With Xu Hai’s loud shout, the pirates holding the city gate roared and charged out. The gate was now fully open, and over four hundred pirates poured out from within, brandishing their pirate blades as they rushed toward the Zhejiang troops, less than twenty meters away, joining the outer pirates in a pincer attack.
This group was a fresh force, having seized numerous spears inside the city. Experienced in combat, they first hurled the spears with all their might at the Zhejiang formation as they approached.
In an instant, at least a hundred spears whistled down from the sky, raining into the Zhejiang ranks.
Unlike arrows, spears combined piercing and blunt force; even if they couldn’t penetrate armor, their immense impact could cause internal injuries.
The Zhejiang troops’ cotton armor protected against piercing strikes, but it was powerless against blunt force.
In a flash, three Zhejiang soldiers fell, struck in the face—unprotected by cotton armor—by the spears.
Dozens more were hit; though their cotton armor spared them from penetration, the massive impact injured them severely, many coughing up blood, clearly suffering significant internal damage.
Zhu Ping’an nearly took a spear himself, but Liu Mu and Liu Dadao shielded him with their shields just in time.
“Hahaha, well done! Boys, victory is ours, Suzhou City is ours!”
Seeing the inner pirates charge out and score a hit, even nearly skewering Zhu Ping’an in his disarray, Xu Hai burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming with the dawn of victory.
Though the battle had veered from his control midway, things were getting back on track!
Victory was his, the future was his—Xu Hai’s face bloomed with a smile, his eyes full of light.
In the Zhejiang formation, Zhu Ping’an, narrowly escaping the spear, smiled too. The pirates rushing out from the gate was a good thing. Had they holed up inside, defending the gate, it would’ve been troublesome.
The gate was just over three meters wide, a narrow passage ill-suited for deploying troops or leveraging numbers.
Now that they’d come out, they were much easier to handle—and with them gone, the gate was undefended.
By his time estimate, reinforcements should be near. Before leading the Zhejiang troops to warn the east gate, he’d passed the south gate and shouted a warning. Unless the south gate’s commander was a complete fool, they’d send troops to reinforce the east gate. Whether they believed his warning or not, caution would compel them to act.
Of course, relying on others was less certain than relying on himself.
Zhu Ping’an ordered the Zhejiang troops into a “非” (feather-like) formation to counter the pirates’ pincer attack, locking down both groups, while secretly instructing Liu Dadao to lead a hundred men to break off and seize the gate at his signal.
The battle below was fierce, as was the one within the city.
The pirates were ferocious; though outnumbered, they overwhelmed the Ming troops on the wall, inflicting heavy casualties.
Yet the Ming troops on the wall had the numbers advantage, bolstered by Prefect Shang’s hefty rewards, and held their ground stubbornly.
The city’s pirates briefly breached the wall multiple times, but each time, Prefect Shang’s timely rewards spurred the Ming troops to push back.
Blood flowed like rivers down the wall’s stone steps. Prefect Shang, watching the brutal scene, trembled, his heart in his throat, every second fearing the fierce pirates below would storm the wall.
Thankfully, a cheer suddenly erupted from the Ming troops monitoring the battle below.
“What’s happening?” Prefect Shang asked urgently.
“The Zhejiang troops have retaken the gate! The pirates guarding it charged out to attack them, and in the heat of battle, over a hundred elite Zhejiang soldiers broke from their ranks, seizing the gate in a lightning-fast move.”
The Ming soldier tasked with watching below reported excitedly.
“Good, good…” Prefect Shang exhaled half a breath of relief. With the Zhejiang troops holding the gate, Suzhou City’s safety was more assured.
But before he could fully relax, a panicked cry rose from the wall’s Ming troops.
“Bad news, bad news! A large pirate force has appeared outside the east gate, less than five li away…”
The Ming troops’ frantic shouts nearly made Prefect Shang collapse, saved only by his guards’ quick support.
Damn it!
How did the pirate reinforcements arrive so fast?! Less than five li—didn’t that mean they’d reach the gate in less than an incense stick’s time?
The Zhejiang troops at the gate were just a hundred-man squad, still entangled with six or seven hundred pirates…
Once the pirate reinforcements arrived, wouldn’t the gate fall in an instant?!
No doubt about it!
Damn it! Why were the pirate reinforcements so quick, while ours still haven’t shown?! By distance, the south, north, and northwest gates in the city are closer—our reinforcements should’ve arrived first!
Damn it!
Those useless sacks of wine and rice!
After this battle, I’ll settle accounts with you all, but will I even have that chance?!
Prefect Shang sighed heavily. How could he hold Suzhou City now? Racking his brain, he could only think of one way: unless Zihou, fearless of sacrifice, ordered the hundred Zhejiang troops at the gate to shut it immediately…
But would Zihou agree?
Even if he did, hundreds of pirates were fiercely attacking the wall—they wouldn’t just let a hundred-man Zhejiang squad close the gate.
How hateful, how infuriating, how regretful!
Why, when Zihou led the Zhejiang troops shouting “General Wang surrendered to the pirates, those entering the east gate are pirates” as a warning, didn’t I heed him and deal with General Wang and the pirates who’d entered sooner?!
Had I listened to Zihou, how could it have come to this?! Prefect Shang’s regrets turned his guts green.
As Prefect Shang wallowed in remorse, those outside also spotted the distant pirate figures.
“Hahahaha, boys, see that? Our reinforcements are here! Push harder, victory is ours! Suzhou City is ours!”
Seeing the distant reinforcements, Xu Hai laughed wildly, the gloom of the Zhejiang squad seizing the gate swept away.
Hearing him and spotting the reinforcements, the pirates’ morale surged, each one buzzing with excitement, howling like they’d been injected with chicken blood, fiercely assaulting the Zhejiang formation.
Zhu Ping’an saw the distant pirate reinforcements and gave a wry, helpless smile. This was unexpected.
He hadn’t thought the pirate reinforcements would show first. The city was closer, yet no sign of its reinforcements—or the south gate’s, where he’d shouted his warning. Unless the south gate’s commander was a total fool, their reinforcements should’ve arrived by now…
But it seemed the south gate’s commander truly was a fool, reacting too slowly.
Good thing he hadn’t pinned his hopes on them.
