Chapter 398

Compared to private soldiers, servants indeed looked somewhat timid, lacking killing intent, and were not on the same level.

But numbers make up for it!

Su Qiao did not expect them to fight the Japanese pirates to the death.

With expectations not high, disappointment would not be great either.

Perhaps it was because the young masters of various families served as "hostages" within Su Qiao's ranks.

In any case, all preparations were resolved in just one morning.

This efficiency had improved by more than double!

If following normal preparation efficiency, supplies, weapons and armor, mules and horses, and so on, would take more than a week, or even half a month to prepare.

And even then, they might not be fully prepared.

Now look, the preparations are done: every soldier has a set of armor and weapons, there are fifty thousand arrows, and other items are all ready.

How long did this take?

Only half a day!

No one dared to drag their feet in the middle, causing their own sons to get wet and meet disaster.

Su Qiao was very satisfied.

Speed is precious in war; no time was wasted.

Su Qiao led the great army directly toward Suzhou.

Yes, directly toward!

Even though Su Qiao was not very skilled at riding horses, he had Ma Kui and others tie him onto the horseback.

The earlier they arrived at Suzhou Prefecture, the sooner they could make preparations.

Although the servants of the various families had poor stamina, they were made to trot, whipped along to keep moving.

Until the next morning, they finally reached the Prefecture boundaries of Suzhou.

Although Zhang Xueceng had little ability, he had the help of advisors.

Furthermore, with the orders sent by Su Qiao, he made preparations that were at least standard.

First, fortify the walls and clear the wilderness!

Villages near the coast were all moved inland and temporarily abandoned.

Ambushes were set up near the villages.

The city walls and such were also repaired, and many rolling logs and stones were gathered.

Not only that, Zhang Xueceng temporarily closed the four gates, forbidding people from going out freely.

However, some who wanted to go out could always think of a way.

But they did not know that leaving the city gate was not the end; they would still encounter ambushes and encirclement.

When Su Qiao brought his people to Suzhou Prefecture.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Xueceng personally went out to welcome him.

Originally, his heart was filled with great worry about the incoming Japanese pirates.

Now, seeing with his own eyes that Su Qiao had brought over ten thousand people to support, his confidence instantly surged.

"This humble official greets my lord Su!"

"Prefect Zhang, no need for courtesy; we have met before. Let us go inside and speak as we walk."

"Yes!"

Su Qiao flipped off the horse, walking with a slight pigeon-toed gait; his inner thighs were sore from chafing.

Zhang Xueceng took the opportunity to report to Su Qiao on the situations in Ningbo Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and the Wenzhou area.

Wenzhou had over three thousand defenders guarding the city, and there were many able-bodied young men within the city as well.

If the Japanese pirates truly attacked Wenzhou City, they absolutely could not break in within a short time.

Moreover, the area near Wenzhou had also been fortified and the wilderness cleared.

So Wenzhou could be temporarily considered safe.

Relatively speaking, Ningbo Prefecture was a bit worse off.

The guard posts of Ningbo Prefecture were the most useless, with only over a thousand people.

Although there were some able-bodied young men, they lacked experience and could not compare to veteran soldiers.

Suzhou Prefecture, however, had enough soldiers and generals; they directly transferred all three guard posts, bringing the number of combat-ready troops to over three thousand.

This was the result of Grand Secretary Sun and Lu Xiangsheng removing the old, weak, sick, and disabled from the guard posts and filling the ranks with able-bodied young men.

Otherwise, it is estimated that only about a thousand combat-ready troops would remain.

After Su Qiao roughly understood the situation, he immediately began deploying the army.

Ningbo Prefecture seemed less important than Suzhou Prefecture.

But the common people of Ningbo Prefecture were numerous and could not be easily abandoned.

So Su Qiao directly deployed one thousand private soldiers, two thousand servant youths, plus five hundred guard soldiers to assist in the defense of Ningbo Prefecture.

In this way, Ningbo Prefecture would instantly go from its original one thousand combat-ready troops to over two thousand, plus two thousand youths.

Even if the Japanese pirates attacked then, they could rely on the city walls to hold them back.

At that time, once Suzhou Prefecture received news, there would be opportunities to send reinforcements or launch a pincer attack.

Suzhou Prefecture would be left with over two thousand five hundred guard soldiers and generals, plus one thousand private soldiers, plus six thousand servant youths.

With so many people, they were enough to fight a battle against the Japanese pirates.

Additionally, Su Qiao had specifically arranged for several secret weapons to be made.

He believed they absolutely would not lose.

……

At night, Su Qiao declined Zhang Xueceng's banquet invitation.

What kind of time is this to indulge?

Su Qiao had no such mood!

Zhao Xifang specially brought a colleague from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to report.

"Mr. Su, as per your earlier request to capture those leaving the city to send letters to the Japanese pirates, we have results!"

Zhao Xifang stood respectfully before Su Qiao and reported.

Su Qiao lifted his head from the map. "I knew it; someone would inevitably become a 'traitor'!"

"Mr. Su is wise!"

"Enough, stop the flattery and Ma Pi; tell me quickly: how many were caught, and did interrogations yield any important intelligence?"

"He knows; let him tell you!"

Zhao Xifang stepped aside to present the person he brought and said to Su Qiao.

Su Qiao looked at this Embroidered Uniform Guard member; judging by his attire, he was likely a Squadron Commander, a rank not particularly high in Jingcheng or Nanjingcheng.

After all, whether in the Northern Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Southern Embroidered Uniform Guard, a Company Commander was merely the bare minimum to enter the ranks.

Squadron Commanders and Squad Leaders were mere minions.

Yet in Suzhoucheng, a Squadron Commander held a fairly high position within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard Zhou Bingwen, greets the Imperial Envoy, my lord!"

"Enough, no need for formalities; speak quickly: how many were caught, and what were the results?"

Su Qiao was somewhat impatient.

Zhou Bingwen dared not delay and immediately reported, "My lord, after your order, we immediately blocked all roads leading out of Suzhoucheng, Ningbo Prefecture, and the Wenzhou region; not only were the roads blocked, but our men were also secretly monitoring the city gates."

"As of today, we have captured over thirty people: four in Wenzhou, nine in Ningbo, and the rest were caught near Suzhoucheng."

Hearing this, Su Qiao narrowed his eyes; how little time had passed.

It had been only Two days' merit since Zhang Xueceng sent urgent horseback dispatches to Nanjingcheng.

Yet over thirty people were already captured.

This showed that within Ming territory, those colluding with Japanese pirates were far from few.

"Have interrogations revealed whose people they are?" Su Qiao pressed.

Zhou Bingwen replied respectfully:

"Interrogations revealed that the Zhou and Li families near Suzhoucheng were involved in smuggling; previously, Grand Councilor Sun had investigated them once, allowing them to narrowly escape, but this time they exposed themselves again."

"Those in Ningbo Prefecture and Wenzhou Prefecture were also two small smuggling families; these two families have already been uprooted by us of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."