The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 105 Attacking the Wall
"Huh? Why did they leave?" Lu Zhou exclaimed, his mouth agape, as he stood on the courtyard wall.

Lin Qian saw the group retreat more than twenty steps, and then slowly head south.

Are we going to launch a full-scale attack on the main gate?

Lin Qian's gaze sharpened, and she ordered her men, "Crossbowmen, follow me." She then led her men along the courtyard wall, and soon they reached the main gate wall.

Zheng Zhilong was confronting the local militia when he saw Lin Qian approaching and asked, "Boatman, what brings you here?"

Lin Qian recounted how the magistrate of Huangyan County had led over two hundred men to storm the main gate.

Zheng Zhilong's expression also turned solemn as he remarked, "The Lin family truly lives up to its reputation as a powerful clan, managing to mobilize the entire prefecture and county to risk their lives to save them."

About an incense stick later, a procession of fire dragons came from the east, which was the clerk's men.

Upon reaching the front of the Lin residence, they joined forces with the local militia. Both sides were even more imposing, waving torches and shouting and cursing incessantly.

Three hundred people standing together formed a large area, and the torchlight illuminated the surroundings in every detail.

“Look, ship owner,” Zheng Zhilong pointed into the distance.

Lin Qian looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the sky was faintly glowing red, indicating that another group of people had arrived.

At this moment, only Zheng Zhilong's fifteen men from the west side and the twelve crossbowmen brought by Lin Qian were on the main gate wall.

There are fewer than thirty people in total.

The three hundred people outside the compound outnumbered them tenfold, and with the continuous stream of reinforcements, even occupying the high walls would be extremely difficult to withstand.

"Captain, what should we do?" Zheng Zhilong asked Lin Qian with a grave expression.

Lin Qian's expression was stern as she instructed Lü Zhou: "Go find Bai Langzai and bring all the remaining carbide. All those with armor and shields, come to the front gate wall. Also, tell Lei Sanxiang to move the silver faster."

There were no outsiders on the courtyard wall, so there was no fear of calling out names and letting others hear.

"Yes."

Lu Zhou stepped down, and the crowd on the courtyard wall waited intently.

But after waiting for a long time, neither the local militia nor the clerk came forward.

The firelight in the distance grew brighter and brighter, like a fiery serpent under the dark night sky. Judging by the number of people, there must have been at least two or three hundred.

On the courtyard wall, everyone's palms were sweaty.

Lu Zhou approached from afar, carrying a satchel on his shoulder, followed by five or six armored crew members carrying shields.

"Ship owner, the carbothermic agent is all here."

Lin Qian took the satchel, which contained seven or eight gourds.

There was also a solid carbide, which Lin Qian had added syrup to and then dried; it was a backup plan for melting the iron fence.

"The foreman said it would take another hour to move everything, so we should keep the main gate blocked."

"understood."

Lin Qian put the satchel aside and looked out over the courtyard wall. She saw that the fiery snake was already in front of the mansion gate, joining forces with the other two groups of people.

The three groups of people gathered together, numbering five or six hundred, their torches blazing as if trying to burn a hole in the sky.

The fact that the local militia and county soldiers could gather so quickly was beyond Lin Qian's expectations.

For now, they can hold their ground against the courtyard walls, and the local militia and county soldiers cannot break through for the time being.

However, if the standoff continues for too long, we will certainly not gain any advantage. We must think of a way to both buy time and make a way to escape.

Lin Qian frowned, deep in thought. After a moment, a brilliant idea flashed into her mind. She pulled Lü Zhou closer and whispered, "Pass on the message to the women's quarters..."

……

At the foot of the courtyard wall, the clerk greeted the visitor with a bow: "Inspector General."

The visitor was the inspector from the Huangyan County Patrol and Inspection Office.

The patrol and inspection office was responsible for maintaining public order, ranking above the county government and below the garrison, and was specifically tasked with dealing with gangs of bandits.

Now that the inspector has arrived, the clerk's burden is even lighter.

The inspector returned the greeting to the clerk and then asked, "Do you know the situation inside?"

"The number of thieves is unknown, but they have powerful crossbows."

"Crossbows?" The inspector was quite surprised. "How many?"

"About twenty."

The inspector's face showed a look of weighing his options: "Since the thieves have crossbows, they are no longer under the jurisdiction of the patrol office. We should ask the garrison to send troops." The clerk replied: "Your Excellency has already sent someone to call them."

"Oh? Where is the magistrate now?" The inspector's eyes lit up. If the magistrate were here, then he could share the burden.

The clerk said, "Your Excellency will be stationed at the county office tonight to prevent bandits from harassing the county town."

"That slippery monkey knows how to avoid trouble!" the inspector cursed inwardly.

Seeing the two men chatting incessantly, the local militia members grew anxious and stepped forward, saying, "Gentlemen, when should we break down the gate and scale the wall, and when should we enter the mansion to rescue the people? We would like to ask for your instructions!"

The clerk said, "Alas! You're mistaken. Since the inspector is here, I have no right to give orders."

The inspector cursed inwardly. He had thought that those who had disturbed the Lin residence were just petty thieves, and had rushed over hoping to gain some benefits. Now, he regretted it too late.

Now that he's been put on hold, if he doesn't do something, he can't escape the crime of letting the thieves escape.

After pondering for a long time, the inspector made a decision: "Bring a ladder, grab a shield, and climb the wall!"

The local militia had already prepared ladders and moved them next to the patrol officers.

After all, the local militia had no shields, and no one dared to climb the wall despite the crossbow bolts.

The inspector looked at the clerk and said, "I'll attack the west wall, you attack the east wall."

The clerk demurred, "These men of mine are all constables and militiamen from the county town. They don't know how to fight on walls. Oh, I do have more than ten shields that I can lend to the inspector."

After the clerk finished speaking, without even needing to give a signal, his constables immediately presented the shields, which were piled up with the ladders.

The inspector felt a tightness in his chest from anger, but there was nothing he could do. Although the inspector was a ninth-rank official, higher than the clerk, the inspectorate and the county government were two separate entities with no power to check or balance each other.

The clerk was unwilling to risk his life for his subordinates, and the patrol inspector was helpless.

"Take your shields and climb the wall!" the inspector shouted angrily.

The patrolmen reluctantly picked up their shields.

Under the inspection plan, a total of 50 people were divided into 10 groups, with 5 people in each group carrying ladders and 5 people following behind.

"on!"

At a command, the patrol soldiers carried ladders on their right shoulders, shields in their left hands, and long swords at their waists as they slowly walked forward.

After walking more than ten steps, they heard the sound of a crossbow twang from the top of the wall.

"Boom bang bang..."

The sound of an arrow hitting a shield rang out.

"Ah—" Someone was hit by an arrow and fell to the ground. The crossbow bolt pierced his calf, blood flowed all over the ground, and he kept wailing.

Upon seeing this, the five men behind immediately surrounded him with their shields. Then, the five men lifted his limbs while one man held his body, and they managed to carry him back.

The inspector was furious. He drew his knife with a clang and roared, "Get back here! Anyone who tries to use the excuse of carrying a wounded soldier to retreat again will be severely punished!"

Helpless, the five men put the wounded down and then took small steps forward with their shields.

By this time, those who had carried the ladders ahead had reached the base of the wall. After setting up the ladders, they discovered that some of them were too short to reach the top of the wall.

Helpless, they could only retreat with their shields.

The remaining groups of people are climbing upwards.

Suddenly, the sound of a crossbow bolt being cocked rang in their ears. The crossbowman on the wall leaned out and fired at the shieldman climbing the ladder.

In an instant, blood rained down.

Five or six shield-bearers were hit by arrows, screaming as they fell from the ladder. Blood flowed down the ladder, raining blood all over the ground, and the area around the wall was filled with the stench of blood.

Several daring patrol officers climbed the slippery ladder and finally reached the top of the courtyard wall.

Under the moonlight, the courtyard wall gleamed with a cold light, and wisps of blood mist rose from it, accompanied by several chilling screams.

Within a few breaths, the screams gradually subsided.

Dozens of blood-soaked patrolmen scrambled back, throwing their shields on the ground in their haste to get there faster.

"Sir, there are too many bandits on the wall; we can't take it!"

"How many people are there?" the inspector asked hastily.

The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, one of them said, "About eighty!"

The other soldiers nodded in agreement.

(End of this chapter)