IDWBE -Chapter 207 Xunyang City

Hongzhou was world-famous for its porcelain; throughout the dynasties, the nobles and officials of the realm always used Hongzhou porcelain.

Once one of the wealthiest and most prosperous regions in the world, it was now, like Yuezhou, a wasteland after years of continuous war.

Two days later, Zhang Mian’s troops approached the prefectural city of Xunyang in Hongzhou.

Inside the Xunyang prefectural office, Huang Sifang sat in the main seat, laughing loudly.

“Less than ten thousand men, and more than half are just laborers, think they can attack my Xunyang City? They really don’t take me seriously! Since they’ve come, I’ll wipe them out completely!”

“General!”

A middle-aged man dressed like a scholar hurried forward. “The Sanhe soldiers’ combat ability cannot be underestimated; it’s better to be careful!”

Huang Sifang coldly replied, “Sanhe soldiers, what—are they going to fly to the sky? I have so many men here, we’ll crush them! What’s there to fear?”

The scholar said, “General, why not wait for the scouts to report first? Then you can make a plan.”

Huang Sifang angrily said, “These useless fools—where are they now? Should I just sit here cowering until they return?”

“General,” the scholar said, concerned, “Tan City is guarded by General Han. How did these Sanhe troops even enter Hongzhou?”

Huang Sifang suddenly laughed. “Lu Xiaolou, your suspicious nature will never change! Don’t worry about how they got here. Such a small force—can they really make waves in Hongzhou?”

Lu Xiaolou hurriedly said, “General, these Sanhe soldiers have faced the Ayu people head-on before—they cannot be underestimated!”

“Then why didn’t you say earlier that these Sanhe troops were once my defeated subordinates?”

After speaking, Huang Sifang suddenly shouted, “Men! Beat the drums and muster the troops! I will personally go meet them! Let them know that Xunyang isn’t somewhere they can come easily.”

Lu Xiaolou wanted to point out, haven’t you forgotten how you escaped from Daxi City to Xunyang?

But knowing this general’s vanity, he didn’t dare say more.

Zhang Mian rode at the foot of Xunyang City, surprised as the city gates slowly opened.

When did these rebels get so bold?

The rebels’ shapes became clearer. Zhang Mian raised his sword and shouted, “Archers!”

Row after row of soldiers drew their bows.

“Militia! Form ranks! Attention!”

Liang Qingshu, behind the soldiers, also shouted.

Besides being the Liang family’s chief steward, he was also a militia squad leader. In Sanhe, his practical authority was even higher than his employer’s.

Over seven hundred laborers formed ranks. Many were not just laborers—they were also militia trained in horseback archery.

The Xunyang city gates opened. Shielded soldiers took the front. Huang Sifang stood in the center, with more and more cavalry pouring out behind him.

“Fire!”

As Zhang Mian’s sword fell, a rain of arrows shot toward the rebels.

Huang Sifang sneered, waving his hand as the shielded soldiers formed a tight circle around him.

Arrows either hit the city walls or the shields. Aside from the occasional scream, most went unharmed.

“Not bad,” Zhang Mian shouted again, raising his sword. “Charge!”

Nearly twenty thousand rebels were in the city. If they all deployed outside, it would be hard to handle, so they needed to trap them inside the gates first.

Five thousand government soldiers followed Zhang Mian, swords and spears ready.

The laborers glanced at Liang Qingshu.

He shouted, “What are you standing there for? Go! What’s the matter? Lord He only said not to attack the city without orders—he didn’t say not to meet the enemy. If you hesitate, the enemy’s blades will be upon you. Do you want to die?”

At that moment, he showed no trace of a merchant’s demeanor—rolled up his sleeves, tied his coat at the waist, and led the charge.

The laborers roared and hacked toward the enemy at the city gates as if their lives depended on it.

“That tall, skinny one is mine! Don’t let anyone take him!”

Sharp-eyed Wang Xiaoshuan noticed a tall, skinny man wearing a jade ring. The man raised his broadsword at Wang’s head. Without hesitation, Wang struck the man’s wrist instead.

The broadsword fell from the man’s hand; blood poured from the jade ring.

“Haha! The fortune teller was right—as long as my blade is fast, no one can hit me!”

Wang Xiaoshuan laughed and continued cutting at a sword-and-shield soldier. The wooden shield split in two, blood slowly seeped from the soldier’s forehead, and he fell.

The laborers gradually formed an unspoken rule: whoever felled an enemy kept the loot.

Those who disobeyed would settle scores later.

Men die for wealth, birds die for food—who fears whom?

Sometimes, facing non-speaking tribal opponents, they had to bite the bullet.

Luckily, this time, the tribesmen followed He Jixiang, so they only had to fight bravely first, then sort the loot later.

Thus, they fought even more courageously than the soldiers.

Outside the gates, people pushed to get in; inside, people pushed to get out. The small gate was packed.

Many laborers, unable to enter, bit their tongues and used climbing hooks to scale the walls.

One climbed, then another. The walls were crowded with people.

Some didn’t even use hooks, leveraging their swords to vault over.

In the heat of battle, they forgot the order not to attack the city independently.

The sun rose higher, heating the northern to southern stretch.

Zhou Jiuling, who had left Tan City five days ago, wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

The autumn-to-winter transition in Sanhe was still so hot—he hadn’t expected it.

However, after entering Sanhe, the rough road of horse-drawn carts was gone. The roads were smooth and flat; he even slept on the carriage.

That evening, the convoy stopped at Xingguan Town.

Zhou Jiuling looked at the constant stream of carriages and people outside the inn, nervously turning to Liu Kan. “Sir Liu, we must remain vigilant. With so many people, spies could infiltrate.”

Liu Kan and the soldiers behind him held back laughter.

He cupped his hands. “Lord Zhou, rest assured. This is already Sanhe. No miscreant would dare cause trouble here.”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers behind him wore proud expressions.

This is Sanhe! Anyone daring to make trouble here hasn’t even been born yet.

Zhou Jiuling, half convinced, was helped into the inn by Liu Kan.

Inside, the inn was bustling with noise—drinking, dice games, and merriment.

Many swordsmen and martial men crowded inside, their faces fierce.

Zhou Jiuling stepped back in fear, nearly falling if not for Liu Kan’s support.

“Well, Brother Liu,” The waiter recognized Liu Kan.

Liu Kan said, “Reserve an upper room and bring the food and drink up there.”

After two soldiers helped Zhou Jiuling upstairs, Liu Kan continued bringing his family into the inn.