“Hahaha, our leader’s strategy is brilliant, you’ve fallen into our trap, surrounded on all sides! Surrender quickly, and we might spare your wretched lives; resist, and not one of you will be left alive!”
The burly Japanese pirate standing in the center under the wutong tree pointed his Japanese sword at General Wang, laughing arrogantly.
“What do we do? What do we do? So many pirates!”
“General, General, we’ve been tricked, surrounded by pirates, what should we do?”
The soldiers trembled, looking at General Wang in fear and unease, hoping he’d come up with a plan.
“What’s there to fear! We’ve killed a thousand pirates if not ten thousand on this chase. Pirates are nothing special! Weak as chickens, not one can fight! The back gate’s closed, but the front isn’t, charge up, cut down those sixty or seventy pirates blocking the way, and we’ll break through their encirclement, we’ll be safe!”
General Wang feigned calm as he scolded his men, then swung his broadsword forward with force.
General Wang had already calculated in his mind: as long as he broke through, he’d lead his cavalry to abandon the infantry without hesitation, galloping to safety at full speed, leaving the foot soldiers to cover the rear, whether they lived or died, he didn’t care.
“Yeah, pirates are nothing, we’ve killed tons already!”
“Exactly, pirates are weaklings, let’s kill our way out!”
Encouraged by General Wang’s words, the soldiers regained some fighting spirit and courage, shouting as they charged toward the pirates under the wutong tree.
“Stubborn fools! Spare the dog official and his cavalry, but kill the rest without mercy! Shoot them all, leave none alive!”
From atop the Lingshui Juren Village wall emerged Xu Hai. Seeing General Wang and his men refuse to surrender, he waved impatiently, ordering his pirates to unleash a massacre!
At Xu Hai’s command, the pirates on the wall loosed arrows and fired muskets.
In an instant, arrows fell like rain, musket balls hailed like ice, pelting down on the soldiers in the village.
At this point, the soldiers hadn’t even made it a few steps before they were engulfed by the rain of arrows and bullets.
Screams of “Ahh!” rose and fell, the “pfft pfft” of arrows and bullets striking flesh sounded in a dense chorus, the “thud thud” of bodies hitting the ground echoed endlessly.
Amid the storm of arrows and bullets, General Wang shivered, clinging to his horse’s back, praying to the heavens for protection.
That pirate chief had just said not to kill me, the “dog official,” so no stray arrows better come my way.
As General Wang trembled in fear, the barrage of arrows and bullets finally stopped, leaving only a continuous chorus of moans.
Shaking, General Wang opened his eyes, frantically patting himself down, relieved to find no holes, then turned to look around.
He saw that the troops who’d followed him out of the city to chase the pirates were now mostly dead, the infantry nearly wiped out.
Only a few dozen quick-witted foot soldiers, sticking close to him and the cavalry, had survived.
These clever ones had heard the pirate leader shout, “Spare the dog official and cavalry, kill the rest,” and, gambling on it, rushed to General Wang’s side, miraculously saving their lives.
The cavalry mostly survived, save for a dozen unlucky ones struck down, arrows and bullets don’t discriminate.
One moment, they’d been a grand force of over a thousand, dreaming of promotions and riches, the next, barely a hundred remained.
Looking at the bodies strewn across the ground, General Wang, the surviving cavalry, and infantry quaked with fear, trembling uncontrollably.
“Charge! They’ve fired one round, if we rush now, we can escape, or it’s a dead end!”
At this critical moment, General Wang gritted his teeth, spurred his horse, and led the charge toward the pirates under the wutong tree.
He knew only by leading the charge could he inspire his men to fight for a bloody escape.
His unstoppable rampage so far, with no pirate lasting a single clash under his blade, gave him the courage to lead.
Seeing General Wang charge ahead, his eighty-odd cavalry and dozens of infantry followed closely, rushing forward.
At the brink of life and death, they knew he was right, the only way out was to kill the pirates under the wutong tree and break the encirclement, so they charged with him, shouting battle cries.
General Wang galloped at the front, swinging his broadsword with force at the central pirate under the wutong tree.
General Wang was confident in his skill, proven by his invincible chase from the city.
Not one pirate had withstood a single strike from him!
These pirates couldn’t fight worth a damn!
This time would be no different, one swing, and he’d win, he’d lead the breakout.
He felt this swing was flawless, a peak performance, as if his ancestors themselves guided his hand.
This strike would surely take that pirate’s head!
With that thought, General Wang saw the burly pirate under the tree show no fear, not retreating but charging at him, a foot soldier against a mounted general, hah, suicide!
Truly heaven’s favor, this makes it even easier, General Wang’s grin widened, and as the pirate closed to a horse’s length, he slashed down with all his might, roaring, “Die!”
In his eyes, that pirate was already a dead man.
But then, this “dead man” grinned as the blade neared his neck, dodging the fatal blow with agile footwork.
Not only that, after evading, the pirate stomped the ground, springing high like a coiled spring, his Japanese sword flashing like lightning toward General Wang’s neck.
Oh crap!
General Wang’s heart screamed in panic, his mind shouting to dodge, but his body couldn’t keep up, too slow to even turn his head, and the heavy strike landed on his neck!
My life is over!
With a scream, General Wang was hacked off his horse, tumbling like a dead dog across the ground, his helmet flying off.
Seeing their fearless, invincible General Wang cut down in one strike, the cavalry and infantry behind him froze in terror, their courage evaporating as he fell, leaving them like lambs awaiting slaughter, trembling and lost.
As one soldier dropped his weapon, crying, “I surrender, I surrender, don’t kill me!”
The rest followed, tossing their arms, shouting, “Surrender, surrender, don’t kill me!” and giving up.
General Wang lay on the ground, his neck burning, his crotch first warm then cold, blood flowing unchecked, no doubt.
Is this what death feels like?
“Hahaha, what a useless coward, pissed his pants, and a lot too, it’s gushing out through his armor!”
Above him rang the pirates’ wild, mocking laughter.
“Oh, so he pissed himself, not dying.”
Realizing he wasn’t dead, just wet, General Wang let out a shaky breath of relief.
