The sun rose high in the sky. The army of Japanese pirates, having suffered heavy losses and the deaths of generals at the Fengqiao front, had frantically retreated over ten miles. Now camped by the riverbank, a thick air of defeat hung over their heads, a stark contrast to the high spirits they had when they first set sail.
They set up pots to cook.
Gurgle, gurgle…
The pots boiled with rice and millet, not a trace of meat to be found. The pirates gathered listlessly around the stoves, waiting for the meal and warming themselves by the fire, their heads hung low in despair. This bland rice porridge only deepened their demoralisation.
Due to the Zhejiang Army’s beacon warnings, the people within a thirty-mile radius of Suzhou City had received early news of the pirate invasion. They had long since fled with their families—old and young alike—taking their valuables, driving their pigs and sheep, and seeking refuge elsewhere.
The common folk took everything they could carry and buried or hid what they couldn’t.
The pirates, retreating to this spot, sent men to plunder nearby villages and towns, hoping to seize wealth and livestock. Unfortunately, after visiting several villages, they found them all abandoned. In such a short time, they couldn’t uncover the villagers’ hidden goods and returned empty-handed.
The three great pirate leaders—Xu Hai, Chen Dong, and Ma Ye—sat around a simple stove. Their pot also contained rice and millet, but unlike the others, it included three palm-sized river fish.
These fish had been caught by the pirates at the riverbank. Pressed for time, they had only managed to catch these three.
As the pirate chiefs, it was only natural that the fish ended up in their pot.
“Damn that little thief! Damn the Zhejiang Army! A full seven thousand men! To cause such heavy losses to our forces!” Chen Dong, having received the tally of casualties, couldn’t contain his fury and cursed loudly, seething with rage.
“Alas, we were careless. I asked earlier—before the explosion, some had noticed the traces of a lit fuse but paid it no mind. That’s why we lost so many men, even causing Hojo to meet his end,” Ma Ye sighed. Though when mentioning Hojo’s demise, his tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
“Learn from a fall, gain wisdom from it. This defeat isn’t all bad—it’s taught us there are mountains beyond mountains, people beyond people!” Xu Hai said slowly, narrowing his eyes. His gaze, like that of a wounded wolf, fixed on the distant Fengqiao camp. “A man doesn’t fall into the same ditch twice. This time, we lost so many because of the Zhejiang Army’s buried gunpowder. From now on, we’ll keep an extra pair of eyes open, especially when facing them. Check the battlefield in advance—stay vigilant—and we’ll spot the fuses and gunpowder early. We won’t repeat today’s mistake.”
“Exactly. Brother Xu speaks wisely,” Chen Dong and Ma Ye nodded, fully agreeing. They believed this loss stemmed from carelessness. With careful attention, they wouldn’t give the Zhejiang Army another chance to detonate hidden gunpowder.
“No matter. We have the numbers and the strength. We can afford one mistake like this. We still have over twenty-six thousand troops. The Zhejiang Army has only two thousand soldiers, and just now, we inflicted at least a few hundred casualties on them. At this point, they likely have about fifteen or sixteen hundred fit to fight. Suzhou City’s garrison seems to have nearly ten thousand, but in reality, after accounting for auxiliaries, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, they have no more than four thousand capable soldiers. Our forces outnumber theirs five to one. The advantage is ours. Suzhou City is like the fish in this pot—still ours for the taking,” Xu Hai said confidently, scooping a large bowl of porridge for Chen Dong and Ma Ye with a ladle, each bowl containing one river fish.
“Brother Xu, that may be true, but this defeat was heavy, and the morale of our men has taken a severe hit. Look at them—all drooping and lifeless. Since we started this campaign, when have we ever suffered such a loss?” Chen Dong took the bowl from Xu Hai, pointing at the dejected pirates around them and sighing.
“Indeed, with morale like this, it’s hard to attack a city, let alone with the Zhejiang Army standing in our way,” Ma Ye also sighed.
Deep down, Ma Ye felt a shiver of fear toward Zhu Ping’an’s Zhejiang Army—their firearms were too formidable.
“Hah, what’s there to fear from the Zhejiang Army? If it weren’t for that explosion, we’d have crushed them already. We’d reached their front lines—our vanguard was already clashing with them hand-to-hand. A few more breaths, and their position would’ve been ours. We’d be feasting in their camp right now!” Xu Hai tore into a piece of fish, chewing it fiercely with the bones and swallowing it down, his voice hoarse.
“True. If the Zhejiang Army hadn’t played dirty, laying gunpowder in secret and detonating it, they’d be dust by now. That little Zhu Ping’an is cunning—such a treacherous schemer becoming the top scholar? It’s absurd!” Chen Dong nodded vigorously, feeling both frustrated and regretful, ultimately venting his anger by cursing Zhu Ping’an’s deceit.
“Let’s fight! Since we nearly crushed them just now, how about we launch another fierce assault on their position after this meal?! Last time, we got close enough for hand-to-hand combat. This time, we’ll do it again. We’ve learned our lesson—check the battlefield thoroughly, root out every bit of gunpowder and fuse. We won’t give that little Zhu Ping’an another chance to blow us up. We’ll break through their lines and take his head!” Ma Ye gulped some broth, scalding himself and grimacing. In a fit of anger, he smashed his bowl on the ground and proposed this to Xu Hai and Chen Dong.
“Brother Ma’s suggestion is excellent. After such heavy losses, the Zhejiang Army won’t expect us to turn back so soon. This counterattack will catch them off guard and let us properly avenge our casualties! Once we break their lines and capture Zhu Ping’an alive, I’ll make him taste humiliation under my heel!” Chen Dong’s eyes lit up at Ma Ye’s idea, eager to exact revenge on Zhu Ping’an.
Both Ma Ye and Chen Dong then turned to Xu Hai, awaiting his response.
In their pirate alliance, Xu Hai held the most sway. He commanded the largest number of pirates, with the strongest fighting force, and was known for his cunning, serving as the brains of the group.
To launch a counterattack and strike the Zhejiang Army again, they needed Xu Hai’s approval.
Under their expectant gazes, Xu Hai shook his head slightly.
This immediately disappointed Chen Dong and Ma Ye. They looked at Xu Hai with dissatisfaction and challenged, “Why not? Is Brother Xu afraid of the Zhejiang Army? Didn’t you just say, ‘What’s there to fear from the Zhejiang Army?’ That’s a quick turnaround!”
“It’s not fear of the Zhejiang Army—it’s that now isn’t the time for another full assault. Yes, we could regroup and strike back, break their lines, and take Zhu Ping’an’s head. But have you considered this: it’s broad daylight now, we’ve nowhere to hide. The moment we turn back, they’ll know. The Zhejiang Army just won, their morale is high, and with their firearms’ precision, even if we take them down, we’d lose thousands more. Our troops’ morale is already shattered. Forcing them into such a costly attack risks mutiny…” Xu Hai sneered, speaking coolly.
“Then what? Retreat? We’d become a laughingstock—how could we show our faces among our peers?” Chen Dong and Ma Ye grumbled unhappily.
“With Suzhou City still untaken, how could we retreat!” Xu Hai shook his head firmly.
“Neither attack nor retreat—are we here to sightsee?” Ma Ye scoffed.
“I have a clever plan to take the city,” Xu Hai said with a faint smile.
