“You guys step back and reload the gunpowder. Leave this pirate petty leader to us.”
The Zhejiang Army squad that had previously withdrawn had already reloaded their gunpowder. They dismounted, formed a tight formation, raised their matchlock guns, and aimed at the pirate petty leader charging ahead. They pulled the triggers, the match cords ignited the firing pans, and flashes of fire erupted.
*Bang bang bang…*
A volley of dense, synchronized gunfire rang out.
Instantly, the pirate petty leader—clad in half-armor, brandishing a pirate blade with an air of dominance—was struck by several bullets. He convulsed as if electrocuted, blood streaming from his mouth and nose, before collapsing in disbelief.
The Zhejiang soldiers’ accuracy when firing from the ground was quite high—they’d honed it through countless rounds of bullets.
Though they weren’t sharpshooters, hitting seven out of ten shots was well within their capability.
With ten matchlocks firing in unison, the pirate petty leader took at least six or seven bullets. His body was dead before it even hit the ground.
The remaining pirates instinctively froze when the guns fired. Stunned, they patted themselves down, realizing they hadn’t been hit. Grinning with relief, they then noticed their leader was dead as a doornail.
Suddenly leaderless, they looked around in confusion, unsure what to do—charge forward or turn and run.
While they stood there bewildered, the Zhejiang squad didn’t join them in their daze. After quickly swapping to spare barrels, they opened fire again.
*Bang bang bang…*
Another volley—ten bullets flew toward the bewildered pirates.
Because the pirates were more spread out, this round’s accuracy dropped, taking down only five of them.
“Damn it, if we don’t take them out, retreating’s a death sentence anyway.”
A few of the more respected pirates quickly reached a consensus to stick to their fallen leader’s original plan.
These pirates were battle-hardened. They knew full well that if they didn’t eliminate the Zhejiang soldiers in front of them, escape was impossible.
They had two legs to run with; the Zhejiang troops had four-legged mounts to chase them. They’d never outrun the soldiers. The Zhejiang troops could leisurely pursue while firing, turning the pirates into sitting ducks.
The path of retreat was as good as a path to death.
So, their only shot at escaping without worry was to wipe out these Zhejiang soldiers.
“Brothers, they’re few, we’re many! Take them down, and we can rejoin the main force. Then the bosses won’t have any reason to punish us!”
With a few words from the respected pirates, they rallied together. Brandishing their blades and howling, they charged at the Zhejiang squad again.
This time, the pirates were smarter. They spread out further, keeping at least two meters between each man.
Seeing the pirates charge again, the Zhejiang squad didn’t hesitate. They mounted their mules and horses, turned tail, and retreated.
Their matchlocks, including the spare barrels, had been fired. They needed to fall back and reload before they could shoot again.
The Zhejiang squad retreated on their mounts. How could two-legged pirates catch up to four-legged mules and horses?
By the time the pirates had chased twenty-odd meters, panting and heaving, the Zhejiang squad had already pulled back behind two other squads that had retreated earlier.
*Bang bang bang…*
The two reloaded Zhejiang squads raised their matchlocks and fired a volley at the panting pirates.
Because the pirates were more spread out, this round from the two squads only took down eight of them.
“See that? The more spread out we are, the harder it is for those Ming dogs to hit us!”
“Keep charging, don’t stop! Don’t let them grind us down with those Mongol bandit tactics. Faster, faster!”
The battle-hardened, respected pirates saw through the Zhejiang squad’s strategy in an instant and shouted to rally the others.
The rest of the pirates, veterans of countless battles and blood-soaked fields, snapped to attention at the reminder. Ignoring their fallen comrades, they howled and picked up speed, charging straight at the two Zhejiang squads swapping their spare barrels.
The distance was too close. The two squads didn’t have time to fire before the pirates closed within ten meters.
If they shot now, they’d be swarmed.
“Pull back! Get some distance first!” The two squad leaders made a snap decision and gave the order without hesitation.
The two Zhejiang squads mounted up, turned their horses, kicked their mounts’ flanks, and galloped away.
The squad still reloading their gunpowder saw this, abandoned their task, mounted up, and retreated in a hurry.
“Hahaha, brothers, chase them! There’s a gully ridge ahead—their horses will slow on the climb. They won’t get away…”
The pursuing pirates grew excited.
The Zhejiang squad was only twenty or thirty meters ahead. In front of them was a gully ridge with a slope about ten meters high. Horses would slow climbing it—this was their chance.
Plus, reloading gunpowder and firing matchlocks on horseback was tough for the Zhejiang troops. This was a golden opportunity—how could the pirates not be thrilled?
Emboldened, they chased harder and faster, their speed briefly matching the mules and horses.
When the Zhejiang troops reached the gully ridge, their pace slowed a bit. Seeing this, the pirates’ morale soared, and they sped up even more, closing the gap with the Zhejiang squad.
By the time the Zhejiang troops were climbing the slope, the pirates were less than ten meters behind.
“Kill them!”
“Slaughter the Ming dogs and run! Back to the lair for promotions and rewards!”
The pirates’ faces twisted with feral excitement. Adrenaline pumping, they pushed their speed even higher.
Just as they reached the base of the slope, ready to surge up and butcher the Zhejiang troops atop it, a mass of Zhejiang soldiers suddenly appeared on the ridge. Holding matchlocks, they aimed down expressionlessly.
Row after row—squatting, crouching, standing—a dense wall of Zhejiang troops like an impenetrable barrier.
“What the hell?!”
The pirates froze, panic setting in. Some instinctively turned to flee.
“Don’t panic! There are Ming dogs ahead of us—they won’t dare shoot. Rush up, tangle with the ones in front, and we’ve got a shot at surviving. If we run back, how can we outrun four-legged beasts? We’ll just be target practice for the Ming dogs!”
The respected pirates shouted urgently.
Rallying once more, the pirates charged forward, aiming to mix with the three Zhejiang squads ahead and make the troops on the slope hesitate to fire.
But the three squads ahead had no intention of letting that happen. The moment they saw reinforcements, they split without hesitation, riding off to either side and exposing the pirates behind them.
