The battle atop the city walls raged fiercely, the Japanese pirates fought with reckless abandon, attacking the ramparts in a frenzy, the stone steps leading up were littered with corpses, blood flowed like a stream, trickling down the steps and pooling into a river of gore below.
Most of these bodies and rivers of blood belonged to the city’s defenders, only a small fraction were Japanese pirates.
Without the advantage of terrain, the Japanese pirates had lost fewer than a hundred, yet they’d butchered the defenders, heads rolling, bodies strewn across the steps.
The city’s guards were terrified, Prefect Shang had twice raised the reward, but it did little to help, the defenders were pushed back by the Japanese pirates’ slaughter, the walls teetered on the brink.
Without outside aid, the fall of the ramparts was inevitable.
Given the Japanese pirates’ ferocious assault, the guards could hold out for at most the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before the walls were lost.
“Damn it, no sign of reinforcements yet, how can we hold on? Is this heaven’s will to doom Suzhou?!” Prefect Shang, his hair and beard streaked with white, looked around in despair, seeing no trace of aid, he let out a long, hopeless sigh.
“So be it, so be it, this calamity falls partly on me, Shang Weichi, I bear inescapable blame, Zihou warned me repeatedly, though I took heed, it wasn’t enough, I failed to control my subordinates strictly, leading to this disaster, I have no face to meet Zihou, nor the Emperor, I’ve shamed His boundless grace, if Suzhou falls, I’ll go down with it.”
In his despair, Prefect Shang drew his sword, muttering to himself, preparing to slit his throat in atonement once the walls fell.
Just as he was consumed by hopelessness, resolved to die, a cheer erupted from the soldiers beside him.
“Reinforcements, reinforcements, it’s the Zhejiang army, the Zhejiang army’s here…” The troops atop the walls burst into joyous cries.
Shang, electrified, looked down and indeed saw hundreds of Zhejiang soldiers armed with muskets pouring out from the gate.
Their muskets bore strange attachments, steel rods as thick as a thumb, sharp and gleaming at the tips.
The Japanese pirates on the steps included both true Japanese and local impostors, the fakes understood the defenders’ ecstatic shouts, the true Japanese couldn’t speak the language, but from the guards’ excitement, they guessed Ming reinforcements had arrived, they turned in panic and saw hundreds of Zhejiang troops blocking their retreat, charging up the steps.
“Die, die!” the Japanese pirates roared.
Caught in a pincer, they grew even fiercer, splitting half their force to charge Liu Dadao and his men.
They’d just been cutting down the guards like chickens, swelling with a sense of triumph, pride, and superiority, thousands atop the walls had fallen like vegetables under their blades, these few hundred below weren’t even a snack.
One charge would end it, they were certain.
So, half the Japanese pirates, brimming with confidence, howled and dual-wielded their blades, rushing toward Liu Dadao’s Zhejiang troops.
“First wave, aim, ready!” Liu Dadao, seeing the Japanese pirates charge down, calmly directed his men below the steps into three waves, each wave in three rows, nine rows total.
The steps were narrow, only eight men could stand abreast per level, firing from there would limit their firepower.
The Japanese pirates charging down handed them a gift, below the steps, a row could hold more men, vastly boosting their firepower.
He waited until the Japanese pirates were nearly upon them, their facial hair visible, before shouting, “Fire!” commanding the first wave to shoot.
At Liu Dadao’s order, the first wave pulled their triggers.
*Bang, bang, bang…*
The Zhejiang army’s signature dense, synchronized musket fire rang out, Japanese pirates practically in their faces toppled like reaped wheat, swathes falling, the ten-odd steps ahead were cleared in an instant.
Nearly half the charging Japanese pirates fell in that single volley.
Their bodies tumbled down the steps, piling at the Zhejiang troops’ feet, blood gushing down.
So efficient, so brutal, in the blink of an eye, one musket volley halved the charging Japanese pirates.
In this era, it was unparalleled violent beauty.
The surviving Japanese pirates charging down froze, hearts skipping, breath caught, stunned by the sight.
What the hell just happened? How did their comrades ahead collapse in an instant?!
It dragged them back to days prior, the terror of the Zhejiang army’s muskets dominating them before Fengqiao Camp.
For a moment, they stood dazed.
The Japanese pirates froze, but the Zhejiang army didn’t, the first wave ignored the corpses at their feet, smoothly retreating, the second wave stepped up, raised muskets, aimed, and fired in one fluid motion.
No need for Liu Dadao’s orders, this drill had been ingrained in them through countless repetitions, etched into their bones.
The dazed Japanese pirates on the steps became sitting ducks.
*Bang, bang, bang*
Another round of precise, dense musket fire, and fewer than ten Japanese pirates remained standing on the steps ahead.
Their souls were half-gone.
Sure, Japanese pirates were fierce, but they feared death too, their apparent fearlessness came from facing foes who couldn’t instill that dread, making them seem invincible.
When death loomed before them, waving hello, they trembled and scattered just the same.
Seeing only a handful of Japanese pirates left from the charge, Liu Dadao didn’t want to waste more musket shots, those were for the ones above, he waved his hand and ordered, “Third wave, charge with me, finish them with bayonets! First and second waves, reload now!”
With that, Liu Dadao led the charge, blade in hand, the third wave followed with bayonets fixed, storming up the steps.
The lead Japanese pirate, snapping out of the musket-induced stupor as Liu Dadao approached, roared with hollow bravado, slashing at him.
Liu Dadao tilted his head to dodge, thrust his blade, and slit the Japanese pirate’s throat in one stroke.
The Japanese pirate’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to fathom being felled in a single clash, he’d just cut down at least five guards atop the walls…
No amount of disbelief changed it, his world tilted, he fell like a dead dog.
The Zhejiang troops behind, eight abreast in perfect step, followed Liu Dadao, thrusting at the remaining Japanese pirates…
Scattered and fighting alone, the few Japanese pirates were no match, soon joining their comrade, dropping like dead dogs one by one.
