—
There are countless coincidences in the world, as if everything is preordained by some unseen force. Just as the Zhejiang troops reached the wooden bridge, the pirates on the far bank finished chopping through the bridge’s supports. With a thunderous crash, the structure collapsed like a falling tower.
The heavy wooden bridge plunged into the water, sending up splashes several meters high and creating deep, swirling vortexes.
“Damn it! Son of a—!”
“Nooo…!”
Dozens of pirates on the bridge let out desperate screams as they fell helplessly into the raging river along with the collapsing structure, swallowed by the massive waves and whirlpools it created.
A few pirates who hadn’t crossed gritted their teeth, steeled their hearts, and leapt into the river, hoping to swim across. But the swift currents and unrelenting vortexes, like black holes, devoured them. Every single one who jumped sank to the bottom in an instant, not one resurfacing.
“Xu Hai, Chen Dong, you burn bridges after crossing—you’ll die a wretched death!”
“You can’t handle the Zhejiang troops, so you turn on your own brothers! Shameless, incompetent cowards—what right do you have to be leaders?!”
“Brothers over there, our fate today is your tomorrow. They abandoned us by destroying the bridge today—tomorrow, it could be you. I’d advise you to start planning ahead!”
The pirates still on this side, their lifeline severed, cursed even more viciously. Xu Hai and Ma Ye, the masterminds behind this, had their ancestors and female relatives “fondly” greeted by the stranded pirates’ tirades.
Some even sowed seeds of rebellion, digging pits of resentment among those who’d crossed, hoping to turn them against Xu Hai and Ma Ye.
The pirates who’d made it across turned as one to look at Xu Hai.
“Brothers, burning the bridge was a last resort. If we didn’t cut it down, none of you would’ve escaped either. At a time like this, even if it were my own parents back there, I’d still order the bridge destroyed.”
“Let’s be real—our sworn brothers, our kin, our dear comrade Chen Dong, one of your great leaders, is back there too, unable to cross! Did we hesitate when we shouldn’t have?!”
“Or what—do you all want to die with them?!”
Xu Hai met their gazes, speaking with brazen confidence, shamelessly dragging Chen Dong into his argument as an example.
The pirates across the river were convinced, nodding in agreement. “Better a dead friend than a dead me” was a principle they all understood.
Besides, it was true—Chen Dong *was* left behind. Even now, he was still laughing hysterically at the sky.
“Brothers, I know you’re upset, but rest assured—we’ll avenge you!”
“Today’s grudge will be repaid a hundredfold against the Zhejiang troops in the future!”
Xu Hai swore solemnly, and to bolster his credibility, he drew his pirate blade, sliced his palm, and let the blood drip as an oath.
“We’ll make the Zhejiang troops pay a hundredfold in the future!”
The pirates who’d crossed roared in unison.
“Since we’re doomed anyway, why not drag some Zhejiang troops down with us? Kill one, and we break even—kill two, and we profit!”
“Think about how they drove us step by step into this mess! Better to die fighting them than cower to our deaths!”
“We should’ve been in Suzhou, drinking victory wine, bedding women, counting silver—but those damn Zhejiang troops ruined it all, leaving us in this pitiful state! How many brothers fell to their卑鄙无耻 schemes?! If we don’t avenge this, we’re not men! We pirates have never knelt and waited for death like cowards! The Zhejiang troops haven’t even settled in yet—now’s the time for a fight to the death. Charge them, spill their blood!”
While Xu Hai rallied the morale of the pirates who’d crossed, Ma Ye took the lead in inciting those still on this side to throw themselves at the Zhejiang troops.
And,不得不说, Ma Ye’s words were pretty damn rousing. Several pirates gripped their blades tighter, their eyes burning with a do-or-die, cornered-rabbit fury as they glared at the newly arrived Zhejiang troops.
“Yeah, we’re dead either way—might as well take some Zhejiang scum with us! With so many of us, we can drag a few down!”
“Let’s die! Let’s all go down together!”
A few pirates were swayed, lifting their blades and charging toward the Zhejiang troops with battle cries.
Spurred by their lead, others grew restless. Many grabbed their blades and joined the suicidal rush.
The Zhejiang troops, upon reaching the bridgehead, had already dismounted and formed their classic three-line firing formation.
Seeing the pirates charging in a death rush, Zhu Pingan waved his hand. The first wave of Zhejiang soldiers pulled their triggers without hesitation, match cords igniting the firing pans.
*Bang bang bang…*
A single volley, and the dozen or so pirates leading the charge fell with screams.
The remaining pirates sobered up considerably.
“Don’t be afraid! Death is death—better to die fighting than kneeling. Take as many Zhejiang troops as you can!”
Ma Ye and the others across the river started stirring them up again.
“Drop your weapons and kneel to surrender, and you won’t be killed! Resist to the end, and you’ll be slaughtered without mercy!”
Zhu Pingan cast a disdainful glance at Ma Ye and the instigators across the river, then shouted to the wavering pirates on this side.
“Drop your weapons and kneel to surrender, and you won’t be killed! Resist to the end, and you’ll be slaughtered without mercy!”
“Drop your weapons and kneel to surrender, and you won’t be killed! Resist to the end, and you’ll be slaughtered without mercy!”
“Drop your weapons and kneel to surrender, and you won’t be killed! Resist to the end, and you’ll be slaughtered without mercy!”
The Zhejiang soldiers echoed in unison, repeating it three times, their voices booming like a tidal wave.
The moment they heard they could live by dropping their weapons and kneeling, the eyes of the stranded pirates lit up in disbelief.
If there was a chance to survive—even on their knees—most couldn’t resist that temptation.
Who’d choose death when life was an option?
Pirates had no honor to speak of.
*Clang.*
One pirate, the instant the Zhejiang troops finished shouting, tossed his blade aside and knelt.
Where there’s one, there’s two; where there’s two, there’s three. Soon, the sound of weapons hitting the ground rang out continuously.
In the blink of an eye, the pirates on this side of the bridgehead were kneeling en masse—not a single one left standing.
Well, almost. There was one still on his feet: Chen Dong, laughing hysterically at the sky.
At this moment, Chen Dong looked deranged, tears streaming down his face as he cackled…
With all the pirates kneeling, he stood out starkly.
“Chen Dong?!”
Zhu Pingan squinted at the laughing figure, uncertain. This disheveled, mad wreck was hard to reconcile with the proud pirate chieftain who’d once commanded tens of thousands from horseback.
“Sir, no mistake—it’s Chen Dong, the real deal! His leg got crushed by a tree in the fire. While fleeing, Xu Hai and the others ditched him as dead weight. His own guards betrayed him too, leaving him like this.”
Several kneeling pirates seized the chance to curry favor, ratting out Chen Dong.
It really was Chen Dong. Zhu Pingan’s lips twitched—an unexpected bonus indeed.
