“Beacon fires? Leader, are you saying those aren’t just fires, but beacon fires?! We’ve been exposed?!”
The group of pirates, upon hearing Xu Hai’s words, froze in place. Just a moment ago, they had been fantasizing about their night raid on Suzhou city, filling sacks with silver and tying up women with ropes. But in the next second, their leader, Xu Hai, informed them that Suzhou’s beacon fires had been lit, exposing their presence. The entire Suzhou now knew they were coming?!
For a moment, the pirates’ minds couldn’t process it. One second, they were in a state of pre-eruption excitement, and the next, they were doused with a bucket of ice-cold water. Their brains felt like they were about to short-circuit.
We boarded the ships at the second watch, reached Taicang Harbor by the third watch, and by the fourth watch, we were just thirty miles from Suzhou city.
We sailed in the dark the entire way, and one of our ships even hit a reef in the sea, losing over a dozen brothers to the waves. How could we have been exposed?! How did the people of Suzhou discover us?! Damn Suzhou, why did they set up so many beacon towers?! What was the point of us rising early, braving the cold and frost?!
Instantly, the pirates on the ships were like sand sculptures struck by a bolt of lightning, utterly dumbfounded.
No matter how much the pirates couldn’t comprehend it, after the first beacon tower lit up with roaring flames, within less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all fifteen beacon towers in Suzhou’s jurisdiction were ablaze. Coupled with the cavalry’s gong warnings, it didn’t take long for villages and towns within a forty-mile radius of Suzhou city to learn that the pirates were coming.
The crimes committed by the pirates in Jiangnan were too numerous to record, and the atrocities they had perpetrated were countless, especially the tragic events in nearby Songjiang Prefecture. The common people knew that the pirates were merciless beasts. When they entered a village, they would kill all the men, violate the women, loot all the valuables, and burn the houses to the ground.
Therefore, upon hearing the news of the pirates’ arrival, the people of Suzhou Prefecture, young and old, took to the roads to hide. Those close to Suzhou city fled towards it, while those farther away sought refuge in forts, the wilderness, or the mountains.
On the walls of Suzhou city, there were dedicated lookouts for the beacon towers. They were the first to see the distant beacon fires, though initially, they were unsure whether it was a beacon fire or just a house fire.
However, soon a second beacon fire lit up, closer this time, and the towering flames were clearly visible.
With two beacon fires burning in the same direction, there was no doubt it was a warning signal.
The night watchmen, realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately shouted the alarm, “The pirates are coming, the pirates are coming! Close the city gates at once!”
Upon hearing that the pirates were coming, the Suzhou city guards fell into a state of panic. Fortunately, the pirates were still twenty to thirty miles away, so there was no immediate danger of the city falling. After a period of chaos, the guards, under the scolding of their officers, finally managed to close the city gates in a flurry.
“Thank goodness for Zhu Ping’an’s beacon fire warning. Otherwise, with these good-for-nothings, the pirates would have stormed the government office before they even closed the gates.”
Shang Weichi, the Suzhou Prefect, who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, couldn’t help but grimace as he watched the chaotic scene at the city gates, cursing inwardly.
At the same time, he felt a deep sense of relief. Fortunately, Zhu Ping’an had set up the cavalry patrols and beacon towers. Otherwise, with the Suzhou military’s current state, it would have been a disaster. The pirates might have broken into his government office before Suzhou city even realized what was happening.
“Prefect, you’ve arrived.” The guards at the city gate, seeing Prefect Shang Weichi’s arrival, hurriedly stepped forward to salute.
“Yes, the beacon fires are lit, and the pirates are coming. Stay alert and don’t give the pirates any opportunities,” the Suzhou Prefect said, knowing now was not the time to lose his temper. He still needed these men to defend the city, so he nodded with a gentle expression.
“Yes, yes,” the guards replied repeatedly.
“Gentlemen, our salaries and provisions are issued by the court, but ultimately, they come from the common people. They are the hard-earned fruits of the people’s labor. Therefore, the common people are our benefactors. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of our benefactors inside the city. We must defend Suzhou city to the death, not allowing a single pirate to step foot inside, not allowing a single benefactor to be harmed! This is the moment we’ve been training for!”
The Suzhou Prefect pointed into the city, speaking solemnly to the guards.
“Your Excellency, rest assured, we will defend Suzhou city to the death. Not a single pirate will enter,” the guards declared loudly.
“Very good. You all have it tough. Hold the city, and once the pirates are repelled, each of you will receive an additional ten taels of silver. I, your Prefect, keep my word. If even a single guard does not receive their ten taels, you can hold me accountable!”
Prefect Shang Weichi promised the guards. It’s an eternal truth that substantial rewards will bring forth brave men.
“Thank you, Your Excellency! We will defend Suzhou city to the death, fight to the end, and not allow the pirates to take a single step into the city!”
The guards, spurred by the promise of ten taels of silver, roared with even greater enthusiasm and sincerity than before.
“Officer Hou, send an additional three hundred reinforcements to each city gate, and make sure they are elite troops. The city gates are a matter of life and death for the hundreds of thousands of people in Suzhou city. Without my order, aside from the guards, no one is to approach within a hundred paces of the gates. Those who violate this order are to be warned and ordered to leave. If they persist, you are authorized to execute them on the spot. In critical times, there is no room for mercy!”
The Suzhou Prefect turned his head and spoke gravely to Hou, the officer in charge of military affairs, who was following behind him.
“Understood,” Officer Hou replied with a bow, then hurried off to make the arrangements.
The arrival of the pirates was no small matter. The group of pirates from Songjiang Prefecture had already taken several county towns, and almost the entire Songjiang Prefecture had fallen. It was said that these pirates had used the gold, silver, and grain they plundered from Songjiang to recruit more men, expanding their forces not just twofold, but to forty or fifty thousand strong.
Forty to fifty thousand pirates—what did that mean? The entire Suzhou city’s military, including the constables, numbered only around ten thousand.
And that was only because the Prefect, in his wisdom, had transferred a thousand elite troops from the local military to assist in the city’s defense a few days ago.
Fortunately, outside the city, there were also the Zhejiang troops led by Lord Zhu Ping’an. Although the Zhejiang troops numbered only two thousand, they…
The Zhejiang troops were stationed at the Fengqiao camp. As long as the pirates didn’t completely annihilate the Zhejiang troops outside the city, they couldn’t focus all their forces on attacking Suzhou city. After all, with the Zhejiang troops at their rear, they would have to worry about being attacked from both sides. How could they fully commit to attacking Suzhou city?
The Zhejiang troops numbered two thousand, and during the recent sea sacrifice, they had killed over a hundred pirates. Their combat strength was significantly higher than that of the local troops. Surely, they could buy Suzhou city some time.
Officer Hou, on his way to arrange the reinforcements, thought this to himself.
After Suzhou city’s gates were closed, many, many people from outside the city, young and old, began to arrive.
They were the common folk from within a ten-mile radius. Upon hearing the news of the pirates’ approach, their first thought was to seek refuge in Suzhou city. Suzhou city had tall, sturdy walls and elite troops guarding it. It was undoubtedly the safest place in Suzhou Prefecture, bar none. As long as they could enter Suzhou city, their lives would be spared.
