frightfiction Chapter 194 The Only Way Out: Surrender
Chapter 194 The Only Way Out: Surrender
Ma Zheng stood outside the gate and saw through his binoculars that the soldiers on the city wall were not disciplined. He immediately opened the gate and ordered: "Go! Remember to be quick. Come back after you've finished shooting your arrows. Don't linger in battle."
"Yes, sir," the soldier replied.
Immediately, more than a hundred men filed out in an orderly fashion, quickly mounted their horses, and galloped off at great speed toward the city a hundred meters away.
The people on the city walls were still talking when a few of them were stunned at the sight of the galloping warhorses. They were just cooking, how come they're suddenly charging out in their gleaming armor? Was it some kind of magic trick?
The city was thrown into chaos. Most of the archers and artillerymen were former government troops who had been incorporated into the army. Their first reaction upon seeing the soldiers of the three battalions was not one of alarm, nor would they act without orders.
The refugees faced logs and boulders, but ordinary people are not criminals. When they were given food, they were even more unsure whether they should take action.
There were some bandits leading the city walls, but they had never rebelled before, and they didn't even dare to take responsibility for killing government troops. They wanted to ask for instructions from their superiors.
A hundred meters or so is not far for a fast horse. The guards on the city wall hesitated for a moment before they split into three groups and reached the three city gates, firing arrows into the city at the same time.
The defenders then realized the tension, but upon seeing the arrow, their tension turned into confusion, because the arrow had no tip and was instead covered with cloth, and a piece of white cloth was still attached to the tail of the arrow.
It was clear that they didn't intend to hurt anyone, so some of the bandits who were mentally prepared to fight remained silent.
"Shhhhhh!"
Arrows shot into the city from three directions; some fell at the feet of the defenders, while others entered the city and landed among the people.
Each cavalryman fired a dozen or so arrows and then turned his horse around and went back, all in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
"There are words on this cloth. Fourth Brother, you studied at a private school for two years. Can you tell me what the words are?"
The refugees on the city wall noticed that there were words on the white cloth attached to the fletching of each arrow, so they found someone who could read to look at them.
"Given the severity of the disaster and the inaction of local officials, the people's rebellion was out of necessity. By the grace of His Majesty, you are all pardoned."
"Great, there's more to come."
"Another reward is offered: whoever kills the bandit leader Li Dayong, whether a bandit or a commoner, will receive 100 acres of fertile land and 1,000 taels of silver." After reading this, Fourth Brother felt his mouth go dry and was quite tempted.
If one receives this reward, it will be far more lucrative than being a county magistrate. Even if one couldn't find a wife before, with this reward, one could easily find eight or ten wives.
He wasn't the only one tempted; everyone who heard this immediately thought about how they would spend the land and money they were given, and then they started thinking about the possibility of getting the money.
Li Dayong is extremely strong and skilled in combat, making him very difficult to kill.
But it's not like there's no way to find a solution.
Besides the soldiers on the city wall, the common people also saw it, and they were all excited because rebellion was not a crime. This way, they no longer had to worry about the men in their families.
As for the second one, it's not impossible to do it if there's an opportunity.
"Look, there are words on the cloth covering the front too!" People made another new discovery.
Before opening the arrows, they found letters from family members outside the city to the able-bodied young men trapped inside. These men had rebelled to seize the government's grain supplies and send them out, but they had all ended up trapped inside the city.
Nearly a hundred people are trapped in each village, and about a thousand people in more than a dozen villages. Each arrow has ten short letters written on it.
Some young men happened to see their own letters home and were immediately moved to tears; the tone of their parents, wives, and children couldn't be more affectionate.
These people had been worried ever since they were trapped in the city. They were somewhat relieved when they saw Shen Li come to provide disaster relief, but they still missed home all the time. Now that they had been pardoned, they were even more eager to go home.
If there is any hope of survival, who would risk the lives of their entire family to rebel?
For a moment, the refugees' desire to go home reached its peak, while the bandits began to wonder if they had a better chance of killing Li Dayong. If they could kill Li Dayong and open the city gates, it would surely be a great achievement.
Some officers and soldiers, having received a pardon, felt more at ease. These trained men began exchanging glances, though the chances were slim, they weren't entirely nonexistent.
Li Dayong had just returned to the government office to discuss things with his clerk when his trusted confidant rushed in, bringing arrows and a letter.
"I can't read." Li Dayong looked at the clerk and said, "You read it to me."
The clerk read it aloud word by word, which made Li Dayong's face turn pale at first. As he read on, he felt a chill run down his spine. With such a generous reward, it would be strange if the men below were not tempted.
In the past, he could have told the people that a pardon was just empty talk, but Shen Li was sending grain and medicine and not sending troops to attack, so how could the people not believe him?
This is bad. He can't fight back or escape, and his men no longer listen to him. His head could be chopped off at any moment.
"Master, what do you think we should do?" Li Dayong asked his master again.
The advisor remained calm and repeated his previous statement: "The only way for the chief to survive is to surrender the city."
He knew this would be the outcome three days ago. A scheme is a scheme that is out in the open, and anyone with a brain would know that the only option is to surrender.
"Bastard!"
Li Dayong cursed loudly, but not at the advisor; instead, he cursed Shen Li from afar: "Just who is this person?!"
He couldn't understand how the battle could be lost before it even started. His greatest strength was fighting, but he wasn't given the chance to demonstrate it.
Absolutely outrageous!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Shen Li was too hot to eat outside the city. At noon, she ate only two small bowls of vegetables and four steamed buns. Unable to stay in the wooden house, she built a sunshade shed outside.
This way, there's a breeze but not too much sun.
She sat in the shed reviewing the documents from various counties, which reported on the disaster situation. She approved the supply of grain and medicine according to the needs and instructed Chen Su to send people to transport them there.
"The lord just gave it away like that, aren't you worried about local officials embezzling it?" Chen Su asked with some concern.
"Commander Chen, you've thought things through thoroughly. This is the second task I'm entrusting to you. Tell the counties that I will arrive soon, and I will personally deliver the next batch of supplies." Shen Li looked at Chen Su with considerable appreciation.
Lin Wan'er really didn't betray her; the people she sent were good.
"You're going in person, sir?" Chen Su was even more puzzled: "The city hasn't fallen yet, and there are many people in Xuzhou. Aren't you going to stay here and oversee things?"
"There's no major problem here. We can take care of things in the city in the next couple of days," Shen Li said casually.
"Enter...enter the city?" Chen Su hadn't figured it out yet.
Forsythia and peony, facing the direction of Xuzhou City, stared in disbelief, speechless.
Ma Zheng stepped forward with the same expression.
Upon seeing this, Chen Su turned his head slightly and saw the open vermilion city gate. A group of people walked out of the city gate and headed straight towards their barracks.