While Qiu Yizhi was making intensive arrangements, Cai Min also came hurriedly from the county government office with a few followers and said to Qiu Yizhi, "Master Qiu, since you are here, just open the prison door and release a few prisoners. Let's give each other face and explain this to Master Yin. What do you think?"
Qiu Yizi sneered: "Master Cai, why can't you understand what I said? As long as this case is not closed, the criminal cannot be released. Your Excellency doesn't need to say more."
"Okay, okay! You wait!" Cai Min finally ran out of patience and turned to ask an attendant, "Go and see why the Xu guy hasn't arrived yet. Did he drown when he was crossing the river?"
The attendant was shocked when he heard this and hurried down to check what was going on.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi ignored Cai Min and concentrated on talking to Zhao Chengxiao and others.
Not long after, "Iron Head Dragon" came back from the government office. He was really honest. Eight people drove eight carts, loaded with several thousand kilograms of rice and more than a dozen jars of wine - almost clearing out the county government's inventory.
Qiu Yizhi saw that these supplies were enough for his men and the people in the prison to eat for ten days to half a month, and he felt a little relieved. He half-jokingly said to "Iron Head Dragon": "You are worthy of being a bandit who robbed houses in the past. Your ability to move warehouses and transport rice is first-class."
The Iron-Headed Dragon touched his big bald head and replied, "My Lord, you didn't tell me how much to bring here. I saw that there were only so many in the warehouse, so I just moved them all here. If my Lord thinks it's too much, I'll just move it back."
Qiu Yizi waved her hands and said, "Not much, not much, I still think it's not enough."
He turned around and instructed Zhao Chengxiao, "Brother Zhao, you see the prison door faces outwards, without any obstruction. If the government forces their way in, it will be difficult to stop them. Why don't we use these sacks of rice to build a barricade, so that we can have someone to rely on if a fight breaks out?"
Zhao Chengxiao was actually a man who knew military affairs. As soon as he heard this, he knew that this was a foolproof strategy, so he hurriedly called on his men to build barricades according to Qiu Yizi's instructions.
The dozen or so personal soldiers around Qiu Yizi were all strong men. They took this small task lightly. In just a cup of tea, they built a barricade based on the terrain, which blocked the prison door tightly.
At this moment, the so-called General Xu of Yuezhou, who was called by Cai Min, finally arrived in a hurry with two or three hundred troops.
Qiu Yizhi saw from afar that General Xu was not tall, but he was fat and bloated, and the helmet on his head almost squeezed out the fat on his face. The hundreds of local military governors he brought with him were in disarray, with chaotic flags and looked very messy.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi guessed that the combat effectiveness of this group of local ragtag troops must be extremely poor. He was certain in his mind, so he stood firmly inside the barricade and did not go out to greet them.
But after General Xu talked to Cai Min for a few words, he walked forward with his big belly, saluted Qiu Yizhi, and said, "Master Qiu, you are a Jinshi, a scholar! How come you don't know the rules? I am a warrior, but I also know that officials must obey orders. Since Master Cai and Master Yin have spoken, why do you keep the prisoner?"
Qiu Yizi also saluted him and said, "Generals are the ones who lead troops to fight. They also know that military law is as strict as a mountain. If you violate military law, no matter you are a young soldier or a general, you will be punished according to the law. Military law is like this, and the king's law is the same. The orders of Lord Cai and Lord Yin violate the laws of the country. I dare not obey them even if I die!"
This General Xu was a rough man, how could he compare to Qiu Yizi in terms of speaking skills? Qiu Yizi's words made him stand there in a daze, unable to say a word for a long time.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "It seems that General Xu is also quite touched by what I said, but Lord Cai does not seem to understand my painstaking efforts. Why don't you go back and persuade Lord Cai now!"
General Xu was really a straightforward man. After hearing what Qiu Yizi said, he actually said "Oh" and went back to talk to Cai Min.
Due to the distance, Qiu Yizi could not hear clearly what General Xu said to Cai Min, but when she saw him running back covered in dust, she knew that he had been severely scolded by Cai Min.
General Xu said, "Master Qiu, Master Cai just said that you are the one who violated the laws of the country. I must storm this cell and release the prisoners. You see, you and I are both officials in Yuezhou Prefecture, and we meet each other every day. If something like this happens, it will be difficult for either of us. Master Qiu, please give me some face and get out of the way so that I can report to you. If this matter is not resolved, I will lose my official hat."
Qiu Yizhi felt a little embarrassed when he heard him speak so politely, but the prisoners could not be released no matter what. So he bowed and said, "General Xu, this matter is of great importance. It is not a matter of saving face. I also know your difficulties. If you want to attack by force, then attack by force. When this matter is settled, it will not be too late for you and I to drink and talk happily and write it off."
General Xu sighed, said, "I'm sorry," and retreated.
Qiu Yizhi knew that a conflict was inevitable, so he turned around and said to Zhao Chengxiao and others, "It seems that the government wants to come and forcibly seize people. Everyone should be prepared to resist the enemy."
The eighteen personal soldiers under Qiu Yizi were originally bandits and were lawless. They used to make a living by robbing and looting. When they heard that they could fight against the government army openly today, they were already very excited.
However, Wang Laowu was an honest peasant. He was already inferior to the soldiers. He was even more terrified when he heard that he had to fight against the government. He stammered, "Sir, these are soldiers. Fighting with them is treason, but... but you will be beheaded!"
The "Iron Head Dragon" standing by said with a knife in hand, laughing, "You bachelor, you are usually very eloquent, but why do you become so eloquent at such a critical moment? If you don't dare to fight to the death, you can still leave now. We are going to kill a lot!"
Seeing the murderous look of the Iron-Headed Dragon, Qiu Yizhi was afraid that they would get too angry and make things difficult to deal with, so he said sternly: "Listen, you all. Take back what you have. These soldiers are all from the common people. Don't ruin their lives easily!"
When the soldiers heard this order, they thought: "The enemy is using the blade to attack us, but we can only fight back with the back of the blade. Isn't this a loss-making deal?" They all looked at each other and were unwilling to agree.
Seeing them hesitate, Qiu Yizhi shouted decisively: "Did you hear everything?"
These personal soldiers were all straightforward people. After hearing his shout, they all responded subconsciously: "I heard it!"
Qiu Yizhi nodded with satisfaction, but then he heard Zhao Chengxiao say, "Sir, the enemy is attacking."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yizi hurriedly turned his head to look, and sure enough, he saw about a hundred government troops, each divided into groups of twenty to thirty people, pressing forward from all directions one by one.
Qiu Yizhi saw that General Xu used his troops in a very disciplined manner, and he could not help but admire him in his heart; but he also saw that this group of government troops was really lacking in training and seemed lazy and sluggish, so he ordered Zhao Chengxiao, "Brother Zhao, pick ten elite brothers, jump out and give them a wake-up call, and kill their prestige!"
Zhao Chengxiao agreed, pointed and selected ten personal soldiers, discussed with them for a few words, then jumped out of the barricade with a knife in hand and led the charge.
These personal soldiers had fought their way out of the vast army and had been personally trained by Yuchi Lianghong. In terms of one-on-one combat capability, they were invincible.
The leader Zhao Chengxiao was not only a brave man. When he saw that his opponents were holding spears and only cared about what was in front of them and ignored the defense on the left and right wings, he shouted loudly, went around half a circle, and led his brothers to attack the flank of an opponent's squad.
This group of people were obviously poorly trained and had low morale. After being slightly attacked by Zhao Chengxiao and others, they did not even have the courage to engage in close combat with their opponents and they collapsed.
Zhao Chengxiao saw this and did not pursue them. Instead, he led his brothers and rushed towards the side door of another team in the same way. That team was not much better than the previous one and retreated in the same way.
The other teams saw that half of their troops had been defeated in an instant, and they were immediately frightened and shouted loudly before abandoning their formation and retreating.
Cai Min, who was standing far away and watching the battle, was immediately furious. He pointed at General Xu's nose and cursed: "You always ask me for military pay, saying that you want to train the soldiers. But now look, they are all chickens that have been infected with the plague! It's just a chicken. Before it dies, it will peck at people's hands a few times. Look at these soldiers in your hands..."
In fact, the rank of the prefect was equivalent to that of the lieutenant general. However, the Han Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials, and the power and status of civil officials of the same rank were higher than those of military generals. What's more, the military salaries and food were distributed by the corresponding civil officials. Therefore, the military generals could not hold their heads up high and could only accept orders from the civil officials.
Qiu Yizi did not expect that the government troops were so vulnerable. Fearing that Zhao Chengxiao would take advantage of the victory and kill all the government troops, he quickly told them to stop while they were ahead and retreat behind the barricade.
General Xu was indeed a soldier. After the conflict, he knew that the enemy was extremely powerful and could not be defeated by sheer numbers. If he had followed his idea, he should have retreated immediately and not confronted the enemy head-on. However, the prefect Cai Min was supervising the battle behind him, so for the sake of his official robe, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight.
However, he did not dare to attack directly like he did just now, so he took out dozens of bows and hundreds of arrows from the army's baggage, selected soldiers in the formation who could draw bows and shoot arrows, and shot in the direction of Qiu Yi.
Qiu Yizi and others saw the rain of arrows coming, fearing that they would be killed, and hurriedly retreated from the barricade back to the prison, hoping to use the roof of the prison to withstand the attack and then come out to fight.
Who knows that Yuchi Jiming, Qiu Yizhi's personal guard, doesn't care at all, standing alone in the barricade, her upper body swaying casually, and she is at ease among the locust-like arrows. She is seen stretching out her arms, grabbing an arrow in mid-air, and smiling at the arrow with contempt.
Most of Qiu Yi's personal soldiers did not know Yuchi Jiming's identity, and asked in confusion: "Sir, who is this little girl? She is braver than us, and her skills are much better than ours."
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "Don't underestimate her. She is the daughter of Yuchi Lianghong. If we talk about the master-disciple relationship, you should call her Senior Sister!"
As soon as Qiu Yizhi finished speaking, a sound of "Oh" came from the crowd, and then "Iron Head Dragon" said: "Why didn't you tell us earlier? With her here to support us, why are we still hiding here like turtles? Why don't you go out and kill those government troops?" (To be continued)