As Zhu Ping’an travelled downstream by boat to Shaoxing, far away in Tuolin, Songjiang Prefecture, the Japanese pirates lit piles of bonfires. They roasted plump pigs on racks, the fat dripping and sizzling onto the flames, kicking off their revelry.
Before the pork was even fully cooked, impatient pirates sliced off chunks with their knives, wolfing them down with bared teeth and gulping bowls of liquor as if it were plain water, pairing it with the grilled meat.
Hundreds of captured women were brutally ravaged by the drunken, lustful pirates, their cries echoing across the open ground—a scene of human tragedy.
“This is the life! This is what it means to be a real man!” A newly joined pirate was ecstatic in this shameless orgy, gorging on meat, guzzling liquor, and indulging wildly. “I should’ve joined the pirates ages ago.”
Xu Hai and Ma Ye sat opposite each other. Their table wasn’t laden with grilled meat but with plates of appetisers to accompany their drinks. Two Japanese women knelt beside them, pouring tea and liquor, attending to their needs.
“That Zhao fellow sent word—Zhu Ping’an has already gone to Shaoxing to take up his post!” Ma Ye took a swig of liquor, cursing bitterly, “That damned bastard climbed over us to rise, leaping straight to a high-ranking governor!”
“Jiaxing is in Zhejiang, and with Zhao as our insider, we can devise a plan to ensure Zhu Ping’an meets a gruesome end!”
At the mention of Zhu Ping’an’s name, Xu Hai gnashed his teeth in hatred, wishing the meat roasting over the fire was Zhu Ping’an’s, which he’d tear apart bite by bite, leaving not even a shred of bone.
“Brother Xu, how about this? We get Zhao to find a chance to invite Zhu Ping’an to Jiaxing Prefecture. We shut the gates and beat the dog—ten thousand Zhu Ping’ans wouldn’t be enough to survive!” Ma Ye raised his cup, coming up with a ruthless plan and eagerly suggesting it to Xu Hai.
Xu Hai’s eyebrows twitched, clearly tempted, but he soon shook his head. “Zhu Ping’an is cunning, and Zhao is no match for him. Inviting Zhu Ping’an to Jiaxing might backfire, arousing his suspicions and alerting him. Besides, that little thief is meticulous. Even if he enters Jiaxing, he’ll likely bring Zhejiang troops as escorts. And to expose Zhao Chong, our insider, just for Zhu Ping’an would be a waste. Zhao Chong can keep providing us with far greater value—at the very least, he’s worth a city. If we use Zhao Chong against Zhu Ping’an, it should at least be when we’re seizing a city as a bonus.”
Ma Ye slammed his cup down, his chest heaving with suppressed rage. “So we’re just letting that damned dog Zhu Ping’an off easy? He climbed to the governor’s seat over the corpses of our forty thousand brothers!”
“These days, when I lie in bed and close my eyes, all I see is the sea of fire and mountain of corpses in Suzhou. Even now, I can’t eat grilled meat. The smell reminds me of Suzhou’s inferno, of our brothers burned alive in that sea of flames! So many brothers, all burned alive by Zhu Ping’an! The smell is exactly the same as now!”
“If I don’t kill Zhu Ping’an, I can’t eat or sleep! If I don’t kill him, I’m letting down those brothers who died horribly!”
The more Ma Ye spoke, the angrier he got, until he couldn’t help but pound the table, his lips bleeding from biting them.
“Brother Ma, I hate that little thief even more than you do. I want to skin him, eat his flesh, and drink his blood right now!” Xu Hai growled, sharing his fury.
“So we just watch that little thief become a big official, ride tall horses, and strut around?” Ma Ye snarled.
“Of course not!” Xu Hai shook his head, then said with a sinister tone, “Let him gloat for a couple of days. In a few days, the Matsuura family head will send over a thousand pirates, including Matsuura’s ninjas. I spent time in Japan and know these ninjas are all assassination experts! When they arrive, I’ll convince them to send a few ninjas to assassinate Zhu Ping’an!”
“Will it work? That little thief Zhu Ping’an is always surrounded by guards…” Ma Ye wasn’t entirely confident in the Japanese ninjas.
“You haven’t seen ninjas, so you don’t know how formidable they are. They’re not like our assassins who go for direct confrontations. These ninjas are masters of all sorts of assassination techniques—poisoned darts, toxins, arson, you name it. They’re also experts at disguise, blending into crowds as beggars, wandering monks, fools, street performers, or servant women, concealing their identities. They approach their target in the most unexpected guises, striking when least expected, killing in a single blow. Of course, they’re also adept at sneaking in at night, killing their target in their sleep with one strike.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Ma. Countless Japanese lords and generals have fallen to ninjas. Zhu Ping’an won’t be an exception!” Xu Hai explained the ninjas’ methods to Ma Ye, firmly believing the Matsuura ninjas could assassinate Zhu Ping’an.
“Good, then we’ll wait for the Matsuura family!” Ma Ye nodded vigorously.
Thanks to Xu Hai’s great success in the Jiaxing strategy, Ma Ye had full confidence in him and was eagerly anticipating the ninjas Xu Hai praised.
“When the Matsuura ninjas assassinate Zhu Ping’an, we’ll turn his head into a chamber pot! Pissing on it day and night!” Ma Ye said through gritted teeth, his lips curling into a smile at the thought of turning Zhu Ping’an’s head into a chamber pot.
“Heh, I heard Zhu Ping’an’s wife is a rare beauty, on par with the emperor’s second princess. Once Zhu Ping’an is dead, we’ll find a way to get her. A husband’s debt is repaid by his wife—we’ll collect some serious interest.” Xu Hai, thinking of the rural rumours about Zhu Ping’an’s stunning wife, couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.
“Hahaha, a husband’s debt repaid by his wife—Brother Xu, you’ve hit the nail on the head. When the time comes, you collect the interest first, and I’ll follow. Oh, right, I heard Zhu Ping’an recently took a concubine. A husband’s debt is repaid by his concubine too, hahaha…” Ma Ye joined in the fantasy, his face flushing with excitement.
Hahaha…
Drunk and exhilarated, Xu Hai and Ma Ye looked at each other and burst into laughter.
The pirates in the camp, seeing their two leaders laughing, joined in, their laughter shaking the heavens.
“Lads, eat well, drink well! When the Japanese pirates arrive, we’ll go out and stretch our legs. Gold, silver, jewels, hearty meals, and fair-skinned, beautiful women with slim waists and full hips—they’re all waiting for us!” Xu Hai seized the moment to rally them.
“Gold, silver, jewels, hearty meals, fair-skinned, beautiful women with slim waists and full hips…” The pirates, hearing this, grew wildly excited, howling, “Wait for us, wait for us, we’re coming!”
