That morning, Suzhou City once again erupted into celebration. The Japanese pirates had attacked from three sides, and all three assaults had ended in complete defeat.
The pirates lost at least eight or nine hundred men.
After their rout, they set up camp three miles outside the city gates, showing no intention of leaving. It seemed they weren’t ready to give up and were poised to launch another attack at any moment.
Having repelled the pirates, the city walls erupted into a frenzy of jubilation. Shouts of “Victory! Victory!” rang out, deafening in their intensity.
“Well done! You are all the pride of Suzhou City—valiant and heroic. You fought bravely on these walls and drove back the attacking pirates. This is truly cause for celebration. I will record your merits, and I hope you soldiers will keep up the momentum. Once the pirates are fully driven off, I will request rewards for every one of you who contributed—no one will be overlooked.”
Suzhou Prefect Shang Weichi finally let go of the anxiety that had gripped him, offering heartfelt praise as he comforted the soldiers at the three contested gates.
“Hahaha, thank you, Prefect! The pirates aren’t such a big deal. With us here, Suzhou City is as solid as a fortress. You can rest easy, sir—we won’t let a single pirate set foot inside these walls!”
General Wang and the others laughed heartily, their faces brimming with confidence. The day’s battle had boosted their morale tremendously.
“Exactly! These pirate rats are just flesh and blood like us. Hit them with stones or arrows, and they die all the same.”
“This bunch of pirates are cowards. During the assault, plenty of them were too scared to climb the ladders until their overseers executed a few to force them up.”
“Their fighting strength isn’t anything special…”
The soldiers chimed in eagerly, their spirits high, basking in the joy of driving off the pirates.
“The pirates are still camped outside the city, clearly unwilling to give up their designs on us. Suzhou City will continue to rely on you all.”
Prefect Shang Weichi bowed deeply to General Wang and the soldiers, entrusting them with the city’s safety.
“Rest assured, Prefect. With us here, Suzhou City is impregnable,” General Wang and the others thumped their chests in assurance.
While Suzhou City reveled in its triumph, the pirate camp outside the gates was, surprisingly, filled with a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
It was as if the failed assault hadn’t been their defeat at all.
“Boss, we’ve captured another two hundred or so civilians. They were hiding in the woods, but we dragged them out.”
“It’s getting harder to catch them—these people are hiding too well. If they hadn’t come out for water, we wouldn’t have found them.”
A group of pirates returned from the outskirts, bringing back over two hundred captives—men and women, young and old—hands bound with ropes, herded forward.
“Put the women under unified guard. For the men, old or young, shave their heads into our style and give each one a set of pirate clothes. With the previous two batches, that’s over four hundred now—enough for another assault on the city.”
Xu Hai nodded in satisfaction, waving a hand to order the captives’ heads shaved and clothes changed.
The pirates were well-practiced at this. The weeping women were dragged away, while the men, regardless of age, were pinned down and had their hair shaved into the distinctive pirate topknot with crude razors or daggers.
Once shaved, their original clothes were stripped off and replaced with filthy pirate garb.
“Let me tell you, you’re lucky. Normally, all that awaits you is death and violation.”
“But today, you’ve hit the jackpot. Not only will you escape death, but you’ve stumbled into a golden opportunity—I’ve decided to take you in. From this moment, you’re pirates. You’ll feast on meat and guzzle wine, and tomorrow, you’ll attack the city with us. When we breach it, whatever gold, silver, or jewels you grab is yours. If you perform well, your mothers, wives, and daughters will be freed to enjoy it with you. But if you’re spineless and hold back during the assault, they’ll become camp whores, begging for death but unable to find it.”
“Got that?! This is a blessing eight lifetimes in the making. Cherish it, and don’t let me down!”
Xu Hai paced slowly before the captives, a sinister smile on his face as he addressed them.
The crowd of captured civilians stared back in fear and bewilderment.
“Forget it. Matsushita, take them to the vanguard camp. Tomorrow, drive them to the front during the assault, just like today. If they hesitate, kill them without mercy! Force them to the walls if you have to!”
Xu Hai summoned a pirate and issued his orders.
“Hai!”
The pirate saluted.
“Today’s village raid turned up some livestock—slaughter it all and give them a share. Let them eat their fill.”
Xu Hai instructed.
“Hai.” The pirate bowed and nodded, then began herding the captives toward the vanguard camp, “Move it, follow me! You’ll get meat at the vanguard camp.”
Once the captives were driven off, Ma Ye and Chen Dong rode over from the North and Northwest Gates.
“How many civilians did you grab?” Xu Hai asked.
“About four hundred—enough to throw at the city tomorrow,” Ma Ye and Chen Dong replied.
“Good. Tomorrow, we’ll send them to die again. At most, one more round the day after, and someone’s bound to crack. We’ve already tested the Suzhou defenders—Wang, Liu, Zhao—they’re all incompetent fools who think too highly of themselves. The city will fall because of them.”
Xu Hai smiled faintly, brimming with confidence.
“Xu, will this work?” Ma Ye and Chen Dong asked, a hint of uncertainty in their voices.
“Don’t worry, everything’s under control. Just follow the plan tomorrow—drive the civilians to die at the walls. Suzhou City is ours for the taking.”
Xu Hai clapped them on the shoulders, exuding assurance.
At the Zhejiang Army’s Fengqiao camp.
A carrier pigeon landed in the camp, a letter tied to its leg. Soon, the message reached Zhu Ping’an’s hands.
Zhu Ping’an opened it. The letter came from Suzhou City, detailing the day’s defense efforts. With the pirates cutting off direct contact between the city and the Fengqiao camp, communication now relied on pigeons.
Due to the pirate encirclement, Zhu Ping’an and his men only knew that the pirates had attacked, the city had held, and the pirates had retreated three miles to set up camp.
Now, with this letter, Zhu Ping’an gained a clearer picture. The East, North, and Northwest Gates had all achieved decisive victories, killing eight or nine hundred pirates.
Reading the detailed report, Zhu Ping’an frowned, sensing something off about Suzhou’s victory—it had been too easy.
Holding a city against an assault wasn’t surprising, but this triumph felt suspiciously effortless. The pirates had gone from attack to retreat in less than half an hour, leaving behind eight or nine hundred bodies, while the city’s defenders suffered only a hundred or so casualties.
That wasn’t normal. The attack’s duration and the casualty ratio were off. The pirates weren’t this weak.
