Chapter 403: Night Raid Success

Wang Yinchang's impression of Wu Zhengchun was extremely good — after all, just days ago during the defense of the west gate, he had led his troops and contributed greatly.

As a commander of the world-renowned Shunxiang Army, though taciturn and reserved, he was always deeply respectful toward Wang Yinchang

and never once failed in proper courtesy.

Strong soldiers and strong officers, self-disciplined and self-restrained — such men are exceedingly rare in these chaotic times, and even rarer among the official forces of the Great Ming.

Wang Yinchang very much wanted to draw Wu Zhengchun into his own ranks and make him a trusted general. He made several

hints, but Wu Zhengchun only shook his head, utterly unmoved by the offer of Mobile Corps Commander or even Assistant Regional Commander.

Wang Yinchang secretly lamented the missed chance, sighing at what virtue or ability Wang Dou possessed that could make so many heroes rally to him.

In the end, he had no choice but to let the matter rest. Still, he treated Wu Zhengchun with even greater warmth, thinking that forming a good connection

with this young Company Commander might someday bear worthwhile fruit.

With the testimony of Liu Jianyi and the other traitors who conspired to open the gates, plus the captured bandits outside the city, and various witnesses all proving their guilt,

and with Wu Zhengchun's own personal account added to it, how could Wang Yinchang not believe it?

Wang Yinchang had no time to dwell on how the Shunxiang Army had uncovered the conspiracy of Liu Jianyi and the others. For him, the most important thing

was to quell this rebellion in Luoyang as quickly as possible. He simply asked Wu Zhengchun to resolve the situation swiftly

and ensure that Luoyang remained safe and unharmed, not destroyed in the fires of war and chaos.

Among the three Company Commanders of the Shunxiang Army in Luoyang — Wu Zhengchun, Shen Shiqi, and Gao Xun — Wu Zhengchun had

the greatest seniority. Wang Dou had also entrusted this pacification operation entirely to Wu Zhengchun's handling. When it came to suppressing internal chaos in a city like this,

the Shunxiang Army already had considerable experience. As far back as their time in Baoanzhou and the Eastern Route, they had already put down several

internal disturbances of various kinds and accumulated a wealth of handling experience.

The nearly three thousand Shunxiang troops inside the city moved methodically. One part struck with thunderous force toward each of the city

gates, killing Liu Jianyi, Luo Tai, and the others who intended to open the gates on the spot. They then tightly guarded the gates,

ascended the city walls, and monitored the movements of the Chuang army outside the city, ensuring that no gate was lost.

By Wang Dou's order, every rebel officer and their trusted retainers and personal guards were to be killed on the spot — even

if they surrendered, they were not spared. As for the ordinary camp soldiers, after they surrendered, their weapons were confiscated and they were escorted back to camp,

confined and kept under guard to prevent them from running loose in the streets and causing harm. Their disposition would be decided after daybreak.

The remaining Shunxiang troops cleared and patrolled the streets. Any routed soldiers of the rebel officers who intended to stir up trouble, kill,

or set fires, and any local ruffians and thugs who sought to fish in troubled waters or loot amid the chaos, were killed on the

spot, keeping the streets and alleys of Luoyang quiet and undisturbed.

At the same time, some loud-voiced Shunxiang soldiers shouted along the streets, telling the residents of Luoyang not to panic — the government troops

were suppressing the rebels, and the matter would soon be resolved.

For the common people of Luoyang, the commotion that erupted from every gate in the middle of the night filled them with terror. They had never imagined

that such a thing could happen on the night of the Lantern Festival.

There was nothing they could do but huddle together as families, hoping for the turmoil to subside

and pass. As for the wealthy and prominent households in the city, they mustered their household guards and watched their gates with extreme vigilance. At the slightest

sign of trouble, the entire household, from top to bottom, was seized with panic.

Fortunately, the chaos did not last long — perhaps only half a shichen. All the rebel forces were

completely dealt with, and Luoyang fell quiet again. Only occasionally did the sound of firearms ring out from certain streets and alleys —

likely some routed soldiers or ruffians attempting robbery or murder being shot dead on the spot by the patrolling Shunxiang troops.

Wu Zhengchun saluted Wang Yinchang and said, "The rebellion is settled. Please, Military Commissioner."

Wang Yinchang said, "Good, good."

The events of that night felt to him like something out of a dream. Beside him, Guard Commander Yang, the Prefect of Luoyang,

and the various other officials were still in shock. Carrying torches, the group, accompanied by Wu Zhengchun and a large contingent of Shunxiang troops,

made their way to the east gate wall. At the base of the wall, the local militia and community soldiers of that section were bustling about.

They had long since been startled awake in their camps, but before the matter was resolved they dared not venture out, only

huddling together in terror. It was only when the Shunxiang troops came to notify them, telling them to come out and clear the battlefield

and tidy up the area, that they awoke as if from a dream and emerged in great swarms.

What Wang Yinchang now saw were teams of militia and community soldiers, moving along the wall and at its base,

on every ramp and platform, gathering together the bodies of the many retainers and personal guards under the dead Liu Jianyi.

Corpse after corpse had already been laid out densely across the ground. The wounds varied — some

had been killed by arquebus fire, others stabbed to death by long spears, and there were many other causes of death as well. Without exception,

every face bore an expression of terror and panic.

Bloodstains were everywhere on the ground, and the thick stench of blood permeated the cold night air. Many of the militia and community

soldiers were vomiting even as they cleaned up. Although they had seen plenty of bloodshed during the days of defending the city,

not long ago these corpses on the ground had still been fellow soldiers on their own side, which made it especially unbearable.

In a very short time, countless rebel camp soldiers had been struck down dead. These lords of the Shunxiang Army were ruthless and ferocious when killing roving

bandits, and they showed no mercy whatsoever to soldiers of their own side who had turned traitor. Moreover, their combat strength was simply

terrifying. Just at this section of the east gate wall, the dead from Liu Jianyi's forces likely numbered in the several hundreds,

all of them camp soldiers and retainers under his command.

The soldiers of the Mobile Corps Battalion were not like the garrison troops of the various city defense units — they were all professional recruits, normally sustained by grain and pay.

All of them were battalion soldiers and retainers under his command.

The soldiers of the Mobile Corps Battalion were unlike the garrison troops of the various cities; they were all professional mercenaries, raised on rations and pay.

They had always been the main combat force in the various armies of the Great Ming, not to mention the even more elite retainers among the camp soldiers.

Yet these men were slaughtered like chickens — in a very short time, they were completely wiped out by those Shunxiang Army troops. It was too

terrifying.

Wang Yinchang looked up at the top of the city wall, where torches blazed brightly. Numerous fully armed Shunxiang Army soldiers, clad in armor,

guarded that place. They carried spears and gripped firearms, merely watching coldly as those local braves bustled about. And when

passing by their side, as if sensing their killing aura, many of the busy local braves and community soldiers were

trembling all over. After gathering up the corpses on the ground, they hurriedly left their side.

The corpses beneath the city wall piled up more and more. Wang Yinchang and the others also showed signs of vomiting. Suddenly, a commotion

stirred within the crowd — it turned out a squad of community soldiers had carried over the bodies of Liu Jianyi and the others. The various officers and officials crowded around

to look, all sighing. Liu Jianyi could be said to have died an utterly miserable death. His body was a mess of blood and flesh, riddled with who knew how many gunshot

holes. The corpses beside him, one after another, were all Company Commanders, Squad Commanders, and other military officers from his camp. In the past, these men

had been figures of influence, but now they had become one cold corpse after another. What was the point?

Wang Yinchang covered his nose. After a few glances, he quickly turned his head away. The sight of Liu Jianyi dying with eyes unclosed

was too horrifying. His voice hoarse, after a long while he forced out a sentence: "Liu Jianyi, having basked in the grace and

righteousness of the imperial court, instead of thinking of repaying it, surrendered to the bandits and acted as an internal agent. He deserved this retribution. All officials must take this as a warning."

The people around him all nodded in agreement. Wang Yinchang casually gave a few instructions, having no mind to linger

longer, and then followed Wu Zhengchun and the others to the south gate.

Here, just like the east gate, torches blazed brightly. The Shunxiang Army and the troops of Chen Yongfu's vanguard battalion jointly guarding

the city wall, the local braves and community soldiers bustled about, also gathering up the corpses that covered the ground.

At the foot of the city wall, the bodies of Luo Tai's subordinate soldiers, each dead in a different manner, were piled up just the same.

In front of that great heap of corpses, Shen Shiqi and that

Company Commander of the vanguard battalion were chatting and laughing, pointing and gesturing. Seeing Wu Zhengchun and Wang Yinchang leading a large group of

men over, Shen Shiqi then swaggered over to greet them.

Seeing Luo Tai's corpse, which was several times more gruesome than Liu Jianyi's, Wang Yinchang and the various Luoyang officials beside him finally

could not hold back and vomited all over the ground. They could not believe that this thing, its body covered in gunshot holes and spear holes, like a pile

of minced flesh, was that Kaifeng Mobile Corps Commander of the past, known for his physical strength and martial valor.

Wang Yinchang had no strength to linger before the south gate and hastily turned to the north gate. Here, the Shunxiang Army New Army

Company Commander Gao Xun was responsible for directing the disposal. And at his side, Henan Regional Commander Wang Shaoyu merely watched numbly.

He was utterly despondent, not even noticing the arrival of Wang Yinchang and his large entourage.

Seeing Wang Shaoyu, Wang Yinchang was overcome with rage. His subordinate Bie Wenzong and others had actually

also participated in the rebellion. As Regional Commander, his direct subordinates had opened the city and surrendered to the enemy. Wang Shaoyu was moreover responsible for defending the north

gate, yet he was completely oblivious to his subordinates' act of surrender. Had it not been for the Shunxiang Army, Wang Yinchang dared not imagine

the consequences.

"Wang Shaoyu, what fine soldiers you lead!"

Wang Yinchang's tone was so cold it seemed it would pierce Wang Shaoyu's heart. Wang Shaoyu trembled all over and cried out in terror:

"Military Intendant, please hear your humble general's explanation."

"Go explain to the imperial court!"

Wang Yinchang coldly threw down these words, turned around, and left. The various officials beside him also cast a glance at Wang Shaoyu as if looking at a dead man,

then closely followed behind him and departed. At that very moment, Wang Yinchang had already decided

to abandon Wang Shaoyu. Tonight's Luoyang mutiny required someone to take responsibility.

The person responsible certainly could not be him, Wang Yinchang. The best candidate was, of course, the Luoyang relief Regional Commander

Wang Shaoyu. Wang Shaoyu was greedy, venomous, and incompetent. Apart from having a knack for amassing wealth, he was utterly useless at governing and leading troops.

With such an incident occurring again, Wang Yinchang decided to sever ties with Wang Shaoyu and make him the scapegoat.

He would soon submit a memorial of impeachment, requesting an imperial decree to judge Henan Regional Commander Wang Shaoyu. As for the next Regional Commander

candidate, Wang Yinchang already had an ideal target in mind, and that was Chen Yongfu.

Regarding tonight's events, he needed to enter the palace to explain to the Prince of Fu. On the way back, Wang Yinchang instructed Wu Zhengchun

to guard the city carefully and be wary of the roving bandits outside the city.

In truth, after losing their internal agents within the city, no army had the ability to assault the city on this dark night.

Wu Zhengchun understood this point, and Wang Yinchang naturally understood it too. Out of his duty as a superior officer, he needed to give

these instructions. However, in his heart he knew that Luoyang City was already safe and sound.

For Li Zicheng and the others outside the city, the failure of their internal agents brought an indescribable sense of loss.

In the cold wind, Li Zicheng's heart was as cold as ice. Niu Jinxing was also speechless. He had fancied himself a Zhang Liang

or Liu Ji reborn. Days of scheming, something that seemed a sure victory, had in the end become something of

a joke.

Niu Jinxing did not understand why the internal operation had failed, or how Wang Dou and the others had detected his plan.

Logically, it should not have happened. The matter of the internal agents had been handled very secretly; it could not have been leaked. Yet the facts were

right before his eyes, and he had no choice but to believe them.

The commotion inside the city could also be heard clearly outside. The Shunxiang Army had suppressed the rebellion before Liu Jianyi and the others could act,

carrying out the operation methodically. Without complete intelligence control, success would have been impossible. Niu Jinxing

suddenly had a feeling, as if a pair of eyes in the dark were constantly spying on their side's movements, watching every action.

All of it lay within the grasp of Wang Dou and his men — a sensation that made his hair stand on end and a chill run down his spine.

Tonight's blow was unimaginably heavy for him. Usually Niu Jinxing was a torrent of eloquence, yet now he could not utter

a single word, nor did he know how to reverse the situation.

After a long while, Li Zicheng before him sighed: "The internal response has already failed. Withdraw the troops."

Having endured the cold wind for half the night, the nearly frozen Chuang troops could only helplessly retreat back to camp.

Though the bright moon hung in the sky and each man held a torch, the return to camp was still a chaotic mess. Night

operations, where banners and such were invisible, placed too great a demand on the army — to say nothing of the widespread night blindness

and the extremely poor organization of these roving bandits. The disorderly chaos of this retreat was thus understandable.

Li Zicheng and his men had seen such scenes many times and took no surprise in them. It was only that tonight's internal-response assault on the city had

failed, and military morale was further shattered. Every soldier and officer looked utterly dejected, which sent a chill through Li Zicheng. Perhaps

it was time for him to withdraw his troops.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one. After returning to camp, Li Zicheng could not fall asleep no matter what. He stared blankly

at the torch-lit city of Luoyang, lost in thought.

At the North Gate, Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu stood quietly atop the western section of the gate wall, listening to the great roar of slaughter within Luoyang.

Not long after, word came back that the rebel officers Liu Jianyi, Luo Tai, and the others had been executed. Wang Dou's expression was calm; Chen Yongfu

also found it a matter of course.

What the two cared about most was not this. That night at the hour of Si, Wen Fangliang had already led his own Shunxiang

troops, along with Wen Daxing leading two squads of Night Scouts, out of the North Gate and stealthily toward Mount Jianshan. They did not

know whether tonight's night raid would go smoothly for them.

The two stood still in the wind, surrounded by dense ranks of Shunxiang troops and Forward Vanguard Battalion officers. They waited until the hour of Yin,

when the sky was just beginning to lighten. Suddenly, at Mount Jianshan, a dozen or so li west of Luoyang, flames shot up to the sky, and the intense crackle of firearms

and faint shouts of killing could be heard.

"They've struck!"

Chen De could not help exclaiming.

No one spoke; they only peered in that direction through their spyglasses, hoping to see the situation there

more clearly.

After an unknown length of time, several brilliant signal rockets shot into the night sky from that direction. On the North Gate, a wave

of cheers erupted: "They've succeeded!"

A smile appeared on Wang Dou's face. He glanced at Chen Yongfu beside him, who also wore an expression of irrepressible

delight.

On the tower of Luoyang's West Gate, Wu Zhengchun and Gao Xun smiled faintly as they gazed toward Mount Jianshan. Shen

Shiqi grinned even more broadly. Below the wall, Luoyang's government troops, village braves, and militia soldiers all scrambled to rush up the city

wall, pointing and gesturing at the flames in the distance, wondering what had happened there.

Vice Military Defense Commissioner Wang Yinchang, who had just wearily emerged from the Prince of Fu's mansion, also climbed the city wall in astonishment.

The personal guards around him stared in that direction, all utterly dumbfounded.

At the West Gate, Li Zicheng was in a thunderous rage. He took in the scene at Mount Jianshan, and already

veteran camp warriors who had been defending Mount Jianshan had fled back, reporting that government troops had launched a night raid and Mount Jianshan had fallen.

In his fury, Li Zicheng felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. He could not understand — Mount Jianshan held a garrison of ten thousand, with his trusted

senior generals Tian Jianxiu and Liu Xiyao guarding it. The area from the West Gate to the Jian River was also lined with layer upon layer of military camps. How had the government troops

passed through and succeeded in their night raid?

The calamity at Mount Jianshan spread in succession through every camp of the Chuang army. The Chuang soldiers, exhausted from the night and sleeping soundly,

were jolted awake from their dreams one after another. They walked outside their camps and stared blankly at the thick smoke over Mount Jianshan, lost

in a daze. A single thought flashed through each of their minds: "It's over!"

※Light※

Note: Another chapter at midnight. (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in.)