When the Japanese pirates withdrew from the city gate, they piled up a large number of obstacles in the gateway passage. Bricks, stones, timber, wheel-less flat carts, and dismantled civilian building materials were heaped together in a chaotic mess, blocking it solidly.
The defending troops on the wall had to climb over these obstacles to open the gate.
“Fuck!”
Zhu Pingan could not help swearing when he saw the obstacles in the gateway.
“Young master, what lesson are you giving?” Liu Dagang and the others scratched the backs of their heads. What was the young master saying? They could not understand it at all.
“Nothing. Quickly clear the gateway passage.” Zhu Pingan waved his hand and directed the defending troops inside the city, along with the Zhejiang soldiers, to clear the obstacles from both ends, opening a path so that the main army could enter.
“I am Zhu Pingan, the Zhejiang Governor. Where is the Songjiang Prefect?” While the men cleared the gateway, Zhu Pingan asked the defending troops inside.
“In reply to Your Excellency, the Prefect is sitting in command at the prefectural yamen inside the city,” a defender replied cautiously.
“Because of overwork, the Prefect fainted. He seems to have regained consciousness now…” another defender beside him added.
Sitting in command at the yamen and still fainting from overwork…
Zhu Pingan frowned upon hearing this. The Songjiang Prefect dared not come to the front line to direct operations in person. He only dared to issue remote commands from the yamen, yet he had fainted from overwork? The Japanese pirates had been attacking the city for only a short time, and he was already overworked to the point of fainting?
He did not even dare to come to the front line. How could he faint from overwork? In my view, he must have fainted from fright upon hearing that the pirates had breached the gate!
“Pass word to Prefect Han. He must hold the city gates firmly and not let the Japanese pirates escape. Since the pirates have withdrawn into the city, they are seeking their own death. We can just shut the gates and beat the dog, catch the turtle in the jar, and wipe out this arrogant band of pirates in one go!”
“You hold the gates. My army will take the main attack. You need only provide support.”
Although messengers had already been sent to shout instructions at all four gates, Zhu Pingan repeated the order. He also unfastened his own waist token and threw it to the defenders inside the city, telling them to take it to the Songjiang Prefect and convey his words.
“Understood.”
The defenders took Zhu Pingan’s token and ran quickly to the prefectural yamen.
“Which direction did the Japanese pirates go?” Zhu Pingan asked the troops.
The city was in chaos. There were sounds of killing, burning, and looting in many places. At least a hundred fires had broken out, and cries came from the east, west, and south gates.
Some of these were certainly the work of Japanese pirates carrying out murder, arson, and plunder. Of course, there were also local ruffians and thugs taking advantage of the disorder to rob.
“They went north, killing, burning, and looting all the way,” the defenders said, pointing northward.
As soon as a narrow passage had been cleared in the gateway, Zhu Pingan dispatched an elite unit north to pursue the pirates. He had no confidence at all in the Songjiang Prefect and his defenders. Zhu Pingan worried they would not hold out for long.
Of course, the gateway still needed further clearing, otherwise the army would enter far too slowly.
Songjiang Prefectural Yamen.
Prefect Han was like a frightened rabbit, hiding in the woodshed of the yamen compound. On one hand, the woodshed was inconspicuous, so if the pirates broke in, there was a good chance they would overlook it. On the other hand, the courtyard wall here had a dog hole that had originally been bricked up. Prefect Han had ordered it reopened and slightly enlarged, just big enough for one person to crawl through. If the pirates did break in, he could escape through this hole.
Ahem, it was not fleeing. As the ancients said, as long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Only by preserving a useful body could one serve the Emperor and the people.
While Prefect Han waited in trepidation, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps. He jumped up in alarm, went to the door, and asked in a voice pale with apocalyptic terror, “Have the Japanese pirates broken into the yamen?!”
A yamen runner appeared before him, panting and shaking his head. “No, Your Honour, do not be alarmed. The pirates have not attacked the yamen. They have gone north, killing, burning, and looting all the way.”
“Phew… Good that they have not come to attack the yamen.” Hearing that the pirates were heading for the north gate, Prefect Han let out a sigh of relief. Some colour returned to his deathly pale face, and a little of the fear left his expression.
“Then why were you running so urgently? You gave me a fright,” Prefect Han, having recovered somewhat, scolded the runner.
“In reply to Your Honour, the leader of the pirates sent a message ordering us to open the north gate so they can leave from there. Otherwise…” The runner paused.
“Otherwise what? Speak!” Prefect Han glared at him.
“Otherwise they will slaughter everyone in Songjiang city, leaving neither chicken nor dog alive. They also said they would first make an example of the yamen to establish their authority…”
The runner replied.
Prefect Han could not help shivering all over. He puffed out his beard and glared. “What are you thinking? Open the north gate. Open the north gate at once. Hurry and let these evil stars leave. If we do not let them go, do you want to keep these evil stars here for the New Year?!”
The city walls of Songjiang were so high, and there were so many defenders, yet they had failed to hold the gate. It had taken only a short time for the pirates to breach it. The yamen walls were barely three metres high. If the pirates attacked, it would be all too easy for them!
Prefect Han did not even dare to imagine the scene of pirates charging towards the yamen. He worried that even crawling through the dog hole might not save his life.
“Open the gate at once, immediately, quickly open the city gate and let these evil stars go!” Prefect Han could not bear to wait a moment longer and repeatedly urged the runner.
“Your Honour, Zhejiang Governor Zhu Pingan has sent men to shout instructions at all four gates, ordering us to hold the gates firmly. While the pirates were attacking the city, his troops struck them from behind outside the walls and defeated them…”
“Lord Zhu says that since we have withdrawn into the city, it is like a dog entering a house or a turtle entering a jar. Lord Zhu wants us to hold the gates and not let the pirates escape. His forces will cooperate with us from inside and outside, attacking from front and rear, shutting the gate to beat the dog, catching the turtle in the jar!”
“If we open the gate and let the pirates escape, how will we explain it to Lord Zhu? Will it not bring disaster upon us?”
The runner reminded him quietly.
“What disaster?! Only if we do not open the gate and let those evil stars leave will disaster come! Do you know what those evil stars will do?! I tell you, they will send the whole of Songjiang city to hell! We will bear the brunt of it. The first place those evil stars will attack is our yamen. None of us will escape!”
“Lord Zhu’s Zhejiang army only defeated the pirates by launching a sneak attack from behind while they were assaulting the city. Er, we still do not know whether the pirates are truly defeated or merely feigning defeat. The Zhejiang army numbers only three thousand. Who knows how many men they lost in the battle outside the walls. Can they really overcome the pirates?! In the end, it will be us who suffer!”
“As for explaining to Lord Zhu… Lord Zhu is the Zhejiang Governor. This is Songjiang Prefecture. We come under the jurisdiction of Governor Hu Zongxian of Suzhou and Songjiang! This official need not explain to Lord Zhu. This official need only explain to Lord Hu!”
“As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood! Lord Hu is a subordinate of Lord Zhao Wenhua. This official has presented generous gifts to Lord Zhao in the past. When the time comes, I can simply present another generous gift to Lord Zhao and Lord Hu. There is nothing a generous gift cannot settle. If one generous gift is not enough, then two. If two are not enough, then three…”
Prefect Han waved his hand dismissively and urged, “Enough. Go quickly and open the city gate. Let those evil stars leave.”
