“Big Blade, take your battalion to the front for vigilance, bring the tiger crouch cannons this time, prevent the Japanese pirates from doubling back.”
“Everyone else, move up to clean the battlefield. Any Japanese pirates still alive, finish them off, take their heads, we don’t need prisoners! Repeat, any still breathing, finish them, take their heads, no prisoners!”
“The Japanese pirates might return anytime, there’s no time to dig pits and bury their corpses, chop down trees, set up five pyres, stack the bodies on them, burn them all, avoid a plague.”
After the Japanese pirates retreated, Zhu Ping’an ordered the battlefield cleared, stressing no captives, no survivors.
The Japanese pirates were steeped in sin, their deaths well-deserved.
Even if he wanted to subdue them, he’d first need to break their backbone with thunderous force, shatter their spirits and courage.
To Zhu Ping’an, now wasn’t the time to tame them, they wouldn’t submit, it was time to crush them ruthlessly, fight a few brutal, decisive battles.
Only after that could he consider a mix of suppression and appeasement.
As the battlefield was cleared, many Zhejiang soldiers gagged, the scene was too gruesome.
At the thirty firebomb epicentres, the Japanese pirates were shredded, limbs severed, flesh mangled…
Thankfully, we’re under the lord’s command, not his enemies, every Zhejiang soldier thought.
While the troops cleaned, Zhu Ping’an first checked on the wounded.
In this battle, since the Japanese pirates never breached the defences, no Zhejiang soldier died, but over sixty were injured.
Thirty-some were hit by stray Japanese projectiles, all minor wounds; sixteen were hurt by musket misfires, five more seriously, though none life-threatening; five others were struck by lead and iron pellets from the firebomb blasts, fortunately far enough away and protected by broad cotton armour, their injuries weren’t severe.
“The lead and iron pellets were soaked in poison, bear with it, disinfect with strong liquor first, apply and take the antidote.”
Zhu Ping’an instructed repeatedly while visiting the wounded.
For maximum lethality against the Japanese pirates, the firebombs’ pellets were poison-laced.
Any pirate hit, without the antidote, would die from the toxin. Those who’d just fled, if wounded, were as good as dead despite their current liveliness, booked for the underworld’s tally.
Of course, to avoid friendly fire, Zhu Ping’an had prepared antidotes, external and internal use would neutralise the poison, making injuries manageable.
Visiting the wounded, Zhu Ping’an personally applied secret wound salve to a few, bandaged them, offered warm words, and ordered the kitchen battalion to cook chicken soup daily to nourish them for a swift recovery.
The wounded were deeply moved.
After the visits, Zhu Ping’an rushed to the front to oversee the cleanup.
“Sir, there were still a few hundred Japanese pirates alive on the field, per your orders, all were finished off, some tried to resist, but our men worked in pairs to dispatch them, they had no chance.”
Liu Mu reported.
“Good job.” Zhu Ping’an nodded, then asked, “How many heads did we take?”
“Sir, we claimed 5,475 Japanese pirate heads this time, the firebombs were too powerful, those nearby were blasted apart, we couldn’t find their heads, or we’d have added hundreds more.”
Liu Mu reported excitedly, this was a grand victory, unprecedented.
Since the pirate scourge plagued this dynasty, no battle had ever reaped over 6,000 heads in one go.
This was a first.
Unbelievable, with just 2,000 Zhejiang troops, they’d taken over 5,000 heads, a stunning triumph of the few against the many.
“Pity, aside from the 700 or 800 who fled at the end, hundreds more played dead, they got up and ran when the pirate army retreated, plus some wounded ones struggled off too, if we’d chased them then, they wouldn’t have escaped.”
Liu Mu added with a tinge of regret.
The Japanese pirates launched two waves, the first with over 2,000, the second starting with 4,000, then reinforced by another 4,000-plus, with more bloodthirsty ones joining spontaneously…
After the relentless explosions, nearly all on the field were wiped out.
In the end, 700 or 800 fled, hundreds played dead and bolted during the rout, and some wounded managed to limp away amid the chaos.
Liu Mu had suggested pursuit to cut down the stragglers.
But Zhu Ping’an hadn’t agreed.
Don’t chase a desperate foe!
Though the Japanese pirates took a hit, their main force—20,000 to 30,000 strong—remained, if they turned back, it’d be perilous. In the open, without walls or trenches, the Zhejiang army wouldn’t stand a chance.
Even with defences, if not for the thirty firebombs’ miracle, the pirates would’ve breached, Zhu Ping’an had held back the tiger crouch cannons to lure them in, but even with them, he knew repelling the pirates wouldn’t be easy.
First, the cannons were few, second, they reloaded slower than muskets, third, quality limits meant cooling barrels after a few shots to avoid misfires.
Without the firebombs’ success, the Zhejiang army would’ve paid a steep price to drive them off.
“Heh, don’t get greedy, taking over 5,000 heads in one battle had a big slice of luck.”
Zhu Ping’an patted Liu Mu’s shoulder, smiling faintly.
“Heh, true.” Liu Mu chuckled along, this victory did hinge on a lot of fortune.
If the Japanese pirates hadn’t been so reckless in their assault, if they’d been more cautious, the buried firebombs weren’t that concealed, the dust layer differed from the ground, and the fuse lines, if closely inspected, were noticeable, stretching out so long…
Especially when lighting the fuses, Liu Mu’s palms sweated, the fuses flared and raced forward, quite conspicuous, he feared the pirates would spot them and snuff them out before the blast.
Thankfully, their arrogance let the firebombs work their magic.
