More than 20,000 people circled the city crying and begging for the gates to be opened. The wails shook the sky, and it was sad to listen to and tearful to smell.
The Suzhou prefect who was on the city wall was still listening to the cries of the people below the city, and he couldn't help but sigh and burst into tears.
The palms and backs of your hands are all made of flesh.
After weighing the pros and cons, for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in the city, the tens of thousands of people outside the city had to suffer.
"I feel so ashamed of the elders outside the city..." Magistrate Shang sighed with tears.
"Your Excellency, this is not your responsibility. It's all the fault of the Japanese pirates." The official following behind him hurriedly comforted him.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the city, and in the distance a group of cavalry holding torches were coming towards the city gate.
The people outside the city suddenly panicked, thinking that the Japanese pirates had arrived. Their cries became louder and they banged on the city gates anxiously.
The defenders on the city wall also became nervous and fell into a certain degree of panic, especially the defenders at the city gate. They were even more nervous. They raised several pillars and propped them up behind the city gate to prevent the Japanese pirates from breaking down the door.
"Fellow villagers, don't be nervous, don't be afraid. We are the Zhejiang Army, we are our own people, we are not pirates."
"We are the Zhejiang Army, we are our own people."
Amid the panic of the crowd, the approaching cavalry shouted loudly to reduce people's tension and calm their emotions.
"The Zhejiang Army, it's the Zhejiang Army. I've heard that the corpses of Japanese pirates pulled by the carriage a few days ago were captured by the Zhejiang Army..."
"He's one of ours, there's no need to run away."
"Dad, Mom, don't cry. This is our own army, not the Japanese pirates. We are here to fight them."
After hearing the loud shouts of the cavalrymen, people took a closer look and saw that, under the light of the torches, the cavalrymen were all wearing uniform Ming army armor. Each of them was fully armored, from helmets to crotch guards and military boots. They were obviously regular soldiers and all of them had kind faces.
There was no one like the Japanese pirates with bird-like hair and bare feet, wearing a mixture of Japanese and Chinese clothes, so people immediately felt relieved.
The people who recognized him first hurriedly told the people around them, and soon the panicked people calmed down.
"Why did the Zhejiang Army come to the city on horseback when they were not at Fengqiao Camp to intercept the Japanese pirates? Do they want to enter the city to avoid the Japanese pirates? If the Zhejiang Army also enters the city, there will be no one outside the city to stop the Japanese pirates, and the pincer movement between the city and the outside will be broken. If the Japanese pirates come, they will directly rush to the city."
An official on the city wall looked at the seven or eight hundred cavalrymen riding towards the city, frowned and said worriedly.
"No, we can't open the door to let them in. If they come in, the people outside the city will definitely rush in as well. It will take tens of thousands of people a while for them to get in. The Japanese pirates will come and kill them right away."
"No, absolutely not!"
"Letting them in would be aiding the enemy! Letting them in would be destroying the Great Wall! Absolutely not!"
Several officials nearby shook their heads and insisted that the Zhejiang army must not be allowed to enter the city.
"You are stupid. The Zhejiang Army is quite capable. It is much stronger than the general garrison troops. Last time, they captured more than a hundred Japanese pirates' heads during the sea sacrifice. Letting them enter the city will strengthen our defense. One more person means one more force."
Some people disagreed with the previous opinions of keeping the Zhejiang Army out of the city and put forward different opinions, allowing the Zhejiang Army to enter the city to strengthen the defense.
"You are stupid. If we let the Zhejiang army enter the city, the people outside the city will not just sit there and watch. They will definitely come in together! There are no less than 20,000 people outside. By then, the city gate will be in chaos. The Japanese pirates may come at any time. Then our Suzhou city will be finished, and the wives, children and the elderly in the city will be finished too!"
Someone immediately retorted that their lives were at stake and they would not hold back at this time.
"Just let the Zhejiang army enter the city and prevent the civilians from entering the city, and that's it!" the official just now replied immediately.
"Haha, you make it sound so easy. Are the people outside the city just decorations? Will they watch the Zhejiang army enter the city?"
The officials who disagreed retorted.
"Haha, are the guards at the city gates just for show? Are we going to let them watch helplessly as the common people sneak into the city? What are they doing here? As soon as the Zhejiang army enters the city, we will immediately drive the common people away and close the city gates!"
The official just now laughed and said calmly.
"Well, that's not a bad idea..." The official who disagreed nodded upon hearing this.
They would be happy to see the Zhejiang army enter the city and close the city gates immediately after entering. One more person means one more force, and their safety can be increased a little bit, so why not do it
The Suzhou prefect on the city wall, Shang Weiwei, looked at the Zhejiang army riding towards him and listened to the conversation between the officials around him. His expression became complicated.
If the Zhejiang army was not stationed at Fengqiao Camp to stop the Japanese pirates, what were they doing coming to the city
If the Zhejiang Army wanted to enter the city, would they be allowed in? The Zhejiang Army had just set off a warning and had done a great job in warning people. Now that they wanted to enter the city, would we close the gates and not let them in? Would this chill the hearts of the Zhejiang Army soldiers
In addition, there were more than 40,000 Japanese pirates in Songjiang Prefecture, while the Zhejiang army had only 2,000 people. The gap in military strength was too large. It was understandable that the Zhejiang army entered the city to avoid the Japanese pirates.
But if they were allowed to enter the city, what would happen to the people outside the city? Would the governor be allowed to set fires but the people be forbidden to light lamps? ! But what if the Japanese pirates suddenly came? ! There were still hundreds of thousands of people in the city.
Zihou, ah Zihou, what do you want me to do? You have given me a difficult problem.
Prefect Shang took a deep breath, his heart torn between an inner struggle and his own. Two completely different opinions clashed with each other, and the situation was very tense. Neither of the two opinions could convince the other, and neither could satisfy Prefect Shang.
Just when Magistrate Shang was struggling with his inner thoughts, he suddenly saw the cavalrymen below the city driving their horses to both sides, creating an aisle. A young commander in uniform, accompanied by more than a dozen elite cavalrymen, rode their horses forward and came in front of the people in front of the city gate.
It’s Zhu Ping’an!
Although the distance was nearly a hundred meters, Magistrate Shang still recognized him at once from his figure and armor.
The armor on Zhu Ping'an was obviously more gorgeous than that of other Zhejiang army soldiers. The spear on top of the helmet was longer and had a brighter red tassel.
This is also for the convenience of command, allowing soldiers to recognize the commander-in-chief at a glance, and convey and obey the commander-in-chief's combat orders.
"My fellow countrymen, I am Zhu Ping'an, the commander of the Zhejiang Army. Please make way for me to approach and talk to the people on the city wall."
Zhu Ping'an dismounted from his horse, and surrounded by Liu Dadao and others, he clasped his fists and bowed to the people in front of him and spoke.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the city gate, blocking the way and occupying nearly a hundred meters of open space.
One hundred meters.
With such a long distance, in ancient times when communication depended on shouting, Zhu Ping'an was not Zhang Fei, and it was impossible for him to have an effective conversation with the people on the city wall.