Chapter 1716 - Internal Strife

The officers looked closely and saw the speaker was an extra-numerary squad commander named Gao Xidian. He was originally a hereditary platoon commander in the Guangzhou Rear Guard, young, and who knew what strings he had pulled or how much silver he had spent to recently fill an extra-numerary vacancy in the battalion. He was a sesame-sized official, the lowest of the low.

A confidant of Liu Fengsheng coughed. "Brother Gao, you can't say that. When it comes to fighting, none of us brothers has ever slacked off. All these years defending against pirates, fighting the Yao savages, suppressing roving bandits... which time didn't the brothers grab swords and mount horses the moment the court superiors gave an order? Everyone here, every single one, earned their place through blood and piles of corpses, one sword and one spear at a time." He spoke while looking at Gao Xidian askance.

People in the back started to jeer.

"Arrogant brat still smelling of mother's milk."

"Never been on the battlefield and dares to brag!"

"Doesn't know life from death!"

"Since Squad Commander Gao is so loyal and brave, how about letting him lead his own men to meet the Bald Thieves first?"

"If you want to die, don't drag others down as padding."

Gao Xidian, a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, shouted loudly: "In that case, I am willing to be the vanguard! I ask the General to assign troops and open the powder magazine. I will lead troops to the battery immediately to supervise the battle! I will fight the Bald Thieves to the bitter end!"

Someone said sarcastically, "Squad Commander Gao is Yue Fei reborn, loyal heart and crimson gall, talented in both civil and martial arts. The moment Squad Commander Gao rides out, won't the Bald Thieves kneel and beg to surrender?"

Another laughed: "That goes without saying. Once General Gao steps onto the battery and gives a great roar, he can scare off a million Bald Thief soldiers."

"Who knew our Humen Fortress could produce a Zhang Fei of this generation."

Liu Fengsheng's confidants and the officers who had already decided to surrender clamored together, instantly suppressing Gao Xidian. Most other officers, unwilling to die in battle, stayed silent.

Gao Xidian was so angry his face turned red. He was only an extra-numerary squad commander; aside from three personal guards, he had only a dozen grunts under him. The only ones who would truly fight to the death were those three guards. If Liu Fengsheng didn't assign troops or open the powder magazine, even Zhang Fei reborn would be useless.

He stiffened his neck and argued: "Since we eat the King's salary, we must be loyal to the King's affairs. Humen is the key to Guangzhou; once lost, Guangzhou will be in imminent danger..."

"Well said!" Someone in the hall, which had been full of laughter and jeers, suddenly roared. The hall instantly fell silent. Even Liu Fengsheng, who had kept a cold face without speaking, was startled. Seeing who stepped out, he gave an anticipated sneer.

That this man would come out to block him was within Liu Fengsheng's expectations; it was the hothead Gao Xidian jumping out that had been a bit unexpected.

The man who stepped out was also a Thousand-Household, originally the hereditary commander of the Guangzhou Muslim Guard, named Ma Chengzu. He was a "Da Guan" soldier. The Da Guan soldiers in Guangzhou were mostly transferred from Nanjing during the Chenghua and Jiajing years to suppress Yao uprisings; their ancestors were Semu soldiers of the Yuan dynasty.

Although the Da Guan soldiers in Humen Fortress were few in number, they were Guangzhou natives and very cohesive. Ma Chengzu himself was a hereditary commander and battalion Thousand-Household, only one rank lower than Liu Fengsheng. He had considerable influence in Humen Fortress.

"Fellow soldiers! Squad Commander Gao is right! Leaving aside that we are court officials and many have received Imperial grace for generations, just consider this Humen Pass—it is the key to entering Guangzhou. If the Bald Thieves pass easily, Guangzhou will surely fall into their hands! Most of you are natives of Guangzhou; can you sit and watch the Bald Thieves kill their way into Guangzhou, plunging your own friends, family, and elders into fire and sword?! Think three times, gentlemen!"

He spoke with deep emotion, moving many. Some faces showed signs of wavering.

Someone muttered, "We have so few men, and the Bald Thieves are good at fighting. How can we win..."

"We must fight even if we can't win. Every moment we delay here gives the city another moment to prepare defenses. Moreover, we can dampen the Bald Thieves' spirit. Even if we die here, we will be worthy of the Court and Emperor above, and worthy of our people and families below..."

"Enough!" Liu Fengsheng saw the situation turning against him—this glib tongue might pull over the waverers. He slammed the table and shouted, "Ma Chengzu! This is Humen Fortress. I am the commanding general here. It's not your place to gesture and order!"

Ma Chengzu sneered. "Commanding General of Humen Fortress? You're worthy? You've always made eyes at the Bald Thieves and colluded in secret. I thought it was just the usual corruption of officialdom. But now that the Bald Thieves attack, you don't send troops, you don't open the magazine, and you let people trample on the loyal patriot Squad Commander Gao—your heart is punishable! I see you intend to surrender to the Bald Thieves and become a traitor!"

"Audacious!" Seeing him tear off the mask without hesitation, Liu Fengsheng went bare-chested too. "Guards! Take him down!"

Many officers in the hall were Liu's partisans to begin with, and below the hall were over a dozen of Liu's personal guards—prepared exactly for this situation. At his order, these men surrounded Ma Chengzu.

Ma Chengzu showed no fear. "I knew you had this move." His face changed, and he roared at the top of his lungs: "Liu Fengsheng has rebelled and defected to the enemy! Serve the country with loyalty—the time is now!" As he spoke, he drew a hidden dagger from his waist.

Before his voice faded, twenty or thirty soldiers suddenly surged into the previously empty courtyard, brandishing swords and spears and charging toward the hall—these were Ma Chengzu's personal guards and some Da Guan soldiers. The Liu family guards in front of the hall were caught off guard; scattered by the charge, five or six were cut down in an instant. The front of the hall plunged into chaos.

Liu Fengsheng was terrified. He had arranged for his clan nephew Liu Zhipei to lead a hundred men to secretly surround the Da Guan soldiers' barracks and slaughter them if trouble broke out. Now these men had suddenly appeared—he hadn't heard sounds of fighting from the barracks direction, and they didn't look like they had fought their way out.

No time to think. Above and below the hall was chaos. Below, Da Guan soldiers fought paired combat with various families' guards; soon bodies covered the ground. The officers in the hall, except for Liu Fengsheng's confidants, were mostly drifters who didn't want to strike old comrades.

Ma Chengzu waved his dagger, forcing back several guards, breaking through the encirclement and rushing toward the eaves. Liu Fengsheng knew that if he escaped and rallied his troops, Humen Fortress would spiral out of control, and his promised "surrender of the fortress" would fail completely. He screamed, "Don't let Ma Chengzu get away!"

His guards lunged at Ma Chengzu together. Ma Chengzu showed no fear, backing against a pillar and waving his dagger to resist. But the dagger was short and no match for long swords; soon he was covered in wounds, barely holding on.

Just then, Gao Xidian grabbed a chair and rushed over, swinging it wildly. Young and strong, he wielded the pear-wood chair with majestic wind, forcing back several guards in moments. One guard was swept by mistake, screamed, vomited blood, and fell. Gao Xidian rushed to Ma Chengzu's side and shouted, "Thousand-Household Ma, let's break out!"

Ma Chengzu had no prior dealings with him. Seeing him disregard life and death to save him, Ma was moved. Ignoring his pain, he grabbed a sword from the ground and shouted, "You clear the way, I'll cover the rear! Break out and rally the men to kill the Bald Thieves!"

One in front, one behind, they charged fiercely. Several men couldn't stop them. Just as they were about to reach the eaves, Gao Xidian suddenly took an arrow and fell face forward. The guards set upon him with swords and spears; in an instant, his breath was gone.

Ma Chengzu used this gap to escape the hall. The Da Guan soldiers fighting in the courtyard burst into a cheer, morale soaring, shouting "Kill the Bald Thieves!" They fought with increasing ferocity, and it looked like Liu Fengsheng's side was losing ground.

Liu Fengsheng complained bitterly in his heart, cursing: Where the hell is Liu Zhipei? If this went on, he would have to run for his life. Watching his guards dying one by one in the yard, gradually being forced up the steps, he was about to flee when a clamor rose outside. Liu Zhipei's troops had arrived.

Liu Fengsheng relaxed and nearly collapsed to the ground.

The arrival of fresh troops instantly changed the battle. The Da Guan soldiers were surrounded in the courtyard, slashed and stabbed, gradually losing ground. Ma Chengzu waved his sword to defend while shouting orders for everyone to break out, but more and more enemies arrived, and fewer and fewer of his men remained.

Ma Chengzu took several more arrows, stumbled, and barely propped himself up with a spear. Seeing only a few men left around him, and Gao Xidian's head already chopped off on the steps and hoisted high on a spear, he knew there was no hope of breakout. He looked to the sky and sighed: "I have the heart to kill the enemy, but no power to reverse the Heavens!"

Before his voice faded, two long spears pierced him simultaneously. Ma Chengzu could support himself no longer and fell dead. The remaining Da Guan soldiers were slaughtered by a flurry of swords and spears.

Escorted by guards, Liu Fengsheng walked out of the hall and onto the steps. Seeing the ground covered in corpses, he was secretly alarmed—if Liu Zhipei hadn't arrived in time, it would have been him in the pile of corpses, not Ma Chengzu. He hated Ma Chengzu for this resistance, which had cost him many guards and several confidant officers in vain.

He said hatefully, "Ma Chengzu and Gao Xidian resisted the Celestial Army; their deaths are not to be pitied. Cut off their heads and display them before the fortress!"

"Yes!"

"Search the whole camp. Execute all of Gao Xidian's and Ma Chengzu's personal guards and the remaining Da Guan soldiers! Spare no one!" Liu Fengsheng screamed hoarsely.

After giving orders, he turned back to look at the officers coming out of the hall.

"Gentlemen! We brothers are now men of the Great Song and the Yuan Council. The Chiefs have said that as long as we serve with peace of mind, our wealth and rank will not be lacking. But if anyone's heart still turns to the Pseudo-Ming, these people are the example!"

The officers following him were silent as cicadas in winter; no one dared say a word.

Seeing no one opposed him anymore, Liu Fengsheng ordered the prepared blue flags to be hoisted on the Wushan peak and the Humen Fortress flagpole. He ordered some of the officers to return to their camps, restrain their subordinates, and await the Australians' roll call inspection.

(End of Chapter)