Chapter 596: I Refuse to Accept |
Publish Time: 2026-06-24 23:26:45
A+A-Light Off<!--
«Chapter 595: Bludgeoning Open the City Gates
None »
In Hedong City, at the south gate winch, a great battle broke out immediately.
Hundreds of soldiers from the garrison rushed out from the barracks, grabbed their weapons, and charged toward the city gates. Some didn’t even have time to don cotton armor, wearing only a cloth robe; others were even shirtless.
Meanwhile, the two hundred men led by Captain Chen huddled together and formed a defensive stance to hold the winch. The space there was not spacious; it was only a small platform above the side of the city gate, which actually couldn’t hold many people. So most of Captain Chen’s subordinates were guarding the stairs and corridor leading to this small platform.
Such a relatively narrow place was just right for a small number of people.
The soldiers of the border army in Guyuan set up a spear formation on the stairs; dozens of spears were pointed at the steps, and those below couldn’t charge upward at all.
An archer climbed up the nearby city tower, intending to shoot arrows at the border army on the stairs, but saw Captain Chen raise his right hand; with a buzzing sound from a hand crossbow, the archer on the tower fell backward.
“Quickly kill them!” the salt tax office shouted at the top of his lungs: “They are holding the winch to stop us from closing the gate; there will be more people coming from outside.”
He was not mistaken! Earlier in the distant night sky, the tens of thousands of torches deliberately lit were from the other more than four hundred soldiers of the border army in Guyuan under Captain Chen’s command; now they were charging toward Hedong City at full speed.
As long as Captain Chen could hold the winch and prevent the people in the city from closing the gate, those more than four hundred could easily fight their way into the city.
And the officials stationed in Hedong Road totaled one thousand men. Of course, everyone knew they claimed to be one thousand, but actually there were only six hundred; the salt tax office was eating ghost payroll for four hundred.
Usually, a military officer who ate ghost payroll for four hundred men would raise two hundred hired guards, using the strong combat power of the hired guards to cover for the missing strength.
But the salt tax office didn’t raise so many hired guards. Hedong Road usually just managed salt transport, arrested salt bandits, and never fought tough battles. Why would the salt tax office, with nothing better to do, raise so many hired guards? He wasn’t willing to spend that money.
The truly capable elite soldiers around him were fewer than fifty.
But the more than six hundred under Captain Chen’s command were all fierce fighters.
The timid and low-morale garrison soldiers were fine with taking bribes from salt bandits at usual times; bullying salt craftsmen was no problem either. But now, facing the border army, they had no fighting power at all; that small stairway was impossible to capture by storm.
Archers should have ascended the city towers on both sides, but several archers were shot down as soon as they appeared; the other archers were afraid to die and dared not go up.
At once, a tug-of-war battle erupted at the winch position.
Outside the city, the clamor of killing shook the heavens; the other more than four hundred were rushing toward the city at high speed. The salt tax office glanced outside, saw masses of torches approaching, and was terrified half to death.
He bellowed loudly: “Where are Tian Shenglan and Zhai Tang? Their guards are formidable warriors; quickly call them for help!”
Actually, without him shouting, the two Shanxi merchants had already been awakened by the killing cries.
The two emerged with their guard units from the salt tax office’s official residence and dashed immediately toward the direction of the city gates.
Still far off, by the lights on the city walls, they clearly saw a group wearing Ming Dynasty official uniforms defending the winch, while the salt tax office’s troops were besieging that group, trying to recover the winch.
The battle wasn’t very fierce because the salt tax office’s men didn’t dare to charge at all.
Zhai Tang sneered: “Brother Tian, this situation—do we get involved or not?”
The other Shanxi merchant was Tian Shenglan, who shook her head with a smile: “Of course not! Look at that team guarding the winch—their disciplined coordination and fierce combat make their strength plain. If I guess right, they must be border troops who defected to the bandits. They’re holding the gate, and soon tens of thousands from the bandit army will storm the city. This little Hedong City is already doomed.”
Zhai Tang said: “Brother Tian speaks wisely. Let’s retreat fast! If we delay, we might be trapped by the bandit army in this small trash heap.”
The two Shanxi merchants immediately led their guards rushing toward the north gate of Hedong City.
By then, the north gate was already shut; normally, the guarding troops wouldn’t open it, but the merchants flung silver at them. The guarding troops turned the winch and opened the gate; the two merchants quickly rode away.
The salt tax office waited bitterly for the Shanxi merchants to bring their guards as reinforcements, but a subordinate reported: “Sir, it’s bad—the two Shanxi merchants took their people and fled.”
The salt tax office said: “Damn it! Those damned dogs.”
The salt tax office wanted to run too, but he couldn’t. If he fought desperately against the bandits, he might have a sliver of hope; if he ran, the court would hunt him down and chop off his head, leaving no hope.
He yelled at his subordinates again: “Who’s the nearest official troop that can rescue us?”
A subordinate said: “Puzhou City, the Puzhou Defender, Xing Honglang.”
The salt tax office said: “Damn it, she’s a salt bandit. But whatever—anyone who can save me is good! Hurry and summon her to reinforce Hedong City!” The subordinate thought to himself: Puzhou City is over seventy li round-trip. By the time I fetch Xing Honglang, the chance will be long gone. But fine—it’s a chance to escape myself, better than dying with the salt tax office.
The subordinate cheerfully mounted a horse, galloped out through the west gate, and fled.
The fighting at the city gates continued…
Captain Chen’s two hundred men resolutely held the winch; the salt tax office’s forces couldn’t breach it no matter how they attacked. Then the other more than four hundred arrived; amidst ferocious roars, over four hundred brave soldiers of the border army charged through the wide-open gate.
The salt tax office had stationed a hundred men at the city gates to resist, but it was useless—weak-willed garrison soldiers couldn’t hold back fearless border troops.
In one charge!
After a single assault, the subsequent more than four hundred flooded into the city.
“Kill!”
“Kill the corrupt officials, seize the salt!”
“Return our hard-earned military pay!”
“We’ll take the salt here to cover the soldier wages the court owes us!”
The border army in Guyuan rebelled years ago because the court withheld their pay; now shouting these slogans felt raw and genuine—no acting needed, since they lived it.
As the cries rang out, old hatred surged.
Captain Chen pointed his command sword at the salt tax office and roared: “Brothers, think how harsh we’ve lived these years—all caused by corrupt bastards! We froze on the frontier, yet this salt tax office loafed with luxury in the heartland. Damn it, I refuse to accept it.”
The border troops boomed back: “Unacceptable!”
“Hack him down!”
“Hack him down!”
“Chop him to mincemeat with chaotic blades!”
Over six hundred border troops gathered, battle-ready, and surged to kill the salt tax office.
«Chapter 595: Bludgeoning Open the City Gates
Index
None »