Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 318 Such a strong Lin Daiyu?

The chancellor Fan Pengcheng, who was invited back to work, knew that this would be his last chance to redeem himself, so he did not dare to neglect it and hurriedly said, "General, what you said is very true. I have heard that Marquis Anjing is a man who values ​​friendship. If the family is in our hands, things should go more smoothly."

Personal affairs have never affected family members, but the Japanese pirates have no bottom line at all.

Fan Pengcheng's expression changed from surprise to deep thought, then he nodded slowly, doing the whole act so that Wang Shun would not suspect anything.

"Marquis Anjing is staying at Fengqiao Inn. We can go there to get the person first."

Wang Shun continued to wave his hands and said, "No need, they are just family members, I will send someone to get them."

Then Wang Shun pointed at a few people and said, "Take a few dozen people, go quickly and come back quickly."

"Yes."

Until entering the city, Wang Shun was still so cautious, which made Fan Pengcheng feel quite difficult.

Fan Pengcheng couldn't help but ask, "General Wang, when are we going to enter the city?"

Wang Shun replied, "Since Lord Fan has already arranged for the soldiers to guard the city, it won't be too late to enter the city after my subordinates capture the family of Marquis An Jing and return with a communication."

Seeing Fan Pengcheng's hesitation, Wang Shun comforted him, "Master Fan, please don't worry. For those of us who are doing business on the edge of a knife, if we are not careful, we will not live long."

Fan Pengcheng nodded and said nothing more.

The two sides remained silent for an hour. When the group of people who had entered the city returned, they successfully captured Marquis Anjing's family and brought them into the room.

Just by looking at the family of Marquis Anjing, Fan Pengcheng almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

Wang Shun and Fan Pengcheng sat together in the hall, looking at the family members of Marquis Anjing below. Wang Shun couldn't help but ponder and asked, "Why are all the family members of Marquis Anjing so... so strong?"

He looked at the women, who were all strong and sturdy, not inferior to him in any way. They looked like strong women who did rough work, and were not worthy of being kept in Marquis Anjing's mansion.

Fan Pengcheng suppressed his smile and replied, "Maybe it's Marquis Anjing's preference?"

I thought to myself, "What Marquis Anjing likes is much smaller than these."

Wang Shun nodded without comment. He had always heard that the young masters of the rich families in Dachang always had some inhuman preferences, so it was understandable that they liked strong women.

"Who is the Lin Daiyu who won the first prize in poetry? I heard that she is the beloved daughter of the Salt Inspector Lin. Is she among them?"

A subordinate reported: "General, this is the one."

Wang Shun looked in the direction his subordinate pointed and saw a man kneeling on the ground in the crowd with an indignant look on his face.

"You stand up."

When the man stood up, Wang Shun suddenly realized that he was a head taller than him.

"That's not right. Isn't it rumored that Lin Daiyu is a delicate and sickly woman? How come she is as strong as an ox?"

Fan Pengcheng's expression tightened a bit, and he continued, "Don't trust all rumors."

Wang Shun laughed and said, "If that's true, then everything in Dachang is just hype, and it's hard to tell the truth from the false. But the difference between you is so great that it really makes people laugh."

"Lord Lin and I share the same ideals, and I hope General Wang will not embarrass his daughter. This is not only my opinion, but also the Prime Minister's."

Often, making requests is not just flattery, but will make the thieves believe it more. Wang Shun nodded and said, "Well, we still have to give this face to the Prime Minister. After all, the Lianghuai Salt Inspector is in a high position and has great power. It's better for us to keep out of each other's way."

Fan Pengcheng struck while the iron was hot and said, "General, look, this person has been captured. Are we going to enter the city?"

Wang Shun nodded and said, "Okay, let's go into the city."

It is now three quarters past midnight and the city gates are already closed.

Even the most prosperous Changmen, now has all the boats parked under the water gate, and the surrounding shops are all closed, with only a few dim lights on, swaying like stars in the sky.

There were no pedestrians on the street, not even any patrolling officers and soldiers, so Wang Shun and his party arrived here quite smoothly.

At night, one could only peek into a corner of the Changmen Gate, but one could also see that the surrounding area was filled with commercial goods that could not be stored in the rooms, all of which were placed in front of each store.

Shuangyu Island, as the hub of the maritime thoroughfare, also has bustling streets, but compared with here, it is still dwarfed.

Wang Shun's bandit nature came into play again, and he asked Fan Pengcheng, who was riding with him, with a smile, "Master Fan, if we leave, can we also rob the surrounding merchants?"

Fan Pengcheng readily agreed, "As long as the big thing can be accomplished, the general can handle these minor details as he pleases."

Wang Shun laughed and said, "After all, we are pirates. If we don't rob along the way, how can people believe that the assassination of An Jinghou was done by pirates?"

Fan Pengcheng nodded, "That's exactly what I mean."

The two stood in front of the queue and came to the gate tower. Wang Shun raised his hand and said, "Master Fan, please come in."

Fan Pengcheng kicked his feet again and took a few steps forward. Torches were lit on the city gate tower to illuminate the area. He looked down and asked, "But Lord Fan?"

Fan Pengcheng looked up and said, "That's right, open the door quickly, it's too late!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the door slowly opened.

After opening a crack, Fan Pengcheng immediately rode his horse inside, and countless torches suddenly lit up on the city gate tower, illuminating the night sky as bright as day.

Wang Shun's eyes widened in shock, and he cursed angrily: "How dare you, Fan, deceive me! There is an ambush, retreat quickly!"

But this long snake formation, with thousands of soldiers piled together at the rear, had no way of looking after each other. Moreover, it was night time, and the soldiers at the rear had no idea what was happening in the front.

In the blink of an eye, the family members of Marquis Anjing's Mansion who had been captured earlier took off their disguises and suddenly started killing people in the queue.

The sudden change terrified everyone. They could not tell who were the enemies or friends around them, and they immediately scattered.

On the city wall, countless bows were already drawn with arrows, aiming at a wave of Japanese pirates gathered under the city gate and shooting down at the same time.

Arrows rained down from the sky, and in an instant, large numbers of Japanese fell downstairs, with wailing and cursing ringing in the ears.

But Wang Shun was a skilled warrior in weathering storms after all. He picked up a corpse to shield himself from the rain of arrows, then jumped off his horse and immediately ordered the people around him, "Quickly tell the rear army that we have people guarding the boats on the shore. As long as we can escape to the shore, there is still a chance of survival."

After the rain of arrows, bonfires were actually lit in the surrounding shops. Countless soldiers emerged from the cabins in the river and from the goods piled up on the shops. Holding long spears, they engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese. The Japanese were surrounded and waited to be strangled.

Wang Shun understood that everything was a conspiracy of Marquis An Jing, but he didn't bother to ask about Marquis An Jing's family. He immediately led his most elite guards to attack the encirclement.

"The soldiers of Suzhou Guard are not good at fighting and are no match for us. Don't be afraid to fight your way out."

Wang Shun shouted loudly, gathered the panicked soldiers around him, and charged out together. After a few rounds of fighting, Wang Shun found that the enemy he was facing was not the drunkards in Suzhou Guards at all, and the leading general seemed to be unfamiliar.

"Yang Lin, the commander of the Beijing Camp, is ordered by Marquis Anjing to kill the Japanese pirates here. All of them must be killed! Kill!"

It turned out that he was facing the elite troops of the Beijing Camp, not the local troops of Suzhou. The Japanese were timid and knew that today was a dangerous day when they heard the name. At this moment, Wang Shun also understood that An Jinghou must have set up an ambush with a tight net and brought all the elite troops of the Beijing Camp in order to achieve the goal of wiping out all the Japanese pirates in one battle.

The most terrifying thing is, if this was a trap set for him, then where is An Jinghou, the person he originally wanted to assassinate?

But before he could think about it, the envoy from the Prime Minister's Mansion, who had argued with him many times in the hall and revealed his identity, suddenly changed his face, held a spear and rode towards him, "Japanese, give me your life!"

Although the distance was short and the impact of the horse's charge was not fully accumulated, the force of the spear was extremely powerful. Wang Shunting's weapon was blocked and he could not withstand the force. He retreated several steps and was supported by the guards behind him before he could stabilize his body.

Wang Shun was furious, "Quick, go and stop him!"

But seeing that man getting braver and braver as the battle went on, wielding his spear like a swimming dragon, his personal martial arts skills were displayed to the fullest. The Japanese people who came forward with samurai swords to chop at them were all knocked to the ground by his spear. For a while, he was so brave that he seemed to be in an unstoppable situation.

Wang Shun had already begun to think of fleeing. If he continued to fight here, not only would his elite troops die, but he would also die.

If the green hills are left, there is no need to worry about no firewood.

If you save your life, you will have the opportunity to claim compensation from Marquis Anjing sooner or later.

Wang Shun, along with dozens of personal guards beside him, abandoned thousands of soldiers and charged diagonally into the river, seizing boats on the river in an attempt to retreat.

The young general behind him pursued him relentlessly all the way to the riverside. When he saw that he could no longer catch up, he drew his bow and arrow, aiming at the boats on the river.

Wang Shun hurriedly said to the people around him: "Row quickly, row quickly!"

The bowstrings trembled a few times, and three arrows shot towards the cabin, but only hit the two people rowing the boat, but failed to kill Wang Shun.

Zhao Hao felt quite regretful, but after all, the Marquis had a backup plan, so he abandoned Wang Shun and turned back to continue to suppress the remaining Japanese pirates.

At this moment, Fan Pengcheng, who had just entered the city, had already walked up to the city gate tower. Seeing the one-sided situation below, he was filled with emotion, "This is how Marquis Anjing uses his troops. Even with a two-sided war, he still has enough strength to win a great victory under Suzhou City."

"Then there's no need to talk about the victory or defeat of the Battle of Shuangyu Island, which he personally presided over. It seems that after all my negligence, I did the right thing after all."

……

Wang Shun rowed against the current in a small boat, but with the help of the west wind, he was able to escape.

With a smile of having survived a disaster, Wang Shun leaned against the cabin with all his strength, and said with a smile to his left and right: "After all, God has not abandoned me. No matter how clever An Jinghou was, he never expected that this northwest wind would help me escape from Suzhou City."

"As long as we reach the shore, we still have a thousand men guarding the ship. If we board the ship and go out to sea, even the gods will not be able to catch us."

"I will keep this grudge for now, and I will definitely repay you double in the future!"

The guards also breathed a sigh of relief. The situation just now was too dangerous. If Wang Shun had not reacted quickly and found a way to survive, they would all be beheaded by now.

Hearing Wang Shun's lofty ambitions, they all flattered him.

"Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future. The ambushed generals have all escaped. When we return to Shuangyu Island to recruit soldiers, we will be able to gather another group of people in a few days. By then, we will plunder all the ships that go to sea in Dachang and let Marquis Anjing experience our power."

Wang Shun smiled and nodded, "Marquis An Jing is still not smart enough to think that this small ambush can kill me. If I were him, I would definitely set up a team of troops on the riverside and wait for us to board the ship and then use rockets to burn the ship. In this way, even if I have wings, I can't escape."

The guards looked stunned and took Wang Shun off the boat very cautiously. They went to the dock to board a boat, but they did not notice any ambush.

Only after boarding the big ship did I feel relieved.

"As the general said, Marquis Anjing is not very smart."

But Wang Shun frowned and said, "If Marquis An Jing is not here either, and he has no extra troops, where would he be?"

One of the guards couldn't help but say, "Perhaps Marquis Anjing is not good at fighting and has been behind the scenes?"

Wang Shun shook his head. "Don't you know that Marquis An Jing rose to prominence because of his outstanding military achievements? He is not comparable to those dandy dudes from the four princes and eight dukes."

The big ship slowly sailed towards the river, and Wang Shun breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't figure out where Marquis An Jing was, he was finally alive, which was a good thing.

But just after the ship weighed anchor and reached the center of the river, there was a roar not far away, and the entire ship began to shake violently.

Wang Shun's face changed drastically, "You have a cannon?"

A smell of gunpowder filled the air, and soon a sailor on the deck came in to report: "General, there is a gunboat right next to us."

boom!
With another loud bang, a big hole was smashed through the ship, and the shaking of the ship was out of control.

Then there was a rain of fire pouring down from the sky, and the entire ship was quickly on fire.

The soldiers who were knocked down by the artillery fire hurriedly got up and fetched water to put out the fire, but the fire would only grow bigger under the wind and could not be extinguished at all. The sails had been burned and the main mast had been damaged and overturned. The ship could no longer move and was just drifting with the waves, gradually moving closer to the ships on the east side.

Countless people abandoned their boats and jumped into the water, but the Yangtze River is a dangerous place. The water at night in the cold winter is as sharp as icicles. Jumping into the river is tantamount to seeking death, so it is not a way to survive.

A few more cannon shots were heard, and Wang Shun's face gradually turned pale. He did not expect that Marquis Anjing had a backup plan, and this backup plan was actually a gunboat. When had he heard that Dachang had a gunboat?
If there were such a powerful warship, Shuangyu Island would probably not be able to survive.

Moreover, since Marquis An Jing was not on the Suzhou city wall, he must be on the gunboat opposite. Wang Shun looked at the samurai sword in his hand, was in a trance for a moment, tore out a piece of rag from his body, and wiped the sharp blade.

"I have been traveling across the East for thirty years, but I never thought that someone would plot against me. Today I shall die."

With a secret sigh, Wang Shun closed his eyes, and committed suicide by cutting his stomach while being watched by his personal guards.

The story of a great pirate came to an end.

……

Early the next morning,

When the people of Suzhou City entered and exited the Changmen Gate as usual, they found many soldiers cleaning the bloodstains between the stones.

There were still many arrows in front of the shops facing the street.

This caused a huge uproar in Suzhou Prefecture, which had been peaceful recently.

"What happened at Changmen last night? It seemed like there was fighting."

"I heard that it was the Japanese pirates who invaded, but they were all killed by the ambush set by An Jinghou last night. The big Japanese pirate Wang Shun fled to the river, but his ship was sunk. When he was found, he was already dead!"

"What! Is this really true?"

(End of this chapter)