Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 416 Let me go...

Zhao Gou was clearly pleased with Yang Zaixing's words.

Cao Cheng chimed in, "This time we fight for loyalty and righteousness. Every one of us brothers is ready to fight to the death, vowing to annihilate those traitors who have usurped the throne!"

And look at the scene, one after another, people are talking.

"Indeed, those who usurp the throne shall not die a good death!"

"Your Highness, rest assured, we are all filled with righteous indignation. Our army of hundreds of thousands has come for the sake of loyalty and righteousness. This is the will of the people. No matter how many troops Su Wu has, it is just that his name is not legitimate. Those people are only summoned by Su Wu for money and provisions. If they really fight to the death with our loyal army, they will be no match for us!"

"Your Highness, once we break through Guangzhou, the world will be shaken. With the situation greatly improved, there will be plenty of loyal and righteous people everywhere who will respond. Traitors have never met a good end. Take Wang Mang, for example. He seemed to have immense power, but it was all just a facade. How does Su Wu compare to Wang Mang? He probably can't. Your Highness can now do what Emperor Guangwu of Han did and rebuild the Song Dynasty!"

"Yes, that's right!"

"well said!"

Zhao Gou was initially delighted to hear this, but upon repeatedly hearing the name Su Wu, his heart sank inexplicably. He looked around and saw someone saying, "Your loyalty and righteousness today are as clear as the sun and moon, and I am truly moved. However... it is a principle of military strategy to be lenient in assessing the enemy. You should not underestimate Su Wu and his troops..."

However, Zhao Gou's words silenced the countless words that followed.

But Yang Zaixing said, "Your Highness, even if Su Wu himself comes, I will lead my troops to charge and kill him on the battlefield!"

Yang Zaixing's current confidence is also earned through battle. He has won one battle after another, always personally charging ahead. When he kills people, it's as easy as cutting melons and vegetables. Those "melons" and "vegetables" can only scramble to escape in front of him.

Zhao Gou was clearly a man with many thoughts and ideas. The more the atmosphere in the room intensified, the more uneasy he felt. Why?
Although he had never personally witnessed Su Wu's prowess on the battlefield, he had seen the power of the Jurchens. Even the Jurchens were routed by Su Wu, so Su Wu...

He felt he should remind him again, so he spoke again: "My loyal comrades, when you go into battle, you must be extra careful. Su Wu is truly different from others. Even the Jurchens are no match for him. He should not be underestimated."

Yang Zaixing was somewhat displeased. While he was expressing his own bravery, the prince was saying that the enemy was brave.

The impetuous young Yang Zaixing could only utter one sentence: "Your Highness, just watch as I conquer Guangzhou tomorrow!"

Zhao Gou, however, continued, "The soldiers in Guangzhou are from Jiangnan and Zhejiang. They were the same army that quelled Fang La's rebellion. The commander of those troops was Wang Xun, the son of Wang Bing, the military commander of Hedong. I've heard that he's extremely brave in battle... General Yang, you must be careful..."

Zhao Gou's few words suddenly made the atmosphere awkward.

The generals fell silent, and Yang Zaixing took his seat, saying only one thing: "Your Highness, you'll see tomorrow!"

Cao Cheng stepped in to smooth things over: "Your Highness is just concerned about the brothers. When we're on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. Your Highness doesn't want any of the brothers to have any accidents. Your Highness hopes that in the future, after the restoration of the kingdom, the brothers can all share in the wealth and glory!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zaixing's expression softened considerably...

It's clear that Cao Cheng has some ability to be the eldest brother...

Zhao Gou immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant..."

Yang Zaiqi rose and bowed: "Your Highness, rest assured, just watch this humble general kill the enemy tomorrow!"

Zhao Gou nodded in agreement. He trusted Yang Zaixing, having witnessed his prowess several times. Yang Zaixing was truly beyond human comprehension... well... at least beyond Zhao Gou's previous experience.

"Alright, that's all for today. Everyone, go and prepare for battle. Tomorrow, we'll launch a surprise attack, capture Guangzhou, and the great cause will be accomplished!" Cao Cheng was very clever and immediately ended the day's meeting.

The generals rose, bowed, and left.

Inside the central command tent, Cao Cheng and Zhao Gou were seated. Zhao Gou's face was full of worry as he spoke, "General Cao, it's not that I want to say such inappropriate things, but it's really that Su Wu... alas..."

Cao Cheng nodded repeatedly: "I know that I cannot underestimate Su Wu, Your Highness, please rest assured..."

"It's good that you understand what I'm thinking..." Zhao Gou felt a little relieved, but he was still filled with worries...

It was this very worry that led Zhao Gou to leave Hanyang in the past. Zhao Gou was actually very clever. While his father was enjoying the cool air on the mountaintop in Hanyang, he was running around looking at everything and even meeting many people, including Wang Yuan...

They went everywhere outside the city to ask the Jinghu army what they thought of the battle...

They went everywhere in the city, asking the Western Army soldiers what their opinion was on the battle...

Then compare that to her father's attitude towards that war...

At that time, Zhao Gou sensed that something terrible was about to happen!
In fact, at that time, many things were obvious, and many people were even aware of them.

But those who knew about it did not tell Zhao Ji.

Even Zhong Shidao wouldn't speak... so who else could be expected to? Of course, it wasn't that Zhong Shidao was unwilling to speak, but the Emperor had already made his own way, and saying anything more would inevitably be seen as colluding with the rebels...

Zhao Gou didn't actually put in much effort; he just casually looked around and strolled around, yet he noticed something amiss. How could he not secretly prepare a backup plan in advance?
He hadn't planned to escape; he simply crossed the river ahead of time, without going far, intending to wait on the other side of the Yangtze. He hoped for a good outcome, but unexpectedly…

This preparation led him to the Lingnan region...

If we're talking about the real big shots of the Jianghu in this era, then Song Jiang was in the north, Fang La was in the middle, and Cao Cheng was in the far south.

These three major events were destined to happen in this era!
Unexpectedly, Zhao Gou encountered one of these events, which was also a twist of fate.

The next morning, more than 100,000 troops began preparing to attack the city. They marched in groups and squads, which was not bad, as they at least had a basic formation.

These groups and gangs were bandits who had come down from one mountain peak after another. There were many more mountains in the south than in the north...

Upon closer inspection, one can find many followers of ethnic minorities, demonstrating Cao Cheng's reputation and ability to recruit ethnic minorities from the mountains to "jointly create a great cause."

It is evident that Cao Cheng had extensive connections in the past and must have controlled many trade routes and businesses, making him quite powerful.

It is also said that many of the ethnic minorities in the south during this era were indeed in conflict with the central dynasties.

It is also said that during the Song Dynasty, forty-four prefectures were under tributary control in the south, extending from parts of Hunan and Hubei to parts of Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Guangxi...

Ethnic minorities were scattered throughout the south during that era, and rebellions were common in these tributary states.

The battle was about to begin. On the general's platform sat Cao Cheng, but Zhao Gou did not appear before the crowd. However, he was also watching the battlefield intently...

In reality, Zhao Gou was still hiding his true intentions; he believed he was hiding them...

But how could such an organization remain secret? Cao Chengxu even intended to use him for publicity…

Therefore, people in Guangzhou had already heard that the army outside the city was the army of Prince Zhao Gou.

Therefore, Wang Xun, standing atop the city wall, felt a mix of emotions. He kept looking around, observing the various flags outside the city...

After searching for a while, he couldn't find the character "Zhao" or the character "Song," which made Wang Xun feel relieved.

He wondered if the Ninth Prince was really away. If he was, why was there not a single banner in sight?
Now that we have already started this uprising, there is no turning back. Why should we begrudge our lives when we are doing something great?

What if the Ninth Prince is not outside the city?

Then why is it that rumors are spreading throughout the city that it is the army of the Nine Princes? It is difficult for such things to come out of nowhere. The escape of the Nine Princes was a secret of the court, and very few people knew about it.

Most importantly, Lingnan is a place far from the emperor's reach, so even if there is any news, it won't reach here for a while. How could Cao Cheng possibly use the name of the Ninth Prince directly?

Moreover, such a thing is too easy to be exposed. A prince is not someone that an ordinary person can easily impersonate.

Does that prove that the Ninth Prince is indeed outside the city?

Then why are there no flags being raised outside the city?

As he pondered, Wang Xun himself was somewhat bewildered. Shouldn't the priority be to raise the banner, spread the fame, and recruit loyal and righteous people from all over the world?
Wang Xun searched around for the flag, but still couldn't find it...

The cowhide drums outside the city were already beating. Well, there was no time to think about it anymore. Wang Xun looked around and did one last check on the city defenses he had personally arranged...

They are all on high alert.

Then let's fight...

"Beat the drums!" Wang Xun gave the order. He was a veteran of countless battles, having once fought against Fang La in Jiangnan. His Yiwu soldiers had led countless battles, scaling city walls one by one, with father and son fighting side by side.

He later served by Su Wu's side for a long time, and the battles they fought were extremely fierce. The bandits outside the city today are actually far inferior to Fang La of the past...

Why?

Looking outside the city, there was a sea of ​​people, a dark gray expanse stretching as far as the eye could see, with countless makeshift ladders being carried in front of them.

Those countless black and gray hues, devoid of any metallic luster, are what we call "no armor."

In the past, Fang La occupied the wealthy lands of Jiangnan and Zhejiang, where there were plenty of armorers, weapons, and blacksmiths, so he could quickly procure a considerable amount of armor.

But this place is different. Although Guangzhou and its surrounding areas are wealthy, the land outside of Guangzhou is actually very barren, so how many armors could be produced here?

This is why Guangzhou is so important right now.

Once the bandits break through Guangzhou, things will be very different.

The bandits really did charge up, but they were only a hundred or two hundred paces away.

Wang Xun remained calm and composed, standing firmly on the city tower, seemingly in no hurry whatsoever.

On the city wall, the officer shouted the order: "Fire arrows! Fire arrows!" Arrows rained down, filling the sky with black dots, as if blotting out the sun.

The previous arrow was still flying through the air when the next one was already out...

The numerous bandits, faced with such a hail of arrows, looked up and, instead of instinctively trying to take cover, were somewhat stunned. The sky was filled with countless arrows—a truly extraordinary sight, one they had never seen before…

As the arrows drew closer, the black dots gradually grew larger, and the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound of them piercing the air finally reached our ears, followed by the splattering of blood...

The rushing footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and many people remained stunned. Countless black dots had already appeared in the sky again.

At this point, many of the bandits realized they needed to hide.

In fact, many people also hold up simple shields, simply squat down, and let the shield quickly cover their entire body.

However, the shield was too simple to make, or perhaps the crossbows they had encountered before were too weak. An arrow fired from a powerful crossbow was able to penetrate the shield and even pierce a small hole in the head of the person under the shield, causing blood to flow freely...

This was something that had never happened before. This was the first time Cao Cheng's troops had encountered a regular, elite army that was ready to fight to the death.

This was also the first time Yang Zaixing had encountered this. Yang Zaixing was wearing armor, but the arrow still made his whole body numb. He didn't know what kind of crossbow it was, but it could still penetrate armor from such a distance. Although the arrow was powerless after penetrating the armor, how could it not break the skin and flesh?
The arrows seemed to rain down, wave after wave. Yang Zaixing had already been wielding his spear in front of him, constantly knocking down the incoming arrows, but he was still stung from time to time.

Wang Xun's army was exceptionally well-equipped, after all, they had fought alongside Su Wu, who always treated his soldiers well. This army from Jiangnan and Zhejiang had never mistreated them.

It's fortunate we arrived in time; otherwise, if we had brought the eight-ox crossbow and the bed crossbow, the effect would have been even more astonishing...

Yang Zaixing was annoyed by the arrows and became even angrier. He kept walking forward, knowing that as long as he started climbing the city wall, the number of arrows on the wall would naturally decrease.

Then we have to get the ladder up quickly. Yang Zaixing's face was contorted with rage as he shouted, "Brothers, follow me and charge up!"

Yang Zaixing kept running forward, but when he glanced around, he realized that only a few people were following him...

Yang Zaixing stopped in his tracks and quickly turned around to shout, "Come on, follow me, quick!"

But the man behind her wasn't moving forward; he was actually backing away...

Someone even carried a wooden shield and said, "General Yang, let's retreat two hundred paces away. That way, they won't be able to shoot us. How many arrows can they shoot at this rate? How many rounds can they fire? If we advance and retreat, we'll lure them into shooting. In no time, they'll run out of arrows!"

I have to say, this person is incredibly clever!
Yang Zaixing was speechless for a moment. What kind of brilliant mind could come up with such a clever plan?
How can you manage a population of tens of thousands, constantly shifting between advance and retreat? How can you give orders?
In warfare, the key is to strike with full force, then weaken with each attack, and finally exhaust yourself. Is this how you fight in the street, sneaking in, attacking, and then hiding?
Or are the generals on the city walls all fools? They'll only fire arrows if a large number of troops outside the city come within range?

Or is it that human legs can run faster than arrows?

Yang Zaixing angrily shouted, "Go! Follow me! You're right about one thing: they can't keep shooting like this for long. Charge with me!"

As he spoke, Yang Zaixing took a few steps back to pull the man away.

The man, shielding himself with a wooden shield, leaned back, repeatedly saying, "General Yang, it's not that I'm unwilling, but look at the brothers, none of them are willing... Why are you dragging me along! Once those traitors on the city wall have finished firing their arrows, the brothers will charge up..."

Yang Zaixing was really going to try his best to pull, but when he looked around, he saw that the line stretched out to an unknown distance, and there was no one really rushing forward anymore.
There were cries of agony everywhere, and even the injured crawling were crawling backwards...

This……

This was the first time Yang Zaixing had encountered such a situation. What was he supposed to do?
But then they heard the drums beating more and more urgently around the platform behind them, clearly urging the army to advance and climb the city wall!
Needless to say, Cao Cheng panicked and fired several volleys of arrows, bringing the army to a halt—a completely unexpected turn of events.

Sure enough, as soon as the troops outside the city retreated slightly, the arrows from the city walls stopped.

Of the entire army, only Yang Zaixing was at the forefront, yet he still said, "General Yang, let's retreat. What use is it for you to charge forward alone?"

Enraged, Yang Zaixing slammed his spear into the ground, drew his sword (called the She sword) from his waist, stepped forward, and roared, "If you don't advance in battle, I'll cut off your head!"

The man immediately threw down his shield, knelt down, and kowtowed: "General, look at the whole army, how many people are this close to you? Look... if I, who am this close to you, am still to be killed, then what about those behind me? Who will dare to follow the general in the future?"

Yang Zaixing was stunned for a moment. Holding the She knife, Yang Zaixing couldn't swing it down no matter how hard he tried.

He was such a hero, yet here he is, unable to advance or retreat, unable even to bring himself to kill!
On the distant platform, Commander Cao Cheng's drumbeats continued to quicken.

The vast, surging crowd simply stopped about two hundred paces outside the city walls...

On the city wall, Wang Xun muttered, "Truly unlike Fang La..."

Yang Zaixing, who was in the distance, could only turn back, and he was already thinking of a plan...

Back on the command platform, Cao Cheng was furious, cursing, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash! Haven't you ever seen arrows before? How can you be so intimidated by them?"

Yang Zaixing replied helplessly, "We brothers have never seen such bows and crossbows, with such a dense barrage of arrows before. Commander, it's alright. Since the rebels rely on the advantage of arrows, let's make more wooden shields. There are plenty of mountains and forests around. We can make a wooden shield in a day or two and then charge into battle!"

Yang Zaixing was clearly a capable general.

What could Cao Cheng say? He could only nod helplessly, "Then let's build it..."

"Yes, sir!" Yang Zaixing bowed and went off to get busy, he was more anxious than anyone else.

But Cao Cheng turned his head to look and saw the Ninth Prince standing there on the right side behind the platform. What should he say?
Zhao Gou, his face full of worry, was also looking at Cao Cheng. The two nodded to each other and then went back to the central army.

Inside the central command tent, Zhao Gou grew increasingly worried: "Indeed, indeed, Su Wu had no weak soldiers under his command..."

"Your Highness, do not worry. Once the soldiers have all put up their wooden shields, these arrows will be no problem..." Cao Cheng said this to the king, how could he lose his trust?

“Alas…” Zhao Gou shook his head and sighed, “You don’t know, you don’t understand… You don’t understand Su Wu’s abilities… You always ask me why we don’t raise the banner, and the reason is right here. Su Wu’s army swept across the world, from the Tanguts to the Jurchens, and its fame was illustrious!”

"Why does Your Highness boost the morale of others like this? No matter how capable Su Wu was, he only relied on the name of the court in the past. Now that he has usurped the throne, how can he still have the support of the people?"

Cao Cheng spoke hastily.

Not long ago, and even yesterday, Cao Cheng was full of expectations for the future. He was originally an ordinary citizen, but suddenly he rose to the top and became the most powerful person in the world.

The prince before me, who spoke so eloquently about becoming Emperor Guangwu of Han, how did things turn out like this today? He sighed deeply, looking back and forth…

"Well, how should I put it... You really don't know. Since there's no one around, I might as well say a few more words... The Tanguts fought against our Great Song for decades, and our Great Song suffered repeated defeats. They won the war in one battle. The Jurchens swept away a million armored Khitans..."

Before Zhao Gou could finish speaking, Cao Cheng interjected: "Your Highness, I know all about these things, I have already heard about them... This time, as long as we break through the city of Guangzhou, not to mention money and grain, we will have everything we need, including armor and ironware. Once I have countless armored soldiers and train my men, how can we not have an invincible elite army?"

"Yes, yes, you're right... Well-trained and armored, they'll be a strong army... Sigh... Fortunately, Su Wu isn't here right now, there's still time, there's still time..."

Zhao Gou nodded. He had been waiting for this moment, so that he could have the ability to compete with Su Wu.

"That's it, Your Highness, don't worry. Just wait until I break through the city, procure weapons, and train the troops! Su Wu is a piece of cake!" Cao Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Gou also nodded solemnly several times, saying, "That's how it should be!"

Just then, a man entered and reported, "Your Highness, Commander, news has come from the north that the traitor Su Wu has personally led his troops south!"

"What?" Zhao Gou suddenly sprang to his feet, his face filled with shock.

"It's that traitor Su Wu, who's personally leading his troops here!" the reporter repeated.

"When did this happen?" Zhao Gou's originally rosy complexion turned pale.

"Just received a message..."

"I'm asking, when did Su Wu set off for the south?" Zhao Gou asked hurriedly.

"I don't know, it's been quite some time now... The news has already come..."

Zhao Gou suddenly turned around, took a few steps to the left, a few steps to the right, looked up at the door, and quickly went out.

Cao Cheng looked puzzled, and seeing that Zhao Gou was really about to leave, he quickly got up to chase after him, stopping Zhao Gou at the entrance of the tent: "Your Highness, why is this?"

"I have to go, I have to leave now, I can't stay here any longer..." Zhao Gou said, shaking off Cao Cheng's arm as he turned around.

"Your Highness, why...why...we are already besieged at the gates of Guangzhou, and the great undertaking is about to be accomplished, why are you so flustered?"

Cao Cheng was also getting anxious. What kind of situation was this?

He truly couldn't understand why, upon hearing just one name, Su Wu, this prince would panic and try to run away without thinking...

How could Cao Cheng know that the reason why this Ninth Prince was able to ascend to the throne and hold onto it in history was precisely because of his ability to escape!
If Zhao Gou had lacked even a little of this ability, he wouldn't be the Zhao Gou he is today.

But then Zhao Gou said, "Let me go! I have to leave, I really have to leave. I don't know why, but logically speaking, even if something happens around Lingnan, it shouldn't warrant the emperor personally leading an expedition. This...this...does he know I'm here? This is bad, this is bad..."

"Huh?" Cao Cheng was even more puzzled.

"Let me go..." Zhao Gou tried to shake him off, but couldn't. He said impatiently, "What are you doing? You can break through the city here, but I won't go far. I'll go north... west, I'll go a hundred or two miles away and wait for your good news of breaking through the city..."

Cao Cheng was utterly helpless, his mind went blank. Zhao Jiuwang in front of him was jumping and shaking, speaking hurriedly, just like a monkey...

Where is he now, the man who once aspired to be Emperor Guangwu?
"Let go..." Zhao Gou shouted anxiously.

Cao Cheng let go, without any lingering thoughts. He instinctively released his grip; what else could he do? He couldn't exactly tie him up...

Just look at Ninth Prince, he took off running...

(End of this chapter)