“A bunch of useless fools! Fetch my iron bow!” General Wang bellowed, his frustration boiling over as the pirate cannon cart drew closer. The archers on the wall had failed to make a dent, and the crew manning the Great General Cannon was still fumbling to adjust its barrel.
A guard hurriedly handed him the bow and arrows.
“Pirates, taste my arrow!” General Wang roared, planting his feet, drawing the bow with a deep breath, and loosing the shot in one fluid motion.
The feathered arrow streaked downward like lightning—only to soar clean over the heads of the cart-pushing pirates…
It couldn’t have missed more spectacularly!
A hush fell over the wall…
“Ahem, that was just a warm-up. Watch this next one…” General Wang coughed, salvaging his dignity—or trying to—when a sudden commotion erupted below, followed by a series of explosions!
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A chain of violent blasts shook the air.
“It blew up! Hahaha, the pirates’ cannon cart exploded!”
“They’ve lifted a rock only to smash their own feet! They meant to blast our gate but ended up blowing themselves to bits! Hahaha…”
The wall erupted in cheers and mocking laughter, the mood instantly jubilant.
Indeed, the pirate cannon cart had detonated prematurely, still over fifty meters from the gate. One cannonball had ignited, setting off the entire load. Screams filled the air as the explosion claimed dozens of pirates within a ten-meter radius, leaving a scene of carnage.
“Hahaha, did you see that, Yu? My arrow flew, and the pirates quaked in fear! One of them dropped his torch onto the cart, lighting the cannonballs early and blasting their own men to pieces! This is the legendary ‘startled bird’ tactic! You all thought I missed, but little did you know I aimed wide on purpose—for this very outcome!”
“Everything was within my calculations!” General Wang froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter, pointing at the chaos below and boasting shamelessly.
“General, a divine shot!”
“General, you’re incredible!”
The soldiers piled on the flattery—after all, it cost nothing, and facts were beside the point.
Amid the chorus of praise, someone shouted excitedly, “The pirates are running! They’re fleeing!”
Sure enough, the troops saw pirates below scattering backward.
The explosion had struck at the heart of the attacking force, killing or wounding dozens and shattering their morale completely. It was the final straw for an already wavering resolve. Deserters appeared, their panic spreading like a plague. Soon, pirates were shoving and clawing past each other, fleeing in a desperate stampede.
“It’s heaven’s will! The skies protect Suzhou! This is a warning—attack again, and divine punishment awaits! Run!”
“Flee now, or face heaven’s wrath!”
The defenders on the wall heard the pirates’ wails and watched their morale collapse into a full retreat.
This rout was worse than the previous two. Perhaps the cannon cart’s devastating misfire—killing or maiming seventy or eighty pirates, littering the ground with severed limbs—had broken them. Meant to breach the gate, it had instead obliterated their own ranks, dealing a crippling blow to their spirit.
Unlike the earlier retreats, this was a total collapse—utterly chaotic.
Outside the walls, the pirates descended into anarchy. Officers lost control of their men, and soldiers ignored their officers, all scrambling to save themselves in a frenzied mess.
It was pandemonium—worse than a bustling market. In their desperation, pirates pushed and pulled, trampling each other. Many fell and were crushed underfoot, left gasping their last breaths, too weak to rise.
“They’re running! We’ve won!” Seeing the chaos below, the defenders couldn’t hold back their cheers.
Watching the pirates’ complete disintegration, General Wang’s gaze hardened, his mind made up.
“Bring me my ancestral greatsword!”
“Saddle my thousand-li steed!”
“Muster a thousand elite troops! Follow me out of the city to pursue the pirates!”
General Wang thrust out his arm, issuing commands with resolute authority.
“What? The general’s chasing the pirates out of the city?!”
The deputy gaped, stunned by the order, and rushed forward to confirm.
“That’s right! I’m mustering elite troops to pursue the pirates!” General Wang nodded firmly.
“General, you can’t! Have you forgotten the Prefect’s warning?! He told us to beware of a feigned retreat and not to chase them out. Please, reconsider!” The deputy clasped his fists, stepping forward to dissuade him.
“I’ve kept the Prefect’s words in mind, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! The pirates are in total disarray—officers can’t control their men, soldiers ignore their officers, no order remains, and they’re trampling each other. This is heaven’s gift to us to crush them! Miss it, and it’s gone forever!”
General Wang waved off the concern, pointing at the chaotic retreat below and lecturing his deputy.
“But General, how will we explain this to the Prefect if we pursue…” the deputy pressed.
“No buts! The battlefield shifts in an instant. A responsible commander seizes the moment and acts decisively! ‘A general in the field may defy even the emperor’s orders’—let alone the Prefect’s!”
General Wang shook his head forcefully, cutting off the objection.
“General, what if the pirates are feigning this retreat?” the deputy raised another worry.
At that, General Wang burst into laughter. “Hahaha, feigned retreat?! Do you think that’s possible?! They were attacking with full force. Did you see that cannon cart they pushed up?! If not for my masterful shot startling them into dropping their torch and igniting the cannonballs early, what do you think would’ve happened if that cart reached the gate?!”
The deputy shivered at the thought. If the cart had made it to the gate and exploded, the consequences would’ve been dire—most likely, the gate would’ve been blasted open…
“Let me tell you, if that cart had reached the wall, the gate would’ve been nine-tenths destroyed, and the pirates would’ve stormed in! Do you think they’d pull a stunt like that for a fake retreat?!”
General Wang clapped the deputy’s shoulder, smirking as he posed the rhetorical question.
The deputy fell silent, finding the general’s logic compelling.
