Chapter 61: Internal Strife

The generals looked closely and saw that the speaker was a lieutenant commander named Gao Xidian. He was originally a hereditary standard-bearer in the Guangzhou Rear Guard. He was young and no one knew what connections he had made or how much silver he had spent to get a position as a lieutenant in the camp not long ago. He was a sesame-seed official who could not be smaller.

A trusted aide of Liu Fengsheng coughed and said, “Brother Gao, you can’t say that. When it comes to fighting, none of our brothers have ever been vague. In these years, we have fought against pirates, the Yao people, and the roving bandits… Every time the court officials gave an order, our brothers would take up their swords and spears and go to war. Every brother here has earned his position through fighting in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.” As he spoke, he looked at Gao Xidian with a sidelong glance.

Someone in the back started to jeer, “An arrogant brat who is still wet behind the ears.”

“How dare you boast without ever having been in battle!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Since Commander Gao is so loyal and brave, how about he leads his troops to meet the short-hair thieves first?”

“If you want to die, don’t drag others down with you.”

…

Gao Xidian, a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers, said loudly, “In that case, I am willing to be the vanguard! Please, General, dispatch the troops and open the powder magazine. I will immediately lead the troops to the platform to supervise the battle! I will fight the short-hair thieves to the death!”

Someone else said in a strange tone, “Commander Gao is the reincarnation of Wu Mu, with a loyal heart and both civil and military talents. When Commander Gao goes out, won’t the short-hair thieves kneel down and surrender!”

Someone else laughed and said, “That goes without saying. When General Gao gets on the battery, a loud roar will be enough to scare away a million short-hair soldiers.”

“I didn’t expect that our Humen Fort could produce a modern-day Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide.”

…

Liu Fengsheng’s trusted aides and the officers who had already decided to surrender made a lot of noise together, and they immediately suppressed Gao Xidian. Most of the other officers were also unwilling to go to their deaths in battle, so they all remained silent.

Gao Xidian’s face turned red with anger. He was only a lieutenant commander. Besides his three personal soldiers, he only had a dozen or so regular soldiers. The only ones who could really fight to the death were these three personal soldiers. If Liu Fengsheng didn’t dispatch the troops and open the powder magazine, even a reincarnated Zhang Fei would be useless. He stuck his neck out and argued, “Since we eat the lord’s salary, we must be loyal to the lord. Humen is the key to Guangzhou. Once it is lost, Guangzhou will be in danger…”

“Well said!” Someone in the hall, which was originally full of laughter, suddenly shouted. The hall immediately fell silent. Liu Fengsheng, who had been cold-faced and silent, was also stunned for a moment. He looked at the person who came out and sneered as expected.

It was within Liu Fengsheng’s expectation that he would come out to stop him, but Gao Xidian, this reckless young man, jumping out was a bit unexpected.

The person who came out was also a chiliarch. He was originally a hereditary commander of the Guangzhou Hui Guard, with the surname Ma and the given name Chengzu. He was a Dargah official. Most of the Dargah soldiers in Guangzhou were transferred from Nanjing during the Chenghua and Jiajing reigns to suppress the Yao people’s riots. Their ancestors were all Semu soldiers of the Yuan Dynasty.

Although there were not many Dargah soldiers in Humen Fort, they were all Guangzhou natives and stuck together. Ma Chengzu himself was a hereditary commander and a camp chiliarch, only one level lower than Liu Fengsheng. He had a lot of influence in Humen Fort.

“Brothers! Commander Gao is right! Not to mention that we are all court officials, and many of us have received imperial grace for generations. Just this Humen pass is the key to entering Guangzhou. If the short-hair thieves easily pass through, Guangzhou will surely fall into their hands! Most of us are natives of Guangzhou. Can you sit back and watch the short-hair thieves kill their way into Guangzhou and plunge your own relatives, friends, and fellow villagers into the midst of war and fire?! Please think twice, everyone!” He spoke with such sincerity that it was impossible not to be moved. Some people’s faces showed a look of wavering.

Someone muttered, “We only have this many men and horses, and the short-hair thieves are good at fighting. How can we win…”

“Even if we can’t win, we have to fight. The longer we can delay here, the more time the city will have to prepare for the enemy. In addition, we can also slightly dampen the short-hair thieves’ morale. Even if we die here, we will be worthy of the court and the emperor, and we will be worthy of the people and our families…”

“Enough!” Liu Fengsheng saw that the situation was not good. With his glib tongue, he might be able to win over some of the wavering people. He slammed the table and shouted, “Ma Chengzu! This is Humen Fort, and I am the commander of Humen Fort. It’s not your turn to point fingers!”

Ma Chengzu sneered, “Commander of Humen Fort, you are not worthy! You have always been flirting with the short-hair thieves and colluding with them in secret. I originally thought it was just a common practice in officialdom. I didn’t expect that when the short-hair thieves came to attack, you didn’t send troops, didn’t open the warehouses, and even let people trample on Commander Gao who was wholeheartedly serving the country. Your heart is punishable! I think you are going to surrender to the short-hair thieves and be a traitor!”

“Insolent!” Seeing that he had torn off his face without hesitation, Liu Fengsheng simply went into battle bare-chested. “Men! Seize him for me!”

Many of the officers in the hall were already Liu’s followers. There were also a dozen of Liu’s personal soldiers and retainers under the hall, all of whom he had prepared for such a situation. At his command, these people surrounded Ma Chengzu.

Ma Chengzu was not afraid at all and said, “I knew you had this trick up your sleeve.” After speaking, his face changed, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Liu Fengsheng has rebelled and surrendered to the enemy! Today is the day to be loyal to the country!” As he spoke, he drew out a hidden dagger from his waist.

Before he finished speaking, the originally empty courtyard of the main hall was suddenly filled with twenty or thirty soldiers, who brandished their swords and spears and charged towards the main hall. These were all Ma Chengzu’s personal soldiers and retainers, as well as some Dargah soldiers. The Liu family’s personal soldiers and retainers in front of the hall were caught off guard and were scattered in a mess. In an instant, five or six of them were cut down. The front of the hall was immediately plunged into a chaotic battle.

Liu Fengsheng was greatly shocked. He had originally arranged for his nephew Liu Zhipei to lead a hundred men to secretly surround the barracks of the Dargah soldiers. Once there was a change, these people would be slaughtered on the spot. Now these people suddenly appeared. He did not hear any fighting in the direction of the barracks, and they did not look like they had fought their way out.

There was no time to think too much. The hall and the area below it were already in a mess. Below the hall, the Dargah soldiers and the personal soldiers and retainers of various families were fighting each other. In a moment, a lot of people had fallen. Most of the officers in the hall, except for Liu Fengsheng’s trusted aides, were just going with the flow and were unwilling to attack their former comrades. Ma Chengzu brandished his dagger and forced back a few personal soldiers, broke through the encirclement, and rushed towards the eaves. Liu Fengsheng knew that once he rushed out and gathered his men, this Humen Fort would be completely out of control, and his original promise of “surrendering the fort” would be completely ruined! He couldn’t help but shout, “Don’t let Ma Chengzu escape!”

His personal soldiers and retainers all rushed towards Ma Chengzu. Ma Chengzu was not afraid at all. He leaned against a pillar and brandished his dagger to resist. However, the dagger was short and small, and it was no match for a long sword. Soon, he was covered in wounds and could barely resist. At this moment, Gao Xidian grabbed a chair and rushed over, brandishing it. He was young and strong, and he brandished the pear wood chair with great force. In an instant, he forced back several retainers. A personal soldier was accidentally hit by him, screamed, and fell to the ground, spitting blood. Gao Xidian rushed to Ma Chengzu’s side and shouted, “Chiliarch Ma, let’s rush out!”

Ma Chengzu had never had any dealings with him before. Seeing him risk his life to save him, he was moved in his heart. He ignored the pain on his body, grabbed a saber from the ground, and shouted, “You open the way, I’ll cover the rear! Rush out and gather the men to kill the short-hair thieves!”

The two of them rushed forward one after another. A few people couldn’t stop them. Seeing that they had already rushed to the eaves, Gao Xidian was suddenly hit by an arrow and fell to the ground. He was attacked by the retainers with swords and spears, and he died in an instant. Ma Chengzu took advantage of this gap to escape from the main hall. The Dargah soldiers who were fighting in the courtyard burst into cheers, their morale soared, and they all shouted “Kill the short-hair thieves!”. They fought even more bravely, and it seemed that Liu Fengsheng’s side was at a disadvantage.

Liu Fengsheng secretly complained and cursed, where did Liu Zhipei go? If this continued, he would have no choice but to escape! Seeing that the number of retainers and personal soldiers in the courtyard was getting smaller and smaller, and they were gradually being forced up the steps, he was about to run away when there was another commotion outside. It turned out that Liu Zhipei’s men had arrived. Liu Fengsheng’s heart relaxed, and he almost fell to the ground.

The arrival of this fresh force immediately changed the situation of the battle. The Dargah soldiers were surrounded in the courtyard, and they were cut by swords and stabbed by spears. Gradually, they fell into a disadvantage. Ma Chengzu brandished his sword to resist while shouting loudly to command everyone to rush out. However, more and more people arrived, while the number of people on their side became smaller and smaller. Ma Chengzu was hit by several more arrows, and his footsteps staggered. He barely supported his body with his spear. Seeing that there were only a few people left around him, and Gao Xidian’s head had been cut off on the steps and was being held high on a long spear, he knew that there was no hope of breaking out. He couldn’t help but sigh to the sky, “I have the heart to kill the enemy, but I have no power to turn the tide!” Before he finished speaking, two long spears pierced him at the same time. Ma Chengzu could no longer support himself and fell to the ground dead. The remaining few Dargah soldiers were also cut and stabbed by swords and spears and were all slaughtered.

Liu Fengsheng walked out of the main hall under the protection of his personal soldiers and came to the steps. Seeing the corpses all over the ground, he couldn’t help but be secretly shocked. If it weren’t for Liu Zhipei’s timely arrival, the one lying in the pile of corpses would not be Ma Chengzu but himself! He hated Ma Chengzu for this resistance, which made him lose many retainers and personal soldiers, and even several of his trusted officers died. He said hatefully, “Ma Chengzu and Gao Xidian resisted the heavenly soldiers, and their deaths are not to be pitied. Cut off all their heads and display them in front of the fort as a warning!”

“Yes!”

“Search the entire camp and execute all of Gao Xidian and Ma Chengzu’s personal soldiers and retainers, as well as the remaining Dargah soldiers! Leave no one alive!” Liu Fengsheng shouted at the top of his lungs.

After giving the order, he turned around and looked at the officers who came out of the main hall.

“Gentlemen! Our brothers are now the people of the Great Song and the Senate. The chiefs have already said that as long as we serve them with peace of mind, we will not be short of wealth and honor. If we still have our hearts set on the false Ming, these people will be our fate!”

The officers behind him were all silent as cicadas in winter, and no one dared to say anything more.

Seeing that no one was against him anymore, Liu Fengsheng ordered the pre-prepared blue flag to be hung on the top of Wushan Mountain and the flagpole in front of Humen Fort. He ordered some of the officers to return to their respective camps, restrain their subordinates, and wait for the Australians to come and inspect them.