At this very moment,
Zhu Mo had a feeling, just like every time he had encountered danger before, that the situation had gone wrong.
“Lord Pan, hurry and find Fan Yingqi, have him mobilize troops to the Xin Hu region! Shujian, we must leave. Let's go to the village immediately. I fear something major has already happened!”
Nodding, Pan Sheng abruptly turned and left, his shoulder hitting the doorframe with a bang. With an "Ouch," he hurried away without looking back.
Zhu Mo and Lu Kun walked along the road.
Lu Kun asked, “Zixuan, I was in the village last night. It’s not even dark yet. Could the meeting held by Pan Sheng and the others this morning have concluded so quickly?”
“I hope not. I suspect Ma Sen and Lu Wen will have the guards disguise themselves as retainers, old potters… They’re worried about time, so the sooner they act, the better!”
Chatting as they went,
An hour later, the two arrived at the village entrance. They saw the high palisades in the distance. Darkness had fallen, and torches were already lit, casting a reddish glow over the wild fields.
They walked along the river embankment. Zhu Mo looked back and saw the small grove of trees in the distance was sparse and silent, with only occasional dog barks, no different from usual.
A sigh.
Zhu Mo felt an unprecedented panic in his heart.
Lu Kun also showed deep concern, murmuring,
“This is troublesome. The opposition are retainers; if a fight breaks out, it will be considered a peasant uprising… Even if Fan Yingqi brings troops, how can he suppress it? Suppress whom?”
“Indeed. He only has two thousand men. If a real conflict erupts, and both sides have five to six thousand, how can he stop it? If it turns into a melee, how can he distinguish? Moreover, if a peasant uprising occurs, Lu Wen will naturally have an excuse to dispatch troops. Wouldn’t that make things even more chaotic?”
Zhu Mo shook his head, feeling the situation was truly beyond control.
Nodding,
As they talked while walking and approached the palisade gate, they suddenly heard the urgent sound of a drum.
Dong dong dong!
Dong dong dong dong dong!
“They’re here!”
“They’ve arrived!”
Zhu Mo had built a sentry post every thirty meters along the palisade. At this moment, the people on the sentry post were shouting hoarsely.
The two looked towards the sound and saw a large group of figures rushing out from the small grove of trees opposite. With loud yells, they immediately gave off a strong sense of pressure.
The two rushed through the palisade gate and climbed onto the high platform. They could clearly see that the approaching force numbered at least four to five thousand people, all dressed as ordinary potters or retainers. However, each of them was now armed with either a hoe, a saber, or a club. They were not using the main road but were surging over from the fields in a vast mass, their shouts scattered, but their numbers were overwhelming. Coupled with their animosity, they presented a formidable presence.
Xu Chuan, Wang Shengcai, and others were already directing the villagers. After numerous confrontations and brawls, the Qin slaves were naturally no longer afraid and quickly gathered one to two thousand people. Others were arriving continuously and should be able to gather four to five thousand within half an hour of contact.
Xu Chuan took the lead, arranging the villagers inside the palisade, with groups concentrated about every hundred meters. The cavalry was responsible for communication. The main force was at the palisade gate.
At this moment,
The opposing force had slowed down when they were still forty to fifty meters from the palisade. The seemingly chaotic mob appeared to be under some unseen control.
Lu Kun also noticed this and said,
“Zixuan, look, the people leading the front row… are they imperial soldiers in disguise?”
“Yes.”
Zhu Mo replied casually, but his eyes were fixed on the rear of the scattered ranks, where something dark seemed to be moving.
“What is that?”
Lu Kun saw it too.
Zhu Mo said, “Who knows! I think we should use the firearms they’re bringing from Hangzhou and call Yin Xiaohu over!”
“Alright!”
Lu Kun turned and jumped off the sentry post, running towards the rear.
But just then,
Zhu Mo suddenly heard shouts from behind the village. He turned his head and saw that the area at the end of the village, near the foot of the mountain, was already ablaze. It had caught fire!
No wonder!
These new households were frugal, and most of their houses were built with rammed earth and thatched roofs. When the enemy fired rockets from the rear mountain, they naturally spread like wildfire.
Zhu Mo shouted loudly,
“Xiaohu, tell your men to bring out all the firearms! Fight to the end! Use all the Franji cannons and Iron Bodhisattva cannons!”
Yin Xiaohu also felt that the enemy was too cruel. What they called a peasant uprising and brawl was actually employing tactics typical of the imperial army. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say,
“Young Master Zhu, but the enemy appears to be imperial soldiers disguised as retainers. If we open fire, how will we explain it later?”
He, who had been ignorant and naive, had gained a profound understanding of the treacherousness of the Ming dynasty bureaucracy after the incident in Nanxun. He now thought that if the Yan family investigated later and claimed they were attacking imperial soldiers, it would be difficult to clarify.
Zhu Mo was filled with righteous indignation at this moment and couldn’t care less about such things. He shouted,
“I don't care! Fire! These are evil people! They will all belong to me from now on!”
At this moment,
Standing on the high platform, his voice stern and powerful, Zhu Mo was the most out of control he had been since arriving in the Great Ming. Lu Kun, realizing the enemy's maliciousness, no longer tried to dissuade him.
Soon,
Yin Xiaohu and the hundred-man detachment set up the cannons, a total of over forty, and more than two hundred firearms, which had also been distributed to some able-bodied youths. They moved out in an orderly fashion, and the panicked hearts of the people were slightly calmed. Xu Chuan also assigned some men to put out the fires. Those houses that were not burned were naturally calmed, and once calm, anger also flared.
At this time,
The enemy was already pushing against the palisade.
From these details, it was evident that the enemy was experienced. They did not attack the heavily fortified gate area but instead sought out the weakest sections of the palisade. Hundreds of people pushed together, causing the palisade to shake violently. The retainers in the rear ranks shouted in unison, and the killing intent filled the air.
Xu Chuan had never witnessed such a formation and panicked, asking,
“Scholar Zhu, what should we do?”
Zhu Mo sneered and calmly replied,
“Yin Xiaohu, aim the artillery. Once the palisade collapses, fire immediately! The musketeers are to guard the artillery and must not leave their positions!”
“Yes, sir!”
As his words fell,
The enemy’s shouts grew louder and louder.
Finally,
With a bang!
The palisade collapsed at a point sixty to seventy meters from the gate.
Rushing!
Rushing!
Kill!
The enemy, brandishing various weapons, instantly flooded in with hundreds of people.
Zhu Mo lowered his right hand.
Bang bang bang bang!
Bang bang bang!
Ahhh!
Aooo!
The hundreds of people who had just charged in were struck down by solid shot amidst a cloud of dust, many of them mangled.
As the rear ranks froze at the sight, after the deafening roars, hollow explosive shells detonated within the ranks. Blood and flesh flew everywhere. Thirty to forty cannonballs landed in the dense crowd, and the consequences were predictable.
Cheers!
“Well done!”
“Iron Bodhisattva!”
“Iron Bodhisattva!”
The villagers suddenly shouted in unison.
After all, the enemy was disguised imperial soldiers. Although panicked, they did not completely collapse. The rear ranks retreated fifty to sixty meters, and those who had miraculously survived in the front scrambled back. Only then did they begin to regain their composure.
Lu Wen and Shi Fu were in the crowd, staring blankly at the white smoke still rising from the palisade opposite, as if in a dream.