The audacity of the Japanese pirates was blatant, their intentions laid bare without any attempt to conceal them. It wasn’t long before the divided forces of the pirates successively reached the East Gate, North Gate, and Northwest Gate of Suzhou City. They set up temporary camps about a mile away, preparing for the assault on the city.
Last night, the pirates hadn’t been idle. In just one night, they had managed to construct over a hundred crude scaling ladders, with more than thirty stationed before each gate.
The Zhejiang Army’s rangers, tasked with monitoring the pirates’ temporary encampment last night, hadn’t noticed any large-scale tree-felling. It was a mystery how they’d produced over a hundred ladders so quickly.
The pirates’ plan to split their forces and attack the city was executed with no attempt at subtlety. The Zhejiang Army rangers, stationed along key routes to track their movements, had confirmed their intentions early on and returned to the Fengqiao camp before the pirates could encircle the Zhejiang Army’s position.
Outside the East Gate.
A vast, unbroken wave of pirates approached, carrying their crude ladders like a dark cloud pressing down on the city.
The mass of pirates, their gleaming blades, their comical yet fearsome topknots, and their ferocious expressions exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.
“Bloody hell, it’s my first time seeing so many pirates. It’s a bit terrifying, my legs are shaking…”
“Didn’t the Zhejiang Army kill seven or eight thousand of them? How are there still so many?”
“Damn, their armor looks like some kind of evil spirit with those two long horns. It’s bloody frightening!”
On the East Gate’s walls, some of the more timid defenders, seeing the sea of pirates below, began to tremble. Their voices quivered, their legs shook, and their hands trembled so badly they could hardly hold their blades.
“Silence! What’s there to fear! No matter how many pirates there are down there, they’re just a rabble. Think about the Zhejiang Army—eight hundred reformed bandits and twelve hundred farmers fresh from放下their hoes, trained for just a few months, yet they slaughtered seven or eight thousand pirates! That alone proves how worthless this lot is. If the Zhejiang Army can do it, there’s no reason we can’t!”
General Wang, stationed at the East Gate, saw his soldiers cowering like frightened animals and barked a reprimand. He cited the Zhejiang Army’s success to bolster his troops’ morale.
Truth be told, he still harbored some resentment toward the Zhejiang Army. How long had they been training to achieve such results?
In his view, the Zhejiang Army’s stunning victory yesterday owed much to their sharp firearms and the massive stash of explosives they’d buried to outwit the pirates. Beyond that, these pirates didn’t seem particularly impressive.
The Zhejiang Army had secured a major victory!
There was no reason his forces couldn’t do the same!
At that moment, General Wang felt a flicker of excitement and anticipation. This was his chance to earn merit! His chance to rise in rank and wealth!
If these pirates weren’t that formidable, wasn’t this a heaven-sent opportunity for glory?
Zhu Ping’an had offended Minister Yan and been demoted to a petty magistrate in Jingnan County. Yet he’d risen again, becoming a fourth-rank official, all thanks to a series of military achievements!
The Zhejiang Army’s triumph yesterday would surely propel Zhu Ping’an even higher.
He couldn’t let Zhu hog all the meat—while Zhu ate the lion’s share, Wang could at least grab a piece, right? And, heh, his appetite had always been hearty. One or two pieces wouldn’t satisfy him—this time, he intended to eat his fill…
Outside the East Gate, Xu Hai rode a tall horse, trotting around at a distance, circling the gate twice. He summoned his trusted lieutenants, pointed out several spots on the wall with his whip, and issued the order to attack.
At the North and Northwest Gates, Chen Dong and Ma Ye led their respective forces, also issuing commands to assault the city.
As for the pirates facing the Zhejiang Army’s position, they leveraged their numerical advantage, encircling the Zhejiang Army from a distance. They dispatched two groups of over a thousand pirates each, advancing slowly from the north and south toward the Zhejiang position.
Across four battlefields, war was on the verge of erupting.
Outside the East Gate.
Attacking the city wasn’t easy for the pirates. Their first obstacle was the moat, a winding waterway that flowed around Suzhou City like a guardian deity, its gentle ripples belying its protective might.
At this moment, the bridge spanning the moat had been dismantled, leaving only the solitary stone stumps at either end.
The attacking pirates approached the moat at a leisurely pace. Over a hundred fearless pirates, heedless of the icy water, stripped down to their filthy white undergarments and leapt into the frigid moat.
“What are the pirates up to? Jumping in to drown themselves?” A guard on the wall, watching this, was baffled.
“Hahaha, are they jumping in to lighten the tense, life-or-death mood?” Someone laughed.
“They’re building a bridge!” A seasoned soldier shook his head, correcting them with a worried tone, “It’s winter now, the dry season. The moat’s water level is low, so the pirates can construct a simple pontoon bridge.”
“General, we can’t just stand by and watch them build it! Before they finish, we should open the gate, send men to hold the shore, and use arrows to stop them. If they can’t build the bridge, let’s see how they attack. I’m no great talent, but I’d like to lead three hundred archers and two hundred shield-bearers out of the city. I swear I won’t let them finish that bridge!”
Deputy Liu, seeing the pirates preparing to build, urgently requested permission from General Wang to engage.
“No way! It’s the dry season, and the moat’s shallow. These pirates crossed the sea to get here—they’re skilled swimmers, just like those jumping in now. If we open the gate, they could brave the cold, swim across, and charge straight for it. Until we know what these pirates are made of, we can’t take that risk. If they’re fierce and you can’t hold them, not only would you die in vain, but if the gate falls, we’d bear an unforgivable sin!”
General Wang shook his head, rejecting Deputy Liu’s proposal.
Though he craved merit, he wasn’t willing to gamble.
Thus, the defenders on the wall ignored the pirates building their pontoon bridge, watching helplessly as it took shape.
On the shore, the pirates pushed specially prepared logs into the river, each sharpened at one end.
The pirates in the water took the logs, driving the pointed ends into the riverbed with force.
One by one, the logs were planted at intervals across the moat, stretching from one bank to the other.
Next, long logs were slid into the water, and the pirates tied them to the upright posts, forming the bridge’s framework. They then bound crossbeams, laying planks, branches, and straw atop it.
In no time, a crude pontoon bridge spanned the moat.
Following the same method, the pirates built three adjacent bridges in one go.
Then, the assaulting pirate army crossed the moat at a steady pace, stepping over the newly constructed bridges.
“Kill! Little brats, breach the gate, and the gold, silver, jewels, and women will all be yours!”
“Kill them all!”
“Charge!”
After crossing the moat, the pirates, spurred by their leaders’ shouts, roared and charged toward Suzhou City, shields raised high.
They hauled their scaling ladders, rushing toward the walls.
“Loose arrows! Loose arrows!”
“Rocks, logs, don’t hold back—drop them down! Smash these damned pirates to death!”
“Wall crossbows, fire! Don’t waste shots, you fools! A regular pirate isn’t worth a bolt—aim for their commanders giving orders on the field! They’re the ones worth a crossbow bolt!”
General Liu, clad in armor and wielding a long blade, barked orders back and forth along the wall, protected by shield-bearing guards.
