Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 312 Encirclement

When the guards of the Prince's Palace rushed out the door, the people in front of them suddenly changed color, while those behind them remained oblivious, still laughing and cursing.

Some people cursed that he deserved it, while others marveled at it. A man in a short brown shirt shouted at the top of his lungs, "Which hero did this? I'll treat him to a drink!" The surrounding area erupted in laughter.

"What are you all standing there for?" The centurion leading the arrest kicked the nearest guard in the buttocks and said, "Sima has ordered that they be taken down immediately!" The guards did not hesitate any longer and immediately took action.

The first few rushed down the steps and into the crowd. The onlookers fell silent for a moment, then scattered like sparrows startled from their nest. "Why are you running? Stop!" A guard grabbed an old man by the back of his collar.

The old man, wearing a patched-up short jacket and clutching half a sesame seed cake, was pulled backward, the cake flying out of his hand and shattering on the ground. The old man struggled and shouted, "What did I do? I was just looking!"

"Look what you've got? You're one of them!" The guard twisted the old man's arm and shoved him through the door.

On the other side, a burly man carrying vegetables dropped his load and tried to run away, but two guards flanked him from both sides, one grabbing his carrying pole and the other holding him around the waist. The burly man swung his arm, and the carrying pole swung out, hitting one of the guards on the shoulder. The guard groaned and gripped even tighter.

The burly man roared, "I'm just selling vegetables by the roadside! What right do you have to arrest me?"

"Why should I?" The centurion walked over and slapped him across the face. "Because you have the loudest voice! Weren't you the one who yelled 'I'm done' just now?"

Blood seeped from the corner of the burly man's mouth. He tried to argue, but was slapped again, his ears ringing.

The crowd had already begun to scatter and flee. Several children ran the fastest, disappearing into the alley in the blink of an eye. The woman, clutching her vegetable basket, tumbled and scrambled, losing a shoe in the process, without looking back.

Those who ran slowly suffered the consequences.

An old man with a limp, leaning on a cane, was limping towards the other side of the street when a guard picked him up and dragged him back like a chick. The old man trembled with fear: "Sir, sir, my legs are bad, I was just passing by..."

"Just passing by?" The guard sized him up and said, "You think you're just passing by this road in front of the camp gate? I bet you're here to spy!" A woman with a headscarf, holding a two- or three-year-old child, was also stopped. She clutched the child tightly, her voice trembling with fear, "I didn't say anything! I just bought groceries and went home..."

"Go home? Go home towards the gate of the camp?" The guard waved his hand impatiently. "Stand aside, we'll ask you later."

The woman dared not move, and the child was so frightened that he cried loudly.

The centurion wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh. He couldn't go on; the wine and women had drained his energy, and he was already drenched in sweat after only a short time. Just as he was about to order his guards to continue the pursuit and capture more men, a commotion suddenly arose ahead.

At first, only a few sounds came from different directions, neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for people in all directions to hear.

"Why are you arresting us? What law have we broken?" A man in a gray short-sleeved shirt stood with his hands on his hips, his voice not loud, but every word was clear. Someone next to him immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Is it illegal to just watch the show? Does he own Changzhou?"

Upon hearing these two shouts, some of the civilians who had been solely focused on fleeing slowed down. Some of the bolder ones looked back, while others who had already taken a few steps stopped abruptly. "Don't run!" another voice rang out from deep within the crowd: "Running away will only make things more complicated! With so many of us, does he really think he can arrest us all?" This man was a notorious ruffian from Wujin County, surnamed Zhou, nicknamed "Zhou the Bold." His face bore the hollowness of someone emptied of wine and women, but his eyes darted around more nimbly than anyone else's. His men had already dispersed inside, scattered in twos and threes, seemingly unrelated, but their conversations sounded as if they had planned it all along.

"They're hitting people! The guards are hitting people!" a woman screamed.

No one actually hit her, but her shouting ignited the anger of those around her.

The burly man who had been slapped, who had been restrained, suddenly felt a lightness on his arm. Turning his head, he saw someone had shoved the guard holding him in the chaos. He broke free, didn't run, and stood in the crowd rubbing his shoulder, glaring at the centurion with red eyes. "Do you have any respect for the law?" Zhou Dadan pushed his way to the front, his finger almost poking the centurion's nose, and said, "We are law-abiding citizens! To go to jail for watching a spectacle? Ask the people of Changzhou if they'd agree to that!"

"Agree my ass!" seven or eight hooligans shouted in unison, feeling emboldened by their outburst, and even more people joined in the commotion. The law? The centurion laughed. "Am I not the law? Are you all living in the Yuan Dynasty for the first time?"

After laughing, anger rose again. He hadn't expected these peasants to dare to talk back. Usually, when he grabbed someone, they wouldn't even have time to run away. But today, not only did they not run, they actually moved closer.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!" The centurion reached for his waist, preparing to draw his sword, and shouted, "Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be treated as a rebel!"

Just then, a large, iron-like hand pressed down and gripped his wrist tightly.

Baihu looked up and saw a fist as hard as sand coming towards him.

"Thump!" Baihu fell backward to the ground, a tooth flying out of his mouth.

"You damned soldiers, all you know how to do is bully the innocent. Everyone, get up here and take him back!" The man shouted, stepping on the centurion's chest and waving his hand.

"Bring them back!" Shouts erupted from all directions, their faces flushed red.

"Bring them back!" Zhou Dadan charged ahead, heading straight for the guards of a certain prince's mansion.

The ruffians seized the opportunity to join in the shouting and clamoring, and the crowd began to push forward, pushing the guards to the side.

"Bring them back!" Suddenly, large groups of people surged out from several alleys.

The leader looked like a thug and was clearly not a good person. But behind them followed a large group of burly men with fierce expressions. They were dressed in civilian clothes, but their waists were bulging with daggers and iron rulers.

After they squeezed into the crowd, the noise and clamor grew even louder.

Driven by the people, their pent-up resentment erupted all at once. Without any need for protest, they charged forward with red eyes.

One of the guards' guns was grabbed by someone, and after a few tugs, he couldn't pull it back. Taking advantage of the situation, the woman he was watching slipped away with her child. A guard who had been trying to save the centurion just moments before suddenly changed color. Before he could react, two hooligans rushed over and grabbed his arms from either side.

Seeing that they could get something for nothing, the commoners got excited and started punching and slapping the guards. In no time, the guards were left dizzy and their faces were swollen like pig heads.

A guard reached for his sword, only to find the scabbard at his waist empty. Just as he was panicking, a rag was stuffed into his mouth, and he was taken hostage by several people and disappeared into the crowd.

He was relatively respectable, but the other two guards were knocked to the ground by the burly man and dragged into the alley like dead dogs, their purpose unknown. Another guard was grabbed from behind and choked; he struggled wildly for a long time to no avail, unable to make a sound, and was also dragged into the alley and disappeared.

The guards who went out to arrest the man, along with their centurion, disappeared into the crowd in an instant.

The guards left at the gate scrambled back, slammed the gate shut, and dared not come out again.

Liang Tai had arrived at the alley entrance, accompanied by more than a dozen people.

After observing silently for a while, he pointed to Zhou Dadan's location and said, "Give the order to retreat."

Brother Shao's original plan was flawed.

He feared that a popular uprising would breach the headquarters, leading to the death of the Prince of Zhennan and an uncontrollable situation. Now it seemed that there weren't enough people, and that was simply not possible. So he made a decisive decision and ordered a retreat, leaving the mess to the Changzhou government.

No one around said a word, so he immediately took out a gong and banged it a few times.

The clear sound of the gong carried far and wide, and most people didn't understand its meaning, but the ruffians did.

Zhou Dadan slowly backed away.

He was only responsible for "starting the fire," and now that the fire is burning, his mission is complete, and he can lead his men to retreat.

As they pushed their way back, people from all around continued to arrive, all of them ordinary citizens who had gathered after hearing the news.

They might not have had any ulterior motives, but they just wanted to see the spectacle and how the corrupt official would suffer. Once they arrived, caught up in the excitement, they couldn't help but shout a few words and curse, feeling a great sense of satisfaction.

The main gate of the headquarters remained tightly closed.

Occasionally, someone would climb over the wall and look out, but whether they hadn't received orders or what, they never actually made a move.

A moment later, someone climbed over the wall from the backyard and ran towards various parts of the city, attempting to mobilize troops.

There was no other way; the temporary compound was only so big, and it was impossible to fit everyone in. The prince's staff, servants, and maids numbered in the hundreds, and the guards numbered at most one or two hundred.

The rioters outside are surging like a tide, and the guards of the Prince's Palace must be summoned immediately to provide reinforcements.

The Changzhou government should also be notified to dispatch constables and archers. These people usually have more contact with the people and have some deterrent effect, making them more useful than guards in critical moments.

As for the dozen or so people trapped outside the door, well, they're just unlucky; there's no time to rescue them right now.

It's unclear how much time passed, but as the crowd grew larger and their emotions became increasingly agitated, Liang Tai at the alley entrance gave a signal. A moment later, someone shouted from the back of the crowd, "The soldiers are coming! Run!"

Several thugs shouted in unison, "Murder! Murder! Run!"

Having said that, he pushed and shoved through the crowd and darted backward.

"We've lost! We've lost!" Several more people turned and ran, shouting as they ran.

Influenced by them, some people's excitement subsided, their rationality returned, and they turned and left.

The population gradually began to differentiate.

Some people even blocked the doorway, some even using shovels, carrying poles, and wooden sticks to smash the door and shout insults.

Some people felt frightened and began to leave one after another.

Those caught in the middle looked at each other, wanting to vent their frustrations but also feeling guilty and unsure of what to do.

Liang Tai took one last look before turning and leaving with his men.

Today is just a small test. If the Prince of Zhennan doesn't know his place, we'll give him a big one.

Since there has already been a popular uprising, it's normal for anything to happen afterward.