Until the dense and orderly sound of muskets rang out, cutting down General Wang’s side like reaped wheat, with screams rising one after another, Prefect Shang and the others on the city wall still couldn’t believe the scene before their eyes.
Was Zhu Ping’an’s method of proof really to kill off General Wang’s entire group, leaving no one to contradict him?!
So young, with an honest face, his words and actions those of a refined gentleman, yet Zhu Ping’an was so ruthless!
Indeed, a man of letters, he passed the imperial exams as the top scholar before even reaching adulthood, offended the cunning Elder Yan yet emerged unscathed; a man of war, he led troops to rise again amidst the pirate chaos, advancing even further—how could such a man be ordinary?!
The ancients said, kindness doesn’t command troops, how many of those who can lead soldiers are soft-hearted?! Even if there were such gentle souls, they’d have fallen early in battle, leaving only the ruthless to survive.
But ruthlessness must have its time, with a pirate army bearing down, how could they turn on each other and fight among themselves?!
Thinking this, Prefect Shang couldn’t help but grip the wall’s bricks in fury, shouting, “Zihou, stop! All of you, stop! Everyone stop!”
But it was futile, those below ignored him, not only did the Zhejiang troops keep going, General Wang’s side began to fight back.
Alas, General Wang was down, looking half-dead if not fully gone, how could his soldiers not fight desperately?!
Sure enough, General Wang’s troops grabbed their weapons and charged at the Zhejiang troops…
Across from them, after the first wave of three ranks fired, the Zhejiang troops retreated to reload, the second wave of three ranks stepped forward seamlessly, quickly taking positions—crouching, bending, standing—raising their muskets to aim, about to fire again…
“Damn it! Zhu Ping’an, you bastard! I’ll report you for this! With pirates at our gates, you dare start an internal slaughter?!”
Seeing the Zhejiang troops ignore his words and prepare to fire again, Prefect Shang jumped in rage on the wall, cursing and vowing to impeach Zhu Ping’an!
Mentioning the pirates reminded Prefect Shang instantly of the pirate captives General Wang’s men had brought back.
With General Wang’s soldiers clashing with the Zhejiang troops outside, who was watching those captured pirates?! Could they escape in the chaos? Though their hands and feet were bound, with no one guarding them, what if someone broke their ropes, freed themselves, and then released the others?!
The weapons and armor General Wang’s men had seized from the pirates were still on the carts nearby, not yet brought into the city.
If those pirates broke free, couldn’t they grab the weapons and armor from the carts and arm themselves again?!
That would be disastrous!
With this thought, Prefect Shang hurriedly looked toward General Wang’s side below, at those captured pirates.
He was better off not looking, for what he saw jolted him with shock.
What the hell!
What’s going on?!
Prefect Shang watched, wide-eyed, as the pirate captives below easily broke free of their bindings.
So easily! Unimaginably so.
He couldn’t believe his eyes, in his view, the pirate captives simply tugged, and the ropes binding their hands fell off, another tug, and the ropes on their feet dropped too.
The process of these captives breaking free was simpler than shedding clothes, a light pull, and the ropes were gone.
This wasn’t just one or two pirates, but all of them, effortlessly shedding their bindings.
If it were just one or two, you could say General Wang’s men were careless and didn’t tie them properly, but all the pirate captives doing this—what did it mean?!
It was obvious!
Prefect Shang broke out in a cold sweat, his spine chilled, his hair standing on end, feeling as if he stood at the gates of hell in an instant.
“Quick, quick, quick…” In his panic, Prefect Shang’s trembling finger pointed below, stammering, unable to speak.
Just then, the Zhejiang troops’ second volley of musket fire rang out, instantly dropping another swath of the charging disguised pirates.
“Lord Prefect, are you ordering us to intervene and stop the Zhejiang troops?!” The deputy general, watching the battle below, asked for instructions, then added with difficulty, “But it’s tricky, the Zhejiang troops won’t even listen to you, my words won’t sway them either, unless we use drastic measures from the wall to force them…”
At that moment, Zhu Ping’an’s voice rose from below.
“Lord Prefect, fellow soldiers, what are you waiting for? Hurry and help me wipe out these pirates!”
Zhu Ping’an shouted up to the wall, looking up.
“What?! You want us to help you kill them off to silence them?! Lord Zhu is too full of himself!”
The deputy general, hearing Zhu Ping’an’s shout, froze for a moment, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Quick, quick, lend Zihou a hand!” Prefect Shang finally snapped out of his shock, shouting loudly.
“What?! Lord Prefect, you want us to help Lord Zhu?! Are we to attack General Wang’s soldiers?”
The deputy general, hearing Prefect Shang’s order, was stunned as if struck by lightning, mouth agape, unable to close it for a long while.
Prefect Shang wants us to help Zhu Ping’an, isn’t that aiding him in killing to cover his tracks, assisting a tyrant?!
What is the Lord Prefect thinking?!
“What soldiers under General Wang? Those are pirates, and if not pirates, they’re traitors who surrendered to them! Leading wolves into our house, trying to sell out Suzhou City! Truly eating from within and clawing outward, their deaths are too good for them, damnable, damnable!”
Prefect Shang gritted his teeth, furious at how close he’d come to falling for the trick, how Suzhou City had nearly been lost to the pirates’ scheme, making him seethe.
Then, realizing he’d been duped by that surnamed Wang, letting him into the city, even planning to celebrate him, fooled like an idiot, he gnashed his teeth harder.
Thank goodness Zihou sensed something was off, broke out from Fengqiao Camp, and shouted warnings all the way here, or the consequences would’ve been unthinkable.
The deputy general beside him stood dumbfounded, what was going on, how did Prefect Shang now call General Wang and his men traitors who surrendered to the pirates?!
“Damn it! Why are you still standing there?! Quick, order the soldiers to act, aim at that surnamed Wang’s gang outside, fire crossbows and guns!”
Seeing the deputy general frozen, Prefect Shang rushed over, shoved him, and roared the command.
Seeing the deputy still dazed, Prefect Shang spat furiously, “Idiot! They’re pirates! Didn’t you see them all break free of their ropes so easily?! In just a few breaths, they’ve all shed their bindings, grabbed weapons, and armed themselves!!! Normal bound captives couldn’t do that! They were clearly in on it from the start, deceiving us, hiding their treachery, plotting to take our city!”
Hearing Prefect Shang’s explanation, the deputy general looked below again, suddenly understood, broke into a cold sweat, and hurriedly ordered the wall’s soldiers to shoot arrows at General Wang’s group.
