The fighting has intensified recently, and the wealthy people in the surrounding area have fled into the city, thinking that the city with its strong walls would be safer, never imagining that the city itself is a target of attack. Those of average means have fled to the countryside, hoping to return after the fighting has subsided. Only the poor and the stubborn old people who are unwilling to leave their homes keep their doors and windows tightly shut, listening quietly to even the faintest sound outside, not even the slightest sound of a bird.
The quiet of Liangshui Town was slowly broken by the light, hurried footsteps of a small group of people. The sound of a baby crying came from a low-lying house, but the crying stopped abruptly; clearly, an adult had covered the baby's mouth. The footsteps stopped at the door, and a voice said, "Open the door! Open the door!" Immediately afterward, a deafening banging began.
"Who is it?" an old woman asked in a trembling voice from inside the house.
"Soldiers, we've come to inquire about something!" The knocker was rude but not overbearing, and knew that the person inside must be feeling uneasy.
An eye darted through the crack in the door, and a moment later, the latch was pulled open, and an old woman stood in the doorway with a slanted face: "Sir, please feel free to ask me anything."
"Could this area be a route for rebels?"
"Reporting to the sir, although most of the people in the town have fled, the rebels have not yet come here." The old woman's wrinkled face showed obvious fear, but she spoke much more fluently.
"Have you heard any news about the traitors?"
"Sir, all the men who can fight have gone to fight, and those who can't have fled. How could an old woman hear any treasonous noises?"
"You old hag," the soldier cursed, but he had no intention of arguing with the old woman. He turned around and asked, "What do the brothers say?"
"The rebels probably won't bother attacking this poor town," muttered a Soviet soldier. "These days, the rebels are busy attacking cities and distributing grain; they don't have time to bother with a poor town like this."
"Ball! You don't know anything!" another veteran said. "Liangshui Town is a strategic stronghold. If Liuzhou can't hold out, we only have three ways to retreat: one is to flee northwest from Liangshui Town, the second is to head north from Lujiabao, and the third is to go to sea. I dare say that if the rebels don't attack, they won't attack at all, but if they do, Liangshui Town will be the first to be hit!"
"Fine, you old soldier, you think you know everything. Why doesn't the king make you a general?" The soldier, feeling humiliated, retorted, his face flushed and neck red.
"Stop talking nonsense, you son of a bitch!" the soldier who knocked on the door yelled. As the squad leader of this scout unit, he was helpless against his men's low morale. He then asked, "Should we just report to the general like this, or continue the search?"
The soldiers all said, "We've reported back. This godforsaken place doesn't look like it has any traitors."
The squad leader himself was quite reluctant to continue the search. At this moment, squads of soldiers like them were the easiest targets to be attacked, and even civilians who were eager to welcome the peace army could secretly bury them here.
Upon learning that the town was safe, the officers and soldiers flocked into it. After a day of marching, they were all exhausted, and with the weather getting colder, everyone wanted to find a warm house to light a fire for warmth. But when they entered the town center, something unexpected happened.
From the surrounding houses, small squads of Peace Army soldiers suddenly appeared, their numbers unknown. The soldiers, filled with shock and anger, shouted and cursed as they brandished their weapons to defend themselves, fighting and retreating. However, the streets and alleys of Baishui Town were winding and connected by dozens of small bridges of varying sizes. In addition, small squads of Peace Army soldiers would occasionally emerge from the left and right, and although the soldiers were numerous, they were quickly separated.
Led by his one-eyed deputy general, a troop of soldiers leaped into a knee-deep ditch. From the houses on either side, arrows, like the venomous eyes of snakes, pierced one after another into the exposed gaps in the soldiers' bodies. The deputy general had long since discarded his long weapon, carrying only a heavy sword. As he deflected the arrows, he roared, "The general has ordered us to form ranks and fight on the spot! The general has ordered us to form ranks and fight on the spot!"
They shouted as they moved along the canal. The lieutenant was incredibly brave. When a Peace Army general rushed in front of him, he slashed out with his sword without blinking. The Peace Army general parried with his sword, but his arm strength was clearly inferior to his opponent's, and his sword was deflected. The lieutenant swung his arms and slashed out again. Their weapons clashed a second time, and the Peace Army general's sword flew out of his hand. Before he could escape, the lieutenant's third sword had already pierced through his chest.
The lieutenant kicked aside the corpses and continued forward, shouting, "The general has ordered us to form ranks and fight on the spot. Anyone who flees will be executed!" Wherever he went, the Peace Army, despite setting up the Crimson Dragon Formation, could not stop him. After killing four Peace Army generals who came to challenge him, his troops rapidly increased in number and broke through the Peace Army's encirclement.
Because it was impossible to see the enemy's and our own forces clearly in the street fighting, those who were suddenly attacked were very easy to scatter. The officers and soldiers had originally lost their fighting spirit, but under the brave leadership of this deputy general, they gradually turned the tide in this place. They charged and fought again and again, and finally approached the edge of Liangshui Town. It seemed that they could escape from this water town that was stained red with blood.
The lieutenant secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had falsely conveyed the general's order, pulling out so many people to protect himself and escape. While he was brave on his own, in this chaotic battle, individual bravery could only boost morale, not be relied upon. That was why he had gathered so many soldiers together. Just as he was leading the way past the last courtyard, his heart suddenly sank.
Before them, hundreds of Peace Army archers, some crouching, some standing, all aimed their crossbow bolts at the crossroads. The lieutenant reacted swiftly; as the Peace Army unleashed their crossbow bolts, he rolled away without warning his soldiers, disappearing behind the courtyard wall. The dozen or so men following him were not so lucky; they were riddled with arrows, their bodies covered in bristles like hedgehog quills.
"Turn back!" the lieutenant cursed, leading his hundred-odd soldiers back into battle. Halfway there, he saw that the number of soldiers around him had nearly doubled, and he became increasingly anxious. If the number of soldiers increased, it would be difficult to command them in this complex terrain, and it might even cause more trouble.
"Lord Zhong, look! General Xu!" Just as he was thinking of a plan, a soldier beside him suddenly shouted. He saw that Xu Da, the commander of the Su army, was advancing towards them, surrounded by his guards, fighting as they went.
The deputy general surnamed Zhong secretly groaned. It was already difficult to escape with so many men, and now that the enemy was determined to capture their commander, he feared he would die here today.
"Zhong Biao, come and join me!" Xu Da shouted as he saw him. Zhong Biao cursed inwardly but had no choice but to lead his men to charge in that direction. The Peace Army soldiers, unable to withstand the attack from both sides, gradually retreated, allowing them to regroup.
"Charge east!" Xu Da ordered. Zhong Biao was unwilling, so as the fighters gradually distanced themselves from Xu Da, he suddenly turned around and went in the opposite direction after Xu Da turned a corner.
"Sir, why are we turning back?" a soldier asked. The sounds of battle had subsided, and the street was now covered in what looked like red paint, littered with corpses. Zhong Biao pointed to a body on the ground and said, "Following him will only lead to this sooner or later. It'll be easier for us to break through if we split up."
“Exactly! The rebels will surely swarm to General Xu when they see such a high-ranking official.” A soldier agreed. “I’ve been fighting alongside General Zhong for half a day and haven’t even broken a skin. General Zhong is a very lucky man. I’ll go with General Zhong!”
Most of the men around him were his recruits, and they all declared they would follow him. Zhong Biao's eyes lit up as he listened, thinking, "Back then, Li Jun only had a little over a thousand men and yet he could dominate the world. Now I have these hundred or so men. Even if I can't become a regional hegemon like Li Jun, I can at least achieve something great. The collapse of the Su Kingdom is inevitable now, and this is the time for a true man to rise up. Dying here is worthless, but if I capture those three or five cities, what's wrong with me becoming a king or a nobleman!"
Once his ambition took hold, he intended to take these hundred-odd men with him. Along the way, they only encountered sporadic battles, and when they reached the west side of the town, he looked around again and found that only a dozen or so of the hundred-odd soldiers had been lost.
This time he was much more cautious. Before leaving the town, he sent a clever soldier to scout ahead. The soldier only poked his head out before immediately pulling back, his face changing drastically as he exclaimed, "Not good! Traitor!"
Zhong Biao turned ashen-faced. It seemed the Peace Army had already ambushed archers at various exits of the town, and he had no way to escape. The ambition that had just risen within him made him unwilling to die in battle; he had to live, and he had to live at all costs.
"Let's turn back first, then figure something out." Staying under the watchful eyes of the Peace Army is not a solution; on the contrary, the town is safer. If they can freely wander into the residents' homes, it will be more difficult for the Peace Army to search them. He made this plan, and the soldiers had no choice but to follow him. Although they were all exhausted and out of breath, they couldn't care less about anything else.
"Zhong Biao, you're here! That's great! Protect me and we'll break out!" They hadn't gone far when they ran into General Xu Da again. At this moment, Xu Da had only a dozen or so men left out of his hundreds of men. He had been charging eastward for a short time when his soldiers were either killed or fled, leaving only these dozen or so personal guards. The Peace Army was still in hot pursuit, so they were overjoyed to see Zhong Biao.
A thought struck Zhong Biao. Now, surrounded by the Peace Army, the only way to escape was through drastic measures. He whispered to the surrounding soldiers, "Are you truly willing to follow me?"
The dozen or so soldiers around him heard this clearly and all responded in hushed tones. Zhong Biao said, "Then follow my lead."
When Xu Da hurriedly arrived at Zhong Biao's side, Zhong Biao bowed to him, then suddenly held the knife to Xu Da's neck and snarled, "You incompetent fool, do you still want to implicate the soldiers?"
Xu Da was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events and had no time to react. He exclaimed in astonishment, "It's me! Are you crazy?"
"I knew it was you, you incompetent bastard!" Zhong Biao roared. "I advised you time and time again not to go into town, but you didn't take my words seriously. I served as your deputy general for ten years, and you always refused to promote me because of my illegitimate background. Now you want to drag me and these brothers who barely escaped with their lives into this mess?"
"Since...since that's the case, then we shall go our separate ways..." Seeing the dissatisfaction on the faces of the hundred or so soldiers, Xu Da turned ashen-faced. "I will not implicate my brothers."
"Hmph, it's too late to say that now. Since you're willing to avoid implicating the brothers, then please help them one more time." Zhong Biao looked around and raised his voice, "We'll hand this scoundrel over to the Peace Army in exchange for our lives. What do you brothers think?"
None of the exhausted and wounded soldiers dared to object; even Xu Da's personal guards remained silent. Zhong Biao's spirits lifted, and before Xu Da could utter a curse, he struck him unconscious with the hilt of his sword.
three,
The street fighting in Liangshui Town was of great significance, not only because it cut off a retreat route for the Su Kingdom's court, but also because, for the first time, a government officer or general mutinied and surrendered to the Peace Army. Zhang Fang suggested that Li Jun reward Zhong Biao handsomely, and this was widely publicized. Within a few days, many of the troops around Liuzhou surrendered. The Su Kingdom, which had existed for three hundred years, finally collapsed.
"Go back and tell the tyrannical emperor and his treacherous minister that I came here not only to avenge Marshal Lu, but also to punish the wicked and bring peace to the people!"
When the envoy personally sent by Prince Su, Li Gou, came to see Li Jun, Li Jun uttered this sentence before he could speak.
"Please, Commander, restrain your wrath and allow me to speak." The envoy remained unfazed and calmly replied, "Commander, Marshal Lu has been wronged. His Majesty has already recognized his remorse and yesterday issued an edict posthumously granting Marshal Lu the title of Duke of Zhenguo, and personally led the court officials in a memorial service in the main hall. Although His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, exceptionally wise, he is not immune to being misled by petty men. Commander, considering the grace of Heaven and the well-being of the people, why not carry on Marshal Lu's legacy, uphold the loyalty of the sages, abandon warfare, cultivate virtue, and thus fulfill your ambition to serve the country and bring lasting glory to future generations? Commander, would you rather forsake this path of lasting fame than commit treason and infamy?"