Chapter 138: Saturation Surrender of the City

Outside the city, in the army encampment.

Political affairs secretary Liu Fang entered the command tent and handed a letter to Zhao Han: "Regional Commander, urgent report from the prefectural city."

Zhao Han opened the letter, read it, then set it down, frowning in thought.

No one dared make a sound, all assuming that something major had happened in the prefectural city.

Zhao Han pondered alone for a moment, and seeing the grim atmosphere in the tent, suddenly laughed: "What are you all doing?"

Xiao Huan could not help asking: "Has someone stirred up unrest in the prefectural city?"

"It's not that someone has stirred up unrest," Zhao Han sighed. "It's that so many of those drifters were originally peasants who lost their land and came into the city. They've heard they can get land allotments, and now they're all clamoring to return to the countryside. Once these people leave, the prefectural city will grind to a halt — the docks probably won't even be able to find a single coolie."

Xiao Huan immediately smiled: "Congratulations, Regional Commander! Felicitations, Regional Commander!"

"If you've got something to say, say it; if you've got a fart, let it out. Damn it, stop beating around the bush with me." Zhao Han couldn't help laughing as he cursed.

Xiao Huan hastily said: "The drifters in the city eagerly returning to the countryside — doesn't that mean their hearts all turn toward the Regional Commander, believing the Regional Commander can win the realm? This is where the people's hearts incline!"

"Congratulations, Regional Commander! Felicitations, Regional Commander!" the civil and military officers all shouted.

Zhao Han was in no mood to accept their flattery, and said with difficulty: "Cities everywhere all rely on drifters to function. Many drifters have even lived in the cities for several generations. Though they have no household registration, some are peddlers, some are coolies, some are hired hands — the city cannot do without them. These people are clamoring to go back to the countryside and get land. Agreeing is bad, not agreeing is also bad — this is a huge problem."

Xiao Huan also grew serious, and after thinking carefully, said: "Why not issue two kinds of household registration — one for cities and towns, one for villages. Only village registration can receive land."

Zhao Han shook his head: "One man's wisdom is short; many men's counsel is long. This matter requires pooling ideas, and we'll discuss it in detail at a meeting later. Today, let's first discuss how to attack the city."

Huang Yao said: "Jishui county seat is so big — how can a thousand-some village braves possibly guard it all? First feign a strong attack at a few places, then send men to assault another place and it'll fall!"

"That would certainly mean no small casualties," Zhao Han said.

"In war, how can no one die?" Huang Yao muttered.

Zhao Han smiled. He was not afraid of men dying, but dying in a city assault — that he felt was not worth it.

The Jishui county seat was even harder to attack than the Ji'an prefectural city.

To the west was the Gan River, to the south the En River — the terrain outside the city at both these points was extremely narrow. Fortunately, the defenders had no bows and arrows, otherwise troops could not even be deployed there, and an attack would have to be launched by landing from boats.

To the east it was also pressed close against Mount Taiping. If there were three thousand regular troops inside the city, two thousand used to defend the walls and one thousand to build a stockade on the mountainside, they would form a pincer position able both to attack and defend, and Zhao Han would absolutely need an army of tens of thousands to force an assault.

During the Zhengde reign, the city fortifications were expanded here, and the earthen walls were replaced with brick and stone walls.

In the second year of Tianqi, barbicans were also built outside each city gate, making it impossible to break in through the gates.

Truly, if there were even five hundred regular troops in the city, Zhao Han would not dare come here to flaunt his might. The city walls here were 5.5 meters high and 4.6 meters thick — even more formidable than the prefectural city walls. No wonder the gentry had all fled here!

It's just a county seat — was it really necessary to build it so lavishly?

"May I… may this humble one speak?" Zhong Xingpu, who had been so terrified he wet his pants, could not restrain his desire to atone for his crimes through service.

"Speak," Zhao Han said with a smile. "I brought you to this council precisely so you could reveal more of the situation inside the city."

Zhong Xingpu shrank his head in and said: "In truth, there is no need to force an assault. Just build siege equipment every day. Then propagate the righteous army's land policy — in ten days to half a month at most, someone will open the gates and surrender the city."

"Why is that?" Xiao Huan asked.

Zhong Xingpu explained in detail: "The gentry who fled into the city number twenty-eight families in all. Each family has at least seven or eight people, the larger ones twenty or thirty, and they've also brought maidservants and servants, and the wealth, grain, and goods accumulated over several generations. There are also over a thousand village braves — most of these village braves are sons of respectable families, and their whole families have also fled into the city. None of them know what the righteous army's land policy is like."

"So hearts are not united?" Xiao Huan asked.

"Far more than just hearts not being united," Zhong Xingpu explained. "Dragging their families along, nearly ten thousand people suddenly surged in, and every day these past days there have been incessant disputes. We only need to surround the city. The great gentry clans have enough grain, but the common folk in the city suffer hardships they cannot voice — the grain merchants will certainly seize the chance to raise prices. Vegetables and meat, too, cannot be transported in."

Zhao Han already understood clearly.

The enemy within the city was a reactionary force led by the twenty-eight gentry families, with the thousand-some sons of respectable families as auxiliaries. Not only had they come themselves, they had brought their entire families along, some even with servants following — all kinds of people added up to nearly ten thousand.

The gentry could not endure a hard life, and the sons of respectable families followed their example. Nearly ten thousand people simply could not be accommodated, so they resorted to seizing nests like turtledoves and drove many residents out of the city.

Why had nearly ten thousand people fled here, yet only a thousand-some village braves were defending the city?

Because they had brought far too much wealth and goods — they not only had to guard against enemies outside the city, but also had to watch over their homes and properties against robbery within the city.

As long as no rebel army surrounded the city, it was fine, but once the city was besieged, every kind of conflict inside would erupt. Especially the city's original residents — the hooligans and ruffians in the city had long harbored resentment against the outsiders, and who knew when they might set fires and start looting.

Moreover, the gentry themselves had conflicts with one another — old blood feuds from past fights over water and land.

"Then we'll continue the siege, and we must also speed up the building of siege equipment," Zhao Han said with a smile. "We can't pin all our hopes on the city falling into chaos on its own."

Two more days passed, and supplies inside the city began to run short.

What exactly was in short supply?

Firewood!

You could imagine that the whole city had had its natural gas supply cut off by Zhao Han.

Some residents whose firewood reserves were insufficient began tearing down door planks to cook meals — one door was enough for them to burn for several days.

Ruffians stirred up trouble one after another. Zhou Ruixu simply scattered silver to recruit troops, organizing all the city's unemployed drifters into a city-defense army, and the defensive force suddenly swelled to nearly three thousand.

Seeing more and more defending soldiers appearing atop the city walls, Zhao Han, far from worrying, grew even happier.

The twenty-eight gentry families commanding the village braves was already chaotic enough — now they were also hastily recruiting troops inside the city. Were they afraid they weren't dying fast enough?

"Begin the propaganda calls!" Zhao Han gave the order.

A dozen or so propaganda officers, carrying paper megaphones, took turns stepping forward to call out.

"Cousins on the wall, don't throw your lives away for the landlords. How much grain and pay can you get as soldiers? Mr. Zhao has come — everyone can get land!"

"Brother household slaves, listen well. Mr. Zhao was once a household slave himself. Mr. Zhao's personal troops are called the Slave Army. Mr. Zhao has said that from now on, keeping household slaves is forbidden. As long as you open the city and surrender, household slaves can all return to the countryside and receive land. Those willing to join the army — Mr. Zhao's personal troops are also recruiting, half a dan of grain a month, all good rice given!"

"Mr. Zhao has said: for the night raid that killed peasants a few days ago, only the chief culprits will be executed — the rank-and-file soldiers will not be purged!"

"Sons of respectable families on the wall, listen. Some of you are small landlords, some are freeholding farmers. Some, though you come from great clans, only get a monthly allowance and have no land of your own at all. What can you gain by helping the great landlords fight? Mr. Zhao will not seize your land, and will also reduce your levies and taxes. From now on, no more harsh or miscellaneous taxes will be collected!"

"..."

As the main force defending the city, the morale of those thousand-some village braves instantly wavered.

What were "sons of respectable families"?

In truth, they were freeholding farmers and small landlords; only a few came from great landlord families that had not yet divided their households.

They had been brainwashed by the great landlords, propagandized that when the rebel Zhao came, he would confiscate everyone's land and also kill them to divide up the land — and so they had followed the gentry, bringing their whole families as they fled to the county seat.

Since Zhao Han was not dividing up their land, and was even going to reduce levies and taxes, and in the slaughter of peasants would only execute the chief culprits — then what the hell were they defending this city for?

Perhaps those of good family who held examination degrees, unwilling to jeopardize the civil service path, would not join the rebels. But those without degrees felt no such psychological burden — they feared far more that once the city fell, the rebels would slaughter them.

As for the newly recruited able-bodied men from within the city, they were even more restless and ready to stir.

They were local residents of the county seat, who had joined the army purely for the silver. If they could go out into the countryside and receive land, what the gentry paid in military wages was worth nothing!

"Do not believe these rumors!" Zhou Ruixu hastily shouted. "The rebels are cunning and treacherous, going back on their word — once the city falls, the rebel army will slaughter everyone inside!"

The other gentry also hurried to restrain their men, repeating the same few phrases over and over, slandering the rebels' words as untrustworthy.

Yet the defenders atop the city wall could not help but prick up their ears, wanting to hear what else the rebels had to say.

After all, there was no harm in it — listening cost nothing.

"All you cousins, listen well! Mr. Zhao has come to the prefectural city twice, and the docks in the southern quarter still bustle as before. Mr. Zhao keeps his promises, his word has always been his bond — there has been no looting, no burning, no killing. The drifters in the prefectural city are all waiting to receive land!"

"We are a righteous army. The residents driven out of the county seat have all been properly settled by Mr. Zhao. The houses built against the city wall that Mr. Zhao tore down for the assault — those were compensated too. You have eyes, you have all seen it."

"..."

The soldiers defending the city exchanged glances, trying to read each other's thoughts, but none dared be the first to surrender and turn coat.

The commoners who had been resettled and whose houses had been torn down were also organized by the propaganda officers. They faced the wall and recounted their own circumstances, further strengthening the credibility of the shouted messages.

Xiao Huan said with admiration, "Commander, this stratagem is superb. Attacking the city is the lesser art; attacking the mind is the greater. What will to resist can the soldiers inside the city still have?"

"Most of them were tricked into this in the first place," Zhao Han said with a smile. "Apart from those great landlords, when have I ever treated a son of good family unfairly?"

East side of the city.

Li Musheng said in a low voice, "Elder Brother, let us act. If we delay any longer, these village braves are going to mutiny on their own."

"Wait a little longer," Li Chun'an said. "When the rebels begin their assault, then we turn our coats in the heat of battle — we will surely seize the gate and deliver the city with ease."

Li Musheng said, "From the look of things, the rebels have no intention of attacking yet. They will probably stand below the walls shouting for days. I fear that as they keep shouting, the village braves will deliver the city of their own accord, and then we will have no merit in surrendering it."

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer." Li Chun'an felt it was too dangerous, afraid that if they tried to surrender the city halfway, the gentry would kill them.

"Kill!"

Suddenly, shouts of battle rose from the north side of the city.

Li Musheng was horrified. "Elder Brother, I fear the Liu clan has surrendered the city — we are already a step behind!"

"Those Liu bastards, just yesterday they were gnashing their teeth at the rebels." Li Chun'an was beside himself with fury.

"Enough talk — surrendering the city and seizing the credit is what matters now," Li Musheng said urgently.

Even as they spoke, on a section of the wall near them, a gentry man of the Zou clan suddenly shouted, "My sons, the court is without benevolence or righteousness — all of you, follow me and rise up!"

The Zou clan was also a great lineage. They had an ancestor named Zou Shouyi, a prized disciple of Wang Yangming. The Zous of Jishui had migrated from Anfu County.

Li Musheng, growing even more desperate, suddenly raised his sword and shouted, "My granduncle is a rebel... is a high official under Mr. Zhao! Quickly, follow me in killing the officials and rising up — from this day forward, your wives and children shall be ennobled and your sons shall inherit rank!"

In the blink of an eye, of the twenty-eight gentry families, three had turned their coats in the face of battle — all of them families that had not stained their hands with peasant blood that night.

These fellows were not sincerely joining the rebels, but were thinking of perpetuating their clans. With military morale wavering as it was, how could the city possibly be held? Better to strike first, secure their own kinsmen, and worry about the rest later.

A mere three gentry families, in terms of numbers, could of course not defeat the remaining twenty-five.

But the newly recruited troops from within the city, over a thousand men strong, also turned their coats, led by a few ruffians and ward chiefs.

The soldiers turning coat now outnumbered those still defending the city!

Zhong Xingpu rushed out of the city in haste, snatched the paper megaphone from a propaganda officer's hands, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Father, Elder Brother, it is Xingpu. I have already surrendered. You must come over to the righteous side at once — do not bring the calamity of clan extermination upon the Zhong family!"

Zhao Han watched the chaos unfolding atop the city wall and said with a faint smile, "Storm the city."

(End of Chapter)