Chapter 402: If You Don't Want to Die, You'll Still Have to Die

Chen Yongfu agreed with Wang Dou that the moment for a decisive battle with the roving bandits had already matured, but he hesitated a moment and asked, "Regarding the matter of Liu Jianyi and those other bandits, should we inform the Prince of Fu and Military Defense Circuit Grand Coordinator Wang?"

Wang Dou shook his head. "Better not, lest we alert the snake and leak the news. We will strike first, and it won't be too late to inform them after we have wiped out those bandits."

Chen Yongfu knew how things worked in government offices — many matters simply could not be kept secret. Often, what the higher-ups discussed in the morning would be the talk of every street by afternoon. For safety's sake, it was better to keep it secret for now and act first, report later. Once Liu Jianyi and his men were dead, Luoyang's defense would rely even more heavily on himself and Wang Dou, and their superiors would not punish them in any way.

Both men were decisive, and so the matter was settled. Regarding the night raid to cut off supplies, from the intelligence Wang Dou provided, Chen Yongfu knew that Jianshan was heavily guarded. A grain and fodder stronghold — anyone would treat it with extreme caution and vigilance. Li Zicheng was no exception, and had assigned a large force to defend it.

The commanding officers were Li Zicheng's trusted generals Tian Jianxiu and Liu Xiyao, with a garrison of over ten thousand, including many veteran camp fighters. Jianshan was strategically vital and tightly defended. In daylight, even the Shunxiang Army would probably find it hard to take, and even if they did, casualties would certainly be heavy. The only option was a night raid, which the Shunxiang Army excelled at.

Fighting at night — soldiers with night blindness would certainly be useless. More importantly, in the darkness, the banners, drums, and signals an army normally used for communication all lost their function. How to effectively command operations was an enormous challenge. Only the most elite troops in the army could hope to succeed, and it was not a matter of simply having more men.

However, night raids were precisely the Shunxiang Army's strong suit. When it came to nutritional supplementation, sharpness of vision, discipline, and the organizational strength of the army, there were probably few armies in this world that could compare to the Shunxiang Army. Chen Yongfu knew his own limits — even if he sent his own retainers, they might not succeed. They could only rely on Wang Dou's subordinates.

For the personnel to carry out that night's raid, Wang Dou's first thought was Wen Fangliang. This romantic fellow appeared somewhat cynical on the surface, but in truth he was meticulous to a hair, bold yet cool-headed — the most suitable candidate for tonight's success. Paired with Wen Daxing's night scout squads, the odds of success would be even greater.

The Shunxiang Army had long since thoroughly surveyed the terrain around Jianshan. Even before Li Zicheng's forces reached Luoyang, Wang Dou's Intelligence Division had already conducted detailed surveys of the areas around Luoyang, especially several likely grain storage sites. A three-dimensional terrain map of Jianshan was right now on the sand table in front of Wang Dou, with the relevant troop dispositions also marked out in detail on it.

Every time Chen Yongfu saw this sand table, he was utterly amazed. He had already decided that after returning to Kaifeng, he would emulate Wang Dou's methods of training troops, and the sand table was certainly one of the things he needed to learn.

But it was easier said than done. After making this decision, Chen Yongfu found himself at a loss, not knowing where to begin. Every single point he casually thought of turned out to be an extremely complex and massive project. Not to mention anything else, just the training of relevant survey personnel was no simple or easy matter.

That afternoon, Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu summoned the officers of their respective armies to discuss matters. It went on until dusk, when several riders of the Shunxiang Army galloped into the city through the north gate.

The defenders at the north gate thought nothing unusual of it. Of Luoyang's four passes, only the North Pass remained in government hands, still garrisoned by General Wang Dou and Vice Regional Commander Chen Yongfu. It was perfectly normal for them to send riders into the city to communicate.

There was nothing out of the ordinary outside the city either, so the defenders opened the gate and let the riders in.

After entering the city, these riders dispersed and headed straight for the encampments of Shunxiang Army officers Wu Zhengchun, Shen Shiqi, and Gao Xun. Not long after, these riders galloped back out of the city, while Shen Shiqi and Gao Xun hurriedly made their way to Wu Zhengchun's camp...

Nightfall gradually descended. The thousand-year-old capital of Luoyang slowly grew lively. Today was the fifteenth day of the first month, the Lantern Festival. In past years at this time, Luoyang would be a city of fiery trees and silver flowers, a night that never slept. This year, everyone was unlucky — hundreds of thousands of roving bandits besieged the city. Fortunately, they had not attacked in the last couple of days, giving everyone some slight relief.

With heavy forces still besieging the city outside, this year's festivities in Luoyang could not compare to past years. Traditional events like the dragon lantern dance, flower lantern viewing, and lantern riddle guessing were no more. Still, along the nine streets and eighteen lanes, many great households hung out some festive lanterns.

The Prince of Fu's mansion, the government offices, and the local gentry also organized some reward programs, sending Lantern Festival evening meals to the Luoyang officers and soldiers as well as the militia and community braves. On Luoyang's Wenfeng Pagoda, they also arranged for people to set off fireworks to celebrate with the common people. From time to time, bursts of brilliant fireworks also rose from the great households' compounds, reflecting against the bright moon in the night sky — it looked so beautiful.

From within the city came the sounds of men and women, and bursts of children's laughter. Even the officers and soldiers patrolling the streets looked up at the fireworks in the night sky, grinning from ear to ear. This laughter and merriment brought a trace of warmth to Luoyang in its twilight days.

"Enjoy yourselves. Tonight, you'll learn what it means when extreme joy begets sorrow."

On the east gate city wall, Liu Jianyi, fully armored and guarded by several trusted officers and retainers, watched the scene inside the city with a cold, sinister gaze. The lanterns and torches on their poles flickered in the cold wind, making his expression dark and unsteady.

The chill permeated the air everywhere, and from time to time fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky — not large, but dense. The cold had formed a thin layer of ice on the city wall. Had fine sand not been scattered on the brick floor, it would have been incredibly slippery and difficult to walk on.

The weather was so cold. Everyone around him was exhaling mist and stamping their feet furiously, hoping to drive away the numbness that filled their bodies. At this moment, time seemed to pass unbearably slowly.

Liu Jianyi also felt that tonight was hard to endure, as if it were even colder than before. On previous days, in such weather, he would have long since burrowed under his blankets. But for the great cause, for future wealth and rank, no matter how unbearable, he had to endure tonight.

The figures on the city wall were sparse and scattered. Those walking back and forth were all retainers and personal guards under Liu Jianyi's command.

Looking around, on the battlements were mounted rows of spiked night logs and chevaux-de-frise. These spiked night logs — long round timbers studded with sharp iron spikes — like the chevaux-de-frise, were excellent means to prevent the enemy from scaling the walls in a night raid. Coupled with the night watch personnel on the wall and the torches and lanterns placed every few paces, generally speaking, attempting a night raid to take the city was an extremely difficult task.

But it was hard to guard against a thief from within. When a city had a ghost inside, no matter how effective the defensive measures, they were useless.

In the days before, the night patrol personnel on the east gate wall had all been militia and community braves assisting in the city's defense. They rotated shifts every two hours, taking turns keeping watch through the night. Tonight, Liu Jianyi had found a few excuses to replace them all with retainers from his own troops.

The militia and community braves assisting at the east gate thought only that General Liu was kind and generous. They were all overjoyed — it happened to be Lantern Festival night, so they could properly enjoy the holiday and relax a little.

Everything went very smoothly. There was only a small interlude at the hour of Xu in the evening, when Shen Shiqi, the Shunxiang Army Company Commander assisting at the east gate, casually asked Liu Jianyi a question, saying that keeping watch alone through the night was hard work, and whether they should transfer some Shunxiang Army troops to rotate shifts.

At that moment, Liu Jianyi broke out in a cold sweat all over, and hastily said no, it was not necessary. He said the Shunxiang Army had come from afar to help, had fought hard and endured great hardship. He, Liu, saw it with his own eyes and felt it in his heart, and was deeply apologetic. Such a minor matter as guarding the city should not trouble the world-renowned Shunxiang Army. They should simply rest and conserve their energy, and fight fiercely when the roving bandits attacked.

Fortunately, Shen Shiqi did not press the matter and let Liu Jianyi make his arrangements. Although the incident had passed, even now, Liu Jianyi still felt a chill all over his body.

The sight of Shen Shiqi's face, full of ferocious flesh, frightened him at a glance. His pair of ox-like eyes constantly flashed with a murderous glint. Even more terrifying were the nearly one thousand Shunxiang Army soldiers under his command — they could be called gods of slaughter incarnate. During the days Shen Shiqi had assisted at the east gate, Liu Jianyi had deeply learned the combat power of the Shunxiang Army.

Although his own numbers were greater than theirs, Liu Jianyi was always full of wariness toward this army. What he hoped for most was that tonight's events would not disturb the Shunxiang Army soldiers in their camp.

He knew full well that if he could eliminate these men, the Chuang King would certainly be overjoyed, and his own merit would be even greater. They were now resting and sleeping in their camp, but even if he were given ten thousand times the courage, he would not have the nerve to charge into the camp and start killing. The matter of the Shunxiang Army inside the city would be left for the righteous army entering the city to resolve.

Time passed bit by bit. In the cold wind, Liu Jianyi paced back and forth on the city wall, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Zi hour. He glanced from time to time inside the city, then outside. Just like the fireworks that occasionally rose inside the city, the Chuang army camp outside also sent up a few fireworks now and then.

It seemed that whether soldier or bandit, everyone had to celebrate the new year and the festival.

Finally, the fireworks inside and outside the city gradually thinned out. The city of Luoyang slowly fell into silence.

Liu Jianyi vigorously rubbed his face, which was about to freeze stiff, for a while. With a wave of his hand, he led the officers in the camp into the gate tower. Listening to the sound of the night watches and staring intently at the hourglass for a long time — it was the Hai hour, which in later times would be eleven o'clock at night. There was still half a watch until the Zi hour.

Liu Jianyi gave the order: "Have all the men leave the barracks. As soon as the Zi hour arrives, hang the lanterns on the gate tower and open the gate to receive them."

His subordinate officers all answered in low voices, each one panting heavily. Glory, wealth, and rank — all rested on this one gamble.

After Liu Jianyi passed down the order, more and more of his subordinates gathered outside the city gate and at the east gate tower.

In the moonlight, everyone was incredibly tense. Liu Jianyi forced himself to remain calm. He looked toward the south gate, thinking that Old Luo over there should be making his move by now. Finally, he looked outside the city. In the area between the east gate and the East Pass, there seemed to be many shadowy figures. The righteous army's reception force should already be lying in ambush there.

Just then, Liu Jianyi suddenly heard the sound of orderly footsteps on East Main Street, as if several thousand people were running in unison. Liu Jianyi and his subordinate officers looked at each other. "What's that sound? Why is there such a commotion?"

Suddenly, a sharp voice from the street, terrified to the extreme, cried out: "It's the Shunxiang Army!"

From the sound of it, it came from one of his own camp's soldiers. The officers around Liu Jianyi erupted into chaos. In an instant, all the color drained from Liu Jianyi's face. He murmured, "How... how could it have leaked..."

With a crack, the report of a hand cannon rang out across the entire city. A heroic voice with a Zhongzhou accent shouted: "By order of the Prince of Fu, Military Defense Circuit Grand Coordinator Wang, and the State-Stabilizing General — Liu Jianyi, with the savage heart of a wolf cub, has colluded with roving bandits. Strike him down on the spot. Any who dare resist, kill without mercy!"

The crackling of firelocks erupted. From the streets inside the east gate came a wave of utterly horrifying wails and screams. Countless officers and soldiers under Liu Jianyi's command fled like headless flies toward the east gate ramparts. This seemed to be a signal. At the same time, in the areas of Luoyang's south gate and north gate, the sound of arquebuses rose and fell without end, interspersed with the faint cries, shouts, and clamor of countless people.

This noise shook the entire city. All of Luoyang seemed to fall silent for a moment, and then the whole city erupted in uproar.

Hoofbeats rolled as riders continuously raced along Luoyang's streets and lanes, proclaiming: "Liu Jianyi, Luo Tai, Tian Wenzong, Yang Hebian, and other bandits have colluded with the roving bandits, opening the gates to surrender to the rebels. By order of the higher authorities, all these bandits are to be killed on sight and arrested. By order — the entire city is under immediate martial law. No loitering in the streets and lanes. Violators will be regarded as rebel conspirators and executed without mercy!"

At that moment, outside Luoyang's east gate, south gate, and north gate, scattered torches suddenly lit up. One after another, Chuang army formations appeared before their eyes — shadowy figures beyond counting, who knew how many tens of thousands. No doubt those outside had heard the commotion within Luoyang, knew that tonight's plot had failed, and so revealed themselves.

Their own camp soldiers were fleeing onto the ramparts like headless flies. Below the wall, rank after rank of armored Shunxiang Army troops were carrying out a massacre, blasting with arquebuses, charging in formation with long spears. How could Liu Jianyi's subordinates possibly withstand them? Faced with the Shunxiang Army's fearsome reputation, and thrown into panic by the exposure of the plot, not a single man had the heart to resist. They either died, fled, or knelt on the ground, desperately begging for mercy.

Liu Jianyi was frozen all over, in a daze, his soul lost. When he saw the torchlight blaze outside the city and countless Chuang soldiers appear, a thread of hope rose in his heart. He howled madly: "Quick, quick! Open the city gate! Let the righteous army in! Otherwise we all die, we all die!"

The officers around Liu Jianyi all grasped at this hope of survival. They crowded around Liu Jianyi, leading their retainers, desperately trying to flee outside the city. Unexpectedly, several volleys of arquebus fire rang out from below the wall. Who knew how many men in front of them fell. The piercing, mournful wails that followed instantly shattered all their courage.

They huddled together in a mass, and finally fled back into the east gate tower. The Shunxiang Army pursued them onto the city wall. Liu Jianyi's retainers on the wall fled like flowing water toward the gate tower. So many people squeezed together that in the chaos, no one knew how many were trampled. Some were even shoved off the inner wall and fell to their deaths.

Even more knelt on the ground, begging, clinging to the faint hope that the Shunxiang Army might spare their lives. After all, the order to open the gates and surrender to the bandits had come from their superior officers. They were just common soldiers — surely they would be all right?

Liu Jianyi fled to the very top floor of the gate tower. Listening to the sounds of slaughter drawing closer and closer below, converging from both ends of the city wall, and finally countless footsteps charging into the gate tower, his body began to tremble violently. The officers and personal guards beside him were also ashen-faced, each feeling the arrival of doomsday.

The booming reports of arquebuses, the chilling sound of long spears piercing flesh, the weeping and groaning of their own retainers on the brink of death — these sounds rose floor by floor from below. Finally, the thunderous footsteps sounded from the staircase below, who knew how many pairs of feet treading upon it.

Suddenly, from the staircase emerged several tall, pointed iron helmets, each divided into eight plates, with shining red tassels atop their spikes. Beneath the brims of those helmets were faces brimming with murderous intent. These soldiers in eight-plate iron helmets all wore padded armor, and each held a dark, solid arquebus, the matchcord at the rear already lit.

Liu Jianyi and the others screamed in unison, only to see more and more Shunxiang Army arquebusiers coming upstairs. They crept forward, their dark muzzles aimed squarely at Liu Jianyi’s group across the way. Watching them press closer step by step, Liu Jianyi and his men shrank further into a huddle, every one of them trembling like chaff in a sieve.

“Don’t fire…”

A Squad Commander in front of Liu Jianyi shouted out, and then thunderous arquebus fire erupted. Amid the flames and smoke, that Squad Commander was sent staggering and flying backward by the shots. Along with him, many of the retainers and officers in front of Liu Jianyi were also struck down.

Then Shunxiang Army pikemen, likewise wearing eight-petal iron helmets but now clad in iron armor, flashed forward. Watching their gleaming, cold spearpoints, Liu Jianyi’s mind went blank, and no thought of resistance could rise in his heart. Tears rolled down his face as he sobbed and pleaded, “Don’t kill me, I don’t want to die…”

The pikemen paid no heed. With a few screams, the men in front of Liu Jianyi were stabbed to death. Then these pikemen, holding their dripping spears, pressed on step by step toward Liu Jianyi. In the face of irresistible death, all his past schemes and all his vicious cunning turned to nothing.

Liu Jianyi murmured his plea, “Don’t, don’t kill me…”

Suddenly he felt a chill in his abdomen — a spear had broken through his armor and stabbed deep into his body. He stared blankly at his lower belly for a long moment. The spearman pulled the spear back, drawing out a spray of blood. An indescribable agony surged into his heart, and Liu Jianyi wailed loudly.

He tried to flee, but heard the sound of squelching — several more spears stabbed into his body. He collapsed powerlessly to the floor, yet the hope of survival still made him crawl desperately forward. The dense mass of spearmen closed in and delivered a flurry of random stabs at Liu Jianyi as he crawled across the floorboards.

More than a dozen spears stabbed in and pulled out, stabbed in and pulled out again, each time bringing forth sprays of blood and shreds of flesh.

Liu Jianyi’s howls went from loud to low, slowly fading, until at last there was only silence.

……

This internal strife in Luoyang City caught many by surprise and truly shook the entire city. The Prince of Fu’s estate, the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s branch office, the Luoyang Prefect’s government office, and other places were all alarmed.

Countless officials threw on clothes and rose from bed, repeatedly demanding to know what had happened. The Prince of Fu, even more urgently, sent men to inquire with Army Supervisor Vice Commissioner Wang Yinchang, former Minister of War Lu Weiqi, the Luoyang Prefect, and Regional Commander Wang Shaoyu and the others.

But Wang Yinchang and the others had no idea what was happening. All they knew was that people in the streets were shouting over and over that Liu Jianyi and his lot had colluded with the roving bandits, intending to open the city gates as inside collaborators, and that the Shunxiang Army within the city, acting on the orders of the Prince of Fu, themselves, and Wang Dou and others, was arresting and executing them. Then the whole city was filled with the din of killing and the roar of gunfire, bewildering and terrifying everyone.

Wang Yinchang hurriedly contacted the Luoyang Prefect, Garrison Commander Yang, and some militia leaders to press for details, but these men were equally baffled.

They gathered at the western gate tower and watched the fierce fighting erupting at Luoyang’s eastern, southern, and northern gates, their hearts tangled in confusion. Desperate to know what was happening there, they sent out scout after scout, but the scouts, fearing stray arrows and bullets, dared not get too close, and the information they brought back was vague and fragmentary.

However, the tens of thousands of bandits holding torches outside the three gates were seen by many. Moreover, Wu Zhengchun soon arrived, escorting a batch of personal guards of Liu Jianyi and Luo Tai, and laid out the matter clearly from beginning to end. Only then did Wang Yinchang and the others understand what had happened, and they could not contain their towering rage.

Those vile curs Liu Jianyi, Luo Tai, and Tian Wenzong — daring to offer the city as inside collaborators! Had the Shunxiang Army not suppressed them in time, Luoyang City would have fallen. And looking again at the dense mass of tens of thousands of bandit troops outside the city, cold sweat streamed down everyone’s backs.

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