Rise From the Humble

More than 20,000 people went around the city crying, begging for the door to be opened. Their wails were loud, sad to hear and tears to hear.

Shang Wei, the prefect of Suzhou on the city wall, listened to the cries of the people below the city and couldn't help but sigh and burst into tears.

The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh.

Weighing the seriousness, for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in the city, we can only wrong the tens of thousands of people outside the city.

"I feel so ashamed of my elders outside the city," Shang Zhifu sighed with tears in his eyes.

"Master Fu, this is not your responsibility. All the mistakes are the fault of the Japanese pirates." The official following behind quickly comforted him.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the city, and a group of cavalry came towards the city gate holding torches in the distance.

The people outside the city suddenly became panicked, thinking that the Japanese pirates were coming. They cried louder and beat the city gate 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 were even more nervous. They lifted several pillars and placed them behind the city gate to prevent Japanese pirates from hitting the door.

"Fathers and fellow soldiers, don't be nervous or afraid. We are the Zhejiang Army and our own people. We are not Japanese pirates."

"We are the Zhejiang Army, and we are our own people."

In the midst of everyone's panic, the cavalry galloping over 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 carriages a few days ago were the Zhejiang Army's gains."

"He's one of ours, there's no need to run away."

"Dad, Mom, there's no need to cry. This is our own army, not Japanese pirates. We are here to fight Japanese pirates."

After listening to the loud shouts of the cavalry, people took a closer look. Sure enough, under the light of torches, they saw that the cavalry were all wearing uniform Ming army armor. Everyone was fully armored, from helmets to protective boots. Everything is available, and they look like regular soldiers at first glance, and all of them have kind faces.

No one was a Japanese pirate with a bird's head, bare feet, and a mess of Japanese and Han costumes. People immediately felt relieved.

The people who recognized it 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 if they didn't intercept the Japanese pirates at Fengqiao Camp? Do they want to enter the city to avoid the Japanese pirates? If the Zhejiang Army also entered the city, then there would be no one outside the city to stop the Japanese pirates. The force of holding the horn will be broken. If the Japanese pirates come to kill, they will rush directly to the city."

An official on the city wall looked at the seven or eight hundred cavalry coming from 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 too. Tens of thousands of people will not be able to get in for a while, and the Japanese pirates will come to kill them immediately."

"No, absolutely not!"

"If you let them enter the city, you are endangering the enemy! If you let them enter the city, you are destroying the Great Wall! Absolutely not!"

Several officials nearby shook their heads repeatedly and insisted that the Zhejiang army could not be allowed to enter the city.

"You guys are stupid. The Zhejiang army's combat effectiveness is not bad. It is much stronger than the ordinary guard army. Last time they captured the heads of more than a hundred Japanese pirates in Jihai. Letting them enter the city can strengthen our defense force. One more person means more strength.”

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 its defensive strength.

"You are stupid. If you let the Zhejiang Army enter the city, the people outside the city will not just watch the Zhejiang Army enter the city. They will definitely enter the city together! There are no less than 20,000 people outside, and the city gate will definitely be in chaos by then. , the Japanese pirates may come over at any time, then our Suzhou city will be doomed, and so will the wives, children, and children in the city!"

Someone immediately retorted, their lives were at stake, and they would not reserve their opinions at this time.

"If only the Zhejiang army is allowed to enter the city and the people are not allowed to enter the city, it will be over!" the official just replied immediately.

"Haha, what you said is very light. Are the people outside the city just decorations? Will they just watch the Zhejiang army enter the city?"

countered officials who disagreed.

"Haha, are the city gate guards just a decoration? Are they just going to watch the people follow them into the city? Why feed them! As soon as the Zhejiang army enters the city, they will immediately drive away the people and close the city gate!"

The official just now smiled and said calmly.

"Well, that's not impossible." The official who disagreed couldn't help but nodded when he heard this.

They just want the Zhejiang army to enter the city. If the Zhejiang army closes the city gate immediately after entering the city, they will be happy to see the result. One more person means more strength, and their safety can be increased a bit, so why not do it.

Shang Wei, the prefect of Suzhou on the city wall, looked at the Zhejiang troops coming on horseback and listened to the conversations of the officials around him, his expression became complicated.

If the Zhejiang Army is not stationed at Fengqiao Camp to stop the Japanese pirates, what is it doing in the city?

If the Zhejiang army wants to enter the city, will they be allowed to enter? The Zhejiang army just set off a warning and served as a warning. They said they wanted to enter the city, so they closed the door and refused to let them in? ! Will it chill the hearts of the Zhejiang Army officers and soldiers?

In addition, there are more than 40,000 Japanese pirates in Songjiang Prefecture, and the Zhejiang army only has 2,000. The gap in strength is too big. It is understandable that the Zhejiang army would enter the city to avoid the Japanese pirates.

But if they are allowed to enter the city, what will happen to the people outside the city? Are the state officials only allowed to set fires but not the people to light lamps? ! But what if the Japanese pirates suddenly come and kill them? ! There are hundreds of thousands of people in the city.

Zihou, Zihou, what do you want me to do? You have posed a problem for me.

Magistrate Shang took a deep breath, and there was a war between heaven and man in his heart. Two completely different opinions clashed with each other. The situation was very anxious. Neither of the two opinions could convince the other, and neither could satisfy Magistrate Shang.

Just when the heaven and man of Shangzhifu were fighting, I suddenly saw the cavalry under the city driving their horses to both sides and flashing out of an aisle. Surrounded by more than ten elite cavalry, a young commander in uniform drove his horses forward and came to the city gate. In front of all the people.

It's Zhu Pingan!

Although the distance was still nearly a hundred meters, Magistrate Shang recognized him immediately from his figure and armor.

The armor on Zhu Pingan's body is obviously more gorgeous than that of other soldiers of the Zhejiang Army. The spear on the top of the helmet is longer and the red tassel is brighter.

This is also for the convenience of command, so that the soldiers can recognize the commander at a glance and convey and comply with the commander's combat instructions.

"Fellow fellows, I am Zhu Pingan, the coach of the Zhejiang Army. Please make way for me to come forward and talk to the city."

Zhu Pingan got off his horse, surrounded by Liu Dadao and others, clasped his fists and bowed to the people in front of him.

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 relied on shouting, Zhu Ping'an was not Zhang Fei, so it was impossible for him to have an effective conversation with the city.