An hour or two after midnight, in the cold, dark night, Zhu Zhi knocked on the entrance to Yan Baihu’s current residence. He was living in a small, four-sectioned courtyard outside of the prefect’s manor. Zhu Zhi coughed, and a servant rushed over, carrying a lantern.
“Get your family’s laoye,” Zhu Zhi said. “Tell him to come out right now.”
That servant had served Yan Baihu for many years and possessed a discerning gaze. Though Zhu Zhi wore the robes of a commoner, he was obviously a major figure. Not daring to slight him, the servant went back and roused Yan Baihu.
Yan Baihu stepped into the corridor, wrapped only in his inner robes. Evidently, he hadn’t slept all night either. Zhu Zhi handed the letter over and walked into the courtyard.
Yan Baihu didn’t make a sound. After opening the letter and glancing at it, he was taken aback and stared at Zhu Zhi.
“After you read it thoroughly, burn it,” Zhu Zhi said.
“Where is the messenger?” Yan Baihu asked.
“I already killed him and sank his corpse into Lake Tai.”
Yan Baihu paced back and forth several times in the corridor, shaking uncontrollably. Zhu Zhi nodded slightly, and just as he was about to bid Yan Baihu farewell, Yan Baihu’s knees trembled beneath him.
He folded to the ground and pleaded, “Governor-daren, please save me!”
Almost all of Yan Baihu’s family, from old to young, had sought refuge with Xu Gong. Xu Gong searched far and wide for retainers, which all of Jiangdong knew, and in this moment, if the prefect had his heart set on exchanging him for peace in this region, it would not matter who begged for mercy on his behalf.
Zhu Zhi sighed. “To resolve this, Yan-xiong must take a trip out of the city tonight. This can be delayed no longer. Sun Ce’s troops are stationed outside the southern gates, so the better option would be for you to escape through the western gates.”
The night watchman sounded the hour as he passed by the door to the prefect’s manor.
✦ ✦ ✦
Zhou Yu nodded at Zhu Zhi’s subordinate.
Xu Gong was also disturbed for a good portion of the night, and he’d only just managed to put his heavy head down onto the pillows when one of his concubines had roused him to his feet again. He sat down at the front of the hall, lighting a dim lamp.
“Yan Baihu packed his belongings in the night and took his entire family with him,” the messenger said. “He may be trying to escape during the night.”
Xu Gong balked, and he ordered someone to investigate. Not long after, the retainer arrived.
“Reporting in to my lord! Yan Baihu is already preparing a carriage and gathering his subordinates within the city. He is truly planning to leave.”
“This idiot!” Xu Gong raged. “What about Zhu Zhi? Send a letter to Zhu Zhi immediately! Have him bring men to the city gates to stand guard! Send an order to heavily guard the city gates! Do not allow him to take even a single step out of this city without my say.”
“If he’s going, let him go,” Madame Xu said lazily. “Isn’t this the perfect chance to let Sun Ce chase after him?”
“Ay!” Xu Gong exclaimed anxiously. “How far can Yan Baihu truly run? If Sun Ce manages to capture him outside the city, how will that bastard show any restraint? He’ll find any excuse and charge into the city to search for the remnants! If this reaches the ears of General Yuan and he declares I’m harboring a nest of bandits, Wu County will end up falling into his hands!”
Xu Gong rose and ordered his servants to prepare a carriage. He changed his robes, brought along the assassins under his command, and prepared to head out in person to stop Yan Baihu.
When they left the prefect’s manor, Zhou Yu, concealed in the back courtyard, performed some silent calculations. Quite a few people had left, so their defenses were whittled down to basically nothing. This was the best time to spring a surprise attack.
✦ ✦ ✦
Fei Yu flew to Sun Ce, where he stood outside the western city gates. The rhythm of his breaths trembled, his forehead covered in anxious sweat.
✦ ✦ ✦
A group of Zhou Yu’s subordinates surrounded the courtyard across from the prefect’s manor, and the resident children couldn’t help crying in fear. Zhou Yu hurried to hush them and gestured. The owner’s guards went inside, and all of them bowed before spreading open a huge, rectangular strip of a kite, pouring oil onto it.
✦ ✦ ✦
Xu Gong steered his carriage to Yan Baihu’s manor. The assassins raised their torches, surrounding the entirety of the estate.
“Yan-xiong!” Xu Gong hurried off the carriage, calling out, “What is the meaning of this?”
“No need to speak!” Yan Baihu said. “If you allow me to leave today, you and I can still be friends! If you wish to stop me, then offer up your life in exchange!”
Xu Gong’s face drained of color.
“Yan-xoing, you must not do this! Xu-mou has no intent to cause you harm. Who has told you such nonsense…”
Yan Baihu didn’t give him the opportunity to sway him. Hundreds of his subordinates were already gathered in the manor, and he raised his broadsword, roaring.
“Brothers, come, carve out our path of escape!”
Xu Gong backed up, shocked. Yan Baihu led his men in a charge, and the main street turned into a mess of fighting and killing. It was nearing daybreak, and the cries and shouts of battle startled the citizens awake. Lamps lit in the houses as war cries echoed outside. Xu Gong hadn’t expected Yan Baihu to be so resolute, so after a few failed attempts at stopping him, he hurriedly retreated.
The two sides continued to fight right in the alley. Yan Baihu knew staying meant inevitable death, and he would only survive if he rushed out of the city. Xu Gong, on the other hand, kept bemoaning the situation, and he continued to fall back. He sent someone back to the manor for supporting troops, but Zhu Zhi—who promised to block Yan Baihu’s escape route—was very late to arrive.
“Kill!”
Yan Baihu and his men charged forward, sending Xu Gong’s subordinates flying and their horses overturning as they rushed into the prefect’s manor. Overcome with panic, Xu Gong turned to flee in the first direction he saw—the western gates. Wu County’s citizens had all woken in the middle of the night, and every window glowed with lamp light.
✦ ✦ ✦
Seeing the last group of soldiers within the manor had left to support Xu Gong, Zhou Yu whistled, rapidly racing across the rooftops. With a tug on the kite, he leaped.
Behind him, a soldier waved a torch and threw it into the kite. It immediately burst into flames.
It was as if a fiery dragon had risen from the ground, and amid the surprised cries of countless people, it flew into the prefect’s manor. The oil that had been poured over the structures caught as soon as it came into contact with fire. There was a huge boom, and blazing flames flared forth from the prefect’s manor!
“Prefect Xu is being attacked by assassins!” a crier roared, dashing through the streets. “Return to your homes immediately and hide! Do not come outside!”
Soon after, when Sun Ce saw the city aflame, he led his troops in charging the gates. The subordinates Zhou Yu hid in the city hours ago rushed toward the city gates and threw them open.
The entire city fell into complete chaos. Just as Yan Baihu rushed to the gates, he realized what he was in store for and turned to flee, only to be captured by the Liyang troops led by Sun Ce. Xu Gong commanded only a couple hundred subordinates, and they were instantly scattered by the crowd of people.
As the flames cast their light all around, the members of Sun Ce’s army loosed bolts, their tips dipped in anesthetic. They flattened the first wave of enemies before rushing toward the prefect’s manor.