Chapter 403: Mage and Knight

Just as the sky was darkening but not yet fully black, the Port Authority compound, as usual, closed its main gate on schedule.

Because it often needed to park many vehicles, the Port Authority's courtyard covered a large area, roughly half the size of a football field.

And the moment the gate closed, many guards who had previously seemed absent from the stone tower suddenly rushed out and began making pre-battle preparations.

They first cleared the clutter from the courtyard, then carried out many bundles of specialized obstacles from the basement, deploying them around the stone tower in two concentric circles. This way, no matter which angle bandits scaled the wall to enter the courtyard, they would be stopped by the obstacles before running ten steps, becoming live targets.

Prior to this, with the aid of telescopes, night vision devices, and walkie-talkies, the scouts sent by the various hostile parties had actually been under full surveillance by Xiong Dao's side the entire time, while the other side remained completely oblivious.

What the various Shopkeepers from Taihu did not know was this: the hundreds of thousands of taels of pure, snowflake-pattern silver ingots they so desperately longed for had actually begun to be moved the very night they entered the warehouse.

After this silver was moved onto inconspicuous fishing ships at the port, it was transported to Hangzhou over the past few days and now lay in the basement of Tangzhuang.

In its place were the obstacles transported from Tangzhuang by the fishing ships. These things were now laid out in the courtyard, just waiting for the Shopkeepers to come and charge in recklessly.

As the guards made their preparations, the sky had completely darkened. Tonight, the moonlight was bright, the breeze gentle, and the sky full of a starry river shone, illuminating all the roads around the port — it was a perfect day for murder and arson.

With the clacking sound of leather shoes, the port's Owner, Xiong Dao, now also wearing a special police uniform with an AK slung over his shoulder, arrived on the rooftop with reinforcements.

How could such a large-scale operation go unnoticed by Hangzhou Station? So following closely behind Xiong Dao was none other than the Jiangnan Intelligence Station Chief, Lu Cheng.

The chubby Lu Cheng was now similarly fully armed, and following behind him was a string of Action Team Members sent as reinforcements from Hangzhou.

The reinforcements were, of course, far more than just these few. The water network from Taihu to the port extended in all directions, and from Hangzhou to the port there were likewise countless waterways, so the one hundred fifty Action Team Members Lu Cheng brought had actually secretly entered the port late the night before.

These team members were divided into two parts. The majority lay in ambush in the already emptied Warehouse, while the remaining portion slipped stealthily into the Port Affairs Office, only revealing themselves tonight.

At this moment, on the rooftop of the stone building, the team members had already piled sandbags along the outer edge. The rooftop, paved with steel bars and cement, not only possessed sufficient structural strength, but its flat terrain and observational advantage were also perfectly suited for setting up firing positions.

Besides twenty breech-loading rifles on the rooftop, the two AKs were the true firepower points. These two household-protecting treasures were entrusted to the relatively higher-ranking intelligence agents Liu Qingyun and Gu Le to operate.

"It seems Comrade 'Test Tube's' intelligence was very accurate. The lake bandits are indeed making their move tonight; their fleet has already begun moving this way just now." After hearing the surveillance post's report come through the walkie-talkie in his hand, Xiong Dao turned his head and said to Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng, watching the busy team members on the rooftop, replied with a beaming smile: "Heh heh, 'Test Tube's' status as a Viscount speaks for itself — of course the intelligence is accurate."

"Mm, since it's effective, we can consider having 'Test Tube' raise the anti-barbarian banner high in the future, rally the reactionary gentry, and maintain the long-term disguise."

"That won't require any disguise — just a performance of his true colors will do!"

When Lu Cheng said this, the two men shared a knowing laugh.

Just then, Liu Wang, dressed in a training uniform and short-brimmed hat with an AK on his back, standing ramrod straight beside the two Station Chiefs, could not help but muster the courage to interject: "Station Chief, relying solely on our Intelligence Section's capability, we could secretly kill all those masters who devour people without spitting out bones. Why mobilize so many people and go to such great trouble?"

"Haha, not bad — the most important thing for a young person is to learn to think!"

Lu Cheng patted the shoulder of this apprentice he had personally trained with satisfaction, then began to spin a tale for him: "Assassination is merely a tactic, not a strategy. In a large-scale confrontation between two groups, two camps, or two nations, widespread assassination is utterly meaningless."

"You've been supplementing your cultural studies for a long time, and your grades are quite good. So tell me, throughout history, from Qin and Han to Tang and Song, which power base have you ever seen that relied on assassination to force its opponents into submission and thereby won the realm?"

"Assassinate Master Zhang, and Young Master Zhang will emerge to inherit the family estate. Even if you assassinate Master Zhang's entire family, various clan members will still jump out to become the new gentry — as long as this model of leeching off the land to get rich still exists, gentry masters will be continuously produced in an endless stream."

When Lu Cheng reached this point, Xiong Dao beside him interjected with a chuckle: "Kid, if you secretly assassinate a large batch of hostile gentry all at once, doesn't that just become open killing? What difference is there between that and open rebellion? Look at the few guns we have right now — can we raise the banner of revolt?"

"Your thinking is a bit too simplistic. You must understand that assassination only makes the populace fear you and hate you; it won't make them truly submit to you." Lu Cheng continued: "To seize a regime on the scale of the Great Ming, you must let everyone see your overt strength and make everyone sincerely convinced."

Xiong Dao then interjected with a strange laugh, dropping a piece of jargon the young man could not understand: "A mage inspires fear, a knight inspires awe!"

Lu Cheng laughed heartily and continued to his apprentice: "Look at the Tartars in the north — aren't they doing exactly this? Starting from just thirteen suits of armor back then, they shattered the Great Ming's Qi-Blood Spirit through one bloody battle after another. Now, among the Ming people, the rumor that 'ten thousand Tartars are invincible' has gradually taken hold."

"What does this show? It shows the Great Ming's backbone has already been broken! The entire upper class is losing the will to resist the Tartars. Hmph, if it weren't for our appearance, the Tartars would certainly be able to take the throne in the future. That is the proper path to seizing a nation."

Lu Cheng felt he had been pouring a bit too much into this native apprentice today, so he began his final summary: "You must remember: without battlefield slaughter, without continuous bloody warfare, without a bottom-up revolution that thoroughly detonates the old contradictions, this realm cannot be held securely."

At the very end, after giving Liu Wang a "head wash," Lu Cheng assigned his apprentice homework: "When you get back, study the history of the Jin and Sui dynasties thoroughly, then write reading notes for me!"

While certain people were engaged in lofty discourse, the lake bandit fleet, which had set out from over twenty li away, was steadily sailing along the river. Tonight's bright moonlight and stars provided the lake bandits, already adept at nighttime navigation, with the best marching conditions, so the silent fleet encountered no mishaps along the way. After slowly sailing for over four hours, the fleet finally reached its destination: the river dock in the commercial district outside the port.

Previously, due to the enormous scale of the engineering work, the plan to widen and dredge the inland river connecting to the port, forming a river-sea intermodal concept, had to remain on paper for the time being.

As a result, cargo unloaded from the Yangtze River Estuary to Shanghai Port had to undergo one transshipment before it could be dispersed to this very river dock, and then carried throughout Jiangnan by countless inland river vessels.

The Hufei fleet now quietly moored at the former Zhang Sutan estuary, right outside the present-day commercial district.

Prior to this, because the port had already sold out its stock, and the Port Authority had intentionally or unintentionally used excuses like "decoration and maintenance," the commercial district had gradually emptied of people over the past few days, leaving only an empty city.

This action objectively amounted to helping the Hufei: the fleet could drop anchor directly at the river dock, and after the troops disembarked, they could also disregard any worries about idle bystanders reporting them, pass straight through the commercial district, and rush toward the Port Authority.

And that was exactly what the lake bandits did.

After the fleet docked, several Shopkeepers carrying knives and axes, along with their trusted aides, were the first to jump ashore. At that moment, scouts darting out from the commercial district also came forward one after another to report: "Various leaders, the merchant inns are empty, no profit to be had — the traveling merchants have all gone back to sell their goods."

"Good! Have the brothers disembark, and keep quiet!" Commander-in-chief Qiao Shiqi nodded with satisfaction at this and waved for the gang members to disembark.

The lake bandits selected to participate in this operation were all the elite of each gang. So when the moment for action truly arrived, these seasoned old bandits immediately displayed their professionalism: after eight hundred men flipped over the gunwales and onto the shore, they made no chaotic noise. Instead, they largely maintained their formation, forming a long, dark gray dragon on the gravel path beside the dock.

"I won't repeat myself any more than this. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules — someone will settle accounts with him when we get back!" After giving this final warning to the various Shopkeepers gathered around him, Qiao Shiqi shouted: "Move out!" Then, taking the lead, he set off as the vanguard with his own hundred-plus men.

After this, the various Shopkeepers also returned to their own men with their trusted aides, and the long dragon, composed of segmented sections, immediately set out.

The large force of lake bandits, repeatedly informed of the port's specific situation on the way, swiftly passed through the commercial district and the warehouse district next, without splitting their forces — they knew these areas were empty, and the fat meat lay only within the Port Authority compound.

When the sound of "swishing" footsteps drew near from afar in the moonlit night and finally reached the port's main road, the sentries, separated by just one wide street, at last saw the large mass of black silhouettes on the opposite side of the road... Under the bright moonlight, it would have been truly impossible not to see them.

And so a sharp, panicked cry finally shattered the silence, carried far away on the cold wind along the riverbank: "This is bad, bandits! Quickly, wake all the household guards!"

Hearing this shout full of terror, the three Grand Stewards standing at the front of the lake bandit force immediately grinned savagely: a successful surprise attack — Tora Tora Tora.

The next moment, according to plan, Qiao Shiqi led his brothers in a slow charge across the smooth cement road; meanwhile, the contingents to his left and right, led by the other two Grand Stewards, circled around to the rear of the compound.

According to the plan, since they were going to rush in all at once, the large force scaling the compound walls from all directions simultaneously would produce the best chaos effect on the enemy.

So Qiao Shiqi, whose home-invasion and robbery skills were already maxed out, paused briefly with his brothers at the front of the compound wall. At this moment, he listened intently to the panicked shouts and scattered firearm reports inside the compound while waiting for the charge signal.

Not long after, roughly a minute and a half later, a red Flag Flower suddenly burst in the night sky.

The next moment, Qiao Shiqi brandished his steel knife and roared: "Pour in, you bastards! Anyone who slacks off is no brother of mine — don't blame me for being ruthless!"

On the night of November 28, 1629, the tenth night after Xiong Dao sent a land broker to the Xu family to purchase land, the Jiangnan reactionary gentry bloc officially began their operation to seize the fruits of the Transmigrators' labor by force.