Chapter 1603: Chapter 1603: Siege and Compromise

Magistrate Hao also knew this was important, but: "These past few days the government office has been searching the city for Rong spies together with people from the Lei Family’s Trading Team. We’ve already rooted out six households, about thirty people; there really shouldn’t be any Rong spies left in the city. Why waste more manpower on searching?"

He pointed at the mass of Rong people outside the city, then at the pitifully few Great Chu soldiers on the city wall, and said, "We truly don’t have the manpower. If we conduct another citywide search, we’ll have to pull soldiers off the wall, and then there’ll be even fewer to defend the city!"

Having said this, he looked to Lei Mao and said, "Manager Lei, this office knows your Lei Family’s Trading Team has many people, and every one of them can fight. Have Old Madam Gao lend a hand, draw a batch of Lei Family’s Trading Team men to search inside the city."

Lei Mao almost laughed from anger. "Magistrate Hao, our Lei Family’s Trading Team people have already been posted at every well in the city to guard against the Rong people poisoning them. Where would we find extra hands to search the city for Rong people?"

The Lei Family’s Trading Team is in business, they’re not the government office’s troops. To do this much is already good enough; what more does Magistrate Hao expect from them?!

Magistrate Hao also knew the Lei Family’s Trading Team had already gone above and beyond. He thought for a moment, then said, "Take Squad Leader Lou with you to the Feng Family Escort Agency, have their people search the city for Rong people together with you. The government truly has no one left; even the Government Officials have to defend the walls."

He added another line: "After you’ve finished searching the Prefecture, you must also come help defend the walls. In Xing’an Prefecture, the army and the people share honor and loss alike. If we can’t hold the city, we all die."

"The Feng Family Escort Agency? Magistrate Hao, you really know how to make things difficult for me." Lei Mao said, "The Feng Family Escort Agency doesn’t get along too well with us; I really can’t command them. How about this—have you order the Feng Family Escort Agency people up to the walls to defend the city, and give us the two squads of Government Officials from the government office to accompany us in searching for Rong people. How about that?"

General Liang listened and said, "Magistrate Hao, let’s do it that way."

He added, "Magistrate Hao, Lei Mao is right. Sending Government Officials to search the city now, they can both conduct the search and calm the people. It’s much better than having the Feng Family Escort Agency do the searching."

The Rong people were besieging the city; the common folk inside were all terrified. At such a time, having people from the government office come forward to search door to door while soothing the people would keep order in the city a bit better.

Magistrate Hao heard this and nodded in agreement. He immediately had paper and brush brought over and wrote a handwritten letter, ordering all Escort Masters of the Feng Family Escort Agency to come defend the walls. "Take this. Search thoroughly, and be sure to make certain there are no Rong people inside the city."

"Right." Lei Mao took the handwritten letter and left at once.

While Lei Mao and Magistrate Hao were wrangling, Peng Wen had been standing on the wall watching the Rong people. When Lei Mao called him to move out, he asked, "Well?"

Peng Wen shook his head. "Not good. The Rong people have already completely encircled Xing’an Prefecture, and they’ve sent chariot units running along the walls. Clearly they aim to seal us in the city and prevent anyone from breaking out... Their royal standard has been raised the whole time, and the horns sound once every quarter hour. It’s obvious their forces haven’t all arrived yet, they’re still gathering troops."

As Peng Wen spoke, a cold sweat broke out on his back. "How many troops have they sent this time, in the end? From the looks of it, there are already twenty to thirty thousand. If they keep gathering, won’t it reach fifty thousand and more? Xing’an Prefecture has only a few thousand troops. If tens of thousands of Rong people assault the city at once, forget trampling down Xing’an Prefecture— they could likely push straight on to Beicang Prefecture! And they’ve raised the royal standard, which shows the one commanding the army is of the Royal Family."

The Rong people prize bloodlines. Once a member of the Royal Family leads troops to war, he must win; otherwise it’s perish-together. This battle is perilous.

Lei Mao’s face grew grim as he listened. He said, "First we search the Prefecture and make sure there are no Rong people inside the city before we talk about anything else... If we really can’t hold the walls, with the manpower of the Lei Family’s Trading Team, we can at least get Aunt out of the city."

Peng Wen said, "But..."

What about the families of the other brothers?

If he couldn’t ensure the safety of the brothers’ families, Old Madam would never leave.

However, Peng Wen didn’t voice these words. To talk like that now would utterly crush their spirits. Better to listen to Lei Mao and first root out the Rong people inside the city.

The two of them pushed through the crowd, swung into their saddles, and galloped toward the government office. They had only gone a dozen or so meters when booming crashes sounded behind them.

Huge burning boulders came crashing toward the city, smashing gaping holes into the walls of the city tower.

Rumble, rumble!

The giant stones rolled off the tower into the city. The crowd near the gate was struck by the boulders and in an instant crushed into pulp. Others were scorched by the flames, their bodies wrapped in fire as they ran screaming, "Ahhh, help, help!"

A foul stench of pine oil spread out, filling everyone’s nostrils.

"The Rong people are assaulting the city!" Peng Wen glanced back. The huge burning boulders were still being hurled into the city, while the people who had been congested at the gate scattered and fled. Chaos broke out at once, and several people with their whole bodies on fire were crashing about like headless flies.

Peng Wen couldn’t bear to watch. He urgently spurred his horse into the row of houses under the inner side of the wall, jumped down, grabbed bucket after bucket of water, and splashed it on those burning people. "The soldiers’ rest houses have water—go draw water and save them!"

But everyone was already panicking. They all fled into the city to save their own lives, no one listening to him at all.

It was still Lei Mao who shouted for a few soldiers to come over. They grabbed water and put out the flames on several people, rescuing those who had been burned.

"The soldiers will look after them. We’re not in charge of this. Let’s move." Lei Mao seized Peng Wen and mounted up, then took a shortcut to the government office and handed Magistrate Hao’s handwritten letter to Squad Leader Lou.

Squad Leader Lou read it, then immediately called over Squad Leader Ji and showed him Magistrate Hao’s handwritten letter. "Old Ji, you take the brothers and search the city with the Lei Family’s Trading Team. I’ll go to the Feng Family Escort Agency with Manager Lei. Once the Feng Family Escort Agency people go up to defend the walls, we’ll join you in searching for Rong people."

The matter of searching for Rong spies couldn’t wait. The sooner it was done, the better.

"Still, Squad Leader Lou knows how to get things done." Lei Mao gave him a word of praise, then said to Squad Leader Ji, "Old Ji, I’m counting on you. For the sake of all our families, we must drag out every last Rong spy!"

Everyone has selfish thoughts. Say it’s for the common folk in the city? Don’t kid yourself. At a time like this, only one’s own life and one’s family’s lives truly matter.

"Alright, I’ll take the brothers to search right away." Old Ji agreed, then went to the Lei Family Mansion, gathered up all the Lei Family’s Trading Team personnel left there on guard, and began searching the city for Rong spies.

Lei Mao and Squad Leader Lou went to the Feng Family Escort Agency and found the Chief. They handed Magistrate Hao’s handwritten letter to the Chief to read. "Chief Feng, this is Magistrate Hao’s order. For the sake of your Escort Masters’ families, and for the reputation of your master, you’d best comply quickly."

Chief Feng’s face went dark. That damned Lei Mao, threatening him with the master’s reputation again, and he’d even gone and secured Magistrate Hao’s handwritten letter beforehand, leaving him no room to refuse.

If he refused, it would mean the Feng Family was ignoring the bigger picture and acting selfishly in wartime. The Feng Family would be condemned by all Great Chu, and might even incur the Emperor’s resentment.

Emperor Jingyuan utterly loathed the Rong people. If the Rong people attacked and the Feng Family’s escort agency didn’t help resist them... heh, when the war was over, the Feng Family would certainly have their house confiscated!

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