Jinzhou City had clearly already received the warning from the beacon fire.
However, when the message arrived, the Gao Village army was already only ten li away. That meant the defenders had very little time to prepare.
Lu Xiangsheng immediately noticed the chaos on top of the city wall.
The Jinzhou Army under Zu Dashou was scrambling everywhere.
Soldiers ran across the walls while hurriedly putting on armor and clothing. Some of them had obviously just woken up. A few were even running around half naked as they tried to get dressed.
The city gates were being shut in a hurry.
The huge winch groaned loudly as it turned.
Two massive wooden gates slowly swung closed right in front of Lu Xiangsheng's eyes and slammed together with a thunderous bang.
Immediately afterward, a large group of laborers rushed forward and began piling prepared stones behind the gate, sealing the passageway completely.
At the same time, the drawbridge over the moat slowly lifted into the air.
A general soon appeared on the city wall.
He had a square, upright face.
It was Zu Dashou.
The moment he appeared, the Shanxi soldiers and the Guanning Cavalry all turned to look at Chen Qianhu.
They looked at Chen Qianhu.
Then they looked at Zu Dashou on the wall.
Then they looked back at Chen Qianhu again.
Left.
Right.
Left again.
After several rounds of comparison, the soldiers suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Impossible."
"The one inside the city must be fake."
"That square face looks like a good person."
"The real Zu Dashou must be the one on our side."
"You can tell just by looking at his face."
Chen Qianhu exploded.
"Damn it."
"You bunch of bastards."
The soldiers immediately began shouting toward the city.
"Hey! Soldiers inside Jinzhou!"
"Your Zu Dashou is fake!"
"The real one is over here with us!"
"You picked the wrong boss!"
Everyone fell silent.
On the city wall, Zu Dashou was furious.
He assumed the enemy outside was playing some kind of psychological trick.
He quickly arranged several hundred soldiers behind him whose sole job was to shout insults.
They yelled toward the outside of the city.
"Which army are you?"
"Why are you attacking Jinzhou?"
"And what nonsense are you shouting about?"
The people from Gao Village did not bother replying.
They simply began deploying their forces.
Despite marching forty li earlier, the army showed no sign of fatigue.
The Guanning Cavalry at the front instantly formed an assault formation.
Shield soldiers stepped forward and formed the front line.
Their shields, made from aluminum alloy, flashed with a bright silver glow.
Behind them came the Guyuan Frontier Army, the Pi Island forces, and the Tianxiong Army under Lu Xiangsheng.
Meanwhile the Shanxi Army, which had performed so impressively earlier, moved to the very rear.
They spread out on the ground.
The soldiers began taking out small tube shaped launchers.
They placed strange little racks on the ground and positioned rocket like projectiles at an angle on the racks.
While the army from Gao Village silently formed its battle lines, Cao Wenzhao took out a metal speaking tube and handed it to Lu Xiangsheng.
"Lord Lu, our artillery is preparing."
"You can say a few words while we wait."
"Oh?"
Lu Xiangsheng nodded.
"I do have a few things to say."
He lifted the metal speaking tube and aimed it at Jinzhou.
"Zu Dashou."
"I am the Minister of War, Lu Xiangsheng."
Zu Dashou shouted back from the wall.
"So it is someone from the Great Ming."
"Why is the Ming attacking Jinzhou?"
"I am a general of the Ming."
"Jinzhou is also a Ming city."
"You suddenly come here to attack me. What kind of nonsense is this?"
Lu Xiangsheng's anger rose instantly.
"You still dare say you are a Ming general?"
"Then answer this."
"How did Dorgon's cavalry enter Beizhili?"
"Did they pass through Jinzhou?"
"Why did you not stop them?"
Zu Dashou fell silent.
He could not answer.
Because the truth was simple.
He had allowed them to pass.
Lu Xiangsheng continued coldly.
"For many years you have ruled Jinzhou like your personal territory."
"You ignore the imperial court and flirt with the Qing."
"You stand with both sides like a snake and a rat."
"You should know such behavior will bring consequences."
"Now I will give you one chance."
"Open the city gates and surrender immediately."
"Return to the Ming."
"The crimes you committed before may receive a lighter punishment."
"Otherwise I will treat you as someone who has completely betrayed the Ming."
"And I will show you no mercy."
Zu Dashou remained silent for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Do you know why I stopped obeying the court?"
"Does the court not know the reason?"
Lu Xiangsheng paused.
Of course he knew.
Everyone in the court knew.
Back then Zu Dashou had committed an offense.
Sun Chengzong wanted to execute him.
But Yuan Chonghuan spoke in his defense and saved his life.
Because of that, Zu Dashou had always been deeply grateful to Yuan Chonghuan and listened to him.
Later things changed.
For reasons known to everyone, Yuan Chonghuan was arrested.
Zu Dashou happened to be present at the time.
He was shocked, frightened, and furious.
His reaction was obvious.
Grand Secretary Cheng Jiming tried to persuade the Chongzhen Emperor to withdraw the order.
The emperor refused.
Yuan Chonghuan was thrown into prison.
Three days later Zu Dashou left camp with He Kegang and fifteen thousand Guanning soldiers.
They claimed they were leaving the pass to fight "Subudi," but in reality they were heading toward their own base outside the pass.
General Ma Shilong chased after them with an imperial edict and the imperial sword, urging Zu Dashou to return.
Zu Dashou replied:
"Evil ministers control the court and frame loyal men."
"Our army fights the enemy, yet the credit goes to Man Gui."
"And we are not even given proper rations."
"The soldiers are furious."
"If Yuan Chonghuan is pardoned, the traitorous ministers executed, and each soldier given five taels of silver, then we will return to the capital to fight the enemy."
Everyone knew what happened afterward.
Yuan Chonghuan was executed.
From that moment on, Zu Dashou stopped obeying the court.
He refused to return to the capital and became a wavering warlord in Liaodong.
Lu Xiangsheng did not know what to say.
At that moment, someone suddenly stood up from the handcart where he had been "sleeping."
It was Li Dao Xuan.
"You have your difficulties."
"I can accept that you refused the court's orders."
"I can even understand that you temporarily surrendered to the Jianzhou barbarians just to survive."
"You can call that emergency evasion."
"But killing He Kegang just to save your own life?"
"That I cannot accept."
Li Dao Xuan's values came from a later era.
In his worldview, if soldiers run out of ammunition and have no chance of winning, surrendering to survive is acceptable.
But emergency evasion has limits.
You can refuse to save someone.
You cannot kill someone to save yourself.
For example.
If a flood comes and you are on a small boat, you can refuse to let others climb aboard.
But you cannot push someone who is already on the boat into the water just to protect yourself.
Surrendering to survive is one thing.
Killing your own comrade before surrendering is another.
"After doing something like that, do not pretend you stand for justice."
Li Dao Xuan shouted loudly.
"I will count to three."
"If you open the city and surrender, your sentence will be reduced."
"If not, you will be shot on the spot."
"No more nonsense."
Lu Xiangsheng was speechless.
This village lord was fiercer than he was.
Li Dao Xuan raised a finger.
"One."
Every soldier except those from the Tianxiong Army shouted together.
"ONE!"
Zu Dashou's expression darkened.
He did not move.
"Two!"
Zu Dashou roared back angrily.
"Stop threatening me."
"Three!"
Li Dao Xuan immediately lay back down on the handcart and stopped talking.
At that moment Cao Wenzhao raised his command sword and swung it forward.
"Begin the siege."