Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 420 A Good Emperor!
With tens of thousands of bandits, this was the last chance. Yang Zaixing knew perfectly well that he had to break through the city this time, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

Yang Zaixing, the first one at the front, was neither nervous nor timid. He simply took a deep breath, and as the drumbeats began, he started walking!
Huang Sheng stood atop the city wall, watching the endless, raging band of rebels charging towards him. Their shouts were deafening, and their footsteps pounded the earth, making the city walls tremble...

He suddenly felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, his scalp tingling, as if even his hair was going to go numb...

Huang Sheng also looked at the soldiers guarding the city wall on the left and right. None of them were calm and brave. They were all looking around, glancing at the faces of the soldiers who turned to look at them from time to time. How could their faces not be pale with fear?
Huang Sheng, a native of Hebei, had never seen such a scene before. How could these soldiers have ever seen anything like it? Huang Sheng was numb all over. How could these soldiers not be trembling with fear?
Sometimes, just this kind of display is enough to intimidate countless people, enough to make most people who have never seen a battle lose their courage, and the significance of involving hundreds of thousands of people is self-evident...

Huang Sheng suddenly closed his eyes, his mind filled with only one thought: he was probably going to die here today...

That makes perfect sense. Within this city, everyone can join the bandits, except for Huang Sheng, whose entire family is in Hebei. How could he possibly join the bandits?

This may be one of the reasons why, throughout Chinese history, the main local civil officials were often appointed to positions in other regions.

Huang Sheng kept his eyes tightly closed, as if he were truly waiting for death, or perhaps he was torn between seeking death himself first, or letting these bandits humiliate him in every way before he died.
Perhaps deep down, in the darkest corner of his heart, he regrets something: why didn't he run away earlier?
Running away beforehand was indeed a good choice. Perhaps it would result in being reprimanded by the court, or a bad reputation, but at least it wouldn't cost me my life...

Just as he was filled with mixed feelings, someone suddenly spoke up behind him: "Sir, why don't we open the city gates and surrender now?"

The words were spoken with great urgency!

Huang Sheng opened his eyes and turned to look, only to find that the soldiers who had just dispersed had returned.

Huang Sheng snapped, "You weren't guarding the city walls, so why are you back?"

"My lord, how can we possibly stop this situation?" The general hurriedly walked in.

Just as Huang Sheng was about to speak, another military officer rushed in, and then... one after another...

Huang Sheng was speechless for a moment. He turned his head and glanced again at the approaching bandit army. They were probably still five or six hundred paces away, walking. When they reached about two hundred paces, they would charge...

In a short time, many soldiers entered...

Huang Sheng glanced around and said, "I am very pleased that you still ask me about military orders at this time. What can I say? I can say that surrendering the city is absolutely unacceptable, but if you insist on doing it, then do it yourselves... Let me also say this: when the imperial army really comes in the future, where will you go?"

Huang Sheng was clearly helpless. He knew that if these soldiers were determined to open the city gates, he, an outsider, couldn't stop them...

But he knew that at this moment, he couldn't be branded as a thief...

Of course, he also wanted to persuade these generals to fight to the death. Although he had never seen what fighting to the death meant, scholars knew a lot. In wars throughout history, many times, as long as the soldiers and civilians were united in their fight to the death, even hundreds of thousands of troops could be stopped...

After Huang Sheng spoke, some people hesitated slightly, while others immediately said, "Sir, we...we...let's just survive this first. If we don't obey now, and they really march into the city, I really don't dare to think about my elderly parents, my wife and children..."

Huang Sheng sighed deeply, then slightly raised his hand and waved: "Go back to the city wall, go, go..."

The group's expressions varied as they turned and went on their way...

At this moment, Huang Sheng felt only a deep sense of powerlessness. The phrase "uniting the army and the people" was so difficult to grasp, especially since he had only been there for a few months...

It is truly lamentable how the military preparedness of the Song Dynasty had deteriorated to such an extent that it was unbelievable, a level of neglect that was "unprecedented in history."

Then look at the soldiers in the city, each one dressed in tattered clothes and emaciated. How can the army and the people be of one mind under such circumstances?
How can we expect them to fight to the death to defend the city?

I have the will but not the ability...

Never mind...

Time was running out. Huang Sheng looked around and his gaze fell on the pale-faced guard beside him. He took a few steps forward...

The guard had no idea what the young master was going to do, but then he saw that the young master suddenly drew the knife from his waist...

But after Huang pulled out his knife, he was furious and asked, "At a time like this, can't you sharpen your broken knife a little?"

Indeed, this knife was covered in rust; there wasn't a single sharp edge to speak of. Of course, the scabbard was also tattered and worn...

The guard said helplessly, "My lord, please don't be offended. This knife... has been sitting in the storeroom for too long. It was only just issued and there hasn't been time to sharpen it yet. Besides..."

"Anything else to say?" Huang Sheng demanded.

"Besides... this knife... is just a thin sheet of iron. The blade can be bent with a light touch. It's just a decoration, something made to pass inspections in the past. What's the point of sharpening it?"

The guard looked at the knife in Huang Xiangong's hand with a helpless expression.

Huang Sheng looked down and saw it clearly, then cursed loudly: "Corrupt officials! Corrupt officials! From top to bottom, they are all corrupt. How can the country not perish? How can the country not perish!"

Now that he was about to die, Huang Shengzhen cursed, cursing the Great Song Dynasty, even though it was now the Great Yan Dynasty.

"What use does the sir have for a knife? Why don't I go and find a good one?" the guard asked. This guard had been with Huang Sheng for several months and was somewhat loyal to him...

"Go get it, go get it quickly!" Huang Sheng threw the rusty iron piece in his hand.

The guard leaped out of the city tower, inquired along the city wall, and returned shortly after, having indeed found a usable knife...

A short blade was handed to Huang Sheng, and the guard asked, "What does the gentleman need a knife for?"

What are you doing?

Huang Sheng took the knife, looked down at it, and saw the cold glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath and touched his neck...

“My lord is looking for…” the guard realized.

Huang Sheng had already placed a knife to his own neck, but when the guards were about to step forward to stop him, Huang Sheng raised his hand to stop them: "There's no need to stop me, I dare not..."

As he spoke, Huang Sheng put the knife down again, his face full of dejection: "You really don't dare... You can't bring yourself to do it. Why don't you do it..."

The guards retreated, waving their hands repeatedly: "Sir, you mustn't! How could I possibly kill you, sir..."

"I told you to kill him, come on!" Huang Sheng actually handed over the knife.

The guard took another step back: "Husband, even if I were willing, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I wouldn't dare to kill anyone..."

Huang Sheng was stunned for a moment. Yes, ordinary people would feel reluctant to kill a dog or a cow, let alone a human.
This guard has always been an honest man, so he's always stayed by my side to serve me; he's not the type to dare to draw his sword and kill someone...

"Then...go find me a rope, or even just a strip of cloth..." Huang Sheng looked up and saw a wooden plank beam overhead...

Then hang yourself...

Simply tilting your head back and kicking the chair seems easy enough, but once you've done it, it's too late to regret it...

They must die first, before the bandits enter the city; otherwise, they'll suffer unimaginable torment...

The guard was already in tears: "My lord..."

“Go, go find it. You’re going to die anyway. If you don’t hurry up and find ropes and strips of cloth, I’ll haunt you as a ghost…” How could Huang Sheng not be in tears?
He was actually not very old, only thirty-six or thirty-seven. He had just recovered from a serious illness and was thinking that surviving such a calamity would surely bring good fortune. But now, not only had he survived one calamity, but an even greater one was about to happen—a death sentence...

Helpless, the guard turned and left. He could somewhat understand his husband's suicidal thoughts, since such things were common in storytelling and opera...

I admire him, but I also know I must help him. Helping him is good; it will bring him a good reputation. If I don't help him, my lord is the prefect, and if bandits come, I don't know how much suffering he will endure...

Huang Sheng was already sitting on the ground, and he glanced at the grand chair that had been moved from the yamen not far away. He would stand on that chair and hang himself in a moment...

She burst into tears at the thought, wailing, "My son... my son... my son! My son! On every festival, you must offer sacrifices to him..."

"My son, my son... I hope that with my death, the court and the emperor will be able to protect and bless me... My son... You must be filial to your mother..."

"My son, my son, if it weren't for you, how could I, your father, have sought death here..."

She had only uttered three cries when the guard suddenly burst in, shouting, "Husband, look!"

The husband glanced at the guard's hands and angrily shouted, "Where's the rope? Huh? Are you trying to harm me?"

The guard kept walking forward, reaching out to lift the object: "Sir, look! Look outside the city! Look outside the city..."

"What are you still looking at? The city has been breached? What's there to see? Go and find me a rope!" Huang Sheng ignored the look and struggled.

"No, my lord, it's... it's a dragon banner, a large flag with a dragon painted on it, a dragon banner!" The guard tried his best to lift it.

"What dragon banner?" Huang Sheng asked blankly.

"Reinforcements! My lord, my lord!!! The reinforcements have arrived! Get up and see!" The guard was overjoyed.

"What!!!" Huang Sheng leaped up, his steps seemingly covering several meters, and landed on the firing port.

"Over there...over there!" The guard pointed. To the southeast, a troop of knights, numbering in the thousands, their armor gleaming and golden in the sunlight, stretched for three or four hundred paces...

I couldn't see too much clearly, but there was a tall banner, a fierce dragon coiled around it, with a dragon's head right in the center, baring its fangs and claws, looking ferocious and evil!
This is the majesty of the Son of Heaven!

Huang Sheng rubbed his eyes and looked again!
Suddenly, Huang Sheng also raised his hand to point, his hand trembling in mid-air. He turned back to speak to the guard, his chin shaking uncontrollably: "You know... this... this..."

"My lord, are they reinforcements?" the guard asked.

Huang Sheng nodded and replied, "Yes, they are reinforcements, they are reinforcements..."

"Then we don't need to open the city gates? My lord doesn't need to commit suicide? Our city won't be breached by the bandits?" the guard asked.

Huang Sheng nodded and replied, "Yes, yes, yes, do you know who has arrived?"

“Dragon, my lord, the dragon is the emperor, isn’t it?” The guard understood.

Huang Sheng was momentarily puzzled. He turned to look again and was truly incredulous. He hadn't heard that the Emperor had come. Even if the Emperor had come, it couldn't have been this fast...

How could the emperor suddenly appear in Wuzhou, thousands of miles away?

Where is this place? Guangnan West Road is thousands of miles away from Bianjing... Why would the Emperor come here?

The emperor has plenty of brave and fierce generals, so why would he come in person?

This...this emperor...

But if it weren't for the emperor, who could raise such a banner?

Huang Sheng nodded blankly again: "Yes, that's right, the Emperor has arrived!"

"Is it the emperor of the Great Yan?" The guard was confused, confused about many things...

"Yes, it's him! It's this emperor!" Huang Sheng nodded. If it wasn't this emperor, who else could it be? Could it be the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty?
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves thundered, drawing Huang Sheng's attention immediately.

All you could see was that troop of knights galloping up, instantly forming a line, then a cone, covering a hundred paces in a matter of seconds. Dust billowed up, and the roar echoed through the sky, reverberating endlessly in the surrounding mountains!
As I got closer, I felt the earth tremble even more; it was a truly clear tremor, as if the city walls were shaking, and dust was falling from my head...

The man and his horse were both clad in armor, exuding an indescribable majesty and power that stirred the heart with excitement...

Huang Sheng couldn't take his eyes off the approaching troop of knights. He didn't even notice the bandit army that was about to reach the city walls. Suddenly, he stopped and looked southeast...

Yang Zaixing turned his head again, puzzled. How could a troop of cavalry have suddenly appeared here? They hadn't even received any warning...

Well... Yang Zaixing did send out quite a few scouts and rangers...

How come there was no news at all, and then this group of armored knights suddenly appeared?
The logic isn't hard to understand: the scouts and rangers aren't as fast as these elite knights, so their reports are slower. Of course, Yang Zaixing's scouts and rangers at this time weren't exactly reliable either...

As they drew closer, Yang Zaixing could see them more clearly. They were indeed tall, magnificent horses, far superior to the short ponies of the southwest. Both the riders and horses were well-equipped, a sight Yang Zaixing had never witnessed before. He had also considered building a cavalry force of this kind, but his dream was shattered beneath the walls of Guangzhou.

Fortunately, the enemy cavalry was not numerous, not exceeding two thousand.

Yang Zaixing shouted, "Flank the enemy! Flank the enemy!"

This was a military order, and it had to be shouted, but shouting it wouldn't make much difference. However, at least those around could hear it, and the dozen or so suits of armor could hear it too. They then followed Yang Zaixing and ran towards the flank...

Why did Su Wu go around to the flank? Because there was a camp in the rear, although it was not large, it was real, and there were many enemy soldiers in the camp. If he wanted a wide field of vision and a wide area to charge the enemy, he had to go around to the side.

Before Yang Zaixing could reach the flank, the Emperor's cavalry had already entered the formation, advancing in a cone shape, first forming a straight line at the tip of the cone, and then slowly expanding to the left and right.

Su Wu led the way, with Wu Song on the left and Lu Junyi on the right. Before they even encountered the bandits, they had already entered the formation, while the bandits in front of them were naturally hiding everywhere.

As expected, when a person sees a massive steel behemoth heading towards them, their instinct is to dodge.

Only the elite infantry, with their ironclad battle formations, can stand firm amidst such a torrent of armored soldiers, such as Yao Pingzhong's Guanzhong army. Of course, the Jingdong army is also capable of this task.

When the horse's hooves are too fast and the rider can't dodge in time, the spear will thrust out, and the emaciated bandit will be pierced through by the huge impact, and his body will be lifted off the ground. He will only fall back to the ground when the armored knight pulls out his spear.

Who possesses such strength and courage? It is Lu Junyi from Hebei!

In truth, once inside the enemy lines, the cutting is like a knife. No matter how many enemy soldiers there are—hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even just fifteen hundred cavalry—we just charge straight ahead and slaughter them…

This city cannot be breached today, just as the Emperor has said!

This gang of thieves will have to be cornered right under the walls of Wuzhou.

Just look at the Emperor entering the battle, invincible and unstoppable!
On the city wall, Huang Sheng was dumbfounded. To be honest, when 1,500 cavalrymen actually entered the battle, compared to the bandits, they were just a tiny line...

But as they charged into battle, countless thieves surged and fled everywhere...

Such power, such bravery, such unparalleled aura!
Huang Sheng had heard of it countless times, but he had never seen it. Humans can never imagine what they haven't seen, so he couldn't even imagine what the legendary bravery of Su Wu was like...

Today, I saw it with my own eyes!
Right before our eyes, a thousand men charged and killed a hundred thousand bandits!

Without hesitation, forge ahead!

His soldiers were all following along!
What I saw before me was like a long stick stirring a pond, causing the water in the pond to overflow.

"What a fine emperor!" Huang Sheng uttered through gritted teeth, the words escaping between his teeth with a fierce, resentful tone.

The bodyguards beside him stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded!

In his eyes, that emperor and that dragon banner were nothing short of a god descending to earth!
Huang Sheng suddenly turned and ran down the steps, then out of the city gate, onto the city wall, where a large cowhide drum stood to the side...

Huang Sheng danced with joy and shouted, "Beat the drums! Beat the drums to cheer on the Emperor!"

"Oh!"

"Oh, good, good!"

"Quickly, quickly, beat the drum with me!"

It is not a soldier, but a general.

Immediately, the drums thundered!
Boom boom boom boom. Huang Sheng, who was standing right next to the drum, was terrified by the sound of the drum. It was as if there was a resonance that shook his heart and lungs.

It's even more inspiring!

Huang Sheng had already crouched down at the top of the battlements. He had to keep watching to see what the greatest hero and hero in the world really was!

He had never seen the Emperor charge into battle against 200,000 bandits in Jiangnan, nor had he seen the Emperor fight Yelü Dashi south of Yanjing, nor had he seen the Emperor fight the Tangut cavalry in the Hetao region, let alone the Emperor fight the Jurchen cavalry outside Wugushan...

He only sees today, and though there are millions of people, I will go!
He didn't know that the scene before him was commonplace for the emperor, and even insignificant...

All he saw was that wherever the emperor passed, mountains of corpses and seas of blood littered the ground, a vast expanse of crimson red...

He only saw that although the pond was large, it was turbulent with waves, and although the stick was small, it had immense power.

They stirred it until the entire pool was boiling, and the water overflowed the banks!

The emperor was killing everywhere, killing back and forth, killing in circles.

The bandits fled in all directions, hiding in fear, hiding everywhere...

"What a good emperor!" This time, Huang Sheng wasn't gritting his teeth; he was shouting with joy.

The emperor is the reinforcements; the emperor has come to save him; the emperor has saved his life!
Having escaped death, I was filled with righteous indignation, and I let out a roar!

Looking at the soldiers and men of Wuzhou on either side of the city wall, they were all dumbfounded just moments before, but now they were all shouting and yelling.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Huang Sheng's mind—and it truly was a brilliant idea! He shouted to those around him, "Open the city gates! Charge out! Kill the traitors! Follow me and charge out!"

How can we sit idly by and watch the fighting rage outside the capital?
Indeed, the general immediately went down from the city, and many soldiers went everywhere to spread the military orders!
Knife!

Huang Sheng looked down and saw that it was still in his hand!
"A horse! Give me a horse!" Huang Sheng shouted, running towards the steps leading down from the city wall!

"Yes, yes, I'll come right away!" the guard replied.

(End of this chapter)