Chapter 110: 108 Night Raid on the Customs Post

Xie Xuelong was a very difficult man to deal with.

He traveled entirely by boat the whole way, including the eight hundred guard-station troops sent to hold the city, so even if Zhao Han got word of it, there was no way to ambush them.

And traveling by boat was fast — not only did it speed up troop movements, it also let him get intelligence several times faster than Zhao Han could.

Lacking mobility, he was constrained at every turn.

Zhao Han had to put on a show, circling everywhere north of Ji'an, each time making a move as if he were heading for Anfu County. He even confused his own people, until the soldiers under his command truly believed they were going to Anfu County.

If Xie Xuelong was clever, he would take a shortcut by boat and race to Anfu County to lie in wait.

If Xie Xuelong was a blockhead, or a coward who shrank from trouble, and got scared into rushing back to defend Ji'an, then Zhao Han could only curse his own bad luck.

He wasn't afraid of a clever Governor — he was afraid of a Governor who was too stupid!

Huang Yao, captain of the Second Squad, moonlighted as a scout that night. Since the fellow was a fast runner and had often gone to Ji'an to escort grain, he was the best choice to reconnoiter the route.

The whole army was resting in a small ravine.

Huang Yao came running back mid-morning and reported in a low voice: "There are troops at the customs post, and quite a few of them."

Zhao Han asked, "How are they outfitted, and what weapons do they carry?"

Huang Yao said, "They're all genuine government troops. Their uniforms are different from the local militia's."

"It seems Prefect Xu is both very timid and very bold," Zhao Han couldn't help laughing.

The man who had privately set up the customs post in Ji'an was the Resident Eunuch Zhang Yin, whose post actually carried no authority to collect taxes.

But as long as he sent a cut of the silver to the chief eunuchs in the palace, and another cut to the Garrison Eunuch of Nanchang, no one would dare report him for arbitrary taxation.

And reporting him would be useless anyway!

Of course, Ji'an had too many jinshi, and countless officials hailed from Ji'an; the local gentry wielded enormous power, so even the eunuch had to show some restraint when collecting taxes.

In the past few days, the area around Ji'an Prefecture had fallen into chaos, with rebels visible everywhere. Eunuch Zhang Yin grew afraid. He not only temporarily shut down the customs post, but also fled into the prefectural city to take shelter.

But when he heard that the fiercest bandits had already gone to Anfu County, and that the Governor had recalled eight hundred guard-station troops, the damned eunuch's courage swelled at once.

Zhang Yin went to find Xu Fusheng and forcibly took away 750 guard-station troops, leaving only fifty to hold Ji'an Prefecture.

And so the customs post resumed business, and the eunuch moved back into his great mansion outside the city walls.

Night.

Zhao Han left behind thirty-some men to guard the animals and grain in the small ravine. The rest of the troops carried dry rations and advanced light, under cover of darkness.

Night blindness?

Boil pine needles in water and drink it — fixed in a week.

The direction of the prefectural city was easy to make out, especially the docks south of the city, which blazed with lamplight all night and could be seen from far away.

The customs post lay a bit to the north, mainly because the south side was too congested and inconvenient for taxing merchant boats.

Between the eunuch's residence and the customs post stood a temporary encampment, and inside it were the 750 guard-station troops.

The camp's location was bizarre — completely indefensible by terrain, relying solely on a wooden palisade for defense, positioned only to rush to the aid of the eunuch and the customs post.

Wu Yong was a military householder from the Linjiang Chiliarch Guard Station, but until half a year ago, he had never touched a weapon. He spent all his time leaning on a hoe, farming for the Chiliarch, and lived worse than an ordinary tenant farmer.

A few months ago, when the Governor ordered the Chiliarch to provide soldiers, Wu Yong set down his hoe and joined the ranks.

At first he was quite frightened, but fortunately Governor Xie used troops like a god and easily wiped out the rebels in Ruijin County. Wu Yong just followed along waving flags and shouting, and they won a decisive victory. Then the Chiliarch took them around everywhere to "requisition grain."

In Ruijin County, Wu Yong looted a lot of grain and silver, but it all belonged to the Chiliarch — he himself only secretly stashed away two taels.

During the body search, he clamped the silver between his buttocks and, by the narrowest of margins, slipped through.

Later, the Chiliarch was beheaded by the Governor, and all the plundered goods were taken by the Governor.

With winter fast approaching, Wu Yong only wanted to hurry back to Linjiang Prefecture and give the silver to his mother for safekeeping. He was counting on saving up to get a wife.

Ah, when would he ever get to go home?

Wu Yong leaned against the wooden palisade, dozing, his upper eyelids drooping against the lower, and before he knew it, he had drifted into dreamland.

Standing sentry?

Don't be ridiculous — sleeping was much better. The rebels wouldn't dare come here.

He had no idea how long he'd slept when Wu Yong was suddenly jolted awake — or rather, knocked awake by the wooden palisade.

Countless rebels had toppled the palisade and charged straight into the camp; the sentries all around had been cut down.

"Doo-doo-dah, doo-doo-dah-doo-dah-doo-dah-dah-dah, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-wooo~~~~~~"

щщщ ●TTκan ●￠O

"Doo-doo-dah, doo-doo-dah-doo-dah-doo-dah-dah-dah, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-wooo~~~~~~"

The shrill, piercing sound of the suona horn rang out, as if the King of Hell himself were summoning souls, and in an instant the rebels transformed into Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Wu Yong had been sleeping flat on the ground, and with the wooden palisade in front of him, the rebels somehow missed him.

Only, when the palisade was toppled, it struck his head hard, and then rebels trampled over the palisade on top of him, nearly crushing the breath out of him several times. He barely managed to squirm out through a gap, only to see another wave of rebels charging in. Terrified, Wu Yong hastily snatched up a spear and, pretending to be a rebel himself, rushed toward the center of the camp.

As he ran, Wu Yong simply stripped off his government-issue uniform, so he would look even more like a rebel.

The 750 guard-station troops collapsed completely; some simply surrendered on the spot.

Wu Yong was just trying to figure out how to escape when a rebel suddenly came up beside him and said with a grin, "Cousin, you got yourself a government spear too? That's way better than a pair of scissors tied to a bamboo pole."

Wu Yong jumped in fright, then had a flash of wit. "Yeah, it works great. I looted it."

"You joined up halfway, didn't you? I'm a veteran from Wuxing Town," the rebel said, rather proudly.

"Yeah, I joined up halfway," Wu Yong said as he edged toward the prefectural city.

The rebel immediately called out, "Cousin, you're going the wrong way! Get over there and help — don't let that dog of a eunuch get away. Mr. Zhao said to take him alive!"

Wu Yong could only level his spear, steel himself, and charge forward. Swept along by the rebels around him, he headed toward where the shouts of battle were loudest.

He ran blindly ahead, not knowing how far he'd gone, when he heard someone shout, "The eunuch ran off that way! After him, quick!"

"Aiyo!"

Wu Yong pretended to fall, planning to wait until the rebels left, then turn back across the bridge and enter the city.

The rebel beside him, instead of chasing the eunuch, helped Wu Yong up and asked, "Cousin, you didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"N-no, just twisted my ankle," Wu Yong feigned a limp. "Go kill that dog of a eunuch, don't mind me."

The rebel still wouldn't leave. Supporting Wu Yong, he said, "Mr. Zhao said we're all soldiers, we can't abandon a comrade. Plenty of people are chasing the eunuch. Let me help you back to camp first — there are people there taking in prisoners."

Wu Yong dared not go back and walk right into the trap. He hopped about and said, "Hey, it's fine now. Go kill the eunuch!"

The two blundered blindly through the night, chasing only by sound, with no idea where they had run to.

Suddenly seeing someone running toward them, the rebel immediately blocked the way: "Surrender and you won't be killed!"

Wu Yong chimed in too: "Sur-sur-surrender and you won't be killed!"

"Spare me, brave men!"

The man dropped to his knees with a thud, pulled out silver, and said, "I have money, take it all, just let me go into the city."

Wu Yong instinctively reached for the silver, but the rebel beside him smashed down with his spear and roared, "Your grandpa here is a soldier of the Great Unity, with land and a house and grain. I don't want your filthy money, you dog officials. Mr. Zhao said the government always tricks people — once we believe them, they'll snatch our land away!" Then he shouted, "There's a dog official here! I've caught a dog official!"

He doesn't even want silver?

Has he lost his mind?

Wu Yong had already stretched out his hand. He hastily and quietly pulled it back and shouted along, "There's a dog official here!"

Zhang Tieniu burst out from somewhere, kicked the man to the ground, and cursed, "You son of a bitch, you sure can run. Made me chase you for nothing. Someone, take this eunuch back!"

Wu Yong's mouth dropped open. He was so shocked he nearly cried out. He had actually caught the eunuch? He was under orders to protect the eunuch lord!

Back at the guard-station soldiers' camp, Zhao Han was reorganizing the ranks.

In the pitch-black night, the charge had thrown all formations into chaos. Officers and soldiers had lost track of one another entirely.

"Chief, the eunuch's been caught!" Zhang Tieniu said excitedly.

Zhao Han gave the order: "Quick, find a dozen or so men, change into government troops' clothes, and try to trick the city gate open. After all this commotion, it probably won't work, but we have to try."

The customs post had already been seized, but there wasn't much silver — it had all been moved to the eunuch's residence.

They were currently searching the eunuch's mansion. They had also seized two large boats by the river, trapping the boatmen aboard and forbidding them to disembark.

Zhao Han drew his blade and pressed it against the eunuch's throat. "Are you Zhang Yin, the Garrison Eunuch of Ji'an?"

Zhang Yin was so terrified his whole body went limp. "Answering the Gr-great king... I-I-I am Zhang Yin."

"If you want to live, obey honestly!" Zhao Han barked.

"I'll ob-obey," Zhang Yin, surprisingly sharp, instantly grasped the situation, and grew more fluent as he spoke. "I'll help the great king trick the city open. I beg the great king to spare my worthless life."

In a daze, Wu Yong changed into government troops' clothes again, waiting to go trick the city gate with the eunuch.

He waited and waited, and the more he thought, the more afraid he became. Wu Yong was trembling all over.

Zhao Han, however, did not act immediately. Instead, he escorted the prisoners onto the boats, loaded the plundered goods and the captives, and forced the boatmen to sail downstream on the Gan River.

He left five hundred soldiers behind, hidden inside the eunuch's great mansion.

The sky gradually brightened. Xu Fusheng and Sun Yanghuai had not slept all night.

The two were brothers in misfortune — one a Prefect, the other a County Magistrate. With such a colossal disaster, they could only await punishment from the imperial court.

Standing on the gate tower, Sun Yanghuai gazed at the river and muttered to himself, "The rebels have left?"

"They should have left," Xu Fusheng said, but he could not relax. His face full of misery, he said, "The rebels came to rob the customs post. The eunuch is likely in grave danger. We're in serious trouble."

Sun Yanghuai muttered, "Better one dead eunuch than losing the city and our territory."

As they spoke, a soaking-wet guard-station soldier staggered to the foot of the city wall and shouted, "I'm one of Chiliarch Yue's men! Let me into the city, quick!"

"Haul him up!" Xu Fusheng ordered.

A group of bailiffs, armed with blades and staves, surrounded the man the moment he was hoisted up the gate tower in a bamboo basket.

"Don't kill me, I'm not a rebel!" the guard-station soldier cried in panic.

Xu Fusheng asked, "How did you survive?"

The guard-station soldier knelt and answered, "Replying to the Prefect, my lord, I wasn't at the camp at the time. I had been sent to stand night watch at the customs post. As soon as the rebels came, I jumped into the river and swam to the stone steps below the customs post. I was submerged in the water with only my head exposed. It was pitch-black, so the rebels didn't see me."

"Spread your hands," Sun Yanghuai suddenly said.

The guard-station soldier hastily spread his hands. His fingers were all wrinkled — he had indeed been soaking in the water for most of the night.

Xu Fusheng asked again, "Which way did the rebels go?"

The guard-station soldier said, "The rebels seized two merchant boats, carried off a great deal of goods and wealth, and sailed north."

Xu Fusheng and Sun Yanghuai exchanged a glance, both inwardly relieved. What they feared most was the rebels refusing to leave.

In dribs and drabs, a dozen more guard-station soldiers returned. All had scattered in the night and only dared risk coming back to the city at daybreak. They were hoisted up the gate tower one by one, disarmed, and then allowed into the city, where runners kept them separated under guard.

Though Xu Fusheng was muddleheaded and incompetent, he was, after all, a jinshi degree holder and possessed basic intelligence.

He conducted the interrogations personally and had the guard-station soldiers confront one another. He quickly confirmed there were no problems.

Of course there were no problems — because they were all genuine. The false ones had not yet appeared.

Not until mid-morning did another group of guard-station soldiers come running back from the low hills to the northwest, supporting the eunuch Zhang Yin among them.

"You sons of bitches, let us in, quick! The Garrison Lord is wounded!"

With one hand supporting the eunuch and the other leaning on a long spear, Zhao Han bellowed arrogantly up at the gate tower.

The eunuch Zhang Yin was indeed wounded. To make the act more convincing, Zhao Han had broken one of his legs with raw force.

(Thanks to SAYBYESAYHI for the alliance-leader reward, and thanks to all friends for your rewards and subscriptions. It's the end of the month, so I'm asking for monthly tickets. I hear there's a double bonus at month's end.)

(End of chapter)