As the giant man left, the ambush carefully planned by Zhu Su came to an end. This battle was fruitful and could be called the greatest victory in coastal warfare since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Suzhou Guard and Taicang Guard lost only a few battleships, a ferry in Panmenengcheng (which was set on fire by the Suzhou Guard ambush troops), and only more than 300 casualties.
However, they killed the Japanese pirates and Zhang Shicheng's remaining troops, totaling more than 8,000 people, and destroyed countless ships. The river outside Suzhou City was filled with broken ships and scrap wood, and the ignited Guanzhou boats continued to burn on the river for a whole night.
Moreover, the Ming army also captured more than 3,000 thieves, captured more than 40 Japanese customs ships, and more than 100 Japanese sword handles. The gold and silver looted by the thieves were quite fine...
Anyone who looks at it, this is a big victory. But when Wei Guan, Gao Qi, and Luo Guanzhong stood at the gate of the city happily to welcome the three highnesses who led the army back to the city, they discovered that the planner of this battle, the fifth highness Zhu Su, who should take the greatest credit, was very A scary face.
If you look more carefully, you can even see that behind His Highness the Fifth Prince, there seems to be substantial black anger rising...
"Your Highness Fifth Prince...what's going on?" Wei Guan, the prefect, quietly pulled over Qianhu Cao Yuan, who was also coming back from outside the city.
"I don't know the situation either." Cao Yuan, who was on the south bank, didn't know much about the situation on the north bank, and he was also confused at this time.
"I just know that there seems to be some mistake. Duke Chang was injured, and some fish that slipped through the net escaped..."
"The Duke is injured? Is it serious?" Wei Guan was anxious. If Chang Mao, a dignified Duke of the Ming Dynasty, was injured here, then even if the battle was won, the gain would not be worth the loss.
"It's nothing serious, I was just knocked unconscious by the thieves." Cao Yuan explained. Seeing that Zhu Su and others were minding their own business, they quickly complained to the prefect and pursued them with their soldiers. Hearing that Chang Mao was just fainted, Wei Guan also breathed a long sigh of relief.
"It's strange that the swords in the battle formation have no eyes. Since the thief was able to knock out Duke Chang, didn't he take advantage of the situation and injure his life?"
A question flashed through Wei Guan's mind, but Zhu Su and the army had already entered the city and headed to the county government. He didn't have time to think too much, so he quickly ordered people to close the city gate, and then went to personally allocate supplies and food, and reward the three armies. .
Over here, the three Zhu brothers who entered the Suzhou government office were still thinking about the giant man. The three of them walked into the main hall and sat down on the chairs in the hall without saying a word. Behind him, the dejected Di Meng, Shao Xuan, Gou'er and the other royal guards looked at each other and knelt down to the three of them: "We are not well guarded, please punish us by Your Highness!"
"What are you punishing for?" Zhu Su waved his hand angrily. "It was due to my negligence that I did not expect that such a brave general related to Zhang Zhiyong would appear..."
"If I had known better, I would have brought more powerful crossbows." Zhu Su felt a little depressed when he said this. Because of the giant man rushing into the formation, there was a gap between the river and the north bank, and many thieves took advantage of the situation and escaped ashore. This is contrary to his original strategic goal of killing everyone.
"Who is that thief? Fifth Brother, in his haste, he must not have had time to get far. Why don't we send out arrest documents and kill him to vent our anger..."
Zhu Fang had just been frightened by that man and was sweating all over his body. At this moment, he was still trembling in his heart. He was ashamed to admit this, so he suggested to Zhu Su with some embarrassment.
"With such strong martial arts skills, who can catch him even if he is a criminal?" Zhu Di shook his head. He had been frightened just now, but now there was a bit of appreciation and excitement in his eyes. "This man is so brave, why would he be a thief! If he can be used by my Ming Dynasty..."
"He shouldn't be a thief." Zhu Su shook his head. "Although that man is brave, he only pretends to be an ordinary pawn. Although the remnant of the Zhang family is stupid, with his martial arts skills, how can he be in the dust?"
"Besides, Cai Ben, the Taicang Guard commander who had been following Brother Chang, also said that although this man injured Brother Chang, he did not kill him. He just caused chaos in the army and then escaped. Later. After going ashore and seizing the horse, he probably pretended to assume the position of a general and taught the king's guards how to use rat weapons. Once the king's guards were in disarray, he drove the horse away without any regrets."
"Looking at it this way, it doesn't look like you are working for the thief, but more like you are trying to escape and have no choice but to take action..." He touched his chin, thinking and analyzing carefully.
"Hmm. Indeed. Looking at that person's figure, he seems to be quite old." Zhu Di also touched his chin. "Perhaps, he is still a famous figure for a long time."
Zhu Su and Zhu Di thought for a while, but still had no clue. It was already dawn, and after this night, the three brothers were already very hungry. Being hungry and thinking was really harmful to the body, so Zhu Su and the other three simply didn't think about it. They first ordered someone to visit Chang Mao with a medical officer, and they confirmed that Chang Mao was just fainting, so they went to bathe and change clothes, and then went to bed to rest after filling their stomachs. .
All matters after the war were handled by Wei Guanru Taisu and other civil servants in Suzhou.
He slept until three o'clock in the morning, and then Zhu Su woke up leisurely. Just as he stood up, the dog who had been guarding the door came in and said: "Your Highness, Magistrate Wei and others have important matters to discuss with Your Highness. They have been waiting for you for a long time."
Zhu Su quickly asked to see him. After all the civil servants paid tribute to Zhu Su, Wei Guan said: "Your Highness has worked hard. I shouldn't have come to disturb His Highness's rest, but there are some things that I need to ask Your Highness about, so I can only take the liberty to come and see you."
"No problem." Zhu Su waved his hand. "Is there anything in the city that is not handled properly? Is it because the Taicang Guards, who are guest troops, are not easy to place?"
"Your Highness, everything in the city has been taken care of. The Taicang Guard troops have also been properly positioned." Wei Guan replied. "There are a few important matters that require His Highness's decision."
"The first is the city gate... The city has been closed for several days now. Many of the people in the city who have moved from outside are anxious and concerned about their hometown. The daily consumption of food and grass in the city is also huge. I dare to ask Your Highness, when Can you open the city gate and let these people go home?"
"Well..." Zhu Su thought for a moment and realized that the coalition of thieves and bandits had almost been wiped out. Although there are still one or two fish that slipped through the net, it is estimated that these people will not exceed a hundred people.
It was extremely unwise to confine the people in the city to waste production for the sake of the rebellion of a mere hundred people. So Zhu Su said: "The thieves are no longer a problem. Let's open the city gate today and let them go back."
"It's just that we still need to send sergeants to inspect the villages and towns to prevent scattered thieves from looting again. For this, you can ask Cai Ben, the commander of the Taicang Guard, and Yang Lu, the commander of the Suzhou Guard. They will agree."
Cai Ben was a general of the Chang family and was a die-hard confidant of the prince. He was patrolling Su Song on his behalf in the name of the prince's eldest brother. It was impossible for Cai to disgrace the prince. And Yang Lu's military talisman is actually in the hands of his second brother. He can't protect himself now, and he can't and dare not disobey.
However, this person has no talent or virtue and can no longer serve as the commander of the important town of Suzhou. After a while, I will send a letter to the cheap daddy and replace him directly.
"You also need to inform the people in the villages and towns that Japanese pirates often cause trouble in Susong and Linhai. The people can practice more during their leisure time, so that they may be able to resist when they are faced with the enemy." Those who were forced to attack the city as vanguards died. Zhu Su still vividly remembers the common people in the rebellion, the scholar who raised his arms and shouted and died, etc., etc. "We should also set up more sentry posts so that if Japanese bandits invade, the people can prepare early."
"Yes." Wei Guan bowed. Zhu Su could care so much about the people of Susong, and deep in his heart, he secretly nodded in approval.
(End of chapter)
