Winter in the south is a damp, bone-chilling killer, especially when the cold wind howls, sending shivers down the spine.
*Whooosh… whooosh…*
The wind in the mountains was fiercer, gusting through, shaking tree trunks and emitting eerie whistles.
The ambushing pirates, crouched in the bushes, shivered uncontrollably in the cold. They tugged their clothes tighter, but the cunning wind slipped through every gap—sleeves, collars—carrying heavy moisture that boosted its piercing power. Despite their tightly wrapped garments, the wind infiltrated, chilling them like lying on ice or cutting like a blade. Their bodies stiffened, teeth chattering incessantly.
“Baka! Damn Zhejiang army, why haven’t they come yet? I’m… I’m freezing to death, baka yaro…” a true Japanese pirate muttered, trembling, wiping his runny nose with leaves and cursing under his breath.
“Damn it! When they pass, we’ll hit their rear, join the boss for a pincer attack, crush them, and I’ll suggest stripping all the Zhejiang captives naked and leaving them on the mountaintop to freeze overnight!” a fake pirate cursed, his hands so numb he could barely grip his sword, despite repeatedly breathing on them to no avail.
“Quiet! Look, the Zhejiang vanguard’s reached the pass, just over a li from our ambush!” a sharp-eyed pirate whispered, spotting the Zhejiang vanguard—about a thousand strong—arriving at the pass.
“Finally! Making us wait so long, freezing in this wind—you’re all dead men!”
“Come on, my blade’s starving! If they don’t show soon, I’ll be too frozen to lift it!”
“About time! I’m ready to slaughter…”
The pirates grew excited, rubbing their hands, eager to unleash carnage.
But after all their anticipation, the Zhejiang vanguard showed no sign of advancing. Instead, they began setting up camp at the pass—leveling ground, pitching tents, fetching water from the river, bustling back and forth.
“What’s going on? Move, keep going! Your scouts found nothing—why stop? Don’t camp, damn it, keep moving!”
“Damn it! Don’t stop!”
“What are you doing, camping?!”
The pirates on the slope watched, dumbfounded, as the vanguard set up camp. *What are you doing? Don’t joke around—keep moving! Why are you camping?*
Stopping meant the pirates had to endure the biting wind and freezing cold longer, suffering miserably.
Seeing the vanguard settle in, the pirates cursed under their breath, frustrated.
“Well, they’re just the vanguard. It makes sense to camp and wait for the main army before moving on,” one pirate said uncertainly.
“Yeah, that tracks,” another quickly agreed.
They desperately hoped this was true, clinging to the thought for comfort and hope.
“But if they’re just waiting, why pitch tents?” another pirate questioned, shaking his head.
“It’s cold, and the wind’s strong. Setting up tents to wait inside makes sense,” another explained.
“They’re cold? What about us?! My hands are so stiff I can’t draw my bow. Breathing on them doesn’t help—I’d need to shove them in my crotch to warm up!” a pirate archer grumbled.
“Damn it! If we wait longer, my body won’t hold up. I’m shaking like a leaf!”
“A sip of hot water would be nice. Better yet, a fire to warm my hands.”
“You trying to die? Light a fire, and the Zhejiang army at the pass will spot us instantly!”
The pirates, huddled in the wind, kept their voices low, grumbling and cursing.
Another gust roared through, filling their mouths with icy air, chilling them to the core. They shut up, shivering.
Looking at the pass, the Zhejiang vanguard had set up neat rows of tents. The pirates could faintly see soldiers rotating inside to escape the wind. *Damn it, we’re up here freezing, and you’re taking turns resting in warm tents? You’re dead!* Their killing intent surged.
“Holy—look! The main Zhejiang army’s here!” the sharp-eyed pirate whispered excitedly, pointing as the main force arrived at the pass.
“Baka, finally!”
“I’m half-frozen—finally, the main target’s here!”
The pirates cursed excitedly.
“The army’s here—move already! Come on, hurry up, I can’t wait!”
“Come, come! I’m dying to slit your throats and warm my hands with your blood!”
The pirates gnashed their teeth, eagerly awaiting.
But their hopes shattered the next moment. The Zhejiang army, upon arriving, showed no intent to advance. Instead, they rested, splitting into groups and entering the tents set up by the vanguard.
“Resting?! The main army’s resting?!”
“Damn it! What kind of men are you, camping and resting at noon?!”
The pirates on the slope were thrown into disarray by the wind.
“What the—?! They’re setting up pots? Are they cooking?!”
“They’re making food?!”
The pirates’ mentality collapsed further as they saw the Zhejiang cooks start fires and prepare meals.
Worse, as the Zhejiang army set up large pots, chopping pork and mutton, frying them in oil, the aroma of meat wafted up the slope, carried by the wind into the noses of the starving, freezing pirates. Their mental state utterly crumbled.
*Damn it! It smells so good!*
*Damn, my mouth’s watering!*
*I want a bite so bad!*
*Damn you all! We’re up here, freezing, eating cold rice balls, drinking icy water, while you’re cozy in tents, cooking pots of meat!*
