“General Wang, how did your pursuit of the pirates go? Was it smooth?” Prefect Shang asked from atop the wall with a smile, his hands gripping the bricks tightly, his unblinking eyes fixed on General Wang below.
This question was a test. Various signs already suggested that the pirates’ repeated defeats were a feint to lure the city’s defenders out into a hidden ambush. If General Wang claimed the pursuit went smoothly with no ambush encountered, he’d be suspect, and they’d need to prepare for the worst.
“At first, it went quite smoothly. We beheaded hundreds of pirates. But those cunning devils had set an ambush in a dense forest. Fortunately, I’ve always been cautious in warfare and well-versed in military strategy. Who doesn’t know the saying ‘avoid entering dense woods’? Seeing the forest ahead, I sent scouts to investigate secretly and uncovered their plot. I turned their scheme against them, splitting my forces into two groups. When the pirates’ ambush fully emerged, my hidden troops struck from behind, catching them in a pincer attack.”
“Heh, it’s almost poetic justice. To lure us out, the pirate leader didn’t tell all his men about the fake retreat, only informing a core group to make the losses look real. As a result, the pirates suffered defeat after defeat, their morale already in the dirt. Then, hit by our front-and-rear assault, the uninformed pirates panicked and fled as usual. Their retreat threw their formation into chaos, and we seized the moment to press the attack, utterly crushing them! It was a close call, though—thank the heavens for protecting us! If someone else had led the pursuit, the pirates’ trick might’ve succeeded!”
General Wang spoke proudly from horseback, his head held high, especially when recounting how he’d spotted the forest ambush. At the end, he added a touch of lingering fear, suggesting that another commander might have fallen for the pirates’ ruse.
Who’d have thought he was such an actor? He could’ve won an Oscar with that performance.
Hearing General Wang mention the pirates’ forest ambush and detail how he’d thwarted it, Prefect Shang’s doubts eased considerably, and his guard lowered.
“Do any of you recognize the soldiers who left with General Wang? If you do, step forward and identify them,” Prefect Shang asked the deputy and the soldiers on the wall, ordering them to come forward and check General Wang’s men.
The deputy nodded and called out a few who knew General Wang’s personal guards and the soldiers who’d left the city, bringing them to the front.
“General Wang, please advance ten steps and halt,” the deputy saluted and called out respectfully.
“Ten steps? A hundred wouldn’t matter—just make it quick! This damn weather’s freezing us stiff,” General Wang replied promptly, grumbling at the end. He urged his horse forward ten steps, his guards followed on horseback, and the rest of the troops advanced ten steps behind them.
General Wang led the way, his guards right behind him, the surviving infantry at the front of the foot soldiers, and the disguised pirates bringing up the rear. Despite being impostors, they showed no fear, standing tall and proud, gazing up at the wall.
They had reason to be fearless. True or fake, they were all East Asians—aside from being slightly shorter, they were hard to distinguish unless they spoke. As for recognition from the wall, hah, even the sharpest eyes couldn’t identify every soldier who’d left, especially from this distance. General Wang’s guards and the surviving infantry were enough to handle it.
On the wall, the deputy and soldiers craned their necks, scrutinizing the men behind General Wang.
“That’s Er Yazi! We grew up together. He’s the second son, and he’s had a big bucktooth since he was a kid, so we all call him Er Yazi. I’d know his silhouette anywhere,” one soldier quickly identified a guard behind General Wang.
“Yep, that’s Zhang Tiezhi. We drink together all the time—every payday, we’d gather. He’s got a black birthmark on his forehead like iron juice, so his dad named him that,” another chimed in.
“The one on the white horse waving the flag? That’s Li Fatty. He loves throwing his weight around. Just the other day, he beat me up for looking at him too long—I’d recognize him even if he were ashes!”
“The one at the head of the line is Er Shazi. Don’t let the name fool you—he’s sharp as a tack. He used to hang back, but now he’s up front. Guess he made a name for himself chasing pirates with the general this time.”
More soldiers gradually recognized other guards and a few infantry at the front.
Seeing this, Prefect Shang, the deputy, and the others felt their doubts and wariness fade further.
“My childhood buddy went out with the general too—Wang Defu, nicknamed Er Gouzi. Can I call out to see if he’s still alive?” one soldier raised his hand, requesting.
“My pal Tiedan’s out there too. I want to know if he’s alive. He said if he didn’t make it, I should look after his wife and kids. The moment I saw his wife, I knew I’d be his brother for life…” another added.
Soon, more soldiers made similar requests.
“Forget it, forget it. There’s over a thousand men out there—too far to recognize everyone. If we let you all call out your buddies, with over a thousand to check, it’d take until dark,” Prefect Shang initially considered it but waved it off when he saw so many hands raised. They’d already identified plenty—nearly all of General Wang’s guards and several infantry at the front. That was enough; identifying every single one would be too time-consuming.
With that, Prefect Shang dismissed the soldiers wanting to call out familiar faces, ending the identification there.
Below, General Wang and his group overheard the wall’s suggestion to call out acquaintances and broke into a cold sweat, their hearts leaping to their throats.
Aside from them, everyone else had reported to the underworld—how could they step up for identification?
One or two could be brushed off as casualties, but with hundreds on the wall making the suggestion, it couldn’t be that every single one had conveniently died. And if so many had perished, the numbers wouldn’t add up—they’d left with a thousand and returned with a thousand.
Xu Hai, at the rear, tensed up too. He hadn’t anticipated this twist.
When Prefect Shang halted the idea, they all breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts settling back down.
“General Wang, how many did you take down in this pursuit? Mind letting me see your haul?” Prefect Shang asked, his gaze sharp as he looked at General Wang.
“Hahaha, Lord Prefect, I didn’t disgrace my mission! Leading my lads out to chase the pirates, we took eight hundred heads—I personally cut down ten myself! We also captured eight hundred thirty-eight prisoners alive, seized ten carts of pirate helmets, armor, and blades. As for provisions and supplies, there’s too much—hidden in forest gullies under straw. We’ll retrieve them later,” General Wang laughed heartily, seizing the chance to boast.
With that, he waved forward, and his men stepped up to display their spoils to the wall.
Heads hung from waists and saddles—eight hundred in total. Soldiers brandished whips, driving chained pirate captives forward, lashing and cursing them at will…
“Hahaha, great, great, great! Worthy of General Wang! This haul is truly inspiring! Open the gates quick—welcome General Wang and his meritorious men into the city for a grand victory feast!” Prefect Shang, now free of doubt, laughed heartily, waving grandly to order the gates opened and the heroes welcomed in.
“Thank you, Lord Prefect!” A chorus of cheers erupted below.
Xu Hai looked up at Suzhou City, grinning wide. Hahaha… Suzhou was now in the bag.
