Chapter 137: Sudden Rain (Part 7)

The town of Shenwu, much like most cities of its time, was divided into various residential wards, each separated by wooden barricades. Because it was a frontier county seat, its scale was modest, consisting of only four wards—East, West, South, and North. The South Ward was home to the county officials and local gentry; the looting triggered by the remnants of the Mayi Cavalry had been relatively restrained, sparing that quarter. However, the East and North Wards were already choked with thick smoke, which the torrential rain could not extinguish.

A large crowd of vagrants and hoodlums waded through the muddy, narrow streets. Though drenched to the bone, the fire of greed in their eyes seemed capable of igniting the humid air. Even in this frontier region, where the people were known for their simple, upright nature and their disregard for death in the face of righteousness, such riffraff existed. They survived on illicit trades—running gambling dens in alleys, stealing cattle from villages, extortion, and far worse. They were a far cry from the chivalrous youths who valued honor and spirit. Even when Wang Rengong had desperately expanded his army and opened the gates for enlistment, these vagrants were never considered.

In Shenwu, these outcasts were led by "Donkey Sun" from the East Ward. He had earned his fame years ago after being punished with ten days in a wooden cage for stealing a donkey; he had survived, but despite his reckless streak, he lacked true skill and was known for his sinister nature. The chivalrous youths of Shenwu looked down on him, leaving him to scrape by with a band of his own kind. In these final days of the dynasty, as all industries withered, the lives of these vagrants were miserable, and they were too lazy to endure the hardships of military service.

When the defeated Mayi Cavalry entered the city, they were initially cautious, intending only to extort some wealth before deciding their next move—whether to report to Wang Rengong in Shanyang or flee toward Hedong. They needed travel funds. But as the rain poured, these vagrants swarmed like flies to rot, helping with the pillage or pointing out wealthy households. The looting quickly spiraled out of control, and once blood was shed, there was no turning back. Most of Shenwu had become a playground for these thugs.

Having ravaged the East and North, Donkey Sun led his hundred-odd vagrants, followed by thirty or forty Mayi Cavalry, toward the West Ward. The West Ward had always been prosperous, housing traveling merchants and protected by chivalrous guards. Donkey Sun and his ilk had previously only been able to watch with drooling envy; now, in this heaven-sent opportunity, they could not wait to plunder, both to get rich and to vent years of resentment toward the chivalrous youths who had looked down upon them.

They surged into the West Ward alleys through the rain, their trampling feet splashing mud everywhere, leaving behind a trail of wails and cries. Before long, the massive crowd reached the wooden barricade of the West Ward. The gate, three stories high, had long been shut and locked with iron chains, reinforced from behind with various debris to form a solid barrier.

Someone peered from behind the fence, but upon seeing the mob, they merely gasped and ducked back down. A gong sounded, and a man appeared atop the gate—it was Zhong "Iron-Arm," the leader of the West Ward’s chivalrous youths. His face was slick with rain, his clothes soaked through, and he shouted, "You cannot enter! The Shenwu Eagle-Yang troops will be here soon to restore order!"

Donkey Sun stepped forward, tilting his head back in a mocking laugh. He was a man in his thirties, scrawny and withered, his face radiating malice. "Zhong the Third, we all know how many Eagle-Yang troops are left. Sun Da and his men aren't coming back. The rest have been taken by the county magistrate to guard the South Ward. We aren't going to them, and they aren't coming for us. The city belongs to the Cavalry lords now—you’d better open that gate!"

Zhong Iron-Arm gritted his teeth and roared back, "If you cause chaos in Shenwu, Prefect Wang will not spare you! The Shanyang army will come to wipe you out!"

Before Donkey Sun could reply, several Mayi Cavalry soldiers pushed to the front. Their armor was skewed, and they looked disheveled from their spree, their clothing stained with blood. Their faces were twisted with a ferocity clearly stoked by the thrill of slaughter. One of them pointed at Zhong Iron-Arm and sneered, "We followed Prefect Wang for years, suffering in this frontier. Today, we take this as our reward!"

"Prefect Wang wants us to fight for the world; what is a mere Shenwu to us?"

"With our skills, even if we leave Wang, where can we not go? We can head south to Jinyang and join the Duke of Tang, then march on Chang'an!"

A more seasoned cavalryman looked at the sturdy, capable-looking Zhong Iron-Arm and silenced the others. "Brother, you look like a man of talent. The world is falling into chaos—why bury yourself here? Follow us, make a fortune, and you can go anywhere. Don't throw your life away for nothing."

Emboldened by the soldiers' backing, Donkey Sun rushed to the front again. "Brothers, why waste words with Zhong the Third? Open the gate for our noble guests!"

A hundred vagrants cheered and surged forward. Zhong Iron-Arm suddenly drew the horn bow from his back and nocked an arrow. The arrowhead shimmered with a cold, lethal chill in the rain as he aimed it at Donkey Sun's face. "Take one more step and find out what happens."

Following his lead, a dozen chivalrous youths appeared on the barricade, their bows drawn. "Another step and we loose!"

The vagrants froze in the rain, but Donkey Sun, thick-skinned and shameless, slapped his thin chest. "Shoot right here!"

The Mayi Cavalry spread out, each drawing their crossbows and winding the strings. In the frontier counties, every household kept bows, and there were always those who would fight back during a raid. In such heavy rain, the power of a standard bow would be cut in half, but these soldiers had raided the county armory and seized the heavy infantry crossbows. If anyone resisted, a single volley of bolts would leave no one standing.

Dozens of crossbow bolts leveled at the youths on the gate created a suffocating tension. The seasoned soldier continued his attempt to persuade Zhong. He patted his thick lamellar armor and said, "You can't pierce this." Then, pointing to the crossbows held by his men, he added, "And you can't block these."

The soldier suddenly roared, "If that's the case, why stand in our way? Do you want to anger us into washing this alley in blood?" He clearly held some authority among the deserters, and he turned to shout at his men, "If these bastards dare to shoot, kill everyone once the gate is open! If a single living soul remains in this alley, it means we have no guts!"

The youths on the barricade looked to Zhong Iron-Arm, their backbone and the most respected among them. But at this moment, Zhong felt only bitterness. Was there truly no one left to save Shenwu? If someone were to come and break this siege, he would gladly sell his life for them!