Chapter 1178: Mobilizing a Large Army?

The first month of the year was when city defenses were at their slackest. Gentry and commoners both inside and outside the city had to pay New Year visits and call on relatives. Officials, runners, and garrison soldiers likewise needed to rest for the holiday. And in the cold of the first month, bandits and mounted raiders were also lying low. So the city gates stayed open relatively longer, and the guard was very lax.

Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu of course knew how the local government offices treated imperial troops. He and his trusted subordinates, as well as the officers of each battalion, had made arrangements. After reaching Suzhou, they were not to go through official channels first, but to send fast riders to seize the city gates. Otherwise, the locals would very likely shut the gates and bar the troops from entering. Everyone knew that once imperial troops entered a city, there would be no shortage of burning, killing, and looting. Gentry and commoners alike would suffer.

Normally, arriving at high noon, the city gates should have been open no matter what. They never expected to arrive and see Suzhou's gates tightly shut. The scattered households outside the city showed not a trace of human activity either — deathly still.

Could Suzhou have been taken by the Xuzhou rebels? Otherwise, why would the gates not be open in broad daylight? Rushing forward to seize the gates was now impossible, but they had to send scouts closer to take a look. As it turned out, the scouts went out and quickly returned, reporting that the guards on the wall were local militia and able-bodied commoners. Several headmen from the Suzhou Armory were up there holding the line. Upon inquiry, indeed no Xuzhou rebels had come.

Hearing this, Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu's courage swelled considerably. He hurriedly ordered his personal guards to raise the banners and called for over a hundred riders to escort him to Suzhou's south gate. Since they could not force their way in, they would have to enter the city through official channels.

When they reached the base of the wall, the personal guards first set up shields in front of Yue Qianhu — caution first. If anything went wrong on the wall, they could still withdraw in time. But as Yue Qianhu looked up at the people atop the wall, he did not sense any deception. Although they did not know each other, he could still tell that these people on the wall were Suzhou's local officials, runners, and militia. If it were the Zhao Battalion or the like, they would not be this lax and sloppy.

"I am Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu, under the command of Eunuch Cui, the Garrison Superintendent of the Central Capital, leading troops to suppress Xuzhou. I need to enter the city to regroup. Open the gates at once and let us in!" Yue Qianhu bellowed with full force. Given his rank, these words should have been shouted by a personal guard, but time was pressing and he could not bother with such formalities.

Shouting alone naturally could not convince anyone. But the Mobile Corps Commander's identifying banner and the various banners of the garrison battalions could not be faked. The military officers and cavalry equipment of the Central Capital, Fengyang, were still fairly complete — not something others could easily impersonate. Moreover, as the shout rang out, the several thousand imperial troops behind them had already begun advancing. That momentum itself represented a kind of power, further proving that Yue Qianhu's words were true.

Yet what the imperial troops below the wall did not expect was that the people atop the wall merely looked down, looked around, and then ignored them entirely. Though the wall was several zhang high, Yue Qianhu's voice could certainly be heard clearly. The imperial troops below could even see someone on the wall making hand gestures, signaling everyone to pay them no mind.

By official rank, a Chiliarch or Battalion Commander in the imperial army was already equal to a Department Magistrate. And they had followed protocol in reporting and requesting entry. How dare this Suzhou locality treat them with such contempt? Before Yue Qianhu could say anything, several of the personal guards clustered around him flew into a rage and shouted up at the wall: "Are you dogs blind, or are your ears deaf? Our general is speaking to you civilly. Answer quickly! Otherwise, when Eunuch Cui lays blame, don't think you'll keep your posts — you won't even keep your lives!"

Filthy abuse went without saying. Yue Qianhu waved his hand repeatedly to stop them. Any temper could be vented after entering the city. If they provoked the other side now, things would deadlock and there would be no follow-up. Unexpectedly, a middle-aged man dressed like a clerk stepped up to a crenel, glanced out, and then retreated again with a blank expression.

At this, even Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu was furious. He roared from below: "This Suzhou city must be under rebel control! Shoot arrows at the wall — prepare to assault!"

As soon as his order was given, the personal guards around him immediately took down their bows, drew, and shot up at the wall. These personal soldiers were all elite troops, highly skilled in archery and horsemanship. Strong bows and long arrows shot straight at the parapet. Chaos erupted atop the wall, and cries of alarm and shrieks rang out. However, no one had been crowding right at the crenels, so the arrows arced over and in, making it hard to hit anyone. Hearing those cries and shrieks, the imperial troops below grew even angrier, thinking: our shouts just now must have been heard up there — how dare they ignore us?

"Generals below, stop shooting! This lowly one will answer now!" A panicked voice finally rang out from the wall. It had been very quiet atop Suzhou's wall, and below, the officers had also reined in the troops. The clamor gradually subsided. But though everyone knew the direction the voice came from, they could not see the speaker — presumably hiding somewhere behind the parapet.

"What the hell are you still blathering for? Let your grandpas into the city, quick!" Now that the officers below had let loose, they simply threw off all restraint. One sentence from the wall was met with countless curses from below.

"Soldiers, this city will not let you in. Find somewhere else to go!" The man's voice above trembled slightly, yet he still shouted back. This left the imperial troops below in dead silence. What kind of talk was this? Was this still a local government office of the Great Ming?

After a moment of silence, before the other officers and soldiers could start cursing, Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu roared: "Cut the crap! Let this general and his men in now! Otherwise, we'll storm this place today, and once inside, we'll have three days of free rein — we'll make you weep through this first month!"

At these words, the imperial officers and soldiers all erupted in cheers and roars. Three days of free rein inside — burning, killing, looting — just thinking about it was pure pleasure. Yet after this threat was shouted, the voice of the man on the wall stopped trembling. He yelled back: "General, this city will not let you in. This city has already mobilized several thousand militia to defend the walls. If you want to fight, then we'll fight to the death. There's something this lowly one shouldn't say, but our Suzhou is much closer to Xuzhou than to Fengyang!"

The cursing below continued unabated, but Yue Qianhu's face darkened when he heard this. Four thousand imperial troops attacking a not-so-small department city — and with the other side's militia mobilized and the gates tightly shut. If this place were destitute and poor, it would be one thing, but Suzhou happened to be a fairly prosperous area, surely not lacking in supplies. How could four thousand imperial troops possibly crack it? And they could not afford to waste time.

"Send the scouts out. Find nearby manors and villages — quickly! Report back as soon as you find one. Don't just use the scouts — all of you with horses, get out there, fast!" Yue Qianhu ground his teeth and barked in a low voice.

The officers who heard this order were first stunned, then immediately understood. Each nodded, shouted, and spurred their horses away. When they suddenly scattered like this, not only did the people on the wall crane their necks to look, but even the imperial troops of the various battalions behind them broke into an uproar, thinking the officers had abandoned them and fled first. It was only because Yue Qianhu did not leave and the banners did not move that order was barely maintained.

The horses dispersed in all directions. Yue Qianhu, on one hand, ordered the troops to tear down nearby houses and make a show of building siege equipment. On the other hand, he threatened the people on the wall, demanding that they at least provide a batch of grain and supplies — just toss them down from the wall. He had thought that by taking a step back, the other side would agree to accommodate. He never expected the people on the wall to still refuse, which infuriated Yue Qianhu. Yet the worry and anxiety in his heart also gradually swelled. His own threat was not empty, but for Suzhou to grit its teeth and hold out so stubbornly, there must be an even more terrifying threat.

Before long, the cavalrymen who had gone out to scout returned — and not from just one direction.

"General, fifteen li west of Suzhou, there's a sizable manor. From a distance, it looks to have two thousand households — quite large in scale..."

Before this one could finish, another man cut in: "Commander, a large force is coming this way from the north — roughly three thousand strong!"

Hearing this, Yue Qianhu nearly sat down on the ground. When he spoke, his voice was trembling: "What? Three thousand troops... Are... are they imperial troops? Are they cavalry?"

"Not imperial troops. About a hundred or so riders — they look more orderly than us. Though they're not flying banners, they look like Xuzhou household troops!" The man reporting was equally panicked.

"An ambush — it's an ambush after all. Tell the brothers to break camp, quick, quick! Shift toward that manor to the west — form ranks and set up a defense there. Go, now!" Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu had also lost his composure, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Hearing that Xuzhou troops were heading this way, the faces of all the officers who had just returned changed color. This Suzhou city was probably not just keeping its gates shut — there might well be Xuzhou rebel troops lying in ambush. If they coordinated from inside and out, their own side would be in huge trouble. Everyone was cursing, thinking: hadn't their own imperial army come north to encircle Xuzhou? Why did it feel like they were the ones being encircled!

But at a moment of life and death, no one dared be negligent. Each went back to urge their troops toward the manor to the west. By this point, the morale of the imperial soldiers had fallen to its lowest. They had thought they could enter Suzhou city, only to be shut out after a grueling march. Now they were being driven westward by their officers. Even if they did not know what was happening, they could sense it was nothing good.

As scouts sent out in all directions kept returning, they reported many manors in the area — the one fifteen li to the west was likely the nearest. More and more details about the three thousand troops closing in also became known: only a hundred or so riders, but plenty of oxen, horses, and carts; their formation was more orderly than their own; they saw imperial scouts but did not pursue — and so on and so forth. Yet this was already deeply shocking. They had originally thought they would be dealing with the Xuzhou rebels' Suzhou Regiment, which was only about a thousand infantry. How had three thousand troops suddenly appeared? Had the Xuzhou rebels also mobilized a large force?

Thinking further about the large force of Xuzhou cavalry heading north from the south, everyone felt a chill. The only option was to dig in and wait for reinforcements. Otherwise, with troops and morale like this, if they were attacked on the march, they would be routed instantly. That would be a catastrophe. Finding a manor and holding it was the priority.

This was, after all, still Great Ming territory. When the time came, they could call for help. The Xuzhou rebels would not dare to stay long. But this thought was only self-comfort. Judging by the current situation, the Xuzhou rebels were already on the verge of open rebellion.

"Everyone, keep your nerve. If we really can't hold, we'll head for Henan, follow Yongcheng toward Guide Prefecture..."

"Commander, Guide Prefecture is also occupied by those Xuzhou rebels."

"Motherfucking Xuzhou! No matter — we'll follow Guide Prefecture and flee to Kaifeng. The rebel force is too large; we can't resist head-on!"

Thanks to "Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Sweet Sugarcane, Auntie Niu, Duan Yichen, Qi Sanwen, Yawning Feifei," several old friends, for your tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone.