usatvline Chapter 218 Bargaining
Chapter 218 Bargaining
Qinwang Mountain is not actually high, with an altitude of no more than 200 meters, but it covers a large area. It is located at the junction of Jiangyin Prefecture and Changzhou Road, and belongs to Taining Township, Jiangyin. There is a city on the south side of the mountain called "Xia City". It was built during the Southern Chen Dynasty and once served as the seat of Jiangyin Prefecture. It was also repaired in later generations, but it is now abandoned.
Despite its abandonment, the foundations of the city walls still remain, and there are even some broken walls and ruins, though it's unclear whether they were left over from the Song Dynasty. Xia City was bustling with activity, filled with people.
The nameless archers piled planks, adobe bricks, and even rubble at the breach in the city wall, making do with what they could to defend it. Meanwhile, the real archers stared wide-eyed at Qinwang Mountain to the north, their grip on their swords and spears almost watering them.
A donkey cart slowly entered the city. Whether the donkey was too stubborn or what, it suddenly stopped and brayed loudly.
Suddenly, one of the archers crouching by the city wall shouted, his face filled with panic.
The others were also startled; some even threw down their ring knives and ran away until they were caught and pinned to the ground.
"I never understood what 'a bird startled by the twang of a bow' meant before, but today I've seen it for myself," said Zhang Yang, the prefect, wiping the sweat from his brow. His face was pale.
Following behind him, the state prosecutor, Ge Daji, chuckled and said, "Archers aren't usually this bad. It's only because of repeated defeats that they've become so disheartened."
Zhang Yang didn't bother listening to that nonsense; all he cared about was his own safety. If Ma Yuanchong could get injured, why couldn't he? He might even lose his life if he was unlucky.
Furthermore, he still couldn't understand how three hundred people could be defeated by a dozen or so. Aren't they all human? Even if there are differences in physique, strength, and martial arts skills, it shouldn't come to this, right?
However, after seeing this group of frightened birds, he probably understood something.
The historical records of a general charging into battle alone, capturing bandits, seizing tokens, beheading generals, and returning with a flag are not necessarily fabrications. As long as one is brave enough or the opponent is weak enough, it is possible to accomplish such a feat.
Now he only hoped that no fierce general would emerge from the bandit ranks and break through the "army" to behead him.
Well, after Ma Yuanchong was injured, it was Chen Zi, the patrol inspector of Chengjiang, who was in command. As expected of the most senior patrol inspector, he was very reliable in his work. He even knew to gather his troops and retreat to Xia City, using the remaining earthen walls as a form of defense. This was much better than being herded like sheep in the wilderness.
However, it was ridiculous to see nearly three hundred government troops huddled together in the earthen city, "defending against a dozen bandits from their strongholds."
"Where is the thief?" Zhang Yang snapped out of his thoughts, climbed halfway up the earthen wall surrounded by his entourage, and asked.
Perhaps the wall was too slippery, Zhang Yang almost fell, but fortunately He Shuo, the clerk of the military office, was quick-witted and caught him.
Zhang Yang came to his senses, his forehead already covered in sweat.
He looked down at the swaying foxtail grass and the ubiquitous moss on the city wall, and remained silent for a long time.
"Please look, sir, the thieves are over there." He Shuo slowly released his hand and pointed to a place in the northwest, saying, "There are wooden huts built by woodcutters there, and the thieves live in them. Originally there were nineteen people, but the government troops killed two and wounded one, leaving seventeen. However, this morning someone came closer to investigate and found that there were faint cries among the thieves, as if someone had died from their injuries. Now there should only be sixteen left."
Zhang Yang shaded his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance, but saw nothing except a corner of a wooden house hidden among green trees and red flowers.
He gave up and instead asked, "Could we take advantage of the night to go up the mountain and ambush the bandits?"
He Shuo looked troubled and said, "The bandits might not be there at night. Besides, it's dark, and the more people there are, the more chaotic it will be. If they suddenly turn on us in fear, it could lead to a complete rout. It's not worth it."
"They're all useless trash," Zhang Yang couldn't help but curse.
He Shuo lowered his head in embarrassment.
While the archers were indeed useless, the garrison troops weren't much better. The eldest brother might not be as good as the second, they were both the same, what else could we do? Let's just wipe out the bandits first and settle the score later.
Zhang Yang probably realized that his words were a bit harsh, but he didn't want to explain. He just asked irritably, "When will the reinforcements arrive?" "August is the busy farming season..." He Shuo mumbled.
"You—" Zhang Yang glared at him fiercely and said, "Just tell me when you'll arrive!"
"The people coming to Chunxiang should arrive soon, in a day or two at most," He Shuo replied.
How many people are coming?
"Two hundred people."
"Have you practiced?"
"Logically, they should have practiced."
Zhang Yang was too exhausted to curse anymore; that meant he hadn't practiced.
"When are Zhao Yangui and Cao Luo coming?" he asked again.
"Master Zhao is already halfway there, Cao should be arriving soon," He Shuo replied.
Zhang Yang felt somewhat relieved, but also a little sad.
The government troops couldn't suppress the bandits, and instead relied on the salt smugglers. After this incident, wouldn't Zhao Yangui and Cao Luo become envious and want to take advantage of them? The human heart is a very strange thing.
With the government so weak, not only would the salt merchants, who were known for their violence, become even more aggressive, but even he himself would probably be less imposing when disciplining Zhao Yangui and Cao Luo than before.
There's no other reason than that I'm not as confident anymore.
He was still a high-ranking official, after all, many members of his family held official positions. If he were replaced by an official without much backing, he might end up being threatened and manipulated by Zhao and Cao.
The strategies for offense and defense differ.
Just then, several figures appeared on the distant horizon, standing on a high ground and looking in this direction.
A moment later, they descended the hill and continued on their way.
Another half incense stick's time passed, and more figures appeared on the high ground.
They formed six columns and descended the highlands like a torrent, scattering into the vast mountain valleys.
A strong south wind blew, and the flags fluttered loudly.
Under the blazing sunlight, the swords and spears gleamed with a chilling light.
Dozens of figures, lined up in neat rows, appeared before everyone's eyes.
For a moment, no one spoke on the earthen wall; they all watched this "strange sight" in silence until it was right in front of them.
"Who goes there?" someone finally realized what was happening and asked, forcing a smile.
"Cao Luo, a righteous man from Huangtian Port, led his people to aid in suppressing the bandits. Now, which official is in charge of the overall situation?" Shao Shuyi stepped forward from the crowd, clasped his hands in a salute, and asked. The person who asked the question quickly descended from the city wall and went to report.
Shao Shuyi took the opportunity to observe the surrounding terrain.
Actually, it's not complicated. Qinwang Mountain is to the north, and Xia City is to the south. South of Xia City, there is a lake, but I don't know its name.
From this perspective, Xiacheng has a very good location, backed by mountains and facing a lake, blocking important roads.
If we attack Jiangyin from Changzhou along this route, we cannot fail to capture Xiacheng, because the enemy can break out of the city and cut off our retreat.
After surveying the entire terrain, Shao Shuyi turned his attention to Qinwang Mountain.
The vegetation is lush, but it is not a towering mountain or a steep mountain. The terrain is not very steep overall. As far as the eye can see, there are several gentle slopes and a few mountain paths that are faintly visible.
However, the mountain path was narrow and cramped, barely wide enough for two or three people to pass side by side. This was the difficulty for the government troops in utilizing their numerical advantage. The bandits didn't need to fight three hundred men, because they couldn't spread out at all. They were always facing the same few people at the same time. After a fierce charge, it was indeed possible for the government troops to collapse and flee, or even trample each other.
Shao Shuyi couldn't even imagine how many men the government troops had lost on the mountain road.
If he were to fight the thieves, this is also something he needs to pay attention to: how to leverage his numerical advantage and minimize his weaknesses as much as possible.
After turning his gaze away, Shao Shuyi looked at Xia Cheng.
Inside the city gate, whose outline was almost invisible, more than ten people filed out, with the prefect Zhang Yang leading the way.
"Cao She, this is Prefect Zhang." Ge Daji, the clerk in charge of case handling, introduced him while giving him a meaningful look.
"Master Zhang." Shao Shuyi stepped forward and bowed.
Zhang Yang first looked at Shao Shuyi, then at the people behind him, and asked, "Are they all your men?"
"The employees of Huangtian Trading Company are used to waterborne freight and are known for their daring and hard work," Shao Shuyi said.
How many people?
"Including myself, we're exactly fifty."
Zhang Yang was stunned and speechless, but he quickly reacted, pointed to the location of the thief, and said, "The thief is right there, why don't we go and take his head?"
Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "May I ask the Prefect, how many bandits are there? What weapons do they have? What are their skills? What is their morale like?" "There are still sixteen bandits," Zhang Yang replied patiently.
He didn't answer the other questions, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know. He was new to replace Ma Yuanchong and hadn't had time to ask in detail—in fact, he forgot to ask.
"Please inform the Prefect that we have come from afar, have not eaten or drunk anything, and are greatly weakened. It is not advisable for us to advance and attack the bandits for the time being," Shao Shuyi said. "Furthermore, we are probably still lacking some equipment."
Zhang Yang was somewhat displeased, but looking at the dozens of people behind Shao Shuyi, he suppressed his temper and said, "Alright, let's go to the city for a meal first. If you need any equipment, just tell me, and I'll look for it for you."
"Thank you, Prefect," Shao Shuyi said, bowing.
Zhang Yang didn't want to argue with him anymore, so he went straight back to the city and sat under a makeshift shed.
I was not quite satisfied with what I was thinking, not because of the current situation, but because of the attitude of Shao Shuyi and others.
Coming from afar, not having had time to eat, and lacking equipment are all normal reasons, but Zhang Yang just felt uncomfortable because he had to condescend to "indulge" a salt smuggler and "coax" him to risk his life.
This was an experience I had never had before, and I was very unaccustomed to it.
At this moment, he felt that Zhu Dingshun was much more obedient. At least that guy was meek and obsequious, willing to grovel before them, these nobles. Of course, despite these thoughts, Zhang Yang remained rational and did not openly express his dissatisfaction.
"Where is the thief's body? On the mountain?" Just as I was thinking, Shao Shuyi's voice came from not far away.
"Bury it." The one who answered was He Shuo, a clerk in the military office. He was looking at Shao Shuyi with a surprised expression and asked, "Cao She, what do you need the thief's corpse for?"
"Dig it out and cut off its head," Shao Shuyi said calmly.
He Shuo was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment.
"I'm useful," Shao Shuyi said patiently.
He Shuo thought for a moment, then summoned a clerk and asked him to find someone to dig up the body.