Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 417 King Kang is outside the city.
Prince Zhao Gou, having packed his bags, led a group of people and departed, saying they were heading west...

Cao Cheng stood at the entrance of the main tent, sighing deeply for a long time. He really couldn't understand why this was happening...

Of course, it wasn't that he didn't understand at all; clearly, he was afraid, apprehensive, and terrified...

But we've already started the uprising, so is it too late now?
Su Wu...

Is it really that frightening?
Cao Cheng also turned his head and looked north; clearly, Su Wu was still far from reaching Guangzhou...

Cao Cheng felt inexplicably anxious and went to check on the city of Guangzhou again. If this city could not be captured soon, it would truly be the end of the world when Xu Suwu arrived...

Cao Cheng also found something strange. Logically speaking, the soldiers and civilians in the city should have been in a state of panic long ago...

Even those in official positions must be losing sleep day and night. These methods of creating momentum are secondary; there's actually a backup plan...

Those soldiers in the city also had Cao Cheng's inside agents, so they should have some news by now, but nothing has come out, not even a text message tied to an arrow...

It's not easy to shoot during the day, but it's fine to shoot at night. This is a huge city like Guangzhou, with long city walls, it's impossible for everyone to be watched so closely...

So... there's only one reason: it's difficult to start an uprising within the city; the conditions aren't right yet.

Cao Cheng frowned even more. He had used this method to conquer Hezhou and Daozhou: support from within the city, attack from outside…

Even without any attack, the city's soldiers and civilians would mobilize and the city walls would be breached.

But things aren't quite working out here in Guangzhou...

Clearly, historically, Guangzhou was destined to fall, which is why Cao Cheng was able to gain power and allow Yue Fei to personally lead troops to attack.

But things are clearly different now, beyond Cao Cheng's expectations.

Wang Xun from Jiangnan only had about 20,000 troops. Was he really that powerful? Could he control the city so tightly?

To be honest, Wang Xun was able to control the city so tightly that it was airtight. He knew the bandits' methods all too well. He didn't put many people on the city walls, only six or seven thousand, and they worked in several shifts. The bandits would have to prepare for an attack, and they could quickly mobilize troops.

On the contrary, within the city, there were patrols during the day and a curfew at night. During the day, they could arrest people without hesitation, and at night, they could shoot people without hesitation.

Anyone in the city who looks fierce or doesn't have a submissive demeanor dares not go out and wander around.

Whether it's a thug on the street or a hero of the martial arts world, they all have to lie down and wait. As for whether it will affect the lives of ordinary people or whether there will be any wronged people, these are not important to Wang Xun at this moment.

War is never a joke, and it allows no room for the slightest negligence.

It won't be long before the emperor arrives, and everything will be resolved on its own.

The city's army, which numbered several thousand, was also confined to military camps and could not move without orders.

At first, some people tried to incite the soldiers to cause trouble, but they all quieted down after Wang Xun's baton struck them.

These soldiers from Zhejiang and Jiangsu were truly fierce and menacing; they were unlike anything these Guangzhou people had ever seen before.
The bravery and ferocity of the past would be utterly useless against a fierce soldier clad in full armor, wielding a variety of weapons that clanged and clattered.

Two days later, the war broke out again, and early in the morning, the army outside the city was once again in formation.

Looking around, the color of the black and gray area had changed; black rings with yellow tinges indicated the presence of countless wooden shields.

Wang Xun remained firmly inside the city wall, wanting to see if the bandits would continue to climb over the wall. After all, there were quite a few brave men under Fang La's command in the past, and Wang Xun had personally witnessed Fang La's attack on Wuzhou.

Where in Wuzhou at that time could you find such a strong army?

The drums sounded, the enemy troops charged, coming in a vast, endless stream. From the city walls, they waited until they were within range before unleashing a rain of arrows...

This time, things are different from two days ago. The arrows are much less powerful, and all kinds of wooden shields are truly effective.

Many bandits came with shields and actually set up long ladders on the city wall. Some brave bandits actually climbed up the ladders. If they didn't climb up the ladders, the ladders would be easily overturned. Once more and more people put the ladders on, the ladders would become extremely heavy, and it would be difficult to overturn them.

The arrows on the city wall have decreased, but logs and rolling stones are raining down. Wang Xun has been preparing for several days, so how could he not have enough of these things?
When the large rock crashed down, even the thief with the shield couldn't withstand more than two or three blows before he fell to the ground.

Once you fall, another stone comes, and you fall again...

Countless cries of agony filled the air, and oil was poured down as well. The boiling oil produced a meaty aroma, and torches were lit, igniting a raging fire. Before the fire subsided and died down, large areas became impassable.

The long ladder collapsed as soon as it was said, falling into the fire.

Everything was orderly and well coordinated. So-called elite troops may not necessarily be all about fighting bravely. Isn't the orderly coordination at this moment a display of an elite army?

Arrows were also being shot from below the city walls towards the crenellations. As soon as the soldiers on the city walls raised large stones high, they would immediately shoot at them.

The arrows rang out, but the soldiers on the city wall, though hit by arrows, were completely unaware, and kept bending down to throw more large stones at them.

Yang Zaixing kept shouting and driving them away from below the city, frowning as he watched. Was attacking a city really that difficult?
in the past……

Well then, Yang Zaixing gritted his teeth. He knew that if he didn't do something to inspire the men around him, they would probably start to hesitate again, so he would have to take matters into his own hands.

A long ladder was nearby. He stood there, shield in hand, and shouted back, "Brothers, follow me!"

Then, biting the strip of cloth tied to the ring at the end of the thick-backed sword, he held the heavy sword in his mouth, kicked off with one foot, grabbed with the other, hoisted the large shield on his head, and climbed the long ladder...

The stone slammed into the large shield, making Yang Zaixing's whole body tremble, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to climb. Behind him, there were quite a few armored men, at least... twenty or thirty.

Just follow him and climb up...

Within the city walls...

Several groups of people were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. One group was in a mansion in the city. This mansion was originally a gambling den, and today it was full of martial arts heroes, but there weren't many people, only seventy or eighty...

Logically, there should have been two or three hundred people gathered, but they just couldn't get together, which was due to Wang Xun's effective control.

The group was discussing the matter.

Someone asked, "Brother, what should we do?"

Some people were saying, "Brother, with so few men, I'm afraid we won't be able to capture the city gate..."

The eldest brother, also frowning, said, "How could there only be so many of us? There are plenty of people in the city. As long as we head towards the city gate, we'll encounter many more. There will be more than ten thousand people!"

Is what you said true, brother?

The elder brother said, "It is true. Brothers, just be brave and rush to the city gate to join the many loyal and righteous people. This time, it is the Kang King who raised an army. The Kang King is outside the city. As long as we make great contributions, who among us won't be a high-ranking official and richly rewarded in the future?"

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"go!"

The eldest brother had already stood up, raised his broadsword, and was the first to leave. Judging from his demeanor, he was no ordinary person. He must be a well-known figure in the martial arts world of Guangdong and Guangxi, someone who had both manpower and money!

His martial arts skills are probably quite high; normally, seven, eight, or even a dozen people wouldn't be able to get close to him.

Therefore, their courage is extraordinary.

Following behind were seventy or eighty people, armed with all sorts of weapons, including swords, spears, clubs, axes, hooks, and forks.

Some were bare-chested, some had ferocious faces, some had broad shoulders and were overweight, and some had disheveled hair...

Some people are covered in beautiful embroidery, with dragons on their shoulders and tigers in front and behind them!
If this group of people were to travel the martial arts world, they would be respected by all the great figures in the land.
The heroes simply went out and headed towards the western city wall. This was something that had been agreed upon many days in advance. As soon as the army outside the city began to climb the city wall, they would immediately coordinate an attack from within and without.

There were very few pedestrians on the streets. Firstly, because of the war, ordinary people were too afraid to go out. Secondly, the streets were under strict control, and people were afraid of being patrolled by soldiers if they went out.

Why would this group of men be afraid of anything?
Just follow the road, and you'll soon encounter the patrolling soldiers.

The group of soldiers consisted of only a dozen or so men. When they saw such a large group suddenly gather on the street, how could they not immediately come forward to stop them?
Generally speaking, if you encounter a suspicious person on the street, you should first go up and question them. But today's group obviously doesn't need questioning. The soldier in front reacted quickly: "These are bandits! Quick, form ranks on both sides!"

A dozen or so soldiers immediately lined up in three rows on either side of the street. There were seven spearmen in front, six spearmen behind, and five crossbowmen behind them. In total, there were eighteen men, all wearing armor.

The bandits, who were actually only sixty or seventy paces away, had already taken off charging, and their leader was shouting, "Charge up and surround them!"

This tactic is correct. At this time, there are many people, and although their armor is difficult to break, it is also bulky. Just surround them and use all kinds of weapons.

Soldiers at the front were shouting, "Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"

With a few "whoosh" sounds, the arrows came flying. The arrows fired from the crossbows were incredibly fast. The sound was already ringing out in front of them, and among the bandits, it was already whirring.

That's the sound of an arrow piercing flesh.

The person hit by the arrow didn't feel pain at first, only a numbness in their chest. Instead of crying out, they instinctively exclaimed, "Ouch! Ouch! I've been hit by an arrow!"

Looking down, the fletching of the arrow was still fluttering at the chest, and the person behind could see the sharp, blood-red arrowhead, which had already shot out long behind the person in front.

Only after the person who was hit by the arrow finished speaking did he feel his whole body go limp, and then he collapsed to the ground, letting out a wail.

But it could only utter two cries before it could no longer howl; all that remained was its face contorted in pain, its mouth and nose flaring, its chest heaving like a bellows…

Was it just that one person was shot down?
Looking around, they saw five men lying on the ground, all wounded in the chest and abdomen by arrows. The crossbows were truly accurate; at fifty or sixty paces, they hit the bullseye every time, far surpassing the accuracy of bows. The seventy or eighty bandits also stopped in their tracks, all looking at the wounded men.

The eldest brother, being the eldest brother, immediately shouted, "Don't stop, charge forward and we'll win!"

The crossbow is being drawn again, the arrow is being nocked, but the firing speed is not as fast as a bow. There are more steps involved: you have to step on it, lean back, and use your hands to pull the string. After that, you have to nock the arrow again.

However, it was all done in one go. He raised the crossbow and fired again, and the bandits were already thirty or forty paces away.

The arrows were fired again, and five more people fell to the ground.

It is said that these heroes of the martial world are truly brave and fierce. This time, they didn't just take one step at a time; they charged forward faster and faster.

Just as my elder brother said, if we charge in, we'll win.

Just as they were about to draw their bows and nock their arrows, the bandits were already upon them. The bandit leader spotted a soldier, leaped up nearly ten feet ahead, and took the lead!
This man was clearly a veteran of many battles. He held his broadsword high, indicating that when the broadsword fell, a soldier would fall to the ground.

In the battles of the martial world, the first move is always the most effective. Just kill one person first, and you can intimidate countless others!

Little did they know that the seven soldiers in the front row suddenly stood up and shouted, thrusting their spears forward while also taking steps forward.

The distance that was originally a couple of zhang (approximately 3.3-4 meters) suddenly dwindled to just over a zhang. The man who had jumped up now regretted his actions too late. He hadn't expected these soldiers to be so brave, advancing instead of retreating in the face of an enemy several times their size. He also hadn't expected seven spears to thrust at him all at once...

If it were just one or two spears, it would be fine; you could dodge left or right, or raise your hand or foot to deflect them. But with seven spearheads in front of you, which one should you strike with your hands or feet?

This standard military rifle is indeed long, a full ten feet long!

In the blink of an eye, the soldiers didn't have so many thoughts in their minds. What battle hasn't been fought this way? There was absolutely no reason to retreat. They'd seen million-strong bandits before!

With just a thrust forward, the man in mid-air stopped halfway and landed on the ground. To the soldiers, this was a perfectly normal scene on the battlefield. They simply drew their guns and thrust them towards their chests.

Who would have thought that the person in front of him was some extraordinary martial arts master, someone with unparalleled skill?
They had no idea how resentful this highly skilled martial arts master must be at this moment. The soldiers just kept moving forward!
The charging bandits had no time to be surprised, nor could they stop their rapid advance. They had only one thought in mind: to quickly deflect the thrusting spear...

If you can push it aside, push it aside; if you can't push it aside or avoid it, then you'll just have another hole in your body.

The spear in front of me wasn't just thrusting one at a time; it was thrusting countless times in an instant. I could deflect one, dodge one, but there would be a second...

Finally, the soldiers brought out the crossbows again. At such close range, they fired several shots...

In just one close-quarters battle, another ten or so bandits had already fallen to the ground, reducing the number of men from seventy or eighty to fifty or sixty.

Someone shouted, "Surround them and beat them! Avenge our leader!"

This group of men were no ordinary people; they seemed to have seen bloodshed and death.

The bandits behind them then circled around to surround the enemy, while the bandits in front finally stopped. Facing the spears, they took a slight step back, probably thinking that only when they had surrounded the enemy from both sides could they rush in and overwhelm these soldiers.

Someone else shouted, "Kill the ones with crossbows first..."

Did they think that those with crossbows were easy to kill? The five soldiers with crossbows had already hung their crossbows on their belts, and with small maces drawn from the sides of their belts, one in each hand, they not only did not dodge, but also went towards the bandits.

Soldiers who use crossbows are always handpicked from the army; they are all incredibly strong. Without that strength, how can you draw the crossbow string by foot or hand?

One mace after another was thrown, smashing into the face of an unlucky fellow until his brains splattered and his eyes went black...

Despite the clanging and clattering of weapons, causing the soldiers excruciating pain, they neither dodged nor evaded, continuing to swing their maces relentlessly...

Smashing the hand breaks the hand, smashing the leg breaks the leg, smashing the shoulder shortens the person, and smashing the head knocks the person down.

The spears in front are thrusting, and the spears on the left and right are also attacking!
Warriors on the battlefield have never learned what dodging and maneuvering are, but it is the martial arts masters who are best at it.

For a time, the dozens of men were thrown into chaos by the eighteen soldiers, who were also dodging and weaving...

With such quick maneuvering, the encirclement, though still in place, lost its power. Without the simultaneous desperate attacks, how could they possibly overwhelm these eighteen soldiers?

This, on the contrary, allowed the soldiers to remain calm and composed...

Suddenly, the encirclement expanded. Why?

The thieves needed to maneuver and make room for them.

The battle abruptly ceased, as the soldiers needed to maintain their formation and fight back-to-back, so they couldn't advance too far.

But then a bandit spoke up: "You are already surrounded. Surrender today and all will be well. If you don't, you will all die here!"

There's also the strategy of winning hearts and minds, which has always been effective. In battles in the martial arts world, when one side has the upper hand, to avoid a desperate struggle or too many casualties, saying a few words at this time can often really work.

But today, these soldiers from Wuzhou don't care at all. They've fought against a million bandits, yet a few dozen bandits have surrendered.
No one even answered, no one took it seriously. When the crossbowmen saw that the bandits were not coming forward, the five of them retreated slightly, back to the middle of the dozen or so men. They put their maces into their belts and went to get their crossbows to draw their bows.

The thief, terrified, shouted, "Hurry, hurry! They're about to shoot again!"

The group of thieves actually took a step forward, as if to intimidate or to pull each other.

But they saw a barrage of thrusts and stabs from numerous spears, turning the dozen or so men into a pincushion. The bandits didn't actually go forward to kill, but instead moved around, exchanging glances with each other.

Their steps stopped.

Many of the thieves must also be wondering, what should we do?
Where's my older brother?
The eldest brother was the first to lie in a pool of blood!

However, the group still had one pillar of support: a broad-shouldered, stout man. Everyone went to see him.

The man was at a loss for what to do and looked around.

The crossbow string was indeed stuck, and the arrow had already been drawn from the quiver.

There was no time to wait. The broad-shouldered, stout man gritted his teeth and shouted, "Charge! Kill! Today is the day to make a name for ourselves!"

As he spoke, he charged forward, his broadsword crashing down like Mount Tai.

Sure enough, in an instant, many thieves really did push forward!
A chaotic cacophony erupted—the sounds of stabbing, weapons striking armor, shouts of battle, and curses…

There was also the sound of crossbows being fired...

Wailing cries arose, and so did the fighting...

But then, in an instant, they both stopped...

Like a turn-based game, this round has ended again, and the encirclement of the many bandits has cleared some space.

There were about ten more thieves lying on the ground...

Some soldiers were injured, but the armor was so effective that he was still able to stand there.

Then someone asked, "What should we do?"

But then he saw the broad-shouldered, stout man look around, grit his teeth, and blurt out, "Let's go!"

The hedgehog was truly helpless, unable to continue the fight.

My older brother is dead, what else can we do?
I had no choice but to leave.

The thief kept shouting, "The wind is getting strong, let's get out of here!"

The encirclement broke down instantly, and the numerous thieves, at least forty of them, hurriedly retreated back the way they had come...

To everyone's surprise, the soldiers behind them were giving chase, issuing orders as they went: "Dog, go to the right and call for friendly forces! Erzhu, go to the left and call for friendly forces! Today we must surround and kill this group of thieves! It's all money! Enough for the brothers to share!"

The thief running ahead turned around to look. What was going on? Why were they catching up?
Wearing that suit of armor, he actually managed to keep up with the chase...

"Run! Run!" the thief shouted repeatedly.
His dreams of achieving great success and attaining high office and wealth were shattered almost immediately after he left home.

Did you think this was just one place? Clearly, there's more. In the east of the city, several patrol teams are chasing thieves, creating chaos in the streets and alleys…

The military camp, however, was unusually quiet, as if something was about to happen.

The Wuzhou military officer guarding the camp was patrolling around. It was General Wang who had given orders that the several thousand Guangzhou soldiers in the camp must be strictly controlled, as there must be spies...

In fact, the patrolling soldiers had some suspicions that the spy might be involved. After all, a few days ago, some of their comrades had instigated a disturbance, saying that the restrictions on leaving the camp were inappropriate...

Those people were most likely spies; even if they weren't the first to lead, they were still key members.

Just keep a close eye on it.

It's best if this doesn't happen, otherwise, there will probably be a lot of killings in this military camp.

Guangzhou is too far away. The rumors about the emperor's power that these people have heard seem to be just legends and not enough to awe people. The people here really don't know what kind of power His Majesty the Emperor of Great Yan really has!
Otherwise, where would the mutinous soldiers come from? What spies would there be to speak of?

What are you even thinking about making a name for yourself and rising from the ashes? To these soldiers from Wuzhou, isn't that all a joke?

(End of this chapter)