The sudden change in the Zhejiang Army stopped Magistrate Shang in his tracks, causing him to stay on the city wall instead of going down to welcome General Wang and his entourage into the city early.
Compared with General Wang and his entourage who returned triumphantly, the sudden change of the Zhejiang Army obviously made him worried and concerned.
Soon, the vanguard of the Zhejiang Army approached within three miles of the south gate of Suzhou City. With the speed of cavalry, the distance of three miles was only a cup of tea.
"Quick, ride your horses to the south gate on the city wall and pass on my order. Order the soldiers guarding the south gate to open the gate and let the Zhejiang army in. At the same time, order the soldiers on the city wall to use long-range weapons such as crossbows and firearms to support the Zhejiang army."
Prefect Shang grabbed a personal soldier, handed him the token, patted him on the shoulder, and urged him to go to the South Gate as soon as possible to pass on the order.
"promise!"
The personal soldier grabbed the token and was about to mount his horse, but was stopped by Prefect Shang.
"Slow down! Listen carefully. If the Japanese pirates catch up and are still two miles away from the city gate, no matter how many Zhejiang soldiers have not entered the city, the city gate must be closed immediately. If necessary, any measures can be taken! Please ask the Zhejiang soldiers who have not entered the city to move to another place. Remember, when I say necessary, I mean when someone blocks the closing of the city gate, no matter who it is, the city gate must be closed immediately, and all possible measures can be taken, including killing without mercy!"
Prefect Shang looked at his guards with a serious face and gave instructions in a stern tone.
"Yes! I'll remember it." The soldier nodded vigorously, jumped on the horse, whipped the horse's buttocks hard, and rode away at full speed.
"I'm sorry, Zihou. I have to be responsible for the hundreds of thousands of people in the city. I think you can understand..."
Prefect Shang looked at the Zhejiang cavalry approaching Suzhou from afar, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself.
Just as Magistrate Shang closed his eyes and muttered to himself, he heard screams in his ears.
"What's wrong? What happened? Have the Japanese pirates caught up with the Zhejiang army again?" Prefect Shang hurriedly opened his eyes and looked towards the south gate.
However, the vanguard of the Zhejiang cavalry, which was about to approach the South Gate, turned eastward and galloped towards the East Gate along the official road again.
There were sounds of surprise in my ears.
"What's going on?! The Zhejiang Army broke through and was going to enter the city, but why did they bypass the South Gate when they were almost there?!"
"What's going on? When the Zhejiang Army was still more than a mile away from the South Gate, they turned to the East Gate?!"
"They didn't even call for the gate? Were they afraid that the Japanese pirates would catch up, so they turned to the east gate to get away from them? Or did the Zhejiang army see from afar that the south gate was not open, but the east gate was, so they turned to the east gate? But, Lord Fuzun has already ordered people to rush to the south gate to open the gate and respond?!"
... ...
Hearing the surprised voice, Prefect Shang was also a little confused. He didn't understand why the Zhejiang Army suddenly turned to the East Gate. Could it be that they were really in a hurry to enter the city, and seeing that the South Gate was not open but the East Gate was already open, they turned to the East Gate
"Listen, it sounds like the Zhejiang Army is shouting something?" At this time, someone with sharp ears suddenly said in surprise.
However, the distance was too far, and it was impossible to hear what the Zhejiang Army was shouting. I could only vaguely hear the howling sounds.
The Zhejiang army galloped from the South Gate along the official road towards the East Gate. To the people on the city wall, it seemed that the Zhejiang army was in a hurry to enter the city. They did not conserve the horses' strength, waved whips and whipped the horses' buttocks hard, and rushed towards the East Gate desperately.
As the Zhejiang Army approached, more people heard what they were shouting, but they couldn't hear it clearly.
"Pass my order down, please ask General Wang and his men to enter the city quickly. The Zhejiang Army will be here soon, so avoid congestion."
"Also, if the Japanese pirates are chasing us, just like the South Gate, once the Japanese pirates get about two miles away from the city gate, the city gate must be closed immediately, no matter whether the Zhejiang Army has entered the city or how many people under General Wang have not entered the city, the city gate must be closed immediately to prevent the Japanese pirates from chasing us into the city!"
"Also, check how many people General Wang and his team have entered the city. Have food and drinks prepared. Please fill your stomachs first."
Prefect Shang looked at the Zhejiang army that was getting closer and closer, and gave orders to the soldiers behind him.
"promise!"
The personal soldiers received the order and went down to convey the order of Prefect Shang.
Soon, the guard came up to report, "Your Excellency, I have passed on your order. General Wang and his men have sped up their pace. At this moment, more than 400 people have entered the city. General Wang has also entered the city. General Wang is commanding his soldiers to enter the city. He said that he would come to pay his respects to Your Excellency after all his men have entered the city."
"Ah, only 400 people came in?" After hearing this, Shang Zhifu frowned in dissatisfaction and said to his guards, "Go down and urge General Wang to speed up. Send more people to clear the obstacles at the city gate and open the city gate wider. The Zhejiang army will be here soon, and there are Japanese pirates chasing behind. Let more Zhejiang troops withdraw into the city before the Japanese pirates get within two miles of the city gate."
"Yes!" The personal guards once again went down the city wall to convey the order of Governor Shang.
Xu Hai, who was standing under the city, also noticed the changes in the Zhejiang Army's Fengqiao camp and saw the Zhejiang Army cavalry galloping from afar.
As the personal soldiers came down to convey the order of Prefect Shang, Xu Hai also learned the news that the Zhejiang Army was heading towards the east gate.
"Damn Zhu Ping'an, damn Zhejiang Army, what are they doing? Why break out at this time? Could it be that Zhu Ping'an noticed something? No, the nearby Suzhou City didn't notice anything, so what could Zhu Ping'an, who was ten miles away in Fengqiao Camp, notice?!"
"It must be just bad luck! Enter the city quickly, and speed up. We must enter the city before the Zhejiang Army arrives! After everyone enters the city, we must close the city gates and prevent the Zhejiang Army from entering the city. Otherwise, the Zhejiang Army will cause trouble!"
Although he thought so in his heart, Xu Hai couldn't help becoming anxious, and his feeling of uneasiness grew stronger and stronger.
In a state of anxiety, Xu Hai repeatedly urged the Japanese pirates to speed up and enter the city.
Fortunately, as the personal guards went down the city wall for the second time, more people in the city were mobilized to clear the obstacles behind the city gate. The city gate was also opened wider, accommodating four people at a time, and the efficiency of entering the city was greatly improved.
Xu Hai captured a local Japanese pirate and whispered a few words to him, asking him to join the team and enter the city to find General Wang.
Soon, the Japanese pirate cut in and entered the city, found General Wang, and conveyed Xu Hai's instructions to him.
General Wang glanced at Xu Hai and nodded vigorously.
"Captain Wang, go call some more people, speed up the process of clearing the obstacles, and open the city gate wide..."
General Wang first directed his men to speed up the clearing of obstacles at the gate, and then said to the soldiers guarding the city, "The Japanese pirates will be detained in the open space at the gate first. They are all tied up and my people will watch over them. Don't worry. We will deal with them all after all the Japanese pirates enter the city."
General Wang is the highest-ranking general at the East Gate. Although these soldiers guarding the city gate are not his direct subordinates, their ranks are not as high as his. As long as they do not conflict with the orders of Prefect Shang, his words are still very effective and the soldiers guarding the city gate will naturally have no objection.