“Baka! It’s the Zhejiang army! Their muskets are deadly, don’t charge down and give them a chance to unleash their firepower! Stick close to the guards, they won’t dare fire again! If they do, they’ll hit their own allies, they can’t bear that responsibility! The steps are narrow, let them come up, beyond ten paces, muskets rule, within ten paces, Japanese blades rule!”
The other half of the Japanese pirates atop the walls saw their comrades charging down wiped out in an instant, they were both shocked and enraged, some shouted to rush down and reclaim the fight, but a small leader wielding a Japanese blade barked to stop them.
Under his command, the Japanese pirates halted, drawing closer to the city guards.
Only eight Japanese pirates faced the guards head-on with their blades, the rest turned to wait for the Zhejiang army to ascend.
What an opportunity, only eight Japanese pirates upfront, cut them down and they could strike the pirates from behind, catching them off guard, hitting them from both sides…
Yet, despite this golden chance, the city guards couldn’t seize it, they’d been so thoroughly broken by the Japanese pirates’ slaughter, they didn’t dare attack, fearing the pirates would turn back on them, so they too waited for the Zhejiang army to come up and fight.
“Brothers, see that? These damned Japanese pirates are scared out of their wits, too cowardly to come down, gutless dogs, just one slash away, follow me up and finish them!” Liu Dadao grinned, waving his hand, lifting his blade to lead the charge.
“Finish them!” the Zhejiang troops roared, bayonets fixed, marching in neat ranks behind him.
“Just like the commander ordered at the gate, front brothers engage, rear brothers fire when they get an opening, but to avoid hitting our allies on the walls, aim for the Japanese pirates’ lower halves!” Liu Dadao shouted as they neared, recalling the gate battle.
“Die, die!”
“Kill them!”
As the two sides clashed, shouts erupted, combat ignited on the narrow steps, blood soon flowed in torrents.
The Japanese pirates were indeed fierce, their individual prowess high, their blades better suited for close quarters than bayonets, they gained the upper hand instantly, the narrow steps limiting the Zhejiang army’s bayonet formation, except for Liu Dadao, who held his own, the rest of the Zhejiang troops struggled, pushed back, slashed several times in the first clash, only their cotton armor’s strong defense kept them alive.
*Bang, bang, bang…*
Amid the fierce fighting, the Zhejiang rear’s sporadic musket fire quickly leveled the playing field.
Unlike the Zhejiang troops, the Japanese pirates, though skilled and strong, wore no armor, to disguise as Ming soldiers, they donned only basic cotton uniforms with pitiful defense.
Against muskets, they were practically unarmored, a single lead shot punched a bloody hole through them.
Of course, per Liu Dadao’s order to aim low, most hit Japanese pirates took shots to their lower bodies, one poor sod even got a lead ball right where it hurt most…
“Damn it, sneaky Zhejiang army, vile Zhejiang army, targeting our crotches, trying to make us eunuchs in the next life?!”
“Shameless Zhejiang cowards, fight us one-on-one if you’ve got the guts, hiding back there with cold shots, what kind of heroes are you?!”
Under the Zhejiang army’s cold musket fire, Japanese pirates fell one by one, clutching their lower halves, the survivors grew paranoid, legs instinctively clamping shut, their fighting became hesitant.
This slashed their combat strength, the bayonet-wielding Zhejiang troops shifted from disadvantage to stalemate, then to dominance.
“You brothers up there, what are you standing around for? Hit the Japanese pirates from both sides with us!”
“We’re here to back you up, and you’re just gawking like women up there?!”
In the fray, a Zhejiang soldier yelled at the city guards in frustration, we’re down here fighting, and you’re up there shrinking back, waving your weapons like you’re painting their eyebrows?!
“Useless lot, charge them all! The Zhejiang army’s already wiped out half the Japanese pirates, only these few are left, what are you afraid of? Anyone who doesn’t move forward, I’ll punish severely after this!”
“My earlier reward promises still stand! Step up, kill Japanese pirates, claim silver, shrink back, and face harsh punishment!”
Prefect Shang, at the rear of the walls, couldn’t take it anymore, he roared at the Ming guards in fury.
With Shang’s mix of threats and rewards, plus the Zhejiang army’s fierce assault below, the city guards finally mustered some courage to face the Japanese pirates, though still timid, they managed to tie up a portion of them.
The Japanese pirates had started with just over a hundred, the Zhejiang army’s earlier cold shots had taken out twenty or thirty more, now fewer than ninety remained standing on the steps.
The city guards pinned down about thirty, leaving just over fifty to face the Zhejiang army.
The Zhejiang bayonets struggled to break through, their full cotton armor made them like porcupines, though the Japanese pirates’ individual skill was superior, they couldn’t quickly overcome them.
The Zhejiang troops might lack in solo combat, but their discipline and teamwork, bolstered by equipment, offset that, holding their own against the Japanese pirates.
And the Zhejiang muskets, like hidden vipers, struck with near every shot, claiming a Japanese pirate each time.
Front ranks held the Japanese pirates, rear ranks fired cold shots, though terrain favored the defenders less, this tactic gave the Zhejiang army firm control of the steps.
The Japanese pirate sub-leader, a true Japanese, was a beast in battle, ferocious and ruthless, not only matching Liu Dadao blow for blow, he even landed a sneaky kick, toppling a Zhejiang soldier, causing the rear ranks to stumble, nearly breaking the front bayonet line.
“No honor against Japanese pirates, bring a few muskets, aim at this bastard, fire! Kill him!” Liu Dadao, unable to quickly dispatch the sub-leader, shouted for the rear to shoot him down.
Before the sub-leader could dodge, he took several musket shots, a tough one, he still tried to take Liu Dadao with him, lunging to drag him off the steps.
But riddled with shots, he was no match, as he leapt, Liu Dadao thrust his blade, sending him to his end…
With the sub-leader down, the remaining Japanese pirates, leaderless wolves, fell faster.
Soon, only eight Japanese pirates remained on the steps.
“Surrender, we surrender…”
One dropped his blade and raised his hands, the other seven followed suit.
