As soon as the Zhejiang army passed through the north gate, the Songjiang garrison commander immediately ordered his soldiers to close the gate.
They shut it tight and secured it properly. The Prefect had ordered the gate closed. Earlier, it had only been opened because Zhejiang Governor Zhu Pingan threatened force. Now that they had left, the gate naturally had to be closed again at once, so they could report back satisfactorily to the Prefect.
Besides, if the Zhejiang army suffered defeat in pursuing the Japanese pirates and the pirates turned back to counter-attack, a closed gate would at least buy them some time.
The Songjiang defenders on the wall watched the neat formations of the Zhejiang army disappear down the road. Then they began chattering and joking among themselves.
“Heh, tell me, how can the Zhejiang army be so bold? When the pirates run away, just let them run. We couldn’t ask for anything better. Yet they actually go chasing after them. Everyone says never pursue a desperate enemy. Even a cornered rabbit bites. If they push the pirates too hard, the pirates will turn around and give them a proper beating. They’ll be in over their heads and won’t even have time to cry.”
“I wonder if this pursuit will bring them back loaded with spoils, or if they’ll be slaughtered by the pirates and sent running like scared dogs.”
“Heh, loaded with spoils? You really dare to dream. The pirates kill without blinking. The Zhejiang army only won temporarily by sneaking an attack while the pirates were assaulting the city. Now they’re courting death by chasing them. It’s suicide.”
“Come on, come on, bets are open! Bets on the Zhejiang army winning, over here. Bets on them losing, over here. No changing after you bet. Once everyone’s in, we just wait for the result.”
“Me, me. I bet one qian of silver on the Zhejiang army losing. Haha, if I win, I’m going to spend some time with Sai Diaochan.”
“Huo Laosan, you had the chance and you blew it. This is a sure win, yet you’re still stingy. Watch me. I bet on the Zhejiang army losing. I bet one tael of silver. This time, I’m staying at Widow Wang’s half-door house for a month. Let me tell you, that backside of Widow Wang’s is to die for. I’ve missed it terribly.”
“I bet on the Zhejiang army winning. I bet, I bet three taels of silver.”
“Bloody hell, Huang Laoxi, are you mad? Three taels is half a year’s pay you’ve saved. Didn’t you say you were saving ten taels to go home and marry my sister Xiuxiu?! You’re betting it all at once, and on the Zhejiang army winning. You’re going to lose everything! Do you still want to marry my sister Xiuxiu or not?!”
“Zhang Mazi, saving ten taels takes me forever. We haven’t been paid in three months. Who knows when I’ll ever save enough. I thought with a girl like your sister, the bride price might be lower. But your parents opened their mouths like lions. I’ve got to take a gamble, or I’ll end up a bachelor like you!”
“If you gave the bride price to my family, I’d have enough to marry Ajuan from the next village…”
The joking went on until an old gambler spread a cloth on the ground and set himself up as the house, opening a proper betting pool. Everyone eagerly joined in. One by one, they pulled out copper coins and bits of silver from their pockets, placing bets with great enthusiasm.
When it came to fighting, they all shrank back, but when it came to gambling, every one of them rushed forward more eagerly than the last.
About half a day later, as the sun set, the Songjiang defenders stared into the distance until their eyes ached, but still no Zhejiang army returned.
“This… how do we settle this?! The Zhejiang army hasn’t come back even now?! How do we score the bets?”
“Heh, how else? They went and never came back. They must have been wiped out by the pirates. No return.”
“Bloody hell, this is serious. That’s Governor Zhu Pingan leading them. The top scholar, the Governor, the high minister. If something happens to Lord Zhu, it’ll shake heaven and earth.”
“Hah, what about our Governor Zhang? He was far higher in rank than Lord Zhu, wasn’t he? And he still got hauled to the capital and beheaded. Lord Zhu brought it on himself. He only had three thousand Zhejiang troops, left a few hundred in the city to help us restore order, and took just over two thousand to chase pirates several times their number. He was asking for it.”
“It’s impossible that even Lord Zhu fell there. He’s a governor. He has masters protecting him.”
“No matter how high the masters’ skills, they still fear Japanese blades. Even the leader of the martial arts alliance on a battlefield couldn’t handle dozens of enemies.”
The sun had gone down in the west, and still no Zhejiang army. Everyone harboured grim thoughts. They felt the Zhejiang army was finished, the governor was finished, all had sunk without trace. The pursuit had failed, and instead they had been ambushed. Everything was over.
“Where’s the house? Old gambling dog, hurry up and settle. The Zhejiang army isn’t coming back. Total defeat. We won. Settle quickly. Sai Diaochan hasn’t been booked for the night yet. If I’m late, someone else will take her. Then I’ll only be able to listen at the wall, and I’ll have to beg the fellow to go easy so he doesn’t ruin her!”
“Old gambling dog, settle the accounts fast. I’ve missed Widow Wang terribly. Haha, with silver this time, I’ll have her try a few new tricks.”
“Settle, settle. Old gambling dog, settle up.”
Some of the defenders who had bet on Zhejiang defeat were already impatient and kept urging the old gambler to close the pool and pay out.
A Zhejiang defeat was wonderful news for them. They had won money and could go out drinking and whoring.
“What’s the rush? The sun’s only just starting to set. It’s not dark yet. We don’t know for sure if the Zhejiang army won or lost.”
“What if they won?”
Those who had bet on victory were unwilling to accept it. They spat as they argued against closing the bets now.
The ones betting on victory were few. They had not bet that way because they truly trusted the Zhejiang army, but because of gambler’s thinking. Most people bet on defeat, so even if they won, it was only a small payout. With few betting on victory, if by some chance they were right, they could turn a single bet into a fortune.
“Some chance? Look at the time. The Zhejiang army still hasn’t returned. They must have been crushed by the pirates.”
“Exactly. Stop dragging it out. Settle already. I’m waiting to go enjoy myself properly at Widow Wang’s!”
“Huang Laoxi, see? I warned you not to bet on Zhejiang victory. You didn’t listen. Now it’s over. All over!”
“Settle quickly!”
The defenders on the wall descended into chaos. Those urging settlement and those opposing nearly overturned the old gambler’s stall.
“You can shout all you want, but don’t touch my stall. If it tips over, all bets are off.”
The old gambler protected his stall.
The wall was in uproar.
“Bloody hell!”
“Bloody hell!”
“Bloody hell!”
Suddenly a string of scalding “bloody hells” rang out on the wall.
“Bloody hell to you, Monkey! What are you bloody helling about?!” Everyone looked up and saw a defender pointing outside the city, swearing nonstop as if he had bitten a red-hot iron rod. They cursed him foully.
“Quick, look outside the city! Isn’t that the Zhejiang army coming back? What are they leading in that long line? It looks like Japanese pirates…”
The defender called Monkey pointed outside the city, his voice trembling.
“What?! The Zhejiang army is back, leading a long string of… my cry?!” Everyone turned in disbelief and looked in the direction Monkey pointed.
Indeed, on the distant road, figures of the Zhejiang army appeared. Their black-iron cotton armour flowed like a torrent. And along one side of that black-iron flood was a long line of figures, a sight all too familiar to them. They really were Japanese pirates!
The Zhejiang army had returned, and they had captured a string of pirates!
Everyone looked at each other. In their companions’ eyes, they all saw shock and disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.
