Chapter 8: Facing a Formidable Enemy

Oh no!

Liu Zheng inwardly cried out that it was bad.

This fat man was none other than the County Marquis of this Yangzhou City, called Lu Zhengyi. At this moment, he glared furiously at Qin Zhangfeng and shouted, "What kind of thief dares to commit violence in the street? A Great Evil! Seize him for me!"

More than thirty soldiers acknowledged the order and pressed forward.

Qin Zhangfeng glared with cold eyes, his long blade trembling as he prepared to act.

Liu Zheng did not want this Knight-errant to be saddled with the crime of "opposing the government," so he quickly ran out and shouted, "Stop, everyone stop!"

Lu Zhengyi rebuked, "Who are you?"

Liu Zheng offered a fawning smile: "Lord County Marquis, I am the son of the Yinzhou County Marquis. Let's talk this over properly, let's talk properly!"

Lu Zhengyi was stunned, then immediately raged: "Where did this yellow-mouthed child come from? Since when did Yinzhou have a County Marquis?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Yangzhou was certainly barren, but compared to that lawless land of Yinzhou, it still had a fair bit of weight and pride.

Liu Zheng took out his travel permit, handed it to Lu Zhengyi, and said, "My Lord, please look. My father, Liu Dahao, is about to take office as the Yinzhou County Marquis. We are all one family, one family!"

"It truly is the seal of Liangzhou Prefecture!"

Lu Zhengyi confirmed the matter, but still sneered: "You, the Yinzhou County Marquis, want to manage affairs in my Yangzhou? Aren't your hands reaching a bit too far? Please step aside!"

Liu Zheng continued: "My Lord, you absolutely must not. This Knight-errant repelled the Bandits in the street, and the commoners were overjoyed to hear of it. If you punish him, wouldn't that chill the hearts of the people?"

At this time, many commoners came over and also began to plead for Qin Zhangfeng.

Qin Zhangfeng, however, sneered: "Why beg this corrupt official! So the Garrison of Yangzhou City doesn't know how to defend against the enemy, only how to bully the commoners. What use is keeping such a County Marquis? Watch me take his head!"

As he spoke, he let out a loud shout and charged into the crowd of Garrison soldiers.

This Knight-errant was indeed quite extraordinary, with astonishing skills. Even when facing more than thirty men, he was like a dragon swimming in the sea; within a few exchanges, those thirty-plus Garrison soldiers were actually unable to touch even a hair on him.

The crowd exclaimed in shock. Lu Zhengyi's face turned livid; the fact that his own Garrison could not defeat a single Knight-errant truly made him lose face.

"Stop fighting, stop fighting!"

Liu Zheng was terrified that if Qin Zhangfeng accidentally injured these Garrison soldiers or took a life, there would truly be no room for negotiation.

"All of you, stop!"

Lu Zhengyi shouted.

The thirty-plus Garrison soldiers, as if granted amnesty, retreated one after another.

Qin Zhangfeng stood alone with his blade, his demeanor remarkable.

The more Liu Zheng looked, the more he liked him, thinking he must recruit this man under his command.

Lu Zhengyi's expression shifted several times before he finally sighed: "The warrior has great martial arts, but do you truly think I don't want to defend against the enemy? It is just that the entire Yangzhou Garrison has only one thousand men, while the Bandits have three thousand! The ones you repelled in the street today were just one of their small squads. Now that the Bandits have suffered a loss in Yangzhou City, they will surely attack in full force!"

"You, a Knight-errant, can simply leave carefree!"

"But how is my Yangzhou City to defend?"

"Tell me, did you save the commoners, or harm them? I can only take you into custody, which counts as giving the Bandits an explanation! After some time, I will release you, and Yangzhou can be kept safe!"

"What?"

Lu Zhengyi's eyes were bloodshot, and his words were spoken with a helpless melancholy that did not seem fake.

Qin Zhangfeng and Liu Zheng were both stunned.

Both of them had just assumed that this Yangzhou County Marquis was incompetent, and even suspected he was colluding with the Bandits, which was why he was so furious at Qin Zhangfeng's act of chivalry. Now it seemed that was not the case; the Bandits were powerful, and Yangzhou only had one thousand Garrison soldiers, so he could only use this method to protect the commoners and survive in this chaotic world.

This was a kind of tacit understanding in a chaotic world.

The Bandits needed to eat, and they did not want to destroy Yangzhou City either. If they did, who would they rob?

The government could only balance things in between.

The entire affair revealed the infinite sorrow of this chaotic world.

As for why they didn't recruit more soldiers?

It was simple: they couldn't afford to!

Yangzhou's annual tax revenue was barely enough to manage natural disasters; where would they find the money to recruit more soldiers?

"This..."

Qin Zhangfeng, this Knight-errant, was used to living wild and did not know the difficulties of being in charge. Having done a bad thing with good intentions, he looked ashamed and shouted: "I did not know the Lord cared for the commoners; it is Zhangfeng's fault! When the Bandits come again, Qin Zhangfeng will surely be the first to charge into the fray!"

"A true hero!"

Lu Zhengyi sighed: "It is just that if you care for the commoners, then go rest in the prison for a few days..."

Qin Zhangfeng clenched his fists. He was unwilling, but he knew this was likely the only way. After all, with three or four thousand enemies, no matter how skilled he, Qin Zhangfeng, was, he was not a god descended to earth.

Liu Zheng thought his opportunity had come and said: "My Lord, how many men and horses do these Bandits have, and what is their combat strength?"

Everyone looked over, their eyes filled with disdain.

Lu Zhengyi gave a bitter smile: "What, does the young master intend to wipe out those Bandits?"

Qin Zhangfeng immediately shouted: "If the young master has this intention, Zhangfeng will surely be the first to charge!"

Liu Zheng was overjoyed; this was exactly the sentence he wanted! In this day and age, a scholar dies for one who appreciates him. If he wanted to subdue Qin Zhangfeng for his own use, he couldn't just do it by weeping and wailing like Liubei. He had to demonstrate extraordinary qualities that would make the man willing to follow him.

He smiled slightly: "It may not be impossible."

Lu Zhengyi was about to speak when suddenly, a horse galloped over. A man jumped off, rolling and crawling: "My Lord, a group of Bandits has gathered outside the city. It looks like there are three or four thousand of them, clamoring to surround the city. The situation is critical!"

Everyone was shocked. Lu Zhengyi gritted his teeth fiercely and waved his hand: "The Bandits are bullying us too much! Do they really think Yangzhou has no one? Pass the order down: defend Yangzhou to the death! Anyone who retreats will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

Liu Zheng and the others also followed them up to the city gate tower.

Looking out, the area outside the city was already teeming with heads. Liangzhou produced horses, and these Bandits were each equipped with a horse and a blade, looking murderous. As they rode their horses around the city gates, they clamored and mocked.

This scene made the Yangzhou Garrison tremble with fear; in terms of momentum, these Bandits held the absolute upper hand.

Liu Zheng, encountering such a scene for the first time, also felt his scalp tingle.

Three or four thousand people, equivalent to the establishment of a regiment in later generations, stood together in a dense mass, as if one could not see the end at a glance.

"Run!"

"The Bandits are coming!"

The common people in the city had long been in a state of panic, with every household packing up their valuables, intending to flee Yangzhou City.

Lu Zhengyi immediately ordered the city to be sealed to stabilize the public, but because some Garrison were sent to maintain order, the number of people guarding the city was drastically reduced. A mere six hundred men—although it is said that defending a city is easy and attacking is hard—faced an opponent with such aggressive momentum that their intention to seize Yangzhou City, having finally found an excuse, was clearly revealed.

"Old man Lu, you actually dare to let the thieves harm my brothers? If this person is not punished, I will never let this rest!"

"You are inactive; open the city gates and let us go in to search!"

"Open the gate!"

Three thousand people shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, completely disregarding Lu Zhengyi and the official authorities.

"What is to be done?"

Lu Zhengyi was in utter despair.

Liu Zheng asked anxiously: "Lord Lu, how many days can we hold them off?"

Lu Zhengyi said: "Although my Yangzhou Garrison are not afraid of death, the enemy is many and we are few; three days at most!"

Liu Zheng observed for a moment; although these Bandits were Bandits, their horses and Weaponry and Equipment were actually much stronger than those of the Garrison. It was no wonder these people were in despair.

This was simply not on the same level of combat capability.

"I, Qin Zhangfeng, will go first!"

Qin Zhangfeng was both ashamed and angry.

Liu Zheng hurriedly held him back and turned to ask Lu Zhengyi: "Lord Lu, does Yangzhou City have a Shichang?"

"A Shichang?"

Lu Zhengyi nodded: "Yangzhou produces much bluestone; the Shichang is located in the north of the city."

Liu Zheng was overjoyed: "Lord Lu, you must hold out for three days; after three days, I will come to repel the enemy!"

"Ah?"

Everyone showed an expression of being unable to laugh or cry, taking it only as a child's joke.

Liu Dahao was also sweating profusely: "My son, do not joke, do not joke!"

Lu Zhengyi shook his head: "Captain Luo!"

"Here!"

"Escort the Yinzhou County Marquis, his son, and this Knight-errant to leave through the West Gate!"

"Yes!"

Liu Zheng shouted: "Lord Lu, you must trust me once! I do not need a single soldier or horse; just give me fifty able-bodied men!"

Lu Zhengyi looked at him suspiciously; this son of the Yinzhou County Marquis appeared to be a playboy raised in luxury, but with a great battle imminent, there was no fear on his face, which was not that of an ordinary person.

"We have prepared plenty of rolling stones for the city defense; why do you still want to go to the Shichang? I will trust you for now, but three days at most; after three days, you must leave!"

Lu Zhengyi nodded and said.

He immediately ordered Captain Luo to take Liu Zheng and the other two on horseback toward the Shichang in the north of the city.

Upon seeing the Shichang, Liu Zheng's face showed joy.

These past few days had been overcast, and it looked like a heavy rain was coming. This heavy rain was the key to whether Yangzhou could hold the city! Rolling stones?

Heh.

What if what was rolled was not stone, but Lime?