The Heir

Сhарtеr 241: Undеr Siеge

Li Bаi оnсе lеft a poеm during his trаvels to Нuizhou: “I heаr оf Jinhuа Fеrrу, with fivе hundred raрids to the east; somedау hand in hаnd, we’ll rоw оur оаrs into Хin’аn.”

Тhis роem indiсates that оnе cоuld travel direсtly to Нuizhou from Jinhuа viа thе Хin’аn Rivеr.

Тhe routе tаken bу thеsе Jaрanеsе piratеs wаs from Ningbо into the Qiantаng River, then into thе Хin’аn River, аnd finally from thе Хin’аn River intо Нuizhоu. Аlоng thе waу, thеy gаtherеd many wаter bаndits аnd mоuntain bаndits, аll dеsрerate оutlaws. By the time thеy reaсhed Huizhоu, their numbеrs hаd swellеd to over eight hundred.

Among these Japanese pirates were also cunning individuals. During the day, they had people disguised and infiltrate the city of Huizhou. Then, taking advantage of the midnight hour, they launched an attack from within and without, successfully seizing the eastern city gate and breaking into the city.

The defending soldiers in Huizhou numbered a mere two hundred, and their combat effectiveness was no match for the Japanese pirates who had spent years at sea. Moreover, the nearest military garrison was over thirty li away from the city.

Adding to the chaos, as soon as the Japanese pirates entered the city, they set fires everywhere, plunging the city into turmoil.

“How could the Japanese pirates suddenly come to Huizhou? And to have silently breached the city—it’s utterly unbelievable.” Zhen Niang clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth as she spoke, finding it hard to believe. Although this period of the Ming Dynasty was chaotic in some regions, the Huizhou area maintained orderly governance. Whenever bandits or disturbances arose, they were swiftly suppressed by the combined efforts of officials and garrisons.

The people lived in peace and contentment.

“The Japanese pirates changed into the clothing of our Ming people, mingled with mountain and water bandits, gathered nearly a thousand men, and moved in batches, lying low by day and acting by night. This was a premeditated operation. When they struck in the city earlier, if not for the swords in the hands of some Japanese pirates and their speech betraying their identities, everyone would have initially thought it was bandits or a popular uprising.” Luo Wenqian’s expression was equally cold.

Zhen Niang nodded. In the past two years, frequent earthquakes and various disasters had led to unrest and uprisings in many places. Not long ago, a stone quarry workers’ uprising had occurred in Jiangxi.

“What do we do now?” Zhen Niang asked anxiously, realizing that nearly a thousand men had gathered—this was bound to cause major trouble. Meanwhile, Li Jingfu and Zhao Shi, who had just learned of the situation, were also startled.

“We must evacuate immediately. The Japanese pirates and mountain bandits have breached the eastern gate and are heading straight for Four Treasures Street. The government forces are insufficient, and with the nighttime chaos, we must clear the area to better resist the Japanese pirates and bandits. Therefore, all residents in the Four Treasures Street area must evacuate.” Luo Wenqian said.

He held the position of a garrison officer in the military garrison, albeit purchased with money. Yet in such times, he had to do his utmost. As soon as the incident occurred and he received the news, he gathered his guards to join the fight against the Japanese pirates and bandits.

However, it was nighttime, and with several fires breaking out simultaneously, the people were thrown into disarray. Soldiers, bandits, Japanese pirates, and civilians were all entangled. The soldiers were already few in number, and once scattered by the panicked civilians, they became disorganized. Meanwhile, the household guards and local militias were busy protecting their own homes and estates, making it impossible to organize large-scale resistance at the moment. Thus, the prefect summoned all functional officials and some local gentry to discuss countermeasures.

It was clear that the Japanese pirates and mountain bandits were targeting Four Treasures Street, currently the most prosperous area in Huizhou and home to several prominent families. If the Japanese pirates and bandits wanted to plunder wealth, they would naturally head there. In this era, ordinary households truly had no surplus grain, leaving nothing for them to seize.This point was clear to everyone.

Therefore, the current plan was first for the government troops to desperately hold off the enemy for a while, buying time for the residents of Four Treasures Street to evacuate. Then, they would allow the Japanese pirates and mountain bandits to enter the Four Treasures Street area. This area had many alleys and lanes, and if the Japanese pirates and bandits wanted to plunder, they would inevitably disperse. At that point, they could organize the government troops and local militia to engage the Japanese pirates and bandits in street fighting, trapping them fiercely in various alleys. Once the garrison troops arrived, they could be captured in one fell swoop.

Of course, this was just a plan. As for how it would ultimately turn out, no one was certain, and there was no time to think that far ahead. In the end, it was a desperate gamble. They absolutely could not allow these people to plunder and leave at their leisure.

Luo Wenqian was just explaining this.

At that moment, the sound of a gong rang out from outside—an urgent notification from the government runners.

"Japanese pirates and bandits have invaded! The East Gate has been breached! All residents of the Four Treasures Street area must immediately evacuate to the government office on South Street! I repeat, all residents of the Four Treasures Street area must immediately evacuate to the government office on South Street!" After several shouts, the gong sounded again several times.

Just then, the door was pushed open again as Li Dalang and Li Zhengxi also returned. Both of their faces were filled with horror, and the situation they had scouted was the same as what Luo Wenqian had described.

"Father, Mother, the government runners and some local militia are currently holding off the Japanese pirates and bandits. We must evacuate quickly. The Japanese pirates and bandits are heading straight for this area. The government troops are few in number and won't be able to hold out for long," Li Dalang urged anxiously.

"Alright, quickly pack up and evacuate," Li Jingfu said, then turned to Li Dalang. "Dalang, you must hurry and notify your Seventh Grandmother and the others, then help them evacuate." The Seventh Branch had no able-bodied men, only women and children, so they needed assistance from this side.

"Understood," Li Dalang replied.

"Elder Brother, I'll go with you," Zhen Niang said. No matter what, she was still Li Mo's head manager, and she couldn't abandon the Seventh Branch of the Li family. As she spoke, Zhen Niang glanced back at Luo Wenqian.

Luo Wenqian naturally understood Zhen Niang's thoughts. Although the Eighth Branch had male members, there were also many women—Wu Shi, Zheng Shi, Zhao Shi, Du Shi, and two children, Xiao Guan'er and Huiguan'er. Some of them required special attention.

"Don't worry, go quickly and come back soon. I'll take care of your parents and the others," Luo Wenqian said, stepping forward to take Zhen Niang's hand. He also instructed Luo Wuzi to accompany Zhen Niang and help look after the Seventh Branch.

Zhen Niang nodded firmly, then withdrew her hand from Luo Wenqian's grasp and followed Li Dalang to the Seventh Branch.

With the chaos in the city, it was impossible for the Seventh Branch not to know. They were already gathered together.

"Seventh Grandmother, have the aunts quickly pack some belongings and evacuate to South Street first," Zhen Niang urged as soon as she entered, addressing Old Madam Li and the other aunts. Little Tianyou stood nearby, lips pressed tightly together, face cold, fists clenched. Though there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes, he tried his best to appear calm while comforting his mother, Madam Sun.

This little one was slowly growing into the pillar of the Li family's Seventh Branch.

"That's right, Seventh Grandmother, we cannot delay. We don't know how long the government troops can hold out, and the sounds of fighting are getting closer," Li Dalang added urgently, worried that Old Madam Li might be reluctant to leave everything behind in the house."Alright." Old Madam Li had always been a decisive person. Knowing this was not the time to cling to worldly possessions, she immediately said to Li Dalang, "Don't bother packing. Dalang, take your aunts and little Tianyou and leave at once."

"Seventh Grandmother, what about you?" Li Zhenniang asked anxiously from the side.

"I still have some things to gather here. As for the Ink Repository, I'll follow shortly," Old Madam Li replied.

The Ink Repository was the Li family's most crucial asset. If nothing else, those notebooks and the stored ink from past generations had to be secured. Whether they were looted or burned down, it would be a devastating blow to the Li family. Zhen Niang had come precisely because she was concerned about the Ink Repository. She now said, "Seventh Grandmother, you go first. I'll take care of the things in the Ink Repository."

"There are some matters you are unaware of. I'll handle it," Old Madam Li said firmly.

"Then I'll stay with you, Seventh Grandmother." Zhen Niang couldn't bear the thought of leaving Old Madam Li alone and quickly insisted.

"Very well, come along." Knowing the girl wouldn't rest easy without her, Old Madam Li nodded. She turned and waved for Li Dalang to lead the aunts away first. The aunts had already gathered their valuable jewelry and, after nodding to Old Madam Li and Li Zhenniang, took Li Tianyou by the hand and followed Li Dalang out the door, guided by several maids.

Meanwhile, Luo Wuzi, who had accompanied Zhen Niang into the Li household, had been ordered by Luo Wenqian never to leave Zhen Niang's side, ensuring her protection.

Thus, Zhen Niang and Luo Wuzi helped Old Madam Li into the ancestral hall.

"Wuzi, wait outside. What lies within concerns the Li family's secrets," Old Madam Li said to Luo Wuzi.

Hearing it involved the Li family's confidential matters, Luo Wuzi nodded, stepped out, closed the door, and stood guard outside without moving an inch.

Just as Zhen Niang was about to rush into the Ink Repository to retrieve the important notebooks, Old Madam Li stopped her.

"Zhen Niang, the Ink Repository is the foundation of our Li family's century-old legacy. Therefore, every generation of Li ancestors took extreme care in its construction. In truth, the Li Family Ink Repository consists of two repositories—one real and one false. You must remember this." As she spoke, Old Madam Li walked over to the ancestral shrine, where there was a protruding rosewood handle. She twisted it, then pressed down firmly. Immediately, the entire shrine slid to the side, perfectly blocking the entrance to the Ink Repository without leaving even a crack. If Zhen Niang hadn't known there had once been a door there, she would never have guessed there was an entrance.

At the same time, where the shrine had moved, another door appeared. Using the same key, Old Madam Li opened it and beckoned to Li Zhenniang. Following the old lady inside, Li Zhenniang discovered a layout identical to the previous Ink Repository. Even the shelves held ink sticks, and the notebooks were all there. Zhen Niang picked one up and flipped through it, finding mostly known ink recipes and some ambiguous formulas for making ink—seven parts genuine mixed with two or three parts false, indistinguishable to the average person.

"This..." Zhen Niang was truly astonished.

"This is the False Repository. I've sealed the True Repository with the shrine. The walls of the True Repository are built entirely from solid bluestone, filled with sand for fireproofing. Ordinary fires cannot penetrate it," Old Madam Li explained.Upon hearing this, Zhen Niang was overjoyed: "That's wonderful! Now we don’t have to worry about the Ink Repository being lost." As she spoke, she remembered the urgency of the situation and turned to Old Madam Li, saying, "Madam, once everything is settled, let’s hurry. The other aunties are still worried."

"Alright, let’s go." Old Madam Li glanced around once more, nodded, and said to Zhen Niang.

As Zhen Niang helped the old madam up the steps, she noticed a small groove by the wall, containing something that looked like oil.

"Madam, what is this small groove for?" Zhen Niang asked while helping the old madam out of the False Repository.

The old madam didn’t answer, only smiled slightly. She then closed the door, locked it, and casually hung a portrait of Guanyin above the door, completely concealing it. This way, even the False Repository was hidden from view.

To an outsider entering, all they would see was a small room with a shrine and a portrait of Guanyin hanging beside it. Nothing else was in the room.

Who would have thought that the same place concealed both the true and false Ink Repositories?

What clever planning! The ancestors of the Li family were truly remarkable, Zhen Niang thought to herself.

"Let’s go." Once she was satisfied that everything was in order, Old Madam Li waved her hand, and Zhen Niang helped her out of the room. Luo Wuzi was waiting anxiously nearby and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them emerge.

The three of them hurried outside. By now, the Li family mansion was completely empty.

"Old Madam Li, Miss Li, where are you heading?" Just as Zhen Niang and the others were about to step out of the Li family gate, Renji Eishō appeared at the entrance with his hands behind his back. Behind him stood a group of Japanese pirates, all armed with Japanese Swords. It was clear—the Li family was completely surrounded.