The timing aligned almost perfectly with Zhu Ping’an’s estimate. About half an hour later, movement stirred in the pirate camp.
Having finished their breakfast, the pirates began dismantling their tents and packing their belongings—plundered gold, silver, jewels, grain, supplies, cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses—preparing to retreat to their stronghold in Tuolin.
This time, their haul was a shadow of past glories. Thanks to the Zhejiang Army’s early warnings, most locals had fled with their families and valuables to Suzhou or hidden in the wilds. The pirates’ loot was a tenth of what they’d usually reap, and their casualties had soared.
“Damn Zhu Ping’an! This is all your fault—slashing my profits and costing me good brothers! If I catch you in the open, I’ll tear you apart, grind your bones to dust!”
“Exactly! Only shredding him to bits will vent this rage!”
The pirates cursed Zhu Ping’an, their scapegoat, as they packed.
“He’s just lucky he scampered back to the city fast. Otherwise, I’d have diced him up at the gate,” growled a pirate who’d been at the northwest entrance. He’d rushed over at Xu Hai’s signal, only to see Zhu Ping’an and the Zhejiang Army slip inside and slam the gates shut.
He was certain—if Zhu Ping’an hadn’t retreated, their reinforcements would’ve hacked him to pieces right there!
No doubt about it!
Xu Hai despised him to the core. Word was, Xu Hai even muttered about shredding Zhu Ping’an in his sleep!
If they’d cornered him outside, Xu Hai would’ve made it happen—no question!
“Brother Chen, Brother Ma, please instruct your men to stay loose on the outside but tight within during the retreat, ready to strike back at any moment. Also, each of you pick five hundred elite fighters. I’ll do the same. We’ll combine them into one force and set an ambush along our retreat route,” Xu Hai said, staring at Suzhou with bitter reluctance before turning to Chen Dong and Ma Ye with grim determination.
This was an old pirate trick.
When the tide turned against them, they’d fake a retreat, planting ambushes in dense woods or reed marshes. If the Ming chased, they’d stumble into the trap, and the hidden pirates would swarm, catching them off-guard and cutting them down.
It worked like a charm, time and again.
Even when victorious, they’d sometimes feign retreat to lure the Ming into a trap.
Retreat and ambush—it was their bread and butter.
Chen Dong and Ma Ye grinned at Xu Hai’s words. “Haha, we’ve already told our men to play it loose outside, tight inside—leave a few gaps to tempt the Ming out. We’ve picked elites too—not five hundred, but eight hundred each.”
Xu Hai burst into laughter. “Good! Excellent! You know me well, Brothers Chen and Ma! If you’ve got eight hundred each, then I’ll match it with eight hundred too!”
“If the Ming dare chase, they’ll regret it,” Chen Dong and Ma Ye said confidently.
“Chase? They won’t even get that far! I’ll bury them here!” Xu Hai snarled through gritted teeth.
This Suzhou fiasco had tarnished his reputation and stalled his rise. He burned to raze the city in revenge—especially that Zhu kid. He’d carve him up a thousand times over!
While the pirates packed, the Zhejiang Army in Suzhou had already eaten and were resting in tents below the walls, conserving energy.
Eight hundred ninety-three requisitioned mules and horses munched on fodder mixed with grain and beans, sipping light saltwater to boost their stamina and endurance.
Initially, only four hundred-odd mules were gathered, but Shang’s men had forcibly taken four hundred more prime horses from the city garrison, totaling eight hundred ninety-three—all ride-ready.
Zhu Ping’an selected eight hundred ninety-three of his best riders from the Zhejiang Army to join him in “escorting” the pirates. The rest stayed to bolster the city’s defenses, just in case.
“Zihou, think it over again,” Shang pleaded, still uneasy about Zhu Ping’an leaving.
“Lord Shang, don’t worry. I plan before I act. I set this up before we even entered the city,” Zhu Ping’an replied with a confident smile.
Seeing his resolve, Shang could only urge caution—if anything felt off, ride away fast, safety first.
Zhu Ping’an nodded repeatedly.
After sending Shang off, Zhu Ping’an told the remaining Zhejiang Army to wake him in two quarters of an hour—half an hour—whether the pirates had started moving or not.
Then he entered the command tent, lay down fully clothed, and rested. He needed a nap to stay sharp.
Exhausted from the sleepless night, he fell asleep quickly, sinking into a deep slumber.
While Zhu Ping’an slept, the pirates dawdled over their packing—disorganized and sluggish as ever.
Two quarters passed, and the Zhejiang Army roused him.
Zhu Ping’an emerged from the tent, stretching. Youth was a blessing—after a sleepless night, a mere half-hour nap erased his fatigue, leaving him brimming with energy.
“Have the pirates broken camp?” he asked.
“Sir, not yet. They’re still packing,” a soldier replied.
So slow…
Zhu Ping’an smirked, silently mocking their lack of discipline.
“Sir, should we wake the others?” the soldier asked, nodding toward the row of tents housing the Zhejiang Army slated to ride out.
“No, let them sleep a bit longer. Wake them once the pirates start moving,” Zhu Ping’an said, shaking his head. He climbed the steps to the wall.
By now, the sun was high. The pirates were nearly done, just loading grain and supplies onto carts.
They began assembling—haphazardly, of course, their ranks a mess.
From a distance, it was clear they were forming three rough blocks.
Days of besieging the city had yielded intel: this pirate band was a loose alliance of four chieftains—Xu Hai, Ma Ye, Chen Dong, and Beijiao Dao San—with Xu Hai as the strongest. The first day’s battle at Fengqiao Camp saw Beijiao Dao San blown to bits, his men absorbed by the others.
Now, only three factions remained.
Today’s three-block formation made perfect sense.
