The heroes ate a full meal and then returned to theirrooms to rest. At six o'clock that evening, anattendant reported that the tunnel diggers werealready under the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen, but thata large rock was blocking their path which they weretrying to dig around. Chen and Xu assigned theirforces: some were to attack from the left, some fromthe right, and some would be held in reserve. At abouteight o'clock, the attendant returned to report thatthe diggers had come up against an iron plate and haddecided to stop work for a while for fear of alertingthose inside.
"We will wait another two hours and then make ourmove," Chen said.
During those two hours, the heroes could hardlycontrol their impatience. Zhang Jin paced up and downthe hall mumbling curses. Master Ma kept taking out alarge gold watch and checking the time while Chen reada book.
"The time has arrived," Ma finally announced.
The heroes all charged for the door. They donnedvarious disguises and made their way separatelythrough the darkened streets of Hangzhou to a housejust outside the Commander-in-Chief's Yamen.
'Crocodile' Jiang was waiting for them. "This area isbeing tightly patrolled by Manchu troops," he said.
"Be as quiet as possible."He stood at the entrance of the tunnel with his ironoar at the ready, as the heroes filed through one byone. The tunnel had been dug deep, and with Hangzhoubeing such a low-lying area, it was ankle-deep inwater. By the time they reached the big rock, themuddy water was up to their chests, while severaldozen yards further on, it rose to their heads.
Seven or eight attendants were waiting near the ironplate with torches and spades in hand.
"Start work!" Chen ordered.
With the Great Helmsman there watching them, theattendants worked like demons, and soon shifted therock to the side of the iron plate. Another moment offurious digging and the iron plate was dislodged, and'Leopard' Wei, his pair of hooks at the ready, wentthrough first with the rest of the heroes behind.
The attendants held the torches high to illuminate theway as Wei ran along a corridor towards Wen's cell,but found the way blocked by a locked iron gate.
"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother," said Xu suddenly. "Goand guard the exit to the dungeon just in case theManchus have some secret scheme."Yang and Wei assented and left. Several of theattendants worked to loosen the stones to the side ofthe gate, and then with the help of several of theheroes, lifted the gate out of position. Luo Bing ranthrough, and into Wen's cell only to find it empty.
After so many disappointments, Luo Bing crumpled ontothe floor and began to sob. Zhou Qi wanted to comforther, but her father held her back.
"Let her be," he said. "A cry will do her good.""Commander Li was afraid we would come to organise ajail break and has moved Fourth Brother somewhereelse," Xu said.
"But now we are in the Yamen, we will find him nomatter what," Chen replied.
They went to the door of the dungeon and saw Yangfighting fiercely with a group of Manchu soldiers.
Priest Wu Chen gave a shout and charged out of thedungeon and finished off two Manchu soldiers on thespot. Further on, they found Wei battling six or sevenofficers.
"Considering my relationship with Commander Li, I hadbetter not reveal myself," Lu Feiqing thought. Heripped a strip off his gown and covered his face sothat only the eyes were showing. Just then, the Manchusoldiers broke and retreated up to the Yamen courtyardin confusion with Wei and the others in hot pursuit.
Xu leapt up onto a nearby wall and saw soldiersstanding guard throughout the whole Yamen. A drumsounded, and Xu guessed the commanders were stillpositioning their soldiers. Then he spotted a lonelytwo-storey building in the southern part of the maincourtyard surrounded by several hundred troops. Therewas nothing special about the building except for thetight defences, and he decided that was probably whereWen was being held. He jumped down from the wall andwhirled his sword around his head.
"Brothers, follow me!" he shouted, and charged towardsthe building.
The further they went, the more soldiers appeared. Butdespite their numerical superiority, the Manchu troopswere unable to contain the Red Flower Societyfighters, each of them a master of the martial arts.
In only a short while, the heroes had fought to withina few yards of the building.
"Third Brother, let's go and have a look inside,"Priest Wu Chen said to 'Buddha' Zhao.
"Right," said Zhao, and they sprang over to thedoorway with two long strides. A sword sliced towardsthem, but with one thrust from the priest's blade, theswordsman screamed and his weapon clattered to theground. They raced into the building with Luo Bing andthe others close behind.
As the fighting continued, the heroes found thenumbers of Manchu soldiers diminishing. Suddenly theyheard Priest Wu Chen yell from upstairs: "FourthBrother is here! We've got him!" The heroes shouted injoy.
Zhou Qi raced up the stairs and saw everyone gatheredround an iron cage. Chen was sawing at the bars withthe Frozen Emerald Sword. Zhou Qi went close andnoticed that inside the iron cage was another smallercage in which Wen sat with his legs and arms manacledlike a captured wild animal. Chen sawed through twobars, and Zhang Jin used brute strength to twist themback. Luo Bing, thanks to her slim figure, managed towriggle into the outer cage, then took the sword fromChen and began to saw away at the lock on the smallcage. The heroes were all smiling jubilantly. Suddenlythey heard a bugle sound, and the remaining Manchutroops retreated out about one hundred feet and formedthemselves into ranks around the building.
"Master Chen!" someone shouted from amongst the Manchuranks. "I wish to speak with Master Chen!"Chen went to the window and spotted Commander Lioutside. "I am here. What is it, Commander?""Come out quickly or you will all die.""We will not come out alone, even faced with death,"Chen replied. "I am sorry, but today we intend toleave with Master Wen.""Don't be so stubborn," Li shouted. "Start the fire!"The troops pushed out huge piles of firewood and grassand surrounded the building with them. The firewoodwas soaked in oil and a second after a torch wasthrown into it, a fiery ring sprang up with the heroestrapped inside.
Chen could see how dangerous the situation was, but heremained calm. "Everyone together," he said quietly.
"Cut through the bars as quickly as you can."A man walked out from behind Li and pointed angrily atChen. "Death is staring you in the face and still youdon't go down on your knees and beg for mercy?" heboomed. "Do you realize what we have in thatbuilding?"As Chen stood thinking, he heard Xu exclaim in theirsecret code: "Oh no, they've packed the place withgunpowder."Chen noticed a row of wooden barrels around the roomthey were in. With a quick movement, he smashed one ofthem open and black dust flew out in all directions,the smell of saltpetre filling their noses. His heartfroze. "Is the whole Red Flower Society going to beblown to pieces today?" he wondered. He turned and sawthe inner cage had been opened and Luo Bing helpingWen out.
"Sister Luo Bing, Brother Zhao!" he shouted. "You twolook after Fourth Brother. Everyone else follow me."He charged down the stairs. Zhang Jin bent over andheaved Wen onto his back while Luo Bing and Zhaoescorted them down to the ground floor. As theyreached the door, they saw swarms of arrows likelocusts flying at them. Wei and the Twin Knights triedseveral times to break out of the building, but eachtime they were forced back inside.
"You are standing in a gunpowder keg and I have thefuse here," Commander Li shouted. He raised a fierytorch and waved it.
"As soon as I light the fuse, you will all be burnt toashes. Put Wen down immediately."Chen knew that what he said was true, but he alsoguessed that because of Wen's importance to theEmperor, Li would not dare to light the fuse.
"Put Fourth Brother down!" he shouted. "Let's get outof here!" He brandished his long sword and charged outwith Wei and the Twin Knights at his side.
Zhang Jin, running flat out with his head down, didn'thear what Chen had said.
"Put Fourth Brother down," Zhao told him. "It's toodangerous. We've got to get out or he'll get killed."Zhang Jin placed Wen on the ground near the door. LuoBing hesitated, but Zhang Jin grabbed her arm andcharged on after the others. Li saw in the firelightthat they had abandoned Wen, and with a wave of hishand ordered the archers to stop firing to prevent himbeing hit by mistake.
Having made it out of the building, the heroesregrouped by the wall.
"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother and theTwin Knights, you five lead an attack on the Manchutroops and disperse them," ordered Chen. "Brother Xu,you think of a way to cut the gunpowder fuse. The restof you, as soon as that's done, we will go back andrescue Fourth Brother."Commander Li was just about to order someone over tokeep watch on Wen when he sp............