The Longest Day in Chang’an: A Race Against Time - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Shen Chu (15:00-15:59) P8

Translator: DragonRider

At this moment, they were on a lateral street between the Huaiyuan Fang and the south wall of the West Market. On the right side of the street ahead was a giant wheel decorated with lanterns. Nearly twenty meters in height, the wheel was fixed on a wooden pedestal on a stone platform. The upper part of it was a gigantic bamboo framework with spokes, which was covered with paper embroidered with spring scenery. A couple unskilled laborers were standing on the wheel and hanging big lanterns onto it with bamboo poles.

Out of control, at an extremely fast speed, the cart crashed into the bottom of the wheel decorated with lanterns. The impact of the crash was so violent that the two wheel-horses’ heads cracked instantly, brains splashing around. The force of the collision was far beyond the tolerance of the wooden wheel. With a loud bang, the whole framework collapsed. Those laborers, ten-plus giant lanterns in the shape of a fish or a dragon, lanterns with patterns symbolizing good fortune and longevity, Seven-treasure lanterns, all of them heavily dropped onto the cart.

Several Wolf Guards on the cart got stuck solidly beneath the framework and couldn’t move at all. Due to the violent crash, those big wooden barrels on the cart-box rolled out with some faint rumbles.

Zhang Xiaojing had loosened his grip on the rope in time before the cart hit the platform, so he he was not caught in the crash. He lay on the ground, his palms mangled and bloody, a great pain in his back. Before he picked himself up, a familiar smell wafted into his nostrils.

Damn it! Zhang Xiaojing’s face changed drastically. Stooping, he dragged an unconscious laborer in black away from those barrels while madly yelling to those residents gathering around, “Back off! Back off! Back off!”

Fierceflame was not reliable kindling. It could ignite on just a minor rub or impact. After a series of impacts during the chase, those barrels had become extremely dangerous. With this violent crash, the Fierceflame fixed beside the openings of those barrels had been activated and the mountain tallow could be ignited at any moment. The total amount of mountain tallow in those big barrels was more than five times bigger than that of the mountain tallow in the warehouse…

Having no idea how dangerous this place was, those residents were still looking on. Seeing that his warning didn’t work, Zhang Xiaojing anxiously unfastened a smoke bomb from his belt and heavily threw it towards the crowd. The smoke bomb exploded and startled those residents. Suspecting that some kind of devil materialized, they exclaimed in panic and ran backwards.

Zhang Xiaojing heard something happening behind him and immediately dropped to the ground prostrate. At the same time, an almighty bang came from behind him and with that hot winds fiercely blew over. But this bang wasn’t like the one made by the explosion in that warehouse. Instead, it was similar to the sound of a fire flaring up after oil was poured onto it.

Zhang Xiaojing propped himself up on one elbow, cautiously turned his head back and saw that the five big barrels had turned into five fire balls giving off glaring light. The five flames licked at the giant lantern-wheel. Those lanterns and paper skin outside the wheel turned into ashes first, and then the gigantic bamboo framework, the cart and a couple of elms nearby also started burning, giving off sounds of bamboo cracking, as if someone was setting off fireworks to drive out evil spirits. The fire accompanied by black smoke was even higher than the fang wall. The outside of the wall had been blackened, looking dreadful.

As for those people pinned under the wheel, except for the laborer he arduously dragged away, none of them could have survived.

But this was already the best out of the worst.

A big problem with Fierceflame Bombs was that their failure rate was very high, though they had Fierceflame as kindling. More often, mountain tallow just ignited instead of exploding. Wolf Guards had five barrels of mountain tallow on the cart. Probably because they failed to seal those barrels properly, mountain tallow kept leaking out of them in drops along the way. Surprisingly, none of the barrels exploded. They all combusted spontaneously.

Though the fire was still fierce, it was just spreading, so the power was considerably abated. Otherwise, Zhang Xiaojing and all people on this half of the street would have been killed.

He stretched out his sore arms and lay on the ground, panting heavily. Short as the chase was, it cost him all his strength. The last cart, which was driven by Mage’er, was getting further and further away. There was no means by which he could catch up with it. He could only hope that the Jing’an Department had put up barricades ahead in time.

The fire was so big that soon alarmed people in the Guards Station in Huaiyuan Fang. Over twenty guards wearing clothes made of Huohuan cloth(Huohuan cloth is fireproof material used in ancient China) hastily came, holding water-shooting bamboo tubes and Mada(A firefighting tool with a bundle of hemp stems tied on the top of a long wooden handle). Some of them were also carrying big water sacks. This day was the day for the lantern show. Guards Stations in all fangs had orders to be well prepared for potential fire.

But on the sight of this big fire, those soldiers knew that it was impossible to put it out. They could only establish an isolation strip to stop it from spreading and then wait for it to burn out.

A couple of them saw Zhang Xiaojing and the laborer lying on the verge of the fire, walked up to them and dragged them to their feet, cursing them. Clearly, they thought that these two people were responsible for the fire. Zhang Xiaojing had lost his waist-seal and hadn’t gotten a new one yet, so he couldn’t prove his identity. Fortunately, Yao Runeng arrived from behind him, produced his waist-seal, ordered those people to draw back and then helped Zhang Xiaojing walk to a corner to sit down.

Zhang Xiaojing asked a nearby vendor selling drinks for a ladle of plum water, drank it in one gulp and panted heavily.

Yao Runeng noticed that before fleeing out of the range of the potential explosion, Zhang Xiaojing had saved a laborer in black, who was a total stranger to him.

A base man who betrayed his colleague in exchange for intelligence, a highly experienced, ruthless former General of the Indecent, a saint who claimed that he would protect insignificant commoners, an agent who held grudges against the Imperial Court but risked life and limb investigating cases – Yao Runeng was thrown into cognitive anarchy by these contradictory images.

Recalling what Zhang Xiaojing had once said to him, he suddenly had an intensive urge to query Zhang Xiaojing for what the death penalty was meted out to him. But given the current situation, it would be a little abrupt to ask a question like this. Yao Runeng briefly dithered and then shut his mouth.

The reality didn’t give him any chance to regret. The next instant, drumbeats, which sounded very urgent, came from a watchtower again. Meanwhile, at least ten columns of yellow smoke rose into the sky. This signal suggested that there was an extremely urgent change of situation, that all staff members of the Jing’an Department must stop whatever it was they were doing and go to the designated area to fall in.

On hearing the first drumbeat, Zhang Xiaojing opened his eyes. Watching the yellow smoke rising into the sky, he mumbled, “Guangde Huaiyuan… ”

Guangde Huaiyuan was a bottom line designated by Li Bi himself, which those Turks must be stopped from crossing. What kind of emergency could cause ten yellow smoke signals to be set off in a row? Exactly what happened to that escaped cart laden with Fierceflame Bombs?

Yao Runeng said somewhat worriedly, “You’re hurt, Commandant Zhang. I’ll go there and check.” But Zhang Xiaojing shot out his hand onto Yao Runeng’s shoulder, pressed down hard and stood up, grimacing.

“Let’s go together,” he said in a hoarse voice. Yao Runeng had no choice but to follow the order.

They were currently on a majoy road between the West Market and Huaiyuan Fang, which was less than two miles away from that intersection. Zhang Xiaojing and Yao Runeng stood up immediately and hurried east. After running a few steps forward, Zhang Xiaojing suddenly stopped, dragged a guard over and snatched the Huohuan cape he was wearing.

Huohuan cloth was fireproof, which could provide people with effective protection during firefighting. Zhang Xiaojing’s action indicated that he was positive there was grave danger ahead. After hesitating for a short while, Yao Runeng also stopped a guard, produced his waist-seal issued by the Jing’an Department, requisitioned his cape half forcibly and put it on.

They ran all the way to the intersection and saw that in the distance, Lubi soldiers were dragging a couple of thorn fences to barricade the road. Many commoners and nobles were delayed on the side, complaining loudly.

Blockading a road – especially blockading such an important road – was the last thing the Jing’an Department wanted. Now that Li Bi had issued this order, the current situation must be almost irreversible.

Yao Runeng had Lubi soldiers make way and the two got through. Soon they saw that all four entrances of this intersection had been solidly blocked by chevaux-de-frise and thorn fences. On the south, east and west sides stood Lubi troops under Cui Qi’s command. On the north side stood soldiers holding big shields, who were not Jing’an Department’s immediate troops but elite Leopard Cavalry affiliated to the Praetorian Guards Department.

To the north of Guangde Fang was Yanshou Fang which diagonally stretched towards the northeast, and which was merely one street away from the imperial city and the palace city. Since Wolf Guards had got so close, the sixteen Imperial Guards Departments to the south of the palace city should have reacted by now, no matter how slow they were. Leopard Cavalrymen were the first to arrive.

But the Jing’an Department would probably have a tough time after the military intervened

At this moment, the intersection between Guangde Fang and Huaiyuan Fang seemed empty, with only two half-finished lantern shelves standing on the side and a double-shaft cart parked in the middle. Someone had removed the tarpaulin cover, revealing five big barrels of dark color. Standing between those barrels, Mage’er was holding a lighted torch high up. Not far away from the cart, three bodies were lying prostrate on the ground, each had dozens of arrows sticking in the back.

Apparently, Mage’er’s cart hurtled to this intersection and got stopped by the Jing’an Department’s soldiers who had been waiting in full battle array. After an engagement, all other Wolf Guards were killed, but they bought Mage’er enough time, who lit a torch and reached the barrels.

This move shocked everybody. Nobody could afford to let the five barrels of Fierceflame Bombs explode in such a sensitive area. With a murderous look on his face, Mage’er held the torch at a position only several inches away from the opening of a barrel and slowly drove the cart forward. Archers nearby were at a loss what to do. Who could guarantee to kill this desperado with one shot? And who could guarantee that the torch wouldn’t drop smack onto the opening of the barrel after he died?

Yao Runeng looked forward and saw that Li Bi and some others were standing on the top of a high platform in the south-west corner of Guangde Fang, eyes fixed on the intersection. With such an emergency going on within the jurisdiction of his department, he was too concerned to sit in the hall.

As the last Wolf Guard, Mage’er knew that by no means could he survive this, but he was not afraid at all. What an amazing feat it would be to have so many Tang residents die with him! Laughing out loud, he firmly held the torch with one hand and gently joggled the reins with the other. Unaware of the tense atmosphere, the wheel-horses kept progressing with their heads down. They were still heading north, towards the busiest and most prosperous area.

Yao Runeng said, “No! I have to tell Sicheng Li that Fierceflame Bombs won’t necessarily detonate after being lit!” But Zhang Xiaojing stopped him. “But they won’t necessarily fail to detonate either. This is Chang’an. Sicheng Li doesn’t dare to take risks if he isn’t a hundred-percent sure.”

Yao Runeng said anxiously, “Then what should we do? We just stand by watching him going north?” Zhang Xiaojing didn’t answer. He squinted his only eye and pulled the fireproof cape tighter around him.