This is the last touch of darkness before dawn and the darkest moment of the night.
Because when the rising sun is about to rise in the east, the sunlight below the ground level shines on the upper atmosphere two to three kilometers above the earth, scattering the original starlight. And because the upper atmosphere is thin, the sunlight it scatters cannot penetrate the dense lower atmosphere.
In this way, there is no starlight on the earth, and it cannot receive the scattered light from the sun, so it becomes the darkest moment of the night.
In the darkness, the soldiers on duty in Jiaxing City stood guard dutifully, their eyes carefully staring into the distance.
Suddenly, a light point appeared in the distance, then another light point appeared, then another light point, and finally a string of light points appeared.
The old team leader on duty knew that those torches meant that there were soldiers and horses coming towards Jiaxing City.
So, the old captain immediately turned around and kicked the young man in the team, urging, "Someone, there is a troop of soldiers coming on the official road in the distance. I don't know whether it is an enemy or a friend. Hurry, Xiao Hei, you run fast, go and report it
General."
"Hey, let's go now." Xiaohei, the new recruit Danzi, immediately turned around and ran towards the city, shouting as he ran, "General, general, there is a troop of troops coming from outside the city."
Soon, all the generals who were responsible for guarding the city gates learned of the news, and quickly sent people on horseback to report to the Jiaxing magistrate.
"What? A group of soldiers and horses from outside the city are coming straight to the city gate?"
The news reached the magistrate's yamen meeting hall, causing a panic. Both the civil servants and the military attachés were no longer calm. General Wang and General Zhao, whose chests were beating loudly before, also lowered their heads to study the teacup patterns. As for the chief seat,
Magistrate Zhao who was on the scene was even more frightened by the news, and the tea in his hand was shaken out.
"Are the soldiers and horses outside the city enemies or friends?" Magistrate Zhao was a magistrate after all. Although his voice was trembling, he immediately got to the point.
The soldiers and horses outside the city are nothing more than these two, and the possibility is very high; if it is the enemy, it is Japanese pirates. After all, a village in the north of the territory was attacked by Japanese pirates, and it is not an unusual thing for Japanese pirates to approach the city; if it is friends, it is reinforcements, both of them
An hour ago, Zhao Chongcai sent General Zhao to Yangcheng Guard to ask for help. Calculating, the time was almost up.
"Yes, are the troops outside the city invading Japanese pirates or reinforcements?"
After hearing Magistrate Zhao's question, the officials in the hall realized, yes, don't panic yet. We haven't yet figured out whether the soldiers and horses outside the city are friends or foes. Once they are confirmed to be Japanese pirates, there is no need to panic anymore.
Not too late.
Moreover, the possibility of reinforcements is greater. Lord Fu Zun sent people to Yangcheng Guard for more than an hour to ask for reinforcements. Yangcheng Guard is about fifty miles away. With one visit and one return, two hours is almost the right time.
"Ahem, sir, sir, I don't know if the people coming outside the city are Japanese pirates or reinforcements. The defenders on the city only saw a string of torches a few miles outside the city, and they shouted loudly that soldiers and horses were coming.
Already."
The messenger's face turned red with embarrassment.
"Look at what you did, why did you report it without investigating clearly?" Several officials in the hall frowned and scolded.
"No, I don't blame them. They reported the news as soon as they saw someone coming, ensuring that the news reached the city as soon as possible and giving the city time to prepare. They did a good job. If they waited to find out whether it was Japanese pirates or reinforcements outside the city, the day lily would be cold.
Got it!"
Magistrate Zhao waved his hand and instead of punishing the messengers, he praised them and confirmed their report.
"I think the soldiers and horses outside the city must be reinforcements. Calculating the time, from the time General Zhao left the city to ask for help from Yangcheng Guard to now, it is almost two hours. According to the distance from Yangcheng Guard to our Jiaxing City, it is almost just right.
It is impossible for the Japanese pirates. According to the news from Suzhou, the Japanese pirates finally only had a few hundred remnants left and fled in all directions. The Japanese pirates who fled to our Jiaxing Prefecture must be only a small group of Japanese pirates. How could they come to attack our Jiaxing city."
Chief Zhang of the military room stood up and analyzed.
"Yes, yes, I think they are also reinforcements. Our Jiaxing City is not inferior to Suzhou City. Moreover, when the Japanese invaders invaded Suzhou, Lord Fu Zun dispatched troops and generals to garrison Jiaxing City. Now we have more than two thousand elite soldiers and generals in the city.
The guard, including the various policemen in the city, has at least 2,500 troops. The remnants of the Japanese pirates can also attack the villages. If they come to attack our Jiaxing City, they will be asking for death!"
"Exactly, the reinforcements from outside the city have arrived, and we in Jiaxing City can rest easy. Not to mention the remnants of the Japanese pirates, even if they mobilize all the Japanese pirates from their lair in the forest, there is nothing we can do in Jiaxing City."
Many officials agreed and believed deeply.
"Huh, I hope it's a remnant of the Japanese pirates. My spear has been thirsty for a long time, so I can just quench its thirst."
When everyone speculated that the soldiers and horses outside the city were reinforcements, the pot-bellied General Wang stood up and said with a haughty look on his face.
"However, I also hope it's Japanese pirates. My subordinates have been screaming with suppressed screams for a long time. When the Japanese pirates come, I just take them out of the city to fight, which is considered to be a break for them. They have nowhere to vent their energy.
It’s all for nothing that I got the advantage of the girls in Hualou.” The thin General Zhao also held his head high and said.
"Okay, you don't need to guess anymore. Follow me to the city gate. Whether this army from afar is an enemy or a friend, we will know at a glance." Magistrate Zhao waved his hand to stop everyone's guessing.
He ordered to everyone.
"Your Excellency, a gentleman would not erect a dangerous wall. You are the master of the palace, and you must not put yourself in danger."
When Chief Zhang heard that Magistrate Zhao was taking them to the city gate, he was the first to stand up and object, with a look of concern for Magistrate Zhao.
"Yes, if you don't know whether the troops outside the city are Japanese pirates or reinforcements, Mr. Fu Zun, you should not take the risk to go to the city gate. Wait until the soldiers at the city gate confirm whether the soldiers outside the city are enemies or friends, then Mr. Fu Zun will do something.
It’s not too late to decide.”
"Yes, if we can't wait for the city gate officers to distinguish between friends and foes, then it's enough for us to go. Mr. Fu Zun, you have such a noble body, it's better not to risk yourself. Mr. Fu Zun can just take command from the center of the government office.
.”
"That's right, Master Fu Zun only takes command from the Yamen, and the soldiers and horses outside can be left to us."
A group of officials stepped forward to express their loyalty and advised Magistrate Zhao not to put himself in danger and to just stay in the government office and take command.
"You don't need to persuade me any more. This is the time when I, Jiaxing, are on the verge of death. As the head of the Jiaxing Prefecture, how can I hide behind me? Even if I am as noble as an emperor, when foreign enemies invade and the country is in danger, I can't hide behind it!"
It is my duty to protect the country and the people, let alone a small magistrate, if there is an imperial convoy going on a personal expedition!"
Magistrate Zhao waved his hand and insisted.
After finishing speaking, he glanced at the corner of the meeting hall, where a Sima clerk in his fifties was writing furiously, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, does not avoid danger and is concerned about the people. He is truly a role model for our generation. We must follow your example."
All the officials came forward to flatter him one after another.