As soon as County Magistrate Xiahou left the South Gate, the housekeeper Liu Qi came down the city wall in a basket.
After the housekeeper Liu Qi left, Magistrate Wang sent people to plunder gold, silver, treasures, silk and cloth in the county on the pretext of raising supplies to resist the Japanese pirates. He ordered all the restaurants in the county to work overtime to prepare delicious dishes. Anyone who did not cooperate was accused of being passive in resisting the Japanese pirates or even colluding with them.
With Magistrate Wang's unscrupulous plundering, he soon gathered enough gifts to present to the Japanese pirates in exchange for peace.
"Master, I have accomplished my mission. I risked my life and tried every possible means to finally reach an agreement with the Japanese pirates outside the city. They agreed. As long as we send out the gifts, once they receive the gifts, as long as the number is sufficient, they promised to withdraw the siege and turn their troops to Ninghai County."
Not long after, the housekeeper Liu Qi returned from the Japanese pirate camp, climbed up the city wall again in a basket, and reported to Magistrate Wang with a proud look on his face.
"Okay, very good."
After hearing Liu Qi's reply, County Magistrate Wang finally felt relieved.
Soon, several ropes were lowered from the south gate city wall, and boxes of gold, silver, jewelry, baskets of silk, cloth and other gifts for peace were sent to the bottom of the wall. More than a hundred Japanese pirates were waiting under the wall to receive the gifts. Leading the group was Aso Yuji, who had made up for his crime with meritorious service, with a bandage wrapped diagonally across his back.
There were so many gifts that after half a cup of tea, less than one-tenth of the gifts had been delivered.
"Baga! It's too slow. It's so damn slow. How long will it take to deliver the gift? I'm getting impatient waiting."
Aso Yuji accepted the gifts for a moment under the city wall, then looked up and shouted impatiently at Magistrate Wang and others on the city wall.
"Chief, please calm down. Nearly one-tenth of the ropes have been sent down. Please wait a moment, we will add a few more ropes." Butler Liu Qi quickly lay on the city wall and explained to Aso Yuji.
"Baka! What's the point of adding a few more ropes? This method is too slow! How long will it take for us to receive enough gifts?! You guys, speed is of the essence in war, don't you understand? If we delay any further, won't it give Ninghai County time to prepare? If the war is delayed, can you afford it?! You are so slow in delivering gifts, like an old woman, are you going to force us to eat in your county?! One stick of incense time, I will only give you one stick of incense time. If we haven't received enough gifts within one stick of incense, then... ... the agreement you reached with us before will no longer count."
Aso Yuji half-drew his Japanese sword, squinted his eyes, and threatened Wang Zhixian and others on the city wall in a sinister manner.
"One stick of incense is too short. Look, leader, this gift is like a small mountain."
Butler Liu Qi scratched his head and said anxiously.
"Light the incense!" Aso Yuji ignored him and asked a Japanese pirate to light a stick of incense with an expressionless face.
"Hey, hey..." Butler Liu Qi was very anxious when he saw that Aso Yuji did not give him any room for negotiation. "Hey, hey... Chief, please be flexible. We have prepared all the gifts."
"You are such a bunch of useless idiots. There are only a dozen or so cars worth of these gifts. If you put the gifts on the cars, they will be sent out of the city in no time." Aso Yuji said impatiently.
"Oh, yes, it will be faster if we use a car." Upon hearing this, housekeeper Liu Qi clapped his hands, as if he had suddenly realized something.
"Idiot! You have a pig's brain on your neck! Don't you think about it! Don't you know that it's faster to use a car? But if you use a car, you have to open the city gate. If the Japanese pirates outside the city take advantage of the opportunity to attack the city when the city gate is open, what should we do?! Wouldn't it be a loss of both the wife and the army! Become a laughing stock in the world!"
Magistrate Wang glared at the steward Liu Qi and scolded him harshly in a low voice on the city wall.
"Ah? Yes! The Japanese pirates are extremely ferocious. If they attack the city when the gate is open, there is really nothing we can do. I am such a pig. I was almost fooled by the Japanese pirates. Fortunately, the master is wise and brave and he saw through the Japanese pirates' tricks at once!" After listening to the reprimand from County Magistrate Wang, the housekeeper Liu Qi touched the back of his head with a look of fear on his face and said repeatedly.
"Now that you can figure it out, you're not too stupid! Do you know what to do?!" Magistrate Wang scolded angrily.
"I know, I know." After being scolded, housekeeper Liu Qi smiled and touched his head, then he stuck his head out of the city wall and said to Aso Yuji under the city with a flattering face, "My leader, your army is mighty and majestic. If you open the city gate and use carts to send gifts out of the city, we have many concerns. Please understand our concerns. We will send more people and more ropes to try to send all the gifts to the city in the shortest time. But in terms of time, please be a little more lenient with us, leader."
"Baga! Are you questioning our integrity?! Now, the army is about to set out. If we delay time for the gift and miss the opportunity to fight, no one can afford it! Are you afraid that we will take the opportunity to attack the city?! Humph, we in Yamato value integrity the most, how could we go back on our word. However, since you are worried, how about this, my army will retreat two miles, and I will only take ten of the old, weak and sick among these men to receive the carriage frame gift, and the remaining twenty people will all retreat two miles with the army. Is this okay?!"
Aso Yuji's face turned pale and he scolded the housekeeper Liu Qi in a stern voice. Then he softened a little and made a suggestion.
After hearing what Aso Yuji said, housekeeper Liu Qi's eyes lit up and he felt that Aso Yuji's proposal was very feasible. The Japanese pirate army retreated two miles, and only ten people were waiting at the city gate to receive the gifts. This is completely possible. We have hundreds of people here, and one person's spitting can drown these ten little Japanese pirates.
However, the housekeeper Liu Qi learned his lesson. Although he thought it was feasible, he did not reply to Aso Yuji immediately, but turned back to ask Magistrate Wang for instructions.
"Baga! Don't push your luck! You have no shame! Are you bullying me because my army can't even lift a sword?!"
When Aso Yuji saw that there was no immediate response from the city wall, he became furious, drew his Japanese sword and threatened loudly.
The thirty Japanese pirates behind Aso Yuji also drew their swords and started to make noises.
Hearing the clamor of the Japanese pirates outside the city, County Magistrate Wang put the "overall situation" first, thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
After receiving Magistrate Wang's approval, housekeeper Liu Qi immediately stuck his head out of the city wall and replied to Aso Yuji with a flattering face, "Chief, calm down, chief, calm down, we agree. Chief, please notify your army to retreat. While your army is retreating, we will also take this opportunity to load the gifts onto the carts. As long as your army retreats two miles, we will immediately open the city gates and send the gifts out of the city by cart and horse, and give them to you."
After the agreement was reached, the Japanese pirate army began to retreat.
Magistrate Wang winked and asked his steward Liu Qi to select ten of the thirty men under Aso Yuji who looked the oldest, the weakest, and the sickest, to stay with Aso Yuji. The remaining twenty or so men also retreated two miles with the Japanese pirate army.
"Is it okay?! Hurry up and send the gifts out by car so that we can move camp to Ninghai County as soon as possible." After the Japanese pirate army retreated two miles, Aso Yuji brought ten old, weak and sick Japanese pirates to the city gate and urged impatiently.
"Here we go, here we go, open the gate."
Steward Liu Qi walked to the city gate and ordered it to be opened. Ten large carts filled with gifts followed behind him.
To be on the safe side, one hundred and fifty armed soldiers and yamen runners followed closely behind to protect the city gate.
Magistrate Wang, under heavy military protection, stood not far away and gave remote commands.
"Yo, yo, great." Aso Yuji responded at the city gate. One cart after another came out to check the carts. He was very satisfied with the quantity and quality of the gifts presented by Taiping County. He reached out and patted the butler Liu Qi on the shoulder, praising him loudly.
"Hehe..." Seeing that the Japanese pirates were satisfied, the housekeeper Liu Qi was in a good mood and also smiled apologetically.
One by one, when there were only two carriages left, Aso Yuji waved his hand and said to the butler Liu Qi with a smile, "Liu San, we have already felt your Taiping sincerity from the first eight carriages. There is no need to check the last two carriages. I trust you very much. You two go and take the carriages. We should leave too. Don't keep Chief Heihachi waiting for too long."
As he spoke, Aso Yuji waved his hand and ordered the two Japanese pirates behind him to take over the carriage.
"That's right, that's right. Your Majesty, don't worry about us doing the job. Go north from here and follow the main road. Ninghai County is in more than fifty miles. Your Majesty, please take your time." Upon hearing this, the housekeeper Liu Qi smiled like a chrysanthemum.
Two Japanese pirates responded, walked to the city gate, took over the last two carriages, and pushed them forward.
One step, two steps, three steps, just when he was about to walk out, something strange happened. Aso Yuji drew out his Japanese sword at lightning speed. A white light flashed, and the housekeeper Liu Qi beside him was beheaded with one blow.
At the same time, Aso Yuji shouted "Seize the door!".
When Liu Qi's head fell to the ground, his expression was still smiling like a chrysanthemum, and he did not react until his death.
After Aso Yuji drew his sword, the other Japanese pirates also drew their swords and chopped down the guards beside them. The two Japanese pirates pushing the carts at the innermost quickly pushed the carts full of gifts in front of the open city gate, blocking the gate and making it impossible for the guards to close the gate even if they wanted to.
Then the Japanese pirates outside quickly pushed the other eight carts into the city gate, forming an eight-shaped formation, leaving only space for two people to walk side by side. Inside the formation, Aso Yuji led ten Japanese pirates to block the gap, and one man could block the pass against ten thousand.
At the same time, the Japanese pirate army overestimated their own capabilities and ran at full speed towards the city, shouting and killing, shaking the earth.
Fell into a trap!
Finished!
"Kill them and close the city gate!" County Magistrate Wang's face suddenly turned pale, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he was so anxious that he jumped up and down, shouting loudly to the more than one hundred defenders in the city gate to kill Aso Yuji and others and close the city gate.
However, soon, Japanese pirates such as Aso Yuji showed the defenders what brutality and inhumanity were!
With the chariot formation nearby, although there were more than a hundred defenders in the city gate, although they were numerous and powerful, only the first two could face Aso Yuji and his men directly. The men led by Aso Yuji were all carefully selected from the Japanese pirates with the strongest martial arts and the most brutal lethality (all thirty of them, no matter how the housekeeper Liu Qi had selected them). At this moment, they were at full strength and extremely brutal. The defenders who faced them were all chopped to the ground and blood flowed like a river. Even if Aso Yuji and his men were injured, they did not even blink, as if they did not feel any pain. They were as brutal as devils. The defenders were frightened of being killed for a while, and no matter how Magistrate Wang jumped up and down behind them or urged and gave orders, the defenders could not break through the chariot formation of the Japanese pirates guarding the city gate.
Soon, the Japanese pirate army arrived.
After the Japanese pirate army arrived, the outcome was doomed, and the South City Gate was lost in a breath!
Taiping County fell!