take the detour through Zhen'ao Mountain. At that time, with support from the rear, the beacon tower atop the mountain will demonstrate to the attacking side what it means to have a single man hold the pass against a thousand.
A team was assigned to guard the city gate, while Zhao Yu led the remaining troops directly towards the Bell and Drum Tower along the main road
As soon as the words were spoken, a loud bang was heard, and the common people scattered in all directions, dragging their children along, not daring to make a sound.
Seeing Zhao Wu silent as a cicada in winter, Zhao Yu could only force a smile. Not wanting to say much more, he commanded, "Time is short; I will take three teams ahead. Brother Wu, you clean this place up and leave half a team behind, then hurry over."
The battle at the city gate began swiftly and ended just as quickly. Before the three teams led by Zhao Yu could rush over, all the soldiers guarding the gate had already turned into corpses on the ground, with Zhao Yu alone having slain five. However, such fierce fighting was extremely exhausting, and he leaned against the wall to catch his breath for a moment before he regained the strength to speak. He casually assigned a team to collect the bodies and then waited for the two teams led by Zhao Wu to catch up.
On the main road, Zhao Wu led a team, walking briskly at the front. Zhao Yu and the others closely followed behind. The sound of footsteps echoing in the street had diminished significantly compared to when they first left the Guanyin Temple. Zhao Yu glanced to the left and right; after three divisions of troops, the number of people around him had dwindled to half of what it was initially.
Zhao Yu let out a long sigh of relief; with the four gates secured, only the county office remained in Changguo City, truly marking the conclusion of the grand scheme. He felt a surge of joy within, wanting to shout like the subordinates around him, but the restraint befitting a leader kept his excitement contained. With a smile, he waved his hand, instructing his followers to return to the city and complete their tasks.
Note 3: Since the Tang Dynasty, in order to facilitate management, a hierarchy has been established for various states and counties. The county level is generally divided into seven ranks, which are: Chi, Ji, Wang, Jin, Shang, Zhong, and Xia. Among these, the ranks of Chi and Ji typically refer to the capital, metropolitan areas, and nearby counties, which hold a special political status. The remaining five ranks are determined based on the number of households. A county magistrate from a lower-ranked county like Changguo being transferred to a higher-ranked county like Wang is considered a promotion.
His term will end in half a year. Over the past two years, despite shamelessly scraping together resources, he has only managed to gather about thirty to fifty thousand guan. This time, in search of a good position, he spent half of it, which opened the door to Master Cai. However, the expenditure of these several tens of thousands of guan has proven worthwhile. A few days ago, a retainer of Master Cai sent a letter stating that the appointment of the Minister of Personnel for the left selection has been confirmed, and it has been rated as excellent. After the New Year, the position will be conferred. If not in Yuhang, then in Qiantang, ultimately it will be in a county that is within sight.
The sentry soldiers have already noticed something unusual here. One of them, facing this way, is loudly shouting something at Zhao Yu, while the others are still covering their ears and looking at the firecrackers on the ground
These seventeen beacon towers scattered across the island can transmit messages to the county town and Sanguzhai within a quarter of an hour upon detecting enemy activity. In another two hours, two hundred troops from the Changguo Patrol Office will arrive at the county town for joint defense. Meanwhile, a force of one hundred and fifty can also be gathered in the county town, along with three hundred able-bodied men. Given the distance between the county town and the coast, even if the enemy lands on the island at Zhoushan, the moment they reach the city walls, the battlements will already be lined with boiling pots of oil.
The crowd erupted in cheers once more. Zhao Yu then said, "Now, Chen Wuge and the others have most likely already arrived at the Bell and Drum Tower, so let us not keep them waiting! Leave a team to guard the city gate, and the rest of the brothers, follow me!"
The night was thick as ink, and Zhao Yu led a team swiftly northward along the narrow alley beneath the wooden fence. The roads in the city were indeed much easier to traverse than the mountain paths; in the time it took to take a sip of water, they had already returned to the mountain pass. Zhao Wu had long been standing in the courtyard of the mountain guards, directing his subordinates to drag several corpses of the guards to a hidden place.
Thank you very much for your care, Erlang! Zhao Wu was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed down to express his gratitude
Zhao Yu did not step forward; with a mere wave of his hand, a group of fierce warriors behind him charged forward like wolves and tigers. With blades and axes descending simultaneously, the bewildered guards were reduced to a pile of corpses, blood splattering across the ground
"A woman?!" Zhao Yu exclaimed in surprise, quickly raising her eyes to look. She noticed that, at some point, dozens of commoners had gathered along the main road connecting the north and south gates, their expressions frozen in shock as they stared at the events unfolding inside the north gate. The earlier scream had come from one of them.
Note 1: In Song Shide's "Record of the Northern Window's Roasting (of Car Fruits)," it is recorded that during the Da Guan period, there was a magistrate named Zhang Yu in Changguo, who was exceedingly greedy and notorious for his avarice. The elders of Changguo could not bear his oppression and all said, "People have two hands, but he has eight legs; it is no wonder that his accumulation is four times that of others." Upon hearing this, Yu felt no shame and merely replied, "If my surname were You, would it not be even better?" This is because squid has ten tentacles.
At that moment, a piercing scream cut through the barrier of firecracker sounds and pierced Zhao Yu's ears
The crowd erupted in cheers, with Zhao Wu leading the way, shouting and jumping, brandishing his sword and axe above his head in a wild display, his joy beyond description
If only he could bring more people with him, Zhao Yu thought. However, he also understood that this was a wishful thinking. Due to the beacon towers on the island occupying various strategic locations, being able to secretly land on the island with one hundred people was already the limit; any more would surely attract the vigilant eyes of those stationed at the beacon towers.
The target before him seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, displaying a look of struggle on his face, yet his body could not move at all. However, he no longer needed to move. The bright axe blade pierced through his left shoulder, slicing through the ribs of his chest, and burst forth from his right side, taking with it his heart, lungs, liver, and spleen. Without a heart, the blood lost its force to spurt, merely flowing out along the wound, pushing out the severed intestines and kidneys, filling the air with a pungent stench. By the time he finally collapsed to the ground, Zhao Yu had already sent three more to keep him company.
"Well done!" Zhao Yu said with a smile, patting Zhao Wu on the shoulder, praising him: "You are becoming more accomplished. Once we take the county seat this time, I will let you go down and lead a ship. With your merits, no one should object." Zhao Yu has always been mature, treating both Wen and Wu as if they were younger brothers, and speaking in this elder tone does not seem out of place.
Having successfully passed through three checkpoints, Zhao Yu felt that major matters were settled along his journey. He gazed towards the southern gate, yet was unaware of whether Chen Wu's path was smooth. He raised his hand to summon a follower, instructing him to ascend the city and extinguish the torches, while also checking if the lights on the towers of the southwestern gates had been extinguished.
"No problem! A little wind cannot stir up a great wave!" After the initial shock, Zhao Yu calmed down; after all, his troops still had a numerical advantage for the time being. As long as he secured the four gates before the county office could react, victory was assured.
For this reason, with the leverage in Zhao Yu's hands, the plan to seize Changguo County, which was conceived three years ago, planned six months ago, and is now officially implemented, is the only feasible solution.
Seeing Zhao Wu's confident demeanor in command, Zhao Yu felt a great joy in his heart: 'This young man is quite quick on his feet.'
Zhang Yu arrived in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, watching as the young servants hung strings of firecrackers on the locust trees on both sides of the yard, while he envisioned a happy life after his transfer. He thought of Yuhang and Qiantang, where the population was five times that of the prosperous Changguo, and the wealth was even more than ten times greater. Zhang Yu had never cared for official titles, only for wealth; if he could guard such a rich place for three years and be granted a bachelor's degree, he would not exchange it for anything else.
At the appointed time, all matters in the courtyard had been prepared. Firecrackers were hung from the trees, large firecrackers were placed in front of the courtyard, and the Spring Festival couplets and peach wood charms were set at the door corners. Even the red envelopes for the servants were laid out in a basket, just waiting for the clock in the bell tower to strike midnight. However, as time passed, the city grew increasingly quiet, and Zhao Yu could not help but feel a twinge of doubt; why had midnight not yet arrived?
Note 4: During the Song Dynasty, the counties of Yuhang and Qiantang were under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou. It seems that this is still the case today
Zhao Yuping held his breath, his eyes fixed on the nearest guard. The heavy axe was raised above his head, merely waiting for the next moment to strike.