“Trash! Charge in and don’t stop! Don’t let the Zhejiang army escape! Anyone who hesitates again will be cut down without mercy!”
From the rear of the army, Xu Hai saw some pirates faltering at the forest’s edge, letting the Zhejiang troops slip away into the trees. Furious, he roared curses and ordered them to pursue the enemy into the woods.
“Brother Xu, ‘never enter a forest’—aren’t you worried the Zhejiang army might have traps or an ambush waiting?” Ma Ye quickly cautioned.
“Brother Ma, you’re overthinking it. First, I closely observed the Zhejiang troops’ movements. After entering the forest, they scattered northward without a fixed path—proof there are no traps. If there were, the frontrunners would’ve triggered them already. Second, the Zhejiang force is less than a thousand strong. Even with our heavy losses, we still have over ten thousand men. To ambush us, they’d need at least ten thousand themselves. With their numbers, how could they? Even if Suzhou’s entire garrison came out, it wouldn’t be enough. Heh, I’d welcome that—it’d turn defeat into victory!”
Xu Hai shook his head, pointing confidently at the forest as he explained to Ma Ye.
Ma Ye nodded, reassured. Indeed, the Zhejiang troops lacked the manpower for an ambush.
Chen Dong nodded too. Xu Hai was brave, resourceful, and cool-headed—qualities he’d always trusted.
“If we don’t chase now, we’ll never get another chance. The Zhejiang army excels at riding mules and horses. Though we seized most of their mounts, that little thief Zhu Ping’an must’ve replenished them in Suzhou. They got ahead of us to set this trap because of those mounts. Beyond this forest, there’s nowhere else to hide them—so they must be stashed in there. That’s why some Zhejiang soldiers said they’d be safe once they reached the woods. They’ll grab their mounts, ride out, and with four legs, our two won’t catch up. Then they’re home free.”
“Hmph, that sly Zhu Ping’an loves manipulating people. He’s banking on the old saying ‘never enter a forest’ to scare us off, figuring we’d hesitate after the river ambush.”
“Well, I’ll defy him! He thinks we’re too rattled to chase into the woods—then we’ll charge in and catch him off guard! Even if I can’t kill him this time, I’ll take a chunk out of him!”
Xu Hai continued, then repeatedly urged his men to pursue the Zhejiang troops into the forest.
“Brother Xu’s right—chase them down! Don’t let them go! This time, they’ll pay in blood!”
“Pursue! Quick, pursue!”
Chen Dong and Ma Ye echoed the command.
Under the three pirate leaders’ orders, the horde of pirates surged into the forest like rabid dogs, howling as they followed the Zhejiang troops’ tracks and faint silhouettes, charging forward relentlessly.
“Stop! Don’t run! Today, I’ll tear you apart piece by piece!”
“All dead, dead, dead!”
“Stand still for a clean corpse—otherwise, prepare to be shredded, Ming dogs!”
The pirates grew bolder and fiercer as they chased through the woods, swinging their katanas and snarling threats.
Their adaptability shone through—they quickly adjusted to the forest terrain, gaining speed. Soon, the Zhejiang troops’ figures came into clear view again.
A tail-chase ensued!
The forest wasn’t vast. Before long, the pirates reached a shaded gully where the Zhejiang army had briefly rested. Inside, they found makeshift shelters, along with food, gear, and gunpowder the Zhejiang troops hadn’t had time to take.
“Hahaha! This is the Ming dogs’ temporary kennel! Pretty well-hidden—who’d guess there’s a gully in this forest? If we weren’t hot on their heels, we’d never have found it!”
Entering the gully, the pirates laughed uproariously at the sight of the shelters, tents, and supplies.
“The Ming dogs were so desperate to flee, they didn’t even grab their stuff—free loot for us!”
“Look, a few sets of their standard armor! Huh, not iron—cotton? Hah, no wonder every Zhejiang dog wears armor—it’s just cotton padding, all for show!”
“Is this their gunpowder? Damn, three crates—must be nearly five hundred jin! Those cursed Zhejiang troops—if we hadn’t chased so fast they couldn’t take it, we’d be in trouble. Five hundred jin of powder—enough for thousands of musket shots. Scary to think about!”
“No need to fear now! We’ve got over a hundred cannons ourselves. Let’s turn their tricks against them—load these into our guns and blast the damned Ming dogs to bits! Make them pay in blood!”
The pirates unleashed their plundering instincts, ransacking the camp in a chaotic frenzy. Some even fought over spoils—one pair bashed each other’s heads over a single set of armor.
“Idiots! A bit of trash stops your chase?!”
“Keep pursuing! Anyone who pauses again dies—no warnings!”
Xu Hai stormed into the gully and saw his men squabbling over the camp’s loot. Enraged, he didn’t hesitate—drawing his katana, he hacked down the two fighting over armor, one slash each.
Finding the Zhejiang army’s temporary camp, brimming with supplies, only solidified Xu Hai’s conviction. That little thief Zhu Ping’an had bet they wouldn’t dare chase into the forest—so certain that, when they did, the Zhejiang troops didn’t even have time to take their gear.
The cotton armor, studded with copper nails and lined with iron plates, was finely crafted and highly protective—rare quality stuff the Zhejiang army wouldn’t abandon lightly.
And those three crates of gunpowder? Vital to their heavy weapons, it was their lifeline, their edge in battle. Without it, their muskets were just sticks, and the Zhejiang army became a toothless tiger—harmless.
They’d only ditch it in dire straits.
This reinforced Xu Hai’s belief: the Zhejiang army assumed he wouldn’t pursue into the forest. When he did, they panicked.
“Report! We’ve spotted the Zhejiang army—they’re ahead, leading horses out of the gully!” a pirate dashed back to report.
“Good, just as I thought! Don’t let them escape—chase them down and kill them all!” Xu Hai snarled, leading the charge himself.
“Kill!”
“Kill them all! Ming dogs, dead, dead, dead!”
“The Zhejiang army’s right ahead—slaughter them! Avenge our fallen brothers!”
Seeing Xu Hai take the lead, the pirates roared and surged forward with ferocity.
