The rise of the poor

Amidst the soldiers' repeated expressions of gratitude, Wei Qianhu's men carried and helped the people out of the gate.

One entered, the other exited; the two armies passed each other by, showing mutual respect. One side repeatedly expressed its gratitude, while the other repeatedly exchanged polite greetings.

"Do it!"

Just as the soldiers were expressing their gratitude, they suddenly heard Commander Wei shout.

To lay a hand on someone?! What hand?!
"Didn't you already help us carry and support people?!" The soldiers who seized the gate were completely dumbfounded upon hearing this.

They were dumbfounded, but the people on the other side were not. Almost simultaneously, the one carrying the person pulled out a dagger from his pocket and stabbed viciously, while the one supporting the person pulled out a knife from his sleeve and slashed at the person being supported. The others drew their long swords and slashed at the soldiers who were passing by, showing no mercy whatsoever.

At such close range, with so many people, the soldiers who seized the gate were caught off guard and were killed in a single encounter.

By the time they pulled out their weapons to fight back, each of them was facing three to five opponents.

Two fists can't fight four hands, let alone six, eight, or ten. They were quickly wiped out by Commander Wei's men.

Of course, before they died, they shouted that Commander Wei had betrayed them, desperately trying to spread the news of his betrayal.

However, it was too late.

As Commander Wei shouted for action, he had already ordered the city gates to be reopened. "Quickly open the city gates and welcome the Japanese pirates into the city! You can have as much silver and women as you want!"

With a creaking sound, the city gate opened once again.

"Siguo Yi! As expected of Xu Sang, he's incredibly skilled! The city gates have actually opened again!"

When Matsuura Shigeyo saw the city gates open again, he couldn't help but give Xu Hai a thumbs up and praise him highly.

"Once the head of the family brings his influence into the Ming Dynasty and conquers the southeast, Xu Sang will undoubtedly be the one to make the greatest contribution. The head of the family is fair in rewarding and punishing, and will certainly reward Xu Sang handsomely."

Longzao Temple's Gao Che recognized Xu Hai's importance from the coup and tried to win him over for their family's head.

From the current perspective, their strategy for managing the Ming Dynasty still cannot be separated from Xuhai, even though they have a map of the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty.

Only the people of the Ming Dynasty truly understand each other, and only the people of the Ming Dynasty are truly adept at dealing with each other! All they need to do is control Xu Hai. As for rewards and honors, the Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources. Xu Hai will lead them to conquer cities and territories and manage the Ming Dynasty. A little bit of what they can get from him will be enough to reward Xu Hai.

"It is my honor to serve the head of the family." Xu Hai narrowed his eyes.

Once the city gates were fully open, Xu Hai and his two companions waved their hands, ordering their Japanese pirates to quickly enter the city.

Now, taking Songjiang Prefecture is a sure thing!

"Oh no! Listen, something's happened down below the city! Commander Wei has betrayed us! He's defected to the Japanese pirates! That traitor, who deserves to be torn to pieces, opened the city gates and let the pirates in!"

The soldiers guarding the city heard the dying words of the soldiers who had seized the gate. When they looked, they saw that Commander Wei had indeed betrayed them, killed all the guards, and opened the city gate. The Japanese pirates were already shouting and charging towards the city gate!

"Quickly, take back the city gate! Don't let me break into the city!"

"Damn it! Get down there now and take back the city gate!"

"It's over! Seven or eight hundred of Commander Wei's men have betrayed us with him. They have a lot of crossbows, and our men can't break through in time. Oh no, the Japanese pirates have already entered the city. It's too late!"

The defenders on the city wall organized a breakout attempt, but Commander Wei was prepared for a counterattack and brought with him a large number of bows and crossbows. The dense rain of arrows caused heavy casualties to the counterattacking defenders, and they were unable to break through despite several attempts.

Soon, the Japanese pirates attacked from the outside. After they entered the city gates and began to slaughter the enemy, the defending troops were filled with despair.

The Japanese pirates were a hundred times more ferocious than Wei Qianhu and his men. They charged into the defending troops with sweeping, powerful attacks, their swords whirling like a whirlwind, reaping the lives of one soldier after another.

"It's over, it's over! The Japanese pirates have stormed in! Songjiang Prefecture is doomed!"

As the defenders watched more and more Japanese pirates rushing in through the city gate, a look of despair crossed their faces.

With the city walls protecting them, they were able to barely hold Songjiang Prefecture. But without the city walls, they would be no match for the Japanese pirates. Seeing the pirates' brutal slaughter, their courage had long since vanished.

Especially these ordinary soldiers, who were dirt poor and couldn't afford to buy houses in the city. Their families were all in villages and towns outside the city, and they had no family in the city. They also had no determination to defend Songjiang Prefecture.

"What?! Commander Wei, that traitor who deserves to have his entire family executed, has actually betrayed us and betrayed us to the Japanese pirates! He even opened the city gates?! Letting the Japanese pirates into the city?!"

Prefect Han of Songjiang Prefecture was not on the city wall. Adhering to the principle that a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall, he sat in the prefectural office to direct the defense of the city.

One after another, the urgent reports from the front lines reached him. He sat in the prefectural government office and adjusted his deployment in a timely manner based on the reports, dispatching reinforcements, allocating supplies, and conscripting able-bodied people. He handled everything in an orderly manner, if not with ease.

Although the defenders protected by the city walls suffered more casualties than the Japanese pirates outside the city, it didn't matter. It wasn't important; as long as the city was defended, that was enough.

When news came that the civilians who were rewarding the army had torn off their mask and revealed their true colors as Japanese pirates to launch a sneak attack on the city gates, Prefect Han was only slightly nervous, but not particularly worried, because he had already made contingency plans. Governor Hu had already sent an order, informing him in advance that Japanese pirates had infiltrated Songjiang Prefecture, so Prefect Han had long been prepared for this.

Indeed, after the Japanese pirates' inside agents successfully attacked the city gate, the contingency plan arranged by Prefect Han came into play. The troops arranged in the plan recaptured the city gate immediately, nipping the crisis in the bud and closing the city gate again.

However, when Prefect Han learned that Commander Wei had betrayed the city and surrendered to the Japanese, opening the city gates to let the pirates into the city, his vision went black, he felt dizzy, his legs went weak, and he couldn't stand up. He tried to press on the table to keep his balance but missed, and he fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

This was something he hadn't anticipated. He never expected that his general, who held a key position, would lead his troops to betray him and defect to the Japanese! They even seized the city gates, opened them, and let the Japanese pirates into the city!

This betrayal was too heinous and too serious; he had no contingency plan for it.

Upon hearing the news, Prefect Han felt as if he had been shot in the head; everything went black, the world spun around him, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, someone come quick! Your Excellency has fainted!"

"Your Excellency, please wake up."

The guards hurriedly helped Prefect Han up, pinching his philtrum and calling for help.

The prefectural government office was thrown into chaos, with officials scrambling around like headless flies. (End of Chapter)