The rise of the poor

The Japanese pirates disguised as civilians rewarding the army were the elite of the Japanese pirates, each skilled in killing. Their surprise attack and swift slaughter caught the city gate guards off guard, leaving them scattered and defeated.

"Open the city gates and invite the leaders into the city. We will have made the greatest contribution and each of us will receive a reward of five hundred taels of silver. In addition, the leaders will allow us to choose a fat sheep first after we break through the city."

The Japanese pirates' inside agents rushed to the city gate, hurriedly moved more than a dozen gateposts aside, pulled out the gate bolts, and forcefully opened the city gate.

Crunch crunch
With a creaking sound, the city gate slowly opened.

"Look! The city gate has opened from the inside! The inside man has done a great job!"

One of the Japanese pirates noticed the city gate slowly opening and jumped up and down excitedly, shouting and yelling.

Even though he was covered in dust and dirt, Matsuura Shigeyo couldn't help but get excited when he saw the castle gates open from the inside. He hadn't expected this fortified castle to be so difficult to attack. He had personally charged in twice. He was driven back by stones the first time and forced back by logs the second time. Although he wasn't injured, he was covered in dust and dirt.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will not be able to take Songjiang Prefecture City in a short time unless they unload all the cannons from the ships, bring them close, and blast open the city gates. Otherwise, they will not be able to take it in a short period of time.

Seeing the city gates open from the inside, Matsuura Shigeyo couldn't help but praise Xu Hai, "It's all thanks to Chief Xu for planting an inside agent beforehand, otherwise it would have taken a lot of effort to take down such a huge city."

"As expected of Xu Sang, a successor of Sun Tzu's Art of War, truly remarkable!" Ryūzōji Takasaka also praised him generously.

Xu Hai smiled slightly and modestly replied.

"This is a golden opportunity! Quickly lead the army to charge in! Capture Songjiang Prefecture and reward the entire army handsomely!"

Xu Hai, along with Matsuura Shigeyo and Ryuzoji Takasha, led their Japanese pirates to charge towards the city gate.

The city gate opened wider and wider, but suddenly stopped halfway open.

The Japanese pirates inside screamed in agony; through the open city gates, it was clear they had been riddled with arrows.

"Close the city gates immediately! Don't let the Japanese pirates in!"

A group of fully armed soldiers, armed with bows and crossbows, shot and killed the Japanese pirate accomplices inside the city gate with a hail of arrows, and hurriedly went to close the city gate.

At this moment, some of the Japanese pirates outside the city had already rushed to the city gate. The soldiers inside the city closed the city gate while firing arrows.

A dozen or so fierce Japanese pirates rushed in through the crack in the gate, wielding their swords and hacking and slashing, killing many of the guards. The city gate guards paid the price of dozens of lives before they could barely close the city gate before most of the pirates had broken in.

"Damn Japanese pirates, they're like madmen. If it weren't for all the brothers wearing armor, we wouldn't have been able to deal with them."

The soldiers were panting and still shaken; they had almost been captured by the Japanese pirates—it had been incredibly dangerous.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! So close! So close!"

Matsuura Shigeyo, enraged, pulled an arrow from his armor, snapped it in two, and cursed through gritted teeth.

His armor was quite protective; the arrow landed on the armor but failed to penetrate it.

He was not injured.

"What a pity!" Ryūzōji Takashū also looked at the closed city gate with regret and sighed. It was such a pity. It was so close, so very close. If only more of the Japanese pirates could have entered the city, it would have been so much better. It was such a shame that they failed at the last minute.

"Hehe, it seems that news of the attack on Songjiang Prefecture has leaked out, and the city is clearly prepared."

Xu Hai chuckled.

"General Xu, how can you still laugh at a time like this?" Matsuura Shigeyo turned his head and glared at Xu Hai with his bull-like eyes. We have all failed, and you are still laughing.

"Heh, General Matsuura, you don't think I spent several days making these preparations, do you?!"

Xu Hai smiled slightly, confident and composed.

"Could it be that Xu Sang has made other preparations?!" Ryūzōji Takasaku's eyes lit up as he excitedly looked at Xu Hai.

"Let's watch the show."

Xu Hai looked mysterious and full of confidence.

Inside the city, the gatekeepers sat on the ground, still shaken. The battle they had just witnessed had been incredibly dangerous. If they had arrived any later, the city gates would have fallen. If even more Japanese pirates had stormed in, even in full armor, they probably wouldn't have been able to retake the gates. The Japanese pirates were simply too fierce, too ruthless, and too skilled in battle.

"Brothers, you have worked hard to recapture the city gate. You have made a great contribution, and the prefect has already recorded your merits. I have come to reinforce the city gate on the orders of the prefect. The city gate is now in our hands. You can go to the rear to treat your wounds and rest."

A commander led several hundred soldiers over, clasped his hands in congratulations to the soldiers who had recaptured the city gate, and then showed them a document stamped with a bright red seal. He displayed it generously for several dozen seconds before putting it away.

"So it's Commander Wei. Thank you for bringing your brothers to our aid. We suffered many casualties in the battle just now, and they urgently need medical treatment. We won't stand on ceremony with you then." The soldiers who recaptured the city gate recognized Commander Wei. There were only a few commanders in the city, and Commander Wei was a favorite of the prefect. Most of the soldiers in the city knew Commander Wei's name, and many had seen him before.

More than sixty soldiers died and dozens were wounded during the raid, and they urgently needed medical treatment and rest.

When Commander Wei arrived with reinforcements, they were naturally eager to return to the rear for treatment and rest.

The soldiers who seized the gate carried up their fallen comrades and helped up their wounded soldiers, and walked towards the gate opening.

"Brothers, you've worked hard." Commander Wei nodded to them, then turned to his soldiers and ordered, "Quickly help carry him up and support him. We're all brothers, and we'll help each other out in the future."

The soldiers under Commander Wei were very obedient and enthusiastically stepped forward to help the gatekeepers carry and support people.

"Thank you for your consideration, Commander Wei, and thank you for your help, brothers."

The soldiers who seized the gate thanked him profusely. They had just fought a fierce battle and were exhausted both physically and mentally. They were extremely grateful that someone was willing to help them carry and support them. They repeatedly thanked Commander Wei and his soldiers.

"Why are we being so polite, brothers? Helping each other out is only natural," Commander Wei said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"That's right, we're all brothers, why be so polite? If we help you today, you'll be helping us tomorrow."

"You've just had a fierce battle, you should rest well. Leave the carrying and supporting to us."

The soldiers under Commander Wei were very enthusiastic and rushed forward to help the gatekeepers lift and carry people.

"Thank you, thank you very much."

The soldiers who had seized the gate quickly thanked those who had come to their aid, their hearts filled with gratitude. (End of Chapter)