Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 3 Arquebus Team

Seeing the critical situation, Hongchen hurriedly ordered the drums to be sounded to withdraw the troops. After retreating ten miles away, he saw that Qiantang Gate was right in front of him. He then led his remaining troops back into Qiantang Gate and closed the city gate tightly.

Qiantang Gate is one of the ten city gates of Hangzhou, and is known as the "Incense Basket Outside Qiantang Gate." Since the Song Dynasty, many Buddhist temples, pavilions, and gardens have stood outside Qiantang Gate. Passing through Zhaoqing Temple and the Sutra Repository leads to Lingyin Temple and Tianzhu Temple. Those going to Lingyin and Tianzhu Temples to offer incense mostly entered and exited through this gate. It's fortunate there was no incense festival today; otherwise, the crowds would have been so dense that the roads would have been blocked, and the Eight Banners soldiers wouldn't have been able to enter the city! Even so, the constant stream of passersby, seeing the government suddenly send a large entourage into the city, and then closing the gate in broad daylight, were greatly puzzled.

Suddenly, smoke billowed outside the city gates, and the sounds of footsteps and shouts of battle surged forth. Hundreds of beggars, their faces filled with murderous intent, appeared before the people, wielding knives and clubs, each covered in blood. Only then did the common people realize that war was about to break out, and they scattered in a panic, crying and screaming.

Seeing that the Beggars' Sect disciples were about to attack the city, Hongchen hurriedly ordered the arrows to be fired. Instantly, arrows flew like locusts, as if a hailstorm had fallen from the sky, causing many deaths among the first group of Beggars' Sect disciples. They had no choice but to retreat several miles away, spread out their formation, and hold their positions. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

Just then, several cannon shots boomed behind them. The Beggars' Sect disciples turned around and were shocked to see a dense mass of Qing soldiers gathered not far behind them, green flags waving, lined up in a row. Under a row of fluttering flags, White Lightning and a red-faced general with a long, flowing beard were directing the troops. The general wore a green helmet and green armor, rode a chestnut-red steed, and held a gleaming Green Dragon Crescent Blade. He was none other than Zhang Kuang, the powerful Governor-General of Zhejiang who commanded respect throughout Jiangnan.

He was a Han Chinese, originally from Qingdao, Shandong. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade was famous throughout the martial arts world. His skills surpassed those of other heroes, and he was known in the martial arts world as "The Magnificent Beard, the Martial Saint"! In the Burma War a few years ago, he was invincible and won every battle. Emperor Qianlong took notice of him and specially selected him from among the Han Chinese to become the Governor-General of Zhejiang, commanding a Green Standard Army of 100,000 men!

Although General Hongchen of Hangzhou held the rank of First Rank and commanded Eight Banners troops who were all relatives of the emperor, in recent years, the Eight Banners soldiers had become arrogant and complacent, and many of them were spoiled brats. They gradually stopped practicing martial arts and working hard. In several major battles during the Qing Dynasty, the Green Standard Army, which was mostly composed of Han Chinese, gradually gained the upper hand.

In contrast, without realizing it, Emperor Qianlong's previous affection and fondness for Hongchen shifted to Zhang Kuang. How could Hongchen not be consumed by jealousy and fury? Zhang Kuang, a forthright and righteous man, disdained associating with petty people like Hongchen, and so they separated, never speaking to each other again.

This time, seeing that Bai Shandian, a favorite of the current emperor, had personally come to request rescue, he did so for two reasons: firstly, he dared not refuse this imperial envoy, and secondly, it was also for his own benefit—thinking that the Hongchen Eight Banners army had suffered a crushing defeat, and if he acted decisively at this moment, wouldn't Emperor Qianlong praise him lavishly upon hearing of it? Then, if he were to impeach Hongchen, perhaps he would be able to get rid of him and leave his jurisdiction!

Zhang Kuang waved his hand, pointed his banner, and shouted, "Fire!" Several cannons under his command began bombarding the Beggars' Sect disciples. Instantly, clouds of dust and stones billowed up, and amidst the smoke and fire, the Beggars' Sect disciples were left with broken arms and legs, crying out for their parents, in complete chaos.

Just moments ago, they were overjoyed to have utterly defeated the Qing Dynasty's elite Eight Banners troops, who had dominated the land for centuries, with their legendary hidden weapon—the Dog-Beating Stick. However, they hadn't anticipated that once the distance between them and the enemy widened, their Dog-Beating Sticks would become useless. At this moment, a large enemy force arrived as reinforcements, attacking from both sides and employing powerful firearms—a move that undoubtedly sealed their fate!

A beggar shouted, "Things have come to this, we can't just sit here and wait to die! Damn it, let's fight!" He led the crowd and rushed over, braving the whistling shells, charging towards the Green Standard Army like madmen! Seeing them moving like the wind, light as swallows, with ferocious expressions and disheveled hair, desperately breaking through the encirclement, even Zhang Kuang, who had spent his life in the military, felt a chill run down his spine.

"Lord Zhang, these thugs dared to openly attack the government in broad daylight! They must be killed without mercy!" Bai Shandian shouted, remembering his wife and children who had been burned alive.

Zhang Kuang, of course, dared not disobey him and ordered, "Matchstick musket squad, prepare to fire immediately!" Before he finished speaking, a squad of Green Standard Army soldiers carrying long guns ran out of the main force and out of the circle. In the blink of an eye, they split into three squads. The first squad knelt, the second squad stood half-standing, and the third squad stood upright. The three squads took turns firing!

The process of firing a matchlock musket was extremely complex. According to Qi Jiguang's "The Art of War," written during the Ming Dynasty's resistance against Japanese pirates, it involved as many as ten steps. The first squad of the Green Standard Army would fire first, the second squad would load the ammunition—pulling the rope, preparing for the attack… and so on. The three squads would line up in the street and take turns firing. Because of this complexity, the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty did not possess this advanced weapon, instead giving it to the Green Standard Army, who were considered inferior. Moreover, the Green Standard Army could not operate this complex firearm while on horseback.

Advanced technology is indeed advanced technology. Although the beggars were highly skilled in martial arts and their killing methods were fierce, steel blades could not outrun bullets. Before they could even reach their enemies, they were blasted to the ground! But they were bloodthirsty, advancing wave after wave, never retreating, and ready to die for their cause! Unexpectedly, at this moment, a shout was heard behind them, followed by the sound of iron hooves and billowing smoke. Hongchen led the Eight Banners cavalry to open the city gates again and charged back! Two elite troops closed the gates and attacked from both sides. In less than an hour, they had slaughtered all the Qian disciples of the Beggars' Sect. It was truly a gruesome sight, with piles of corpses and rivers of blood!

Crows flew in flocks, the setting sun like blood. Night fell, plunging the world into darkness. Soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield. White Lightning felt utterly dejected. Red Dust laughed, "Your Excellency, there's no need to worry. The Emperor won't blame us even if he finds out. These beggars were indeed too fierce; their refusal to admit defeat or surrender was something we never expected!"

Zhang Kuang coldly said, "Your Majesty is wise, of course we are at ease. What I am worried about is the Beggars' Sect! The Beggars' Sect is known as the number one gang in the world, and its leader, Huo Shaoyun, has mastered the Iron Sand Palm technique to perfection. Who in the martial arts world dares not give him face! They have suffered such a great loss at our hands, how can they let it go?" Having made such a big enemy today, Hongchen was also somewhat frightened.

"What! You're saying Fire Cloud is the Beggar Clan leader?" White Lightning suddenly exclaimed. Red Dust also looked bewildered, saying, "Didn't we just capture that guy who called himself Fire Cloud? He's the only survivor of the Beggar Clan! Could it be that he's the famous Beggar Clan leader?" Zhang Kuang was shocked: "You captured Fire Cloud? Where is he now?!"

Hongchen was reluctant to tell him, but seeing Bai Shandian's anxious expression, she said smugly, "Today, the Imperial Envoy went out to the outskirts. Fearing something might happen, I sent men to secretly follow and protect him. When they saw those beggars trying to harm him, I personally led troops to his rescue. The Imperial Envoy's unparalleled martial arts were astonishing; he single-handedly captured the demon amidst a thousand enemy troops and effortlessly brought the Beggar Clan leader, Huoshaoyun, back to the enemy lines. I quickly ordered my capable assistant to escort Huoshaoyun back to the Hangzhou city prison! Now that he's in our hands, I doubt the remaining members of the Beggar Clan can pull any tricks!"

Zhang Kuang coldly rebuked, "I'm afraid your so-called capable assistants might not be able to get Huoshaoyun to prison, and they'll be dead!" Hongchen, seeing how terrifying he sounded, sneered in disbelief, "Don't think that just because you saved me today I'm grateful to you. I hope you won't provoke me!" Zhang Kuang flew into a rage, "You... how can you not distinguish between good and bad!"

Bai Shandian rebuked both sides and said seriously to Hongchen, "I think Lord Zhang is right! Let's analyze this. When Huoshaoyun contacted me, he denied being the leader of the Beggars' Sect, yet he tried to kidnap me. What was his intention? Why didn't he dare to reveal his identity?" Zhang Kuang said urgently, "I also think there's a conspiracy involved! Let's quickly retreat back to the city and check the prison. Is Huoshaoyun still there?"

White Lightning agreed, then left a small squad of Green Standard Army soldiers to continue cleaning up the battlefield. Red Dust and Zhang Kuang each led their own troops, marching into Hangzhou in a grand procession. White Lightning rode Red Dust's Black Cloud Chasing Snow horse straight to the prison.