MLMD – Chapter 30 Arrival at Yingzhou

Under the cover of night, the land began to shed its black veil, gradually revealing a pale white glow. From atop the city walls, it was now possible to make out some of the things below the walls.

Ordinarily, a new day meant a new beginning. People’s moods usually brightened with the rising sun. But for the defenders on the city walls at this moment, nothing was more unwelcome than daylight. For once the sky brightened, it meant they would have to face another wave of attacks from the roving bandits—and this time, no matter what, they would not be able to hold them off.

Wearing an official robe stained with dust and blood, Zheng Fakui stared blankly at the figures of the bandits gradually appearing outside the walls. A trace of despair rose in his heart as he murmured to himself, “Could it be that today I, this official, am truly to die here?”

Zheng Fakui turned around and looked at the equally haggard heads of the Wang, Lin, and Li families. Forcing himself to muster some spirit, he asked, “The bandits are about to assault the city. Could you gentlemen go back and see if you can draw out some more able-bodied men from your households to help defend the walls?”

Wang Shoucheng gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “My lord, there really isn’t anyone left. We’ve already sent all the household guards and servants up onto the walls. What remains in our residences now are only the elderly, the weak, women, and children. If you were willing to allow the yamen runners to conscript able-bodied commoners from the city to defend it, we could easily gather several thousand men.”

“No!” Before Wang Shoucheng could finish, Li Yuan immediately interjected. “The bandits’ assault is extremely urgent right now. Who knows whether there are their agents or spies mixed in among the common people? If we conscript them onto the walls and they defect at the critical moment, wouldn’t we die even faster?”

Lin Yuanteng shouted anxiously, “But if we don’t mobilize able-bodied men to defend the walls, how long can we hold on? I’m afraid that in just a few hours, our heads will be hanging on the city walls, displayed by those bandits!”

Everyone spoke over one another, and the argument quickly escalated, leaving Zheng Fakui with a splitting headache. If they mobilized the city’s residents, they feared bandits might be mixed in; if they didn’t, their forces were insufficient. It was truly a dilemma. After pondering for a long time, Zheng Fakui helplessly tried to smooth things over. “Forget it—let’s wait and see for now. At least we can still hold on a little while longer!”

Time gradually reached the hour of Chen, and daylight had fully broken. Outside the city, the bandits had finished assembling. Zhang Xianzhong brandished his riding whip and pointed viciously at the city walls. “Today, even if I have to gnaw this damned city down with my teeth, I’ll take it! We absolutely can’t let that ‘Living Cao Cao’ laugh at us. Sun Lao’er, I’ll ask you just one thing—can you take this city for me today or not?”

Sun Kewang had lost nearly two thousand men beneath Yingzhou’s walls the day before, and his heart was already filled with pent-up fury. Now, staring at the Sun-and-Moon banner slanted atop the wall, he spat fiercely before replying, “Eighth Great King, rest assured. Give me just half a day, and before noon I’ll twist off the head of that bird of an official on the wall.”

Zhang Xianzhong nodded and instructed solemnly, “Sun Lao’er, including you, we’ve already lost nearly four thousand men here yesterday. We’ve got less than eight thousand left now. If we still can’t take Yingzhou today, people on the Chuang King’s side will start talking nonsense. So I’m giving you half a day only. If you can’t capture Yingzhou before noon, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Do you understand?”

Sun Kewang shouted loudly, “Eighth Great King, don’t worry! If I still can’t take Yingzhou by noon, you won’t need to deal with me—I’ll slit my own throat beneath the city wall!”

Zhang Xianzhong nodded in satisfaction and encouraged him. “Good. I’ll wait here for your good news. As long as you take Yingzhou, I’ll allow you and your men three days without sheathing your blades!”

“All right! Eighth Great King, just wait and see!” Sun Kewang was overjoyed. Zhang Xianzhong’s promise of three days without restraint meant that after capturing Yingzhou, he could freely loot and kill, without other forces coming to compete. As the main commander, he would naturally take the lion’s share. How could he not be excited?

Sun Kewang eagerly mounted a scrawny yellow horse and rode to the southern wall. Facing several thousand starving refugees—some holding swords and sabers, others clutching wooden clubs, hoes, and other farm tools—he shouted, “Brothers! The Eighth Great King just said it himself: as long as we take Yingzhou before noon today, for three days you can do whatever you want inside the city! The gold and silver, the grain—even the women—will all be yours! But if we can’t take the city by noon, every last one of us will die!”

When Sun Kewang shouted the word “die,” a chilling killing intent surged from him, causing fear to flicker in the eyes of the surrounding refugees.

Finally, Sun Kewang waved his hand and roared, “All right, I’ve said my piece! Now I’ve only got one rule: advance and be rewarded, retreat and be killed! Charge!”

“Charge!” Fear first flashed in the eyes of many starving refugees, but it was quickly replaced by a wave of frenzied hatred. Raising all kinds of weapons high, they let out hoarse, chaotic cries and rushed toward the city walls six or seven hundred meters away. In an instant, a cacophony of madness echoed beneath Yingzhou.

“They’re coming—the bandits are coming again!” Seeing the tide of refugees surging forward, Zheng Fakui’s face instantly turned deathly pale, and he couldn’t help shouting, “Men! Drive these bandits back! Otherwise we’ll all die!”

Although Zheng Fakui lost his composure, no one blamed him. After all, he was just a civil official. That he could hold on to this extent was already commendable—far better than many officials who would soil themselves and collapse at the mere sight of bandits. Besides, there was no need for him to say anything more. Everyone on the walls knew that if these bandits broke through, they would all be dead. Thus, everyone—including wounded soldiers—gripped their weapons tightly and stared at the oncoming bandits. Some soldiers placed the stones that had been hauled up onto the walls overnight at the battlements, ready to smash down any bandits who climbed up.

It should be mentioned here that although Yingzhou was a prefectural city, its defensive capabilities were extremely weak. Not only were there few defenders, but there were also no firearms or long-range defensive weapons. Thus, even as the bandits launched their assault, the defending soldiers could only watch helplessly as the starving masses rushed forward. Occasionally, a few archers loosed some arrows, but they were quickly swallowed up by the rolling human tide.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Soon, as crude ladders were set against the walls one after another, the bloody battle of offense and defense began once more…

Just as more than three thousand starving refugees swarmed toward the walls, in a small forest more than a li outside the city, Yue Yang—his entire body encased in Gothic-style armor—was carefully observing the battle through binoculars.

The binoculars in Yue Yang’s hands were naturally not some authentic high-end military gear, but a civilian model he had bought online for a thousand silver dollars. Even so, despite being civilian-grade, they provided quite a clear view. From this distance, he could distinctly see figures on the city wall seven or eight hundred meters away.

Yue Yang had arrived outside Yingzhou late the previous night, but he had not disturbed either of the battling sides who were resting. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to rest. After all, they had marched dozens of li and were exhausted. Moreover, they numbered only a few hundred. Even if they entered the city overnight, the impact would be minimal, and it might instead alert both sides and put the bandits on guard. That was why Yue Yang had ordered them to rest for the night and wait for the critical moment the next day, when they could strike as a surprise force for maximum effect.

After watching for a while, Yue Yang turned his head and saw Hu Laosan behind him, staring longingly at the binoculars in his hands. Yue Yang couldn’t help but smile faintly and handed them over.

By the Ming dynasty, monocular telescopes had already been introduced to China by Western maritime adventurers and merchants, and many Ming generals were not unfamiliar with such devices that could see distant targets. Thus, although Hu Laosan had never handled binoculars before, he was not entirely unfamiliar with them.

He took the binoculars and carefully observed the scene. After a while, Hu Laosan said with certainty, “Young master, the people on the walls won’t last much longer. I estimate they can hold out for at most another hour.”

“That’s how I see it too.” Yue Yang nodded. “Yingzhou’s defenses are far too poor. Forget firearms—there aren’t even many bows or crossbows. It’s already impressive that they’ve held out this long.”

Encased in his iron armor, Hu Laosan was already itching for action. Rubbing his hands together, he asked, “Young master, when do we charge in?”

Yue Yang smiled faintly. “No need to wait. Right now, immediately order the troops to form up and beat the drums. Let the officials on the walls see the might of our Yue Family Village militia!”

“Yes!”

Receiving the order, Hu Laosan was so excited he nearly jumped into the air. He turned and ran toward the rear, and soon a rapid series of shouted commands echoed through the forest. One by one, soldiers clad head to toe in armor slowly emerged from the trees…